"You'd be up for rhyming? Because I like your idea." He sounds surprised but also curious about the result.
Her next question makes him pause. Oh, dear. "No. I've collaborated with other musicians, but I've only traveled with Geralt." He squeezes her hand. "I'm afraid we wouldn't have been more than fling back in my world, dear. That is, if your husband let me approach you at all."
She huffs. “Women were treated like chattel where you come from, weren’t they? What if I wasn’t married though? Or my husband had died of a long, lingering suspicious disease?”
Theoretical death. Midge doesn’t want to actually poison Joel. In Jaskier’s world, she could have been married to someone far worse than Joel, someone whom she might have needed to poison to get away from.
“What I meant was that we maybe could have performed together. You’d sing and I’d tell jokes and we’d travel around like minstrels. I understand what you’re saying though. If I was a lady in your world, we probably wouldn’t have met.” She gazes into his eyes. “That’s one good thing about this world and this country. It’s not perfect by any means, and we have a long way to go, but it’s much less restrictive than where you come from.”
A woman traveling alone in his world would've been fucking dangerous. And sure, technically she would've been with Jaskier, not literally alone, but he isn't exactly able to protect her from bandit gangs. That's why he has Geralt - sometimes he wonders how far he could've gone without him.
He doesn't want to ruin the cuddling by describing the horrors of his world. Thankfully, Midge gives him an opening.
"I know. That's why we don't want to go back. Even if we didn't have Ciri to protect, we would still choose this world. Safety beats the difficulty to perform any day."
He’s kind to not burst her bubble when it comes to her fantasy of traveling around with him. Midge has led a relatively sheltered life, though she’s also grown up in New York, so she’s not completely naive.
They could always do a double act here. Susie would probably hate that idea.
“Your love for Ciri is so strong,” Midge says, giving him a gentle kiss. “It’s very attractive.”
He wonders why she finds his love for Ciri attractive, yet he's afraid to ask. Because in his experience, such a comment means a woman is picturing him as a father, and that's not a happy topic.
She accepted his no children rule, yet she's open to a third. He wonders where her heart really lives. He wonders if her career will clash against it. He wonders how far they'll go like this.
"Everything about me is attractive," he teases to take the attention off Ciri and silence his brain. "I even make monster guts look good."
She does think Jaskier would be good with kids, though he may not be the most responsible father. Still, her biological clock is ticking and there’s a human instinct to want to find an appropriate mate. Midge is open to another child, but doesn’t necessarily want one. He’s made it pretty clear that he has no desire to be a father.
Doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about it though.
“You do,” she confirms. “I loved washing them off of you this morning.” It seems like that was forever ago.
"You loved washing them off Geralt," he jokes while playfully poking her waist. He realizes he doesn't know if she's ticklish, so he tests it by tickling her stomach.
"Right in front of his wife, too! You naughty, naughty girl. I've created a monster!"
Jaskier absolutely loves the monster he's created, but right now he has a bit and he's fucking committing to it. Especially since her beautiful laughter goes wonderfully with it.
"You caught me! I've been exorcised and shown the path of light!" Midge can bat all she wants; Jaskier is still bigger and stronger. It's easy for him to keep her close for more tickling torture. "From now on, I'll stick to a life of celibacy and orderly conduct!"
"That's not true!" he manages to say between giggles, happy to let her tickle back even though he could easily stop her. "We didn't have cars! Traveling took days, I wasn't about to fuck Roach!" His hands never stop tickling. This is war! "And here, I don't get to see you every day!"
“I’m saying…” Midge can’t stop giggling as she tries to squirm away from him. “Stop!” She’s having trouble forming sentences with him tickling her like this.
If he wanted to have sex with her every day, he’d have to live with her, and Midge figures that hell will freeze over before that happens.
"Ouch," he says, but he doesn't mean it. It's all dramatics.
Her comment makes him laugh. "I have done it, I swear. Life on the road is fun but it can also get rough. And being The Sandpiper often exhausted me. More than a day, however... that is indeed harder."
"I am always craving touch," he replies without hesitation. His eyes closed and he sighs, just enjoying her hand in his face. "It can be a hug. Cuddling. A ruffle of my hair. Writing while leaning against someone. Have I mention that Geralt is a wonderful heater?"
Jaskier hums in a rhythm that follows her stroking, almost starting a tune. Before he can push it more in that direction, he has to stop humming to answer her question.
He blinks. "I've never thought about it. I just... like people." A pause as he thinks about it a little more. "I hate being alone."
Midge nods at that sentiment. “I don’t like being alone either,” she says, “though sometimes you can be surrounded by people and still feel pretty lonely.”
It happens when it seems like people don’t understand her.
He nods as well and brings up their joined hands to kiss her knuckles. "Especially in crowds that just happen to be there because they like the ale, and your voice is nothing but background noise. If they're listening at all."
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Her next question makes him pause. Oh, dear. "No. I've collaborated with other musicians, but I've only traveled with Geralt." He squeezes her hand. "I'm afraid we wouldn't have been more than fling back in my world, dear. That is, if your husband let me approach you at all."
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She huffs. “Women were treated like chattel where you come from, weren’t they? What if I wasn’t married though? Or my husband had died of a long, lingering suspicious disease?”
Look up ‘slow poisoners’, Jask.
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"Then the one keeping your purity away from the bard whore would be your father."
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“What I meant was that we maybe could have performed together. You’d sing and I’d tell jokes and we’d travel around like minstrels. I understand what you’re saying though. If I was a lady in your world, we probably wouldn’t have met.” She gazes into his eyes. “That’s one good thing about this world and this country. It’s not perfect by any means, and we have a long way to go, but it’s much less restrictive than where you come from.”
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He doesn't want to ruin the cuddling by describing the horrors of his world. Thankfully, Midge gives him an opening.
"I know. That's why we don't want to go back. Even if we didn't have Ciri to protect, we would still choose this world. Safety beats the difficulty to perform any day."
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They could always do a double act here. Susie would probably hate that idea.
“Your love for Ciri is so strong,” Midge says, giving him a gentle kiss. “It’s very attractive.”
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She accepted his no children rule, yet she's open to a third. He wonders where her heart really lives. He wonders if her career will clash against it. He wonders how far they'll go like this.
"Everything about me is attractive," he teases to take the attention off Ciri and silence his brain. "I even make monster guts look good."
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Doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about it though.
“You do,” she confirms. “I loved washing them off of you this morning.” It seems like that was forever ago.
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"Right in front of his wife, too! You naughty, naughty girl. I've created a monster!"
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“You love it. You don’t think it’s naughty at all.”
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"Me? Never! I'm nothing but a paragon of virtue, trying to save your soul from the clutches of fame!"
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“Regretting encouraging my naughtiness?” She asks between gasps of laughter. “Such a change of attitude!”
He’s done nothing but encourage her in her career and the bedroom, both of which contribute to her being quite naughty by society’s standards.
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"You caught me! I've been exorcised and shown the path of light!" Midge can bat all she wants; Jaskier is still bigger and stronger. It's easy for him to keep her close for more tickling torture. "From now on, I'll stick to a life of celibacy and orderly conduct!"
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Midge is able to get one of her hands on Jaskier’s stomach and starts to tickle him back. Revenge!
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In his eyes, he's making a big sacrifice for her.
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If he wanted to have sex with her every day, he’d have to live with her, and Midge figures that hell will freeze over before that happens.
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"I win! Victory for the humble bard." Who is not being so humble right now. (Or ever.)
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“What I was trying to say was that I bet you couldn’t go a whole day without sex or without jacking off.”
No sex he might be able to handle, but not touching himself either? He’d cave eventually.
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Her comment makes him laugh. "I have done it, I swear. Life on the road is fun but it can also get rough. And being The Sandpiper often exhausted me. More than a day, however... that is indeed harder."
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“You were helping people as The Sandpiper,” she says. “After a day or two do you start to crave the touch of someone else?”
Midge likes sex, but she’s not as needful of it as Jaskier is.
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Now she’s imagining Jaskier cuddling with Geralt and isn’t quite sure if she can see it. Geralt doesn’t strike her as much of a cuddler.
“Why do you think you crave touch so much?” she asks.
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He blinks. "I've never thought about it. I just... like people." A pause as he thinks about it a little more. "I hate being alone."
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It happens when it seems like people don’t understand her.
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