caught by surprise

Nella fell quiet after Geralt told her that it would be a few days time before they reached Kaer Morhen. She wondered what this place was because he continued to mention little things but she couldn't piece any of them together yet. The mention of a job didn't even make her react because she had already been expecting it. Nella had no clue how much money was in Geralt's pouch (she had only grabbed enough to pay for the room). Now that he had a travelling companion, Geralt would have more expenses. She was already determined to do her best to help with that but Nella wasn't sure what all she would end up being able to do. Other than the saving him money on food and drink wherever possible.

She visibly recoiled at the mention of fighting. Of all the things that she had been expecting, that had been at the very bottom of the list. Nella blinked rapidly, trying to form some sort of response. Her fight? Did Geralt see her? Her face scrunched as she leaned forward, her brows pulled together as she stared at him. "What? You can't be serious! It's.. me!"

Nella exhaled, trying to relax enough that she could actually comprehend what he said. She let out a small laugh at the thought, shaking her head rapidly. "There's no way... I can fight. I'm just a girl! I don't know the first thing about fighting or defending myself or.. I doubt i can even do it!" Nella started up again. It wasn't that she was trying to argue with Geralt, she simply didn't understand how he thought she would even be able to do that.

Geralt didn't find her sudden outburst amusing, even in the slightest. His brows pulled together and he glared up at the girl, hoping his stern look would get her to quiet down. The last thing he wanted was everyone in this bloody hell hole to over hear them speaking of Kaer Morhen and her shouting about not wanting to fight.

"Would you quiet down?" He barked, slamming his fist down on the table. "Tell me what you would prefer to do then, girl. If you travel with me, I can't be looking over my shoulder at your every few seconds, making sure you're okay. You'll need to be able to protect yourself at least some of the time, but if you're not willing to learn, then I guess I could leave you here." Geralt looked around the inn, bringing his tankard back up to his lips to quench his thirst.

"I'm sure after flirting with the inn-keep, he'd be willing to offer you a job." Geralt hadn't meant to be so harsh, but after she had raised her voice and practically announced to every patron in the bar their business, he couldn't help hide his aggravation. "But if you decide to stay here, you'll be on your own with no one to help you if you find yourself in trouble." He hoped she understand what kind of trouble he was hinting at.

@ castle.

Nella jumped when Geralt slammed his fist down on the table. She gasped, her eyes widening as she pushed herself back against the chair she was in. She swallowed thickly, her attention focused on the table in front of her. Her heart was racing as she appeared to curl her shoulders in on herself. She was trying to make herself appear as small as possible. She listened to what he said but all she did was do that, she couldn't bring herself to say anything right away.

He was right - what would she do without Geralt? He could abandon her here but what would happen without Geralt nearby? Nella knew what she would have to defend herself against and Geralt's mention of it was enough to make her blood run cold. She let out a shaky breath. All Nella could bring herself to do was nod her head. She fumbled with her hands, unsure of what she was supposed to do or say. Nella felt like she was supposed to apologize but she didn't want to say a thing to possibly make this any worse than she seemingly already had.

Nella wanted to tell him that she was weak, that she was small, how could she possibly learn to fight properly? There was no way. But she didn't have the courage to argue with Geralt. Though she seemed to make the connection about where they were going. Nella's head lifted then and she wanted to ask if her hunch was right but she also thought announcing their business again likely wasn't the best idea.

"Sorry," Nella finally convinced herself to speak, unable to say much more at all. Her gaze dropped to her lap then, chewing on the inside of her lip. "D'ya want another ale or should we.. retire?" She murmured, figuring she'd just be quiet otherwise.

Geralt just closed eyes for a moment, shaking his head in Nella's direction. He wondered to himself why he had taken responsibility for the girl in the first place. Why couldn't he just leave her here, toss her a few coins to get a room for the night and be on his way? It would be so much easier than the headache he would no doubt feel upon escorting her into Kaer Morhen. Opening his eyes again, Geralt looked across the table at the small girl, reminding himself of how similar their abandonment stories had been. It couldn't just be a coincidence, but he didn't have to care.

Turning his head towards the window a few feet away from where they sat, Geralt realized just how dark it had become. Taking the last swig of his ale, he dropped the tankard to the table and pushed himself up from the table. "You know the way." Geralt grunted, motioned to the stairs that led up to the rooms on the second floor. He followed her lead, noticing how she seemed to curl in on herself, like a turtle hiding in its shell. Perhaps he had held a bit to harsh tone of voice, but the girl had to learn. Witchers were hated enough, the last thing he needed were the drunkards around him to hear of his business. He could only imagine the trouble that would bring on him.

Once in their room, Geralt headed straight for the chair in the corner, falling down in it before pulling off his boots. His feet were what hurt him the most from his long journey and the simple act of removing his shoes gave him all the relief he could ask for. Gently pulling the hair tie from his hair, Geralt ran his fingers through his white mane, combing out the knots and tangles as he relaxed back into the chair.

"You can have the bed." He wasn't thrilled to make his bed on the floor, but he wasn't about to take the bed from the girl and he also didn't want to make her skin crawl by sharing it with her.

@ castle.

Nella wasted no time in leading Geralt up the stairs and to the room that she’d managed to acquire for them. Her eyes were lowered to the ground as she stepped to the side, allowing Geralt to enter before she turned to lock the door behind them. It wasn’t that she expecting, or even wanting, anything to happen between them but she knew that in a foreign city, it was better to be safer than sorry. They were in a tavern where men could get carried away and a few seconds could mean the difference between Geralt being prepared to fight them and being caught dead asleep. Her face scrunched a bit at the thought but she didn’t voice these concerns because she thought she would sound silly to Geralt. More than she already had, several times over. Biting down on the inside of her lip, Nella turned toward the room.

Her brows rose as she watched Geralt settle into the chair, already declaring that she could have the bed. Nella quite liked the idea of being able to enjoy the bed but watching the way he tried to hide a grimace when he pulled off his boots, she knew that she couldn’t ask him to sleep in the chair. It would be better if she did.. But she also knew that wasn’t going to be a comfortable option either. Nella’s stomach twisted, an unfamiliar feeling settling over her as her head shook.

“No. You.. you saved me back there. Without you, I’d probably be still stumbling through the woods like a fool.. Or.. worse,” Nella added with a huff. She wasn’t naive, she knew that she could have ran into far worse than Geralt. Human or monster, Nella’s night could have ended quite a bit worse than it had. “We can share the bed. It’s big enough for the both of us,” Nella added. She hoped that she sounded far more confident than she felt because she felt incredibly uneasy with her suggestion only because she wasn’t sure how Geralt himself would react to it.

Geralt huffed, leaning forward so his arms rested on his legs, glancing up at Nella as she suggested they share the bed. It had been what he considered first, before thinking it would make her uncomfortable. His shoulders relaxed as he let out a deep sigh, his gaze flicking over to the straw bed. Knowing it wouldn't be the most comfortable, it would certainly feel better against his sore, tightened muscles than the cold wooden floor would.

He couldn't help but grunt when she mentioned how he had saved her, an impulse decision, one which he was still wondering why he had made. He could've ignored his horse, could've turned a blind eye... It would've saved him coin and time, that was certain. "Fine, if you're sure." Forcing himself back on his feet, Geralt began to undo his armor, letting it fall from his jerkin before removing his shirt too.

Scars littered his torso, deep, exaggerated cuts, each that told a different story. One for every time he had been too careless, when he had gotten maybe a bit too cocky or underestimated a monster. They tore up his sides and across his back and chest. His hands moved to his trousers, but he stopped, his fingers lingering over his waistband. Deciding he'd leave them on, for Nella's sake, he dropped his hands and moved to sit on the bed.

Raising his eyes to look on Nella once more, he noticed how she held herself. A timid, scared little girl who was doing her best to appear confident. Geralt noted the way her hands trembled slightly, how even though she had suggested sharing the bed, she still clung to the door. For a moment, Geralt couldn't help wonder if she believed him to be a monster. He supposed he could make it a bit easier on her. "Well, c'mon." Another gruff expression as he nodded down towards the bed.

@ castle.

Nella nodded her head when Geralt answered her. She wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't lay awake all night, too nervous to sleep, but she knew that she wouldn't sleep if Geralt was on the ground. He had likely saved her life or at the very least, saved her from a terrible fate. She hadn't been stupid, she knew that if another man had happened upon a weak, defenceless girl in the middle of the woods, her fate could have been so much worse.

She couldn't stop herself from looking up when Geralt started to undress, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of his body. The scars marring his skin were enough to turn her stomach because she couldn't help but wonder how many times he had come close to death. How many times had he nearly perished, trying to save the world from a monster that was plaguing it. Of course, there was gold to be rewarded but Geralt needed to survive, didn't he?

Hesitating a moment further when Geralt prompted her, Nella moved toward him. She toed off her shoes, shrugging her cloak from around her shoulders. She folded it neatly before setting it on the small table in the room. Nella turned back toward the bed and laid down, shivering as she laid down on her back. Nella stared up at the ceiling, chewing on the inside of her lip. "Thank you. For saving me," she spoke into the silence, wanting to make sure that Geralt knew she understood everything he had done for her.

What he had planned was crazy to her but Nella felt indebted to him. Nella wanted to make him proud. He would be disappointed in her if she failed and that seemed just awful to her. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you.. want me to give you a massage? Or anything?" Nella was nervous to offer because there wasn't a whole lot that she knew but she was at least confident in a few things.

Geralt tensed his shoulders and looked down at her after she offered a massage. He had ignored her thanks, choosing instead to wonder if it was appropriate to take her up on her offer. "Actually, that sounds nice." Glancing down at her, he noticed how her eyes were squeezed shut and he grimaced. "You don't have to." He gruffed, not wanting her to feel like she had to give him anything. He had chosen to take her on his own accord, she wasn't indebted to him.

Nella most likely thought just like everyone else, deep down. Geralt was just a monster, nearly as bad as the creatures he stalked and cut down. The thought of touching him had to disgust her, he was a mutant after all.

"We should get sleep," he frowned, moving to lie on his side, his back turned to her. He made sure to scoot closer to the edge, giving Nella enough room on the bed to where they didn't even touch. "We'll have to leave early." Crossing his arms tightly over his chest, he shut his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the fact he was he was sharing the bed with someone.

@ castle.