"You came for a monster?" Renfri continued, her empty tankard sat in front of her and the soft glow of the nearby lit candles illuminated her short brown hair at one side. "I was travelling by the swamp." Geralt mumbled out, his voice low as usual and not making eye contact.
Renfri slightly cocked her head towards him, eyes still cast downwards. "That would be your mistake, then. Why wouldn't you travel by the main roads?" She asked as though it was a simple and obvious answer. Geralt's eyes narrowed slightly before answering. "It's hard to make a living on main roads." He said, briefly glancing at Renfri from the side through the wisps and strands of white hair framing the side of his pale face.
Renfri turned to look at him now, eyes wide as she stared at him. "And you desperately need money for new clothes." She stated. Geralt almost smiled at that, almost. His jaw set slightly as he turned away from looking at her, Renfri smirking slightly having detected she was humouring the Witcher with her words. Renfri looked down then back up at the innkeeper who was loitering around the bar. "Two more beers." She demanded, barely giving the almost bald man a second glance. The innkeeper didn't say a word and simply decided that it was better to not argue with her again.
Geralt's head turned to Renfri heating her request and he placed his tankard down on the hard wood, he liked to drink a little bit more delicately than Renfri. There was an intense silence as the inkeeper came over, simply switching the empty orange ceramic pitcher for a full one, Renfri and the stubborn man entering a brief staring contest before the inkeeper turned his back and walked away.
Geralt turned, quietly observing the interaction. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the woman and he pressed his lips together briefly, however uncomfortable that situation was, at least being inside in the warmth was now helping to dry his clothes out some. Renfri stared at the pitcher slightly, her eyes lowering almost self consciously before letting out a silent sigh and picking it up, she didn't need anyone making assumptions about her. She took the tankard and took a couple steps to the man in black. "More and more, I find monsters wherever I go." She said, her words hung heavy in the air despite the softness in which they were said, the first bit of real vulnerability coming from the brunette.
Geralt quietly placed his tankard closer to Renfri, letting her fill it up again with the beer. She poured and they stared silently at each other. The almost sweet moment of so many words being passed between them without a sound was interrupted by the voice of a young girl. "How much coin for your Kikimora, then?" The asked, her crossed arms leaning across the top of the bar which she could barely reach. Geralt turned to look at the young girl, almost shock and disbelief on his face at the young girl standing there, she was brave to come and talk to a Witcher, especially if his reputation proceeded him. Renfri stopped pouring the drink almost looking just as bewildered as he did, she placed the ceramic tankard down gently, her jaw setting slightly and her lips rubbing against each other before looking at the Witcher as he turned to look at her. There was a silence between them, another, but more welcome staring competition commenced between them.
And Renfri, with her now soft eyes and hand still clasped around the handle of the tankard, knew what it meant.
Geralt turned his head to look at the girl and simply walked away from Renfri. The girl all but happy to talk to him. "I killed a rat this morning with my breakfast fork. Stabbed it in its fat little gut." She happily said. "My mother nearly fainted, but what was I supposed to do? It had been shitting in our pantry for days." She asked rhetorically as she recounted the tale. Geralt had much more of a job right now than simply listening to the young girls story, unaware of how Renfri looked after him as he walked away, but very aware of the looks he was getting from the earlier soldiers who now glared at him as he walked past.
Now outside with the girl, Geralt pressed on, not needing any more distractions today. "You mentioned coin." He stated, his job was always the same, kill monsters, and get his reward, it's what he'd trained for his entire life, at first unwillingly, but his job now all the same. "Yes." The girl replied almost breathless, perhaps from the excitement she seemed to have from telling her story. "Isadora said you were looking for my father." She replied quickly. "She's a gossip, you see." She said cheerily. "Probably went two steps into the Lord's inn before she was running off telling everyone an evil Witcher had arrived."
The girl walked to the nearby stable where Roach was, not seeming fazed at all with the Kikimora claw showing beneath the tarp draped over the limb, though it was much harder to ignore the black blood dripping from it's claw, congealed and gathered in a pool on the hay on the floor. Isadora pulled the tarp back slightly, looking at the monster briefly and sensing Geralt beside her and seeing him trying to study her she simply replied to him. "You don't scare me." She said softly, though her words rung true. "That's too bad." Geralt responded. "And I can also tell you..." She continued as she returned her attention to the dead monster slung over the back of Roach. "...that my father will have no use for this beast." She dropped the tarp back down, covering the vile beast once more.
"Your father..." Geralt grunted. "The alderman?" He questioned with a small nod towards the girl. At least someone in this town was being straightforward with him. A quick nod from the girl confirmed his question. "He posted a flyer." He said. "For a graveir." She replied almost instantly. "Kikimoras are useful. Population control." She stated softly to the Witcher. Geralt leaned back slightly, taking in the new information, and more importantly now, that he might have to look somewhere else for coin. "Hm." He hummed out. He turned, about to leave once again but the girl urged on, still stood by the horses side. "You should speak to Master Irion, our wizard."
Geralt stopped in his tracks, head turning to slightly glance over his right shoulder at the girl. "He's willing to pay for odds and ends he needs for elixirs." She informed watching as the Geralt once again slowly turned around, not scared despite his stern face and narrow eyes. "I sold him out dog when it died. Mysteriously." She said with a small smile appearing on her lips. Geralt's brows furrowed together, his lips pressed together, it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter, and talking to a wizard in this town, he supposed, was better than having to travel miles to another one. "Fine." He grunted out begrudgingly. "Take me to him." He said, turning and grabbing Roach's reigns in his hands.
"I got 15 crowns for the happy mutt." She said with a smile as she walked to the edge of the stable. "That's enough to buy some new clothes. Just saying." Her eyes skimming down briefly to the dirty clothes she could see beneath the Witcher's half open cloak. She smiled at him, before walking away, pausing for a brief moment at one of the wooden beams and making sure that Geralt was going to follow her. Seeing that he was, her smile grew brighter and she began to walk off again.
Geralt untied Roach from the small hitching post in the stables, hand gently holding onto the reigns beneath his head and began to lead the beautiful brown horse back outside into the now dull weather. "Come on, Roach." He mumbles quietly to his loyal companion.