sephiroth, “tol alien boy”, SOLDIER first class. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
supersoldier) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2022-03-14 08:07 am
supersoldier) wrote in abraxaslogs2022-03-14 08:07 am
( closed ) the pigeon guys
Who: Sephiroth, Viktor, Jaskier, and Geralt
When: Mid-March
Where: Cadens
What: Four guys try really, really hard to catch one bird.
Warnings: The inevitable secondhand embarrassment.
[Aleksander has lost his prized pigeon Nicola, a matter most mundane to some, but certainly not to the man himself. He's in a tizzy over his lost muse, which has gone flying about the city like a wild, unfettered thing, and he's willing to reward those who take his plight seriously. A few of the Summoned take an interest, for their own reasons--whether seeking out something to keep busy, or hoping to foster connections with Aleksander himself, or simply getting dragged into it--and that includes a group of four men who probably make for an unlikely team.
Not that it matters. They all have their skills between them, and surely with their efforts combined, they can catch one bird. A very stubborn bird; keen eyes may be able to track her darting flight across the city, and eventually, they can find her alighted on the corner of a museum rooftop, looking down upon a busy square.
A tricky situation on its own. Made even more problematic by the fact that there's also a cat creeping along the edge of the roof, eyes trained on Nicola in a very worrying way.
They may want to do something about that.]
When: Mid-March
Where: Cadens
What: Four guys try really, really hard to catch one bird.
Warnings: The inevitable secondhand embarrassment.
[Aleksander has lost his prized pigeon Nicola, a matter most mundane to some, but certainly not to the man himself. He's in a tizzy over his lost muse, which has gone flying about the city like a wild, unfettered thing, and he's willing to reward those who take his plight seriously. A few of the Summoned take an interest, for their own reasons--whether seeking out something to keep busy, or hoping to foster connections with Aleksander himself, or simply getting dragged into it--and that includes a group of four men who probably make for an unlikely team.
Not that it matters. They all have their skills between them, and surely with their efforts combined, they can catch one bird. A very stubborn bird; keen eyes may be able to track her darting flight across the city, and eventually, they can find her alighted on the corner of a museum rooftop, looking down upon a busy square.
A tricky situation on its own. Made even more problematic by the fact that there's also a cat creeping along the edge of the roof, eyes trained on Nicola in a very worrying way.
They may want to do something about that.]
no subject
Besides, Viktor likes solving problems, and this is an interesting problem, even if it's all a little ridiculous. He spends a little time analyzing the situation (the bird, flying around the city and finally coming to rest atop a building that overlooks a square, the cat in slow, steady pursuit), and deduces the best course of action. When he arrives at the scene, he's prepared, dragging along two contraptions that, while cobbled together fairly quickly, have his full confidence. He's not going to be chasing the pigeon across rooftops, but he can devise a containment strategy.]
This one's for the bird. [He holds it up in his free hand, some kind of net-like structure with a spring mechanism. The other he's set on the ground, and that one is more cage-like. Viktor nudges it with his boot. Traps!!!] For the cat.
[It seemed best to take a two-pronged approach--if they can eliminate one complicating factor, good.]
no subject
No personal experience in this endeavor, of course. Jaskier is simply lucky his muse (or, should he say, one of many) happens to be a large, unwieldy man who's difficult to lose. Who also doesn't fly.
To be particularly helpful, Jaskier has shown up with a pair of pigeons on his shoulders, as if he needed a little practice in crafting the bird with magic. (He may be planning some slightly nefarious answers to this quest should it turn out poorly. Namely, making the man... a new muse.)]
Far be it from me to question anyone's scientific method, [As if this has ever stopped him,] but how do you propose you get the traps onto the roof? I don't suppose any of us have learned to fly, have we?
[He should have brought Mog. He's fairly sure the gryphon would eat a cat, given half the chance, and then one of their problems would be solved.]
no subject
That does not mean he won't be offering recommendations (and heckling, when appropriate). He gets the idea behind the additional pigeons, but that seems unnecessarily complicated, and he gestures vaguely at Jaskier.]
You can climb, can't you? Or, Geralt can.
[Geralt hunts monsters! Surely he can do a little casual trespassing. No big deal. Viktor would most certainly trespass absolutely everywhere if given the opportunity, and maybe he is a little jealous that someone else gets to climb a building.]
These will work best if we bait them with food and leave them on the roof. If we disturb the bird, it will just fly off again.
no subject
[He indicates his boots, which, while leather and with a bit of a heel, don't really indicate why they could not, in fact, climb. Of course, reasonable people are assuming stairs will lead to the roof. Unfortunately, Jaskier does not often visit buildings that even need stairs. Upward. Unless it was, like, an intimidating tower or a dungeon of a castle somewhere.
Geralt, though. That's it.]
You're right. In fact, he can climb very well. I assume. [Roofs may prove to be a challenge, but to be fair, Jaskier believes Geralt owes the sight of him struggling on a roof to Jaskier after leaving him on a mountain. Not that he isn't. Past that.] Oh, I've got a spot of bread on me.
[He produces a roll out of his pocket. No, this is far from the first time he's had bread in his pants. In fact, one may call it a habit. It happens when one's gone hungry a few times. And also been trapped in a cell with terrible gruel.] I suppose that's good enough. Is that it? Just... leave them open?
no subject
[But if Geralt wants to literally scale the side of the building, well. That's his business. All of this seems obvious to Viktor, who is now having second thoughts about the whole operation. As far as he's concerned, he's held up his part of the deal, but now it seems like he should really be providing some additional instruction.
Also now Jaskier is producing mystery bread out of his pockets. Viktor isn't about to judge anyone for, like, carrying snacks around, but compounded with everything else about this interaction, he is starting to get a little exhausted.]
I'm not sure how enticing that will be for the cat, but-- [JASKIER DO NOT PRODUCE CAT FOOD FROM YOUR POCKETS] --you know what? Good enough.
[Viktor crouches with some effort, waving for Jaskier to get closer so he can see how the mechanism of the net trap locks in place. He presses a finger to the trigger pad, holding the cage open so that it doesn't close on his hand.] When the animal steps on this, it closes the trap. Simple.
no subject
[Actually, why are they even working to catch the cat? Maybe someone else lost that. He doesn't see why they don't simply throw Geralt at it and hope for the best.
Despite Jaskier's complaints, he still is attentive to watch how the traps work. Usually they use a rope, perhaps a stick propping a rock up. This is a bit more mechanical, but he's right. Simple enough.] So put a bit of bait on this? Even Geralt should be able to manage it. Uh... the other one, I'm not really sure. He looks, you know.
[Well, sort of normal besides the eyes, but a bit tight-lipped. Hard to say why he's even here. Jaskier looks forward to watching him stumble around a roof.]
no subject
[What matters is that he's given a primer as to how the traps work, and the rest of it is mostly out of his hands. He'd certainly be up on the roof if he were able (and he's actually starting to think that maybe he should get up on the roof), but for now he'll just have to trust that Geralt and Sephiroth know what they're doing, when it comes to trap setting and cat wrangling.]
We've met. He's fine. I don't see why any of this should be a problem for either of them.
no subject
[There could be a hint of sarcasm in that, but honestly, so far, nothing's gone wrong. He picks up both traps and takes them to Geralt, giving him a quick run-down of their method of operation (i.e., get bird inside to press platform, receive trapped bird) and the bread he's retrieved from his pockets as bait.
Then he returns to Viktor's side, ready to watch the proceedings with amusement. Mostly because he knows Geralt's involvement in this is purely his own fault.
Jaskier regrets nothing.
Perhaps to Viktor's dismay, he pulls out a carefully folded napkin of blackberries, holding them out in offering after he's plucked up some to feed to the pigeons at his shoulders.] Care for a bite? I grew them myself.
[Soon, the rumors that spread through Cadens about Jaskier may be deeming him the pigeon man, no longer the lute man.]
no subject
[They had talked about that, right? Surely a highly-trained soldier will be able to catch a pigeon, especially working alongside an expert monster hunter. The relative experience level of their "teammates", however, is not necessarily his concern. It's just a bird! How hard can this be, especially when he has so graciously provided everyone with technological aids.
Oh. There's fruit now. Viktor looks a little bewildered, like he's not at all accustomed to people offering him napkins full of blackberries, and he hesitates for a moment before he reaches over and takes exactly two. To be polite. Still, he can't really tear his attention away from what's about to transpire on the roof.]
Should we be doing anything else? To help?
no subject
Jaskier tosses a few berries in his mouth, his free hand going to his hip as he chews.]
Hmm. [He stares up at the two men now they've made it onto the roof, talking to each other (with confusion? Brotherly companionship? An age-old bond between old, ornery folk?). The trap is being laid out, at least, so one thing is going right. Surely these traps will be their final solution to the problem of a loose pigeon and... a cat? (What are they going to do with the cat?)]
Nah. I think they've got it handled. Besides, this is brilliant to watch.
[Two big, burly guys trying to catch a little, delicate bird? Absolutely shitshow, but in the best way.]
no subject
And Geralt seems to know what he's doing. Pigeons. Monsters. What's the difference, really?
Viktor shades his eyes with his free hand, squinting up at the scene playing out.]
Someone is going to fall off the roof.
[Ugh, and then he'll be accessory to manslaughter, or something, because he's one of two parties who made them go up there in the first place.]
no subject
Er. Yes, probably. But Geralt can survive it rather handily, I imagine. And considering Sephiroth didn't hold up any argument about going up there...
[Point made. That's why the two of them are the smart ones: solidly on the ground. Not doing much of the work. Yes, Viktor did more work than him in making the cages. That wasn't the point. Jaskier was the back-up plan, which was as important as the in-action plan.]
Well, we can pretend we don't know him if he does.
[And right at that moment is when Sephiroth decides the best way to deal with the cat is simply to pick it up. Jaskier can hear it spitting from here. He is beginning to have a couple of reservations about the relatively mysterious member of their team now.]