abraxaslogs | [ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

Entry tags:

[ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

Who: Claude and you!
When: all throughout August and September
Where: Cadens (pre-Nocwich), the Horizon (any time), and Libertas (post-Nocwich)
What: Catch all for both months
Warnings: For anything referencing Libertas: death, violence, and war

( Open and closed starters in the comments! Also good with prose or brackets and if you'd like to plot something more specific, you can find me at

indech, arboria#1862, or by PM at any time. )

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[ The building - or what was once one - has Claude's full attention once he comes to a halt in front of it. He'd split off from the group he was working with in another former building only a block or two down the street, and is covered in a considerable amount of general grime from being out assisting all day. and has barely noticed the sun starting to set with so much left to do. A never-ending list; there's always somewhere to go and tasks to be completed to do as much as they can. All of it entirely too familiar.

Despite his focus he picks up on footsteps that don't belong to someone on a path to only pass through and calculates the amount of urgency in them, finds there's importance in that measured stride and readies to slip his mask back into place to offer whatever's needed as they clear their throat. Claude turns and when it's Steve who greets him - he finds he feels less compelled to pretend things are fine. ]

No. [ His voice is scratchy from all the dust he's breathed in over the day, and Claude clears it to get by without having to take a drink from the waterskin he's pretty sure needs to be refilled soon anyway, and shakes his head. ] Or if it has been, no one's marked it off as done. I was getting ready to check it but decided it wouldn't be the smartest idea to go in by myself.

[ Absently he rubs the back of one hand across his cheek to scratch an itch, but the action mostly adds another streak of dirt than achieving anything else. Not that it matters since something will fix that but a bath only when it's finally time to call it a day, and as he glances first at the building and then at Steve he thinks he has, perhaps, found someone who isn't willing to call it one just yet. ]

You in the middle of anything right now?

[It's not that he finds Claude uninteresting. The man has a wyvern, after all, and a liveliness to him as he single-handedly keeps the conversation marching forward. It's just that Wilhelm's capacity for this sort of introductory chatter is abysmally low. He's trying so hard to think of something worthwhile to say in response that he forgets to listen and nearly misses his cue. A beat late, he realizes mid-sip that he's been asked a question. With a gulp — and a little bit of a grimace for the still scalding hot tea — he scrambles to nod.]

Oh, uh, yeah— [Off to a good start.] We have the internet where I'm from.

[Then he feels obligated to correct Claude's somewhat naive misconception. (Not his fault, as he's experienced neither the wonders nor the horrors of the internet.)]

It does bring people together from all over the world, but it also creates a ton of drama. People can get pretty nasty when they have a screen to hide behind.

I could see that. It seems people everywhere have the capacity to be quite cruel when only given the chance to take advantage of doing so or when it's something they feel justified about to draw others into doing the same.

[ Claude says this casually despite it being a heavy topic, one admittedly so even without the full context of the internet enabling such behavior that he completely lacks. He thinks briefly of Julie telling him about face book, something he hadn't questioned then but sounded tangentially related, and could be to what Wilhelm says now. ]

Unfortunately, that's something I've dealt with even on just a local scale rather than the whole world being part of it though it felt like the entire world at the time. Rumors will always find a way to fly whether we like it or not.

[ 'We' being yet another partial test, to gauge whether his attempt to read between the lines of what's being said is just merely a warning even if the internet is highly unlikely to come to pass in Fodlan, or if it's from some other kind of personal experience Wilhelm's had. That's driven his decision to share his own experience, a true one though he'd rather it not be, and he follows that up with a sip of his tea. ]

[Petra stops short as they reach the courtyard, idly dropping to one knee to pet the cat that winds around her ankles before moving onto Claude’s, her gaze remaining fixed on the courtyard itself.

It’s just as she remembers it from their school days, long before it had been reduced to rubble and was in need of repair, and it makes something in her chest ache, bittersweet.]

Even though it is mostly empty, it is being the same…

[And truly, she’s missed it. She’s sure they all have.]

Animals and guards… I did not realize that people could be in domains, as well.

[Maybe the guard can get away with it because he never has anything to report.]

[ After the cat visits Petra it comes to see him next, and - everything about this is uncanny. But he doesn't feel unsettled like he could, and whether that's due to having witnessed the other capabilities of the Horizon or not he doesn't particularly care to sort through those details. Much easier to first pet the cat himself before bending down to pick it up to bring with as their furry tour guide. Or just another member of their tour; the cat keeps purring happily. ]

Well, Sylvain. I don't think either of us can ever doubt your imagination ever again after this.

[ Not that there was a reason to, but as they keep walking - Claude now with the cat putting its front feet on his shoulder to have a full view of everything as it cranes its head this way and that - he can't help but stop in front of the Golden Deer classroom first though he pauses before actually looking into it. How much of a time capsule is he about to witness, exactly? ]

I'm halfway expecting to look in here and see Lysithea writing out formulas on our old chalkboard while we annoy her by asking whether they're right or not. And by we I mean me, [ a clarification not likely needed, but anyway, ] as if I knew the first thing about magic back then or now.

[ All of them are covered in a thin coating of ash by this point. It's sunk into their clothes, smeared itself onto their faces, and there's no getting it off. There's no telling when the next bath will come, but that's extremely low on Steve's list of priorities. He's been caked in grime like this plenty of times before, and he knows Claude has been too.

As soon as he hears the hoarse quality in Claude's voice, Steve hands over his own waterskin. It's half full and he gets the feeling Claude needs it more than he does. For all that Steve looks like he's rolled around in dirt, his posture doesn't betray any exhaustion and his voice is clear as always. He can physically take this kind of thing for a lot longer than the average person, and that's just one of the reasons why he's still out here. ]

It wouldn't have been. [ Steve knows that Claude is a skilled fighter, but as far as he knows, he's still human. He shouldn't be taking on something like this solo. At the question, he's quick to shake his head. ] I've been scouting for spots that have been missed. You ready for this? If you have a mask, you should put it on.

[ Most of the fires have been contained by now, but the air is still filled with ash. The last thing they need is everyone out here ending up with lung problems because they didn't protect themselves. ]

[ Sylvain rubs a hand against the back of his neck as he wanders with them, looking about as surprised as they do with how realistic this all turned out. ]

Apparently, I have a better memory for details than I thought.

[ He'd known he had a good one, to an extent. He'd needed to, to keep so much straight for so many years and besides, no one paid much attention to that skill of his, so he hadn't really thought about what that meant.

It was different when it stared you in the face.

He lifted a hand to wave back at the gate guard before they turned down the courtyard that connected the classrooms. He chuckles as he pauses with Claude, peeking into the Golden Deer classroom. He doesn't actually know if he got this room right or not - the Black Eagles room either. Those two he had barely spent much time in, but maybe his memory had just replicated the missing details from how well he knew the Blue Lions classroom. ]

Maybe we shoulda just shut her and Annette up in a room together. [ He pauses and casts a wink at Petra. ] Lindhardt could nap in the background.

[ Since returning from the supply run, Claude's focus riveted itself back on what could be done for Libertas. As much as one man can do, that is, in volunteering to take shifts in all the operations he'd missed while away. Staying on the move means not dwelling on it for too long, means staying distracted. Somewhat predictably, it doesn't take long for him to wear himself back into a mostly concealed frazzled state. When it's eventually suggested to him by his friends that it might be good for him to take a break, at first gently then a bit more forcefully so, well. Claude can't really argue with that.

So it's partially how he's found himself browsing the desert grasslands not far from city borders on foot currently, in search of plants used for medicines like the ones Nadine's taught him. For his own use so as to not waste supplies, just a little something to experiment with assuming that Petra and Sylvain don't object to his growing piles of... everything... around their lodgings, and the weather today is even a bit cooler than normal. No monsters have been sighted so far, fortunately, though Claude's made sure to keep his bow strapped to his back and at the ready. Also along with him is the strangely enchanted satchel which had come into his possession seemingly at random. Quite convenient for cramming samples of different leaves, stems, and flowers first into vials and then into it without having to worry about running out of room, and all the better to catalogue against the mental running list he has.

Lost in thought as he might be while surveying an unknown flowering plant in front of him while absently adjusting his gloves, it's never enough to not be aware of his surroundings. The sound of footsteps approaching makes Claude cast a glance back over his shoulder to assess who or what it is, but when it's a familiar face that he spots a borderline genuine smile appears on his face. ]

I've noticed there's yet to be any statues sent my way in the Horizon or otherwise. But don't think I've let my guard down, just in case.

[ He didn't forget - that or any other part of the conversation. But maybe best to open with that first. ]

[ When Steve holds out the waterskin he sees it from the corner of his vision first and turns to first look at it then the other man. There's something in both the gesture and the words following that gives Claude the impression there's no room for argument - a tone he's used several times over himself, from convincing lords his plans weren't mere folly to rallying friends and leading troops. So despite the initial hesitation of a couple seconds, he takes it with no comment besides a half-smile. More similarities from war, he supposes.

The first mouthful of water is used more to rinse dust and worse out of his mouth with a careful swish, and the second is one which finally clears his throat for time being. ]

Never let it be said that for all I like risks that I also take the particularly dumb ones. [ Easier to joke in the face of what things are, to poke fun at his own habits even if Steve doesn't necessarily know those as he hands the waterskin back to its owner. ] I've got the mask at the ready, though. I can't even begin to tell you how helpful these would've been back in Fodlan.

[ For situations like this is the part he lets go unsaid since Claude has the feeling Steve will hear it anyway. The mask clipped to his hip is set on his face obediently and, well. He probably should've kept it on after leaving his last search site since it's much easier to breathe now. With a nod to Steve, Claude steps forward to place a hand tentatively on the scorched frame of the doorway. ]

While standing here I was trying to decide if using some wind to clear some of the ash away would make it easier to search, or worse. What do you think?

[ That the mask doesn't muffle words too badly through whatever way it's been built so the question can be heard clearly is helpful. And if Steve has questions about that clearing part - considering Claude didn't exactly complain - he summons forth an intentionally weaker than usual wind spell with fingertips of one hand glowing, then aims it at their feet for the small gust to shift the dust there back a couple feet in a low-powered demonstration. ]

[He's already decided that he likes Claude. The revelation that he's also been the subject of rumors just reinforces that opinion by striking a sympathetic chord in Wilhelm.]

Sorry you've had to go through that. [Sincerity presses into his words, but a sip of tea later, he reaches for some levity.] Just be grateful nobody could turn it into a meme.

[Not that...Claude has any context for what the hell that means. By way of explanation, he offers:]

It's a kind of...joke that gets passed around online.

[He does sense that the man is trying to sift more details out of him — and he has no reason to believe it's anything more than a friendly effort to get to know him. However well-intentioned the reason, though, Wilhelm would rather not — not even in the vaguest way, not even with the longest stick — touch on that mess. That mess being how he was outed via a video of a make out session that was maybe a little more than a make out session... Even months removed from the shitstorm that followed, just thinking about it makes his whole being clench up like a fist.]

[ While Steve may not know all of Claude's bad habits, he can't say he's all that surprised to hear that he's a risk-taker. It's something about his general demeanor that gives it away, but it isn't like Steve can judge that much, given some of the reckless decisions he's made in the past. ]

Here's to being responsible, then. [ Steve takes the waterskin back and indulges in a large gulp before twisting the cap back into place and returning it to his holster. The following remark of Claude's about the masks earns a wry sort of laugh from him. So they didn't even have gas masks? It makes sense, given how medieval everything had seemed even among the mystical creatures. ] All the more reason to protect your lungs now. [ As they've probably been damaged in the past, without Claude even knowing it.

Now it's time to get to work, though, and Steve's ready to march in until Claude brings up a possible tool for assisting their search. The demonstration helps, and while Steve hadn't realized that Claude could use magic until this moment, it does make sense. Even if Claude had primarily used his bow during that dream, plenty of people have picked up magic lessons here.

With how that small amount of dust disperses into the air, though, Steve can't say that he considers it the best idea here. He makes a contemplative noise in the back of his throat. ]

I think that might just make the air quality around here even worse. Let's go without for now, but if we find somewhere that needs a lot of clearing out, we can give it a shot.

[ With that, he does finally step forward into the blackened skeleton of the building, on the lookout for any places where someone could conceivably be buried under debris. ]

[ At the apology - appreciated as it is given it's a rather kind gesture, considering it's not like one needs to be offered at all, really - Claude just shrugs. The specifics are something he's happy to let rest in the past or in reality, far out of reach where they're unlikely to matter here. Not with how many people they have from so many different worlds around Abraxas and more importantly, not now that there's others from Fodlan also here.

At a word he doesn't know, though, and can't begin to find a definition for even based on the context, Claude pauses with his tea partway to his mouth and looks at Wilhelm with a puzzled expression. The explanation soon follows and he blinks while processing that, then finally remembers to take a sip of his tea. ]

That's... a thing that happens?

[ Now he has to consider this for a moment, what with what Julie's told him about how the internet works and what Wilhelm's now explained is a potential of that worldwide connection. It's a successful distraction from his mission to find out more about the person sitting next to him. ]

Huh. That makes the pictures we used to draw on paper as jokes - ones that whoever it was about was in on, for the most part - and pass around the academy seem ridiculously tame in comparison. At least those didn't go outside school grounds and usually ended up in one of the classroom fireplaces before too long. We had some ongoing pranks too that I might've been mostly responsible for, but those were only witnessed by whoever was around.

[ The guidance to protect his lungs feels... ominous, in a way Claude's not sure means if Steve has personal experience with that or (or perhaps and) knows something he doesn't. The latter's likely, given what he's figured out about modern technology compared to what he's familiar with. But that's a thought to set aside when there's more time to figure out if he actually wants to know what it is.

Wind moving the dust does, predictably, turn out to not be the best plan when it causes more of the problem he was hoping to prevent. He waves a hand in front of his face like that'll clear the smaller cloud away - it doesn't. ]

You have a point there. There's another much stronger spell I can use to clear an area. Or I'm pretty sure it can given that it used to work that way when practicing, including the times I accidentally cleared a table of what I was supposed to be targeting.

[ Maybe not reassuring, though Claude's also fairly certain that won't be the case here. It'd taken him a while after arriving to test the spells he knows, and - possibly because of the Singularity - they came easier and with more control than they ever had in Fodlan, and that's continued to develop over time. For now, searching by hand and eye will do.

Nothing to do now but head into the rubble again as he's been doing all day, taking careful steps to both not disturb too much and to not walk on anything someone might be trapped under. With the task at hand he also stays mostly silent other than the occasional callout to anyone possibly trapped while surveying what were once different rooms of either a house or a storefront. After they clear one, Claude pauses at what sounds like knocking and turns in place to narrow down where it might be coming from. That's also after a glance skywards to confirm the beams above don't seem to be about to crash down on them imminently. ]

Do you hear that?

[ Though Geralt's not strayed far, he can't exactly keep Roach cooped up in her stable. She's used to long rides and being outside; even when he remains in the city, he often takes her out. He isn't out here for any other purpose, which means his sword is at his horse's side on her saddle and he's dressed lightly with only a cloak tossed over to keep the dust off. Dust and ash these days. It is, like Claude, an item he's come into possession of at random, though Geralt doesn't realize it. He's just assumed Jaskier purchased it for him, as Jaskier does on occasion.

Lessens the intense heat. He'll hardly complain.

He's stopped to let Roach rest and drink from one of the few pools around. That's when he notices a familiar silhouette nearby. Funny. They've never met in the physical world. Just in the Horizon. He's passed by Claude now and again, of course. He's just not paused to speak to the man. Hadn't much reason to. He hasn't got any intention to do so now, either, but Claude notices him first. When he's addressed, Geralt steps forward. ]

Don't let it keep you up at night. [ Another step. ] I wasn't aware you were an alchemist.

[ Some part of him would honestly not be surprised if Geralt opted to keep moving, busy as they've all been in different ways. Instead he gets to ponder whether staying up over an impending statue invasion is a joke. And the comment after gets a fleeting smile, one that says he might be trying to not laugh though he doesn't, especially considering he humor in that is known to only him alone. Or, more accurately, something only Claude finds entertaining. ]

You know, I've lost track of how many people have said that to me. At least of those who also know what alchemy is though I can't claim to know much of it myself or to be an alchemist. But I am starting to wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something about missing my true calling.

[ All said lightly like it's yet another joke the two of them are in on. But seriously - Claude really is wondering just a bit. Still, that doesn't explain much of anything about why he's here so he can follow that up with a bit more. 'Bit' being a relative measurement. ]

I've never been good at being idle so this is more a way to keep myself occupied. Or was before Libertas, since now I'd like to make something of it. [ Eventually. For now there's solving puzzles about desert vegetation and what all it can do, so he gestures to the plant before him with one hand. ] You wouldn't happen to know what this one is, would you? I can't seem to locate anything in it about my notes, but mostly I'm interested in whether touching it has any negative effects. The rest of it I can work on later.

[This is a position Wilhelm rarely ever gets to occupy — actually knowing more about something than someone else. After what feels like an age of stumbling around in ignorance, he finds that he enjoys the change in role. Claude's distraction from pursuing more personal questions is, of course, a bonus.]

Once something gets posted online, it never goes away. People repost it to other sites and save it on their phones. Basically, there are thousands of copies getting passed around. If not millions. So...

[The fireplaces of the world are no match. Metaphorically speaking? He takes a measured sip.]

And everything gets turned into a meme. Doesn't matter how serious it is, or how personal, or whatever. It's fair game.

Huh. [ A placeholder for a better reaction after he mulls this over and takes another sip of tea while doing it. ] That sounds-- well, I was going to say unpleasant, but I feel like that doesn't really cover it especially with nothing ever disappearing. As much as there's downsides to not having anything resembling the internet where I'm from, unless you want to count when someone's collection of scandalous letters gets published and high society gets all in a tizzy, not having to deal with something existing forever seems like an okay enough tradeoff.

[ Honestly - those rumors he'd mentioned? While them being repeated by mouth and getting more and more warped with each iteration isn't exactly great, there's a chance for them to be corrected and stopped there. Eventually they'll end; in Wilhelm's world, it seems like that isn't the case at all. ]

Just thinking of when I was a teenager, [ followed by a wry smile a second later because he knows How That Sounds, ] which wasn't that long ago for the record, and assuming that we're all the same around that age, I can see how things might escalate quickly. Seems like a good way to become infamous easily or labeled that way whether it's accurate or not.

[ Even with Claude's explanation of what he'd been able to do with this "much stronger spell," Steve is having a hard time picturing it. Is it just a much larger gust of air, strong enough to knock things clear off of a table? Steve gets the feeling that his super strength alone will be able to do the job in most cases, but he isn't going to shove aside the potential helpfulness of magic either. ]

Well, we don't really want you to do anything by accident either. [ If they really need it and Claude determines that he can control the spell well enough that it won't risk making things worse, then they can consider it. For now, though, Steve would rather stick with what he knows.

From there, the search beings, with them splitting off to search separate rooms while also remaining within earshot of each other in case either one of them finds something. Steve sometimes lifts up pieces of rubble that are in the way or look large enough to be hiding someone underneath. However, it's after he returns to meet Claude in what used to be a hallway that the knocking sound starts.

He follows Claude's gaze up, frowning when he realizes that is in fact where the sound seems to be coming from. Parts of the second floor of this building haven't completely collapsed. ]

I do. We're going to need to find a way up. [ They had passed a stairwell, but that had been completely blocked off by debris. He could try to clear it out, but it might be faster to try and find another way. There have to be plenty of holes in the ceiling. ]

[ The mention of finding a way up is all Claude needs to resume scanning their surroundings. Dragging over something to use as a way to reach the ceiling - mostly for his own benefit - crosses his mind, but it's also immediately removed since if someone is waiting on their help above, that'd take too much time. Even the few seconds could make a difference.

He steps forward, head tilted slightly in an attempt to follow the sound to pinpoint a more exact location for it. With the buildings around them still making the occasional settling noises as parts shift in a slow collapse, it takes some focus to tune those out for what's here (sort of) in front of them. It grows louder and louder as Claude advances into the building where rooms they couldn't see right away seem to be still standing, based on the ceiling being intact. Mostly. ]

Here.

[ Said with a point first to where there's a sizable hole allowing access to the floor above, and then to a cabinet half standing, half tipped against the wall as a convenient 'ramp' to climb. One nudge with his boot proves it's wedged where it is quite solidly, so after a couple seconds of quick calculation more for the ceiling part of this climb Claude wastes no time in vaulting it.

Dexterity comes in handy for that leap towards the ceiling, and so does the exposed supports to grab onto as both a handhold and - after a couple of attempts - to pull himself up to the next floor. Once on what seems like safe enough ground in yet another hallway with rooms abound, Claude pauses when the knocking starts up again. And louder this time; it's too rhythmic to be a random noise, and not rhythmic enough to be attributed to the tools used elsewhere. All the more reason he leans over to peer at Steve if he's still below. ]

There's almost certainly someone up here. I can't tell where they are, but they have to be close.

[ It doesn't take them too long to find a hole in the ceiling that will be able to grant them a way up. Steve is all too ready to give Claude a boost, but that doesn't end up being necessary. Claude's a trained fighter, skilled with a bow and used to riding on the back of a winged creature, and it seems he's agile on top of that.

Steve follows after without much delay, running and then leaping up at the leaned-over cabinet to brace off of it and propel himself up and through the hole. He clears it with that single jump, not needing to grab the edge of the ruined floor to pull himself up, and lands with an unnatural gracefulness.

The knocking is easier to hear from here, and Steve can definitely tell that it's a person making that noise — with increasing urgency, as they can probably hear that there are people in the house now moving around. Steve nods to Claude, then takes a moment to close his eyes and really listen.

Even past the knocking, he can hear panicked breathing, and can tell the general direction it's coming from. His eyes snap open and he starts down the hall. ] Stay behind me. [ He's careful with his steps, only putting a portion of his weight on any floorboards that look like they might be weakened to test their sturdiness before moving on.

He makes a right, then a left, and then suddenly comes upon a whole portion of the floor that's collapsed. A good fifteen feet past that the gaps ends, and beyond that is the door where the banging seems to be coming from.

Steve pauses, then glances back toward Claude. ] I should be able to clear this, but the hard landing from my jump might make the rest of the floor give out. [ He could jump back up if that happened, potentially, but he doesn't know how much of a chain reaction it would cause — and how that might affect the person trapped behind the door. ] Do you think your magic could maybe lighten up my landing?

[ Apparently. How often is Claude out here that he's one of a long line of many to say it?

He steps around to examine the plant: white blossoms with an array of spikes like pins. Most of these he's never seen before until this world. Not quite the climate he's used to, the arid grasslands, and though he misses having access to the herbs he's long relied on, the desert isn't absent of useful things. ]

Just don't swallow it. [ He plucks the round brown core that grows alongside the white flowers. Small pods fall from it into his palm. ] Seeds are edible.

[ He's used the flowers for bait before. Works, on occasion. Depends on the creature. As for what Claude's doing if not alchemy? He isn't certain he cares enough to ask, though a mild curiosity lingers. ]

[ At Steve's nod he waits and watches curiously as the other man seems to do something that almost looks like a short version of the meditation he's familiar with before the Horizon was involved. When Steve opens his eyes and moves Claude doesn't question it, just follows with as much caution as he can muster for when it feels like there's no time to lose.

The gap taunting them where the floor once isn't a surprise, but what is is the question that follows. Claude eyes Steve first and then studies what they (Steve) need to clear, absently forming half-finished sigils with the fingers of one hand as he thinks. Somewhere, somehow: Lysithea can surely sense that he's about to try something with magic he hasn't before and is rolling her eyes in exasperation with theorems ready to prove how it can be done, if he would've only listened in class. But he shoves that memory away. It's no help here. ]

It's possible. [ Claude says it slowly, still evaluating what all that might entail in the small amount of seconds they can spare. With someone needing their help, there's no time to explain the ways he's familiar with using the spell he has in mind or that there's a good chance the Singularity - in whatever it does - will aid it to be what they need regardless, so he shakes his head. ] Better yet, it's worth a shot. If I aim it towards your feet timed for when you make it to the other side, the gust should push you farther in to where the floor's less damage.

[ Or - it'll push Steve into the wall waiting at the other end, depending on how the force catches the other man. Maybe he doesn't have to explain that part given all the other risk involved, and to make sure it's aimed exactly where it needs to go Claude steps forward with one cautious step after another to as far out as the floor on this side seems like it'll support him. He holds his hands out before him, both now aglow with the spell waiting to be called and looks to Steve with a nod of his own. ]

Ready when you are.

It's poisonous then, I presume. [ The flowers, petals, leaves: maybe he means all of it in what isn't quite a question and which doesn't supply much clarification as Geralt's response seems to do the same. At first, anyway; Claude watches with undisguised fascination as the flowers are bypassed for that core he'd missed in the cursory plant exam.

It's enough for him to crouch down instead of standing to use a gloved hand to delicately brush aside some stems to reveal more of the cores, glancing back up from that discovery as Geralt shuffles the seeds into view. That's all Claude needs to retrieve one for himself to mimic the motion to study his own set of seeds. Though the plant hadn't seemed familiar, the added description and a closer look at the petals helped place it. ]

Ah, this must be either the same plant or a different variety of it we passed on the way to Solvunn, but it was much closer to the forests. The soldiers mentioned it works as a last resort against starvation if one finds themselves in dire straits. The name they called it is on the tip of my tongue, but I suppose it'd be worth recognizing the ones growing here. Just in case.

[ Still - useful in more ways than one, so Claude retrieves a couple vials from his bag. The seeds go into one by themselves first and then with great care suggesting he may have done this a time or two beyond the desert here, the flower goes into the other. If it is poisonous, that only makes it all the more interesting. ]

Astute. [ Yes. It is toxic. He doesn't ask what Claude is doing with these if not alchemy. Not his business. Perhaps he's studying to become a botanist.

The seeds fall from Geralt's palm onto the dusty earth. ] Buttonbush.

[ They seem to have adapted. He's spotted them more often near the few streams that run through the hills, but a few will sprout further in the arid soil. Not surprised Claude's seen similar close to Solvunn's borders.

Although— ]

You were part of the escort?

[ Buttonbush: that does finally ring a bell fully, one that'll make it easier to remember to label these vials upon his return. Something Claude had overlooked in today's preparations, but it'll be easy enough to recall once seated back at his desk later on today.

As the vials get tucked away he nods his thanks, busy with slipping them into pockets to stay separate and prevent the glass from getting grand ideas about shattering inside his bag. The question which follows makes him pause in his organization since it feels unexpected in a way he can't place, even despite being the one to volunteer that information. ]

I was. [ Claude says this slowly while internally calculating if he's stumbled upon something of interest to Geralt. The question certainly seems to imply something like it, and he looks up with an eyebrow raised. ] Not out of any obligation to either the military or the Free Cities, just to make that part perfectly clear as said obligation is something I'd rather avoid. Supply runs are something I've done several times over.

[ Whatever smile's on his face shifts to a rueful one then, because - ] That part of war never changes no matter where we are, it seems.

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[ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

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— geralt (late september)

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