I WOULD LIKE TO RAGE

@intelligenceof6 | PLOTTING CALL.

                        She knows him at this point, though it’s only through the battles he fights and the broken jaws he leaves behind. His reputation proceeds him, though it isn’t a bad thing – he’s a good fighter and a decent fellow – hell, she’s seen worse fighting for good causes. CHAOTIC ones don’t make much of a difference. Not here, anyway. He’s not doing any more than scratching an itch, and putting men with much bigger egos than they should have in their place. She watches him fight, and she can see his ability. He’s a knack for this, but he could do much more with REFINING his technique. She simply has to wait for the opportunity to arise. And it does.

                           This time, it’s different. He does not need protecting – far from it – but Pharah is a PROTECTOR. She is a fighter, too, and she can see that eight against one hardly constitutes as PLAYING FAIR. Downing her drink, she slips off her stool and steps towards the skirmish. “STRONGJAW,” Pharah calls as she steps in behind him, her flannel shirt doing nothing to hide her muscles as she slowly relaxes into a fighter’s stance, “Keep your eyes up.”

The fight’s not one he plans on losing. He’s fought worse. Fought harder. But he was weaker here. This city had taken a great deal from him in terms of strength. He hadn’t allowed himself to be consumed by his Rage yet otherwise this fight would’ve been over long before even one of these idiots had landed a punch on him. That punch had been one that the other had regretted, his form reeling back and holding his wrist. Grog Strongjaw was nothing if not sturdy. 

The newcomer was someone he’d only just recently met. His eyes shifted to her slowly when she called him by his last name. Wiping a bit of blood from his lip, a chair to the face typically drew blood, he spat out a glob of it onto the floor. “Didn’t need any help.” He said, rolling broad shoulders and allowing a grin to start growing upon his lips. A bit of red slowly started to overtake his eyes, breathing gradually growing faster into angry pants of bloodlust. “Hahhh...but if you wanna have fun too...be my GUEST!”

ATTACK ROLL: 16

A roar tore from his chest, eyes flashing with the telltale red of RAGE. His form lunged forward, palm slamming into the face of one of his assailants. This was a contest now, obviously. And these poor fuckers had opened up a can of worms the likes of which they were gonna wish they hadn’t. He felt bone snap underneath the weight of his strike and a bit of froth flew from his grinning lips when the man let out a yelp of pain and flew backwards into a table.

“ALMOST as much as ale does?”

yennefer lifted her gaze to grog’s face at that, mirroring his grin with a tiny smile of her own. it was such an unexpected little jest woven into something which OTHERWISE would’ve been quite heavy, and she couldn’t help but let out a slight snort of amusement. the pads of her fingers played merry havoc along the creases of his palm as she let out a low, thoughtful hum from the recesses of her throat: a purr, and a CONTENDED one, at that. his efforts to lift her spirits had not gone unnoticed — or unappreciated.

which was why she nestled even closer as he continued to speak, enjoying the feel of his voice VIBRATING from his body. by the time he finished speaking, both of her hands had found purchase in his, and her thumbs roved over his scarred knuckles, gently massaging over the rough skin and countless healed wounds. “you KNOW, grog … ” she arched an eyebrow at him thoughtfully. “if it’s clothes you need, i’d be more than happy to craft some for you. though, in my humble opinion — ” violet eyes flickered up and down his form appreciatively “ — they’re not REALLY necessary.”

then it was HER turn to chuckle at the look on his face, which she met with an even gaze and a wink. 

“if i had — if i had my MAGIC, i would offer to enchant your possessions with a simple spell to keep you quite cozy even in the middle of a snowstorm. it’s not a difficult enchantment at all — not compared to others i’ve performed in the past, anyway, but — ” here, she trailed off abruptly and furrowed her brow as the pendant around her neck began to pulse faintly with energy. for a moment it HUMMED and radiated with a burst of heat, like an errant flame. but just as suddenly as it began, it stopped, as yennefer WINCED ever so slightly and bit her lower lip. 

“no — ” her expression grew rueful, tinged with the barest hint of self-disgust. “no, perhaps not.” a pause; the disgust crumbled into DETERMINATION. not yet. 

“no matter. if it’s WARMTH you need, i’ve ways other than magic to provide it. here, allow me.”

and with that, yennefer turned in his embrace and rose to her knees so she could plant a firm KISS against his lips, her hands releasing his own in favor of roaming up his arms and over his shoulders. and for a brief moment, the wind that HOWLED against the windowpanes and the scars that criss-crossed over their souls went completely — completely unnoticed. and when she finally pulled away, she did so with a look of self-satisfied TRIUMPH.

“still feeling COLD, or — ?”

He grinned wide as she questioned the almost of what he’d said. He’d meant it in jest, of course, but he was sure that it might be appreciated. Naturally, he wasn’t sure about this kind of thing. He wasn’t used to being the one to make someone perk up or be happier. He was Grog! Used to fighting through any negative feelings he had or drowning them in a cask of ale. He wasn’t used to talking or cuddling or kissing. This was rather new to him, especially as no woman had ever treated him the way Yennefer had.

It was a strange feeling, really. There was nothing he wanted more than to protect her. While she claimed to be a powerful mage, this city had taken much from everyone that it had brought here so her powers were extremely limited. This made her a prime target for men and women alike to target her with snide comments and offers of a night of fun. This had all started off as some manner of mutual arrangement but it had clearly evolved into something more.

The sensation cast by her fingers against the creases of his rough palms were brought to his attention. Her form leaning in closer, feeling every curve of her body pressing against his broad and muscular form causing him to hum out lightly. It was a pleasant sound, despite what it was akin to. Perhaps a shake of the earth, moving rocks in its wake or the distant, happy drum of thunder. “Mm. Don’t really think I need clothes. Like showin’ off my physique. It ensures that nobody fucks with me--” A brief pause and a grin, “Or us, I s’pose.”

He watched as her medallion quivered about her neck and felt that faint pulse of warmth, raising a brow slowly. Was she trying to use her magic now? “Well, as good as all that'd be, an’ it’s pretty damned amazin’, that ain’t exactly why I want ye around, Yenny.” He murmured lightly, furrowing his brow as he looked at the small pendant around her neck, which had fallen still. A momentary feeling of being mesmerized by it before his attention was brought back to her lovely face.

The Goliath blinked when she moved to her knees and he felt her fingers moving up his arms and over his shoulders. His eyes widened briefly when he felt the firm kiss planted against his lips, tilting his head just so to press his lips back to her own. For a moment, his mind was a blank and that warmth that she wanted to provide swelled within him as though by magic. Though it was clearly something else entirely.

THATS YENS BOYFRIEND!!!!!

QT....are you tryign to kill me??? ummm you’re the best and are legit so good and wonderful???

i’m so glad that you enjoy my portrayal of grog and, honestly, i know you likely wouldn’t be shipping with me if that wasn’t the case ;)))

JOIASJDAIOJ THANK YOU SO MUCH. I’m glad that I can make someone who knows nothing about Grog enjoy him enough to send me something like this! I would absolutely recommend watching Critical Role because it’s just a fun show where voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons. But alas, episodes are like 3+ hours long because...any less wouldn’t make for a good D&D session, honestly. But if you can stomach long episodes you can also take breaks whenever you need to so!!! yeah!

yennefer didn’t open her eyes when grog began to speak, enjoying the feel of his voice vibrating from his chest and RUMBLING down over her like an avalanche down a mountain. what a pair the two of them made, nestled together on the couch in the dead of winter: the STRONG giant was being gentle, and the frosty sorceress was being affectionate. 

he wanted an explanation — how could he not? — but she wasn’t sure that she could GIVE him one; she didn’t even know where to start. this had been — unexpected, to say the least, considering that at first glance they different as night and day. MORESO, perhaps. he was strength and she was sorcery; he was fire and she was ice; he was GOOD and she was — not. 

but they’d both been BEATEN and almost broken by the ones who were supposed to cherish them. they’d both been bloodied, and BRUISED, and blinded, and branded names that they were not and things they’d never be. and they’d both felt equal parts PAIN and pleasure, terror and triumph, mercy and MURDER, abandonment and affection, and now — something else entirely. 

he felt — familiar. GENUINE. how could she EXPLAIN that to him, in a way he might understand?

“everything’s FINE, grog.” and it was, but it wasn’t. “there’s no need to worry. i suppose i just — ”

her eyes opened, but she did not pull away.

“i understand — what happened with your herd, and all the things that happened after. my father — i’m angry for what your uncle did, and PROUD you cleaved him in two. and i wanted to be CLOSE, so you could understand, too.” 

she shifted her weight, ran her fingers over his wrist. 

“you make me feel SAFE. happy. warm. i only wish — i want to do the same for YOU.” 

Of course he had his concerns about Yennefer. In the short time they’d known each other, she’d become quite important to him. Grog was someone who didn’t quite know how to put that into words though. He wasn’t one to like dealing with feelings and the like because he’d never really learned how to deal with such things. The fact that she seemed so intent on being cooped up with him on a cold winter night like this was... nice in some way.

He’d never had anything like this. Sure, he’d felt infatuation with strong women before but no woman had treated Grog like Yennefer treated him. To him, it was an alien feeling. Weird. He wanted to recoil from it and get closer all at once. It was damn near scary. If he could get scared of something, this might be the closest thing to it. Mostly because he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. But when she looked up at him, those icy blue eyes showing a warmth where usually there was a coldness...he couldn’t help but want to simply draw her closer.

His hold on her was soft and he was willing to let her move away if that’s what she wanted. But she didn’t pull away, his brow furrowing slightly as he listened to her words. “It’s alright, Yenny. ‘at’s all over now. All of it is. All that matters is ya lived to see today. Nothin’ else is worth shit ‘cause you an’ me’ve been through hell n’ high water t’get where we are. It don’t matter how many scars ya got or what happened back then ‘cause it turned ya into the person ya are right now.” He said softly, his tone still as gruff as ever but he managed to get through what he wanted to say.

intelligenceof6 replied to your post: not to brag but i just made the most wonderful…

that’s my girlfriend!!!!!

hek ya it is !!!

@intelligenceof6​ / yen wants cuddles

they’d spent the evening swapping stories of BATTLE.

this was — rare, for yennefer, especially considering how as the night went on and the shadows grew longer, she grew not only more INTERESTED but also more talkative. at first it had been harmless stories — tell me about your greatest foe, or your favorite weapon, or this, or that — over dinner yennefer had brought over because, contrary to what grog might believe, straight-up ale did not count as a valid meal.

but as the night wore on, they’d moved from the table to the couch and now sat side-by-side, trying to share it as best they could. it — SHOULD have been awkward, at the very least, what with the way grog’s weight made the couch sag sharply in the middle, and especially with the way he took up the vast majority of the space without even really intending to. 

but it wasn’t. instead it felt — safe. it felt RIGHT. 

because the conversation had moved from the BATTLE to the bloodshed, and there were more pauses now as each of them remembered that there was no glory without GUTS — and pain, and suffering, and exhaustion, and sights that SEARED themselves into the back of your eyelids to prevent you from ever sleeping in a completely dark room again. 

the shiver SWELLED up her spine before she could stop it, driving a tremor through her body, a tangible display of the very same weakness she’d sworn never to show. normally this was the part where she’d pull back and HIDE behind six layers of impenetrable frost. but for some — for some reason, she found herself leaning IN instead of away, drawn to the goliath like a moth to a flame. she didn’t NEED her magic to know that there was no judgment, to know that he was safe. 

which was why, with the smallest of sighs, yennefer closed her eyes and curled up against grog’s side. raven-black hair spilled over scarred alabaster skin as she snuggled down into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. there was no room for COLD here, not with the heat emanating from him. so, after a moment or two, she reached out to run soft fingers over brazen knuckles as she nuzzled his neck and placed a gossamer kiss against his skin. 

it’d been so long since either of them had been shown KINDNESS; yennefer only hoped they’d still remember what it felt like.

It wasn’t often that Grog Strongjaw sat down and had any kind of serious conversation. Not unless it was before a big battle. Or if it was him talking to Pike or Scanlan. The last time that had happened, he’d had concerns where Craven Edge was concerned but that wasn’t something he wanted to tell Yenny about. At least not until it came up. He was still upset about what they’d had to do with the sword, despite the fact that it had literally killed him just to have it in his possession.

He did, however, regale her with the tale of Kevdak and how he’d bested him in combat alongside his friends, despite nearly getting killed himself. He’d killed the bastard who’d nearly beaten him to death and had simply left him for dead, after all. It certainly wasn’t a fight he’d leave out of his fighting tales to anyone. Especially not Yennefer. After all, he’d nearly cut the fucker in two.

There were times that he was...concerned, he supposed. About what she thought of him and, perhaps, wondering if she was just using him to some other end. Though what end that was in this city of all places, he didn’t know. Then again, Grog had never been one for intense concentration or the like, weeding out people who were trying to manipulate him. All he knew was that this woman seemed to care a great deal about him.

And he didn’t know why.

As far as the goliath knew, he hadn’t done anything special. While she was very pretty, he hadn’t done anything in particular to woo her and sweep her off her feet. Regardless, the fact that she was considerably different toward others than she was toward him struck him as odd. It was something that even Grog could pick up on. She was considerably colder to others and the way she looked at him struck him as odd. Mostly because he’d never really seen anyone look at him like she did.

Grog hooped a thick, muscular arm around her slender form when she leaned in against him tilting his head up just slightly when her head came in to tuck itself against his neck. Slowly, the large man’s hand trailed over her back and he tilted his gaze to look down at her. “Oi, Yenny...” He started, rolling his jaw slightly as he tried to come to terms with the thoughts in his mind, brow furrowing.

AT THIS POINT, the Tiefling is well past tipsy– a night of sneaking into human parties just for free alcohol will do that to someone, after all. She isn’t quite sure she understands any of this New Year nonsense, but it’s no matter. Cheeks brightly flushed, she sticks her tongue out at the giant, then turns around and slaps her rear, tail lashing about. “ Alright, then… pucker up! ”

who would even be able to reach you