Not Unwelcoming

They rode for days to search for Crows Perch, after getting the information of its location and some rumors about the man. On the travel, Geralt told her some basic information about the nearby areas, some beasts to look out for, about witchers, and how people viewed them, she didn’t look disgusted or afraid at all. It was a breath of fresh air and a bit of relief to see not a negative look but simply a neutral one.

On the contrary, she even relaxed more which was a new experience for him. It wasn’t overnight, however, it took time to see the changes in the way she spoke to him, from how she became more chatty and how her shoulders looked less tense facing him.

But it was still too fast how she warmed up, mere days and he already could sense some ease around him. It irked and pleased him a bit.

“Ah, woah, look how pretty the sunset is and the way the trees filter the light out, breathtaking”

He also was surprised that her head hasn't twisted off yet from it moving constantly, he understands, however–new environment but she looked so unrestrained while doing it that he couldn't help but marvel at her from time to time.

Sometimes, he would assume that she had forgotten he was behind her when she was looking at the surroundings in wonder. What was wonderful about this dreadful swamp of a place?

“You have enhanced senses?” Calla asked, turning her head around to gaze at him. She was currently in front of Geralt, both of them riding Roach.

“Yes”

“Have you ever stayed in inns and heard juicy gossip without intending to? Or can you like decide not to hear them?” Calla whispered, looking at him so seriously that Geralt felt she was asking a valuable secret.

“That’s specific but yes”

“How do you deal with that, can you…turn it off?”

“No, I can’t turn senses off and on when I want to but if I could I’d be a happier witcher, not having to listen to all those useless yappings but my senses aren’t always enhanced”

She turned his head around and threw him a questioning look, tilting her head like a bird.

“My senses are better than regular humans but it’s not all intense, I can focus on certain senses which amplifies it, too much would be an overload”

She nodded, again so seriously that Geralt didn’t know whether to smile or feel awkward. Geralt tried to avoid looking at her to focus on the road but her agonized look is making him stop. He wasn’t telling her some kind of world-shattering tragic revelation so why is her face like that?

“Coin for your thoughts?”

“You know I bet you would make a killing at becoming a perfumer”

Now, it was Geralt’s turn to look lost, he didn’t know what to say.

“Think about it, enhanced smells that someone could come in and you’d say, ah my dear lilies and lavender?”

She has to be teasing her but she didn’t look like it, she was nodding her head while saying it as if she was an old sage giving an apprentice some deranged riddles.

“That’s…not something I have thought about, make a killing out of killing I’m sure but a killing out of perfume? Pass”

She laughed. Her laugh wasn’t unpleasant either or at least it was better than her nervous laugh days prior.

“A killing is a killing, I suppose, oh look,” She pointed at some poisonous gas in the nearby swamp, “What are those green fogs? Are they like–”

“Poison gas”

“Ah-I suppose I made a good choice following you then? I think I’d be dead without you”

He would also have died if she didn’t swoop in, nor would he have all complete limbs without her.

Calla looked at the darkening sky, “Will we go forward in the night?”

“Sounds poetic, no” It’s dangerous, not for him but for her. He didn’t want to underestimate but he doesn’t know how capable she is yet.

They stopped by some clearing and sat down on the grass, backs against some trees. Geralt looked at her and thought how they’d stay the night here. Would she be fine sleeping in a forest? Maybe she can whip out some spells to make herself comfortable. He ought to ask.

“We’ll stay here for the night, in the forest” He pointed out.

She took a glance at him and then the open field and frowned, “Think we’ll be safe here?”

“Slept in more dangerous places”

“Not that safe then”

“Got some spells to give yourself better sleep in the forest?

She propped an arm to her crossed legs, “I have a tent, oh–right, hey I have some items I got from my former world–,” She quickly stood up and began patting her skirt before grabbing out a small pink bag, or wallet maybe.

“Otherworldly coins you’ll regale stories about until you drift asleep from fatigue?”

She threw him a look before smiling widely, “No, not coins! Lots of items, here” She threw the tiny bag to him and sat down near him, tying up her hair with a tiny strip of cloth.

The bag was light, small around the size of his full hand, and looked expensive. It was clean, the silvers on the edges looking new and shiny.

She drummed her palms on her thighs in excitement, “Gimme, gimme, gimme” and Geralt had to take a moment to look at her. She was too trusting.

Also, was she high? He took control of her diet for the past few hours after seeing how clueless she was about which were edible and not, so he was sure she wasn’t. Maybe she wandered somewhere and got hit by some magical curse while he was turning around. He gave her the bag carefully. 

Calla opened the bag and showed it to her, and contrary to his expectations of coins or tiny magical objects, there was…nothing.

“So you are high”

She looked affronted, “No! It’s empty right?”

“Don’t need enhanced senses to see that”

“And that’s the key!”

“If you’re about to give some philosophical lesson regarding empty bags, I’d rather not hear them”

She ignored him and placed her hand inside until it reached her elbows. Maybe he’s the one that’s high?

“So I am high”

She giggled, “No, it’s a magical bag, it’s a bag with a spell embedded, an undetectable extension charm so that no one would know that this has a lot of storage,” She pulled back her arm and grabbed some cloth.

Calla showed it to him excitedly to which Geralt could not mirror, “Maybe you should try telling before showing next because if you’re making me guess then it’s a jumble of cloth”

Calla squinted her eyes as if she was about to tell a secret, “It’s not just that, it’s a tent” She stood up and threw it to the ground and the cloth began to open, like folded papers unraveling, until it became a small tent.

He looked at her, not willing to guess. She looked proud, “It’s a tent, also it is charmed to be bigger on the inside, come in” She grabbed his hand and went inside.

It was indeed bigger on the inside, it was a one-floor house on the inside with a window on the far wall showing the outside view. Geralt stepped back out and then went back inside, to see the difference between the small tent and the big indoor space.

“Well fuck me then, I’ll want good sleep after this”

“Will you ask about how this is all possible?”

“Maybe someday but if you tell me now, I’ll probably hear phrases I don’t understand, plus I’m sleepy”

She shrugged then began chattering about the tent’s features, showing him the kitchen and bathroom on the left, the living room on the center, and the two bedrooms on the right side.

But however Geralt may think or feel about this, the fatigue from the previous hours was truly getting to him so with her guidance, he stumbled to the bedroom near the entrance and went to sleep. It might have been the best sleep he had ever since he stepped foot in Velen.

He woke up to the knocks on his door. Geralt groaned and tried to recall what happened yesterday. There was a window near his bed, showing the right side of the tent and the sun was just beginning to rise. 

On his left, he found another door that led to a bathroom with a clean bathtub and scrubbed himself clean.

The entire place itself looked foreign to the usual interiors he had seen ranging from a peasant’s to a noble’s house. The place was coated in bright colors, the walls painted white. Flowers, mainly lilies bloom from each corner of the walls. There were gold decorations on the ends of the ceiling, all meticulously formed. It was fit for a rich noble but it seemed too simple for the nobles he has met.

It was calming, easy, different, and not at all suffocating.

Geralt stepped out and found placing food on the table. He glanced at the kitchen and saw newly used pans.

“You cook?”

“Mhm, took some meat you gave me and made some beef stew, have a bite!”

He did and he had to admit, she was a great cook as well, “Tastes good, but listen we’ll have to leave here soon”

She nodded, “Gotcha, the tent will fold up again and go to my bag”

“How many times can we use this?”

“As long as we have this”

“Does it drain you of power?”

“Not at all, unless you count the tiny physical strain of opening a tiny wallet”

Geralt found the thought of spending the night here again to be not unpleasant. Good compensation for having to endure this grim place. He should look after her better, as repayment of course.

He did, however, felt a tad bit discomfort from how trusting she was, how expressive she was, how easily she could be swindled and taken advantage of. He didn’t want to know what to make of these thoughts since he didn’t even know her that much yet. He decided to push these to the back of his mind for now.

Geralt didn’t want to think about the implication that he was starting to care about her well-being.

They reached Crows Perch and unfortunately, the guards weren’t too keen on letting them in.

“Fuck off, we got no need for you, why don’t you beg coin elsewhere”

Geralt was used to this but even if he told Calla what to expect, it was different from seeing it for the first time, so Calla in a fit of anger jumped down from Roach, “We found three griffins near here, one eating some poor sod no clue if he’s one of yours or not, we killed one,” She cocked he head to the Griffin trophy on Roach, “But the other two fled near here but since you insist us to go, then try not to die, let’s go Geralt”

The two guards gulped, suddenly looking apprehensive, “Oi and you two think you can take them out?” The one on the right challenged.

“He’s a witcher he eats Griffins for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner, while I’m a healer and I barely have to heal him because he’s just THAT good, if he had a list of accomplishments we’d end up here for days—” Geralt couldn’t take it anymore and covered her mouth.

Internally, he wished he left her with Roach a bit far back, “Either you let us in or just start praying when the Griffins attack”

The two guards eyed each other, not knowing what to make of the situation “If you two freaks make a drop of trouble you won’t live to tell the tale of your sorry lives or the list of lizard eyes’ accomplishments,” The guard on the left yelled, eyeing Griffin’s head warily.

Calla eyed him angrily and Geralt was having bad premonitions. It did come true, she threw his hand off, “Well of course, we won’t, we’d rather not tell a boring tale of having to snuff out two forgettable guards, the audience drop dead from boredom”

“Bitch! I ought to–”

“Bitch? Are you talking to yourself now cause you’re the only bitch I see! Why not worry about your hair receding rather than us saving your lives!”

The guard in a fit of anger, was about to raise a hand to her when Geralt raised a hand to deliver an Axii sign to stop the upcoming fight.

Calla blinked and frowned, muttering angrily, “Hmph, rude”

“Calla,” Geralt called, just wanting to wrap a hand around her mouth to stop her from talking. He grabbed Calla’s waist and went inside the gates, “Next time, I’ll negotiate”

“So…that didn’t cut it?”

“Half, you ruined the threatening script by the end”

“Sorry, I did that, I know that you told me to expect that but I couldn’t help myself,” She said, halting her steps and bowing her head down.

Geralt sighed and placed a hand on her shoulders, “I know” He didn’t say more, since she already said what he was about to. He can’t blame her for not suddenly changing and adapting to this world’s customs. It’s not like he’d rather she be quiet, she wasn’t unbearable but he’d rather know how things work before she does anything. He liked the idea of her alive than dead.

“Just stay quiet and learn for now, I think I like you better when you’re alive”

"Thanks, can't promise that thought, I will try"

"Change doesn't happen overnight" 

She blinked in surprise at him and smiled, walking beside him towards the gates of the Crow's Perch.

They met the baron, an unpleasant meeting. They didn’t fight, he was just unpleasant. 

The bloody baron, contrary to what he expected, not that he expected anything, looked more like a pathetic drunkard asshole with too much power than some pathetic not-drunkard asshole with too much power.

He was easier to talk to than some assholes who prefer to talk in a multitude of riddles to seem cool and then get angry because someone didn't understand the useless riddle they made.

On the other hand, Calla did behave better, or at least she did when he had to give her a stern look before speaking to someone, but it seemed his worries were for nothing since she seemed more taken by the sight of the local people.

"I know who you are, and I believe I also know why you've come, let's talk inside and you can bring your lady with you," The Baron said, voice gruff as he beckoned for them both to a nearby building.

Geralt turned to look at Calla, who was pursing her mouth in subtle annoyance, nose twitching from the smell of alcohol wafting across the garden. Together, they followed the baron.

The Baron told them what happened but stopped midway, saying that he’ll only continue if Geralt would find his missing wife and daughter. A favor for a favor. He took up the offer since it meant a step closer to Ciri.

He went to inspect the rooms along with Calla, first the wife’s room.

“According to others, he’s not that nice so do you believe him? That his wife and daughter got missing because of some beasts or something? And not just ran from him?”

Geralt turned to look at Calla, “Don’t believe anything he says, nor anyone’s, I believe my own depends on what I see first and foremost and if I’m willing to take up the offer, I’ll do it. I’m not exactly working for justice but I do draw the line in some parts”

“I see, that’s a less stressing way of going about things, more often than not our efforts just backfire by nosing in anyways, sometimes you just…it’s just…you know, I don’t know”

“Seems like there’s a story behind that”

“Yeah, philosophical maybe, you might not want to hear that, you even turned down the potential empty bag philosophy”

“Might want, not right now though”

“The empty bag philosophy? I don’t have one but I can make one for you”

“No, the other one, I still don’t want to hear any empty bag philosophy”

“Ah! I see, noted”

Geralt looked around the room and took notice of some suspicious parts. Once finished, he found Calla staring at him, “What is it?”

“You looked pretty cool, like a detective, you know?”

Geralt cocked a brow and pointed at a candlestick on a table, “Candlestick’s stem is broken,” He pointed his hand at an empty place in the wall, “A rectangular area in the wall with different color fit for a painting, and here, a painting that’s hiding a hole”

He motioned for Calla to come closer and look at a tiny broken item inside the wardrobe, and the broken hole in the front, “Matches the missing part of the candlestick on the table”

He walked over to a thin wooden pillar, “Deep nicks, hit with a heavy object, and on the table, smell of wine and rest of the candlesticks, somebody smashed a bottle the smell leads somewhere but first what do you think?”

Calla mulled over what Geralt told her and walked over to the table, “I…I don’t know but from what you said–the fight looks awfully contained and at least from the monsters we’ve encountered, they don’t seem the kind to wear shoes or do anything clean; the broken hole was hidden, probably to hide the knowledge of an attack but if its a monster wouldn’t someone want that to be well known, to ask for help? and women don’t seem to have power here which creates a power imbalance and if you say war is brewing, then that seems like a perfect setting for a lot of domestic violence”

“Mhm, go on, what are your guesses based on just this?”

Calla circled the table and continued, “At least to me, from what I think it’s that either it’s some monster that’s swift, and clean that I don’t know or a domestic fight didn’t they say that the Baron drinks a lot? Drunk people can be violent and the bloody baron, from what others have said is just that, or perhaps it could be another person who caused this but I can’t be certain”

Geralt looked at Calla in silence, “Good thinking, had the same line of thought but as you said, can’t be certain, these are just hypotheses based on what we’ve seen”

“You think I made a good guess?” Calla’s eyes brightened and looked at him with her back straightened.

“Sort of, good hypotheses but not good answers, we don’t know much more, let’s go find the trail of the wine’s smell”

Her brows furrowed, “But I can’t smell wine?”

“Enhanced senses”

“Ah, weird but cool, you lead…though that was pretty rad when you managed to identify the exact smell and where they came from, like a master fantasy perfumer–”

“Shut it”

Calla hummed and Geralt could almost feel how pleased she was at teasing him. It wasn't annoying, however.

It led to a talisman and Geralt showed it to the Baron who in turn told him that his wife, Anna, may have spoken to the local Pellar who gave this talisman to her. He nodded and continued towards more investigation while Calla sat down by the bench to massage her aching legs. Riding a horse for that long was getting to her.

“Go get more information or something, let me sit, riding a horse isn’t that easy after all especially that long, it might take time to get used to this”

"You sure, you'll be fine here?"

"Yes, I will be, I can fight if trouble comes plus I really need to stretch and hey! Maybe if I get good at horse riding I can ride my own horse, I'll name him...Wiggy"

"That's a terrible name and it'll be far away from that event if the last time I had you alone on a horse you were somehow up in a tree with the horse upside down"

"I don't want to talk about that"

"But I do"

"Go"

He went around more and gathered some additional information, he searched for his daughter’s room and found some ugly doll, the kind you’d stick pins in because you hated someone; a letter addressed to Tamara that seemed to tell her or convince her to join some group. He also found incense that led downstairs to a room that had an altar with a bowl of fire. The eternal fire, therefore was an altar for the religious group. There was a prayer letter beside the fire praying for their mother’s health and father’s punishment.

Calla’s domestic violence guess is going up a point in the list of hypotheses they’ve made. Geralt went down to search for Calla. She was still in the same area but this time, standing up and doing stretches.

“How does it feel?”

Calla jumped, “Oh! You scared me, so found anything? And yes, it does feel good, you should try it”

“Mhm, found something, will tell you on the way to the Pellar and no I won’t”

“What’s a Pellar?”

“Local odd man that worships some belief and does herbal stuff, runes, glyphs, and what not to say it lightly”

“Sounds like there’s more to that, but that explanation seems easy to start let’s go and tell me more about what you’ve seen and about the Pellar on the way”

“Let’s buy a new saddle first, mine seems to not fit yours,” Geralt remarked looking at her hand massaging her back. Calla winced, “Was it that obvious? Ah…thank you, I’m touched, really touched”

“Touched? My hands are far away from yours”

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Then how?”

Calla placed her hands on her hips, “Well, like saying that I feel good deep inside like my heart feels warm and nice that you are thinking about my comfort and…hey wait! Is this a trick for me to praise you?”

Geralt smirked and opened the door for her.