middaeg | ( open ) little do you know...

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( open ) little do you know...

Who: Yennefer and [open]
When: Septeril catch-all
Where: All Over
What: Quests, fall out from being an unbonded witch, and everything in between
Warnings: most likely violence, near death experience, will update with anything else

[ starters will be in the comments and linked here. Please feel free to pm me or hit me up on
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hoopskirts if there's something specifically you'd like to do or throw a wildcard at me. ]

7th. Fabiano's Finesse (Quest) and Joint Open Option for Yennefer and Geralt
10th. Breaking of the Wish (Open)

All Month. Wildcard
wildcard » 4th. Alucard

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[ Like Yennefer, there's a (very) slight lightness to Geralt that isn't normally present. His eyes are also on her instead of the path ahead, which means he doesn't notice that it's Leslie approaching from the other direction until he hears his name.

He looks over, then down at the squat little dog at her feet, then at Yennefer. He can already see what Yen is thinking. There's a hint of a question, too, as his gaze returns to Leslie, curious if she'll find Yennefer's similarly unusual violet eyes worth noting. ]

Yen. Meet Leslie. [ He pauses, searching for more of an introduction -- not for politeness' sake but because Leslie's just...a girl. Who seems especially sensitive to people's concerns. That she might think he doesn't want her around or to meet someone he knows bothers him in a way he prefers not to examine too deeply. ] We met at the carnival.

[ His walking her home that evening or later escorting her through the slums remains untold. Yennefer will have to get that information some other way. ]

[ Given that the last place she'd seen Geralt was in the Outer City looking for missing children, it's nice seeing that slight lightness, though she doesn't know him well enough yet to realize just how rare a thing that is. And she has no idea for Yennefer whether this is the norm or not.

Leslie does seem to have taken notice of Yennefer's violet eyes, but the reaction is a faint one. Her own violet eyes are, as far as she's aware, normal in her world, inherited from the woman who she doesn't call mother anymore. It's interesting to see someone with the same eyes as her and Lady Edelgard, but not something she finds startling.

As has continued to be her habit for introductions, Leslie both curtsies and bows at the same time. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you -- [ She hesitates for a moment. She feels like there's a certain confidence to the way Yennefer holds herself that makes her uncertain in honorifics between: ] Ms. Yennefer? Lady Yennefer?

[ As she straightens back up, she adds to Geralt's explanation: ] He helped me to carry the dumplings I bought for him back to the house where I'm living here.

[ She had actually bought the dumplings for him, having mistaken him for not having enough money to eat when he picked up a pre-bitten apple for Roach, but he didn't accept them, so it was still helping her with bringing them back to her own house. ]

[ Reading Geralt's masked expressions was something she'd learned a long time ago and it's a good sign. Children weren't often a welcome addition to either of their lifestyles, even if she'd wanted nothing more than to change that for herself.

Geralt makes the introduction and gives her context which, honestly, only prompts more questions she'd like to ask. Carnival is such a broad topic after all. And then Leslie fills in the blank for her and it's unexpectedly sweet. Paired with the girl's manners and the clarification Yen offers is easy. ]

That was very generous of you. And Yennefer is fine, or Lady Yennefer if you'd prefer.

[ And her attention absolutely returns to Geralt for a moment, an arched eyebrow the only indication that will want to revisit that topic. ]

And is this your pet? Ferdie, I believe? [ She's taking a guess that it was a name and not a command in another language. ]

[ Geralt meets Yennefer's look with one of his own. There are questions he might be willing to answer and others less so. Though Leslie is, admittedly, the preferred child to discuss, if they had to. Rather than Cirilla.

The dog looks like a hound of some kind, though a bit smaller and well taken care of. Bit different than the strays that tend to wander the streets. Ferdie, huh?

He crouches down to offer it a hand to sniff while Yennefer engages the girl. She's better at it than he is. Besides, he's curious how the animal will be around him, given he now carries the scent of a wolf. So far, at least, Roach doesn't seem to mind. ]

[ Geralt is starting to collect white-haired children with eye colours from less than 3% of the population. Watch out before it becomes a habit. ]

Okay, Lady Yennefer.

[ By giving Leslie the option between "no honorific" or "possibly excessively formal honorific," she's likely been locked into Lady Yennefer for a while. There's a slight hesitation after before replying to the questions, since they don't have the same answer. ]

No and yes? His name is Ferdie, but he's really Lady Edelgard's pet. She's the one who found him rooting around in the garden and he's always liked her best.

[ Ferdie himself is currently engaged in sniffing Geralt's hand. He takes longer than he usually might, mouth closed and a little uncertain, over the wolf scent. However, regardless of what instincts might tell him, Ferdie is an Aefenglom dog born and bred, so a human-looking person smelling like a wolf is more common in his life than actual wolves. After concluding his investigation, he sits with his mouth falling open in a doggy smile and licks Geralt's offered hand. ]

But I agreed to take him on walks and feed him during the daytime when I suggested we take him in on a trial basis. Lady Edelgard wasn't sure if we should let him in at first since we already had two cats. Um, and a cobra? Do you think familiars count as pets?

[ Yes, she does indeed live with someone keeping a poisonous snake as a familiar. One of her housemates lives at Maximum Goth. ]

[ Too late, most likely. And Yennefer won't argue the choice, having put it out there for a reason. She had no intention of forcing something on a child with only minimal clues of how they might've been raised.

And while Geralt may not want to talk about the other child, this could be a good stepping stone towards a more positive attempt of a conversation later. Yennefer wasn't sure if Geralt kneeling down to greet the dog was a way to escape her gaze or if he truly was interested in the dog. She'll assume the latter to give him the benefit of the doubt. Her attention returns to Leslie once everything seems like it'll be fine between wolf and dog. ]

I believe as they require an amount of care, yes. In a way, they're pets -- even the more unconventional ones. [ She has questions about the cobra, but she's not going to ask. ]

Have you been here for some time, then? [ It's a guess, given the girl had the funds to purchase food for Geralt when he'd arrived among other things. ]

[ The smallest quirk of his lips is visible as the dog licks his hand. He pets it over the head before standing back up -- and then turning his gaze on Leslie. A what? ]

You live with a snake? [ If Yennefer's not asking, Geralt has little hesitation to do so -- partly because of the snake itself but also at the implication that there are multiple people in that household. He'd assumed Edelgard had taken Leslie in on her own. She hadn't mentioned housemates or other guardians to him.

Still, more than the reptile, his attention is on Yennefer. Her desire for a child has stayed with him since he's found out. Hard for it not to, when it's one of several things lurking in the air between them. Watching her with Leslie, he's starting to see something there.

It's not enough to change his mind. An actual child -- not one who comes to greet him here and there, with a proper guardian of her own at home -- is out of the question for their lives. But it does make him feel...

They both have things they want that they can't ever have. That's all. ]

[ Ferdie is definitely happy about the petting. While he might be too well-trained to jump up to demand more pets when Geralt withdraws, he's not against moving to sit right by him, leaning some of his weight against his leg, and look up at him with a soft stare. Please, sir, I want some more pets.

Leslie nods thoughtfully at Yennefer's comment on familiars and glances down at her own shadow being cast on the street. She doesn't think she'd describe her own familiar as a pet, really, but there are sometimes exceptions to general rules, so she doesn't bring it up.

(Her familiar is definitely an unconventional one, because it's literally a magical collective of living shadows that followed her from her own world. Currently, it's quietly staying within Leslie's normal, cast-by-blocking-light shadow that makes them hard to see at a glance. It's still possible to notice them from the magic flowing through Leslie's familiar bond with them or from some odd flicker of movement in her shadow, though, since they no longer have the magic from Leslie's original world that kept them virtually undetectable. Leslie just only talks about them when she feels like she needs to do so.)

Anyway, she's got a couple of questions to get to. Her eyes go between the two a few times, but settles on answering them in the order she was asked, starting with Yennefer's. ]

I've been here since Feoveuer -- near the end of winter, a little over seven months ago. [ Leslie seems to know that number of months off the top of her head. ] A couple of days before the Rathmore trial.

[ Leslie's voice is a little quieter and solemn as she mentions the last. The affair leading up to that trial is now about eight months old, but watching a trial where a family of nobles was sentenced to death for unspeakable crimes against the Mirrorbound on her third day as one of those Mirrorbound left a pretty deep impression on her.

She doesn't elaborate before she turns her attention to Geralt's question. ]

Yes, it was Marquis Vestra's only familiar. [ She sure does just casually call one of her housemates by his noble title. ] It mostly stays near him or in his lab in the cellar, and I give it space when it isn't. [ A slight hesitation over whether to add this part before: ] Ms. Bernadetta called it Fluffy when she lived with us. Um, that is, she probably still calls it that, but I don't see her very often since she moved out.

[ And back to looking at Yennefer. ]

Did you also arrive recen -- relatively recently like Mr. Geralt, Lady Yennefer?

[ Though there are certainly exceptions -- her housemates being among them -- Leslie has noticed that a lot of people form pretty strong connections with the others who arrived around the same time as them, and she gets the feeling that the two must be close......friends because she could not sense romantic tension with a dowsing rod. ]

[ Yennefer listens, to both what is said and the air in between the words -- to the emotions children so often are unable to conceal. Because they have no reason to yet. It's a good enough sign either that she trusts Geralt or she hasn't been through enough to force such moments of vulnerability to be hidden.

Though, if she had to wager a guess, she'd lean towards the girl having some trust for Geralt. As it seems everyone here has been through something.

And she understands Geralt's concern at the snake, even if Yennefer just assumed it was a non-issue based on tone. She didn't sound concerned about it so she felt no need to make waves with a new acquaintance or insert herself at the moment. So, she answers the question posed to her and leaves the concern about a snake to Geralt. A natural balance between them. ]

We arrived at the same time, yes. A few months ago. [ And because she can gather where the question might be leading, she'll do her best to pre-emptively answer the next inquiry. ] But, we knew each other before coming here.

[ That's...unusual, to say the least. Since Leslie speaks of it so casually, Geralt doesn't question it further beyond acknowledging it with a noncommittal hmm. Stranger things, than a girl living with a snake as a familiar in the house. Especially around these parts.

Though he's starting to reevaluate his glimpse of that house, with its glaring lack of windows.

He glances at Yen, letting her take that particular answer -- which, as it turns out, is as vague as can be. Not that he blames her, when their history spans nearly a decade at this point and more than its share of complications. He already suspects Leslie will have questions, ones he's not sure either of them can answer.

Not least being exactly what they are to each other. Important is about as close to a succinct truth that they'll ever get. But it's one too intimate to share. ]

[ Leslie’s face brightens at this. ]

I’m glad. It must make it easier to settle in to Aefenglom when you arrive with friends to live and bond with.

[ At least, she assumes they are friends from the way they are getting on now, not realizing that the people from that world are all living separately and finding the process of deciding whether to bond such a complicated one.

Though, after she says this, she realizes that she was making some pretty big assumptions, her bright expression fading just a little. Her housemates all came from the same continent of the same world and are clearly bound by trust and love (of a greater variety than she is aware), but there are others here who are also from that continent and, while they have all avoided bringing the politics of their world into their relationships with Leslie, she knows that a number of them were not on the same side of in a recent war.

(The lack of information on the war due to no one wanting to talk about it to an uninvolved child has not stopped Leslie from coming to very firm conclusions that 1) the side that was lead by the woman who took her in in Aefenglom is clearly the right side and 2) the people she’s met from what she inwardly labels “the wrong side” must have joined it out of misunderstandings or conflicting loyalties, because all of them seem to be good people. She has mostly not expressed these opinions out loud.)

There are some relationships across war lines that seem to still be somewhat tense, but there are also people like Lorenz who, despite being on “the wrong side” of the war, are now trusted friends of her housemates, or at least enough so that Leslie is supposed to go to him if she needs help while her housemates are busy. This could be something like that — a few months might be enough to come to a friendship even with someone who you opposed in the past. So she adds: ]

Or, um, people from your world who you become friends with, at least. Right?

[ She doesn’t think that they would link arms with people who aren’t friends or family. Or fiancés, she supposes. This is the end of her mental list of affectionate relationships. ]

[ The mask she'd put in place of calm neutrality with a hint of amusement almost cracks at the mention of bonding. Truthfully, she'd have preferred a comment about marriage over bonding. That was at least easier to navigate as both of their lives didn't exactly lend themselves to serious commitments. Not like that.

She barely misses a beat, likely only noticeable to Geralt. ]

Yes, it's helpful to have others than can be trusted immediately rather than truly having to start fresh on all accounts.

[ And with that, she's eager to pivot the conversation -- in whatever direction that might be. That last bit was a little too close to a particular issue the girl couldn't have known about. When it came to Yennefer and Jaskier, that was a different kind of complicated and Geralt was somehow a sort of glue keeping them together.

It was hard to acknowledge friends when the concept of having friends wasn't one she'd been an expert at both before and after her transformation. In politics, there'd been no room for friends because friends often were just enemies in disguise. Waiting for guards to be dropped and weaknesses exposed. It was less painful to be stabbed in the back by someone that you hadn't stupidly trusted. But, that was a lot to dump on a child making assumptions and she didn't want to be responsible for causing the brightness to fade further. At least one person in this city should still see things with childlike wonder. ]

And bonding certainly is important. I am still without a bond, but perhaps one day that might be open to discussion. [ That last bit is more for Geralt, and it's not an untrue statement. And the sparring session had softened her a bit more towards her stance on Geralt. She'd promised herself it's a conversation she'd have when the Wish was gone. But, it's also a very touchy one. So, she's eager to pivot the conversation. If it was just her and the girl, she'd be bidding her a good day. But, it wasn't so she'll leave an opening should she and Geralt want to continue catching up. ]

I'd hate to keep Ferdie from his adventures, we can walk with you for a bit if you'd like some company.

[ His attention snaps to Yennefer, almost too sharply. Perhaps. He doesn't respond for a moment. They haven't talked about it since that day; he doesn't intend to, either. Yennefer has made her decision clear and Geralt knows whatever he has to say will only brew another blowout.

Of course she chooses now to edge open the door. He returns his attention to Leslie. If Yennefer had politely excused them, he would've taken it to let the girl go on her way. But the invitation is extended instead.

Not that he minds. Of the people Leslie should know, Yennefer is an easy choice. Someone he knows will keep an eye on the girl, too. ]

Come on. You can tell Lady Yennefer about yourself. [ Just to avoid any more questions about bonding. ]

[ Leslie misses any cracks in Yennefer’s mask, though she notices the sudden movement from Geralt as her eyes flick towards the sudden movement. Even that doesn’t seem suspicious to her, though. Bonding is something she avoided as long as she could herself, because the whole thing is difficult.

The offer to come with her and Ferdie on the walk is clearly the more surprising one to her, and she opens her mouth to go into some whole spiel about how she appreciates the offer, but also they don’t have to interrupt their own walk if they don’t want to, are they sure, etc. But Geralt’s suggestion makes her stop before she actually begins that and move on to something else. Only one part of it slips through: ]

If you’re sure you don’t mind. Come, Ferdie.

[ The latter is obviously addressed at the dog to get the beagle to stop making puppy eyes at Geralt to beg for more pets and start walking again. Leslie bites her lip for a moment as she starts to walk herself. ]

I don’t know what kinds of things would be interesting to tell you about. Um, I’m — no, you know my name already. I’m thirteen? [ She didn’t mean that to turn into a question (though given how short she is, it wouldn’t be surprising for other people to question that age), so she tries again. ] Thirteen years old. — I’m a witch here. I’ve mostly been studying abjuration and enchantment, and I’ve been trying to learn about the Bright Wall, but the people here prefer to keep that information a secret. And I’m Lady Edelgard’s ward for as long as I am in this world.

[ She points to a symbol of a bird sewn onto her clothing like a badge. ]

She put the symbol of the Black Eagles on my clothes so that people would know I’m under her protection.

[ Which is partially dependant on people knowing who Edelgard is, but Leslie looks very proud to have this symbol. After all, it’s the symbol for Edelgard’s comrades and she likes feeling as though she’s among that number. ]

Before I came to Aefenglom...have either of you heard of the Rucardius Empire? I don’t know very much about places outside of the empire, but the Rucardius Empire has established a hegemony over the continent, so if we were from the same world, I think most people would have heard of it.

[ She doesn’t expect that they’re from the same world and the lack of expectation shows on her face and in her casual tone. She’s quite used to the idea that she is the only one here from her world, but she likes to check. After all, she isn’t likely to recognize someone being from her world if they lived outside of the empire and any countries significant enough for mention in her history books (usually in ones about battles between those countries). ]

[ The snap of attention is met with a casual lift of an eyebrow, a silent 'what' filling the space between them. It hadn't been her intention to let that slip, but now was as good a time as any. Especially since it couldn't be discussed further in present company. But, she also knew something like that would find its way back into conversation eventually and she would have to keep in mind that she was the one to re-open a door she'd so eloquently closed on him.

The invitation from Geralt for Leslie is telling, in a way. There was some sort of connection here, deeper than just buying a meal. There had to be.

She listens as they begin to move again, eyes falling to the symbol and filing away that particular name for a later date as well as the demonstrated pride Leslie carries regarding that feeling of belonging -- unification and protection. They were vital things for children in a time of chaos, she understood that on a deep level, not that she intended to share that particular piece of herself with the girl. ]

While I am familiar with an Empire, it does not bear that name. Just as I'm certain the Nilfgaardian Empire holds no meaning to you.

[ What Leslie describes is new to Geralt, too, but it's her age that catches his attention. He's assumed her younger. Ten or eleven. She looks it -- smaller for a thirteen year old than most.

He suspects, by the time they leave Leslie, Yennefer will have some questions. For the moment, he lets the girl fill the silence with the history of her world.

He distinctly adds no details about Nilfgaard. Anything he has to say on the topic will be drier than the desert and if there's one thing he's learned early on about Leslie, it's that she'll likely take his comment with sincerity.

As the small dog ambles along, he gives most of the room to Yennefer to carry the conversation -- though there's soon a cat that crosses their path, a grey ball of fur that comes right up to the beagle. Unlike home, the cat ignores him. At least they don't hiss at him anymore. ]

[ There’s no recognition of a Nilfgaardian Empire in Leslie’s eyes, but she still takes a moment to think through her history lessons in case there are some Time Shenanigans going on. Nope, never heard of it.

She nods. ] I have never heard of the [ one moment for her to wrap her head around the pronunciation ] Nilfgaardian Empire, so we are likely from different worlds. I wanted to be certain, because the Salvatore family has a mixed reputation that I think almost everyone from my own world would have heard of if they ever heard of the Rucardius Empire.

[ She didn’t want to start the next part and have a “the Monster Duchess????” reaction awaiting her. ]

Duchess Salvatore and I agreed to a contract where she will adopt me in return for my cooperation until I am eighteen years old. Since she needs a daughter for...um, something. [ She doesn’t actually know the exact reason yet. ] So if everything is the same when I return and everything goes well after that, I should be adopted into the Salvatore family in the next few months.

[ She’s been told that time shouldn’t pass back in her world, but she doesn’t feel confident in that. Still, as she continues, she smiles warmly, fondly, and nostalgically. ]

But I was already living with them for a couple of weeks, and they’ve all been very kind to me. Even if it’s a contractual relationship, everyone has treated me as though I were a proper member of the family. Big Brother Ruenti even told me that we should address each other as brother and sister already, even before I have actually become a Salvatore. I will miss many people I’ve met in Aefenglom when I leave, but I will also be happy to see everyone there, too.

[ Yes, she’s specifically only talked about things that happened over the period of a few weeks in a life of twelve years. It’s Fine.

While Leslie notices the cat approaching Ferdie, she doesn’t worry about it since Ferdie is living with two cats in relative peace. Ferdie, meanwhile, does seems to be eyeing the cat with some level of suspicion, but decides to be friendly in a dog way, which means getting right up in the cat’s space and moving to sniff the butt. He may have not learned cat social cues. ]

[ As expected, there's no recognition of the Nilfgaardian Empire and that's almost a relief. Any other thoughts she had slip away at the mention of needing a daughter for 'something'. The only concern visible on her face is the arch of an eyebrow and a quick look at Geralt. Looking for recognition of the information or if this is as much of a surprise.

She wants to pry, but she doesn't know the child or this family. Didn't know the circumstances of their lives and if the girl wasn't in obvious distress, it was a conversation for another time.

Besides, nothing much they could do about occurrences at home.

She keeps her attention on Leslie, letting the dog and cat figure it out. ]

We all will have to say goodbye eventually, I suspect. It's good that you have such a... mature outlook on the future in a place like this. And connections.

[ She leaves anything more in depth for Geralt. ]

[ They'll both find equal surprise flickering across his expression. Geralt's suspected her family history hasn't been the most typical -- not once in their conversations has she mentioned having parents or siblings or even friends she misses -- but he sure as fuck didn't think she was being adopted for a nebulous something.

Concerning. A bit.

There's a disconnection in the way she refers to relationships he can't help but recognize. The kind that says some people either haven't been very permanent in her life or hold a less than welcome place in it.

Geralt exchanges a look with Yennefer. His remark isn't quite s question, but there's one there beneath it. ]

A contracted family. That's different.

[ Yennefer’s words make Leslie look pleased. Yes, she is mature, thank you for noticing. She also nods: she thinks her connections are very good, too. It’s enough that she misses the look passing between the adults.

Geralt’s comments, though, leave her awkwardly fiddling with the end of the leash in her hand, her gaze on that idle movement. ]

I know it’s not the same as having a real family. I didn’t have many options at the time. According to the laws of the empire, a child must have the support of their parents until their eighteenth birthday, and there aren’t many families with enough power to one-sidedly force through an adoption like I need.

[ Realizing that she’s kind of being a downer, she shakes her head as though to chase off thoughts of the difficulties from her original world. She looks up at the other two with a genuine smile. ]

I’m really lucky, you know. I know how children with strong powers usually get treated from my history books, but the Salvatores turned out to not be the kind of people to do that. Even if I don’t know exactly what Duchess Salvatore will ask of me, I know it won’t be anything unfair. And I don’t have to worry about that kind of thing here with the rest of the Mirrorbound, either. I think the mirrors in the Looking Glass House must only bring good people through them. So I’m all right, both there and here.

[ For Leslie, just the absence of being treated badly would be enough to be happy about. That people are also really kind to her on top of it is something she’d only dreamt of before. ]

[ The look says enough, but she chooses to put her own thoughts into words. A sentiment she's certain Geralt shares. ]

Blood families hold no value at times once powers become involved. [ The phrase is said with a matter-of-fact tone that might be alarming to some that don’t know her. But, she knows Geralt’s childhood also wasn’t the makings of tales they tell children at bedtime. ] I was sold to a Sorceress by my family. There’s nothing to explain, we all do what we must to survive. [ It’s a very gentle retelling of a truth Yennefer doesn’t often share, leaving out her reaction to being sold. Brushing off a speck of dust on her pants, she attempts to emanate indifference. An illusion of emotional control. That feeling of being unwanted had driven her to a quest for power that ultimately might cost her her life.

But that wasn’t relevant right now. Only one looming fate at a time, truthfully. ]

And not just your universe’s history books. I’m certain, just looking around this city, you might find others with a somewhat similar experience at its core. Misunderstandings and actions made towards them out of fear or ignorance. If you have a plan at home that is to your satisfaction and keeps you safe, then there's nothing more to say on it.

[ Part of maturity is often making those hard decisions and weighing the pros and cons. And it sounded like Leslie already had. ]

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( open ) little do you know...

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sorry for the delay - everything slowed down with my hiatus

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no worries. genshin impact absorbed my life until recently so I was basically on hiatus myself.

I’m good with wrapping this or handwaving the rest