Ivory's comment actually made him laugh aloud. What a suggestion that was...

[color=crimson]"I'm afraid that time has ruined me...if only someone had said that to me when I was younger."[/color] Geralt flashed a smile to her, but did not maintain a visual on her. He could tell that the male gaze made Ivory uncomfortable, and he'd decided that now was not the time for pushing her buttons. She had done a good thing this evening, and it had been revealing to see her interact with Cecelia. Besides, she seemed a little less prickly now towards him than she usually was, and he did not want to give her an excuse to resume her prior attitude.

Even more revealing was her answer to his rebuttal. He raised an eyebrow and hummed, but did not respond until a bit of silence had stretched between them. He was choosing his words carefully, making sure not to trigger any negativity. When it came to him, it was too easy to make Ivory angry, and there was no need to remind her of his dislike for him now.

[color=crimson]"Oh, you'd be surprised how resilient children are. Take yourself, for instance. I can't imagine anyone ever calling you fragile."[/color] He glanced at her again out of the corner of his eye. It was true that Ivory appeared more than capable on the outside. But he had no doubt that this hard-shelled exterior was hiding something soft deep down. Everyone had their weakness, and he recognized then that he and Ivory were similar in how deep they had theirs buried. Even if they protected it in different ways, he could tell that she shared at least some of his fear of exposure.