EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.

Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.

Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.

NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.

Emergence

It begins sometime in mid-October, around the 18th. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterwards when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you eventually come upon a stone tablet engraved with your Arcana. Laid on the tablet are three objects:

◎ A dead moth trapped inside a wilted rose, symbolizing Koth of Festering Lands
◎ A teacup inside which sits a single nightshade berry, symbolizing Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues
◎ An ornate cracked hand mirror that contains no reflection, symbolizing Sannleikr of Many Faces

Make a choice. Something inside your soul will be drawn towards one of the objects. Maybe you spend hours in the dream deliberating, but sooner or later, you'll pick one of the items up. The moment you do, the other objects vanish and the chosen Herald appears before you. Where one might expect a god to seek subservience, the strange figure instead extends a friendly hand towards you - as though it's greeting you as an equal.

Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.

Affliction

You go about your day as usual. That's when you realize something isn't right. Creatures and people around you behave strangely. You begin to sense that you are the cause.

Depending on your chosen Herald, you'll experience at least one of its afflictions. The effects might start small, then grow. They might rush you all at once. You can't shake what haunts you, though you can try. Spells, potions, and willpower can help keep the afflictions at bay but you won't ever be completely free.

As the afflictions seep into your mind, you start to find shadows of it following you: a dead moth here, a nightshade bloom there, a cracked mirror elsewhere. You may even wonder if it's following you in the first place. What if instead, you are the one leaving these signs behind?

Corruption

The first time you inflict your ability on someone else, you don't mean to. It might be a stranger, some unsuspecting soul, or it might be another Summoned. Regardless, the afflictions that ail you seem to spread through you into another. Someone falls down as if in the throes of an invisible death or secrets spill. You brush by someone and they're suddenly upset and confused.

The more this happens, intentionally or not, the better you feel. You may grow full of life and energy, gain a renewed strength of heart, or radiate a charm that turns heads and garners compliments. The afflictions haunting you could even start to fade or completely vanish. And if you use your newfound power deliberately? You'll feel better even faster for longer. Of course, these boons are temporary, lasting at most an hour or so. When the feeling wanes, you might miss having it.

You are not possessed. You can't control this power that spreads through you, but how you respond or behave is up to you. You could be attracted to the allure of power, enjoy the boons you are granted, or realize you can gain relief from your afflictions if you choose a victim. Not everyone will fall headfirst into the pull. Some are not easily swayed by power, some struggle to overcome their dark impulses, and others would rather endure their suffering than inflict it on someone else. But others still might succumb to temptation and turn on those around them with purpose: once, twice, multiple times. The choice you make is yours alone.

Blight

With the call of the Herald at your fingertips, the world around you twists. No one knows whether this stems from you and your newly imbued afflictions, or if the Heralds are exerting power on their own. It's for sure easier to think of what occurs as the influence of something monstrous beyond your control. No matter the cause, the earth is changed all the same.

Omens

The omens arrive shortly after the initial Summoned receive their dreams, but they don't come to every faction at once. SOLVUNN is first, being home to the Old Gods' shrines, before THORNE and the FREE CITIES follow only days afterwards. Depending on where you are, the omens will affect things a bit differently.

Solvunn

In Solvunn, the ground stirs. A desiccated hand breaks through the grass, a cloven hoof. Human or animal, they crawl forth, animated against their will. Some might attack, but most do not. At the same time, crops around the settlements begin to fail. Some chickens lay rotten eggs while cows produce spoiled milk. Any livestock that perishes overnight will surface in the mornings with empty eye sockets - pecked out by crows or gnawed on by rats. From a distance, the ocean can be seen bubbling as leviathans beneath thrash.

Worth noting is that many of the dead are concentrated around the shrines, especially the ones deep in the woods. They're too decayed to recognize, and some might not even move from the site, as though they are waiting for the earth to take them again...or as though they once chose to give up their life at this very spot.

Summoned can assist by helping to cast spells or place warding charms around shrines, farms, and gardens to protect crops and livestock. As a commune, the Solvunnites will share their resources as much as possible and would appreciate those who might lend a hand bringing supplies, herbs, and offerings to neighbors who are lacking. The Summoned can also brew a common herbal remedy to aid any animals who have fallen ill or to help purify the well water.

Free Cities

In Libertas, the dead buried under the rubble dig themselves out. More crawl forth from graves in Cadens' cemeteries. Beasts and bandits slain in the desert wilds rise, hungry or searching for the ones who killed them. At the same time, dead fish wash up onto the shores of Aquila while birds fall dead from their perch, dropping like flies from an unknown illness. Vultures and other scavengers begin to prey upon the eyes of the dead, leaving behind hollowed-out corpses.

Worth noting is that in the Badlands, a few very old and skeletal corpses rise with a metal plate or two screwed onto their bones, which are also oddly elongated. Only one or two make their way near the city. The army is quick to dispose of them before many can notice. They will not disclose any information about this and will claim these are just monsters like anything else.

Summoned can assist by going on patrol with the soldiers to put down any risen dead. Merchant caravans are also hiring escorts for their journeys. Additionally, they can help look through any received supplies and packages to make sure the food isn't rotting or worse, use a special dissolving compound to purify the waters, and donate staple food items to refugees and the less fortunate who can't afford the rising prices.

Thorne

In Thorne, the dead emerge only from the outskirts of the castle city. Thanks to information from one of their Summoned and their recent monitoring of the Singularity, Thorne was able to act swiftly and was able to ward any royal or otherwise significant burial sites. Graves and tombs of less importance, though, will not be protected in the same way. There are fewer encounters with eyeless corpses, though some animals might appear outside the castle in such a state. Normally extravagant dishes from the Castle's kitchens use simpler ingredients as they struggle to ration their food stores.

Worth noting is that a few unexpected corpses make their way up from deep under the castle in places beyond the dungeons. These are twisted and mangled, missing limbs, heads, fingers. The castle guards are quick to dispose of them before they get too far into the rest of the castle, but one or two may be spotted.

Summoned can assist by contributing to the wards around Castle Thorne and the city, using spells to put down the dead without mangling the corpse, and taking inventory of food stores. Further, in Nott the situation is more dire for anyone who is traveling there to continue assisting with repairs following the attack. Nott will welcome help with any problems caused by the omens. It'll be clear the kingdom has neglected the city somewhat. Thorne will claim the Castle takes priority, of course, due to King and Queen residing there along with the entire royal court.

Apprehensions

Across the factions, locals are beginning to catch on that something isn't right with you, the Summoned. No one will say it outright, but there's an air of caution and wariness around you where you go. Merchants might be quick to hand you your wares so you'll leave or locals give you a bit of space when they walk by. Chatty innkeepers are more reluctant to hold lengthy conversations.

Much of the time, it may not be conscious. The natives might simply sense something off that instinctually makes them want to put some distance between them and you. The only exception? If you've chosen Sannleikr of Many Faces, you'll continue to exude your charm towards people you encounter. At least for as long as you continue to inflict that ability you've been gifted.

Displacement

Everyone responds differently while in the Horizon. You might exert better willpower over your afflictions or you might feel its effects more strongly. It all depends on the individual and their mindset. Regardless, the Heralds are only one part of the equation. There's a much bigger disturbance going on.

It could happen as soon as you enter or it might be as you're stepping over the threshold into another's domain. Whatever the case, you are suddenly not where you're supposed to be. Instead, you're in one of two places depending: transported into a domain you never meant to go into or in a foreign setting altogether.

Visitation

Whether you're the one transported or someone teleports unexpectedly into your space, the Horizon becomes unpredictable for the next little while. Rooms normally locked to strangers, areas you yourself may not even realize exists - you and your fellow Summoned continue to pop in and out despite your intentions.

The effect isn't painful, just disorienting, like missing a step you didn't see or stumbling through a door into a too-bright room. The person whose domain you've inadvertently visited might sense an unwanted presence, whether they're inside the Horizon or not, or they may be completely oblivious. This will depend on the strength of their connection to the Singularity and the Horizon.

Not to worry. You won't be trapped or anything in these cases...unless the domain you land in happens to seal from the inside. You might stumble on secrets you weren't meant to find, though, locked away in someone else's mind.

Ensnared

The less fortunate will be pulled into a space that they've never encountered before. The bizarreness of it resembles the glitchy visions that flashed through a few months ago, but rather than an image flickering by, you are now inside the space itself.

Trapped between minutes to hours, you can't use the Horizon's creation magic as normal. Attempts will falter or go sideways: trying to fly out might cause you to tumble, tools and objects are broken or not quite right, wounds don't vanish or heal completely, etc. More significantly, you can't seem to send or receive messages through your connection. Anything that manages to come through will be garbled and distorted. It's as though the place you are in is just out of the reach of your control.

Luckily, you may not be alone. Someone else may have gotten lost alongside you. They might already be there when you stumble through or they might arrive after you do. They might even fade out sooner than you, unintentionally leaving you behind.

Eventually, you'll be released back into the Horizon proper, spat out in a random place in the Horizon. While you're stuck, though, you can try to survive, explore, sit and wait it out, or make friends with your fellow trapped partner. Each area has its challenges and quirks that you'll need to deal with.

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

High in the clouds, these snowy peaks are as cold as they look. Giant marble hands reach out, though their sheer scale means you might not recognize them as hands from up close. You can scale the mountain, but if you try to go down, the hands will flip the mountain, which sends you tumbling to the top again.

It's up to you whether you can be injured when you fall. Maybe the snow will feel like marshmallows, or you'll break a bone on the jagged rocks. No two experiences are the same. If you have a partner, they could end up faring better than you despite being in the same place.

Conjure some warm clothes or a log cabin even if you wish - they might not manifest perfectly, but it'll be better than nothing. At least the view's fairly nice...while the sun is up. A blizzard will come through by nightfall. With it arrives a strange hovering light that entices you or your friend to follow it into the frozen darkness. What draws you out depends on you. It could be a familiar voice, an image, or a simple compulsion. If you're lucky, the person with you is unaffected and can try to stop you. Or maybe you're the one desperately chasing after the other person?

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THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

From a distance, it's hard to tell if they're shipping containers or houses stacked atop each other. A gooey mess covers the ground below. Oddly, the smell isn't as unpleasant as the goo looks. It smells like bubblegum or cotton candy, artificial and sweet. When you first fall in, you might land inside one of the homes, on top of the stacked structure, or the ground. You can try to reach anyone else who's there with you, but be careful: the ooze is spreading. Climb if you must or move from room to room. If you don't keep moving, you risk getting sucked into its sticky mass.

Each block of a home is different. Some are furnished, whereas others are empty or filled with strange knickknacks. Some might even have subconscious creations spawned by you. Keep ahead of the gloopy substance, and you'll be fine, probably. Or you can try to fight it back or block its path by sealing yourself in a room or otherwise, which can slow it down significantly. Mostly, you'll have to hope you fade out before the pink mass completely consumes the landscape.

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THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

The hazy neon glow obscures a nothingness that seems to extend forever. In the middle of the wet ground are several stacked television sets with wires plugged into nothing. Inexplicably, there's also a cat. At first, it appears perfectly normal, but keen observers will notice that its behavior is on a loop where it will walk a certain path, pause at specific intervals to lick its paws, and meow at set points. It does not acknowledge any of its intruders. You can break its loop by picking it up, at which point it'll go limp as a ragdoll. As soon as you set it down, it'll resume its actions as before.

While you can see the same images as someone else on the screens, it's also possible you'll each see something different despite being in the room together. What you see is up to you. It could be an old fuzzy movie, home videos of your childhood, trivia questions you have to answer correctly, or even a memory or vision you wouldn't want to share. Words or faces taunting you could appear between staticky flickers, or maybe your very thoughts are projected onto the screens for anyone with you to read.

Break the televisions if you want, but given a few short minutes, they'll reform between one blink and the next. Looks like you'll have to keep watching until you're released.

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THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

Sprawling and massive, you're unlikely to recognize at first that you're trapped in a labyrinth. Stone walls rise around you, and your surroundings are pitchblack. Manifest a torch or a flashlight if you can, though these will be prone to going out at inopportune times. Escaping over the walls will only send you into another section in the maze.

As you navigate the twisting corridors, you'll encounter any variety of trials and troubles: gaps in the ground, spiked traps, haunting whispers, monsters, decaying corpses. Some of these might've formed from your mind, others might've spawned from anyone else who's trapped with you.

If you aren't alone, do your best to locate your fellow Summoned. Voices do carry and echo over the walls, and there could be landmarks that help you find each other. Finding the exit, however, is another matter. Walk and climb all you want. A way out is impossible until the Horizon chooses to set you free.

Players can pick any scenario that interests them from the four choices above. Unlike the visions from before, characters can accidentally be trapped in as many of the scenes as you want, as many times as you want. Another option is that they can stay trapped in only one scene while a variety of characters fade in and out to join them, or some combination of the two. Choose what works best for your plans.

Each scene will once again carry an associated Arcana etched somewhere inside it, which can change from person to person or instance to instance. It might be on a wall, a table, or on the ground. Characters with a stronger connection to the Horizon are likely to be trapped for longer but the extent of this is your choice and it won't ever exceed a few hours. It's also your choice whether the afflictions continue to haunt them or not. If you want characters to deal with both problems while stuck together, you're welcome to!

Generally speaking, there are no restrictions other than that they won't be able to communicate with anyone outside the area, they can't escape it until the Horizon chooses to release them, and their creation magic will go wrong just enough that it'll make things tricky.

Comments

[cointosser]

[When Jaskier hears a familiar voice, his gaze snapping up (and up) to Jayce's face, he jumps. A little. Almost as if he's been woken up from a dream. It is hardly a day that Jaskier doubts his abilities in his performances -- he has proven them for years, after all -- but something about today, this moment, watching that woman, had made him feel --

He'd felt.

And now that Jayce has drawn his attention from her, the feeling sort of lessens, though he still gives Jayce the same friendly smile he would normally.]

Ah! Hello, Jayce. [Jaskier pats the stage beside him. He's done performing for now. It's just rather surprising to himself he missed Jayce in the crowd. He's rather impossible to overlook. But it was something about her... and not just her beauty.] Am I? I do try to not look terribly distraught when I'm singing, after all. It'd be a bit depressing to watch. [He holds out the canteen of wine in offering.] That's a joke. I'm as all right as a man can be right now. But, as they say, the show must go on.

sick brain, am alive

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce sits on the stage but a few feet over, shaking his head at the wine. He normally doesn't put so much distance between him and others, but he has a really good reason. ]

Just be careful not to lean in or anything, I've been having to try to dodge people all day, even a bump on the shoulder is setting off a vision.

[ Jaskier can imagine how hard it is to dodge every person around him considering his size. And also, Jayce is not that graceful, so he's not someone who can excel at getting out of people's way. That's been half the exhaustion of his time so far, because it seems like such a horrific response each time. They see their own death. He and Viktor haven't been able to touch since this began at all, not really. It's definitely adding to the general frustration. ]

I'm sure giving people something to listen to that isn't about the disaster is appreciated. A depressing song would be fitting but a little much.

[ The people of the Free Cities have had a rough time recently, and now with the info about apparently walking dead in Libertas, it's raining and pouring in terms of bad news. ]

You're okay though? Not likely to go running at the dead, I hope.

no rush!!

[cointosser]

[Jaskier tips his head at the word "vision." He gives a shrug, taking a sip instead.]

Is that some sort of jest I've yet to understand? [He asks between sips of wine. Unless Jayce has gathered some new power that Jaskier has not heard of yet. Certainly he still has no idea where his ability to transfigure himself into a bird came from. He is not the only one who is receiving these... gifts.

He huffs something like a laugh. A little much. What a kind way to put it. After what has happened to Libertas, it is the last thing he wishes to do. To burden the people further.]

What? Are you mad? Why would I do such a thing? They're not bothering me this year, so I'm like to leave them alone now. Until this magic having brought them back inevitably dies once more. And we are left to pick up the pieces.

[hextechhead]

Have you not noticed anything weird happening to you or around you? Like the nightmares, only different. Viktor and I had one hell of an intense morning. It seems to happen through touch.

[ Not at all of the good variety. Of the what happens when both have a horrific vision of their own inevitable terrible death. Viktor's far more aware of his mortality but it doesn't mean that is easy to witness, and Jayce has never really considered his own death before. He's always been focused on other people and their safety, never his own.

After they were shaken from that, he went in to work, and thought maybe it was just something strange and random. Until he was chatting with Lee and put an arm on her back and she had the same look on her face that Viktor did. Since then, it's been a really, really rough run of stress and heightened emotions he can't tell are real or stress. Jayce looks exhausted. Emotional damage goes much harder on him than physical. ]

I don't know, people do seem to be running right toward them instead of away. They're over in Alucard's graveyard so I doubt he's having a good time of it.

[ It isn't technically Alucard's graveyard, it existed before him after all, but they both know their mutual friend spends a lot of time there. It is what Jayce associates with the graveyard. ]

You were here when it happened last year? Was it just like this?

[cointosser]

[Jaskier appears very undisturbed by this information, because it's half going in one ear and out the other between sips of his very sweet wine.] I mean, I've had nightmares, but that is nothing to write stories about.

[And nothing where someone touched him and he... what? Hallucinated? It feels as if Jayce has gotten into someone else's wine.

Jaskier sighs heavily, so much so that his entire upper body lifts, then falls, at the mention of "Alucard's" cemetery. As if Jaskier's contributions were nothing!]

I'll have you know I helped. All of the greenery was provided by yours truly. And they fucking destroyed it. [Now his sipping is not for fun or for show, but to temper back down everything he feels about that fact.] But I'm not picking fights with corpses. I am far from a fighter. Except, coincidentally enough as you bring it up, last year. I managed to save a man! From a corpse! Only one, but it was still rather impressive. The dead then were far less passive. They were lunging after people, actually. It was quite terrifying at the time.

I am alive! Ish! I can breathe

[hextechhead]

Maybe we're just the unlucky ones.

[ That would hardly be a surprise. And there are times when some of the Summoned are completely untouched by something that happens, so he assumes Jaskier either is being skipped or nothing has happened to him yet. He seems altogether pretty good at the moment, although what he's saying is disturbing. Jayce is deeply unsettled by the walking dead, he has taken to carrying a weapon with him just in case. ]

It was a very beautiful cemetery and I'm sure with your skills it'll be beautiful again once this passes.

[ He hopes that's reassuring. Jayce also happens to mean it. He's an intensely sincere person, he usually always means what he says with his full heart, even the light one-off compliments. ]

I'm not a fighter at all. I've been in one fight, and it ... was a terrible experience. I didn't save any lives, so what you did is definitely impressive, especially to the man you saved. Especially from terrifying aggressive corpses.

[ No, Jayce found out that he was exceptionally good at taking lives. His one fight he won very, very easily, and he had the bodies to show for it. He really hopes it doesn't have to happen again. In defense, absolutely, and he would do it the way Jaskier did if need be. ]

How long did it last then?

[cointosser]

[Honestly, Jaskier can't be bothered by the idea of others having bad luck or not -- though that inevitably does sound like a spot of it -- because it simply does not, as one might say, spark joy.

However, indulging in wine, relaxing in the afterglow of his performance, and letting his gaze settle on the cloth that makes up Jayce's clothing clinging to his overly swelled body are all very good, indulgent things.

Jaskier gives him a lazy once-over, then a second time. So a twice-over.]

You're... not a fighter. Of course not. [It's not that he doesn't believe him, it's more like... that's a shame. And so easily does he flit from conversation to conversation, especially with a bit of wine in him, does he settle onto his question without thought:] Did you hurt someone, then?

[If he didn't save them, then... well. There's only two other options. He hurt someone, or he ran away.] Experience or not, I find it hard to believe you would lose.

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce's clothing does have a tendency to cling to him no matter what, he's gone up a size since coming here thanks to non-stop smithing too, so it's easy to look at his bulk and think he's a fighter. But it's all work-related. He glances back at Jaskier, feeling his eyes on him, and he raises his eyebrows.

He flushes but not in an embarrassed way, more that the casual question like that actually brings up some very dark truths for him. But Jayce did step into it by offering up information, and he's been forcing himself to take full responsibility for what happened. And sometimes that means owning up even in a casual conversation. ]

I didn't lose. [ And because it's hard he swallows before continuing. ] I killed several someones, using a high-tech hammer that I created.

[ The hammer sometimes appears in his domain just to mess with him, or rather his subconscious is messing with him. The problem is in this situation he can remember that rush of power from the fight in his veins, just for a moment. The rage that led him there. It was all very intense. Not that killing people would be a surprise for Jaskier, who wrote songs about Geralt doing that. For the soft-hearted blacksmith though, it's new. ]

It's the worst thing I've ever done.

[cointosser]

[Were it some other topic, he may have laughed at how frank the answer is.]

You're rather upfront about that. More than I would have expected from... [From not a fighter, perhaps. Or from someone who is not from his world, who does not face the daily treacheries and monstrosities that do end up creating so many corpses.

Jaskier licks wine from his lips, then takes another sip. He is suddenly reminded of precious Alucard, with his beautiful hair and feather-soft eyes, turning cold as he recounts the murder of his parents. Waiting, Jaskier thought, for some sort of judgement.]

If it haunts you, then I hardly think you are so evil for it. [What else can a man do but move forward?] It's when a death means nothing that a man is truly lost.

[hextechhead]

[ In a way, it is similar to that, Jayce speaking a horrible truth expecting judgment, because it still is something he judges himself for every day. It'll always be this sword hanging over his head, ready to chop him down, but in a way speaking about it is the way forward. Jayce isn't cold though, he's pained. Regretful. He has no ability to mask his emotions. ]

It rotted me from the inside when I first got here, it had just happened. I wasn't the person I thought I was. A hard thing to learn about yourself.

[ Jayce had never been a violent person. It was his one and only fight, as he told Jaskier moments ago. If someone asked him if he was capable of that even days beforehand, he'd laugh at them. Him? No. Never. He's always been soft, but those last few days back home had made him into the worst kind of iron. ]

I kept it a secret from Viktor for months so I guess in a way being honest about it now is my way of trying to be better. Those people deserved better, from me and the world we lived in.

[ They didn't go to work that day expecting to die. Even if the Undercity was hard and it was always an option, they were just people. Trying to survive in a shitty system. They didn't have to be angels to deserve a better life. Jayce thinks that wearing that guilt up front is the best he can do sometimes. ]

Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Not really the best way to try to get to know someone better.

[cointosser]

Not to take away from your whole doom-and-gloom feelings, Jayce, but every man is capable of death. Whether they choose to believe so or not.

[He firmly believes that. In the end, it only comes down to how desperate they become. And how they choose to react to that desperation. It does not mean every person would kill, given the choice. It only means it is a choice in the first place.

Boy. Not exactly the sort of conversation he'd been expecting right out of one of his newest performances. But despite the heavy tone of Jayce's confessions (if that's what they are, and as he goes on, Jaskier fully believes it must be), it still feels... hmm.

Not heavy. Not dark.

It's almost enjoyable.]

I don't mind. [He shrugs.] Where I come from, you cannot throw a rock without hitting a murderer or two. [Oh. That was not really the right choice of words. But -- you know, he sort of lets himself keep going, when he once would have stopped. When he would have realized he is not speaking things that should be spoken.] And is that it? Nothing else to confess? If you want Viktor to trust you, you really should be rather straightforward about these sorts of things.

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce almost disagrees, he almost protests solely because Viktor is an exception, he wouldn't do that. He sometimes has a tendency to put his partner on a pedestal and he's working on not doing that. Instead of arguing he nods. ]

Yes, I see that now.

[ As for the murderer or two, well. That's intense. Although Jayce knows Geralt and Ciri are killers, obviously, they're professional killers. He has no doubt in his mind that they are capable of a lot of violence. But it doesn't make them bad. He just has a hard time giving himself any leeway while he shrugs off a lot of other people's actions. Wanda, for example, has killed many more than him, but he still thinks of her better than himself. It's something he's working on. ]

We worked all that out months ago, before we officially got together. I used our technology to do it, so there was some extra layers of anger and resentment.

[ Viktor is obviously very protective over their work and he was horrified at the idea of weaponizing any of it. Jayce used to feel that way before, but then he changed his mind, and now he's changed it back again. They've agreed that the weapons he designs here are acceptable. All violent items have to be put through Viktor before he makes it, just in case. ]

No, that's definitely my worst confession. I guess compared to a world with murderers within stone's throw, that's probably pretty tame. I'm reminded of that whenever I talk to Alucard about his world too.

[ Jayce is so unused to violence, despite causing it, that he got sick from witnessing Alucard's memories of storming his father's castle. And that wasn't even the worst of that fight. He just isn't used to it yet. It is humbling to be reminded of how much harder other people have had it, how blessed he's really been with an otherwise peaceful life until recently. ]

Do you miss your world?

[cointosser]

[For a moment, addled by wine, Jaskier thinks Jayce is telling him he worked it all out using technology. Which -- not that Jayce is not exactly a forthright sort of man, but he does tend to overshare. A lot. And this comes from someone who never fucking stops talking.

But he has now. Now, Jaskier listens, and he drinks, and he finds this strange tug and pull inside of his chest, where he wants to hear more, where he wants to give advice, where he can take a little pleasure in hearing he's not the only miserable bastard around here, sinking into something he can hardly fight against.]

I'm not saying death is easy. Only... it happens. A fucking lot, sometimes, in the wrong sorts of worlds. [Jaskier tips his head. Alucard's world is exactly like his own, as they have discussed. Wars and murder and monsters. Humans and monsters fighting for the biggest bastard title.

Jaskier pats him on the shoulder.]

It doesn't matter if I did. I'm here now, and I've decided to stay.

[hextechhead]

[ That would be a hilarious jump to make but not a completely ridiculous one, since Jayce is, in fact, an oversharer. But Viktor has made it clear there is one area oversharing is not encouraged or allowed. Not that he would talk about it. Some things are too private.

But Jayce is putting a bandage over something that has not healed in the slightest. Maybe it's true him murdering a handful of people is not a lot compared to others, but for him it is something that haunts him. The nightmare entity took the form of the child he killed and it followed him around long after that was over. Then there is the fact he has the love of his life but he's dying, slower now, but no less true. It's easy to put on a brave face, when there is misery underneath. Tragedy, so close.

The heralds have made him see his own death when he touches people, and a part of him thinks it is justified. There's some shit going on in this head of his for sure, but even as an oversharer, he's hesitant to cast burdens. ]

Maybe being from one of those would make all of this more common to handle. I eventually got it together for Libertas, but right after, I wasn't all there. I disconnected.

[ From reality. From awareness. It didn't last long, he was only doing that for a short time as Viktor raged, but Jayce sees it as a failing of his. That he checked out instead of being able to handle it. He's weak. He thinks that often. But he did get it together. That is what mattered in the end.

Jayce looks over at him at the pat on his shoulder, always appreciating physical gestures that ground him in the now. ]

I've decided to stay too. If it's a choice, that's the choice.

[cointosser]

It doesn't make it easier. [Gods, he feels like he's become a therapist. And normally he would not mind -- he would thrive off the chance to help -- but right now, this truly feels like a burden.

Adelwyrd wraps itself up in Jaskier's mind, and the more time goes on, the more he falls into it.] It only hardens the heart. The mind. The human proclivity to turn colder, as the horrors grow wilder, only so one does not go mad.

[Even in Geralt, he can see how it hardens him. Perhaps not every kill, but plenty of them.

And he is not human anymore. So Geralt so readily insists.] It is a choice no matter what happens. It may be taken from us, but you know -- I believe those of us who made it will fight like hell to stay.

[hextechhead]

[ It might be a little like therapy and usually Jayce wouldn't have gone into this conversation, but it sort of stumbled his way and he rarely thinks through what he plans on saying. He listens to Jaskier though, truly listens, and hears what he's saying, and the truth in it. The man has a way with words, both when he's singing and when he's talking. ]

I'm sorry, you're right, that sounds like the opposite of easy.

[ It's arrogant to see it only from his point of view and his issues. Living in a world where life and death are constantly at play, where violence is everywhere, is not easy in the slightest. He is concerned that seeing all of this more often will turn him exactly to that, jaded and cold. But he is lucky that only recently has that become possible. He led a charmed life in comparison. ]

Count me among them. I have Viktor here. I would do anything to keep it that way.

[ Love is a very powerful motivator, as Jaskier would know himself, being a bard and also having loving connections with people here. Jayce would miss all of his friends, going back. It's complicated though, given Viktor doesn't want to return, but that's not a concern here. ]

Your music is soulful as well as beautiful, a reflection no doubt of your own wisdom. I apologize if I've been rambling away, distracting you from your show.

[ It was kind of him though. Jayce apparently needed a few minutes that wasn't him avoiding people and seeing his death everywhere he turned. ]

[cointosser]

[Jaskier waves a hand, then pats Jayce's substantial leg (oh, that's very firm, isn't it?) without care. It was the opposite of easy, but he has survived, as many on the Continent do, because that is what his people have learned to do. Survive. Survive cataclysm, survive the Conjunction, and survive each other.

Jaskier hums with amusement, but given his penchant for delving into anything that gives him pleasure, at the moment, he soaks in the compliment.]

I know. But thank you for saying it. I never get tired of it. [He leans over and kisses Jayce on the cheek, and whether it's because of the wine on his lips or the flattery, is left unsaid.] You and Viktor will thrive if you keep that blind, obstinate optimism of yours. I do hope you do. It's a breath of fresh air in the midst of most company.

Maybe wrap here! thank you for the amazing thread

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce is surprised by the kiss on his cheek as that type of affection is rare to him, or at least people giving it to him, and for a moment he's concerned because the reaction to touch comes and goes. It's a relief to see that he doesn't immediately panic, so Jayce can relax, and he decides the gesture is well-meant. He's not wrong about the two of them being blindly optimistic. Honestly, he doesn't even know how stubbornly naive they both were before, even Viktor, who considers himself anything but.

He smiles at Jaskier and decides between his two physical gestures, it would be acceptable for him to give something back. He pats Jaskier on the back. ]

Maybe I can learn to have some of your confidence and share my ridiculous optimism with you and others.

[ Jayce on the outside would seem like the exact type of person who would be swaggering with confidence, but whenever he does, it's always limited and doesn't last for long. It's mostly for show. But his naive sense of hope, that is very much real. He stands though, he feels he has taken enough of Jaskier's time.]

Thank you, Jaskier. For listening.

of course!! I had fun

[cointosser]

[Jaskier's smile back can not be called humble; it is anything but. But even if he should be god-touched at the moment, the warmth at such simple words is quite real, and rises in his chest.

Even if the pat on the back is somewhat detached for Jaskier, who thrives on simple touches, but he can't fault everyone for not being as affectionate as he'd like.]

You shall, indeed, should you spend enough time for me. It's inevitable.

[He nods at the appreciation, the crowd having long parted now, and despite the strange bumps in the conversation, it was a good one.] Of course, my friend. If you ever need an ear again, I am not so far.