gynvael | abraxas:: INBOX

We can talk at home.
I'll be there shortly.

Fine.

[ She practically pounces on him the moment he steps inside and shuts the door.

Ciri has been waiting clearly impatiently, pacing. The sound of the latch has her turning, stalking toward him as he enters. ]

He knows about the monoliths. About what I can do.

[ In truth, he probably should've addressed this sooner—he's always been aware that Istredd could piece things together, the connections between Ciri, him, and the monoliths they came across—but between Jaskier and Yennefer nearly dying, the city burning, Julie's disappearance, it's all been.

Complicated.

So he's not surprised Ciri feels blindsided. He shuts the door firmly behind him. It's his fault for delaying the matter, but he wants to know first what's truly on her mind before he says anything. ]

What did he say to you?

[ She spits it like she needs to get the foul taste out of her mouth. ]

That I am special.

He knows about my bloodline. And what happened to the monolith at Cintra. That I can affect them.

Edited 2022-11-12 06:43 (UTC)

[ He what?

Geralt starts, a flicker crossing His expression. That is not something he foresaw. How could anyone know of Ciri's bloodline? Calanthe had hidden it for two generations. He'd discovered it entirely by accident. ]

The mage was there when you...had your vision. You called for me. It came through the broken monolith. [ He frowns. ] I never told him who you were. He's a historian, not a court mage.

[ Putting together her strange connection with the monoliths and that she is the same girl in his care is one thing; knowing of her Elder Blood is another. Where would he have found that information? Not here. Yennefer doesn't know—no one does. Only he and Ciri. Istredd must've continued searching on the Continent for answers. And found them. (For what purpose?)

His gaze fixes on Ciri. ] Did he threaten you?

Yes. He told me.

[ The bitter note of emphasis on the fact that it was Istredd she learned this from, not Geralt, carries through, but she doesn't bother lingering on it.

Ciri scoffs again, shaking her head and throwing an arm out in a vague, frustrated gesture at nothing. ]

He wanted to ask me questions. Said he was 'only' after knowledge. Like that was supposed to be some sort of absolution.

[ There is no only about it; knowledge is the most dangerous tool anyone could hold. ]

[ If Geralt catches that undertone—and he does—he makes no remark on it. Instead, he leans back on the table for a moment to consider. The best course of action, really, would be to tell Yennefer. She's close. She can watch Istredd. Who, for the moment, is not a threat. He's still worth keeping an eye on.

And Geralt knows their priorities align where Ciri is concerned. The gulf between them is...not gone. But better.

Eventually, though, he does look back at Ciri. ]

I should've found the time sooner, to tell you of him. I underestimated how much he knew. [ He has his reasons for it, but he's not interested in offering excuses. There's no room for carelessness no matter what's occurring around them. ] I'm sorry.

[ Geralt's immediate apology -- sincere and without frills or excuses, as is very like him -- seems to take the wind out of Ciri's sails a little, pretty much right away. Everything about her body language had been ready for a fight, fists balled up and jaw squared, like she'd expected him to say something else. Maybe tell her why he was keeping it from her. Something about her own good.

But he doesn't.

I underestimated how much he knew.

Ciri's posture loosens slightly. Her lips purse. ]

...yes. You should have.

[ But what's done is done. They both know now. ]

I accept your apology. But what are we going to do about him?

[ He watches Ciri carefully, in case more needs to be said. When there isn't, he simply nods, putting the matter behind them.

Only wanting information rings true to what Geralt knows of Istredd. Not there's anything innocent to it. The man has his own ambitions. But...Geralt does not believe those ambitions include deliberately harming Ciri. Incidentally, however—

Sometimes that's often the bigger problem. Isn't it? ]

I will speak to Yennefer. If he becomes a threat, she'll address it.

[ He can't do much about Istredd from this distance. It'll have to fall on Yennefer. Trust is difficult to come by between them. Still. He wants to believe she's. Trying. That there's room for all of them to move forward. At least where keeping Ciri safe is concerned.

He unfolds his arms. ] It may be best to tell her the truth. About your abilities. The Singularity. She can't protect you while knowing less than the mage.

I've told her.

[ It comes out more sharply than intended, exasperated. ]

When we first-- met. Here. [ What shouldn't have been a first meeting at all. ]

I'll explain further if that's what she wants. [ Her eyes search Geralt's as she says this, watching his reaction. He's been so distrustful of Yennefer lately, she can't help but be surprised that he's the one suggesting this.

He also doesn't seem nearly as wary of Istredd as Ciri had expected, or feels is warranted. ]

Geralt. He's already a threat. I just don't know how much he really understands.

[ He doesn't mean that. He means the rest—what they've since concluded about her ability to affect the Singularity, after they fled Thorne. But if Ciri wishes to speak to Yennefer on her own, then that is her choice.

He finds himself more distracted by the question of Istredd than Yennefer. He understands why Ciri sees Istredd as an existing threat solely for what he knows. He does. But for Geralt, how Istredd came about that information is important. He stumbled on it. He didn't go looking deliberately. In the end, the man did help him. Geralt may not like him, but he can acknowledge that.

He sits on a chair so that they're eye level. ] I was sent to Istredd by Triss. He's a friend of hers. I don't wholly trust him, but we did begin as allies.

[ A friend of Yennefer's, too. Triss, though. Triss is—she's always been good to him, to Vesemir. To Ciri.

He studies Ciri for a moment. He knows how he would proceed where Istredd is concerned. But this is not about Istredd entirely. It's about Ciri. Making sure she feels safe; equally making sure she will not do something rash because she's afraid of what lies ahead.

When he asks, it is a genuine question. He wants to know what she needs, but also how she might decide to act if she were to give it some thought, without his input. She's not a child anymore. And he won't always be here to guide her. ]

What would you like to do?

Edited (i mixed up my own timelines ) 2022-11-22 11:23 (UTC)

[ He isn't wrong; she'll need to talk to Yennefer, and they'll figure something out, but right now, Ciri just isn't in the mood to think about the best long-term approach. She's clearly agitated, and Geralt's invariable calm is starting to get on her nerves.

So he's a friend of Triss's and Yennefer's, and Geralt's supposed ally, and no one had thought to even mention the mage to her?

Ciri clicks her tongue in annoyance, throwing up her hands. ]

I don't know, Geralt.

I want to make sure he keeps his fucking mouth shut.

I am not planning on leaving here, and if he wants me to go back to the Continent because he thinks I'm some special fucking savior, I'd sooner cut his throat.

[ Now is possibly not the best time to have this conversation, given. All that's going on. He can't tell how much is Ciri and how much her stems from what may be affecting her. ]

Ciri. [ He's firm, but. Invariable calm is right. Geralt is near impossible to not be calm, even when the situation should warrant otherwise. Often useful; occasionally a failing of his under certain circumstances. ] I will not let him do anything to you. But we cannot act on fear alone. Talk to Yennefer first. She'll have insight I do not. Then we'll speak further.

[ That's all he will do, for now, because despite his general distrust of Istredd and mages alike, despite the fact that he would consider Istredd tripping into his own death a viable solution of no loss, the man has done nothing wrong except open his fucking mouth too wide. He isn't happy about it, but he can't reasonably take Istredd's head for it.

Yet. Time may tell. It depends, frankly, on who else Istredd has spoken to. Something only Yennefer will be able to determine. ]

Fine. I'll talk to her.

[ Not like she can do much else, anyway. Not from all the way over here. Istredd is rather lucky he wasn't summoned by the Free Cities, within reach of Ciri's real life blade. If he'd thought she was difficult to deal with in the Horizon, he hasn't seen the half of it. ]

And I'm not afraid of him.

[ They're all lucky, in truth. Geralt's concern is not about Istredd. The man can lie in the grave he dug for all he gives a shit. It's about the consequences of hasty action, of choices that haunt you for decades whether they are right or wrong or somewhere in between. A lesson he's learned tenfold. He supposes that isn't something he can always protect Ciri from.

He still wants to try. He sure as fuck doesn't want Ciri to be the first to discover what happens when one of the Summoned is killed by another from an opposing territory.

If it comes down to it, he'll bear that burden. Not her. ]

I know you're not. [ It is not the man she fears. It's what he may do. The layers of unknowns that Istredd represents. Geralt doesn't say it; she knows, he thinks, and he isn't trying to make her feel worse by laying her innermost thoughts bare, true or not. ] I promise what needs to be done, we'll face it together. But protecting our home, our place, in this world—it also means making sure we don't invite the sword of the nations directly upon us. At least not without some sleep and a bit of time chopping up the risen dead first. Hm?

[ Talk, as he well knows, can only resolve so much boiled over tension. Sometimes one simply needs to take off a few limbs, and there are plenty of undead crawling about. She can even imagine Istredd's head on them if it helps. ]

Edited 2022-11-25 03:32 (UTC)

[ Ciri narrows her eyes at him, and clicks her tongue loudly. Impatient and annoyed. ]

You think I don't know that? I'm not stupid.

Do not talk to me like I'm a child, Geralt.

[ She snaps, and moves to walk past him. If she bumps his shoulder on the way out, it's entirely on passive-aggressive purpose.

Yes, she will be imagining Istredd's head on some of those undead that need to be chopped into tiny little bits until they stop moving. No, she isn't throwing a tantrum. Why would anyone think that? ]

Don't wait up.

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