Dre had told him how opposed Mavis and Maribel had been to him dating Sammy, and looking at them happily joking with Dre, Barion had trouble believing the two sweet ladies had come to their first meeting with his brother with two baskets full of lethal spells. Once everybody was seated with their preferred beverage, Sammy clapped his hands and silence ensued.
“Welcome to you all. I’m so happy you could make it today.” He smiled joyfully while Dre squeezed his thigh.
“Uhm, we usually make it.” That was Amber, who was staring at Sammy with a confused look.
“Shh, he was just getting started.” Emilia grinned at Amber. Sammy ignored them.
“As you may have already seen, we’ve got a guest today—Barion, Dre’s younger brother. I’m sure you all know him from the wedding, and he’s also been at the book club once before.”
Barion nodded at each member of the club, getting friendly nods and some waves in return while pointedly ignoring the little jab about him not having become a regular member. He wouldn’t let himself be shamed into reading when he didn’t want to. He was too old for that.
“Barion is here because today we’re discussing The Witcher, a topic so vast that I’m sure it will keep us occupied for at least three sessions.” Sammy was now bouncing in his seat from sheer excitement. It was hard not to be infected by his eagerness. “Who wants to go first?”
There was a moment of silence before Emilia leaned forward, putting her huge mug with some Japanese green tea down on the coffee table in front of her. It was the one with Smaug and Drogon on it, two dragons that Barion loved.
“My family has strong ties to the Eastern European countries, and even though my Polish is a bit rusty, I enjoyed reading the books in the original language. I was especially drawn in by the world building, which is kind of similar to Tolkien and yet absolutely unique in its own right, full of references to Eastern European folklore, which I adore. I also liked the strong female characters in the book, Yennefer and Ciri and Triss, who I feel are the focal points for Geralt throughout the series. Everything he does somehow comes back to either one or all of them.”
“I agree with you, though I think Geralt’s relationship to Yennefer is written as a hyperbole. I mean, how tumultuous can the ties between lovers become?” Troy took another cookie and stuffed it into his mouth. The way he and Emilia smiled at each other had Barion wondering if he had imagined the whole WandaVision argument before.
“Very true. Perhaps it’s even meant as a mockery for other famous fantasy pairs. I mean, Andrzej Sapkowski did include humoristic hints in his books, like the one about Thomas Edison.” Maribel looked thoughtful.
“I wonder why relationships are so important.” Amber sounded as if she were talking to herself, not addressing the rest of the group. It was Dre who answered her.
“I think it’s because that’s what most humans’ lives are about—and those of most paranormals as well.” He gave Sammy a soft kiss on the temple. “We’re all looking for our special someone. It’s at the core of our nature.”
The others nodded, with the exception of Jon and Amber. The banshee still appeared as if she truly didn’t understand, which was valid for an asexual creature whose sole experience with relationships was to tell heroes—and these days heroines as well, because banshees were all about going with the times—when they were going to die, and Jon looked simply sad. Suddenly driven by the urge to wipe the despair from Jon’s face, Barion decided to throw in his two cents.
“I’m not sure relationships are really at the core of The Witcher, at least not when looking at the games. I admit they are just based on the books, not following them accurately, but the focus is on the decisions Geralt—or rather, the player—makes and all the possible outcomes of that, which I think aligns nicely with the premises of magic and chaos in the books. The decisions that shape the story.”
“Ooh, yes, you’re absolutely right.” Jon was visibly perking up. “In The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, you’ve got thirty-six different endings to the story, depending on the decisions the player has made throughout the game. It’s fascinating and always a surprise.”
“Like the law of surprise.” Barion grinned.
“Yeah, just like that. I mean, I’ve played the game fifteen times now and there’s still possible outcomes I haven’t seen. It’s so much fun, especially with the crones of Crookback Bog and the Bloody Baron.”
“Don’t forget the Whispering Hillock Tree. I love that spirit.” Barion couldn’t contain the excited giggle escaping him. This is so much fun!
“I must admit I haven’t killed him once yet. I love that horse.” Jon sighed. “I’m afraid I’ll have to do it soon if I want to see all the other outcomes.”
“Have you tricked the spirit?”
“No, and that just feels like betrayal. I can’t betray a beautiful horse like that, can I?”
“No, although, strictly speaking, at the time of betrayal it would still be a bloated spiky whatever.” Barion shrugged.
“It’s still wrong. Am I crazy for being attached to a virtual horse?” Now Jon sounded almost anxious.
“Have you seen the episode where Sheldon’s WoW account is hacked?”
“They stole Glen, the battle ostrich! What a cruel thing to do.” Jon shook his head about the perfidy of the World of TV series.
“Yeah. My point is, Sheldon loved that virtual bird, so why can’t you be attached to a virtual horse?”
“You’re right. Thank you, Barion. I do feel better now.” Jon’s smile was infectious.
“Uh, guys, I think we veered a little off-topic here.” Sammy looked almost apologetic, while Dre and the two werewolves were silently laughing. Mavis and Maribel were making out and Emilia and Amber had their focus on the rapidly emptying trays with the treats.
“And it took less than ten minutes. That’s a new record for us.” Declan made a show of looking at his watch, a Rolex, if Barion wasn’t mistaken. “Congratulations, guys. I hereby name you the new Kings of Off-Topic.” He bowed with a flourish, which would have been awkward with any other person trying to pull that off while still sitting, but werewolves probably didn’t even know how ‘awkward’ was spelled. For them, only ‘predatory grace’ existed.
