[ 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.
That is exercising a fair amount of restraint for you.
[ She says it more dryly, mouth pursing into a brief pout, and then glances down into the contents of her drink for a moment, her voice turning somewhat contemplative. ]
Do you even want to go back? [ She finds it a fair question, given how long he's been here already, given what he's confessed to finding, given what he's given his heart to. It speaks to the divide between them that exists, one more strongly felt than even this table, that she doesn't know what his answer would be if he were offered the choice to return or remain. ]
( he gives her a look for even asking that question. despite what he's found here and how long he's been here, there is far too much left undone for him back home.
he shakes his head. )
I do not want this to be a permanent residence for me. I'm not going to remain here. I don't know when I'll get to go home but I will go back.
[ It does come as a slight surprise to her, and she doesn't have it in her to entirely disguise that response; after all the emphasis that's been made to her, most of it from Jaskier, about connections he appears to have fostered, plainly ones that are strong enough to endure multiple citations for, she would not have anticipated him to give it all up so immediately. ]
If my return to the Continent is any real proof, there is a high chance you won't retain a single memory of this place when you do.
[ She certainly hadn't, although she also doesn't own any memories of the time she was here previously, and she's not certain if they'll ever return to her; the fact that they haven't yet in spite of her being here for several days already is more troubling than she's willing to admit. ]
( and that is probably for the best. he knows that it would be more difficult to focus on what he needs to back home if he were to remember things left behind, relationships lost.
he sighs and looks down, gathering himself and his thoughts before his attention returns to her. )
That's probably a good thing. I don't know if I'd want to remember this place if I had no way of going back or doing anything to help those left behind.
[ A further surprise, to an extent, but she also isn't very aware of whether or not he's made any real attachments in this place after having been trapped here for any significant length of time. What allegiances would he even possess by now, after so few months?
For the two of them, who have lived many years, surely nothing he's endured now can be felt as any real consequence by comparison.
Her gaze merely stays on him as his descends for a moment and then returns. ]
A noble aim for a witcher. I suppose the monsters are fewer in number. Or more difficult to hunt when they can't be seen. [ She's referring to the authorities in charge of this city, mostly. ]
[ Said in the way where it clearly isn't, and she's contemplating the contents of her tankard a bit more thoroughly this time around before venturing another sip of them. It doesn't necessarily go down any easier than the first time, but it gives her something to do in the interim. ]
Much as I'm tempted to stay sitting and let you continue to regale me with tales of your many adventures here, though, is there anything else you think I should know about?
I'd think having an understanding of what they're capable of is more important than trying to shield my delicate sensibilities.
[ While she fully understands his reasoning for attempting to dissuade her from examining the network, it feels misguided in this instance. She's no wilting flower, no one that can't handle bearing witness to cruelty, and she would rather know firsthand the lengths to which this city is willing to go to to punish LIERs than be caught unawares because she refrained from investigating the past.
She leverages him with a stare from across the table, realization dawning. ]
Unless it's one in particular you don't want me to see.
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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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[ She says it more dryly, mouth pursing into a brief pout, and then glances down into the contents of her drink for a moment, her voice turning somewhat contemplative. ]
Do you even want to go back? [ She finds it a fair question, given how long he's been here already, given what he's confessed to finding, given what he's given his heart to. It speaks to the divide between them that exists, one more strongly felt than even this table, that she doesn't know what his answer would be if he were offered the choice to return or remain. ]
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( he gives her a look for even asking that question. despite what he's found here and how long he's been here, there is far too much left undone for him back home.
he shakes his head. )
I do not want this to be a permanent residence for me. I'm not going to remain here. I don't know when I'll get to go home but I will go back.
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If my return to the Continent is any real proof, there is a high chance you won't retain a single memory of this place when you do.
[ She certainly hadn't, although she also doesn't own any memories of the time she was here previously, and she's not certain if they'll ever return to her; the fact that they haven't yet in spite of her being here for several days already is more troubling than she's willing to admit. ]
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( and that is probably for the best. he knows that it would be more difficult to focus on what he needs to back home if he were to remember things left behind, relationships lost.
he sighs and looks down, gathering himself and his thoughts before his attention returns to her. )
That's probably a good thing. I don't know if I'd want to remember this place if I had no way of going back or doing anything to help those left behind.
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For the two of them, who have lived many years, surely nothing he's endured now can be felt as any real consequence by comparison.
Her gaze merely stays on him as his descends for a moment and then returns. ]
A noble aim for a witcher. I suppose the monsters are fewer in number. Or more difficult to hunt when they can't be seen. [ She's referring to the authorities in charge of this city, mostly. ]
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( from what he knew, they were human, men and women and otherwise, who liked to be cruel and brutal to those that were brought here. )
You won't find the likes of a griffon or a basilisk here. Not that I've seen.
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[ Said in the way where it clearly isn't, and she's contemplating the contents of her tankard a bit more thoroughly this time around before venturing another sip of them. It doesn't necessarily go down any easier than the first time, but it gives her something to do in the interim. ]
Much as I'm tempted to stay sitting and let you continue to regale me with tales of your many adventures here, though, is there anything else you think I should know about?
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Sometimes, the various punishments of people will appear on the public network. I would advise you not to look.
( he's sure she can handle it but he knows what he'd looked like after his own punishment and he's glad that no one close to him had seen it. )
There's no reason to subject yourself to it.
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[ While she fully understands his reasoning for attempting to dissuade her from examining the network, it feels misguided in this instance. She's no wilting flower, no one that can't handle bearing witness to cruelty, and she would rather know firsthand the lengths to which this city is willing to go to to punish LIERs than be caught unawares because she refrained from investigating the past.
She leverages him with a stare from across the table, realization dawning. ]
Unless it's one in particular you don't want me to see.
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