Chapter Text
Geralt arrived late that evening at the rehearsal stage. His flight was slightly delayed and he needed a bit longer to orient himself and find a taxi that brought him to the hotel he would stay in this week during the rehearsals for the new show.
But now he was here, at the storage hall that hosted the rehearsal stage as well. He was tired from travelling but also excited to be in a new city soon and meet his new cast mates. He only knew their names and their act for the show from the folder the production assistant had sent him. There was also a short description of the show and the order of their acts and group parts.
With a deep huff, Geralt opened the heavy fire door with the logo of the variety company and entered the large, warm hall. He was met with bright lights and excited chatter that echoed through the wide space.
Geralt got a bit nervous, like he always did when it came to meeting new people. One could have thought he would get used to it in his life as a professional stage artist and the amount of travelling he did. But other people were often riddles to him and he loved his job most when the lights on stage were so bright that he couldn’t make out the audience anymore, just getting lost in his act.
He took a deep breath before he rounded the curtain that hid the stage from the entrance, when he heard a beautiful, melodious laughter. It hit him straight in his belly and soothed the nervousness there.
A group of people sat or stood on the stage, chatting and laughing as if they already knew each other for years, though Geralt assumed most of them only met a few hours prior. Artists… he thought with a small smile curling his lips.
He only recognized the choreographer Ines from her videos and the production assistant Victoria from her photo. They sat on the theatre chairs in front of the stage and were the first to notice the new incomer.
From the corner of his eyes he saw them standing up to greet him, but Geralt’s attention was drawn on the young man in the middle of the stage. He just stood there with a loose tank top under a woollen cardigan and skinny yoga pants, his dark mob of hair tousled up as if he just ran his hand through them, blue eyes shining bright and a content smile on his pretty, plush lips. His presence and charisma were intoxicating and Geralt felt the world slow down around him. The man turned his head, locked his eyes with Geralt’s, his smile growing even wider.
“Hello there! Geralt, right? We’ve already waited for you.”
Geralt snapped out of his trance and looked at the woman in front of him, who had greeted him with her cute austrian accent, smiling openly and welcoming. He let out the breath he had been holding without really noticing.
“Yes, hi. I’m sorry, the flight…” Geralt started to apologise but she waved him off.
“Sure, that’s alright. We’re just glad you’re here now. Let me introduce you to the rest.” Ines took his arm and led him in front of the stage. Victoria greeted him in his mother tongue and Geralt felt warmth creep into his skin. Yeah, he loved his job.
Geralt really tried to recall the names from the show folder and link them to their acts but that would come with time when they really got to know each other during the rehearsals. But then the moment came when Ines pulled him up onto the stage and in front of the last artist remained.
“And this is Jaskier.” Ines closed with a little happy bounce.
Of course. Jaskier. The star of the show. Their lead actor, if one would call it acting what they did between acts.
“Hello, darling. How are you?” Jaskier purred as he took Geralt’s hand and kissed the air left and right of his face.
“Ehm, fine… thanks.” Geralt muttered awkwardly, still not believing that this angelic creature was talking to him. And did he call him darling? Probably something he just said to everyone…
Before he could lose himself in a rabbit hole, Ines and Victoria announced their first meeting would start now to discuss the training plan for their week here before they would travel to another city, where the theatre they would perform at was located. They would have to work hard and practise their group scenes and dances as well as train the subtleties of their own acts and learn the show order. Geralt couldn’t wait.
He couldn’t wait to work with this colourful bunch of people for the next months and years. Couldn’t wait to develop this show and entertain the audience. Couldn’t wait for the applause, oh the applause… he really loved that.
Geralt sat down on the stage between his new cast mates and slowly started to feel at home. He tried to concentrate on Ines' words but his gaze rested on Jaskier more often than not. Tomorrow they would start rehearsing the dancing scenes and run through the whole show. He would have to check if his probs arrived safely and get into working mode. Until then, he would dream a little bit of those piercing blue eyes.