[ She leans in, just a little, just enough to keep the contact without putting weight on his already overly strained body. The questions, stinging burrs clinging in the back of her mind all this time, suddenly seem to fall away now when she can finally ask them. It occurs to Ciri, in this moment, that she doesn't need to know everything all at once. Not now. Not yet.

It will be difficult, and the answers will probably frighten and upset her, and she's had enough of being frightened and upset.

So she lets Geralt change the subject, and she does not press. He'll say he did it to protect her. She'll hate and love him for it. She'll wish she didn't need protecting. She'll be grateful he's doing it anyway. It's the same, each time.

But today, here and now, it doesn't have to end in a goodbye.

Ciri pulls herself back into this moment, swallowing hard, and manages a nod. ]

I found her in the streets near the stable. She was exhausted. But she knew where to come home.

[ She's the reason Ciri and Jaskier even knew something was wrong. It might have been another week at least before either of them thought Geralt's absence suspicious. Maybe not until Julie had reached out, in fact -- and maybe it would have been less stressful and painful, but maybe it's better this way, Ciri thinks. She's not sure how she could have forgiven herself for not noticing. For not trying.

At least she'd tried. And, if nothing else, there are a few things of import she and Jaskier had managed to find, even if they'd never quite found Geralt. ]

We both knew you'd never turn her out on her own like that. So Jaskier and I went looking. Found your camp.

[ She hesitates a fraction of a moment here, gaze sliding away, thinking on what had happened there. She doesn't say it. ]

I brought your sword. It's in the other room.