abraxaslogs | Mat January Catch-All

Of all the unexpected things that have happened to Mat, somehow, ending up in the Free Cities is among the most unexpected. His immediate reaction is anger, simply because he doesn't enjoy being flung about by magic madcap. That sounds like a damned good way to die! What if he hadn't come out anywhere?

But it's only for a few moments, until he realizes just where he is. And how fortuitous it may be that he's landed here. The first thing he does, after the important info is relayed, is to send a frantic mental note to both Jesper and Kaz, hoping to Light at least one of them got back here.

It seems a lot of them may be quite displaced. Maybe if neither of them made it back, he could try Master Jaskier. He lives in Cadens. Hopefully it won't come to that. Fate can't be so very cruel as to dump him where the two men in his life are and dump them somewhere else.

Right?

Jesper and Kaz happened to be together when they received Mat's note so they glanced at each other from across the table and then were on their feet moments later. Jesper sees that people are all talking about it on the network and how this is happening to many, but all he can think about is getting to Mat. The excitement is buzzing through him, having wanted Mat here with them since the start and to think it's happened is insane to him.

They're in a bit of a rush when they get to Portam Hall and Jesper's eyes are wild as he looks everywhere possible, his head jerking around, waiting to see if he can find that familiar mop of dark curls. "There." He murmurs to Kaz, and he's running through the hall. He whistles in warning and then he's slamming into Mat with an eager embrace, pulling his long-time lover into his arms as soon as possible.

"You're here, it's actually you." And it's actually here!

Those first messages to Mat seem like a lifetime or two ago, a time when Kaz still lashed out over talking things through. Okay maybe not all of that has changed, but it has where Mat's concerned. And not just because they had come to understand the other would do almost anything where Jesper was concerned. Mat becoming one of Kaz's people, as he sees it, is a change he had never expected and yet he finds himself glad for.

And still that message comes as a shock, blinking at Jesper a moment before they're on their feet.

Not caring that it hurts to push himself, even if he knows Jesper will hold himself back for Kaz, because the pain simply isn't as important as getting to Portam Hall. Listening as they go, frowning as he considers what this might all mean as he hears of others missing people... or finding them as they seek out Mat.

Before he can say anything, Jesper is off at a long legged run, shaking his head as he follows behind him more sedately. Pausing to lean on his cane, watching the pair for a moment with a small nod no one is likely to notice.

"Well it took you long enough, didn't it?"

He's glad to see Mat too, obviously.

He still can't quite grasp that he's actually here. But he is, and soon he's laughing as Jesper is hugging him and Kaz is making dry jokes. He didn't even need to waive his official letter about!

Of course Mat hadn't been planning to defect to the Free Cities just yet, but who is he to argue with the workings of gods and greater powers? He's here now. And relatively certain he's not going to accidentally do anything disastrous.

Hopefully.

"Long enough, maybe, but not intentionally! Just ended up here!"

He's hugging Jesper back and laughing because right now he can't think of any other way to express himself. He's feeling far too many things at once right now!

Jesper lifts Mat off his feet for a moment and swings him in a little circle before setting him down. He kisses him firmly in greeting and holds his hands, so happy he's practically beaming. Yes he knows that this is only a good thing for them, some of their friends are scattered to the winds and elsewhere, but Jesper's always been good at focusing on one good thing at a time.

He grins over his shoulder at Kaz for his dry comment. It's mattered so much to him that Mat and Kaz not only made their peace but began to care for each other too. It makes his life easier knowing his two closest loves are friendly, and their experience in that vision only proves how good they can all be together.

He slings an arm around Mat's waist and tugs him. "You're staying here now if it's the last bloody thing I do." But no need to worry about fighting Thorne over it just yet. This is only a good thing. "You'll be staying with us in the loft, we have plenty of space." Four people used to live up there comfortably so three will be easy enough. He doesn't ask Kaz because he knows him well enough to make that guess.

Although he does shoot him a quick glance like 'right?'

This is what Kaz has needed to see. Lately he's been hoping it was on their terms, out of both cities and not having to worry about being yanked apart, or having the city force Jesper into enlistment, but this is good.

Better than he knows how to express.

So instead he stands there, his expression soft and content, a lack of tightness around his mouth that very few might remember from that time when he'd walked without a limp and lived as a god. These two might though.

"Of course he will," he says with a nod, glad that Jesper brought it up. He isn't sure if he said it that Mat might not argue with him. Just on principle, because he knew he would.

"Come on. Let's get back there for the time being. Get a drink or something." Hide Mat away before the soldiers or someone tries to change their mind. That kind of or something.

He steps closer though, offering his hand. He's been trying not to turn to his gloves for every day. He doesn't offer many his hands bare though, but again, this is Mat.

"I'm glad you're here."

It hadn't occurred to Mat there'd be another option. After all this time, he assumed of course he'd be staying with them. But it is a sudden thing. They weren't planning for him to show up.

He slips one arm around Jesper in turn, and gladly takes the hand Kaz offers. It still feels damned special, that the other man allows him that intimacy. Light, his head is still spinning.

"A plan I can agree with, my good man. I could certainly use a rest and a drink. And something a bit cooler to wear, I thought I was going back to proper winter! I'm not prepared for a desert holiday."

Or however long this lasts. He won't think about that now.

"I'll need you two to show me the ropes 'round here."

Jesper feels something very soft in his heart flutter over seeing Kaz willingly put out his bare hand to Mat and take it. He knows how far he's come to be able to do that with anyone, and the trust he has in Mat is important. He feels so full of love in that moment with both of them that he thinks he's going to get overemotional about it. But for now, he's channeling that into joy.

He also agrees that getting Mat away from the military dealing with the incident is the best thing for them. He never trusts them. He releases Mat and instead holds his other hand. (Jesper has two hands and so do they. That's the best part.) They can walk together to Mag's Inn.

Jesper drags Mat up the stairs to the attic once they arrive. It's a nice and comfortable space, frankly better than most of the other rooms even if Jesper worked hard to re-do all of them a bit ago. It's more like its own apartment and it's very lived in now that they've been there.

"I'll remake some of my clothes to fit you." Jesper's fashion is specifically designed for Cadens, so it'll suit him. "No more winter for you, my love."

Busking

Mat may be in a whole new territory, one he is wholly unfamiliar with, but he considers himself lucky. He can do what he does anywhere, and he'd ended up here with at least one of his instruments. Limiting, certainly, but at least he's not stuck with a hand drum or a mouth harp. And he can always ask Jaskier where to get instruments in the city.

But for now he's trying his hand at busking in his new place. He's not about to be a parasite, he's going to contribute to the household. It's only fair.

And he has what he feels is quite the trick up his sleeve. Jaskier, as he understands, is a proper celebrity around here. Things are named after him, and that's quite the level of fame in Mat's eyes. So why not use it to his advantage? He has his usual set up - stool, lute case open for coins, pack at the foot of his stool - but he's added a folding sign. The lettering is good and large and easy to read.

"Matrim Cauthon - Premiere Apprentice to Master Bard Jaskier"

He even plays more of his teacher's own songs in his sets, hoping the familiarity will attract an audience.

Or at least some attention.

Exploring

Maybe he's getting ahead of himself, but now that he's here, Mat intends to stay. It had long been the plan, to come here eventually. When he had a good enough handle on his powers. Of course then there'd been the whole shift in the monarchy in Thorne, and he'd put that plan on the back burner. Now...well, he hadn't even had to do anything.

As he does intend to remain here, he ought to know more about the place. He knows the castle town like the back of his hand by now, but Cadens is a mystery. A fantastic, beautiful mystery. The city's entirely unlike Thorne town, from the architecture to the food to the fashion. Jesper's fitted him out in local clothes suited for the temperatures, and he rather likes how the style suits him.

Jesper and Kaz have shown him around the important spots he ought know, but right now he's on his own, his lute slung over his back, exploring streets and alleyways off the beaten path. That's how some of the best spots are found!

Of course he does end up a bit turned around, and unsure exactly how to get back to the inn....

Wild Card

[Up for anything, hit me up in DMs or just toss me a starter!]

Wilhelm is less sunny about the sudden shift in circumstances. He liked his life in Thorne just fine, but his soreness over his displacement has more to do with a certain boy he'd finally kissed that last night in the Nether. The forces of the universe always seem to conspire against his happiness specifically...

At least he hasn't been dumped in a strange country alone. Again. So he's reminded when, while out exploring the city on Viktor's bicycle, he spots Mat amid the bustle. Or rather, he hears him first. He has come out to Thorne's taverns to support his friend often enough that he recognizes many of the tunes in his repertoire. The familiar notes tumbling over the street draw him in, and he swings off the bike to listen.

When the song concludes, Wilhelm claps enthusiastically and throws in a cheer too.

"Nice!" he calls out. He's here to be your hype man, dude.

Kaz lets Jesper lead the way, staying just slightly behind the pair. It takes everything in him not to glance back directly, instead using windows and other surfaces to ensure there's no one following them. He won't let them take Mat back, not when he's this close, and if it comes to it he knows Jesper will handle them with the right call.

And Kaz would deal with anyone that might follow them.

Yet no one did, and that alone felt suspicious to him. Enough so that he locked the door behind them, then propped his cane not by the door but under the handle. Crossing to the windows, doing the same there, showing more of his paranoia than he lets most see from him. He didn't want others to know how prepared they can be, but then Mat is one of theirs.

Then he moves to pour them all a drink.

"From what I can tell, so long as you can avoid the military and their greedy hands for able bodied men," he says, giving a quick look at Jesper, not hiding that concern he's held for as long as he's been there. "Then it's much easier than the others. Reminds me a lot of home, honestly," he admits, bringing glasses to them both.

"That shouldn't be too hard."

Mat tries not to gawk. But the city here is so different than what he's used to. The buildings, the clothes, even the colors. It's all new to him, and he can't stop looking around as he hustled away from where the authorities are.

But he flops gratefully in a chair when they've made it to the rooms Kaz and Jesper call their own.

"I've got Thorne convinced I'm a silly, shallow fellow who's only good for music and laughs. Shouldn't be too hard to convince the folks here of the same." It's an easy role for him to play. And a safe one.

"And I've no information that'd be interested in, I've never even stepped foot inside the court of the current regime. I certainly have knowledge of the people, but I doubt they have much use for knowing what Thornian housewives are in open marriages or who tips their musicians the best."

Mat takes an elaborate bow, and slings his lute over his shoulder.

"Hey-o, Wilhelm!" He grins as he bends to check his case, plucking up the smattering of coins that had been tossed into it. Not awful. Not awful at all. Enough that he feels that he's contributing to the household. That's a new thing, having to pay for...everything.

"How goes it?"

He knows not everyone's adjusting to the sudden change as well as he is.

Jesper doesn't bother to show the same paranoia because he knows automatically that Kaz will do it. He's always got his eye on their backs so he knows without watching him that Kaz is making certain they're not followed, he's unsurprised when he handling the windows and put his cane at the door. Jesper agrees with him. This seems too good to be true and he wonders if in a few hours the army will be banging on their door saying they've decided to lock them in the barracks for now. It won't go well for them if they do.

"Not as many thieves and troublemakers as in Ketterdam, unfortunately." This to Kaz. It's probably his least favorite part of Cadens. Too much army, not enough criminals with their own code, like the Dregs. For now they can focus on Mat though, not on the problems that could come with him. Jesper is determined to be happy.

He takes the drink offered and sits on a chair next to Mat, leaning into him automatically, putting an arm around his shoulders. He kisses his cheek and then leans his head against him, apparently unhappy unless they are touching in various ways. He's starving for the concept of Mat safe and sound in his arms where Thorne can't get him. He's only been dreaming of this for years.

"I was playing the fashion fool for a time but unfortunately blowing up a base put me a bit in their crosshairs, so spend more time with Kaz in public, perhaps, in these first few days." Kaz isn't the one who decided to get on the military's radar with both his actions and his abilities. It wasn't a happy set of consequences, but in typical Jesper form, he regrets nothing.

"Can't wait to show you Aquila and Libertas though, maybe we should have a beach day, mmm?" He waggles his eyebrows playfully at Kaz. Who stays in his black no matter where they go.

Wilhelm shrugs in answer, fussing with his hair out of habit more than any actual need.

"Alright, I guess." He pats the frame of the bike. "I get to ride on real tires now. And Kyle and I are figuring out how to cook."

Well, they make a lot of eggs, pancakes, and sandwiches. He tried to make rice the other night and half of it ended up stuck to the sides of the pot, while the other half melded into one monstrous clump. Even if he had no other reason to miss Thorne, the castle's dining hall would make a compelling argument. Such an array of dishes, all expertly prepared, feels like a dream now. But it's kind of fun too, muddling through the kitchen, laughing at their missteps. It passes the time.

A life of being three steps ahead of paranoia means that Kaz usually has six plans in place at any given time. None of that could prepare him for what was essentially a breakdown of the entire system here. At least from what he heard on the streets. It wasn't just Mat. The army would have their hands full for a time, and that he was used to; taking advantage of what little time they have to plan.

But while the wheels may be turning, he knows now isn't the time for planning. Not between them. Jesper and Mat needed this time.

Mention of blowing up the base though got Jesper a sour look.

"Some of us know the value of playing a role and seeing the long term pictures," he points out, as if they haven't had this talk before. "For now though, it's likely we need to consider our options both while they're distracted and before they can regroup."

He holds up one hand as soon as he says it. "That is not this moment. Just bringing it up before you plan more vacations of sitting in the sun." He says it like he proposed diving with sharks perhaps.

"Kaz gets it!" Mat turns a grin to the most somber of their little trio. "But I do concede that sometimes circumstances force one to reveal one's true nature."

A nod to Jesper, as he simply sinks comfortably against him.

"Anyhow, I'm not too worried." He does still have his letter. Granted it was issued by the former government, but still. He's not above making a great grand fuss if need be. And besides. He's an entertainer. He's loud and publicly known, if not as well as some others. He could be a real pain in their arse, if he wants to be.

"Honestly? The current king's a lot less scary than the old queen. And the folks in charge here want Summoned just as badly, yeah? I were them, I wouldn't be too keen to make anyone go back that wanted to stay...."

"Every fellow ought know how to cook," Mat says sagely. At least the basics. But he does understand, it's not what they're used to. Thorne kept her Summoned pampered and cared for. Now they must fend for themselves.

"Still, it's exciting! The city's great. I've been exploring. Lots of places to explore! And the nightlife..."

Much more exciting than Thorne, in his opinion. More variety. With the promise of even more in the other cities here in the desert.

"Lots of museums, too, for the more academic minded among us."

Jesper sticks his tongue out at Kaz, mostly because he has no verbal argument he can make for his behavior. Something that wasn't surprising to any of them given his general everything, but he did end up learning a lesson from it. He'll be more careful now. Kaz has said what he needed about the situation and they don't need to rehash, but he gets to take his verbal snaps about it any time he wants.

"Alright we can wait a week before going to the beach." He kicks out the nearest chair to encourage Kaz to sit in it, and once he does he'll lean forward to snag it closer to them. So what if he wants both of them near him within easy grabbing distance, he's allowed. They're his partners for life, Jesper is going to take advantage of every opportunity to lean into this lucky twist.

"They'll take you back over my dead body," Jesper says, cheerfully. And sincerely. "But they did say you could leave the last time I made a scene. We'll just all make a scene this time, they'll have thrice the reason to let it go." The point was that Mat wasn't going to pick Thorne this time. He was exactly where he needed to be. Jesper has no doubt they'll manage to make this work, now that the three of them were in sync with each other.

"My men are both here, I'm going to burst." He grins. "I'm not sorry for the level of snuggly I'm about to get, my loves."

He nods along, though he's mostly been spending his nights stretched out in the cot he's been provided, slipping into the Horizon to see a certain boy. It's hard to enjoy drunken carousing when you're heartsick.

"Yeah, I'll have to make a suitable husband for someone someday," he jokes in answer to the cooking comment. A glance up and down the street reveals that Mat's audience has dispersed to go about the ordinary business of their day.

"Well, if you're done here, we could look around for a better street to play."

"Nah, just marry a fellow who's better at cooking!" Mat laughs, clapping Wilhelm affectionately on the shoulder. He gathers up his things, agreeing with the other fellow's summation.

This street is played out.

"May take a bit, lots of corners have someone there already. I'm pretty sure the only reason no one's chased me off from anywhere yet is I'm Jaskier's student. He's a damned big deal here. All sorts of things are named after him!"

That's fame, having things named after you.

"Mmm, less scary royalty. Means they're likely just better at hiding things and not into bluster. I've only met one I didn't despise."

He wouldn't say he entirely liked him but it wasn't despising him. He'd come around a bit more to him in this place.

Much as there might have been in the past, there is little hesitation as he moves to settle in beside Jesper. For a moment he seems distant though, his mind going to another time and place when the three of them had sat together. How different things had been then, but enough to put Kaz on a path in this place that he had no desire to give up. Some might not have believed it was real. He refused to believe anything but, especially with their shapeshifted forms.

He gives a snort at Jesper's cheerful murder plans, shaking his head. "You know, it's always amazing to me that as the Bastard of the Barrel, you're the one that just guns them all down. At least I have the decency to torture some first," he says, as if that's entirely normal and sane.

"Whatever they try, we'll figure it out. Sorry to say, Mat. You made a choice once. You're ours now. I'm bad about giving things back once they're mine."

Totally not a threat, right?

Leaning on the bike's handlebars as he watches Mat pack his lute away, he laughs.

"So would that be Jesper or Kaz for you?"

When Mat is ready to go, Wilhelm hops back on his bike. He won't pedal off and leave his friend in the dust, though. He weaves the front tire back and forth to balance himself at a lackadaisical pace.

"It sounds like you could be a celebrity around here too. Just wait, you'll get your own fans."

"Not sure yet! But between the three of us, I'm sure we'll be alright."

Mat laughs and shakes his head. Really, how has his life ended up like this? Two years ago and he was swearing he was too young to even think about marriage, and here he is with two husbands in all but official name.

If he were an Aes Sedai, he'd have to be a Green.

He watches Wilhelm on his contraption, still unsure if those things are genius or deadly mistakes. But the other fellow does seem the master of the machine.

"And not sure about celebrity, but folks here do seem a bit more enthusiastic about music overall. Not that folks back in Thorne didn't like it, and Light knows the tavern crowds could get rowdy, but...just a different feel, here. It's hard to explain."

Funny, the twists and turns your life takes. Wilhelm has thought for a while now that he was meant to end up in this world, that only here could he have the chance to shape his life into something he can be happy with. Catching the disbelief that flutters across Mat's expression, he wonders if his friend feels much the same.

With Kyle's announcement fresh in his mind, he also can't help but wonder—

"So, when the portals get fixed, will you go back to Thorne, or...?"

Will he choose to stay here?

It's the first time that Mat's been directly asked that question. Neither Jesper nor Kaz needed to ask. It was a forgone conclusion.

He's quiet a moment, before nodding with a glance to Wilhelm.

"The 'or' option," he confirms. "I've mastered my magics well enough that I'm not worried about any accidents anymore. I don't need the safety net of Thorne's mages any longer."

And it had been the main thing keeping him in the castle. That and his friends, of course. He's grown close to plenty of folks there. But all other Summoned, it isn't as though living in different regions mean they never see one another. He and Jesper lived apart for years and did just fine.

"And we want to get married. Properly and all."

He's not surprised by Mat's answer. There's nothing keeping him in Thorne anymore, and so much pulling him to Cadens. To the next stage of his life. A flicker of sadness gutters inside him then, for the prospect of saying good bye to another friend, but his happiness for Mat overpowers it.

Well, he wasn't surprised by the first part of Mat's answer, anyway. The second part sends his eyebrows popping up and his mouth gaping.

"Married?" Wilhelm echoes, as if nobody in the history of the world has ever considered such a thing. "Are you...allowed? I mean, the three of you?"

For someone who spent a whole year and some change hooking up with Jesper on and off, he's still stuck on certain ideas of tradition... Shaking his head down at his handlebars, scrubbing a hand through his hair, he remembers what he should have said first.

"Wow, congratulations."

Mat laughs.

"Why not? We were in that future-that-might-be. Who's to tell us we can't?"

It seems simple enough to him. It's not as though they need to have it done up legally - he's not even sure if they could. They aren't citizens of this world. They can do as they please, and as far as he's concerned, a marriage doesn't need a paper. Plenty of folks back home didn't have papers, they just had the ceremony and that was that.

"And really, you know me. Do you think I could have just one husband?"

There's humor in his voice and a sparkle in his eye as he says it, grinning as Wilhelm offers his congratulations.

Wilhelm laughs too.

"No, I guess not. And Jesper would never let himself be limited to just one either." He reaches across to give Mat's arm a friendly pat. "You two really are meant for each other."

Marriage. He's still trying to wrap his head around it. They're all so young — a little older than Wilhelm, sure, but not by much. Marriage feels like something a long way down the road, beyond where sight can reach. He's had a hard enough time just finding someone and keeping them. But, he supposes, when you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, it's never too soon to begin.

"So when is the wedding? You're having a big party, right?"

"We just aren't built that way."

And thank the Light for that. No jealous bouts, no possessiveness...Mat doesn't know how anyone puts up with all of that.

"And we're not that far along yet, haven't got a date or anything. Just...when we know it's safe, I suppose. But we will have the biggest party you've ever seen!"

That's a promise. As though Jesper would do anything else. He'd make the damn thing the event of the year, if not the decade.

"Of course you'll be a part of the whole thing, you're a good friend to two of us at least."

When we know it's safe. Loving someone in this world means taking a risk. Everything can shift in an instance. Just as easily as you came together and clicked into place, you can be pulled apart. Wilhelm shoves away the worries that always loom like shadows in the back of his mind, as if he might accidentally manifest the very things he worries about.

It's much nicer to think about the wild party Jesper will no doubt put on to celebrate his union with Mat and Kaz. When they dreamed they were gods, he'd accompanied Jesper to mortal weddings to bless the happy couples. Even without the aid of divine power, his friend's spirit is contagious.

"You know I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Mat January Catch-All

For Jesper and Kaz

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Open Cadens Prompts

busking

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