Of exes, a grape and involuntary vermin – April 1286 (2/3)
Geralt woke up when his sensitive ears picked up on the murmurs of a new day beneath them on the street. It was still dark outside. The logs in the fireplace had turned to ashes, providing neither gentle glow nor warmth anymore. Kit still slept peacefully, her head resting on his shoulder, her naked body nestled against his for warmth as the blanket must have slipped away during the night, the larger part of it pooling on Geralt's side, leaving her mostly uncovered. He wondered if this act of blanket robbery was an unconscious mean to ensure her closeness.
Her breath tickled his skin as she rested on him, heart beating calmly knowing there was no safer place for her.
While waking up like this had become normal, it was never boring, never mundane. Feeling her naked, warm form against him, stirred something inside him that could never be quite satisfied.
With a snap of his fingers he lighted a candle on the lone table in the room, letting it cast its dim glow. Geralt shifted his body ever so slightly on his side, wrapped the arm that Kit was not sleeping on around her, and trailed his palm up and down her spine, feeling the soft skin that stood in such a stark contrast to his own roughness.
As she started to stir, he pressed her against his chest, throwing one leg over hers, caging her with his body. Because he could. Because he wanted to hold on to that sweet, blissful moment when he was still drunk with sleep and impossibly comfortable between the bed and his lover.
She started to stretch, to wiggle, to curve her spine, before she opened her eyes, blinking the sleep away.
Geralt was quick to close her mouth with his, to cup her face gently as he slowly, carefully rolled on top of her.
"Morning, handsome," she breathed when he finally let go of her lips, resting on his forearms to look at her.
"Morning."
Her hands followed the familiar path over his chest, along his sides and onto his back, leaving a trace of energy in her wake that electrified his skin - all while he lost himself in those blue eyes.
…
He hummed as he lifted her off the table and carried her back to the bed where brutal lust and heat were replaced by warmth, exhaustion and sleepiness. A good way to start the day, Geralt thought as he wrapped the covers back around them.
They finally peeled out of bed shortly after the sun had risen as did what appeared to be every inhabitant of Novigrad. One look out of the window showed Geralt a cloudless sky, the early morning sun reflecting in the muddy puddles of yesterday's downpour.
Together he and Kit went down to the tap room where the girl with the blue headband prepared a simple but filling breakfast for them.
While he ate and wondered when they would see Eskel again, the unmistakable hollow sound of high heeled boots on wooden stairs announced the presence of Triss. The blissful beginning of his morning had made Geralt momentarily forget about the challenge ahead.
He hummed silently to himself. He would have rather fought something with long and sharp claws than going through the awkwardness of having to introduce Kit to a former lover of his. He groaned when he realized that the list of his exes was not exactly short and that there would be a lot more awkwardness in the years to come.
Triss cleared her throat before timidly wishing them a good morning.
"You must be Kit," Triss determined as she assessed the new face. Geralt noticed the brief moment when her gaze got stuck on a bruise on Kit's neck.
"Kit, this is Triss," Geralt announced quickly to divert her attention.
"Hello Triss. It's nice to meet you." Kit nodded and smiled.
Geralt eyed her suspiciously. He had no idea what she was thinking. If it had not been for her elevated heart rate he would have never guessed that Kit was not entirely at ease. It had been a while since he last had to deal with the way Kit hid whatever bothered her.
"Will you be joining us for breakfast? This pumpkinseed bread is divine." Kit pointed at the small loaf of freshly baked bread in front of them.
"Well, if you don't mind," Triss answered hesitantly as she sat down with them.
Kit pushed the bread towards her.
"Geralt told me you have some business to attend to in the city," she continued unbothered. Gauging a situation through small talk – at least this strategy Geralt was familiar with.
Triss nodded, seemingly thankful that the stranger chose not to leave any room for an awkward silence.
"I had an amulet made. The seller was supposed to bring it to Kovir but his plans changed and he decided to leave it with a herbalist here in the city."
If Triss had any doubt about the trustworthiness of Kit, she did not show it.
"It's a magical amulet, isn't it?" Kit asked curiously.
"You are the first sorceress she's come across," Geralt explained with a crooked smile.
"Oh my! I had no idea," Triss laughed. "But you are my first friendly encounter with someone from another world. I guess we both get to have firsts today."
"If you don't mind me asking… because I don't really understand how that whole magic thing works… What do you need an amulet for in the first place? Can't you just magic –" she moved her hands in the air, "everything that you need into existence?"
"It's not that easy. There are amulets that can enhance magic which is helpful if you want to do something that you are not overly familiar with or skilled in. But this is a little different. I had something made that is supposed to help me overcome my allergy towards potions."
"Wait. Waitwaitwait. You are a sorceress but you are allergic to potions?"
Triss rolled her eyes. "I know. It is outright embarrassing. But there is nothing to be done about that." She shrugged. "Anyway, I happened to meet a skilled amulet maker who claimed he would be able to create something that would allow me to use potions and other magical substances without the side-effects. And I cannot wait to get my hands on it."
"And you trust this guy?" Geralt asked.
Triss smiled. "Still always mistrustful of everything, aren't we? Yes, I do. He lent me an amulet that worked against any kind of poison."
"And you got yourself poisoned to test it?"
"That is exactly what I did." She laughed at Geralt's incredulous expression. "We got dead drunk that night. Well, the others did. I stayed sober when I shouldn't have been. I woke up rested when I should have had a crushing headache, just like everybody else. So, in conclusion, yes, I trust his skills. At least when it comes to creating the amulets, not so much when it comes to delivering them."
"That sounds very exciting!"
Geralt was, at least for the moment, relieved to realize that his fears had been unfounded. The two women seemed to get along just fine, no awkwardness or hostilities. But nothing was certain. From experience he knew that sometimes Kit used that smile of hers to hide away entire worlds of fear, aggression and everything else that he wished he could protect her from.
Dandelion joined them later on.
"Putrid Grove? Nasty place. Wouldn't go there if you paid me to," he responded when Triss told him about her destination for the day.
"Well, I'm intrigued," Kit announced with a grin.
"Sure you want to join us? Dandelion is right, it's not a place I'd recommend going," Geralt tried to persuade Kit to stay put.
But she just shook her head. "And miss out on this part of the city that I've never been to before? I don't think so."
An hour later they were on their feet, roaming the already busy streets of Novigrad.
"This is very fitting," Kit commented as they passed the doorman who blocked the entrance to Putrid Grove. The burly, bald man had examined them, his facial expression suggesting that he was ready to kill them should the urge strike him. However, at the sight of the witcher his expression twitched ever so slightly before he let the small group pass with a barely audible noise of discontent.
The name Putrid Grove did not oversell the reality behind it. While many houses in the city, apart from the higher located and better kept domiciles of the rich and nobles, were in a dilapidated state, the houses in this dingy back alley managed to look even worse. Geralt had often wondered how and why everything here was possibly still standing. He had a hunch that some of the buildings defied the laws of gravity as their broken, crooked roofs struggled against the forces that tried to tear them down. Everything, from windows to doors was askew, dirty and smelled. Even the sun, he often thought, did not reach this place. For some reason it always seemed to be so much darker in this back alley than on the street just a few steps away. It was as if everything in here tried to shroud itself within as much secrecy as possible.
If this had not been the center of all criminal activity in Novigrad, Geralt mused, the city probably would have long mandated to take all these buildings down. But that was the thing about criminal doings – the long arm of the city administration did not reach here. Or maybe it did and then was silenced by the purse of coin offered to it.
Unlike the bustling city center, the alley was quiet, hardly a face showed itself and the ones that did did not inspire confidence. Suspicious glances followed the group wherever it went.
"Do you know where to go?" Geralt wondered, all while keeping an eye out for potential attackers.
"Not really. We are looking for a blue door," Triss explained.
"Specific."
"This one has a blue paint chip left on it – does that count?" Kit asked, pointing at a door.
Triss cocked her head, examining said door. "Probably not," she said without much conviction.
They moved on.
"Well, that looks blue."
This time Triss nodded. The dirty windows on each side of the door were illuminated by the lights of several oil lamps. On closer inspection a wooden sign with a hastily engraved leaf on it revealed itself.
Without hesitation, Triss stepped forward over some loose wooden planks, carelessly discarded, and opened the door.
The inside was surprisingly spacious and clean. A variety of dried or drying flowers and even potted plants were hanging from the ceiling above their heads. Rows of low shelfs displayed various goods, not all of them plant based. Geralt spotted something that looked suspiciously like dried frog legs.
The entire shop was permeated with the pungent smell of all sorts of herbs. Without a doubt they had found the correct blue door.
Geralt's medallion had been buzzing ever since they had entered. He scanned the room but saw nothing that he could identify as an immediate danger. Probably a reaction towards all the herbs and who knows what else was being sold here if the shop was also used to distribute magical items for others, he thought as he dismissed the constant humming on his chest.
A small woman looked at the newcomers from behind a wooden counter. She was hunching slightly and her colorless robes, showing all the wear and tear you would expect in a place like this, concealed whatever was underneath. Some matted, greying hair peeked out from under her hood which cast eerie shadows on her face.
The wall behind the herbalist was stocked with that shelves overflew with all sorts of fresh and dried goods, some in glasses, others in bags or wooden boxes. A jar of pickled chicken feet was prominently displayed on the counter.
The shop was quiet aside from some small squealing noises, the source of which was a cage on the very end of the counter.
"Rats?" Triss exclaimed, shuddering, and stepped away from the metal cage.
"Don't like them?" Kit asked surprised. She was probably shocked to learn that there were things that could scare even powerful sorceresses, Geralt realized with amusement.
"Vermin," Triss spat and turned away, shuddering.
"They are actually quite clever. You can even train them," Kit tried to win her over.
The woman behind the counter nodded, her gray hair wiggling with the movement.
"If you move your finger in a circle above their heads, they will spin. I taught them that. Try it, if you like." The woman smiled. Her voice sounded so much younger than Geralt had expected from her wizened looks.
Kit did as she was told and grinned as one rat did the trick for her. She proceeded to pet the rat by rubbing one finger between its ears.
"They are adorable," she decided.
The woman nodded again, complacent. "If you treat them well, then they will treat you well too."
Kit looked at Geralt, obviously not sure what to do with that comment, then shrugged and proceeded to play with the animals.
Triss shivered yet again.
"My name is Merigold. You should have something for me, a package from Botond Gal."
The woman nodded again. "Yes, yes, I remember that. If you could just wait a moment…" With slow, small steps she disappeared behind a tattered dark blue curtain to the back of her store.
Triss tapped her foot – Geralt knew that the rats made her deeply uncomfortable and that she would have loved to leave sooner rather than later. The excited squeaks coming from the rats now that Kit was playing with them, did nothing to improve the situation.
"Hm." Kit narrowed her eyes looking at the rats.
"What is it?" Geralt turned around and walked towards her. All of her new furry followers were standing on their hindlegs, their comically short paws raised as if they were reaching out to her. On closer inspection most of the rats seemed to have seen better days. Missing or damaged ears and claws, tails that were halfway cut off, missing patches of fur – they were in a truly lamentable state.
Kit gave him an earnest look. "See that rat? Doesn't it look familiar?" she whispered pensively as the herbalist returned with a small, cloth-wrapped parcel in her hands. The rat in question seemed to try to jump on its hindlegs. It probably was not quite right in the head, Geralt thought. Probably had gotten brain damage in whatever incident had caused it to lose its eye.
"Kit, that's a rat. I've seen many but I've never bothered to make their acquaintance," Geralt answered in an attempt of humor.
"Guess I'm just having a case of Baader-Meinhof…"
"What now?"
"There is something called Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency bias, I think. Remember, when back then, you suddenly started to notice how many people were driving around in the exact same model of car that I had? That's the name for that phenomenon."
"I remember. But what does that have to do with those rats?"
"I hate to pry you away from those disgusting things but I promise you, you can find many more rats outside," Triss interrupted them impatiently, package in hand, obviously wanting to leave the store and the rodents behind.
"Come on, let's leave." Geralt grabbed Kit's hand and pulled her away.
She shrugged and then let Geralt guide her.
"What else are you going to do today?" Triss asked as she weighted the small package in her hands.
"We really need to sign up for the Grape – unless Eskel has done that already," Kit thought aloud.
Geralt lifted one corner of his mouth into a smile. "Doubt it. I'm sure he's still busy with whoever is mocking the captain of the guard."
"Yeah, that sounds more like him," Kit agreed.
"We should go to the Passiflora, sign up and then go to the Temple of Eternal Fire so you can rant about religions again."
"You always know how to make me happy!" Kit grinned.
"Well, if you don't mind, I'd rather stay away from that temple and leave you to it," Triss informed them before she waved them goodbye.
"Huh, I can never get over how it looks so much nicer around here," Kit remarked as they continued towards the more northern parts of the city.
"The higher up you go, the richer the people. The Temple of Eternal Fire is located on the highest spot but everything in its vicinity looks pretty decent too." He smirked. "Ironically, so does the brothel."
"What Brothel?"
"The Passiflora? Did I not mention that?"
"You mentioned it but not the fact that it's a brothel."
"It's more than that. Anything fun in the last two decades in this city has probably been organized by them – or by Dandelion."
"I'm honestly not sure what to think of that… How comes you've never mentioned that place before?"
"Didn't know you were interested in a threesome."
She chuckled.
He smirked when in fact, as someone who had used to visit the brothel in question quite frequently, he began to feel slightly uneasy. He was rather astounded already that Kit had not mentioned anything about Triss after having met her – even though she had confessed to him early on in their relationship how she feared one of his past lovers might snatch him away from her. Not even taking into consideration that she did not like the idea of people with magical powers running around freely. Surely, a visit to a whorehouse, where he was a familiar face, was not going to do anything to lessen her fears. But he did not see a way to evade this nor did he feel that hiding his past from her was a clever thing to do.
He silently prayed that for once she would react exactly the way he hoped she would.
When they entered the Passiflora it took less than a minute for a familiar voice to call out for the witcher. He tried to hide his annoyed eyeroll as best as he could.
"Geralt? Where have you been all this time?" The woman's friendly smile started to crack the layers of makeup on her face. She's gotten older since I last saw her, Geralt thought.
"Serenity." He smiled as he nodded in greeting towards the only woman of the establishment that was not scantily clad. The cane she leaned on, tightly held by a hand that was as much covered in rings as it was in liver spots, was new though. But Geralt had always had a feeling that neither age nor sickness would make her, the owner, the big madam, leave this place, leave her beloved girls and boys.
"I'm afraid you haven't been here in too long. None of my current girls have ever heard of the White Wolf." She laughed loudly.
Geralt sighted. "And they never will. We," he emphasized the word as he laid an arm around Kit who looked at him with wide eyes, "have come to sign up for the Golden Grape."
"Now… That is something…" She glanced at Kit, "truly remarkable."
"Hi," Kit said, obviously feeling very awkward as the owner of the brothel eyed her from head to toe.
"Aren't you something," she mumbled, a finger pressed to her lips.
"I should hope so. Because if I was not and therefore nothing, you'd be talking to air and that's never a good sign."
Serenity laughed again whereas Kit's face remained unmoved.
"At some point, Wolf, you will have to tell me how this happened. When I hadn't seen you in a few years, I had assumed you were dead."
"As always, I'll have to disappoint."
"Oh, I don't think you've ever disappointed. Not my girls anyway. That reputation though, as I said, is gone. However, if you feel like…"
"That reputation is very much alive in all the right places," Kit interrupted her, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Serenity's smile was much less enthusiastic now.
"I see. Well, too bad. But should the urge ever strike you or both of you," she looked at Kit, "and should you be interested, just know you'd find a willing audience here."
"Thank you for the offer but we should really…" Geralt started, feeling increasingly uneasy as Kit mouthed 'audience' with a big question mark on her face.
"Yes, yes, the Grape." Serenity waived her free hand. "I am most curious to see what kind of wine you will present us with. What is it called?"
"White Wolf."
She laughed again. "Of course it is… Well, unfortunately I have to ask you to return tomorrow before midday. Tonguy, the man in charge, has already gone home for the day. Oh, and don't forget to bring a half-barrel of your wine."
As they left Kit whispered: "I wonder if they would keep calling you White Wolf if they knew that mostly you just purr like a kitten."
Geralt chuckled. "Only you can call me that. If word gets out, we'd have to rename the wine. And wouldn't that be a disaster from… what would you call that? A marketing standpoint?"
"Smart and sexy. I am truly blessed..."
"So I understood." He grinned. "Hope this didn't bother you too much. Serenity is always a little… well."
"Inventive?"
"That's one way to put it."
"Well, if we ever get in financial trouble at least we know there is something we can do…"
He chuckled again. "Hadn't pegged you for someone who'd like an audience."
"I don't need it so much, but I think you'd enjoy it. Considering how you watched us this morning. Don't think I didn't see how you ogled our reflection in the window."
"What can I say? If I see something beautiful, I will watch." He playfully nudged her against the wall behind her. "But you should stop talking about it. Because if you don't, I need to repeat this morning's exercise right here and now. And as you can see, there is quite the audience around." He had whispered the last part into her ear as he had caught her between himself and the wall, pressing his body against hers.
She bit her lower lip and for a moment Geralt was about to lose it.
A mysterious smile spread across her lips.
"In case you haven't noticed, we've had quite a few viewers over the years."
Kit recounted a few examples, most of them back alleys in Beauclair, where they had done the deed rather frequently when after a long day apart neither of them had been able to wait until they had gotten home. Geralt was only mildly surprised to learn about this since he always had a feeling that his witcher senses took a break whenever he got too wrapped up in Kit.
"Dammit woman," he cursed as he imagined the scenarios. Kit smiled and put her arms around his neck.
"Having a horny day, huh?" she asked as she softly chuckled into his ear.
"And whose fault is that?" he growled between deep breaths.
"Achievement."
"What?"
"I don't consider this my fault but rather an achievement."
"Are you playing with me?" he asked in mock outrage, underlining his point with a playful bite into her earlobe.
"I would certainly like to. If you can point us to a less crowded place, we certainly could… relieve old memories."
"Garden, behind the Passiflora," Geralt mumbled, breathing hard, already imagining what they were about to do.
This time they remained unseen – a fact neither of them cared about.
"Eskel? Where have you been?" Geralt called in surprise as he and Kit returned in the evening to find Dandelion, Triss and Eskel sitting in the tap room of the Chameleon.
"Getting my nails done of course." Eskel rolled his eyes. Triss, looking more than just a bit tipsy, snorted. "Took on a contract."
"Took that contract several nights in a row," Dandelion coughed.
"I like to work thoroughly."
"I bet she liked that too…"
Geralt grinned at Dandelion's comment.
"It was a succubus, wasn't it?"
"You bet your ugly face it was," Eskel roared, apparently not on his first beer either.
Geralt slapped Eskel's shoulder before he sat down. "Details, peach skin, details."
"Maybe that's not necessary and we'll be able to read the details from the city walls soon?" Dandelion interjected.
"I have nothing to hide," Eskel shrugged.
"But neither had the captain of the city guard and wasn't that the problem?" Geralt grinned when Eskel gave him a sour stare.
As the brothers continued to bicker, Triss sighed: "This is not ever going to change, is it?" Her speech was slightly slurred.
"If you mean the dick measuring contest, then the answer is no," Kit informed her. But then she grinned. "I like listening to them, it's like watching a bunch of boys fight over who has the cooler car."
"What's a car?" Triss asked.
"Ah, never mind. How are things going with your amulet?"
Triss groaned. "I think she gave me the wrong one." She rolled back the sleeve of her jacket. The skin on her arm was red and covered in blisters.
"What happened? That looks so painful!"
"I tried a bit of some magical cream – to test it. Either it doesn't work or it's the wrong amulet. I really hope it's the latter. I'll have to go back there tomorrow." Kit cocked her head, taking in the defeated look on the sorceress's face. "I tried to use a spell to heal it but that isn't working. And it burns like crazy. I am seriously considering to just rip my arm off." Triss hiccupped.
As the sorceress was about to pull her hand back, Kit reached for it.
"If you're okay with it, I could try to help. It seems to be thing that I do whenever I meet a new friend of Geralt's."
Triss, meanwhile, had frozen the moment Kit had touched her hand. Then she closed her eyes, first started to sag and finally laid her head down on the table.
"This is so nice…" she mumbled, eyes closed, not moving her arm.
Kit carefully put her other hand on Triss' arm as well, covering the entire blistering area.
"So nice," she breezed. "So cool."
"Funny that you should say that. So far you and Eskel are the only people to perceive cold, everybody else feels the opposite."
"Oh, really?" Triss' voice had changed to a whisper; her pronunciation had become even more slurred. "What did you… do to him?"
The men meanwhile had stopped talking as they watched the two women.
"She fixed my face, did you really not notice?" Eskel pointed at his unscarred face.
Triss turned her head ever so slightly so she could just barely look up to him out of the corner of one of her eyes.
"Riiight. Been wondering, thought you looked even more handsome than usually. Didn't know why though." She closed her eye again.
"Did… did she just say that?" Eskel wondered.
"Yes, and for once it's not a wet dream of yours." Geralt rolled his eyes in feinted annoyance.
A single, soft snore left Triss' mouth.
"But did she just say that and then fell asleep?"
"I really don't consider myself to be very interesting but this is kind of insulting," Kit said, not quite serious.
After a few minutes, she removed her hands and revealed the still red but otherwise healed skin beneath.
"I think that's the best I can do for now. Any more would require going to bed with her but that's where I draw the line. I really don't want to share a bed with an ex of yours." Gerald nudged her side and placed his hand on her thigh. He was still relieved to learn that she was taking everything with an appropriate amount of humor. There seemed to be no trace of the fears she had confessed to him all those years ago.
"Too bad, I could have gotten behind that," Eskel joked.
"Don't you mean in between?" Dandelion chuckled.
"Did you put her to sleep?" Geralt wondered, his arm now snaking around her back, his chin resting on her head, making sure that nobody would earnestly consider to go in between them at any point in time.
Kit shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. Don't you think she seemed really drunk already? Maybe the pain kept her awake…"
"We've been drinking for a while," Dandelion informed them and then burped to drive home the point he was making. "She's dead drunk. Wasted. Done for."
"God, Dandelion, you are so eloquent," Kit quipped.
"She isn't usually one to get drunk," Geralt remarked.
"She had her reasons." Dandelion gave Geralt a telling stare that lost part of its menacing undertone as the bard started to hiccup as well.
Geralt said nothing.
In the end, Eskel carried Triss up to her room and did not leave for a while.
Dear reader,
they say that there is always a winner and a loser in a breakup. I am not sure if this is entirely true, not always at least. I also do not think that having been hurt would turn anyone into a loser. I think not having compassion is what does.
Personally, I have never considered myself on either side after a breakup. Funny enough though, I often felt I had lost something when other friends of mine found a new partner and sidelined me as a consequence. It was never malicious of course - having been enjoying the constant flurry of butterflies in my stomach for several years now really just showed me how easy it is to lose focus on other things when a new love is involved.
For years I have been living with a fear in the back of my mind. What that fear is you wonder? Geralt's past. More specific: his exes. As someone who has been thrust into an entirely new environment, where none of your past accomplishments matter, it is awe-inspiring to imagine these women - powerful, beautiful, subjects of ballads and tales. How could I possibly ever measure up to that? There are no ballads about Geralt's and my love. There is, however, a ballad about me. By Dandelion. In which I am some dirty street cat who gets trampled by a horse. But I digress.
For the longest time I was not sure I could measure up. But luckily Geralt seems to disagree. He has this way of looking at me like I am the best thing that has ever happened to him. Often enough there is something in his gaze that makes me melt. He occasionally even uses words to make that clear. However, his strength definitely lies in gestures and acts – especially when he makes concessions to me that challenge familiar concepts of what constitutes masculinity (bet you did not see that one coming!). But he knows it makes me happy, even if that means that I occasionally practice new braids on him (in public) before I do them on myself. I know it might sound silly but it is something that I can appreciate in this world that plays by different rules where this is not at all a given. I am not sure if he knows just how much security this gives me but he must be aware that it is a decent amount.
And now the day has finally come for me to face my fears as Triss happened to suddenly show up. She is the kind of ex that ballads have been written about. That is a powerful sorceress.
And let me tell you, she is gorgeous. I wish I was that pretty, seriously. But she is also nice and not as intimidating as I imagined her to be. Sure, there is still the fact that she could probably magically turn me into a pile of garbage but I will ignore that for the time being. Those are not the vibes I am getting from her after all.
On an unrelated note: Do people still use the term vibes?
Obviously, I also cannot ignore the fact that her behavior in the past has been less than stellar but that is not for me to judge, it merely makes me a little cautious. Geralt, by the way, has hardly ever talked about that issue, gentleman that he is – most of what I know comes from the bard-shaped blabbermouth who is his best friend. It is a mystery to me why he is known for his songwriting rather than for being the most efficient gossip-distribution-machine the continent has ever seen. But I digress. Again.
One lesson I learned today was that rodents can contribute an awful lot in terms of humanizing a person who appears to be larger than life. Knowing rats scared her, like a 1950s housewife, actually made me like her. It seems like under all that poise and grace, there is an actual person. Who would have thought?
There is more though. I have not only been scared of her (or his other exes) but also of how I might behave when being confronted with her. A part of me feared that I would turn into an asshole. Hating on a person I barely know, vilifying her for having dared to love the man who means more than anything to me and thus make sure to show everybody what an insecure, clingy fool I am. Because what is more attractive than making sure everybody knows I am a jealous nutjob? Jealousy, so sexy!
Long ago I vowed to myself that whenever the day finally came I would be on my best behavior, try with all my might not to become that awful version of myself that I know I have the unfortunate potential to be.
No. In case things went sideways and my worst nightmare came true, I wanted to be blameless. I could live with being the victim but not with ruining my relationship with Geralt through my own doing.
But… that is not the whole truth. No matter what, I never want to lose my empathy. I know that is one of the things that Geralt values in me, what drew him to me initially. I want to make that I never ever lose that. Not only for him but for me too because I do not think I could live with myself if I lost my ability to be sympathetic towards others.
Remember when I said that I had been sidelined? She was in that position now and I understand all too well how that feels. And I want to do better than what I had experienced.
And, I admit it, I would rather win her over than have her be my enemy. I hate tension, I hate fighting. I need peace and if that means I have to put more effort in making her like me than I would under normal circumstances, maybe look like a gullible fool in the process, then be it. That is something I can live with.
I feel somewhat bad about that though. She really does seem nice and I am having trouble reconciling what I have heard about her with how she appears to be. And sometimes, when I watch her out of the corner of my eye, she just seems a little sad.
Benefit of the doubt maybe? People are known to change after all.
Unrelated: I am also rooting for something to happen between Triss and Eskel. There is something in the air. Yeah, I know, stuff being in the air is not always good. I mean, in 2020 there was also something in the air and it led to the entire world being stuck at home for months - so I hope this is different. On a side note: I am very glad that witchers do not transmit STDs otherwise I might not be in favor of this coupling (Treskel? Eskiss?) with Eskel apparently coming fresh of mingling with a succubus. Geralt once told me that if a succubus bites or scratches you, you get insanely horny and if you do not manage to get it out of your system, you die. That sounds like such an unsatisfactory death… Quite literally even.
Let me be a bit naïve again: Would it not be great if we all got the chance to be happy and be loved?
Anyway, my kitten is complaining and wants his hair washed. Does this already qualify as a kink?
The next morning Geralt and Kit were woken by the noises of the bustling streets of Novigrad again. They dropped off a small barrel of their wine at the Passiflora thus officially entering the competition.
"Year?" Tonguy, the man, responsible for completing the forms asked.
"1282. Just like it says on the barrel."
The man was not impressed and busied himself with rearranging the glasses on his nose that threatened to slip every now and then.
"Name?"
"Geralt of Rivia."
"And your name?"
"That was my name."
The man let out an exasperated sigh. "The name of the wine first. Then your name."
"White Wolf."
"The name of the wine?"
"Yes!"
"You named your wine yes?!"
"No, I just told you it's called White Wolf."
"But that is your name, isn't it?"
"It's also the name of the wine."
The man mumbled something that sounded awfully like narcissistic under his breath.
By the time Geralt was supposed to hand over the participation fee, he was ready to smack the little purse of golden coins into the man's face.
Geralt sighed once they left the establishment.
"Have I ever told you about that one time I tried to recover a bank account at Cianfanelli's?"
"No, you don't have a habit of boring me to death."
Geralt laughed and took Kit's hand.
"How about we go for a walk outside the city until the beginning of the Grape? We still have a few hours."
It was evening by the time they entered the city walls again.
"Geralt, look – look at the notice board!" Kit dragged him by the hand.
"What?" he asked but then he saw it. Another missing person's note – this time it was the face of the one-eyed girl that looked back at them from the poster. Geralt was ready to launch into a comforting speech about things being the way they were when, instead, he recognized another face.
"Isn't that, what's her name… Delilah?"
"Who?"
"The help that Dandelion hired. She made us breakfast the other day?"
The drawing itself was not very good, he recognized the girl by the headband rather than her face that only resembled her if you squinted your eyes. "Dandelion likes to complain about how unreliable she is – Triss gave him shit for hiring children at all."
"I remember. So you think she's actually missing or is this just another case of her not being reliable?"
"Hard to say, I've never even spoken to the girl. Dandelion is supposed to meet us at the Passiflora. Maybe he knows something."
Despite knowing better and not wanting to, Geralt already felt himself being dragged into something that he had no business dealing with.
A small stage had been set up in front of the Passiflora. Competitors as well as onlookers had gathered around it. 15 identical looking wine barrels were neatly organized on a pedestal. Each competitor had been assigned a small, round table in front of the stage. The one marked White Wolf was already seating Dandelion, Eskel and Triss.
"Just in time," Geralt and Kit were greeted by Dandelion.
"We were held up," Geralt hummed as he sat down.
"Be careful, one could think you don't care about the Grape at all."
"I really don't," he shrugged.
"Then why did you have me lug that barrel halfway across the continent?" Eskel asked slightly exasperated.
"Because I wanted this," Kit chimed in. "Winning prizes is good for business. And more business means Geralt has less time to hunt monsters which means there are less opportunities for him to lose his head." Geralt gave a dry laugh and took Kit's hand beneath the table.
"What a strategist you are."
"Everything to keep you alive, kitten," Kit mumbled quietly, somehow making a sarcastic eye-roll be heard in her voice. Only Eskel's sharp ears had picked up her comment. Accordingly, the witcher burst out into laughter which earned him confused stares from Triss and Dandelion.
An hour into the winetasting the friends realized that none of them understood a word of what was said.
"… rounded nature with a tart aftertaste," a man on stage decided after having swished wine no. 12 in his mouth for a while, just to spit it into a keg.
"Someone should tell him to aim properly when he spits. I swear the guy next to him who's taking the notes is close to tears and halfway soaked already," Eskel sneered. Triss giggled.
"Hey, I meant to ask you – did you go back to the shop for your amulet?" Kit had bent her neck to look at Triss. The sorceress rolled her eyes.
"I did, just before we came here. She insists it's the right one but I don't believe it. I did some experiments with it and it seems to contain no magic whatsoever."
"And you are sure you didn't get scammed? Maybe your… your dealer screwed you?"
Triss shook her head. "I doubt it. He has a reputation to lose." After a short pause she continued: "I'm thinking about breaking into her store and look around a bit."
"That sounds like fun," Geralt agreed nonchalantly without taking his eyes off the stage. "More fun than this anyway."
The friends, save for the poet and Kit, nodded in agreement.
"Just for the record: None of you sees a problem with breaking into a shop that is located in Novigrad's center of crime?" Dandelion asked.
"Nah."
"No, not really."
"Well, then please forget that we are acquainted. I have no interest in the king of beggars burning down my fine establishment…"
"Why? I'm sure that would increase its value two-fold – at the very least," Kit grinned.
Dandelion gave her a sour stare.
"Oh, that reminds me: Did you report the girl, Delilah, as missing? We found her picture on one of the notice boards."
Dandelion shook his head, suddenly looking paler than before.
"I haven't seen her today. Actually, I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon. Someone else must have reported her." He stared absentmindedly. "I don't even know if she has anyone else." He paused again. "She always seemed to disappear from time to time. Surely, she will reappear soon and as always act like she did not neglect her duties." His words held no conviction, his worry was easily readable on his face.
"Maybe we should check if she's at the Chameleon and if not…" Kit begun.
"Do you know why I hired her?" Dandelion did not wait for an answer. "She knocked on my door one day asking if I had work for her. I offered her money but she would not take it – not without providing work instead. She's a good kid… I yelled at her. I thought that's why she ran off. I was sure she'd come back later like nothing happened."
"Why? While I haven't known you to be a paradigm of self-control, I have never seen you yell at kids," Kit wondered.
"She knocked over a pretty expensive bottle of whisky. I was a bit stressed. I'm in the middle of something and I… It's not a good excuse, I just lost it." A contrite expression spread across the bard's face. "Not my proudest moment." He looked up as Kit reached for his hand, her expression much milder than before.
Geralt cocked his head at the unexpected confession.
"We'll look for her. And the other girl," Geralt decided with a nod to Kit. "And then see about his amulet. This or I will die of boredom."
"If you don't mind I'll stay here where there are plenty of witnesses to testify that I had no part in your attempt at burglary."
"Kit, is there any way I can make you stay?" Geralt pleaded with her.
She hesitated for a moment. "I've been regretting my decision to come here ever since that guy started spitting out something that is definitely not wine so… And that retching sound he just added." She shuddered. "Let's leave or I'll throw up."
Geralt gave her a glance that clearly said that he wished that she would rather stay put – which in turn earned him a look that, also in no uncertain terms, said: That's what I think every time you go out to meet a new monster, now deal with it.
As they all got up together, some people stared at them but soon redirected their attention back to the stage where the retching sounds grew wilder and wilder.
"By the way, thank you for…" Triss motioned with her arm.
"Does it feel better? I couldn't quite get it to disappear entirely…" Kit inquired.
"So much better. It was still a little red this morning but now everything seems to have returned to normal."
"That's a relieve. I wasn't sure how to handle… whatever this was. Sometimes, when someone is injured and I touch them, I see some kind of image or… get an intuition that tells me what's wrong. You were a bit weird though."
"Oh? In what way?"
"Little fires. It felt like there were little fires everywhere."
Triss laughed. "That is certainly how my arm felt."
"No, not just your arm. Your entire body! I wonder if this is normal for your kind."
"My kind?"
"Well, sorceresses. You are the first one I've ever touched. But maybe it has nothing to do with that and it's just your allergy. Or something else entirely."
"Mh, I guess we'll never know until you've met a few more sorceresses. You have a very curious talent though. If you are ever up to it, maybe we could approach this from a more scientific point of view."
"If it doesn't involve vivisection, count me in."
"Did you look in the stables?" Geralt asked.
Eskel shook his head. "Nowhere to be found."
"We checked every room, the stables, the kitchen, every nook and cranny. The girl isn't here."
The door opened.
"We found her headband," Kit announced, holding the piece of light blue fabric in her hand. "It was in front of the little shack where the wood is stored." She handed Geralt the scarf. "Is this in any way useful to you?"
Geralt examined it and then handed it to Eskel.
"Smells like whisky…"
Geralt nodded. "But not enough to follow a trace."
"We'll be going to the shadiest place in the city. Maybe someone over there knows something," Triss suggested.
"You don't think they'd tell us, do you?" Geralt interjected.
"Probably not voluntarily. But I think," she snapped her fingers and blue sparks appeared as a confident smile spread across her lips, "they will make an exception for us."
"Break-ins, burglary, potentially torture as well – you guys can be scary," Kit assessed.
"We are scary but you simply choose to ignore that on a regular basis," Eskel reminded her, grinning.
Kit just shrugged.
As they started walking, Geralt pulled Kit back.
"Sure you want to come with us? Things could get ugly. I'd hate…" Geralt started but was promptly interrupted by Kit.
"No discussion, please. If anything happens to you, I need to be there and help," she begged.
"But…"
"No. And someone has to make sure you guys don't overdo it. It's amazing how each of you alone is a sane person but then you all get together and rub off on each other and combine into that crazy entity – you need a kindergarten teacher to keep you guys in check and that will be me."
"I…"
"I will not lose you to something stupid, do you hear me?"
Understanding that he would not get a word in, he silenced Kit by squishing her in a hug.
"I hear you," he said calmly. Geralt realized that often he was so concerned with worrying about her that he forgot that she too worried about him. "No one's gonna be lost to stupid, promise."
He felt her nod.