#about:roche

- HEADCANON: ... OF COURSE SHE HUGGED ROCHE WTF

So... do we all remember when you come back to find all the Blue Stripes dead, Ves is curled up in a corner, she’s a mess, she’s just seen all of her brothers in arms slaughtered, she feels all alone, she has no idea who survived, where Roche is or... really anything?? And she’s SCARED?

And then, you’re going to look me in the eye, CDPR, you’re going to look me in my eyes and tell me she rushes to hug GERALT FIRST??

GERALT! A man she’s known all of a few months, maybe slept with for a lark, has no outward expression of emotion, THAT Geralt? Not the Commander who’s been beside her for the past five years, the guy who saved her from a life of horrible captivity, her FRIEND?

- HEADCANON: HOW VES JOINED THE BLUE STRIPES

So we all know how Ves met the Blue Stripes and Roche, being saved as a young woman from her Captivity at the hands of the Skoiatael. But the assumption that she just fell into the ranks of that elite group of soldiers seems off to me, not least because of a line she has in TW2. She claims she tried being a lot of different things before settling on a life as a Soldier.

So, in Ves’ canon on this blog, she stuck with her rescuers for a few months after her rescue, recuperating and reconstructing her sense of self. She and Roche started building a tight friendship and she even started to feel closer to the men of the Blue Stripes as they all casually taught her methods of battle and self defence. However, when she felt strong and stable enough, she struck out on her own. 

She needed to reclaim some self-determination and generally remind herself what living was like. Roche was accepting of her choice, even if he encouraged her to return when she felt ready. So she jumped from job to job, going from seamstress to labourer to bartender and she eventually enjoyed the freedom. Still, about a year later she realised she was ready to make a choice. She wanted to be a Soldier. It was the only thing she was good at and a life of mundane work just didn’t sit right with her anymore.

And so off she went to track them down, a task that should have been difficult for anyone but Ves. She knew Roche well by then, knew his instincts and foibles, knew which paths he’d take and what Inn he’d choose. It didn’t take too long to find them. But when Ves arrived, she realised she’d stumbled into a real problem. She found out their next meet would be ambushed and with no way of contacting them beforehand Ves found a crossbow and set herself up in a ruined tower to wait. She saved quite a few lives that night, sniping enemies in the dark as the Blue Stripes hacked them down and by the time everyone was dead and she was jumping down from her perch, Roche was ready to sweep her into his arms and squeeze the life out of her.

- HEADCANON: ABOUT ROCHE AKA VES’ HUMAN

Ves’ connection to Vernon is deep, complex and wholly good. His role as the saviour was not half as important as his role of trusted person in her life after captivity. If it had been anyone else, Ves might have been grateful, but distant and she certainly wouldn’t have followed him so far. But Roche is muted, practical and blunt. The first moment they met, Ves knew what Vernon was about and that remained the same for the rest of their relationship.

Vernon didn’t coddle her, he wasn’t here to tell her shit about her experience or what she should be doing or feeling. But he was there and he understood without prying and his clear nature made him easy to talk too. He was honest about his respect for her and he was honest about how much he wanted her to join his team a little later. He was just exactly the kind of lowkey yet dependable person Ves needed at exactly the right time.

Ves became a Blue Stripe because she knew a life as a Soldier would suit her, but she would be lying if she didn’t also feel like following Roche to the ends of the earth with his snug little family of murderers. Him and his crew give her a home, something to hold onto, exactly what she needs.

- HEADCANON: VES’ POSITION IN THE BLUE STRIPES

So, again, we come to CDPR’s general lack of fucks to give for Ves and her Characterisation. She’s called things like lieutenant, second in command, ect, but we rarely actually see Ves giving orders or appearing much higher in rank than her fellow Blue Stripes. And then theres the whole... way she’s used in the plot but we’re going to aggressively ignore that. 

Ves is Roche’s Second in Command. When he isn’t around, she takes his mantle, she gives clear orders and she doesn’t fuck around when lives are on the line. Men who might have been joking with her moments ago are suddenly scurrying about under her harsh gaze and calling her ‘ma’am’ and rushing to obey her. 

She is overly young for this, in reality. But everything else in her life has been thrown at her too soon, it’s how she thrives, always overwhelmed and never completely assured of herself. When she gets comfortable she gets cocky. In fact, she is arguably better behaved when Roche isn’t around compared to when he is.