[oh! He remembered she likes to have milk to drink. That's so nice...Jester's typing is a little bit jumbled as she struggles to text and change clothes at the same time, a flurry of motion and jingling bells.]
dont' worry lime! lidm liem
i'll be there in a litlte bit! ! just han g tight!
[She manages to get on a nice, navy-blue dress with long, flowing bell sleeves and red ribbons tied up the arms, and a pale cream dirndl over the top that laces under her bust and flares out in a cutaway at the front. Before long, she's on her way, making a quick stop at the market for some essentials before continuing on to Sumarlok and Liem's house. When Jester finally arrives on his doorstep, her arms are full of grocery bags, so she knocks at the door with one of her horns, a stilted, dull thud-thud-thud.]
[Liem answers the door promptly, swinging it open and taking in Jester’s armfuls of groceries in a single glance. If he’s surprised at all to see how much shopping a trip for “the essentials” resulted in, it doesn’t show on his face. He only looks pleased, and a little tired as he leans forward to take some of the bags from her.]
Jester. Let me help you with these.
[He steps back to allow her entry, lingering a moment to see that the door gets closed and her shoes find their homes on the rack before he heads for the kitchen. Today’s home attire for Liem consists simply of slim grey pants and a black turtleneck. Abadar’s holy symbol hangs on a chain against his chest. He carries the bags as far as the kitchen counter before abandoning them for a moment and turning instead to regard Jester with a quiet smile.]
[She may have overbought a little...mainly she just grabbed anything she saw that Liem might like, which is why there's a box of raisins in there and some hard pretzels, too. For her, there's a package of cheese danishes and a bag of chocolate-covered caramels, plus a liter of milk for Liem's fridge. A few other things, too...eggs, cheese, bread, and some Noctian vegetable she doesn't recognize but has seen in Liem's kitchen before. As he answers the door, Jester feels relief bubble up in her throat, the kind that wouldn't come until she saw him with her own two eyes.]
Liem! Here, I got you some essentials~!
[She follows him anxiously into the kitchen, her tail whipping excitedly back and forth and knocking against the walls as she goes. Jester doesn't hesitate; as soon as Liem's arms are free and he turns toward her, she latches onto him in a brief, tight hug.]
Not as good as it is to see you...! I'm so happy you came back. Where were you, anyway? Your home?
[Liem’s arms fold around Jester for the brief embrace, giving her a small squeeze of his own before she releases him again. It seems strange to think that he’s now known her for almost as long as he’s known any of his companions back home. Although the two of them haven’t lived through any life-and-death struggles in that time, they’ve managed to grow close in other ways, ones that he simply hasn’t had the time nor opportunity for with those he knows in Taldor, and her excitable presence in his kitchen is an incredibly welcome one. He realizes that he’s come to count her as a good friend.]
My home, yes. My country.
[Just as he hadn’t missed Noctium during his time on Golarion, he also hadn’t thought to appreciate all the things about his country and his world that he misses while he’s here. The wide, rolling plains and farmlands of Taldor’s interior are unlike any of the countrysides he’s roamed in Sumar and Primavera. The people are different, and the towns they live in, the songs they sing and the gods they pray to. Though he hadn’t taken note of any of it at the time, he thinks now that it was nice to see it again, for a time. He wonders if that was the final chance he’ll have to do so.]
I was there about a month, doing a job I’d been anticipating for over half the time I’ve been here.
[Then he was finally sent back home, only to check out before the mission’s conclusion. Fate is such a fickle mistress.]
[Satisfied that Liem is real and solid and isn't going anywhere for the time being, Jester sets about unpacking her grocery bags. She makes two very distinct piles: Liem food and Jester food. Pretty obvious which is which.]
And then you just...came back? Did you remember any of us while you were gone?
[It's something she finds herself worried about quite a lot. What happens if any of them go home? Will all this, all the friends she's made, just be gone from her memory...?]
[When Jester returns her attention to the bags of groceries, Liem does the same, attending gratefully to the simple chore. The refrigeratable items he places in the fridge, then while he’s at it, he begins pouring his old milk out into the sink as well.]
I don’t remember being taken, from either world. And while I was there, I didn’t remember my time here at all.
[Maybe it was for the best that he didn’t remember. He can’t say for certain that thoughts of his friends here wouldn’t have distracted him from things that urgently required his attention.]
But once I arrived back at the Sky Station, I remembered everything. Just like the last time I was sent back home.
[Jester mutters softly as Liem explains the situation. She's halfway into tearing into the package of danishes, but her fingers slow, her tail lashing irritatedly against the floor.]
Well that...that's irritating. I don't want to forget anyone if I ever get home...It's so unfair!
[Her brow wrinkles and she glances quickly up at Liem.] It's happened more than once?!
[Liem nods pensively as he moves to rinsing out the old milk carton. He pours it out a second time, then begins folding the cardboard up so it can be recycled.]
It’s happened to me once before; last summer, I vanished from here and spent three months back in Taldor. I don’t think Malachite has complete control over when it happens.
[And on that occasion he was gone for less than a week. At least this time his time on Golarion hadn’t been so badly mismatched compared to how long he was absent from Noctium.]
I do need to go back when our task here is done… but I hope that once Malachite has ascended, they will be able to return us with our bodies and our memories intact.
[Jester makes a soft hmph! into a danish at the idea that it's out of anyone's control, even Malachite's. It's hard not to get swallowed up by her fears, but she does allow herself a little wibble. Her voice gets very small, aimed at the counter, and she sounds for a moment the way she had when they'd met in Ballymallet. Melancholy.]
Do you ever worry, like...what if all your friends go home and it's just you here?
[Liem is silent for a moment as he considers Jester’s question, letting his hands still as he watches her gaze down at the counter. He drops the empty milk carton into his kitchen recycling bin, then comes to lean against the counter next to her.]
I’ve thought about it.
[Of course he has. It was one of the first things that went through his mind both times he returned from Taldor, when he realized that time had passed in Noctium in his absence, and that the people he’d left behind might no-longer be there.]
People come and go all the time, in this world especially. A good friend of mine was actually sent back home around the same time you first arrived. That uncertainty is why I started putting up pictures of friends in my house—so something of them will be left here after they’re gone.
[As she feels Liem come to lean beside her, Jester's shoulders slump sideways almost automatically, letting her head rest carefully on his shoulder with a soft chime of her bells.]
That's a good idea. You know...I write about you all in my journal. I really want to make a page for everyone with a really good portrait of you, and like stuff we've done together. If I write it all down, maybe it'll survive the journey.
[When Jester slumps sideways to lean her head against him, he reaches an arm around her shoulders and gives her a gentle squeeze.]
That sounds like it would be nice to revisit. That way you can easily take it with you to the next place you go.
[He suspects that her journal entries wouldn’t make it back home with her if she were to suddenly disappear from Noctium, but there’s no point in dwelling on things like that. Entries like that will still make a difference here, if one of her friends gets sent home without her. And if Malachite ascends and their time here ends, perhaps they will all be able to return home with both their belongings and their memories.]
[Jester sighs softly, comforted by the arm that wraps around her, and smiles despite her worries at the question Liem asks next.]
Oh, lots of things. [She sits back upright, glancing up at him with a tiny smirk that lets the points of her fangs peek out.] Stuff you like, stuff you don't like. Stuff we do together.
[Her cheeks color a bit as she says that, and her tail does a nervous little lash against the floor.]
It was going to be really funny if I had to leave off where I did.
[Liem’s brows raise as he looks down at Jester, noting the subtle violet tint to her cheeks and the lashing of her tail. A light hum escapes him.]
You’re saying you didn’t leave anything out, [he hazards drily. He gives Jester one more sidelong glance before reaching for the package of raisins and turning it about in his hand. Their relationship has grown deeper since they first met, not even half a year ago, but in some ways it hasn’t changed at all. They are still two very different people finding kinship and comfort in shared circumstances, with all the complexities that entails.
After a moment, his dry expression takes on a rather meaningful curiosity.]
Well...no, [Jester admits, barely holding back the giggles that want to bubble up in her throat.] Not really. My sketchbook is like, my diary, you know?
[And accordingly, she tends to record a pretty thorough documentation of what happens each day. And if that day happens to contain some Synchrony-related activities, well, of course she has to include that.]
Sometimes, [she hedges, but the smirk widens on her face.] If there's something noteworthy to record.
[Liem hums at the sight of the growing smirk on Jester’s face. Does “something noteworthy” include getting a horny misfire text and then having transformed gem-fuelled sex with a new person? He’s betting it does… but surely she only includes very tasteful illustrations in her sketchbook, regardless of subject matter. That’s what he’s going to choose to believe about this dick-drawing gremlin.]
Well now you can record the sudden return of a vanished friend in your book, and the last entry about me won’t have to include rabbit ears.
[It sure does, Liem! He can choose to believe whatever he wants, but we all know the truth here.
Jester finally lets her laughter loose, and nods eagerly.]
It's going to be a really good entry, [she agrees, going back to her pastry now that she's done being traumatized.] Although I have to say, Liem, I was pret-ty fond of the ears. They were so cute!
[Jester’s transition from brief melancholy back to mischievous laughter is a welcome one. He settles a bit more easily against the counter at the sound of it, and after a moment, he pries the package of raisins open as well.]
You thought so? I wasn’t so sure about the colour.
[The black looked a bit severe on him, he thought. And the horns were a little inconvenient to deal with. He smiles wryly.]
I wonder if I’ll ever stop being surprised by a transformation and needing to get entire outfits tailored. But I suppose I could endure having the ears again.
It was very striking. But you like nice the normal way too, don't worry, Liem. [She giggles into a bite of danish.] But getting new outfits is half the fun! I love shopping...
[Her tail sneaks up behind him stealthily as she speaks, and then the spade taps him on the opposite shoulder.]
I'm glad you like the shriveled up old grapes I brought you.
[He flicks his eyes over his shoulder to glance back at the offending tail, and his wry expression warms slightly with amusement.]
Though I do like shopping. I confess that isn’t exactly a hardship.
[It’s more the requirement of doing emergency shopping while wearing ill-fitting clothes that he objects to. After the first transformation, however, expanding his wardrobe for subsequent experiences can actually be quite stimulating.]
What an uncharitable way to describe dried fruit. Did you, perhaps, get tired of such fare during your many travels?
[Jester gasps as something occurs to her, and she bounces a little on the balls of her feet, still leaning over the counter.]
Oh! Liem! We should go shopping together. I'm, like, suuuper good at picking out clothes for people!
[She pulls a face, now, her shoulders slumping and her head falling back in exasperation.]
My gods, you have no idea. One time we were walking through this huge underground worm tunnel for like, a week, and once my pastries ran out all we had to eat was whatever weird dried stuff Caduceus had with him, and these little boba balls that tasted like nothing at all.
[He gives her a sidelong glance as he fishes a raisin out of the package and pops it into his mouth. Admittedly, raisins are a little sweeter even than he really prefers, but they are still strongly preferable to the candies he’s had the exciting opportunity to sample since arriving in this world. And at the moment, he’s mostly occupied with the prospect of what Jester might see fit to persuade him into if they went clothes shopping together. Her sense of fashion is different on every level from anything he’s personally used to.
Wait, actually, there is one other thing that occupies his attention.]
And you brought pastries with you on an underground expedition?
Well, yeah. I pick stuff out for my friends all the time, some of them just don't really care that much, you know? So it's like a fun challenge for me to find something that really suits someone!
[She props her chin in her hand, nibbling at her present-day pastry almost reverently, as if the pain of a pastry-less past has come back to haunt her.]
Well, yeah, of course. I always try to keep some on me. Actually—
[She reaches into the pocket of her dress, and pulls out a third of a stale, crumbling Snickerdoodle cookie.] Ha! Forgot that was in there!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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dont' worry lime!
lidm
liem
i'll be there in a litlte bit! ! just han g tight!
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Don't worry, Jester. I'm not going anywhere. You can arrive whenever you like.
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[She manages to get on a nice, navy-blue dress with long, flowing bell sleeves and red ribbons tied up the arms, and a pale cream dirndl over the top that laces under her bust and flares out in a cutaway at the front. Before long, she's on her way, making a quick stop at the market for some essentials before continuing on to Sumarlok and Liem's house. When Jester finally arrives on his doorstep, her arms are full of grocery bags, so she knocks at the door with one of her horns, a stilted, dull thud-thud-thud.]
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Jester. Let me help you with these.
[He steps back to allow her entry, lingering a moment to see that the door gets closed and her shoes find their homes on the rack before he heads for the kitchen. Today’s home attire for Liem consists simply of slim grey pants and a black turtleneck. Abadar’s holy symbol hangs on a chain against his chest. He carries the bags as far as the kitchen counter before abandoning them for a moment and turning instead to regard Jester with a quiet smile.]
It’s good to see you again. You look well.
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Liem! Here, I got you some essentials~!
[She follows him anxiously into the kitchen, her tail whipping excitedly back and forth and knocking against the walls as she goes. Jester doesn't hesitate; as soon as Liem's arms are free and he turns toward her, she latches onto him in a brief, tight hug.]
Not as good as it is to see you...! I'm so happy you came back. Where were you, anyway? Your home?
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My home, yes. My country.
[Just as he hadn’t missed Noctium during his time on Golarion, he also hadn’t thought to appreciate all the things about his country and his world that he misses while he’s here. The wide, rolling plains and farmlands of Taldor’s interior are unlike any of the countrysides he’s roamed in Sumar and Primavera. The people are different, and the towns they live in, the songs they sing and the gods they pray to. Though he hadn’t taken note of any of it at the time, he thinks now that it was nice to see it again, for a time. He wonders if that was the final chance he’ll have to do so.]
I was there about a month, doing a job I’d been anticipating for over half the time I’ve been here.
[Then he was finally sent back home, only to check out before the mission’s conclusion. Fate is such a fickle mistress.]
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And then you just...came back? Did you remember any of us while you were gone?
[It's something she finds herself worried about quite a lot. What happens if any of them go home? Will all this, all the friends she's made, just be gone from her memory...?]
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I don’t remember being taken, from either world. And while I was there, I didn’t remember my time here at all.
[Maybe it was for the best that he didn’t remember. He can’t say for certain that thoughts of his friends here wouldn’t have distracted him from things that urgently required his attention.]
But once I arrived back at the Sky Station, I remembered everything. Just like the last time I was sent back home.
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[Jester mutters softly as Liem explains the situation. She's halfway into tearing into the package of danishes, but her fingers slow, her tail lashing irritatedly against the floor.]
Well that...that's irritating. I don't want to forget anyone if I ever get home...It's so unfair!
[Her brow wrinkles and she glances quickly up at Liem.] It's happened more than once?!
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It’s happened to me once before; last summer, I vanished from here and spent three months back in Taldor. I don’t think Malachite has complete control over when it happens.
[And on that occasion he was gone for less than a week. At least this time his time on Golarion hadn’t been so badly mismatched compared to how long he was absent from Noctium.]
I do need to go back when our task here is done… but I hope that once Malachite has ascended, they will be able to return us with our bodies and our memories intact.
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Do you ever worry, like...what if all your friends go home and it's just you here?
[Asking For A Friend.]
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I’ve thought about it.
[Of course he has. It was one of the first things that went through his mind both times he returned from Taldor, when he realized that time had passed in Noctium in his absence, and that the people he’d left behind might no-longer be there.]
People come and go all the time, in this world especially. A good friend of mine was actually sent back home around the same time you first arrived. That uncertainty is why I started putting up pictures of friends in my house—so something of them will be left here after they’re gone.
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That's a good idea. You know...I write about you all in my journal. I really want to make a page for everyone with a really good portrait of you, and like stuff we've done together. If I write it all down, maybe it'll survive the journey.
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That sounds like it would be nice to revisit. That way you can easily take it with you to the next place you go.
[He suspects that her journal entries wouldn’t make it back home with her if she were to suddenly disappear from Noctium, but there’s no point in dwelling on things like that. Entries like that will still make a difference here, if one of her friends gets sent home without her. And if Malachite ascends and their time here ends, perhaps they will all be able to return home with both their belongings and their memories.]
What kinds of things do you write about me?
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[Jester sighs softly, comforted by the arm that wraps around her, and smiles despite her worries at the question Liem asks next.]
Oh, lots of things. [She sits back upright, glancing up at him with a tiny smirk that lets the points of her fangs peek out.] Stuff you like, stuff you don't like. Stuff we do together.
[Her cheeks color a bit as she says that, and her tail does a nervous little lash against the floor.]
It was going to be really funny if I had to leave off where I did.
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You’re saying you didn’t leave anything out, [he hazards drily. He gives Jester one more sidelong glance before reaching for the package of raisins and turning it about in his hand. Their relationship has grown deeper since they first met, not even half a year ago, but in some ways it hasn’t changed at all. They are still two very different people finding kinship and comfort in shared circumstances, with all the complexities that entails.
After a moment, his dry expression takes on a rather meaningful curiosity.]
Did you include illustrations?
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[And accordingly, she tends to record a pretty thorough documentation of what happens each day. And if that day happens to contain some Synchrony-related activities, well, of course she has to include that.]
Sometimes, [she hedges, but the smirk widens on her face.] If there's something noteworthy to record.
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Well now you can record the sudden return of a vanished friend in your book, and the last entry about me won’t have to include rabbit ears.
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Jester finally lets her laughter loose, and nods eagerly.]
It's going to be a really good entry, [she agrees, going back to her pastry now that she's done being traumatized.] Although I have to say, Liem, I was pret-ty fond of the ears. They were so cute!
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You thought so? I wasn’t so sure about the colour.
[The black looked a bit severe on him, he thought. And the horns were a little inconvenient to deal with. He smiles wryly.]
I wonder if I’ll ever stop being surprised by a transformation and needing to get entire outfits tailored. But I suppose I could endure having the ears again.
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[Her tail sneaks up behind him stealthily as she speaks, and then the spade taps him on the opposite shoulder.]
I'm glad you like the shriveled up old grapes I brought you.
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[He flicks his eyes over his shoulder to glance back at the offending tail, and his wry expression warms slightly with amusement.]
Though I do like shopping. I confess that isn’t exactly a hardship.
[It’s more the requirement of doing emergency shopping while wearing ill-fitting clothes that he objects to. After the first transformation, however, expanding his wardrobe for subsequent experiences can actually be quite stimulating.]
What an uncharitable way to describe dried fruit. Did you, perhaps, get tired of such fare during your many travels?
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Oh! Liem! We should go shopping together. I'm, like, suuuper good at picking out clothes for people!
[She pulls a face, now, her shoulders slumping and her head falling back in exasperation.]
My gods, you have no idea. One time we were walking through this huge underground worm tunnel for like, a week, and once my pastries ran out all we had to eat was whatever weird dried stuff Caduceus had with him, and these little boba balls that tasted like nothing at all.
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[He gives her a sidelong glance as he fishes a raisin out of the package and pops it into his mouth. Admittedly, raisins are a little sweeter even than he really prefers, but they are still strongly preferable to the candies he’s had the exciting opportunity to sample since arriving in this world. And at the moment, he’s mostly occupied with the prospect of what Jester might see fit to persuade him into if they went clothes shopping together. Her sense of fashion is different on every level from anything he’s personally used to.
Wait, actually, there is one other thing that occupies his attention.]
And you brought pastries with you on an underground expedition?
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[She props her chin in her hand, nibbling at her present-day pastry almost reverently, as if the pain of a pastry-less past has come back to haunt her.]
Well, yeah, of course. I always try to keep some on me. Actually—
[She reaches into the pocket of her dress, and pulls out a third of a stale, crumbling Snickerdoodle cookie.] Ha! Forgot that was in there!
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