A grunt isn't the best response out there, no, but Jaskier can deal with it. Especially in the context of a fucking Blaviken mention - it could be way worse. A grunt? It's just going back to the old days, something he's used to. Something familiar. Jaskier and Geralt, having one more boring lunch in their long history of boring lunches.
Well, except for the part where Jaskier is sitting on Geralt's lap and running his fingers through his hair. That's definitely new. A good sign, he realizes, that what comes off as an old scene has a little change in it to match the shift in their relationship.
The mood follows them when they leave. Jaskier says good bye and chitchats with the people around them on their way out of the city, and once they've crossed the bridge, he's feeling a bit lighter. This is familiar too, traveling with a brooding Geralt, so Jaskier does what he used to: fills the silence with babbling, which includes talking to their horses, who thankfully are getting along.
Camping and water breaks are the same as they used to be, too, and Jaskier decides that trying anything would be an awful idea (he would like their first time to be on a bed anyway, but what can he say, he's having desperate thoughts here). He sneaks a peck on the lips or cheek when he can, though, to both remind Geralt he's here and he's his, and simply because he can and needs it himself. It's what couples do, he wants to keep in his mind that what happened in Oxenfurt is still real, and he's always a touch starved bard anyway.
At least they still cuddle to sleep at night.
The babbling abruptly stops when Rinde comes into view - Jaskier doesn't brood, not in the way Geralt does (nobody can brood like Geralt, to be fair) but damn if he isn't close to it. It's a big deal for this bard to fall silent after all, and it shows in his body language. His scent becomes sour, his back is tense, and his hand unconsciously reaches for this throat when the memory of that awful day comes back to his mind, completely unwelcome and unwilling to leave.
Distracting himself becomes even harder when, on their way to the nearest inn, a familiar voice greets them.
"I never thought I would see you again."
Chireadan. Unbelievable, just their luck. Jaskier offers a very awkward smile and is about to at least greet him politely when he feels the elves' eyes on his chest... "Bollocks", his lips say instead, and he hurries to take off the brooch and put it on his doublet instead, protected under the cloak.
Which makes Chireadan look incredibly amused. "What brings you back to Rinde?"
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Well, except for the part where Jaskier is sitting on Geralt's lap and running his fingers through his hair. That's definitely new. A good sign, he realizes, that what comes off as an old scene has a little change in it to match the shift in their relationship.
The mood follows them when they leave. Jaskier says good bye and chitchats with the people around them on their way out of the city, and once they've crossed the bridge, he's feeling a bit lighter. This is familiar too, traveling with a brooding Geralt, so Jaskier does what he used to: fills the silence with babbling, which includes talking to their horses, who thankfully are getting along.
Camping and water breaks are the same as they used to be, too, and Jaskier decides that trying anything would be an awful idea (he would like their first time to be on a bed anyway, but what can he say, he's having desperate thoughts here). He sneaks a peck on the lips or cheek when he can, though, to both remind Geralt he's here and he's his, and simply because he can and needs it himself. It's what couples do, he wants to keep in his mind that what happened in Oxenfurt is still real, and he's always a touch starved bard anyway.
At least they still cuddle to sleep at night.
The babbling abruptly stops when Rinde comes into view - Jaskier doesn't brood, not in the way Geralt does (nobody can brood like Geralt, to be fair) but damn if he isn't close to it. It's a big deal for this bard to fall silent after all, and it shows in his body language. His scent becomes sour, his back is tense, and his hand unconsciously reaches for this throat when the memory of that awful day comes back to his mind, completely unwelcome and unwilling to leave.
Distracting himself becomes even harder when, on their way to the nearest inn, a familiar voice greets them.
"I never thought I would see you again."
Chireadan. Unbelievable, just their luck. Jaskier offers a very awkward smile and is about to at least greet him politely when he feels the elves' eyes on his chest... "Bollocks", his lips say instead, and he hurries to take off the brooch and put it on his doublet instead, protected under the cloak.
Which makes Chireadan look incredibly amused. "What brings you back to Rinde?"