Is this what please you?

Is this what pleases you?

"Talk to him."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes! You have to do it eventually!" Ciri stamped her foot in frustration, looking over at Yennefer for help. The witch looked at Geralt from where she was leaning on a column. Her violet eyes seemed to say 'why do I even try', but she walked over anyway, placing a hand on Geralt's shoulder.

"She's right. You two can't dance around each other forever, and it's obvious you miss each other. Just talk to him Geralt, it's really not that hard." She was trying her best to look sympathetic, but it wasn't hard to see that if the need arose she would enchant him into it if he took too long to convince.

But she didn't understand. She didn't understand, because it was that hard. It was agonizingly hard to even look at Jaskier these days. Talking to him would require strength Geralt did not posses, even though all he wanted to do was talk to the bard, to tell him everything he hadn't told him before. But it was that hard, and so here he was, adamantly refusing to accept the idea of speaking to his friend. Were they even still friends? Geralt wasn't sure if he wanted to know, for fear that the answer was no.

But he didn't say any of that. Instead, he grunted and turned away.

"Oh no. You are not running away from this conversation." Ciri grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back, but it was to no avail. He simply shook her off gently and continued trudging towards the hallway leading to his room, mind and heart battling over what needed to be done, and what was easier.

"Let him go Cirilla. Jaskier needs us more than this idiot does." Yennefer murmured to the girl, casting a cold glare back at Geralt as she pulled Ciri away. Muttering something under her breath and glancing at her guardian heatedly, the Cintran princess gave in and stalked off into the darkness. Yen followed suit, but stopped and looked back just as she was about to turn the corner.

"Geralt..." And she really did sound sympathetic this time. "I know you care about that bard more than anyone else, but he doesn't know that. Do him a favour and at least start acknowledging his presence. It's not my place to tell you how he feels, but he needs you." Her eyes softened as she saw the surprised expression on the Witcher's face at her words. Smiling sadly, she turned on her heel and disappeared from view.

Geralt stood there for a while, processing what he'd just heard. In the end however, fear got the better of him and he went to his room, mind still whirling with confusion.

Jaskier needs me?

-

Jaskier lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly. He knew it was probably after midnight, but he hadn't been able to get in a good night's sleep for months now, so this was nothing new. And the not exactly comfortable beds of Kaer Morhen weren't helping the matter either, so he just had to wait until his brain decided to pass out from exhaustion.

His mind flitted back to when he'd broken down in front of Yen and Ciri earlier, guilt at dumping his problems on them like a knife in the chest. True, they had assured him it wasn't a problem, but it was hard to believe when all he'd ever known was annoyance when he'd vented his emotions. Not that that mattered now. He would be leaving Kaer Morhen soon enough anyway. Once Geralt and Yennefer went off with Ciri, he'd leave as well, to go in the other direction. No need to annoy the living shit out of them by complaining all the time, as he was bound to start doing eventually.