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abraxaslogs2021-08-28 09:41 pm
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-08-28 09:41 pm
Entry tags:
- !event,
- !npc,
- alina starkov; the hanged man,
- amos burton; the lovers,
- cirilla of cintra; the devil,
- coraline finch; the tower,
- estinien wyrmblood; the hermit,
- geralt of rivia; the hanged man,
- gideon nav; strength,
- hector; the magician,
- himeka sui; the fool,
- jaskier; the sun,
- jon sims; the high priestess,
- jon snow; the emperor,
- kiryu kazuma; the tower,
- sam wilson; justice
WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!
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.
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.
yeah but it is going to be more accurate you try coordinating 40 bats
[Be! Nice! To his bat form!!!
Alucard folds his arms across his chest, not really bothering to hide the fact that this whole thing has made him quite unhappy and a little hurt. It isn't as if he'd be showing these forms to many other people.
Also Jaskier, knowing you, like FIVE?]
Well, that is the sum total of the transformations, you'll find.
ok you've got me there
It is not hard to miss the fact he has clearly hurt the vampire's feelings. Which is an utterly bizarre thing to think -- that he would ever be in a position to hurt any vampire's feelings, let alone, er. Be in this situation at all.]
Oh.
[It does sound a little disappointed.]
Ah, that's still! Brilliant! Amazing! I mean, I would never be able to turn into... that many things. Let alone one.
[He feels weirdly guilty about this entire conversation now. He approaches Alucard to show just how not-scared he definitely is of him, knowing he can instantly become bats whenever he feels like it. He pats his arm.] I promise, it is very, ah, impressive.
There's SO MUCH TO COORDINATE also this entire thread is a gift thank you
The disappointment is understandable though. There's a great many things Dracula could transform into that Alucard simply cannot, but it hasn't been a true bother. Just a slight difference, and frankly, the wolf was the best out of all of them.
To what Alucard thinks is his credit, he only tenses a little at the arm pat. Physical contact is a little precarious these days.]
Good for the current terrain, at any rate. Do you intend to continue pissing out here whenever you need to? I suspect it might become more dangerous every time you do so.
I love this so much thank you too
It'd work for Jaskier.
But Jaskier does not inflict any further touch on him. Even if he finds that unbearably frustrating, he is respectful.]
Oh, gods, why did you have to bring it up again? We were doing a very good job at ignoring how this little meeting went, thank you! [Alucard, you are THE WORST. But somehow his embarrassment with it all is affectionate despite it.] If this is your new wolfish territory, I suppose I'll find elsewhere to mark my own land.
[That's a joke. This was an emergency, all right?] I'd very much consider it a favor if we do not speak of this again. I have a reputation to -- er, build.
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The dhampir doesn't quite smile at the reaction to the reminder, but it's there in spirit.] I'm hoping to mark something a little more quiet and less prone to those in need of an emergency piss stop, if we're being totally honest.
[Also a joke. He promises.] I assure you, I will be striving to erase the opening moments of this conversation for the rest of the day.
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He had to keep going, didn't he! Unfortunately, even being over 40, Jaskier still has the ability to sound like a child. (Something they might share, actually.)]
Stooop! You're the worst. [He says it with a laugh. It's -- all right, it is far from the most embarrassing thing to happen to him, but something about being scolded by a vampire is making it all the more embarrassing. And hilarious. That Alucard appears so put-upon by it just makes it funnier.
And to think he turned into a wolf and bats in the space of a conversation. Even the most mundane of conversations have turned absolutely fucking fascinating in all the most unexpected ways.]
See, I will miss this if you mean to go to sleep for... an unspecified length of time. I do hope spotting certain appendages of mine won't bring you nightmares.
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The worst? Alucard takes a beat to look offended, but the laugh makes it clear that none of it is truly meant. (Trevor is not permitted to learn that kind of language, Alucard can already foresee a poor ending to it.)
Jaskier's set him up for a good response though, and so Alucard's tone is deadly serious as he offers back:]
Is it more insulting if it stays with me or if I find it utterly forgettable?
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Jaskier has the energy to still look offended for a moment, pointing to him with his mouth open.] You! You'll be dreaming of it, I'm sure! You had better say the former, or I will be very upset with you, thank you. And don't go spreading any mean rumors about me, either, after your little nap. I know you vampires are very gossipy.
[Okay, he's just assuming, but it makes sense if you're going to live forever you might as well gossip about everything.
It's definitely a lucky thing Jaskier has forgiven him for the terrifying bat thing already. Or he'd do something drastic.] You know, had I thought we were going to end up in a joust of insults, I would've come prepared.
[But he'll give it to Alucard: he's very good at it. Sometimes. Maybe.]
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You are right about vampires being gossipy, I'll give you that. It is the true curse of a long life. [They're bored. It's a small group of people. Infinite shit talking ensues.]
For whatever it is worth though, I did not expect to end with insults. If anything, this whole situation feels as if it grows more ridiculous every moment.
[Which is accurate. And he has hopefully just side stepped all further dick talk which is the real goal at hand.]
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It doesn't really take much for Jaskier to think fondly of another as his friend. After all the nasty prison stuff, too. Much harder to make friends that way.
Jaskier grins, giving a little shrug.] That it does. Which, I think, is a fun way to go on with it.
[And yes, let's round away from the cock talk.] Going back to it... well, if you need help with this little crypt of yours, let me know. I have absolutely no idea how to help, of course, but I feel I must throw the offer out there. Unless you can think of a use of a few dozen, magic alarm birds.
[That could totally be helpful. Who wouldn't love some color in their weird nap crypt?]
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I can't say that I think I do, but an entire cyclops snuck down into the last one with no warning or indication and acted as a security system, so what do I know so far as that part of this?
[Going from that tone? The dhampir is absolutely serious.]
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An entire -- [His voice sort of trails off. A cyclops? That... wait! Geralt had mentioned them before. Certainly nothing he'd run into, and Jaskier was more than happy to keep it that way.]
An entire fucking ogre? It just... wandered into your crypt?
[He knew they weren't the smartest of creatures, but...
Well. Maybe it got stuck.] You have lived a very fascinating life for a man who sleeps so much.
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[At least, not where Alucard's from. At least he's gentle with the correction, although it does bring up a point that has been on his mind for a time.] Truth be told, I'm still not sure how it ended up there. The crypt was under a populated city, and they're not precisely the most subtle of creatures.
[It is a mystery Alucard hasn't really wanted to focus on. There's every chance it was an accident, just as there's a chance that maybe his father pointed it in a particular direction as a gate keeper, which is a whole bucket of emotions the dhampir doesn't want to unpack.
A soft near-laugh comes out of the dhampir.]
Not bad for spending one year out of the twenty asleep, I suppose.
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[Jaskier is nothing if not a lover of the pedantic, but he also only has this knowledge secondhand. Will it stop him? Absolutely not. He knows, at least, cyclops are ogroids, even if they're much rarer than the more common ice troll --
Alucard's life actually is beginning to sound like it borders the line between bizarre and comical. So he went to sleep in an underground crypt... only for it to be invaded by a cyclops. Underneath an entire city.
Did someone put it there on purpose? He --
It's for the best he has nothing to be in the middle of drinking, because this would've been the perfect moment for a spittake. As it is, Jaskier does his best to imitate the gesture without a mouthful of water.] You what? You're fucking twenty?
[He... he's twice as old as a vampire??????
Why is it everyone he befriends is some sort of supernatural, non-aging hottie???]
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[The question is mild, but it is genuinely baffled. Every time someone who isn't Hector learns of his age, they're baffled by it. It makes absolutely no sense to Alucard at all. Not all vampires and vampire adjacent things are automatically old as dust.
His lips thin into a frown. There's no hurt feelings, but there is genuine confusion.]
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[He probably shouldn't be humansplaining a vampire to a vampire, but -- to be fair, there is a large chance that Alucard's vampires are not the same as his own. (Though his own experiences with them are, of course, limited. Or nonexistent. Unless people he's met were vampires and he simply didn't know, which would be both awesome and disappointing.)]
Well, as I know them. They're all supposed to be ancient. It's simply... that's how it is. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it, of course. [He does have the feeling it was somehow insulting, and he likes Alucard. So he steps his words back.] I did not expect to be twice your age, that's all.
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[He shrugs, not minding the humansplaining. At least Jaskier's reaction is about ten times as entertaining as Geralt's, although in theory that's not hard. Rocks emote more than Geralt does.]
Although is it because you think I'm supposed to be old, or because I've made you feel old?
[There's a faint smile on his lips. Yes, this is a dick move question, Alucard's aware.]
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[Or would it simply just go around killing and eating people? Hmm, maybe not. It would be quite an adventure, either way. Wait! If Alucard was only half, would that have made him a little vampire baby at one point?
With a big head of pretty yellow hair?
Why was he thinking of this? It was at least better than the whole dick conversation.
He --]
Oi! I've never felt old in my life, thank you. [He crosses his arms, lifting his nose at the vampire.] Men a quarter my age would pay their weight in experience if they'd be able to do half as much as I.
[It's all that walking, you know. Keeps you from aging for 22 years.]
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Better to be an ass, the offense probably perfect. Especially the way that Jaskier holds himself just so, it gets a soft laugh from Alucard.]
I won't debate you on that, but please pace yourself in the future. You don't want to overdo it--
[He needs to stop with the aging jokes.]
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You're killing me! Really! Hilarious!
[Was he laughing? No! Maybe. Look, this whole thing was ridiculous, but he sort of loves it, too. It is a moment where he doesn't need to care that they're still, technically, prisoners on the run.]
Not to break away from this titillating prodding of my ego, but I must return home before Geralt assumes the wolf out here has devoured me. Or before I begin to fight you. [He wouldn't, but he has to appear at least a little fluttered.] It is good to see you here. Which, undoubtedly, means I will return to find you at the most inopportune moment. As it seems we are setting a trend.
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I'll leave your ego be, in spite of that last offering of low hanging fruit. [Alucard inclines his head slightly. Jaskier is right, their paths are crossing more often than not.] Then I will leave you to that. I have some business to attend to myself.
[By that, he means nothing more than running through the cold desert air, embracing the world again. In a blink of an eye, he's a wolf again. That wolf offers a final nod to Jaskier, and then it is off again, paws thundering against the ground.]