Eskel didn't want to sleep.
There were plenty of reasons not to; entirely too many things to think about and worry about but after the events of the night he should have had the opposite problem. It was all sort of a blur really, made wobbly by vodka and blood loss and earth shattering orgasms but still, he stayed awake past the end of the alcohol's effects until the first light crept through the window.
He stayed in bed, laying on his back, arms folded behind his head. He stared up at the crumbling stone ceiling as the minutes turned into hours as Maya slept peacefully beside him. Maybe he'd been wavering before, but now that he'd accepted that this was what he wanted, he was going to be damned if anyone took her away from him.
It had finally dawned on him that it didn't matter what the hell Yennefer was planning. He wouldn't do anything that was going to risk Maya. If that meant he had to leave everything else behind, so be it. The School of the Wolf was dead. There hadn't been a new Witcher here in ages,not since Leo died and he'd never even ungone the Trials. Maybe there weren't any new Witchers anywhere. If they were going to die out, then it was going to happen whether he participated or not. He'd given nearly a century of this unnatural life to this thing he didn't even choose for himself.
It was time to make his own choices.
Eskel heard commotion through the door and knew that Geralt had finally ambled in. Normally, he would have dragged himself out of the bed immediately, no matter what condition he was in, to greet him. Geralt and Lambert and Vesemir, they were his only family for so long and that's what family did. But instead, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around Maya instead. She made a small contented sound and burrowed back against him.
Geralt could wait.
"Eskel you bastard, get up!" Lambert's voice grated through the door. Eskel groaned when a fist pounded on the door before his voice even stopped echoing off the walls. Maya did the same, dramatically draping her arm over her eyes.
So much for waiting.
"If you don't open this door," Lambert said, "I'm going to just keep at it until you'll have a pair of screaming headaches. Now get up." He kicked the door for emphasis.
"Keep your pants on," Maya moaned before Eskel had the sense of mind to reply. "We have to find ours first."
Lambert snorted a laugh. "For fuck's sake." He didn't sound as irritated as his words. "Fine, just...just get down here. We've got stuff to talk about."
It sounded both vague and threatening. Instead of getting up, Eskel squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in Maya's disheveled hair. He regretted not sleeping and it was exactly the only thing he wanted to do right now. Anything was better than getting up and facing whatever was waiting for them downstairs. He felt the bend of Maya's elbow as she folded her arm and pressed the palm of her hand against his head. He burrowed in closer, breathing deeply. Her hair smelled like sex and sweat and it was wonderful.
"We might as well get up," she said, her voice still soft with sleep. "I'm don't relish the idea of being dragged down there naked."
"That's the sort of first impression Geralt is used to from women." Eskel chuckled. "I'm not sure he'd even be surprised."
He could almost hear her roll her eyes but she didn't say anything. He couldn't blame her. He really did do that too often. And maybe she didn't exactly pick him since he dumped himself on her doorstep, but she was still here. With him; even after he'd been completely idiotic more than once.
Enough already, man. She's here with you because she wants to be. Accept it.
Pressing a kiss against her scalp, Eskel reluctantly disentangled himself from Maya He swung his legs over the side of the bed and glanced at her over his shoulder. Instead of getting up, she curled up more and yanked the covers up over her head until just a few wisps of tangled orange hair were visible. Eskel poked her in the ribs where he knew she was ticklish and she just curled up tighter.
"Come on," he said, poking her again and smirking at how she tried to squirm away. "You're the one who told me to get up." He poked her again and she squeaked this time, wriggling into a tighter ball. Eskel grabbed the sheet and tore it off her, flinging it across the room. Maya squealed and rolled over, sort of launching herself at him awkwardly. If she'd been any bigger or he'd been less coordinated, he was positive they would have tangled up and fell on to the floor. As it was, he managed to grab her and slide her over onto his lap.
Neither of them were wearing anything and this was not encouraging him to get up. Parts of him were up certain, but none that were interested in leaving this room. She was warm against him, even her hands and feet. Instinctive bodily reactions aside, just being here was good enough. But he could felt in the tension in her muscles that told him she was thinking the same thing he was.
They had to go down there.
Geralt wasn't just going to murder her. And Yen, whatever devious crap she might be up to, there were always alternatives. But things were undoubtedly going to change again. Neither of them were particularly fond of that.
"Come on," he said again, "Let's do this."
Maya lifted her head and looked up at him. She took a deep breath and nodded, forcing a smile. It looked a little painful but she still meant it. It felt like he was starting to understand her. It made his ribcage seem too tight.
"Right," she said. "We can do this." She slipped off his lap and stood up, grabbing a discarded bit of clothing from the floor in the same fluid movement and giving him a lovely view. She stood up and turned around, catching him watching. Maya grinned. She made a show of looking him over. She shook her head just a little. "Too bad we don't have a little more time." Her smiled disappeared suddenly, replaced by a pained expression. "Whatever happens, we will have more time, won't we?"
"I'll make sure of it," Eskel said. Her expression spurred him into action. He finally got up out of the bed and started looking around for his pants, wherever the hell they'd ended up.
But she was right; whatever happened, he was going to stay with her. There was going to be more time. He'd spent too long on his own; too long only fighting because he thought it was all he was good for, for coin, for some vague sense of greater good. He tried to make moral decisions and right choices, but in the end, it was just money and alcohol and cold beds and self pity.
This beautiful, kind hearted, crazy - he laughed to himself - blood-sucking woman was a better reason to fight than any he'd ever had before. Eskel hopped into his pants, tieing a knot in the laces.
Let's fight.
There wasn't any shouting when they got to the bottom of the stairs. No one leapt to their feet when Eskel and Maya came through the door. It was either a good sign or a really terrible one.
Maya walked beside him until they got near the table when she took a half step back, using him like a shield. Eskel couldn't blame her. There were two people she'd never met in this room; both were infamous and more powerful than she was and both had killed more than their fair share of vampires and their kin. Geralt was likely the most famous Witcher in the world. Eskel had his moments with Geralt, but he wasn't envious of that. The entire idea made his palms itch.
It was Keira who acknowledged them first. She looked the same as always, sorceress glamour hiding whatever she really was underneath. It always made him uneasy. Her smile seemed genuine enough however as she waved them closer. He couldn't entirely trust her, but she had been good to Maya.
"Good morning," Keira said. Her voice was neutral but like her looks, it was a mask. He could sense both excitement and trepidation underneath.
Geralt looked up and quickly grabbed Eskel's forearm where it was crossed over his chest. He managed to startle him just enough that with a yank, he pulled Eskel down on the bench beside him. Geralt's eyes flashed under his white eyebrows with mischief and he started to say something when he noticed Maya.
Eskel followed Geralt's gaze just in time to see Maya swallow hard. A muscle in the back of her jaw twitched under her pale skin. Geralt was silent for a moment and Eskel was almost afraid his medallion was trembling, even though he knew his own never reacted to Maya. He felt that weird sense of calm his Witcher training instilled in him start to sweep over him, as if there was going to be a fight. But if Geralt hadn't killed Regis, he sure as hell wasn't going to hurt Maya. That obvious fact didn't stop Eskel's heart from slowing into that familiar trance-like battle rhythm.
Geralt smiled faintly at Maya.. "Hi." Maya smiled reflexively in reply.
Eskel wanted to punch him.
In that easy way he had, something that was more than just being a Witcher, Geralt slid further down the bench and patted the seat between himself and Eskel. With less hesitation than he expected, Maya stepped over the bench and sat down between them. Geralt offered his hand.
"Geralt," he said.
Maya took his hand and shook it. "Maya." For a moment, it looked like Geralt considered kissing her hand, but instead he smirked faintly and let go.
Eskel really, really wanted to punch him.
Yennefer cleared her throat. "If you're done?" She sounded annoyed. That helped. Eskel felt Maya's hand press up against his thigh and the urge to break Geralt's perfect nose faltered and disappeared. It was just Geralt being Geralt. He didn't even do it on purpose.
Geralt turned his attention back to Yennefer and flashed her a smile. She gave him that look, that one you'd give your favorite dog, before flipping her hair back over her shoulder. The movement sent a waft of her sweet perfume across the table. She didn't bother to introduce herself to Maya. She assumed if you needed to know who she was, you already did.
"Now," she began. "As you know, Geralt and I spent the winter in White Orchard, however I did split my time between the village and visiting Ciri in Nilfgaard. Emhyr has completely removed himself from the public eye at this point, only serving as a private advisor. He's accepted, begrudgingly perhaps, that abdicating for Ciri means truly that. She's begun to implement new policies. After all that happened in the last year, the people's views have changed. They seem to finally begin to understand that there are things in this world that cannot be handled without the help of magic. While they don't know the true extent of what transpired, attitudes towards mages, sorceresses and Witchers have most certainly improved."
"I'll bet," Lambert groused. Yennefer shot him a withering look that Eskel was decidedly happy not to be on the receiving end of. He felt Maya's finger flex against him in silent communication. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he could see the tiny smile threatening on the corner of her mouth. Yennefer was scary when she wanted to be, but mostly, she was predictable. Apparently he'd done a passable job describing her to Maya. He leaned against Maya just a little.
"Lambert's cynicism aside," Yennefer continued seamlessly. "I'm not claiming that we'll be welcomed by everyone with open arms, but Ciri has offered us all safe harbor in Nilfgaard."
Lambert interrupted again. "I can't think of a worse idea," he snipped. "Isn't this the place Geralt always said keeps mages on short leashes?"
"Emhyr did," Geralt replied. He rolled his shoulder. "He was a piece of shit. But this is Ciri we're talking about." He said her name fondly. "She wouldn't want us to come if it wasn't safe. Besides? What other options are there? Even without Radovid, Redania is still full of zealots killing magic users on sight, Viszma is wary, and-" Geralt sighed and gestured around them, at the tall dusty hall that used to be warm and cozy where now light streamed through entirely too many cracks in the mortar for them to ever fix. Kaer Morhen had been in poor enough repair before the battle with the Wild Hunt. Now, it was barely fit to live in. "There's no reason to stay here anymore."
"There is more," Yennefer segued. "Keira's research would be greatly more effective with Nilfgaard's resources and we have additional plans. Potentially ways to create new Witchers again"
That got Eskel's attention. "How? Everyone who knew how to do them is gone."
"In its original form, yes, but we used the formulas to change Avallac'h to his true self again. And as you all carry the mutations, with Keira's knowledge, we should easily be able to reproduce them and modify them."
"Why in the living fuck would we want to make more Witchers?" Lambert snapped. "Do you think this is a fucking good way to go through life? No one would choose this; it's why they stole kids and forced it on us."
Yennefer scowled at him. "Do you think being a foot soldier is pleasant? Being a man who is fodder for his leader's enemies?" She shook her head, curls falling perfectly back into place. "Of course it isn't, but it's necessary. Wars will be fought. Ciri changed the fate of the world, but there are still monsters. There will always be monsters. Would you let the world be slaughtered if you could prevent it?"
Lambert looked away. "Of course not." He was good with the show that he only did what he did for coin; they all were, but there was a reason they were the last alive. Giving a shit went a long way towards self preservation.
"Lambert, I'm not going to let them recreate what they did to us," Geralt said. He laid his palms flat on the table. "We're only going to do this if we can find a way to make sure more people don't have to die to gain what we have. And not lose everything we have." He grunted. "And never if they aren't willing." He paused again. "Look, I'm tired. I'm tired of all of this shit. But wouldn't it be good to come home somewhere that wasn't falling apart and full of bad memories?" Geralt said. "The only other option we have is to give up and all go our separate ways. I don't want that. You can't actually tell me you want that."
Eskel hadn't said much up until this point. Not that he could have gotten a word in, even if it was in his nature. But it wasn't the worst idea, really. But there was one important factor he hadn't mentioned. Now or never.
"That depends," Eskel said finally.
"On what?" Geralt asked. He gestured to Maya with his chin. "On whether or not you can bring your new friend?" He smirked but Eskel wasn't amused. "I doubt anyone would object." He frowned a little and shook his head at Eskel's stoney expression. "Thought you bringing home a woman would have made you less uptight, not more. You look like you sat on a bee." Geralt looked up at Lambert, expecting help in their favorite pastime 'give Eskel shit' but Lambert just licked his lips and stayed conspicuously silent. Geralt looked over to Yennefer who just shrugged and then to Keira who shook her head. His white eyebrows drew together as he turned back to Eskel and Maya.
Eskel uncrossed his arms and put his hand on Maya's trembling leg. She pressed herself tighter against him. That paranoid part of him didn't like the idea of telling them when she was between them. He wanted to protect her, but he knew she was hardly vulnerable. Geralt wasn't even armed and he wasn't prone to being rash. And even if he got a funny idea, she could move faster than a Witcher. Maya was hardly defenceless. Eskel's heart pounded in his chest anyway.
He took a breath before he spoke. "I love her," he said almost surprising himself that it came out first. He shouldn't have been surprised. It was more important than the rest of it anyway. "And she's a high vampire."
Geralt only raised an eyebrow but didn't react beyond that.
Maybe Geralt was calm, but Yennefer was prone to being rash and her voice cracked like a whip across the table. "You didn't think it was important to tell us there was a vampire here?" Her cheeks were artfully flushed.
"Wouldn't be the first vampire we've sat around a table with," Geralt said blandly. "Besides, if Eskel trusts her, I trust her," Geralt said. "He doesn't trust anybody."
Yennefer turned her violet eyes to Maya. They seemed artificially bright, even more than usual. She didn't speak, just carefully looked at her, gauging her. Eskel could feel faint wisps of magic flutter over them. Yennefer was checking. She was looking for traces that Maya was controlling him. He could feel it in his marrow. Finally, the magic pulled back and Yennefer's face relaxed.
"Do you drink blood?" she asked. She was never one to mince words.
Maya opened her mouth but struggled. He knew she hadn't, not for centuries before she met him. Even when she's killed the Witch Hunter to save his life, she hadn't done it on purpose. But she did drink blood.
"Mine," he said before Maya could speak. "Because I insisted."
Lambert chuckled. Geralt looked smug. They knew what it was like.
Yennefer raised a delicate eyebrow and rolled her eyes. She sighed. "Aside from that?"
Maya shook her head. "Not for centuries."
"All right." Yennefer put her hands on her hips. "It's settled then. We can leave as soon as you've packed your things."
"Hey wait," Lambert interjected. "I didn't fucking agree to anything."
"You are welcome to stay behind," Yen said. "But I think you'll find your bed cold."
He shot a look at Keira. She looked pale.
"I have to go," she said. "We've failed to find a cure and I don't have the resources to go any further, and certainly not without Maya's help." She looked genuinely sad in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. "I'm determined to end the Catriona. Only magic can, I'm certain of it."
Lambert put his elbows on the table and put his face in his hands. He rubbed his forehead hard. When he looked up his eyebrows were comically disheveled. "Fine," he said. "I'll go."
"Excellent," Yennefer said. "Let's get to it."