vrdantwind | IC Inbox

Oh, that's no problem at all! I bet he'd have fun spending the day with you. And I can't wait to meet his progeny, whenever your egg from him hatches!

Dimitri in particular will be so proud. He gave Sicily to me, you know. He actually picked him up as a Deerling and carried him on a three-day hike just to hand him to me. As in, he carried him in his arms. Didn't even think to use a ball until afterwards. So he's basically Sicily's second dad.

Hah! A fun theory, but not likely. He's totally gone on Sylvain, remember? I doubt he cares what I get up to. [And is there just the tiniest whiff of wistfulness in the way Claude words that? Maybe. His tone's light enough, so Jaskier may have to do some reading into things if he wants to catch it. Of course, being a bard of a romantic bent, it's just the sort of thing Jaskier might indeed read into...especially after Claude's defending Felix in a manner similar to Jaskier's defending Geralt. Jaskier may see the parallels between more than just Felix and Geralt here.

And surely he'd love to have a little counter-ammunition against Claude.

Claude hums thoughtfully at Jaskier's questions while the other man potentially chews that matter over, however.] I wouldn't say intentionally fake - certainly not with you. Shall we say...curated? I don't think you're trying to trick people, or be false - I think you, as a performer and a romantic, naturally want to present a certain image. The most polished, attractive side of yourself. Most people do that, of course, but I think a performer is going to be even more inclined than most. As for myself... [He smiles.] I won't say I try to be fake, either, but as someone with quite a few secrets, I definitely pick and choose what to reveal, what to let people see. I let as much of my real self through as I can without compromising anything, of course, because - well, why wouldn't I? It's easier and a lot more pleasant to be able to be genuine when I can. But even that comes through a filter of calculation, of risk/reward assessments. So both of us - to some degree we pick, choose, polish what we show the world. And sometimes that may mean outright lies and concealment - whether it's to deceive others, protect ourselves, or both. The two aren't exactly mutually exclusive things.

But Felix...he hardly ever does that. A lot of times what he shows or what comes out of his mouth, he doesn't even think about first, and then sometimes he gets to regret it later. Not exactly on the same spectrum as people like us.

[He pauses, then laughs.] Well, I guess he does do some dissembling of his own. He'll often get prickly or angry to hide the softer parts of him - because he wants to protect himself, too. Though I'm not sure I'd call that anything less than genuine, since irritation and anger are his go-to response for most things...including feeling vulnerable.

[He waves a hand, though, as if to casually dismiss Felix as a subject of conversation. (Whether or not Jaskier allows this if he smells something juicy is up for debate.)] Really, it sounds as there's not a single aspect of life, however minor, that being a witcher doesn't impact in some way. I'd never treat them as any different - certainly not any less - than human, but considering that it seems like every aspect of their lives is altered from how non-witchers experience it, I can almost understand why people think of them as something other. It sounds like there's barely any similarities between how witchers and non-witchers perceive the world...even something as simple as the way they taste things is totally foreign to us, and vice versa. It must be an incredibly difficult life...

[There's nothing but thoughtfulness and sympathy in Claude's words. He's speculating, but observing the massive gulf of difference between witchers and non-witchers doesn't seem to bring out any divisiveness in him. Not surprising, really, since Claude has made no secret of embracing differences between people.]

Unfortunately, I think s'mores are probably overly sweet for a witcher, between the chocolate and the marshmallow, so we may not be able to share this treat with him. But you can be the judge, if you have an idea as to his tastes. [He smiles at Jaskier.] And I suppose we could try them over something not a campfire, but they can be a little messy. The marshmallows here undergo some amazing transformations when you apply heat. We'd have to be careful.

hey beautiful
2 questions
when r u free 2 go shopping n when r u free 2 go on a date ;)

Edited 2021-01-23 07:20 (UTC)

For a gorgeous man like yourself? My schedule is your oyster to open up. ;)

So the shopping and the date will be two separate outings? What are we shopping for?

bet i could open up ur legs like that 2 ;)))))

two diff outings
and uhh

[It actually takes a little bit for Sylvain to respond to this fully.]

promise you won't laugh?

Oh for you they're always open~ ;D

Also, I promise I won't laugh. I make no promises about grinning uncontrollably.

ugh.
i've just been thinking since we talked during that blizzard. and even if it doesn't happen right away -- i really need to talk to you guys about how it would even work, all things considered but...
i think i want to get felix a ring.
like. that kind of ring.

Now that's nothing to laugh about! It's something to be incredibly happy about.

At least, unless you're planning on breaking up with me once you guys get hitched, in which case me helping you pick out a ring for the end of our relationship feels maybe a touch gauche.

[He's kidding...mostly. He doesn't think that Felix and Sylvain getting married would mean they suddenly lose interest in himself and Dimitri and Grant; they've been wildly in love with each other this whole time and still wanted their beautiful polyamorous confusion they're all currently in. Also, Sylvain literally did just ask him on a date.

But...a small part of him is still nervous, all the same. Especially with Sylvain saying he wants to talk to them all about 'how it would even work', as though it working at all is hardly a foregone conclusion.]

ok i've done a lot of tacky things throughout the course of my long and difficult life.
but even that is too much for me.
i just want to make sure we are all on the same page and that no one is going to have any hurt feelings if felix and i were to...
you know...

i'm worried that people might think i love them less? i don't know if that's true or not but i do know that for all of my life, there has always been felix fraldarius and i think that sylvain fraldarius is the kind of man i want to be.

I mean, I figured! It was just a joke. You're a lot sweeter and more considerate than that and I know it, Sylvain, don't worry.

Anyway, I've been a vocal supporter of the two of you for awhile - including in this, as you know. Provided it won't deprive me of either of you, or change anything between us, I don't see why I wouldn't celebrate it just as wholeheartedly now as when I was just cheering on two close friends from the sidelines.

I guess in an ideal world we could just marry as many people as we love, right? But you and Felix share a special bond that's too sweet for me to even feel jealous of. If you have to pick only one person, it should be him. You guys are like two halves that were always meant to fit together. However special to you guys Dimitri and Grant and I are - and I can believe that's very special - I don't think we quite complete either of you like you do each other.

yes it's dirk strider

he seems like a shady person on the outside but inside he's very sweet and kind and responsible

when i was in love with someone here and torn up because i have a fiance back home that i care about too (our parents arranged it) he gave me really good advice about what to do

also mr solus is his best friend here and he's living at his house while his leg is broken and i'm helping him (mr solus) because i can't go on the road to do the kanto gyms with cassandra until the thief cats and the stupid bats are gone

[It's not a lie. He's his best friend and his boyfriend, just like Connie was her best friend and her girl friend.]

but yeah snorunts can curse you

it might be my fault we're all cursed because i caught one looking up my skirt so i kicked it

anyway, thank you for thinking i'm good and i guess i might be the best person back home to fight big mobs like that but when it comes to smaller groups i'm actually outclassed these days

Edited (TOO MANY TYPOS) 2021-01-23 19:16 (UTC)

see i know you know but i still have to say it.
i worry. i don't know if you realize but i have a lot of experience in breaking hearts ;)
so don't mind me if i overthink it. the last thing i want to do is hurt any of you.

but yeah it isn't to say that i don't want to marry any of you ever. it's just... felix is... felix. my best friend. you and dimitri and grant know a lot of what i have been through, but Fe lived it. and of course there's all our promises.

i'm not trying to rank anyone here but. i don't know. there just aren't words for him.

Well! Glad to hear my gift went to a deserving individual, then. Shame about his leg. Maybe I should send him another gift for while he's laid up...

I hope everything worked out with the fiance and the other person you fell for, though. From my own personal experience, it's possible to love more than one person...although whether or not you can pursue more than one relationship kind of depends on the people involved.

Well, can't say I blame you for the kicking if the Snorunt was being that cheeky! Although I'm surprised pokémon would care about that kind of thing. I'm sorry you got such a backlash, though. Hopefully all those miserable things pass relatively soon.

And hey, I know a good fighter when I see one. There was actually a war on back home, so I've seen plenty of fighting. Granted, only a few brave souls are out there fighting people with weapons with their fists...but the ones that are, almost nobody can touch them. You've got to be tough for that. And who cares if you're more crowd control than a one-on-one duelist? Everyone's got their specialties. You're not a lesser fighter just for not excelling in every area simultaneously. It sounds like the people you're comparing yourself to would be just as lost trying to fight big groups like you do as you might be trying to fight the one-on-one battles they do.

I get it, Sylvain. I do. And as long as I still get to have the two of you, my heart's going to be just fine.

Besides, I want to see Sylvain Fraldarius become a reality. Even if you could and did somehow marry the rest of us, I think your home would still be with him, so it only makes sense he'd go first. ;)

Now, back to the ring! You want to go jewelry shopping, right? Do you have any idea what you're looking for?

ok ok just as long as you understand.

i'm still kicking around ideas. it can't be too out there -- he doesn't like flashy things like that. nothing to obtrusive either, it has to be able to fit neatly on his hand and not interrupt his sword work. the metal should probably be pretty sturdy too -- can't have it getting damaged while he's training.

i was... thinking something silver. it's less gaudy usually, and would probably go with his complexion more anyway. besides, it's still pretty nontraditional, right? and what are we doing if not breaking every tradition there is in the book.

should it have a gem in it? part of me says no because that's pretty feminine, but then most guys don't wear engagement rings period, so maybe that's just backward thinking. either way, it would have to be inlaid for all the above reasons.

my fiance is still back home and my friend (who was my girlfriend for a little while) went home too, but for a little while it worked out

dirk pointed out that ranma (my fiance) might never show up here and if connie (my girlfriend) disappeared i would regret not telling her my feelings and he was right that i don't regret telling her before she disappeared and ranma was only here ever for a weird weekend

anyway

that does make me feel better what you said about me not being a lesser fighter, even if *ranma* probably can do everything, but ranma's ridiculous like that

everyone else we know does have specialties and no one *else* was raised since they were two to be the greatest martial artist that ever lived

also i think sending dirk another present would be very nice for him! he likes horses and stuffed toys and anime and puppets and flat orange soda and wearing shades to "be cool" and he doesn't like sleeves or red meat or the ocean

Edited (being ambiguous about ranma's nouns) 2021-01-24 21:41 (UTC)

So, we're looking for a pretty slender ring - nothing chunky. This world doesn't have mythril, but platinum's not a bad alternative in terms of something that's hard to damage. It's a silvery metal, too.

That said, Felix might choose to wear his ring on a necklace or something, to avoid its being in the line of fire in the first place, so it might not be a bad idea to give him a nice strong chain to go with it.

That said, like you said, this is nontraditional to begin with. I don't know if there are a lot of 'traditional' men's engagement rings. But wedding bands are gold, right? Engagement rings made of something else doesn't seem that odd.

Personally, I think if you want gems, then you'd be better off with a bunch of little ones than one single big one. Especially if they're going to be inlaid anyway. They could have some sort of pattern that way, and be understated in a way a single big stone can't really be. Buuuut you don't exactly sound sold on gems yet. Still, let's follow that possibility for now and see where it leads - if you were going to get Felix a gem, or gems, what kind would they be? What color?

sometimes it's real creepy when you read my mind
other times, like now, it's very charming.
i can't see him wearing it on his hand all the time, though i get the feeling he would try
he'd always want it on him though
he's just. like that.
so a chain would be perfect.
again though, nothing too gaudy so it has to be a metal that can be sturdy without being too thick.

mm. kinda wouldn't mind avoiding gold altogether. i know it's "traditional" but honestly it's just...
too regal.
but hell felix could ask for a ring made out of leather and a shoestring and i would get it for him.

see gems are kind of like flower languages so id have to double check meanings here but.
i dont know part of me wants to say something red. something that's very... me. a piece of me wherever he goes.
you think its too much to have something engraved on the inside?

Some people are just good at everything and it's kind of unfair. But there aren't many people like that, so all we can do is accept that we're good in the areas we are good in, and that most people have their weaknesses the same as we do.

Boy, this guy Dirk's got some interesting likes and dislikes. What's anime?

[Oh god.]

Just as much of a romantic sap as any of us even if he hates admitting it, you mean? I know. And I'm sure you're right - he'd never just put it down. He'd want to keep it on him, always.

A thick chain doesn't have to mean gaudy, though. We're not talking something that will clank when he walks. Just something nice and robust.

I think you're right, though. Silver - or at least something that looks like it - suits Felix better.

Also, Sylvain. Look me in my eyes. :| Do you think Felix gives even a sliver of a damn about gem meanings? If you told him stones meant things, he'd probably just be like "they're just rocks, they don't have MEANINGS". I mean, if you coordinated some beautiful gemstone meanings for him and you told them to him, he'd absolutely fall apart, but it'd be because of you and your romantic gestures touching him, not because he cares about made-up gem language. Long story short - if you can work some nice meanings into what you already want to give him anyway, knock yourself out, but I wouldn't let that sort of thing dictate your decisions.

I think red would be perfect. The ring should make him think of you just looking at it, and something that calls to mind that fiery hair of yours would probably make him smile whenever he looked at it. I wouldn't discount the possibility of something warm and honey-colored, either - something that's like looking into your eyes.

that's the point claude. i want him to know that i've spent all the hours i have trying to find him a ring that says just how deeply i love him.
you only propose once
maybe. we might be the exception to that considering our four way situation but the point still stands that you only propose to a single person once.
ideally
i keep pointing holes in my logic.
anyway.

i have one chance to get this right for him.

... but you're right. colors that are more me would be more fitting. something like a citrine, on either side of a garnet, maybe?

Calm down. I know I tend to babble and overthink when I'm nervous, and I get the feeling that's what you're doing right now. It's going to be fine. And you definitely won't need to propose more than once to Felix.

Whatever ring you get for him will be beautiful. And, let's face it, that's going to be the full extent to which Felix can appreciate it as far as its being a ring goes. He doesn't know or care about jewelry. What he knows and cares about is you. So what'll give the ring meaning to him will be what it signifies, what - or rather who - it makes him think of, how you present it, and the meaning you tell him you put behind it. You are going to determine the meaning of the ring for him; the ring's not going to send some other message to him, whatever it is. Don't worry about him reading anything into it other than what you put there.

Whatever ring you choose is going to be the right ring for him. Not just because you're the one who's going to give it its meaning, but because you know Felix so well that I think you'd have to work harder to get it wrong than right. If anyone can find the perfect ring for him, it's you.

Red and something honey-colored are the two colors I'd immediately associate with you, so I think those would be pretty perfect as options, yes. And a definite yes to the engraving, too. Any thoughts on what you'd want it to say?...or maybe I should just ask if you've decided for sure, since I suppose you must have some ideas for words already to bring it up at all.

mmmmaybe
maybe i should just stop talking about it and actually get out and start looking.
only going to work myself up if i keep going on like this you know.

mm. think it would be stupid if i found a way to work a dusk stone or two in there? between the warmer colors?
... the first pokemon i heard about here -- the first one i caught, actually, was that sword thing. honedge. i thought of felix from the get go. probably would have named it after him if, well.

if fe himself hadn't shown up. no question that it would be given to him, you know.
just seems emblematic of our new life here.

... ah, that's probably too much. anyway, for the engraving i want it to say something like...
mm.
"stick together, die together." or maybe just "together until death."

i've told you about the promise we made, right?

Well, we're going out together to look, right? You're not just going to rush off on your own all spur of the moment. Don't let your anxiety work you up so much that you forget you invited me shopping.

As for the Dusk Stones, I wouldn't think you were stupid. But I don't know how well
- or how commonly - those things are worked into jewelry. And the more specific you get with the stones, the more likely you're going to need to custom-order something because you won't find anything already made that fits what you're looking for. Not that that's necessarily an obstacle, but you'll need to take that into consideration as a factor. It'll mean a longer turnaround time on actually getting a ring, too.

The main question would be whether you want him to be able to use the Dusk Stone or not. Those evolution stones just sort of crumble away to nothing after they've been used, so he can't use anything you work into his ring without sacrificing part of his design. Mind you, if you're just using it as an aesthetic element, you don't need to worry about that...

Hah. Why not just go full bore and go with "till death do us part"?

But no, what's this promise of yours?

I am not *against* spice, but this is too much for me. I'd say I could save it for you, but it's already been opened and bitten, and I don't know when we'll get to meet. Bollocks, I hate throwing food away.

I must say, however - impressive on your part to find your beloved spice even in a picture.

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