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[vrdantwind]

"Hey, this is Claude! Pretty sure I'm doing this correctly. You can leave me a message here, and I'll get to it as soon as I can. Talk to you soon~."

Comments

[nastyboy]

[Dimitri's face could melt marshmallows.]

It was - our first kiss - [Technically their third, but who's counting] - and I was starting to get... far too passionate, I think.

[nastyboy]

I think... the book will be fine.

[Dimitri lets loose a long, slow breath, before he lets his eye shut.]

Thank you, Claude. I love you.

[rollstoseduce]

He hated me from the moment he saw me, so excuse me for doubting my personality or his preemptive defense have anything to do with it. [A snort.] You? Refusing to read into people's actions? Well, color me surprised.

[He wants to say more - he should say more, but again, he's aware he's playing with fire. Anything else he may say has the potential to be used against him.

And now it's Jaskier's turn to cock an eyebrow at Claude for that comment.] As much as I appreciate the sentiment, my dear, please also don't offend any witcher that may show up and isn't so important to me. They deserve better.

[Well, perhaps not all of them, he's heard some nasty stuff about the Cats... but the point still stands.

Claude's question is a difficult one, a question that has spawned more than one argument. Jaskier sighs as he stares at the empty mug in his hands, lost in thought for a moment. So much to say about it, where to begin? What would count as breaking Geralt's trust? As much as he sings about the witcher, Jaskier still hasn't actually put any secrets in his songs. But some things should be well understood by the people, he thinks, in order for Geralt to have a better life.]

Because he thinks it's what he deserves. He may not be a human but I promise you, there's more humanity in him than in both of us combined.

[The thing about Jaskier is that he's very prone to emotional whiplash - he can go from one mood to the other in seconds. And he does exactly that right now, serious face beaming as it looks up at the mention of--] A gift? For me?

[He grabs the Pokéball and releases... a cute little red guy that now stands in the middle of the table, showing off his sparkly color for them as his antennae hit each other to produce the music Claude mentioned. Jaskier laughs and claps his hands together, delighted as he can be.]

Oh, listen to him! A little living percussion box! And he sparkles, too! Don't think I don't know how rare those are. We shall make lots of music together, my new friend. [The Kricketot nods with a happy chirp before Jaskier sends him back to his Pokéball, followed by leaning over the table again to peck Claude's cheek.] Thank you, darling. I must say, such a gift deserves proper compensation. [Wink~] I think you should get extra pickings at the store.

[bestswordmaster]

claude.
does dimitri actually think I'm attractive.
he keeps
I don't know.
backing off?
but then he said something that did not seem very
dimitri
so I'm starting to think he didn't mean it
the way it sounded.
or is he afraid of me?

[vrdantwind]

They have broad ranges where I'm from, and are somewhat territorial in that they don't tend to live in groups. They don't come too much into conflict if territories overlap unless food is scarce, though.

Their primary use is mounted battle, yes, although obviously people use them for things like travel and carrying messages as well. Naturally the prevalence of what they're used for depends on, say, how much conflict a region is experiencing - they can be and are put to more peaceful use in peaceful times.

Tamed wyverns are considered extremely valuable, even more so than horses, simply because of how versatile a flying mount can be. That said, they're also considerably more resource-heavy to keep, and have a much more intensive training process, than either horses or pegasi. You usually find some wyvern-riders in any army or militia, but there aren't many places in the world so well provided for that they can maintain a lot of wyverns at once. Most militias will rarely have more than half a dozen for an entire noble's territory, and as for a country's army, there may only be a single company of them.

[vrdantwind]

Is it still too much if I want you to get that passionate with me...? [Claude leans a little closer, eyes roaming over Dimitri's face.]

[vrdantwind]

[Even though the words are by no means unexpected under the circumstances, Claude melts nonetheless, giving Dimitri a soft smile that the man won't even see.] I love you too, نور چشمم.

[The words are completely unfamiliar, obviously Almyran.]

[vrdantwind]

Oh, come on. [Claude gives him a faint smile.] Do you think I'd want to offend other witchers just because they aren't special to you? I just meant I especially don't want to upset someone you care about, not that that's the only reason I care to avoid it.

As for thinking he doesn't deserve to be considered human...he sounds a lot like Dimitri in that. I don't know what brought on that level of self-loathing in him, but I haven't seen anything to suggest he deserves any less than anyone else. He's on the surly, unsociable side, but so what? So is Felix. As was Dimitri, for a time. That doesn't mean he's not a good man who deserves as much kindness as he'll sit still for.

[Still, they can't talk about Geralt all day, and Claude is happy enough to shift to lighter topics. He grins with clear pleasure at Jaskier's delight with his gift.] Well, I certainly won't complain about being able to get more fun things to play with today, but I do wonder if that isn't you just treating yourself as much as me. [He winks.] After all, I think we'll both get use out of whatever haul we come away with, won't we?

[vrdantwind]

First of all, and without needing any further information, yes.

Second, he keeps backing off because he's easily embarrassed, nervous about messing things up, and also overly proper. It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he's a fun combination of "doesn't know how to", "convinced he'll screw it up", and "surely it's loutish behavior to even think lustful thoughts about someone before we're married". Come on, you know Dimitri better than anyone, I'm surprised you need me to tell you this.

So he's definitely not afraid of you. Or, even if he is to some infinitesimal degree, it's nothing compared to how afraid he is of himself. He's a man who grew up feeling like everything he touches gets destroyed, and I don't think that only applies to weapons. He's had plenty of bad luck in other areas, too.

That said, I'm curious what he said that sounded uncharacteristic of him. Care to share?

[vrdantwind]

Aww, poor Inda! You guys comforted her, right?

But man, that sounds completely ridiculous...and somehow perfect for you two. I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

Which ring did Seteth grab, by the way?

[bestswordmaster]

[Felix manages not to curse aloud at his Gear when he surreptitiously reads the reply as he and Dimitri walk through the snow.]

ugh.
I know all that.
but
I've seen the way he looks at you.
he doesn't look at me like that.
saints this sounds so juvenile.
he just
we were skating on the pond
and he made a "joke" that didn't seem like a joke
about how I spent a decade not standing too close to him
so one of us should slow down
I know he thinks he's going to ruin something
but I TOLD him he wouldn't
I told him a lot of things
that he doesn't seem to believe.
suppose I can't blame him.
anyway the uncharacteristic thing was
ugh I don't want to tell you
but then you'll say
felix you asked me for advice
now you have to tell me everything.

[bestswordmaster]

as if sylvain could go a day without being disgustingly adorable and smothering her.
it was ridiculous.
and perfect.
he grabbed mine.
I mean the one I bought.
and sylvain ran after him.
I didn't even see him.
just inda with the other one.

[nastyboy]

[Oh, shoot.]

I... think so, yes. We have only so recently agreed to any of this, and... It is too much, isn't it?

[vrdantwind]

Have you considered the fact that I've been shameless and enticing and also dressed up in front of him, and you haven't done that nearly as much, if at all? Of course you haven't seen him react to you the way he reacts to me, you aren't me and you don't do the same things I do. But that doesn't equal a lack of attraction.

That said, there is a genuine question of whether he's trying to take things slow with you because he thinks you deserve...shall we say a thorough, proper wooing? Or whether he wants to take things slow because he feels awkward and uncertain himself. It could actually be a little of both. It wouldn't hurt to ask him, especially if you're worried.

Also, I don't actually have to say anything if you're going to provide my lines for me. So why not get to the part where you tell me anyway?

[vrdantwind]

So...I guess you could say Seteth gave you away to your future husband, huh?

[vrdantwind]

If it's something we both want, why is it too much? [Claude raises his eyebrows.] Who are you holding yourself back for, if not for me and not for yourself?

[bestswordmaster]

I hadn't considered that.
but I did skate with him.
he said it was 'beautiful.'
which is what you say about a painting
not someone you want to
be intimate with.
I don't know.
he wants to take it slow because
it's my fault we kept our distance for so long.
and he doesn't want me to push him away.
but I told him I wouldn't.
I did ask him but his answer sounded vague.
hey!
that doesn't ALWAYS happen.
but I don't feel like enduring your nagging.
he invited himself back to my room basically.
in a way that sounded
suggestive.
but now I'm not sure he knew what he was saying.

[bestswordmaster]

[The response takes a minute or two to arrive, mostly because it took Felix a bit to get it and then he had to complain aloud about it to Sylvain.]

I hate you.

[vrdantwind]

Sunshine. Seriously? You're looking for excuses to be insecure now. That's just how Dimitri talks. He's not going to say 'hey, sexy' like Sylvain - you know that, right? You're not so used to Sylvain that you've forgotten Dimitri uses much more formal language and isn't going to be shamelessly direct no matter if he's thinking the same kinds of things or not, right?

You are beautiful. And handsome, and sexy, and gorgeous, and a bunch of other words that mean 'physically attractive'. Only some of those are ones Dimitri is likely to use, though. You're reading way too much into this because you're working yourself up worrying. Take some deep breaths, okay? I think maybe you're as nervous as he is, and this is just your weird way of showing it.

I kind of doubt that he said it was your fault you kept your distance from him. Both because I really doubt he'd place the blame on you, and because I know he blames himself. So I feel like what he actually said is coming through a filter of bias from you, and I can't quite trust your report to be accurate here. So I'm not going to comment on that. Instead...you know telling Dimitri something will be fine doesn't mean he can just instantly relax, right? Anxiety isn't always easy to stamp out. I didn't really expect any of you to treat me badly when I told you I was Almyran, but even knowing that, I was a mess when the time came. Sylvain is still anxious during blizzards even though Miklan's long dead and he knows it, and we can't just make that go away with words.

Obviously, that doesn't mean we can't make those things better, or work through them despite the anxiety. I'm just saying that you shouldn't think "well, I told him it was fine so that should fix it". It's rarely that simple. You may need to work with him, reassure him, show him it's fine as well as tell him to help him through it...or maybe he just needs time to work through it himself. Or both. But he may still be going through it, with verbal reassurance only going so far.

I will say, if he was just saying to go slow and then invited himself back to your room, he probably meant it innocently even if it wound up accidentally suggestive. But that doesn't mean you can't...gently encourage things in a certain direction. Try not to push him too hard - I know you're pretty aggressive about things normally, but you may need to try for a lighter hand if he's already uncertain and awkward. That's going to mean patience, which I know isn't your strongest suit, but I also know that you'd do just about anything for Dimitri. So consider how to make him feel comfortable and self-assured enough that he'd be willing to push the boundaries of how far and how fast he thinks he should be taking things with you. If he's feeling confident, and you're encouraging him, and he's all wrapped up in how attractive you are...he'll be a lot more willing to experiment with what is and isn't okay to try.

[bestswordmaster]

why would I look for excuses to
never mind.
you can't say everyone gets nervous and then say I'm being weird.
I know just saying things doesn't work.
I'm not you.
I don't know how to say things in the first place.
I thought I could show him with
this
but if he won't let me then idk how else to do it.
maybe the decade of not standing too close to him is getting to me too.
I don't know how to do any of that and you know it.
I have been patient.
I lost the last of my patience just now.
anyway I have to go.
we're back at the house.

[nastyboy]

[And just like that, Dimitri has his eye open again, trying to shift his head to look up properly at Claude.]

Was that Almyran? What did you say? I have never heard it before.

[Srengese, yes, he can understand that, but anything else...]

[nastyboy]

Is it not for us? [He's starting to look a little perturbed, now.] A relationship should be... It is important. Especially so early on...

[lovelybottom]

Resource-heavy. You've a talent for understatement. The feeding requirements alone for a creature of that size would be immense, to say nothing of space and other specialized care. You mentioned selective breeding, so there must also be facilities for incubating the eggs and raising the hatchlings until they're grown enough to be safely integrated. I doubt you know the particulars of hatching? I know of no successful attempts, nor of anyone who has observed it in the wild. A firsthand account would be useful.

[vrdantwind]

[Claude chuckles, smiling at him. There's a slight flush to his cheeks, evidently of self-consciousness.]

Yes, it's Almyran. And roughly translated...well, it means something like "the light of my eyes".

[Rip in rest, Dimitri.]

[nastyboy]

[Oh. It's very possible to feel Dimitri go boneless against Claude's shoulder, even as he tries to hide his face against it. Ignore the slight bump of Kent.]

...If I can live up to such a name...