froggie: (pic#16818631)
Fizzarolli ([personal profile] froggie) wrote2024-04-15 07:03 am

blood and whiny jesters

[Shiiiiiiit.

Shitshitfuckshit. Shit and then double fuck, and FUCK AGAIN.

How has this happened? This bullshit is why he never comes to the living world; he's a performer, an entertainer, not an action hero! Why did he ever let Blitzø talk him into coming to observe him at work, just so the asshole could show off?

"It's just one job, Fizz. You'll be nowhere near the guns and blood, Fizz. It's totally safe and I'll have you back to your big royal chicken in one piece, Fizz. Don't you want to see the living world at least once in your life, Fizz?"

He is going to punch that dickhead SO HARD when he gets home. Because it will be when, right? Not if. And then he will never ever set foot outside the Lust Ring again, let alone outside of Hell.

It had all happened in a flash of white hot pain and the smell of magic gone wrong, the pages of the Prince's tome fluttering and the spell going awry at the last moment. Instead of a nice safe portal opening from the offices of I.M.P. into whatever part of the living world Blitzø's contract was in, Fizz found himself tumbling through a nauseating vortex of images and sounds that make no sense.

And when it stops things don't get less confusing.

The light is fucking dim, and all he can see is stone before he has to fall to his knees and retch from the sensation of whatever the shit had gone wrong. Urgh. Shakily, he wipes a hand over the back of his mouth, unaware that he's crash-landed straight in front of someone like the weirdest multicoloured unwanted houseguest.]


...Blitzø? Fuck.

[His voice is harsh and raspy, as if he smokes about eighty a day, the bells on his hat jingling when he shifts a bit to try and look around.]
szpakowaty: (11.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-10 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ He pauses mid-inspection of the cheese in the basket (orange, crumbly, something that pairs well with the bottle sitting next to it, probably) when Fizzarolli apologizes for potentially impolite racial comments, and the gesture is-

-Gods, it really is just the most charming thing. Here, in this world, where humans have killed elves for trifles and hung halflings for the crime of being short-statured. Here, in this world, where witchers are called mutants for slaughtering monsters that simply deigned to exist near so-called civilization.

Fizzarolli, who is someone from literal Hell, has the decency to apologize for saying something that could be construed as ignorant. Regis turns, looks over his shoulder with cheese in hand, and laughs brightly.
]

Someone with courage, integrity, and nobility. [ Without patronization. His smile is sincere but tight-lipped so as not to show teeth, a habit he's picked up over hundreds of years. ] Hell must be a wonderful place, with you in it.

[ Another light chuckle, and he shakes his head. ] No, you haven't offended at all. Many vampires do drink, to varying degrees of indulgence and violence. I simply chose not to, out of circumstance and principle. [ The last bit is a bit solemn, but it doesn't quite hit "sad". ] At any rate, I find rumors about vampires quite funny. You've no need to worry about my feelings on the matter.
szpakowaty: (52.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-10 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's a bit hard to tell when Fizz flushes given his countenance and how he hides his sheepishness by stuffing his cheeks with cheese, but the subsequent stuttering and choice of words speak to some inherent nervousness about being praised-

-or, so Regis assumes. It's not like he can claim to know, but there's something a bit jarring about the sudden tonal shift that Fizzarolli takes, not dissimilar to how Geralt would always deflect discussions about the quality of his character by saying that his witcher mutations made him impossible to be cared for.

This time, the expression on Regis' face does read as slightly sad. More so than when he shared his drinking habits, or lack thereof. He reciprocates that touch that Fizzarolli gave him earlier over his clothes, his fingers resting carefully on what feels to be cold metal.
]

It's quite alright. [ Memories surface of companions lost to time, ages ago. ] Though I meant what I said without knowledge of your fame or your reputation.

[ "Or the fact that you've sold yourself", feels too intrusive. His hand remains near where he approximates Fizz's wrist would be. ]

Are you a bard?
Edited (i also know how to spell......... we are twins apparently) 2024-05-10 14:25 (UTC)
szpakowaty: (22.)

LISTEN i love this!!!!!

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-12 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The air seems to swell; something invisible hangs over the ceiling of the crypt until it bursts, reverberating against stone and dirt, tremulous and exultant. It takes Regis a moment to register that the source of the energy is music― it's been a small age since anyone has sung to him, personally.

He watches, rapt in a way that disarms himself, and heaves another laugh from the pit of his nonexistent stomach. It's a shame when Fizzarolli finishes, even if Regis thinks that certain bards would take umbrage at the crassness of some of the sung lyrics.

But then again, Fizzarolli said it himself: he's a jester, not a bard.

Regis is still bending his brain around the newness of this all, the novelty of it, as he claps for the performance. Sincere and surprised, which shows in his slightly-widened eyes.
]

Extraordinary- my word, you really are quite the talent.

[ With apologies to Dandelion, who has definitely found his match. Regis stops clapping, but reluctantly. ]

It seems we'll have to expedite our search to send you back to Hell. There's no doubt you're sorely missed.
szpakowaty: (53.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-13 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Surviving death (an inherently paradoxical concept) has given Regis perspective on many things: like, say, the ephemeral nature of everything, and the utter miracle that said ephemeral things are still able to bring him genuine joy. In five, fifty, five hundred years, Regis will likely remember this moment as strikingly novel despite the endless stretch of time and references available to him; he thinks that there's something very beautiful about that.

Anyway! That's a lot of philosophizing about a hell jester. Regis makes room for Fizz to perch on a slab of rock next to him if he'd like, and sets the basket and wine on top of two stacks of very thick, leather-bound books.
]

I prefer "visitor", [ he gently corrects. ] But, hm. Yes, I shall start if you've no objections.

[ No move to eat or drink on his end, though his dark eyes occasionally flit to the bottle. Abstaining has become harder and harder after his so-called "rebirth"; maybe it's Dettlaff's restless blood that compels him. ]

It's a widely regarded belief in this world that hell is where the souls of sinners go after they expire. This belief, in my opinion, serves two purposes: one, to discourage bad behavior and uphold an admittedly fragile moral order, and two, to give credence to the opposing idea of heaven.

[ Tl;dr- "I always thought heaven and hell were kinda bullshit, tbh." ]

I wonder how much this aligns with your reality.
szpakowaty: (16.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-14 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Huh. Maybe it's a bit uncharitable that Regis' first thought is "humans were right about something for once," but it could also be the case that there was an enlightened human or two who saw Hell as it is when all the worlds converged so many centuries ago.

Thoughtful, Regis settles down and leans back. Long fingers drum across his knees, considering.
]

After one dies? Nothing at all. I'd always believed that legends and stories take the place of a tangible afterlife- that we'd be kept alive by the virtue of historians and orators, not heaven or hell.

[ Bluntly, but without malice. "I never believed in your reality" is not a nice thing to say (he's been on the receiving end of this claim many, many times), but Regis means it as delicately as he can manage. He sympathizes, after all. ]

I've experienced death. Or something close to it, I suppose. There was never a crossing over, or a weighing of my actions to determine which end of the spectrum was more suitable for my soul.

[ A solemn, half-smile. ] It wasn't much of anything, truly. Which is why I didn't give the existence of Hell much thought.
szpakowaty: (63.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-16 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ Now Regis is really curious as to how society in Hell is structured, if it's able to foster citizens that have such a high empathy quotient. Or maybe Fizz is just an anomaly in all things, including the structuring of his limbs and his musical talent.

His solemnity eases; the smile becomes just a smile, and becomes a half-grin by the time Fizz finishes.
]

Pride. [ A little huff, caught off-guard. ] I'll neither confirm nor deny that well-placed accusation.

[ Don't call him out like this!!!!!!!! jk though, because it's funny. Fizz has proven himself to be a capable jester 50 times over in the span of such a short amount of time, how impressive. ]

...Thank you, at any rate. It does remain an unfortunate truth that humans in this particular world tend towards xenophobia, but I shan't sour your experience of the surface before it's even begun. [ He'll have to go out tomorrow into the city for things like, you know, food and common amenities- things to keep a guest comfortable, which are things he does not possess right now. He's not sure if he can leave Fizz alone in the crypt during that time, so he'll have to think on it.

In the meantime:
] Now, a question from you.
szpakowaty: (50.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-17 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It'll be all over for them if and when Regis brings Fizzarolli a Gwent deck to mess around with, but UNTIL THEN......

......this question. Very well-aimed in some respects, which is both surprising and not. His new companion, Regis has found in this brief amount of time they've spent together, has the distinct ability to be very astute about the things that matter.

He pauses, letting that obvious beat of silence stretch for a bit longer than necessary. It's unintentional, which probably says more than if he'd actually said anything at all.
]

―Ah. A common misconception, [ is how he gently recovers from that pause, ] that vampires are made, not born. It just so happens that we are a race of our own, wholly separate from humans. I have never been mortal, and thus I cannot miss what I've never been.

[ That's the easy part to answer. The rest isn't difficult either, per se, but it's a bit loaded. Maybe something to tell in installments, instead of laying everything out on the proverbial table right now. He shifts in his seat, not uncomfortable but thoughtful. ]

As for eating, our anatomy doesn't restrict us to the mere consumption of blood. I sometimes dabble in food when the mood takes me. [ A smile, as if that's a funny thing to say. ] And drink, well- I mentioned that I avoid partaking. Not just blood, but any stimulants.

...Did I truly look so wistfully at the bottle?
Edited (english please cooperate) 2024-05-17 23:49 (UTC)
szpakowaty: (70.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-21 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Please!!!! Fizz!!!!! It should be so much more difficult for someone to get in Regis' good graces, and yet. Regis doesn't have a heart, not in a human-anatomy sense, but he feels something in his chest constrict when Fizzarolli tries to be delicate with him. As if he, Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy, higher vampire and immortal, was ever built to be handled with care.

A breath that he doesn't need to take, and he softens in return for Fizzarolli's smile. Unbidden, he feels himself leaning over in his perch to rest his palm on the crest of his companion's head, between the two protrusions that he assumes are horns, and carefully smooths the fabric of Fizzarolli's hat. If Fizzarolli will let him, that is.
]

I cannot imagine, [ he says, trying to emphasize how serious he is about this, ] that you could ever make things harder for anyone. You astound me.

[ Another pat, again, if Fizz will let him. Regis gentles, though the expression borders on slightly melancholy again. ]

The reason for my abstaining is sordid and unpleasant. I don't mean to generalize, but the principle reason behind most individuals' decision to stop something altogether is if said something caused them to make grave errors and lapses in judgment. I doubt you would've been so kind to me if you'd met me a few centuries ago, alas.
szpakowaty: (8.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-22 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Long fingers curl back from where they'd made contact with Fizz's hat, careful not to pull back too abruptly lest the gesture convey any vestige of surprise. A physician's instinct: Regis has dealt with enough people in varying states of pain to know when he's caused discomfort.

Calmly, he places his hands back on his knees. Listens, and watches Fizzarolli recover from that light stumble with as much finesse as he'd shown during his performance, and also watches the follow-up stumble of him readjusting his hat. It's impolite of Regis not to register the kind words that are being offered to him so generously, but he's preoccupied with those micro-communications, the body language.

When he's prompted for another question, he almost asks "did I offend you, just then?"

He reconsiders, because this is meant to be a rapport, not an interrogation. So:
]

I would love to know your favorite color.

[ Guilelessly! He sits there, patient, and smiles. ]
szpakowaty: (67.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-23 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sure, Regis is interested in what exactly Fizzarolli is and his physiology, if there's anything that he should know in terms of Fizzarolli's ability to acclimate to places that aren't Hell (is the air on the surface bad for his health if he's exposed to it for too long? does saltwater burn? does he need protection against the sun?), but these questions don't paint a picture of who Fizzarolli is. The who is more essential, if they're to spend time together for however long Fate dictates.

Regis huffs at his companion's non-committal answer, amused and warm.
]

Ah, so you've a partner. Giving your friend who caused this whole ruckus an earful, I'd imagine.

[ "Blitzø", as Regis recalls from that funny little contraption with the glowing screen. ]

This raises more questions, but I won't pry for now. [ Another low, soft laugh. ] Blue it is. I shall have to find you something suitably blue during my next excursion to the city.
szpakowaty: (6.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-24 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Unfortunately-

-the name doesn't ring a bell. Regis picks up on the gravity of the reveal, of course, because Fizzarolli wouldn't have framed it in the way that he did without sufficient reason, but his knowledge of Hell is either folklore or the more academic "where did certain creatures who inhabit this world come from".

Which means that the intricate hierarchies of different dimensions are unknown to him, and he can only surmise. Fizzarolli mentioned something about his home being comprised of rings (seven of them?), and he assumes that, like in all worlds, there must be someone who holds dominion over one or all of them. Perhaps that's who Asmodeus is.

Anyway. Regis has to react, so:
] A name I'm unfamiliar with, I'm afraid. [ A slight bowing of his head, politely apologetic if not for the obvious undercurrent of curiosity that straightens his posture, makes him scoot a bit closer. Live a few hundred centuries, and one becomes hungry for new content. ] But, through the process of addition, I take it that he's someone with significant political power.

[ He tries not to smile, and fails. ] My sympathies. I do know how royalty can get, especially concerning their lovers.

[ Anna Henrietta, for example. She didn't take being spurned by Dandelion very well, but then again, that wasn't a misunderstanding or an accident. ]
szpakowaty: (7.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-27 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Regis hovers when he sees wide eyes fill with moisture, and shifts to accommodate: a hand on Fizz's shoulder, instinct rather than anything calculated. ]

-The offer to break a glass or two still stands. [ "Allow yourself your emotions", Regis'd offered. Honestly, Fizzarolli's been handling all of this with a grace that most wouldn't have, and Regis hadn't even taken into account the possibility of his new visitor having someone who he'd miss like this, with what seems like the entire breadth of his being.

Perhaps he's too vampire to relate to that. He breathes through his nose, rubs the shoulder that his palm is still touching.
]

You will return to him. It will require a fair bit of consultation and patience from you, I expect, but we shall set things to rights.

[ A bit of nostalgia, here: he remembers Geralt sitting by himself away from their campfire, trying to convince everyone that he could find Ciri alone. An impossible task that seemed far more possible with the addition of helping hands.

Regis softens, and scoots closer.
]
szpakowaty: (69.)

[personal profile] szpakowaty 2024-05-31 07:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ A surprised little oh when arms wind around him not once, not twice, but three times over. A neat trick, that. It's a welcome sign of camaraderie, even if Regis understands that the transition from "this is awful" to "this is fine" is not linear nor quick; he won't press Fizzarolli to be less or more than what he currently is. Sometimes all someone needs is a watchful eye to preside over their highs and lows.

(And truly, all Regis has is time. Always, forever.)

One more pat to Fizz's interestingly-built knee, and Regis lets the subject drop.
]

Yes, that. You would cause a bit of a ruckus were you to appear in public exactly as you are.

[ An apologetic little quirk of his lips. He mentioned the xenophobia thing, and it will definitely remain a hurdle that they'll have to jump over again and again. ]

I don't expect your manners will be the issue [ maybe less cursing in general, but, you know ], as much as your... [ Hm. ] ...physiognomy. Humans in this world aren't terribly tolerant of anything that doesn't look exactly like them, and even when the differences are negligible, the closeness is enough to breed contempt.

In other words: if we're to take you anywhere, you would have to wear a mask. And hide your tail.

[ The hat is fine, Regis figures. An accoutrement. ]

(no subject)

[personal profile] szpakowaty - 2024-06-01 10:03 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] szpakowaty - 2024-06-02 07:37 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] szpakowaty - 2024-06-06 12:20 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] szpakowaty - 2024-06-06 13:03 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] szpakowaty - 2024-06-09 09:58 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] szpakowaty - 2024-07-29 11:05 (UTC) - Expand