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Geralt buries his face into his hands, listening to Renfri and Yennefer discussing plans that involve far too much murder for his comfort.
They’ve been at it for the past few days, making plans, discarding them, and then making new ones and so on and so forth. Their jabs at each other were cutting, even making him wince a few times when he hears a particularly mean one but it seems that, as always, they just saw this as another way of flirting.
Truly, he sometimes doesn't understand them and doesn't want to either. He feels lucky enough that they both chose him as well, even if he still thinks that he isn’t good enough for them. He’s lived a long life already and after a while he had convinced himself that he was not made for good things. For steady things that kept, that wanted to stay and always came back even after a parting.
But then Renfri came into his life, deadly and bloody and angry, and maybe he really is missing some sense of self preservation because he had been captivated. Yennefer came later, no less impressive an entrance into his life like Renfri's one and with her too, he was fascinated.
They both are a force to be reckoned with, and could probably crush him with a fingertip and after a while he noticed, felt it, that he had fallen in love with them.
Luckily for him, both Renfri and Yennefer felt the same, for him and each other, and had a no nonsense attitude towards all of it. Which meant that Geralt didn’t even have time to think about it too hard before already getting roped into the relationship, and it happened so fast and seamlessly he had no time to be worried. He just went with everything and it was one of the best decisions he has ever made.
Nevertheless it didn’t change anything and that they both loved to fight and argue, it seemed that they flourished that way and they only seldom held a grudge because of something that happened. Always went to bed content with each other.
Geralt had given up on understanding the exact nature of their relationship, he only ever interfered if something was truly wrong or it developed into a real fight. It did have his uses to have his heightened senses and being able to literally smell if something was bound to give.
Which leads him to now, seeing as their discussion at the moment is one where he could tell that the line of true frustration is approaching rapidly. As is always the case with this specific case of discussion.
“As said before we can’t just go and assassinate the director of Ban Ard! We need plans!” Yennefer says, clearly agitated.
Renfri has her arms crossed before her, and he can smell the anger rolling off of her in waves. “You always say that! But do we ever really plan something? No!”
She huffs and clearly tries to reign herself in but he hears her gritting her teeth. “Every time all plans we do make get dismissed and then you say you will research some more and listen around but it feels like nothing ever happens.”
Yennefer sighs and taps her foot against the floor. “I’m sorry Renfri, I know how much you hate him and I know that he deserves to die but I also don’t want to risk you, if something were to go wrong.”
“And…” Yennefer starts, “Well, I didn’t want to say anything before I haven’t found out more but the reasons so far that my research and information gathering hasn’t brought anything up is because every lead I tried to follow led into nothing.”
She shoots Renfri a look who had already opened her mouth to say something. “The reason why I am following this specific thread is because it’s the only thing I found about Stregobor that could maybe help in killing him. There is rumored to be a person that is as old as him and that he had a falling out ages ago- long before any of us were born- and said person has been seen around the continent but no one could tell me where they are now or where I could find them.”
Something at that pings Geralt and he looks at Yennefer, seeing how she seems to intentionally look away from them both. He and Renfri share a look.
“There is something you’re not telling us, Yen.” He says and it's confirmed when she huffs and gives him an annoyed look.
“Well, most rumours and stories also pretty much agree on one specific detail on said person.”
Renfri groans. “For fuck’s sake, please just say what's up Yenna.”
“Oh stop it, if you would have let me finish-”
“Stop. Both of you. Please.” Geralt interjects before they’re here for another two hours.
They both roll their eyes at him and once again he doesn’t understand them at all.
“As I was saying,” Yennefer says, shooting a look at Renfri, “is that they all agree on one detail. Said detail is that the mystery person is supposed to be Stregobor’s twin brother.”
You could have heard the drop of a needle in the resulting silence of Yennefer’s declaration.
Renfri is the first to speak up. “His twin brother? Please tell me you’re joking Yenna, please. You can’t expect us to search for a relative of Stregobor!”
“I’m not joking! And blood related or not doesn’t make the person, so far he is the only thing I found that could even bring us close to our goal!” Yennefer snaps.
Geralt sighs. “Yen is right, we don’t know how this person is, and we shouldn’t judge them for their blood family. We all know we can’t choose the family we’re born into. On the other hand,” With that he turns to Yennefer. “You could have told us earlier, we might even have managed to help and most importantly prepare ourselves mentally. I know you want to protect us as well but that's the wrong way to go around it.”
Both of them nod at his words and deflate a little, their scents settle from fight and anger into something more calm and that’s definitely a good sign.
“Do we know anymore about this person then?” Renfri asks.
Yennefer nods and conjures a notebook, flipping it open. “There is one thing I managed to find out as well, which might help us out. The name of the brother, one ‘Julian Alfred’.”