Reincarnation ➵ The Witcher

iv.

THE ale was placed in front of Edith moments after, yet her attention stayed locked onto the hooded figure who so kindly payed for her drink. Edith noticed how the hooded man, Geralt, often surveyed his surroundings as if he was expecting someone, or something to pounce from the shadows and attack him. His posture was tense; yet he often sipped his drink as if he had no care in the world - and maybe he didn't. But one thing he did care about, was the incessant staring from the girl to the right of him.

"Like something you see, girl?" Geralt mocked, voice shrouded in a raspy undertone it was use to. Edith was taken aback, and a crimson instantly spread across her cheeks in embarrassment. It would only be her that would get caught staring, wouldn't it?

"T-thank you for the drink." Edith murmured, hands grasping the pint before slowly rising it to her face. She sniffed the drink first; a grimace crossing her face immediately afterwards. Who on earth drunk this shit? Despite the vile smell she took a sip of the vile liquid out of politeness. Her father had always taught her to be grateful for what people would grant her, and there was no way she would rudely refuse the drink especially after being caught gawking at the man. The taste was bitter - vile, which she already expected, but what she didn't expect was Geralt's figure turning slightly to view Edith. Geralt seemed to freeze for a moment - images of the past haunting his vision. Edith Flayers - the girl that should be dead was sat to the right of him without a care in the world. Edith Flayers - the monster of the past was sat to the right of him. Sure, she was once a monster, but he was one too. Geralt stared for a moment underneath the cloak, and Edith felt his eyes on her.

"Like something you see?" Edith mocked back in mirth, which elated a barely-there chuckle from the man.

Geralt shook his head, turning back towards the bar immediately afterwards. Edith smiled, swirling the contents of the ale around the cup. Her interest was high in the cloaked man, and Geralt's interest was high in the questioning way of how Edith was still breathing. He remembered watching the blade go through the girl's chest, he remembered watching her breathing stop and her heart still, and yet, she was here, right in front of him like some kind of wraith - some kind of ghost that's came back to haunt him for all his wrongdoings.

"What's your name, girl?" Geralt wasn't so sure he wanted to know the answer, because he feared he already knew it.

"Edith Flayers." Geralt took in a sharp breath despite already knowing. He'd hoped that it would be different, that maybe similarities in looks were as far as it would go. But he was wrong, because it was so much more than just looks. No, this girl was an exact replica of Edith Flayers. The dead Edith Flayers that should not be sat, no should not be here altogether.

"You some sort of ghost?" Geralt questioned.

"I dunno, that depends."

Geralt furrowed his brows in confusion, "On what?"

"Whether ghosts are suppose to be scary." Edith smirked, raising her cup once again as Geralt eventually caught onto her teasing with a scowl of his own.

"Very funny."

"Oh come on, admit it. It was a little funny," Edith teased further, smile widening as she caught a glimpse of white hair underneath the cloak of his, "Besides, ghosts don't exist."

"You sure of that?"

Edith furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, watching Geralt rise from his seat before placing another coin down on the bar. She was at loss for words, what did he mean was she sure of it? Of course she was, ghosts didn't exist, did they? However, as Edith watched the man, Geralt gather his belongings that strangely involved a silver sword, Edith couldn't help but stand up and follow Geralt to the door of the tavern with her curiosity on an all time high.

"What do you mean 'You sure of that?' they don't actually exist, do they?" Edith followed a few steps behind, watching Geralt open the door to the tavern before stopping in the doorway and angling his body towards her slightly.

"I don't know, you tell me, Edith. Do ghosts exist?" Geralt didn't wait for a reply, no, Geralt didn't want a reply as he left the girl Edith standing in the doorway as he left to slay another one of his monsters, and thankfully enough, the girl retreated into the tavern afterwards and stopped with her incessant questioning, but that didn't mean Edith escaped his mind, because Edith invaded his mind with questions of his own. The main one rang out loudly like an alarm bell; How is Edith Flayers alive?