Kyana Of Cintra

21

Geralt leaned over to grasp a drink, only to find it empty. He sighed, placing it down on the table. With the room completely silent, he heard humming from outside, which he knew immediately was Kyana. Shaking his head, he tried to remove her from his thoughts. Sweat gleamed on every particle of his body, gently pigmenting his skin tone.

A light finger traced a scar on his back, casually telling him where it had come from. "This I definitely know. The vampiress bled." she began singing, immediately annoying Geralt. Of course she knew more of his body than himself, most people did. He turned onto his back, lodging a hand underneath his head for support. "As white as a sheet, and yet her dead heart did beat." she kissed the place directly above his heart "Did beat."

At the base of his rib cage, lay another scar. "The kikimora?" He hummed in confirmation. The woman kissed that scar too, continuing down his body, although she halted in her actions upon seeing a scar on his thigh.

"I don't recall the bard singing of this one. Who would dare try and rob you of your treasure? A woman?" Geralt smiled slightly, ironically more than happy at her comment. She finally didn't know what scare came from where.

"A princess." The woman grinned like she had just won a thousand marks, climbing back up the bed and leaning over his chest. He spoke of Renfri, remembering her face in his head. Parts of Renfri reflected in Kyana; her courage, her fearlessness, her charm, all of it. Geralt was proud in that moment that only one other person knew that wound's story, and that was Kyana. 

"Where you in love? What's her name?" She pressed. Geralt, who didn't particularly want to reply, gave her the simplest of answers.

"When you live as long as I do, all the names start to sound the same." The woman looked slightly offended, removing herself from Geralt's side.

"Were destiny a kinder bitch, a whore like me wouldn't have to settle for her client's telltales." She took a sip from her strange bottle. "A friend of yours came through here last month headed for Temeria." She mentioned casually, swirling her drink in her cup.

"Friend?" Geralt questioned. The woman looked at him as though he was the dumbest man she'd ever met.

"Another Witcher." Geralt bolted up in his seat, suddenly interested in what she had to say. "Blessed that prick with my fullest efforts too, and he-"

"What's in Temeria?" Geralt interrupted, much to the woman's annoyance.

"Did you not just hear me talking?"

"Shouldn't you know when someone is pretending?" His words left her silent, until a loud, insistent knock rung through the room.

"You've had your time, pay up or get out." The pimp insisted behind the wood.

"Temeria?" Geralt payed very little attention to the man, finding what the woman had to say much more interesting.

"It's got a pest problem. A few miners rounded up 3,000 orens to have it killed. Your boy took the coin and ran" Geralt frowned. That was highly unusual for a Witcher. They either hunted their pray or died doing so, never were they thieves.

"You hear me?!"

"Thank you for everything." Geralt said, passing her a bag full of coins. She opened it and spilled some into her hand, surprised with the amount he had given her.

"Witcher!" The man broke through the door, ordering Geralt out. He changed, slipping into his clothes and promised to pay the pimp, even though he had given coin to the woman.

He returned to the outside, finding Kyana humming softly and looking up into the sky. He had found her on many occasions looking up at the stars, charting their locations in her head. The second he saw her, guilt piled onto him. He just had sex with a woman knowing she couldn't go anywhere far enough not to hear. He felt embarrassed, not just for himself, but for her too.

"I'll be back with payment in a few days. Anything happens to the horses-"

"You don't scare me." The man interjected. Geralt frowned, stepping closer to the man. He curled into himself immediately, already intimidated by the sheer size of Geralt.

"Point me to Temeria." the man immediately pointed to Geralt's south, nervous beyond his own thoughts. Geralt dismissed him after his hand had pointed him in the right direction, petting Roach gently.

"Are we going to Temeria?" Geralt looked up, directly into Kyana's eyes. She had always had this ability to move so quietly, Geralt couldn't even hear her most times. He nodded gently.

"We could have business there." Kyana nodded, removing her sword from the saddle and attaching it to her belt. They each took the reigns of their horses, leading them along the path as they waked on foot. Geralt sighed heavily, trying his best to defuse what ever tension was hanging over them.

"I'm sorry." Kyana turned to him as they walked, both as silent as mice.

"For what?" Geralt hung his head, his posture changing from calm and collected to tired and slumped.

"Being an ass." Kyana rose an eyebrow. "Saying sharp crap, making snide comments, leaving you out there to..." He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.

Kyana patted his back. "It's okay." Geralt shook his head immediately.

"No, it's not okay. I'm taking out my anger on you, that isn't fair." Geralt looked at the road ahead of him, afraid of letting her see him with the guard down. "The truth is, I can't handle people knowing me better than I do. Like that woman back in the brothel, she knew where every scar came from, who or what gave them to me, she knew it all, par one, because of Jaskier's ballads." His voice betrayed his feelings towards the end. "Strangers know more about me than I do."

"Geralt, look at me." Kyana asked him. His eyes felt too heavy and ashamed to meet hers. When he didn't comply Kyana stopped him, turning to be in front of him and placing her warm hands on his cheeks. He looked into her eyes, effectively breaking her heart when she saw all the sadness behind them.

"All that strangers know is this." Kyana  gently ran a hand through his hair. He leaned into her touch, longing for the comfort she would bring him. "They have no idea of this." She placed her hand above his heart. "They know the White Wolf. They don't know Geralt."