Honey and Sulphur (Witcher/Gaunter O'Dimm story) Completed!

Part eightteen: Rough hands and a new victim spotted

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Sorry it took longer. Life really gets in the way sometimes.

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Art: Eugene von Blaas - The Laundress 1899.

Part eightteen.

Bright light woke me. My back hurt as I sat up and rubbed my eyes with a groan. For a moment I didn't know where I was, even thinking I woke up in my dorm room, late for class. Birds chirped and I looked around. I was still at the same place on the hill, and Gaunter was – of course – nowhere to be seen. Just great.

Beside me laid a note and a woven basket with food and water. I took an apple from the basket and opened the paper to read it. It only held directions back to Oxenfurt. Turned out we were pretty close already.

What happened to his promise to get me there safe, huh?

With the basket dangling from my arm, I set out to the city.

Geralt refused to speak of Shani and I let the subject rest. There was only one more thing for Geralt to do for Olgierd, but before we knew what it was, we had to go visit him.

"Did you make it back to the inn with O'Dimm, or did he just abandon you halfway?" asked Geralt when we sat down for dinner at the inn.

I made a noise in response. "I'm sure I was safe, not at the inn, though."

"Just tell me next time. I'll help out."

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Geralt. You've done so much for me already and I hope I'll be able to repay you someday. So what's next? When are we visiting that red-haired bandit?"

"Come on, he's not that bad. You haven't even met him yet."

A few days passed before we actually decided to go. In that time, I returned to doing day-work work, this time helping washer women. My hands bled at the end of the first day, the vinegar burnt in the scratches. With longing I thought back to the shared washing machine in my dorm room. If I was really this frail, I should harden up and get tougher, work until my hands are calloused enough to take it. The second day was worse and I stopped halfway, although it meant not getting paid.

It was on my way out of Oxenfurt that I saw a familiar figure leaning against the bridge railing.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, which I could've said more politely. He turned around upon hearing my voice. "I mean, fancy seeing you again, Master Mirror."

"Annabel, what a pleasure running into you here. I see you've been working hard." He eyed my hands and chipped nails. I clenched them to hide the worst of it.

"How have you been?" I asked.

"Well, thank you. I've been thinking..." my heart leapt in my chest at his words and the accompanying smile. "about the fun we had last time, and there's another matter I require your assistance with."

Does he mean the time I gave him a blowjob or our good conversations and failed card games after he made a deal with the hedonist sir Gavin?

"And that matter might be?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

He paced along the railing, yet continuedly keeping his trained gaze on me. "There's a woman who is desperate for a higher power to come to her aid. I say we pay her a visit. Follow me. I assume you were on your way to take a walk and not somewhere important?"

"What if I do have something to do tonight?" I asked.

"Something more important than repaying your debt to me?"

I shrugged, feeling as if I wanted to push this through this time. It's true, I want to get rid of this debt as soon as I can, but it would be nice to have a little heads up to when Gaunter would show up. "Fine."

"Come then," he said and took my wrist. "we'll have fun together."

Soon we found ourselves at a lovely inn, where the cook was yelling at a young barmaid. It was a busy night, the tables stood close together and Gaunter had his arm around my waist to make navigating the place easier.

"It's her." He said, gesturing to the cook. "We'll wait for our chance over there."

We sat down at a table, him facing the bar to keep an eye on his next victim.

The barmaiden, still a little shaken from the cook's tirade, came to take our order. I ordered milk, didn't feel like drinking tonight.

O'Dimm drank his Redanian Lager patiently, alternating his intense stare from me to the cook behind me. The peasants around us were having a good time. The cold of the glass of milk felt good against my sore hands from the work of today. One man in the other corner had lucking playing cards, but used the coin he won to get his friend and himself more drink. Gaunter reached out and caressed my left hand with his own. I let my fingers relax as he took them from my glass. His fingers trailed to the inside of my palm.

"How did this happen?" he asked, examining the irritated skin. I supressed a hiss as his forefinger hit an abraded spot.

"Tried working for the washer women. Looks like my hands aren't tough enough." I shrugged.

"Why?" Gaunter asked, his voice soft. The dim light of the candles flickered in his honey-coloured eyes.

"I want to help out Geralt. He's been so kind to me. You should know humans are inclined to repay gratitude." I grinned at him. "And I didn't feel like being stared at all day by rowdy patrons and having my ass grabbed."

"I see." His fingers traced a pattern in my palm and I watched as the skin healed in front of my eyes. He did the for the other. My eyebrows raised in surprise. I rubbed them together, no pain, no roughness was left. Gaunter smiled at me, a genuine smile.

I opened my mouth to say something cynical, about how he probably expected payment for this as well, but stopped myself and took a sip instead.

"Thank you, Gaunter. That's so nice of you."

"A small effort." He said, grinning.

"You did that just to show off?" I laughed and flicked his arm.