“It’s supposed to be ~representational,” Midge says with a wave of her hand. “It’s supposed to evoke feelings and not be taken literally.”
She’s kidding. She’s not much of a fan of what passes for art these days, but art people will tell you that splotches on canvas are brilliant and have hidden meanings.
"I understand metaphors and shapes that represent feelings, that's not it!" he says with clear frustration. He tries to express that frustration with his usual crazy gesturing, meaning he accidentally lets go of Midge and her body slides off.
"...oops. Sorry," he says, but he's also chuckling. "Maybe this is a sign telling us to actually swim."
“Hey!” Midge says with a laugh as she slides off his chest. She puts her feet back down in the sand. “Floating is probably better kept to the pool. Anyway, I’m not a fan either. Stuff like that isn’t commercial anyway. Most people want portraits or nice landscapes.”
"I thought you wanted to drink at the pool," he teases before getting into a swimming position. "I'm going to swim a little further into the waves. Want to come? No hard feelings if you don't."
It seems Midge isn't as enthusiastic as he is about the ocean, but that's ok.
Jaskier has the time of his life swimming in the deeper area - he truly missed this. He stays there for a while, enjoying the bright sun and the feeling of the water around him. It's amazing to just float, to feel like his body isn't bound to a place. He wonders if this is how birds feel when they fly.
With so many people on summer vacation, it's inevitable for him to chat with strangers, especially since some women who didn't see Midge are happy to approach him. He talks and charms everyone, but eventually, he needs to rest and makes his way back to the umbrella.
"Aww, now I can't play with the pennants!" he teases when he sees the towel around her body, and leans in to kiss her cheek, which means dripping water all over her.
Midge watches him for a little while. She has no problem with him talking to other women. It doesn’t seem like particularly flirtatious chatter.
Eventually she gets out her book to read. After only a few pages, the ocean air and her weariness from the day’s activities take over and Midge closes her eyes. She’s awakened by Jaskier leaning over to kiss her.
“You just want to touch my boobs in public,” she replies. “Hey, I was dry!”
"But I like you better wet," he teases while he gets his towel. He starts drying his hair while sitting on the edge of her chair to peek at her book. "So, is it any good?"
Reading a few lines already has him chuckling, so he starts reading aloud with lots of dramatics, deepening his voice for the guy's lines and trying a high pitch for the girl's.
"The tall, slender blond man in the suit of violet silk had attached himself to Bliss's side early in the evening. He plied her with glass after glass of sweet wine, flattered her outrageously, danced with her, and teased her until she giggled uncontrollably.
She pushed his hands away as he tried to tug at the ribbons of her mask. "No, you mustn't!" she chided, a giggle in her voice that was caused half by amusement and half by the wine she had consumed that evening.
"But it's nearly midnight," he protested, his pale blue eyes admiring her through the slits in his purple velvet mask. His hair of cornflower yellow tumbled to his shoulders and rolled over into great natural ringlets. "Let me see your face, my beauty," he coaxed.
"How do you know I am a beauty?" Bliss challenged. "You cannot see my face."
"I know by the curve of your delectable lips," he purred, his own lips brushing her ear. "How I long to kiss them!"
"You judge a woman's beauty by the shape of her lips, then?" Bliss asked.
"And by the sparkle of your beautiful eyes," he whispered. "How I long to see them glowing with desire!"
"So it is by her eyes and lips that you judge a woman?" Bliss prompted, a strange quivering in her stomach.
"And by her body." His fingertips brushed, as if by accident, over the creamy swells of Bliss's breasts above the lacy edge of her neckline. "How exquisite you are. I long to hold you, to caress you, to be your lover."
He turns to Midge as he snickers. "Are your swells creamy as well?"
Midge’s cheeks turn red and it’s not because of the sun. She starts to laugh into her hand. Jaskier’s delivery is really adding to the ridiculousness of the book.
“I don’t know,” she replies to his question. “You tell me.”
"I think they are very creamy, that's why I like sucking on them," he whispers before reading a little more.
"Bliss clutched her fan with a sweaty hand. She thought she knew who this rash young man was, a young viscount who had succeeded to his title but recently. He was busily cutting a swath through the ranks of the females of the court and it was whispered had been entertained by Castlemaine herself. He was vain, self-centered, conceited and unutterably handsome. Bliss had often seen him courting this lady or that. He was far from the dashing, tall, dark, masterful stranger she dreamed of in her girlish fantasies, but he was known to court only the most beautiful women at Whitehall and therefore to be singled out for his attention was something of a coup."
He huffs playfully. "I don't know if being flattered or offended by this!"
“It’s art imitating life,” Midge agrees. A very flirtatious viscount? Sounds familiar. “Guess he’s not concerned with mundane things like getting married and passing on the bloodline either — or at least not yet.”
These romance novels are a bit formulaic to say the least.
"I'm getting suspicious of why you chose this book," he teases. The mention of marriage and bloodline makes him wrinkle his nose. "Wasn't he a thief?"
He checks the back of the book. "He is! He deserves a better, more exciting ending!" He takes the book from Midge to check the ending while still chatting with her. "Is this what you want? To attend a masquerade?"
His suspicion-teasing had been toward her buying a book about a handsome but slutty viscount, but it's interesting to see her reaction. He scans the last few pages and gives the book back to her, not commenting on the ending in case she doesn't want spoilers. "They could get together but still go on adventures, it's not fair!"
He tilts his head at her. "I did notice that parties here are mostly hanging out at someone's house, unless it's something like a wedding. You come for money, are you telling me nobody has fancy parties anymore?"
“They could,” she agrees. “They probably come to some sort of compromise.” Because compromise is a huge part of relationships.
Midge gives him a look over the top of her sunglasses. “My family has money, but I’m not a Rockefeller. Parties held by people who are that rich are on a whole other level. That’s where stuff can get weird.”
Jaskier grabs a book from his satchel before he finally lies down on his chair, a happy little sigh leaving his lips. Swimming is great, but his muscles need to rest now.
"Oooh, yeah, the reeeeeeally tall building. It's amazing how talls building are in this world, but also kind of funny that you don't build towers anymore. You'd think they want to put the cops on top of them."
Oh, he can absolutely get that dense. He quickly learned in this world to keep it a bit lighter, but he refuses to let go of all of it. Flowery is nicer.
Midge's face makes him laugh, so he kisses the top of her head before showing her the full poem for context. "It's very metaphorical, so a few things are up to interpretation. It mentions 'modest worth' and 'rank'-" He points at those words on the page. "--so it appears that he's talking about the value of a powerful bond between people over differences in social standing. If it's mere friendship or it evolves into something sexual, well, dear - that's up to you."
The stanza makes more sense when she reads the whole poem in context. “He mentions friendship, but you’re right. He could be angling for something else. People, especially upper class people, had to be flowery back then. They couldn’t just ask if someone wanted to fuck them.”
Midge looks up at him with a teasing smile. “You made your intentions known pretty quickly.”
Oh, she has such a pretty teasing smile. He laughs at her comment.
"And you like it," he teases back. "Ah, but worry not. There have many a time back in my world where I had to be smooth as well. Especially with men - and in that case, that happens here too. That's why places like Rainbow Road are so important. We don't have to guess there."
“I do like it,” she confirms. “It was very flattering to be wanted like that.”
What he says about men who want to have sex with other men makes sense. Coming on to the wrong person could mean prison, or worse.
“I’m surprised that the police haven’t tried to shut it down yet. Not that I think it needs to be, of course, but anything that’s so open like that is a target for people who hate it.”
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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She’s kidding. She’s not much of a fan of what passes for art these days, but art people will tell you that splotches on canvas are brilliant and have hidden meanings.
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"...oops. Sorry," he says, but he's also chuckling. "Maybe this is a sign telling us to actually swim."
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It seems Midge isn't as enthusiastic as he is about the ocean, but that's ok.
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“I plan to drink and float,” she replies, then kisses him. “Be careful, my handsome merman. I’ll see you back on shore.”
Midge treks back to the lounge chairs and umbrella. After wrapping a towel around her, she lays on the chair, relaxing under the umbrella.
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With so many people on summer vacation, it's inevitable for him to chat with strangers, especially since some women who didn't see Midge are happy to approach him. He talks and charms everyone, but eventually, he needs to rest and makes his way back to the umbrella.
"Aww, now I can't play with the pennants!" he teases when he sees the towel around her body, and leans in to kiss her cheek, which means dripping water all over her.
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Eventually she gets out her book to read. After only a few pages, the ocean air and her weariness from the day’s activities take over and Midge closes her eyes. She’s awakened by Jaskier leaning over to kiss her.
“You just want to touch my boobs in public,” she replies. “Hey, I was dry!”
I'm (not) sorry
Reading a few lines already has him chuckling, so he starts reading aloud with lots of dramatics, deepening his voice for the guy's lines and trying a high pitch for the girl's.
"The tall, slender blond man in the suit of violet silk had attached himself to Bliss's side early in the evening. He plied her with glass after glass of sweet wine, flattered her outrageously, danced with her, and teased her until she giggled uncontrollably.
She pushed his hands away as he tried to tug at the ribbons of her mask. "No, you mustn't!" she chided, a giggle in her voice that was caused half by amusement and half by the wine she had consumed that evening.
"But it's nearly midnight," he protested, his pale blue eyes admiring her through the slits in his purple velvet mask. His hair of cornflower yellow tumbled to his shoulders and rolled over into great natural ringlets. "Let me see your face, my beauty," he coaxed.
"How do you know I am a beauty?" Bliss challenged. "You cannot see my face."
"I know by the curve of your delectable lips," he purred, his own lips brushing her ear. "How I long to kiss them!"
"You judge a woman's beauty by the shape of her lips, then?" Bliss asked.
"And by the sparkle of your beautiful eyes," he whispered. "How I long to see them glowing with desire!"
"So it is by her eyes and lips that you judge a woman?" Bliss prompted, a strange quivering in her stomach.
"And by her body." His fingertips brushed, as if by accident, over the creamy swells of Bliss's breasts above the lacy edge of her neckline. "How exquisite you are. I long to hold you, to caress you, to be your lover."
He turns to Midge as he snickers. "Are your swells creamy as well?"
i love it
“I don’t know,” she replies to his question. “You tell me.”
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"Bliss clutched her fan with a sweaty hand. She thought she knew who this rash young man was, a young viscount who had succeeded to his title but recently. He was busily cutting a swath through the ranks of the females of the court and it was whispered had been entertained by Castlemaine herself. He was vain, self-centered, conceited and unutterably handsome. Bliss had often seen him courting this lady or that. He was far from the dashing, tall, dark, masterful stranger she dreamed of in her girlish fantasies, but he was known to court only the most beautiful women at Whitehall and therefore to be singled out for his attention was something of a coup."
He huffs playfully. "I don't know if being flattered or offended by this!"
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These romance novels are a bit formulaic to say the least.
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He checks the back of the book. "He is! He deserves a better, more exciting ending!" He takes the book from Midge to check the ending while still chatting with her. "Is this what you want? To attend a masquerade?"
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She leans back in the chair. “A masquerade would be fun. Nobody really holds parties like that anymore unless they’re kind of… strange and cultish.”
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He tilts his head at her. "I did notice that parties here are mostly hanging out at someone's house, unless it's something like a wedding. You come for money, are you telling me nobody has fancy parties anymore?"
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Midge gives him a look over the top of her sunglasses. “My family has money, but I’m not a Rockefeller. Parties held by people who are that rich are on a whole other level. That’s where stuff can get weird.”
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"That's disappointing. I'll see if I can take you to an elven party, then. Who is Rockefeller?"
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“It’s a family,” she tells him. “The guy ran Standard Oil. His grandson’s the governor. And you’ve probably heard of Rockefeller Center?”
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"Oooh, yeah, the reeeeeeally tall building. It's amazing how talls building are in this world, but also kind of funny that you don't build towers anymore. You'd think they want to put the cops on top of them."
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Midge leans over towards him. “Whatcha reading?”
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He shows her the cover of the Lord Byron book before reading aloud with his classically trained reciting voice:
"Our souls at least congenial meet,
Nor can thy lot my rank disgrace;
Our intercourse is not less sweet,
Since worth of rank supplies the place."
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Her jokes aren’t hidden by such flowery language. Even Jaskier’s poetry isn’t as dense.
totally stealing the analysis from the website lol I'm not good with old English
Midge's face makes him laugh, so he kisses the top of her head before showing her the full poem for context. "It's very metaphorical, so a few things are up to interpretation. It mentions 'modest worth' and 'rank'-" He points at those words on the page. "--so it appears that he's talking about the value of a powerful bond between people over differences in social standing. If it's mere friendship or it evolves into something sexual, well, dear - that's up to you."
steal away
Midge looks up at him with a teasing smile. “You made your intentions known pretty quickly.”
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"And you like it," he teases back. "Ah, but worry not. There have many a time back in my world where I had to be smooth as well. Especially with men - and in that case, that happens here too. That's why places like Rainbow Road are so important. We don't have to guess there."
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What he says about men who want to have sex with other men makes sense. Coming on to the wrong person could mean prison, or worse.
“I’m surprised that the police haven’t tried to shut it down yet. Not that I think it needs to be, of course, but anything that’s so open like that is a target for people who hate it.”
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