Conjunction
Chapter 7 - A Good Day for Traveling
After Dandelion dressed and gave her a passionate farewell kiss, she packed up and went down to the tavern. She found Lusa sprawled under a table and Zoltan polishing off a plate of breakfast, using the dog as a foot rest and passing him bits of bacon. "You've spoiled him... I doubt he'll be good for anything on the road after this," she said, smiling.
Zoltan chuckled softly and said, "I could say the same to you. Dandelion just left looking rather dazzled and singing some song about a 'dangerous beauty.' He left his lute behind..." he gestured at the delicately tooled instrument on the table nearby. "He treasures that instrument more than life. Whatever you did to him addled his brain somehow."
She glanced away from his gaze as she set her bags down by the table and shrugged, saying, "Just blowing off some steam. A girl has needs, youknow." He chuckled again and shook his head, thinking, 'Needs', eh? Geralt will get along fantastically with this one.
She turned her gaze to the pile of rolled parchment next to the dwarf and pointed, "Are those the maps?"
"Aye," he said, setting his plate on the floor for Lusa to lick clean. He picked up one of the maps and unrolled it on the table between them, setting his tankard at one corner to hold the curling paper flat.
"Geralt was here in Vizima about two weeks ago," he said, pointing to a spot near the center of the map. "He'll be stopping in villages and towns on the way, looking for contracts, so you should be able to catch up to him fairly easily."
With his index finger he traced the route from Vizima, north across a thick line labeled Pontar River that bisected the map, east along the northern bank of the river, and then north into the mountains. He tapped his finger on a couple spots along the route, and said, "Here are the best towns to stop in, that have the best contracts. If you don't catch him on the road he'll likely be in one of these places. He'll either be in the tavern or the whorehouse." He glanced up at her expecting the second part to shock her at least a little.
She raised her eyebrows at him, unphased, "Tavern or whorehouse. Got it," she said. "Anything else you can tell me?"
"Just be careful. The countryside can be a treacherous place," he said.
She nodded, "I can handle myself in a fight if necessary, and so can Lusa."
"It's a nasty day for traveling," he said, "are you sure you won't stay until the weather clears?"
She shook her head and stood up, gathering her things and thanking Zoltan for the maps. "I need to get moving if he's already two weeks ahead of me," she said. She was anxious to continue her journey. Aside from her few years sequestered at the Circle, she'd moved around frequently for her entire life and got antsy when she stayed in one place for more than a day anymore. She drew a long, reddish-black leather cloak out of her bags and threw it around her shoulders, clasping it at the neck and drawing the hood up over her head to protect her from the weather. She slung her bags over her shoulders and took up her staff in one hand.
"Farewell, Zoltan. And thank you for everything," she said and walked out the door into the pouring rain.
Next Chapter: In which we meet the Witcher.