"Oh, gee, it's almost like I wasn't being myself." He was behaving, and being a good little viscount puts him on the edge. "You warned me about them! And I was nothing but a delight! I played music with your father! I agreed with your mother's fashion choices! And yet-- it wasn't a little push, Miriam, they waited until you left to corner me."
Joel, though - he did provoke Joel, he's remembering now as he speaks. After the spider hunt, he poked too much. He thinks he was justified, though, after he had to bring Midge to his room because Joel made her cry.
Jaskier sighs and rubs his eyes - he doesn't like arguing with her. But it's probably better if this is cleared now instead of waiting for things to blow up at the wedding.
"Yeah, it'll be different. Because your official boyfriend will be the one head in the party without the little hat." The kippah, he means. "Listen - I promised you I wouldn't pick fights on purpose, and I do plan to keep that promise. But I also said that I'll defend myself if someone else starts it, and I stand by that as well. You taught me that you're expected to date someone from your community, and I know what old fashioned--" (and religious, but he doesn't say that) "--people think of my mannerisms. So you can't blame me for expecting the judgment. It's not in my fucking mind."
“You’re right,” she admits. “That night was the most subdued I’d ever seen you.” It wasn’t a better version of him. Midge prefers for Jaskier to be himself. “My parents expressed their concerns and you took it as a personal insult. I don’t think they meant it that way. They love me and they want to make sure that you’re right for me. You can’t blame parents for wanting to protect their child, even if the child is 27.”
Midge strokes her fingers through his hair. “Jaskier, you won’t be the only non-Jew at the wedding. Other cousins and relatives have married non-Jews. My sister-in-law technically isn’t Jewish, though she converted. She didn’t grow up in the religion though.”
She furrows her brow. “You have to understand, your ideas are extremely progressive. Most people out there would be shocked by them. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be yourself, because I love who you are, but between the magic and the ideas, I don’t think run of the mill people know what to make of you.”
And this is New York. Imagine if he lived in Kansas or something. He’d have been chased out of town by now.
“I’ll help steer you to people who won’t be as judgmental, and everyone is going to be charmed by your music. The band sounds great.”
"Protecting their child would be asking about my life to check I'm not a bad person. Not telling me that you need to concentrate on your kids instead of your career." A huff. "You let them get away with saying lots of crap under the excuse of concern."
I don’t think run of the mill people know what to make of you. He throws his hands in the air, cursing in frustration. The difference in their ages and life experiences has suddenly become quite a sharp knife that her hand on his hair surprisingly doesn't protect him from.
"You think I don't know that? It's why I know what to expect! I've lived with it since I was a child - it's given me dark bruises on my body and moldy bread for dinner. It's what sent us both to jail."
Her sister-in-law converted, huh? Jaskier doesn't dare to ask why. And the band-- well, the band has two elves, which is another bomb in its own. Jaskier imagines they wouldn't be hired if that was an issue; they'll be safe at the very least. But he doubts every grey head will approve. At least, the twins won't have to interact with the family like Jaskier will.
Hopefully, the venue staff won't make a fuss. Not wanting to make the argument worse with his worry about the twins, Jaskier distracts his mouth by finishing his glass of water.
“They don’t think women need careers. A lot of people think that way.” Her point is that it’s not some weird, repressed way of thinking. It’s their opinion. It doesn’t mean they’re right about it.
She almost asks what other kind of crap Midge has let them get away with saying, but she thinks she’s pushed things far enough tonight. With his subsequent outburst of emotion, she thinks she made the right choice.
“Jaskier…” she says softly. God, his childhood was horrible, wasn’t it? She keeps stoking his hair. “It’s okay. You’re here now, with me.”
After some hesitation, he buries his face in her neck and takes a deep breath. He really doesn't want to keep pushing or arguing; he just wants to cuddle her. But it's important. They need to be on the same page before the wedding, not to mention it's what Jaskier fought for as the White Wolf's bard and the Sandpiper. Midge may not be a housewife anymore, but there's still a whole world out there she hasn't seen. (Thank goodness Jaskier doesn't know about Shy.)
"Yeah, I am here. In your city. You love your city - it's a good city. Better than my world in many a way, but also similar in many others. Elves and dwarves get the moldy bread, people in Rainbow Road get the bruises, and the story of a young girl on a yellow road is silenced." He sighs. "It's tiring. You're a woman - you should know that."
Jaskier instantly hugs her back, holding her close - clinging to her, even. He hums in agreement to trying their best, but he doesn't know what else to say that won't make another mess out of this. It's hard to link it back to her parents and her career.
That answer, however, he can answer. "The book was banned."
It’s probably better if he doesn’t do that. Her parents are coming around slowly to the idea of her being a comedian, and she knows she can’t force them. She has to show them that she can be a success.
“Oh,” Midge replies. “Lots of books are banned. It doesn’t mean a whole lot here. Some idiot must have been offended by it. They still sell it in the stores. They made a movie out of it.”
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
time to make popcorn
Joel, though - he did provoke Joel, he's remembering now as he speaks. After the spider hunt, he poked too much. He thinks he was justified, though, after he had to bring Midge to his room because Joel made her cry.
Jaskier sighs and rubs his eyes - he doesn't like arguing with her. But it's probably better if this is cleared now instead of waiting for things to blow up at the wedding.
"Yeah, it'll be different. Because your official boyfriend will be the one head in the party without the little hat." The kippah, he means. "Listen - I promised you I wouldn't pick fights on purpose, and I do plan to keep that promise. But I also said that I'll defend myself if someone else starts it, and I stand by that as well. You taught me that you're expected to date someone from your community, and I know what old fashioned--" (and religious, but he doesn't say that) "--people think of my mannerisms. So you can't blame me for expecting the judgment. It's not in my fucking mind."
welp
Midge strokes her fingers through his hair. “Jaskier, you won’t be the only non-Jew at the wedding. Other cousins and relatives have married non-Jews. My sister-in-law technically isn’t Jewish, though she converted. She didn’t grow up in the religion though.”
She furrows her brow. “You have to understand, your ideas are extremely progressive. Most people out there would be shocked by them. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be yourself, because I love who you are, but between the magic and the ideas, I don’t think run of the mill people know what to make of you.”
And this is New York. Imagine if he lived in Kansas or something. He’d have been chased out of town by now.
“I’ll help steer you to people who won’t be as judgmental, and everyone is going to be charmed by your music. The band sounds great.”
no subject
I don’t think run of the mill people know what to make of you. He throws his hands in the air, cursing in frustration. The difference in their ages and life experiences has suddenly become quite a sharp knife that her hand on his hair surprisingly doesn't protect him from.
"You think I don't know that? It's why I know what to expect! I've lived with it since I was a child - it's given me dark bruises on my body and moldy bread for dinner. It's what sent us both to jail."
Her sister-in-law converted, huh? Jaskier doesn't dare to ask why. And the band-- well, the band has two elves, which is another bomb in its own. Jaskier imagines they wouldn't be hired if that was an issue; they'll be safe at the very least. But he doubts every grey head will approve. At least, the twins won't have to interact with the family like Jaskier will.
Hopefully, the venue staff won't make a fuss. Not wanting to make the argument worse with his worry about the twins, Jaskier distracts his mouth by finishing his glass of water.
no subject
She almost asks what other kind of crap Midge has let them get away with saying, but she thinks she’s pushed things far enough tonight. With his subsequent outburst of emotion, she thinks she made the right choice.
“Jaskier…” she says softly. God, his childhood was horrible, wasn’t it? She keeps stoking his hair. “It’s okay. You’re here now, with me.”
no subject
"Yeah, I am here. In your city. You love your city - it's a good city. Better than my world in many a way, but also similar in many others. Elves and dwarves get the moldy bread, people in Rainbow Road get the bruises, and the story of a young girl on a yellow road is silenced." He sighs. "It's tiring. You're a woman - you should know that."
no subject
“I know. No world is perfect. No world is fair. We just try the best we can to move people forward.”
She pats his hair, then furrows her brow. “‘The Wizard of Oz’ was silenced?” What’s he talking about?
no subject
That answer, however, he can answer. "The book was banned."
no subject
“Oh,” Midge replies. “Lots of books are banned. It doesn’t mean a whole lot here. Some idiot must have been offended by it. They still sell it in the stores. They made a movie out of it.”