A/N: Just want to take a moment to thank everyone that is reading my story. I haven't written anything that wasn't for academic purposes since middle school and I used to write One Direction fanfic that wasn't exactly intended for the most mature audiences. Going from that to the demographic of the Witcher universe was a bit daunting, not even including the fact that I haven't done any substantial creative writing for 6 years. Anyway enough with the mushy on my end, you're about to get enough of it from the characters. After this chapter I'm going to pick things up a bit, I just have a huge personal pet peeve of romantic relationships going from 0-100 in two chapters. Its important to me that I give a bit of time for emotional development. Also sorry about the formatting in the last few chapters. I write on a Google Doc first and then copy and paste to here. For some reason it was not letting me indent those chapters' paragraphs without deleting other characters.
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Elizabeth sat in a pile of pillows near the door of the room while Geralt and Yennefer talked about some Djinn she needed Geralt's help capturing in order to cure her of something. There was a lot of arguing and Geralt had laughed in the sorceresses face at least twice at this point which Elizabeth definitely didn't think was a good idea. However she trusted Geralt and was too caught up in retreating to her own personal den of shame to try to decipher this strange world's customs.
After the spell wore off Elizabeth immediately let out an extremely high pitched shriek and ran away towards where her clothes were strewn on the ground by the door. After grabbing said clothes she piled up some of the pillows and blankets for privacy in order to change back into them and let the situation sink in.
She could remember only a few things clearly; A weirdly sudden lust for Jaskier, a not so sudden amplification of lust for Geralt and blinking hard only to find herself completely naked and attempting to get awfully handsy with said Witcher while droves of other people, some also still naked fled the room.
"Lizzy..."
The bard's voice drifted to her within her fort, thankfully his vocalizing of her nickname off his lips did not fill her with the desire it did just a bit earlier. She couldn't even remember how long ago they had walked into the room in the first place.
"Yes." She answered him, hoping that at least a confirmation that she had not died of embarrassment or suffocated under her fort would be enough. She had wrapped herself in one of the only blankets without any obvious fluids on it for comfort, like she used to do when she was stressed about something at home. Well the blanket part at least, not the part about the...fluids.
"Can I talk to you?" He asked. "Can I enter your...plush palace?"
She had never heard the bard stumble to find the right words before but he was definitely struggling now. She flung off the blanket that had been covering her not so hidden hiding spot and patted the space beside her, still not looking directly at him. Jaskier, once again clothed in his overtly colorful outfit, settled in next to her.
"I'm sure you were aware that was some kind of fucked up magic, but I still want to apologize and I understand if you no longer want me to keep traveling with you. Though honestly even if you do forgive me I'm not sure Geralt will." He shuddered thinking about the murderous look in the Witcher's eyes when he pulled Elizabeth off of him, it registered in his foggy brain even as deep in the trance as he was.
"I know it's not your fault Jaskier." Elizabeth sighed. "I just feel...dirty. And embarrassed, I've never just thrown myself at someone like that, especially someone I barely even know. No offense..."
"None taken." Jaskier said with an awkward chuckle. "Trust me, I'm not all of a sudden going to think you're a loose woman who whores out to any man she meets."
"Thank you Jaskier." She finally looked at him again, her eyes were brimming with un-shed tears and while she had a soft smile, it was still a sad one.
Something came over the bard at that moment and he reached out to pull her to his chest in what he hoped would be seen as a comforting gesture from a friend. Elizabeth jumped at first, seeing as this was the first time she was being touched since the spell broke, but she relaxed quickly and cried softly into the soft fabric of his chemise while he softly ran his fingers through her hair.
"Are you two done?" Geralt's tone was sharp, looking down at Elizabeth's shivering shoulders in the bard's embrace.
Elizabeth jumped away from Jaskier as though he had started to burn her, on her feet in just one Witcher heartbeat, wiping away any remaining tears off her cheeks. Geralt felt conflicted about being so harsh. After what she just went through he should be acting more gentle. Unfortunately soft is not a Witcher's forte.
"Let's head back to the inn. I need to prepare for the witch's fucking revenge quest." He muttered, already pushing the doors open.
"Revenge quest?" The blonde's soft voice questioned, her usual melodic voice still a tad husky.
"I'll explain at the inn."
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Back in the room Geralt and Beth were supposed to share at the inn the Witcher was back to being all business. Honestly Geralt didn't really understand why they continued to share a room after that first night, but he wasn't going to complain about it, though now might be when it stops.
"In exchange for Yennefer's help researching how to conjure the kind of portal that would be needed to send Beth home, she wanted me to help her with something in return." Geralt explained. "For some reason the woman wants a fucking baby." This was still absolutely insane to the Witcher.
Why the hell would she even make the sacrifice in the first place, go through the physical change to be a sorceress...just to try to cheat it back?
Yennefer had explained to Geralt that when she decided to go through her changes, it was not under the usual circumstances mage's do in Aretuza and Ban Ard. She said that her choice was "taken" from her and that she wanted it back. She had been researching fertility treatments for quite some time now and had no luck with any of them. Her next idea was her most dangerous yet and she was unsure on how to proceed. Until the Witcher and company walked into the room at the Mayor's house with a pitcher of lukewarm apple juice.
"She wants you to hunt some mythical being that by all accounts doesn't even exist...so that she can use the wishes to make herself a mother?" Jaskier clarified.
"What do you mean doesn't exist?" Beth asked, she was sitting up against the headboard on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest, Geralt was trying to hide the frustration he felt about her not looking him in the eyes since they left the house, but for some reason being friendly with the bard. Had she actually wanted to fuck him?
"We have magic but there are still some things that are believed to be nothing but myth." Jaskier answered. "No one has spoken of a Djinn in centuries. Not a real one at least."
"They're real." Geralt grunted, "Just rare and dangerous. Though Yennefer claims to know of one somewhere in a lake outside of town. If she's right then we might be able to get this over with fairly quickly and she can start her side of the deal."
"Why are you doing all this if it's dangerous?" Beth asked quietly, he looked back to her small form and had to keep his face neutral when her bright green eyes finally met him again.
"Because I-. Well...fuck." Geralt was tripping over his words like a schoolboy and it was annoying the hell out of him.
Lambert and Eskel would be tearing him to pieces right now over how ridiculous he acted around this small human woman. "Because I said I would help you. And I'm in too fucking deep to back out now." That sounded much harsher than he intended, she frowned and looked away from him again.
Fucking hell Geralt, you did it again...
"Geralt is a man of his word if nothing else." Jaskier said, "He wouldn't leave you to fend for yourself if he promised you otherwise." the bard placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Plus I think Geralt gets off on danger, he's strange like that." Jaskier winked and she hid her blushing face against her knees that was still hugging.
"Jaskier." Geralt's voice was supposed to sound like a warning to shut up but he was secretly grateful for the bard swooping in to salvage his wreck.
"I'm going to...go take a bath." Jaskier jumped up a little too quickly and rushed to the door giving Geralt a very pointed look before shutting the door behind him.
Now Beth and Geralt were alone. The heavy feeling of awkwardness was all around and his heightened senses could smell the anxiety radiating off of her. Talking about feelings was not something Geralt enjoyed doing normally but there was something compelling him to do something, anything, to make her act normal again.
"Beth I-"
"Geralt I'm-"
They both started talking at the same time, her high register almost harmonizing with his low one. Silence hung in the air for another few seconds until Beth spoke again.
"What happened?" She finally asked. "It was like I was possessed by something but you didn't feel it did you..?"
"No, it didn't affect me, or Yeneffer. It was a spell she had cast, sometimes referred to crudely as 'sex pollen'." Geralt explained. She was still looking down and it was frustrating the Witcher immensely, if she was going to make him talk about his feelings then she was at least going to look at him during it.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled.
Geralt sighed loudly and sat down on the bed next to her, pulling her face up to meet his gently by the chin. Her eyes were watering again. Fuck. "Don't apologize." His voice was firm and direct, a tone he was used to, her eyes widened and the stench of anxiety grew stronger, starting to overpower the jasmine more and more.
"I mean," He softened his tone as much as he could and let go of her face, he realized he had been wearing his gloves the whole time and took them off while he talked. "You didn't do anything wrong. It was affecting all the humans in the room and you had no control over it, neither did...Jaskier." He tried to keep himself from growling the bards name.
He was taken back into the moment when her soft hands brushed a piece of white hair away that had fallen in his eyes again. The sneer on his lips fell quickly, her fingers were warm and the anxiety was fading ever so slightly, jasmine once again at the forefront.
"But you were angry with him." Beth spoke, still so softly he was grateful for his mutant ears.
"He was touching you." Geralt frowned. "Did you...want him to touch you?" He asked, trying not to sound impartial to the answer he was hoping to get.
"I...like Jaskier." The start to Beth's sentence did not give the Witcher any joy. "But I'm glad you stopped us, he's my friend and I would have regretted it deeply if it had gone any further."
Geralt let out a short breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding and leaned closer to her. "What about...me?" He asked.
"Y-you?" She stuttered and pink flooded her cheeks.
"Yes, you tried to touch me too while I was talking to Yennefer. Did you...want that?" Wording this conversation was one of the most difficult things he's done in a while.
This is why Witcher's suppress feelings.
But he was feeling, more than he had since the Trials.
"You said you wanted me." He was leaning in further, almost looming over her at this point due to the height difference and her slouching. But she didn't shrink away or push back, she actually straightened her posture slightly, moving just an inch or two closer. Geralt could feel her hot breath ghosting across his skin, her heart rate was rapid.
"You said you have always wanted me." He whispered, their noses were almost touching now.
Her green eyes were like shining Emerald gemstones, so wide and innocent. He shouldn't be doing this, but he didn't want to stop. He knew Vesimer would be ranting to him if he knew, knew that he was being soft. A soft Witcher is a dead Witcher, he would say. But when she whispered those two words against his lips he didn't give a fuck what Vesimer, or Eskel, or Lambert thought.
"I do." She said.