caught by surprise

"Perhaps we shouldn't have left yet, Roach..." Geralt held the reins to his horse tightly in his fists, the forest around him swaying slightly, the different shades of green all blurring together. The witcher hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, waking a bit after three in the morning, he had spent the rest of the night sitting in the tavern below his room, drinking himself away in hopes it would knock him out. Instead, he was now riding his horse through the wilderness, his hair flowing freely over his shoulders, the wind lifting it slightly, no doubt giving him little small knots. His orange eyes looked wild and he slumped on his stead, falling to one side a bit and then the other, back and forth.

Roach began to whine and whimper, slowing her pace down to a gentle trot. "What's wrong?" Geralt perked up, forcing himself to focus on his only companion. It wasn't odd for the white-haired man to speak to his horse, it wasn't just because of his drunken state. His horse was his only true friend and they had their own way of communicating. The horse pushed its head to the left, before turning slightly in that direction and kicking her feet. "That way? Then go." Geralt's voice shifted from a soft, slurred tone to a deep, stern one as he kicked his heels gently against her side and she began to run.

It wasn't often that Roach tried to sway Geralt's direction, in fact, he couldn't remember the last time this had happened. He pulled on the reins just a bit, forcing her to slow down just slightly, cursing himself for all the drinking he had done. Bouncing atop his steed wasn't helping the nausea he felt swirling inside of his gut. Geralt wasn't sure what Roach was sensing, he couldn't sense anything... until they were close enough for Geralt to hear soft crying. His witcher senses had become very diluted due to his current inebriation and upon realizing that, he was cursing himself under his breath once again.

"Woah-" He pulled back on the reins, his horse coming to a gentle stop. How far away from any village had they journeyed? Geralt slowly hopped down from the saddle, his whole body tensing in worry that would be some sort of ambush or trick... A wraith...? He looked around, slowly moving over the forest floor in the direction of the crying. Surely, there's not a girl out here all alone? "Hello?" Geralt called out, his eyes scanning over all of the trees, trying to ignore how his head was spinning. "Whose out here? Are you hurt?" He continued to call out, growing ever closer to the soft crying, knowing it had to be coming from behind one of the trees in front of him. He however, wanted the mysterious stranger to reveal themselves to him, not wanting to step into anything that might be a trap. He feared he may have already done so. The crying only seemed to continue however, so Geralt, against his better judgement, approached the tree before reaching out to place a hand on it. Someone was definitely hiding behind the other side. He stepped around the tree and looked down, his face instantly showing a mixture of surprise and aggravation. So there would be a girl, all alone, out in the woods...

"Fuck." He huffed, dropping his shoulders before he slowly leaned down to meet her at eye level. "What are you doing out here all alone?" He looked into the girl's puffy hazel eyes, tears streaking down her face as she looked up at him, possibly in terror. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

@ dezzy

Nella thought she was going to be sick as she leaned against the tree to her back. She was trying so desperately to catch her breathe but she couldn't bring herself to calm down even in the slightest. She had been with her mother, on a small carriage with their lone horse in the front, pulling them along. They were heading into the city with the intent to sell their wares. Nella had only needed a moment to relieve herself and she'd had her mother stop for just a moment. Nella had made sure to be quick but before she even returned, her mother and the carriage had disappeared. She was alone.

A sense of dread filled her, her eyes widening as fear settled in the pit of her stomach. Nella bit back a sob as she spun in a hurried circle, trying to see what direction her mother had gone. She couldn't see anything through the blur of tears. Nella had started walking in the direction that she thought her home was but it wasn't long before she realized that she was lost. Sniffling, Nella dropped against the very tree that Geralt would have found her by.

Nella curled into a ball, tugging her cloak closer as she sobbed. She couldn't breathe and she certainly couldn't hear an approaching horse and rider. Her eyes squeezed shut as she pressed her hands to her face, her hands shaking as she wiped frantically at her tears. Afraid and alone, Nella was trying desperately to figure out what she could do.

It wasn't until Geralt stepped around the side of the tree that Nella realized he was even there. Another wave of panic shot through her as she started to scramble to the side, tossing herself backward as much as she could. She sniffled, wiping at her tears in an effort to be able to see Geralt better. That would help, surely. But it didn't because then her eyes dropped to the medallion that hung from his neck as she let out a sharp gasp. No, no, no. Nella started shaking her head, flinching as her back hit yet another tree. "P-Pl-Please... d-don't... hurt me," Nella managed to choke out the words. She used the tree behind her, pushing herself to her feet. Nella's eyes were locked on Geralt, watching him like a hawk. He was a witcher, she knew if she tried to run that he could easily catch up to her. If she tried to fight, he'd overpower her. There was no way out of this other than talking and praying that Geralt would leave her alone without hurting her.

"I-I'm.. l-lost," Nella forced the words out, not wanting to admit that her mother had left her alone in the middle of the woods. Not to a witcher who could easily take advantage of her. "

The fear in the girl's eyes was evident and Geralt knew exactly what it was from. The majority of it, anyway, was due to the fact she had seen the symbol he wore around his neck. His hand moved up to the wolf's head, his thumb running over the smooth back side as he pushed it down into his armor. He knew it was pointless, she had already seen it, but perhaps eliminating it now from her view would help her calm down. It wasn't surprising to him that she would be frightened, she was a young girl and he was a bulky man, he saw the power dynamic here.

Squatting down next to the tree, Geralt pushed his hair from his face, trying hard to speak without slurring. "Let me help you." He reached his hand out to her, letting her be the one to take it. He didn't want to scare her anymore than he already was and he wasn't going to force someone to let him help. Not sure if it was that he actually pitied the girl and didn't want to leave her out here all alone, or if it was just the booze, but the witcher felt the need to make sure the girl was safe.

"How did you get out here?" The witcher was just spitting out any and all questions that popped into his head. The girl looked young, so he couldn't think of any reason why she would've been wandering in the woods in the first place, especially since there were no villages in walking distance, unless you wanted to be walking all night long and well into the morning, too. He could sense something was off, something had happened to her. He reached his hand out closer towards her, repeating himself, "I can help you, I can take you home." Tears were still falling down the girl's face, and Geralt felt himself losing patience. "I'm not going to hurt you. I hurt monsters. Are you a monster?" His voice grew deeper, and a bit louder, his golden eyes burning a deep orange. "You have nothing to fear from me."

His senses were slowly returning to him, and off to their left, behind a few trees, he could hear Roach growing restless, stomping around on the forest floor. "I have a horse, right over there," Geralt pointed to the direction he had come from, "We can have you home before night fall." If the girl was just truly lost, perhaps Geralt could figure out a way to squeeze some coin out of her parents for rescuing her... That didn't seem like such a bad pay off, as long as her village wasn't too far away.

@ castle.

Nella stared at Geralt even as he tried to reach out to help her. She didn’t want to take his hand, she didn’t want his help, she didn’t want anything to do with him! He was a Witcher. He was probably just waiting until she was closer to rob her of her coin before disappearing into the woods. Except she had no coin on her so would he be angered by that discovery? Surely he would be and then what would happen? Nella shuddered. She didn’t want to know.

At Geralt’s continued questioning, Nella found herself shaking her head a bit frantically. No. She wasn’t a monster, he didn’t have to hurt her! But still, she remained silent as she stared at him. Her eyes dropped to his hand before flicking back up to his face. She repeated this several times before she seemed to come to a decision. Nella gulped was she reached to take his hand, stepping hesitantly closer to him.

When Geralt insisted on taking her home, Nella visibly stiffened. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to find the courage to speak. Geralt could leave her if she didn’t give him answers or she could tell the truth and he’d realize no one would miss her if she disappeared... and even if he did help her, what could he possibly do? Nothing, surely.

Swallowing thickly, Nella gave a small shake of her head. She stared at her feet, forcing her tears to slow. She had to communicate with Geralt even if she was terrified to. “I-I can’t... go home,” Nella whispered. She sniffles and reached up with her free hand to wipe at her wet cheeks. “Mother and I, we were heading into town to sell her wares because Papa is ill. I had to r-relieve myself and... and I came back and she was just.. gone,” Nella managed to speak. Her voice wavered but hardly broke and she was rather surprised by it. “I’m sorry. I.. I have no coin,” Nella spoke after a moment of silence. She wrapped her free ark around her torso. “I cannot repay you for your help.”

The hardened expression quickly fell from the witcher's face, his jaw slightly dropping as he listened to the girl's story. Geralt felt his stomach lurch forward, and he quickly pulled his hand back and placed it on his stomach, forcing himself to calm down. Memories of when he was a little boy flashed before his eyes, the exact same thing... He came back and their wagon was gone, his mother was gone and then he was taken...

Of course, he had been a little boy. She wasn't.

Geralt's shoulders slumped and once he could breathe without feeling like he was going to vomit, he looked back up at the girl and stood on his feet. "Get up." Turning on his heel, he walked away from her, back towards Roach. He didn't ask, he commanded it of her. Geralt had never been a man to believe in destiny, but there could be absolutely no coincidence that this was happening... "Now, girl. I'm not leaving you out here in the woods."

He placed a hand on the side of Roach's head, turning back to look through the trees, to exactly where he had left Nella. He could've been gentler about it, but he hadn't expected to gain a traveling companion this morning. When he could finally see her getting up from between the trees, he turned towards Roach and mounted the horse swiftly. He grabbed the reins and scooted back in the saddle, holding his hand out to her, motioning for her to come get on the horse.

Geralt wasn't sure if it was because he was drunk, or because he didn't feel comfortable making a girl walk alongside him, but he was letting her ride on Roach and that was completely unheard. No one touched his steed, without losing their hand over it, anyway.

@ castle.

Nella's hand dropped the moment that Geralt let go of it. She hung her head, staring at her feet.. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that she could just.. she didn't even know. Did she wish to return to her home where she wasn't wanted? Did she long for a life where she was? Nella's thoughts were racing nearly as fast as her heart was. Geralt was going to leave her, she was sure of it. Why else would he let go of her hand?

She jolted when Geralt demanded that she get up. Her brows pulled together as she studied him, unsure of whether she was supposed to follow after him. Nella's lips parted and a moment later, she found herself on her feet because he spoke up again and that was all it took to get her moving. To not listen to Geralt, Nella was sure that wherever that landed her, it wouldn't be pleasant.

Starting after Geralt, Nella was surprised that she even managed to contain her tears. She could still feel the weight of the world on her shoulders but at least she wasn't sobbing uncontrollably anymore. Nella bit down on the inside of her lip. She moved to stand beside him, expecting fully to have to walk beside Geralt. It was something she was more than used to, her family only had one horse. Their little carriage was the most important thing, she could and would walk beside it.

It was only when Geralt held his hand out to her that Nella paused, realizing what he was hinting at. She looked up to him, her hesitation more than evident. Nella gathered her skirts, taking Geralt's hand before allowing him to lift her up onto his steed. She curled her shoulders in on herself, wanting to make herself as small as she could as they began to move through the forest. Nella sniffled, reaching up to rub at his cheek. "Where... are we going?" She asked after several minutes of silence. Nella was uneady, she needed some sort of distraction.

Once the girl was up in the saddle with him, Geralt held his arms around either side of her, loosely; he didn't want to make her anymore uneasy than she already was. He kicked his heels into his horse's sides, causing her to start trotting at a gentle pace, "C'mon, Roach." Hundreds of thoughts were running through Geralt's mind, he wondered what had caused him to run into this girl, why he had felt like he had to help her, and why he was taking her with him now. In times like these, all that ran through his head were the terrible stories he heard of witchers. Witchers weren't supposed to be nice, they didn't have a heart, if there was no coin to be gained they would sooner turn and leave a dying man. Geralt liked to believe it wasn't true, but if you tell a story enough times, it would begin to hold some merit.

He thought for a long moment, only giving the young girl silence before he opened his mouth, "Kaer Morhen. It will be a long trip." Geralt looked down at the back of the girls head, aware that she probably had never heard of the place, and if she had, it was in those same nightmarish tales people told about his kind. If she knew, she would be terrified.

There was only one reason you went to Kaer Morhen, if you weren't a witcher, and that was to become a witcher. Geralt wasn't sure exactly what he had planned for the girl, or if she would even be accepted inside the walls. There had never been a female witcher, it wasn't spoken of, but if they refused to teach her, maybe they would let her train with him. For the unforeseeable future, he felt like he would be stuck with the girl, and if she was going to be traveling with him, she needed to know how to handle herself.

It was odd that Geralt wasn't thinking of any other options, like just abandoning her at the nearest village. His eyes glanced down over her, and even though his vision was a little blurry, he could still make out the many curves she held. It would be easy for her to get a job in an inn, or a tavern, or find a lonely man to protect her... Maybe she already did find a lonely man to protect her.

@ castle.

Roach? Nella thought she would have laughed at any other time, if she wasn’t in such an awful situation because she thought Geralt’s name for his horse was peculiar. But the Witcher was helping her and she had already told him that she had no coin. If she upset him or offended him, would he just shove her from his horse and race away? The thought alone was enough to make her shudder. Nella pulled her cloak closer to her body, trying to warm herself. Now that she had managed to calm down, she found that she was tired and cold. She wished that she could eat but she doubted that Geralt would care if she complained.

Nella tilted her head to the side; her face scrunching as she tried to recall if she had ever heard of the city that Geralt seemed their destination. Something told her that she should be wary but she could think of no other reason. “Is there a monster there, that you have to defeat?” She asked. Her gaze dropped to his hands there were wrapped around Roach’s reigns. A shiver ran down her spine - she couldn’t deny just how strong he was. A Witcher and with a body like his? Nella couldn’t help but think that she would be safe with him; until he decided that she was too much to handle.

“How.. how did you find me?” Nella asked, wishing that she could turn and see his face as she spoke. She wondered if she was asking too many questions but she hoped that it wasn’t the case, that Geralt wouldn’t be upset with her over them. After all, he’d said it himself. It was going to be a long trip.

Geralt's charred orange eyes fell down to stare at the back of the girl's head, quite overwhelmed when the girl started asking one question after the other. He tensed his shoulders, bringing his eyes forward again to focus on the path in front of them. "You should be thanking my horse for finding you." Geralt knew what he said probably sounded crazy to the girl, that his horse had been the one to cause him to investigate.

He ignored her other question, wanting to keep the conversation away from their destination for as long as he possibly could. The girl was petrified with just knowing he was a witcher. He didn't want to think about how she might react if he told her about where he was taking her. The very place where young boys were transformed into -by her reaction- terrifying, bloodthirsty witchers. Maybe he would tell her once she warmed up to him, if she warmed up to him... Their trip would take many days, surely there would be time enough for her to come around to him. Or, for him to sober up and realize he was insane and drop her off in the closest village.

Roach began to gallop faster, making her way back to her the dirt trail they had been following in the first place. It would take a few hours, but they would reach another village where they could stop before the sun completely disappeared behind the horizon. He wasn't sure if the girl was hungry or not, but he had enough coin on him to feed them both for the night.

@ castle.

{skipping a bit~}

There was no denying how exhausted Nella felt. She had been riding in a saddle for hours on end when normally, she walked. Her feet would not have ached like her back and her bottom were at the moment. Every few minutes, Nella would shift and try to get a bit more comfortable. It would work until the position started to get uncomfortable all over again. Nella didn’t dare open her mouth to complain because she didn’t want to risk upsetting Geralt. It had seemed that her few questions in the start of the journey had upset and she had been quiet ever since. It was only when she felt a sudden swell of emotion that she would sniffle and reach up to rub at her eyes. They were red and puffy, from a combination of crying for so long and hard and how exhausted she was.

When a village came into view, Nella opened her mouth to ask if that was Kaer Morhen but she thought better of it. If it was, Nella wondered if Geralt would abandon her here. Or would she see him after today? Drooping in the saddle, Nella wasn’t the least bit surprised by the looks and the muttering that began the closer that they got to the town. If this had even been just a day ago, Nella would have done the same. But Geralt had helped her, he hadn’t hurt her. Yet. Already, Nella could feel her opinion on witchers beginning to morph.

Dropping from the saddle when Geralt motioned for her to, Nella smoothed the skirt of her dress down before raising back to her full height. She was curious, with many questions and thoughts racing through her mind but she wouldn’t ask unless Geralt wanted her to.

Her brows raised at the mention of getting a bite to eat. Admittedly, Nella was hungry but she felt like it was wrong to ask him to feed her. He had already helped her by escorting her out of the woods, to civilization. Nella knew that coin was precious to witchers - it always had been to her family. She forced a smile to her face, telling herself that she would be okay until her next meal. It may be a bit but surely, Nella could figure something out. Right? “It’s okay, I’m not really hungry,” Nella was quick to speak. “Just tired mostly. But we can stop to eat - whatever you want,” she added, not wanting to seem pushy or the least bit ungrateful.

Geralt dropped from his horse, patting Roach on the side of the head as he did every time they stopped before he looked down at the girl and cocked one of his eyebrows up. He huffed, looking down at the girl as she seemed to fight with her own words. He wasn't going to beg the girl to eat, his coin was tight and now that he was sober the last thing he wanted was to be double charged for two meals at once. Turning back to his horse, he gazed into his friend's eyes knowing she would stay put right where he left her.

"Come." He motioned for Nella to follow him, realizing he hadn't even asked for her name. He supposed it would be hard for them to travel together if they didn't know basic information about one another. "What's your name?" Geralt was used to hearing people mutter and whisper as he walked by, sometimes they even shouted and threw things, but he had grown a thick skin and was easily about to ignore them. It was best to ignore mortal men and go about one's business. Still, now he realized there was another person he had to protect against threats made towards him.

Leading her into a small, mostly empty tavern, he led her to a table in the far back corner, away from prying eyes. Gesturing towards the bench, he pulled his sword from his back and propped it up against the wall. "Are you sure you are not hungry?" He kept his voice low and his words quick, wondering to himself why he was even asking her again. She was a young, frightened girl, Geralt was positive she just didn't feel comfortable taking from him, but he also didn't want to hear her stomach growling later that night when they were far from any villages. It might be harder to get her to eat something he kills and cooks himself.

@ castle.

Nella was quick to follow after Geralt, knowing that she didn’t need to be told twice to do something by him. She wasn’t about to risk upsetting him when he had already done so much to help her. She bit down on the inside of her lip as she paused by the bench, wondering if her idea was as crazy as she felt like it was. Would Gerald trust her as much as she thought her idea would take? Or maybe it would be okay...s he thought it might actually be more okay than she felt like it would be. Her stomach lurched at the thought but she thought that she might have a bit more luck than Geralt.

She cleared her throat before she turned toward Geralt, raising an eyebrow slowly. “I.. I can go order. Ask for a room, if you’d like,” she spoke gently, not wanting to seem like she was trying to force Geralt to do anything. That certainly wasn’t the case here. “I just.. I’m...” she trailed off, huffing as she motioned to herself. Nella glanced down at her dress and nearly grimaced. It was far dirtier than it had been when she left her home but still, she tugged the bodice of her dress down a bit to reveal her cleavage a bit. It felt vulgar but she wasn’t stupid - she knew that men liked to look.

Nella looked back up to Geralt, a light blush covering her cheeks. “I don’t have to. I-I just.. I figured that.. it might be a bit.. cheaper. I know how they treat witchers.”

Geralt pulled away from the table when Nella pulled her bodice down, not having expected that from the girl. His brilliant eyes fluttered down to her chest for a moment, before he lifted his gaze to stare up at the ceiling, licking his bottom lip. Geralt's heartbeat picked up significantly and he had to bite down on his tongue before he slid onto the bench at the table.

He pulled his coin bag from his side, tossing it onto the table. "Don't get any ideas." His voice came out in a low growl, daring her to even think about taking his money and running. She wouldn't get very far and then she really would be on her own. He didn't think she would be stupid enough to try and take off on him, but he couldn't be too careful. "Get a room and some food... and some ale." Geralt relaxed his shoulders and leaned back against the wall, his eyes sweeping over the girls frame again as she rose to her feet.

The situation might have been a bit annoying to him, but he couldn't deny the way his eyes were roaming all over her body. "Fuck." He groaned, when Nella was out of earshot. He could already feel his palms growing sweaty from nerves. He watched her all the way up to the counter, keeping a close eye on her, making sure none of the other men in the bar got any ideas.

@ castle.

{I realize she didn't answer what her name was }

Nella felt a blush cover her cheeks when she noticed Geralt's gaze dropping to her chest. She didn't know why she was reacting like this because she had been the one to suggest this. She didn't even know whether this would work if Geralt even agreed to her suggestion. Nella didn't even think to hide the look on her face when Geralt told her not to get any ideas. She hadn't even thought about it because Geralt was a witcher. Doublecrossing him seemed like it was just about one of the worst possible ideas that she could have had. "I won't. I swear," Nella was quick to promise him.

Plucking the coin bag from the table, Nella gave him a tight smile before she twisted around and was sure to start swaying her hips a bit as she moved toward the bar. It was nearly twenty minutes before she returned to Geralt's table with a bit of a grin on her features. She felt sick thinking about the way the barkeep had spoken to her and leered but Nella was pleased with the results of her little endeavor. Nella dropped the coin back onto the table beside the tankard of ale that she deposited beside it. She gave him a light smile before she turned back around.

When Nella returned, Geralt was carrying two plates of food. One was blatantly piled high and she set this one in front of him before she sat opposite of him. "The room was a bit more than I think it should be... but the meal is free," Nella murmured. She didn't look up from her plate, not wanting to see the look on Geralt's face. Would he be pleased or annoyed somehow?

"I'm Nella, by the way," Nella spoke up after a few bites of her food. "So.. are you... leaving me here then?" Nella asked, figuring that this was the end of the line for the two of them.

Geralt didn't seem to excited over the food, though he began picking at the bird leg once she sat the plate down. He was more thrilled with the beer she placed down before him. "They probably know you're with me. But, it seems your tricks got us something for free." He motioned to the food in front of them. He ripped a chunk of bread to pieces and popped some into his mouth as he looked around. The girl had also, no doubt, drawn attention to herself.

His hand moved over the table, grabbing the coin up before hiding it away in his bag. "Geralt," he introduced himself before returning his attention to her. "And no, I'm not leaving you here." The witcher wasn't sure what else to tell her, still wary about telling her more details about their destination. He wasn't sure how she'd react to his plans for her, if he could talk them into accepting her. If they didn't, he'd have to train her in fighting himself. Destiny had stuck the girl in his path, but he couldn't pack her around if she couldn't at least watch out for herself.

Wrapping his fist around the tankard, he brought it to his lips and took a large gulp of the ale. He hadn't had a drink since finding the girl and he really needed it to take the edge off of the situation.

@ castle.

Nella was quick to nod her head when Geralt motioned toward the food that she had somehow managed to get for free. She had no clue how she had managed to do it, truthfully but she was relieved that she had. She had only wanted to help Geralt out somehow and she had done so. She had saved him a fair bit of coin and for that, Nella felt very proud of herself. Chewing on the inside of her lip, Nella picked at the food in front of her. She was hungry and she knew that she needed to eat but she was far too nervous about the situation that she had found herself in.

There would be no returning home for her because she didn't even know where she was. Nella wouldn't know what direction to start walking if she wanted to try and get home to a place where she wasn't wanted. She wanted to ask Geralt more questions about what he had already seemingly planned out for her. But it seemed like Geralt had no interest in conversation because he would tense each time she spoke. When he did give her an answer, it was only a few short words before he was quiet again.

It wasn't until Nella started to wonder if Geralt had neared the end of his drink. "Do you.. want another drink?" Nella offered. The least that she could do was pay attention to him and his needs. It was the only way she could even think that would help to begin to pay back what Geralt was doing for her.

Geralt took the last swig of his drink before slamming it down on the table. "Yes." He gruffed, not raising his eyes from his plate. Now that he had fully enjoyed his beer, he was fully aware of how hungry he was. He tore the food apart, barely looking up when Nella grabbed his tankard and returned it to the barkeep.

The young girl seemed so timid, tiptoeing around the witcher. Must be scared that I'll just abandon her somewhere... Or worse. Geralt thought as he bit into the large turkey leg. It probably wouldn't hurt for him to be a little friendlier, instead of sitting like a rock, completely silent. He looked up when she returned, pushing the mug back in his direction. Still unable to help his eyes from roaming her figure, Geralt picked up the ale and thanked her.

Being a man, even if he was mutated, Geralt wondered if Nella would want to help him warm his bed. He glanced around the bar, deciding those thoughts weren't appropriate. The last thing he needed to do was make it awkward between them, or get the girl actually catching feelings for him. He knew how women could be... But what else did he expect to happen if they were going to be stuck together?

"Are you tired? We can go rest once we're finished eating. We will leave first thing in the morning." The witcher knew he would have to start looking for another job tomorrow, too. He was low on funds, and if he didn't find something, they'd be sleeping out in the woods tomorrow.

@ castle.

Nella didn't have to be told twice when Geralt indicated that he wanted another drink. She stood and turned, heading straight for the bar. She had already tugged on her dress, revealing her dress again. She giggled and leaned forward, pressing her arms against her sides as she flirted with the barkeep for a moment. When Nella returned, she looked a bit sour and slammed the tankard down on the table. She didn't speak, only looking up when Geralt asked if she was tired.

"That works for me. I'll rest on the floor... unless there's a chair," Nella added as an afterthought. She didn't think it was okay to sleep in the same bed - she wasn't going to assume that Geralt was okay with it unless he decided to offer. It made more sense to her because Geralt was the fighter, he needed to be aware of everything while she was just a girl. He had more skills than she did, the most she had was her body that she could hope to use to her advantage.

Nella considered trying to bathe but she realized that it wasn't going to happen in the tavern. At least she didn't think it was. On habit alone, Nella started gathering their plates and stacked them when they had both finished eating. "How far is Kaer Morhen?" Nella asked softly, chewing on the inside of her lip. The thought that she was going to be so far away from her home. Everything was completely up in the air for her and that was terrifying - she had no idea what the future held for her.

Geralt pulled the tankard closer to him, before looking up at Nella. "Far. Won't be there for a few more days, at least." Geralt had nowhere closer to take the girl, the only place that he had ever called home was Kaer Morhen. It was the only place he felt he could truly relax, without the unwarranted glares and sideways comments from people all around him. Only witchers dwelled inside the halls of Kaer Morhen.

"Not to mention if I pick up a job or two on the way." Geralt looked down into his cup before he brought it to his lips, silently hoping he would be able to find at least one contract on their next ride. Whether Nella would try to use her little body to win Geralt some free food, he was still low on coin and beds cost money. He brought the tankard back down to the table, holding it between his hands.

"If you're going to be traveling with me, you'll need to learn to fight. That's why we're heading where we're heading." He decided he should give her at least a little bit of insight. It most likely wouldn't go over well if he just threw all the information on her at once when they arrived. "If you want to keep traveling with me. Although, I don't know where else you'd go." Geralt stared across the table at Nella for a moment, before looking to his left across the tavern. The crowd was starting to thin as the moon rose higher in the sky, sending a brilliant white light through the windows.

@ castle.