WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

[abraxasmods]

WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

Welcome to The Free Cities! The portal exits outside the capital city of Cadens. The first impression of the city is its sheer size. It sprawls out across the landscape like a great hulking beast at rest. The wall that encircles it barely contains it, the buildings of Cadens practically bulging against its restraint.

The air here seems thicker somehow, tinged with a scent that’s acrid and smoky. Smog hangs high over the city, belched out by smokestacks that tower over the industrial district. The desert stretches out behind it, dotted with towers and dust clouds that disappear into the horizon. Multiple gates lead inside and each is staffed by soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms that wave a steady stream of people through without appearing to pay much attention. People are coming and going almost all of the time, to and from the outposts and areas of activity around the city proper. It’s difficult to tell just what’s out there beyond the impression of tall metal structures and a great deal of labor. Wagons carrying travelers to Libertas and Aquila roll out from the Travel Post outside the city wall.

Anyone who can sense magic will notice a much lower concentration here. No one will be stopped or questioned at the gate, even if the soldiers seem to take note of the fugitives from Thorne.

The activity and sheer number of citizens can be overwhelming. It’s crowded and loud and feels constantly in motion with everyone talking and yelling over each other. It’s easy to get swept up in the ever-moving throng or find oneself ducking into the mouth of a narrow alley just to breathe.

Anyone who’s willing to make their way to the northern part of the city and Portham Hall will find Prime Minister Marlo Reiner available to receive them.

Comments

[falcony]

[ it takes some time, before sam can work his way here. between getting settled in cadens and having to have his talk with the prime minister and just. making sure the people he could get to were settled and were not getting into any immediate trouble, sam doesn't feel like he's slept much, if at all. there's so much he's been trying to keep a handle on, so much he's trying to play out, to make work. he needs everyone who came through that portal to have a safe place, and his discussions with the prime minister...

well. it's all a work in progress. everything feels like a work in progress, and while sam is used to the feeling of everything being unsure and uncertain, it doesn't mean he is able to rest with that uncertainty hanging over him. last time, too, it had been easier - he had trusted steve, and that was all he needed. now...now it's all on him.

( it also doesn't have anything to do with the fact there are still people unaccounted for. people he'd told to meet him here, who he hasn't found. bucky, for one, and geralt. jaskier. ciri. )

it takes him a second before he goes back into the horizon, needing time to get his feet settled in the city before he leaves it. but when he finds the note - god. it's hard to describe the amount of relief that fills him. the weight he hadn't realized had been wearing him down being lifted. sam, as immediately as he can manage, gets back to himself and to the aforementioned location - feeling a bit breathless through it all, too. his worry over geralt and jaskier and ciri had been a low-burning heat he had done his best to handle. but in knowing they're okay, in knowing they're just one city over...he has to check.

he times it right, he thinks, and let's his training take over as he walks through the marketplace. keeps his eyes open for a splash of white hair. it's hard to keep the rising tension in his chest at bay, because there is just too much around him he can't settle on for this to be taken away from him too, but geralt is here. he knows he is. that fact is something sam finds he can lean on, as he searches.

and of course geralt finds him first, of course it's geralt, appearing out of an alleyway behind sam, washed and cleaned and looking all the ways a new human. it hits him, a bit belatedly, how good it feels just to see him. which is part of the reason sam doesn't bother hiding the way his face breaks into a smile as he comes to a stop. ]

You son of a bitch. [ said fondly. ] Took me long enough? [ and yes, sam is closing the distance between them. does geralt want a hug? hopefully so, because sam is going in for one. ]

[gynvael]

[ Sam moving towards him takes him a bit aback—but he lets it happen. Yeah. He's glad to see Sam. More so than he expects. They haven't known each other long, but familiar faces—trusted faces—have always been far and few between for him; in this strange world, that's twice the case. Sam looks better, too. Less worried. A relief, no doubt, for Sam to see the people he's been trying to free actually walk out of those dungeons. Geralt's smile isn't near as bright as Sam's, but it's there: a hint of it on his face; a warmth that sits more behind his eyes than anything.

He steps out of the embrace first. It's been, what. A day or so? Cadens feels familiar enough he's not had too much trouble finding his footing: like all overcrowded cities, it's simpler for him to go unnoticed, or at least unremarked upon. And someone's always willing to fork over coin for a job done. Even so, he prefers meeting at nightfall, has kept to the poorer districts where not many pay attention past their own survival. Being here feels tenuous. Too easy. Escape doesn't fall out of the sky. Something's liable to fuck them sooner or later, but. In the meantime, Geralt's ignoring what might loom ahead in favour of solving one problem at a time. A place to stay's been taken care of, at least. Locating Sam. A couple others he'd wanted to look in on, like Kay.

Seeing if he can find news about Yen. Somehow.

He pushes it out of his mind. Glances over at Sam. What remained of the wound on Geralt's leg has healed to a fresh scar by now. Compared to the first time Sam met him, he walks easily again as they head down the street. ] You've settled?

[ If Sam's staying near enough within reach—he could use someone he trusts at his back close by. ]

[falcony]

[ if sam notices any part of geralt being taken aback by the hug, it doesn't stop him. because whether or not sam wants to admit it, there had been a part of him that hadn't - really been able to relax until he knew for sure. note or no, sam's been through enough back home and even here to only (and even then, only partially) trust what he can see. what he can confirm for himself. now that he's done that, now that he knows geralt - and by association, ciri and jaskier - made it and are settled enough, sam feels a tension release in his shoulders.

and thankfully, the hug is quite short - more a quick embrace and then a step back away. sam's not here to make this weird, and the energy shared between them is light. easy. good. god, they really did it, didn't they? ]

I'm guessing you all found a place to stay? [ because yes, that's something he and geralt share. there's a comfort in a city, something easier about keeping his head down. falling into the crowd. he feels better, too, knowing what the prime minister said. the welcome they've all received. meeting at dusk - also just feels like a very geralt thing to do, and sam can roll with it. sam takes an easy step back just to create a little distance, head shaking a bit as he still seems to be processing. like this is the first time he's letting himself process.

at least partially. there are still some people he's got to find, a few more names to cross over, but this had been a big one. ]

Did you see who else made it through? I saw a few make it into the- [ a pause, while sam glances over his shoulder. that's the other thing about cities, isn't it? always have to be ready for someone to be listening. ] -other door.

[ he falls into step with geralt without even thinking much about it, seeing as it's become something quite familiar. even if this walk isn't through the gardens of the castle. at the question, sam nods in response, letting out another laugh. ] As settled as we can be, but yeah. Got a place with Mal and Peter and Alina figured out not far from her, actually. Like twenty minutes? [ which isn't bad at all. sam's more focused on finding something a little more separate from the city itself, something that feels less immediately temporary, but it's better than a room in a castle. ]

What about y'all? You planning on staying in Cadens?

[gynvael]

[ His eyes land on Sam's face. Some of the tension has bled out of Geralt, too. For all that he's hated leaving Yennefer behind, for all that he hates that he doesn't fucking know if she's safe, if she's free from the dungeons yet—just being out lets him breathe easier. Because now he can do something. He can reach the people important to him, he can sleep without guards watching. Can plan what he needs to do next. Regain his weapons. Have his senses back, his strength back. Helplessness is a feeling he can't stand, and down in those cells, it'd festered for too long.

The question makes him pause a second, but he nods. Geralt hadn't focused much on the others; he'd left quickly to make sure he could be with Ciri and Jaskier, but a small handful he'd glimpsed. He considers who he knows that Sam also would. Their little group into the tunnels all those weeks ago. ]

Kay went the other way. [ With Estinien and the others, so Geralt's not concerned. She has people she clearly trusts. ] Alucard's here.

[ Undoubtedly, the vampire won't like that a hunter has wound up in the same place. Not his problem. They've shared a cell for this long; they can share an entire damn city.

Geralt distinctly sidesteps any mention of who didn't make it out. Of the one person who did not leave through any door. Instead, he keeps walking. He's no longer watching around, though, the way he had at the castle. His eyes don't leave where they're cast up ahead—like he isn't relying on his sight anymore to gather his surroundings. ]

For now. [ Until he gets a horse, there's no reason to venture too far. Cadens is good as anywhere. His only concern lies in its proximity to the military bases. ] Cirilla is... [ He hesitates. She remains a topic he tends to avoid discussing, but given he'd asked Sam to help her—she'd be on Sam's mind. ] Restless.

[ He gets it. He hasn't fully grasped her relationship with Yennefer—can barely grasp his own relationship with the princess—but he knows how it is, to be faced with something painful that can't be changed. There hasn't been much chance for any of them to redirect that energy. His own hands itch for a good hunt, for the grip of leather and steel.

Still. She's safe. And from what he's hearing out of Sam, his people are, as well. Geralt shifts his gaze briefly to Sam. Peter, Alina, Mal. Only one of those names is familiar—Alina—and he notes to tell Ciri later. They'd been together, hadn't they? In the cell? ] Seems you have everyone.

[falcony]

[ that is the biggest part of it, isn't it? this city, with its populations of faces and alleys and buildings, with the sense of freedom to choose where you want to be and how you want to get there. with the fact that through it all, from the portal up until now, it's all felt like their choice. without ambrose, without the other mages, the expectations of their appearances and the guards at their back. sam feels leagues better, just being here, and it's nice to know he's not the only one.

honestly, sam asks just because he's curious - pieces together who has seen what, where. the people he wants to check in on even if he didn't exactly set up a way to do that. the confirmation that kay went through the other way makes sense, he'd checked in with phoenix right beforehand and knows that he's going that way too, but the separation between them all still doesn't sit right. he nods at the update, ticking another item off the box. alucard is here, which is good to know. sam knows ciri and jaskier are too. and for a moment, his mind wanders to the woman - yennefer, who he remembers seeing, he thinks, before the portals. who he assumes came through too. sam doesn't ask, though, not feeling like going down that rabbit hole today.

the mention of cirilla has sam nodding, if only because while sam doesn't know her all that well yet, he knows of her important to geralt. knows that her safety had been top priority. he laughs a little, thinking about being restless already. she must be used to moving around a bit more than the cells had confined her to. it makes sense she'd want to keep going. ]

From what I've heard, the nearby cities aren't too far. Few days travel, if you can get ahold of a wagon. [ and because it's geralt, because geralt knows, sam lets out a frustrated breath. ] Not exactly easy to pop back and forth, but better than months. ]

Almost. [ sam says, but doesn't seem all that concerned. ] Strange is here- did you meet him back at the castle? [ sam's not sure. ] Jon and Coraline too. Only one I'm missing is Bucky, but he's here somewhere, probably laying low. He's too damn good at that. [ he shakes his head, sounding...fond? or not fond, necessarily, but aware. bucky was on the run for years and sam, steve, and nat couldn't track him down. it's no surprise that he's not easy to find. ] But pretty close.

[gynvael]

[ Mm. The other cities. He hums his acknowledgement of that. A handful of days by horse isn't any time at all to Geralt, but he's seen...that glimpse of Sam's world (the wings, the strange crafts in the sky and on the ground). He does know why Sam sounds frustrated when he says better than months. ]

Find the right mage, you might get a portal. [ Geralt prefers his travel without magic—he's more interested in a horse, so he can take a look at what's outside the city, if there's something he can turn into coin out there—but if Sam wants a quicker path, a portal would be it.

It takes him a second to gather Strange is a person. He shakes his head. No. Not anyone he's familiar with. No surprise Jon is here with the girl, though, even if the thought leaves him wary. It's through no fault of Jon's, but knowing what he does of the man, knowing what he can do? Now that Ciri's involved, he's even less keen on being near him. Jon's made it clear, together in that cell, that he sees too damn much. And Geralt wants nothing to do with a man who sees too much.

When Sam says Bucky, though. That's when Geralt's expression changes: recognition, along with a hint of surprise. He hadn't realized they'd been familiar. ]

I met him. [ The visitor who climbed his mountain simply because it was there. ] In the Horizon. [ That's the key: they'd met in the Horizon, where his senses had been intact. Geralt considers. Sam sounds unconcerned that the man's yet to turn up. Probably isn't important, then. Even so, he could help get Sam there faster. Fuck, he owes Sam a hell of a lot more than just this. ] I could find him. Your friend. If you want him found.

[falcony]

[ sam snorts at geralt's comment, if only it were that easy. ]

I know the right mage. His magic's just not there yet.

[ he just doesn't like feeling secluded. for better or worse, his home had connections. the internet, his phones, cars and planes and trains to take them wherever he wanted to go. his wings, too, if need be. ways for him to get out, to see the world, to keep in touch with everyone and to cross-check if they weren't. the free cities already feels better than thorne, sure, but it's still not good.

if anything, the jailbreak and subsequent settling in is the only thing that has kept him sane. finding places for food, talking his way through small jobs for a place to stay, keeping a handle on mal and on alina and peter. it kept him busy and kept him from losing his mind, yes, but there is still that anxiety. that tension. it's not all ironed out yet, so when will the next shoe drop?

geralt says i met him and sam's attention shifts over to him, the sudden realization that oh. oh that would be right. not everyone is going to know the winter soldier just because he does, and it's not like buck is a go-around and introduce himself to the class kind of guy. sam laughs, though the sound has a hint of stress in it, like sam is doing his best to keep up that everything is fine air about the conversation. ] I'm sure you had a lot to talk about. [ which is a friendly jab, accompanied by a grin and a small laugh, before sam tries to go back to the conversation but finds himself stuttering over geralt's offer.

oh. oh. that would make sense, wouldn't it? that they're out of the prison cells, and so they have access to all their...witcher things. sam tries to remember what geralt had told him, back in their first conversation, but comes up blank for the time being. ] Oh. That- actually, man, that would be amazing. [ sam had been telling himself it was fine, because he knows it's fine. he knows. but he also doesn't have time to be looking around, anxious, trying to find bucky barnes. not when that asshole is a trained assassin and sam already put in years looking for him.

he gives geralt something of a relieved look at the idea of it, alone. ] Even just a general direction. I'm just- [ sam huffs out a breath, and it does sound as tired and tense as he feels, if only for that moment, as he runs a half across the back of his neck. ] It would be a huge help.

[gynvael]

[ Curiosity rises at that—what mage, whose magic is still lacking?—but it's overshadowed by the edge he can hear in Sam's voice.

For the first time, Geralt peers at Sam like he's really looking at him—something that borders on mild concern in his eyes. There's a frayed quality to Sam that isn't usually there. He can't tell if there's something more going on Sam isn't letting on or if he's just that fucking exhausted. Geralt understands. He's been wound up for weeks and even now, he hasn't fully been able to let go, to release all that pressure at once. Some part of him his afraid what might happen if he does.

He lets it go. Talking won't help; getting Sam to the last person he's looking for will. ]

We'll find him. [ His voice is firm. He can do better than a general direction. All he needs is a trail—or the start of one. Feels a bit like shaking off cobwebs, but falling into it isn't hard, either: monster or person, tracking them is the same. It's good to do something for once. To finally be back to himself, to do the work that he knows like the back of his hand. ]

You know where he likes to stay? Something he'd be looking for?

[ They can start there. Bucky is on foot, like all of them. Possible the man might have hitched a wagon. Doubtful, though. Sam made plans to meet him here. Bucky would stay nearby. He has to be somewhere, in the bustling crowd. They'll look further, if need be. Or return to the portal site, if they have to. He's leaving that for when they're at a dead end. So many people were at those damn gates, he already knows any trail he picks up will go cold quickly once they reach the city proper again. ]

[falcony]

[ sam would be happy to explain it, if geralt had chosen to ask. stephen strange hadn't been someone who sam thought he'd ever be close enough to to even consider portal jumping, but he also supposes that this place and this experience has brought around stranger things.

but sam doesn't really notice how much geralt may or may not be watching him. doesn't notice if he's maybe pushing through the cracks more than he means to. it say something that once again, sam feels comfortable enough to let himself get this far. that he doesn't find himself really all that worried, if geralt is getting a look at his unfinished edges.

geralt says we'll find him and sam realizes, in that exact moment, how much worry and concern he'd built up around that. that he actually isn't fully convinced of anything. there is a relief that comes with geralt's conviction, even if sam hadn't been aware he needed it in the first place. ]

He's good at laying low. He knew to meet here, so I don't think he would have taken any of the wagons. He'd keep away from the barracks or anything too organized and would keep to more crowded spaces. [ and you know, it probably says something, that all he learned over those years with steve, hunting down the winter soldier, has somehow still prepared him for this. that he'd need his research on finding bucky barnes even now. he thinks back on how they tracked him, before.

it's frustrating, in a lot of ways, but sam reminds himself to calm down. bucky knew where they were going. knew what was happening. he just has to figure out where he went from there. ] He's good at heights, too. Used to watching things from up high.

[gynvael]

[ The man Geralt had met was nothing like who Sam's describing. Someone who casually greeted his horse and told him the cities had better dance partners. Sam's talking about a man who's learned to disappear, who Sam seems to expect to stay hidden despite their agreement to meet up. It sparks a sudden, different interest.

It also makes it easier to work with. Sounds like something Geralt would do, if he weren't with Jaskier and Ciri. Vanish, find some place to settle alone without drawing attention. He turns down the narrow street that leads towards the back alleys of Cadens, streets he picked out the moment he set foot in this place. Cheap inns, old shops tucked away where small bits of supplies can be bought or even stolen. Around here might be it.

Tracking in the city is more difficult than in the woods: more people, more smells, more footprints. If Sam says anything, he'll answer, but—mostly he's quiet as he searches, and it isn't difficult to tell he is, in fact, scenting the air. He peers into shops and behind taverns without a word, like he's used to going about his work while people stare or ignore him as they will. So long as they don't move to throw him out, Geralt seems to pay them no attention. As the night dwindles, so do the people lingering. So do the number of places they've yet to look.

Nothing so far. It's only been, what. Barely two days? If there's a trail, it should be here. It can't dissipate that quickly.

When he finally turns around to face Sam, it's not with the first question that's on his mind. No point in going there unless he has to. Instead, he asks, ] You're certain he wouldn't have hitched a wagon?

[falcony]

[ sam explains what he can about bucky barnes to geralt like he's a target, and that feeling curls in his gut. a feeling that sam hated before, and hates even more now, at how it's still somehow familiar. tracking bucky barnes shouldn't feel like this, not anymore, and yet sam feels the tension rising in his throat.

he does trust geralt, that's the other part of this. he hasn't seen whatever his witcher abilities are in action, but if the man offers, sam can only imagine that they'll come into play. and that is mostly what sam sees, once they start off - a kind of focus, a kind of awareness, a kind of something that he can only follow, only keep his eyes out, only feel out of place. it tightens something in his chest, the more out of his depth he feels. the fact that bucky is here somewhere, has to be here somewhere, said he would meet him on the other side...

and then the night gets dark. the streets start to clear. sam senses geralt has come to something of an end of his search just as the other man turns to face him, and a sickening, heavy feeling sinks in his gut. bucky can't be that good at disappearing, but maybe he can? (or maybe that's just hope, desperately working its way up through that weight, trying, trying-)

the question has sam's eyes darting down the street they're on, as if someone could be listening in, even if he knows that isn't the case. really, sam's starting to feel what is probably that first question that geralt chooses not to ask taking shape somewhere in his throat.

he shakes his head. ] Not unless he was chased out. I told him to meet me here. [ and bucky wouldn't break that promise.

there's a pause, and then sam turns back to face geralt fully - like he's accepted his fate, like he already knows the answer. there's a tension in his jaw and a darkness in his stomach when he asks: ]

You can't find him, can you?

[gynvael]

[ In the midst of Sam's rising tension, Geralt ignores it while he works. He hasn't got space to do both—so he keeps his focus on tracking down this man who apparently is nowhere to be found. By now, the stars have lit up the sky for hours. Not until he's stopped, until he's looking Sam in the eyes does he let himself acknowledge the heavy shadow he can see there.

It's familiar, that look. That sinking feeling he can read on Sam's face. Like you've lost something you didn't realize was missing until it was too late.

He exhales. Shit. ] No. [ He hasn't made a habit of lying or honeying his words. He isn't about to disrespect Sam by starting now. His friend isn't here. It doesn't matter how good a man is at disappearing. If he were present, Geralt would've found him. A trace of him, at the very least. ] The gates will tell us if he ever came through at all.

[ If there's no sign of Bucky in Cadens—they both know where this is going. If Sam wants him to confirm, though, he will. They can make that trek to the portal site. Take one last look. An hour is a long time and no time at all. He doesn't know, either, how long Sam stayed himself. If the portals collapsed early, if the magic wore off, if Thorne was able to snatch the few who were too slow. Geralt had walked out as soon as he could, as soon as Yennefer was...for exactly that reason, he hadn't wanted to push it.

Though there is one thing he won't bring up, unless Sam ever tells him that Bucky has vanished even from the Horizon—and it's that there's a third possiblity: that Bucky went through the portal in Thorne but never came out the other side. ]

[falcony]

[ sam honestly appreciates that geralt ignores his rising tension, if only because sam wouldn't know what to do with geralt's attention to it. he's having a hard enough time dealing with it himself. having a place to go, something to do, it does help. gives him something to focus on, if not entirely, then something. but as they make it through the rest of the city, as they finally come to a stopping point, sam can't ignore it any longer.

geralt doesn't even need to answer, but when he does, sam shouldn't be surprised. he knows by the moment it takes, by the sound of the exhale. no. no, he didn't make it to the city. and even as geralt offers up another choice, that they could go to the gates to make sure, that there is one more thing to check, but sam knows. and if geralt is looking, he can probably see sam go through that process of knowing. of feeling the information settle, of coming to terms with it. bucky is either gone, completely, or he's still in thorne. in enemy territory. in danger.

sam nods, a hand coming up to rub at his chin as he considers - considers what, he's not entirely sure. how would he get back there, anyway? they were months of travel away, if not more, and sure, maybe strange could get him closer. but was that smart? what about peter? and mal and alina? and what would ambrose do after all of this? how would he react to all of them getting out? ]

Fuck. [ it comes out as a hiss under his breath, adamant despite how quite the word sounds at first. his mind is spinning as he turns towards the street - away from geralt, just for a moment, his voice a bit louder the second time. ] Fuck.

[ he needs to think - there has to be some way to figure out what happened to bucky. has to be some magical connection or communication. it's taking everything in him not to simply get up, pack up, and make his way back to thorne, but that is as ridiculous idea of any of the others. if anything the prime minister said is true, then ambrose is going to be more than just a little angry at what happened, and while he knows bucky is good at keeping low, knows that it wouldn't be bucky's first time in dangerous territory...

it comes to sam, a few moments later, that he's still standing in the middle of the road or alley or wherever it is they'd come to a stop. that geralt is still standing there, probably concerned at what sam was trying to figure out. he feels bad, he really does, but his attention is elsewhere. ]

Sorry, man. I've got to- [ figure out what i'm doing. sam rubs at the back of his neck, shakes his head. he's itchy, anxious, but he needs to finish this. geralt just went out of his way to help him do something that probably would have taken days, and the appreciation sam feels then is genuine. sam forces himself to pause, just for long enough to speak, ] Thanks, for helping me look. Really. It... [ he exhales, the tension leaving him for just long enough that geralt good - if he was looking - see a bit of the underpinning of panic taking its place. because that's the truth of all of this, isn't it? sam is worried about what he's left bucky in. about what he doesn't know, and can't know, from where he is now. he'd come to the free cities thinking it would mean everything would be okay for a little bit, but he should have known better. he is captain america, for fuck's sake. ]

It helped a lot.

[ that is when sam covers it back again, settles it back into something a bit more contained. a bit more action focused. ] I've got to get back, but- I'll talk to you later, okay?

[gynvael]

[ They are, in fact, standing in the middle of the road, something Geralt makes no effort to rectify. Rather, he moves around Sam, blocking the narrow path—both to encourage those wandering the late night streets to find another route and to grant the two of them a modicum of privacy. Or Sam, mostly. Sam, who's far more rattled than Geralt's ever seen him.

His brows draw together. He can see Sam working through it. He lets him, keeping silent. This isn't the first time he's delivered shit news. Not every contract ends with a monster dead and a loved one reunited in one piece. He just doesn't often do it with those who aren't strangers. With someone he's come to consider...more than a simple acquaintance. It leaves him uneasy and, underneath that, frustrated. Like there's more he should be able to do, even if there isn't.

Concern grows. He knows what he'd be thinking if he discovered Jaskier hadn't made it through. If Yennefer had been left behind unknowingly instead of making her choice. (If Ciri—but that's not a concept he'll even entertain.) He gets it, he does, but he also knows it's a fucking fool's errand if Sam's thoughts are venturing anywhere near the idea of returning to Thorne. Even with a horse, that's a hell of a journey across unknown territory. And Thorne's thick with magic and mages. A portal would never go unnoticed.

Sam's not a rash man, usually. But this isn't usual. ]

Hey. [ He catches Sam by the arm before Sam can leave. He has no apologies or reassurances about what's happened or what might happen. Empty platitudes are not his way. Instead, he says, ] I found your home in the Horizon. He can, too.

[ Prisoner or no—that's the one thing none of them have been barred from. If the man's alive, that should be the first place to turn to. ]

[falcony]

[ sam would appreciate the effort taken to give him the privacy. he's not usually this off, either, and should be better about how much he's left his guard open. the scene he's making. the fact he hears one piece of news and all but totally closes up. sam knows better, and when he's on his own later that night he's going to beat himself up over this fact. he has to do better, be better - he's captain freaking america, after all. there's a lot more riding on these new factions, on making sure everyone stays together, on figuring a way home than bucky barnes being unable to keep to a timer.

he needs to get his shit together. figure out what he has available to him, what he can actually do versus what he wants to do. the idea of snagging a horse and starting off tonight is there, because of course it is, but sam isn't that impulsive. no matter what the tightening in his chest and the humming in his head is saying, he can look at this realistically. he can.

( it's just a matter of whether or not he wants to. )

hey - geralt's low voice cuts through sam's thoughts, and the hand around his bicep pulls his attention. sam blinks, suddenly aware that he'd been actually walking off. suddenly made aware just how out of it he must have been. his eyes go to geralt's hand, then to his face - it's not accusatory, it's not angry. if anything, sam is just realizing he hadn't even been thinking about how close they were and how crazy he must be coming across as, if geralt thought it necessary to actually catch him before he wandered off. ]

That- [ sam exhales, some of that panicked tension going with the breath. ] No, you're right. That's a good idea. [ because it is a good idea. the horizon he can get to whenever. doesn't have to plan for travel, doesn't have to figure out the politics of what it might mean. he should have thought of that, himself, but he'd been too shaken by the news to do anything about it. even now, he still sounds a bit distracted, still not entirely there, but better than before. something about having a plan, a next step, is helping sam feel more grounded than before. like there's something for him to do. somewhere for him to go. when he does pull himself from geralt a step or so, it's with a small, but genuinely appreciative smile. ]

I'll check in with you later. Thanks, man. [ and with a nod, sam turns to start off back in the direction of his apartment. ]