vrdantwind | IC Inbox

"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~."

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From:

rollstoseduce

Indeed, it was a stunning ensemble for a stunning performance. I got all those nobles to sing, dance and clap along to one of my bawdy jigs that I'd usually save for taverns. Unless we assume they didn't understand what "pulling at my horn as it raises in the morn" really means.

[He doubts it. He'd rather think he's so good he made those stuck-up arses sing along to a dirty song. But hey, gotta joke a little.

And yes, of course he knew about buttercups being poisonous, it's one of the many reasons why he chose the name. But he can't say that and risk Claude asking him what his real name is, so let's leave half of that story out of this.]

Oh, believe me, I knew. Many a reason I have to love my name, and that's one of them. Isn't it poetic irony? Beautiful and innocent, alluring with its color and catching those that underestimated it by surprise? I thank you for the compliment, my friend, but buttercups being one of your favorite flowers says a lot about you as well.

You're right, I didn't get a good look at your outfit! These "screens" are small and I was too distracted by your handsome face. Why don't you send me a picture of it? Claude and yellow, two delightful things put together for something beyond pretty.

[Attached comes a new pic: Jaskier wearing a yellow scarf and winking for the camera.]

From:

vrdantwind

[It's too bad this is a text conversation, or Jaskier would be treated to the burst of bright laughter his little story gets from Claude.]

Okay, the idea of a bunch of nobles singing merrily along to a song like that? Sir, I don't say this lightly, but you're my new personal hero.

I'm curious what you think my liking buttercups does say about me, now that you've said that. Care to share?

As for pictures...you know, I haven't taken one of myself before? But I think I know how it works. Let me see if I can get one of my pokémon to operate the camera, so you can get a full view...

That scarf is perfection, by the way. Blue and yellow - or gold, which sometimes serves as an excellent stand-in - is one of my favorite color combinations.

From:

vrdantwind

[Several minutes pass.]

From:

vrdantwind

[Finally, Jaskier gets a picture. It's of Claude, standing back enough from his camera that Jaskier can see the full details of his outfit from home. As promised, yellow is the most prominent accent color.]

Congratulations, you have the honor of being the first person to ever receive a picture of me. This is my riding outfit from back home, you know. Obviously you need something kind of practical when you're shooting bows and riding wyverns, but when you're leading a country you have to look the part at least a little, too.

From:

rollstoseduce

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!

From:

vrdantwind

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.

From:

rollstoseduce

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.

From:

rollstoseduce

[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.

From:

vrdantwind

Ah, alas, certain warming methods are restricted by physical proximity. Otherwise I'd be happy to have you show me more efficient methods~.

[And then...Jaskier breaks out that poem. And oh, Claude likes this one. It's deeply evocative, and it rings true. Jaskier's poems about him thus far (of which there has been, admittedly, only one other) have been short, casual affairs, pleasant but not necessarily heavy on effort or meaning. But this one cuts deeper.]

Verses that powerful crafted from my words? I'm genuinely honored. And I'm not the world's most humble man, so the extent of my honor is in direct proportion to your skill at your craft.

I'd be happy to reward an offering like that with any talk of pegasi or wyverns you'd care to hear! Though I'm much more of an expert on the latter than the former, I should warn you right now.

From:

rollstoseduce

[Since Claude doesn't seem to mind the font change, Jaskier sticks to it. He's very grateful to the girls for their help, but some things must be done in a more classic style, especially when he's flirting with a fellow that appreciates nice aesthetics.

Jaskier isn't humble either, no matter how many times he sings the line "when a humble bard" in Toss A Coin, so here comes the ego.]

If we take my skill as measurement then your honor is a magnificent thing, and therefore so is your compliment. If the soul that inspired the poem is satisfied, then we shall consider it a successful one. [And that obviously doesn't apply to his friendship with Geralt. Because... reasons.]

I want to hear it all! Wyverns are monstrous beasts to be hunted in my world, the mere idea of taming them is laughable. I've got songs about them, but they talk about Geralt slaying them, so I think I'll skip those when I finally get to sing for you face to face. And pegasi don't even exist! They're creatures of legend! I want to hear it all! Because if I'm understanding this correctly, you've flown, my friend. FLOWN! Like the birds themselves! What a marvelous experience that must be!

From:

vrdantwind

Yeah...I can understand if wyverns are really different in your world, but I admit songs about wyvern-slaying aren't really going to hit the right notes with me when I've had one as a companion ever since I was a little kid.

But I've definitely flown. Up, down, upside down, to all sorts of places. Your world doesn't have any way to do that? That's a shame. It seems like people are able to fly on pokémon here, so...how about we make a date for me taking you flying, once I've got a suitable ride? There has to be an incredible song in the first experience of seeing the horizon curving before you in every direction, wind rushing through your hair, a warm arm around your waist...

From:

rollstoseduce

Worry not, notes have been taken: no wyvern-slaying songs for you, that's a promise. The mental image of little you with a wyvern is terrifying yet adorable, I must confess.

Sadly, we do not. I believe some mages are capable of levitating, but their favorite mode of transportation is portals. Indeed, I have heard about riding Pokémon and trust me, it's an experience I look forward to! It won't come soon enough! And I'd love nothing more than for you to show me how it's done - it'd be worth ten ballads, possibly more. What new experiences aren't improved by the finest company?

Meanwhile, however, I want to hear about *your* first time flying. Would you tell me all about it?

From:

vrdantwind

For what it's worth, baby wyverns from my world aren't very scary! I wonder if wyverns look the same between your world and mine, though...

And I can't wait to take you flying. I'm told that it's not just a matter of pokémon getting big enough to carry our weight, though - apparently they need to learn a certain move that helps them master the art of flying with a rider. And apparently that only comes from taking on the gym challenge they have here, and beating a certain gym leader in a pokémon battle. So sadly, I guess that day's a little ways off yet...

My first time flying...I think I was about seven years old. My country does start its riders young, but the training doesn't actually start until you - and your wyvern, if you've been raised alongside one - are ten years old. But I was impatient. I got some wonderful bruises falling off on takeoff, twice; wyverns don't make a graceful transition into flight from the ground. But the third time I managed to hold on, and we flew.

It was nighttime, so my parents wouldn't catch me, and every star in the world seemed to be overhead. Mori and I didn't go far, or high; we just circled the courtyard some. But I felt so much closer to the heavens than I'd ever been that I swear I could've reached out and touched them - that if I'd stretched my hand up, the stars would've scattered around my fingertips like ripples on a pond.

Not that I did, of course. I was clinging for dear life, since Mori wasn't big enough for a saddle and bridle yet. To say it's a miracle I didn't kill myself bareback wyvern riding at that age isn't too big of an exaggeration.

From:

rollstoseduce

I'm starting to believe they don't. If I have to guess, I'd say your wyverns look like something that belongs here, in this realm of Pokémon. Correct?

So have I heard as well! My Breeder manual says I can ask a Trainer that defeated the corresponding Gym for any riding movements I may require, so that's a thought for later. For now, I must prioritize catching and raising a Pokémon that can transport me in the first place.

Oh, I can picture it so clearly! Little Claude and little Mori, sneaking into the night to have their first adventure together! I would've been impatient as well - truth be told, I'm impressed you managed to wait until you were seven! What a precious story. Already pretty brave as a kid, weren't you? No wonder you dream so big as an adult now. I have no doubts those bruises were absolutely worth it - do you have any scars from that day?

Edited (forgot a word) Date: 2020-12-28 03:11 am (UTC)

From:

vrdantwind

Oh, no, not at all! They're big and scaly and look kind of like miniature dragons. They can be pretty intimidating as adults - they're usually around twenty feet long, and a wingspan to match. They've got flat yellow eyes and horns that kind of look like antlers, or branches. Teeth like an alligator's, and pretty big claws on their feet. And when they growl, it's like thunder you can feel in your chest.

Hatchlings, though...they're a lot cuter! Not too much different in looks, but when they're small it's all a lot less intimidating. They're usually pretty clingy, too, especially before they can fly, since they know they're pretty helpless. The noises they make when they're tiny are a lot cuter, too.

But yeah, there's nothing colorful or harmless or innocent about the looks of wyverns back home, not the way some pokémon here look. People who aren't familiar with wyverns tend to be nervous around them.

That said, I can't say I waited until I was seven before flying out of patience. I had to wait for Mori to be big and strong enough that he could get off the ground with me. Wyverns grow faster than humans, but not that much faster; they can live really long lives. So it's not just for the human's benefit that my people generally don't start riding before ten years old. But just like I thought I could handle a wyvern at that age, Mori was really eager to show me he could fly with me.

As for scars from that incident, no! Honestly, I got off a lot easier riding underage than I did with my parents when they found out about it...my mother's a terrifying woman when she's mad.

From:

rollstoseduce

That does sound incredibly similar to the wyverns in my world - the size, the teeth, the claws, the growl. We have a bit more variety in horns and some are scaly but a few have fur, too. I wonder if there truly is a difference in temperament, or my world simply didn't manage to domesticate them because of its default approach to beasts.

[Aka: killing them.]

He was as excited to fly and prove himself as you were! Oh, what a wonderful partnership, a bond to be envied!

From:

rollstoseduce

Where in this wide world can
man find nobility without pride,
friendship without envy or beauty
without vanity? Here, where
grace is laced with muscle, and
strength by gentleness confined.

He serves without servility; he has
fought without enmity. There is
nothing so powerful, nothing less
violent, there is nothing so quick,
nothing more patient.

From:

rollstoseduce

Claude... are you saying it was your mother that gave you scars?

[It may say something about him that he reached that conclussion.]

From:

vrdantwind

More inspired poetry...although it almost feels like a riddle, too, in a way, doesn't it?

Also, she didn't! But believe me, she could have if she'd wanted to. Do you know she once laid out a renowned warrior a head taller than she was with one punch? She doesn't mess around, my mother. And I was a wild kid, so I aggravated her enough and often enough that I definitely saw plenty of her temper. She never laid me out flat, but I made her mad enough sometimes that I worried about it!

[Said warrior was actually a general, and Claude's mother the woman that warlike Almyra - even despite his homeland's xenophobia and contempt for those with Fodlan blood - knows as the Demon Queen, but Claude can't exactly give those details.]

But no, my parents loved me well enough, so no need for that kind of concern. But because they knew exactly the sort of problems and opposition I'd face as someone of mixed race in my homeland, they never exactly coddled me. They knew however harsh they were, the rest of the world would be harsher still. They made sure I was tough enough to endure and bounce back from just about anything. I wouldn't say we're particularly close, as a result, but I respect both the necessity of what they did and the obvious effectiveness of the results it got. Not to mention how strong they both are themselves. My parents are tough as teak.

From:

rollstoseduce

A riddle? I admit I didn't think of it like that - but I do enjoy a good riddle. What disappears as soon as you say its name?

[The rest of the text takes a moment to arrive. It's hard to get a read from Claude sometimes - Jaskier is realizing how the guy plans his every word, knows exactly how much to say and how much not to, the court life of a duke obvious in every aspect of this pseudo-political play. And through text? It's worse. No facial expression to guide him.

He does believe Claude is a good guy, and he does believe in his dream. The picture he's presenting of his childhood, however, is unclear at best. Jaskier isn't sure he's in the mood to try to figure it out now, though, being in the middle of shopping as he is - which is an excuse not to admit how jealous he is of the loved him well enough and I respect them parts. So rolling with it for now it is, he can reread it and overanalyze it later.]

I'm glad to hear you found love in your parents while your childhood suffered from the bigotry problems we've discussed - they sound like honorable people I'd love to meet. I'm also happy to hear you got to be a wild kid even while in the middle of said problems! That's the only type of kid to be.

Is this where we compare anecdotes? I once put gold ink in my bath water because I wanted to look like my namesake.

From:

vrdantwind

Silence, of course. What's so fragile that it breaks when it's not held?

Gold ink? Talk about gilding the lily.

Okay, my best friend back home reacted weirdly to this story, so I'll preface it with the fact that I was totally fine and there's a trick to it that makes it not as bad as it sounds! Also, my mother thought it was a scream. Anyway, that said: my dad tied me to a horse once to help toughen me up.

[GEE, CLAUDE, I WONDER WHY HILDA WAS KIND OF HORRIFIED BY THAT STORY. The preface doesn't help!]

From:

rollstoseduce

[...

What.]

From:

rollstoseduce

[The riddle and the compliment go unnoticed - Jaskier is too busy rereading that last bit over and over, as if doing so could make it change into something a bit less horrifying. He can't even feel smug about his guess of Claude's childhood being more than it looked being right, this goes beyond strict noble parents. Not even Jaskier's own parents would allow something like it, and these are the people that allowed his tutors to educate him with a cane.

What really gets him, though, is Claude's attitude about the whole deal. Asshole parents he's heard about before, but Claude tells the story as if he was telling Jaskier about some silly prank he pulled on the servants. What the fuck is going on?]

Claude, I beg you - please tell me I'm misreading the tone of your message and you don't actually think this is a funny story to share so carefreely.

From:

vrdantwind

Damn. I hoped your world might be closer to my homeland's culture than Fodlan's, but I guess not!

But really, it is just a cultural difference thing. That's not unusual where I'm from. I'm what's unusual where I'm from. It might've been a little on the extreme side, but only because being half-Fodlan was going to mean double the challenges for me. Not every warrior back home has to be ready and able to take on any and every warrior of our people, because not every one of those warriors is going to hate him and be personally after him. I kind of did need to be ready for that sort of thing, though. And let's just say that the people who hated me back home weren't necessarily interested in playing fair, either. Like, you know, waiting for a kid to grow up before you try to kill him.

If tying a kid to a horse helps toughen him up in case a full-grown man decides to suddenly come at him with a blade the next week, it makes more sense to go to those kinds of extremes.

Although...I won't deny it might also have been to wear me out so I couldn't get in any more mischief for the day. Wouldn't be unlike my parents to kill two birds with one stone. And I was wild. Maybe I've been understating just how much.

From:

rollstoseduce

[The reply takes a while to arrive. Jaskier doesn't appreciate the way Claude is so dismissive about the subject, as if it wasn't a big deal... it reminds him a bit of Geralt and how he instantly accepts mutants shall be hated, his "witcher logic" as Jaskier likes to call it. And making that comparison in his head is what pushes him to re-read Claude's text.

Right. This isn't Claude's fault. Like the witchers, he was taught this is what he should endure merely for being who he is. Fuck.]

Corporal punishment towards children isn't unheard of in my world. There definitely are parents that feel entitled to educate their offspring that way. It worries me, however, how easily you accept it.

There is a fine line between training and torture, my friend. You shouldn't endure such treatment because of who you are. I assure you princes also grow up with the threat of assassination over their shoulders yet they aren't tied to horses.