Swallow and the Panther (Ciri x Male Reader)

Triss Activates Big sister Mode

Y/n Pov

After gathering Triss' things and going to the warehouse to finish her job, I walk around setting the traps as I hear her speak.

"It's good to know you and Geralt are speaking again" she says.

"Wouldn't go that far"

"You can't seriously still be giving them the cold shoulder after all this time, they did what they thought was right, you can't blame them for that,"

"Maybe, maybe not. Let's change the subject, I'm not in the mood to ponder that part of my life" I tell her. I walk up to her and sit next to her, as I take out my jug and take a sip, to those around me they might think I was drinking water, but I was not, I was drinking vodka.

"I never did find out, did you ever tell Ciri you loved her?" she asks.

"No... never got around to it" I admit to her.

"Men." she scoffs, " I'll never understand them."

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"I just don't get it, you told Cerys you loved her when you clearly didn't, yet the woman you truly loved you've practically avoided even uttering anything remotely like the words 'I', 'love' and 'you'" Triss rants.

"Don't try to use Cerys against me Triss, I cared deeply for her, I still do"

"Yet not enough to spare her the pain of being lied to," she adds.

I turn my head and look at Triss.

"What is this? What are you getting at?"

"I'm just trying to understand" she says to me, I shake my head and kick the dirt beneath my boot.

"You want to understand, well understand this. I was left alone in Skellige, told to wait for who knows what, while Ciri was out there far away from me traveling and living a life on the path with people I hadn't known, never met, I didn't know if there was a man there who caught her attention, she wasn't mine so why wouldn't she keep her options open. For a year I lived with that anxiety, it made me weak and yes I knew Cerys was into me, but I never meant to hurt her, I genuinely wanted to be with her, to get over Ciri, I told her I loved her, not so she knew, so that I could maybe lie to myself, but it failed. Time passed, and there that ashen haired witcheress came, and I knew there was no escaping her, she wasn't going to leave my head, no enchantress, no skelliger and no elf could change that." I rant, then look over to her "understand now?"

"No, even when Ciri showed up in Skellige you still didn't tell her, just tell me why, what's stopping you?" Triss asks.

"Nothing is stopping me, I just..."

Triss' gaze softens, and she stares at me.

"I was afraid, what else is there to say?" I huff.

She sighs and places her hand on my shoulder.

"I get it, I can't be mad at you, I could have this exact conversation with Ciri," she says.

"What do you mean?"

"She could have stepped up and told you how she felt, yet she never did."

"Why get into this? No offense but what business is it of yours?" I ask.

"It may be none of my business, but I don't want you and Ciri going down the same path as Yennefer and Geralt," Triss says.

I shake my head and watch as the last of the rats run out of the warehouse, I clear my throat then stand up.

"Let's drop this for the rest of time, let's go get your coin," I say and she sighs and then stands.

Before we can walk out, we see the guy walk in.

"Well well, looks like the job is done" the man says.

" It is, now pay the lady what she's due" I tell him.

"Problem with that, I'm not in the business of paying magic scum" the man says, and I see witch hunters enter.

"It was a trap," Triss says.

"Take care of them lads" The chubby man spits as he exits.

I snarl and grab my sword from my back, as Triss prepared a flame in her hand.

"Kill the witcher, and grab the mage," one of the witch hunters commands.

Has If it were breathing,I reach for one of the small thin blades on my belt, pinching it between my fingers and I let it fly through the air before it finds itself neatly in the eyeball of the front witch hunter. The witch hunters stand in a battle stance as the group leader collapses to the ground, I clutch my sword and Triss observes them with her eyes.

After a moment two charges at me and the final one charges at Triss. I parry a sword strike from the front witch hunter, I swing the sword downward, before slashing upward and cutting his throat vertically, I dodge the second witch hunter's sword and knee him in the gut. He tries pushing me backwards into the poll, but I unsheathe a small knife from my belt with my opposite hand from the sword hand, and drive into the back of his neck. His body flops to the ground, and I unflex my arm letting the rest of his body fall to the ground. Taking back my dagger and my throwing knife, Triss and I march outside, where the little weasel back away from me like the pussy he is.

"Show mercy, they approached me, I had no choice," he proclaims.

"Shut up" I snap " you're lucky I don't torch your place and end all of your business, you're going to pay her triple what you agreed on, if I think the pouch is too light, I'll make sure you have bigger problems than rats," I tell him.

"Okay, okay." the man says, he quickly goes into his little purse, and pulls out a giant coin pouch, and hands it to me. "Now run along, and don't show your face to me again."

"Of course, thank you sir," he says, scampering along.

I turned around to Triss, who looked at me with a bit of sadness in her eyes. I looked away before approaching her and handing her the pouch.

"Watch your back, next time I won't be here to save you," I tell her and she nods.

"I should have seen it, thank you Y/n. Listen, I was thinking. There's an Oneiromancer in Novigrad, she's helping some nobleman find out if his house is haunted, seek her out and she should help you, tell her I sent you. Aaaand after you're done, find me. I live in the bits, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't have your back the way you had mine." she says and I nod.

"Thank you Triss, stay safe." I say.