(F/N) awkwardly rubbed his arm, he was standing by the horses, Ciri was hugging Triss goodbye. Geralt had already said his goodbyes to Ciri, she had seemed so reluctant to leave his side. But after a tearful goodbye, from Ciri, she finally had to let go. (F/N) looked at the Temple of Melitele, he didn't understand why Ciri had to go here, he didn't understand why he couldn't come along, there was so much he just didn't understand.
All Geralt told him was that Ciri would be better off here, under the care of Nenneke. The trip itself was horrid, Triss had gotten severely ill near the start, and the convoy they had rode with was attacked by those Scoia'tael thugs, he knew he was supposed to be neutral, but he hated them. (F/N) ran a hand through his (H/C) hair, he felt angry, sad, and hopeless, but he tried not to show those emotions.
Geralt saw that (F/N) was conflicted, he looked at him, and immediately knew why, "Go say goodbye to Ciri."
(F/N) looked at his master, he tried to keep a neutral face, "I don't want to, I don't think..."
"Then don't do it for yourself, do it for her. You're not gonna see her for awhile."
The ward bit his tongue, knowing that he was out of excuses, but he still tried to get out of it, "She should really be..." his master interrupted, "Go say goodbye."
(F/N) sighed, the 13 year old boy was unhappy, but he tried to hide his true feelings. It would be nice to ride with Geralt alone, to not have to bicker with the girl, to not see the look of affection in her eyes, to not have someone to laugh with, to not have the only friend he had ever had. (F/N) realized he was falling to keep his emotions back, Triss gave him a sad smile as she walked past him. She knew that the goodbye would be hard.
Ciri smiled when she saw (F/N), her cheeks turned bright red, and she unconsciously looked at the ground. The boy smiled slightly, "Ciri...I'll...I'll...I'll miss you." The ashen haired girl smiled, "I will to, (F/N)...you were..really nice to me."
(F/N) nodded he reached out and hugged her tightly, she hugged him back, he suddenly felt tears in his eyes. He was crying, no he couldn't be, he was a witcher! He was too tough for that! That's when he heard Ciri snivel, she was crying even harder. The pair held onto each other for much longer, suddenly Nenneke was walking up to them, saying that she needed to take Ciri now if she was to be moved with the other girls.
Before they broke away Ciri whispered something in his ear, something he would never forget, "I love you." (F/N)'s eyes widened, he stood there dumbfounded, the priestess took Ciri's hand and slowly lead her off. The girl waved to Geralt and Triss, but she was looking at (F/N)'s eyes for something, a response, a nod of the head, something. The boy slowly looked at the girl with his (E/C) eyes, and slowly a smile spread across his lips. Ciri felt the tears start to come to her eyes yet again, (F/N) didn't hide his emotions this time. Ciri shouted, "(F/N)! I'll write to you! We'll see each other soon!"
(F/N) nodded, he was equally as emotional, "Within the year! I-I love you to!"
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(F/N) walked outside of the city walls, and headed to some of the cottages nearby. That's where he would find Vespula. The witcher was skeptical that any of Dandelion's muses would know anything about his whereabouts, but there wasn't any harm in asking. The witcher remembered hearing that name, in one of Geralt's stories, something about a doppler getting hit with a frying pan.
(F/N) mentally crossed the name out on the list as he walked up to the cottage that the troubadour had written down. When he saw a group of men gathered around a single woman, they were either wearing face paint or flashy masks, all of them looked like jesters of some kind. The woman, the witcher assumed was Vespula, spoke, "I will get every last copper - with interest. Gimme a week, please!"
The man with a bird mask spoke in an over the top voice, "Whoreson's no banker. He's an honest man - you pay on time, you get protection. You don't pay..." he finished his point by slapping the woman across the face. Vespula fell to the ground grasping her cheek, "Help!"
Another one of the thugs spoke up, "What you hollerin' for, stupid wench! What you hopin' for, a knight in shinin' armor?"
The witcher walked up, "Someone called for me?"
The leader of the thugs started speaking before he looked at him, "Keep out of this you..." He looked up and paused, the witcher spoke for him, "What? Are you gonna mock my eyes? Maybe my mask? Or maybe the witcher's medallion and the sword on my back. I can show you it if you like."
The men all tightened their grip on their weapons, "Ah a freak. If we beat the piss out of you, the guards might rewards us." The witcher gritted his teeth, he looked at Vespula, she was slowly getting off the ground and backing towards some clotheslines, she was a wash woman. The witcher took a breath and un-balled his hands, "How about I reward you for leaving us both alone?"
The witcher pulled what looked to be a coin purse off his belt and tossed it to the leader, "That should cover her debts and more."
The thug looked into the pouch, his eyes widened, "Uh...uh...yes. Boys let's get out of here."
One of the thugs looked shocked, "But Rid, we was supposed to..." he was cut off, "We're leaving." The thugs left almost immediately. (F/N) hadn't handed them a bag filled with crowns, he had handed them a bag filled with the various monster parts he had harvested for alchemy.
The woman walked out from her hiding place, she looked elated, that no one's blood had been spilled anywhere near the clothes she had been hired to wash. "Thank you, oh thank you! To think there's men who'll help a stranger out of the kindness of their heart."
The witcher nodded, he smiled under his mask, it was nice to receive some praise for doing his job, "I'm always happy to help. But...this act wasn't entirely out of kindness. You see..."
The woman interrupted him, "Oh I know you! Dandelion was saying he knew a witcher that wore a mask, he was always either trying to sound smart or acting dumb, that's what Dandelion said, anyway."
"Did he now?"
The woman was about to continue about the poet, but the witcher interrupted her, "Actually I wanted to ask you about Dandellion. You know where he is?"
The woman's scowl told him all he needed to know, "Probably out whorin', the hoarse pheasant, that lyin' scoundrel!" They were definitely talking about the same Dandelion, "So why are you so mad about him? Shouldn't you be used to his antics?"
"You'd think. But this time that prize bullshiter came back, sayin' it was till death do we part this time. And? No more'n a week passes before I spotted him in Harborside, strollin' with some trollip on his arm! Twas the last straw. All those questions 'bout the washerwomen at the bathhouse, then this. I beat 'im black and blue and threw 'im out on his ear!"
(F/N) tilted his, that sounded exactly like Dandelion, but he wanted to be sure, "This woman, do you know who she is?"
"Claimed she was his niece from Kovir. Ha! More like Whore-vir! Corset so tight her eyes were poppin' out of her head. His too! An artist and a whore, they're one in the same." The witcher laughed a bit, there were wisdom in those words. "Thank you for that, I'll make sure to smack Dandelion for you when I find him."
As he started to walk away Vespula added, "Well...tell him...he's a two faced snake...but...it'd be nice if he dropped by." The witcher nodded, as he walked away he found himself wondering how the troubadour was able to keep such a hold on so many women.
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(F/N) opened the door to the shop, all it said in the notes was, 'Elihal. Taylor outside the walls. Friend only.' The witcher was curious about this one, was it a vengeful woman? An angry husband? Maybe this was the woman he had been with. When the witcher opened the door, there was a thin male elf, he was wearing elegant robes, his black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He smiled, "Welcome, welcome, do come in!"
The witcher nodded at the man, he looked around the elfs shop. There were elegant garbs spread around, it looked as though he was doing well for himself. (F/N) cleared his throat, "I'm a friend of Dandellion's. I'm looking for Elihal."
The male elf smiled, and looked the witcher up and down, "You've come to the right spot. How might I be of service? Tighten your pants? Your shirt need hemming? Patch your socks?" (F/N) had seen the look on the male elf's face, on his own, back when he attempted to court Triss. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Uhh...this is awkward...but...I'm looking for the Elihal that's female. She's one of Dandelion's girlfriends."
The elf smiled, and nodded, "Ah, so it's that. Wait here."
The elf walked into the next room, and shut the door behind him. The witcher was expecting the elfs sister to walk out and explain that they shared the same name. That didn't happene. (F/N) had seen many unusual things, but he had never seen what happened next. The door slid open, and the same elf walked out. But instead of his elegant robes, he was wearing an elegant dress, with heels. His hair was loosely dangling free. Elihal smiled at the witcher, his lips were painted red, "There, any better, Mr. Mysterious."
The witcher took a long pause, he had heard of a man dressing up as a woman to avoid fighting, but never something like this. He swallowed all his buzzing questions, not wanting to offend him. Or did he prefer her? (F/N) shook his head, while Geralt was off to the beautiful Isles of Skellige, he was stuck here. "So...I'm...Did you and Dandelion...How did you meet?"
The elf smiled, almost as if amused by the confusion, "I met him one night in a tavern. He was blind drunk."
(F/N) felt his stomach grumble, "Okay...and I think I'd rather not know how that ended."
The elf scoffed, "Oh stop it. He wasn't so drunk as not to figure it out. Besides men don't interest me. I told him from the start." The witcher let out a sigh of relief, happy that he didn't have to reject the elf. Elihal continued, "Luckily Dandelion's an open-minded fellow. We had a lovely evening. He became a loyal customer afterwards."
(F/N) nodded, "I see. You're obviously a very talented tailor. When did you last see Dandelion?"
The elf sighed softly, "Some time ago...He brought one of Zoltan's jerkins, insisted I sew on an extra pocket. Odd as requests go. I actually had the feeling he'd come to talk." The witcher nodded, he doubted Elihal, knew anything of importance.
(F/N) nodded respectfully, and politely excused himself. If he stayed any longer he knew he would have to ask about, the garment choice, and he had no desire to know the answer.
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(F/N) walked up to the schoolhouse, he checked the list and muttered under his breath, "Marabella." Nothing would surprise him anymore, not after Elihal, unless, Marabella was a man and they had actually gone through with it. The witcher banished those thoughts from his head, he didn't want to think about that around children. He let out a sigh of relief when he actually walked into the classroom, there was a group of children huddled around, a tired yet beautiful looking woman. The school was merely a small building, with a few books thrown about the place.
(F/N) saw the children looked bored as they sat in a circle and listened to their teacher. The witcher cleared his throat, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Marabella."
The teacher looked at him, "I am she. Wait outside, class is in session," she pointed to the door.
(F/N) hated to admit it, but he was envious of the children, they had the choice to learn, they could play, they had childhoods. He did not. "I apologize, m'am. But this can't wait. This is about Dandelion. I'm (F/N), a..."
The teacher interrupted him, "(F/N)? I know you," a smile appeared on the woman's face, "Fine, if you're eager to join in the lesson, you're welcome to." The witcher realized he had just stepped in a large pile of shit, when she turned to the children, who were all staring at him. "Children, sadly the rat catcher has a fever today, but in his stead we're honored to welcome a witcher, who will now tell us about his trade."
(F/N) bit his tongue, and waved his hands, "I really don't..."
Suddenly the children all seemed interested, they started encouraging him, and cheering him on. Marabella's smile grew, "You shan't disappoint them shall you?"
The witcher knew he was trapped, "I don't suppose I have a choice."
The teacher gestured for him to come forward, he did so, and started speaking, "Being a witcher, is one of the most dangerous jobs out their. You must be trained from childhood. You have to move as fast as lightning. Know the lore around every existing monster. And so much more. Although, it is a dying profession, a witcher will always have work."
The children were all leaning forward catching every word. Marabella seemed pleased, "My, my, what an interesting profession. Who would like to ask the first question?"
A boy raised his hand, and without being called on shouted out, "Me! What does it mean that witchers are lech'rous?"
(F/N) looked at the boy and cracked a smile under his mask, "It means...that we have a higher than normal desire for women, due to our mutations."
"What's that mean?"
A girl chimed in, "When a girl likes a witcher, the witcher says 'What'll you'll give me for killin' a monster?' and the witcher says: 'Anything you want,' so the witcher says: 'Hehe- then you'll give me something you weren't expectin' at all.' And that's where little witchers come from."
(F/N) pondered how different his life would have been if that story was at all true. Marabella seemed angry by the tone of the children were using, "Children! What's the meaning of this?! Next question."
The same girl bit her lip, but hesitantly asked, "Is it true witchers kill kings?"
The witcher was about to answer with a simple, 'No' but then he realized that would have been a lie. "Well...that question is complicated. We're not supposed to. Just like we're not allowed to kill dragons. But some witchers choose to kill whom they please."
The children nodded and started discussing among themselves, how that applied. They kept shouting more questions. (F/N) tried to answer where he could. But then he heard one question that made a cold bead of sweat run down his forehead, "Do you wear that mask 'cause you got burned?"
The witcher heard the sound of a monster snarling in his head, but shook it off. He stood their silently until finally, the teacher spoke with authority, "Enough! That is all for today. Gather your things and I shall see you in the morning. Bid farewell to Master (F/N)."
All the children cheered him on for answering their questions with such honesty and bluntness. When all the children were gone, Marabella sat on a nearby chair, "So please do tell me - why are you here?"
(F/N) folded his arms, "I told you, Dandelion. I know you saw him recently."
The teacher smiled, "Oh yes. Longest afternoon of my life."
The witcher remembered the many times he had encountered the bard, "I can understand that. Let me guess, he read you his poetry."
"No. We perused the Illustrated Guide to Fungi."
The witcher paused, now he had heard of everything. "Well, there's nothing sexier than browsing a guide to various forms of bacteria."
The teacher nodded, "He seemed to think the same way. Mold - that was his interest. When his hand abandoned my knee to point at a figure of penicillium, I knew the fire had died between us, permanently."
(F/N) rubbed his chin, "Did you see him after the whole...fungus incident?"
"No, I even considered granting him another chance. It was after I read his beautiful sonnet about the Lovers of Destiny."
The witcher felt his fist clench, "Come again?"
Marabella frowned, almost as if she couldn't believe he was a friend of the troubadours, "The two lovers bound together by destiny. It's Dandelion's best work. The noblewoman Ciara, and the warrior who's also a monster. Every word, every syllable, every rhyme, is a piece of pure beauty."
(F/N) took a deep breath, "You wouldn't happen to have a copy of it would you?"
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The witcher's hands were shaking as he walked to the Var Attre residence. He was currently reading Dandelion's sonnet that was based off of him and Ciri. It was complete and utter hogwash. It portrayed him as a dumb brute. While Ciri was a frail, love obsessed, princess.
(F/N) hated the last few lines the most, he repeated them before he crumpled the parchment and threw it, "Although it seemed Ciara was destined for royalty. While the soldier was bound to his creed with fierce loyalty. Although destiny decreed their love must yield. Neither of the lovers would ever believe their fate was sealed."
The witcher hated how Dandelion had viewed his and Ciri's relationship, he always seemed to think it was much more like a fairy tale. That they never fought. Always stayed faithful to one another. They would always be in love. None of that was true.
(F/N) made his way up to the Nilfgaardian ambassadors house, there was a group of Nilfgaardian soldiers standing watch outside of the house. The witcher paused, this was a good possibility, had Dandelion said something that would have offended them or Nilfgaard? It was entirely possible. The witcher cleared his throat as he got closer, the garrison's captain glared at him, "What you want?"
(F/N) looked at the soldiers, there were too many to use the Axii sign on, and there was no way he would be able to bribe his way inside. A simple lie would have to suffice, he looked at the commander, the man repeated himself, "Well? What is it?"
The witcher shot off the first thing that came to his mind, "I'm the new swordplay instructor for Rosa var Attre." The guard paused, and seemed to realize something, "Oh...Well in that case, Miss Rosa awaits."
To say (F/N) couldn't believe what happened, was an understatement, but he tried to pretend as though he expected it, "Very well."
The guard led the witcher to the front door and opened it, "Hope you realize what you've gotten yourself into."
As he walked in, (F/N) muttered, "I hope so to." A part of him still thought he was being walked into a trap, but as they went deeper and deeper into the house, he realized that he was being taken to Rosa. The guard captain laughed at his response, "Miss Rosa's got a downright beastly temper. Shows no mercy once she grips a blade."
The witcher frowned under his mask, how was Dandelion able to get all these women? The witcher shook his head, as the guard led him to the front of a room, he gestured to a rack of wooden swords, "Grab a wooden one. And take care not to hurt the little miss, or you'll earn the ambassador's ire."
The witcher nodded, and pulled a thin yet clunky wooden blade off the rack. If he had his sword, he'd be able to move so fast, Rosa wouldn't process that he'd made contact. But he had to deal with using this weapon, which was an insult to swords. The guard opened the door to the room, and gestured for him to enter, the witcher grasped the wooden weapon and entered. The training room was like the rest of the house. Portraits of Emhyr var Emreis on every wall, Nilfgaardian armor, and black sun drawings all over. The only difference was that there was a few training dummys around.
There was a woman standing in the center of the room, the door behind (F/N) shut, the sound made her turn around. She was dressed lightly, her hair was professionally braided, she looked feisty. She looked him up and down, "You're my new instructor? Well, well, papa clearly went out of his way this time."
The witcher nodded and twirled his sword a bit for show. The woman, who was most likely Rosa, laughed slightly, "Wood to start with, I must know your worth."
The Nilfgaardian gestured for him to get rid of his armor and regular blade, which he did. (F/N) removed his jacket, armor, and weapons, leaving him in his jacket with his mask and hood. Rosa smiled and nodded approvingly at his impressive physique, in return he merely brandished the wooden sword.
Rosa let out a battle cry and lunged at him, with her own wooden sword. (F/N) gracefully pirouetted and smacked the woman in the back of the knee with his weapon owed. The woman growled and launched a series of attacks, they were slow yet powerful. The witcher easily blocked or dodged them entirely, parrying them was a bit more difficult, but not impossible. (F/N) was willing to let Rosa tire herself out, she hadn't landed a hit on him yet, while he was landing multiple blows, but he quickly realized Rosa wouldn't yield. So the witcher knelt down and swung his leg at the speed of the wind. Rosa fell down to the floor with a thud, while (F/N) positioned his sword right above her.
Rosa gritted her teeth, "Damn it! Well fought, You're much better than the last one."
The witcher held out his hand, "Thanks."
The woman rejected his help and got up by herself. (F/N) cleared his throat, "But I must confess, I'm not actually your swordplay instructor."
Rosa's attitude changed immediately, her gaze became much more hostile, "Really. Then who are you? How on earth did you get in?!"
(F/N) shrugged, even he wasn't entirely sure, "You should get new guards, they just let me in when I told them I was here to teach you. Didn't ask for my name or anything."
Rosa's face turned red with fury, "I told father they're a band of imbeciles. But if you're not the instructor, then who exactly are you? Have you come to rob? Kill? Speak!"
(F/N) questioned the woman's sanity in that instant, but choose not to bring that subject up, "Neither. I'm looking, for my friend Dandelion, he was your rhetoric tutor."
Rosa smiled, "Rhetoric tutor? Good one. That is why papa hired him, but not at all what the bard had in mind. He mostly played his lute and sang for us. I believe he thought he was wooing."
The witcher paused, Dandelion had said that they had a relationship, he listened to her heart rate, it didn't suggest she was lying. Had the troubadour embellished the details? Almost certainly. (F/N) folded his arms, "You're sure?"
Rosa nodded, "He just chased after me, there was nothing between us."
(F/N) folded his arms, as the woman seemed to realize something, "Seems my sister's had a bit of fun at my expense. But enough chatter! Stand and fight! I demand a rematch."
The witcher sighed, and held his sword up. This time Rosa hit him with fast strikes, she had been taking it easy on him. She even had him on the ropes for a bit, but he quickly started pirouetting and attacking her from all sides. She was slow when it came to defending her sides. The fight ended when the witcher drew his sword back and smacked his wooden blade against hers. Rosa's sword split in half. The room went silent, the witcher paused and wondered if he should apologize. Had he disrespected the woman? Rosa stared at the broken sword and smiled, "You're certainly an interesting swordsman. If you're not an instructor you should be. Fancy giving me a few private lessons?"
(F/N) smiled, happy that he wasn't in trouble, he heard the door open as he replied, "Well...I can't refuse a beautiful woman, such as yourself." Rosa blushed and let her guard down. Suddenly, Rosa's voice spoke up from behind the witcher, "What are you two lovebirds whispering about?"
(F/N) turned and saw, Rosa, but it wasn't her, this woman was wearing an elegant black gown, not at all appropriate for swordplay. The witcher looked between the two women, and then it hit him, he muttered "sisters."
Rosa smiled and looked at him, she pointed accusingly at her sister, "You asked about my relationship with Dandelion? Well, here's the mix-up's mastermind: Edna var Attre, the biggest mischief maker north or south of the Yaruga!"
Edna bowed while smirking, she kept her gaze on the witcher, "Oh...so Dandelion would mix you two up? But you seem so...different."
Rosa smiled, "Very true."
Edna nodded along, she finished her sisters thought, "He would mix us up on occasion. But then Rosa would quickly set him straight."
"If you'd shut your catty mouth for a moment, dear little sister, I could explain. Edna sent Dandelion some love letters. Signed my name. Conceited as he is, naturally, he fell for it."
(F/N) tilted his head, and smiled under his mask, "Well, if it was a chance for one of you, I would as well."
"Oh quit being such a flirt."
Rosa smiled at the witcher, "I was left to repel the aging bard's advances."
Edna smiled, obviously taking pleasure in her sisters misery, "Rosa, I had the best of intentions, you know that! I felt you needed help taking the first step...You blushed every time he sang a ballad."
"He'll next sing at your funeral if you don't stop it right now!"
(F/N) held up his hands, not wanting or willing to tear the two sisters off of each other, "Calm down ladies, Dandelion isn't worth two sisters nipping at each other's throats."
"Especially not this one..."
The witcher sighed, he really only needed to know one thing, and then the sisters could do as they pleased, "I just need to know, have either of you seen Dandelion lately?"
Rosa glanced at (F/N) and snapped, "Edna might have. I certainly have not."
Edna scoffed, "My dear sister, I would never spend time alone with a man for whom you burn with a secret passion."
As the sisters argued, the witcher started twisting his hands into the Axii sign, but then he heard Rosa say, "Burn with passion? For one who incessantly praises another woman's talents? Afraid I've more sense than that."
(F/N)'s eyes widened slightly, "Another woman? Who is she?"
Rosa shrugged, "I believe she's a poetess or a trobairitz...Very skilled and exceptionally talented, of course."
(F/N) had a hunch, he had heard of succubi that used magic to make themselves irresistible to certain marked men. Had Dandelion been marked? "And this woman...I'm assuming she's not from around here."
"Hmm...I seem to remember him praising her 'melodious Koviri accent'..."
Edna picked up where her sister left off, "Makes sense - he referred to her as 'Callonetta' a few times. Bizarre names are common in Kovir."
The witcher was puzzled, why didn't Zoltan tell him about Callonetta, "Hmm...you've both given me a lot to think about...I should be off."
Edna smiled, "Exceedingly nice to meet you, please do come by again."
(F/N) nodded, this house hold was interesting for sure, "I think I'll manage."
As Edna left, Rosa walked up to him and ran a hand along his broad shoulders, "You know...I'm ready to have our private lesson, now." The Nilfgaardian bit her lip, and stared him in the eyes, the witcher laughed, "I'm not much to look at under the mask."
He moved to take it off, but Rosa stopped him, "Keep it on, it makes you look intimidating."
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(F/N) walked with a limp to Baroness la Valette's villa, Rosa had been a handful, to say the least. She had changed positions multiple times and kept hitting his arms and legs, he had a feeling she wanted him to be more aggressive. It was as though she wanted a wrestling partner not a lover. One thing was for certain, he was not setting foot in that house again. When the witcher finally made it to the la Valette's, he saw that she had armed guards outside her villa. As the witcher got closer, the head guard spoke up, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, is this Baroness la Valette's villa?"
The man's demeanor changed, "Shouldn't interest you. The baroness don't mingle with just anyone."
The witcher recalled the last time he had seen the baroness, it had been the last time he was in Temeria's dungeons. He had distracted the Baroness' troops and dueled her son, while Geralt and King Foltest went for the king's children. He had easily won the duel, but the baroness' son, Aryan, begged him to take his life and spare his honor. The witcher didn't grant his request. He was taken out of his train of thought when the guard snapped his fingers in his face, "Didn't you hear? Baroness is ridin' out. Begone."
The witcher sighed and was about to attempt to lie again, but then the door to the villa opened. As expected the beautiful baroness walked out, her raven black hair was tied in a ponytail, her dress was the color of the la Valette's, orange and green. The witcher stared at the baroness completely enthralled with her beauty for a moment, but then he heard an all to familiar voice, "Greetings, witcher."
(F/N) looked at the man who had spoken, General Voorhis was smiling at him, his hair was slicked back in the same fashion, and his black Nilfgaardian armor shined in the sun. He smiled as if the two were friends, "I must admit, it's curious to see you here. I don't quite believe in coincidences."
The baroness smiled at him, she would never admit it, but she held an unconditional respect for the witcher. The act of sparing her sons life had proven that he was an honorable man, "Greetings (F/N) (L/N)."
The witcher bowed his head slightly, "Greetings, Baroness. Greetings, General. You're right, I'm not here on coincidence. Business actually."
The baroness smiled, "When are witchers not working? But, for etiquette's sake, Mary Louisa la Vallete. An imperial general and a witcher meet...and know each other. Surprising."
The witcher nodded, and politely responded, "The general and I met, when the emperor summoned my master and I to Vizima."
King Foltest's former lover smiled, "Oh? Had you run afoul of the emperor? The tales of the witcher who not only disrespected the emperor and survived, but avoided punishment are entertaining. But I shan't question you out of doors. Will you accept my invitation, tell me what brings you here?"
The witcher put his hands behind his back, "I'm looking for one of your servants, Molly is her name."
The baroness wrapped her fingers together, "My maid-servant. I'm afraid she's currently at the home of my dear friend Patricia Vegelbud."
The General smiled and seemed to get an idea, "Perhaps, (F/N) could accompany us. He could speak with Molly at the races."
The woman smiled politely, her manners were genuine, "Is that something you'd consider, witcher? Care to take part in some sophisticated diversion?"
(F/N) waved his hand, "Of course. I'd be rude of me to refuse."
The general smiled, "On our way then."
The trio walked together to a carriage, conversing happily, the witcher was happy to finally sit. He and the baroness spoke as though they were old friends, while General Voorhis asked him very odd and specific questions: Where is your master? Why are you in Novigrad exactly? Why do you need to speak to Molly? (F/N) felt as though he was back in Vizima, in that bathtub being asked questions.
When they finally made it at the Vegelbud's residence, (F/N) took a breath of the fresh air, for once he didn't smell the horrif scent of burnt flesh, the sound of people yelling, it just felt peaceful. The General led the witcher and baroness to their own viewing box. (F/N) looked at the track, there were some beautiful animals ready to be rode. Voorhis smiled at the witcher, "Do you like horses, (F/N)?"
The man smiled under his mask, and glanced at a black mare, "I suppose, although I'm not particular on the breed, as long as it can hold weight and run fast I don't care." The general smiled, and gestured to the horses, "Hmm, what would you say to a little race?"
(F/N) raised a brow, "A race? I'm honored, but I'd rather speak to Molly."
The Nilfgaardian laughed and slapped the man on the shoulder, "Don't make me beg, witcher. Tell you what - win, and I shall give you my finest saddle. Made in Nilfgaard proper of beautifully tanned leather." The witcher got a good look at the saddle, it was black leather, laced with golden paint, it even had saddled bags woven into the sides. He remembered Nosfer's saddle, the cracked brown leather was falling apart and it stank of sweat.
He couldn't refuse, not with the chance of being rid of his horrid saddle, "Hmm, I suppose I can spare the time, I wonder if you're as good on horseback as you are commanding soldiers."
The baroness smiled as she sat on a small wooden chair, "Well said. So, which steed do you choose, witcher?"
(F/N) looked at the horses, one was grey and looked a bit old, one was brown but there was nothing special about it. The only horses that caught his eyes were the black and white stallions, both looked as though they were racing horses. The witcher pointed at the black mare, "I'll take the black one, she reminds me of my first horse, The Count."
The general smiled and pointed at the white horse, "In that case, I shall try my luck on the Zerrikanian bay. I see no point in delaying lets begin."
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(F/N) was the first one to the finish, he knew he would win, he just didn't believe he would win by the length of a field. He had used Axii on the horse to try to convince it that it wasn't tired. It had worked a bit to well. He could hear the poor beasts heart pounding like a drum. The witcher hopped off the animal and waved his hand while making the sign again, "Rest now, you're tired."
Almost immediately the horse nearly fell over, but it managed to stay up. The witcher patted it's neck just as General Voorhis pulled up, to the finish, he was laughing to himself. The stable attendants took control of his horse as he dismounted. He smiled at the witcher, "I see that witchers are capable of riding and fighting. For one that won with such a length, one might accuse you of cheating."
(F/N) frowned, "I apologize if I offended you, you don't have to give me the saddle."
Voorhis laughed and put his hand on the witcher's shoulder, his Nilfgaardian accent sounded friendly, "Nonsense, in your position, I would have done the same thing. The saddle is yours." The witcher nodded, "Thank you."
The baroness walked down to where the two men were standing, she was clapping, "Well done, witcher. Well done. I've scarcely seen a man ride a horse that way."
(F/N) bowed respectfully, "Thank you, m'lady. If it wouldn't offend you, might I speak to your chambermaid?"
"Ah, yes! Molly. That is why you came here, after all. The portly young woman. That's her." The baroness gestured to a beautiful woman who was in rags, her black hair was in a braided ponytail.
Voorhis removed his hand from (F/N)'s back, "Speak to her. And you must find us when you're ready to return to Novigrad. We'd be delighted to join you for the journey."
The witcher excused himself from the conversation and went to talk to the woman, so far all he had gotten was a bunch of disappointed women, and an elf that wasn't exactly a man or a woman, and a name Callonetta. Hopefully Molly would know something more. When the witcher made his way to the woman, she stood up and curtsied respectfully, "I'm Molly, m'lord. Wished to see me?" The woman seemed incredibly nervous, not exactly the type Dandelion would go for, not that Dandelion had a type, as long as the woman was beautiful, he would bed her. "Please, call me, (F/N)."
The women's whole demeanor changed, she seemed excited, "(F/N)? That (F/N)? The one Dandelion's rescued time and time again?"
"Come again?"
Molly nodded, her eyes were wide with excitement, "I still get chills when I think about that time that you and Dandelion fought a Frightener. Only Dandelion would think to play his lute to damage the monster's hearing."
(F/N) smiled under his mask, he remembered when he and Dandelion had been traveling together. They had been looking for breakfast, when the troubadour stumbled upon an old dungeon. How the poet managed to convince him that there would be valuables to sell in there was beyond him. It turned out that a mage had accidentally created a Frightner, it nearly killed the both of them. But as it was about to kill Dandelion, the troubadour let out a powerful scream that defend the monster and it gave (F/N) the opportunity to slay it. The witcher nodded, "Oh yes. What would I do without Dandelion? I'm actually looking for him now, I need his help. You wouldn't happen to know where he is?"
The chambermaid shook her head, "No...sadly, I haven't got a clue. We've not seen eachother in ages. The baroness don't approve of our acquaintance. Says Dandelion's a good-for-nothin' layabout - can you imagine?!"
(F/N) could imagine, in fact he didn't need to imagine. But he didn't dare say anything. Apparently, Molly had no idea where Dandelion was either, but then she continued, "But...maybe his sister could help you? Such a nice girl."
The witcher paused, and then shook his head, "Sister? Dandelion's an only child."
"No he's not. Saw her meself! Funny, she don't look like him at all...blonde, for starters. Maybe they've a different father?"
"And mothers" He muttered to himself
Molly didn't seem to hear what he had said, "Well..even if they're not. He still cares for her, looks after her, the way he carried her packages and..."
The witcher soon realized they were talking about Callonetta. "Do you know where I can find Dandelion's sister?"
The chambermaid shook her head, "Oh no. Whenever I asked Dandelion when we'd visit her, he'd grow quiet, then change the subject."
(F/N) nodded, "I see...well, thank you Molly. Be well." The chambermaid smiled and curtsied again. As the witcher walked to the general and the baroness he sighed and rubbed his face, now he had to find the person, who knew where the person was that knew where Ciri was. This was getting so complicated