This is a non-commercial fanfic based on the universes of The Witcher and Disco Elysium. All rights to the original works, characters, names, and elements of their respective worlds belong to their respective copyright holders. The author of this fanfic does not claim ownership of any of them. Age rating: rated R (18+). The text contains profanity, alcohol, fictional drugs, violence, and other themes intended for an adult audience.
“Men’s minds ought to have relaxation: they rise up better and more vigorous after rest.”
— Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind
NARRATOR – The sun disappears behind gathering clouds. A light drizzle begins again. Lost in gloomy thoughts, you make your way back to the fountain you’ve already grown sick to death of. Enna is still at her post, calling the occasional passerby into the shop. A tiny figure standing out in the rain.
SENSIBILITY [Easy: Success] – Poor thing. She must be tired and hungry by now. How long has she been standing here? Four hours? Five? She doesn’t even go to school — presumably she reads in the evenings, after the shop closes… And yet, unlike you, this girl doesn’t complain about her life.
NARRATOR – You look around and notice a bakery sign nearby. Then, acting on a sudden impulse, you pull out the pouch — Leuvaarden’s gift (or bribe?) — and empty its contents onto the rim of the fountain.
KEEN EYE [Trivial: Success] – Let’s see… There are… exactly one hundred and twenty orens here.
YOU – Huh! How curious. I wonder whether Declan knew the exact amount of the debt, or whether that was just a coincidence?
WHISPER [Medium: Success] – Of course he knew. Apparently, one of his people was exceedingly thorough.
VICE [Easy: Failure] – A whole hundred and twenty orens! This is a whole new life! Booze, food, clean trousers… women, at last!
SENSIBILITY [Medium: Success] – Or a hot bun for a soaked half-elf girl who’s been forced to spend all day smiling at people who have no intention of buying anything.
NARRATOR – You stuff the coins back into the pouch and walk closer. For the first time in a long while, the choice feels simple and obvious.
ENNA – Oh, hello, pan witcher! So you did come back for the book after all? Where’s your companion?
SENSIBILITY [Easy: Success] – This girl really is happy to see you.
YOU – Hi, Enna… My partner is busy with official business for the moment, but he’ll be back soon. I did come to ask about the book, but first I wanted to suggest… Maybe we could go into that bakery over there? Warm up a little, have something to eat, drink some tea…
NARRATOR – The girl gives a sad little smile and lowers her eyes.
ENNA – I’d love to, pan witcher, but Mother says I have to stay at my post and not shirk my work. Besides, I don’t have any money at all right now…
WHISPER [Medium: Success] – Hardly surprising. Her mother, who probably owns the shop, must keep the girl on a very tight leash. No doubt she thinks it’s for her own good. Adults often call something “good for you” when it happens to suit them.
YOU – Yes, but if you catch a cold and get sick, you won’t be able to work, will you? If necessary, I’ll talk to your mother. And don’t worry about the money… A very kind uncle in ridiculous slippers gave me a generous gift. So this one’s on me!
NARRATOR – Enna studies you closely, a little suspiciously, trying to decide whether you’re joking. Then at last she gives an enthusiastic nod.
ENNA – All right! I think I can step away for half an hour. Thank you, pan witcher! You’re nice. Just… kind of sad.
SENSIBILITY [Easy: Success] – Of course she didn’t believe a word about any kindly uncle. More likely, she assumed you’d managed to kill two or three drowners — the ones worth five orens apiece.
NARRATOR – You head toward the bakery. Rain taps against the signs, the cobblestones, your shoulders. Enna walks beside you, nimbly hopping over puddles. Then you step into a warm room filled with the scent of vanilla and cinnamon. You buy four pies from the woman behind the counter and order some tea.
YOU – Let’s sit down for now.
NARRATOR – You sit down at a small, slightly wobbly table. Enna looks around in every direction, swinging her legs beneath the chair.
ENNA – This is a good place! My parents and I come here sometimes. Auntie Sofa makes the best pastries in the quarter! And there’s a huge fluffy cat who lives here too, but he’s probably off on business right now…
NARRATOR – A sudden warmth of happiness washes over you. For the first time since your “second birth,” you’ve managed to do something simple and kind. It feels surprisingly good.
ENNA – You wanted to ask me about the book, right? Go ahead! I’ve already read a whole pile of different books!
YOU – Yes, well…
RESOLVE [Trivial: Failure] – It feels rather embarrassing to ask about a story meant for little children. You’ll look like some senile fool who’s slipped back into childhood.
MASQUE [Medium: Success] – Maestro, we demand to know the identity of the brazen thief! Even if the jeering crowd condemns us and pelts us with stones!
YOU – I was just wondering… about Mother Goose’s golden egg. You said there were some unexpected twists? How does the book end?
ENNA – Yes, pan witcher, I’m not surprised the story caught your interest. It really is exciting! But…
NARRATOR – She fidgets with her fingers, looking a little guilty.
ENNA – Well, actually, that’s only the first part. It ends with the crafty jackal being proven innocent after all, and suspicion falling on the other animals. But I don’t think the villain’s true identity has been revealed yet. I think they’ll only appear in the next volume!
FOREBODING [Legendary: Success] – The crafty jackal… turns out to be innocent. Suspicion falls on other animals, while the true identity of the culprit remains hidden. Perhaps they have not even appeared on the stage yet… Why does all this feel so familiar? Could you be following a false trail? But sooner or later, what is hidden will come to light. You can feel it.
YOU – So you haven’t read the second part yet?
NARRATOR – The half-elf girl spreads her hands and smiles.
ENNA – No, because it hasn’t been finished yet!
MASQUE – Oh no, maestro, all is lost! O cruel fate, O merciless destiny! We shall never learn the solution to this mystery! What a blow, after all the calamities we have already endured!
NARRATOR – Apparently, your face falls so dramatically that Enna hastens to cheer you up.
ENNA – Don’t worry! The next part will probably be finished soon. The story was written by a famous author, and she usually publishes new books pretty quickly. As soon as the book comes out, I’ll be sure to let you know. Or better yet: come visit us, and I’ll read it aloud to you!
UMBRA [Easy: Success] – You would like that very much… Just sitting with this little girl by the hearth, listening to some innocent children’s tale. Not thinking about corpses, merchants, captains, thieves-in-law, or the stranger’s name you now have to carry. Not remembering that one day the scent of lilac and gooseberries will find you again.
YOU – Yes… I think I’d like that. Let’s do it, Enna.
NARRATOR – The girl smiles with satisfaction, as though the two of you have just concluded some very important agreement. And to her, it probably is.
UMBRA – For you too.
ENNA – Want me to tell you something interesting instead? It happened just yesterday!
NARRATOR – She suddenly looks very mysterious and lowers her voice to a whisper.
ENNA – But you mustn’t tell anyone! Mother said we ought to keep quiet about it… Still, you’re kind to us nonhumans. You’re not entirely human yourself, after all!
DIALECTIC [Easy: Success] – In a sense, she’s right… But why did she bring up your otherness at all? Listen carefully. This sounds like more than just some bit of local gossip.
NARRATOR – Enna glances around once more, her little nose twitching like an alert mouse’s.
UMBRA – She’s playing at being an elven conspirator. And she’s enjoying the game immensely. The trouble is that one day… one day it may stop being a game.
ENNA – Anyway, last night this terrifying one-eyed elf came to our house with a huge bow! And his arrows were real! He had a saber too — a very sharp one!
DIALECTIC [Easy: Failure] – Now that is unexpected. Who could this “terrifying elf” be, and why did he come at night?
ENNA – His name is Iorveth. I think he lives somewhere in the forest. My parents talked to him for a long time behind a closed door, but I was dying to know what it was about, so I managed to overhear a little…
NARRATOR – You lean closer and listen to every word.
ENNA – This Iorveth said something about bad people who want to drive all of us out of Vizima… That they’re looking for someone to blame, but I didn’t understand what for or why. And then he said something really ominous…
NARRATOR – The girl’s blue eyes widen. Her voice drops to a barely audible whisper.
ENNA – That they won’t bother finding out who’s really guilty. Even if all you ever did was bake pies, mend boots, or sell books… There will be a tribunal. And everyone will be punished.
UMBRA – Tribunal. A grim word. Enna probably doesn’t even fully understand what it means. She simply remembered the sound of it: heavy, iron-hard, adult.
WHISPER [Medium: Success] – Which is circumstantial evidence that she didn’t make the story up.
DISCERNMENT [Challenging: Success] – She tells it coherently and with reasonable confidence. Her gaze doesn’t dart around.
ENNA – Before he left, the elf said he would definitely come back and help the people of the ghetto. That we have to be strong and not be afraid. That’s what he said! I’ve been thinking about it ever since, trying to figure out what he meant. What do you think, pan witcher?
NARRATOR – Enna looks at you expectantly, full of hope. You sink into thought.
BRAWN [Easy: Failure] – Maybe that one-eyed elf was simply trying to frighten the locals? Turn them against humans for some purpose of his own?
DIALECTIC [Challenging: Success] – Unlikely. Another explanation seems far more plausible: Enna’s parents have ties to the Scoia’tael. Perhaps they are even part of the underground resistance. They are obviously not fighters themselves, but important messages may pass through them to other residents of the ghetto.
WHISPER [Easy: Success] – Yes. Iorveth was probably warning them about coming pogroms.
DIALECTIC – The “bad people” are probably some group of racists who have already decided among themselves that the emissary was killed by elves.
WHISPER – And if one elf is guilty… then you can beat all of them indiscriminately. The gods can sort them out afterward.
RESOLVE [Medium: Failure] – But doesn’t Enna understand what she has just told you? What kind of consequences this could have?..
DISCERNMENT [Challenging: Success] – Clearly not. But if anyone discovers that her parents are helping the rebels, having dealings with them… the girl’s entire family will end up on the gallows. There can be no other outcome.
WHISPER [Medium: Failure] – But what are you supposed to do? Tell the city guard everything?
ELOQUENCE [Easy: Success] – No. She trusted you, even if she doesn’t fully understand what’s happening. That is precisely why you should keep your mouth shut and not breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even Vernon.
BOND OF STEEL [Challenging: Success] – Especially not Vernon. He bears no hatred toward elves, but Iorveth is almost certainly an outlaw, and the commander of the Blue Stripes is bound by oath. He would have to report it. You, however, swore no such oath.
DIALECTIC – Precisely. So keep silent, but remember what you learned today. If you fail to find the real culprit soon enough… Iorveth’s warnings may come true. And no one can say what will happen then.
FOREBODING [Medium: Success] – Remember: the crafty jackal turned out to be innocent…
SENSIBILITY [Easy: Success] – Just don’t blurt out that her entire family may be in terrible danger. Try to speak gently, but with confidence.
DOMINANCE [Challenging: Failure] – Tell her you’ll figure everything out. And if it comes to that, you’ll protect them.
BRAWN [Legendary: Failure] – Protect them? How? With your bare hands? All by yourself?
WHISPER – Say something already, damn you. You’ve been staring into space for two minutes like some old paralytic.
YOU – I think… this one-eyed elf is probably an old friend of your parents, and he’s worried about your family. There really are bad people in Vizima who wish harm on others. But Iorveth is right. You have to stick together and not be afraid — then they won’t be able to hurt you. Scum like that are only strong when their victims are too afraid to fight back.
NARRATOR – Enna nods, listening to you with rapt attention.
YOU – If Iorveth promised to help… I think he really will stand by you when things get difficult. And I… I’ll protect you too, as best I can. The people of the ghetto won’t have to face this alone. Hope for the best.
UMBRA – Even if you don’t believe in a happy ending yourself… that doesn’t mean there won’t be one.
YOU – And one more thing, Enna… Your mother had a reason for telling you not to mention this to anyone. I appreciate that you chose to tell me, but you shouldn’t bring it up when you’re talking to other people, all right? They might… misunderstand. If Iorveth came in secret, then he must have had his reasons. You should take that seriously.
NARRATOR – The girl nods.
ENNA – All right, pan witcher! I promise I won’t tell anyone. I feel a little better now… and not quite so scared.
NARRATOR – You order more tea, then gently steer the conversation toward safer ground. You eat pies and chat about all sorts of little things. Enna tells you about her favorite books, animals, and what she dreams of becoming when she grows up. Finally, after nearly an hour, you walk her back to the shop.
YOU – Oh, I almost forgot to ask… How much do the books in your shop cost?
NARRATOR – The question immediately perks her up. As usual, she starts talking louder and with much more enthusiasm.
ENNA – Depends on the book, pan witcher! The one about Mother Goose, for example, would cost around fifteen orens. But thick scholarly treatises are much more expensive — maybe fifty, maybe even a hundred orens. Pan Kalkstein, the local alchemist, buys books like that sometimes… He’s funny, and he tells the most fascinating stories about all kinds of potions!
WHISPER [Easy: Success] – You need to make an investment.
YOU – What kind?
WHISPER – In a book, as a way of saying thank you… And perhaps in that rare feeling that the world hasn’t completely turned into a cesspit just yet.
YOU – All right. Then can I order a book? When the next part about Mother Goose and the golden egg comes out, please set a copy aside for me. I’ll pay for it now. Here, take this.
ENNA – Okay! I’ll write your request down in our order book today! But pan witcher… this is fifty whole orens. That’s far too much.
YOU – It’s all right… What if the price goes up? And if it doesn’t, consider the rest as payment for your help.
ENNA – What help?
YOU – Professional help. I’ve asked you so many questions! Adults usually charge money for that sort of work and call it a consultation.
NARRATOR – Enna looks at the coins differently now: not as a random gift, but as money she honestly earned. That, apparently, makes all the difference.
YOU – So, fair is fair. The difference is yours.
NARRATOR – Enna smiles brightly and slips the coins into her pocket.
ENNA – I’ll set aside the very best edition for you — the one with pictures!
NARRATOR – The bell in the city tower solemnly strikes six.
ENNA – Oh, I have to run! I need to help close the shop. Thank you so much again, pan witcher. Please come by and chat with me again sometime!
YOU – Thank you, Enna. Be very careful, and please don’t forget what I told you about your visitor last night.
NARRATOR – She nods, waves goodbye, and disappears through the door of the bookshop. For some reason, you find yourself grinning from ear to ear as you turn on your heel and stroll back toward the tavern. For the first time, the surrounding streets don’t seem quite so awful.
UMBRA [Easy: Success] – In a way, you were right. The Temple Quarter really is short on kindness. But I suspect that kindness will have to be fought for.