Her sympathy is met with a kiss to the top of her head - a gesture that speaks better than words, for once. Saying it's ok wouldn't have been honest.
The spider thing makes him laugh. "I do know what you're saying. I was talking about normal spiders, but you have an excellent point. Did the factory function well afterward? I know Geralt made a big mess with the broken wall and all."
“Moishe had to make repairs, which I’m sure he grumbled about, but he didn’t have much choice, did he? He couldn’t have left those spiders in there. Everything seems to be fine now, as far as I’m aware.”
“True,” Midge replies, as she has known some incredibly cheap people in her life, “but then his workers would have started dropping like flies and the health and safety board might have to come in. It would have cost him more in the long run.”
He seems confused. How cute.
“You.” Midge gives him a gentle poke in the chest. “Jaskier of Oxenfurt, acted with bravery and selflessness by running into a building infested with giant, nasty, poisonous spiders after your friend was hurt and helping to heal him despite the fact that you could have been hurt as well.”
"Oh!" He chuckles and takes that finger to kiss it. "Geralt had killed most of the creepers by then. And he was there! I have nothing to fear when he's around. He protects me."
It's easy being brave, if it can be called that, when you have a mountain of a man as a shield.
“You don’t want to take some of the credit?” Midge asks, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “You seemed very in charge that day, knew exactly what to do. And then you told Joel that you’d be coming to Leah’s wedding with me.”
The final shot. Jaskier knew exactly what he was doing and looked so confident doing it. It was pretty arousing.
Alright, he has to laugh at that. "Oh, I was definitely in charge, just not of the monsters." He kisses her hand. "That's the teamwork - he kills shit, I talk shit, it all works out." He tilts his head, a grin widening. "You were pretty bossy, too. I loved how you kept Joel in his place."
“Someone has to tell him what to do so he doesn’t do something stupid,” Midge replies. She tilts her head up to kiss his cheek. “I’m sure Geralt appreciates your help with dealing with clients.”
"Something stupid like staying there after being told to leave?" he teases. It's funny how she praises him for taking charge, yet she didn't listen to him. "Geralt appreciates any excuse that allows him to avoid socializing. If those bird watchers truly sit for hours and don't talk at all, he's going to love them."
Midge sticks out her tongue at him. “I had to make sure that you and Joel didn’t get into a fistfight. Geralt will probably like the bird watchers, especially if he doesn’t mind talking about birds.”
It’s a generally silent activity. One could technically do it alone. No need to socialize.
"You seriously think I can get into fistfights?" Jaskier says with a snort. "Joel would only get to punch me once before Geralt was on his arse." Suddenly, he giggles. "Man, I'd fucking pay to watch that."
It's a pity Midge made him promise he'd avoid conflict with her ex.
"With my words? Of course! I made an entire career defending someone's honor. And defending you won't get me moldy bread." He winks before kissing her nose. "Although you didn't like it when I defended your honor against your parents." It's kinda shitty to go back to that, but he can't help it. Big mouth and all. "If you expect me to get in fistfights for you, though, you don't know me as well as I thought."
Midge hopes that if someone was attacking her, he would try to help her, but he’s also brought up her parents again.
She furrows her brow. “It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that I don’t think my parents are trying to hurt me. They’re just… practical people. They can’t believe that people make money telling jokes onstage, especially not women. They also think that what I make jokes about is vulgar, and by conventional standards, it is. They would be offended if a man said those things too, but I think that they, like most of society, are more offended when it comes from a woman.
They’re not the most modern, free-thinking people, but I love them, Jaskier. And I know that they love me.”
If someone was physically attacking her and his family wasn't around, he would indeed try to help. But he understood defending her honor as merely someone insulting her.
He watches her for a second, and he sighs. "I'm going to say something, and-- it's not a jab at your parents, although it does apply. It's about love and the logic you just used." He pokes her nose. "A person's love isn't proof that they aren't hurting you. Love makes people some really stupid shit."
Could Joel be proof of this, maybe? Jaskier isn't sure how true his love for Midge is.
"Miriam," he says rather seriously. "One of the first things you told me about your parents is that you wished you had split custody of them. You can't possibly tell me you enjoy hearing their comments."
“Well, that was supposed to be a joke,” Midge says quietly. “No grown woman wants her parents around all the time. It does get a little annoying when Mama asks when I’m getting married again or when Papa lectures me about something, but they’re not malicious, Jaskier.”
"I never called them malicious," he quickly points out. "This is what I just explained to you! Just because someone doesn't mean it, it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt! Have you not noticed all the inner shame you daily struggle with? You can't seriously tell me their comments don't affect you! And you've told me how tired you are of having to explain yourself to them!"
“Jaskier, what am I supposed to do about them?” she asks in frustration. “I can’t control or change the way that they think! I’m not going to cut them off either. The only option I have is to deal with them.”
They’re her parents and she loves them, even if they drive her insane sometimes. This isn’t like Jaskier’s parents, nor does she plan to take the same solution that Jaskier did. Her parents are not going to change and she’s not going to stop speaking to them. So, here she is.
"I'm not asking you to cut them off!" Here comes all the dramatic hand gesturing. "I just want them to fucking understand that their comments aren't harmless! I fucking bet you never told them, not in so many words."
Jaskier immediately sits up and brings Midge to his lap to cradle her and rock her, rubbing her back.
"Love, I'm sorry for making you cry. I hate seeing you cry. But-- you've asked me to defend your honor. I've been doing that since we met in that cell. Yet I've promised I wouldn't fight with your parents, so I can't really defend you against them. If they'd believe me at all, honestly." A little sigh. "If you don't know how they'd react, what do you lose in trying? Maybe it does change something."
He holds her close and never stops rubbing her back, trying to shower her with affection.
"Well..." A pause as he thinks how to word this. "You already are the rebel daughter. Divorced, performing at strip clubs, saying naughty stuff, having a social life regardless of the children, dating outside your community... Can it truly get worse than their reactions to all of that?"
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The spider thing makes him laugh. "I do know what you're saying. I was talking about normal spiders, but you have an excellent point. Did the factory function well afterward? I know Geralt made a big mess with the broken wall and all."
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She tilts her head up to look at him.
“You were very brave that day.”
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Her comment takes him by surprise. Blink, blink. "What do you mean?"
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He seems confused. How cute.
“You.” Midge gives him a gentle poke in the chest. “Jaskier of Oxenfurt, acted with bravery and selflessness by running into a building infested with giant, nasty, poisonous spiders after your friend was hurt and helping to heal him despite the fact that you could have been hurt as well.”
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It's easy being brave, if it can be called that, when you have a mountain of a man as a shield.
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The final shot. Jaskier knew exactly what he was doing and looked so confident doing it. It was pretty arousing.
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It’s a generally silent activity. One could technically do it alone. No need to socialize.
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It's a pity Midge made him promise he'd avoid conflict with her ex.
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Midge looks up at Jaskier again. “What about you? Would you defend my honor against someone?”
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She furrows her brow. “It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that I don’t think my parents are trying to hurt me. They’re just… practical people. They can’t believe that people make money telling jokes onstage, especially not women. They also think that what I make jokes about is vulgar, and by conventional standards, it is. They would be offended if a man said those things too, but I think that they, like most of society, are more offended when it comes from a woman.
They’re not the most modern, free-thinking people, but I love them, Jaskier. And I know that they love me.”
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He watches her for a second, and he sighs. "I'm going to say something, and-- it's not a jab at your parents, although it does apply. It's about love and the logic you just used." He pokes her nose. "A person's love isn't proof that they aren't hurting you. Love makes people some really stupid shit."
Could Joel be proof of this, maybe? Jaskier isn't sure how true his love for Midge is.
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Midge genuinely wants to know what his reasoning is. She’s not angry. She wants to understand.
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They’re her parents and she loves them, even if they drive her insane sometimes. This isn’t like Jaskier’s parents, nor does she plan to take the same solution that Jaskier did. Her parents are not going to change and she’s not going to stop speaking to them. So, here she is.
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She blinks back tears and reaches up to wipe her eyes.
“I’ve argued with them, sure, but I don’t even know how they would react if I sat down and told them that some of the things they say are hurtful.”
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Jaskier immediately sits up and brings Midge to his lap to cradle her and rock her, rubbing her back.
"Love, I'm sorry for making you cry. I hate seeing you cry. But-- you've asked me to defend your honor. I've been doing that since we met in that cell. Yet I've promised I wouldn't fight with your parents, so I can't really defend you against them. If they'd believe me at all, honestly." A little sigh. "If you don't know how they'd react, what do you lose in trying? Maybe it does change something."
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Deep down, she would love it if her parents were supportive of her career, but she also doubts that will ever actually happen.
“I don’t know. What if they think I’m being ridiculous?”
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"Well..." A pause as he thinks how to word this. "You already are the rebel daughter. Divorced, performing at strip clubs, saying naughty stuff, having a social life regardless of the children, dating outside your community... Can it truly get worse than their reactions to all of that?"
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