And yet... Here we are

Dust

The snow had melted in two days' time, just as the Witcher had assumed it would. Still, the bard complained the entire time they made their way to Oxenfurt. It had only been the better part of a day's ride, but he hardly walked down the path for more than twenty minutes without a complaint. Geralt ignored him. 

To make the bard's attitude worse, when they arrived in Oxenfurt there was no work for Geralt. No monsters stood out along the path. No posters were pinned to the message board desperate for a Witcher's aid. Jaskier went to the tavern in attempt to make some coin only to be kicked out by the innkeeper because of the company he held. Geralt used it as a lesson that people truly did hate Witcher's. Jaskier argued that it was because he had slept with the man's daughter just over a year ago. 

They spent two days in Oxenfurt. Jaskier used what coin he had left over for a small room at an inn on the outskirts of town. Even with the snow melted, he still refused sleeping in a tent if they could help it. The two slept on a bed of straw less comfortable than his bed at the inn in Novigrad. The palliasse made his back ache. The bard had to remind himself it was better than the ground. For the two days Geralt searched, in vain, for work. Jaskier had taken to singing around the town square, gaining what coin he could. 

After the two days, the two set out for Rinde. Jaskier walked beside Roach and strummed at his lute subconsciously. He didn't even try to hum a tune, choosing rather to just fill the blowing breeze with the sound of lute strings. 

Rinde was a three days' ride from Oxenfurt. Despite Jaskier's protests, they had been forced to camp in the woods. Geralt had tossed Jaskier a blanket each of the three nights expecting him to sleep by the fire. Each morning he woke up to the bard sleeping beside him in the tent each morning. He let Jaskier sleep each morning as he would go in search of animals and bring it back for breakfast. 

***

Jaskier was more than grateful as he walked into Rinde and was met with civilization. He thrived in it far more than the overwhelming number of trees. He slung his lute strap over his shoulder as he made his way towards a tavern. He glanced back at Geralt who stared at a house that looked like it had been collapsed for a while. 

"Probably one of those crazy storms." Jaskier shrugged it off before he smiled. "Or a monster? Perhaps you could finally have a job after all. I'm getting awfully tired making all the coin." The bard joked as he adjusted his lute.

"It's from the last time." Geralt said simply before he continued to follow the bard. He watched him. He hoped to see the blue flash of the magic as it fought to continue silencing his memories. "I'm surprised they haven't rebuilt it." 

"Last time?" Jaskier looked back at Geralt. He frowned. "Are you telling me even more people are going to be cross with you? If I have to sleep on a paillasse in a forgotten inn again because you couldn't help but destroy a building, I'll never forgive you." 

Geralt scoffed at the comment, but he didn't clarify what he meant. There was a chance Jaskier would never remember their past. He caught up to the bard. Carefully, he caught Jaskier's arm in a firm grip. He pulled him to a stop. 

"Come with me." Geralt tugged on his arm. 

"To the collapsed building? Are you going to suggest we sleep there rather than pay for an inn?" Jaskier paused. He raised his eyebrows in time with a shrug. "I mean it's not a bad idea. Both of us are rather low on funds, and I would rather eat than pay for a room." 

"Hmmm." Geralt grumbled. He pulled the bard behind him down towards the building. 

Jaskier took note of it. It sat just off the lake front. Only the top of the building seemed to be collapsed; perhaps they could make this work as a place to stay. He followed Geralt down the gravel. The Witcher walked into the stone building before the bard.