The Witcher: Elder Blood

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***

It felt good to relax in the spacious tub after a morning of sword practice. The warm water relaxed the body, making it slightly sleepy. However, any signs of sleepiness would subside if I just got outside, which I was going to do right now. Not that I need to hurry, Galantea and Jennyfer only wash before bed, and they don't have a routine workout waiting for them in the morning to keep in shape. I have to visit the bathroom twice.

I have in no way exaggerated or downplayed my fencing skills and their growth, roughly understanding my level. Repetition of learnt lunges and stances hardly gradually makes me a master, rather it just keeps my muscles and ligaments toned and doesn't let me forget how to do at least what I learnt.

Jennyfer was sceptical about my hobbies with cold weapons, but she didn't say much, leaving the 'waste of wizarding time' to my own conscience.

The last few days I had the following thought: to find a skilled soldier with proper experience or a local knight - often such are trained from childhood, forcing to constantly spar with different people... at least, I've seen so many times in the film and TV series, and asked around a little about fencing training, it seems to agree. So, you could hire someone for morning training to make some long-term sense. I didn't particularly care about the other cold weapons, I wasn't going to rely on them, much less engage head-on in mass skirmishes to have something better to use in such situations.

Climbing out of the tub, the first thing I did was to drain the water through the inbuilt pipe. It's a convenient system here, except that you have to draw it manually, because the tub is in a separate room on the first floor - the bathroom. Sorcerers do not have to complain about the filling of the tub, it takes only a few seconds of manipulation with Chaos energy and a simple spell to fill it. The water can be removed just as quickly, but I wanted to spend that time wiping myself off and pulling on my clothes. And anyway, a drain should be used, they didn't install it here for nothing.

The tub, like so many other things in the past week, had to be bought ourselves. We also had to rent a spacious horse cart to carry the things from Jennyfer's parents' house and all the things they had bought in town... we should have kept one horse cart, but what was the point if it would be of no further use, or if it would be needed too infrequently.

Leaving the medieval semblance of a bathroom, I found myself in the centre of a corridor connecting several rooms and a staircase that could be used to move between floors, including the attic.

There was plenty of room in the house, even with the ground floor reserved for a workspace. The first floor is entirely devoted to living space. The largest room was occupied by me and Yennifer, and I headed for it as soon as I got out of the bathroom.

In addition to ours, there were three other rooms, but much smaller and about the same size. One of them was occupied by Galantea, who had potted flowers and useful plants all over the room, some of them belonging to Jennyfer.

We had to distribute the plants between our rooms while we sorted out the ground floor. Today we'll have to move them downstairs, not that there's a problem with that, except in the beds in front of the house, where most of them will be planted, and in the back yard area.

I have no idea how Yennifer plans to keep track of all this goodness, though I realise how useful it is to have the most common herbs used in alchemy on hand. Thankfully I've been spared, Galantea has volunteered to help with the watering, beds, and herbal care. Her help would be enough for the first time, and then, as the sorceress told me, she could hire any 'diligent maiden' from the locals to take care of the herbs, or even find a full-fledged apprentice with magical potential, as Detmold had once done when he successfully got a job with an alchemist in his town before entering the academy.

Both options can suit a sorceress, and Galanthea's help will help free up some time for the work itself, rather than the constant watering and monitoring of plants. And I'm glad to see that the young bard's help, and especially her commitment to interacting with Jennyfer's herbs, as well as the flowers that Galanthea herself keeps in her room, has smoothed the edges of the sorceress's attitude towards my friend. It was still far from the level where I could go through the day without hearing a jealous jab from the enchantress, but at least close to the point where I didn't have to be annoyed by Yennifer's words.

Opening the bedroom door and stepping inside, I saw the wizard awake, primping herself at the dressing table she'd brought from her home. She wasn't wearing any make-up, just working on her hair after a nap. Sprayed a couple of times on her hands from an inconspicuous tube on the table, then set it back down, placing it between the other mixtures I didn't understand. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to get as much of it as I could, and started brushing.

- Ready for our first lesson? - eyes shot at me through the reflection in the mirror, tracing my path from the doorway to the bed. Next to it was a bedside table with my clothes stacked on it. I was wearing simple clothes, homemade clothes, a change of clothes to replace the sweaty workout clothes I'd left in the bathroom earlier - there was a smaller tub inside, used only for laundry. - I managed to get everything ready yesterday. We'll practice with you today, and tomorrow we can open the shop.

- I've been waiting for a week, of course I'm ready..... - I'm starting to change into my everyday graduate clothes. - I'm more ready for our first class than you were for your first class,' I smile slightly, remembering the awkwardness of the sorceress that night.

- Pfft, how much longer do you plan on wearing those rags? - She tactfully ignored my comment, deciding to change the subject and concentrate on my attitude toward the things. - They're comfortable, but that doesn't justify wearing them all the time. Even Galantea bought herself a couple of sets for 'going out'.

- I'll buy something else later, if it's important to you. What you offered to buy me will only be used to light the fireplace,' I didn't like the clothes of the local nobles, I'd have to have them customised by a tailor. - That was the last thing on my mind right now. As for Galanthea, going to the castle to celebrate the king's birthday as a guest bard is not the same as strolling through the town between market stalls.

To our collective surprise, Galantea's performances in the local taverns have garnered unforeseen attention: someone close to Virfuril, King of Aedirn, was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the bard playing one evening. Three days ago, a messenger from the palace came to us, offering Galanthea to perform among the other invited bards at the king's birthday party.

Going to the palace in her usual clothes was not a good idea, so Galanthea had bought herself some good quality and beautiful clothes for such events. At first I thought I would have to reopen my considerably empty purse and give her enough coins for an expensive costume, but as it turned out, she was getting quite a good deal from her lute playing and singing.

No matter how much Jennyfer spat at the 'bastard' who had decided not to take her on as court mage, I said nothing about the invitation, leaving it up to Galanthea to decide. After weighing the pros and cons, she still agreed to go.

Also, those who gave the invitation must have learnt that the bard lives with two wizards, so they decided to invite us.... Needless to say, what was Yennifer's reaction? The letter was thrown into the fireplace on the ground floor along with mine. I think it was the first time a sorceress had ever made me angry. Our first fight, you might say. But because of my initial reluctance to go to the palace celebration when I had a sea of more important things to do, a simple apology from Yennifer was enough for me to forgive her antics. I couldn't stay mad at her hot temper and sharp tongue for long after all, and my anger quickly passed then, as soon as she was able to apologise sincerely.

Finished dressing in my casual clothes, I walked up behind her under the scrutiny, leaned down to her neck, giving her a tender kiss, and hugged her in a half bow - I wouldn't have it any other way with my arms around her under her breasts.

Another reason why I couldn't stay mad at her for long, despite her hidden vanity, her rash actions that sometimes caused outbursts of anger in those who were connected to the results of the actions, and her love of witty phrases that cut to the very core of the growing irritation at the targets of the phrases themselves - her open warmth and care towards people close to her: The girl immediately collapsed in my arms, responding to the pleasant caress; she put her palm on my cheek, pulling my face to hers; she left a light kiss on my lips and immediately returned to her reflection in the mirror, not at all hiding the smile that appeared, caused by the attention to her person.

- Eren... you're in the way, it'll just take me longer to get ready.

It had only taken me a week, seven days under the same roof, to realise a simple truth about Yennifer: you should behave differently with her, depending on where you are with her. Light displays of affection and occasional verbal jabs at each other in privacy, a calculated and confident demeanour in public, and, rather most importantly, don't let her feel like the centre of the world most of the time or she'll start to show her unpredictable side.

- How long until you're ready for my training? - I purposely held her arms in a hug, slightly annoyed at Yennifer's inability to complete her morning 'beauty' routine.

- Depending on the main obstacle,' her index finger jabbed into my cheek, then her thumb connected with the first, pinching my skin.

I can't believe myself, I've broken up with far less troubled relationships before.... Maybe I have some sort of latent attraction to beautiful sorceresses? It's hard to say for sure, especially since I haven't seen many of them. Casual encounters during our journey, brief exchanges of common phrases, nothing more.

I stopped hugging the busy girl and headed for the exit of the room, throwing one last thing at her:

- I'll be waiting downstairs, try to be quick, otherwise I'll have to brighten my loneliness with Galantea, she was just about to wake up,' I only managed to see a frown turn on her face with her lips pressed into a thin line in my direction.

There was definitely more than one insult directed at me, certainly more than one insult directed at Galantea, but I couldn't hear them now that I was on the other side of the door. Maybe I shouldn't keep mentioning my young friend, almost every time I felt like teasing Jennyfer with ambiguous phrases with a lewd context. Maybe then she'd stop treating her with poorly concealed distaste. I'll have to think about that...

- Good morning, Eren,' I met the target of my musings at the staircase. She was coming up from the ground floor, carrying a watering can in each hand. Every morning, right after bedtime, she watered all the plants in her room. Because of the early hour, she didn't even bother to change, going downstairs to fetch water in her plain, monotone white nightie.

- Here's Snowdrop, I thought you were still asleep. Let me help you,' I took the watering cans from her hands. - Although, you know, maybe I should move all of Yennifer's grass downstairs. It's all set up down there. And, ahem, I don't think she'll be free soon, I should be able to make it,' I glance at the bedroom door.

She's probably going to stay in the room longer to spite me, so I can think about my behaviour towards her.

- Okay, but I need those watering cans to water my flowers anyway. Two wouldn't be enough to water all the herbs, and I'm not talking about the ones in your room,' she walked past me, heading towards her room. At that moment, I had to curse myself for my earlier molestation of Jennyfer: the arousal I'd felt from the brief contact hadn't had time to wear off, so as the slim girl in the tight nightgown passed me, my gaze involuntarily dropped down to the fabric-covered buttocks. - Coming? - she turned to me as she gave me a wait-and-see look after opening the door to the room.

- Yes, I was staring, the tight clothes look so good on you.

- I see,' as if giving me time to notice, she deliberately began to lower her head down slowly, forcing her sly gaze to linger on the incipient erection. - And you're going to have to calm down while I change, or Yennifer will burn this house down with us.

- Then I'll wait while you change,' I turn away from the room and lean against the wall. - At least you don't keep me waiting,' I replied with a positive comment, and decided to think about the dozens of hours of tedious alchemy theory and no less practice that awaited me in the near future. All the excitement subsided in a flash.