[ There's a second where Claude watches Geralt put the sword down with no small amount of amusement before he flicks his gaze back to wait. Geralt, he's learned, will say what he wants to when he wants to, and measures his words carefully. There's no need to rush whatever they'll be this time as he slides the bookmark out from the back cover to mark his page to find later.

If this were this other life, he might've laughed after that second question. A move to disarm or infuriate, depending on who he was talking to, but neither of those appeal here for many reasons. Most of all it's that unlike the lords he'd once used those tactics on, he respects Geralt.

And just as important with those questions now out there deserving honest answers which a laugh would not be, neither does a long delay in answering appeal. ]

It was, but it wasn't for Marlo. [ Which is a truth in answering both, so much so that he and Nadine were in complete agreement about what it came to asking for when the moment came. ] More like for the Free Cities as a whole, and to keep from something that'd further whatever those in power have in mind. And to keep the Draconae from risking too much for somewhere they shouldn't trust.

[ No need to dance around that by offering anything but another truth within there: he'd volunteered himself for and taken the delegate position quite willingly, but it wasn't to aid the Free Cities' government if he could help it. ]