[ CLOSED ] head down, hands up

[gynvael]

Who: Geralt + Various
When: April
Where: Cadens; Horizon; Aquila
What: Catch-all, including a road trip with the bestie
Warnings: Blanket for the usual where Witcher canon is concerned



(( starters in the comments below. find me at discontinued / Noa#1979 to plot stuff or if you want a starter. ))

Comments

[gynvael]

[ If Geralt were the sort to admit nostalgia, he would say that this is what it is: a trip out of nostalgia, for a time when it was only the two of them and a road and nothing else. That he absolutely planned this, from selecting the contract to finding a time where Ciri and Rinwell will both be in town to look after things at home. As it is, he's only acknowledged that he picked up a job delivering and decided he may as well bring Jaskier along. ]

Did she? [ Hm. He remembers that. Julie mentioning she never saw the ocean back home, that she's always wanted to. ] You'd be more than safe travelling with her.

[ It's good, seeing Ciri...invite people places. He knows she doesn't get close to many, has very few she considers friends. She's already had to rebuild her life several times over.

A huff escapes him. Perhaps Jaskier can convince him to wear a slightly darker shade of black. ] Like a walking fish on land, I'm sure.

[princessvegas]

[ Honestly, it's kind of adorable. They should make sure to each take a dressy outfit with them, just in case they want to go out for a fancy dinner or a show one night. Y'know, the special kind of things they never do at home.

She glances at him, wondering how treacherous it really must be out there, because she had never once even considered that she would be unsafe getting there, or in the city itself. Part of it is just that Julie doesn't really put a lot of thought into things like that, another is the feeling that she's already been through and done so much. What's a few monsters or bandits? She would never seek them out intentionally, but nor do they really make her feel nervous.

Okay, well, monsters maybe a little, but Julie assumes they're mostly like bears and snakes and alligators. They aren't out there looking to tangle with humans, so if you stay away from them, you shouldn't have an issue.

With a laugh, she reaches up, tucks the flower behind his ear and jokingly fusses with his hair. ] Oh c'mon now, I'm sure Jaskier'll doll you somethin' fierce if you ask him real nice.

[gynvael]

[ In his mind, there are simply no roads in between villages and towns that are safe. That's how it works in his world. You step out of a town's borders, there's a good chance you may be robbed or eaten. Possibly both. But then, he's equally been the person those travelling are afraid of passing by, so he's hardly one to talk.

He rolls his eyes a little. ] Have you not all accosted me enough in that damn tent?

[ He's not ever had his hair braided so often in his entire hundred years than he did in those three days. He also by and large distinctly let it happen and did not once attempt to undo anything that was done to him, but that's neither here nor there. ]

Besides, last time I allowed Jaskier to dress me, I was accused of looking particularly sad.

[ Was that over ten years ago? Yes. Will he forget it? No, he will not. ]

[princessvegas]

Oh, they didn't give you a copy of the handbook back when you got Ciri? It's a rule. You have a daughter, you gotta play dress-up. That's just how it is. And you lucked out 'cause she was too old for tea parties. [ Even the worst fathers Julie ever knew, her own included, couldn't be expected to remain stalwart in the face of little girls. Especially more than one, and Julie had many cousins to sleep over and assist in wearing down a drunk, tired, blue-collar man enough for hair ribbons and sparkly nails.

Between Jaskier and Julie egging Ciri on, and the little girls from Solvunn, Geralt never stood a chance.

She laughs again, picturing Geralt shoved into something that Jaskier would deem worthy. She can also picture Geralt's general reaction to being put in public that way. ] How big was the hat?

[gynvael]

[ There's the quietest chuckle. ] Is it? And what are the other rules?

[ Probably could've used a book to guide him. He still remembers having not one fucking idea what he was doing with a child, a princess, and all he could think of was to bring her to the safest place he knew. A crumbling fortress hidden away in the mountains.

But at least it no longer makes him pause, hearing someone call Ciri his daughter. He knows what she is now to him. There is a surety in it that he'd not had before, months ago. ]

I didn't receive a hat. [ He leans back to look at Julie, amusement written on his face. When was the last time he even wore a hat? He frankly can't recall. He isn't certain he wants to recall. ] Please do not convince Ciri to put me in one.

[ It's becoming increasingly dangerous, for people to learn that there is one person in his life he can't say no to. ]

[princessvegas]

Mm, most of it is just acceptin' that she's in charge. Forever, pretty much. But you do get to hurt anyone who makes her cry. Where I'm from, you get to show up at the front door with a shotgun when boys come 'round.

[ Julie's own father was pretty... not great. She never questioned that he loved her, but in places like where she came from, raising daughters was mostly left to the women. Fathers were expected to be wrapped entirely around their daughter's fingers until puberty, at which point they would switch to overprotective guard dogs who avoided all the other aspects of dealing with young women. By the time Julie was around the age Ciri had been when Geralt took her in, her father was far more invested in drinking a six pack in front of the TV every night than he was in paying attention to his daughter running wild. But she had always known that if she needed someone to save her, she could count on him. As long as he was conscious, at least.

Snorting, she smirks and shakes her head a little. ] Don't worry, I don't have any hankerin' to see you in a hat, or any of Jaskier's showy nonsense. I wouldn't use her power over you for somethin' like that anyway. [ She stands and holds her hand out for his. ] C'mon, let's go get a drink.

[gynvael]

[ His lips curl a hint. ] Fairly sure Ciri would be there first wielding one.

[ He gets what she means, though. That protectiveness that lingers even when he's well aware Ciri can take care of herself. He lets Ciri go on her own, hunt her own hunts, does not fuss (tries not to) when she returns with cuts and bruises or worse, but deep down, he worries, too. That one day, she will not come home and it will be because he didn't stop her. That isn't how it works, of course. It's just...different. To remember her as a girl what feels only months ago, and then see her now. Grown up.

But then, he also remembers the glow in Ciri's eyes when he showed her the blade he'd had made for her. She is content, with where and who she is. He knows that, too.

He slides his sword and dagger away, putting them aside before he takes Julie's offered hand. He'll never say no to a drink. The flower remains tucked behind his ear. ] You can show me how your pencils are coming along after.

just a lil wrap up tag

[princessvegas]

Oh, her aim would be ten times better'n yours. [ She says this with certainty. Ciri has practiced with Julie's shotgun in the Horizon before.

She chuckles as they start down the alley. As annoying as it is to only be able to conjure one item, it's still so amazing to her every single time she manages it. ] Just wait until you see what I figured out how to do with erasers.