Morning crept into Ciri's room slowly, golden light spilling across stone and fur, brushing over tangled sheets and the aftermath of the night before.
Ciri woke without aning to, her body shifting just enough for her awareness to follow. For a few seconds she simply lay there, eyes half-open, caught in that fragile space between sleep and waking where nothing made sense yet.
Then it all ca back.
Not in pieces or fragnts, everything, all at once.
Her eyes widened and heat rushed to her face so quickly it almost hurt, and she shut her eyes again as if she could undo it by refusing to acknowledge it. That failed imdiately. If anything, it only made the mories sharper, clearer, impossible to ignore.
"…oh, gods… this again... fourth ti this month?" she whispered.
She rolled onto her stomach and grabbed the nearest pillow, pressing it firmly over her face like she could disappear into it. For a mont she stayed like that, completely still, as if the world might forget she existed if she didn't move.
It didn't. And her thoughts caught up anyway.
The drink. The laughter. The way she had acted. And of course the sex.
Her grip on the pillow tightened.
"…why did I drink that much…"
Then, suddenly, sothing else overwheld the embarrassnt.
Ti, her eyes snapped open beneath the pillow.
"…wait!"
She pushed herself up quickly, tossing it aside as the realization hit her fully.
"What ti is it?!"
Panic replaced everything else. She moved fast, too fast, grabbing the first pieces of clothing she could find and pulling them on without much care for order. The cold floor barely registered beneath her feet as she crossed the room and pushed open the balcony doors.
The morning air hit her imdiately, sharp and clean.
She stepped out fast, scanning the courtyard below,
And saw Eskel.
Already there, already working, he was still preparing his horse, and the others for the journey.
Ciri exhaled, the tension draining from her shoulders in an instant.
"Alright… good," she murmured, relief softening her voice. "We're not that late.."
A knock at the door made her freeze.
It was firm,
"Ciri."
Geralt.
Her stomach dropped.
"Wake up," his voice ca through, calm but a bit impatient, she knew too well that tone. "Unless you plan on staying behind, we should be moving while the sun's still up."
"…shit," she breathed under her breath.
She straightened quickly, forcing her voice to be normal.
"I'm awake!" she called. "I'll be down in five minutes!"
There was a brief pause on the other side.
"Alright."
Relief flickered for a second, then vanished.
"Have you seen Seb?" Geralt added, almost casually. "He wasn't in his room. Thought he'd be the one waking you."
Ciri's eyes moved instinctively toward the bed.
Toward him.
Sebastian was still there, completely asleep, utterly unaware of the situation unfolding around him.
"…uh," she started, turning away slightly, as if that might sohow make the lie easier. "How would I know? I just woke up."
Silence followed for a mont.
Then Geralt spoke again, thoughtful but unconcerned.
"Hm. Probably went for a walk. I'll check with Vesemir."
Ciri held her breath without realizing it.
"Don't keep us waiting Ciri."
"I won't!"
His footsteps faded, leaving the corridor quiet again.
Only then did she exhale, her shoulders dropping as she relaxed herself.
"…that was too close."
She turned slowly.
And imdiately frowned.
Sebastian hadn't moved at all.
Still sprawled across the bed, breathing slow and even, as if the world outside that door didn't exist.
Ciri stared at him for a mont, in disbelief.
"…unbelievable.. And he calls himself a Witcher!"
She crossed the room in quick strides, already fastening what she had thrown on, then reached out and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him without hesitation.
"Wake up, idiot! We need to get moving!"
He groaned softly, barely reacting.
"…five more minutes…"
Her expression hardened, and her hand ca down against the side of his head, not hard, but enough to hurt.
"Damn it, wake up! They're already looking for you too!"
That did it.
He flinched, eyes opening as he winced slightly.
"Ouch… what was that for…"
Then his gaze cleared.
Recognition hit.
"…oh."
He sat up a little straighter.
"Oh, shit."
Ciri gave him a look, already adjusting her belt.
"Exactly."
He ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling sharply as he woke fully.
"Right. Today we set off on the path."
She shot him a dry look.
"You think?"
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood without a second thought, completely unconcerned and butt naked.
"I need to get dressed."
"Not here," Ciri said imdiately, turning away a bit too quickly.
He paused, glancing at her with amusent.
"…why not?"
She hesitated, then crossed her arms, trying to sound more certain than she felt.
"They don't need to see us together here. And… it's different when it's Geralt, besides I think he already knows you are here, Witcher senses and all..."
Sebastian huffed out a quiet laugh as he reached for his clothes.
"Geralt is not exactly subtle with Yennefer either," he pointed out. "Pretty sure the entire keep's heard them at so point."
Ciri blinked.
Considered it, then her expression shifted, reluctantly conceding.
"…alright, that's actually fair. I've seen Lambert complain about that to Eskel.."
Still, a faint flush lingered on her face as she busied herself with her gloves, avoiding looking directly at him for a mont longer than necessary.
"I just…" she started, her voice quieter now.
He glanced at her.
She hesitated, then sighed softly.
"I wish we had a little more ti here."
He froze for a second, then let out a laugh, surprised by her words.
"Really?" he said, turning toward her. "After everything? All those years wanting to get out, to see the world, to actually live it? Now you want to stay in this crumbling castle for one more year?"
"That's not what I ant idiot! I ant that..." she shot back
He didn't let her finish as he stepped closer then, closing the distance between them in a way that made her pause.
Before she could say anything else, he leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn't rushed, wasn't careless like the night before, it was a grounding kiss.
Ciri blinked, caught off guard, her breath catching slightly as she looked at him when he pulled back.
He t her gaze, a smile on his face.
"I know what you ant," he said quietly. "But I'm not going to change what I said, you deserve to go out there like all of us, freely and chained by nothing."
There was sothing firm in his tone,
"It's ti."
For a mont, she just looked at him.
Then slowly, she nodded.
"…yeah."
He stepped back, finishing with his gear.
"Co on," he added. "Let's not give them a reason to co knocking again."
That pulled a small smile from her.
"…right."
****
By the ti they stepped out of the room, whatever warmth had lingered between them was carefully tucked away beneath leather, steel, and composure.
Boots echoed softly against the stone as they made their way through the corridors, side by side now, but not quite touching. Not like before, not like upstairs.
Ciri adjusted the strap of her sword across her back as they walked, Sebastian glanced at her once. And she caught it.
By the ti they reached the lower hall, The heavy doors leading out into the courtyard stood just ahead, slightly ajar, letting in strips of pale sunlight.
And waiting beside them,
Vesemir, Geralt and Lambert.
All ready.
Armor fastened. Swords in place, ready for departure.
They looked up as the two approached.
For a brief second, Geralt and Vesemir exchanged a glance.
Lambert didn't bother hiding his smirk.
Ciri stopped a few steps away, shoulders squared, chin lifted just slightly.
"We're ready.. Sorry for making you wait."
"Ciri said you were looking for ." Seb said.
Geralt's gaze settled on him,
"We did," he said simply. "It's ti to leave."
Then Lambert let out a quiet chuckle, pushing himself off the wall he'd been leaning against.
"Well, well," he drawled, looking between the two of them with entirely too much interest. "We were looking for you, that's true." His grin widened slightly. "Thought maybe you'd already slipped out in the night. Hit the Path early."
His eyes flicked briefly between them again.
"…Though it seems you hit..."
Vesemir coughed.
Not loudly, but enough to cut him off.
"Lambert."
Vesemir said just his na, and that was enough.
Lambert raised his hands slightly in mock surrender, though the smirk didn't leave his face.
"Alright, alright."
Vesemir stepped forward then, his attention shifting back to the two of them properly.
"It's good to see you both ready," he said. "Eager, too. That'll serve you well, if you don't let it get the better of you."
His gaze lingered a mont longer,
"Co," he added, turning slightly toward the open doors. "We'll finish preparations in the courtyard before you set off."
He didn't wait for argunt.
Lambert fell into step behind him, though not before casting one last, teasing look over his shoulder.
Geralt remained where he was for a mont longer.
His eyes shifted, first to Sebastian, then to Ciri.
There was sothing there.
A breath that almost turned into a sigh, but he said nothing.
Just turned, and followed Vesemir out into the light.
Ciri exhaled quietly once they were moving again, her shoulders loosening just a fraction.
"…That could've gone worse, I guess..." she muttered.
Sebastian huffed softly.
"Lambert's still warming up."
That earned a smile from her.
Then, together they stepped out into the courtyard.
/-\\
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