The next morning, Eskel awoke to a gloomy day. The sky was filled with menacing clouds, and the air heavy with the promise of a storm before the end of the day. The Witcher decided to go train right away, while the weather was still allowing it. Before heading out, he stopped in the kitchen where he found Erryn baking. She had her wavy hair tied up in a messy bun and was busy kneading dough.

" Mornin'. "

" Morning. "

Still mad, apparently. Eskel felt awkward... He had learn many years ago not to care about others were thinking about him, but he still felt bad that he had upset a fellow witcher.

" Letho made jerky this morning, if you're hungry. "

She pointed to a nearby pan with her elbow, but avoided his gaze.

" Thanks. "

He grabbed a few pieces of meat and turned to her, wanting to say something. But he wasn't great with words. The Witcher knew he needed to say he was sorry; he just didn't know if she was gonna accept his apology. He took a breath to say something, but the words didn't come. Frustrated, he sighed and left. For now, he needed to empty his mind, he could always apologize later. Outside, the Wolf promptly made his way to the training grounds while eating. One thing was sure, the Vipers knew how to cook !

The moment he pulled out his sword and started his routine, he felt better; his brain free from everything. After an hour or so of twirls and death blows, he felt satisfied with himself and sheathed his blade. All he had to do now was go to the stables to feed Scorpion and let him free for the day.

There, he ran into the Witcheress once more, busy detangling the horse's mane with her fingers. The absent-minded smile disappeared from her lips the instant she saw the scarred Witcher.

" Don't worry, only came to say hi. "

Eskel stopped her " Wait ! "

She crossed her arms and looked back at him, a blank expression plastered on her face.

" Listen, I uh... I - I'm sorry. About yesterday. Didn't mean to be so asshole-y. "

He watched her stand there, her arms still crossed, shifting her weight on her leg.

" Forget about it " she gestured, turning around.

" Hold on. Can I ask you something ? "

She seemed taken aback by his question. " Yeah, sure. "

" You guys don't have horses ? "

Eskel saw her body relax a bit.

" Nope. Can't afford them. " She paused. " Hence why I got carried away with pretty boy over there. "

The Witcher couldn't help but smile at the nickname.

" And as much as I'd like to stay here all day, I have things to do, so... "

After a final pat on the animal's nose, she was gone.

Before midday, it was raining. The raindrops were sparse at first, falling one by one, not making a sound. But with a gush of wind, the heavy clouds flew over Kaer Morhen, and soon after, it started pouring. In seconds, everything was damped, water streaming down the cobblestones of the courtyard, dripping from the tall walls, clouding the glass windows. Enjoying the shelter the fortress provided against the unrelenting storm, the three Witchers had scattered around the castle after their meal.

Letho had planned on using the underground lab to brew potions, and Erryn had headed to her bedroom to bathe. Eskel found himself alone, and a bit distraught by the situation: he was stuck for the day in the castle, not really knowing what to do. The repairs he had intended to do today required him to work from the outside, and he wasn't so keen on working in the middle of a thunderstorm. At first, he wandered around the castle, rediscovering the place. Guess he wanted to see if anything had changed while he was gone... But most of the keep seemed to have been under a sleeping spell. A lot of corridors and rooms were empty, spiderwebs slowly taking over, only disturbed by the drafts that were engulfing the old building.

Eskel soon found himself on the first floor, pushing the heavy door leading to the armory. The sight of the numerous weapons and pieces of armor still hanged up where they were years ago eased him. Most of the relics had little to no monetary value, but the Witcher had always considered them to be pieces of history, their history. Whether it was a 11th century silver blade or the phylactery used in their trial, these objects all had a story to tell, each making a contribution to the telling of the Witchers' story. After he had gazed at each of them, the Witcher left the room, and decided to cross the hall to check the library.

The room still had the same smell, a mix between years old papers, dust and a hint of mold. A good look around revealed that just like the armory, the library had been maintained, even... Bettered ? It suddenly seemed like the place was in better shape than last time he had seen it. Someone had been cleaning the shelves, as proved by the piles of books on one of the central tables, and the emptied bookcases were clean of all dust. Eskel stepped closer, curious about the whole thing. When he was still a training Witcher, the room had to be deep-cleaned as a form of punishment for any misbehaviour trainee. And boy, he could not even remember how many hours he had spent here, scrubbing the floors with Geralt, after Vesemir caught them doing whatever stupid shit they decided to do that day. Before he could feel sorry for his now deceased mentor, his enhanced hearing caught the sound of talking in the hallway. The Vipers. They seemed to be coming that way, but they stopped before the door, talking low. Weird. Eskel considered eavesdropping, but before he could make up his mind, the door opened.