[ CATCH-ALL ] the wishes I've made are too vicious to tell

[wiedzminka]

Who: Ciri & various
When: late Oct through end of November
Where: Free Cities, Nocwich, who knows
What: some post-event follow-ups and whatever happens in Nov
Warnings: nsfw, warned for in thread



(( ooc: if you want to do any plotting with Ciri, hmu on plurk @ belleteyn or @ lenafish#3861

happy to write a starter for you if you want one, just lmk! ))

Comments

for geralt; late october.

[wiedzminka]

(( backdated to Event #10 - Affliction; continued from here ))

[wiedzminka]

[ They fall. Her hand slips out of Geralt's, and the next thing she knows is darkness, the stomach-dropping horror of nothing beneath her feet -- then cold. She lands in snow, rolls, and comes up gasping and coughing in front of the stables at Kaer Morhen. Exactly where she'd started what feels like a whole day ago.

Upon the realization that she's within the normal purview of the Horizon, Ciri does what she was unable to all that time within the maze. She leaves, as quickly and uneventfully as possible.

It's almost strange, when she wakes up, that her body doesn't hurt. Her throat isn't raw from screaming. Her knees aren't bruised. Hands devoid of blood.

She scrambles to her feet inside her own room, in the safety of the apartment where the smell of baking bread wafts in through the cracked-open window and the late afternoon light pours in golden across the floral patterns of her rug. It had been morning when she left, but nothing else has changed.

Heart pounding, Ciri shoves on some nearby boots on her way out the door, and lurches breathlessly into the living room beyond. ]

Jaskier?

[ She hopes he's home. Geralt hadn't been, earlier, but-- ]

Geralt?

[ She tries anyway, just needing someone to be here right now. ]

[gynvael]

[ Geralt is not home, no, but he makes his way there quickly. As soon as he's out of the Horizon, that's where he goes. His head is clearer out here, he realizes. Less full of noise, fewer bubbling emotions threatening to spill over. Part of him is afraid he might not find her out here, though, but he swallows it down. Until he doesn't, there's no point in fretting.

Still. Immense relief floods him when he opens the door and sees her inside. ]

Ciri! [ He strides towards her, gathering her up in his arms. She's unharmed, of course. As is he. None of the injuries followed him out, and the only blood on him, stained under his nails, is that of a deer recently butchered. Feels like lifetimes ago. And yet. He's fairly certain not even a day has passed. The sun has only started to sink below the horizon.

It's good to hold her in the physical world. Where she's solid, where he knows she will not disappear from his sight. ] You're all right?

[wiedzminka]

[ Just her luck. No Geralt, and no Jaskier either -- but Mog is home. The little beast chirps inquisitively and waddles over when he senses her distress, and Ciri scoops him up with an almost-sob catching in her throat. She sinks into a chair in front of the cold hearth, burying her face into his feathers, and trying to understand what just happened.

If she'd been thinking straight, she might have tried to send a message to Jaskier or Geralt, but for a few minutes, Ciri doesn't think of it. Mog is a fine distraction; by the time Geralt actually opens the door, she's calmed down significantly.

Releasing the small gryphon, Ciri moves to stand as soon as he steps closer. She hugs him back, and her shoulders start shaking again. ]

Yes. I think so.

[gynvael]

[ Even after he releases her, he doesn't step far away, his hands still on her arm. She looks shaken, and the truth is, so is he. He feels as though he hasn't had a chance to breathe for days. In some ways, he's grateful that he can at least focus on Ciri. It takes his mind off his own troubles. ]

Good. [ He leans down to light the hearth; the night is settling in, and temperatures will fall quickly. Then he hangs a small pot of last night's supper over the fire. Not all things can be fixed with a warm meal, but it won't hurt. ] Would you like to tell me what happened?

[ It can wait, if she wants. But he isn't actually sure what happened, and perhaps it might help to get it off her chest. All he knows is that she had looked at him without any recognition, and then—she'd attacked him. Those two things can't be related; Ciri would not strike someone simply because they appeared a stranger to her. It must've...something about the way he looked in her eyes. She'd been afraid of him, almost. ]

for sephiroth; mid-november.

[wiedzminka]

[ It has been a restless few weeks since the gods and their effects on the city and the Summoned have retreated. Ciri's spent most of that time trying to come to terms with some of the things she'd done and seen the previous month. The people she'd hurt. How close she'd come, too frequently, to losing her grip on her own control. It's left her shaken and skittish, spending most of her days out in the desert going after scavengers targeting the previously-undead-now-dead-again corpses still being cleaned up from the main roads and the city outskirts. But she doesn't feel like packing up and riding out further than a day's journey beyond the walls. Not yet. Not this time.

She doesn't want to be alone that long.

When Ciri comes home, Jaskier is usually around. Geralt's been here more often too, apparently taking a similar approach to Ciri's, though they do not outright talk about it. She goes to the Sarstina to see her friends there and be around familiar faces, or invites Julie and sometimes Nadine over to drink and talk and play card games. Sephiroth has also made a few appearances; Ciri's asked him to stay and drink late into the night sometimes, eat with them, though they haven't been alone yet.

Tonight, the plan is different. Just him.

Ciri cashes in on Julie's offer to get the others out of the apartment for a night. She makes sure the wine and liquor is well stocked (it always is) and there's plenty of bread from the bakery below, meat freshly hunted, cheese and fruit from the market. The nights are cold now, and a hearty pot of stew has taken up residence over the fire on the stove. They definitely won't get hungry.

A crackling hearth heats the front room, where there are a few soft chairs alongside a low sofa and table, open to the rest of the kitchen and dining table. It's warm inside, and Ciri's dressed in a thin white dress that definitely looks like it's supposed to go under something -- but she isn't wearing anything else over it, and nothing on her legs beneath but slippers. Her hair falls down in soft waves past her shoulders, bouncing a little when she opens the door to greet him. ]

Hi. Come on, don't just stand there. You're letting the cold air in.

[supersoldier]

[It’s been strangely relaxing, spending more time with Ciri late into the evening. For so long, the barracks had been the focal point of so much of his time: both official and leisurely. And though the last few weeks had left little room for the latter, he made a point to carve out time where he could. To take on patrols and responsibilities during the daylight hours, a little extra here and there, to keep his evenings free.

More and more, it makes him realize how much he had been deprived of back home. How much Shinra had been comfortable to him only because it was all he knew; how there was never any true warmth in that place, not like the kind he finds couched within the walls of Ciri’s apartment. It is a slow but steady realization that he had been lacking in so much until now.

And, as she opens the door to greet him, smiling as she is, dressed as she is, it is a strange clench around his chest that informs him of how long he had been deprived of her, too.

Sephiroth straightens and offers her a faint smile. He is dressed… in his military uniform, with the top few buttons undone. How very casual of him today.]

It smells nice. [He comments as he steps over the threshold. The scent of stew is catching in his nostrils, as well as the waft of warm, freshly baked bread. No, they’ll not grow hungry tonight. He teases a little:] Are you expecting company other than myself?

[wiedzminka]

[ She shuts the door behind him, locks it for good measure, and comes back around, energy and spirits clearly high. Judging by the pink in her cheeks, she might've opened a bottle already. ]

No.

...are you?

[ Ciri cocks a hand on her hip, squinting up at him like she might be serious (she's not). ]

[supersoldier]

[The smattering of flush along her cheeks informs Sephiroth that yes, she's already started without him. Is she serious? (No, even he knows she's not.)]

Yes. [Flatly, but he, too, is joking.

Crosses his arms, looking down at her.]

...I've invited my entire regiment.

for yennefer; mid-november.

[wiedzminka]

[ The first time Yennefer had reached out to her about meeting to discuss what had happened to Istredd, after Geralt had told her they'd spoken about it, Ciri was still distrustful of the Horizon. She'd experienced too much unpleasantness and unpredictability from it, and so had others, and she doesn't spend a lot of time there for a few weeks (besides attending the party to support Julie, but even then, she'd been on edge the whole time). Maybe part of it is avoiding Yennefer too, but she tells them both it's the Horizon, and that is that. They'll speak once it's been stable for at least another week.

Eventually, it becomes too obvious she's just putting it off. But the additional time to think and process is probably for the best, as she's able to approach the issue much more calmly than she had with Geralt.

They decide to meet, as usual, outside Kaer Morhen, beyond the half-crumbled wall that leads to Ciri's little house in the shadow of the mountain. When Yennefer arrives, she'll find the door cracked open, allowing her inside. ]

[vixening]

[ after her meeting with geralt, yennefer does reach out to ciri - a part of her considered waiting for ciri's message, that all of this is a complicated web of connections and information and it all encircles ciri. but, after some thought, yennefer decides not to let it linger - yennefer does want to know the details, does need to know what ciri is capable of, and so without leaving too much time to question it, she reaches out.

but ciri is right - the horizon has been more unpredictable than usual as of late, and yennefer understands the reluctance to force something that could have lasting effects, especially with ciri's direct connection. so yennefer agrees to wait, and that once ciri is comfortable, yennefer will meet her inside.

and that is what she does, keeping to the outside of kaer morhen as she has the last few times they've met, keeping the distance that she can from geralt's domain as she approaches ciri's little house. the door is cracked open, but still yennefer finds herself knocking on the wooden frame of the door as she steps over the threshold, checking inside. ]

Ciri?

[wiedzminka]

Come in.

[ Ciri calls, getting up to move toward the door and greet her. She seems a bit reserved in her demeanor, not exactly skittish but perhaps on edge. ]

I'm going to need you to explain some things. And then we're going to try to get on the same page.

[ Geralt had told her Yennefer didn't really understand what she can do, and Ciri's only told her so much because of Yennefer's own limited understanding. It's all frustrating, confusing, and she can't help but feel she shouldn't have to do this -- but of course, there's no one else who can.

It still stings, after all this time, that Yennefer doesn't even remember her. Sometimes, she can gloss over it, and it's easier. Lately, it's been eating at her more and more. ]

Sit. Drink?

[vixening]

[ and yennefer does come in, stepping the rest of the way through and closing the door behind her. she notices that edge in ciri even before she starts speaking, but the words are what truly solidifies the tone of this meeting.

geralt had said that ciri was upset, understandably so, but yennefer is still working on defining exactly what the list involves where it comes to what ciri is upset with her about. istredd, yes, but there is a kind of feeling here that there's a great deal more.

so when ciri says I'm going to need you to explain some things and yennefer doesn't still, exactly, but she does feel some part of her pull back together. ]

Alright. [ and, at the offer of drink, yennefer nods and moves towards the table with the pitcher and glasses, pouring them both one and offering ciri's to her. ] Where would you like to start?

for jo & altair; late november.

[wiedzminka]

[ The Sarstina is rarely empty, but there are some days when it's quieter than others. Maybe it's the time as well, the lull between lunch and dinner and those who stay to drink into the night after. It's afternoon, and the inn is relatively empty. Ciri and Jo share a table and a pitcher of ale, after a short lesson on something Jo had a question over earlier. She hadn't been busy, so Ciri stopped by, and she hasn't bothered to leave yet. ]

We can step out into the yard after if you want to give it another try.

Depending on how much you drink. Or not. More of a challenge that way.

[tobeclosetohim]

[ Just gave a small snort, even as she finished the tankard in her hand. ]

It would take a while to get to that point.
We should plan it for some time.

Call it obstacle day.

[ It's not that she hadn't seen people do similarly back home, both for shitty, drunken kicks, and for serious. Depended on the brand of crazy going on at whoever's table on whoever of those nights. But it would take her more than two or three at late lunch to be at 'challenged.' ]

[aquilus]

[The inn has become a place of refuge and comfort since his arrival in this land. Too much so, in a way — Altaïr doesn't entirely want to rely on such a location that is not under the control of someone he can trust absolutely. But there are no other Assassins here, so he adapts, and returns to the Sarstina between his wanderings.

He's not specifically looking for Jo, but he is habitually and intently observant of his surroundings — it's saved his life more than once — which means he spots her immediately when he enters. He nods at her, but doesn't immediately make his way over. She may not appreciate his company at the moment, especially since she's seated with the aggravating but competent woman he remembers from Libertalia.]

[tobeclosetohim]

[ Jo keeps a weather eye on the door wherever she is. It's a habit from her childhood, and even more, every place since, when the people who are coming and going couldn't be written off as hers, theirs, at all times anymore. Couldn't be trusted, and most of the time, weren't known long enough or at all. It makes more sense and makes her feel more in control. It's usually why she ends up sitting facing most of the room unless someone else picks the seats they're in.

So, she sees it when the door breezes open, and another familiar face comes in, and it's surprising it's taken her this long to think about running them into each other. These two people who both have added so much to her knowledge and skills around sword fighting. ]

Hey, Altaïr! Come join us!

Late November

[cryptsleeper]

Do you have a moment?

[Alucard is not sure if Ciri will be in when he knocks on the apartment door of what he's now decided to call Chez Witcher if only for the absurdity of the name. But she is the one who opens the door, and the fact he has a basket with him (and a wine bottle poking out of it) makes it clear that someone?

Someone is the sorriest sorry boy who has ever apologized. It is matched by only the look of shame on his face, even though Alucard can manage to meet Ciri's eyes.]

I owe you an apology, and I only delayed it in order to offer time and space from...whatever it was that happened last month.

[wiedzminka]

[ She's not expecting visitors, so Ciri assumes at first it might be Kol or Molly from the bakery downstairs, coming up at the end of the day to give them some of the leftover pastries or bread, as they sometimes do. She opens the door to find a rather pathetic looking vampire, and blinks. ]

Oh. Alucard.

[ An apology.

...ah. ]

Come in.

[ Is he about to inundate them with food again? ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Surprisingly not.

Alucard walks in, closing the door behind him. He doesn't shove the bag he's carrying at Ciri yet, but he does take a deep breath before walking over to place said bag on the nearest table. The wine bottle thuds gently, but the rest of the bag is light, suspiciously so for someone whose apologies usually come via food.

He stands awkwardly beside that table, looking to Ciri.]

I hope everything has healed?

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri allows him to do what he likes with his apparent apology gift. She knows more or less how this works by now. The vampire's guilt must be appeased with the acceptance of an offering; she's willing to play along, even if it's a little silly.

Her lips quirk, not quite a laugh but clear amusement in the huff of a breath exhaled through her nose. ]

Alucard. It was barely a scratch.

You didn't hurt me. You seemed to come out worse for wear than I.

[ Though what he'd said really was... odd. She may have more questions about that in a moment. For now, she puts on her most reassuring, calm voice. ]

I'm not angry with you, nor am I upset. Neither of us were our best selves that day, for reasons outside our control. I know that as well as you do.

late november

[warfed]

[Escorting merchants and other travelers who can't defend themselves through the desert has become quite routine for Petra at this point, having found it to be a reliable way to earn a living alongside hunting— it's the former that she's escorting to one of the outposts today, and fortunately, she's not alone. Scouting ahead was always prudent on these trips, and today, doing so had turned out to be especially vital.]

Up ahead.

[She raises her bow as she lifts her chin to indicate some movement beneath the sand in the distance, then looks over her shoulder towards her partner.]

Sandskids, I am thinking. Likely young ones looking for a meal, this close to the route. We should be stepping carefully.

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri prefers working alone. She was, admittedly, a little annoyed to find out that her client had hired someone else alongside her, brushing it off with something about the person being "another Summoned, so it's fine," which annoyed Ciri even more, though she hadn't said anything at the time. It's been a few weeks since she had proper paid work; the military had given her a paltry amount to help clear the roads of the undead monsters when they'd been swarming, but all of that had been pretty much inescapable, and she'd needed to vent. She's been in and out of Libertas, most of which is also volunteer work. It's not as if she'll starve without earning coin consistently for a few weeks (not when Jaskier's more than willing to cover expenses as needed), but it does make her feel antsy.

So she's sought out work for pay this time, something that might be a little more challenging, and more expensive. Merchants skittish because of sandskid sightings too near the main roads will pay well not to get their horses (and themselves) turned into skeletons. Apparently, they'll pay well for more than one guard. Fine.

She's here now. Realizing it was Petra who she'll be working with was a small surprise, but not an unpleasant one. All things considered, at least it's someone she knows and has a fairly positive opinion of. Ciri just doesn't know how well she fights or how much to trust her, so this will be a learning experience for the both of them. ]

You as good with a bow as Claude is?

[ She asks when Petra knocks an arrow, and both of them look ahead to the movement of small shapes in the sand. ]

[warfed]

[An excellent question, given that they have yet to see one another in action— by reputation alone, Petra knows that Ciri can handle herself, and she assumes that Ciri has heard the same of her. As for an answer, however...]

That depends on who you are asking.

[She offers a knowing smile, despite the danger ahead.]

Our contests have yet to decide who is better. The competition is being very fierce.

[wiedzminka]

Ha! That bodes well, then. I've seen Claude's marksmanship on several occasions now, and if you can compete with him, I'm sure your aim will be true.

[ She sounds satisfied by this, even a little amused. It's not that she's not taking the threat seriously, but it's all part of the job. Levelheaded and practical, she points Petra at the problem first, while a ranged weapon is still more useful. ]

Aim for their heads. I've found chopping them off tends to work best, but any manner of destruction should do.

...suppose that goes for most things, honestly.