When Geralt woke up, it was getting darker outside, and the first stars were beginning to twinkle in the gaps between the clouds that rapidly flowed through the sky. There had been jumbled dreams, a mixture of true memories and distorted events, but, to his relief, Geralt barely recalled anything.
Grunting, he lifted himself on an elbow and realized what woke him: Kain's breathing was getting quicker again. Ciri was hovering over him.
"I'll get Nenneke," he said, getting up.
Mother Nenneke came in a hurry, then commanded Geralt to turn away because Ciri sat up and couldn't keep covered while helping her. They fed more potion to Kain. He coughed and choked, but this time went a bit smoother than the previous one. While his breathing gradually slowed to more normal, Nenneke examined him and wiped the spilled potion from his chest and Ciri's lap.
"He's warmer and his pulse feels stronger," she said. "At least a little bit. There is hope."
Geralt sighed deeply, squeezing his fingers on the stony cold banister of the tiny balcony. He inhaled the chilly night air and let himself feel a bit relieved. A bit more hopeful.
"I shall arrange your dinner and send two priestesses to stay at your door for the night," Nenneke said. "I'm not all that young, anymore, and need my shuteye during the night. I will see you in the morn. And Ciri, it would be best if you spend the night in your own bed – so you actually sleep instead of marveling." She gave the girl a meaningful look that relayed that she couldn't be fooled by her young-heart business, then went for the door, all the empty vials and cups collected on the tray in her hands.
"Thank you," Geralt said.
"It's what I'm here for," she gave a small smile and walked out.
"She has a point," Geralt said when the door closed behind her. "You won't sleep well here, and you need to."
"I'm not leaving, so stop trying to make me," Ciri replied calmly, the covers pressed to her chest. "I will, however, put on a shirt if that makes you feel better."
"It's not about my comfort," Geralt said. "It's about your rest. Let the priestesses do their job and make it easier on yourself. And on me who worries about both of you."
"Geralt," Ciri said tiredly. "I said I've made up my mind. Stop worrying about me. I slept like the dead last night. I can miss a few hours tonight."
Geralt shook his head and went back to the balcony. He missed the time when she listened more.
Ciri reached for her shirt on the floor and pulled it on, buttoning it up. She slipped out of bed and made sure the furs were tucked around Kain's body. Then she joined Geralt out on the balcony.
"What's wrong? Other than the obvious?"
Geralt shrugged. "I wish I had a clear answer. I guess it's a lot of things at the same time... It's strange being here and feeling I'm missing something."
"Missing something?" Ciri asked as she leaned one elbow on the railing. "Like what?"
"Memories. Nenneke seems to know about Yennefer more than I do. But I get that feeling a lot wherever I go." He turned to her, peering with an inquiring squint. "Is there anything I need to know? About... this place?"
"Do you remember sending me here as a child? To be taught by Yennefer?" Ciri eyed him curiously, watching for any signs of recognition.
"I remember sending you here to hide and be taught... But not by Yennefer. I sent you here to her? Why?"
"The trances. My magic. You and the other witchers didn't know how to help me with that. So you and Triss brought me here. And you sent for Yennefer.
"While I waited for her to arrive, I attended lessons with the other novices here. When Yennefer came, my true training began. I eventually moved from the dormitories and into her rooms. We had lessons every day, ate together, slept together… She was even going to have me enrolled at Aretuza like a proper sorceress." Ciri paused. "But then the coup happened and everything – pardon my language – went to shit."
Geralt was looking at the field beyond the Temple's fences, frowning in thought. "I remember the trances, and Triss trying to help. I sent you here to hide from those who were hunting you, and... Triss was going to join you here..." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. "It's so strange to hear things I remember differently. How am I supposed to know what the real ones are? It makes my head ache."
He pushed away from the banister and returned into the room where a young priestess brought them a tray with dinner. He thanked her and poured them tea. Nenneke seemed to insist on keeping the wine and ale from them still.
"Ask," Ciri said once the priestess left. She took a seat on the edge of Kain's bed and accepted the cup Geralt handed her. "Ask whether it is real or not. Ask Yennefer. Or me. Dandelion, even. He knows more about you than most."
His mouth twitched in a brief ironic simper. "What kind of life is it when I have to doubt every memory I have? And asking means I hear a story as if about someone else."
"Have you any other clever ideas?" Ciri asked, nudging Geralt's leg with her foot. "It's a temporary solution only. Until we find a way to restore your memory."
"How would we do that? With more magic that would rearrange my brain? I'm tired of it being done to me on every corner. It's getting harder to cope." He handed her a plate and took another for himself. Fried rabbit with vegetables smelled delicious.
"It could wear off in time. We don't know for certain what that djinn did. It could be temporary." Ciri placed the plate on her lap, picking at the vegetables. "Or you'll find a way to trigger something in that memory of yours. Like a key to the lock holding all your experiences with Yennefer captive."
He watched her wistfully, chewing. "You really need me to remember that badly?"
"Is it such a silly thing for me to still carry that childhood dream? Of being with the two people who love me most, and have them love each other as well?" Ciri swallowed. It did feel a little silly when she voiced it out loud. It made her feel very small. Very young.
He sobered, forking his meal. "Of course it's not silly. It's just... me. I'm beginning to really hate magic. It scorns me way too often. Portals, mind control, magical hunters that want to take my daughter away, bleeding my brother dry... I'm just sick of it, is all." He sent another piece of rabbit in his mouth.
"Yes. I am not too fond of magic wielders myself these days," Ciri admitted, taking a bite of roasted carrot. "But I can't exactly escape it."
"You and Kain are ones, too," Geralt reasoned. "So is Mousesack." So is Visenna. He sipped his tea and smirked. "Not all mages are the same."
"That's what I mean when I say I can't escape it," she pointed out with a slight smile. "And no, we're not all the same. Thank the Gods for that. Imagine if everyone was like Vilgefortz."
The Witcher's face darkened. "Philippa thinks fondly of him. She told Kain he could be a new Vilgefortz. And Vilgefortz himself told me the same thing about my abilities before he almost killed me."
Ciri shook her head. "Neither of you have his sadistic tendencies. But there is no denying he was immensely powerful."
"So much so he couldn't be allowed to live," Geralt mused. "Had he been sent over to Aen Elle world, he would've destroyed them. He was their power-hunger equal in all senses. He belonged there rather than here."
"I don't think I would like him teaming up with Eredin," Ciri frowned. "I prefer him where he is now – dust to the wind."
He peered at her with a pensive frown. "Do you think there are others like him? Was he all that unique, after all?"
"Only unique in that he got so far with his plans. And in that he didn't want my child, but simply the blood of the unborn fetus. But his lust for power is not special at all."
"It's not his hunger for power that made him stand out, but the amount of power he had acquired. The amount of magic he was able to wield. If there are more mages like him in this world - that is a scary thought."
"Surely there has to be, or if not in our world, then some other," Ciri mused. "But not all can be murderers and rapists. Some might be healers." At the very least, Ciri hoped so. And how she would have liked to have one of those healers here right now to help Kain.
"That's hopeful," Geralt commented. "Though I doubt any mage of great power can or would be willing to hide for long."
"Why not?" Ciri asked. "I know power corrupts, but... there has to be someone out there of great magical talents who don't want to cause destruction and misery." Like Ciri herself. Though she wasn't sure she'd qualify as talented and powerful yet.
The Witcher didn't share her opinion and focused on finishing his dinner. Those priestesses assigned to cooking knew what they were doing.
When Ciri was finished, as well, he collected the plates on the tray.
"I'll take a walk. Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone."
"Are you worried I am going to take advantage of your unconscious brother?" Ciri arched a brow, climbing back beneath the covers next to Kain. "I am not that desperate. No need to worry."
"I do hope there's nothing to worry about where you're concerned," he smirked and went out the door.
One of the two priestesses sitting outside the room jumped off her chair and insisted on taking the tray back to the kitchen for him. Geralt didn't mind - he wanted to take a stroll through the gardens in the dark, hoping it could help vent his mind and get a night of better sleep.
It wasn't too dark for his eyes, and he navigated his way along the flowerbeds with no problem. He walked slowly, breathing in the chilly air, thinking about Visenna and her touch, the way she looked at him, and how something glistened on her cheek he hoped was a tear. He thought of how Kain's heartbeat quickened under his palm. He thought of how he felt about Kain's life slipping away from his and Ciri's. He thought of the urge he had to run away.
Who would he run to?
The closest comforting figure seemed to be Mother Nenneke. But it wasn't her image he recalled had flashed in his mind.
He stopped and looked at the sky, watching the clouds pass across the twinkling canopy, and wondered if at the same moment she was looking at the stars, too.
Then he thought of gemstones, a handful of them twinkling in the semi-dark, much like those stars. The image was so bright and real he peered down at his palm as if expecting to find the trinkets there.
('They are... for her. For Yennefer.')
('You're more of a fool than I thought.')
He slowly curled his fingers into a fist and cast a glance in the direction of the greenhouse. It was like trying to remember a bizarre dream upon waking from it. He sighed, rubbing his temples, pondering, then turned and went back to the Temple.
He knocked but didn't wait for her to answer and went in. Yennefer seemed to have just finished her dinner. Also a fried rabbit.
He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, stepping toward her. "They give you wine. Only herbal tea for Ciri and me. I'll have to have a word with Nenneke tomorrow."
Yennefer was seated on her bed, knees bent, book propped against her thighs, the plate cradled beneath her chin while she read. She set it aside when the door opened, regarding it as it swung open to reveal Geralt. He was the last person she was expecting and for a second she'd worried something had happened – that maybe Kain had taken another turn or Ciri…
Deep down she knew it was irrational. Sadly she hadn't expected he'd come for her. Not unless there was some kind of plan that needed to be smoothed out.
"I guess she favors me more," Yennefer teased, taking a pointed sip of her wine before offering him the glass. "Go ahead, we'll keep it a secret between us."
Geralt smiled cunningly, accepting the glass, and raised it a tad toasting her. "A rebel, are you?" He drank and hummed, savoring the taste. The Temple's wine had always been exceptional: the priestesses knew how to spice it right.
"More like bad influence," Yennefer countered with a smile that matched his own.
She knew he'd been worried before and yet, for now, he was a bit more relaxed. She liked it, happy for the brief reprieve from their usual brood and mayhem.
"Should I ask the priestesses to bring a little more?"
"Better not tempt fate," he chuckled and finished his wine, then set the cup on her tray and focused on her. "Ciri tells me I asked you to train her here, which you did. But have you been here before that?"
She swung her legs off the bed and stood. "You did. You'd attempted to do such means with Triss first, but it didn't work out. We'd parted on bad terms and thus I was awarded option two." She wasn't going to hide those truths from him or gloss over them if she could help it. "As for my visits here, yes, I—I was searching for another means of fertility. Trying to do the impossible."
"So Nenneke stated," he murmured. "Though not all mages are infertile. If the priestesses here can't help it, there could be someone else who can."
"Depends on the preference of magic used. I've been told it isn't possible. Besides, I— I've found no need to keep looking after Ciri and I came together." And yet, the idea of having a child with Geralt held some real satisfaction. Even Istredd. At least there had been once upon a time. "I've checked every possible solution. Many. Even Golden dragons…"
"That I do remember," he said. "You've been... very determined."
"Very. Perhaps too much." She could say that now, but in the past, anyone talking out against it had agitated and offended her to no end. "It took some time to see that I already found what I was looking for." She met his eyes, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she meant Ciri—and himself.
The Witcher was oblivious to her hints while straining to dig around his memories. "Nenneke told me that a long time ago you two quarreled while you were here? What about?"
"The first time I came here or after dealing with Ciri?"
"Before Ciri. I... I'm trying to remember."
Yennefer's eyebrows drew down slightly. Why now was he trying to remember when the last few weeks he'd been taking it so slowly, practically shooting down any idea to revisit what he didn't know? If she had to guess, she'd assume it was tied to his brother. Geralt was really rattled.
"Nenneke doesn't think that I'm good enough for you. Or anyone. She just… it's a matter of her motherly affection. You two are close."
Geralt chortled and shook his head. "She made it a point to tell me she was not my mother, nor would she lend her shoulder to whine over..." He scowled, pondering, then gave a helpless shrug. "Seems like she meant whatever was between you and me. It's like someone else's life. I'm sorry."
"I'm sure she meant she didn't want to listen to you whine about me. She cares for you." Yennefer could say that much and not feel that she was overstepping a boundary set between the two women. They didn't see eye to eye, but they were both protective of the Witcher – and his Surprise. For that Yennefer could never fault Nenneke. The apologies and look of failure in his eyes made it harder. She didn't want to make him feel as if he owed her. "Why the change and want to dig a bit into the memory bank? Your worry for Kain stirring up… feelings?"
"No, Kain has nothing to do with it. I… I remembered something." He squinted pensively, eyeballing her. "I was here after the striga, recovering, and I had jewels – payment for the work done. I wanted Nenneke to give them to you when you came back here, but she refused. Called me a fool and said you… would be furious. Even more furious than, as Nenneke stated, I made you. What have I done to you, Yennefer? Why were you so mad at me?"
Nenneke hadn't given her those jewels, and she'd been right, Yennefer would have been angry. Their relationship was worth more than that. Had he really thought their relationship could be bought? That a couple of jewels would have made up for what he'd done? She couldn't even be mad at him, couldn't reason his logic or why he thought that's what she would have preferred instead of him trying to talk to her.
"Because you left me. We were living together, had started a life together… I suppose, it wasn't for you and you decided… without telling me… to leave."
The Witcher stilled, staring at her in shock. Not a part of his mind could fathom this to be true. He racked his memory in a desperate attempt to come up with at least the faintest sense of this truth - anything at all - and couldn't.
He swallowed, his mouth was dry. "When... when was it? How... could it have been?"
"Years ago," Yennefer said automatically, studying his reaction, the look on his face one that confused and fascinated her. Why had he looked so upset? "What do you mean? What could it have been?"
"You're a fierce and independent sorceress that likes to be alone, and I'm a witcher made to serve while forgoing any personal matters. How could we have ended up living together?"
"Neither of us planned to move in together. It just happened. One day turned into a week, a week turned into months, and the next thing you know a whole year had gone by."
He gaped. "A year? What were we doing for a year?" A small smirk swept over his mouth as he added, "Well, aside from the obvious."
"Aside from the obvious," Yennefer mused with an equal twitching of her lips. "We lived. You worked, I patched you up. I worked, you got impeccably bored. We attended gatherings, stayed in multiple inns in our travels, had disagreements, made up, disagreed some more, and contentedly went about our days together. I even taught you how to appreciate eating with a knife and fork."
The Witcher chortled, "I surely was no savage and was brought up in no cave." He sobered a bit, reflecting a moment on what she said. It sounded so surreal, and yet so darn cozy. The kind he never thought possible for himself. None of it sounded possible for his kind to achieve.
He looked up at her. "Why did it end?"
Yennefer glanced at the floor and decided to sit on the edge of the bed again. Her jest was over and she no longer craved the wine.
"I don't know. You left one day without a word and that was that. You never bothered to elaborate on the why." She met his gaze. "Why do you think that is?"
For the first time he remembered, Geralt felt it was hard to hold her stare. He felt naked and guilty under the cold, violet light of her scrutiny. Worse was he had no answer. He shook his head and lowered to sit on the edge of her bed. "I wish I knew."
In the back of his mind, two voices disputed in raised tones.
('She treated me like—'
'Stop it. Don't cry on my shoulder. I'm not your mother.')
He stared at her with a sort of growing astonishment as the sense of it began to dawn on him. "How come you're here? Have you forgiven me?"
"I don't think I ever truly can. I don't know what went wrong. What I did," Yennefer added honestly. "But I have moved on. We both have. And I continue to love you."
Even with struggling to forgive - which was fully in the image of her he remembered - her statement about love astonished him. He shifted closer to her like in a dream, a little lightheaded. "Why do you love me? After everything?"
"I love you because even though Ciri was your Surprise, you didn't bat an eye when I started calling her daughter. Thereby giving me the gift I always sought. I love that you loved me, even though others told us it wouldn't last and I wasn't the easiest person to live with, or that we were incapable of such emotions. I love you because, even when I had doubts about the sincerity of our relationship, our love, you didn't. You've always known. You never said it out loud — not for the longest time — but when you did, it was the most natural thing in the world and I didn't hesitate to say it back. Sadly, that made it all the more real and it terrified me," she could admit it to him now and understand why she'd needed that djinn later. She could never be fully invested if she didn't know the truth of their ardent connection. "I love you because, despite that, you never hesitated for a second and your every action toward me – most – spoke only of how deeply you cared for me—"
Yennefer touched a hand to the side of his face, gently stroking his chin as if to soothe what she feared might be a desire to make a run for it.
"Even when my own were never as easily interpreted."
Something moved in his soul while he listened to her, mesmerized by what she said and how her eyes searched his, how vulnerable she made herself before him without hoping to get the same in return.
He had experienced something similar before - with Triss, and even Fringilla. But with Yennefer it was something simultaneously new and familiar. Something that felt unique in its impossibility. Something truly magical.
He cupped her cheek, leaning in, and kissed her.
Her eyes closed, her hand finding its way from his face to lose itself in his hair, cupping the back of his neck as she returned his kiss.
She'd been pleasantly surprised, convinced without peeking into his thinking that he'd have considered running during that admission.
Yennefer didn't push for more, letting him take the lead.
He shifted closer without breaking the kiss, his other hand snaking around her waist while his mouth hungrily indulged in hers. Her scent, so mind-blowing, took over his senses and made him dizzy with something he couldn't decipher. He felt the same way he had on the balcony in his room when he was eager to run and take comfort in her presence. And now she was right here, and he was relieved she was. He didn't for the life of him know why, but he was.
He knew, however, that he had to give her something in return. He went for the clearest truth he could muster at this moment.
"I need you," he whispered against her mouth while she took in a breath. Then he pulled her onto his lap, burying his face against her neck where her silky hair enveloped him in her fragrance of lilac and gooseberries.
Yennefer needed him, too. Her body yearned for him, crying at the loss of what she knew was out of her reach, what despite his lack of returning affections had given her hope for.
Reunion.
Her hand slid from his neck to his shoulders, skimming over the muscle, the material he was wearing falling away like liquid, dripping to the floor at his feet where it reappeared as a discarded bundle. She repeated the method with her own clothes to save time should some unfortunate and helpful priestess decide to interrupt.
He wasn't going to get away from her just yet.
Yennefer ground down onto his lap gently, reveling in their body heat, her right hand shifting between her thighs to take a hold of his cock, working him to a steady hardness.
Jolts of desire zinged through his nerves making him shiver at every slide of her palm. His breathing was ragged, and he couldn't get his eyes off hers. There was something in that cold violet spark in her gaze that made him insane with need and hunger. Like the warmth of her body and the scent of her skin was the solution to everything.
At this moment, it truly was.
It felt that way, and he could not contain his need any longer.
His mouth claimed an ardent kiss as he flopped her onto her back beneath him and pushed in, lavishing her neck with nips and kisses.
Blood was flushing in his ears and she was his whole world.
Yennefer's right leg wrapped around Geralt's waist, her other foot caressing the back of his calf, her arms moving from his shoulders to explore his body, to hold him close, to have him as deeply in her as imaginable.
As the pleasure intensified, she clawed his back, mollifying the abuse when their kisses broke, pressing her lips to any available skin, murmuring his name over and over in a way she'd never allowed herself to before.
Worshipping, loving, and frantic. Desperate for him – no one but him.
The pleasure was building and grew so wildly it dimmed Geralt's mind. Her scent filled his senses that pulsed and throbbed with need for her, body and soul, violet sparks took off inside his head and in front of his eyes when he closed them, absorbing every bit of their ecstasy bordering on pain. Her voice, cracked and husky in her passion, called his name and Geralt felt home.
He felt happy.
When their apex stormed through them in its blinding glory, he felt at peace.
Yennefer had felt as at peace once the aftermath of their 'lovemaking' hummed through her.
She moved to claim her place in the crook of his arm, her head resting on his shoulder, her index and middle fingers stroking at his chin affectionately. She'd said so much before – and during – that for now, she had no idea what to say and found herself at a loss for anything.
He'd come to her—and in her quite literally—and all was as it was supposed to be, but she also knew it was temporary. Geralt still didn't know the extent of their history and despite the apparent shift in their dynamic at present, he could still easily run the other direction if she pushed too hard or became too eager.
"Try to get some rest," Yennefer said, her voice soft, breathy and encouraging. "If we're fortunate, come morning, we can reexamine the physical part of our conversation."
"Hmm," he smiled, his eyes closed as his muscles hummed with delicious relaxation. He wanted to stay. He truly did. There was one significant 'but'. "I'll have to return. If anything happens... Ciri can't be left alone to deal with it. And she refuses to come back here."
Yennefer should have remembered that particular thought, but for a moment—a long one—she'd been greedy and reluctant to burst the bubble.
"Understandable. She's worried. You both are."
Yennefer lightly rolled from the space she'd taken in his arm, shifting so that he was free to get to his feet when he was ready and stretched out beside him.
"Is there anything I can do?" Yennefer asked, smirking slightly. "Anything else?"
He turned to look at her and admired the gentle blush on her cheeks and the shine of her eyes. "Patience," he murmured. "Both Ciri and I require lots of patience, it seems."
"Patience is not one of the virtues I've accomplished when it comes to what I want," she answered, smiling within his direction. "I'll do my best."
When Geralt returned to his door, the priestesses on their watch duty informed him of having fed more potion to Kain. Geralt felt a subtle pang of guilt for not having been with Ciri when it happened, and went in.
Ciri wasn't asleep. Kain seemed to be the same, only now - if he looked closer - the Witcher could actually see he was breathing.
"You should get some sleep, Ciri," he said, toeing off his boots.
Ciri turned to look at him, hiding a smile at the sight of Geralt's ruffled hair. "I will."
She was getting tired, the warmth of Kain's bed having steadily made her relax and embrace the possibility of sleep.
He studied her for a moment, then lay down on his mattress. He closed his eyes, thought of Yennefer and how her eyes glowed...
He slept.
He didn't immediately realize what pulled him from slumber, but when he sat up, rubbing his eyes, he met Kain's confused gaze. Ciri was stirring next to him, and Kain, blinking sleepily, looked between them with a mute question.
"Feels like I missed more than I'd like," he muttered.
Geralt chuckled despite the worry. "How you feeling?"
"Like I can't wake up." He turned to meet Ciri's stare. His face flushed in more confusion. "You're... Are you naked?" He glanced to Geralt, baffled. "What did I miss?"
Geralt merely shook his head, amused and relieved.
It took Ciri a few long seconds as she woke to realize Kain, too, had awakened; that his eyes were open and that he was talking. Her whole being instantly filled with elation. The shame she usually would have felt at being caught in such a compromising position was non-existent.
"For warmth," she assured him, sitting up and cradling the covers to her chest. "Not for any lecherous reasons. Are you in pain?"
Kain considered it briefly. "No, just... tired. I could sleep for another year and it's alarming. I..." He strained to sit, but couldn't manage right away. "I need to get up..."
"No, you don't," Geralt argued, pressing a palm to Kain's chest to keep him down. "Not just yet. Some more herbs and potions, some red wine and a few meals, and then you'll get there."
Kain scowled. "I can't take any potions before I let any out." He perked up an eyebrow meaningfully.
Geralt smirked and nodded to Ciri, "Go look if Yen's up yet. And see about our breakfast."
Having no particular need to stay for that task, Ciri didn't argue. She slipped into her shirt, gathered her trousers and boots, and walked out a minute later.
She found Yennefer in bed and bounded to join her, jumping up on the mattress and landing on her knees beside the sorceress. "My prayers were answered," she declared, pushing Yennefer's hair from her face. "Kain is awake!"
Yennefer's swept upward as if on the smallest of wave and seconds later she was groggily staring into bright green eyes. "That's fantastic."
She stretched lazily, shifting upon the small mattress to make space for Ciri beside her. Unlike the inns that catered for two people at a time, mother Nenneke had a tendency of making sure her rules about intimacy were adhered to as much as possible, and by any uncomfortable means possible.
"I'm surprised you've let him out of your sight. Have you slept?"
"He needed some privacy. I suppose there are certain things I am not ready to see yet," Ciri giggled, curling up next to Yennefer, head on the sorceress' shoulder. "I did sleep. Peacefully even." Ciri always did when next to Kain. Unless Eredin decided to interrupt. But he hadn't been in Ciri's dreams for quite some time. "And you? Are you alright?"
Yennefer enjoyed the sound of Ciri's giggle and the warmth of her slight frame pressed to her side, her cheek resting against Ciri hair.
"Couldn't be better," Yennefer replied. And she did feel good. The afterglow of the conversation and the night's act before and just being able to share a quiet moment with her daughter. "What about Geralt? He must be relieved about Kain as well."
"He did seem relieved. Also eager to send me on my way," Ciri smirked. "I think he was worried I'd see Kain's boy-bits."
"He doesn't approve of your infatuation with Kain?"
"Infatuation?" Ciri frowned. She didn't like that word. It made her sound crazy. "I don't think he minds I care for Kain. He'd just rather not think of me in any, well, sexual scenario."
"That's a relief," Yennefer added, hugging Ciri a little tighter to her side before rolling off the mattress to stretch her legs. She needed to make use of a chamber pot, and then find some juice. Anything sweet…
Ciri got up as well, taking the time to tie her boots since she hadn't on the way there.
"I'll go see if there is any breakfast in the works. Geralt requested it and Kain probably needs something to help him regain his strength."
"Good idea," Yennefer agreed, peering out the window to gauge the weather. "I'll make myself more presentable and join you in a little bit."