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All Julian--Jaskier when performing his music--had wanted was a wider audience, more of a chance to get noticed. As he'd been rather quick at picking up many forms of artistic entertainment once he'd left home, he figured it couldn't hurt to try out more than simple busking and tavern shows. When Priscilla had shown him the opportunity to try out for the local theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, he'd taken it.
It wouldn't be an especially glamorous role, but it would get him a little more attention, and a wider range of friends, all of which would be very useful for performing his music.
Which was why he wanted to do well in his role. Which was why he wanted to practice in the theater only a little longer than the times the troupe met up.
Which was how he found himself creeping around backstage in the dark after the lights had gone out, his phone light shaking with his hands.
"Hello?" Julian tried to call out, but the thick darkness, the heavy, ominous atmosphere muffled his voice into nothing but a timid whisper. "I- er, someone was still in here, if you could turn the lights back on? For a moment? I was just finishing up practicing..."
He breathed in, remembering the way out, before slowly letting the breath go. Or so he'd planned.
When he saw a tall shape from the corner of his eye, he whirled with an aborted shriek and found his back bumping into a nearby wall. There was a man. Probably.
Julian was not one to believe in ghosts--most of the time. But with the silent way the man had appeared, his pale skin and white hair, and the depthless black in his eyes, Julian felt his heart nearly stop in his chest. Which, of course, meant his mouth ran itself without his say so.
"O-oh, didn't see you there, ha ha. Awful dark in here, you know. But ah, don't let me bother you, I'm simply finding my way-" The man stepped forward, not touching him, but practically holding him to the wall by proximity and intimidation anyway. "...M-my way. Out."
Up close, it was clear the man was no man; Or not human, at least. Julian had never heard of any human having eyes so completely black, iris and sclera and all. Nor veins spreading from it in the same color, winding under the pale skin like little snakes.
"Wow. Er, this is a bit forward, I must say. Stepping out of the shadows in all black is dramatic, but it- it scared me pretty well, you see. Or heard. By my scream. Yes, sorry about that, you see I was simply not expecting anyone else here, wandering about in the dark and so-"
"This area is not for you."
Julian blinked. The man's voice was gravelly, not as if recovering from illness, but a natural sort of growl which sent shivers down his spine. Julian being himself, those shivers were both fearful and more than a bit intrigued. It took him a few moments to actually work out what words had been used, distracted as he was by actually having communication from the man.
"Rude." Julian felt his heart drop and he scrambled to explain when the man began to pull his lips back from his teeth. "I-I mean, I merely meant-! Well no, actually, it is quite rude to sneak up on someone in the dark after having turned the lights off while they were performing, only to then tell them they do not belong while having not even introduced yourself."
Julian held his phone tight, only then noticing it was pointed mostly to the side, which was probably the main reason the shadows across the man's face looked so terrifying. Yeah. Just bad lighting.
The man, at least, ground his teeth before finally saying, "Geralt."
"Ah, nice to meet you?" And having a sudden niggling thought of strangers and potential dangers therein--unusual for himself, he'd admit--Julian said, "You may call me Jaskier."
Geralt said nothing, only paused and then nodded, once.
Julian waited, but when Geralt did not move, he cleared his throat. "So. If you don't want me here, are you going to move? I hesitate to inform you that I cannot move through walls, if that is what you expected me to do."
Though he frowned--which was unfair! Julian wasn't the one skulking about like a ghost and making people live through horror jumpscares--Geralt backed up one step, then two. He stood stock still, eyes still locked on Julian's.
"Right. Erm, thanks?" Geralt twitched.
"Then tell me why you are here."
"For a play?" Julian said, hesitantly. He wasn't sure why Geralt suddenly wished to know, or why he didn't know, given they were in a theater which had been promoting the upcoming play for at least a week. "You know, A Midsummer Night's Dream? Shakespeare? I'll be performing in it? Er, I'll be performing in it, so I was getting some extra practice in, is all."
Geralt's brows lowered more, scrunching together as if confused. "It is the witching hour."
"Oh? Um..." Julian angled his phone to look down at the screen, noting the time as 3:03am. "So it is. Huh. I didn't quite uh, didn't realize it was so late. Used to staying up for my- my other... things. Anyways, sorry about that! I'll just be on my way-"
"Tell me about your play."
Julian paused, squinting at Geralt, even from where he'd started inching away. "What? Tell you what?"
"You're sorry about your late intrusion."
"Yes..."
"So tell me about your play."
"It-it's hardly mine." Geralt crossed incredibly strong arms over his chest and Julian swallowed his nerves down best as he was able. "But I, I suppose I could give you a rundown? Were you asking about the plot or something else?"
---
A few hours later, having satiated Geralt's surprising interest in the Shakespearian work and Julian's part in it, Geralt started quietly nudging him towards the exit. Julian was more than grateful his surprise interrogation/lecture was over, as his jaw was practically cracking with yawns. He'd have to call a late taxi to get home in good time. Or call a good friend who was less likely to take money and more likely to just lord things over him. Hm, decisions.
"Jaskier."
"Hm?"
"Don't stay here through the witching hour again."
"And miss your generous and welcoming personality?"
"...I'm not the only one here during these times."
"What? Wait, I'm really tired, what do you mean-?"
"Goodbye Jaskier."
And Geralt shoved him out the emergency exit door before it closed, automatic lock clicking back into place.
Julian snorted to himself before raising his phone, cursing at how he nearly blinded himself, and started scrolling to the numbers of people who might actually pick up his call.
As he sat and waited for rescue from his own poor decisions, Julian wondered. Had it just been the lighting and his own exhaustion, or had Geralt's eyes become more... golden? He shook his head. It was probably nothing; Julian just needed sleep.
And so he would believe, up until he woke up the next morning, curiosity completely restored. It was sure to get him in trouble, but Julian refused to go through life without getting answers to the little mysteries. Especially not when such potentially good song material awaited him.