(oct and) september catch-all; open

[ancunin]

Who: Astarion and friends
When: Throughout the month
Where: Cadens, Nocwich, Farhill
What: Astarion goes about his daily business, first appearance of BATSTARION
Warnings: General vampire warnings for injury and blood-drinking. Full character content warnings here, I will try to add them to comment subject lines as things appear in threads!

Comments

[cointosser]

[Oh -- right. Well, at least he can take a sniff, and then Jaskier stuffs it in his mouth. Mm. Yes. The perfect amount of sweet, he's fairly sure. He absolutely has never had a dragonfruit in his life otherwise.

Jaskier's eyes get brighter and wider.]

For contrasting, you say? [There's practically nothing better in the world than an attractive man offering him multiple free drinks.

For research, obviously.]

Well, you've come to the right place. I've quite the nose and tongue. [He plucks up a bottle, pauses, then adds:] For wine, I should specify. Which one shall we try first, then? I'm thinking enough glasses, I'm fairly sure I can pick out the flavours to recreate them. It may be a good place to start.

[ancunin]

[ For wine, he laughs, though he's comfortable enough with Jaskier these days to perhaps allude to their little encounter in the park - nearly a year ago now, was it? Astarion had just been separated from those few who he had begun to trust, lost and adrift in a new realm where seemingly no one wanted anything from him - and, embarrassingly, he'd immediately slipped back into old habits - and just as quickly regretted it. Not that Jaskier wasn't absolutely lovely. If he'd never met Haelva, if he had given himself more time - maybe he would've found his way to Jaskier's bed again.

But he is more than grateful for this friendship, too. Even if they are sometimes a little too alike in their pride, and cattiness... ]

Hmmm... perhaps the spiced fruit, first. [ He finds a little stool to perch on, continuing to eye the work Jaskier's been at in the mean time. ] Floral flavors sometimes overpower.

[ And they are doing RESEARCH, obviously, they need to be mindful of their palates... ]

[cointosser]

[Not that Jaskier's ever forgotten a single person he's bedded; while losing Astarion as a partner is a loss, he quite seriously respects his boundaries, and it is enough they are friends now without the vampire fleeing from his affections. (He only hopes he's getting more intimate affections elsewhere. He, quite literally, cannot imagine going without. Not simply sex, but the fragility that comes with it.)

He claps his hands together.] Brilliant! Let's waste no time! Yes, please, make yourself comfortable, let me fetch some things.

[He lines up the bottles on the table, pushing a few pots out of the way to make room. Then a pair of clean glasses that he pulls from a shelf. A wine key he hands to Astarion to make light work on the first bottle, and finally he brings over one of his plants from the front: a small green peppermint plant. He plucks off a few leaves and hands them over to his friend.]

For between tastes. If you chew it, it'll cleanse the palate. You don't need to eat it.

[A bit of his magic summons what he calls his heroes' feast, a variety of savory and sweet treats in a basket that appears from seemingly nowhere. This time he's made sure the feast is filled with various cheeses and crackers.] Apologies. I never do anything halfway. [He knows how he is. This way he can test the flavours with food on the tongue.] Take the honour of the first pour, my friend.

apologies for this time stamp...........

[ancunin]

[ He takes the wine key and makes quick work of the bottle. There's... something familiar about all this, though they haven't had nearly enough of these cozy little get-togethers. It's that sense of a a half-remembered dream, hovering at the edge of memory, and he knows now to ascribe it to their time in the shared vision. That ought to be the sort of mind-fuckery that would agitate him, but - with certain people, he allows himself to be comfortable in that feeling of safe familiarity.

Also, with anyone else - or in any other mood, he might become offended that Jaskier should think to need to explain how palate cleansing and mint work. Now - he finds it sweet. Whether they work or not, however... he takes one of the offered leaves and chews on it, bracing for his curse to taint the flavor.

It's one of the better results, he merely feels a tingling on his tongue, a flavorless sort of chill. ]

Never apologize for such a thing with me, my friend. [ He grins, cat-like this time, as he pours a glass first for Jaskier and then himself. ] Your particular extravagance is one I have quite a bit of appreciation for.

[ Is he laying it on thick? Yes. But it's borne out of genuine affection. Jaskier didn't have to offer to help him with any of this, after all, and yet he always does. ]

omg pls no worries

[cointosser]

[He's never really had to dance around the vampire thing, and he's still trying. Adrian was a very special case, he's come to learn, and every time he's reminded of it a bit of his heart breaks for Astarion. It really is a curse for him, not simply what he is. Jaskier simply forgets himself.

He laughs through his nose with a snort.]

You're flattering me still? I already agreed to help.

[And he's eager for that, too. To craft something new for this world. Like any workaholic, he is always looking for more and more things to get his hands into. Something permanent to send into the world.

And doing it with another Summoned, and a friend, makes it even better. He gestures with his glass, waiting for Astarion's first sip, and then he follows after.] Oh. Oh, that's lovely. [He leans back against the edge of the table with a sigh.] Gods, I love good wine.