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Aiden leans back against one of the sun-warmed rocks along the shoreline and watches his new companion splash about in the waves. When he and Lambert split for the winter, he didn't expect to find Geralt's bard on a ship bound for Skellige. Not that he'd had anything but second hand accounts of the bard passed on by his wolf from his brothers. But still, unexpected. More unexpected still, that the bard wasn't human, there hadn't even been a whiff of that.
He can't complain though, he's a good companion; even upset as Jaskier is, they bounce off each other well, he knows witcher potions and some healing, and is invaluable in tracking creatures in water. Aiden hasn't got the full story out of him yet, but he reckons he will by the time they reach the northernmost point of the islands, where Jaskier is planning to do… something?
But in the meantime they've been dealing with ice trolls, a giant and so many fucking crab things. They should not be allowed to get that large. Absolutely fucking not. He's also fairly sure there should be more sirens about, but suspects Jaskier's doing something to chase them away without harming them, which may be an issue later. But Aiden's pretty sure there's no way of changing it now so, next year problem it will be.
The sun sinks lower, sending the light dancing along the sea's surface, and despite the winter wind's chill Aiden feels relaxed for the first time in weeks. He might suggest to Lam that they come back during the summer to see what the difference is. This is just one of countless little inlets and coves that line the shore; outside of the handful of towns they've only seen a few people coming further out to fish or gather seaweed, but mostly they've been alone.
Which is a good thing, he reckons, as Jaskier bursts into his full dragon form, something Aiden hasn't yet seen. He'd glimpsed the swirling tattoos (markings?) that first night when he accidentally got Jaskier drunk, and he's seen his tail, wings, claws and antlers at other points, but always when the rest of him remained human. He is… significantly larger than Aiden had assumed, neatly three times longer nose to tail tip than the ship that carried them over, and he sees why Jaskier waited until this larger cove to shift.
The light, Aiden is amused to see, plays off his scales in an almost identical way it does to the waves, only interrupted by this thick seaweed-like mane around his neck and shoulders. It ripples almost hypnotically as Jaskier shakes his whole body like a dog might, tail whipping to and fro as he focuses on something further out to sea. With a powerful flex of muscles and wings, he pounces, disappearing entirely beneath the waves with far less splashing than Aiden would expect from a beast his size, likely dropping over the edge of the underwater shelf that sits along the western edge of the island chain.
With a yawn and a stretch that any real cat would be proud of, back cracking in a way that probably wasn't good news, he rolls to his feet. Digging his toes into the rapidly cooling sand he wanders towards the shore, rolling his shoulders and eying their discarded gear before deciding it was safe where they'd stored it, up in a half hidden gap in the cliff behind him. He had his daggers on him, even though he'd stripped to his loose shirt and an old pair of trousers, rolled to just below his knees.
The sea's chillier than he'd thought, even taking into account the time of year, and he wades in enough that a particularly enthusiastic wave soaks his trousers. But still, there's something reassuring about the cold, it would likely numb a human if one were stupid enough to do the same (or unlucky enough to fall in). It's even vaguely invigorating, even if his muscles are not going to thank him for it later, and he bends down to run a hand through the sunset's reflection, causing the lights to dance across his skin.
The water by his feet suddenly swirls and an unnatural current grabs at him, dragging him into the deep water before he can react. He doesn't even have time to cast a sign or draw a weapon, for whatever dubious good it would do. He takes a deep breath without thinking, automatically filling his lung capacity for a fight, but it's not water that he gasps in but, somehow, air.
By the time he gathers both his wits and his bearings he's hanging weightless maybe 100 feet above the sea floor beyond the coastal shelf. Aiden can see above him where rays of light piece the surface but down where he is is mainly shadows, even with his enhanced vision.
But as he watches he realises there's small glimpses of light below him too, fish that flicker past that glow slightly and a patch of something growing on the rockface that he might see if he can collect for Lam. He hopes Jaskier will let him. Assuming it is Jaskier doing this. It's the only thing keeping the panic at bay.
Then something huge moves to his left, eyes and swirling markings also glowing slightly reveal the sea dragons outline. They float together for seemingly endless moments, and Aiden slowly becomes aware of a quiet, haunting song. The water itself also seems to be dancing, he can see it rippling around him, swirling with the currents of the song, leaving him alone untouched in the currents.