❧ IC INBOX: Abraxas

[wiedzminka]

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[gynvael]

[ He smiles at her, a typical edge of fondness. His head tips for her to follow. ]

Come on. [ His boots crunch over the crisp powdered snow. ] Wanted to show you something. A small change.

[ It's a quick walk to Kaer Morhen. Though the halls are the same as they ever were, for the first time, he leads her towards the stairs that go beneath the keep. Ciri may have noticed them; they've been there from the start, though Geralt's gone out of his way to never acknowledge them.

But where they once cast long shadows, the corridors are warm. Familiar, maybe, to Ciri—and once the wood doors open, it's clear where he's brought her. The stained glass throws glittering light over the statue of Melitele. He glances over his shoulder. ]

I, ah. Jaskier lent a hand. There was a different place here before.

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri does look a bit surprised when he leads her toward the stairs. Of course, her curiosity had pushed her to examine them before, and she'd even gone down to find the large, locked doors -- but upon realizing she couldn't open them, when every single other place in Kaer Morhen was accessible to her, Ciri had decided that Geralt must have need for at least one private room. Whatever reason he had for locking it, she hadn't asked. She knew it took an actual desire to keep something locked in the Horizon, so out of respect for Geralt's need, whatever it was, to keep this from her, she hadn't pried further. Sometimes, her cabin is locked too (though not often to Geralt); if he wanted her there, he'd let her in.

Like now. Though--

What different place had been here before? Ciri isn't sure if she should ask. Normally, she might just blurt the question anyway, but Geralt seems intentionally vague this time, not merely disinterested in providing details when they aren't needed.

In any case, Ciri's quickly distracted from her wondering.

The familiarity of this place hits her with a nostalgia so sudden and overwhelming, it steals her breath away.

Ciri enters the temple wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. She knows, of course, that it's only an echo, made from Geralt's memories. But still, it stuns her into silence for a long few moments as she wanders in, walking slowly around the statue. The effect isn't nearly as strong as when she'd first laid eyes on Kaer Morhen in the Horizon, but it's still something... from home. It feels real. Empty, but real. More than she would have imagined, for a room she knows is under the Horizon rendition of Kaer Morhen she's grown so familiar with. ]

...it's perfect.

[gynvael]

[ Does she like it? He brought her a few places through their journey; he'd meant the temple to be a longer reprieve than it truly was. Just as he intended the same of Kaer Morhen. But Ciri took a liking to Nenneke in their short time here—who would not?—and though the priestess's absence is felt, her warmth fills the corridors.

He would not have minded answering Ciri's questions. She chooses not to ask, though, so Geralt doesn't expand. There are enough painful reminders around them. He wants to focus on better things.

Slight alterations are visible: golden suns that glimmer on the stone pillars (Jaskier's doing), a much smaller library of books and scrolls, filled only roughly with the tomes he remembers reading. Far fewer rooms than what the full temple held.

He pushes open a door to one such room. It's sparsely decorated—with space to fill. A pouch of knucklebones sits on a desk. ] In case you grow bored of the snow.

[ She built her cabin for a reason; he knows she likes her privacy. And he understands, after all that happened, why she remains hesitant to stay inside Kaer Morhen much. He's hoping, perhaps, the temple will be a space she can have again, to call her own here without revisiting those memories. If she wants. ]

[wiedzminka]

Thanks, Geralt. It's lovely.

[ A little sad, in some ways. The nostalgia bittersweet. But she appreciates it still.

Ciri spends some time wandering around, looking at the details they've managed. She does take note of the books, and will probably read some later out of curiosity. Seeing Jaskier's touches is also rather nice. It's not like she can remember everything in distinct detail, but this place is not the Temple anyway -- just a memory, and all the good parts of it. ]

What made you decide to make this, in particular? I suspect it wasn't just for me.

[gynvael]

[ He wanders alongside her, letting her look. Silent, as he often is. There are times when he's reminded of the gap between them, and now is yet one more as he wonders if she remembers more of the temple beyond what he does. Is Nenneke alive all those years later? Is the temple even standing?

How far has Nilfgaard marched? (What exactly does Ciri remember of him that she will not say?)

They are questions he remains hesitant to ask. Even now.

He pauses by the endless flickering candles. The ones that light each night. He did hope she would find some value in it. But it is for a different reason that he created the place. ]

After I returned from Thorne, Jaskier told me he found something. In the cellar beneath Kaer Morhen. [ He starts to walk again. He's spoken little of that time, for a reason, but Ciri knows what happened more than most. ] Old living memories. I locked the door. Then Dean stumbled on it, convinced me to tear it down. I thought perhaps a better memory should take its place.

[wiedzminka]

[ She can read between the lines. Ciri looks momentarily surprised, though, not having realized something like that would... appear. But with the way the Horizon has been these past few months, it doesn't seem as out of place as it might've; they never did really understand how it worked, and now she's even less convinced. The way Geralt says it, he hadn't made it (why would he?) so she doesn't bother pushing it.

She nods. So that's why it was locked. It's not the reason she expected, but it's probably for the best she hadn't tried to go in anyway sometime. ]

A rare good idea on Dean's part, then.

...there's nothing else you've noticed in this place that wasn't placed here by you or me, then?

[gynvael]

[ Between the cellar and Kaer Morhen collapsing as it had in his memories, Geralt's accepted he can't escape the horseshit that comes with an entire realm formed out of his consciousness. Something inevitably leaks through.

Could be worse. All things considered through his long years.

He glances up, the question unexpected. He pauses. He has, but— ]

You've seen something?

[wiedzminka]

[ He's apparently caught her off guard too. Ciri blinks at him. ]

Not since the dead rose and moth that appeared in my cottage after that whole... unpleasantness. I couldn't will it away, so I shoved it in a cabinet somewhere. I know I'm not the only one.

But no, I was simply curious.

...is there something else?

[gynvael]

[ A beat. He'd discovered the moth and the wilted flower, yes. Seems they've all found their dreams manifested from that experience. But past that...

It's absurd. And possibly merely a result of the man subconsciously transporting himself. Even so, he's reflected on the incident ever since, turning it over in his mind. ]

Someone dug through the Horizon. Tunnelled through my damn wall.

[wiedzminka]

[ It does sound absurd. That's... not what Ciri expected Geralt to say. Not even close.

She turns to face him fully, eyebrows raised. ]

What do you mean someone?

Hold on. What do you mean tunnelled? Why?

[gynvael]

[ Mm. That's about his reaction, too. And he was there for it. ]

Man named Kyle. He said he suspected something might be underneath his domain. Started digging.

[ Geralt does not believe anything is under the Horizon except for what they create underneath it. Not unlike the cellar he's made here. The Horizon only has an underground because they've formed it. ]

[wiedzminka]

Digging...? In the Horizon?

[ They appear to be on the same page here, judging by Ciri's incredulous stare. ]

This plane isn't on any real earth.

And he just... came in through the wall, even though he was digging beneath his Horizon, supposedly? What a stupid thing to do.