[ Steve isn't that shocked that Geralt has heard already. Chances are there's been a lot of messages sent back and forth, and the more information that's shared about who ended up where, the better. ]
None, though that's probably only because a lot of the animals seem to have escaped during the quake.
Where did you end up?
[ Somehow, Steve doubts that Geralt was lucky enough to arrive back in Cadens. That only leaves one other option. ]
[ With Sam, in Thorne. Funny how Destiny seems to work. ]
He asked me to exchange notes, as he put it, with you. Are you occupied?
[ Geralt is not, because he's suddenly without a single contract to work on and he has little interest in running errands for the crown. So running errands for Sam it is. ]
[ At least Sam and Geralt are together. Steve knows enough to understand that returning to Thorne is a situation full of baggage and bad memories for them, so he's glad they have each other. ]
Not so occupied that I can't do some exchanging of notes.
[ Remember what he said about the lost animals? He's been roped into helping with that, naturally. ]
Give me a couple hours and I'll be there. I have a few horses I need to try and wrangle. Let me know if you have any tips.
[ Steve knows that Geralt doesn't really like talking like this, so the suggestion doesn't surprise him at all. He could invite him to his domain instead, but meeting at Sam's honestly works just as well, and won't be as overwhelming as asking Geralt to come to the middle of the city or to the Compound. ]
[ Geralt is less inclined to aid the royals and nobles around Thorne, and he's not yet certain whether it would be wise to slip into Nott so soon. He spends the two hours in the library instead, pulling tomes that he would not have found in the Free Cities. Though he doubts there are any secrets laid in these open shelves.
When evening begins to fall, he retreats to his room—then the Horizon. He doesn't enter it often, either, but it serves its purpose. He mounts the motorbike—it's been a while, not counting the dream with Kyle—and rides around the Singularity's crater, pausing briefly to study it. It doesn't look much different in here. Unusual. He'd have expected it to shift with the world outside.
Sam's house is lit by the setting sun, the lake behind it sparkling gold. When Steve arrives, he'll find Geralt on the porch with a beer and his bike by the road. He greets the man with a nod. ]
[ The rest of Steve's day is spent chasing down horses, and he really could have used some of Geralt's tips. He knows how to ride a horse, sure, and he does his best to be gentle and kind with any animal, but that doesn't change how stubborn they are.
If he's a little late, it's because those horses made his life a whole lot harder than it needed to be, but it's fine. They've been returned to their stables now.
Blinking into Sam's domain is an easy task for him these days, and Steve appears by the docks near the lake. As he walks up to the house, it's something of a shock to see Geralt sitting there with a beer like he belongs here. And, well, maybe he does, but the bike is what really puts it over the edge.
Steve moves toward the motorcycle, looking it over with an appraising eye. It's more than just vague curiosity, he seems to be inspecting the brand and model. ]
[ Geralt glances over his shoulder. He's had that machine for two or so summers now. He forgets that it's no doubt a strange sight for Steve, who often meets him in the physical world. Even for him, it still feels a bit foreign to ride, but that it exists solely in this imaginary plane helps with his acceptance of...how it's meant to function. ]
Nadine created it for me. [ Geralt doesn't know much more about it than that, but Steve will probably recognize it's styled after a vintage model. ] Bit faster than a horse.
[ Steve huffs out a laugh, though he frankly hadn't expected Nadine to be the one behind it. That does put her in something of a different light for him — did she secretly love riding bikes? Well, that's something he'll need to ask her the next time they cross paths. ]
Sometimes I ride one around here too.
[ It would feel kind of strange to manifest his bike here now, though. This isn't some kind of contest, but still, if Geralt feels like going for a ride, they could definitely arrange something. ]
I like the style of this one. [ He approaches, one hand stretching out so that he can slide his palm across the leather seat. Not that they're here to talk about bikes, so Steve then turns back toward Geralt. ] How're you holding up?
[ Now it's Geralt's turn to blink. He supposes in turn, he had never given thought to what Steve might've rode upon, either, though he knows logically, by now, that Steve comes from a world where they do not travel by horse anymore. ]
If you've time later...
[ Then why not? He can sense Steve's thoughts turning in the same direction. ]
No trouble so far. [ His being in Thorne will always remain a mild discomfort for him, but he doesn't seem to have attracted any unwanted attention. Yet. ] But, I must confess, Thorne feels more fragile than the others. A newly established monarchy and a sudden breach of their borders...I don't doubt they're currently making some decisions about us.
[ He hopes all it will lead to is their subsequent return. But he knows, too, not everyone who was in Thorne would wish to return, and he can't help wondering how the crown might confront such a circumstance. ]
[ Steve isn't sure why, but he's surprised by the offer. He and Geralt are friends by now, he thinks it's fair to say that — and yet he wouldn't have thought he'd be interested in a random drive through the Horizon with him.
Then again, given Geralt's current situation in the waking world, maybe he's in need of a distraction. ]
... Yeah, that's fair to assume. It's hard to guess at what they're going to do with Sidwell now in power. I'm betting all the Summoned there are on-edge right now, but at least there hasn't been any sort of kneejerk reaction.
[ That probably wouldn't have been the case if the Queen were still around.
He glances back to the bike, indulging in a brief smile as he addresses the offer. ]
And sure, I have time. There's not a whole lot to do in Solvunn, which Wanda warned me about, but any chance to stave off boredom, I'll take.
[ Who knows what they're thinking? Ellya was explosive, but she was poor at hiding her true intentions. He doesn't know what the Sidwells are after now that they've ascended the throne, but he does know that when the throne is usurped by a soldier, things tend to turn poorly in the kingdom.
Still. It is not his kingdom. And there was a time he would not have thought twice about it, too disinterested in human politics to bother with their troubles. These days, he has people there he cares for. ]
My contracts in Cadens are now worthless. [ He stands, setting his bottle on the steps. ] And Thorne is not in need of a Witcher, it seems.
[ Steve has never once step foot in Thorne, so he can only guess at what the atmosphere is like there, but he thinks he's picking up what Geralt is putting down. The Sidwells play their cards a lot more close to the chest, and it means that it's hard to know where they even stand right now.
Still, he trusts that Geralt will keep his head up and stay alert in the event that anything happens. That's going to have to be good enough. It helps, especially since Sam is there too.
Steve glances down when Geralt abandons the bottle. Looks like they're doing this, then. ]
Yeah, it's basically just helping Wanda with chores, doing repairs. Some Summoned want to take the chance to talk to gods while they're there, but...
[ He pauses and shrugs. Yeah, he's not really interested.
Either way, it seems like it's time to summon his bike, and it takes only a brief pause of concentration to make the motorcycle appear a few feet away from Geralt's. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
a bit after the portal wonkiness.
[ Sam may or may not have relayed the news. ]
no subject
None, though that's probably only because a lot of the animals seem to have escaped during the quake.
Where did you end up?
[ Somehow, Steve doubts that Geralt was lucky enough to arrive back in Cadens. That only leaves one other option. ]
no subject
[ With Sam, in Thorne. Funny how Destiny seems to work. ]
He asked me to exchange notes, as he put it, with you.
Are you occupied?
[ Geralt is not, because he's suddenly without a single contract to work on and he has little interest in running errands for the crown. So running errands for Sam it is. ]
no subject
Not so occupied that I can't do some exchanging of notes.
[ Remember what he said about the lost animals? He's been roped into helping with that, naturally. ]
How are things in Thorne?
no subject
I've not yet visited the other towns.
[ But also—he dislikes scribbling through his mind, and it isn't long before he proposes: ]
Shall we speak at Sam's?
[ That seems simpler than trekking up his mountain. ]
no subject
[ Steve knows that Geralt doesn't really like talking like this, so the suggestion doesn't surprise him at all. He could invite him to his domain instead, but meeting at Sam's honestly works just as well, and won't be as overwhelming as asking Geralt to come to the middle of the city or to the Compound. ]
no subject
[ Geralt is less inclined to aid the royals and nobles around Thorne, and he's not yet certain whether it would be wise to slip into Nott so soon. He spends the two hours in the library instead, pulling tomes that he would not have found in the Free Cities. Though he doubts there are any secrets laid in these open shelves.
When evening begins to fall, he retreats to his room—then the Horizon. He doesn't enter it often, either, but it serves its purpose. He mounts the motorbike—it's been a while, not counting the dream with Kyle—and rides around the Singularity's crater, pausing briefly to study it. It doesn't look much different in here. Unusual. He'd have expected it to shift with the world outside.
Sam's house is lit by the setting sun, the lake behind it sparkling gold. When Steve arrives, he'll find Geralt on the porch with a beer and his bike by the road. He greets the man with a nod. ]
no subject
If he's a little late, it's because those horses made his life a whole lot harder than it needed to be, but it's fine. They've been returned to their stables now.
Blinking into Sam's domain is an easy task for him these days, and Steve appears by the docks near the lake. As he walks up to the house, it's something of a shock to see Geralt sitting there with a beer like he belongs here. And, well, maybe he does, but the bike is what really puts it over the edge.
Steve moves toward the motorcycle, looking it over with an appraising eye. It's more than just vague curiosity, he seems to be inspecting the brand and model. ]
This is yours?
no subject
Nadine created it for me. [ Geralt doesn't know much more about it than that, but Steve will probably recognize it's styled after a vintage model. ] Bit faster than a horse.
[ Just a bit. ]
no subject
[ Steve huffs out a laugh, though he frankly hadn't expected Nadine to be the one behind it. That does put her in something of a different light for him — did she secretly love riding bikes? Well, that's something he'll need to ask her the next time they cross paths. ]
Sometimes I ride one around here too.
[ It would feel kind of strange to manifest his bike here now, though. This isn't some kind of contest, but still, if Geralt feels like going for a ride, they could definitely arrange something. ]
I like the style of this one. [ He approaches, one hand stretching out so that he can slide his palm across the leather seat. Not that they're here to talk about bikes, so Steve then turns back toward Geralt. ] How're you holding up?
no subject
If you've time later...
[ Then why not? He can sense Steve's thoughts turning in the same direction. ]
No trouble so far. [ His being in Thorne will always remain a mild discomfort for him, but he doesn't seem to have attracted any unwanted attention. Yet. ] But, I must confess, Thorne feels more fragile than the others. A newly established monarchy and a sudden breach of their borders...I don't doubt they're currently making some decisions about us.
[ He hopes all it will lead to is their subsequent return. But he knows, too, not everyone who was in Thorne would wish to return, and he can't help wondering how the crown might confront such a circumstance. ]
no subject
Then again, given Geralt's current situation in the waking world, maybe he's in need of a distraction. ]
... Yeah, that's fair to assume. It's hard to guess at what they're going to do with Sidwell now in power. I'm betting all the Summoned there are on-edge right now, but at least there hasn't been any sort of kneejerk reaction.
[ That probably wouldn't have been the case if the Queen were still around.
He glances back to the bike, indulging in a brief smile as he addresses the offer. ]
And sure, I have time. There's not a whole lot to do in Solvunn, which Wanda warned me about, but any chance to stave off boredom, I'll take.
no subject
[ Who knows what they're thinking? Ellya was explosive, but she was poor at hiding her true intentions. He doesn't know what the Sidwells are after now that they've ascended the throne, but he does know that when the throne is usurped by a soldier, things tend to turn poorly in the kingdom.
Still. It is not his kingdom. And there was a time he would not have thought twice about it, too disinterested in human politics to bother with their troubles. These days, he has people there he cares for. ]
My contracts in Cadens are now worthless. [ He stands, setting his bottle on the steps. ] And Thorne is not in need of a Witcher, it seems.
[ He imagines it must be the same for Steve. ]
no subject
Still, he trusts that Geralt will keep his head up and stay alert in the event that anything happens. That's going to have to be good enough. It helps, especially since Sam is there too.
Steve glances down when Geralt abandons the bottle. Looks like they're doing this, then. ]
Yeah, it's basically just helping Wanda with chores, doing repairs. Some Summoned want to take the chance to talk to gods while they're there, but...
[ He pauses and shrugs. Yeah, he's not really interested.
Either way, it seems like it's time to summon his bike, and it takes only a brief pause of concentration to make the motorcycle appear a few feet away from Geralt's. ]