never look back.

Sophia was absolutely petrified as she snuck out of her family's home. She hadn't even packed a bag or taken any of her belongings beyond the clothes on her back because she knew that if she did, if she gave her family any hint that she might be trying to leave, that they would get rid of her. Instead of being locked away in the grande country home that had been her home since hte day that she had been born. It was typical to sport a scar or two but Sophia had been covered in them, the most noticeable in the form of one that ran down her left cheek, from her hairline and on down to her jaw.

The first time that Sophia had truly understood what a soulmate was, what the scars on her body meant, she had only been seven years old. She had been inconsolable for days because all she could picture was what had happened to someone who was supposed to mean so much to her. The marks on her body couldn't have been from fun stories - she had dissected most of them. Some looked like them were stab wounds, some cuts, and others... others, she thought they might have been from a gunshot but Sophia was convinced she would never know the full story behind any of them. That she didn't even want to know them.

Gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her fingers turned white, Sophia was shaking so badly once she pulled up to the restaurant that was a front of the opposing mafia. She knew that stepping inside, she would never be able to look back. Hell, Sophia had needed the GPS in the car to even get to the restaurant because she had only been to the city a time or two before.

The moment that Sophia stepped into the building, there was no looking back. She was betraying her family but had they ever earned that loyalty from her? She didn't think so but still, it felt wrong as she slid out of the car. Her stomach flipped as her hand hovered on the doorhandle of the restaurant. Did she turn around and go home, where she knew she would face an awful existence or did she step through the door and hope for the best?

Sophia took a deep breath before she stepped inside, her head lowered and her hands wrapped around her torso. It wasn't more than a minute or two of laying there before a man approached her, a sneer on his face. He grabbed her bicep before dragging her toward the back of the restaurant. Sophia didn't dare lift her head, her eyes trained on the floor as they stepped into the back room.

"I-I.." Sophia trailed off, swallowing. No, she wouldn't speak until she was addressed. She shook her head, curling impossibly smaller in on herself.

Geralt looked up at the door as it opened, passing the deck of cards between his hands repeatedly. They'd already been shuffled and the men sitting around his table were all waiting for him to deal. He raised an eyebrow seeing one of his henchmen leading a girl into his private backroom. "Hmm.." he grumbled under his breath before setting the deck of cards face down on the table, his gold thumb ring glistening under the dim lights.

The white haired man didn't even need to say a word. All of the men just knew and in a second, their chairs were scooting out and they were all showing themselves back out, onto the restaurant floor. When the room was empty, save for Kellen and the strange girl, Geralt looked up from the cards and stood to his own feet. "Interrupted a perfectly good card game," he sighed, crossing his arms as he rounded the table. The girl in front of him looked shy, terrified to be standing where she was, shaking in his shadow. Still, he could tell she came from a wealthy family, but what was she doing here.

Sighing, Geralt tilted his head to the side and his eyes flashed towards Kellen. "Leave." The man just bowed his head before turning and disappearing out of the back room. Geralt's hand ran along the table, around the multiple glasses of scotch and guns that laid strewn about. He'd been betting on property, more land in their city. Shame it was cut short. Could've been very profitable for him, but he knew he'd get what he wanted either way.

Turning his attention back to Sophia, Geralt's burnt eyes looked her over once more. She was small, a pretty face, pouty lips... He could imagine them wrapped around his cock, his fist tangled in that long dark hair... "Cat got your tongue?" Geralt's voice came out low and gruff as he picked up his shot glass. "Why is a little girl coming and looking for the white wolf?" It wasn't a surprise that she might have a favor to ask him. There were so many women and men in debt to Geralt in this city, over favors, that he really couldn't count them all. But she was so young, practically still a child... What could she want from him?

@ castle.

Sophia had heard stories about the man that they called the White Wolf. He was a man that did not know mercy, a brutal man that would go to any means necessary to get ahead. To be where he wanted in life. The boss of her family's rival. Knowing she was about to stand in front of him? That had been enough to man her nearly fall to the ground and beg for forgiveness; she was just a girl with nothing to save her but the information that she knew. That she hoped would buy her some sort of freedom. Anything was better than what she had known all her life. She thought but more importantly, Sophia hoped.

"Interrupted a perfectly good card game." The words were enough to make Sophia flinch, her eyes squeezing shut as she prepared herself for what she was sure was coming. Sophia was never meant to interrupt her father, particularly if he was working. And she had just interrupted the White Wolf? The tales she had heard of him made him seem even more terrifying than her own family.

Sophia's breath caught in the back of her throat when Geralt addressed her for the first time. She knew she was supposed to speak, show him the respect that he deserved but Sophia couldn't seem to think beyond her fear. Geralt could take her information and choose not to believe it or he could believe it or he could try to use her as bait. So many options that she didn't even want to think about. None of them seemed like they could turn out well.

"I am Sophia De Luca," the words managed to roll off of her tongue. Sophia squeezed her eyes shut, telling herself to just get on with it. She couldn't keep Geralt waiting forever. "M-My family is... they are planning to ambush your men at the warehouse," Sophia paused to take a deep breath before continuing on. "The warehouse down on the river, closest to the dock. N-Next weekend," she added. It wasn't much information at all, a story that she knew Geralt could choose to laugh at.

Sophia took a step back, her shoulders curled in on herself. "That's all I know. I-I'm sorry.."

The smile that decorated Geralt's face quickly began to slip when the girls last name rolled off of her to tongue. It was instantly replaced with a sneer, his nose wrinkling as he tried to focus on what else the girl had to say. But already his mind was running off with wild possibilities. What she was doing here? Was this a trick? His eyes darted around the girls face, trying to find any sign that the bitch was lying to him or trying to deceive him. "De Luca..." He repeated, the tip of his tongue resting against his top lip.

Sophia looked terrified enough that he almost couldn't believe she had waltzed in here on her own. His eyes roamed down her body now for an entirely different reason, wondering if she wore any sort of wire underneath her clothing. He wouldn't put it past her pig of a father to use his own daughter as some sort of bait. "Oh, they are?" Even if Geralt was skeptical, and more worried about his own safety in that exact moment, it was still a lead he would take seriously. "And why would Viktor De Luca's own daughter be forfeiting that sort of information to the enemy?" Geralt's voice remained soft- as soft as the white wolf's voice could be, not wishing to frighten the young girl any further. He didn't believe she held any ill will towards him and if she was bait in some fucked up scheme, it was all Viktors doing.

Still, Geralt stepped up to Sophia and stalked around her. Surely she'd heard stories of him, how he'd singlehandedly built his own family from the ground up, creating an empire that sprawled across the east coast. His hands were stained bloody, he hadn't given himself the nickname butcher, after all. If this girl was playing some role for her father, it surprised him like hell that she had enough nerve to still be standing tall in front of him, even if she was shaking. His hands rested on her shoulders, brushing the hair back away from her shoulders. Soft, gentle touches that he was sure was causing her to simultaneously ruin her panties and scare her into giving him the truth. His large, rough hands ran down her sides, inspecting her for any sort of recording devices or trackers.

"How did a little girl like yourself even find out that information?" Geralt leaned down, whispering against her ear. His breath tickling her and sending little shivers down her spine. "You can't even be sixteen, can you?" He was teasing, though he knew she was underage, and a just a girl, so why would her father have been talking business in front of her?

@ castle.

Sophia could only bring herself to give the tiniest nod of her head when Geralt questioned her initially. She kept her head down, wringing her hands together in front of herself. She was shaking, terrified and wanting nothing more than to turn and run for her car. At least back at her house, Sophia knew what to expect. She would only ever see her father and his men, expected to feed them and take care of them without hesitation or complaint.

His question was enough to make her blood run cold. Sophia had wholeheartedly expected him to be apprehensive at best but it still was enough to scare her. This could go so, so badly. She couldn't even bring herself to answer him at first, paying attention to his movements. Sophia was convinced that he was about to smack her, to choke her, to punish her somehow. Now that she was here, Sophia was completely unprotected. Geralt could drag the information out of her before killing her and she could do nothing to stop him.

Sophia whimpered when Geralt leaned into her personal space. Her hands shook as she tried to remind herself why she was here. "The life that I live is hardly even a life worth living," she supplied finally, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. Why was she telling Geralt any of this? He wouldn't care about her woes, she was a De Luca. She was worse than the dirt beneath his feet, Sophia wasn't naive enough to think otherwise.

"Father spoke about it with Matteo, a few days prior. Today was the first day that I was able to leave," Sophia spoke softly, keeping her voice down as she stared at her feet. She chose to ignore his comment about her age, hoping that Geralt would think nothing more about it. "I am not to leave our home so Father was never afraid of information leaving. When I did receive the chance to leave, I was always accompanied for my own protection," she added, letting out a small huff at her recycled words.

Her answer warranted another raised eyebrow from the mafia boss, wondering what could be so horrible about her life. She was the daughter of a don, surely she was treated like a little princess... It was probably all just a lie, the little girl in front of him was likely nothing more than a spoiled brat. Probably just upset that she was kept under heavy guard, as to not go getting herself into trouble. Like she was... Right now.

"Not supposed to leave your house, you say?" Geralt questioned, squeezing her hip gently. "And... I assume you were not accompanied here," he smirked, his eyes twinkling the more excited he became. "I wonder what your father will say when he learns whose clutches you've fallen into..." Sophia couldn't have walked into his den, expecting to just walk out as easily? The little kitten snuck out of from under the watchful eye of her father to fall under his predatory gaze and now she was caught.

Geralt wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and began leading her towards the service elevator. "Poor little kitten," Geralt smiled, reaching out to call for the elevator. "I'm sure there's a lot more information you could give me..." He looked down at her, his orange eyes smoldering along with the playful little smile that played on his lips. The doors slowly opened and Geralt motioned for her to step inside. "Go on, you're a smart girl." He was assuming she knew better than to try and run from him, especially when she was on his own turf. "We can go up to my suite, have a little talk about your daddy."

It was like a little gold mine had fallen in his lap. Either her father could pay a pretty penny for her safe return, or she'd spill his every secret to the white wolf. Before Viktor would even know what happened to him, his empire would crumble at his feet.

@ castle.

"No. No one knew that I was leaving. It was.." Sophia trailed off, her face scrunching for a moment before she spoke again. "A little over an hour before I arrived here. So It's possible that no one knows I am gone yet," she added with a thoughtful nod of her head. Sophia wasn't smart at outmaneuvering people, she knew that she was at Geralt's mercy. There was no getting out of this, if Geralt wanted to hurt her, he could.

The suggestion that Geralt made, it sent her heart racing. Sophia had given him all that she thought was useful but was there something more that she could have given him? She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to ignore the way her body trembled as she started for the elevator. Sophia still hadn't looked up from her feet, her father's rules at the forefront of her mind. Serving the men in her life was her only purpose.

Sophia couldn't stop herself from lifting her head when the elevator doors reopened into Geralt's suite. Her eyes roamed over the first bit of the room before she seemed to remember her place, her head dropping completely to study her feet. Sophia's steps matched Geralt's, never moving further in front of him. She wouldn't do anything without Geralt's prompting, she knew what it meant to go against the men who were in charge.

"I do not... I don't think I know more that will be helpful for you," Sophia finally managed to speak, hoping it would be enough to save her. She reached for her hoodie sleeves, tugging them down enough that she could hold the material in her hands. A nervous habit she had developed long ago. "But... I will help, wherever I can."

"You'd be surprised," Geralt whispered, the elevator doors closed, concealing them inside together. He raised a hand to her head, brushing back a strand of her hair. His jacket sleeve pulled up, rubbing against a few of the weird scars he had on his wrist. Geralt wasn't a stranger to scars, he was littered with them from head to toe, but... Scars that hinted they were self inflicted, up his arms and even a few on his hips and legs. He would never.

Dropping his hand quickly, he made his sleeve dropped back down around his wrist. The elevator took them to the top floor, and Geralt guided Sophia out towards his rooms. Holding the door open to his office, he watched her with a little smirk on his face. "Like first, I'm sure if I showed you a map of all the warehouses in the city, you could tell me which were owned by your father?" Stepping inside himself, he shut the door and moved towards his desk, motioning for Sophia to follow.

That information alone would be enough to sever one of the beasts many heads. If Geralt knew which warehouses to seize and raid, he could cost Sophia's old man millions. Grabbing the bottle of scotch off of his desk, Geralt poured himself a small glass and found his mind wondering other places... Like how Sophia would look forced over his desk. Licking his bottom lip, he took a sip of his drink and pointed towards the map that was laying open on his desk.

"There. Can you point them out?"

@ castle.

Sophia shuddered as she was led into Geralt's office. She had been in her father's office hundreds of times, refilling glasses and serving the food that she had put together. Even as Geralt urged her toward the chair opposite his desk, Sophia kept her head down with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The thought of pointing out her father's warehouses was enough to make her feel ill but what more could she expect? Sophia had come to Geralt with information that could very well be fake. If she continued giving him information, it would solidify that she was telling the truth.

Sophia sniffled, staring at the map set out in front of her. Telling him no, it wouldn't do anything at all. She took a deep breath before she started slowly pointing out the different warehouses, her gaze kept focused on where she pointed her finger. Her hand was covered with her sleeve, only her pointer finger peeking out from the material.

When she had pointed out the last one, Sophia leaned back in the chair. She slumped against the arm, chewing on her bottom lip. Another nervous habit that was always there, that she couldn't seem to escape. "Those are the ones I know about... but I.. don't know if there are more. The four that are clumped together are the ones that hold his guns, harder to take down if they're close together. They're always manned because..." Sophia trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know," she finished, deciding the truth was the only thing that might help her.

Geralt leaned over the desk, eyeing the buildings she pointed out immediate interest. Grabbing a marker from his desk, he circled each four of them and then slowly took a step back. Despite his excitement at the situation, his mouth stayed set in a hard line. "What a wonderful day this is..." He whispered, looking up from the map towards Sophia. "How lucky can one man be?" It all almost seemed too good to be true. Geralt still wasn't sure if he believed Sophia, but the longer their little conversation continued and no ambush occured, he had no reason not to believe her until that Friday. If his warehouse was attacked, then he was one lucky man.

"You better not be lying to me, little bird," Geralt growled, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a deep gulp. The large brute of a man could drink from the time he woke in the morning to the time he fell asleep and he'd be lucky if he even caught a buzz. Setting the empty glass back down on his desk, he made his way around to her side and stood directly behind her. His hands came to rest on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing over her skin gently in circles... "Lying... It's one of my pet peeves... Do you know what I do to liars, Sophia?"

He could feel the way her body fell rigid under his touch. Was she regretting coming to him? He'd bet money on it. If he gave her the opportunity to run home, he wondered if she'd even think on it first. Leaning down so his mouth was next to her ear, he stared forward, squeezing her shoulders gently, "I like to cut out their tongues first." Geralt wanted to make her squirm, hoping that if the little brat was tricking him, he could get her to come clean.

@ castle.

Sophia kept wondering when Geralt would attack her. She was sure that it was coming, most days with her father ended the same way. If something went wrong with his work, she was the one that suffered when everything was taken care of. She was punished if she broke one of his rules that he set in place to control her. Her life had revolved around just trying to survive to the next day. That was all she knew and Sophia had simply gotten tired of it.

Flinching at Geralt's words, Sophia shook her head as quickly as she could. Tears threatened to fall as she shuddered, his words scaring her right down to her core. No, Sophia didn't know and she didn't want to know how Geralt would deal with liars. Sophia bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out as Geralt's fingers dug into the bruises that littered her shoulders. Geralt wouldn't care about her pity story, Sophia wasn't going to give it up.

"I-I.." Sophia paused, shuddering as she clung to her sleeves, desperate to hold onto the comfort her hoodie provided her. "I'm not lying. My father hates me for who I am, what I am. If I die at your hand... at least I tried to get out," she spoke. It was more than she wanted to tell Geralt but at least it was something that she hoped was enough to convince Geralt that she wasn't lying or trying to trick him in some way.

Geralt watched her face closely, her bottom lip trembling as she bit down on it to keep from crying. Her fear was turning into what seemed more like dread and the white wolf wondered if he'd gotten her. That hadn't taken very long... His eyes ran down her body, noting how her hands fidgeted with her sleeves, scrunching them tightly in her balled up hands. He wasn't expecting what came out of her mouth next. No, an apology, a pity story about how she was forced into doing this... No, more of the same, only sadder.

"What you are?" Geralt asked, his eyes narrowing as his hands ran down the girls shoulders, even more slowly down her arms. His eyes fixed on how she nervously clung to her sleeves. Why? Just a nervous habit? Watching her caused his own scars to itch, making them impossible to forget... "Why does your father hate you so much, girl?" The words rolled off Geralt's tongue in a deep growl, his large hands finally able to wrap tightly around her wrists.
There. Was that a slight wince? Geralt ran his thumbs along her wrists, though they were still shielded by her sleeves. "Why should I not rid myself of you right now?"

It seemed he'd already gotten everything he wanted out of her, all the knowledge about her father's business that she possessed. Keeping her around any longer would just be a nuisance, but it was becoming more clear to Geralt that Sophia had hoped she could exchange knowledge for protection. And what kind of man would Geralt be to turn away such a defenseless little girl? To toss her back out onto the street, to force her back to such a cruel man would be a crime. If she was telling the truth. "What does he do to you, Sophia?" Geralt purred against her ear, so close his chest was pressed up against her back, his crotch grinding into her ass as he forced her into the side of the desk.

@ castle.

Sophia's panic started to rise as Geralt's hands moved down her arms. Her cuts were something that she had managed to hide for most of her life. Her father had seen them but he had never cared enough to question where they came from. So long as she was in the house like she was supposed to be, it didn't matter what happened to Sophia. For the briefest moment, Sophia let herself wonder how Viktor would respond when he found out that Sophia had runaway. How long before he realized she had run right to the enemy? Did the car have a tracker on it? If it did, Sophia knew Viktor would piece it together and her life was all but over.

Her grip tightened on her sleeves, a slight wince moving across her features when Geralt gripped her wrists. It hurts, that was an easy explanation that she would offer him. "I was born with scars everywhere... everywhere. Father thought it better to hide me from society than anything else.." Sophia trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. It was the truth, her own dirty little habits had nothing to do with her story right now.

"Father is a volatile man.. if I stepped out of place, he wasn't shy about letting me know," she explained. Telling Geralt that her father had never been shy about hitting her seemed pointless, why would he care? Sophia still hadn't convinced herself to look up, her eyes trained on her hands. The way she was sure her fingers were turning white from how tightly she gripped her sleeves. Sophia whimpered as Geralt forced her against the desk, a new sense of dread filling her. If he wanted her, Sophia knew there was no running from him. And she wouldn't even try because the other option was no better than what she would suffer at Geralt's hand, she thought.

Sophia shifted slightly, shuddering as she realized just how close Geralt was to her. She was prey to the White Wolf. "I-I.. I haven't before," she mumbled, a quiet admission that made her blush despite her best efforts.

Born covered in scars... Geralt leaned forward, releasing her wrists from his grip as he grabbed the edge of the desk. Sophia was still caged in, Geralt's body pressed firmly up against hers. He could practically smell her fear and normally, he'd be on her like flies on honey... He loved getting to play with a scared little girl and even now, he couldn't help where his mind was wandering, wondering if she was aching for him. His hand wanted to explore up her thighs, feel just how hot she was for him. If Sophia thought she was going to walk her tight little ass into Geralt's world and him not notice it, she was more stupid than she was brave. But there were more pressing matters. Like Sophia's scars. Geralt was heavily interested.

"I'd do the same," Geralt let her know, his eyes running back up to her face. "A girl is supposed to be seen and not heard, especially a little girl from a mafia family." His head tilted to the side as he leaned in slightly closer, his eyes running down along the collar of her shirt. It might've looked like he was more trying to check her out, but Geralt was honestly just trying to catch a sight of these markings. "I'm sure Viktor was trying to keep you out of trouble..." Geralt laughed, straightening back up as he gave the girl some space on her confession of being a virgin. "But it looks like you've found it anyway."

Geralt paced around his office, his fists disappearing into the pockets on his brown trousers. Would it be wrong of him to force her to undress? A girl that was littered in scars and she didn't have a clue how any of them just...appeared? Scars don't really work that way. Geralt was half expecting to see the girl just covered in birth marks, not scars. Stopping near her again, Geralt looked up with his smoldering eyes, "I want you to undress, Sophia."

@ castle.

Sophia breathed a small sigh of relief when Geralt let go of her wrists. It always put her on edge when someone brushed against her arms because what if they discovered what she was doing? What if they saw and they looked down on her even more? Her father already hated her enough, she didn't need to give him more reason to hurt her. Sophia hardly even reacted to Geralt's statement, it wasn't surprising at all to her. Geralt was the White Wolf, a feared mob boss that she knew she could never stop. he was the one in charge and she knew that, whether she wanted it that way or not. It was better if she did as she was told, she understood that too.

Sophia nearly wanted to argue with Geralt when he said Viktor was only trying to care for her. The thought alone was laughable to her - she couldn't remember a time when her father had ever been kind. In all of her life, Sophia had been treated like a burden when she was too young to do her chores and by the time she was four, Sophia remembered trudging around the house, cleaning and tending to the home because if there was a speck of dust out of place when her father got home... Sophia knew what it would mean, even at a young age.

Her head snapped up for the first time since she had stepped into Geralt's restaurant at his words. The colour drained from her face. Sophia hadn't looked in a mirror for years now - she avoided them at all costs because her scars were hideous. In the next moment, Sophia seemed to realize what she was doing and she forced her head back down after nodding her head. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip before she started to tug her sweater up and over her head. Her arms were littered with cuts - both fresh and old that had long since scarred over but she kept her arms facing inward, doing her best to keep them hidden by how she held her arms.

Sophia pushed her pants down, standing rigid as she moved to stand up straight again. She took a deep breath, squeezing her thighs together as she reached to peel off her shirt. Sophia stood in front of him, her cheeks tinged a deep red as shame washed over her. She was a monster, she knew that. Her arms wrapped around her torso as she reached around, doing her best to splay her fingers over the scar that ran down her side from her chest down to her hip. There was no way to cover it but she had to try. It was raised an angry, even though it had been over ten years since it first appeared on her little body. Sophia held her breath, bracing herself for Geralt to react to just how horrible she looked. She hadn't completely undressed, still wearing her undergarments as she stood in front of Geralt.

Geralt expected the young girl to fight him. To argue tooth and nail to keep her clothes on, but Viktor must've had her squared away pretty well. All she did was nod in his direction and remain silent, but Geralt saw the look of trepidation on her face. She didn't want him to see her, especially not like this but she had no choice. Geralt had demanded it and he always got what he wanted. The girl picked at the edge of her sweater before gripping it loosely and pulling it up over her head. Geralt's breath was hitched in the back of his throat, too on edge to even remind himself to breathe.

Her skin was like porcelain, but it was far from perfect. The first scars he noticed were the large ones. Even as she was still undressing, shoving her pants down around her legs, Geralt was sure he'd seen enough. The long gash down her side, the more it was shown to him, the colder his blood ran. Exact same shape, same placement... Couldn't be. More of her clothes dropped to the floor, revealing scars that told the stories of knife sounds, gun shots and burns. All things Geralt bad been through, but certainly she hadn't. She couldn't have.

His burning orange eyes raked over the large scar on her side before he peeled his eyes away from it. Smaller cuts littered her arms, up and down, some new, some old and they too, looked familiar. Geralt could feel the familiar itching of his cuts on his arms, it was enough to make him bar his teeth. He hated it. They all appeared to be in the exact same spots... Stepping up behind her, Geralt's mind was no longer anywhere near the gutter and he examined her body, lifting his hand to run over some of the scarred flesh... "Is this some joke..." Geralt muttered, more to himself than to Sophia. The girl was so small she barely had a space left of unmarked scene. His hand ran up to the gun shot wound scar they both shared, his fingers lingering over it, near her clavicle. If these were his... Could she feel all of this?

Suddenly, Geralt didn't feel very well. "Put your clothes back on," he hissed, pushing himself away from her. It was too much to take in. He had never seen this girl before in his life, didn't even know Viktor De Luca had a daughter and now... She was standing right in front of him, the two of them mirror images of each other's pain.

@ castle.

Sophia visibly flinched at the muttering as Geralt's hands travelled over her scars. She knew she looked like a monster, her father hadn't been shy about telling her what she looked like. What she was. She looked like she had been butchered, she knew that. Her father's words had been brutal, reminding her of who she was. It wasn't a joke but she had spent most of her life wishing it had been because at least then she could live a normal life if this wasn't her reality.

Sophia had been so focused on the idea that Geralt was going to start making fun of her, picking apart her scars because of what they must mean. Sophia had grown up wondering who her soulmate was. Was he a war hero, that she had just been born in the wrong time? Was he the victim of a crime and he had been ripped from her before they could even meet? There had been so many stories she had dreamt up as a little girl but now, Sophia did her best to ignore the stories she had dreamt up.

Geralt ordered her to put her clothes on and Sophia felt like she was going to be sick. He was seeing the scars and he wanted no part in her, even if she had tried to offer him some sort of help. She was a monster, she was probably lying to get away from her father. That was all this was boiling down to. Sophia shivered as she knelt to pull her pants up her legs. She reached for her shirt first before grabbed her sweater to pull it over her head.

Taking a tiny step backward, Sophia willed herself not to break down. If she left this restaurant, surely, by now... her father knew she had run away. Even if he didn't know where she was, Sophia was going back to her father's home and he would be so, so angry. Sophia'seyes welled with tears as she stood in front of Geralt. "I-I... I can take my leave. I'm sorry... I shouldn't have come here, s-shouldn't have bothered you."

Geralt felt sick, his jaw clenching as he watched Sophia pull her clothes back up off of the floor. In a matter of seconds, the scars they shared that littered her body were hidden once again. Out of sight, and Geralt wished they would've been out of mind, but he couldn't stop thinking about them. "You're not going anywhere," he muttered, feeling comfortable to step back up to her once she was dressed again. So this was his soulmate; this little, fragile thing was his. For the time being, he felt it was better if she wasn't made aware. Geralt also found himself more concerned with her self inflicted cutting, now that finally seemed to have an answer to where the strange cuts on his own body originated from. Was her home life really that despicable? He knew growing up in a mafia family wasn't the best way a child could grow up, but it could be fine. Was Viktor really that much of a monster?

"Maybe you shouldn't have come," Geralt agreed, his hand reaching out for hers. This realization made things a lot more complicated for him, but also... maybe, it also made things a lot more lucrative. Viktor De Luca's daughter was his soulmate, and even if she wasn't, she had fallen right into his web. Sophia was trapped. All Geralt had to do was rid the head of her family and then he could more than double his own empire. It seemed like a treasure chest had fallen straight into his lap, but he knew it was more difficult than that. Now he had someone he actually had to worry about around. "But you did," he continued, letting out a soft sigh as he led her back out of his office, and now I think we're stuck together. He let his sentence hang in the air, only finishing it to himself.

Geralt assumed Sophia was not going to be happy when she realized who her soulmate was. He'd bet on it be downright disappointing to her. Right down the hall from his office was his bedroom. He had the whole top floor of the hotel to himself, far away from the restaurant on the bottom floor. It was much quieter up here, much more peaceful. "I have some business I have to take care of." Geralt spoke up, staying in the doorway as he watched Sophia explore further into the room. "I don't know how long I'll be away, but you'll have to stay here. There's an en suite if you'd like to freshen up." By business, Geralt needed to give her father a little call. Figure out what his next plan was, where he was going from here... "Or rest, whatever you'd like. Make yourself at home, De Luca," her last name rolled off of his tongue as he turned his back to her, stepping back out into the hall. The door closed behind him and Geralt made sure to lock it, keeping her tucked away safely inside.

@ castle.

Sophia's breath hitched at the mention that she wasn't going anywhere. She wanted to ask, she wanted to demand to know what Geralt was planning to do with her but she knew her place. Asking questions and demanding thinks was at the bottom of things that she was supposed to do. She could only bring herself to nod her head, her body tensing as Geralt reached for her hand. She swallowed thickly, starting to follow after him as her stomach twisted into a knot as they moved through the halls of the top floor of the hotel. She lifted her hand, rubbing her arm as she shivered, curling in on herself.

Geralt ushered her into his room and still, Sophia kept her head down. She had been afraid of what her father would do day in and day out but at least she knew what he was capable of. She had heard stories of Geralt but she had no real clue what he would or wouldn't do to her. Sophia turned around to face Geralt, chewing on her bottom lip when he mentioned leaving her alone. "Is there.. anything you want me to do while you are away?" Sophia was wired to clear and care for the home around her but she didn't want to push her luck and assume what Geralt wanted from her.

When Sophia was left alone, she sat on the edge of one of the chairs in the room. Her head was lowered as she stared at her lap, not so much as daring to look around the room. Sophia didn't know if this was a test but she didn't want to fail, she knew that much.

Time stretched on and when Sophia decided that Geralt wasn't coming back any time soon, she found herself walking to the en suite that he had pointed out to her. Locking the door behind herself, Sophia knelt in front of the sink where she started digging around beneath it. She pulled out a razor that she was sure Geralt would use in the future but she was sure she could get away with it for the time being. Who knew if she would even be around when Geralt discovered that she had pulled one of the blades free.

Sophia slumped against the outer wall of the shower as she pulled her sleeve up. When she had finished cutting herself, Sophia's breath slowed as she watched the blood drip down her arm. She was convinced that Geralt had to be finding a way to get rid of her without leaving a trace. She had been crazy to think that she could find some sort of freedom when she ran from her father's home. Eventually, Sophia forced herself to her feet when she heard Geralt's door open. She sniffled as she tossed the blade into the back of the cupboard, deciding that she could use it if she needed it again. Sophia flushed the toilet before tugging her sleeve back down her arm where she moved to wash her hands before leaving the bathroom.