[while Nathan was smart enough to get to Hellburbia before the fog set in in earnest, he wasn't strong enough to keep out of it forever. eventually, while leaving care packages at mist's edge, he swears he sees his brother's silhouette beyond, just out of reach, just out of earshot for all that Sam doesn't turn when he calls out to him. a second or two after that, and he's off after him, convinced that he can just dip in, grab Sam, and pull him back out. and maybe that's a a little naive, but it's better than the alternative. he's not leaving Sam to fend for himself again. he's not abandoning his brother to whatever little hell again, and so he goes]
[the bad news is that, once he's inside, he loses track of his brother, if it was really him in the first place, and his exit almost immediately. the good news is that he's been carrying a gun since this whole mess started. that's probably good news, right? maybe? at least it'll give him a fighting chance, if nothing else. he just has to find his way out. no big deal, right?]
[the worse news is that he gets Pyramid Head's attention fairly quickly, and when he runs into Yennefer, he literally runs into her as his attentions are focused over his shoulder, on the sound of metal dragging metal, approaching from behind. he recoils, then, like he's hit a wall and wheels on her] Shit. [a beat] Shit. [and then he's reaching for Yen's wrist] Come on, lady.
[if she lets him, he'll try and drag her behind cover. at this point, their best bet might just be to hide]
(yennefer had not trusted the prompt to hide out in hellburbia -- not after what happened in mercy. she had decided she would take her risks with the fog. of course, her magic is fritzing, especially for bigger spells so even if she wanted to portal them to safety she can't right now.
she's not a fan or strangers touching her but for now she'll allow it. especially since he wants to get out of here as badly as she does. she runs along side him, scouting for a good place to hide. it seems like their best bet.)
I've seen a lot of vile creatures in my time, that might be one of the worse.
[ It's a few days after their return -- not because Tech is intentionally blowing Yennefer off, but because he's been in recovery. Because he fucked up and absorbed the mind of a crazy person, and he needs the time to get his shit together before trying to get her shit together. But after those few days, while he hasn't fully healed, he's able to tuck this piece of Judas somewhere in his mind, quarantine it so it doesn't come to the forefront -- at least until he's able to figure out how to properly delete it. And that's when he finally makes good on his promise. ]
yo, yennefer. just checking in to say i'm back and i'm free so whenever you wanna do this thing, i'm yours 😘
(yennefer has been frustrated since the return, more than anything else. longinus didn't know anything useful, even the brief prying into his mind before the birds chased them off proved useless. if anything the whole exercise had been frustrating, with her and geralt bickering about how to go about things while she felt the collar around her neck (metaphorically speaking, not her signature choker) grow tighter and tighter. she has been paying more attention to her device than usual, mostly because she's actually waiting for a message for once.)
you have such a strange way of speaking, tech. but i am available now. i would rather not waste more time.
It is the last thing Sara wants to do. Her tail jabs a little at the air, agitated as one of the nurse's hands her scalpel. She's been here before, and if it wasn't for the fact there were people she cares too much for, she would have just walked away.
However, for Ray and Zari, at the very least (never mind the others she knows within these walls that she just can't leave behind), she will do anything. Include press the sharp metal at some poor person's skin. The victim lies under straps, shaking on the table as they complain they're awake, don't do this.
One of the nurses whispers about how its necessary if Sara wishes to save her friends. Part of her mind thinks there has to be another way. They, the Legends, always find another way. But her hands seem to move by themselves. She's even forgotten others are in the room.
Yennefer was here for Jaskier and Geralt primarily, but that won't mean she won't interfere if she runs into someone else she knows. She may not know Sara super well but she thinks she knows her well enough to at least assume she wouldn't do something like this normal.
And the idea of Mammon stealing away someone else's agency makes her blood boil.
But if she says something out loud she'll alert the nurse.
[ he hasn't been around long enough to notice the substantial dip in the population right away. nor is he particularly close enough to anyone to start reaching out to see who is still present and who has been unfortunate enough to find themselves trapped within the walls of that horrid hospital. not giving a damn while also caring a great deal is sure something; a terrible inner conflict born of the bitterness left over when the american dream went sour and decades of self-imposed isolation. even in hell, he wars with himself over his ability to do something about it and the desire to stay out of it.
a lethal force and a genius to boot, nikola could do something to help. but does he want to? ]
How many people do you suppose are trapped in there?
(yennefer is far from altruistic. the continent is a harsh and cruel place and if you don't put yourself first you very well might not survive. but she does have people she gives a shit about who have gone missing. which is annoying. she supposes she'll have to do something about that.)
It could be any number -- when I was in there before they told us it was shelter due to nightmare beasts that were loose -- I think I would have preferred the beasts.
[It wouldn't have been entirely unreasonable for Jaskier to have sent a message to Yennefer beforehand to let her know that he was looking for her. Jaskier has, after all, been a bit of a rare sight for the past few days. Well. Somewhat.]
[The day of his rescue, Jaskier had more or less disappeared. He answered a message about Geralt being safely returned (Yennefer as well, obviously), but that was it. He didn't turn up at all until the following day, seemingly just as exhausted as the day before. Jaskier chalked it up to still needing more time to recover, but the truth was he had spent a better part of the past twenty-four hours remaining awake while Tech... Well, it wasn't exactly sleep. Not really. But it was the closest thing to sleep that Tech could do, disrupted by the memories of what happened in the hospital bringing him screaming back into wakefulness and panic. Even though Jaskier knew well enough that Tech didn't want him to stick around while he was like that—and Jaskier somewhat didn't want to either while the drugs still worked their way out of his system—Jaskier stayed, soothing Tech until he calmed and slept again. It was only after Tech awoke without a reaction to the memories that plagued his sleep that Jaskier stole a quick nap, a shower, and went back to the hotel to both check on Geralt and get a few of his things to bring back to Tech's house.]
[After that, the only real sightings to be had of Jaskier were when he was serenading in the public areas of the hotel. Given that, Yennefer could be forgiven thinking that perhaps Jaskier was avoiding her or Geralt a bit, even if that wasn't the case. At least, not exactly. The drugs Jaskier had been forced to take allowed him glimpses into his friends' feelings, which simply weren't his to know. He needed a little time to work through everything else about his time at the hospital before he felt ready to deal with that as well. Thus, it seemed best that he ought to surround himself with others in some capacity, and find his safety at night with those that it didn't feel quite so...complicated to do so right now.]
[But before the mess at the hospital, Jaskier always turned up unannounced. So, since Jaskier had zero intention of allowing anything to be changed, he simply waited outside her hotel suite door since he hadn't any clue where she was. And, of course, he acts put upon that she had the audacity to be out somewhere else.]
[Jaskier stops his playing as he says it's about time, leaning forward to close the increasingly well-used notebook in front of him. He leaves the pen he was using tucked between the pages, scooping up the notebook before getting to his feet and shifting his lute behind him. Folding the notebook in half, Jaskier tucks it into an inside pocket of his jacket.]
I was just about to leave if you didn't show up soon. [That's not true. Jaskier had every intention of continuing to sit there, working on his song for Tech, until Yennefer showed up. Jaskier could rationalize it that he simply wanted an extended period of time to work on the song without the risk of Tech hearing it before it's ready, but the truth is, Jaskier knew he'd been away for too long. He should have been here yesterday. The day before. Sooner. Either way, he shouldn't have left her alone. Not that she was truly alone. Geralt was still around. But that's not the point. The point is that Jaskier hadn't been here when he ought to have been and he means to set that right. Yennefer just doesn't need to know that.] Where have you been slithering and skulking about?
Edited (belatedly realized i whoopsied words, my b!!!) 2022-04-29 06:34 (UTC)
(generally speaking, yennefer doesn't spend a lot of time in her suite. sharing space with other people is something she is not accustomed to. she usually goes out during the day and find other ways to spend her time -- more often than not hunkering down in the library. but without tech around to help her she can only do so much so in the aftermath of everything she hasn't made as much progress as she'd like. people have started talking about the yearly carnival, something she remembers tech mentioning mammon being involved with before. it feels like a ticking time bomb she can't do anything about. she certainly doesn't help set anything up. fuck that.
she had saved as many people as she could from the hospital, more than just the bard and the witcher. she tells herself that it was just to garner favor from lucifer, in case she needs it. why else would she put herself out at risk like that? she tries not to dwell on it, but it nags at the back of her mind all the same.
she had been spending the day in the spa....some of the treatments were a little out there to be sure, but she had been able to temper down the water so it wasn't boiling and it had been nice to relax, if just for a moment. she knows she can't indulge too much, or too long. she has to keep vigilant until she finds an answer. what she doesn't expect when she gets back to her room, her skin still pink from the hot water and the fresh perfume of lilac and gooseberries still settling into her skin, is jaskier waiting for her.)
I should be asking you the same thing, bard. I've actually had some peace of mind lately.
(she definitely hasn't been concerned that he kinda went awol. it's not like she cares b-b-baka.)
Geralt probably ought to text or call before he stops in, but he doesn't care all that much for these devices. He's lived over a century without any kind of instant communication that wasn't face to face and he prefers it that way. It's... easier.
Makes more sense.
It also means he can stand at Yennefer's door as long as he needs to without her expecting him. Not long, in the balance, but there's a few long minutes. Knocking means accepting that she didn't keep her word to let him know how things went. He's allowed a moment to be disappointed by the failure.
He does knock though, twice, solid. Before he can stand in the hall long enough for it to feel awkward.
Yennefer doesn't use her device much either, minus when she was communicating with Tech. There's a pang of guilt when she thinks of her friend and what she's going through. Enough that it keeps her in hiding afterwards. Well, that and the fangs.
She especially didn't know how to face Geralt. He was a monster created to fight monsters, what would he think of her looking more monstrous? Even if she has her freedom it came with sacrifice and a cost that she wasn't sure was worth it.
So she hid, like a coward. And when she hears the knock on the door she hazards a guess at who might be on the other side -- it's not like she has a lot of people who would come visit her.
And less that can or want to right now.
So she makes her way to the door, opening it.
"Geralt." Between his heightened senses and the slight slur to her voice that's still there as she adjusts to the fangs...well, they should be rather obvious.
[They are the first words out of Jaskier's mouth when she opens the door and he smiles at Yennefer as though he's expecting her to find humor and laugh. Except not quite. No, Jaskier's smile to her isn't as kind or warm as that. There's something unusually sharp and bitter relative for Jaskier in it.]
[It could be the alcohol. The scent of it lays heavily over top of Jaskier's choice in florals for the day and it sloshes about in the bottle in Jaskier's hand as he takes another swig from it.]
[It could be the heartbreak though.]
[Jaskier would like to give credit to the anger he's been stewing in for the past couple of days. In that time, he's been with Tech, primarily, of course. It wasn't enough time to begin with, so like hell he was going to sacrifice any more than he needed to before Tech left. But even that aside, he's been notably absent again when it comes to Yennefer. In the time since Tech told him what was happening and today, the day Tech left, Jaskier hasn't brought a single thing to her. There hasn't been a passing word or any sort of check-in about how she's doing in the wake of her alteration either. And unlike before, after the hospital, this avoidance wasn't the by-product of needing a little time to recuperate. No, this had been Jaskier's choice to avoid her. To let her be nothing to him for a while and focus his energies elsewhere.]
[But it couldn't last like that forever. Their paths would cross eventually. Jaskier could only displace his focus elsewhere for so long. The anger could only sit for so long before it boiled over or exploded, whichever came first. And he sure as hell was not about to let it spill out over onto Tech. Not when they had so little time left together. The alcohol, in the end, just expedited it as alcohol so often tends to do, resulting in Jaskier choosing to stop and knock on her door rather than continue on to his room without so much as a passing glance at her suite door.]
[Jaskier lowers the bottle back down to his side and after he swallows, he continues,] Or were you too busy gallivanting about with your newfound freedom to have even noticed? [He pauses then, tilting his head some.] I do hope you're enjoying it, Yennefer. It certainly suits you.
I didn't know for sure, but I had hazarded a guess.
(yennefer doesn't have geralt's senses but she doesn't need them to know jaskier reeks of alcohol. that's not surprising. she knew he would take tech's decision hard -- and she's an easier target than who he's really angry at. it's fine. she deserves it anyways.
not that she's going to say that. that would only fuel his ire -- or maybe anything she says would fuel his ire right now. she can't say she doesn't deserve some of it. even if tech had made his choice -- she should have played things smarter so it never came to that. she had been outclassed, and she hates that feelings. there's nothing worse than a win that still feels like a loss. )
I noticed. (and she hasn't been galavanting anywhere, she's mostly been in hiding. in her guilt she's begun working on potions or things she thinks might help tech once he's out. it's not much, but at least it's something. and as much as she gets why jaskier is lashing out at her she's not going to simply take it without biting back.)
You should be happy, Jaskier, you've always called me a blood sucker. Now it's almost true.
[He thinks it's best he announces his presence rather than simply making himself at home at her table like he normally might. Once Yennefer's eyes lift from the book in front of her, Jaskier holds his hands up, palms facing her to be on the safe side. Because he doesn't anticipate Yennefer to be pleased to see him. In fact, he's anticipating the opposite and stays at his respectful distance as though it would somehow make a difference if she really wanted to lash out at him.]
I know I'm the last person you want to see. [He says it matter-of-fact rather than out of self-pity. After the things he said to Yennefer, he wouldn't want to see him either.] I'm just asking for five minutes—three if you're feeling understandably less charitable—and then if you want to slap me again, throw me into a bookshelf, or turn me into... [Jaskier shakes his head a little with a wave of his hand.] I don't know, a flea or something, that's fine. Can't promise I'll accept it with any semblance of dignity, [he says with a small, weak smile,] but I'll accept it.
[Jaskier doesn't bother with asking her to hear him out. She's really under no obligation to do any such thing if she doesn't want to, but he also feels that's priming for an excuse to be made when that's not his intention in coming here. If anything, it's the exact opposite of what he wants to do. Jaskier's had a lot of time to stew in his anger since he last saw Yennefer and in doing so, also think about it, too. He knows he was wrong. He's known for a long time he was wrong. But it was hard at first to let go of that feeling of justification in the wake of Yennefer's returned venom and that slap to the face. And then it was a challenge to even conceive how to apologize to her in a way that she could hear because... Well, he knew Yennefer's own harsh words and accusations and that slap to the face were because of just how far over the line Jaskier went, how deeply he managed to pick at and wound her. It's also not so much their habit to apologize to one another. Not so directly anyway.]
[But Jaskier knows it's what Yennefer deserves. This isn't something he could ever conceivably make up for by returning to her side, acting as though nothing ever even happened, and plying her with gifts. Even if Yennefer might have a preference for that as he suspects she might, Jaskier firmly believes she deserves better than that. He needs to do better than that.]
And here I thought your were done. Wouldn't darken my door anymore.
(is it cruel to throw his words back to him right now? a little. does she do it anyways? yes. yennefer is not an easy person to hurt and she would never admit that jaskier hurt her, but he did. he saw her more clearly than even geralt does sometimes in that moment and went for the jugular. he wasn't the first to do it, and he won't be the last -- but he is one of the first to apologize about it. or offer to, anyways.)
Three. And you'd make a better fly than flee, annoyingly flitting about as you do.
(that's about the best response he's going to get from her. he had the right to be angry, even now she recognizes that given her role, but tech made his own choices and she won't be blamed for them anymore than she'll be blamed for shitgaard.
nice as gifts are, they're fleeting. words mean things, they both know that. they get under your skin and become a part of you. many of the worst scars yennefer carries, other than the obvious ones on her wrists, come from words.)
[ Now that they've been back in a place where magic can be accessed (fuck you again, island) Wanda finally reaches out to Yennefer for magical questions. Most of Wanda's time these days is spent with or at least around the Darkhold, as paranoid obsessions via long term exposure to demonic magic tend to do to someone.
But what little Yennefer has spoken of her magic, it sounds like it's the closest Wanda's heard of to her own here in hell. And with dead end after another, she could use some brainstorming with the help of another. ]
As one harbinger and controller of chaos to another, are you free/interested for part of an afternoon to talk shop as it were? I cam make tea — or, my favorite for something stronger — šljivovica.
(yennefer is still struggling with the influx of new memories that she gained while on that blasted island. she's not one to lose herself in drink but a little sounds good right about now.)
Might have known that if you were going so far as to steal the last meatball at dinner, you wouldn't stop at stealing my cat.
[Jaskier stands at the doorway of Yennefer's borrowed room for a moment, arms full of an extra blanket and a couple of additional pillows. While entirely true that Yennefer could likely magic up whatever furnishings she desired if she found the accommodations that much to her disliking, Jaskier would rather she's not wasting her magic on something as trivial as that when Tech has plenty in the house.]
[Jaskier looks to the cat in question as she is currently in the process of "murdering" a toy at the foot of Yennefer's bed. Were it a live animal, most certainly, its neck would have been broken several times over with how she kicks at it. Calanthe pays little mind to Jaskier or his muttered accusation of traitor. She only ceases in this seemingly endless violence when Jaskier places the small bundle of bedding nearby her on the bed. Calanthe twists around a bit to make herself upright once more and stretches with all eyes on Jaskier now.]
Oh ho ho, don't give me that look, [he scolds Calanthe for seemingly trying to worm her way out of trouble. And yet, even as he does, the little beast has earned herself some scritches just beneath her chin it would seem. Spoiled might be the word for it, but Jaskier will hear nothing of it. It is, as Geralt said, a matter of choosing battles with one as strong-willed as her namesake. Jaskier looks to Yennefer.] And you. If you want more pillows, you're going to have to get off your arse and collect the rest from the other rooms. And think about that the next time you decide to help yourself to the last meatball.
[If he can even be believed to be any more put out with Yennefer than he is with Calanthe right this second.]
(yen had magicked the toy calanthe has been visciously attacking (bedding might be unnecessary to waste her magic on but cat toys? completely necessary). she never met the lioness of cintra due to her disdain for the brotherhood but she had heard stories and after knowing ciri -- well this cat seems to be living up to her namesake, at the very least. it's been nice having a place to rest while she figures out what to do next.
she wishes it was a problem with threads she could easily follow like things with mammon were -- but this she will have to figure out on her own. eventually she'll have to stop hiding and tell geralt the truth and let things fall where they may.
still, it's nice to not have to rush it. to be a welcome refugee in this home, not just by jaskier but tech as well. and of course the cat she's grown so fond of. she rolls her eyes fondly at jaskier's words.)
If you think having to grab a few pillows will stop me from taking what is rightfully mine you don't know me as well as you think, bard.
Uh, hey. My name is Laura, we met at the beach like a month ago?
[She starts off... well, definitely not as strong as she might have hoped, but there's a large part of Laura that's still incredibly skeptical that there's any chance of making a difference when it comes to the whole exploding into a blood werewolf every month issue.
Maybe it's just the lack of any really good options at home that makes her doubt, but she's willing to at least give this a shot.]
Jaskier said you might be able to help me and Dylan with the whole werewolf thing so I thought I'd be the one to reach out and say hi.
Jaskier mentioned you and your....problem. I'm a sorceress, we have werewolves in our world but it sounds like yours work a little differently. Luckily for you, I enjoy a challenge.
(and kind of need a distraction right now, but that's neither here nor there.)
Edited 2022-09-08 03:38 (UTC)
backdated to a little after tech's departure; cw: alcoholism
[He was quite drunk when she found him. Not black-out drunk or even the completely unsteady on his feet levels of drunk, but drunk enough that his mind was dulled and his thoughts were neither all that sharp nor searing bright any longer. It was a pleasant feeling. One that Jaskier sought after repeatedly if the bottles littering the coffee table or the scent of alcohol that was clinging to his skin were any indication. And yet, it was terrible, too. To be like this in their home. Alone in grief and trying desperately to escape it all the while knowing it hasn't gone anywhere because no matter how much alcohol he consumes, it cannot change the facts from what they are. It can only dull his sensitivity to it for a time.]
[Part of Jaskier expected chastisement from her. Yennefer is not altogether that soft or gentle a person, and so, it seems that she ought to scold him for drinking so much. For making a mess and doing very little to clean it or himself up. And maybe she was in her head where Jaskier couldn't hear it. It seemed possible. Seemed likely. But maybe that was unfair. She may not be soft or gentle, Yennefer still has a heart. If anything, perhaps she was bracing herself for another lashing. More harsh words as if Jaskier could somehow construe this as being her fault in an attempt to feel better. But no. No, this is far from Yennefer's fault. And even if there were some way he could have convinced himself it was her doing, Jaskier knew better. He knew it would only lead him to feel worse.]
[So, there was only profuse apologies for his lack of proper presentation both in terms of his manner of dress and appearance—stubble was inching far closer to proper scruff than has ever been usual, and rather than the more intentional and fashionable form of it, he simply was just disheveled—and the mess he made of the living room. Apologies that didn't really seem to land with Yennefer, although Jaskier couldn't tell why exactly. It seemed just as likely to him there was frustration or fury as there was the possibility that Yennefer understood as best she could and genuinely was making an allowance for it just this once as she said. Regardless, she shooed him upstairs to clean himself up once he began trying to gather up his mess, and Jaskier knew better than to argue. If Yennefer said she would handle it, she would handle it.]
[But he didn't shower right away. In fact, he stood outside their bedroom—his bedroom now—simultaneously almost bewildered about where he was (as though actually drunk enough to have forgotten the trek up the stairs and down the hall) and frightened of it. Somehow, it felt off-limits to him. It was as though even opening the door would be an act of trespassing. So, he stood there. He stood there trying to work up the courage to touch the doorknob and open it, staring at the thing and tracing over the little imperfections of the metal. Jaskier doesn't know how long it was, but it felt like an eternity before he could bring himself to do it. The metal was a cold surprise, but the room was not. It was exactly as Jaskier had left it the morning he woke up and discovered Tech was nowhere to be found.]
[Jaskier made the bed as it should have been made days ago. Or rather, he made it as best he could. Jaskier's corners were never as crisp as Tech's and he knew if Tech were here, he'd smile and say Jaskier did a good job while still trying to usher him off to the bathroom so he could fix it without Jaskier seeing and as though Jaskier would have no idea. He braves the closet, trying so hard not to look at Tech's half of it all the while his hand still finds the sleeve of an oversized sweater. He's rooted to the spot as he rubs at the fabric and works up the courage to let go. Just let go.]
[Just...let go.]
[He's still quite drunk when he finds her again, but not drunk enough that his mind still feels dull enough that his thoughts don't merely pass him by unremarkably any longer. He feels them acutely as they come and go with little scrapes that are not yet the deep cuts as left behind as parting gifts. But he also doesn't smell of his drink any longer either and even if he did nothing about his facial hair right now, he's at least in clean, fresh clothes, too. Nor is he alone right now in his grief. It's something at least.]
[Jaskier grabs one of the couch pillows as he settles down, holding it to his chest as he lays down and rests his head in her lap. He stares out at the coffee table and notices almost immediately that the magazines were laid down in the wrong order. Jaskier doesn't make a move toward them to make the adjustment. Yennefer didn't know there was an order to them when she did whatever she did to make this place less of a disaster. And Tech's... Tech's not here to care that they're being left alone and sorted out the "right" way. Jaskier can fix them later.]
[Later. He can fix them later.]
[He closes his eyes. Quietly, he asks,] Are you going to stay?
[Were it anyone else, he might tell her she doesn't have to stay and that he's fine on his own even though he's arguably very much not fine. But it's Yennefer. She's already well aware she doesn't have to do anything. Although because it's Yennefer, the question also feels quite silly to begin with. If she had no intention of staying, she would have likely left while Jaskier was taking forever upstairs. Still, he asks. The answer is still nice to hear.]
(after she finds out about tech's disappearance she gives him space, at least for a while. she needs time to mourn as well, it turns out. she may not have been in love with tech but she had cared very deeply for him, and yennefer does not care for people often. but tech understood her to her core the way few people ever had, and he liked her anyways. he had been a kindred spirit of sorts, someone who had also had to make ugly and hard choices to try to survive, to not lose what made them them.
he had sacrificed a great deal for her sake as well, she cannot forget that either. and maybe that's why she gives jaskier some space as well, she doesn't particularly want to be lashed out at again -- but she also doesn't truly believe he would do that again either. it's just an excuse.
but eventually she makes her way over to the house and it's a mess -- both the place and jaskier. and normally she might really take him to task for looking so terrible....she doesn't have quite the heart to. so she tells him she'll allow this just this once, and then sends him up to shower. meanwhile she begins cleaning up his mess, using her magic to remove bottles and clean up spills where she needs to. she reorganizes the magazines, not knowing they have a special order.
and then she sits down on the couch and when he lies down and puts his head in her lap she begins to idly run her fingers through his hair, as though it might soothe him some.)
I am.
(she doesn't ask if it's okay for her too because it's not in her nature to ask permission and if it wasn't okay she feels like jaskier would have the courage to tell her. or she hopes he would.)
Eventually Geralt seeks out Yennefer. Even with their last conversation and an uncertain future hanging between them, it only makes sense to find her. She's the only one here who knows him and Jaskier—knows them the right way, beyond passing in the halls of the hotel or suffering through Hell's tribulations together.
She's one of the few people whose opinion he actually values.
So despite the fact he's sure she's going to laugh in his face, he finds himself knocking at her door. He can hear that she's in, but he'll pretend he doesn't know to be polite.
Yennefer has been trying to give Geralt his space -- and to be blunt, in the absence of Tech, Jaskier has needed her more. So she's been spending a lot of time with the bard, because on some level she understands his pain. She may not have been in love with Tech but he had been very important to her all the same.
But currently she's in her own room and she reaches out with her mental magic to get an idea of who's there -- only to find familiar thoughts.
She opens the door with a tired smile. "I'm surprised you bothered knocking."
It has been years now since Hell has been redone and made even greater than ever before. And you, my prized guest, have made it twelve months in your journey towards redemption. I know that there have been bumps along the way and we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I do wish to show my gratitude. Together, we will all leave Hell one day.
I have handpicked gifts specifically for you to commemorate this anniversary. I do hope you enjoy them.
A basket of assorted decadent chocolates and a dress made of silk
A tiny jar of scar removal cream
A voucher for a night at honeymoon suites at Casino Styx, with her choice of one companion.
Again, I thank you for all of your help in making Hell what it is today.
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action » during when the sirens ring out
[the bad news is that, once he's inside, he loses track of his brother, if it was really him in the first place, and his exit almost immediately. the good news is that he's been carrying a gun since this whole mess started. that's probably good news, right? maybe? at least it'll give him a fighting chance, if nothing else. he just has to find his way out. no big deal, right?]
[the worse news is that he gets Pyramid Head's attention fairly quickly, and when he runs into Yennefer, he literally runs into her as his attentions are focused over his shoulder, on the sound of metal dragging metal, approaching from behind. he recoils, then, like he's hit a wall and wheels on her] Shit. [a beat] Shit. [and then he's reaching for Yen's wrist] Come on, lady.
[if she lets him, he'll try and drag her behind cover. at this point, their best bet might just be to hide]
sorry this is so late
(yennefer had not trusted the prompt to hide out in hellburbia -- not after what happened in mercy. she had decided she would take her risks with the fog. of course, her magic is fritzing, especially for bigger spells so even if she wanted to portal them to safety she can't right now.
she's not a fan or strangers touching her but for now she'll allow it. especially since he wants to get out of here as badly as she does. she runs along side him, scouting for a good place to hide. it seems like their best bet.)
I've seen a lot of vile creatures in my time, that might be one of the worse.
no worries!
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text; un: techgod
yo, yennefer. just checking in to say i'm back and i'm free so whenever you wanna do this thing, i'm yours 😘
text; un: vengerberg
(yennefer has been frustrated since the return, more than anything else. longinus didn't know anything useful, even the brief prying into his mind before the birds chased them off proved useless. if anything the whole exercise had been frustrating, with her and geralt bickering about how to go about things while she felt the collar around her neck (metaphorically speaking, not her signature choker) grow tighter and tighter. she has been paying more attention to her device than usual, mostly because she's actually waiting for a message for once.)
you have such a strange way of speaking, tech. but i am available now. i would rather not waste more time.
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cw: references to suicide
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Action | April Event | cw: attempted harm/unskilled surgery, altered mind state
However, for Ray and Zari, at the very least (never mind the others she knows within these walls that she just can't leave behind), she will do anything. Include press the sharp metal at some poor person's skin. The victim lies under straps, shaking on the table as they complain they're awake, don't do this.
One of the nurses whispers about how its necessary if Sara wishes to save her friends. Part of her mind thinks there has to be another way. They, the Legends, always find another way. But her hands seem to move by themselves. She's even forgotten others are in the room.
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Yennefer was here for Jaskier and Geralt primarily, but that won't mean she won't interfere if she runs into someone else she knows. She may not know Sara super well but she thinks she knows her well enough to at least assume she wouldn't do something like this normal.
And the idea of Mammon stealing away someone else's agency makes her blood boil.
But if she says something out loud she'll alert the nurse.
So instead she whispers in Sara's head.
You don't have to do this. Fight it.
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Want to skip ahead to later? I figure they parted to split up and find specific people.
that works for me, if this doesn't work at all, let me know
Works for me!
| april event — action, cw: possible vampire bullshit?
a lethal force and a genius to boot, nikola could do something to help. but does he want to? ]
How many people do you suppose are trapped in there?
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(yennefer is far from altruistic. the continent is a harsh and cruel place and if you don't put yourself first you very well might not survive. but she does have people she gives a shit about who have gone missing. which is annoying. she supposes she'll have to do something about that.)
It could be any number -- when I was in there before they told us it was shelter due to nightmare beasts that were loose -- I think I would have preferred the beasts.
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post-mercy rescue | cw: vague mention of forced medication/drug use, trauma response
[It wouldn't have been entirely unreasonable for Jaskier to have sent a message to Yennefer beforehand to let her know that he was looking for her. Jaskier has, after all, been a bit of a rare sight for the past few days. Well. Somewhat.]
[The day of his rescue, Jaskier had more or less disappeared. He answered a message about Geralt being safely returned (Yennefer as well, obviously), but that was it. He didn't turn up at all until the following day, seemingly just as exhausted as the day before. Jaskier chalked it up to still needing more time to recover, but the truth was he had spent a better part of the past twenty-four hours remaining awake while Tech... Well, it wasn't exactly sleep. Not really. But it was the closest thing to sleep that Tech could do, disrupted by the memories of what happened in the hospital bringing him screaming back into wakefulness and panic. Even though Jaskier knew well enough that Tech didn't want him to stick around while he was like that—and Jaskier somewhat didn't want to either while the drugs still worked their way out of his system—Jaskier stayed, soothing Tech until he calmed and slept again. It was only after Tech awoke without a reaction to the memories that plagued his sleep that Jaskier stole a quick nap, a shower, and went back to the hotel to both check on Geralt and get a few of his things to bring back to Tech's house.]
[After that, the only real sightings to be had of Jaskier were when he was serenading in the public areas of the hotel. Given that, Yennefer could be forgiven thinking that perhaps Jaskier was avoiding her or Geralt a bit, even if that wasn't the case. At least, not exactly. The drugs Jaskier had been forced to take allowed him glimpses into his friends' feelings, which simply weren't his to know. He needed a little time to work through everything else about his time at the hospital before he felt ready to deal with that as well. Thus, it seemed best that he ought to surround himself with others in some capacity, and find his safety at night with those that it didn't feel quite so...complicated to do so right now.]
[But before the mess at the hospital, Jaskier always turned up unannounced. So, since Jaskier had zero intention of allowing anything to be changed, he simply waited outside her hotel suite door since he hadn't any clue where she was. And, of course, he acts put upon that she had the audacity to be out somewhere else.]
[Jaskier stops his playing as he says it's about time, leaning forward to close the increasingly well-used notebook in front of him. He leaves the pen he was using tucked between the pages, scooping up the notebook before getting to his feet and shifting his lute behind him. Folding the notebook in half, Jaskier tucks it into an inside pocket of his jacket.]
I was just about to leave if you didn't show up soon. [That's not true. Jaskier had every intention of continuing to sit there, working on his song for Tech, until Yennefer showed up. Jaskier could rationalize it that he simply wanted an extended period of time to work on the song without the risk of Tech hearing it before it's ready, but the truth is, Jaskier knew he'd been away for too long. He should have been here yesterday. The day before. Sooner. Either way, he shouldn't have left her alone. Not that she was truly alone. Geralt was still around. But that's not the point. The point is that Jaskier hadn't been here when he ought to have been and he means to set that right. Yennefer just doesn't need to know that.] Where have you been slithering and skulking about?
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(generally speaking, yennefer doesn't spend a lot of time in her suite. sharing space with other people is something she is not accustomed to. she usually goes out during the day and find other ways to spend her time -- more often than not hunkering down in the library. but without tech around to help her she can only do so much so in the aftermath of everything she hasn't made as much progress as she'd like. people have started talking about the yearly carnival, something she remembers tech mentioning mammon being involved with before. it feels like a ticking time bomb she can't do anything about. she certainly doesn't help set anything up. fuck that.
she had saved as many people as she could from the hospital, more than just the bard and the witcher. she tells herself that it was just to garner favor from lucifer, in case she needs it. why else would she put herself out at risk like that? she tries not to dwell on it, but it nags at the back of her mind all the same.
she had been spending the day in the spa....some of the treatments were a little out there to be sure, but she had been able to temper down the water so it wasn't boiling and it had been nice to relax, if just for a moment. she knows she can't indulge too much, or too long. she has to keep vigilant until she finds an answer. what she doesn't expect when she gets back to her room, her skin still pink from the hot water and the fresh perfume of lilac and gooseberries still settling into her skin, is jaskier waiting for her.)
I should be asking you the same thing, bard. I've actually had some peace of mind lately.
(she definitely hasn't been concerned that he kinda went awol. it's not like she cares b-b-baka.)
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action; aftermath of yennefer regaining her freedom
Makes more sense.
It also means he can stand at Yennefer's door as long as he needs to without her expecting him. Not long, in the balance, but there's a few long minutes. Knocking means accepting that she didn't keep her word to let him know how things went. He's allowed a moment to be disappointed by the failure.
He does knock though, twice, solid. Before he can stand in the hall long enough for it to feel awkward.
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Yennefer doesn't use her device much either, minus when she was communicating with Tech. There's a pang of guilt when she thinks of her friend and what she's going through. Enough that it keeps her in hiding afterwards. Well, that and the fangs.
She especially didn't know how to face Geralt. He was a monster created to fight monsters, what would he think of her looking more monstrous? Even if she has her freedom it came with sacrifice and a cost that she wasn't sure was worth it.
So she hid, like a coward. And when she hears the knock on the door she hazards a guess at who might be on the other side -- it's not like she has a lot of people who would come visit her.
And less that can or want to right now.
So she makes her way to the door, opening it.
"Geralt." Between his heightened senses and the slight slur to her voice that's still there as she adjusts to the fangs...well, they should be rather obvious.
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cw: allusions to cannabalism
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cw: excessive alcohol use
[They are the first words out of Jaskier's mouth when she opens the door and he smiles at Yennefer as though he's expecting her to find humor and laugh. Except not quite. No, Jaskier's smile to her isn't as kind or warm as that. There's something unusually sharp and bitter relative for Jaskier in it.]
[It could be the alcohol. The scent of it lays heavily over top of Jaskier's choice in florals for the day and it sloshes about in the bottle in Jaskier's hand as he takes another swig from it.]
[It could be the heartbreak though.]
[Jaskier would like to give credit to the anger he's been stewing in for the past couple of days. In that time, he's been with Tech, primarily, of course. It wasn't enough time to begin with, so like hell he was going to sacrifice any more than he needed to before Tech left. But even that aside, he's been notably absent again when it comes to Yennefer. In the time since Tech told him what was happening and today, the day Tech left, Jaskier hasn't brought a single thing to her. There hasn't been a passing word or any sort of check-in about how she's doing in the wake of her alteration either. And unlike before, after the hospital, this avoidance wasn't the by-product of needing a little time to recuperate. No, this had been Jaskier's choice to avoid her. To let her be nothing to him for a while and focus his energies elsewhere.]
[But it couldn't last like that forever. Their paths would cross eventually. Jaskier could only displace his focus elsewhere for so long. The anger could only sit for so long before it boiled over or exploded, whichever came first. And he sure as hell was not about to let it spill out over onto Tech. Not when they had so little time left together. The alcohol, in the end, just expedited it as alcohol so often tends to do, resulting in Jaskier choosing to stop and knock on her door rather than continue on to his room without so much as a passing glance at her suite door.]
[Jaskier lowers the bottle back down to his side and after he swallows, he continues,] Or were you too busy gallivanting about with your newfound freedom to have even noticed? [He pauses then, tilting his head some.] I do hope you're enjoying it, Yennefer. It certainly suits you.
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I didn't know for sure, but I had hazarded a guess.
(yennefer doesn't have geralt's senses but she doesn't need them to know jaskier reeks of alcohol. that's not surprising. she knew he would take tech's decision hard -- and she's an easier target than who he's really angry at. it's fine. she deserves it anyways.
not that she's going to say that. that would only fuel his ire -- or maybe anything she says would fuel his ire right now. she can't say she doesn't deserve some of it. even if tech had made his choice -- she should have played things smarter so it never came to that. she had been outclassed, and she hates that feelings. there's nothing worse than a win that still feels like a loss. )
I noticed. (and she hasn't been galavanting anywhere, she's mostly been in hiding. in her guilt she's begun working on potions or things she thinks might help tech once he's out. it's not much, but at least it's something. and as much as she gets why jaskier is lashing out at her she's not going to simply take it without biting back.)
You should be happy, Jaskier, you've always called me a blood sucker. Now it's almost true.
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[Text, un: Hunter] After Tech texted him
un: vengerberg
I did. Failure was not an option.
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a handful of days before g man starts raining fire on everyone's heads
[He thinks it's best he announces his presence rather than simply making himself at home at her table like he normally might. Once Yennefer's eyes lift from the book in front of her, Jaskier holds his hands up, palms facing her to be on the safe side. Because he doesn't anticipate Yennefer to be pleased to see him. In fact, he's anticipating the opposite and stays at his respectful distance as though it would somehow make a difference if she really wanted to lash out at him.]
I know I'm the last person you want to see. [He says it matter-of-fact rather than out of self-pity. After the things he said to Yennefer, he wouldn't want to see him either.] I'm just asking for five minutes—three if you're feeling understandably less charitable—and then if you want to slap me again, throw me into a bookshelf, or turn me into... [Jaskier shakes his head a little with a wave of his hand.] I don't know, a flea or something, that's fine. Can't promise I'll accept it with any semblance of dignity, [he says with a small, weak smile,] but I'll accept it.
[Jaskier doesn't bother with asking her to hear him out. She's really under no obligation to do any such thing if she doesn't want to, but he also feels that's priming for an excuse to be made when that's not his intention in coming here. If anything, it's the exact opposite of what he wants to do. Jaskier's had a lot of time to stew in his anger since he last saw Yennefer and in doing so, also think about it, too. He knows he was wrong. He's known for a long time he was wrong. But it was hard at first to let go of that feeling of justification in the wake of Yennefer's returned venom and that slap to the face. And then it was a challenge to even conceive how to apologize to her in a way that she could hear because... Well, he knew Yennefer's own harsh words and accusations and that slap to the face were because of just how far over the line Jaskier went, how deeply he managed to pick at and wound her. It's also not so much their habit to apologize to one another. Not so directly anyway.]
[But Jaskier knows it's what Yennefer deserves. This isn't something he could ever conceivably make up for by returning to her side, acting as though nothing ever even happened, and plying her with gifts. Even if Yennefer might have a preference for that as he suspects she might, Jaskier firmly believes she deserves better than that. He needs to do better than that.]
cw: very light reference to suicide scars
And here I thought your were done. Wouldn't darken my door anymore.
(is it cruel to throw his words back to him right now? a little. does she do it anyways? yes. yennefer is not an easy person to hurt and she would never admit that jaskier hurt her, but he did. he saw her more clearly than even geralt does sometimes in that moment and went for the jugular. he wasn't the first to do it, and he won't be the last -- but he is one of the first to apologize about it. or offer to, anyways.)
Three. And you'd make a better fly than flee, annoyingly flitting about as you do.
(that's about the best response he's going to get from her. he had the right to be angry, even now she recognizes that given her role, but tech made his own choices and she won't be blamed for them anymore than she'll be blamed for shitgaard.
nice as gifts are, they're fleeting. words mean things, they both know that. they get under your skin and become a part of you. many of the worst scars yennefer carries, other than the obvious ones on her wrists, come from words.)
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making crystal bullshit work to my favors
yesss let's charge those energies or whatever it is you do with shiny rocks
they do whatever i want tbh witchers magic has no points and the rules don't matter
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[ text ] » @veštica
But what little Yennefer has spoken of her magic, it sounds like it's the closest Wanda's heard of to her own here in hell. And with dead end after another, she could use some brainstorming with the help of another. ]
As one harbinger and controller of chaos to another, are you free/interested for part of an afternoon to talk shop as it were? I cam make tea — or, my favorite for something stronger — šljivovica.
Re: [ text ] » @veštica
Something stronger would be good
(yennefer is still struggling with the influx of new memories that she gained while on that blasted island. she's not one to lose herself in drink but a little sounds good right about now.)
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backdated to some nebulous time a little after august's full moon
[Jaskier stands at the doorway of Yennefer's borrowed room for a moment, arms full of an extra blanket and a couple of additional pillows. While entirely true that Yennefer could likely magic up whatever furnishings she desired if she found the accommodations that much to her disliking, Jaskier would rather she's not wasting her magic on something as trivial as that when Tech has plenty in the house.]
[Jaskier looks to the cat in question as she is currently in the process of "murdering" a toy at the foot of Yennefer's bed. Were it a live animal, most certainly, its neck would have been broken several times over with how she kicks at it. Calanthe pays little mind to Jaskier or his muttered accusation of traitor. She only ceases in this seemingly endless violence when Jaskier places the small bundle of bedding nearby her on the bed. Calanthe twists around a bit to make herself upright once more and stretches with all eyes on Jaskier now.]
Oh ho ho, don't give me that look, [he scolds Calanthe for seemingly trying to worm her way out of trouble. And yet, even as he does, the little beast has earned herself some scritches just beneath her chin it would seem. Spoiled might be the word for it, but Jaskier will hear nothing of it. It is, as Geralt said, a matter of choosing battles with one as strong-willed as her namesake. Jaskier looks to Yennefer.] And you. If you want more pillows, you're going to have to get off your arse and collect the rest from the other rooms. And think about that the next time you decide to help yourself to the last meatball.
[If he can even be believed to be any more put out with Yennefer than he is with Calanthe right this second.]
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It's not my fault she likes me better.
(yen had magicked the toy calanthe has been visciously attacking (bedding might be unnecessary to waste her magic on but cat toys? completely necessary). she never met the lioness of cintra due to her disdain for the brotherhood but she had heard stories and after knowing ciri -- well this cat seems to be living up to her namesake, at the very least. it's been nice having a place to rest while she figures out what to do next.
she wishes it was a problem with threads she could easily follow like things with mammon were -- but this she will have to figure out on her own. eventually she'll have to stop hiding and tell geralt the truth and let things fall where they may.
still, it's nice to not have to rush it. to be a welcome refugee in this home, not just by jaskier but tech as well. and of course the cat she's grown so fond of. she rolls her eyes fondly at jaskier's words.)
If you think having to grab a few pillows will stop me from taking what is rightfully mine you don't know me as well as you think, bard.
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decided this happens after his talk with geralt not that she would know that but dwi
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fin?
voice
[She starts off... well, definitely not as strong as she might have hoped, but there's a large part of Laura that's still incredibly skeptical that there's any chance of making a difference when it comes to the whole exploding into a blood werewolf every month issue.
Maybe it's just the lack of any really good options at home that makes her doubt, but she's willing to at least give this a shot.]
Jaskier said you might be able to help me and Dylan with the whole werewolf thing so I thought I'd be the one to reach out and say hi.
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Jaskier mentioned you and your....problem. I'm a sorceress, we have werewolves in our world but it sounds like yours work a little differently. Luckily for you, I enjoy a challenge.
(and kind of need a distraction right now, but that's neither here nor there.)
backdated to a little after tech's departure; cw: alcoholism
[Part of Jaskier expected chastisement from her. Yennefer is not altogether that soft or gentle a person, and so, it seems that she ought to scold him for drinking so much. For making a mess and doing very little to clean it or himself up. And maybe she was in her head where Jaskier couldn't hear it. It seemed possible. Seemed likely. But maybe that was unfair. She may not be soft or gentle, Yennefer still has a heart. If anything, perhaps she was bracing herself for another lashing. More harsh words as if Jaskier could somehow construe this as being her fault in an attempt to feel better. But no. No, this is far from Yennefer's fault. And even if there were some way he could have convinced himself it was her doing, Jaskier knew better. He knew it would only lead him to feel worse.]
[So, there was only profuse apologies for his lack of proper presentation both in terms of his manner of dress and appearance—stubble was inching far closer to proper scruff than has ever been usual, and rather than the more intentional and fashionable form of it, he simply was just disheveled—and the mess he made of the living room. Apologies that didn't really seem to land with Yennefer, although Jaskier couldn't tell why exactly. It seemed just as likely to him there was frustration or fury as there was the possibility that Yennefer understood as best she could and genuinely was making an allowance for it just this once as she said. Regardless, she shooed him upstairs to clean himself up once he began trying to gather up his mess, and Jaskier knew better than to argue. If Yennefer said she would handle it, she would handle it.]
[But he didn't shower right away. In fact, he stood outside their bedroom—his bedroom now—simultaneously almost bewildered about where he was (as though actually drunk enough to have forgotten the trek up the stairs and down the hall) and frightened of it. Somehow, it felt off-limits to him. It was as though even opening the door would be an act of trespassing. So, he stood there. He stood there trying to work up the courage to touch the doorknob and open it, staring at the thing and tracing over the little imperfections of the metal. Jaskier doesn't know how long it was, but it felt like an eternity before he could bring himself to do it. The metal was a cold surprise, but the room was not. It was exactly as Jaskier had left it the morning he woke up and discovered Tech was nowhere to be found.]
[Jaskier made the bed as it should have been made days ago. Or rather, he made it as best he could. Jaskier's corners were never as crisp as Tech's and he knew if Tech were here, he'd smile and say Jaskier did a good job while still trying to usher him off to the bathroom so he could fix it without Jaskier seeing and as though Jaskier would have no idea. He braves the closet, trying so hard not to look at Tech's half of it all the while his hand still finds the sleeve of an oversized sweater. He's rooted to the spot as he rubs at the fabric and works up the courage to let go. Just let go.]
[Just...let go.]
[He's still quite drunk when he finds her again, but not drunk enough that his mind still feels dull enough that his thoughts don't merely pass him by unremarkably any longer. He feels them acutely as they come and go with little scrapes that are not yet the deep cuts as left behind as parting gifts. But he also doesn't smell of his drink any longer either and even if he did nothing about his facial hair right now, he's at least in clean, fresh clothes, too. Nor is he alone right now in his grief. It's something at least.]
[Jaskier grabs one of the couch pillows as he settles down, holding it to his chest as he lays down and rests his head in her lap. He stares out at the coffee table and notices almost immediately that the magazines were laid down in the wrong order. Jaskier doesn't make a move toward them to make the adjustment. Yennefer didn't know there was an order to them when she did whatever she did to make this place less of a disaster. And Tech's... Tech's not here to care that they're being left alone and sorted out the "right" way. Jaskier can fix them later.]
[Later. He can fix them later.]
[He closes his eyes. Quietly, he asks,] Are you going to stay?
[Were it anyone else, he might tell her she doesn't have to stay and that he's fine on his own even though he's arguably very much not fine. But it's Yennefer. She's already well aware she doesn't have to do anything. Although because it's Yennefer, the question also feels quite silly to begin with. If she had no intention of staying, she would have likely left while Jaskier was taking forever upstairs. Still, he asks. The answer is still nice to hear.]
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(after she finds out about tech's disappearance she gives him space, at least for a while. she needs time to mourn as well, it turns out. she may not have been in love with tech but she had cared very deeply for him, and yennefer does not care for people often. but tech understood her to her core the way few people ever had, and he liked her anyways. he had been a kindred spirit of sorts, someone who had also had to make ugly and hard choices to try to survive, to not lose what made them them.
he had sacrificed a great deal for her sake as well, she cannot forget that either. and maybe that's why she gives jaskier some space as well, she doesn't particularly want to be lashed out at again -- but she also doesn't truly believe he would do that again either. it's just an excuse.
but eventually she makes her way over to the house and it's a mess -- both the place and jaskier. and normally she might really take him to task for looking so terrible....she doesn't have quite the heart to. so she tells him she'll allow this just this once, and then sends him up to shower. meanwhile she begins cleaning up his mess, using her magic to remove bottles and clean up spills where she needs to. she reorganizes the magazines, not knowing they have a special order.
and then she sits down on the couch and when he lies down and puts his head in her lap she begins to idly run her fingers through his hair, as though it might soothe him some.)
I am.
(she doesn't ask if it's okay for her too because it's not in her nature to ask permission and if it wasn't okay she feels like jaskier would have the courage to tell her. or she hopes he would.)
cw: mild description of dissociation due to alcohol use/grief
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capping this off for us
action | sorry for the lateness, it's been A Time
She's one of the few people whose opinion he actually values.
So despite the fact he's sure she's going to laugh in his face, he finds himself knocking at her door. He can hear that she's in, but he'll pretend he doesn't know to be polite.
it's also been a time for me, i understand
Yennefer has been trying to give Geralt his space -- and to be blunt, in the absence of Tech, Jaskier has needed her more. So she's been spending a lot of time with the bard, because on some level she understands his pain. She may not have been in love with Tech but he had been very important to her all the same.
But currently she's in her own room and she reaches out with her mental magic to get an idea of who's there -- only to find familiar thoughts.
She opens the door with a tired smile. "I'm surprised you bothered knocking."
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It has been years now since Hell has been redone and made even greater than ever before. And you, my prized guest, have made it twelve months in your journey towards redemption. I know that there have been bumps along the way and we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I do wish to show my gratitude. Together, we will all leave Hell one day.
I have handpicked gifts specifically for you to commemorate this anniversary. I do hope you enjoy them.
Again, I thank you for all of your help in making Hell what it is today.
Yours,
Lucifer
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I suppose one round of bullshit wasn't enough?