abraxaslogs | Smart men are always looking for loopholes.

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Smart men are always looking for loopholes.

WHO: Jesper Fahey and you!
WHAT: Catch-all for October
WHERE: Cadens, Nocwich, Horizon
WHEN: Throughout October (may add event things)
WARNINGS: Nothing right now.

[ooc: feel free to wildcard below or ask me for a custom starter on plurk]

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Despite having spent time with Jesper while they completed the Unofficial Welcoming Committee duties and she saw him pass by the loft from time to time, it had been long overdue for the pair of them to spend any personal time together. After a quick tour of the Crow Club, they had meandered their way out towards the shooting range.

Guns and artillery were still a relatively new thing to Fodlan so the guns in the Free Cities, however tightly locked down and sparse as they were, still piqued her curiosity in the way that anything new did. The principle seemed similar to bows and arrows in the sense that you had to point and shoot - something she had never been particularly good at.

Much of Hilda's own training had gone into smacking something as hard as she could with an axe. Sure she could throw an axe, but that didn't have quite the same technique involved. Holding a gun and shooting it, unsurprisingly, had a lot more finesse involved. She peers with bright curious eyes at the array of guns in front of them. "So which one of these are your favourite then? And do they all do different things?"

Jesper and Hilda are two of a kind, friendly extroverts who could chat someone's ear off and people feel comfortable around strangely fast. He's seen a kin spirit in her since the welcoming committee officially began, but it usually is them spending time with other people involved or when they're working on something. Jesper likes to make time for his friends, he likes bonding with people.

The fact she's interested in guns just means this is going to be particularly fun for him. Jesper loves guns, that's why he has a very thorough range. He's added some more modern guns that the others have filled him in on, but there is a slant toward more classic guns, his preference.

"I like revolvers, those are the kind I have in Cadens." Jesper has a set at his hips now that would look remarkably similar to the ones he bought, but these are different. They are the originals, his mother's revolvers, and a discerning eye would be able to tell the difference. And that he mostly tried to mimic these ones.

Jesper flips one of his up now and offers it hilt first toward her. He can do all kinds of tricks with guns and it feels very comfortable for him. "They're six shooters, six shots, the barrel in the middle spins with each pull of the trigger. You can shoot them a few hundred yards away if you're real good, but they're mostly close combat." It's why he uses them when he's actually fighting.

"I like rifles too, they're longer distance."

His pistol trick is probably incredibly simple for someone as skilled as him. A move that could be done in his sleep, like something as easy as breathing. But Hilda has always been easily, genuinely impressed by those that she calls friends (or "easily impressed" if it's someone she doesn't spare much of a second thought to but needs to ply). Her eyes light up and she gives him a brief clap before reaching out to take the gun from him.

The apparatus in her hands is foreign to her and she regards it with a level of care that might seem surprising. It doesn't matter that everything around them here in the Horizon has magic in every thread or every breeze. It's something of Jesper's and the belongings of her friends will always be cared for like precious gems. Hilda makes a point to hold the barrel of the gun away from the both of them and towards the targets as she runs a finger over the grooves of the weapon.

The corners of her lips lift, teasingly as her eyes flit from the gun to his handsome face. "Jesper, you don't have to be modest. I know you're referring to yourself when you talk about being really good." And then a little more thoughtfully, "I thought all guns would have been for long distances. I don't know why considering I've never shot one. Bows and arrows are the closest things that we have in Fodlan so maybe that's why."

"Oh I'm never modest, and I don't count myself as what's usual with a gun. Being a Durast makes me a different level of gunslinger." Modest! What's that! Jesper can shoot as far as he wants to shoot, so there's never a limit in the distance. He doesn't even need to be able to see it, which is the insane thing. One of his first great tricks was pretend shooting someone by bending around a building and hitting them without having to look. So he's a big supernatural cheater.

"They are, it's just varying degrees, because of the way they work. Eventually bullets lose momentum, it just takes a while." They can shoot pretty far, he would say most people could handle it, but yeah, after awhile, it starts to sink, that's gravity for you. "Most of these can shoot a long way. Probably across the whole Horizon." That's why he has a variety of guns and targets! So people can blow off some steam, but it's safe in there.

"Watch this." It's true that when Jesper flips his guns, he makes it seem incredibly easy. He does it with the other one since he gave Hilda the second, his gun tricks so instinctive that they really are like breathing. He swings the gun has he turns abruptly and fires three shots in an immediate row, knocking targets off.

[ooc: basically the image up above but also example of his shooting.]

Lack of modesty had never rubbed Hilda the wrong way like it might have other Fodlan nobles. Modesty might have had it it's time and place but she and Jesper were friends. And seeing her friends excel in something that they were able to proudly talk about warmed her heart. Additional powers or not, it's still something worth celebrating. At least that's in Hilda's opinion.

The thought of shooting a projectile, whether that be a bullet or an arrow, so far that it could very well fly through all of the Horizon seems almost impossible to fathom in Hilda's mind. Which begs the question of course how big the Horizon is. Questions for another day perhaps, or something maybe to never be explored at all. There's more important things at hand right now. Namely, watching Jesper demonstrate his shooting skills.

It's hard to describe the way he handles the gun as anything short of an extension of himself. Hilda's eyes practically shine and sparkle watching him letting out a little cheer and some very enthusiastic clapping at the display. "That was amazing, Jesper!" she gushes with laughter as she grasps a hold of his arm to grin up at him, "Have you always been able to do that too? Or did that take some practice?" She knew about his powers, the things he could create so effortlessly. Why not have this be an extension of that?

Jesper's traveled through the whole Horizon, he's fairly certain, and it's a few miles as far as he can tell. He did that early on because he just likes to know things and he found it interesting. He hasn't done more than make his domain and wander around though, and have sex with people from different factions. It was interesting to walk around though, it didn't take long. The Horizon feels like it is endless miles and miles, but it's magic so it can feel like anything.

He absolutely loves showing off, it's one of his favorite things in the world to do. It is why he does gun tricks that technically aren't necessary but they feel natural and necessary to him personally. He isn't able to pick up guns without a little twirl in them and he can do it with almost anything. He can do tricks even with a rifle, and he'd probably find a way with a sniper rifle, although all guns are snipers to him.

"My mum taught me when I was five. She was Grisha, same as me, or Zowa's what her people call it." Blessed. A far nicer word than the way Ravkans think of Grisha, but Grisha's the way most others think of it, so it is the word he thinks of. "These are her revolvers." It explains why he so comfortably carries them and why he copied the look for the ones in Cadens. "She was extremely skilled, hopefully I'll get to her level in a decade or so."

And Jesper's become quite good in the past fourteen months or so, but that just speaks to how much better a Durast can get, with the right training. "She died when I was seven." It used to be an almost impossible subject for him to talk about, but he's gotten better.

The news about his mother passing away when he had only been seven brings about a sympathetic expression to her face and she gives his arm a comforting squeeze. Hearing about some of his past makes all of this - the guns, the shooting range, the showmanship, but most importantly the level of detail and care that he puts into taking care of his guns - mean so much to him. It helps her understand him a little more. Shows her that there's more to the sparkly young man in front of her with the easy smile. If anything the loss makes her admire his ability to do everything he does and more.

"I'm sorry that you lost her so young. That's awful," she starts before faltering slightly. Awful doesn't encompass the experience of losing someone you loved but she didn't know what else to use at the moment. "I'm sure it's been a while but if you wanted to talk about it, we could." Everyone moved through grief differently, but she didn't want to discount what he might be going through or still grappling with. Losing someone like that...just because the wound scabbed over and healed didn't mean that it hadn't existed.

"There's not much to say, honestly. She was a wonderful person, you couldn't have asked for a better mum." Jesper doesn't even think that he sees her in this perfect light that isn't accurate, he really does remember her so clearly. No fading over time. He smiles wistfully. "She was funny, bright, beautiful, and so kind. Everyone loved her the moment they met her." In truth, Jesper takes after her in almost every way, there's not much of his father in him, which is probably why the two struggled more.

It's never occurred to him that his mother could show up here. Technically it is possible but that seems so far outside of the realm of reality. His love of guns and flashiness come from her. "She died saving the life of a girl in our village. Durasts can heal too, we can take poison out of other people's bodies the way I strip rot out of wood." This is more detail than he usually gives to people, but he feels better these days about talking of her, and Hilda has a way of making people feel safe around her.

"I never learned how, if an expert Durast died doing it, I'd have no luck." It would be too dangerous, but he probably would try it too, to save the life of someone he loves.

As he goes on to describe the type of woman that his mother had been, she also can't help but see the resemblances. Apparently he had taken after her in more ways than just her marksmanship. He'd taken on qualities of her heart. As he recalls her bravery, she reaches out to gently take a hold of his hand and gives it a squeeze.

The details he's giving her about his abilities are filed away for a later time because right now nothing matters more than Jesper and making sure that he's okay. "Don't be silly. You're so powerful, Jesper," she starts. "If there's anyone that could make that happen by sheer willpower alone, it's you."

She knows his mother's fate, but the hopeful, wide-eyed thing that still clings onto hope in moments of darkness wishes for the best possible outcome. "What happened to the girl she was trying to save? Is she okay?"

When Hilda reaches out to take his hand, he's surprised and it shows. Jesper is so used to being the one other people lean on, that's his position of choice, and he usually is such a bright and sunny person that he doesn't reveal too much of his inner struggles. Being the one comforted is not easy for him. It does come to him, to shrug it off or smile or deny it, instead of admit to anything more than that.

But he squeezes her hand back instead. "I don't think I'm ready to try. But I will if I have to, I wouldn't stand by and watch someone die." Maybe that should mean Jesper should practice by dealing with poison, so it isn't him being an amateur, but obviously it's a point of pain for him.

"Leoni Hilli is her name, she's alive and well, last time I checked. She joined the Grisha army. She's in the same type of powers we are. The Materialki are put into two groups, Durast and Alkemi. Her type use more chemicals and alchemy, mine build things manipulating matter." Jesper's actually never been this detailed before talking about the Grisha. It used to be a sore subject too as he was actively untrained, but he's come a long way. "My father hid me so they couldn't train me, but I do think it was for the best. I wouldn't want to be a soldier."

That’s another thing they can find common ground on. Apart from her bratty tendencies Hilda so often put herself in a position where she made light of her internal turmoil - or made it out to appear like she didn’t have any at all. Anything more than superficial struggles like having a broken nail or a blemish after all didn’t suit the delicate flower facade that she still clings to with a dogged determination similar to how she holds tight to his hand now.

“Hopefully you never get put into position where you have to try.” There’s a candour to her voice, an earnest hope that he’ll never have to put himself in that sort of position in order to save someone dear to him. Her previous statement stands though and not simply because of his powers being unique. To create something from nothing with as much creativity as there is behind it is truly a marvel.

Along with the mental jotting down of things from Jesper’s world that he’s telling her, relief comes upon hearing that his mother’s sacrifice hadn’t been for naught. But then of course the part about being made a soldier is…less than ideal. “If he hid you, I suppose that means that the army isn’t exactly a desirable place to be?”

Not that she blames his father or Jesper for that sentiment. Even though her Fodlan was in the thick of war, she had never seen herself as a soldier and never would for that matter. Protecting her land, her friends, her people - all of those things were vastly different and didn’t equate in her mind to that of a soldier.

"I have pretty good luck, I might get away with never having to." Take the poison out of someone in specific. Jesper still hasn't learned healing in general, it takes a sort of finesse he doesn't have. He'd have to learn more about the way the body works and it's not his patience level. "I have normal healing spells now anyway." He learned a few things from the magic of this realm and that was one of the first things he did. To cover what he wasn't good at.

He looks fairly grave at that question. "Grisha are generally hated because of being different. Ravka only started tolerating them in exchange for using them in the army. Then there's Fjerda who won't rest until we're all dead. And then there are other people who would sell us to either side." This is all factual and quite terrible, so it explains more why he would want to hide in the first place. Why it was dangerous to be acknowledged as one, and why he also hid even after leaving his father.

"People often join the army because it's the only place that protects them and lets them find a community together." It's where the majority of Grisha are, outside of hiding or keeping to little sects. Jesper can see how that would appeal to Leoni, having that sense of belonging. If they're already going to be in danger, they might as well find a place.

"When Kaz took me in, he knew what I was. He knew someone else might have sold me out or forced me to use my abilities in exchange for safety. He's always protected me, from other people and from myself." It's why Jesper is so die-hard for Kaz Brekker and loves him, is loyal to him in a blind way. People don't always understand the two of them from the outside, or Kaz himself, but his crew know how deeply (and secretly) he loves.

Factual and terrible yes, but in many ways it isn't so out of the realm of things she might have heard before. That doesn't diminish the gravity of the situation he had been in though. To only be used as a resource, a commodity to be traded and sold for coin, or to be hunted down - she understands precisely why his father had chosen to hide him.

Her own ignorance about Almyran people had all stemmed from the unknown, for not being willing to put in the time or the effort to better understand a people that weren't the ones she was familiar with. It was a mistake she was trying so hard to correct.

Familiarity shines in her eyes at the mention of Kaz and she gives Jesper's hand another squeeze. Her features soften. There will never be a version of her that won't melt for people looking out for one another, for bonds forged selflessly that they were stronger than any steel. "I'm so glad that you two met. And I'm glad that you're both here together." The grip on his hand loosens as she falls into silence. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I didn't have my friends here when I arrived. It probably would have been a lot more difficult."

And it's entirely possible that she'd be more resentful of this place and this experience than she is now.

"We had to wait awhile before Kaz showed up, and while me and Inej had each other, it's never really felt whole without him. The three of us have been a unit a long time." Maybe a few years isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, but considering those were the most important of their lives, and they're fairly young, it may as well have been decades. "I missed him, there's no one who can make me feel more valued."

It's for a few reasons, and some of them aren't perfect, but it's them. Kaz is the boss. The leader. When he chose Jesper to be his second in command, it made him very proud and he took it seriously. Kaz's protection over him meant that he was wanted, needed.

"I don't know what I would have done without Inej though. She was here alone before me, I hate knowing that." Inej can handle it, and she found connections, but they're gone now mostly. The idea of her being alone is painful, even if she herself was fine. The two of them reuniting was so important. "To be fair though, Hilda, you and I are both friendly and warm people, we would have an easier time than most finding a place here."

Even without their friends! It helps, definitely, but Jesper assumes they would've made it work. They'd be miserable about it, but they're adaptable people. Kaz would've lost his mind if it was only him, that's for sure.

"As for the three of us, well, we weren't romantic before but we are now. Although we were in our hearts, we just hadn't said it out loud. The love I have for them, it doesn't have one definition."

Something about the way Jesper says that it hadn't felt whole without the three of them resonates with some part of her that she can't explain. It isn't quite the same circumstances as the one she finds herself in with her so-called "roommates"; their history had only just begun to overlap during their year at the Academy before branching off into wildly different paths quite literally because of their multiple timeline issues. But when they had been kidnapped, in the months that she had fought with Claude, she had felt their palpable absence.

It isn't anything to dwell over now however.

Jesper's impression of her brings a bashful smile to her face. "Aw shucks. I think you're giving me too much credit. At least you have a way of being able to fend for yourself." At this point it's no secret that sort of background she had come from; working for something in her life hadn't been a concept that she'd had to listen to or learn about until arriving here. Would she have so easily been talked into helping at the Sarstina were Sylvain not behind the bar the night she had arrived? She'd like to say she would have but she knows Sylvain's influence had something to do with her agreeing in the first place.

"Did the romance start here?" she asks a wistful little sigh in her voice. "If you don't mind me asking that is. I love love."

Jesper does wish like hell that he could see Nina again, and Matthias to have another chance at life. It's strange knowing he was here, in these very streets, and Jesper didn't get to see him before he disappeared. It would feel better with all the Crows, and he does think that overall this place offers a life that wouldn't be so bad. If there is any chance that Nina and Matthias could be together somewhere, he'd want that for them. But he's happy with what he has.

"You're very resourceful, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's not as if anything here is easy." Maybe it would have taken her longer but she would have gotten there, Jesper has faith in her. Hilda is brilliant and she has a good heart, she would have found her way alone. He has a good eye for when people are down on themselves, even those who appear confident. (Same-same.)

"It did for me and them. They always had a romantic element, but there were reasons they weren't ready for that." Jesper hesitates, because he doesn't want to give away too much privacy, but it matters in this case. "They both have painful backgrounds, it gets in the way of their happiness. But we were able to talk all of it out here, and from there they included me."

Inej was a sex slave and Kaz has touch aversion. That does make a romance hard, or at least it might have, if the two weren't able to talk about their comfort levels and what they're happy with. They aren't having sex, but they've found a content level. He's glad for it.

"Communication can solve a lot of conflicts. Imagine it being that simple, right?" And it turned out to be. Jesper may, in fact, be hinting a little bit to her, but not in any overt way. "I am extremely lucky that they not only love me, but they can tell me so now."

It’s a cruel endless cycle, this need to be humble while also feeling like the faith isn’t warranted at all. They’d be here all day if she refuted Jesper’s kind words so she merely lets out a huff that is neither accepting nor dissuading but rather, relenting.

She’d never pry deep into the details of other’s romantic lives for the very reason that it’s so closely intwined with their lives. Hilda could be nosey, could swoon over a love story and be the couple’s (or in this case thruple’s) biggest fan - but she knows her boundaries. The hope is that others also respect hers in turn. Not that she’s got any romantic relationships to her name at the moment because the mess of whatever it is she’s found herself in with Claude and Sylvain is definitely not that.

Jesper’s subtle comment about communication, the parallels, at least at a base level about his relationship with Inej and Kaz, with hers, Claude and Sylvain’s situation — all of it makes her wonder how much Jesper knows about them. Trying to keep her jealous demon on a leash had meant that she simply didn’t ask about the specifics of what Claude and Sylvain did or spoke about together and by extension what Sylvain did or spoke about with Jesper. She’d like to call it her respecting them; but if she knows herself well, which she sadly does, it’s a familiar mechanism of defending herself too. What was out of sight, was out of mind for her although that had been becoming increasingly more difficult these days.

She knows Jesper cares for Sylvain though and only wants what’s best for him. And he had a right to considering what she had put him through. But if she takes his hint to heart she doesn’t let on. Instead she keeps the picture of someone blissfully unaware by letting out a somewhat exasperated laugh. “The simplest things can sometimes be the hardest. Which is super rude of those things when you think about it. But,” her smile returns to that genuine quality. “I’m glad that you’ve all got one another. That is really lucky - especially after everything you’ve all probably gone through.”

There’s a brief pause as she looks up at him with kind eyes. “I really appreciate you sharing all of that with me, Jesper.” A hint of playful seriousness shines in her gaze. “But I do have one more than I’d love to ask - could you teach me how to shoot a gun?”

Sylvain and Jesper are very close, closer than people might know, since it's much more than just sex between them. They aren't in love but Jesper would do anything for the people he loves, and he does have it in his heart for the redhead. He has confided in him about some of the complicated aspects going on in his house, and while Jesper has no intention of overtly referencing it, at least not now, he does want the best for all three of them.

If communication could get the three Crows to finally stop hiding their love from each other, surely it could work for anyone.

"I'm glad we have each other too. Not that it means I'm off the market, if any beautiful pink-haired women were to get some ideas." Jesper flirts as easily as he breathes but he hopes with her she knows it's in good fun. They're both like that. He winks at her and then turns toward the shooting range.

"Of course. You'll be a sharpshooter in no time."

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Smart men are always looking for loopholes.

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CW for sex slavery reference

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And we can wrap here!