open | We venture through time blind

[borntobebard]

WHO: Jaskier
WHERE: All over
WHEN: Throughout early and mid Jan (pre-2020 plot)
WHAT: An open log of boy toy bard from a far away land who decides to adapt and overcome, or maybe just go cry in a corner
WARNINGS: Maybe some rudey words...

i. heropa; new bard on the block

[ It had barely been half a minute since the poor bard had been handed his information pack and communicator, given back his lute, and shoved out into the warm winter day of Heropa to fend for himself. There's a few odd stares spared for the fellow in a fetching red ensemble and knee high boots, but for the most part the locals leave him to it, a little too used to seeing the weird and wonderful characters that come through the Porter each month.

His eyes lift skyward for a moment, observing the unfamiliar streaks of contrails amongst the striking blue, before they slip shut and he stutters out a sigh. Composing himself before a big performance, that's all this is. Just another step towards a brand new adventure, out into the great, wide world and... almost straight into the path of a car that swiftly blares it's horn in passing.

With a soft squeak he scutters off down the sidewalk, staying on the path like every normal person should because those carriages sure are fast. Throughout the afternoon he can be found drifting, curious and clueless as he peers into stores, vigorously questions street vendors, homeless folk and just about anyone he can corner, and gives baffled stares at the shop fronts adorned with gadgetry and bright lights.

He is most definitely a fish out of water. ]

ii. everywhere; song requests!

[ Location doesn't matter all that much to a travelling bard, especially one who has plenty of new towns to explore. He may not be quite over the shell shock of it all, but he perseveres as best as one can. He's travelled to far away lands before, seen mages and monsters, dragons and devils, met Witchers and witches... this? This is no different, he just needs the tether that's always kept him going; music. Throughout the first weeks of the month he can be found dotted around the different towns, in cafes, bars, parks and anywhere with a perching spot, picking softly at his lute, notepad and pen in lap. He mumbles out words at seemingly random, hums and strums chords, and slowly drags out sentences as the creative process takes shape. ]

... endure and withstand amidst a far away land,
where perception overwhelmed, I stand powerless at the helm,
wrecked betwixt reverence and wonder...

[ A moment of quiet contemplation, and then without much regard decides aloud: ] Nah, that's shit.

[ Other times, when he's not savagely scribbling out his own work, he'll be found busking around towns in front of crowds of various sizes, revelling in the attention as he plays stripped down, exceptionally acoustic versions of various songs, feet stamping and crowd clapping providing his percussion. Another song finished, he loudly proclaims to anyone that catches his eye: ]

A request! What do you wish to hear? Anything at all!

[Literally anything. It would appear this bard knows every song the crowd has thrown at him so far, lyrically and musically. ]

iii. maurtia falls; working hard or hardly working

[ Mob Tours, they'd told him. That's where he'd have to show up for his first week of work, tasked with keeping well paying tourists and locals enraptured with tales of gruesome murders and bloody feuds. He wasn't exactly sure what a mob tour was exactly, but when given a script to learn he was happy to oblige, studying like any professional actor should, and acing every damn performance he showed up to.

The 'uniform' was a little unusual by his expectations, but most would easily recognise the mob reference in getting their tour guides to wear 1920's inspired pinstripe suits. Not quite his familiar peacock standard of wear, but with the added blood red pocket square and two tone shoes, he at least felt dapper enough to ooze the usual confidence.

He also now blended in far better with some of the more choice bars around town, slipping into the high end cocktail bars at the end of work to rub shoulders with some of the rich and powerful. Jaskier was at least tolerated in some of the circles for now, innocent as he was in cheerfully chatting to anyone who'd listen. ]

You know, I think I could get used to a world such as this.

[ Decided dreamily as he cradled a strong whiskey sour, sucking at the peel of his orange slice. ] I feel truly pampered. Like a Lord amongst his devoted serfs.

iv; wildcard!

[ Make up something new! Give me a poke if there's any starters you fancy. ]

Comments

ii. (heropa)

[usaf]

[ Carol's walking home from the Porter complex one evening when she's called to a stop by an... interestingly dressed busker. Either there's one of those renaissance fairs in town and this guy decided to branch out, or he's an imPort. ]

Uh... You know any Nirvana?

[borntobebard]

[ He knows what he likes, and apparently what he likes it fancy Ren Faire looking clothing. There doesn't appear to be any sense of irony behind his act that some of the costume wearers would normally have, but he sure does have a flair for theatrics. Whether this is an act or not remains to be solved.

At the mention of Nirvana, his fingers instantly start strumming the familiar few opening chords of Smells Like Teen Spirit, his lute not quite carrying the same gritty weight of an electric guitar, but there's no mistaking that tune. Jaskier beams his delight towards her. ]

Apparently yes!

[usaf]

[ She wasn't sure if this guy was actually from the time period he's dressed as or if he's just in a costume for the kitsch value. And to be honest, thanks to that comment, she still isn't. ]

..."Apparently?" Did you not know it before I asked?

maurtia falls

[heartstings]

[ As it just so happens Kenzi spends most of her time in Maurtia Falls. Most of that time spent working on getting the old pub fixed up but sometimes she needs to get out and do things.

She first comes across Jaskier -- after their initial meeting of course -- while he's going about a tour. She does her best to remain hidden and listens in on his performance. He'd called himself a humble bard and he'd certainly had a way with words. And this? Well, he could certainly have been saddled with a worse job. At least he's getting to use his talents. She doesn't stick around for the entire tour, however, she has better things to do. Those things involve hitting up some bars and seeing how much hustling she can do.

A fancier bar is her last stop for the evening as Jaskier isn't the only one with the mind to schmooze up to some of the wealthier folks in the city. She's dressed better now than she'd been the rest of the day with a little black dress, more natural make-up, and a blonde wig.

She slips up to the bar and orders a drink, not realizing she's right next to him until he speaks. ]

Is that so? [ The accent she's adopted for the evening could be mistaken for French. She wonders how long it'll take before he recognizes her. ]

[borntobebard]

[ The love of his own voice has Jaskier perfectly happy to talk and pay little attention, sparing only the briefest of glances to his company before he's back to ego laden retrospection. ]

Mm, it's not always been like this for me, you know? I may strike the impression of well to do local, but I come from afar. A different time, a different world, where one could barely comprehend the idea of a good bath, let alone the sheer quantity of contraptions this place has to offer.

[ He's spearing the cherry in his drink now and nibbling on that. ]

[heartstings]

[ There's just the tiniest grin on her face when he doesn't appear to recognize her and continues on. She can play along with this, see how long it takes for him to come to the realization that they've met. ]

You are one of the imPorts? [ The accent persists, feigned interest. ] Do you have a -- what is they call themselves -- superhero identity?

ii; in Nonah

[itsttlygonnahappenagain]

[the streets are fun to wander when you're unfamiliar, and Gaige has spent her time recently exploring. Gotta get used to your new world's fast travel destinations at least before you get past those boundaries. She's the type who loves random interactions though so when Jaskier has gained a bit of an audience, she stops. The different types of music are weird, especially on a lute, but it's nice to experience more. When he finishes his song and asks for another request, she's quick to speak up.]

Oh oh! Do you know Black Dog by Zeppelin? It's an oldie, but a goodie!

[shush i'm not imaginative enough]

[borntobebard]

[ This attention is what he lives for, and it's enough to likely fuel him for the entire day, even if there's going to be a mighty need for drinks by the end of all this singing. It's a hard life being a bard.

As the request drifts over to him, he snaps his attention over to Gaige, getting in that initial strum before loudly proclaiming, ]

Hey, hey mama said the way you move!

[ The head tilt he offers up is like a silent seek of confirmation. He's not got a request wrong yet, but it's always best to double check. ]

[itsttlygonnahappenagain]

[ohmygod, he knows it. The familiar lyrics gets her grinning and nodding at him, even if's a just a liiiittle different sounding. You know. Lute and all.

She totally air guitars with him on the strums though. And mouths the lyrics.]

wildcard!! howdy, roomie!

[burlyboy]

[ When Jaskier arrives in his new humble home, he'll find that at least some things aren't wholly different from the world he's used to. This may be a modern house, but plenty of the trappings are of a more rustic variety, much of the furniture wooden and handcarved, ale and stew in the fridge, beer steins in the cupboards, and decked out with all manner of hand-carved doodads... if you ignore the robot arms hanging above the mantle. And the frankly alarming array of weapons Magnus occasionally leaves around.

When Magnus hears the door open, though, he rushes downstairs. ]

Ango? Ango, is that you?

[ It's not. ]

Oh. Who're you?

roomie!

[borntobebard]

[ It's been a long, strange day for Jaskier, but after a little bit of nudging in the right direction he eventually finds himself at what is to be his home for the next... however long.

He looks ragged and dumbfounded as he steps through the door, sliding the lute from his shoulder with a weary sigh, ready to collapse face first into the nearest comfortable surface and not re-emerge for a few hundred years.

But then he hears a voice that draws his attention towards the stairway, a question dragging out his desperate need to give some form of memorable introduction, even if all he can muster is a tired smile. ]

Jaskier, renowned bard and... and... so very, very tired. [ Okay, so not the best intro, but at least it's honest. ]

And you would be?

[burlyboy]

Magnus Burnsides.

[ A beat. He gestures loosely around him. ]

I live here. Hail and well met and all that. [ Some of his annoyance at Jaskier's appearance - expressed mainly in a dark mutter that's not altogether audible but definitely has the words already and replacement floating around in there - abates as he takes in his appearance, takes in that lute. ]

Go sit down, if you're that tired. Couch is comfortable, [ he says, taking a couple steps forward not to greet Jaskier, but to get a better look at his lute. ]

Been a while since I've seen a lute. Or met a bard.

[ He likes bards. Hell, he loves bards. If this guy's good for anything, he may as well be good for music. ]

ii, nonah

[viciousmaukery]

[That’s Molly’s corner.

Okay, no, that’s not exactly Molly’s corner, other buskers have come and gone on that corner, but it’s the one that Molly prefers the most—it’s nice and dry, there’s a little shade from the tree over there, and it’s got an optimum amount of foot traffic, which means he can get quite a lot of people here asking for a fortune.

And now there’s a bard on it! There’s a moment where Molly just stands there, a little peeved over having to find a new place, before he sighs. The guy’s not too bad, actually. Definitely deserves a crowd like that, so he stands off to the side, idly playing with his tarot cards and listening to the music.

Then he calls:] Ruby of the Sea!

[borntobebard]

[ If only Jaskier had known he was taking up someone else's prime busking spot! He would totally apologise profusely and move on, except for the part where he definitely wouldn't.

He's got a good crowd here, a nicely lit spot for his theatrics, and all the attention he could possibly need, fully in his element and in high spirits as Molly calls out.

There's a few seconds of silence as he lets the request settle into his mind, strumming out the basic backing chords before realising this is the sort of music he's familiar with back home. All these other songs he'd been performing had been interesting enough, but it sure is nice to get something more suitable for a bard and his lute.

Molly gains Jaskier's full focus, his approach towards the tiefling a slow walk as he starts up a gentle croon. ]

I once heard of a lady fair, With blood-scarlet skin and the moon in her hair...

[viciousmaukery]

[Molly hasn’t heard this version. Okay, in truth, he hasn’t heard quite a lot about Jester’s mother that’s not from Jester herself, but she did sing them one version of this song that essentially just went the Ruby of the Sea is the best lay ever. This bard does it way more justice.

He is also walking towards him. Molly grins at the crowd, doing a couple of card tricks for the fun of it, before pocketing his cards and swaying along to the song. As a circus man he tends to stand back out of respect for the performances of others, so he doesn’t dare interrupt Jaskier while the song is going.

But he absolutely puts a little sway into his step, tail swinging lazily about, as if inviting him to come closer for a dance. The implication becomes much less implied when he holds his hand out, quirking an eyebrow, the unspoken offer on the table: want a dance?]

i.

[adamantlyardent]

Pardon. Excuse me. Excuse me, yes, sorry-- Gods, would you just--EEP!

[she'd been three for three in narrowly darting around and dodging the tide of people in her way, but not four for four, as someone so out-of-place and certainly lacking in pedestrian urgency seemed to appear out of nowhere and into her path.

so, you know, it's a near-textbook crash-into-hello, books included; those scatter onto the sidewalk as Cecelia lets out a yelp and a growl.]

Gah, just-! Sorry!

[hellfire. this is her day off, can she please go a single minute without being hassled?

her mistake was getting out of bed at all.]

[borntobebard]

[ Jaskier wasn't paying attention to the people around him, not when he'd become transfixed on the display window of an electrical store, staring open mouthed at the flickering screens of televisions flashing up advertisements and various cartoons.

He couldn't possibly draw his attention away quick enough to notice the girl barrelling towards him until it's too late, taking the full force of the charge with a pained grunt.

But confusion or not, he has enough manners to quickly stoop towards the scattered books to help collect a few of them. ]

O-oh, my goodness! I'm dreadfully sorry, I was just... [ He gestures vaguely towards the TV laden window, but leaves that excuse hanging. ]

Are you hurt?

Heropa, I

[governorkang]

[That sure is a new arrival who almost got run over.]

It's a little overwhelming, isn't it?

[He's long since stopped bothering with his human form when he goes out, except for a few rare occasions. Most of the people in Heropa seem to be used to it, only sparing a glance at the winged, seven foot tall draconic figure.]

[borntobebard]

Overwhelming is certainly one word for it.

[ It's only then that he spares a look to the source of the question, immediately letting out an exasperated sigh at the sight Kang and gesturing tiredly towards him with a hand. ]

Oh, bloody hell. It was only mere days ago that I believed dragons were but a myth, now I can't seem to get rid of them. Still, somehow the least concerning thing I've seen today, I must say.

iii. maurtia falls;

[constantdick]

[Of all the porter cities, Constantine tends to split his time mostly between Jeopardy (because of all the otherworldly shenanigans that tend to go on there) and Maurtia Falls (one, because he lives there and two, because it's got a lot of dive bars which he tends to live in as well). He's currently in MF, although not in a bar (yet, but walking towards one) when he spots this 'Mob Tour' thing, guided by a very unMob-like person, costume notwithstanding. Seeing some potential for entertainment, he falls in with the group, lighting a cigarette as he walks.]

What was that last bit again, squire? Didn't quite 'ear that.

[What, being annoying is entertaining. For him, anyway.]

[borntobebard]

[ Jaskier either doesn't notice the newest tag along or doesn't care. More attention is good attention as far as he's concerned, and it matters not if John is a paying customer, Jaskier still gets paid no matter what.

It's all going fine until his most recent addition to the walk pipes in, but the bard plays the question off with a pleasant smile and a slight raising of his voice. ]

I said Frankie "Two Tongues"! He committed some of his most nefarious and notorious torments at this very location. Now hiding it's dark past behind the guise of a simple off-licence, this was once home to the deeds of one of Maurtia Fall's most prolific intimidators of his time...

ii: de chima

[deadthing]

[The spot where Jaskier is busking today happens to be near a burger joint that Noah eats at sometimes on his lunch break. He's walking out now, paper bag of greasy goodness in hand, when the bard makes his call for requests.]

--Oh, ummm. Anything...? [Put on the spot he briefly forgets the name of any song ever to exist. Hang on. The first that comes to mind is:]

Can you do All The Small Things?

[This guy does not look like he would know Blink-182, but whatever cover he just finished playing was something recognizably modern, so maybe...?]

[borntobebard]

[ Jaskier's not exactly sure what a burger joint is, but some of the smells wafting from that place have been making him steadily more hungry. Busking is tiring work, especially when he's relying on his powers for every single one of the requests being thrown his way.

When Noah's ask hits his ears, his fingers begin tentatively strumming at the first few chords on instinct, barely aware he's even doing it but gaining in confidence with that lute rendition as the song gains clarity in his mind. ]

Sound familiar? [ He double checks with a smile, because it sure isn't familiar to him. ]

i.

[articulations]

[ Ah, yes. A newcomer. Some poor soul fresh from the Porter, confused, lost, unsure where to go or what to do as they were thrust into this world with nothing but the clothes on their back and a simple, single folder with their information. This is a world that's clearly unlike their own.

Leia will approach with caution but smile kindly when she draws closer, when she draws his attention hopefully away from the store windows. ]

Did you want to go inside...?

[borntobebard]

Oh!

[ Even with her careful approach, he looks lightly startled at her addressing him, although that look of surprise is soon replaced with a sigh of relief and a creased brow of confusion. ]

Oh, uh. Truth be told I'm not entirely certain I understand what I'm seeing. Best I leave the magic to its own devices and not explore too far, I know better than to mess with mages and their ilk.