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

[cointosser]

[With a smile, he agrees profusely. The less priests in any given area, the more fun there is to be had. It's simply science.

He squeezes Hector's hand, leading him along. To be fair, he doesn't know many taverns himself yet -- far from how he would know every single one, even in the poorest of towns, like the back of his hand. It's always been exciting to him, exploring new cities, even if in the end they had nothing to offer.

But a new city with new company -- now that was even better.]

That... right. Delicate. Makes sense. [It's not hard to assume that others may not find Hector's quirks as attractive as Jaskier. To be fair, if it'd been a human corpse and not a frog, his opinion may have changed dramatically.]

Well, several skills, I like to think. [He winked.] Drinks aside, if you ever need aid, you know you can come to me.

[Look, Jaskier knows very well how easily he can make money. But he imagines it's a bit harder for necromancers.]

[petcromancer]

[Hector's breath catches. He's lived a sizable portion of his life as a hermit, with just his pets for companionship. In a lot of ways, that had been preferable. That relationship made sense. People didn't take care of one another that way...

...except Jaskier is offering to take care of him. And not in the forced way he's experienced in Styria. Just... being supportive, and without any expectation of Hector working for him.]

...I can? [He asks, not disbelieving, but shaken. Jaskier hasn't asked anything of him, but he'd raise an army for the man, no questions asked.]

I'm sure you say that to all the necromancers you meet. [He jokes, because he does not know how else to deal with the way his heart is thumping its way out of his chest.]

[cointosser]

[Jaskier blinks. That was not the response he'd expected. Honestly, perhaps unexpected should become the norms for what to expect with his friend.]

Hector, of course. Normally I would have much more to offer, were we back on the Continent, but -- we'll go for the budget options, if we must.

[The joke takes him by surprise, considering Hector's response. He snorts.]

Ah. I promise I am not so generous to every one I meet. [To be fair, he does actually know more than one now. How fascinatingly bizarre his life has become.] For one, I certainly couldn't afford it.

[A tease. He draws Hector's hand up to kiss it.]

[petcromancer]

[It's going to take some getting used to, the fact that Jaskier treats him so kindly and doesn't want to use him. That Hector might be experiencing actual affection from someone. Such things happen to regular humans, not forgemasters like Hector.

Hector doesn't even mind if Jaskier does lavish his affections on more than just him. Just experiencing it is enough. He'll find ways to be useful to Jaskier to pay him back. He's never cared much for money or power before, but if he can earn it for the sake of the bard, he'll try.

Jaskier kisses his hand, and Hector tries to be cool about it, even as his cheeks heat up.]

I-I'm sure you'll charm the Free Cities and have money enough to support a harem if you choose. We'll have to keep an eye out for more surly silver-haired candidates. [You have weird tastes, Jaskier, is what Hector is teasing.]

[cointosser]

[Oh, how he will never tire at the sight of Hector blushing at the smallest sign of affection. (Even if, in combination with other things, it is a little worrying, too.)

At least his skills still work so well.]

I appreciate the vote of confidence, yet I don't believe harems are for me. How could a man get a word in edgewise? [Spoken like a man who doesn't take over nearly every conversation he's a part of. And many he isn't.] Ah. Oh. I may have a type, yes, but that does nothing to erase your own natural charms. I've met far surlier.

[He means, by some standards, Hector is practically a bright flower.

He stops them under a swinging wooden sign depicting some tentacled creature wrapped around a boat. From the look of it and the smells emenating outside, certainly a tavern. He tugs at Hector's hand.] Shall this suffice? Perhaps you can fill me in on the potential fantasies you've had involving us and harems. Or other silver-haired charmers.

[Look, if he’s gonna throw the idea out there…]

[petcromancer]

[Compared to Geralt, Hector is practically a dandy. He's met the man now, and acknowledges all the more Jaskier's saint-like patience.]

Oh, the concern is conversation? [He teases.] You're confident with everything else entailed.

[He spares the tavern sign barely a glance as he follows Jaskier in. One alehouse is as good as any other until they've had a chance to actually try them out and experience their service.]

Oh, I can fill you in, but it will get ribald. After a day on your feet, performing, wouldn't you like a pair of lovers to lay you down and care for your every need?

[cointosser]

[Oh, Jaskier's smile has reached shit-eating tiers with that little comment.] Absolutely.

[And there's a little pep in his step as he says it, with the confidence to back it up. Why, it wasn't as if Yennefer's little entrance was his first step into an orgy. It just happened to be the first one he was dying in.

He tilts his head and slides onto a bench where a few dirty tankards still sit. He shuffles them off to the side.]

Hector, please! Ribald is my middle name. Well, not literally. It's actually Alfred. But I'd much prefer ribald. [He lets out a fluttery sort of sigh, bumping Hector's shoulder with his own.] Stop, you needn't tease me with such an exquisite fantasy before I've even had a drop to drink. [Forgetting the fact he definitely invited him to do this in the first place.] You wouldn't have a twin tucked away anywhere, would you?

[petcromancer]

[Hector swallows, throat dry and ready for a drink. Jaskier was his most sexy when he wasn't trying, when he was being a confident little shit. Hector could use that drink now, before he finds out more about Jaskier's experience with harems.]

'Alfred', eh? [He's going to ferret that away for later teasing.]

No such luck, I'm afraid. [God, his mother would be turning in her grave at the thought of Hector doubled. Well, she would if she had a grave. Well, fuck her.] There's only one of me. But I can do the work of two, have no fears there.

[cointosser]

Alfred is a perfectly respectable name, thank you. It runs in the family.

[It won't be the first time he's been teased about it, but no worse than his surname, which he'll keep to himself for now. It no longer holds the weight it once did, anyway. Ah, the days when he didn't even have to introduce himself.]

Ah. That makes you all the more precious then. [He waves at a passing barkeep.] Two of your, ah... third finest ales, please. [He's on a budget, all right.

The dark-haired woman gives him a grunt, but that's good enough. He turns back to his company.] I have not a single fear about that. Two hands is plenty for me. [He wiggles the fingers of his two own hands, which is all he has in offering, anyway.] Well, now that we have a moment of freedom and no listening ears, perhaps we could find the opportunity to... learn a bit more about each other. If you'd like, you can ask me anything.

[It is indeed unfortunate that one of Jaskier's favorite topics is himself. But they could definitely go back to the harem fantasies, too.]

[petcromancer]

Oh, you're respectable now? [News to Hector, who doesn't even pretend at respectability.

He smirks to himself at that 'third finest' order. His bard is so practical. Hector likes practical. Practical people tend to stay alive.

He takes a seat and props his head on his hand, looking at Jaskier.]

Alright. A question for a question? Tell me when you decided you wanted to be a bard. With your family, surely you were spoiled for choice.

[cointosser]

[Despite the dig at him, he snorts a laugh.] Reasonably!

[Maybe. Most of everything he does is very respectable. Look at him out here on his own (with companions) making a life for himself. Again. And it could make one his age so damn weary with the thought of having to do it all over. But he is! Respectably.

Flirting with necromancers by respectably taking them for drinks.

Which hit the table, just as he leans in to share the same space as Hector simply because he wants to. Respectably.]

Ah, a bit of a heavy-hitter already? [He pulls his pint close and swirls a finger around the lip as he considers.] Oh yes, I was a spoiled. Still, I was very young. I can't pinpoint the exact moment. I always had a penchant for music, you know; even as a child, I studied music with the enthusiasm of a fly on manure. And being a bard sounded fantastically more exciting than being a viscount. I wanted to write of adventures. Exciting things.

[Not that he still isn't a viscount, and isn't a noble, but... he moves through courts as something else other than another courtier. More importantly, he is remembered for what he creates, not what blood flows in his veins.] And, for certain, I wanted to be treated a bit more spectacularly than your average noble. [He gives a smile.] Especially a bard as talented as me.

[And humble! Perhaps it says enough he doesn't speak of his family as involved in the decision. No, he set on his path quite firmly. Went to university, studied. Did all he needed to do. Set out to make his own way when he was still in his teenage years.] I went out on my own with a lute in my hand and not much else, fresh from university. Perhaps the real moment I decided was when my first few performances resulted in a few, ah... thrown condiments. And I carried on.

[Which was still perfectly unjustified. His earlier songs were, er, not his best, but much better than the malarkey his fellow bards could be found shoveling out.] So shall I turn the question on you? When does one decide to become a, ah... [The word. Fuck, what was it? Yes!] A forgemaster?

[petcromancer]

[A life of privilege and passion. Hector understands at least part of Jaskier's drive. While music has never spoken to him the way it obviously does the bard, Hector gets rejecting money and power to follow a life devoted to a craft.]

A university graduate, eh? [That's the most surprising part for Hector. Education was so rare in his world. Hector considered himself fortunate to be learned, but college was never an option for him. He's still adjusting to the fact that the people he knows now had a completely different upbringing.]

And look at you now. No more condiments, only coins and praise being thrown at you. [Maybe he really should let Jaskier take care of him.

He shrugs as the conversations shifts back to him.]

I wanted a dog. My father was an alchemist-- they are notorious for being obsessed with money and power-- and he trained me from a young age. He wanted me to focus on my studies, and all I wanted was a dog to play with. [He tends not to talk about his family, but here he is, sharing. He wants Jaskier to understand him.]

I thought he couldn't object if I was able to make a pet that cost nothing, needed no feeding. I was seven or eight at the time, and hopelessly naive. So I found a dead dog that had been struck by a cart and brought it back to life. It should have been far beyond my abilities, but I had a natural talent, I discovered.

[cointosser]

A college boy, if you will. [He teases, pushing Hector's drink in front of him. I's rare in his world as well, honestly; it's mostly the children of nobles, or those who can haggle their way in. One could hardly be a good bard without the knowledge provided there, though.

He misses those days. Sometimes. And now where will he go when winter comes here? He would always return to Oxenfurt or Toussaint. And now... well, perhaps winter did not even come here to Cadens.

Dare a spot of flattered blood come to his cheeks? Maybe for a second.] Oh, stop. You're far too kind.

[But also keep going.

Though he's more than happy to hear about Hector's life. He has such a smooth, even voice, even when speaking of the most mundane. Though it is not to say what Hector tells him is mundane in anyway. He watches his face as he speaks, his brows only moving higher to react in surprise. An alchemist? That was certainly not fairly common.

Ah. But fathers obsessed with money and power? Dreadfully common, unfortunately.

Jaskier lifts his head from his hand. He doesn't need to say much about his father's reaction. It's not terribly hard to guess, and yet he can't help but think: of all people, shouldn't an alchemist be a bit more fucking understanding, especially with a child? With some of the things out there, a dead dog was a minor inconvenience.]

Sounds like a right bastard to me, if his immediate response wasn't to laud your talents. [Of course he's defensive on Hector's behalf. Not only because he likes him, but it simply -- it reminds him of the shit he's heard people say about Witchers, too. Spending their lives helping people only to get ruined by busy mouths.] It's not like every child out there is doing the impossible. By gods, you should've been a prodigy.

[In his estimates. The amount of nobles who would've paid out the ass to see their dead exotic birds again. Or peasants who needed oxen that wouldn't slow. So many creative endeavors out in the world, unfairly snuffed out like candles because they couldn't be understood.]

[petcromancer]

[Hector takes his drink, letting his fingers brush against Jaskier's as he takes it. Flirting is more fun than talking about his past, but these things must be said. The fact that Jaskier is so immediately and decisively on Hector's side helps.]

No, no lauding. Far from it. I eventually found people who appreciated my talents. They just... all turned out to be vampires.

[But yes, there are so many non-terrible ways he could apply his powers, if only he was given the chance. He feels like the bard understands that, and that makes Hector melt even more than Jaskier's smiles and clever fingers and lovely voice do.]

Speaking of prodigies... [He loops his foot around Jaskier's ankle, keeping him from scooting his chair away from Hector's.] What is your favorite song?

[cointosser]

[He pauses. Oh. Vampires. As in, several of them. That was -- how many vampires could one man really know? And how in the gods's names had Hector moved around them and never gotten snacked on? That feels like the sort of inevitable end of that sort of... position.]

Well. Now you have very human fans. At least one.

[One that had no reservations to all but cuddling up against him, if that's what Hector wants. What's a bit of sad backstory between lovers? You know, if you ask him, it makes the necromancer even sexier. All that tragedy and he still can flush with the right compliment.

He leans in close to him, letting a hand fall onto Hector's thigh.] Ah, my favorite? You mean of my own? [Because of course his favorite song was one of his own, thank you. He's just that good. He makes a long hmm as he considers.

What is it, really? He thinks, of all of them, that his first real hit may be a favorite -- he certainly owes a great deal of his fame to it. But there is one thing that's bothered him.]

You know, it's a funny thing. I wrote a song before... before I was brought here. I never had a chance to perform it before this mess. Yet I think it may be my favorite, even if it's a bit maudlin. Her Sweet Kiss.

[Maudlin is putting it a bit lightly. His fingernails drag up Hector's thigh as he recites with a gentle, breathy tune, low enough that it's only for the two of them:]

I’m weak my love, and I am wanting /
If this is the path I must trudge /
I welcome my sentence /
Give to you my penance /
Garrotter, jury and judge...

[Those last lines had taken at least a day and a half, and he is very proud of it. Not bad for a quick rewrite after certain... hm. Events.

He smiles.] I should make you come listen when I finally perform it.

[petcromancer]

[Hector didn't specifically mean songs Jaskier had penned, but Jaskier's boundless confidence is sexy, and he nods along.]

Yes, I'm curious to know what the master bard likes the best.

[He leans into Jaskier's side, enjoying the feel of Jaskier's fingers against his thigh, and listens to the whispered lyrics.

...and, um, is Jaskier ok? Don't get Hector wrong, the phrasing is clever, the tune haunting. From the sampling he hears, it is indeed a good song. But...]

And this was from right before you arrived?

[Who hurt you, Jaskier?]

[cointosser]

[He's fine!! Mostly. But he's rather certain he knows that look. Not that it's Hector's fault; plenty of his audience have wanted to know how much of his songs are pieces of him.]

I finished it the night before I was fished out of that bloody well in Thorne. Right at the base of the mountain I'd been venturing down.

[The dragon mountain, that was. After he got no dragon in the end. He was not still mad about it. Definitely not.]

Oh, don't look so worried! [Though it is cute, his eyebrows coming together like that.] I can guess what you're thinking, but it's not about me. [But is it about Yennefer? Sort of, but no one needs to know that. He's had plenty of experience with love to know she's not the only one the song makes him think of.] Though I certainly take inspiration from my life. And that isn't to say I haven't had my heart broken... [He gives a wistful sort of sigh. He hasn't thought of the Countess in a while, what with everything happening. But her picture in a frame in Sam's house, in his domain, simply proves how he carries her still in his heart somewhere.

Well. She's in the past, and now he's here, with a drink and very good company.]

A bit maudlin for this moment though, isn't it? I believe that means I get a question. [He considers it. He's rather sure Hector would answer plenty, but he is particularly curious about one thing:] When you were around all those vampires... did you ever consider becoming one?

[To his credit, it might not work like that in Hector's plane. Which would be rather fascinating.]

[petcromancer]

[Jaskier reassures him, but the worry doesn't entirely leave Hector's face. He's too inexperienced with relationships to know how long a heartbreak takes to mend. So he finds Jaskier's hand and gives it a quick squeeze for lack of any better way to comfort him.]

Yes, that was the deal.

[He shrugs and withdraws his hand.]

In terms of assessing the threat of associating with them, I had to consider it, but in the way you mean, no. There was no guarantee that I would still be able to forge if I transformed, so it was never worth the risk. And while an extended lifespan would afford me more time to study, I've never sought true immortality. You can't work with death the way a necromancer does and not understand that it is the natural ending.

[After spending some time with vampires, he understood better than ever that life wasn't meant to last forever, and staying alive that long came at too high a cost.]

Besides, I enjoy the sunlight too much. You don't truly appreciate the light and warmth of it until you've spent a few months on a vampire's schedule.

[cointosser]

[All right, so he's still a bit worried, yet Jaskier can't say he doesn't enjoy being fawned over a bit. A squeeze of his hand is sometimes as good as a kiss. (Though now he's quite sure Hector was not into it, which is... not ideal. He was supposed to be impressing him!

Well. Time enough for that later.)

He sips at his ale as he listens, realizing that it's almost the answer he expects, and yet not one he feels most people would admit. Losing that sort of power would be rather awful, he imagines, when it's so ingrained in oneself. (Already, he's imagined losing his own magic -- what little it is -- and it's unsettling.)]

That's both lovely and morbid. Which fits you wonderfully. [Oh, the sunlight! That's a good point. Yet Alucard was not bothered by it... then it must be a benefit of being a dhampir, as he said. So there is a difference.] I will have to make sure our next dates are in the glory of the sunlight. Though Cadens does have a rather lovely sunset.

[It's funny to him, that they have this similarity. Geralt isn't immortal, of course, but he ages so slowly that, to a man like him, it is the same thing. And vampires can die still, apparently, if Alucard's father met his end.

Jaskier has not fed too much energy to the thought himself. Eternity is an unfathomable concept when it is so impossible to reach.]

You were with them for longer than a few months, I imagine?

[He can cheat and have two questions. Or perhaps he momentarily forgot, because honestly? Hector's life is as bizarre as it is fascinating.]

[petcromancer]

[Hector nods, to the offer of a sunset date and to Jaskier's question.]

I was with Dracula for a year, serving as one of his generals, then... a few months, involuntarily, with another vampire lord and her sisters.

[He hasn't talked about that with anyone. Alucard doesn't know where he ended up; he'd never asked, and Hector never volunteered that information. He shrugs, downplaying the fact that he was enslaved and magically bound.]

It wasn't my smartest decision, allying with them. Any of them.

[And now, time to deflect.]

How did you get in with Geralt? He doesn't seem like a patron of the arts.

[cointosser]

[He blinks in surprise.] A general? That's... that sounds quite important.

[Not that he doesn't see how Hector could be very powerful, but -- does that not imply an army was involved, as well? Ah. It's not so strange, really. He's so used to himself and Geralt, apart from all the kingdoms and their interactions -- and their wars -- between each other.

Until Cintra, apparently.

More importantly: involuntarily? Jaskier takes his hand. It is not hard to see he does not wish to elaborate as Hector quickly moves on, but gods, that could mean a lot of things. A kidnapping? Ransom? If he was a general, either could apply.

Yet it is in the past. He's here now, and he's free.]

We all make mistakes. And we learn from them, whether we wish to or not. [He allows the deflection with a squeeze of his hand. It's an easy question to answer; a tale he's recited a thousand times. How, they always ask, does the Witcher end up like a bard like you?

Of course, it is not meant to be complimentary, but there is not a single thing stopping Jaskier form taking it that way.] Ah! A patron? Hardly. It's quite the story, if you don't mind me taking over. [Not that he gives Hector a moment to stop him.] Quite a few years ago, the Witcher had a, shall we say, less than savory reputation. I've known of him since I was quite young, so far-reaching was his [He rolls his hand through the air. The word comes to him, even if it feels less than generous,] infamy. And I happened to meet his acquaintance in a tiny little town on the edge of the world, where he was hired to hunt a devil. And I, wanting some inspiration, decided to follow him on his hunt.

[It may be clear to anyone who knows even a little of Geralt that the Witcher obviously did not want him there.] We met some rather unsavory elves there on the edge of the world, but Geralt ended up saving my life in a heroic bout of, ah. Words. He managed to convince the king of the elves that our lives were quite important in the grand scheme of things, and he freed us from our capture. It was such an exciting adventure, I simply had to write a ballad of it. And in Geralt, I found a natural muse, considering his predilection for getting into terrifying bouts with monsters.

[It was a niche in the performing world that only Jaskier could fill. And fill it he did.] Over time, through the efforts of yours truly, his deeds and reputation have become quite prolific, as well as my own. Until... you know. [There's a note of sourness to his tone.] Here. Where no one knows of us. So one must work from the ground up again.

[petcromancer]

[Hector listens, glad both to have attention shifted temporarily away from his dumb-ass past decisions and to be able to listen to Jaskier's story. The bard has a lovely voice and an engaging way of spinning his tales.

It's an amusing image to conjure up, a youthful Jaskier following around the taciturn Geralt like an imprinted duckling, quacking for adventure.]

So he saved your life and you saved his reputation.

[To the benefit of both, it seems.]

You still have your experience and expertise, so you're not starting entirely from the beginning.

[cointosser]

[Jaskier laughs.] Yes, in a sense. Though that isn't why I saved his reputation. I knew he'd net good coin out the other end of it.

[Look, he did it a little to help Geralt, as a Witcher. But he wasn't entirely altruistic.

That was life. Especially in that part of his life, where he was still eating bread off the floor. Which Hector does not need to specifically know about. (He'd admit it. Maybe. To him.)

He reaches over and tucks a bit of Hector's hair behind an ear. Just as an excuse to touch him. It's a sweet thing to say -- and true, to boot.]

You have a point. A rather good one, even. But what of you? Will you also grow a name for yourself with your talents here?

[petcromancer]

[The laughter is infectious, and Hector can't hold back a rumbling chuckle at Jaskier's mercantile considerations. Good for him, making sure he gets paid.

Of course, then Jaskier brushes a hand in his hair and the touch feels electric. Hector suddenly wishes they weren't in a crowded tavern room, so there could be more than these fleeting, flirty touches.]

Me? [Oh, right, questions. He shakes his head.] No, I want to work, but no good comes of being well-known in my profession. If too many people know what I can do, it'll get back to someone power mad who wants to use my forging for their own gain.

[cointosser]

[He sounds so surprised to be asked. Hector's talent is a great skill to him, especially if he had been a general for a time. The power he must really have. Jaskier's not really thought too hard about it, really; bringing life to the dead is power enough to him.]

Shall I sing the praises of your talents then, my dear? Build up a reputation for you? Only if you'd like.

[He wouldn't mind. But, the more he learned of Hector, the less that seemed like what he wanted. Perhaps the quiet really was better for him.

Was he being quite literal?] You're... you're really afraid someone may use you? [Jaskier frowns.] Could you not simply stop them?

[Sorry, Hector. He's not trying to be mean. He just has... very powerful friends. Not that they don't get used as well, but at least they're often paid for it.]