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[monstrocities]

Out Of Character Permissions

Out Of Character
Backtagging: Yes, always, even if it's been literal years.
Threadhopping: As long as you give me the heads up!
Fourthwalling: No.
Offensive subjects: I do have some hard nos: animal abuse, sexual assault/abuse and the like, but overall I'm more than happy to delve into dark subjects, let's just talk about it first.

In Character Permissions

In Character Hugging/kissing/flirting with this character: Yes.
Fighting with this character: 100% yes.
Injuring this character: Yes, of course.
Killing this character: No thank you.
Using telepathy/mind reading abilities on this character: Yes but I'd prefer plotting these roleplay elements.

Shipping

Everyone Gets a Ride
Fave: Jaskier, Yennefer
Yes:Mostly everyone else, including cross canon.
Maybe: Everyone aside from those listed in no. If you have an idea, send me a message and let's plot! I'm very open to ships.
No:  Ciri. Underage (both players and characters).
Gen: Basically anyone.

code

Comments

[wolfdogwitcher]

The other witcher stares at him across the table. Briefly, he wonders if the white gull combined with the stuff Vesemir gives him for pain is making him hallucinate. Better have some more just to be sure.

He sighs.

"Too late for that now." He says of a return to how things had been before. "For both of us." He sighs. "Now we just gotta figure out where we're going from here. You've got your child of surprise, your accidental djinn-wife and the bard to deal with. And I'll be lucky if I don't end up puttering around here like the old man until the boredom kills me."

[monstrocities]

Geralt bites his lip, immediately shaking his head. He won't accept Eskel not returning to his former strength. He's always been the biggest and strongest of all of them. Geralt can't accept that there's no cure to his ailments.

"Yennefer and I are done. This betrayal has cut too deep," Geralt mentions, coupled with another gulp of the white gull. The idea that Yennefer could think that exchanging Ciri for her magic is astounding to him. Ciri is the most important person for him right now, and Yennefer's betrayal is too much for him to forgive.

"And Jaskier... well, it's best to let him do as he wishes, for both of us. My only concern now is Ciri."

He pauses, "and convincing you to forgive me."

[wolfdogwitcher]

Yennefer and I are done. How many times has Eskel heard that line since witch and Witcher had been bound together? Sure, what she had done was...pretty fucked up, but Eskel won't hold his breath.

He sits hunched over his white gull, picking at a splintered spot in the table. His shoulder aches. His chest aches. Everything is going to change now, no matter how hard both of them fought it. Geralt had a novice witcher to look after now, even if she'd be different than the one's they'd been raised with. And whatever was going to happen to Eskel remained to be seen. But maybe just for a little while, before the sun comes up, before Ciri calls Geralt to fight the horrors that plague her dreams, things can be as they once were between them.

He reaches for Geralt's arm with the hand unmarred by the black lightning strike scars left by the leshen. He squeezes, a wordless promise of forgiveness.

[monstrocities]

Geralt knows he's said it before, but this time it's true. He doesn't think that there's anything Yennefer can do to make him forgive her this time. If it was his own life at stake it would be different, but she'd threatened Ciri's safety, and that's unacceptable. He doesn't know what the future holds, but right now, he's steadfast in his decision.

Geralt pours more liquor for both of them. He'd intended to get good and drunk tonight, and Eskel's interruption won't change that. Already, the alcohol has loosened his tongue, but for their relationship to mend, he thinks that he needed to actually talk for once.

Geralt covers his hand with his own, squeezing it. "We'll find a way to get you back on your feet Eskel. Jaskier has already written several letters. We will find a way."

[wolfdogwitcher]

"So he told me this afternoon while he was getting me cleaned up. But I don't know what his friends can do that Merigold couldn't. We'll see, I guess. In the meantime, I'll just try to stay out of the way." He smiles his scarred, lopsided smile.

"But maybe you can come visit me up there sometimes, yeah? Gets really fucking boring staring at the ceiling."

[monstrocities]

Geralt doesn't think that any individual will be able to help, but perhaps a several people with different skills may be able to. At least, Geralt can hope. If Eskel goes back on the Path like this, Geralt is sure that he'll die. That's not something he cares to think about.

"There's another option," he says, looking anywhere but at Eskel. "You could come stay in my room, with me. And Jaskier." Jaskier won't mind. It will just mean more dick easily at his disposal. With the dating pool at Kaer Morhen so small, Jaskier will appreciate having two Witchers in his bed.

[wolfdogwitcher]

"Isn't it a little crowded in there?" Eskel laughs. "Especially since my busted ass is gonna have to sit on the bed." He shakes his head.

"He'll be glad to know we made up." He snorts into his cup as he drains it. "Told me a whole lurid story about wanting to have both of us. At once."

[monstrocities]

"My bed is bigger than what the old man has you sleeping in, and we would make room." Geralt doesn't like Eskel being left to stew alone like this. It's not good for him, and it leads to miscommunications like the one they'd just had. "Besides, I'm with Ciri often enough." And Jaskier gets cold.

If Eksle refuses, then Geralt will be sure to visit more often, with books and food and more white gull. It can't be easy for Eskel to be laid up like that.

[wolfdogwitcher]

"Yeah, alright." He says. "But you gotta help me on the stairs now that I'm full of white gull." He offers Geralt a lopsided, sheepish grin. "If I fall and hurt myself 'cause I've been drinking, I'll never hear the end of it from Vesemir."

The old man is just worried, of course, but his response to such a vulnerable feeling is to resume treating Eskel as if he were the wayward novice of half a century ago.

[monstrocities]

"Eskel, I know you were coming down looking for more than just food," and he's not referring to sex, or their conversation. Geralt's known Eskel long enough to know that he's got different types of alcohol hidden all over the keep. He'd likely been planning to return to his room with it, however.

"Come here." Geralt helps Eskel up the stairs nonetheless, also grabbing the remaining white gull to bring with them. He opens the door to his room for them, manoeuvering Eskel over the threshold and then depositing him on the chair just inside the door. Lighting a candle, Geralt can't help but let the smile cross his face when he sees Jaskier fully spread out across the bed. He doesn't know how the bard does it, but he always manages to take up the most amount of space possible.

He blames the white gull for the affection that momentarily overcomes him.

"Jask," he whispers, trying to rouse him a little. "Jask, you have to make room. Eskel is here."

[wolfdogwitcher]

Eskel watches his brother try to stir the bard sprawled across the bed with amusement. In the candlelight he notes a cluster of bruises exactly the span of his fingertips on the bard's hips.

"Come on, bard, shift it." He growls playfully, nudging the man with his foot.

[heroicsandheartbreak]

Slowly, Jaskier rouses from his sleep, blinking up at Geralt in confusion. The Witcher had been here when he'd fallen asleep earlier, but he must have snuck out. Nevertheless, he smiles sweetly up at Geralt, murmuring, "join me, dearest. It's lonely in here without you."

And that's when he notices that Eskel is here too, which is quite a surprise. Only this afternoon, Eskel was heavily implying that he and Geralt were not getting along. "Eskel, how nice of you to join us," he flirts, rolling over on the bed. "Are you staying?

[monstrocities]

"He is, now make room." Geralt says, urging Jaskier onto one side of the bed. "And stop that. He already knows what you look like naked." Although Geralt is certainly appreciating the show.

Once Jaskier does move, Geralt helps Eskel into a sitting position on the bed, then hands over the bottle. Once Eskel is settled, Geralt slips into the bed and gathers Jaskier into his arms.

[wolfdogwitcher]

It feels too intimate to listen to the tender way Jaskier speaks to Geralt. Sharing the bard's body is one thing, but it's the way Jaskier calls his brother back to bed that makes Eskel blush and turn away until Jaskier addresses him directly.

"Mm. Seems so." He says, heaving himself over to the bed unsteadily. "Somebody got me drunk. Now move over." He says, depositing himself gracelessly as soon as there's space.

[monstrocities]

Jaskier falls asleep almost immediately after they get back into bed. It's a good thing, he would have tried to insist on a taste of the white gull, and it's not suitable for humans. They can all talk about the new sleeping arrangements in the morning, but for now, Geralt is drunk, and tired, and just glad to have Eskel back in some capacity.

"Goodnight, brother," Geralt says. "Tomorrow we will work harder to find you some relief from this." And they will. Geralt won't stop until he knows there's no hope. They're nowhere near that point right now.

[wolfdogwitcher]

Eskel, sandwiched between the two of them, turns his face against the side of Geralt's neck and inhales deeply, shamelessly. He hasn't fallen asleep in Geralt's bed in a long time, but the nostalgia, the safety, the reassurance of Geralt being so close is more balm for his pains than any amount of white gull and narcotic tincture. He slings an arm across Geralt's broad chest, mumbles something unintelligible, and is snoring within moments.

He sleeps more deeply than he has in a long time and finally doesn't dream of the leshen's roots crawling under his skin.

[heroicsandheartbreak]

Jaskier hadn't been among the ranks of ridiculously drunk Witchers the night before, so he wakes up while the other two are still snoring. After checking on Ciri, he heads down to the mess hall to see what he can do about finding someone that can help Eskel.

The elves have a different relationship with chaos than those practicing sorcery, and perhaps Eskel can use a medical healer as well. Jaskier doesn't know, and after asking, he realises that Vesemir is also at a loss. Nevertheless, Jaskier writes his letters and then gives them to Vesemir to send off. After that, he takes Ciri through some lessons.

Finally, he tells the old man that he'll take Eskel's lunch up and take care of changing his bandages, and that Geralt can help with the potions. And then he does exactly that.

The Witchers are just waking when he arrives in Geralt's room.

"Morning gentlemen," Jaskier says, "I have some lunch. Geralt, Vesemir says that you need to train, even if you are sick from the white gull last night. But first, you need to help me with Eskel. Yesterday, I gave him a sexy spongebath. How do you feel about that?"

[wolfdogwitcher]

"Melitele's tits...lunch? What time is it?" Eskel asks, lifting his head from where it's buried in Geralt's pale curls. "Ha, old man's gonna make you run The Killer in the cold." He says, playfully punching his brother in the shoulder. He's suddenly grateful to be exempt from the old man's punishments (for the moment).

He struggles to sit up, eyeing the bard with a wry, amused expression.

"Mm, I could do worse for a nurse than you, songbird." He jokes, even if he's still a little bewildered by the care the other man has for him.

Just gonna do Geralt and Jaskier in one

[monstrocities]

"He is, isn't he," Geralt grumbles as he forces himself to sit up. He'd slept far too long, and he's sure to pay for it during training today. He just hopes the old man takes pity on him, since he's made up with Eskel now, and that's one thing that Vesemir can stop worrying about. He reaches for the food Jaskier's brough only to have his hand slapped away. Before he has the chance to school his features, he knows that Jaskier has seen the shocked look on them.

"Not for you, Geralt. You can make it to the mess hall yourself. This is for Eskel."

Perhaps Jaskier is still punishing him for the mountain. It's fine. Geralt deserves it.

"What do you need help with? And I don't think I have time for a sponge bath, so you'll have to handle that on your own."

Jaskier shoots him a sweet smile, which makes Geralt very aware that he's up to something. "Potions." He hands the bottles over to him. "Apparently I can't be nearby while he's taking them. Not good for humans, or something. Don't worry, I can take care of the sexy spongebath on my own."

That's fine! I imagine switching accounts is incredibly impractical 😹

[wolfdogwitcher]

"Mm, so you do have some common sense." Eskel says, his focus entirely on the food. He completely missed the bard's tell that he's up to something. He does, however, glance up to see how his brother is taking being ordered about by this incredibly brazen human.

It's only annoying when they're talking to each other.

[heroicsandheartbreak]

"Common sense is my middle name,: Jaskier replies breezily, then makes a face at Geralt when he snorts. He hands the potions over, hoping that they helps Eskel even though he's not sure that there's much hope in that, if he's been taking them all winter so far. Hopefully one of his contacts works out, or they find another solution.

He pats Eskel's leg and then moves toward the door. "I will return momentarily, but contrary to popular belief, I do not have a death wish." If the potions are really that dangerous, he'll keep himself safe.

-

Once Jaskier closes the door, Geralt gets onto the bed and starts to uncorked the potions for Eskel. He rolls his eyes, but the look is completely affectionate. Eskel has heard enough about Jaskier over the years, so he can infer how Geralt feels about his bard. "This is what it's always like, travelling with Jaskier."

[wolfdogwitcher]

"He just never stops talking." Eskel laughs, looking at the bottles for a moment. He uncorks one with his teeth and gulps it down. "He barely stops if you put a cock in his mouth." Still, the way he says the words betrays that he is, in fact, charmed by the ridiculous bard. He sits up and leans forward.

"Sorry, this one's...well, you'll see. You gotta pour it into the wound." He says, shuddering. He's never seen the hideous hole between his shoulder blade and spine where the roots had crawled in. "Then cover it good with the bandage again so we don't get it everywhere. If you don't want to, I can ask Vesemir to do it later. I don't know that a couple of hours will make much difference. He swears it's closing up but it's slow. Probably don't help I strained my stitches some yesterday with Jaskier."

[monstrocities]

Geralt lets out a low chuckle at that. Eskel is one of the only people he's comfortable with enough to show this type of emotion. He's getting back to that point with Jaskier now, after so long being separated from each other. "He talks even in his sleep," Geralt tells him. "Sometimes he sings."

He helps Eskel lean forward, carefully peels off the bandages from his shoulder and hisses when he sees the wound. It's obvious now why Vesemir had cautioned the bard away not because of the danger the potions posed to him - as long as he didn't ingest them he would have been fine - but because of the gruesome crater in Eksel's shoulder. "If this is closing, I would hate to see what it looked like before. Fuck, Esk. I wish would have gotten to you sooner."

He pours the potion into the wound, making sure the full vial goes in. Once he's satisfied that it's there properly, he wraps it back up. "Do you want me to help you out so you can watch me run the Killer? Or would you prefer the bard to suck your prick again?"

[wolfdogwitcher]

"It's alright, Wolf. I shouldn't have tried to hide it as long as I did." Everyone had just seemed so caught up in Ciri's arrival and Eskel's mention of his unusual encounter had been met with teasing and insinuations of incompetence. Better to drink until he couldn't feel the pain anymore in some corner than try and get help and feel like he was adding to Geralt and Vesemir's burdens. In the end, his sulking had almost cost him everything in this world he held dear.

"It dug in there and crawled into my spine." Eskel says quietly. "Old man says it's the magic that makes it slow to heal."

He sits still while Geralt deals with the wound.

"Look, if he gets his way playing nurse, he's gonna want to suck my prick anyway. It seems a shame deny him. And that mouth is a balm for any man's pains." He almost suggests Geralt stay for that part too but it sounds too much like the bard's ridiculous teasing and he blushes and closes his mouth before the thought escapes.

[monstrocities]

"I'm glad that it wasn't worse," Geralt admits. "And don't hide something like this again, Esk." If it happens again, it could be Eskel's last monster, and that's not something he wants to think about. If it's magical in nature, it will be difficult to heal. Eskel may very well be trapped at the keep for the next year if they don't figure something out.

With the mention of Jaskier, Geralt huffs out a breath, the best approximation to a laugh that he ever exhales. "It is, that," he agrees. Geralt finishes wrapping Eskel up and then pats his good shoulder. "I don't know if the old man has mentioned, but your Leshen... there's something strange about it. There have been rumours of monsters long extinct returning." They've been listening for rumours about the situation, but Geralt plans to go looking for these monsters, once they leave the keep.