[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]Edge of the Blue- Open Ocean[/center]
[center]Lvl 6 (31/60) -> Lvl 6 (33/60) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 795 words[/center]
[center][@Zoey Boey][/center]

Geralt ignored Junior's demanding tone, but nonetheless moved to the cargo bay to oversee the new arrival of the Shipgirls and Sakura. His face was cold and stony, having resorted to the 'Resting Witcher Face' Yen sometimes said he used when dealing with something he had little patience for. Needless to say, it was his default expression when not around his friends. "I see you made some friends," Geralt deadpanned as welcome. "Mind introducing us?" Was it terribly petty of him to do this? Yes. But he was unwilling to directly imply that Sakura's plan would fail, or blow up in her face, or get them all killed, unless asked. Especially not to the girl himself. Just the look on her face was such a mixture of emotions that he couldn't bring himself to add the anxiety and nervousness of being unable to trust an ally to the mix. Yet.

He'd managed to hear a few pieces of the conversation, but most importantly, the Abyssal Shipgirl's request that her wounds be tended last, in favor of Sakura and her former adversary's. Her manners were at least better than those of Sectonia, but that bar was so low it was almost insulting to count as a point in her favor. 

Pulling himself away and trusting Kamek and the other Shipgirl to not die for the moment it would take for him to be ready to fight, Geralt focused on the now-exhausted Sakura. He knew exactly how she was feeling. As the adrenaline cleared from her mind with immediate danger gone, her muscles would tighten and grow sore, her stomach would tighten, and her breath would shake. Kamek's healing would take care of the worst of it all, he was sure, but the physiological symptoms of fatigue would still run their course, even if on an accelerated pace. 

Sakura's words...hurt. Not in any pointed, directed-at-him way, but they reminded him of the silent moments after a job where he reflected on innocent lives lost, foolish lives taken before their time. 

And then she asked him about...rice? What in the hells was rice?! And apparently it came in different colors, too! White rice. Was there black rice, brown rice, green rice? Rice. "No, I've never had...rice." The idea that he looked like somebody who came out of a fantastical version of her past was...also odd. More odd than rice, at least. 

Now that he thought about it, he [i]did[/i] seem to be the one of most technologically lost members of the group. Link and Linkle were about on par, but other than those two, he couldn't quite think of anybody who was as out of place in that respect. "Well, now that you mention that, the rest of you all seem to have some pretty impressive gear, if not on you, than at least where you're from. Isabelle and I did some singing at a bar, and the words came up on the screen in time to the music. It's been...an effort, to keep up." 

And Sakura returned to her rice tangent, mentioning how much she liked it, as well as another local specialty from her homeland. "That's a nicer name than what we use, at least. Just call it, 'The Continent.' It's the only real land mass in the world, though, so it fits at least. Plenty of Kingdoms, but...well, Witchers tend not to stick around one place for long. Our kind of work tends to dry up in our presence, on account of the whole monster slaying thing." He sighed, shaking his head. "Always just tell people I'm from Rivia. Worked out in the end, got a Knighthood and the title 'Of Rivia.'" Letting out a little chuckle, he continued. "Really, my home is...was...Kaer Morhen. A castle hidden in the Blue Mountains, where the Wolf School of Witchers sat."

Geralt found himself thinking of Vesemir and Lambert and Eskel, and sighed again. "Ain't much left, now, though that's for the best. Witchers are a thing of the past even back home. Men're taking the world into their own hands, got little use for us anymore." Wanting to avoid the political and social conversation that was about to brew, he changed the subject. "Actually got paid with a box of toffee candy once, though, if we're gonna keep talkin' about food. Would've throttled the who-...the jackass...if it wasn't so damned good." Laughing as he recalled the story, Geralt continued. "Shoulda gone back and gotten the recipe, Yen or I coulda made it for Ciri when we were done with that Wild Hunt business." 

And of course it went back to another melancholic topic. "Any other local specialties I should try? Never one to reject a good meal idea. Or a good meal. Especially if it's free."