Her Sweet Kiss | Geralt of Rivia X OC | The Witcher FF

Chapter 34 - A repeating bard -

"It's ready." Triss said and took the potion bottle from the stand. She popped it open and poured the content onto a tray. "Hm... No glow." she said as it was just a small pile of black dust and a big chunk in between it. "So no evidence of mutagenic alchemy." Geralt said and leaned his hands on the table to watch what she was doing. "But there is something strange." she said and brushed through the dust with a scalpel. "Stellacite. Like from a monolith." Geralt mumbled and turned around to walk over to one of the shelves that held jars with pickled monster parts. "I've never seen that before." Triss said as she kept scrapping through the dust.

Geralt returned with a jar that was containing a wooden finger. "This was taken from the Leshy that turned Eskel." Geralt said and opened the lid of it to pull out the finger. He took the scalpel and scrapped something off of the side. Black dust crumbled from it. "More stellacite." Triss noticed. "How did two different monsters wind up with the same dust on them?" Triss asked with a frown. Geralt placed the tray aside. "They came from the same place." Geralt explained.

"A monolith? It doesn't make sense." Triss said and Geralt's look fell on Ciri. She bit her lip and kept her gaze on the table, not looking at either of them. When she noticed Geralt's stare she returned it for a brief moment and then returned to looking at the table. "Tell us what you know about it." Geralt demanded. Ciri looked between the two before she started to speak. "When- when Nilfgaard attacked Cintra, just outside the city walls, I- I saw a monolith topple." she explained. Geralt frowned. "How?" he asked. Ciri brushed her fingers through the dust on the tray Geralt had pushed away. She gasped and retrieved her hand before standing completely still. 

Her body was stiff and they started to call her but they got no reaction. She didn't blink, she didn't move a muscle. It reminded Geralt of Evelyn's state after the trial. "We gotta bring her to her room." Triss said, she had fear written all over her face. Geralt nodded and put a hand on Ciri's back and underneath her knees to carry her into her room.

Eventually, she woke up with a gasp. "Cirilla." Geralt said, relieved that she finally woke up. "Ciri. Hey." Triss comforted her. She was a little hectic while sitting up in her bed. "I'm fine." she said and sat up properly. "I'm fine." she repeated. She held a hand to her forehead and sighed. Geralt was worried. Even a blind man would see that. 

"You are brave. But let us help." Geralt attempted to comfort her. He wasn't sure how to really do it but he tried. The girl hugged her knees. "Alright." she agreed, her voice merely above a whisper. It was silent for a short moment in the room.

"When the black knight captured me... I was scared. I screamed. And that's when the monolith cracked and fell." she mumbled and then looked up at Geralt. She looked tired. She looked scared. "I toppled it." she whispered. Geralt's eyes widened almost unnoticeable. "How could that be?" Triss asked, also looking up at Geralt, even though they all knew they had no answers to that. "I don't know. I need to see it for myself." Geralt said and Ciri started shaking her head apologetically. "I really didn't mean to do it, Geralt. And if these monsters are my fault-" she started to panic slightly. Geralt placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. I'll fix it." he said and pat her shoulder before leaving the room. Maybe, near Cintra, he would be able to find traces of Evelyn. 

---

Jaskier walked into the room, past a man, drinking alone and another one fast asleep on the table. Jaskier handed the one, drinking alone, a few coins and then kept walking. "Sleep it off somewhere else, chap." the big man said and grabbed the sleeping man by the collar to throw him out of the establishment. The door closed and Jaskier emptied the small glass cup in one go. There wasn't much left in it.

"Bard." a familiar female voice spoke. He looked over at the owner of the said voice. She raised her brows and lowered them again as some kind of greeting. He smiled a little surprised to see her here. "Witch." he greeted her back. "What are you doing here? And what fresh hell did you just crawl out of?" Jaskier asked and started to joke around as he'd always do. "A sewer." Yennefer as she approached him. "What's your excuse?" she challenged him, also jokingly. "Oh, a sewer? I always knew you were a blood-sucking, joyless..." he stopped when she suddenly hugged him. It took him by surprise. "... hugger." he finished his sentence. It took him a while to return it. 

"Hugging. We are hugging." Jaskier repeated himself, dis not believing what was going on. "Oh, gods, I miss the days when my biggest problem was an ever-present, sing-songy twit." she said and broke the hug, still grabbing onto his upper arms. "Uh, drink? I'm gonna drink." Jaskier offered and took off her arms from him. "I am not having this conversation unless I'm drinking." He repeated what he was gonna do. Yennefer smirked a little.

Jaskier took two mugs out of the shelf and placed them on the counter. "I heard the song." Yennefer said as she followed him. "Geralt must have left quite a sour taste in your mouth." she said. Jaskier's eyes went wide and he quickly spun around to face her. "What? He- No one leaves any tastes in my mouth, thank you very much. I sing of universal matters, my dear, generous lady." He pooped open a bottle. "Emotions which anybody could experience. That song could be about anyone." he said and leaned on the counter. Yennefer hummed confirming. "Anyone." he repeated, and again and again.

"Fine. Yes, when I wrote it, it did come from the heart. Perhaps a broken one." he admitted. "I'm hiding behind masquerades in it because I don't want her involved." he added and pushed one of the now filled mugs over to Yennefer. "Her? You mean Evelyn?" she asked and raised a brow. He nodded. "Yeah, she's looking for Geralt too." he said and the sorceress frowned. "What? He left her? Why? I wouldn't leave her if I were him." she scoffed. Jaskier nodded hectically. "Exactly my saying!" he said and they clinked glasses and took a sip.