Eskel only took his eyes off the breathtaking view when he heard the voices of Letho and Erryn, who had just past the keep's entrance. He began climbing down the tall ladder he has set, his foot touching the ground as Letho neared him.
" You hungry ? "
The Viper Witcher was stingy with words, which Eskel did not really mind.
" Yeah. "
They both walked toward the fortress, when the Wolf remembered he had to make a detour by the stables to attend to Scorpion. As he approached the wooden structure, he heard the Witcheress voice again, cooing at the animal.
She greeted him with a smile, as usual.
" Hi ! "
" Hi. "
As soon as he heard its' master's voice, Scorpion turned away from Erryn's petting. Eskel playfully scratched the horse on the nose, right between the nostrils.
" I brought him in. Hope you don't mind ? "
She took the following silence as a mark of not-minding.
" I also gave him his food this morning. "
" Could have done it myself, you know. "
The words were stern, ungrateful. The Witcheress stared at him.
" Sorry. " She crossed her arms, " meant well. "
This time, she did not wait for an answer and headed back into the fortress.
Eskel followed her soon, after making sure his steed was set for the night. When he entered the kitchen, Letho was already cooking the meat they had brought with them.
They seemed so at ease. Which was weird to Eskel. He had felt so comfortable all day, when he had the Kaer to himself. Now, there were two strangers here, so used to the place and he was feeling like the stranger. He was not a part of this thing -whatever it was-, he was just a spectator. He resented the sensation.
" Need any help ? "
He surprised himself by asking.
" No. "
Letho threw a surprised glance at his disciple, but didn't add anything. Erryn had answered without even looking up from the pot she was stirring. He had rubbed her the wrong way, no doubt about that. Eskel felt stupid. Unwanted and unwelcome. Out of place. He tried shrugging the feeling off and left.
As he strolled down the main hall, he felt the air getting chiller. He decided to light the fireplace in his bedroom. He hauled upstairs a stack of dried wood, making a mental note to cut some more in the following day. When the fire had consumed a little, he carefully closed the door behind him. He went back to the woodpile and proceeded to light another fire, but this time in the main hall.
Watching the fire consume the logs, he reminisced of his early years in the Witcher School. To days when the hall was not so desperately empty. There used to be so many other children in here. He remembered the long tables were they would all eat together at the end of the long day. At least, those who had survived. On days were the same number of children were at breakfast and at dinner, the atmosphere was light. Hopeful. On those day, they all felt invincible. Dozens of children's voices would fill the room with lighthearted blabbering. Then there were other days. When only a handful of them were still there. Those were quieter.
The smell of stew pulled him out of his thoughts. He dragged of the heavy table closer to the fire. Even though Witchers were less sensitive to temperature changes, eating in front of a roaring fire was always a nice feeling.
He was welcomed back in the kitchen by the Witcheress' light laugh. She was leaning on the table, shaking her head at Letho. The man chuckled and looked at Eskel, waiting for him to talk.
" Thought we could eat in the main hall ? Lit the fireplace up. "
He felt weird, having to ask for someone else's opinion.
" Fine by me. " He looked at his female counterpart. " You ? "
" Don't care. "
She grabbed the small pile of plates set behind her, and filled them with the warm stew. The Viper Witcher took three clean cups, forks and spoons for everyone, and a bottle of beer under each arm. He held the door open for Eskel and Erryn, who were carrying the steaming plates and some bread. The silence that fell upon the three of when they started eating was suffocating. The talkative Witcheress was obviously upset, and it was weird to eat in silence, compared to the long talk they had the night before.
" Got plans for tomorrow ? "
Gods, he hated small talks. Letho showed a bit of surprise, but answered anyway.
" Haven't talked about it yet. Anything you wanna do, kiddo ? "
She paused a moment to think about it.
" Don't know. Guess I wouldn't mind some down time before everybody gets here. "
" Fine by me. " He looked back at Eskel. " You ? "
" Don't know either. I'm sure I can find some wall that need fixing somewhere, so probably that. "
Letho nodded at his answer, and the silence fell once again upon them, only lighter this time.
Soon after, Erryn was done with her plate and cleared her corner of the table.
" Goodnight big guy " she smirked, as she planted a kiss on her mentor's bald head.
" Night, kid."
" Wolf. " She nodded at him and left.