I sat in the tavern, half listening to the trio of bards playing in the corner. They weren't great but good I supposed. The other patrons of the tavern were talking and laughing loudly and getting steadily drunker and drunker as the night wore on. The other patrons gave me a wide berth, my Witcher medallion wasn't obvious and Witcher was hardly the first thing people thought when they saw me but even humans had some sense of self preservation. Their instincts telling them to keep away from me even if they weren't sure why.
The way I hated.
The way it had to be.
I sighed and drank more ale. Noting a pretty girl by the bar, a good-looking man leant against the bar talking and flirting with her. One look at her body language told me his advances weren't welcome. She moved away, he followed. His fingers ran up her leg, she batted his hand away.
"… Don't play hard to get baby" The boy was saying,
"I'm not playing hard to get. I'm not interested. Find someone else who is" She started to hop down from the stool, the boy caught her wrist,
"Don't be like that. I know you want it" Even from this distance I heard her sharp intake of breath. He adjusted his sleeve. A weapon?
"How about we go upstairs to my room?"
The girl nodded, stinking of fear. The pair started my way, the boy keeping a tight grip on her wrist. To get to the stairs, they had to pass me. The girl met my gaze. Help me. She mouthed.
Accidentally on purpose, I threw my ale over the boy. Immediately he started to splutter, the ale drenching his tunic and breeches. He released the girl, who backed away.
"What the fuck?!" Snarled the boy, glaring at me.
"I'm so sorry" I lied, throwing as much contempt into the line as I could.
"You better… be" His eyes finally took in my medallion, finally noting that I am dangerous. For once I was proud of the fact.
"You're a Witcher!"
"Really? I never noticed. I'm sorry about your shirt, would you like money for it?"
"N… no thank you. I'll just… go" I smirked as he ran off.
"You did that deliberately" Noted the girl, sliding onto the bench opposite me.
"I did, I hate people like that. You alright?"
"I'm fine. Thank you, he had a dagger. I um… I can't pay you"
"It's alright, I'd never ask for payment over a service like that"
Well, again, thank you"
"Don't worry. Would you like me to walk you home?"
"No thank you, my house is right across the street. Oh. I know who you are. A cousin of a friend told me that you saved her friend from being raped six months ago. I'm sorry, you're trying to have a quiet drink and I'm babbling at you. Thank you again Madam Witcher"
"Juliet"
"What?"
"My name. Juliet"
Across the way, I noted a pair of blue eyes watching me.
The set of the three bards came to a fairly abrupt end after a risky song about abortion. The motherly looking woman who ran the inn refreshed my ale with a warm smile. Already I could smell that the quality was better than the last.
Interesting.
"Excuse me?" Asked a terrified looking, spotty kid with a hairstyle more closely resembling a bird's nest. "I have a job for you Witcher. I beg you. A Devil has been stealing our grain. I'll pay you up front. A hundred ducats"
When would humans learn that such creatures don't exist?
"One fifty"
"I've no doubt you'll come through. You take no prisoners or so I hear"
"From within his shirt he pulled out a purse. I took it. He gaped as though wanting to say more but decided against it and ran back to his seat.
Finally.
I could hear him discussing the issue with his friend, lamenting how he wasn't stupid enough to ask what he really wanted to say. I knew many doubted that I am really a Witcher due to all but one other being men. It was extremely annoying, sometimes not even killing the monster cured their doubts. They usually accused me of stealing the proof of the Witcher who really killed it.
Idiots.
I used to tease with men when they pointed out my gender but the joke had grown tedious over the decades.
"I love the way you sit in the corner and brood" Said an exceedingly handsome man, who leant casually against the pillar. Tall, muscular with piercing eyes, sharp cheekbones and dark hair. His billowing white shirt leaving very little to my imagination.
"I'm here to drink alone"
"How's that working out for you?"
"Wonderfully. Goodnight" I started to rise from my seat, but he blocked my path. I glared and he swallowed nervously. The kid had guts at least, other men had run away from me when I glared.
"No wait! Don't punch me. A review. Of my performance with my brothers. Three words or less"
"They don't exist"
"Hmm?"
"The creatures you sing about"
"Huh, I suppose you'd know better. Juliet of the wolf school. I've heard of you."
A long moment of silence.
"Are you going after the creature tomorrow?" He asked, slipping onto the bench opposite. I sat back down.
"I am"
"And I'd like to help"
"No"
"Why not?!"
"It could be dangerous"
"With you there to protect me?"
"What makes you think I wouldn't just leave you to die?"
"You protected that girl, could have left her to die"
"That's different"
"Is it? Please let me help"
"No"
"If I'm going to be a better bard, I actually need to see monsters"
"One, it's too dangerous. Two, I don't even know your name"
"How rude of me. Geralt of Rivia. So, can I come?"
"You have your bard group, what will they do if you don't come back? You aren't coming with me" I retired to my room for the night, Geralt didn't stop me.
The next day I found out the location of the creature and set out, clad in full armour and my long dark hair bound in a high pony. My beloved white Stallion Pegasus eager to leave and set out. Around midmorning, the pretty bard caught up, along with three others and a beautiful brown mare.
"Need a hand? I've got two and have brought six more with me" Said Geralt.
"Go away"
"We'll be silent back-up" Said a boy who looked so much like Geralt that they really could be brothers. I noted that he had nasty scarring on the right side of his face and wore a feathered beret. Next was a younger teen somehow already with a receding hairline and a cocky smirk. Lastly was the eldest, a tall, broad man who seemed to exude an air of calm and authority. Clearly, he wasn't a man to be a trifled with. A Professor perhaps.
I ignored the group and walked on. Geralt walked beside me leading the mare.
"You said that real adventures would make better stories" Said hairline. "And you're right. You madam smell chock full of them"
"Amongst other things" Added beret
"Is that onion?" Asked hairline.
"Don't be rude boys. I thought I taught you better than that" Said the eldest. "My apologies for my sons, I am Vesemir. These are Eskel…" Vesemir gestured to each boy in turn. Eskel turned out to be the scarred boy in a beret.
"Lambert" Hairline.
"And you've met Geralt"
"A full-time occupation I imagine"
"The point being" Said Lambert quickly. "Is that you smell of death, destiny, heroics and heartbreak"
"It's onion"
"He's going to get punched" I heard Eskel murmur to Geralt. "Should we stop him?"
"No, he's making our case. Worse comes to worst we spread a song about the idiotic bard who was punched by a Witcher"
"Would be funny"
"Be nicer to your brother" interjected Vesemir
"How do you do that?!" Exclaimed Eskel
"I'm your father. It's my job"
"Hmm" Grunted Geralt.
"We could be your barkers" Continued Lambert. "Spreading the tales of Juliet, the one and only… we'll come up with a suitable nickname"
"I think I heard of you Vesemir. Did you meet a fellow Wolf Witcher named Vin ten years ago?"
"I did, he was a good man. How is he?"
"He's fine, still travelling the Continent last I heard. The man refuses to retire"
"Sounds like someone else I know" Muttered Eskel,
"You four are going to come with me, no matter what I do or say aren't you?"
"Yeah"
"Pretty much"
"Of course,"
"Yes" The four chorused
"You can come but on one condition. You do as I say when I say. If I tell you to duck, you duck. I tell you to abandon me and run for your lives you run. Do you understand?"
I waited until I got an agreement off all four bards before moving on. Well, I highly doubted any of them would particularly want to stay with me after facing whatever creature was really terrorising these people.
I shouldn't even allow them to accompany me at all but deep down I selfishly desired companionship. To not be quite so alone.