𝔊𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔬 𝔬𝔣 ℜ𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔞 (
wolvenhour) wrote in
ximilialog2022-10-02 12:38 pm
OPEN | big your dad after thanksgiving vibes
CHARACTERS: Geralt and YOU
LOCATION: *vague hand gesture* Around
DATE: October 1-6
CONTENT: Geralt is getting his bearings and hmm'ing at everything
WARNINGS: TBD
I. THANKS, IT HAS POCKETS
II. HMM
LOCATION: *vague hand gesture* Around
DATE: October 1-6
CONTENT: Geralt is getting his bearings and hmm'ing at everything
WARNINGS: TBD
I. THANKS, IT HAS POCKETS
[ A laboratory wasn't a new sight to Geralt — provided he turned a blind eye to the jumble of crates dominating the far wall, brimming with metal scrap pieces and strange that smelled vaguely of copper. Turning his focus on the workbench and shelves of delicate glass vials labeled for his convenience, it was almost like being at home. All it needed was dripping stone walls and the scratching of rats underfoot, but he wasn't complaining.
Rows of vials Geralt has carefully set up beside small hand instruments and scales fill the workbench. Geralt mutters to himself various measurements and takes inventory as he removes small leather pouches from his gambeson. Several leather pouches whose number defy how much could physically occupy a single space. Geralt reaches for one and pulls the leather cord sinching it together, and immediately the smell of sulfur emanates from the laboratory.
Without turning around, Geralt stands straight with his shoulders drawing into a taut line. The moment anyone's first footfall hits the floor he calls back, ]
Don't touch anything. Unless you're looking to burn off your eyebrows or smell like a horse's ass the rest of the day.
II. HMM
[ What bothered Geralt the most about the Ximilia wasn't the idea of being on a flying ship drifting somewhere out in the stars or that he had potentially made a disastrous pack with an otherworldly entity. That he could deal with in his own time. No, what unnerved him was how solid everything. Uniformly sturdy floors made of something like metal but shone like marble, he couldn't muffle his footsteps or find defects to hear others approaching as everything echoed. Every corner was lit in the same sterile white that hummed incessantly. It was impossible to fade into the background or ignore anything else. Even the silence was deafeningly loud.
Finding the sunlight room had been a welcome reprieve — even illusions could be relaxing if one didn't look too hard for the cracks. Geralt drops to his haunches under the tree with a heavy thud and a low grunt. A small pile of leaves dried and brown with the turning season crunched beneath him as he settled onto his knees with his feet tucked underneath. Removing a whetstone from a pouch on his belt, Geralt unsheathes his steel sword and idly begins some much-needed maintenance. A task to keep him busy, but the familiar surroundings took some of the edge off.
When he wasn't sunbathing, Geralt followed his nose to the mess hall. The kitchens were as sterile as the rest of the station, which he definitely appreciated. It was nice not to contend with vermin or a fat mouser for food. The refrigerator was new, though. When he opened it expecting a larder and instead found a chill tickle his face, he immediately shut the door. And then he opened the door, closed it again, and finally decided to open it when he confirmed: Yes, it was freezing on the inside, and No, the light didn't stay on after he closed it. Geralt grabs an entire brick of cheese, a sealed pack of deli turkey, and a half-empty crate of beer. The last of which he glared at, cursing as he wondered how in the hell it opened.
Sometime later, Geralt can be found in the common area. There is nothing to keep his attention long, even after thumbing through random books on the shelves. What does cause him to linger is the couch. Less than a minute after falling onto one, Geralt has crossed his arms over his stomach and let his head dip down. Chin to his chest, Geralt drifts into a shallow nap. Mouth twitched behind his unshaven face as he remained distantly alert but too tired to ignore the siren's call of cushions not stuffed with straw or down. ]

CLOSED
@ choicely | yennefer
Instead, what he found beyond the door was more refined than the stacked cot barracks he had dreaded. Two beds — one recently vacated, the other made up so tightly to a regimented degree — occupied opposite ends of the room with matching writing desks and chairs. The latter bed was supposed to be his, but he was drawn to the other end of the room after dropping down what little he carried. He was kneeling by the bed before even asking himself why.
— He knew exactly why. This entire side of the room was saturated with the scent of lilac and gooseberries. And unless Yennefer was giving fashion advice across the Conjunction separating worlds, it only meant one thing.
Geralt lowered his head and found a few things haphazardly thrown under the bed. Two bottles — both glass, one with the slightly floral smell of vodka. The nice kind, not the rotgut that would blind you before the blackout. The second bottle was glossy, green, and had a residue Geralt couldn't recognize. Slightly metallic with a corrosive burn that made the back of his throat tighten from the smell alone.
Raising his head, he looks over the thrown-about sheets. Crammed between the pillows was a black shift that was still warm to the touch. Yennefer could sprawl out like an ink spill in bed, but something about how the comforter was moved suggested someone else had been in here. That hadn't bothered him as much as the idea that Yennefer was here, and possibly avoiding him. Geralt finds himself standing there, holding what could only be her shift and staring at it like a puzzle he couldn't solve. ]
no subject
It's why a good portion of the living quarters in question are not necessarily organized — she's not inclined to make a good impression with anyone, and those who are even permitted into the room to begin with are typically acquainted with her well enough not to comment on it, are those whose opinions she wouldn't take to heart anyway, or still possess a healthy level of intimidation where she's concerned.
All of the evidence in the room therein, by extension, points to a woman who is not intending on hosting anyone as company — at least not for the immediate future — and its current and presently only occupant emerges from a door within the room itself, having just taken a quick shower judging by the robe draped around her frame and the loose updo of her hair.
For a moment, she merely glances over the man holding the most recently-worn article of her clothing in one hand, violet eyes flickering with the mere hint of surprise before she schools her face into something significantly more nonchalant and simply crosses the space to the wardrobe, opening the door. She's going to have to take more care about keeping her pulse level around him, she realizes; it's been some time since she was in the same space as anyone with senses capable enough to pick up on it. ]
Letting yourself in without knocking already?
no subject
Geralt turned fast on his heel; fast enough, his right knee quivered with an angry ache. The hand around the shift tightened as if Geralt had meant to wield it. Even well-armed, he wouldn't have reacted differently than the way he stopped, rooted to the spot and staring. Outwardly, only the slits of his yellow eyes contracted, and his neck muscles bulged as if swallowing something tough. Inwardly, he felt like he had walked out of a storm and into the ocean. ]
Yen? [ Geralt dropped the shift and grasped at the snarling wolf's head around his neck. Still as a statue — this wasn't an illusion or something more sinister, he was sure of it. Only the woman before him was from decades ago, a lifetime ago. It was just as the first time they met in Rinde — where there she stood, naked and vaguely irritated on the instruction. ]
no subject
It’s not only that, but the way he looks at her, how he says her name — Yen — with something approaching suspicion but also tentative caution, as though he doesn’t entirely trust what’s standing right in front of him.
She represses the instinct to grasp for the front of her robe, to hold it closed out of some attempt at preserving the control that feels primed to gradually slip through her fingers, and instead turns for the closet with a projected calm she doesn’t entirely possess within. ] I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you found me all on your own.
no subject
Geralt watched her move with practiced poise but couldn't help but like the ground between them was littered with glass. Something was wrong, and not just Yennefer's appearance. Only Geralt knew he couldn't just outright ask her what exactly. It ran the risk of coming out as an accusation. Especially consider why people seemed to arrive here. ]
Hello to you too. [ That might get him a fireball lobbed at his head or a kiss or both, but he hedged his bets all the same. ]
no subject
Surprised to see me?
[ It's as much of a testing question as anything — to ascertain what he remembers last, especially of her, but also to establish how they might have left things. Clearly, better than her more recent memories from Kaer Morhen considering he isn't greeting her with a blade to the throat.
There's a pause, tension hovering in the silence, and then she idly remarks: ] When did you start growing the beard?
no subject
[ Geralt stands sentinel where Yennefer had found him, with only his eyes moving as she padded around the room. There was almost a tease in how she wound around the wardrobe door like a coil of sweet-smelling incense smoke. Almost, he thinks, as he notes the white knots of her knuckles poking through her skin where his hand grips the door. Momentary tension and likely not because she was annoyed at a limited choice of attire.
Yennefer stands closer now, close enough that Geralt had to be mindful as his hand reaches up to rub across a week's worth of stubble. ]
It hides the laugh lines. [ Dropping his hand to his side, letting it hover near the bend of her arm before deciding against it. There was a barrier between them he was still trying to understand, but he had his suspicions. ]
And you're eyeing me like it was our last fight in Aedirn, [ Well, not so much a 'fight' as it was Geralt slipping out of Vengerberg with his tail between his legs and Yennefer wanting blood. It was definitely one of their more heated 'off' stretches of their on and off periods. ]
Which was decades ago. [ He levels her in a stare that wasn't unkind but also wasn't wavering. ] What's going on, Yen?
no subject
The revelation that they'd had some sort of argument, even one with several decades between that moment and this one, comes as little surprise; she's not sure if there'll ever be a time when they don't find some opportunity to oppose one another, even if the process of making amends tends to make all that came before it worthwhile. In some ways, she's always suspected that a piece of them secretly enjoys the fighting, if nothing else because the reconciliation proves even more enjoyable. ]
You keep looking at me like...
[ Like he isn't actively harboring thoughts of throttling her, for one, and she's forgotten how much she inwardly wanted something like that from him — golden gaze certainly piercing and intense, but without the tension of loathing around the edges.
In the end, it's her who reaches out first, nudging the back of her hand into his palm, her knuckles to his lifelines before slowly, carefully interlacing their fingers. ]
no subject
Her fingers interlocked with his own. Right away, Geralt notices the absence of the familiar and begins to understand. With a light squeeze of his middle and forefinger around her ring and pinky fingers, Geralt covertly measures the length of her bones, running his thumb over her knuckles. The metacarpal bones are all even, and the intermediate bones aren't disproportionate to the proximal. — As if they hadn't been magically healed after being mutilated by Vilgefortz a decade ago. Magic was imperfect and fickle when healing, Geralt knew its marks well.
His suspicions she might be another illusion, some part of his regret echoing back on him, are laid to rest when he thumbs her wrist. The ghost of a line whispered across a vein. Or when he sees the imperceptible cant to her shoulders that only he ever noticed and somehow adored. The right imperfections were there, but the shadows of other horrors were not.
Geralt thinks he understands now and that they will have a lot to talk about later. ]
Like I missed you? [ His free hand winds around damp curls that spill like ink between his fingers before cupping her face, warm and flush from the bath. ]
no subject
It is still him, that much is beyond evident, and while he must have however many years of difference on her, the history between them has only become more pronounced — and more confusing by extension. Whatever, exactly, has transpired, it has only seemingly resulted in him still wanting to be around her, and that she cannot pretend to hold anything but relief for.
His other hand rises to touch her before she can even put a finishing thought on her sentence, and then he concludes it for her, and the sensation of broad fingers threading into her hair, his palm cupping over the round of her cheek, drives a telling exhale from her lips — she has wanted this, wanted him, ached for possibilities that her own actions laid ruin to, and now that she has it her mind is swimming with what to ask about.
Instead, she says nothing at all, nudging into him with a determination all her own — she finds his mouth with hers, wanting to discover whether they fit together just as well as they always had in the past. ]
no subject
He took his time moving through the room while the other man - who had arrived before him and was opening and closing what looked to be a magical larder of some sort - played around with the food storage. Eventually, he made it over to the same place in time to witness the man pull out a yellow block of something, another block that had the look of meat to it, and a third... box of some sort that seemed to have bottles sealed inside.
As the man cursed and did not move, Wangji cleared his throat to gain his attention.]
no subject
What? [ Geralt grunts, ] I wasn't going to eat with my hands.
no subject
His lips parted, only slightly, for a brief moment, then shut. There was an uncomfortable air to how he held himself - stiff and formal and clearly as out of place as Geralt.]
The cabinet.
[He finally said, his eyes returning to Geralt, though they remained averted to avoid eye contact.]
Is all the food stored there?
no subject
Just anything cold, I haven't figured out how.
no subject
Wangji nodded to indicate he understood the other man's lack of knowledge in this.]
Mn. The... technology-magic of this place is... different.
[He turned his gaze to the 'food' the man had pulled out.]
The food. What kind is it?
mess hall.
He sits quietly by himself with a bowl of (what he assumes to be) tomato soup. One hand sits on top of his lap (anchoring the clothed napkin on his lap) while holding a spoon with the other. But he can’t help but pick up on the sporadic opening and closing of the refrigerator door. And eventually, his eyes glance at the man pulling out a beer.
Such a curious sight. He can’t help but feel the tiniest amount of sympathy. Hermann’s eyes slightly squint through his circular spectacles, just to make sure he isn’t missing anything to confirm that yes. This person is struggling a bit.
Hermann leans over ever so slightly to his side— ]
The opener is under the second drawer to your left.
no subject
The what? [ Pulling out a beer bottle, Geralt instead eyes the crimped metal seal around the top. Nods once to himself
— then lines up the lip of the bottle with the counter and slams his open palm down. The bottle cap sails across the table before rolling to a stop near his new soup-slurping scholarly friend. ]
Well, that worked. [ Geralt tipped the bottle at him before taking a pull. ]
no subject
Yes — [ Hermann’s two fingers touch the rim of the cap and sets it on the other side of the table. ] One would hope that an opener opens.
no subject
I'll be more mindful of proper dining ware when I've got my bearings.
no subject
[ He resumes tucking into his soup, being ever so careful not to make any slurping noises when his lips touch the side edge of the spoon. ]
That makes the two of us. I’m afraid I am woefully unprepared materially speaking. My satchel was rather small coming aboard here: A pair of pyjamas and a few pieces of decor for the desk. I’ll have to look at the storage supply for a coat.
[ He takes another spoonful of soup. ]
Honestly, they wish for us to go out there with no proper outerwear. Let alone a space suit. How they’ve managed to not catch one bacterium boggles the mind.
no subject
[ The conversation is thoroughly overtaken by the excitable blur of movement from the man's larynx as he speaks at length. Some of it included words that made Geralt's eyes nearly cross, but he remained placid as he idly forked mouthfuls of meat and cheese between sips of beer. ]
Ah, [ Geralt nodded at the mention of bacterium, ] I just wash my hands and invest in a decent pair of boots.
[ Which wasn't fair when a witcher's immune system was nigh-on impervious. ]
no subject
[ He ponders and looks down at his own two feet.
Boat shoes. Not something you’d want to wear on a sub-zero planet. ]
I hadn’t taken into consideration proper footwear.
[ #HermannIGotMyPrioritiesOnDeckGottlieb
A beat. ]
Have you been out? To see the stars, I mean.
no subject
Then Geralt stilled mid-sip just as the rim of his beer touched his bottom lip and stared at Hermann for a long moment. ]
Occasionally, I've been known to look up when outside.
sunlight room ☀️
today he is here for another reason in the early hours of the morning, set on meditating and going through sword forms. the training room is better for training, of course, but xichen has grown up on a mountain where his training grounds were surrounded by nature and sometimes an old heart grows wistful for such things.
he has finished an hour's long meditation, is pulled from it by the familiar sound of whetstone working over sharp metal. xichen stands, stretches his arms over his head, picks up the small pouch resting beside him and makes his way over to explore. he is greeted by the sight of someone he has not seen before. ah, a new arrival. ]
A valiant undertaking while we are on the station. The missions are when most remember and far too late. [ he offers, a wry smile on his lips. ]
no subject
Geralt could only compare the smell to the spices from the Ofiri traders, but the man in question was far removed from anything he had seen. New sights were becoming the expected norm here.
— He paused mid-swipe of his whetstone and looked up, white brow arched. ]
My valiant undertaking of sitting here?
no subject
Plenty spend the time between missions doing nothing but training through injuries. [ and xichen is sometimes one of them so really, who is he to judge one for it. yet here he is, doing just that. ]
ii. common area
She observes this all while crouching down a foot away from the couch, simply watching him sleep and taking in the features. Look but don't touch. To call it borderline creepy is an understatement. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, and it's his fault for falling asleep here anyway. ]
no subject
And it was because of that he could sense the faint pull of something — or someone — nearby, yanking him back to consciousness.
With a half-shout, half-snort Geralt jolts awake where most anyone else would have snoozed on. ] Fuck— !
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Good morning. [ She rises up and takes a step back, giving him space. ] Or maybe afternoon? There isn't a real day and night cycle here I suppose.
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Serves me right for falling asleep out in the open, [ He said not unkindly as he scrubbed a hand across his face. ] Was banking on "good night," personally.
no subject
[ She's too paranoid for sleeping in the open, for multiple reasons that share no relation. There's being a woman for one. For another, having a target on her back. ]
I am sorry for waking you up. Didn't mean you startle you.
Mess Hall
Excuse me, I would like to retrieve something from there. [The tall robot stands some distance behind Geralt with his arms crossed.]
no subject
Who the fuck put armor on a giant?
no subject
Cybertronian, not giant. This is my...form. [He can't deny that he's wearing armor. And in his original size, he might as well be a giant wearing armor.] We are beings of metal, for your information. Now, may I access the refrigerator?
I - Laboratory
[Geralt's rough tone at the intrusion only solidifies that idea.]
Oh! Yeah, sure thing! [His hands go into his sweatpants pockets, as if to prove that they won't go wandering.] I, ah. Hate to break it to ya, but I think we're past the point of it smellin' like horse ass in here.
no subject
Speaking of asses, you're more jittery than a goat with a firecracker up its back end. I'm mixing black powder in here in case the smell didn't give it away.
no subject
Suppose I am! Sorry. [With a little roll of his shoulders, the man relaxes a bit.] Didn't mean to intrude is all. Just checkin' to make sure nothin' was about to explode. Which...
[His nose crinkles as he cranes his neck to look at Geralt's workspace, though Clayton still makes an effort to keep his distance. He doesn't want to get in the way.]
...I'm assumin' it won't? You're talkin' gunpowder, right?
i
You kidding? A horse's ass would smell better than this. [Duly noted, though. He keeps his hands to himself, takes note of the man's hair from the back. If this is a situation like Nero...
No, too old. And so far as he knows his father never had any other children besides himself and Vergil. Probably, anyway. Who knows who else Sparda loved, before he met Eva.]
Lotta shit you've got there, though. Any of them happen to be edible?
no subject
With a schooled expression, Geralt eyed the interloper up and down. The man looked like Lambert if Lambert decided to copy his hair color and go on a two-week bender in the sewers.
Ger shrugged, ] Sure, anything's edible once.
no subject
Well. Definitely not a relation, then, with those eyes. Dante keeps a smile on his face, tucks his hands into his pockets with a deliberately casual air that's a little off-set by the sword on his back. He glances at Geralt, and notes the scars. Those aren't the kind of scars you get, he thinks, collecting bottle-caps in a nice safe house.]
Eh. I'm hungry, but I'm not that desperate yet. [He keeps his hands to himself as directed, because he might be playing up the old man bit, but he's not an idiot. He says, intrigued,] What're all these for? The world's worst perfume?