Jaskier informs him a good band is playing on The Dandelion.
"I am not going."
"Please, PLEASE. You don't need to actually work, just… stand there and pretend you are security or something. I swear you are not going to end in not even ONE bar fight"
Truth was that Geralt didn't like to get involved with Jaskier's job, but he was his friend and he really wasn't going to get involved at all.
"I am not going to pretend to be anything while I am there," Geralt said, "I am just going to go and be there," Jaskier thanked him and promised him he was going to have a peaceful night
Jaskier had lied.
Not even one hour in he is already in the middle of something.
Of what he wasn't sure, but it was something.
A dark haired woman slams into him. She is short and has black hair and with the lights he swears her eyes look lilac.
"Long time no see!" she says with an exaggerated fake tone, "I was not expecting you see you here… you." Geralt is not sure what the woman is trying until he notices how she discreetly pointing to a man behind her, staring.
"Yeah, long time no see. Are you in trouble?"
And that was Geralt's mistake. He had said he was not going to intervene and now he was intervening. And in less than 10 minutes, he found himself standing between a woman he didn't know and a certifiable creep with a bloody nose.
So that means that around 15 minutes later he is having sex with a woman he had just met in a bathroom.
"I am Geralt," he says before kissing her neck.
"Yennefer."
Jaskier is in his phone during work hours the next time he sees Yennefer.
She walks into The Dandelion with a friend. The black skinny jeans and white tank top from few nights ago are replaced in favor of a back loose blouse and cigarette pants.
"Yen," he greets and he can feel Jaskier's stare at the back of his head.
"Geralt," she greets back and Geralt feels a little better when he notices Yen's friend is staring at her with the same intensity Jaskier is staring at him, "Long time no see."
"Oh, tell me Geralt," Jaskier starts, his voice carrying the slightest teasing tone, "who is this lovely lady and her lovely friend?"
"Jaskier…"
"Oh I had the same question in mind, Yen." The red hair friend asks. Yennefer is quick to cut them both.
"Hm, if I had known coming to this place was going to mean an interrogation I would have not accepted coming back here."
"No, no, no, sorry! I apologize," Jaskier just runs out the bar and Geralt bites back a laugh. Yennefer had managed to stop the teasing. "Please, please, please, sit! Enjoy! Today's music might not be the best in town—"
"Jaskier"
"Just because it is not me! But is not half bad. Geralt! Why don't you entertain our guests?"
"They are called clients, Jaskier, and they are your clients."
The two women order their drinks and Jaskier runs back to behind the bar, pouring their drinks.
"Come on," Jaskier says, lowering his voice. "I will help you?"
"Help?"
"With your Yen person."
"I don't need help."
"Oh, I know you don't need it Geralt, but it is what friends do! They distract the very hot redhead so their friend can ask for the number of the girl he is interested in."
"From what kind of terrible blog did you read that?"
"Hm," Jaskier has the half descency of looking offended, "one day you will want my help, you stubborn stubborn man!"
At the end of the day he didn't need Jaskier's help. He had gotten Yen's number.
Geralt drags himself out his bed and is greeted by the smell of fresh coffee.
"Good morning, coffee? I just made it!" Jaskier cheerfully half sings as he pours a coffee for himself. Geralt has never understand how Jaskier is always so… Jaskier-ish.
"Why are you so cheery? Free day?"
"Oh no no, my friend. Today I have a late shift!"
"You've been having tons of late shifts recently…."
Jaskier looked at him with a huge smile "Is because I as buying the good graces of my boss! And it finally paid off!"
"What?"
"Someone cancelled! This Thursday! I am playing!"
"Uh, so you are back on the rodeo, eh?" Geralt opens the fridge, looking for something to eat.
"Yes! I am over of my stage fright…"
"I though stage fright was about the crowd, not about being terrified the boyfriend of your latest conquest was going to hit you in the face with your guitar."
"Urgh, you make out with one woman, once"
"It was the bride in her wedding day, and I'm pretty sure it was not the first…"
Geralt looks up and sees that Jaskier has a cellphone in his hands, but not his own cellphone…
Geralt's.
"Jaskier?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing with my phone?"
Sent to: ALL CONTACTS
Attached Image
'WE ARE PROUD TO ANOUNCE THAT THIS THURSDAY ON THE DANDELION JASKIER WILL PERFROM A SETLIST OF FOLK ROCK BALLADS AT THE DANDELION
THURSDAY'
Yarpen is the first one that replies.
'I have not seen you in who knows how many years.'
Visimir sends him a thumbs up emoji, that Geralt is sure the older man spent at least 5 minutes looking for. Even Borch congratulates him on his new job as a music promoter.
At least Lambert assumes correctly that Jaskier had sent it, but still makes fun of him for letting the musician near his phone.
He considers murdering his roommate but is distracted by yet another text.
'wtf?' is the only thing that Yen sends him.
Instead of ignoring it, as he has been doing to all the texts, he actually replies.
'Fucking Jaskier stole my phone. Sent that thing to literally all my contacts."
'How embarrassing being you.'
'You have no idea'
He spends the rest of the afternoon ignoring the incoming texts.
He doesn't even want to look at the one sent by 'Calanthe—Do not call'
Jaskier's night at The Dandelion is a huge success, and Geralt can't help but wonder how many cellphones Jaskier stole to manage that.
But he is grateful that it gave him a chance to see Yen again.
They end up at his place.
It is nothing like that time they had sex in the bathroom of 'The Dandelion'. This time they take their time. Geralt smells her perfume as he kisses her neck, her clavicle, between her breasts…
Once they are both exhausted, he holds her close to him.
Yen wakes him up.
She is shaking in her sleep, and mumbling.
"No," Geralt manages to hear, was she crying? "Please, no." She sits up with a gasp, her hand flowing to her face.
"Everything all right?" he knows the question is a little stupid, but he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know he if he is crossing a line he shouldn't cross.
"I am sorry"
There is nothing to apologize for he wants to say, but he stays quiet.
He just hugs her, trying to comfort her, "hey," he kisses her hair, which smells flowery
She kisses him, but it's obvious she is not feeling it, so he just pulls her back to bed, hoping she sleeps some more. Instead she starts studying him, he can see her eyes going from his arms, to his chest…
"You can ask about them," he says, referring to the scars covering him, "everybody does."
"Everybody is an idiot," he raises an eyebrow, amused, "they ask about scars when your hair is gray?" he chuckles and pulls her close, kissing her hair before letting her go. "So?"
"I always had a white streak."
"And the rest?"
"I don't know, maybe it grew with age. Maybe it was the stress."
"Stress?"
"I was in the army." He tries to say nonchalantly.
She is silent, studying his face, and he decides to open up.
"I enlisted to get through college, and apparently I was good at it."
"Why didn't you stay? Raise though the ranks?"
"It is one's duty to disobey an unlawful order, apparently, not everybody likes that."
Yennefer drags herself closer to him, and kisses his chest. Geralt holds her and tries to sleep.
He can't keep ignoring the text any longer, the little notification bubble driving him mad.
'Glad to know you are still around, we might need to talk, sooner or later.' Calanthe wrote.
She texts him, asking him if he is free in the afternoon
They go to her place. Is big and fancy and all her furniture is very modern.
He hates it. He doesn't know how he can feel out of place in an apartment.
Her room is better though.
And her bed is amazing. It has that same flowery smell and he really can't complain when Yen takes of her white shirt dress and is standing in front of him on a lacy bralette and black tights. He carries her to bed, kissing her as he does.
"Do not break my tights," she gasps as he pulls them off at the same time that he pulls her underwear.
He kisses her knee, going upwards, slowly kissing her thigh. With the light of the day he can see the faintest scars, but decides to ignore them, instead he kisses her center, pleased when she makes the prettiest sounds as he pleasures her.
He stays the whole night with her.
Yennefer speaks again in her sleep, she does almost every night. Geralt embraces her and whisper sweet nothings to her, things he would not dare to say if she was awake.
In the morning he kisses her hair again, feeling how she melts into his arms.
Geralt never even imagined to see Yennefer so shaken.
He had opened the drawer in his bedside table to fetch her a charger, and she had flipped at the sight of his prescription pills.
"Yen, it is fine. I am prescribed." He tries to explain but he is not sure she even hears him
"Doctors only prescribe shit."
There is an edge on her voice, a fear that Geralt gets.
"There are no opioids."
He pulls her back to bed, holds her.
"I don't like pills" she says, after a while.
"There are not bad, they are controlled, no opioids, nothing even too strong."
He doesn't know why he decides to trust her, but he confesses.
"They are for my PTSD."
And he confesses everything.
Yen's phone does not stop buzzing.
They had spent the night at his place and she is taking a shower since she has no time to go to her place before work.
"Hey, some Istredd is calling,"
"Leave it, I call him back." She calls from the shower, she then asks him if he wants to join her.
He does not need to be asked twice.
Never a phone call took him so much by surprise.
"Calanthe?"
"Geralt," the older woman greets, her voice was calm… composed, "are you still promoting that friend of yours?"
"I am so sorry about that, that was a miss—"
"You have to know I don't care." She cuts him off, "I am calling you for… you know."
"About…" he doesn't even know how to say it.
"Yes."
"I thought, you said you would…"
"I am in the hospital right now. I am dying."
"Calanthe, I am sorr—"
"I need you to come here to meet Ciri. Before she goes with you I would like her to meet you."
He doesn't know what triggers it. But with the combination of the stress and the planning that makes it so much worse.
So he had taken the bottle out of it's hiding spot and taken the prescriptive dosage.
He is not sure for how long he is seating in the floor until he hears Yen's voice.
"Geralt?"
Is she really here?
"I am fine," he lies, "just a little dizzy."
That is a blatant lie, he feels like shit.
"You said you didn't have any opioids."
"Just for cases of emergency… I want to throw up"
"Yeah, that is what happens with fucking Oxy"
Is dark outside when the effects wear off.
"Yen?"
"Geralt."
"The pills?"
"I throw them away."
"Good." Everything is too silent.
"You had a bad reaction, not so uncommon."
"I assumed." With the pills weaving off, something is bugging him, "How do you know so much of…."
"One does not end up in the foster system because their parents take too many marshmallows, you know?"
"Ok, what else do you need?"
"Jaskier…"
"Sun screen? Do you need sun screen?" Jaskier is running from one side of the apartment to the other, putting a million things in his suitcase.
"I am not going for a vacation…"
"I know, I know… but do you need sun screen?"
"I need," he fights back the bite in his voice. "I need a beer, a six pack" he lies.
"I am on it! I am on it! On! It!" Jaskier take his coat and his keys and runs out of the apartment.
What Geralt actually needed was some peace.
And there is a knock in the door
"What? Did you forgot something?" Geralt asks as he opens the door, "you are not Jaskier."
"Geralt Rivia?"
"Who is asking?"
"I'll take that as a yes," the man enters the apartment. "So you are Yennefer's new boy toy"
Who what?
"Yennefer has been quite distant lately," he says, matter of faclty, and even if Geralt's mind wasn't more distracted thinking on his trip, he would still be confused, "so I'll be clear. I need you to back away."
That he understood.
"And why would I do that?"
"For Yennefer, obviously."
Geralt can't help but laugh under his breath.
"Look, I don't even know who the fuck you are, but I'll give you this, you do have some balls to come to the apartment of someone you don't know in order to… what? Pursue someone?"
"Oh, so you don't know who I am?" the man smiles, "and are you nor interested in why I do know who you are?"
Geralt does not have an answer for that.
"My name is Istredd, me and Yenna have been together for a while now."
"If that is the case why are you here?"
"She is… un-well, she needs someone to give her stability, someone that can support her and… I am not sure you are going to be helpful" He stares at Geralt, "she needs some one more… complete, if you understand what I mean"
"Maybe let her choose."
"She will choose nothing, as she always does. Her outbursts are always like that, she finds someone who is more broken, more sick than her where she can feel at home . Why else would she look for someone so weak they need pills to function?"
By the time Jaskier comes back, Geralt is still standing on his spot.
He texts Yennefer.
What the fuck are we?
"And call me when you get there" Jaskier says as he drives Geralt to the airport.
"Are you my mother?"
"Very funny, Geralt. I am here to help you know."
"How many times do I have to tell you I don't need your help?"
"Pfft, is not about needing, is about making your life easier. I swear you just try to make your life harder for yourself like aaaaaall the time." He pulls over the airport and Geralt opens the door, "now go and meet your new child!"
Geralt arrives to Calanthe's house, even from the entry way he can see the house is much more luxurious than were he lives.
He knocks and almost immediately a tween girl with unruly blonde hair opens the door, "you must be Geralt!" She greets, a huge smile on her face
"Ciri?"
"Yes! That is me!"
"Uhm, hi, nice to meet you," He technically had already met Ciri, once when she was one year old.
"Grandma said you were coming today!" the girl lets him in and pulls him to the garden.
"Are you healthy, Geralt?"
"Uhm."
Istredd's words come back to mind, how can he call himself healthy?
Calanthe takes out a cigarette, lights it up. "I have not been healthy in a long time, Geralt. I ignored my health, and now I need to go around asking for someone to take care of Ciri."
"Uhm."
"Oh this?" she waves the cigarette, "nothing to do with this." She takes a drag, "but I must admit, maybe I should have stopped the habit a couple of years ago. Too late to worry about it. I self-destructed for a long time and now there is not much to savage."
They stay in silence while Calanthe finished her cigarette.
"Are you taking care of her?"
"You still could recuperate"
"Don't lie to me Geralt. I need to know she will be taken care of. I need to know you won't make my same mistake and leave her alone. I need to know she will safe, she will be happy."
"She will, I promise."
"Does… does she know?"
"Not yet, I wanted her to meet you first."
"She seemed happy... to meet me"
"I might have told her some of your more fun anecdotes that I could remember."
He gets home late and considers calling Yennefer and telling her everything.
He is not sure that is a good idea
He arrives home, and a message is written on his window
That is not creppy.
Call Me
-Y
So he goes to her home.
Yen looks like a mess, her hair is in a messy bun, her shirt is stained with red wine.
And she has a barely contained fire in her eyes.
"Good," she gasps and she throws herself to him. She pulls his face to her level and kisses him. Her kisses taste different this time.
"Yen, what the fuck?"
"I just need this, Geralt, just…"
She pulls her shirt, ready to take it off.
Geralt stops her.
"Yennefer I cannot keep doing this anymore. I cannot do this" He means the secrets, the unsteady nature of their relationship.
He means Istredd.
If she knows what he means she ignores it.
"Oh, and tell me oh grand Geralt, what is this you can't do? "
"Yen."
"Being fucked senseless?"
"Yennefer."
"You don't even have to do anything; just lay the fuck down, eh?"
In a second the reality of his situation hits him. He can't do this, he loves Yen but he has to take care of Ciri. He has to do what is best for his child.
And he can't drag Yen with him, both the work he has to do on himself and what his life is going to become.
"I can't help you, I can't keep doing this. I cannot…" he can see calanthe, taking a drag oh her cigarette facing death, "keep self-destructing." Maybe Istredd was right. "I am just not… whole enough, Yen. I am… I am too broken." He wants to explain, but he just does not know how.
"Leave."
The moment he is back to the apartment he shares with Jaskier, Geralt inform his roommate he is moving out.
"I need help finding an apartment, two bedrooms."
Jaskier finds an apartment, its close so he can swing by whenever he needs it, and Essi moves back in, since her tour is in a break, she promises she will help too.
Without an exact date for Ciri to move in, Geralt stalls with the moving, staying in the couch the very last week.
"You should keep the couch," Essi says, as she sorts out the mugs. Geralt knew he didn't own any of them, but Essi insisted he kept some.
"Hey, I bought that couch." Jaskier intervenes.
"And I can buy a new couch."
"You can, but you don't have to."
"You should totally keep the painting in the living room. It is your style."
"Hmmm…"
There is a knock in the door and Geralt goes to open it, while Essi and Jaskier keep choosing furniture they want to declutter and give him.
"Is the food already here? I thought it would take another 15 minutes." Jaskier says aloud.
Geralt didn't expect Istredd to be the one on the other side of the door.
"I am here to take Yennefer." He says which is even more confusing than his presence there.
"What?" Geralt asks.
"What?" Jaskier asks.
"Who?" he hears Essi ask, completely confused.
"Geralt's ex"
"She is not here" Geralt answers hoping that would make Istredd go away, but instead he enters the apartment.
"I don't understand the childish game she is playing but all this hiding is stupid"
"She clearly doesn't want to see you."
"Oh, and what would you know about that?"
"Well, she is hiding from you." Jaskier intervenes and Geralt stares at Jaskier.
"Who asked you?" Istredd asks to the musician.
Jaskier just mumbles something under his breath.
"If she is really hiding, really hiding then let her be."
Geralt moves in to his new apartment with the help of Jaskier
They are carrying boxes up the stairs when Jaskier box opens from the bottom, some plush animals and Ciri's clothes that Calanthe had send them already falling.
"You need help?" a young woman with light brown hair asks.
"Oh, no," Jaskier starts, his best flirtatious smile on his lips, "it is no need you beautiful…"
"No need? You don't seem to be able to carry a box of plush animals"
Geralt laughs.
"Moving to 3A?" she asks as she picks some of the scattered colorful animals.
"Yeah"
"I am your next door neighbor, Maria. Call me Milva."
"Geralt."
"So…" she checks the clothes in her hands, "you two adopting?"
"Oh, no. HE is adopting, I am just helping him move."
"I would not us the word help," Geralt mutters.
The three of them walk to his apartment and put the boxes and scattered items down.
"If you still have a lot of stuff I can call some other neighbors, not all are bad."
"Not all?"
"Nah, an older man, Regis lives in the top floor, he helps everyone. There is this college kid, Cahir that can help you too. He owes me a favor."
"Thanks we don't need the help, we are almost over."
"Fine."
The night before Ciri arrives Geralt can't keep himself calm. Organizing and re organzigin the cabinets in the kitchen checking the arrival time of her flight, checking every detail of the apartment.
There is a knock.
"Hey! Geralt! We are here!" he hears Jaskier voice.
"We?" he opens the door, and Jaskier, Essi, and Milva are there. An older man with appearance of a tax collector is there.
"Jaskier said you played poker!" Milva says cheerily, entering the apartment.
"And I could use a game before going on tour again," Essi says.
"Hi, I am Regis," the man gives him a tight lipped smile, "I made tepache."
"Te-what?"
"Fermented pineapple, is much softer than other beverages I tend to prepare but, I was curious."
"He generally makes moonshine," Milva laughs as she takes out of her purse a couple decks of cards.
In a question of minutes everyone was already set in his kitchen table, cards out and snack in the kitchen counter.
Geralt sits besides Jaskier, who gives him a big smile.
"I just thought you might need a distraction tonight."
Geralt is worried he is not going to be a good guardian, that all this is a terrible idea.
But when he picks up Ciri at the airport and she hugs him he knows this was a good choice.
He slowly manages to adapt to his new role, and for the first time ever he is greatul that Jaskier is so nosy—interested in helping him out.
"Urgh, stupid grocery store," Jaskier mumbles, setting the bags on the counter.
"You don't have to pick up my groceries, I can go." Geralt says as he and Ciri help organizing the groceries.
"NO!" Jaskier screams, panicked, "uhm… I like going."
"Does not sound like it," Ciri says, a slight mocking tone.
"No, no, no. I really do, I swear! You don't have to go! Ever!"
"You do realize you are acting weird?" Geralt asks, Ciri laughs.
"It's not like that. I know your whole 'I am an island, I can do things' won't let you accept that I maybe enjoy going to grocery store, and is not a ultra-secretive and complicated way to helping you in a way you can't even imagine."
Ciri and Geralt just stare at the musician.
"Is he always so weird?"
He sees Yennefer
She has he hair in a messy bun and she is wearing some old black t shirt and she is stuffing her face with food. For how much he still thought about her he had forgotten just how truly beautiful she was.
He misses her so much.
"Yen?"
She looks surprised to see him there, and she just nods as a way of greeting.
"How is everything going?" he asks, knowingly perfectly well she would never snwer the question with food on her mouth.
She just rises her shoulders slightly and can't help but smile.
"See you around."
Yen is there.
He greets her as she enters 'The Dandelion' and offers her a beer.
"Wheat beer?" she asks
"Not on draft."
"Good enough." Geralt walks to one of the fridges and pulls a green bottle out, opens it and hands it to Yen.
"Slow day?"
"Early, I guess" At least Jaskier had asked him to cover the earlier shift; he can be back home to Ciri at a descent hour.
"So… Jaskier finally broke you?"
"Not at all, I just owed him a favor."
"A big one, I guess."
There is no way to explain just how big the favor of helping him with Ciri is.
Yen stays at the bar, somewhat nervous and Geralt has to say what has been bothering for months now.
"Istredd went to my place," he manages to sound casual.
"What? When?"
"He didn't tell you? Months ago, apparently he thought you were hiding there, with me."
"Well, this is awkward"
"It went better that the first time I met him, Yen."
She doesn't say anything.
"Why would you be hiding, Yen?"
"I wasn't. I lost my apartment because of him and I moved. I guess he could not find me."
They stay in silence for a moment before she says; "I cut all contact with him."
"Why?"
"I guess I couldn't keep self-destructing anymore."
Her apartment is nice, and extremely different than her past apartment, instead of minimalistic décor she has the whole place filled with tchotchkes
And it smells like liliacs and gooseberries.
They don't wait and start taking their clothes off and soon they are in bed.
She is laying face down as Geralt's fingers draw figures on her back.
They talk, she tells him about her move, he tells her about his move.
He avoids the subject of Ciri, not knowing how to start explaining.
"I missed this." He says.
"This?"
"Talking with you, like this. I've missed you Yen."
He knows he has to leave, even if he would love to spend at least a week in that bed with her.
He apologizes and eats her out, she jokes he can't stay the night more often.
They meet as often as they can, it is not as often as both of them would want.
He takes advantage of the day Ciri has a sleepover at the house of a friend and stays the whole night with Yen.
He realizes he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.
The poker night is weird, Milva keeps glancing at Regis and for a second Geralt wonders if she is planning to cheat or something.
Jaskier is just plain weird, looking at the cheese board he had prepared, nervously moving his hands, mumbling something.
"So," Regis starts, as he shuffles the cards, "anything… new?" he looks at Milva and she just looks at Jaskier.
What was going on with them?
"What is going on with you?"
Milva gives up, "we know you have a girlfriend! Angoulême posted a picture of you two on the text group!
That little gossip.
"She took a picture?"
"Only the last time she spotted you two."
There was not enough alcohol in the whole building to make this conversation acceptable.
"Jaskier says she was your ex"
Jaskier yelps.
"It seems…" Milva starts but is unable to complete her idea.
"Helthy?" Regis suggests
"Normal?"
"Fine?"
"Just end your sentence already." Geralt mutters, his patience about to end.
"You looked happy, with her"
"You are not going to say anything Jaskier?" Regis asks, "you are the one that actually knew her."
Jaskier looks shocked at Regis, then the cheese plate, "Why did I brought cheese?!" and with that he stands up and leaves the apartment.
"Wow, why is he upset?" Milva reaches for some cheese, "this is actually good."
He had been thinking about telling her about Ciri for a while now. But he couldn't
They had only talked about the subject of children once and it had been to tell her he couldn't have kids.
And even if they HAD talked about kids, how do you tell someone you have just attained a tween girl?
He calls Yen and they meet at her place.
Yennefer receives him with quick kiss, "what is it? You ill."
"I… it is nothing." Yen presses her hand to his forehead, checking if he has a fever.
He is just nervous.
"I hope is not your stomach, I made some food." He kisses her again.
He loves her so much.
'We need to talk' he types.
"No, no, that is a bad idea."
'I've been hiding you something'
"That is worse!"
"I need to tell you something?" he types unsure.
He takes a shot of vodka before sending the text, with his address.
Yen arrives to his apartment, she is inspecting the space and he tries to not act nervous as she sits in the couch.
Geralt thinks of at least 30 ways to start the conversation, not one sounds good.
"I like your new place."
"Thanks, Jaskier and Essi helped decorate. They even gifted me some of the art."
"So… Jaskier kicked you out so his sister could move in?"
"No. I needed to move out"
"Need?"
They are interrupted by the opening door.
"I am home." He hears Ciri's voice
"Ciri? It is early I…"
Had he forgotten to pick her up? He has to be the worst guardian in existence.
"I told you, only half day of classes today." It is Jaskier's voice this time, "Don't worry, I did not forget"
Way to rub salt in the wound
"…And I have a gig in Saturday so you can pay me back…" Ciri enters to the living room, her smile falling at the sight of Yennefer, Jaskier follows her, "Oh… hello, Yennefer." Jaskier looks like a deer caught by the head light.
Geralt has no idea how this could be any worse.
"Hi, my name is Yennefer." Yen greets Ciri, perfectly composed. "What's your name?"
"My name is Ciri." she quickly glances at Geralt.
"Nice to meet you Ciri."
"Is this the same Yennefer you talked about?" Ciri asks to Jaskier and Geralt does not care Jaskier is his best friend he is considering murdering him.
"Ciri…."
"I will be in my room." She mumbles, half way out, dragging her backpack. Jaskier follows her
"Or we could go to the park!" Jaskier almost screams, perfectly knowing he needs an escape plan, "Get groceries, come on Ciri! I'll buy you all the chocolate you can eat."
In a swift move the girls is being dragged out the apartment.
They stay in silence, even after they hear the door close.
"You told me you had a vasectomy." She apparently had not forgotten that, "Did you have some fun before having it? Hm?"
"When I was in the army, I saved a friend's live. I… I was named their kid's godfather, more as a gesture." He cannot look at her, he feels like a coward, "They died soon after, but the kids grandmother said she was going to take care, and that was it."
"Until?"
"Until Jaskier sent that fucking poster."
"To every contact in your phone…"
"Including a very sick Calanthe. She was dying"
"So you got the child"
"It was me or Social Services. That's why I moved out."
"So… she is what you wanted to talk about."
"Yeah, I… I know this is too much. I understand if you prefer to walk o—"
"I'm in," she says, no space for doubt, "at least let me try."
Geralt walks to her and kisses her hard in the mouth.
He was surprised how she had managed to make him love her even more.
Geralt and Ciri are eating breakfast, when Ciri brings Yennefer up.
"Is she your girlfriend? The lady of the other day?"
"Ciri," he tries to not sound as angry as he generally does, "about the other day, I am sorry you two met like that, I was planning to introduce you in a more proper manner."
Reality was he had not planned anything.
"I don't mind, I like her."
"You… do?"
"Jaskier told me you two met in a bar fight, she is cool."
Their last poker night in the apartment is the busiest they've had.
Essi is back from the other side of the world. Cahir has finally had a break from college and Angoulême is taking the night off from apparently stalking Geralt around the city. Milva and Regis are like always there and Jaskier has no show that night.
He and Yennefer struggle to fit them all in the apartment, between the boxes. Ciri is allowed to hang with her neighbors too.
Yen ends up being the one winning the most that night.