WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

[abraxasmods]

WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

Welcome to The Free Cities! The portal exits outside the capital city of Cadens. The first impression of the city is its sheer size. It sprawls out across the landscape like a great hulking beast at rest. The wall that encircles it barely contains it, the buildings of Cadens practically bulging against its restraint.

The air here seems thicker somehow, tinged with a scent that’s acrid and smoky. Smog hangs high over the city, belched out by smokestacks that tower over the industrial district. The desert stretches out behind it, dotted with towers and dust clouds that disappear into the horizon. Multiple gates lead inside and each is staffed by soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms that wave a steady stream of people through without appearing to pay much attention. People are coming and going almost all of the time, to and from the outposts and areas of activity around the city proper. It’s difficult to tell just what’s out there beyond the impression of tall metal structures and a great deal of labor. Wagons carrying travelers to Libertas and Aquila roll out from the Travel Post outside the city wall.

Anyone who can sense magic will notice a much lower concentration here. No one will be stopped or questioned at the gate, even if the soldiers seem to take note of the fugitives from Thorne.

The activity and sheer number of citizens can be overwhelming. It’s crowded and loud and feels constantly in motion with everyone talking and yelling over each other. It’s easy to get swept up in the ever-moving throng or find oneself ducking into the mouth of a narrow alley just to breathe.

Anyone who’s willing to make their way to the northern part of the city and Portham Hall will find Prime Minister Marlo Reiner available to receive them.

Comments

[coerthantorment]

[It's not something he feels entitled to keep secret, when it comes up. It seems wrong to discuss his connection with dragons without being frank about its origins, as not to play at being some sort of champion for their cause when he began that journey as a butcher. It's hard to explain any of this without getting to the root of it, and concealing his past feels unjust... even if it was immediately following a somewhat assinine dick joke. Thankfully, even in Ishgard, such jokes were not uncommon in the military.

All the same, he would not have gone into as much detail with just anyone. Maybe he's getting too comfortable sharing these sorts of feelings with Jaskier, who has already seen him in a vulnerable state. In some ways it's easier than purely relying on Himeka, who has to spend more than enough time being concerned about what he's doing.

Though he may have found Jaskier's invitation to experiment with his draconic form a bit more convincing if the man hadn't just admitted to finding it sexually attractive. He crosses his arms.]

Your enjoyment of it being only secondary, I assume?

[He's mostly being wry, but he also has zero problem intentionally putting Jaskier on the spot, leading him to present it with a certain pointedness.]

[cointosser]

[Nooo!! They were supposed to be on dragons now, not ringing back around to him being an ass! Dammit, his advice had sounded so good, too. Like he knew what he was talking about.

Jaskier doesn't blush. But for a moment, he does need to mull exactly what Estinien is implying.

Look.

One... can steadily progress to the idea that he, ah. Would be intimate. With those that are not quite human. After all, plenty of men have gone looking for succubi. What is a dragon but a succubi with bigger horns? And a dick?]

W-well. Of course. [He regathers himself. Fine. If Estinien wants him to flirt, then by the gods, he'll do it.] My enjoyment is secondary to yours, in fact, if we're going that route. As you know, I would hate to be incinerated during the throes of passion because I wasn't being a generous lover.

[Will he have Horizon-sex to help a man come to terms with his anger and the vicious dragon soul in him? Abso-fucking-lutely.]

[coerthantorment]

[Wait... what?

Estinien had been thinking of 'enjoying' it as in, with his gaze, since apparently, Jaskier found the idea of his dragon form compelling. But this... is a bit more intense than he was prepared for, unwittingly having driven Jaskier further onward than he meant to. He'd mostly just meant to tease him for his superficial interest in the concept, but, uh....

His reaction isn't so much shyness as it is perplexment, since this sort of thing is so far from his usual business, he hasn't even stopped to contemplate what that would mean or if it would be a good or bad thing. He decided he was finished with that sort of thing a long time ago, didn't he? But, he's also living in a phase of his life he'd never imagined getting to experience in the first place.

It does actually sort of fit in with his various uncertainties, no matter how Jaskier arrived at that point. His discomfort with himself extends to things beyond the sudden appearance of scales and horns.

He swallows and glances away, looking like he doesn't really know what to do with that, before finally arriving at a gentle scoff as he shifts on his feet. Well... to that he has to say. Uh.]

You're serious, aren't you?

[It feels like a bigger deal than it must be to Jaskier.]

[cointosser]

[Oh, dear. Perhaps he read Estinien's point incorrectly.

Or he was thinking with his -- not his head. (It happens. Sometimes.)]

I am always serious with matters of the heart. And, ah, in the loins, in this particular case. [But his goal was not to make Estinien uncomfortable, obviously. Which he can read rather easily.]

But it mustn't be all that serious, either. You do know it can be fun, too? I hope?

[He holds his hands up almost in surrender.] I'm not meaning to be pushy, of course. It's simply... mm. An offering.

[coerthantorment]

[With matters of the heart... pft. There's something charming about how sincere Jaskier is, and while in some situations Estinien may have been suspicious about such a sentiment, he finds he isn't in this case. It is a bit strange, though, given that he's never met someone this, uh... 'free spirited' in his entire life.

He knew that Himeka could be open her affections, but he also was well aware that it wasn't her main focus. With Jaskier, though... an ingrained part of him feels like he should be disgusted, but on an intellectual level, he sees no reason why it should be matter. He was just as free with himself when he was younger, the circumstances just made everything incredibly difficult.

So, it's should be a relief that things are different now, shouldn't it? Whose business would it be?]

Not in my experience.

[Which is perhaps the most depressing possible answer. He doesn't actually sound bummed out by it or anything, just like this was a fact about his life he's discovered long ago and felt no need to go back to. Sexual engagement was, without fail, a tiresome waste of time. At least, in the environment he grew up in.]

I take it you've had better luck.

[If he were trying to brush Jaskier off completely, he would have left it at that first part.]

[cointosser]

[Well. Oof. That explains some things, doesn't it? His brows raise as he puffs his cheeks, then lets out a breath. Surely the visual representation of oof.

He lifts his gaze. Ah. He knows an opening when he sees one.

It's only -- look, if he believed his dick could make people happier, if only for a few moments, then he sees nothing bad about offering. He's been turned down much more than he's been taken up on his offerings, after all.]

I'm not so sure luck is the case. It may be safe to say we had different priorities. [Ever unable to keep still, he plucks a grape and rolls in between his fingers.] Despite your experience, I do promise it can be fun. Even with tails and horns included. Not that I've had the former involved before, but I can't imagine it gets in the way too much.

[The horns, maybe for sleeping in after. He could see the problems of punctured pillows.] You know, with how you speak of Himeka, I always assumed... ah, I bet you get that a lot, though, don't you? I suppose it happens with long-term traveling companions.

[Side glance at Geralt.]

[coerthantorment]

[It apparently is fun for some people, but Jaskier is right - priorities probably have something to do with it. As it is, that diversion about Himeka conveniently let's him sidestep having to give a yes or no to this proposition.

He's not done anything like that for so long... he's not even sure what he would get out of it at this point. He's taking the idea seriously, though, and he thinks he'd rather give a serious answer after he's thought about it some more.

As much as Jaskier has been saying it needn't be a serious thing, Estinien can't help but feel like it is. Maybe it would be less so if he wasn't already fond of the man.

As for Himeka, though, he raises his eyebrows. Unlike her, he isn't immediately going to laugh at the idea, but he clearly finds it odd to contemplate.]

I don't, actually. At least... not until we arrived here together.

[Nobody had ever suggested it back home. Then again, they've been a lot... closer, he thinks, since they were left alone together for so long.]

I do have the highest esteem for her - as a comrade and friend. But I've never felt our bond lacking for being simply that. There's a comfort to it... to knowing so easily where you stand.

[It's a feeling that's familial in nature, even if he'd nervous about phrasing it that way. He just... knows Himeka, and she knows him, and he's never had to wonder if their relationship should be anything different than what it is.]

[cointosser]

Oh. Really?

[It's just him, then. Then again, Jaskier is Jaskier, and he is not unaware of how he appears to others. (And no, he did not miss the fact that Estinien is skirting the question, but he's also allowing it, too. There's no need to squirrel down an answer for this sort of thing.

The offer remains there, on the table.)]

I never consider it a lack. [His fingers drum together, then splay out.] More like a fun addition.

[He feels he needs to emphasize fun with the elf, because he needs a bit of it. It is, of course, naive to expect it considering their circumstances shortly ago... yet one can hope that the opportunity to be so light will be shortly in their futures.

The way he describes this feeling of comfort makes Jaskier wonder quite suddenly if Estinien has long been in short supply with close relationships not only lately, but in his life. With one possessed by angry dragons, that could certainly put a dent into personal connections.] Well, there's not that certain spark with everyone. Besides, according to your stories, she's a bit busy all the time, isn't she?

[That's mostly a joke.]

[coerthantorment]

[He laughs easily, a little bit of that confused tension bleeding away. Right. No need to make any decisions right now. It doesn't have to be a big deal, or the focus of their mutual attention right now.]

We both are. Or... were.

[He raises his shoulder slightly, picking a grape to eat.]

We spent some years apart, on connected but distinct paths. Different missions to pursue... as is our way. We came across each other now and then, on the battlefield and not. Full glad I was, though, to join forces with her again.

[He snorts.]

If one good thing could be said of this disquieting venture, 'tis that we have been allowed to work alongside each other once more. Even if I wish she did have wiser souls to call upon than mine.

[cointosser]

[Is that a note of regret he hears? Hard to say whether it could be for the quest they left behind, or Estinien's frustration with their situation now. It fascinates Jaskier a bit, how the opposite he is of Geralt's... well, his intentions, at least. This desire to be so terribly involved.

Jaskier gives him a smile, watching him eat. He leans into the vines and the vines shirt, as if to make him more comfortable.]

A familiar story. [Though Jaskier is neither knight nor hero, this is the quiet way he and Geralt have been for years. Separate paths that would converge for months, seasons at a time. And winter would come, with Geralt always heading to his fabled Kaer Morhen, which may as well have been a fantasy in his head with how much Jaskier knows about it. And then, somehow, they would find each other on the Path again, with Jaskier simply invading it, squeezing his way onto a Path that was not meant for bards.

It surely hasn't stopped him. Not a once. Until the mountain --]

You know, I don't think it's such a terrible thing to be glad about it. If I had arrived here alone... well, fuck, who knows where I'd be? As much as I wish my companions were where they were meant to be, I'd much rather be stuck in this misery with company. [This includes new company, as he gives Estinien a certain look.

Hm. A bit of self-deprecation. He purses his lips.] And why do you say that? Because you're a bit of a hothead? [He's being nice. But also straightforward.] I have a feeling she does not think you so easily swapped out for another. Besides, you have two souls, don't you? It's twice the fun.

[He really doesn't know how the dragon thing works. But he's supportive!]