[Jaskier takes Dylan up on the offer and hums his agreement that he does, indeed, like the scent in his hair. After though, he takes a moment to brush his fingers through Dylan's hair to move it back into place from his earlier shaking.]
Now, however will you possibly best these lengths you've gone to in the future? [he teases.] You start slacking and I'm going to have no choice, but to assume the worst. Then I shall be terribly heartbroken. After all, how am I supposed to cope with losing the affection of The Coolest, hm?
[ Dylan smiles, vibrant and carefree. His hands slip away from Jaskier's shoulders to fall on his chest and drum a brief alternating pattern against it. ]
Good news for you is people and all beings are just balls of infinite possibilities. You never know how I'll surprise you next~
[ He leans in, brushing a kiss to Jaskier's lips before he saunters away toward his unmade nest of a bed -- the covers practically an invitation to return to them. He pats the space beside him. ]
I still can't believe you actually did the song. I mean, I believe you were capable. It's just....I didn't think you'd actually do it.
[ The smile on Dylan's face is still bright, but this time there's something genuinely touched about it -- about the effort Jaskier went to in order to make this day special. Not knowing anyone here, it's not like he could have a big birthday bash. He figured it would pass quietly -- maybe he would mention it at the kitchen to get a cupcake made for him or something. But Jaskier made it memorable. Perhaps one of his most memorable gifts. It's just...
[Jaskier returns the kiss as its lightly pressed to his lips, but allows Dylan to slip away back to his bed with a smile. Balls of infinite possibilities isn't exactly how Jaskier would be likely to put it—he absolutely would probably find something a bit more flowery than that—but it's apt all the same. Certainly not a perspective that Jaskier finds himself disagreeing with, in any case. And... Well, after months of being surrounded by people who only ever see the negative, who assume that any holding onto hope is born of naivety and foolishness? It's a breath of fresh air. As Dylan remains so consistently to be for Jaskier.]
[Once Dylan is settled, Jaskier takes up the space offered to him, nestling in close to him.]
You're not the first to say as much to me. And I can't exactly say I fault you for assuming I wouldn't. I am world-renowned where I'm from and so, it's assumed I would only sing of greatness, be it people or deeds. [After all, taking a monster who hunts monsters and making him now into one of the greatest heroes of the Continent? It's ambitious to say the very least. It would be easy to assume Jaskier would be bored by more mundane matters except there's one flaw with that assumption.] But how quickly everyone forgets that while true I sing of greatness, I find greatness everywhere in the world around me.
[Nothing is truly mundane when one always looks at the world with wonder in their eyes.]
[ The warmth of Jaskier's body pressed to his is nice. His hand teases along Jaskier's spine with a gentle upward motion. ]
That's because you look for it. Not everyone's gonna see what you see, even after hearing your music. But some will. And it's nice you can share that greatness with others.
[ He shifts across Jaskier for a moment, reaching into a drawer where he pulls out a couple of bottles of nail polish. Clearly, he had been poking around the mansion and might have swiped these from one of the makeover counters. But he figures they won't miss them. The colors range from black to pastel purples, blues and pinks. Dylan takes a moment to bring each bottle up to Jaskier's outfit, trying to find the best fit and ultimately settles on the pink. He takes that one and the black and then gives each bottle a good shake. ]
Do you find it limiting being stuck here with roughly about a hundred people? I mean, back home you had a whole world of people to sing about and adore. Here, it's like...well, probably more people went to one of your shows back home than are here for redemption.
[ It might seem almost claustrophobic compared to what Jaskier is used to. But Dylan is genuinely curious about Jaskier's opinion. And although Dylan currently has both bottles open and is working on applying them in an alternating pattern on his nails (black, pink, black, pink, black) -- he's fully listening to what Jaskier's saying. It's just hard for Dylan to ever sit still terribly long. ]
[Jaskier scoots himself down a little lower to assist Dylan when he reaches across him to get into his nightstand, settling back into place once Dylan has as well.]
Well, considering the extent of my catalog that's about one man alone, I should hope I don't find it limiting, [he says, answering Dylan's question while watching him apply the varnish to his nails. Despite his own curiosity about what it is Dylan's doing, Jaskier still doesn't provide him with a shallow answer. As with anything to do with his art, Jaskier is perpetually thoughtful on the matter.] But your assertion also isn't true. I rarely play to a crowd so large save the times I've been invited to court or festivals or some other such celebration, and while it is undeniably good coin and I would never turn down the opportunity, they are not to my preference. I play in taverns all over the Continent, some of which are in towns so small, most could not tell you even which kingdom they belong and all I manage to earn is a roof over my head for the night and food in my belly.
[Jaskier, it would seem, is that hypothetical indie artist who managed to enter the mainstream without losing the intimacy of his shows and is able to maintain those smaller venues without some exorbitant charge attached to it.]
Some consider my work to be banal. Pandering, I believe, is a word that's been used. But those are the words of men who would claim someplace as theirs and yet deem the populace unworthy or incapable of understanding their music. [He wrinkles his nose at that, as though his opinion on the matter weren't obvious.] Why should the farmer not be able to experience all joy and beauty in this world as much as his lord? I've never found a satisfactory answer to that. So, let my music be banal and pandering if that's the case! I'd rather that than find myself trapped, playing the same five or so songs to a lord that hardly pays them any mind until by his grace I ought to find myself welcome to play a few melodies from his childhood that reminds him of glorious days when he was not fat or grey.
[Jaskier sighs a little then, not quite sad but certainly with a sense of longing.]
But I suppose that is what I miss about home relative to here. Aside from the winter months, I had the whole of the Continent to travel as much and as far as I pleased. Difficult as it was at times—and especially so recently with the constant ravaging and threat of war—I've always been most happy out there in the world. But here, I find myself... [Jaskier trails off a moment as he tries to find the right word.] Caged. There's so very little that can even be traveled that I believe this is the most still I've been since I was a boy and it was only my academics that ever allowed me to travel beyond my family's land.
[It leaves his wanderlust unsated and stirs a sense of restlessness within him whenever he allows himself to think on it.]
[ Dylan's eyebrows raise and he pauses what he's doing long enough to give Jaskier a look. Because in his opinion? A hundred people is a small, intimate performance. And most bars fitted for performances, or 'taverns' if you will, allowed that many people to fit inside comfortably. But he supposes that might be a difference between the past and the present. In the present, it's easy to load into a car and drive a distance to reach said bar. In Jaskier's day and age, probably every town (big or small) had a bar.
Dylan goes back to his nails to finish off the first hand, curling them near his lips when he's done to gently blow on them. ]
I guess that's the good thing these days. Music can be recorded and reach everyone. It doesn't have to come from one kind bard willing to cater to a wide ranging audience. You lose the authenticity of a live performance with recordings but you gain the ability to listen whenever and wherever you want.
[ He pushes the bottles of polish toward Jaskier and holds out his unpainted hand -- the hint being that he'd like Jaskier to do the task for him while the other hand dries. But Jaskier likely knows Dylan enough by now to know it wouldn't bother him if Jaskier would rather not. ]
But yeah. I'd bet you're getting pretty stir-crazy here. From what people said, you guys were basically stuck in that hotel for a long time until God destroyed it, right? You at least liking this change of scenery? The whole mansion vibe?
[Jaskier only hesitates a moment when Dylan subtly asks him to paint his other hand. While no stranger to applying cosmetics to others, this particular one is rather new to Jaskier. But he assumes it's not of particular consequence to Dylan if it's a masterful application or not, so he takes Dylan's hand and sets to work in mimicking what he saw Dylan do just moments ago and maintaining his alternating pattern.]
I'm afraid it doesn't feel all like that much of a change to me. It's larger and a bit nicer and the staff is more accommodating. So if I had my choice between the hotel or here, I would choose here, but a gilded cage is still a cage. [He doesn't speak of it with any sort of doom and gloom in his voice, just more a statement of fact. They are just as confined in this mansion as they were back in the hotel, and so the change in scenery hardly feels like much of a change at all to him.] Ah, but you don't need my complaints today. While I imagine there are probably other ways you'd prefer to celebrate your birthday, this mansion is certainly an upgrade from the alternative. Your own private room, a waitstaff ready and willing to wait on you hand and foot...
[He grins at Dylan.]
I hope you've made at least one absurd request of the staff.
I'm new enough I haven't gotten tired of the scenery yet.
[ He smiles, watching Jaskier apply the coats of nail polish with careful ease. Really, what can't his nimble fingers do? ]
It helps that there are some real hotties here. And the hottest of hotties happens to be in my bed. What request could I make of the waitstaff that's better than that?
[ Dylan winks. He hasn't harassed the waitstaff, although Jaskier's suggestion certainly gives him ideas. ]
Oh. Would it be completely terrible of me to request like a massive, three-tiered cake? With piped flowers and rainbow colored icing? Funfetti, of course. Because that's the queer of cakes. Oh my god, you probably haven't had funfetti yet, I'm realizing! Now I gotta do this to share a slice of the modern world with you. It's sickeningly sweet and you'll probably hate it, but consider it a welcome to American Culture -- land of excessive sugar and unhealthy habits.
[There's a lot of what Dylan says that Jaskier can't completely follow. But Jaskier doesn't get bogged down in not completely understanding when he understands enough to get the gist and smiles instead at Dylan's sudden enthusiasm with his genuinely absurd demand.]
And how do you know I would hate it? [Jaskier raises his chin a little at Dylan with a grin.] Don't you pride yourself on being "sickeningly sweet?" I didn't exactly hesitate in having a taste of you, now did I?
[ A memory that certainly brings a tingle to his skin in all the right places. As the final coat of nail polish is applied, he brings his fingers back to gently blow across them. ]
And it was definitely an event.
[ Dylan hardly remembers much about that boat ride beyond what happened beneath that blanket. He scoots in to tuck himself against Jaskier's side, using his shoulders to nudge Jaskier's arm around him while he keeps his hands away just long enough for nails to continue drying. ]
Careful, though. I'm gonna fall for you before you know it and then what are you gonna do? You won't be able to get rid of me, much to your detriment. And then if Ryan ever happens to wind up in hell, he'd be so jealous.
[ There's a smile on his lips when he says it. A smile that says he's not at all serious. Because for one, Ryan wouldn't care more than likely. And two, Dylan also doesn't think Jaskier would care if he did fall for him.
Which....he kinda already has, so too late on that end. ]
[Jaskier lifts his arm when he's nudged, allowing Dylan to tuck himself in close while his nails dry. But at the insinuation that he isn't already head over heels for Jaskier, Jaskier's nose crinkles, and his free hand is placed over his own heart as though Dylan's delivered a fatal blow.]
You're going to fall for me? I gave you a wonderful night, a song, and all my best charm, and you still haven't fallen for me? [Jaskier scoffs a little with his mock-offense, shaking his head.] Either you are the most fickle person I've ever met or you're full of absolute shit.
[His hand comes away from his own chest and he waves it dismissively.]
Regardless, I'm generous enough that I'm more than willing to make him the most envious man in all of Hell at the very least. Perhaps across all the possible worlds if you're kind to me.
[ There's a smile that stays on his face. A smile that finds a home there very easily in Jaskier's company -- at his mock offense and his proclamation of generosity. Dylan wouldn't give it the words for a while to come, if only because society had conditioned him to never come across too clingy. The most he would do is acknowledge it as a crush, even if it runs deeper than that. Which is probably too much because in essence, he barely knows Jaskier beyond him being a fun guy to be around. That too much gene is kicking in hard when it comes to his feelings. ]
All those things were wonderful, but you haven't even taken me on a proper date. How am I supposed to fall for you without a date? We're doing all of this backwards. So when we get back to Penance and there are a multitude of burned out buildings to go, I expect a proper date, Jaskier. And only then will I fall for you.
[ He teases, turning his head to press a kiss to his lips. ]
For now, though...I don't mind getting kinda improper for my birthday.
[Jaskier's just a moment from pointing out that dating isn't really a thing where he comes from and yet, plenty of people fall for him everyday, but the point is abandoned when Dylan opts to kiss him. He makes a pleased hum before they part from one another. Jaskier steals another, little kiss to the corner of Dylan's mouth before he makes his little hint as to what else he would like from Jaskier for his birthday.]
Improper, hm? [He withdraws his arm from around Dylan's shoulders to instead straddle Dylan. As he speaks, Jaskier's hands wander along his torso over the top of his t-shirt.] Well. Normally, I would say absolutely not at the suggestion. After all, you apparently haven't fallen in love with me despite my best efforts. What sort of person would I be to fall into bed with such a cad? My reputation is already in shambles as it is after that grand seduction on the boat.
[Jaskier leans forward to kiss Dylan, the kiss lingering and slow. Jaskier deepens the kiss as his hands find the hem of his shirt, lifting it to slip beneath and find warm skin. He traces little patterns along Dylan's lower stomach. He breaks off the kiss, but doesn't wander very far.]
But since it's your birthday, [he says with a pleased sigh,] I think we can make an exception...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Now, however will you possibly best these lengths you've gone to in the future? [he teases.] You start slacking and I'm going to have no choice, but to assume the worst. Then I shall be terribly heartbroken. After all, how am I supposed to cope with losing the affection of The Coolest, hm?
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[ Dylan smiles, vibrant and carefree. His hands slip away from Jaskier's shoulders to fall on his chest and drum a brief alternating pattern against it. ]
Good news for you is people and all beings are just balls of infinite possibilities. You never know how I'll surprise you next~
[ He leans in, brushing a kiss to Jaskier's lips before he saunters away toward his unmade nest of a bed -- the covers practically an invitation to return to them. He pats the space beside him. ]
I still can't believe you actually did the song. I mean, I believe you were capable. It's just....I didn't think you'd actually do it.
[ The smile on Dylan's face is still bright, but this time there's something genuinely touched about it -- about the effort Jaskier went to in order to make this day special. Not knowing anyone here, it's not like he could have a big birthday bash. He figured it would pass quietly -- maybe he would mention it at the kitchen to get a cupcake made for him or something. But Jaskier made it memorable. Perhaps one of his most memorable gifts. It's just...
It's nice. ]
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[Once Dylan is settled, Jaskier takes up the space offered to him, nestling in close to him.]
You're not the first to say as much to me. And I can't exactly say I fault you for assuming I wouldn't. I am world-renowned where I'm from and so, it's assumed I would only sing of greatness, be it people or deeds. [After all, taking a monster who hunts monsters and making him now into one of the greatest heroes of the Continent? It's ambitious to say the very least. It would be easy to assume Jaskier would be bored by more mundane matters except there's one flaw with that assumption.] But how quickly everyone forgets that while true I sing of greatness, I find greatness everywhere in the world around me.
[Nothing is truly mundane when one always looks at the world with wonder in their eyes.]
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That's because you look for it. Not everyone's gonna see what you see, even after hearing your music. But some will. And it's nice you can share that greatness with others.
[ He shifts across Jaskier for a moment, reaching into a drawer where he pulls out a couple of bottles of nail polish. Clearly, he had been poking around the mansion and might have swiped these from one of the makeover counters. But he figures they won't miss them. The colors range from black to pastel purples, blues and pinks. Dylan takes a moment to bring each bottle up to Jaskier's outfit, trying to find the best fit and ultimately settles on the pink. He takes that one and the black and then gives each bottle a good shake. ]
Do you find it limiting being stuck here with roughly about a hundred people? I mean, back home you had a whole world of people to sing about and adore. Here, it's like...well, probably more people went to one of your shows back home than are here for redemption.
[ It might seem almost claustrophobic compared to what Jaskier is used to. But Dylan is genuinely curious about Jaskier's opinion. And although Dylan currently has both bottles open and is working on applying them in an alternating pattern on his nails (black, pink, black, pink, black) -- he's fully listening to what Jaskier's saying. It's just hard for Dylan to ever sit still terribly long. ]
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Well, considering the extent of my catalog that's about one man alone, I should hope I don't find it limiting, [he says, answering Dylan's question while watching him apply the varnish to his nails. Despite his own curiosity about what it is Dylan's doing, Jaskier still doesn't provide him with a shallow answer. As with anything to do with his art, Jaskier is perpetually thoughtful on the matter.] But your assertion also isn't true. I rarely play to a crowd so large save the times I've been invited to court or festivals or some other such celebration, and while it is undeniably good coin and I would never turn down the opportunity, they are not to my preference. I play in taverns all over the Continent, some of which are in towns so small, most could not tell you even which kingdom they belong and all I manage to earn is a roof over my head for the night and food in my belly.
[Jaskier, it would seem, is that hypothetical indie artist who managed to enter the mainstream without losing the intimacy of his shows and is able to maintain those smaller venues without some exorbitant charge attached to it.]
Some consider my work to be banal. Pandering, I believe, is a word that's been used. But those are the words of men who would claim someplace as theirs and yet deem the populace unworthy or incapable of understanding their music. [He wrinkles his nose at that, as though his opinion on the matter weren't obvious.] Why should the farmer not be able to experience all joy and beauty in this world as much as his lord? I've never found a satisfactory answer to that. So, let my music be banal and pandering if that's the case! I'd rather that than find myself trapped, playing the same five or so songs to a lord that hardly pays them any mind until by his grace I ought to find myself welcome to play a few melodies from his childhood that reminds him of glorious days when he was not fat or grey.
[Jaskier sighs a little then, not quite sad but certainly with a sense of longing.]
But I suppose that is what I miss about home relative to here. Aside from the winter months, I had the whole of the Continent to travel as much and as far as I pleased. Difficult as it was at times—and especially so recently with the constant ravaging and threat of war—I've always been most happy out there in the world. But here, I find myself... [Jaskier trails off a moment as he tries to find the right word.] Caged. There's so very little that can even be traveled that I believe this is the most still I've been since I was a boy and it was only my academics that ever allowed me to travel beyond my family's land.
[It leaves his wanderlust unsated and stirs a sense of restlessness within him whenever he allows himself to think on it.]
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Dylan goes back to his nails to finish off the first hand, curling them near his lips when he's done to gently blow on them. ]
I guess that's the good thing these days. Music can be recorded and reach everyone. It doesn't have to come from one kind bard willing to cater to a wide ranging audience. You lose the authenticity of a live performance with recordings but you gain the ability to listen whenever and wherever you want.
[ He pushes the bottles of polish toward Jaskier and holds out his unpainted hand -- the hint being that he'd like Jaskier to do the task for him while the other hand dries. But Jaskier likely knows Dylan enough by now to know it wouldn't bother him if Jaskier would rather not. ]
But yeah. I'd bet you're getting pretty stir-crazy here. From what people said, you guys were basically stuck in that hotel for a long time until God destroyed it, right? You at least liking this change of scenery? The whole mansion vibe?
no subject
I'm afraid it doesn't feel all like that much of a change to me. It's larger and a bit nicer and the staff is more accommodating. So if I had my choice between the hotel or here, I would choose here, but a gilded cage is still a cage. [He doesn't speak of it with any sort of doom and gloom in his voice, just more a statement of fact. They are just as confined in this mansion as they were back in the hotel, and so the change in scenery hardly feels like much of a change at all to him.] Ah, but you don't need my complaints today. While I imagine there are probably other ways you'd prefer to celebrate your birthday, this mansion is certainly an upgrade from the alternative. Your own private room, a waitstaff ready and willing to wait on you hand and foot...
[He grins at Dylan.]
I hope you've made at least one absurd request of the staff.
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[ He smiles, watching Jaskier apply the coats of nail polish with careful ease. Really, what can't his nimble fingers do? ]
It helps that there are some real hotties here. And the hottest of hotties happens to be in my bed. What request could I make of the waitstaff that's better than that?
[ Dylan winks. He hasn't harassed the waitstaff, although Jaskier's suggestion certainly gives him ideas. ]
Oh. Would it be completely terrible of me to request like a massive, three-tiered cake? With piped flowers and rainbow colored icing? Funfetti, of course. Because that's the queer of cakes. Oh my god, you probably haven't had funfetti yet, I'm realizing! Now I gotta do this to share a slice of the modern world with you. It's sickeningly sweet and you'll probably hate it, but consider it a welcome to American Culture -- land of excessive sugar and unhealthy habits.
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And how do you know I would hate it? [Jaskier raises his chin a little at Dylan with a grin.] Don't you pride yourself on being "sickeningly sweet?" I didn't exactly hesitate in having a taste of you, now did I?
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[ A memory that certainly brings a tingle to his skin in all the right places. As the final coat of nail polish is applied, he brings his fingers back to gently blow across them. ]
And it was definitely an event.
[ Dylan hardly remembers much about that boat ride beyond what happened beneath that blanket. He scoots in to tuck himself against Jaskier's side, using his shoulders to nudge Jaskier's arm around him while he keeps his hands away just long enough for nails to continue drying. ]
Careful, though. I'm gonna fall for you before you know it and then what are you gonna do? You won't be able to get rid of me, much to your detriment. And then if Ryan ever happens to wind up in hell, he'd be so jealous.
[ There's a smile on his lips when he says it. A smile that says he's not at all serious. Because for one, Ryan wouldn't care more than likely. And two, Dylan also doesn't think Jaskier would care if he did fall for him.
Which....he kinda already has, so too late on that end. ]
no subject
You're going to fall for me? I gave you a wonderful night, a song, and all my best charm, and you still haven't fallen for me? [Jaskier scoffs a little with his mock-offense, shaking his head.] Either you are the most fickle person I've ever met or you're full of absolute shit.
[His hand comes away from his own chest and he waves it dismissively.]
Regardless, I'm generous enough that I'm more than willing to make him the most envious man in all of Hell at the very least. Perhaps across all the possible worlds if you're kind to me.
no subject
All those things were wonderful, but you haven't even taken me on a proper date. How am I supposed to fall for you without a date? We're doing all of this backwards. So when we get back to Penance and there are a multitude of burned out buildings to go, I expect a proper date, Jaskier. And only then will I fall for you.
[ He teases, turning his head to press a kiss to his lips. ]
For now, though...I don't mind getting kinda improper for my birthday.
[ Dylan winks. ]
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Improper, hm? [He withdraws his arm from around Dylan's shoulders to instead straddle Dylan. As he speaks, Jaskier's hands wander along his torso over the top of his t-shirt.] Well. Normally, I would say absolutely not at the suggestion. After all, you apparently haven't fallen in love with me despite my best efforts. What sort of person would I be to fall into bed with such a cad? My reputation is already in shambles as it is after that grand seduction on the boat.
[Jaskier leans forward to kiss Dylan, the kiss lingering and slow. Jaskier deepens the kiss as his hands find the hem of his shirt, lifting it to slip beneath and find warm skin. He traces little patterns along Dylan's lower stomach. He breaks off the kiss, but doesn't wander very far.]
But since it's your birthday, [he says with a pleased sigh,] I think we can make an exception...