middaeg | Intro Log: July, Overflow

[ Leslie has been around a number of people whose physical abilities surpass the average person’s, even over the last month of her time in her own world, but she’s been fortunate enough to not end up in situations where those abilities were necessary very much.

She’s not even able to fully react to the dumpling falling before suddenly it’s gone and her bag is righted and there’s the dumpling in his hand. She takes a moment of looking back and forth at those three places as she works out whether she’d seen that right. ]

Thank you, Mr. Geralt. [ He’s only saved from “Sir Geralt” because she wonders if he’d object to that as being a noble thing, too.]

Um, that doesn’t really matter to me here, though. I guess I didn’t know any other way to politely introduce myself when I first arrived, but now...it’s a sign of respect, isn’t it? And that doesn’t have anything to do with status, even if noble titles meant anything for us here. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, though. I didn’t think that it could be uncomfortable for anyone.

[ Her careful explanation to his offhand comment catches him off guard, enough that it visibly flickers over his face. ]

Don't worry about it. [ His reply is gruff, as always, but an edge of something softer lingers in it. She's not just polite; it's the unusual sincerity. Hard to know what to think of her. It would be too simple to write her off as sheltered. He has a feeling there's more to it, in the easy way she spoke of the woman who took her in here but distinctly said nothing about having a mother or family left back home.

He lets go of the bag once she's got it steady and straightens up. ] Sure you don't want a hand taking those home to your Lady?

[ If Leslie is anything, it’s 200% sincere at all times. She doesn’t entirely follow the suggestion to not worry about it, guessing at whether he meant that it wasn’t a big deal or that he is uncomfortable but is kind enough to overlook it.

But that gets put aside for a later puzzling out when the more pressing topic of the bag of dumplings comes up. She doesn’t answer immediately, looking at the (one dumpling lighter) bag and really properly considering it in the light of her current stamina. ]

If you were already planning to go to the Haven soon, it would be nice to have a little help.... [ One of her feet restlessly traces little circles with the toe of her shoes, though not with enough force to actually draw in the dirt. She always feels bad when she thinks she is bothering someone, especially over something small. ] But I really can carry it all the way on my own. If I take a break every now and then, to rest my arms. So you don’t have to help if you want to enjoy the Cirque Mystique for a while longer.

[ While she seems to mull it over, Geralt waits it out. Either way, he's ready to leave the crowd behind. He's seen what he needs to around here. ]

I'm not keen on festivals. [ Though admittedly, he doesn't have a lot of experience attending one. They're not events he goes to in the first place (because, as Jaskier would declare, he has no concept of enjoying himself) and even if they were, the number of them that would let a Witcher through the gates back home are firmly at about zero.

Actually, this is the longest he's gone wandering in a city without someone trying to kick him out of one place or another. ]

Come on. [ Geralt reaches to take the bag from her. ] You can meet my horse.

[ Leslie looks a little concerned when Geralt says he's not keen on festivals, but she brightens up at the offer to meet his horse. ]

I'd love to! I've never met a horse directly before. [ She carefully lifts the bag a little to make it easier for Geralt to take. ] I've only seen them when they're already hitched to a coach.

[ A coach specifically, because if Leslie knows the words cart or wagon, she only learned them recently in Aefenglom.

A bit of that concerned expression returns as, in a reassuring tone, she says: ] There are a lot of festivals in Aefenglom, but I don't think anyone will mind if you don't like going to them. They usually don't last more than a few days.

[ If she knew about the party pressgangs of the upcoming Lunasa, she might be a little more worried for him. ]

[ His eyebrow lifts. She's reassuring him, isn't she? Geralt's starting to think he needs to reconsider the offhand comments he makes around her. He decides not to mention that it's been a long damn time since he's given a shit about what anyone minds or doesn't mind when it comes to him.

Instead, he replies, ] I'll make do.

[ He shifts the bag under one arm as they approach the gates. A little beyond them, a plain brown mare waits, a streak of white along her nose. Anyone familiar with horses will recognize she's nothing special: just a sturdy breed meant for long travel. ]

This is Roach. [ Geralt offers Leslie the reins. The horse snorts, but she behaves otherwise. ] Know how to lead her?

[ Leslie looks like she’s considering expanding on her earlier reassurance — he should be able to do what he wants, not just make do! — but the appearance of the horse derails that completely. Leslie has seen horses before, from more of a distance than this. A majority of them were even brown. But she does not fall under those familiar with horses, so as far as she knows, a white streak along the nose could be a very unusual marking.

She does giggle at the name, though. Like the insect, huh? ]

Hello, Roach. [ She takes the offered reins in as firm of a grip as she can manage, holding at a distance that leaves the reins slack for now while she waits for instructions. Because: ] No...is it anything like walking a dog on a leash?

A little. [ He guides her to the left of the horse's side. Roach is an easygoing enough mare, as mares go; he's dragged her through every town and village and swamp alike. She's been with him longer than previous Roach's, too. ] Keep to her side. She'll follow. Come on, Roach.

[ The horse begins to move, and he shifts the dumplings under his other arm. Not much is packed on her. He's left his actual bag in his room, but his two swords remain strapped to her side, their pommels visible inside the leather sheathe. They are, aside from the runes on one of the blades, nothing visually noteworthy, designed solely for function. ]

You've really never been around a horse? [ She's looks the age when a girl would be riding, or at least learning to. Noble or not, it's curious: almost everyone is used to horses. Can't do much without them. ]

[ Leslie still shows a little interest in the swords, even though she’s seen much more complex weapons before (her neighbourhood has a lot of Fire Emblems in it), but her concentration is mostly on Roach and on Geralt’s directions to how to lead properly. She walks a little slowly at first, a bit hesitant, but soon she matches the mare’s pace.

As for his question, she shakes her head. ]

No, the coach driver handled them. And, um...maybe some other people when the coach wasn’t prepared? But I couldn’t see what happened when the coach drove away from my window. I suppose there must have been a.... [ What was that word she had heard in Aefenglom once or twice in passing? ] ...sta...bles somewhere, but I never saw it. And I can walk to the places I need to go here in Aefenglom.

[ He keeps pace with Leslie while they walk, leaving the festivities behind. The sky lights up even as they move further away, though, with the lightshow beginning. It's all a bit extravagant, but he supposes it's a simple affair of magic behind everything.

He glances down at her. Away from her window? He's assumed her lack of contact is perhaps because horses don't much exist in her world. Or her household chose not to rely on them for some reason. But the way she says it, it implies something else. Something that makes him frown just a hint. ]

And you didn't ever ride on that coach?

[ Though a lot of Leslie's attention remains focused on leading Roach, her eyes definitely flick up to the lights in the sky. She's seen things like it in Aefenglom a few times, so her expression is not awed, but they are still something new and beautiful.

This does mean that she isn't looking at Geralt's face, and with his voice always being a bit rough, she misses the frown entirely. So she answers with a casual thoughtfulness, not realizing the conclusions he's drawn. ]

Um...it wasn't like I never rode it.

[ There's some uncertainty in her tone as she says it, starting to silently count in her head. If she tried, she might be able to count the exact number of times she was in a coach relatively quickly, but she realizes that's more information than he asked for and, after that moment of hesitation, she continues to speak. ]

But it's not really the same as being around a horse, is it? Even a nice coach is just a box with seats in it, in the end.

[ Despite the uncertainty of her reply, Geralt doesn't press. It's not a case he's getting paid for and thus not his business, whether there's more to her words or not.

But she is a curiosity. That much is certain. (There's something to be said, possibly, about the fact that she shares his hair and Yennefer's eyes.) ]

Mm. [ There's agreement somewhere in that sound. ] Now you know one. She likes you.

[ Not that Roach is especially fussy. He's had some irritable mares in the past, but she isn't one, politely following Leslie along until they reach a fork in the road. He tips his head. ] Which way?

[ Though it might be more of a result of the horse’s temperament than any actual affection toward Leslie, the remark that Roach likes her produces a big smile on the girl’s face. ]

I like her, too. [ She lifts her free hand, but, unlike with dogs or cats, she doesn’t know how to show affection to a horse, so she lets it drop before she tries to pet the mare.

At the crossroads, Leslie takes a moment to look down both streets and get her bearings, as she doesn’t come this way very often, but after a moment, she points down the correct one. ]

This way. Lady Edelgard doesn’t live very far into the Haven.

[ It’s also where Leslie lives, but she still thinks of it as Edelgard’s house where Leslie is allowed to live more than she thinks of it as her house. ]

[ It's unexpected, her smile. Not unwelcome, though. His expression softens despite himself and he looks away. As a result, he doesn't notice her hesitating to touch Roach.

He helps turn the horse down the street she indicates. Leslie's not clarified if Lady Edelgard is Mirrorbound, as well, or one of the locals. He doesn't doubt their intentions, exactly. But there's still something about the Coven's cheerful welcoming that brings suspicion.

Once her home is in view, he stops just outside of it. He returns the bag of dumplings to her. ] Don't eat them all at once.

[ Ironically, the Coven are about the only members of Aefenglom's original citizenry of whom Leslie is not especially suspicious because of that cheerful welcome. The terrible people she's known in her own world are mostly not very subtle.

While the house that Leslie stops in front of isn't any bigger than the kind of house you might find in the middle class sections of the residential district, the design is far too ornate to not belong have belonged to either the aristocratic district or some new money family that upgraded their residential district home. The most distinct feature, though, is that the second floor completely lacks windows. Not that the windows are covered over -- the second floor was built without windows. (The house was built for a vampire and is currently lived in by a vampire, though that's the only hint to it from the outside.)

She initially huffs at his comment as she takes back the bag. ] Of course I won't! [ But then she laughs, so it seems like she's not actually offended. ] I don't think they would fit!

[ She might not be exactly thrilled whenever people bring up her height, but she can't really deny that this bag is not especially smaller than she is herself. Speaking of things that she can sometimes be a little huffy about: ]

Thank you. For carrying the bag for me and coming back with me. I hope you have a good evening. [ Her smile turns into more of a grin. ] And Roach, too.

[ It is distinct, but Geralt -- still defaulting to the higher vampires of his world -- doesn't make the connection as instinctively as he should. When she speaks up, his lingering gaze on the house shifts to her and he puts the oddity of the design aside.

She's an interesting girl. If anything, the hint of huffiness tells him she's more than the polite demeanor she carries around her. He's a little glad to see it. ]

Mm-hmm. [ He doesn't linger, already retrieving Roach to lead her to where the apartments are. ] See you around.

Intro Log: July, Overflow

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