The New Conjunction (a Witcher->Real World crossover)

[justmedk]

Ciri was puzzled that she'd been mistaken. How could a common village blacksmith afford such an extravagant home? Not in terms of size, granted, but in terms of amenities and luxuries? Either this world was truly strange, or there was more going on than he was telling her.

Of course there is, her inner voice told her in the voice of Geralt, This is another world. Of course there's going to be more going on than he's telling you
She listened to the instructions about how to run the water - once again confirming to her that this world was a strange place where a village blacksmith had what even Kings and Queens didn't where she was from! But she figured the controls out easily enough, and when she was alone she stripped, figured out how to mix the water to the correct temperature, and got into the tub, leaning back with a contented sigh. This had been one very strange day. She realized after a few moments, however, that there was no soap to clean herself with. She looked around the room for something...anything. And eventually she did find something called "Shampoo". When she read the label on it, she learned that it was for washing hair, and she immediately opened it and held it over her head. When nothing happened, she looked up, then gave the container a squeeze, and a deluge of shampoo exploded on top of her head, giving her only a moment to lower her head again so as to not get the struff in her eyes.
Spreading the "Shampoo" throughout her hair, she thought that what was good for her hair had to be good for the rest of her as well, and emptied the rest of the container into the bathwater, stressing a bit as she saw the bubbles fill up more and more of the tub and threatening to spill over unto the floor.

It was therefore with great care that she washed her body in the soapy water, rinsed her hair by carefully dipping it multiple times in the water, which only very slowly worked, seeing as it was quite soapy too.
Finally, however, she felt that she was as clean as she could be, though she smelled rather strange. Not badly as if she'd trained and sweated, but....strange, still.
When she had dried herself, she realized that the floor was soaking, and she gulped a little, remembering his instructions about not spilling. She didn't want to start off with getting unpopular with her only protector at the moment, so once she'd finished up completely, she threw the towel on the floor and used her feet to try to dry the floor with the towel.

When she eventually thought it was as good as it was going to get, Ciri peaked her head out of the room and asked meekly for the clothes he'd promised her.
She did feel weird in what was clearly a shirt of some kind. It was his size, so it was massively too big for her, but that served her well for the moment, as it could easily be mistaken for some sort of dress.
A much shorter dress than she'd like to wear, granted, but beggers couldn't be choosers, and right now she was a begger, in the literal and metaphorical sense of the word.

Before she could ponder this more, though, her nose alerted her to something very, very important: Dinner was on the way, and it smelled delicious. Her mouth watered as she smelled the chicken and potatoes.

"It smells delightful!", she said happily, as her stomach growled loud enough to make a lion take notice. "Almost like being back at one of my grandmother's banquets", she added, then a sad thought suddenly struck her at the memory of Calenthe, but she shook her head. She had to be the courteous, grateful guest.

[guesswho]

And she turns up with unerring instinct just when the dinner is almost ready to serve. Smelling of soap, in an oversized shirt that could be a dress. After her long splash, Daniel's not sure he wants to see the bathroom, but who cares.


"Well, not quite a banquet, but a neighbor stopped by earlier today and brought a chicken. Lucky us, cause I forgot to bring food from the city yesterday." Daniel puts the food in the middle of the table and provides some cutlery and plates. "Get to it. Don't be shy, there's enough for everyone." Daniel cuts of a piece for himself then remembers to put some sauces on the table.



"So, anyway. Just to be on the same page. I suppose you know how to read and write, correct? And now you have some idea about how to control a bath and possibly obtain water. If you're hungry, that big white thing keeps food fresh and cold. Feel free to take what you want. We'll need to get you some clothes, tomorrow I'll check with a neighbor, they should have some, their daughter left for university and won't be needing it anymore." And with that, he'll need to think of a cover story. Maybe a niece from far away, got robbed on the way here? Nobody will be surprised, shit happens in big city.



Once again, he checks missing persons near and far, but still nothing. No one, at least on this world, seems to be missing the girl. Putting the phone down again, turns to the window. "I dunno, girl...this whole thing makes no sense. This stretches even the theory of multiverse...but reality seems to be a bit loose lately anyway, so I guess stranger things have happened."

[justmedk]

Ciri smiled when he told her to help herself. She was very hungry, and it smelled very good! Of course it wasn't like the banquets she'd been at at the palace, but it was a dream compared to the grub served at Kaer Morhen!
Kaer Morhen. Where Geralt was. She missed him already, somehow.
She made sure to listen to him, feeling ever so slightly insulted when he questioned whether she could read or write, until a thought popped into her mind:

Maybe not everyone here can. It isn't everyone back home who can. And if he's a blacksmith, he likely can't

"Yes, I can, Mr. Daniel", she said politely. "If you need anything written or read, I can help you there. It's the least I can do", she said with a genuine smile. She'd meant to be helpful, unaware that questioning whether an adult could read and write in this world was likely to be taken as an insult.
She didn't understand what "university" meant, but that also wasn't necessary for her to understand the context: His neighbor had a daughter who she could possibly borrow some clothes from. She smiled gratefully at him. She couldn't imagine going all the way back to Kaer Morhen in the clothes she'd arrived in this strange place in.

"Thank you", she said. "I can't repay you, but once we get to Kaer Morhen, I know that the witchers there will reward you generously. It might be better if you accompany me there too - both so you can get the reward you deserve, and to confirm what happened, because...well, frankly it's hard to believe", she said with a slight chuckle, being unable to quite fathom it herself.

When he told her to help herself, Ciri nodded solemnly. That was a privilege she did not intend to abuse. Also, frankly, she wasn't quite sure how that big white box could do what he said it did, but she'd just seen horseless carriages going at speeds nothing man-made had any business of going, so her mindset could best be described like this

She didn't notice him looking at the strange rectangle again, as she was too busy wolfing down dinner. Gods it tasted good! How he'd managed to fry this chicken this perfectly was beyond her understanding, but fry it perfectly he had! Perhaps he'd been a chef before being a blacksmith? It was a strange change of career, it was true, but stranger things had happened.

Like this day...

When he said that this didn't make sense, she nodded eagerly, and answered, mouth still full of food.

"I know! I was just gathering plants and then suddenly I'm in a strange place with horseless carriages, lamps without oil, white boxes of food, blacksmiths who are great chefs, and who have strange magical rectangles that he can use to talk to people far away", she answered, remembering what he'd told her about the "phone".
She didn't understand what he meant by "Multiverse", though, so she asked him what it meant, and when he explained, her eyes lid up.

"So....that sounds like different spheres", she said exitedly. "If that's the case, then I can just open another portal and go back!", she said, and stood up, trying to manufacture a portal, as she chanted something in Elder Speech, trying the best she knew how to recite the words precisely. When absolutely nothing failed to happen, she tried again, more insistently, then horror shone from her eyes as she realized she hadn't felt.....anything....of her previous powers since before the gust of wind.
She tried one final time, almost screaming the words out, before collapsing back in the chair, hiding her face in her hands and sobbing.

[guesswho]

"Oooh, cheeky little brat." Daniel says with a laugh, when she offers to help him read. "Nah, don't worry about it, I can read. Almost everyone can, we teach it all the kids at around six years. And write, of course. And please stop with the mister, okay? Daniel. Or Dan." He explains, taking no offense of course. He couldn't really expect her to know that, coming from a medieval society. The dinner goes on, until she decides to try her magic. Daniel watches her quietly, letting her try and fail casting a spell in whatever that language is. The result is just as expected.



"Magic doesn't work in this world, Ciri. We have technology. It's...not as spectacular, but more practical and rational. It is bound by natural laws, but we learned how to use them to our benefit. We can't break them, like magic can, but we can bend them...a little bit." It's a sad sight, watching her sit there and sob. She most likely won't be able to return to her world. It must be pretty hard on her. He personally wouldn't want to live in her world, being just a normal person, but if he was to be a witcher? Well then that would be a definite maybe from him.


"Come on. You'll be fine, don't worry." He walks around the table and puts a hand on her shoulder. Doesn't really know what else to do in such a situation. Kids aren't his forte. Though it would be interesting if she has already passed the thing that makes them superhuman killing machines...scientist could do miracles with those potions. What could he do to make her feel better? Oh yes. An idea creeps into his head, and Daniel realizes he still has some chocolate somewhere.



"Try this. It's quite a pleasant taste. But careful, I guess? It might be overwhelming." Do they even know chocolate in her world? Probably not. He leaves with a large piece of chocolate and goes to check the bathroom. It's...not as bad as he expected. Even when he said he doesn't want her to spill, he knew the bathroom won't be looking great after her first visit. But she did what she could and tidied up the worst. So he quickly wipes the floor and throws the towels into washing machine. An empty shampoo bottle...no wonder she smells like a whole florist shop, that thing was full yesterday. Could be worse. He'll just need to buy some more shampoo, that's all.

[justmedk]

Ciri blushed a bit when he called her a brat, even though she could tell he wasn't angry. She had meant to help, and it appeared he'd understood it as such, but being rebuked
like that still caused the girl some embarassment.
It was quickly forgotten, however, in the horror of learning that her magic was gone! She was....normal! Under normal circumstances, it would have been bad enough. But now...in a strange place she didn't know...it was downright frightening!

She couldn't stop crying. She was no longer hungry or thirsty, but she was absolutely exhausted, both mentally and physically, and the brief glimmer of hope that the realization she was in a different sphere had brought - because she could then just open a portal and go home - had collapsed like a hosue of cards when she realized that not only could she not open a portal - and was thus stuck here - she had been robbed of her powers entirely.
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon was now a normal girl. In a world she didn't know. That was overwhelming to a degree she couldn't quite describe. It took a while before she took notice of the hand on her shoulder, but when she did, the touch comforted her a bit, as she struggled to regain her composure. When she finally did, somewhat, her eyes red from crying now, and she was still trying to get her breathing under control, she looked up at him with big, wide eyes that were full of doubt, and hope, and sadness and desperation, as she listened to him, then looked at the chocolate. She knew very well, on an intellectual level, that she was being bribed like one does with little children, but right now she didn't care all that much. She felt horrible, and anything that could improve that feeling for a moment would be welcome.

So she took the chocolate, took a bit, and her eyes widened again, this time in surprise at the not just pleasant taste, but fantastic taste! Of course it didn't do anything at all to solve her predicament - nor did she expect it to. But it DID momentarily draw her attention away from the misery of her situation, to the extasy of the taste of this thing. She finished the whole bar, and felt a rush go through her, giving her a lot more energy apparently than she'd had a few moments ago.

When he came back from the bathroom eventually, she was a lot more jittery

"This really tastes amazing!", she exclaimed, gesturing to the empty wrapper. "It must be some kind of miracle drug because I'm not tired anymore! It's still horrible that I can't go home, of course", she added, "But right now I....I don't know. Thanks, though!", she exclaimed, her sugar high obvious.

[guesswho]

The mood seems to have improved. And, oh yes, he forgot. Sugar. Lots of sugar. Probably more sugar than she ever came in contact in her life, possibly combined. According to the books, last thing anybody needs is Ciri high on sugar.


"Oh, that's great. You feel like you could race a horse, don't you?" This is going to end up like those puppy videos, where small dog is playing and suddenly falls asleep. Can this amount of sugar hurt her? Nah, probably not. She's young and in good shape, she'll be fine, even if her body isn't used to this. Probably healthier than the insane substances witchers drink on daily basis anyway. Basically meth on steroids...


"Tomorrow I'll show you how to clean up the bathroom. It's fine today, you never seen something like that before, I get it, but if you leave in that state again, you'll be going to bed with a sore backside. That warning out of the way, let's do something about your energy, young witcher. Come along." Daniel walks outside, having just the task for her to burn some energy. He made sure the threat is something that could quite easily come from Geralt or Vesemir, and probably came many times before. Whether they ever acted upon it is unknown, but he'd be extremely surprised if not.



"See that bastard up there?" He shines a flashlight at the roof and two yellow eyes reflect from there. "That's neighbor's cat, who thinks it's all a great fun to crawl in the house during the night and make a mess. There's a hole in the roof that's hard to access and I won't be able to fix it anytime soon. Now, I'm too heavy and clumsy for this, but someone your stature and training should be able to climb on that roof..." He points at the roof of the smithy, a very easy climb even for him "...jump across over there..." flashlight illuminates a gap between the roofs. It's a bit higher than he'd be willing to fall himself, but the jump is not difficult, roof is dry and mostly flat. "...and get on the roof and explain the motherfucker the error of his ways. You up for that? I don't want you to hurt the cat, I kinda like him, just get him off the roof..." Flashlight points at the cat, who's been watching them with lazy interest and now taunts them by sitting right next to the point he uses to enter the house.


A normal kid probably wouldn't be up for this, at least not in the dark, but for someone even considered for witcher training, this should be walk in the park.



"Maybe I'll make you an obstacle course like the one..." He stops. "I'll make you an obstacle course." There's enough space for that behind the house...

[justmedk]

Ciri couldn't help but giggle at his comment about racing a horse.

"Well, a small horse maybe. A pony", she grinned. "But any horse has four legs, so it's kinda unfair from the start, I think." She blushed crimson at his threat about the bathroom, though, but nodded eagerly, she didn't want......THAT.....to happen. At all. Bad enough the thought of Geralt or Vesemir doing it.

She was happy with the change of subject and eagerly followed him outside, then looked where he pointed, and nodded. She had no intention of hurting the cat either - she adored cats! - but understood his concern. It was kinda a problem. And it presented a challenge. One that she could not refuse, and it didn't seem all that difficult either. Compared to the obstacle course at Kaer Morhen it looked like a piece of cake.

Or CHOCOLATE she thought eagerly as she got to the best starting position to make the first climb, not noticing Daniel's slip-up about the obstacle course. Had she been less tired, less high on sugar, and more.....there... Ciri would have likely noticed that he'd been about to say something more, and then stopped himself. As things stood, she didn't notice. She looked up, then jumped and made the climb, as silently as she knew how to. She put herself flat on the first platform, waiting until the cat was looking at something else, before she elegantly made the jump to the roof and immediately laid down on her stomach again. The inevitable *thump* of her landing had the cat's head jerk around. It could clearly smell that the smell of the new human was stronger, but it could not see her, as she'd thrown herself down behind the chimney, and she was small enough for the chimney to hide her from view.
When the cat once more looked the other way, scouting the distance for interesting things, surveilling what it considered its territory, Ciri began a silent and quick crawl towards it. She had almost gotten there, when the cat turned its head again, jumped straight up in that cartoonish way only cats are able to, hissed, and jumped to the platform she'd just come from, giving her an annoyed and wary sideeye.

"Fuck!", she exclaimed. "I don't want to hurt you, kitty", she said, looking at the creature. "I just want to get you off Mr. D....off Daniel's roof", she said in a calm, quiet voice. If she'd known axii, this would have gone a lot easier. Now the cat was suspicious and watched her closely. She lay still for a long while until the cat decided that the little human was apparently done with her shenanigans, and once more observed its domain from atop the - now slightly less elevated - position of its throneroom.

It was then that Ciri took her chance. She got up as silently as she could, then took a few steps, then jumped to the other roof and grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck the way she'd seen some of the witchers do with cats who'd found their way into the keep's pantry. Predictably, the cat was immobile, but definitely unharmed, and her face lit up in a wide triumphant smile for a moment, before she pondered how she was going to get down from here with no hands free. One was used to hold the cat by the scruff of the neck, the other to stabilize it, so it wasn't just dangling in mid-air. She didn't know if that would hurt its spine or something, and she didn't want to take the risk.

She looked at him "So....uhm....got...a box or anything to put him in so I can get down?", she said with a sheepish grin.

[guesswho]

Daniel watches like an eagle, and whatever the doubts he had about the girl are now dispelled. If she was just a crazy kid who thinks is Ciri, she'd still move like a normal kid. But the grace and quickness of her movements show training, and very specific one at that. Fuck, she could sneak up on a cat, that's not something ordinary kid would be able to do, especially in the dark. So it looks like she might be who she claims he is. Daniel doesn't know many thirteen year olds with spec ops training...which is closest he can imagine to witcher training.



"Nice, good job. Just let him go, he'll get down from there by himself. I just wanted to show him his reign of terror on the roof is over and now there's someone that can do more than just shout at him from distance." This victory will be short lived, of course, but it might just be that village cats, so far ruling with impunity, have met their match. Also, more than anything, this was to burn some of her energy.


"Come down...or, I dunno, run around the roof for a little if you feel like it." Looking at the clock, it's almost ten. Most of the village is asleep already. Truth of the matter is, mostly old people live here. The place is dying out, slowly. When he moved here fifteen years ago, more than double amount of people lived here. But the young ones left and the old ones died. He still sees the young ones ocassionally at his concerts in big city, but they only visit here from time to time.



Looks like there will be an unexpected new kid on the block, and he's got a feeling this one will shake things up. Maybe he should take up an old tradition in these parts...he'll think about it.



"Didn't really think you'd be able to catch him, though. That's...certainly a novelty." Village cats. Doing their own thing. Migrating between houses, sometimes not turning up for breakfast for a motnh, then appearing as is from nowhere, but almost completely feral and wary of humans. Impossible to catch. And now there's a girl that can catch a cat on the roof in the middle of the night. He's pretty sure this one's going to spread the news...

[justmedk]

Ciri nodded and smiled as she lowered herself and let go of the cat. For a moment she was certain it'd turn around and claw her face off, but as soon as she let go of its neck it wiggled out of her arms and ran like the wind, jumping down from the roof with a speed and elegance which impreseed her thoroughly. She adored cats, and smiled as she saw it go. Then got down off the roof herself.

"I don't think I should", she said, at his suggestion to run around on the roof. "Geralt taught me that there's time and place for everything, and running around on roofs is for when you need to do something there....like getting a cat off", she smiled, then shrugged.

"I've had training", she went on as he admitted he hadn't expected her to catch it. Then looked at him with a grin. "Geralt and Vesemir say I'm fast like the wind, but that it's my legwork and swordsmanship that needs to improve".
Geralt. The image of the man who'd been whatever passed for a father to her for a while now flashed before her eyes. If it was true that there was no magic here, then her chance of seeing him again was slim to none. Her smile faded, but then she shook her head. She would hold off on crying until she was alone. No need for him to see that.

"Thanks", she said quietly. "I'll try to help you where I can. Though right now I don't see any way", she finished as she spotted another cat which sat on a neighbor's fence looking very interested in the new smell of the new human. Ciri had been about to say something else when she saw it, and then smiled warmly at it. She didn't call it, because she'd gotten the idea that Daniel didn't like cats, but her longing to pet it was obvious.

She shuddered a bit. She was only wearing the shirt which had become an impromptu nightgown, and it was cold outside. "I...I'm heading back in", she announced. "Getting colder than a well-digger's arse outhere", she remarked, parrotting the expression she heard from one of the witchers recently.
Once inside, she went over to his TV, and tilted her head a bit, trying to figure out what it was and what it did. The small boxers underneath it were also quite interesting, and she opened the cabinet and took out one of the boxes. Opening it, she found a small disk inside, the purpose of which she could not tell. Based on what she'd read on the box, this was likely some sort of narrative, like a book....but there was no book inside the box. This puzzled her, but honestly: In this world, this was the least of the weird things. Ciri then went on to look in other boxes, with the same result: No book, no pages, only a shiny disk. She tried to see if the words were printed onto the disk, even held the disk almost all the way up to her eye to try to read it, even though her common sense told her that it'd be too impractical to read like that. In frustration, she huffed, closed the box again, put it back where she found it, and gave the cabinet the side-eye.

[guesswho]

He can see the cat on the fence just fine, and in reality, doesn't mind them in the slightest. He even feeds them sometimes. But she is correct in that it's cold out here, and even though Daniel is fully dressed, he can feel it too. So better go inside. He watches, for a while, as she's trying to figure out TV and DVDs. His old collection. She might like some of those movies and games.



"Hey, google! Turn on the TV!" He says, when Ciri gives up on it. "It shows moving pictures. The disks...they're called DVDs, contain them. To...simplify things as much as possible." He certainly is not going to explain her how internet works. There's some random cartoon going on right now, so he might as well keep it on. "People watch it for fun or education. It recognizes my voice, but I suppose you'll need this." He points at a remote control. "Still not magic, but don't try to understand it right now. A great man once said that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. You can even play games on it. I'll show you how, but not right at this moment. Right at this moment, I'd say, you should be in bed, don't you think? Come on." With that, he walks off upstairs to the guest room, which from now on will be her room. One of the considerations that come into this is he's got a pretty good idea about her personality, and the fact that entry to this room is possible from the roof. Where she just climbed quietly enough to sneak up on a cat. Daniel sighs. Magic doesn't work in this world, but he can see the future nevertheless in this moment. It contains the wild girl sneaking in and out and his mostly futile attempts at stopping her. He'll make sure they're mostly futile.



"This'll be your room. You control lights like this." Daniel demonstrates how to operate lightswitch. "If you need anything, just let me know, okay?" There's a bed and furniture, slightly dusty, but nothing he can do about that. She'll survive. "Should be comfortable enough for you, if not, tell me and we'll get you a different bed. So...good night, I guess?" He shrugs and leaves her to it, deciding to go outside for a joint. One has to be self sufficient, so it's his own weed from his own greenhouse...