abraxaslogs | you've never danced like this before [open]

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you've never danced like this before [open]

Who: Jaskier and YOU
When: October catch-all, prior to event
Where: The new Casa de Mojo de Witcher, and Jaskier's plant shop in Cadens
What: Being a good business owner and bullying his family into a better home.
Warnings: N/A!

A SONG OF SAPLINGS

In the midst of the Cadens desert sits a small oasis surrounded by four walls. A Song of Saplings is (one of) Jaskier's pride and joy. This plant shop lay in the heart of Cadens's thriving market, with a handcarved, inviting sign of a tree's branches wrapping around the name of the store. A tiny bell with a sound similar to a bird's call rings as one steps inside -- only to be assaulted by a wall of green.

The goal of A Song of Saplings is to fill the desert with color. While most plants Jaskier offers are hardy cacti and woody bushes, there are special selections of flowers, saplings, and plants that simply should not be growing in the desert. Bright pink roses, verdant oak saplings, and a fuzzy-leafed favorite called "wolf's ear" are displayed among the store's rich wooden shelves, all personally grown by the Gem of the Phoenix himself. A selection of local artisan-crafted pottery fills one of the back shelves, each piece stamped by its creator. Other similar art for one's garden is for sale, including statuary of dragons, decorated birds, mermaids and unicorns -- pieces of the Continent that Jaskier has commissioned to decorate Cadens. And, of course, phoenixes.

At the back of the shop is a door that boasts a sign reading "EMPLOYEES ONLY", a bit of a modern touch Jaskier has picked up as advised by some of his more contemporary companions. Inside is a room set up similar to a break room, with a cushioned couch pushed against one wall, a small table with a smattering of chairs surrounding it, and a shelf containing cleaning tools and solutions. There also appears to be a miniature well where one can draw fresh water from, though it does not sink very deep.

The front counter of the shop bears a bowl full of candies and a young woman with a head full of black braids and what appear to be horns naturally curling from her head. She wears a facemask that covers her nose and mouth that, as is rumoured, she never removes. Quille's voice and face always remain somewhat blank and detached, but she is startlingly dedicated to aiding those who come seeking specific foliage. She can often be seen sweeping the same spot for an hour, or plucking leaves off the plants -- wait a second, did she just eat one? Further rumours circle that she is a daemon that's been exiled from her home, orphaned and left to thrive on Cadens's streets on her own, but Quille will limit conversation only to the purchasing and selling of plants. Somehow, she has extensive knowledge of every single plant in the shop, and appears to be its only employee.

CASA DE WITCHER

Away from the hustle and bustle of the markets and Cadens's main streets is a rather decorated home, a stone wall giving its land a small bit of shade and privacy from its neighbors. The front entrance has two strangely rich and green box flowerbeds to welcome visitors, and a long, rough doormat gives indication of how little the owner wishes you to bring in mud and dirt. Even from the ground level, one can see that the rooftop patio is full of green plants and one twisted, knotted tree with bowed, weeping boughs and small white flowers.

Connected to the side of the house is a shed and a stable, housing two horses and, bizarrely, a bright golden chocobo. Along the walls are various tack and saddles for the creatures, and what appears to be a series of shelves that, upon closer inspection, have cat prints left behind in the dust. One large black horse and the chocobo are very friendly to any guests peeking their head in, but the second horse will snort and may bite if visitors come too close.

Inside the home are long hallways that lead to three different bedrooms, all decorated vastly different, respectful to their owners. The hallways are lined with shelves containing all manner of potted plants, skulls, and bones, along with something that looks suspiciously like a petrified lizard. A dining room has been set up with a rather expensive-looking icebox, and generally the small kitchen is always filled with bread or the smell of it. Curiously, food never appears to rot here, no matter how long it's left out in the open.

The home's dwellers are often seen going on and out at all hours of the night, sometimes bringing back monster corpses or... parts... with them. And more often than not, one can see (and/or) hear Jaskier sitting on the patio, practicing his music.

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[ Sylvain has seen this shop in the market before, but he always seemed to wander past it when he already had a destination in mind or his hands full of purchases. Although the number of times its caught his eye of late is enough to have him detouring towards it early today before that can happen, even if he’s a little uncommonly tentative when he pokes his head in the door, glancing up when a bell announces his not-so-subtle arrival.

The familiar voice greeting him has his eyebrow arching in surprise because he recognizes the man - who wouldn’t at this point? - even if he’s never really met him. The amount of time he’s spent helping out in Libertas alone had told him more than enough.

But he’s quick to break into a crooked smile of greeting as he steps inside the shop fully, letting his dark gaze quickly take in the vibrant surroundings. ]

Curiosity, mostly. I’ve wandered past this shop enough times that I wanted to see what was inside. I think you’ve got more greenery in here than the Free Cities could boast as a whole.

[ He wonders if Claude’s seen this place yet? ]

Curiousity is how the best relationships start.

[With his newest, most beloved plant, clearly -- though Jaskier can't help but let his eyes follow the newest guest and his rather fantastically colored hair. And matching eyes? Is that even natural? (Of course not. But, he must say, he carries it very well.)

Jaskier gives a flattered little wave of his hand.] You're hardly wrong. I should really add that as a tagline to the sign. [But it is the reason the front windows are so large and bright, after all. Cadens has its colors, but all this green has certainly led to plenty of people walking inside simply for a glance (and always leaving with some small pot in their hands.)] I've been doing a little research into the language of flowers... if you're interested. I could perhaps guide you to your own special flora.

[ For a moment, he’s caught off guard by that offer, because it’s the first time he’s heard anything of the sort mentioned here. And also because it’s the sort of offer he could just imagine Lorenz or Ferdinand making and that just… makes it really hard not to just start laughing right here. Not a good first impression at all on his part, so fortunately he controls himself.

But there’s a brightness to his answering grin as he bemusedly shakes his head. ]

I’m afraid I’m already as fluent in that as I’m likely to be. Although I wasn’t aware that was a language that spanned universes. I guess it doesn’t really surprise me that much, though. Especially when there are so many flowers that seem to do the same.

[ It was odd, which things all the different worlds seemed to have in common. And what they didn’t. ]

Actually, I was hoping for a different sort of help. I’ve been dabbling in recreating some tea blends that were popular back in my lands, but I’ve been having trouble finding some suitable replacements for some of the more unique ingredients that I haven’t been able to duplicate here.

[Jaskier brings a hand to his hand, even more interested.] Truly? [He raises a good point.] I'm sure every world may have differing interpretations, of course, but I hardly find it an impossibility to believe that all cultures should find meaning in the world around them. Besides, I'm quite known to steal knowledge from all sorts of spheres, if I can get my hands on it.

[Who doesn't love flowers? However, he will admit, there is a certain kind of man that typically has no interest in such things. And while the man is a pretty thing, he doesn't look like... hm.

Books and covers.

Tea and flowers? Oh, a man after his own heart. Jaskier claps his hands.]

You're in luck, my good man! I happen to be a connoisseur of teas, with plenty of experience making my own. As long as it's a plant I have some relative knowledge of myself, I can grow whatever you might need.

You, too, huh? [ Sylvain’s smile turns a hint crooked at that, because that sounds familiar. ] At least being here offers us plenty of unique opportunities to do so. One silver lining, at least.

[ There’s more than one, for him, but he knows some of the Summoned aren’t so happy about being here, so he always dances carefully around that line.

But he can’t help but grin at Jaskier’s eagerness, his own expression brightening a little. Other than Claude and Hilda, he hadn’t really had a tea buddy here since Caitlyn vanished. He’s missed it. ]

Really? I didn’t realize there were others here who were working on it, too. It was a bit of a hobby of mine, back home. And tea time… was often something special. [ He blamed the Professor for starting that particular trend, although is fondness for tea had certainly stretched longer than just that. ]

Cadens’ selection isn’t bad, but it could certainly use some variety. I’ve managed to mimic a few I remembered from home - there was a pine one I was recreating for Claude that I had to spend a few weeks on and get ingredients from Nocwich, and a berry rose one for Hilda, but the rest I’ve just been sort of poking at when I’m bored. To be honest, starting with all new ingredients has left me feeling a little overwhelmed and not really sure where to start.

Of course! Tea is essential. For good news, for bad news. For sharing at all. For filling awkward silences -- that's my favorite one. A lot of time can be wasted in those moments, making tea. [Asking for favored flavor profiles, boiling the water, preparing milk, or cream, or sugar (sugar only for him, if you ask, thank you).

It's special. As he's said.

Jaskier straightens up.] Oh! You're one of Claude's friends? [Handsome men truly do stick together.] We killed a ghost together, you know.

[They didn't kill it, and it wasn't a ghost, but. Details.]

And Hilda? Deadly-with-an-axe Hilda? [Oh, he has so many good murderer friends. Though -- oops. Perhaps this one doesn't know she's intensely terrifying with an axe. Ah, well.] I would be utterly delighted to help you make tea for them! Perhaps, even, with a friend's discount. [He winks.] And -- how I forget myself. I'm Jaskier, [He says, with a little curtsy] at your service. And I think I have just the thing to start with. [He sweeps by, plucking a somewhat wooden bush from the shelves, popping and blooming with small yellow flowers as he picks it up.] Brittlebush. While its tea can be used for medicinal purposes, I like the spice of it. It offers something a little sharper than most teas offer.

[ Sylvain is pretty sure there's not many awkward silences around this guy. Or just silences in general. Not that he minds that, Cadens seems to always either steal the social butterflies, the flirts, or the brooding grumps.

But he does grin at the realization that Jaskier knows both of his closest companions. Not that that's hard to believe either. See above social butterflies. And flirts, technically. ]

Can you kill a ghost? Isn't it already dead?

But yes, that's them. We all come from the same world. Although Hilda would be appalled that that's how you know her. Good job, keep doing that. [ His impish grin is full of mischief as he imagines her reaction to that. She's ridiculously fun to rile. At least when she's not holding an axe.

When the man introduces himself, he can't help but let his grin widen a little bit and then he's dropping into a flourishing bow with all the courtly aplomb of a gallant Faerghan knight. ] A pleasure, Jaskier. Sylvain Jose Gautier, at your service.

And if you can assist me, I'll be greatly in your debt. Even without a discount. [ He follows the man anyway, expression curious as he wonders what it is he has. The bush he indicates is completely unfamiliar to Sylvain and something he hasn't even seen around these parts, although it certain sounds native to the desert. Leaning closer, he brushes his fingers over the pale yellow petals and bends to see if it has a scent or anything else to identify it by. ]</small. Well, that's certainly a new one. Do you use the blossoms for the tea?

Of course you can! Why wouldn't you be able to?

[Well, he supposes one technically banishes them, but he's not into pedantic conversation when it comes to monster-hunting. He's there for the story, not the battle itself.

Jaskier rubs his chin. You know, he's starting to see similarities... (no, he's not.) But he does turn a little paler when the boy says that.] Are you insane? Absolutely not! Don't tell her that!

[She's terrifying. And he doesn't need to see her cut any more men in half, thank you. He's good. He's good for life.

Jaskier wiggles fingers at him.] Oh, a middle name, aren't we fancy? Some wayward blue-blooded child, are you? [Ask him how he knows. He was raised a wayward blueblood, surrounded by all the other obnoxious ones. Jaskier, of course, was the least obnoxious.

That's why he's so bloody talented at everything.] Yes! Dry the petals and they'll give this sort of... spiced honey flavour. It's lovely. You can peel parts of the bark and add them as well, though it adds a bit of a numbing effect. Good for sore throats, to be sure.

[ He opens his mouth to answer that before thinking better of it. He’s pretty certain he’s no more likely to win this argument with Jaskier than he would be with Claude. Better to avoid the exasperation altogether.

Still, he breaks into laughter at the panicked look that crosses Jaskier’s face at the thought of Hilda’s rage. Which can only come from someone who’s faced her enough times to understand it completely. Including at the other end of her axe. ]

Ahh, I see someone has seen the other side of Hilda that’s not all sweet as honey and delicate as a flower. Not that I would ever admit such a thing exists, of course, because I like my head where it is - and all my other parts, too. They wouldn’t be at so much risk if she weren’t so fun to rile and make puff up like a puffer fish when she’s aggravated. It’s adorable, as long as you have quick reflexes.

[ Or maybe poor self-preservation skills. ]

I’m not sure about the wayward part, but yes, I’m afraid you’ve got it right. [ He gives a dismayed sigh about this, as if he holds all the regret in the world for having to claim such an association. Which… isn’t that far from the truth, actually. ] The lands I came from put a lot of stock in things like that. It’s habit now, I’m afraid. But I’ve always been very bad at being a noble so please don’t hold it against me.

[ The plant is holding his interest now as he quickly files away that information. Not that he’s sure how often people get colds in a desert winter when he doubts they even get much snow here (yes, he’s still very much a northland snob, sorry) but it’s useful knowledge all the same. ]

Fascinating. I’ll have to experiment with it. It sounds a little like carroway, which I’ve definitely not been able to duplicate yet. Although the numbing effect is new. We usually relied on some sort of mint for effects like that. [ And Claude probably knew quite a few… unsavory plants that could do the same, but Sylvain preferred not to risk poisoning people with his tea. ]

[Oh, good, well, at least someone else recognizes that, whether her honey-sweetness is façade or not, that her capabilities with an axe are terrifying. He's pretty sure she could out-cut Geralt in a woodcutting contest. (Actually, that would be fun.)

Jaskier waves a hand at him.] It hardly matters now, does it? I was a terrible noble, and a worse viscount. No proper father wishes his wayward son to become a bard. Even if I'm the most famous one the Continent has ever seen.

[He states it not as a brag, but as fact. Which it is. And soon: Abraxas's most famous.] And now look at me! Giving plant advice. Which I think you'll enjoy, by the way. [Let no child tell him again he's a terrible salesman.] Wait, I do know of caraway. The seeds, more specifically. Would you like one of those?

[There aren't any of the plants on his shelf, but as long as he knows it, he can grow it. It's part of the business.]

[ That would be fun. He'd pay good coin to see that, but it would take a miracle to ever get Hilda to agree to it. Or really good blackmail.

Still, he relaxes somewhat when Jaskier admits to a similar disdain - and disappointment, it seems. Sylvain just snorts a little at that. ] Pretty sure my father, the Margrave, wouldn't have minded the bard part. The way I ended up famous - or infamous, as it were - was scandalous enough that it would probably be an improvement.

[ Still, he blinks when Jaskier recognizes the hardy flower he knows from the borders between Gautier and Sreng. He'd brought it up to a couple merchants in various cities here in the Free Cities, even described the blossom, but he's pretty sure the climate is all wrong for them, so it's no surprise none of them know it. Maybe somewhere in Thorne...? ]

Wait, you can grow carroway? Really? [ His expression brightens at this as he reaches to describe the plant he's familiar with. ] Leafy green plant, has bundles of white or yellow blossoms, looks like a wildflower? I'm not as familiar with uses of the seeds. The tribes to the north of my home use the leaves steeped in tea and the roots for medicine.

[Jaskier gives him a considering look, holding the tip of his chin as he goes through a few certain scenarios. It isn't terribly complicated to figure out what is scandalous to nobles, considering it only comes down to what could besmirch their reputations. Things like orgies, affairs, murders -- that's simply what happens in a somewhat eventful week.]

Well, hopefully it was nothing as embarrassing as making love to the family goat or something.

[He would judge. A little.]

Of course! I can grow whatever you'd like. As long as I've seen it. Though I'm thinking it's possible we could be speaking of two different plants. Let me show you. [He grabs an empty pot from the back room, already filled with soil.] It's a bit of the sticky part with so many spheres between us.

[Jaskier hovers a ring-studded hand above the pot. His Chaos is a quiet sort; it hardly looks like anything but a mist in the air. As it touches the soil, a green sprout unfurls, growing higher and higher to meet his palm, then spreading around it with large, carrot-like leaves, small white blossoms forming and blooming as it grows half a foot high.] Is this what you're looking for? We also called it fennel. Or -- well, for the longest time I thought it was fiddle, actually.

[ That guess gets a snort of laughter from him, lips twisting in rueful acknowledgment as he rolls his eyes towards the ceiling for a moment. ]

Only if you listen to the rumors from one of my Professors. Who happened to be the overprotective older brother of one of the girls in my class.

[ Fucking Seteth.

Still, he watches curiously - and a little confused - as Jaskier brings out a pot of soil. And then blinks in surprise as the plant sprouts from it’s depths into a fully grown plant in a matter of minutes. ]

Cethleann’s tits. That’s a useful bit of magic. [ A pause, as he considers the applications of that. ] Does Claude know you can do that? Wait, scratch that, is that something you can teach someone else to do or is that one of those tricky innate things that only someone who has it can do?

[ Which he’s used to, he’s just annoyed that some of the most useful magics he’s seen here tend to be the latter rather than the former.

Still, he bends to inspect the plant - which seems to have some minor differences but overall looks very similar to the plant he knows. He bends to sniff the blossom, the scent of it mostly familiar, even if it might be slightly different. ]

I think it might be the same. Or really damn close. I’d have to mess around with it and see if the tea turns out the same before I know fort sure but… Hells, you’re really useful for this. Can I buy this one off you? I’ve had shit luck finding it anywhere else.

[Ah, is there anything more lovely than rumours surrounding one's assumed relations with farm animals?

Perhaps it's best they both leave those particular things in the past. The far past.

Cethleann's tits. He does love a good bit of god tits in his expressions.] Isn't it just? [Light practically shines from Jaskier, considering how much he adores his particular brand of magic.] Well, I suppose I did grow a bunch of glowing mushrooms in front of Claude. So I think so... unless he thinks of me some sort of... mushroomancer.

[What a horrible magic that would be. Only growing mushrooms. Not that he dislikes them, but. There's much more than mushrooms in the world of flora.]

Unfortunately, this particular one is innate. A magic granted to me suffering this world so long. [He jokes. But it is magic he only received because of the Singularity, though he often does not attribute the power to a monolith in casual conversation.

His smile shines, and he holds out the pot.] Consider it a gift from me to your household. [There he goes again, being a terrible businessman. But he hardly needs the coin; he'd much prefer making someone's day.] It should need minimal care; my magic tends to keep them alive quite well. But bring her by if she gives you any trouble.

[ Sylvain’s face screws up in an expression somewhere midway between contemplation and amusement as he holds back a laugh at Jaskier’s reply. ]

Is that a thing where you come from? Mushroomancers? I dunno, they could be pretty useful. Especially to cooks and poisoners. [ Which happens to be him and Claude, respectively. ] Although you really don’t look like someone who would be one of those anyway. You strike me as far too colorful for that.

[ He sighs in mock dismay at the expected answer, shaking his head even as he reaches out to accept the plant gratefully. ]

That’s what I was afraid of. The Singularity can be so finicky about that. Ah well, it was worth an ask. Thank you for this, though. [ He inclines his head towards the generous gift, smile brightening again. ] I really appreciate it. I’ll be sure to take good care of… her.

[ he doesn’t ask why the plant’s a her. He’s not sure he wants to know the answer to that. ]

[He laughs.] Of course it isn't! Well, as far as I know. A greenwitch would be the closest thing to me... or the druids, I suppose.

[He does not hate that that is the form his magic took -- something envying and mimicking druidic arts. Jaskier cannot say he's ever felt truly one with nature, but he certainly has enjoyed understanding it more. Also, it's made him a tidy profit.

He only smiles. Unfortunately, Jaskier has found out (in a brief instance of embarrassment he will not retell) that poisoned plants are not out of his wheelhouse. However, he only offers them to Geralt.

At least he'd know where the bloody things are going.]

You had better. That is a threat. [It's a she because that's what she grew up as, all right?] I'll be very displeased if she dies.

[ Neither of those magic users are anything he's ever heard of before. The greenwitch he's pretty sure he can figure out easily enough, but druid is a complete mystery.

But he just tucks the plant securely under one arm and offers Jaskier a wink, playing along. Despite the threat.

He lives with Hilda. You're gonna have to work a little harder than that, Jaskier. ]

Don't worry. Even if I didn't spend half my time gardening these days, I'm pretty sure Claude has an actual green thumb, so between the two of us she should be fine. But I'll bring her back to visit - or maybe just something made with her contributions - if you're that worried.

[Luckily, he has no plan on actually following it up, but he probably would bitch a lot and be very upset about it.]

Really? He didn't strike me as the type. But considering we were busy fighting the enraged spirit with hands made of swords, there was no change for it to come up in conversation.

[Which means he'll have to hunt him down for some conversation down the line, won't he?

Jaskier gives Sylvain a very friendly pat on the shoulder (despite his threat earlier) with a warm smile. That... that is a very wonderful offering, actually.] If you do produce some lovely tea blends from it, I would be delighted. And please, if you need anything else -- don't be a stranger, my lovely.

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you've never danced like this before [open]

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near wrapping, I think? heheh

i think so!

🎀!