Who: Stephen and Yennefer When: (mumbles into hand) Mid-May Where: Castle Thorne gardens What: A belated birthday celebration of sorts, maybe? Warnings: None!
(( this was, in fact, a fake cut. thread below!! ))
[There's an irony in the fact that time, of all things, often gets away from Stephen Strange. It's a slippery notion, there one moment and stretching onward into the next day, the next week, in the blink of an eye. He'd like to think he doesn't let the important events slip away from him, of course; that he keeps a pin in them, and that they'll surface to the forefront of his memory as though conveniently buoyed upwards by his punctilious nature.
Not this time, apparently.
But it's fine. (Hopefully.) Preparations have been made in an almost sort of apology, though he doubts such a thing would even be necessary. Still, Yennefer's a friend--a good friend--and he no longer wants to be the sort of man to take that kind of thing for granted. Not anymore.
So, one evening, a little mind message is sent Yennefer's way.]
Got a surprise for you.
If you have the time for a quick meet-up.
[...In all his preparations, he now just realizes that he... can only hope she isn't busy right now.]
[ if there's one thing yennefer has learned, it's that time means less and less the more you have access to it. it is part of the reason she doesn't even care to keep track of important dates, why months and years tend to weave themselves together. she hardly bothers keeping up with years, let alone anything in between.
still, the message from stephen comes...not as a surprise, necessarily, if only because the only times they have been able to steal away from their duties come as last minute messages across the castle. so she's not taken off-guard in any way by the act of his message, but instead the first sentence. a surprise?
it does spike her curiosity, and suddenly any sort of studying or organization she might have otherwise gotten done that evening is shelved for another time. because she was 'busy' in the way that there are things she had planned to get done that evening, but not so much that she isn't willing to toss them to the wind if something more exciting comes around. and stephen almost always has something exciting for her, whether it be a night off from their roles around court, or something he wants to run by her, or simply a bottle of good wine. it's been some time since they were actually last able to simply see each other, as their meetings during the last few months had been colored by attempts at magical solutions to their missing friends.
all this to say, she's not ]
I didn't take you as one for surprises. But you're in luck- my evening has just been cleared. Should I meet you somewhere in particular?
[Relief wends through him at the affirmation. Good. He won't have to set all this up again.]
Yennefer, I'm full of surprises. You'll see.
Meet me in the gardens. I'll be hard to miss.
[And thus he leaves it at that.
Should Yennefer make her way to the gardens, under the latticed arches bursting with the current blossoms of the season, she’ll eventually find Stephen nestled away in a corner, couched by patches of neatly-trimmed rose bushes on either side. Amid that sits a little table, with chairs for two.
And sitting atop that, a wine bottle adorned with a huge red bow. Next to that, a single gift, wrapped punctiliously perfectly in navy wrapping paper.
…Beside all that stands Stephen, greeting her with a little cheeky smile as she arrives.]
Is it even a surprise anymore if I know it's coming? But alright- I'll be there
[ honestly, she's just being difficult at this point - there's nothing else she's doing, and as always, stephen is someone she would drop just about anything for, preferring his company over most in this castle.
eventually she will find him - it does take at least some time to put away the last of her things and make her way down to the gardens, walking through the manicured bushes and cared for flora. it's not the first time that she and stephen have stolen away to the gardens, if only because it's easy to speak without the echo of the stone walls. but this? this time it's different, because as she turns a corner and finds the latticed arches and stephen, standing there with a cheeky smile and a bottle of wine tied off with a bow.
she smiles, though it is incredulous. confused, but not enough to keep her from approaching. her eyes fall on the gift, neatly wrapped in navy paper, and then they turn back to him. ]
[He says, cheekily, to match the cheeky grin. He has his hands in his pockets, appearing casual as he watches her reaction with some self-satisfaction. Clearly, though, some explanation is needed, which seems to amuse him just as much.
He unearths a hand from said pocket, wiggling his fingers ever so slightly at the little set-up he's created for them. And above, in arching, looping letters, seared warmly in the air with amber magic, reads:
His lips quirk.]
How about now?
[Is it still so unexpected when there's an obvious celebration to latch onto it, one that he definitely did not forget about.]
[ he is most certainly very cheeky about this whole thing, and yennefer continues to appear incredulous even as he asks her is it really. because some part of her does know exactly what this is all about, but she's still fascinated by the theatrics of it all. by the effort stephen has apparently decided to go through with for the whole ordeal to go down.
stephen wiggles his fingers and large, looping, amber letters sear themselves through the air. yennefer feels the haze of magic on her face as she watches them write out, and as they finish and the words can be read, she can't help but laugh. ]
And he's a showman too. [ she claps, just a couple of times, as she closes the distance to where he's standing - eyes still curiously hovering over the wrapped gift, then back to him. she is definitely amused, though. ] Who told you, then? Because I certainly didn't. And if you tell me it's that wretched fortune teller in Nocwich, I'll take the wine and gift and leave.
[Well, what's the point of being a sorcerer of his ilk if he can indulge in a few theatrics now and again? Eldrich magic has always been flashy at its core, with its intricate designs, hand gestures, and burning amber illumination. This is just par the course.
He lowers his hands, but the big, sparking HAPPY BIRTHDAY remains arced in the air for now. Yes, he is a showman.]
Oh, please. Like she's handing out birthday well-wishes to anyone.
[He makes a slight face; if only his divination had been so light-hearted. But that same expression soon quirks into a grin again.]
[ you know, he does have a point. but what yennefer is picking up on now is the way that stephen seems to be enjoying it. the fact that he seems quite pleased with himself over it all.
the letters still sparkle, and yennefer... it's not entirely that she's touched, but it's also not that she isn't. birthdays hold very little meaning after the sheer amount of them she's had, so it is hard even now to find reason to get excited necessarily about the celebration of them, but it is also stephen, who she hasn't exactly had the time to steal away with a bottle of wine as of late. and it's a present, something yennefer does oh so love.
she scrunches up her nose at the mention of istredd, reaching across the table for the bottle of wine. ] Oh, I will. [ and then, a moment later, she sneaks a small smile - bumping against his elbow. ] Do you have any more surprise, then? Or can we start drinking?
[Maybe it isn't the grandest gesture, and maybe birthdays mean less and less the longer-lived someone is, but Stephen wanted to show appreciation. For their friendship, for her being a constant presence, one to be relied on — even on the days in which they were too busy for their paths to cross, their schedules full to bursting. Even in that, there was a sense of understanding.
So, why not? It’s a small thing, this little birthday outing in the gardens, with some sparkling magic overhead, some wine, and a present that needs unwrapping.]
Wow, someone’s in a hurry. [He smiles when she bumps her elbow against him, looking at the wine bottle with the huge tie wrapped against its next.] Aren’t you even curious about your present?
[ yennefer assumes as much, if only because that is where their way. shows of what even she can't deny is affection, bottles of wine left on desktops, books that have interesting pieces of information left in bedrooms. a moment stolen away in the gardens to bitch about the politics of their separate positions.
still - a birthday celebration feels especially corny, and she can't help the way her smile towards him says as much. she laughs, uncorking and pouring them both glasses from his bottle, tie still around its neck. ] I'm a phenomenal multitasker, actually. And I much prefer presents with a glass of wine in hand. [ a sip, and then she walks around the table to get another look at the box. ]
So do I get to open it, or is this something better kept behind closed doors? [ that comment is accompanied by a raised brow, very obviously poking fun. c'mon, stephen, did you give her sexy underwear? her smile turns into a grin. ]
[If she thinks this is corny, oh boy. Just wait until she opens the present itself.
Her question, though, seems to fly over his head just for a moment... before it comes boomeranging back around and his eyebrows fly up, scoffing lightly. Somehow, he shouldn't be surprised she's made a remark like that to disarm him, but here he stands, a little abashed by it.]
Right, if I gave you something like that, you definitely wouldn't kill me on the spot.
[ oh gods. she's going to puke. why are you like this, stephen? and why does she still - for whatever reason - like you???
his reaction, though, has that grin splitting across her face. aha, it worked. ]
You'd have to give it to me to find out, wouldn't you?
[ :D c'mon, stephen. play along. she's ready to win this game of chicken with him. even if he's already trying to move her attention along, and she'll let him with a chuckle. she sets down the glass and reaches for the gift, turning it over in his hands.
after a moment, she will just start tearing away at the wrapping. because she is not a patient person. ]
[What can he say? He's got gross superhero energy, even if he'd deny it if asked. He's going to be embarrassing and sometimes, gasp, even a little sentimental. Don't tell anyone, Yen.
He’s going to lose this game of chicken, mostly by deciding not to reply to that at all, and therefore letting her act of opening his present do the heavy-lifting of moving on to the next topic. He clears his throat again.
Stephen spent an effort to get the wrapping paper neat and folded almost perfectly on each end, so it’s a bit of a… tragedy that she must tear through it so impatiently, yet he’s not surprised. He’s more interested in her reaction when she unearths the present within the box: a neatly folded riding cloak that will definitely keep her warm during the cooler months, or wherever she might find herself with a chill.
But, should she examine it further, there’s a line of embroidered designs at the very bottom. Three figures on horseback, stitched from a profile view, depicting a dark-haired woman, a dark-haired man, and a pale-haired man trotting down an idyllic trail.
(It sure looks like Yen, Stephen, and Thancred, doesn’t it?)
Far be it for Stephen to leave it at that. It’s been enchanted with magic so that the little figures bafflingly appear to move as though the stitchwork has a life of its own. A canter, a trot, a gallop. The figures looking at each other now and again, as though indulging in passing conversation.]
…Thought it’d be a nice tribute to our little trip.
[ unfortunately for stephen, that has officially sealed his place in her List Of Those To Tease. this definitely won't have consequences for him down the road. none at all.
also unfortunately for stephen, she does notice the painstakingly taken care that was put into the folding and the paper. she notices it, and then lets her fingers rip through the paper anyway - partially because that's just the sort of person she is, and partially because there is something akin to genuine curiosity and excitement that has begun to form in her gut. giving and receiving gifts as a sorceress has always been something...not lackluster, exactly. but with all the chaos of the world at your fingertips, a simple gift is hard to get excited for. grand gestures and alcohol tend to be her favorites, though she has spent years of her life receiving them.
the fact that the gift is from stephen seems to be what has her excited, and as her fingers make it through the paper and into the box, when they brush over the warm fabric and pull the clock from its hiding place, yennefer seems to still.
( not in any way that is bad. if anything, those who know yennefer best know that stillness, quiet, when it finds its way into her has the most depth. is the most genuine, whether it is dangerous or good. )
her eyes roam over the fabric and furs, admiring yes but also as if she was searching for- well. after a brief moment she seems to find it, her eyes falling on the three figures on horseback, embroidered and enchanted, stunning and powerful in their movement.
for a few moments she just seems to watch them, eyes filling with...something akin to wonder. she's silent in those momentsm taking her time to watch the figures as they continue their journey. ]
Stephen. [ her voice is quiet, heavy, thick with something that she isn't quite ready to give words to when she finally does speak. when her violet eyes turn to him, they are bright. happy. touched. there's something else behind that expression as she smiles, as she watches him for a few moments. it's pretty obvious how much the gift seems to mean to her, even if the words that follow don't hold that same emotional weight. ] Did you gift me a winter cloak on the first of Summer?
[ she only waits as long as it might take stephen to utter the first syllable of his response before she is moving - setting the cloak down on the table and closing the distance between them. her hands go to the collar of his own cloak and, all within the span of that singular moment, she jerks him down and presses their lips together.
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abraxaslogs2023-05-18 09:06 pm
no subject
Not this time, apparently.
But it's fine. (Hopefully.) Preparations have been made in an almost sort of apology, though he doubts such a thing would even be necessary. Still, Yennefer's a friend--a good friend--and he no longer wants to be the sort of man to take that kind of thing for granted. Not anymore.
So, one evening, a little mind message is sent Yennefer's way.]
[...In all his preparations, he now just realizes that he... can only hope she isn't busy right now.]
no subject
still, the message from stephen comes...not as a surprise, necessarily, if only because the only times they have been able to steal away from their duties come as last minute messages across the castle. so she's not taken off-guard in any way by the act of his message, but instead the first sentence. a surprise?
it does spike her curiosity, and suddenly any sort of studying or organization she might have otherwise gotten done that evening is shelved for another time. because she was 'busy' in the way that there are things she had planned to get done that evening, but not so much that she isn't willing to toss them to the wind if something more exciting comes around. and stephen almost always has something exciting for her, whether it be a night off from their roles around court, or something he wants to run by her, or simply a bottle of good wine. it's been some time since they were actually last able to simply see each other, as their meetings during the last few months had been colored by attempts at magical solutions to their missing friends.
all this to say, she's not ]
no subject
[And thus he leaves it at that.
Should Yennefer make her way to the gardens, under the latticed arches bursting with the current blossoms of the season, she’ll eventually find Stephen nestled away in a corner, couched by patches of neatly-trimmed rose bushes on either side. Amid that sits a little table, with chairs for two.
And sitting atop that, a wine bottle adorned with a huge red bow. Next to that, a single gift, wrapped punctiliously perfectly in navy wrapping paper.
…Beside all that stands Stephen, greeting her with a little cheeky smile as she arrives.]
There she is.
no subject
eventually she will find him - it does take at least some time to put away the last of her things and make her way down to the gardens, walking through the manicured bushes and cared for flora. it's not the first time that she and stephen have stolen away to the gardens, if only because it's easy to speak without the echo of the stone walls. but this? this time it's different, because as she turns a corner and finds the latticed arches and stephen, standing there with a cheeky smile and a bottle of wine tied off with a bow.
she smiles, though it is incredulous. confused, but not enough to keep her from approaching. her eyes fall on the gift, neatly wrapped in navy paper, and then they turn back to him. ]
Alright, I'll admit - this is unexpected.
help i'm sorry
[He says, cheekily, to match the cheeky grin. He has his hands in his pockets, appearing casual as he watches her reaction with some self-satisfaction. Clearly, though, some explanation is needed, which seems to amuse him just as much.
He unearths a hand from said pocket, wiggling his fingers ever so slightly at the little set-up he's created for them. And above, in arching, looping letters, seared warmly in the air with amber magic, reads:
His lips quirk.]
How about now?
[Is it still so unexpected when there's an obvious celebration to latch onto it, one that he definitely did not forget about.]
HES BEING SO CUTE WTF
stephen wiggles his fingers and large, looping, amber letters sear themselves through the air. yennefer feels the haze of magic on her face as she watches them write out, and as they finish and the words can be read, she can't help but laugh. ]
And he's a showman too. [ she claps, just a couple of times, as she closes the distance to where he's standing - eyes still curiously hovering over the wrapped gift, then back to him. she is definitely amused, though. ] Who told you, then? Because I certainly didn't. And if you tell me it's that wretched fortune teller in Nocwich, I'll take the wine and gift and leave.
you mean he's being EMBARRASSING
He lowers his hands, but the big, sparking HAPPY BIRTHDAY remains arced in the air for now. Yes, he is a showman.]
Oh, please. Like she's handing out birthday well-wishes to anyone.
[He makes a slight face; if only his divination had been so light-hearted. But that same expression soon quirks into a grin again.]
Istredd let me know. You can blame him.
IT CAN BE BOTH
the letters still sparkle, and yennefer... it's not entirely that she's touched, but it's also not that she isn't. birthdays hold very little meaning after the sheer amount of them she's had, so it is hard even now to find reason to get excited necessarily about the celebration of them, but it is also stephen, who she hasn't exactly had the time to steal away with a bottle of wine as of late. and it's a present, something yennefer does oh so love.
she scrunches up her nose at the mention of istredd, reaching across the table for the bottle of wine. ] Oh, I will. [ and then, a moment later, she sneaks a small smile - bumping against his elbow. ] Do you have any more surprise, then? Or can we start drinking?
no subject
So, why not? It’s a small thing, this little birthday outing in the gardens, with some sparkling magic overhead, some wine, and a present that needs unwrapping.]
Wow, someone’s in a hurry. [He smiles when she bumps her elbow against him, looking at the wine bottle with the huge tie wrapped against its next.] Aren’t you even curious about your present?
no subject
still - a birthday celebration feels especially corny, and she can't help the way her smile towards him says as much. she laughs, uncorking and pouring them both glasses from his bottle, tie still around its neck. ] I'm a phenomenal multitasker, actually. And I much prefer presents with a glass of wine in hand. [ a sip, and then she walks around the table to get another look at the box. ]
So do I get to open it, or is this something better kept behind closed doors? [ that comment is accompanied by a raised brow, very obviously poking fun. c'mon, stephen, did you give her sexy underwear? her smile turns into a grin. ]
no subject
Her question, though, seems to fly over his head just for a moment... before it comes boomeranging back around and his eyebrows fly up, scoffing lightly. Somehow, he shouldn't be surprised she's made a remark like that to disarm him, but here he stands, a little abashed by it.]
Right, if I gave you something like that, you definitely wouldn't kill me on the spot.
[R...ight? God. Ahem.]
No, it's fine. You can open it here.
[help]
no subject
his reaction, though, has that grin splitting across her face. aha, it worked. ]
You'd have to give it to me to find out, wouldn't you?
[ :D c'mon, stephen. play along. she's ready to win this game of chicken with him. even if he's already trying to move her attention along, and she'll let him with a chuckle. she sets down the glass and reaches for the gift, turning it over in his hands.
after a moment, she will just start tearing away at the wrapping. because she is not a patient person. ]
no subject
He’s going to lose this game of chicken, mostly by deciding not to reply to that at all, and therefore letting her act of opening his present do the heavy-lifting of moving on to the next topic. He clears his throat again.
Stephen spent an effort to get the wrapping paper neat and folded almost perfectly on each end, so it’s a bit of a… tragedy that she must tear through it so impatiently, yet he’s not surprised. He’s more interested in her reaction when she unearths the present within the box: a neatly folded riding cloak that will definitely keep her warm during the cooler months, or wherever she might find herself with a chill.
But, should she examine it further, there’s a line of embroidered designs at the very bottom. Three figures on horseback, stitched from a profile view, depicting a dark-haired woman, a dark-haired man, and a pale-haired man trotting down an idyllic trail.
(It sure looks like Yen, Stephen, and Thancred, doesn’t it?)
Far be it for Stephen to leave it at that. It’s been enchanted with magic so that the little figures bafflingly appear to move as though the stitchwork has a life of its own. A canter, a trot, a gallop. The figures looking at each other now and again, as though indulging in passing conversation.]
…Thought it’d be a nice tribute to our little trip.
no subject
also unfortunately for stephen, she does notice the painstakingly taken care that was put into the folding and the paper. she notices it, and then lets her fingers rip through the paper anyway - partially because that's just the sort of person she is, and partially because there is something akin to genuine curiosity and excitement that has begun to form in her gut. giving and receiving gifts as a sorceress has always been something...not lackluster, exactly. but with all the chaos of the world at your fingertips, a simple gift is hard to get excited for. grand gestures and alcohol tend to be her favorites, though she has spent years of her life receiving them.
the fact that the gift is from stephen seems to be what has her excited, and as her fingers make it through the paper and into the box, when they brush over the warm fabric and pull the clock from its hiding place, yennefer seems to still.
( not in any way that is bad. if anything, those who know yennefer best know that stillness, quiet, when it finds its way into her has the most depth. is the most genuine, whether it is dangerous or good. )
her eyes roam over the fabric and furs, admiring yes but also as if she was searching for- well. after a brief moment she seems to find it, her eyes falling on the three figures on horseback, embroidered and enchanted, stunning and powerful in their movement.
for a few moments she just seems to watch them, eyes filling with...something akin to wonder. she's silent in those momentsm taking her time to watch the figures as they continue their journey. ]
Stephen. [ her voice is quiet, heavy, thick with something that she isn't quite ready to give words to when she finally does speak. when her violet eyes turn to him, they are bright. happy. touched. there's something else behind that expression as she smiles, as she watches him for a few moments. it's pretty obvious how much the gift seems to mean to her, even if the words that follow don't hold that same emotional weight. ] Did you gift me a winter cloak on the first of Summer?
[ she only waits as long as it might take stephen to utter the first syllable of his response before she is moving - setting the cloak down on the table and closing the distance between them. her hands go to the collar of his own cloak and, all within the span of that singular moment, she jerks him down and presses their lips together.
happy birthday to her indeed. ]