Well, there's Scorpia. She's such a sweetheart. And my other employee, Chloe, is a real good kid too. And I'm friends with Armin and Shiro. They're both good people. Carly's also got a good heart. And so does little Kiri, the bird girl. And back home there was my sister, Charley, and Polly who rescued me once and Polly's girlfriend Petra.
Okay, well, there's your problem: NEVER call yourself an old anything in front of an eleven year old. Especially not in an idiom! I can only imagine their face, I don't know if they've ever heard a person say that out loud before.
They called me old first! [Claude's whine is practically audible over text.] I figured that if they consider someone my age old, there wasn't a whole lot of talking them out of that idea anyway...
Ugh, maybe I'm just not good with kids.
Edited (too sleepy for correct pronouns apparently) 2021-01-10 10:40 (UTC)
[Sorry not sorry, Claude, this is still incredibly funny.]
See, accepting it is one thing, agreeing is another.
As far as I can tell, you're doing pretty good, actually. The fact that they said something like that to your face but haven't shown any signs of being scared of you since then means they must be pretty comfortable with you.
You say that, but you'd be wrong. I've had to command my own men -- Gautier men -- over the last five years. My father might give the order to defend the border, but at the end of the day, it's me in the thick of it telling them to charge forward or retreat, to make a pincer or do something else.
It's not quite the diplomacy that you are referencing, but don't count me out as having to not worry about it.
[The reply takes a while to arrive, Jaskier is a little busy cursing and freaking out. Damn you, Claude, for being so observant.]
Yes, that's what it means, that's why I was sharing it with you and followed it with the winking face. I believe it does apply to us. But let's concentrate on the important part, shall we, because I'm feeling rather vexed at the moment.
First of all, thank you so much for making me feel so old, how very courteous of you.
And second, we're not like that.
[And yep, that's where he leaves it. Which anyone that knows Jaskier can see it's not as wordy as it should be for him, especially when he's in indignant mode.]
Yeah...I've noticed they're pretty wary for a kid. I actually think I've been getting along with them okay because they remind me of myself at that age, so I've got a vague idea of how they might react to things. It's not a perfect guide - they've surprised me more than once - but it's obviously working okay.
It really makes me wonder what they've been through, though. I'm going to risk an educated guess and say it's related to things that happened before you adopted them? Since you obviously take great care of them yourself.
Sorry, I wasn't trying to talk down to you. Obviously you've got your own burdens of command, and so do a lot of the people we went to school with. I guess I was just thinking of people who are in charge of the countries embroiled in this whole mess. Teach isn't quite the leader of a country, but between advising Dimitri and having the Knights of Seiros backing them, and no Rhea in sight, they're practically a fourth power at the table by this point.
I just meant that at the end of the day, you serve Dimitri. And you take orders from him, or at least people working with him - I don't know if he was commanding you guys directly when he was at his lowest. You won't be judged the same way for following Dimitri's orders, even if they happen to be bad, that Dimitri will be judged for giving them. There's no higher authority for him, either. He can confer with advisors, but at the end of the day all he can do is try to decide what's right and wrong, and then command a nation to act on that decision. That's a different weight to carry than leading a battalion.
Ugh, I'm just rambling, aren't I? And probably offending you. Sorry.
I wasn't trying to make you feel old! I was just surprised by just how long you've known Geralt for. You'd never mentioned it before, and that's a long time to be friends with someone at any age. You can hardly blame me for being surprised!
And why should age bother you, anyway? Forty years has done nothing but made you breathtaking in your accomplishments and beauty, so I assume that by the time you're eighty not even the gods will be able to match you for splendor. Growing old shouldn't hold any fears for you.
[No one can say Claude isn't good at soothing ruffled feathers when he wants to be.]
That said...I think I detect a struck nerve. You aren't going to tell me he callously spurned your advances, are you? Only I didn't think someone with such poor taste could exist. And obviously if you weren't interested in him, then there'd be nothing to be upset over.
I'm a lover of sweet delicacies myself, but I do not think I could live on cake! Variety is indeed the spice of life. And these chocolates have plenty of it! What do you think a "sriracha chocolate bar" is like? Here is another one that says "ramen noodle bar"! I don't understand what half of these labels are trying to tell me.
[Those are some amazing compliments, and usually Jaskier would be basking in them, probably even asking for more. But the soothing of his feathers is ineffective when it's followed by ruffling them again - he wants to deny there have been advances at all and that he feels like that for, you know, the man that changed his fucking life...
But Mr. Strategist is two steps ahead in the game, catching Jaskier by using a trap made with his own words. Bollocks.]
You told me I've never said a word about being more than friends with him, and I explained why: because we are not. He's just my best friend and muse. And above anything else, what I've got the most interest in is not to lose that friendship. Is it too much to ask you to simply accept that as my answer?
Hmm...I mean, I feel like it should be our duty to sample these things. Not so much out of a love of chocolate, but a love of culture! Exploring all kinds of new cuisines and expanding our horizons in the process~
But sadly, experimentation has to take a back seat to practicality. I don't have the coffers of a noble here, and I've been feeling the pinch. And I'm sure you're not made of money yourself. So I guess we can't just sample everything we're curious about, as tempting as it is...
I have to say, I've always associated being someone's muse as being a particularly romantic thing, if only because romantic love tends to stir up the turbulent waters of the soul much more deeply than even the deepest friendship. I mean, I'm sure it's not a rule, but it's just something I've observed with the artists of various stripes I've known.
Why would you bring up losing that friendship, though? Are you worried that's a possibility? If it were suggested your feelings for him might be more than platonic, perhaps? I won't insist that's the case, of course, but I will insist that such a deep and abiding friendship as yours couldn't possibly crumble over something like that, whether or not it was true. So I'd lay that particular fear to rest, if that is in fact a fear you have.
[More wait between replies. Claude better get used to the idea that Jaskier will ignore half of the things he says and won't be replying as quickly as usual today, because he's hitting his emotions in all the right places. To be honest, he would be having more success getting information out of Jaskier if they were face to face - the panicking and the flailing wouldn't let him control his words. But through text? He has time to think and plan what he's going to say accordingly.
(It's not necessarily working well for him, but hey, let him have the illusion of having at least some control of this situation.)]
Why does it matter? Are you asking because of what happened during our meeting? Was your flirting not merely jesting after all? You don't need my permission - we have a casual agreement, and Geralt does casual as well. He isn't interested in me if that's what is stopping you. Go for it.
[It makes is stomach turn, to write such a thing. Which is new, because he usually doesn't care if Geralt has flings - in Yennefer's case, he dislikes her for who she is and how her meetings with the witcher usually end up. He supposes handing a lover he's rather fond of to the witcher is what making things extra awkward... or simply writing he isn't interested in me is what hurts the most.]
I think you're just making a mountain out of a molehill. Everybody has massive decisions to make. And hell, maybe it's worse just being in charge of a battalion. Think about it -- our decisions are going to weigh on you in the end. If we make a bad call, it goes back to Dimitri, who made a bad call as well by putting me in that role.
I think it's apples to oranges in the end, but there are some similarities. And there is a lot of weight that comes with any position like that.
Of course not! That was just playful banter. Sometimes flirting is fun even if you have no intentions to follow up on it - especially when you've got a nice juicy opening for some innuendo. I'm sure you can appreciate that. But after having seen the two of you together...no, there's no way I could possibly consider it, even if you give me permission. Whether or not you or he have realized it yet, I see way too much potential between the two of you to step in between.
But I really don't think it's possible that you don't see it, too. You're too romantic and astute a man to have something like that under your nose and not catch so much as a whiff. So between this baffling act of ignorance and your unusually reticent attitude...I can only conclude this is a very sore subject. So I have to ask again - is this heartbreak or longing? A once was or a has yet to be? Because if it's the former, I can offer a sympathetic ear and as much alcohol as I can afford. If it's the latter, though....well, I can still offer a sympathetic ear, but I can also offer encouragement. I see plenty of room for hope.
Mostly, huh? That's not too bad, but it still seems pretty far from ideal.
Anyway, don't think I haven't noticed you've switched to writing all formally. I don't know if that's from the gravity of the subject or if it's a sign of your mental state, but either way, I feel like maybe I'm doing something wrong if you're not able to relax like you normally do.
So, want to talk about something less unpleasant? I shouldn't be brooding over this stuff anyway, much less burdening other people with it.
Experimenting and trying new things is my bread and butter, but you're correct, my dear new friend! I sadly don't have the coin to try them all just yet. How about we each choose one? I shall go for mint, because that's a name I recognize, so my curiosity has been piqued! What could come out from the combination of a pair of such opposite flavors~? Tell me your choice and I shall report the results of this experiment later!
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