[ CLOSED ] tooth and nail, tooth and nail

[gynvael]

Who: Geralt + Various
When: December
Where: Cadens; Horizon; Nocwich
What: Catch-all for December
Warnings: General Witcher stuff, will add more as needed.



(( starters in the comments below. find me at discontinued or at Noa#1979 to plot stuff! ))

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[ushiri]

[ Interrupted an execution. Something about that makes him think of the Fai'daum. The memory scratches at the back of his mind, but here with Geralt he's too unsure to reach out and open that door. He doesn't need to stumble through that maze right now.

His mouth forms a line, then pulls down at one side. ]

When the dead were rising - there was whispers that some mangled bodies crawled up from beneath the castle. [ The dungeons or below. He doesn't know if that's related to anything with Geralt's time there - he hopes not, but it feels worth mentioning.

His brow furrows. ]

A second time? [ His eyebrows knit further together. ] And they've never contacted you again?

[gynvael]

[ His head tilts. That's new. Not surprising, but new. The truth is, his experience in the dungeons wasn't awful. Not the first time. He's been held in worse conditions. Thorne's formal policies appear to be one thing. The decisions of the queen is—something else.

He pauses. This is information he's shared with almost no one. He's been uncertain what use it even is. ]

Queen Ellya once sent guards to retrieve a prisoner. I spoke to the girl after. She said—the Queen conducted an experiment using her. It resulted in a man's death.

[ Which leads him to— ]

They weren't seeking contact. The Queen had...certain ambitions. I'm lucky I heal fast. [ He's skirting, a little, the reasons why he was captured. Even now, Yennefer's position is precarious. And he didn't earn those scars for nothing. ] If you ask me, Thorne has not changed. Not while she sits on the throne.

[ushiri]

Is the king that spineless? Or are they in agreement? [ Even so, the situation would be unheard of in Basawar. No gaunsho would allow any of his wives to openly hold any kind of power. He understands it's different in other worlds, but it still seems. Odd.

At I heal fast, he gives Geralt a curious look. Another side effect of his mutations, he thinks. How he survived his youth. Healing fast is a lucky thing in some ways, but he imagines there are unfortunate ways for such a power to be exploited, especially by anyone with cruelty in mind. ]

Then they seek to oppose her, or Thorne. [ If they weren't seeking contact. Why else cause what must have been chaos? Another frown. ] What was this experiment?

[gynvael]

If they're in agreement, it's only because she has his balls.

[ The situation isn't as unusual for Geralt, but the lack of a united front is. No matter who truly holds power behind the curtain, the crown tends to appear together. But he's rarely seen the king stand by his wife's side, nor she his. He has to wonder how much of that is to do with her uncle. There's undeniable value in having the army in your pocket. ]

Likely. [ If Kyle is referring to Oliver, then. Yes. At the very least, they were there to stir shit up, and they succeeded. The other nations had not summoned anyone of their own until they realized Thorne was successful.

He shrugs. The precise details are vague. Relena disappeared soon after. Among others. Now there are...what. Five? Six? Who were there at the time? As far as he knows, only he and one other remain who spoke to Relena about what happened. ] She tried to transfer our connection to the Singularity into one of her own. It failed. Spectacularly, I'm told.

[ushiri]

[ Whatever he might've guessed, it isn't that. His eyes widen slightly in surprise at the description of the experiment - then immediately narrow again.

The queen's desires are putting them all at risk on multiple fronts. She will need to be removed, somehow. A big somehow. He has no doubt he's far from the first person to come to this conclusion. If it could be easily accomplished, she wouldn't still be breathing.

He switches gears for a second, thoughtfully: ]

Do you have any reason to believe the ones that helped you escape might've been involved in what happened at Nocwich?

[gynvael]

[ He blinks. Somehow, that question catches him off guard. It isn't that he doesn't care what happened. He's close to the three injured. Jaskier spent a week recovering; Yennefer longer. But it'd been about politics. A catalyst for war. It almost didn't matter who was responsible because to him, the point isn't who did it or why. It's that it happened at all.

The dam's broken. It's too fucking late to undo the flood. Even should they uncover the truth, then what? Will Libertas forgive Thorne's hasty decision to burn their city to the ground? Will Thorne forgive the Free Cities for a starved winter? ]

I don't know. [ His brows furrow. ] They protected Thorne's people from harm even while intervening. If they've decided to instigate bloodshed, I couldn't tell you why.

[ Does he trust Oliver? No. It's more that—nothing quite adds up. They're missing too much. ]

The castle was also compromised. What's Thorne said about that?

[ That had to be someone on it inside. Or someone powerful enough to get in and out without been seen. ]

[ushiri]

[ The damage is done, but identifying those responsible still matters. Retribution for all those lives would only be a personal reason, there's more than that. It's information that can potentially be used, whether in the form of the truth or manipulated in a way to get the needed outcome. And it helps him figure out where this person or people stand.

Geralt doesn't have much of an answer, but the detail about protecting the natives gives some context to consider.

At the question he raises an eyebrow. ]

You mean the queen's mage? As much as you expect. [ Which is, next to nothing. ] They said his protections failed or backfired. [ He shakes his head. ] If they suspected anyone still within the castle...

[ They wouldn't have escaped the queen's rage. Maybe it's cooled since then, but he remembers her eyes that day she burned a city. ]

[gynvael]

[ For a minute or so, Geralt doesn't answer. Talk of Thorne has taken him back to matters he'd largely left behind. Or tried to. Moving on seemed the better choice, the thing he's always done through the years.

Eventually, he sits back. ]

There's a woman. Himeka. She shared a cell with the girl. They escaped to Solvunn together.

[ Geralt only knew Relena in passing. But she and Himeka were friends, and he knows Himeka's chatty nature means she might've learned things about Oliver he may not have.

And unlike Geralt, Himeka will confess to a dozen things at the drop of a hat. ]

Tell her you spoke to me.

[ushiri]

[ His eyebrows raise and there's a brief look of recognition at Himeka's name. He doesn't know her well, but he's spoken to her once now about the gods. He didn't know she'd been here that long. After a second he gives a nod. ]

I will, thank you.

[ He cocks his head slightly. ]

If there's anything I might be able to do for you here, please let me know.

[ Geralt has given him something to work with. He'd like to offer the same at some point, even though he isn't sure how. ]

[gynvael]

[ Ah. So they've met. That makes it simpler.

He inclines his head. ] I will. Thorne's of interest to me.

[ An implicit request, that he'd appreciate any information about Thorne Kyle believes is worth noting.

He straightens up. ] Be careful.

[ He's sure Kyle will, but it bears repeating. Then he's gone, out the door without a glance back. ]