vrdantwind | IC Inbox

[Claude shrugs, smiling.] That's like saying that there's no point in there being different kinds of food instead of just eating the same meal for the rest of your life. Not only is the variety interesting, but not all information is the same...and you never know when it might come in handy. [His gaze turns sly.] I mean, after all, when I used to whittle myself little wooden toys as a kid, I didn't know that knowledge would come in handy making gifts for friends as an adult...but I was able to repurpose that pretty well, wasn't I?

That's why I'm happy to learn everything about...well, everything. You never know what will turn out to be relevant someday, what might work to your advantage or give you an edge. And you don't know when not knowing something is going to hurt you. Immediate relevance isn't the only measure of something's usefulness. An armorslayer sword might not do you any good if you're not facing any heavily armored knights, sure, but does that mean there's no point in bothering to ever carry one with you?

[Felix scoffs, though that tiny smile is briefly back at Claude's mention of whittling.] That's just a long-winded way of saying you agree with me.

[That gets a raise of an eyebrow from Claude.] In the sense that I'm interested in things that aren't immediately relevant, I guess. But not in the sense that that's a bad thing, or that it won't ever have a payoff. [He grins.] Not that I necessarily care if it pays off, of course; I'd be interested anyway. But since you can't see any value beyond the practicality, well...I'm just saying you never know when the things I learn might turn out to be very practical. Like helping you harvest nectar, for instance.

That doesn't count. You didn't learn botany for its own sake, you did it to craft poisons. And that's relevant without question.

[Claude grins at that.] Even though you've never actually seen me use poison on anyone but, accidentally, myself?

[Felix smirks.] You say that as if you would let anyone see you do it. But yes, even then. It has an obviously advantageous battlefield application.

You're a lot more complimentary of my poison knowledge today than you were the other day. [Claude winks at him.] I must have won you over with the nectar-collecting applications, huh?

[Felix rolls his eyes.] The other day you were talking about drugging Sylvain to sleep. Using it in battle is completely different.

I was talking about helping Sylvain rest using a medicinal sleep aid, Felix. Really, you'll never get anywhere in life if you don't learn how to make these critical distinctions.

That's called drugging someone, Claude. [Ah, again it seems the first-name basis goes both ways now.] And I've gotten plenty far without being pedantic.

Administering medicinal sleep aid! I did say I wasn't planning on doing it against his will, stop making it sound so heinous.

It's not my fault that's how you made it sound.

[He walks along in a silence that's unexpectedly comfortable for a few minutes.]

You must have looked into what else lives in the wild along this road. What are you planning to catch?

I've been called many a thing, but I think this is a first for "personal hero". Jaskier the personal hero! It has a nice ring to it.

If you allow me to quote yourself: "beautiful and a little dangerous". I'd say that applies to you, the lover of buttercups, as much as it applies to the buttercup itself. You aren't only charms and a wink, dear Claude, there's something under your smile that I'm sure you knew how to use to make others underestimate a duke.

I'm definitely honored! And in awe as well! What a beautiful ensemble - pretty clothes for a pretty face. Yellow truly suits you. I must, however, express astonishment at the little mention of wyverns. You make them sound like domesticated animals! As if they were horses!

I just said I could have Basque use Sleep Powder on him! That only sounds heinous if you interpret it heinously.

[He lets that silence settle easily between them. As much of a chatterbox as he can be, he doesn't feel the need to talk all the time. And he likes being out in nature. It's frigid right now, granted, which isn't ideal, but aside from the temperature it's still pleasant to be out and about. More so to be traveling with friends in such a peaceful environment. He can't remember the last time he could just go on a walk with people he's fond of, with nothing significant on the line.]

Well, there's a few things that interest me if we can spot them in the forest past Azalea...but until then, I hadn't seen anything we're predicted to potentially see that really caught my eye. And with how little money I have from the holiday shopping I've done, I'm trying to be pretty sparing with my Pokéballs.

What can I say? The thought of a whole roomful of nobles - a queen's court! - singing and clapping along with those lyrics will be enough to keep me warm throughout this miserable winter. Can that be anything other than heroism?

Hah! Really, the smile alone was enough to make people underestimate a duke. There tends to be an assumption that friendliness and diplomacy are strictly tools of the weak and naive, mostly because your average jackass can't be bothered with them as soon as he's got enough power and arrogance to think they can be disposed of. No one expects those in a place of strength to actually care about them, and use them by choice. So when they confidently push you past the point where friendliness and diplomacy has failed, thinking there's nothing behind it...well, they tend to get nasty surprises.

I don't know if I'd use as strong a word as domesticated for wyverns, but they can certainly be tamed and ridden where I'm from. I know I was raised alongside mine from when he was first hatched! That level of longstanding personal connection with one's wyvern isn't necessarily standard in other countries, though. But we certainly do use them alongside horses, and pegasi too. Pegasi are fragile, but resistant to magic. Wyverns are hardy but weak to magic. So people who prefer flying mounts have their options.

[Felix nods.] I want to fill out a few gaps in my team's type spread at the cave, but until then there's only the new kind of cat that lives somewhere along this road.

[Ordinarily, Felix tries not to let anyone see him doting on cats, but since Varley was already with him when he arrived, there's little hope of that now. So he figures he might as well abandon the attempt while they're here and catch every cat he can find.]

More cats, huh? [Claude shoots Felix a sidelong smile - and while there's obviously a teasing element, there's a look of genuine fondness in his eye. There's just something very cute and fitting about Felix and cats getting along.] They suit you.

So. While I don't know everyone, I do know quite a lot of people and generally keep track of who knows who, unless they are *very* new. I can probably figure out who you should ask if you tell me who you got.

(Pending, of course, that your recipient isn't me, but I did do a public post about three weeks ago, so I'm assuming it's not.)

Hey, thanks for the offer! And yeah, you're correct, it's definitely not you. I'm supposed to be buying for a guy called Dirk Strider. That's a name with zing.

[Okay. Steven is going to take a moment to just... completely crack up.]

Okay. Okay, yeah, I... actually know Dirk. We're friends. Basically, if you get him anything with horses or puppets, you're good.

Yes, more cats. Is that a problem? They're the only animal that's tolerable. In our world, anyway.

[Inexplicably defensive as he is over this, he can't help feeling that 'they suit you' is a compliment coming from Claude, and he flushes faintly.] We have an understanding, that's all. If you see a little pink cat with a weird, puffy tail, tell me.

I can think of better (and less miserable) ways to keep you warm throughout winter, but I definitely think the thought of my music is the second-best option.

Pegasi existing and tamed wyverns are an astounding story I'd love to know more about, but your other words, my dear - they are inspiring. A moment, if you please.

[Around twenty minutes later, a new text arrives, this one in a different font - look, Jaskier is grateful for those girls' help and all, but poetry must look right!]

He has a bow in his chest
instead of a heart now,
and it escapes his lips
shaped like arrows
with their names on them.

Soft people become dangerous
when you destroy the things
they hold dearest.

Well, that's convenient! And a slightly strange shopping list, but who am I to judge.

Horses is straightforward enough, but I have to ask - what kind of puppets are we talking about here? Even in my world there's a variety, and I've got no idea what they might be like here, or wherever he's from.

I suppose if I had to rank Dirk Strider's puppet preferences from what I've observed, it would go something like this:

Muppets (and various other types of off-brand -uppets) > Marionettes > Hand puppets

Take that with a grain of salt, however, given that I am not the man himself.

Edited 2020-12-23 05:17 (UTC)

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