Penance Inbox

[softlybutwithfeeling]

text : voice : video

Comments

text : un @drlewis

[sasstrophysics]

Hey, you figured out how to text yet?

[softlybutwithfeeling]

[There's a long pause, a little shimmering ellipsis indicating that the person on the other end is typing.

And not terribly quickly.]

not entirely

[Another pause while he decides whether or not to add more.]

Starting to see the usefulness.

[sasstrophysics]

Right? Super useful.

You can do voice and video stuff, too.

Voicemail • UN; ripraven (Mid-Hellburbia 2.0, no need to reply)

[enoderedrum]

So you ended up in the burbs perfect family trap, too. I didn’t. Almost everyone I know is there.

…

You won’t get this while you’re in there but hopefully when it’s done you will.

I hope you’re okay.

Voicemail • UN; ripraven (checking in post MOST Hellburbia 2.0)

[enoderedrum]

Are you still in there?

voice; @whitewolf

[softlybutwithfeeling]

I'm out now. Obviously.

Seems I'm a little late.

action because i'm too lazy to set up a top level at this point

[bottle]

(after the announcement of the prizes, yennefer leaves the ball, a building pit in her stomach. she had volunteered for the contest to prove herself as a good citizen of hell, one was doing her part -- and maybe a little because she's always liked being the center of attention -- but if she knew what she would "win" she never would have signed up.

her family is everything to her. and she loves the husband she has now, and she certainly doesn't want a new one -- not even one of the kings of hell. she loves geralt. a little fooling around on the side is one thing -- this is another all together.

if her husband follows her he'll find her going straight to their house, and their bedroom, where she begins changing right away. suddenly being one of the most beautiful people in the room isn't feeling as appealing.)

[softlybutwithfeeling]

[Is there really any question of whether Geralt would follow? Where his wife goes, he does.

Or that's how it's been for as long as he can remember.

That seems about to change.]

Yennefer. [He enters their room behind her, almost a shadow.] Yen. Stop. Look at me.

[bottle]

(it doesn't surprise her at all. he has always been by her side, as long as they can remember. she doesn't want to belong to someone else, to someone other than her family.

but if she said no to a lord of hell, what would he do to them? her family? she tries to take a deep breath, dropping her hands before she finishes undoing her dress

Geralt. You know -- you know I never would have entered if I knew that was the cost.

action | post-hellburbia

[stupetballs]

[Neither Waverly or the angel have had a wealth of fathers in their lives.

Ward despised her, Julian was lost. Curtis tried, but it wasn't the same. And now Geralt, a false fatherhood built off magic and lies. Part of her hates the fact that it means something, that part of her mourns the loss and wishes for that lack to be filled again.

It's a foolish amount of emotion to be wasted on a lie.

Still she gravitates towards him, lingering on the outskirts of the stables or the hotel where he may be. She tries not to be conspicuous, but ... well, the wings do not exactly go unnoticed. And when he catches her, she glances away, wings bristling in response.]

I didn't mean to bother you.

[softlybutwithfeeling]

Then I have good news for you.

[Geralt was in the stables. He wasn't doing much. Checking his inventory, testing the edge on his swords. Nothing that required coming to this particular location.

He'd just been drawn to it because in a way, monstrous as the horses housed here are, it's familiar to him.

It's also largely quiet.

That doesn't mean that he resents the interruption, though. He's been aware of Waverly for a while now, hearing her heart and the sound of her breathing, her scent familiar. It a burden of enhanced senses, especially now. He knows the sound and the scent of his "daughters" only too well.]

At least, you haven't bothered me yet.

[stupetballs]

[Her shoulders relax some, reassured by the promise that he is not being bothered. She swallows as she takes a step closer, taking the opening where it is given.]

I know you are not of my world, but I don't have many here. The one who is is angry that I can't give them what they want. I suppose in the aftermath of all of this, I was looking for something familiar.

you need to go to war to find material to sing | action

[bottle]

(when she leaves the library she debates where to look for him first. he could be at the stables. or the bar. ultimately she finds herself going up the stairs, hoping he would be in his room in his suite. it would give them more privacy to talk. not that she plans on telling him everything....does he really need to know the last resort plan? he'd object to it, she's sure. but the rest he does. the part about what the spell was really doing. and the few leads they have in undoing it.

it's not much, but it's more than they had before. and he might be able to see angles in it that she and tech missed. and maybe...she just wants to talk about it with someone she feels a little more comfortable letting her guard down around. not totally comfortable...but more than she was before, at least. she knocks on the door -- even if he's in his own room she knows he'll hear it. and he'll know it's her because of her scent, like he always does.)

[softlybutwithfeeling]

[It might be luck that Geralt is in his room when Yennefer arrives. It also might be the fact that he hasn't been out much, other than his worth outside or in the stable.

He hears her coming, and oh yes, he smells her. Geralt would know that scent anywhere.

He can hear her heartbeat, quick with anger and fear.

He opens the door almost before she knocks—and steps aside, inviting her in without a word.]

[bottle]

(of course, he hears her and is at the door before she barely had the chance to knock -- she imagines she must be very loud to him right now. tech had calmed her down enough to keep her from doing something stupid in the moment but she can still feel that invisible noose tightening around her neck. she follows geralt and doesn't bother wasting time with niceties or small talk -- neither one of them are those type of people. )

Jaskier's friend, Tech, has been helping me in the library since he still remembers how to read the demon languages here. We found the spell.

backdated to when yennefer started yennefering

[bardicdisaster]

If Roach could talk, what do you suppose she'd say?

[It's been a long while since Jaskier's done this.]

[It was infinitely more commonplace early on, decades ago when Jaskier was prone to finding prolonged silences with Geralt uncomfortable. Not that silence was ever all that often present with Jaskier around given the amount he spoke, moving from one topic to the next seamlessly as though each topic were so clearly related to whatever point it was he was trying to make originally. (Assuming, of course, there had ever really been a point.) But Jaskier's confidence back then had been not exactly disingenuous so much as he was well-aware just how unearned it was, making it feel a fragile thing. And silence? Oh, silence was a death knell to a bard! It always meant he wasn't funny or charming enough. He being the bard in question, of course. Not Jaskier. But the silence from Geralt had always been deafening, and he would say whatever stupid, foolish thing would come to mind to try and get some sort of response out of it.]

[Before long though, Jaskier got used to Geralt's silences and what minimal contributions he made to conversation. It stopped feeling as though Geralt weren't interested or (always) annoyed, but rather his tolerance of conversation became more apparent when he rarely told Jaskier to shut up. And even then, most of the time he was told to shut up was because Geralt was trying to hear something and make sure neither one of them ended up dead.]

[So, these silly questions really only ever came about when Jaskier couldn't sleep as a way to kill the time or at times like this when he could tell something was occupying Geralt's mind. Even as Jaskier was staring up at the ceiling of Geralt's room, pretending he could see familiar constellations instead, from where he's reclined on Geralt's bed, he can tell without even looking at him that the witcher is preoccupied. And he can hazard a guess what. But since that particular woman is probably not a topic of conversation Geralt would likely want to talk about. So, the other missing one in his life seems to Jaskier to be a far safer topic of conversation.]

[So, he asks his silly question as a little distraction and to hopefully bring Geralt back out of his head.]

[softlybutwithfeeling]

[Jaskier has an amazing sense of timing. Whether or not it's good or bad timing remains to be seen, but it's definitely fucking timing.

Geralt is in a mood when Jaskier asks, throwing himself into the trivial tasks of maintaining his gear just to keep his hands busy. Oiling leather and cleaning tack doesn't do anything to keep him out of his head, though, and he's been... dwelling. A little. For lack of a better word.

On Yennefer, because who else could it be.

When Jaskier breaks the silence to ask that question, Geralt pauses his work and lifts his gaze slowly, looking at Jaskier with an expression of surprise and recognition. It's not Geralt's friendliest expression, though that's not actually Jaskier's fault.]

I imagine she'd ask for apples.

[Laconic. Horses aren't good conversationalists because of their dizzying intellect.]

[bardicdisaster]

[Jaskier clicks his tongue when he turns his head finally to look over at Geralt, clearly disapproving of such an answer. Gods only know why Jaskier was hoping for a bit more imagination from Geralt about the sort of topics of conversation that would interest Roach, but the man probably speaks more to her than he does any other living creature! At the very least, Jaskier anticipated some thinly veiled complaint about his habits that he's already quite aware Geralt tolerates.]

No, she absolutely would not. Not unless you mistreat the poor thing. [Or especially if Jaskier wasn't around rather than any sort of mistreatment. Even if such bribes aren't necessary anymore, Jaskier can't really help himself. When caught, he always blames it on her big, sweet eyes or pretends the apple was going to go to waste after he realized he wasn't actually hungry after one bite.] She shouldn't have to ask for apples, Geralt.

[Shaking his head, Jaskier looks back up at the ceiling.]

No, I think she'd complain I don't mention her enough in my ballads. After all the tireless work she puts in and you get to steal all the glory... [He grins over at Geralt because he knows full well Geralt wouldn't mind it if Jaskier even once just spun it as though the horse were the hero. Even if the song would end up more ridiculous and over-the-top than some of Jaskier's more bombastic tunes about Geralt, it wouldn't be about him and that would be enough.] But that's just the ballads everyone else gets to hear. I've plenty of songs for dear Roach that's only for her and me to enjoy.

you could have it all, my empire of dirt, i will let you down, i will make you hurt

[bottle]

Yennefer has been avoiding Geralt since before they returned from Lucifer's island. She knows she can't do it forever, and she hates to admit but Jaskier is right -- better it come from her willingly then waiting for hell to force it out of her. What she knows is she can't pretend and carry on like they were before, not with what she knows now. She respects Geralt too much for that. Hell, she loves Geralt too much for that, not that she would say it out loud. After all, the only time she said the L word at all hell had wrenched it out of her in that stupid tunnel of love that she swears she's going to burn down if she ever sees again.

She finds Geralt down near the stables. She knows the hell horses are no replacement for his beloved Roach but they all had to make due with what they can here. But when she approaches him she finds herself a loss of words. There's not exactly a guide for this kind of conversation. How to tell the man you're ambiguously involved with that you almost sacrificed his child surprise that he hasn't even technically met yet.

But she has to say something because he'll know she's hear. Her scent always gives her away, though she imagines he's familiar with the sound of her heartbeat and footsteps as well, among other thing.

"I owe you an explanation." There's no point in beating around the bush, is there?

[softlybutwithfeeling]

He does hear her. Smell her. Hell, Geralt fancies sometimes he can tell Yennefer just from the weight of her on the ground near him, like water running toward the path of least resistance. She speaks up before he acknowledges her, though. Still waiting to see if she'll speak up, when she surprises him by doing just that.

He turns toward Yennefer.

"You don't owe me anything," Geralt tells her, gruffly uncertain. That she broached the topic so quickly is unexpected. That she starts like that, more so. "Though I won't stop you if you want to tell me what I've done to offend you this time."

[bottle]

"For once, you didn't do anything."

Or nothing that wasn't warranted. It's not that it didn't hurt that he didn't trust her anymore, that he held her at swordpoint, but she had deserved it. She didn't go through with it, but she had kidnapped his daughter all the same.

Not that he knows any of that, he doesn't even know fully what Ciri will mean to him, it makes it so much more complicated.

"Have you heard of people waking up with new memories of home here?"

October 2022 tdm stuff

[bottle]

To say Yennefer has been on edge since they've returned to Mammon's lands is an understatement. But that said, given everything, she could use a distraction, to say the very least. Which is why she snatches up two of the chocolates, knowing very well they could be tainted. She keeps one (the chocolate covered cherry) for herself, while handing the other (the dark chocolate) to Geralt.

"I think we can both agree this is probably a bad idea, but at least it's a bad idea we're making together?"

And if nothing else...whatever happens, maybe it'll push them forward from this weird holding pattern they find themselves in. That's reason enough to say fuck it and take a risk.

[softlybutwithfeeling]

"Terrible," Geralt agrees. He can't say he's less happy about this than Yennefer is. That would be a difficult accomplishment. Beyond that, he wouldn't take that crown away from her.

Yennefer deserves the honor.

But Geralt is there with her, hating this all and sure in his particular, philosophically pessimistic way, that this is going to end badly. Probably in the way he has to clean up later.

Not that it stops him from taking the the dark chocolate and sniffing it. At least it doesn't smell too sweet at least.

"To not making mistakes alone?" As a mock toast.

[bottle]

"We have always been good at making bad decisions together," She clicks her chocolate covered cherry against his piece before taking a bite. It's quite delicious, just the right mix of tart and sweet. It hasn't taken effect just yet but it won't be long before she starts feelings it.

But for now she enjoys it, licking the traces of chocolate off the tips of her fingers once she's done.

[odaystar]

To Whom It May Concern,

It has been years now since Hell has been redone and made even greater than ever before. And you, my prized guest, have made it twelve months in your journey towards redemption. I know that there have been bumps along the way and we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I do wish to show my gratitude. Together, we will all leave Hell one day.

I have handpicked gifts specifically for you to commemorate this anniversary. I do hope you enjoy them.

Assorted basket of candies and a picture of Roach

A night in one of the finest suites at Club Penance, with a group of very willing succubi to tend to his every need. One guest is allowed to come with him.

A voucher to get out of torture. It may be transferred to another party.

Again, I thank you for all of your help in making Hell what it is today.

Yours,
Lucifer