"Faster Roach!"
Sounds of galloping were heard as a man with white hair, sharp features, and well-trimmed beard swung his sword on the right side, slashing a drowner into two, while the horse hit another and continued to run.
'So drowners are finally out of the water, makes sense, winter's coming.' Geralt thought as the direction he was going was against the rain, which was heavier than normal as it was denser because of the water icing up. 'I wonder if I'm the last to come back...'
XXXXXXXXXX
"So cold!" The ashen-haired shivered in front of the fireplace with Dante, Lambert, and Eskel.
It didn't take long for the master merchant to set out after being given a ton of gold jewelry and bars by Dante. The raven-haired preferred giving crowns directly and would have done that if not for inflation of this continent, he avoided the risk of destroying the economy of this world as it wasn't as advanced as the modern days. So he gave the merchant big sacks, filled with gold. He didn't bother explaining as the merchant himself just nodded, understanding why he did what he did.
Not long after, Eskel arrived with his purse filled with crowns, followed by Lambert who had a big smug on his face when he got home. Speaking of home, they were surprised to see the outer walls fixed, clutters cleaned. It was as if it was always in maintenance, seeing as how clean and organized everything was. But their reaction wasn't as much as how they reacted after seeing the interior of Kaer Morhen. Their jaws dropped, seeing the marble tiles, and lighter room and wall complexion.
One surprise led to another as Ciri introduced them to the lovers' new place, earning them lots of comments like:
'Wow, guys, not even a year, and you're already moving in!'
'Are we expecting a child anytime soon?'
This, of course, made Ciri blush, and Dante laugh.
When they saw the mansion, they immediately went to Dante and begged for him to build them one too, which only made the raven-haired laugh even more and say, 'You haven't checked your rooms yet.'
Excited, they didn't stay long inside the mansion and ran towards the keep and to their own rooms.
Well, that was a week ago, now, they were currently relaxing inside the Bastion in the evening while Dante was cooking dinner. He prepared lots of dishes as he sensed two more people coming towards the keep's direction.
"-then that troll suddenly died, so unfortunate that I didn't have the chance to show off to that lass. Damn, she was beautiful though..." Lambert and Eskel shared their experiences for the past few months they were away. All of them shared their laughs, catching up with one another.
The main entrance of the mansion opened as two white-haired men came inside, all wet.
"Ah, Geralt, old man Vesemir! You went quest hunting together?" Eskel exclaimed as he hugged them, followed by Lambert, not minding the drenched clothes they had.
Geralt shook his head took off his drenched cloak, same with Vesemir, "No, we happened to meet each other on the way."
"Hey! I missed you guys!" Ciri jumped towards them and hugged them longingly, "It's been months since we all last gathered!"
"Ah, young Cirilla!" Vesemir smiled and hugged back, looking around, feeling something amiss, "Where's your Dante? I don't see him around."
"Here!"
He turned his head to see the lad wearing an apron, just finished preparing the dishes, "So, switched your position to a cook eh? Whatever, it suits you anyways."
"Heh, yeah right," Dante chuckled and untied his apron, hanging it in a nail nearby. "Come, everyone, the food's ready."
Before anyone could do anything, Ciri appeared on a chair in a blink of an eye, drooling over the sight before her. They could only sweatdrop as they walked towards the table.
"Stop!" Dante held his hand, stopping the newly-arrived witchers, "No one's eating drenched."
The raven-haired then waved his hand and all the drops of water that came from the rain evaporated from Geralt and Vesemir's body and clothes. "There, that's better!"
"Kid," the old man said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're a sorcerer right away. A high one at that!"
Dante just faked blush and played a little, "Oh come on old-man, I'm trying to keep up my humble act here!"
They laughed as they proceeded to eat their fill, sharing their experiences.
"So, Dante..." Vesemir coughed, "Moving out of the keep to get privacy huh... Aren't you guys going a little too fast?"
The man in question just raised a brow, "Yeah, I guess so... But I'd rather have this kind of privacy, or would you guys rather hear loud moans and screams every morning and night?"
"Pfft!" Eskel spit his mead in surprise, "How bold of you, kid!"
"I'm not bold, just handso- o-ow!" Dante wanted to play the humble yet not so humble act again but was pinched in the belly by Ciri who glared at him, "Hehe... hey there, beautiful..." He whispered wryly.
"Whipped!" Lambert laughed, "I see relationships are troublesome, so I'd better avoid having one in the future!"
Eskel stood up laughing after hearing Lambert's remark, even Geralt cracked a smile.
Vesemir couldn't help but smile at their interactions, 'If only life's like this forever...'
He continued to smile and observe the people, but was taken aback when he saw Dante staring at him, nodding afterward. The old man had the feeling that the raven-haired knew what he felt and agreed with him. 'When I'm with this child, why do I get the feeling that everything is okay and warm?'
Lambert and Eskel looked at each other, then faced both last witchers to arrive. "So Geralt, old man... have you visited your rooms yet?"
It was now Geralt and old-man's turn to look at each other, tilting their heads in confusion. "No, we came here immediately after seeing the lights from far away, why?"
Lambert and Eskel just grinned towards them, "Why don't you go ahead and check for yourselves?"