Reincarnation ➵ The Witcher

xii.

EDITH stood beside Geralt as he opened the door to the tavern, his cloak pulled tightly over his head but his features were still on view for everyone to see. Edith no longer wore the dress she was shrouded in before, choosing comfortable leather pants and a shirt instead. Edith could already tell this was going to be a bad idea from the numerous side glances residents had sent them, well, Geralt anyway. So much for not being hunted with pitchforks.

There was lively conversation within the tavern which was filled to the brim with all kinds of people that seemed to be shrouded in a decent atmosphere. Edith walked slightly behind Geralt's intimidating figure, eyes narrowing around them as people began to blatantly stare at Geralt rudely until there was a silence across the structure.

Edith sneered, "The fuck you all looking at?" Sure, Edith often stared at Geralt but she sure as hell wouldn't let other people do the same. That was her job, not theirs. Geralt looked over his shoulder and shot her a glare, to which she responded with a brief raise of her eyebrows as if to say 'what?'. Geralt mentally scolded her for her actions.

The blatant rudeness did little to deter the pair though, as Geralt strided past the multiple crowds of people without bothering to shoot them a second glance. Edith though, that was a different story. She trailed behind Geralt like a little lamb, but that did little to prevent her from glaring holes into anyone who stared for too long or too harshly. They stopped at the wooden bar, the barmaid behind greeting them with a separate demeanor to the rest of the tavern.

Her brown eyes darted towards Edith for a second before settling on the Witcher. "What will it be?"

"Point me to the alderman's house." Geralt rasped, gloved fingers grasping the paper out of Edith's hand before placing it down on the bar.

"It's down the alley, to the left-"

"Isadora." A bald headed man made his presence known with his long beard the colour of ash and vile, beady eyes that almost reminded Edith of the creature currently tied to Roach outside. He had taken Isadora's spot as she scuttered off without a second look. Edith could already tell her and this man wouldn't at all get on, mainly from the way he looked at Geralt as if he was an ant below his shoe.

"We don't want your kind here, Witcher."

Edith came to Geralt's side, glowering at the man, "Last time I checked, no one asked." She couldn't help but wonder where they gained their manners from, because they certainly lacked a lot here.

"The alderman," Geralt interrupted, "tell me where he is and we'll be on our way." Edith bit her lip from retorting further. Another man had stood up from behind them, and as she gazed at him from over her shoulder, she couldn't help but think he resembled a rat. She could already guess his personality wouldn't be far off from one, either.

"You don't give the orders around here," he slowly approached them, scoffing at Geralt, "you mutant son of a bitch." Edith scowled. Who the fuck was he talking to?

Geralt briefly gazed at him from the corner of his eye, indifference settling over him in a wave.

"Hear that?"

"All I hear is a dumb prick stood behind me, actually." Edith smirked at him, and she could hear a feminine snort to the left of them. This did little to appease them though, as the beady eyed man glared at them further before interrupting the argument about to cease between Edith and whoever the hell rat man thought he was.

"Both of you, go," Edith's eyes rolled dramatics of these people, "On your own or at tue end of a rope, your choice."

Geralt pushed Edith behind him slightly, and she let a huff of annoyance escape her lips. She kept her mouth shut though, as she already knew the amounts of trouble it could get them both into.

"Not a hard choice." Geralt rasped, and Edith watched as he turned to face the ratman with her kept behind him. As if that would do anything to help.

"Yeah, fuck that. Kill them with your bare hands if you have to." Beady eyed prick announced, and Edith immediately attempted to jump in to diffuse the situation as if it could get any worse than what it was already.

"Woah, woah," She watched the multiple residents stand from their seated position, "Can we chill out for just a moment? Please? We can talk this out like adults, can't we?"

"C'mon, Witcher," one of the residents started, ignoring Edith's words altogether as he glared at the pair, "You're not scared of us, are ya?"

Tensions rose as Geralt still held a posture of indifference, and Edith mentally panicked. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

"Show us what you've got."