There is a swelling storm and I'm caught up in the middle of it all

[itookashot]

WHO: Jesper Fahey and you!
WHAT: Catch-all for November
WHERE: Cadens and Horizon!
WHEN: Throughout November
WARNINGS: Reference to gambling addiction and addiction problems in general, NSFW scene within marked with NSFW.





[ooc: feel free to wildcard below or ask me for a custom starter on plurk]

Comments

For Mat

[itookashot]

Jesper has been doing his very best to put on a good face in Cadens, and frankly, it is wearing on him. He either is back to his cheerful if slightly brittle face or avoiding people altogether. Especially Inej and Kaz, who he feels extremely guilty about. He has been making their money back by working through the night or leaving early in the morning, but the Heralds' influence is still on him. Metaphorically, if not physically.

He has to avoid streets now near gambling, he can't play darts or anything that could have a wager, he gets his with hunger again sometimes. He'd slowly started to feel better over the past few months, and now it's all back again. Progress lost. He is working himself to the bone and avoiding his problems, so inevitably, he hides in the Horizon.

But he doesn't want to be alone and he knows where he wants to be. It is rare for Jesper to go anywhere looking for comfort, let alone to anyone. He tends to be the tough one, the one there for everyone else, but when he drags himself into Mat's domain, he doesn't know what he's searching for. Just someone, maybe, he can curl up in.

"Mat, you here?" He walks up toward the bedroom, planning on just throwing himself on the bed and waiting there, either for when Mat does decide to show up, or until he gets tired and forces himself to go back.

For Inej

[itookashot]

Jesper would not say he was intentionally avoiding his best friends, but he absolutely was. He was still around the inn, he still slept in the room with Inej, but he snuck around a lot. He usually was up early to go sell things, frantic considering he spent all of his (their) funds during the Heralds. It isn't that difficult to build it up again, especially not with his new eagerness to be away during an entire day, but it still hangs over him.

Even when he's there he's distant and not always comfortable talking, usually coming up with an excuse to change a conversation or leave it if the topic comes up. Jesper knows he can't avoid it forever, especially not when he owes them both an apology, especially Kaz, but it's weighed heavily on him. All that effort, gone. The heralds wrecked him, poured salt in the wound, stripped him of any self-control, exhausted him, made him hungry and desperate. It was a terrible week and he wants to forget it. If only it was that simple.

When he isn't selling things he's been working on his corecloth projects, having already outfitted himself with the final product and he has in mind everything for others. It is much harder work than his trinkets and takes so much focus and skill that it's an excellent way to get out of his head. It wears him out too which he likes, so at the moment he is lying on his bed, playing with a bracelet in his hand, waiting for Inej to get in.

And yes, this time, he is intentionally there and awake and not running out the door or waiting until late to try to avoid her. He is there.

For Wilhelm

[itookashot]

Jesper did expect to get a date out of his precious pigeon sooner or later, especially with Nocwich opening up, but he thought it likely he would have to do the asking. Perhaps it was their lustful affair that made Wilhelm more comfortable asking, and Jesper was delighted by it. He is more than happy to spend time with his lovers outside of the bedroom and it will be fun to get to know this sweet-faced boy a little better.

It takes longer for the Free Cities to get to the Nocwich gates so he leaves early to wander around a bit before they are set to meet, but he ends up by the Thorne gate waiting patienty. And as promised, the question about the color is answered, because Jesper's signature long coat is a bright blue today, contrasting nicely with the darker blue of his shirt. Why not dress to impress when on their first official date? Jesper's coat has a permanent dye ability to be whatever color he chooses, so it's easy for him to swap it from his typical green. Bright colors go very well with his complexion, or at least he always manages to pull it off.

He has with him a little box that he's fiddling with as he waits, gray eyes curiously glancing around at all the people coming in and out. Jesper is still excited by the newness of being able to go to Nocwich and see so many new people, the Square a lively addition. He isn't nervous in the slightest, but that's Jesper. Nothing ever worries him much, especially not a cute fellow he's looking forward to seeing.

For Ciri

[itookashot]

The best part of the supply run, outside of feeling like he could call in a favor from the guards he saved the lives of, was getting to show off to Ciri and it led to a most shocking thing. Not only did she not shoo him off when they ran into each other at the hunting grounds, but she allowed him to actually go with him on one! Jesper was even on his best behavior and managed not to chat her ear off, instead providing excellent cover as she knows now that his long-distance fighting skills are top-notch. He couldn't bring his guns here but he uses his metal telekinesis anyway, as it is quieter and just as deadly.

They've managed to bring back a pretty good catch, which he's feeling quite glowy and happy about. Jesper doesn't actually care about the hunt side of things, such as turning anything in or getting credit for it, it's just fun for him to be in the midst of adventure again. He's swapped the dark black on his coat that he had for the hunt to his usual green, although it's hunter green rather than bright. He has infinite dye on the coat, it means he can always suit his mood.

When Ciri comes back he is still trying to simmer down his enthusiasm, he has to play it cool with her, always! It's been almost ten months of his admiration and slow build up to being tolerable on her list, but he feels like they had a good time and maybe, maybe it's time to test his luck out again.

"Okay if I promise to be my least obnoxious self, would you come have a drink with me?" Gray eyes are hopeful. "I'm buying?"

For Sylvain

[itookashot]

It's been a road back to recovery for Jesper and he has managed not to gamble again since the herald's influence dropped off him. It hasn't stopped the hunger though. It may not be as insatiable or aggressive, but it is something that always gets to him, at the back of his mind. He has made new routes to make it so he never passes by the gambling dens and has been selling his wares again in a different area. It will be awhile before he can build up his money again.

Jesper comes home earlier these days too, to avoid temptations, spending most evenings right there in the inn rather than out and about. He is currently alone in his room making more trinkets for the next day of sales. He makes them easily and sells them cheaply, but it all adds up really well to a nice solid business plan. Inej is out somewhere and he has a little desk set up for these, a lot of random metals and jewels strung out on it.

"Come in," he says at the door knock. It's a little funny, since most people he knows never bothers to knock, so he does glance up out of curiosity.

[philancer]

A familiar redhead peeks around the edge of the door as Sylvain peers around searching for the source of the voice. Spotting Jesper at the desk, he offers him a crooked grin as he steps inside and leans against the doorframe, arms crossed over a broad chest.

“Hey. Am I interrupting?”

He’s not sure what he’s interrupting, exactly, but Jesper seems occupied with something tinkery.

[itookashot]

Jesper's grin is automatic and he turns his chair around to face Sylvain, reaching out his hands and scrunching them toward him as an obvious 'come here' gseture.

"An always welcome one, darling, but lock the door behind you."

It's not as if they are going to immediately do anything but it seems wise to do it now, before that ends up happening. That's the thing with new lovers, it's an easy as a particular smile and raise of an eyebrow. He also doesn't want Inej to walk in on them, and she's well aware what a locked door means for him. He would put a more obvious sign on the door but he doesn't want Kaz to notice.

[philancer]

Sylvain just starts laughing when Jesper does literal grabby hands at him, but he obediently kicks the door shut behind him and flicks the lock before crossing over to where Jesper’s seated. If this had been anyone else, he would have hesitated, but it’s Jesper, so he doesn’t bother and just settles down to straddle his lap and drape his arms around the man’s shoulders as he grins at him.

“Well, then I guess I won’t feel too guilty about it, then.” He glances over at the bits and pieces scattered about on the other man’s desk. “What are you working on?”

[itookashot]

Jesper immediately wraps an arm around him when he settles onto his lap and runs his other hand through Sylvain's hair. He never hesitates from affection with his lovers, although Sylvain might have noticed some subtle ways that he does in the inn. It's not blatantly obvious, but if he sees Kaz he puts extra inches between them. It's a complicated story, so he hasn't gotten to it yet, but otherwise, he is happy to hold hands or kiss in public.

"Making more things to sell. I have quite a lot of money to get back." He is someone who can use many different types of metal or scraps of things and turn them into something beautiful and unique due to his abilities. He can buy scraps of things and thrown out extra material and voila, use it to perfection.

"How are you today, darling?"

[philancer]

He’s noticed, but he’d taken it relatively in stride. He’d noticed it was mostly around those he was pretty sure were from Jesper’s world, which made him curious, but this was still new, so he was trying not to read too much into it. Besides. He was far more used to being a social conquest or a bragging piece (not that that had been hard, back home, he hadn’t exactly been choosy in who he spent his time with for the most part.) He was still figuring how to act when the person he was with was actually interested in him and not what they could get out of the arrangement.

He hums and glances over Jesper’s creations with curiosity, he hadn’t been aware he could do things like this and he’s fascinated but that question gets a somewhat frustrated huff as he exhales. And then drops his forehead to rest against Jesper’s shoulder.

“Mmmm. It’s quiet here today. Figured I’d come see what you were up to.”

And it seemed a convenient and pleasant place to hide for a while.

[itookashot]

While he and Kaz have come to an agreement about their feelings for one another, he hasn't exactly had the talk about Jesper's lovers, although it's clear he has them. So there is just a big question mark about what is proper in this case, especially since it may be some time before their situation yields any results. Other than that, he is more than happy to give Sylvain all the attention he apparently didn't get in the past.

Jesper's abilities are varied and impressive although he hasn't explained them to everyone. They were too busy having sex for him to explain how he melted his clothes off the last time. He looks quizzical at that frustrated huff and pets his hair comfortingly when he rests his head on Jesper's shoulder.

"You can always come here."

He turns his head to kiss Sylvain's cheek sweetly.

"Are you sure there's nothing on your mind?" Sylvain will find that Jesper's skill at reading people is as perfect a shot as his gun. But he lets them back out of it if they want.

[philancer]

There’s too much on his mind, if he’s honest. Recovering from this most recent chaos with the old gods hasn’t been so easy to shake off. He’s been faking it convincingly enough for everyone until today, and would no doubt continue to do so outside this room.

But this afternoon was too quiet, which meant there hadn’t been nearly enough to distract him from his own spiraling thoughts. But he’s not sure here to even start on the complicated mess that he’d left behind him, and worse, what might be laying in wait.

“Too much.” He can’t bring himself to lie to Jesper anyway, lifting one shoulder in a shrug, even as he turns his head to trail kisses against Jesper’s throat. “And I ran out of distractions to get myself out of my own head. Besides. It felt too early to get drunk already.”

[itookashot]

"I know a bit about that." Too much being on the mind. It is why he is lucky he crafts so much, that his livelihood requires him to be distracted and focus on projects for a while. It's helped him not think day and night about his own issues.

He tilts his head for open access to Sylvain's mouth and trails his hand up underneath his shirt to his bare back.

"I'm not much of a day drinker myself."

That is something Sylvain might have noticed. He does have a drink or two when he's out, he might even get tipsy, but his high energy usually burns off alcohol pretty quickly, and Jesper doesn't get drunk. Too vigilant from his days in the Crows.

"If you're here for a distraction, sweetheart, you know I'll give it to you."

[ordinar]

Wilhelm's nerves spike only when he thinks of it as a date. That's half because Jesper is too charming for anybody else's good, and half because his brain has worked itself into such a complicated knot that he himself doesn't know how to untangle it all. It begins at the realization that nothing he'd ever done with Simon counted as a date, not really. Everything between them had to be a secret. The simple act of occupying a public space hand in hand, without having to worry about who sees them, who suspects them, is a luxury for which he would have traded anything. And somehow, it ends with anxiety pushing on his chest.

So Wilhelm tells himself that they're just...hanging out. Only, he implied that kissing would be involved. No big deal. It's fun to be casual. Jesper's words, repeated like a mantra ad nauseum.

He appears in the square wrapped in a dark grey jacket and woven purple scarf. Though he still prefers when he can wear normal clothes in the Horizon, he feels less ridiculous now in Thornean fashions after nearly half a year. When he spots Jesper, everything in him falls still and quiet. His expression pulls into a smile.

"Hey!" he calls, closing the distance. "You weren't waiting for too long, were you?"

[shadowthief]

Inej has noticed the shift in Jesper’s routine. Leaving earlier. Staying out later. Staying anywhere but near Kaz or herself as much as possible. And she gets it. The heralds had attacked all of their weakest points, and Jesper is wracked with guilt for falling into the temptation of it.

She’s let it go, for a bit, let him try to come to his own senses about it but it seems like maybe this is something he can’t conquer on his own. She’s been debating the best way to approach the whole thing, certainly not wanting to make him feel worse than he already does.

Her routine is much the same as it’s always been and after a shift of bartending downstairs, she wends her way back up to the room she’s shared with Jesper for so many months now.

The door shuts with a soft sound behind her she looks up to find Jesper already in for the evening. A small smile slips across her face and she greets him with a soft, “Hey,” as she unarms herself, each of her three blades place in their ever-present place on the table beside her bed. Never far enough she can’t grab one of them. Just in case.

“What are you working on?” She asks, motioning to the bracelet in his hand.

[philancer]

Sylvain gives a soft chuckle at that, leaning into that touch and shooting Jesper a crooked grin. "I think we've already developed that you're excellent at being distracting." It's part of why he'd felt comfortable coming here. He knew that Jesper wouldn't judge the cause.

He'd find it odd, how quickly he'd found things so comfortable with the other man. But honestly, he's too grateful for it to really care that much.

He reaches up to trail his fingers through Jesper's hair, already feeling a little more relaxed after just a few moments here. "You don't need to stop what you're doing, though. I really didn't mean to interrupt you if you were doing something else. This... just seemed to be a good place to hide for a few hours."

[itookashot]

Jesper glances up when he hears the hey and his smile is instant and wide, meeting him halfway. With Mat, Jesper always swept him up in an immediate kiss, but they have been lovers for over half a year so that was normal and lovely. The two of them are new and he knows his pigeon is a little shy, so he tones down his natural PDA instinct.

"No, I got here early to do a bit of business. You look lovely, pigeon."

Toning down his PDA means that instead of kissing him, he playfully reaches out to caress the scarf against his neck, the flirtation blatant otherwise. He can't very well stop doing that. He flirts as easily as he breathes. Jesper resists the urge to step closer and make him blush, and instead he lifts the box and offers it to him.

"I made this for you. We got this new metal from Luna in Cadens, it absorbs magic. It's fireproof and protective against elementals or any kind of magic."

It is a simple black bracelet with a silver clasp and it is made of very pretty metal called braerium. Jesper figures if he can't actually run into Thorne to protect the people he cares for, there's no harm in giving them a few things now.

Jesper's skills as a crafter are mostly only well known to other people from Free Cities who often gets items from him, because he rarely gets to offer them to anyone else. He finds himself maybe a little nervous now, as opposed to usual, since gestures are sometimes unwelcome.

[a_better_man]

Mat's been doing plenty of retreating to the Horizon, despite his experiences there. His own domain is back to rights, and it's a place of comfort. He can lose himself in some place entirely removed from reality, and take comfort in his many animals.

He's been lying in a cave listening to haunting music coming from nowhere, watching a fantastical lighting display on the ceiling. But even the beauty of that wans, and Mat ends the lightning and shoves himself up, collecting Gizmo and heading back to his little manor house.

He knows someone's here. He's not sure exactly how, he can just feel it. It almost makes him change his course, head elsewhere. Company is both wanted and unwanted, his mood a contradictory and unsettled one. But only people he knows well ever go into his house uninvited, so he heads inside. He sets Gizmo down in the main parlor and climbs the stairs to his bedroom proper.

It's not that much of a surprise to find Jesper there.

"Hey."

[itookashot]

Jesper's newly designed Horizon is still something he is getting used to but there is comfort in it, however he keeps having to go through the Crow Club, and that gives him feelings since there are gambling areas in there. He may have to disappear them for a time. Mat's domain has become a soothing place for him, with a lot of mostly good memories, so he isn't surprised that he feels better when lying on Mat's bed.

Normally Jesper would be springing up the moment he hears Mat, with a bright smile and a kiss or some story to tell him, but this time he is slow to sit up and he doesn't move down the bed. He runs fingers through his hair and despite the Horizon making people look however they want, his mental state is reflected in a harried look in his eyes.

"Hey, love. Is it okay I'm in here?"

A very unusual Jesper question to have, since he has a tendency to assume he's welcome anywhere he shows up. There are few people more confident about the space they take up, but it's been a complicated week or so.

[itookashot]

When Kaz first arrived, Jesper had been so proud to tell him of his progress, and he kept the tokens from Inej like badges of honor. He always knew that it could be easy to lose, he struggled with the nightmares and almost lost himself sooner, but this time the temptation was too great. He still thought that since he kept getting through it, he was only proving he was strong enough, and started to be confident in himself. It's hard to crash so low after going so high.

When Kaz came and got him, it was one of the worst moments of his life, just the crushing weight of guilt on him and the knowledge it wasn't the end. Inej's kindness made him feel even worse than Kaz's disappointment. But he has licked his wounds, so to speak, and he never intended to disappear forever.

Jesper sits up when she comes in but doesn't move from the bed, further proof he plans to stay, but there is also a quiet in him that says he is ready to sit still. Not bounce around the room or distract with something shiny. He offers her the bracelet, a unique black metal with silver crow head clasp.

"Luna's new metal, they gave us a supply and I snatched some. I made one for you and Kaz. It absorbs magic, I got protection enchantments on them."

The metal was warped into the bracelet by him, and then he got a favor paid back from the blacksmith for the enchantments. Jesper is very good at making things these days, and it was an interesting process, trying a new type of metal with it. He could feel the strum of power in it, like his own "magic" was slipping through it.

[ordinar]

His fidgeting hands, knotting together in front of him only to swing back to his sides, suggest that he isn't sure how to greet Jesper. They're on a date, but it's casual. They'd fooled around, but they're not together. Luckily, Jesper makes the situation easier to navigate by reaching out to play with his scarf. Laughing, Wilhelm slides his hand over his, gives him a small squeeze.

Surprise pops his expression as Jesper presents the box to him. Fumbling it open, he takes out the bracelet to inspect it.

"You made this?"

It's not disbelief that colors the question, but admiration. He had no idea that...magical-jewelry-crafting was among Jesper's myriad talents. Something to add to his growing knowledge of the other boy. He tugs his glove off to make the bracelet easier to put on. Once it's clasped, he holds his wrist up for Jesper to see.

"Thanks... How does it look?"

[shadowthief]

“Oh,” she breathes it out when she realizes he’s made it for her. “That’s amazing, Jesper.” she accepts the bracelet and turns it over in her fingers. The clasp is unique, something only Jesper would ever consider making, and a smile touches her lips. “It’s beautiful.”

She unhooks the clasp and holds it back out to him, her left wrist held out as well. “Help me put it on?” She asks politely, that smile still on her face.

[wiedzminka]

Maybe she's built up some sort of immunity, or maybe he's just not as annoying as she thought at first, but really, after spending a couple of weeks on the supply run with Jesper, Ciri may have -- loosely speaking -- warmed up to him. He's certainly been trying to warm up to her. At first, she didn't notice or pay any attention to it, but lately, she's finally begun to realize he's actually seeking her out.

When they wind up in the hunting grounds at the same time, he seems so stupidly eager to team up, Ciri ends up agreeing. Like caving and eventually giving a cute puppy a bit of meat when it whines. By now, she knows he's not actually incompetent; it goes smoothly enough, and they end up with a sizeable haul. Most of it, she lets the Nocwich natives keep to donate or distribute as they wish, keeping only some materials she can bring back with her, bits of horn and antler.

They meet up again once she's washed up, and she finds Jesper eagerly waiting for her by the tavern. There goes that puppy dog look again.

"Oh, all right. All that running about has me hungry. Let's get something to eat too. You don't have to buy."

[a_better_man]

"Yeah, you can be here."

Mat's not in a terribly social mood, but Jesper's alright. Jesper is, in some way Mat can't define or articulate, different. Maybe it's just that they're so alike that he knows the other man won't say something that'll upset him, accidentally. Or won't try and make him talk about anything if he doesn't want to.

There's just something safe about him.

Mat sinks onto the bed himself, sitting with his elbows on his knees and his back and shoulders hunched forward.

"You look like you feel about the same as I do."

[itookashot]

"The best at it, as a matter of fact."

Jesper flashes him a cocky smile and glances back to what he was working on.

"I had a lot of money I'd saved over the months, but unfortunately it took a hit recently. As in pretty much all of it. So I've been rebuilding."

Sylvain knows exactly why. Despite distracting him and doing a great job of it, no one could actually keep Jesper from his addictions for long. Kaz managed to eventually trap him in the inn long enough for it to wear off, but damage had already been done by that point. Jesper's just glad he didn't end up stealing from anyone else.

Jesper reaches over to where he had put out a few random jewels and what looked like ripped apart pieces of silver and gold. As if someone broke a bracelet and decided to toss it rather than get it fixed. Under his fingers though the pieces turn into liquid and then seem to run together, curling around each other until he makes them solid again. Now the gold and silver are wrapped up together into a single band, as if they'd always been designed that way, and look brand new on top of it.

"Don't think I missed the word hide, sweetheart."