Claude von Riegan

[A Pokegear message comes through for Claude several hours after Felix said he was going to bed.]

hey.
sylvain left.
for goldenrod apparently.
dimitri went after him?
he called me. dimitri.
he said sylvain left because of
what happened.

From:

[Jaskier has been chatting with some girls while shopping for supplies, and he notices a very interesting friendship ritual they go through while shopping for clothes specifically. He must admit, it's a very nice way to keep up with acquaintances and friends instead of having to send letters that take a lot of time to arrive or wait until they find each other in person. Jaskier is a social person, he needs to take advantage of this device. And there are some people he definitely would like to, at the very least, become good friends with.

The girls thankfully guide him through it, because he was already writing a text like a formal letter before they jump in. Hopefully, Claude has learned how informal this world can be.]

Hey! What do you think? Any courts that would allow me to perform in this?

[Attached there's a picture of Jaskier in front of a large mirror in the clothing store wearing very peculiar cloak.]

From:

[Felix saw Claude at the gym, of course, but you couldn't have paid Felix to have this conversation with him in front of anyone else. Or maybe in person at all if it isn't 3am. So it's not until he's out shopping with Sylvain afterward that he messages Claude, while Sylvain's busy looking at things in stores.]

hey.
I talked to Sylvain.
things are
fine.
better than fine I guess.

From:

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.)

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[Surprise, Claude! Here is a gift for you!

Inside a small velvet box, there's a golden ear cuff. Sadly it's not 100% gold, it's only gold plated, because that's how much Jaskier could afford. There's also a postcard, which on one side has some beautiful artwork. On the other, there's a poem, written by hand. The calligraphy is exquisite and the ink is also gold.]

I hear you on the horizon
The epiphanies of a rising desire
I feel your magnificent sound waves
Purring from the depths of a heartbeat
I know that music well
It is the magic that transcends
And lifts with the light of day
in symphonic color of fire.

Have a blessed Yule,
🏵 Jaskier

From:

gautsome

hey pretty boy.
got a min?

Edited Date: 2020-12-26 12:40 am (UTC)

From:

So about that favor... you're friends with the guy who was throwing those rats around during that whole riot when Team Rocket went after the Christmas Market, right? He made the local news.

From:

woofdad

Hey Claude, sorry to bother you with this, but I feel like I should let you know I might be either a huge hypocrite or losing my mind, one or the other.

Related, I might have to apologize for that whole speech about not dating younger guys, depending.

Edited Date: 2020-12-30 01:17 am (UTC)

From:

Dear Claude, Happy New Year. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. The future is your story to write... make next year the best one yet.

Sorry for the late message, things have been a little complicated. We left Violet early today, we're on our way to Goldenrod now. I hope your travels find you well.

From:

[They make it to Goldenrod early in the morning, and honestly? They should rest - it's been hard to camp in the snow. But this month they actually have plans for their new lives, so they need to get busy asap! After visiting Kirishima's bar for lunch, Geralt goes to find work and Jaskier works on his busking and getting his plans set up, including being very interested in that contest announcement. This will be a busy week!

So he decides to start it with a bang - quite literally.

He sends Claude a quick message to meet at a café, hoping things go smoothly and the subject of Geralt is never brought up again. Thankfully Claude doesn't say anything about it - in fact, he says he has a surprise for Jaskier. His mind immediately goes to the gutter, obviously - they've agreed they would be shopping and experimenting today, has Claude gotten something in advance? The wait is going to kill him!

When Claude arrives, Jaskier is sitting by the fireplace of the café with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. His blue cloak is draped over his chair, and he's wearing the red doublet set he arrived in.]

There you are, my dear. I was starting to think I'd have to eat these all by myself.

[He winks as he indicates the plate with macarons waiting for them on the table.]

From:

uncutetomboy

here's riku's inbox

sorry it took so long to get back to you. i got busy finishing people's presents and i forgot until early this month and then the stupid snorunts ruined everything

they broke dirk's leg and stole mr solus' tree and send evil cats to steal things from cassandra and keep sending STUPID BATS after me

how is your month going?

From:

gautsome

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

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

From:

nastyboy

[...Or, at least, it is probably still January 28, just very late at night when Claude gets a small message on his Gear.]

[Despite. You know. All of them being in the same house.]

Dear Claude,

Are you still awake?

From:

nastyboy

[This time instead of calling ahead, Dimitri is a bit more active the next time he goes to see Claude. Honestly, Claude has probably noticed the other man's desperate attempts to be quiet as he's gone... up and down the hallway a couple of times, quiet knocks heralding him speaking to some of the others...]

[Before it's eventually Claude's turn, with a quiet knock on his door.]

[Dimitri seems a bit breathless, and a little red, as he stands there.]

Oh good, you're still awake.

From:

lovelybottom

I've been told that you know the most about your realm's wyvern and pegasi. I have questions.

[Great opener, Geralt.]

From:

you knew
didn’t you.

[This somewhat ominous message is accompanied by a close up photo of the ring Sylvain bought, which is clearly being worn on a hand, although the photo does its best to crop most of the hand out.]

Edited Date: 2021-02-11 03:32 am (UTC)

From:

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?

From:

Right. So I saw you and Emet-Selch getting into it on Jaskier's post and while I *do* agree with you that Emet was being more than usually condescending tonight and I'm absolutely unsurprised that Dirk has evidently been a condescending ass to you in person, I also think there's something you should know about the two of them (and Hythlodaeus for that matter) that kind of explains why they're like that.

They're gods. They're essentially both gods back in their respective home realities and they have egos to match. Which doesn't mean it isn't as irritating as *hell* to deal with them when they're in full condescension mode, but it also makes it hard for them not to slip into their I'm A God And You're Not habits when dealing with mere mortals such as you or I, never mind that they're stuck in human bodies just like the rest of us.

This doesn't mean they're always *right*. (Dirk in particular has expressed some very retrogressive ideas about sex that I can only assume he picked up before he ascended.) It does mean that they are very stubborn about thinking their viewpoints are objective truth, particularly Dirk. Emet, at least, usually isn't operating from a position of bad faith even though it can come off that way (something it took me far too long to realize.)

Sorry if I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but as someone who spent most of the last summer in a stupid feud with Emet-Selch and recognizes all too well the frustration he's causing you, I thought I should explain what was going on before anyone comes to blows and Hythlodaeus has to stage another peer mediation.

From:

By the time Felix, Inda, and Felicity get back to the inn, Felix has to admit that going out seems to have helped. He's not sure what it is, exactly, but he feels a little more...present. A little more himself, and a little less like all he can do is react.

So he gets ready for bed and curls up next to Sylvain just like earlier, but the deafening silence where his fiance's conversation and bedtime kisses and stupid pet names would be feels like a crushing weight. Sleeping alone with Sylvain here is worse than sleeping completely alone would have been--and, he's ashamed to admit, even that has become more difficult to do. Weak, Felix. But true.

And he thinks about what Felicity said. The others need him. Felix isn't sure about that, but the realization that he let the entire day and evening slip by without seeing any of them prompts him to get up and go down the hall to Claude's room and knock on the door.

Edited Date: 2021-02-20 07:55 am (UTC)

From:

[The message comes into Claude's inbox that night, around the time Felix thinks he and Dimitri would have stopped traveling and made camp.]

hey.
what do you know about arceus?
and whatever other powers that be exist here.

From:

hey.
steven invited me to watch some kind of ice skating television show with him and thace
and said my boyfriends were welcome too.
do you want to come with me?

From:

[So after this little conversation, Jaskier tries with a new possible source. However, Claude gets a call instead of text - and there's a voice sounding quite irritated on the other end of the line.]

What the FUCK did you say to him?

[...hi? Sorry about him, he's nervous and assuming the worst.]

From:

The sign on Fight Club's door says CLOSED and it is closed until seven, like it is most nights. The door is locked. But if Claude peers through the window, past the painted logo and illustrations of Fighting-type pokemon that covers so much of it, he'll be able to see the unreasonably tall shape of Thace sitting in a booth at the back, as well as Steven walking towards the door, so that he can let him in.

"Right," Steven says, as he ushers Claude through the door. "I've got a couple of takeout menus we can order from. I figured that would be the better choice, rather than us making you anything."

Thace might think Claude had the potential to be an ally, despite everything, but Steven wasn't so sure about that.

From: