"Ah, if he's in the title, it'll be easy to remember. Thank you, dear." He thinks he can handle tragedies, and it's not completely untrue. But his brain has totally made a false idea of what it'll be like because of Midge's definition of a Romeo.
Jaskier opens his mouth and is about to complain about skipping the reading, but Ciri stops him just in time. "I am doing my reading! We've read 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland'. That one was weird. Kind of like the surreal paintings, but in words."
To be fair, she's been doing her reading. Literature is good. History and Geography, though? Ciri hopes Midge won't ask about those.
At the question, Jaskier checks the map. "We've done all the exhibitions, have we not? I believe we can leave, yeah." However, he freezes when he sees something else on the map. "A gift shop? It's right by the exit."
When they get there, Jaskier gasps and gets excited, almost putting his nose against the display.
"They're mini versions of the paintings!" Meaning the prints. He points at a bunch of them and continues to look around while the clerk puts the prints in an envelope, quickly falling in love with everything because it's art-themed.
After picking two notebooks with beautiful covers, Jaskier finds the ties and laughs as he grabs the Starry Night one. "It turns out that all this time, I should've been looking for good fashion here." He turns to Midge and Ciri. "Do my favorite ladies want anything? My treat."
“Thank you, darling,” she says to Jaskier and gives him a kiss as he pays. She turns to Ciri. “Nice choices. You’ll have to let me borrow that cardinal.”
On top of all his choices, Jaskier ends up adding a peacock brooch, because being subtle was never his thing.
While Jaskier pays, Ciri smiles at the compliment. "Thank you. Do you have more pretty jewelry? We could do an exchange," she says while putting the cardinal brooch on her dress. "Why the panther?" she asks with curiosity.
"Cirilla means swallow," Jaskier clarifies, which explains Ciri's choice. A cardinal isn't exactly the same, but hey, the bird theme is there.
“Sure,” Midge says, “you can come look at my stuff sometime. I chose the panther because it’s wild and sassy and underestimated at your peril. Like me.”
The explanation of Ciri’s name makes sense with her choice. Close enough.
“A peacock for you is obvious,” Midge tells Jaskier. “I debated getting that one, so I might borrow it. I guess you didn’t want to get a flower, Mr. Buttercup?”
She hasn’t forgotten that’s the meaning of his name.
Both Ciri and Jaskier laugh at her description. "Not bad, but I see you more like a swan. Elegant, beautiful, and people don't expect her to bite, but she does. Fiercely." Once he has his bag, he puts his free arm around her and kisses her cheek. "We could've been three birds."
As they make their way outside, Jaskier chuckles at the nickname. "There were many flowers, and those brooches were pretty as well - but none of those flowers held the meaning that buttercups do."
Ciri is looking around at all the businesses that surround them. "Should we get dessert?"
A smile crosses Midge’s face at Jaskier’s description of her as a swan. “I think that’s fitting. Also when I sing, it sounds like a honking noise.”
She slips her hand in his as they walk down the stairs outside. “Quite true, my poisonous bard.”
Midge turns to Ciri. “There’s a good diner near here, where you can eat dessert for lunch if you want.” Depends on how Jaskier feels about that, but he strikes Midge as the type that wouldn’t care if Ciri had pie for lunch every once in a while.
The honking joke also makes them both laugh. Ciri is very happy to confirm that Midge is as funny as Jaskier said.
"Let's take a pie home then!" Ciri says in a very cheerful tone, clearly loving the idea. "I've only tried apple so far," she adds, and Jaskier agrees with that while letting Midge guide them to the diner. "What other kinds are there?"
“Oh my God, so many,” Midge replies. “Cherry, blueberry, pumpkin, pecan, lemon meringue… More that I can’t think of right now.” So many pies, so little time.
The diner isn’t far. When the three of them arrive, they sit down in a booth and a waitress brings them menus. Midge orders some coffee.
“Pumpkin,” Midge confirms. “It’s usually served around Thanksgiving and is sweeter than it sounds.”
One of Midge’s hands rests briefly on Jaskier’s thigh before she decides that she ought to behave herself. It would be so easy to snuggle up against him here.
She’s nodding along to Jaskier’s very overly detailed description and smiles when Ciri interrupts him. “Not all of them. New York happens to be a hub for arts and culture.”
Jaskier chuckles to himself when Midge pulls away her hand and whispers- "Coward."
"It's never boring around here, is it?" Ciri asks, smiling at the idea of a 'hub'. She's glad that she gets to start over in a place like this. "If I want to hang out with my classmates, where should we go?" She frowns a little. "They're always full of ideas and I want to collaborate, too."
Midge jerks her head subtly towards Ciri. She had forgotten herself for a moment. Surely he wants to keep things clean in front of his niece.
“They call it ‘The City That Never Sleeps’,” Midge says before taking a sip of coffee. “What do your friends like to do?”
Midge is debating how many semi-dangerous or illegal things she wants to offer as suggestions. It’s a fine line between wanting Ciri to have fun and making sure that she’s safe.
Jaskier rolls his eyes and lets his arm drop from the booth to Midge's shoulders to bring her closer - just a little snuggling won't hurt anyone. See, nothing dirty that would make Ciri uncomfortable.
Ciri thinks for a second, trying to remember all the new things she's learned. "We've gone to the movies. And the-- diners? With the milkshakes. Sometimes they play music and we dance. Oh! There's the bowling! I'm good at that one," she says proudly. "I bet I'd be good at sports, too, but the boys don't like it when the girls try to play."
Jaskier snorts. "They don't want you to beat them. Fucking fragile egos."
Snuggling is okay. Midge leans her head against Jaskier’s shoulder.
“It’s true,” Midge says. “Plus I’m sure you could easily kick all of their asses.” She remembers watching Ciri train with Geralt. “There’s Coney Island. Bit of a train ride, but you could make a day of it.”
Ciri grins and sits a bit more straight as she nods, proud that Midge has noticed that she can kick ass. She doesn't seem to judge her, which is a nice plus. Her teachers aren't always so understanding.
"Oh! We went to Coney Island shortly after arriving in the city. It was tons of fun. Geralt angered all the game clerks," Ciri says with clear amusement.
"It's a great place for dates, too," Jaskier casually adds.
Ciri just puts up her menu to hide her face and changes the subject. "So which pie are we taking home? Something that goes well with that meat she made."
Jaskier happily returns the kiss as Ciri lowers the menu, so she makes a face.
"Please tell me you didn't ruin Coney Island," Ciri says as she squints her eyes at Jaskier.
The bard, of course, puts up his best innocent face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Once again, Ciri hums in a very Geralt way, but before she can say anything else, the waitress comes for their orders. Ciri asks for a milkshake and a waffle with fruit, while Jaskier also gets a milkshake and a scrambled bowl. A whole cherry pie is ordered to go, so they can take it home as dessert to accompany Midge's brisket.
"Where were we?" Jaskier makes his fake innocent face again. "Ah yes, we were discussing all the degenerate things I did to you in Coney Island," he tells Midge with a grin. "Like holding your hand and asking you to be my girlfriend."
Jaskier wasn't expecting Midge to go that far, so he can't help but throw his head back and laugh. Meanwhile, Ciri covers her head with her arms.
"I hate you both. I'm never going to Coney Island again."
"Hey now," Jaskier cuts in with a gentle voice. "You can't blame us for that. Who knows what all those tourists do there every year."
Ciri groans in frustration and Jaskier chuckles before he excuses himself - he needs the bathroom. The waitress then returns with the milkshakes and refills Midge's coffee cup. Ciri sips her drink while glancing between Midge and the bathroom doors a few times, getting a bit nervous.
"Can I ask you a question? About--" Her cheeks get red as she makes a gesture to indicate Jaskier's empty seat. She means about sex.
Midge watches as Ciri looks between the table and the bathroom, wondering what she’s doing. When she realizes what Ciri is asking her, Midge nearly chokes on her coffee.
“Uh, sure…” She puts her mug back down on the table.
Sorry, Midge. Ciri is desperate to have more positive role models in her life, especially women. She loves her family, but she's also aware they all have issues. And talking to your parents is always hard anyway - that's what fun uncles and aunts are supposed to be for, right? Usually, Jaskier covers that role pretty well, but she's afraid he'll tell Geralt about this. Which would be incredibly embarrassing.
She does notice Midge's reaction, though. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-- I don't know who else to ask, Yennefer and Geralt make everything weird and awkward, and Jask has a big mouth, and my teachers--" She wrinkles her nose. "They aren't--" A pause as she tries to explain herself. "Jask said you're open-minded."
Her teachers just want her to be a good girl and get married. She doesn't like how judgmental they are.
"I just want to know... how do I know when it's the right time?" For her first time, she means.
Midge nods. “It’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting it.” She’s touched that Ciri trusts her opinion.
It’s when she calls her parents by their names that Midge realizes she isn’t their biological daughter. With her almost white blonde hair, Ciri could pass as belonging to Geralt. Midge doesn’t really see Yennefer in her though. She wonders who Ciri’s real parents are and how she came to be with a Witcher and a sorceress.
“That’s a good question,” Midge says. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s something that you just feel in your heart. You’ll know when the time is right, when you love someone that much. But, I do recommend that you wait until you’re 18 at least. Out of high school. Yennefer has a great birth control potion, but I’m not sure how she’d feel about you taking it.”
Society is brutal for un-wed mothers. Midge would hate to see that happen to Ciri. She might even be forced to give her child away.
It's something you feel is what she's heard so far, and it kinda frustrates her because it's such a vague answer. Does she really have to wait? Her classmates keep talking about it in whispers... then again, if she's so unsure, maybe Midge's right about needing to wait.
The mere idea of having to ask Yennefer for that potion makes her more nervous, and her forehead falls on her crossed arms on the table as she groans in frustration.
"Why is this so complicated! Jask makes it sound so easy!" He also exaggerates a lot, she knows. She raises her face just enough to peek at Midge. "Be honest. Are the stories true? Is it as good as they say?"
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Jaskier opens his mouth and is about to complain about skipping the reading, but Ciri stops him just in time. "I am doing my reading! We've read 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland'. That one was weird. Kind of like the surreal paintings, but in words."
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Midge smiles at Ciri, wondering if she’s just trying to be good so that she doesn’t get scolded. She can always tell Midge the truth later.
“Is there anything else that we want to see here or are you two hungry?”
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At the question, Jaskier checks the map. "We've done all the exhibitions, have we not? I believe we can leave, yeah." However, he freezes when he sees something else on the map. "A gift shop? It's right by the exit."
When they get there, Jaskier gasps and gets excited, almost putting his nose against the display.
"They're mini versions of the paintings!" Meaning the prints. He points at a bunch of them and continues to look around while the clerk puts the prints in an envelope, quickly falling in love with everything because it's art-themed.
After picking two notebooks with beautiful covers, Jaskier finds the ties and laughs as he grabs the Starry Night one. "It turns out that all this time, I should've been looking for good fashion here." He turns to Midge and Ciri. "Do my favorite ladies want anything? My treat."
Ciri chooses a scarf and the cardinal brooch.
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She picks out a panther brooch because she’s sassy, and a silk neckerchief.
“Thank you, darling,” she says to Jaskier and gives him a kiss as he pays. She turns to Ciri. “Nice choices. You’ll have to let me borrow that cardinal.”
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While Jaskier pays, Ciri smiles at the compliment. "Thank you. Do you have more pretty jewelry? We could do an exchange," she says while putting the cardinal brooch on her dress. "Why the panther?" she asks with curiosity.
"Cirilla means swallow," Jaskier clarifies, which explains Ciri's choice. A cardinal isn't exactly the same, but hey, the bird theme is there.
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The explanation of Ciri’s name makes sense with her choice. Close enough.
“A peacock for you is obvious,” Midge tells Jaskier. “I debated getting that one, so I might borrow it. I guess you didn’t want to get a flower, Mr. Buttercup?”
She hasn’t forgotten that’s the meaning of his name.
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As they make their way outside, Jaskier chuckles at the nickname. "There were many flowers, and those brooches were pretty as well - but none of those flowers held the meaning that buttercups do."
Ciri is looking around at all the businesses that surround them. "Should we get dessert?"
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She slips her hand in his as they walk down the stairs outside. “Quite true, my poisonous bard.”
Midge turns to Ciri. “There’s a good diner near here, where you can eat dessert for lunch if you want.” Depends on how Jaskier feels about that, but he strikes Midge as the type that wouldn’t care if Ciri had pie for lunch every once in a while.
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"Let's take a pie home then!" Ciri says in a very cheerful tone, clearly loving the idea. "I've only tried apple so far," she adds, and Jaskier agrees with that while letting Midge guide them to the diner. "What other kinds are there?"
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The diner isn’t far. When the three of them arrive, they sit down in a booth and a waitress brings them menus. Midge orders some coffee.
“Did you like the museum?” She asks both of them.
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Jaskier makes sure to sit next to Midge and keeps an arm behind her on the back of the booth. That means Ciri gets to guard his shopping bag.
"Oh, it was marvelous!" Jaskier replies and goes on a long description of everything he liked with lots of hand gestures.
Ciri rolls her eyes and interrupts him, which makes him pout. "It was very nice. Are all museums like that here?"
Aww I missed this response earlier
One of Midge’s hands rests briefly on Jaskier’s thigh before she decides that she ought to behave herself. It would be so easy to snuggle up against him here.
She’s nodding along to Jaskier’s very overly detailed description and smiles when Ciri interrupts him. “Not all of them. New York happens to be a hub for arts and culture.”
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"It's never boring around here, is it?" Ciri asks, smiling at the idea of a 'hub'. She's glad that she gets to start over in a place like this. "If I want to hang out with my classmates, where should we go?" She frowns a little. "They're always full of ideas and I want to collaborate, too."
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“They call it ‘The City That Never Sleeps’,” Midge says before taking a sip of coffee. “What do your friends like to do?”
Midge is debating how many semi-dangerous or illegal things she wants to offer as suggestions. It’s a fine line between wanting Ciri to have fun and making sure that she’s safe.
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Ciri thinks for a second, trying to remember all the new things she's learned. "We've gone to the movies. And the-- diners? With the milkshakes. Sometimes they play music and we dance. Oh! There's the bowling! I'm good at that one," she says proudly. "I bet I'd be good at sports, too, but the boys don't like it when the girls try to play."
Jaskier snorts. "They don't want you to beat them. Fucking fragile egos."
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“It’s true,” Midge says. “Plus I’m sure you could easily kick all of their asses.” She remembers watching Ciri train with Geralt. “There’s Coney Island. Bit of a train ride, but you could make a day of it.”
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"Oh! We went to Coney Island shortly after arriving in the city. It was tons of fun. Geralt angered all the game clerks," Ciri says with clear amusement.
"It's a great place for dates, too," Jaskier casually adds.
Ciri just puts up her menu to hide her face and changes the subject. "So which pie are we taking home? Something that goes well with that meat she made."
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“The cherry pie here is very good,” she continues. “Order a slice.”
When the waitress returns, Midge orders a quiche and a side salad, opting for something different than the standard burger and fries.
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"Please tell me you didn't ruin Coney Island," Ciri says as she squints her eyes at Jaskier.
The bard, of course, puts up his best innocent face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Once again, Ciri hums in a very Geralt way, but before she can say anything else, the waitress comes for their orders. Ciri asks for a milkshake and a waffle with fruit, while Jaskier also gets a milkshake and a scrambled bowl. A whole cherry pie is ordered to go, so they can take it home as dessert to accompany Midge's brisket.
"Where were we?" Jaskier makes his fake innocent face again. "Ah yes, we were discussing all the degenerate things I did to you in Coney Island," he tells Midge with a grin. "Like holding your hand and asking you to be my girlfriend."
Ciri just lets her forehead meet the table.
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“We could never ruin Coney Island,” she says. “Now underneath the boardwalk is a different story. I’ve never seen a man so… flexible before.”
What’s the fun of being around children if you can’t embarrass them?
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"I hate you both. I'm never going to Coney Island again."
"Hey now," Jaskier cuts in with a gentle voice. "You can't blame us for that. Who knows what all those tourists do there every year."
Ciri groans in frustration and Jaskier chuckles before he excuses himself - he needs the bathroom. The waitress then returns with the milkshakes and refills Midge's coffee cup. Ciri sips her drink while glancing between Midge and the bathroom doors a few times, getting a bit nervous.
"Can I ask you a question? About--" Her cheeks get red as she makes a gesture to indicate Jaskier's empty seat. She means about sex.
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“Uh, sure…” She puts her mug back down on the table.
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She does notice Midge's reaction, though. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-- I don't know who else to ask, Yennefer and Geralt make everything weird and awkward, and Jask has a big mouth, and my teachers--" She wrinkles her nose. "They aren't--" A pause as she tries to explain herself. "Jask said you're open-minded."
Her teachers just want her to be a good girl and get married. She doesn't like how judgmental they are.
"I just want to know... how do I know when it's the right time?" For her first time, she means.
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It’s when she calls her parents by their names that Midge realizes she isn’t their biological daughter. With her almost white blonde hair, Ciri could pass as belonging to Geralt. Midge doesn’t really see Yennefer in her though. She wonders who Ciri’s real parents are and how she came to be with a Witcher and a sorceress.
“That’s a good question,” Midge says. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s something that you just feel in your heart. You’ll know when the time is right, when you love someone that much. But, I do recommend that you wait until you’re 18 at least. Out of high school. Yennefer has a great birth control potion, but I’m not sure how she’d feel about you taking it.”
Society is brutal for un-wed mothers. Midge would hate to see that happen to Ciri. She might even be forced to give her child away.
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The mere idea of having to ask Yennefer for that potion makes her more nervous, and her forehead falls on her crossed arms on the table as she groans in frustration.
"Why is this so complicated! Jask makes it sound so easy!" He also exaggerates a lot, she knows. She raises her face just enough to peek at Midge. "Be honest. Are the stories true? Is it as good as they say?"
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