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It was an awful feeling that the child was experiencing. Scared of the uncontrollable movement of her body, muscles juddering and giving out, like she was a marionette hanging by fidgety strings. She could sense the worry of the adults around and it fed hers in turn, making things worse. She could smell in waves everything around her in the room, like the alcohol in the muttering dwarf's breath or the human's perfume and oils. Too strong and almost burning her nose. She could hear scratching from inside the walls, the noisy crowd downstairs, the performer's every note on the stage and she wanted to block it all out. She feared to open her eye as how she would see the world. Last time she had hurled as how everything seemed surreal and slow around her. She didn't want to be like this, she didn't want to act like this. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to be. She wanted Letho. She wanted him back, now.

What if he won't come back? The thought increased the quickened pulse, the child trying to stay quiet but she was shaking from violent sobs now. Whimpering and feeling Zoltan trying to keep her still. Telling her it was okay. She kept her eye closed tightly and tried to force herself to stop moving but it was in vain. It just got worse and she was almost doing sit ups as how her muscles of her stomach were twitching.

Though the seizure had taken them by surprise at first, this wasn't so bad, Dandelion thought. This wasn't like with Ciri, nothing flashy boom boom thingies happening and there wasn't danger, to others at least. This was just a child on the bed, convulsing, and he hoped she won't hurt herself because he really didn't want that to happen. He couldn't bear a thought of a hurt child so stop panicking Dandelion you can handle this! This wasn't the worst he has witnessed yet he tried hard to think something to help the situation. Walking around the room, hands fidgety and glancing around. The stupid snake man hadn't said anything what to do, if the girl would have a fit.
Zoltan was fairing better. He focused on making sure the kid didn't hurt herself. He held one hand against her shoulder and his other above her stomach, keeping her from bouncing around. He had seen similar thing during his days at battlefields, wounded and traumatized soldiers and refugees in middle of sickness or fright. It was nasty experience, and he could just imagine how frightening it was to the little one. "It's alrighty now, kiddo. Ye just focus at breathin' and calmin', okay? That's it, ain't nothin' bad, just a little shakin'."

The dwarf looked at the pacing bard: "Dandelion! Get a blanket from that bed, come on now." After a moment of halting, the human was quick to follow the order. He picked one of the blankets from the larger bed and placed it over the shaking body. He also fetch pillows and placed them around the girl. "As Zoltan said, there's nothing to worry about, dear," the bard smiled and stood next to his friend, looking at the kid even as she didn't look at them. "You know, we have once taken care of another child like you? She was trained by a pack of fearless witchers from the school of the Wolf." Though the kid didn't say anything and still didn't open her eye, Dandelion continued at what he was best at. Taking a chair from nearby desk, he brought it next to the bed and sat down. And kept talking: "You see, that little girl, Ciri, was a lost princess and had magical powers. And she also met a witcher, in a woods that was protected by fearless female warriors."

Zoltan gave the bard a smile and nodded, noticing the storytelling to help. The erratic movements of the kid lessened as her breathing leveled, her attention turning more towards the tale. Getting his confidence and relaxing on the chair, Dandelion continued. He told the story of his good friend, the White Wolf, and Ciri, the Lion Cub, who in the secret castle of witchers lived and trained. The bard was not scant with stories nor without imagination to make more, or to change things into less exciting for the child. Eventually the less spasming girl opened her eye, listening closely the bard's wondrous tales and his illustrative acting with funny sounds and wide hand movements.

"How old is this child," Triss Merigold asked, as she faded out scorch marks from her apartment. Letho, who leaned against a doorframe, hold a dagger and played with the weapon. The sorceress had almost hit him with fireballs when he had appeared in her home. There had been a small scuffle, nothing serious, as they both finally managed to agree that they weren't enemies. The Viper hadn't waited that kind of welcoming, though maybe the redhead had forgotten who had saved her once she had been captured by Nilfgaard. Her counterargument had been however, that he had kidnapped her in the first place, killed a friend of hers and led her to the place where she was prisoned. True that, but he was now asking for a favor from the sorceress, explaining how and where he had found a witcher child. The sorceress was skeptical, but not denying the possibility of one. She had actually years before known a group who had tried creating witchers. Hadn't been successful, only making failed monsters who once had been people. Their whole operation had been wiped off, so she doubted the dead professor being behind this.

"Under ten years, older than six," Letho estimated and the woman was concerned. "Isn't she quite young then?" The Viper shrugged. He couldn't remember how old he was during his Trial of Grasses, but he remembers others being averagely ten years old. He didn't know how young the girl had been when turned. Could be that she has been a witcher less than a year or more than two. Which did make her a fairly young one... He had tried not to think about it, and the child hadn't been willing to talk so he had quickly dropped the subject. She was alive and a witcher now, nothing to be done to fix the latter. Triss however was visibly bothered by it. After cleaning up the mess she started filling a bag with some equipment and potions. "You know who did this to her?"
"No, she keeps saying she doesn't know," the bald witcher put the dagger away and crossed his arms: "But I think she just avoids remembering. She was with a Cat though, clearly close with the witcher before left at the brothel." The sorceress wondered out loud, in condemning tone, if it had been the Cat's formula which had been used as a base for the girl's mutation? If there had been any scraps of that thing? That was an option which Letho had considered with all the information he had. He too didn't like the idea. Every witcher school had its own problem, but the Cat had its biggest, when they experimented with the formula and eventually managed to create something that finally destroyed them. Though after the fall of the school, there had been the Dyn Marv Caravan, a moving sanctuary of the Cats. Couple of years back it had been attacked and destroyed by a group of soldiers and mages however. Hadn't heard much of the Cats ever since. They weren't popular bunch, even less than Vipers.

"She hadn't shown any unsettling behavior," Letho waved off the woman's worry. "She's more emotional than average witcher, but she's also a kid." Putting on a cloak, ready with her bag and stopping in front of the man, the sorceress said: "Which means she could still develop some tendencies." Triss was only worried. Cats were notorious for their psychopathic way of enjoying violence or other disturbing absurdities. Do to their mutation, was suspected. If the girl had been experimented with the formula, there was a chance the child would need serious help. There was possibility, that she would become dangerous for herself and others around. That option needed to be considered and be ready for.
The witcher straightened up and stood tall in front of the sorceress, the tone of his eyes darkened. An intimating sight, that made the redhead to step back. Letho understood Merigold's worry. There was a possibility that the girl's mutation would cause something bad, for the child. And that's why he was asking for the sorceress help, that's why he went for Dandelion and Zoltan and why he asked the bard to contact Geralt.

This witcher child could be something new, of the dying breed of theirs. If she could have the chance of being something else, than a monster hunter, it would give hope to Letho. That he could also be something else, than a former witcher and now a hiding Kingslayer.

This sudden revelation startled the Viper. Made something tighten in his chest and feel even more fierce against the sorceress' worries. "She, is just a child," the Viper's voice was overly calm and leveled. Triss knew from experience that he was angry. "Not a Cat, not even a full-witcher. And she doesn't need to be one, if she wishes so." Relaxing his shoulders Letho asked one more time for Merigold's help. That she would examine the child and offer options to help with any problems the girl was having and would have with the witcher mutation. If anything would go wrong, he would take responsibility of it.

Triss had seen that look before, that the Viper had. Geralt would also show that kind of resolution and ire, whenever Ciri's safety was threatened. The sorceress wanted to laugh, wondering what it was with these big, strong and soft witchers and their parent instincts. She was already curious of the witcher child, but seeing now how tightly the girl held the assassin's heart, Triss gladly accepted the request and followed Letho to the Chameleon. She hadn't seen Dandelion and Zoltan for awhile now either, too busy with settling back in Novigrad.

"Now, by pressing this from here, and placing this finger there, we get this note." Dandelion moved his hand and the lute let out a sound. On the bed, almost buried under soft blankets and fluffy pillows, the child sat and shadowed the bard with her empty hands. Telling his stories the man had mentioned of his special lute he had gotten as a gift from an elf. The little girl had asked more about it, and enjoying of the admiration he was getting Dandelion of course wanted to show off. He had told, a bit tamed version, of how he got the instrument and played couple of his most famous songs to her. The witcher child was no longer suffering, Zoltan had gone downstairs to look after things and Dandelion had stayed. Now he was teaching to his eager student the basic notes of the instrument. She wasn't yet playing herself, but she had slender and nimble fingers to bend them into even challenging poses. She could be a clever musician, the bard thought while showing another formation for another note.

The door opened and both of them turned, seeing Letho and Triss coming in. "Ah, welcome back," Dandelion stood up with the lute in hand, the witcher walking right past him without a word. Ah, typical witcher. Then he turned his attention to the sorceress: "And Merigold, so happy to see you, I've missed your amazing skin ointments. And you, of course." "Hey Dandelion," the woman rolled her eyes with a smile, stepping into offered hug: "Zoltan told downstairs what happened. How are things?" The bard glanced at the Viper who knelt next to the bed and talked with the girl. The child was avoiding eye contact with her guardian, mumbling things: I'm sorry. It was my fault. I didn't mean to. The scarred man shook his head, petting the other's head and saying: "It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Rather calm, if not counting couple of hiccups," Dandelion shrugged, knowing the one and a half witcher with their hearing: "She got frightened but I, and Zoltan, handled it. Wasn't as bad as with Ciri, if you'll imagine."

"I learned to play Gwent," the girl said with a tired but happy smile, glad Letho was now back. She had felt bad for her attack, and how much attention others had put to it. Though guess it had shown, that the dwarf and the bard were nice people, like Letho had said. "Did you like it?" the witcher asked with a timid smile and lowered his caressing hand. He was relieved seeing the child was weary from the seizure but otherwise was fine. That was good, he had been worried when Zoltan told, many things and images racing in the Viper's mind before he and Triss arrived at the room. Hugging a pillow the kid nodded, gaze lowering as she said: "The decks are pretty. I'm gonna get one for myself, and for you." Surprised and amused, brows slightly raised, Letho asked why. "Then we can play it together."

Dandelion left the room, so Triss and Letho explained to the girl that the sorceress was there to check on... The child's eye widened when hearing that the redhaired woman was a mage. She crawled backwards, further away from the woman who's friendly smile turned to confusion. Viper, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed, asked from the obviously scared child what was wrong. "Don't let her near," the child pleaded quietly, gaze not wavering even a bit from the sorceress. Triss, taking a small step closer and spread her hands to her sides, tried to tell there wasn't nothing to be afraid of and she wasn't going to hurt the girl. The moment the stranger tried to come closer, the witcher child acted and throw her hand forward, fingers moving into a sign. Letho reacted as fast as soon as he understood, that she did actually seem to know signs as how she went for it. He grasped her hand and yanked it from targeting the woman.

Triss reacted instinctively, forming a protective ward in front of herself.

A golden, crackling dome surrounded the child as also Letho, the shaking kid now glaring at the witch: "Stay away!"

"It's hard," the girl with one eye whined and rubbed her fingers. They were cramping from constant training to make that stupid sign. She hadn't succeeded yet and it started to frustrate her. The Cat laughed, holding the little one on her lap as they sat on a giant root of a tree, deep in the forest. "Yes, Quen is the most challenging one of the signs," the woman with bronze hair admitted, her amber eyes twinkling from the little one's growing annoyance. Her kitten was the cutest she could have ever had!

"Then why do I need to know this one?" the girl asked, her pout melting away when mam nuzzled her suddenly. It tickled and the child snickered, trying to squirm away but mam hold on tightly. "Because little kittens, who don't have their claws yet, need to know how to protect themselves." The woman picked up one of the kid's hands and gently helped at making the sign. "Because, when you know how to make Quen, the rest of the signs will be easy breezy. Now, first, we make bunny ears. See, its scared so its ears are pointing upwards, together. Then, we make... A unicorn, with the thumb and index finger, see the unicorn?"
"Are unicorns real?" the girl wondered, seeing the shape of the creature's head now as mam said.
"Yes, like long time ago. Now, after the bunny and unicorn, we make a hedgehog, that's turned into a ball to protect itself. And so we have Quen!"
"It hurts."

"You'll get used to it. Now focus, imagine you and I are in danger. A big and scary monster is coming towards us. It wants to rip us apart. So you need to make a shield to protect us, and you do want to do that. To protect us, right? So you block the danger with the bunny, unicorn and hedgehog."