When Geralt arrives late to his own home, he knows that Eskel is going to have questions. Pointed ones, considering how he had left him the previous night. And, sure enough, when Geralt pulls into his driveway, he sees Eskel's truck already there and his brother leaning against the fence, drinking coffee from a thermos. He parks and meets up with him.
"You look like hell," Eskel says as he approaches. Geralt grunts in response; being as nonverbal as possible is his best defense here. "And what happened to your hair? You didn't do that, you can't braid for shit."
"Jaskier." It's a short reply as he starts to make his way down to the pasture fences that need to be repaired.
"Jaskier did it? So you stayed over at his place last night?" Eskel grabs his thermos and his tools, catching up to Geralt in a few long strides. "You sure you know what you're doing? I mean, you usually don't shit where you eat, and he's a customer. Got you a lot of your business."
Geralt's mouth twists. "It's not like that."
"Then why did you stay over at his place? It's not like you drank that much at the bar."
"I..." Damn, there's no good explanation for this other than the truth. "He invited me in for coffee and something to eat. He didn't tell me the brownies were special."
"Seriously?" Eskel barks out a short laugh. "You accidentally got fucking high at this guy's house? Holy shit, Geralt."
Geralt shoves him into one of fence posts and tells him to fuck off. Eskel laughs anyway.
Everything goes back to normal after that. Jaskier seems to take the whole odd episode in stride, still texting him and coming by the ranch like he always does. It's good, and Geralt didn't want to have to apologize about it because it had kind of been a decent night. And, sure, it was just because of the weed, but he hadn't laughed that hard in a long time, and it had been an equally long time since he'd just... laid around with someone and talked.
The first week of June rolls around, though, and that means that it's time for the monthly meeting with Yennefer about Ciri's schedule. As usual, she picks the restaurant in town, the reservation set too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. She does have a certain affinity towards brunch. Geralt sees nothing unusual in the appointment, and dutifully brings Ciri, and they arrive a little early-- traffic was lighter than what he had been anticipating. When he walks in, a quick word with the hostess has him heading up to the rooftop terrace with his daughter, where Yen is, apparently, already waiting.
Yen and, unexpectedly, Jaskier.
Ciri is delighted when she sees who's sitting at the table with her mother, getting to the table quickly enough to snag the nearest seat to the musician.
"Dad wouldn't make you leave, you were here first! And we're early, anyway," Ciri says, looking up at Geralt with the kind of doe eyes that he just knows that Yen taught her. "Right, Dad?"
He looks over at Yen, and the color of her lipstick is almost the same as her wine. She's smiling, which is never a good sign.
"Really, don't be rude, Geralt. Sit down, there's enough room at the table for all of us."
Geralt sighs. Both Yen and Ciri are against him.
"Sit down, Jaskier."
Geralt takes the last remaining spot, already wishing that he had something alcoholic in his hand. If Jaskier and Yen are going to day-drink through this thing, he's at least going to have one to ease this social nightmare along.
"I wasn't aware that the plans had changed, Yen," he says. Yen gives him a withering look over the rim of her glass and takes an elegant sip of her wine.
"You're the one who's early. Jaskier and I just had a little business to discuss, so why should I have to go back and forth to meet with the two of you? I'll get it all done here."
"Hm," he says as the waitress comes back, checking to see if the newcomers to the table want something to drink. Ciri orders some coffee drink that she likes, and Geralt opens his mouth to order a beer when Yen beats him to it.
"A mimosa for him."
Geralt shoots her a look as the waitress takes the orders and assures them that the drinks will be out shortly.
"What? You like mimosas but you never order them."
no subject
"You look like hell," Eskel says as he approaches. Geralt grunts in response; being as nonverbal as possible is his best defense here. "And what happened to your hair? You didn't do that, you can't braid for shit."
"Jaskier." It's a short reply as he starts to make his way down to the pasture fences that need to be repaired.
"Jaskier did it? So you stayed over at his place last night?" Eskel grabs his thermos and his tools, catching up to Geralt in a few long strides. "You sure you know what you're doing? I mean, you usually don't shit where you eat, and he's a customer. Got you a lot of your business."
Geralt's mouth twists. "It's not like that."
"Then why did you stay over at his place? It's not like you drank that much at the bar."
"I..." Damn, there's no good explanation for this other than the truth. "He invited me in for coffee and something to eat. He didn't tell me the brownies were special."
"Seriously?" Eskel barks out a short laugh. "You accidentally got fucking high at this guy's house? Holy shit, Geralt."
Geralt shoves him into one of fence posts and tells him to fuck off. Eskel laughs anyway.
Everything goes back to normal after that. Jaskier seems to take the whole odd episode in stride, still texting him and coming by the ranch like he always does. It's good, and Geralt didn't want to have to apologize about it because it had kind of been a decent night. And, sure, it was just because of the weed, but he hadn't laughed that hard in a long time, and it had been an equally long time since he'd just... laid around with someone and talked.
The first week of June rolls around, though, and that means that it's time for the monthly meeting with Yennefer about Ciri's schedule. As usual, she picks the restaurant in town, the reservation set too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. She does have a certain affinity towards brunch. Geralt sees nothing unusual in the appointment, and dutifully brings Ciri, and they arrive a little early-- traffic was lighter than what he had been anticipating. When he walks in, a quick word with the hostess has him heading up to the rooftop terrace with his daughter, where Yen is, apparently, already waiting.
Yen and, unexpectedly, Jaskier.
Ciri is delighted when she sees who's sitting at the table with her mother, getting to the table quickly enough to snag the nearest seat to the musician.
"Dad wouldn't make you leave, you were here first! And we're early, anyway," Ciri says, looking up at Geralt with the kind of doe eyes that he just knows that Yen taught her. "Right, Dad?"
He looks over at Yen, and the color of her lipstick is almost the same as her wine. She's smiling, which is never a good sign.
"Really, don't be rude, Geralt. Sit down, there's enough room at the table for all of us."
Geralt sighs. Both Yen and Ciri are against him.
"Sit down, Jaskier."
Geralt takes the last remaining spot, already wishing that he had something alcoholic in his hand. If Jaskier and Yen are going to day-drink through this thing, he's at least going to have one to ease this social nightmare along.
"I wasn't aware that the plans had changed, Yen," he says. Yen gives him a withering look over the rim of her glass and takes an elegant sip of her wine.
"You're the one who's early. Jaskier and I just had a little business to discuss, so why should I have to go back and forth to meet with the two of you? I'll get it all done here."
"Hm," he says as the waitress comes back, checking to see if the newcomers to the table want something to drink. Ciri orders some coffee drink that she likes, and Geralt opens his mouth to order a beer when Yen beats him to it.
"A mimosa for him."
Geralt shoots her a look as the waitress takes the orders and assures them that the drinks will be out shortly.
"What? You like mimosas but you never order them."