abraxaslogs | You don't have to make a sound 'cause they got what you need

She slants him an appreciative grin because hell yes to having someone acknowledge the results of all her hard work. Clearly he's a man of taste, even if he does have the willow-slim build of a necromancer (just a whole lot less sickly with it). They're going to get along like a wildfire. Ignoring the glances that slide over her from some of the other patrons - seriously, when you've spent your whole life being subjected to suspect and scathing looks you swift become immune to them - she dutifully flexes said biceps.

"Thanks for noticing. Hours of blood, sweat and tears go into maintaining this beautiful body," she drops the pose, shifts her weight until she's leaning against the closest vacant table, "and fuck yes, that's the kinda woman I wanna meet."

She ignores the dull twinge behind her breastbone, and the fleeting image of sharp and point-chinned little goblin face that springs into her mind as she says this. Harrow's her necro. They're necro and cav, bonded right down to the bones of themselves-- but anything else doesn't bear thinking about. Swiftly then, she pushes these thoughts to the furthest reaches of her consciousness.

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

He's pretty sure she could go toe-to-toe with some of the bulkier people around here, which is saying a lot, and it's great. Jesper felt they had good chemistry even over that strange network thing, and already he can feel an easy back and forth, laughing at her flexing and general warmth. He's usually the comedy relief of his group of friends and relentlessly egotistical, so it's a bit of a kin spirit moment.

"Hmm, I don't know yet, you haven't told me your type. Any preference on age, personality, et cetera? It's fine if not, sometimes none of that matters." She doesn't sound like someone who wants to be a beggar and a chooser, but on the other hand, she deserves someone good. Especially if she's been trapped away from hot ladies all this time. Tragedy. "Are we looking for a hook up or something real? Because hook ups are easy, we can go to a tavern right now."

Not Mag's Inn, she'll throw something at him if he keeps flirting with all the people who come in there. This isn't a place to pick up girls, it's a place to sleep. It's the place Gideon would take someone back, if they don't bring her back.

"Hook up," she says, without missing a beat. Never mind that she's never had a hook up in her whole life, "I'm young and hot and ready to play the field. Why tie myself down to something real when I haven't even had a chance to get started yet?"

Her grin is crooked and playful despite that underneath all that there's that same, dull ache again. Something real-- she already has something real. Maybe it's the only real thing she needs even if they're bound by something other than lust, or love. Again though, she's swift to push these thoughts to the edges of herself. Right now, she's here to have fun. Right?

"And you know, I'm not sure what my type is. I know what it isn't, and that's ancient beyond all reason and half insane with it. If I never see a nasty old nun again it'll be too soon."

"I like the way you think, there's no need to get hitched to anyone's wagon right away." Jesper's been playing the field for so long honestly. And while he was ready to settle down with Wylan, that's an exception. He likes the freedom of hook ups and good times, and he's not in any way ready to move on from his merchling.

"Saints, definitely no old nuns, come on." Jesper gestures for her to follow him and he leads out the door, heading toward the area best known for more 'nightlife' options and taverns. There are good diverse options in Cadens, not like Ketterdam, no, but it's not utterly boring. Jesper has long strides but he's good at slowing down for other people, they're not in a hurry really.

"Not to be weird about this, but have you picked up anyone before? I'm getting the sense that's a big no because there were no hot people where you lived, but not everyone needs game. You're hot and funny, sometimes that's enough."

"Exactly," she says as she makes to follow him, winding between tables and small clutches of patrons before stepping out into the city streets beyond.

He may have long strides, but so does she, and she's quick to fall into step alongside him as he wends his way through the dimly lit cluster of Caden's streets. Harrow may be pocket-sized, but she moves swiftly. One gets accustomed to keeping up the pace. And whilst the question ought to hold some embarrassment in it, it doesn't. Not for her. Not when - as he points out - she's had such limited options for years and years.

"Well there was one girl once, who I thought might be kinda, sorta into me. But it turned out she was thousands of years old and hell bent on murdering all my friends, so obviously I had to blow her off. Hence, no ancient nightmares of epic proportions please, I've had my fill of those already," it's easy enough to make light of it now, despite the way things had played out. She wouldn't take it back.

"So yeah, I was kiiiiinda relying on hot and funny to see me through."

Jesper is used to walking slower due to his best friend/boss who walks with a cane, and while Kaz would knock him in the knees if he implied he slows down for him, it's a habit he has yet to break. But since she is easily keeping step, he can go more his normal pace. He puts his hands in his pockets casually since there are no guns for him to rest his fingers on as he walks, a habit he has yet to break so he's changed it to pockets or hanging his thumbs on his belt comfortably.

"Your life is balls-to-the-walls odd, I have to say." She talked about nuns, people falling in love with corpses (??? yikes), and now an old murderous woman who was hitting on her. Now, Jesper kind of identifies with the last, he's very likely to flirt with someone regardless of personal danger. "No wonder you're calm, this place must be so boring in comparison."

It's boring for him and he doesn't even have the kind of wild life she's talking about. "Most of the time it does, honestly. In my experience, guys like being given lines and flattery, women tend to prefer authenticity. Or the illusion of it." Jesper's been with a lot of people at this point, one might say he's cleared out a whole section of Ketterdam as his conquests, but he's not tired of it. It's still fun, always has been. "You're very genuine, you'll do fine. Play up the virgin thing too once you get going with someone, a lot of people like being the experienced one guiding a newbie along."

There are things she could say to that as they continue to wind through the evening crowds, side-stepping a local here, a goods-filled cart there. The streets smell dusty and hot, a scent she's come to associate more and more with something like freedom. It's tempting to tell him that yes she's come to understand that her life had been even more odd than she'd initially perceived, but that this place is far from boring. The Ninth had been boring. The First, at least before all the murder and bloodshed really got going, had been boring. Here there are people to talk to, places to see, food to try, monsters to kill. Hot women to flirt with. It's a far cry from the cold black depths of Drearburh, where she'd spent most of her life aching and furious with loneliness.

She considers letting him know that, actually, she's been having the time of her life of late, but then he says 'virgin' and she's momentarily flummoxed. Because fuck, she is a virgin, and she feels the nasty betrayal of heat rising from beneath her collar. Is that really something people would be interested in? They wouldn't just think she's a weird late-starting loser for being stuck on a hell planet surrounded by skeletons and ghastly old people her whole life? Her step falters, just for a second. But she's quick to recover herself.

"Really?" she says, the tone of her voice bordering on sceptical, "people actually like it if you say yo, I've never fucked anyone in my life. Wanna volunteer as tribute?"

Jesper is used to a very adrenaline-filled life every day. He's from a criminal-run city with gangs everywhere and plotting guaranteed at every corner. He is used to running around with his gun in hand, getting from scrape to scrape. Until he 'retired' but he had a pretty boy to retire with, now he's here. Cadens isn't that bad, he would probably go crazy in Thorne or Solvunn, so it was the only good option. But still. He has this intense energy around him, even as he walks so casually with her, like something is under his skin buzzing. He is so energized.

It hasn't occurred to him that she would worry about the word, she's been rather upfront with him about him, although he does know that other people do worry about it. He's teased them before, but mostly because in his view, everyone's been a virgin before. It's not a big deal, or it doesn't have to be.

"Sure, it's worked on me." Not that Jesper has ever really needed to be persuaded to have sex, but he has a conquest list a mile long. "There is a certain narcissism to being someone's first. You're giving them an experience they've never had before, you'll never be forgotten." Jesper tries to make certain that's true of everyone he's been with, but you know, especially first timers!

"Obviously don't just go up to a woman and that be the first thing you say, although if you drop it into conversations, they'll pick up on it. Like that you were raised by nuns and Cadens is exciting with all its freedoms." Jesper picked up on it that way, after all. "The best thing about being a virgin is no one expects you to be good. They'll want to teach you. You just get to have fun."

"Huh," she draws out the word with thoughtful deliberation as she narrowly avoids a collision with a street vendor to the right of her. There's definitely something to be said for never being forgotten, and really any time spent in her presence ought to be a fucking blessing, even if - on some quieter, deeper level - she's still raw and nervy at the thought that it rarely has been to anyone before. Just having a good time and with low expectations really can't hurt either, not when half the Ninth had probably christened her with disappointment as her middle name. This way, at the very least, there's no need to worry about breaking a lifetime's tradition.

"I'll add in the part about how ancient and riddled with arthritis the nuns were, for good measure. You know, leave them thinking, oh you poor hot darling, however did you cope?" at which point she could lay in with the funny innuendo whilst hoping her looks and the laughs will carry her through.

"Exactly, see, you'll be fine. You're hot and funny and looking to have an incredible night with someone special. What's not to love about that?" It would work on Jesper, but again, he is very easy. Still, he's learned from being around here that it isn't all that different from Ketterdam. He's popular with the locals the way he was back home. It's just how he is.

Jesper pulls her into one of the more populated taverns because that gives her a higher chance of success. He knows people everywhere so the bartender even nods at him. "I'm here to buy my sister a drink, she's new in town!" He says that particularly loudly, and explains when he ushers her to come up to the bar next to him.

"So they don't think we're here together." If she's seen engaged in conversation with Jesper and he's giving her advice, it could easily look like a date. This removes that, even though really they don't look alike. Who's going to argue with them?

You don't have to make a sound 'cause they got what you need

\o/

sorry was out of town! just got back

no worries! I had guests all weekend myself!

Am about to be out of town for a week, so might be a slow reply, but I love them your honor

\o/ and no worries, I'm often slow and always happy to backtag!

I've returned!!!

yay \o/!!

no subject

no subject

no subject