( besides, he's not drunk. he'd just wanted to have something in his veins when she appeared. and here she was. she looks different than the last time she'd been here but she's still yennefer. it still twists his stomach just to look at her.
he swallows and then nods at the other seat. )
You don't have much to drink to catch up.
( his constitution is high and he's been drinking slowly. )
[ The unspoken truth there being that she hasn't found anything in the way of occupation to begin financing her endeavors; worst-case, she'll look into doing what she sought out when she was on her own, creating various aids for those who cannot participate in quota very enthusiastically.
It'd be one way to make a living, at least, and right now she can't afford to be particular.
She drops into the seat across from him, hands resting in her lap. ]
I still don't remember anything. From the last time.
[ Based on what she's learned so far, the version of her who was here before was clearly from an earlier point in their history — after the mountain, perhaps, when the situation involving the djinn was at its freshest in her mind. How to tell him, then, that it's been the absolute last thing in her consideration in recent memory, especially given that they have a much more important task to focus on in Ciri.
She watches him quietly from across the table — his movements, so familiar, and she realizes she's greedy enough to want his eyes on her in a way that isn't marked by disdain. ]
We were distanced. By whose choice? [ Even as she says it, she thinks she might already know the answer. ]
( though he can feel her eyes on him, he keeps his eyes on his drink, lifting it to his lips and taking a slow swallow before he lowers it back down. )
You had every right to not want to be around me. You weren't sure of your feelings.
( he can accept that. that doesn't mean he'd liked it because he absolutely had not. but he respected it. )
I had no way to do what we both wanted to have done.
[ There's a harder truth to consider, she thinks, and that's the fact that she still doesn't know which of her emotions around him she can trust — but she had spent time apart from him, much of it without her Chaos, and what had ultimately led her to Geralt this time around had been a force beyond the one between them: it had been Ciri.
Destiny is not enough; something more is needed. ]
I... haven't thought of the djinn in some time.
[ It's honest, as close as she can come to it without explaining the real reasons why, but when she'd laid eyes on him in Melitele's, and seeing him now, his wish had not been the first thing to enter her awareness. ]
( he doesn't know whether that's good or bad. right now, it just is. he looks away from her, around the bar and then sits back, sighing and lifting his gaze back to her. )
Nor have I but it tends to be because this place gives me much more to think about than that.
You mean, other than their efforts to ensure that we're doing enough fucking to their liking?
[ She sees no reason to mince words along those lines, since nothing she has seen or read up on points to anything different from that exact intent and everything else seems rather superfluous by comparison. They've chosen to dress up their tactics in different forms, come at it from different angles, but the end result is always the same.
Someone comes to deliver her drink then and she reflexively curves her fingers around the pint, but doesn't sip from it right away. ]
( and while geralt's tried to avoid it, he's found that just following the quota is easier than dealing with the repercussions. except he's just traded those repercussions for the ones given to him when he fucks he wrong person, something he still will probably do. )
It's what they want and if it's not something they get, they have ways of making it happen.
[ She doesn't answer immediately — not because her thoughts are rooted in skepticism, and she doesn't believe he would have any reason to withhold the truth from her if there was really another excuse behind the city bringing them all here from different Spheres. But it's also possible that none of them really know Duplicity's true motivations yet, and that they run deeper than anything that could be uncovered by any one individual here.
She sighs, glancing down at her pint again, and finally broaches that initial sip, tongue reflexively sweeping between her lips. ]
So the solution is to handle it ourselves, otherwise we'll be made to.
They do that anyway? Even to the ones who have been sufficient in meeting their quotas?
[ It seems counterintuitive to her to engineer these manipulations for everyone, especially those who have not had any difficulty adapting to what has been demanded of them. ]
Control and subjugation are the quickest ways to foster rebellion. Which, based on the citations you mentioned, I'm assuming they make attempts to quash at every opportunity.
[ It's certainly easier for her to focus on that aspect of it than anything that may or may not have transpired after she'd consumed that drink without realizing the effects it could have. ]
I haven't seen anything like that succeed. People fight, they make attempts, but I haven't seen anything of note happen because of those attempts. Except the citations.
( they weren't afraid of coming down hard on those that decided to stand up and fight. )
But it's not just for the lack of making quota that they cite you for. If you sleep with the wrong person, that's enough for them to give you a citation for.
[ She's spoken to at least one person who has called the people in charge their jailers, something that she didn't necessarily put much stock in at the time; as far as Yennefer's concerned, she's been in significantly worse circumstances than this, many of them crafted by mages who have made deals with enemies for their own benefit. ]
The wrong person. But they don't care when it's two submissives. Only... [ Of course the fact that he doesn't bear a line down his throat hasn't escaped her attention. ]
Dominants who sleep with dominants. And before you ask, yes, I've done it.
( and yes, he's been cited for it. he looks away from her for a moment before he sighs and let's his gaze settle back on her. )
So, if you...choose to do that, be careful.
( even if it's with him. he doesn't want to make assumptions despite what they've already done but he knows that should the choice be his, he would sleep with her over and over again. )
[ It had been an ask that had been on her tongue, even if she'd distracted herself by another sip of her drink rather than choose to broach the subject. Given that he's already received whatever number of citations leading up to this point, it does beg a separate question of how many of them have been the consequence of choosing to engage with those who don't possess a line down their necks.
There's also the fleeting thought that he's clearly willing to risk repeated punishment in doing so, which also leads her to wonder who, in particular, is worth that much effort — but that she doesn't ask about either. ]
It is a choice.
[ She could have declined him the last time he'd offered to help her, but she hadn't; she'd made the conscious pick, asked him for it, practically begged for his touch. Now, sitting across from him, there's a level of irony in the fact that anything they pursue now is viewed as being illegal. ]
( and he knows that that is a choice she will have to make when it comes to him. geralt knows what his choice would be every single time in regard to yennefer but it is not something he can convince her of or persuade her to do because he knows the risks. he's experienced them.
he looks down at his hands and then up at her. )
For me personally, I do it because I dislike this place telling me who I can and cannot fuck. It doesn't deter them from punishment but I refuse to let them do that to me.
[ Deep within, she knows what she would ultimately choose were it left up to her; she's never given much concern to obeying the rules prior to ending up in this city of all places and she's not necessarily about to begin now if there's a means for her to have what she wants.
Of course, judging by his expression alone, it proves harder for her to discern whether his thinking currently aligns with her own — if he would be willing to challenge the potential risk by engaging with her, fully knowing that either or both of them could be punished for it.
She's almost not certain she wants to know the answer, even deserves to. ]
One would think it hardly matters who we fuck, so long as we meet this quota they insist on. [ A more cynical tone edges into her voice, as she glances down at her drink with a scoff. ] Which I assume you have no difficulties with.
( he can hear the way her tone changes and he makes a face and shakes his head. he's not going to sit here and lie to her. that's not fair to either of them and it would be very obvious. )
I'd rather meet the quota and enjoy myself and have it be my choice than go to their jails or deal with their punishments for that as well.
[ Her eyes are just as steady as they meet and hold his across the table, the remainder of her ale and their surroundings all but forgotten now; less easy to forget is how easy it is for her to become so engrossed in him that every other detail falls away in her immediate awareness.
And yet she experiences a brief fall in the pit of her stomach at the notion that he's had no struggle meeting his quota, presumably ever since he arrived; she'd do well to remind herself in this moment that she has no right to claim something that they both readily walked away from on the mountain, and even less now after what transpired shortly before her arrival. ]
But you would go to their jails, Geralt, if they discovered you'd been with another dominant. Or face even worse consequence.
Yes, I know. And I have...faced those consequences on several occasions.
( she herself had arrived shortly after one of the worst ones. the scars still remained on his body but he could easily explain those away as something he'd acquired after they'd parted on the mountain.
[ She's not going to question his intent in going against their rules — she'd do the same at the first available chance if it competed with her own interest — but the thought of him continuing to choose it when the consequences seem to only worsen each time creates a feeling akin to a pit in her stomach.
She knows he'll never confess to how bad it's been, either, because that isn't his first instinct, but she also knows that he'll admit to saying more in front of her than he has anyone else in weeks. ]
At what point do they become too much for you to bear?
( but he can't see himself just kowtowing to this place and letting it roll over him. he might not be able to use his blade to fight those that do this to them but he can do other things. )
Do you think you would fall in line with this place's rules? Eventually?
There's a difference between going along with what they want for the moment and total compliance.
[ For instance, if she needs to form a contract with someone to make life here a bit easier for herself, she'll play by those rules if it means avoiding the possibility of imprisonment — where she won't be able to affect much of anything at all. ]
I will never let them assume full control over what I think and do. [ That, she will fight tooth and claw to protect, and she doesn't believe she's alone in that as she looks at him from across the table, feeling the distance of it as well as the proximity. ]
( he can't help but sound a little snappy since it half feels like she's accusing him of doing the wrong thing. he knows she's not but it feels that way.
he shakes his head. )
I go along with what they want plenty. I haven't tried to kill anyone.
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( besides, he's not drunk. he'd just wanted to have something in his veins when she appeared. and here she was. she looks different than the last time she'd been here but she's still yennefer. it still twists his stomach just to look at her.
he swallows and then nods at the other seat. )
You don't have much to drink to catch up.
( his constitution is high and he's been drinking slowly. )
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[ The unspoken truth there being that she hasn't found anything in the way of occupation to begin financing her endeavors; worst-case, she'll look into doing what she sought out when she was on her own, creating various aids for those who cannot participate in quota very enthusiastically.
It'd be one way to make a living, at least, and right now she can't afford to be particular.
She drops into the seat across from him, hands resting in her lap. ]
I still don't remember anything. From the last time.
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( but that's not what's happening. this is a different yennefer from a different time.
sighing, he sits back and signals for another drink for her before his gaze slides back to her face. )
You weren't here long enough for there to be much to speak about.
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She watches him quietly from across the table — his movements, so familiar, and she realizes she's greedy enough to want his eyes on her in a way that isn't marked by disdain. ]
We were distanced. By whose choice? [ Even as she says it, she thinks she might already know the answer. ]
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You had every right to not want to be around me. You weren't sure of your feelings.
( he can accept that. that doesn't mean he'd liked it because he absolutely had not. but he respected it. )
I had no way to do what we both wanted to have done.
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Destiny is not enough; something more is needed. ]
I... haven't thought of the djinn in some time.
[ It's honest, as close as she can come to it without explaining the real reasons why, but when she'd laid eyes on him in Melitele's, and seeing him now, his wish had not been the first thing to enter her awareness. ]
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( he doesn't know whether that's good or bad. right now, it just is. he looks away from her, around the bar and then sits back, sighing and lifting his gaze back to her. )
Nor have I but it tends to be because this place gives me much more to think about than that.
( there was always something to contend with. )
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[ She sees no reason to mince words along those lines, since nothing she has seen or read up on points to anything different from that exact intent and everything else seems rather superfluous by comparison. They've chosen to dress up their tactics in different forms, come at it from different angles, but the end result is always the same.
Someone comes to deliver her drink then and she reflexively curves her fingers around the pint, but doesn't sip from it right away. ]
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( and while geralt's tried to avoid it, he's found that just following the quota is easier than dealing with the repercussions. except he's just traded those repercussions for the ones given to him when he fucks he wrong person, something he still will probably do. )
It's what they want and if it's not something they get, they have ways of making it happen.
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She sighs, glancing down at her pint again, and finally broaches that initial sip, tongue reflexively sweeping between her lips. ]
So the solution is to handle it ourselves, otherwise we'll be made to.
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( that is the best option, it's true. he brings his glass to his lips and sips at it before he settles it back in front of him and sighs. )
Even if you can handle it, they don't always shy away from helping you along.
( he's sure she remembers the cocoa that she ingested and what it made her feel like. )
Sometimes, you don't even realize that you've been influenced until it's all over.
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[ It seems counterintuitive to her to engineer these manipulations for everyone, especially those who have not had any difficulty adapting to what has been demanded of them. ]
Control and subjugation are the quickest ways to foster rebellion. Which, based on the citations you mentioned, I'm assuming they make attempts to quash at every opportunity.
[ It's certainly easier for her to focus on that aspect of it than anything that may or may not have transpired after she'd consumed that drink without realizing the effects it could have. ]
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( they weren't afraid of coming down hard on those that decided to stand up and fight. )
But it's not just for the lack of making quota that they cite you for. If you sleep with the wrong person, that's enough for them to give you a citation for.
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[ She's spoken to at least one person who has called the people in charge their jailers, something that she didn't necessarily put much stock in at the time; as far as Yennefer's concerned, she's been in significantly worse circumstances than this, many of them crafted by mages who have made deals with enemies for their own benefit. ]
The wrong person. But they don't care when it's two submissives. Only... [ Of course the fact that he doesn't bear a line down his throat hasn't escaped her attention. ]
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( and yes, he's been cited for it. he looks away from her for a moment before he sighs and let's his gaze settle back on her. )
So, if you...choose to do that, be careful.
( even if it's with him. he doesn't want to make assumptions despite what they've already done but he knows that should the choice be his, he would sleep with her over and over again. )
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There's also the fleeting thought that he's clearly willing to risk repeated punishment in doing so, which also leads her to wonder who, in particular, is worth that much effort — but that she doesn't ask about either. ]
It is a choice.
[ She could have declined him the last time he'd offered to help her, but she hadn't; she'd made the conscious pick, asked him for it, practically begged for his touch. Now, sitting across from him, there's a level of irony in the fact that anything they pursue now is viewed as being illegal. ]
To engage in the first time... or possibly again.
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( and he knows that that is a choice she will have to make when it comes to him. geralt knows what his choice would be every single time in regard to yennefer but it is not something he can convince her of or persuade her to do because he knows the risks. he's experienced them.
he looks down at his hands and then up at her. )
For me personally, I do it because I dislike this place telling me who I can and cannot fuck. It doesn't deter them from punishment but I refuse to let them do that to me.
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Of course, judging by his expression alone, it proves harder for her to discern whether his thinking currently aligns with her own — if he would be willing to challenge the potential risk by engaging with her, fully knowing that either or both of them could be punished for it.
She's almost not certain she wants to know the answer, even deserves to. ]
One would think it hardly matters who we fuck, so long as we meet this quota they insist on. [ A more cynical tone edges into her voice, as she glances down at her drink with a scoff. ] Which I assume you have no difficulties with.
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( he can hear the way her tone changes and he makes a face and shakes his head. he's not going to sit here and lie to her. that's not fair to either of them and it would be very obvious. )
I'd rather meet the quota and enjoy myself and have it be my choice than go to their jails or deal with their punishments for that as well.
( he fixes her with a gaze. )
Is that a problem?
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[ Her eyes are just as steady as they meet and hold his across the table, the remainder of her ale and their surroundings all but forgotten now; less easy to forget is how easy it is for her to become so engrossed in him that every other detail falls away in her immediate awareness.
And yet she experiences a brief fall in the pit of her stomach at the notion that he's had no struggle meeting his quota, presumably ever since he arrived; she'd do well to remind herself in this moment that she has no right to claim something that they both readily walked away from on the mountain, and even less now after what transpired shortly before her arrival. ]
But you would go to their jails, Geralt, if they discovered you'd been with another dominant. Or face even worse consequence.
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( she herself had arrived shortly after one of the worst ones. the scars still remained on his body but he could easily explain those away as something he'd acquired after they'd parted on the mountain.
he looks down and shrugs. )
I've dealt with them.
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[ She's not going to question his intent in going against their rules — she'd do the same at the first available chance if it competed with her own interest — but the thought of him continuing to choose it when the consequences seem to only worsen each time creates a feeling akin to a pit in her stomach.
She knows he'll never confess to how bad it's been, either, because that isn't his first instinct, but she also knows that he'll admit to saying more in front of her than he has anyone else in weeks. ]
At what point do they become too much for you to bear?
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( but he can't see himself just kowtowing to this place and letting it roll over him. he might not be able to use his blade to fight those that do this to them but he can do other things. )
Do you think you would fall in line with this place's rules? Eventually?
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[ For instance, if she needs to form a contract with someone to make life here a bit easier for herself, she'll play by those rules if it means avoiding the possibility of imprisonment — where she won't be able to affect much of anything at all. ]
I will never let them assume full control over what I think and do. [ That, she will fight tooth and claw to protect, and she doesn't believe she's alone in that as she looks at him from across the table, feeling the distance of it as well as the proximity. ]
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( he can't help but sound a little snappy since it half feels like she's accusing him of doing the wrong thing. he knows she's not but it feels that way.
he shakes his head. )
I go along with what they want plenty. I haven't tried to kill anyone.
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