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The lake is surprisingly calm by the third hour they've been out on it in this tiny rowboat, Lambert half heartedly casting the nets out ever so often and Ciri listing sideways with occasional yawns. He's almost certain they've been sent so the other three can get some peace, but he's not complaining. They really do need some more food but somehow the routine supply run to the bottom of the mountain was side-tracked when the villagers mentioned that something was in the waterways. So here they are; Lambert doing more scribbling formulas in his notebook after last night's breakthrough than actually doing anything immediately useful, and the cub worn out after whatever Vesemir put her through this morning.
The gulls take off with sudden squawks and the water around them ripples, the boat listing sideways as something yanks on the nets. He and Ciri instinctively move to the opposite side to try counterbalance it as Lambert starts hauling them in, Ciri scooping up his swords and holding them within easy reach. There shouldn't be anything in this lake even close to matching his strength but this is definitely larger than is natural.
There's a flash of bright blue as a scaled, thrashing tail is dragged out of the water, tangled in the net, and Lambert stills, calculating. There’s well over a meter that he can see so far, and he hasn’t ever seen anything that colour. Ciri moves back at a gesture, keeping his swords accessible but ready to steady the boat if she needs to, pulling the heavy rope and sodden stretch of net near her out of his way. He darts forward when she's ready, causing the boat to list alarmingly, grabbing the narrowest part of the tail and yanking upwards. And uh -
He wasn't sure what he was expecting because it happened so quickly, but this definitely wasn't it. They're not a merfolk or a siren, but there's definitely a human torso attached to the tail. They're taller than Lambert and he just holds them as they wriggle round, showing some impressive core strength to twist enough to grab the edge of the boat and get their head and shoulders in the boat too, cursing up a storm in Elder. The two of them just glare at each other for a minute, Lambert taking them in; the dappled blue tail with its vibrant fins give way to pale skin at their waist, although swirling tattoos carry on all the way up to their neck. Small antlers stick through shoulder length brown hair that clings to wet skin and a truly angry pair of blue eyes, slitted like a lizard’s. The most concerning thing is that they smell vaguely familiar but not in a way he can immediately place.
"Hello, lovely to meet you, sir witcher. What the fuck?" Lambert almost drops them at the indignant tone, then thinks what the hell and does it anyway, catching their wrist as they immediately nearly overbalance back over the side. Pushing their hair back off their face and setting into a steadier position they finally take their eyes off Lambert long enough to look over at Ciri, freezing in shock as her scent is suddenly filled with the same. "Little lion?"
"Jaskier!" She smashes into their - his - chest, arms round his shoulders as Lambert catches the back of her jerkin to stop them going overboard again. Damn boats. And Jaskier, Geralt’s bard? Huh. His brother had certainly never mentioned him being anything other than human, but he'd been closed-mouthed and angry when Jaskier was brought up during the last winter. Lambert didn't know Ciri knew him.
Webbed fingers gently brush tears away as Jaskier makes quiet crooning sounds Lambert is fairly certain human throats shouldn't make. He turns away, looking instead towards where his tail is still tangled in the nets, half his attention on the cub even as deliberately doesn't listen to the conversation, trying to give them privacy for their reunion. It flicks out at him as he reaches over to start unwinding it, and he finds Jaskier watching him over Ciri's head, eyes flicking down to his medallion. "You must be Lambert? Could I borrow your cloak?"
He nods to both, and watches, feeling a little helpless, as Jaskier gently pushes Ciri back a step and wraps the cloak around his hips before pressing a palm to a navy swirl above his heart. Lambert's medallion bursts to life as there's a painful sounding series of cracks and Jaskier’s tail varnishes, replaced by legs he hastily tucks under the cloak he tugs closer. The tattoos fade too, replaced by a fuzzy torso with thin scars under his pecs, and Ciri tucks herself back against a now entirely human looking Jaskier. Okay, so not cursed then.
"What are you doing here little lion? And where is here anyway?" He glances around curiously, cheek pressed to Ciri's hair.
"You don't know?" Lambert blinks at him as he colours slightly and refuses to meet his eyes.
"I've just been following the water, not particularly heading anywhere or wanting to see anyone."
"Kaer Morhen's above us." He juts his chin in the direction of the mountains. "And um, as for the rest, the others know more, but Cintra's fallen. World's gone to shit. Well, worse than it already was."
Jaskier stills, eyes wide. After a second he mouths 'Calanthe' and Lambert just shakes his head. He holds Ciri closer for a second then presses a kiss to her forehead as she shifts back to her original seat, looking a little damp and extremely young and lost. She drags in a deep breath, and headbuts Lambert's hip gently and he runs an absent hand though her hair.
"And, what are the two of you doing in the middle of a lake in, uh, what I'm generously going to call a fishing boat? I'm fairly certain Geralt mentioned you prefer fishing with bombs instead of nets." Despite Jaskier’s slight trip over Geralt's name, it gets a quiet giggle out of Ciri, which seemed to be the desired outcome.
"Something in the lake is disturbing the villagers. Have you been around long?"
"Couple of hours tops. My kit's by the stream." He waves vaguely to the east of the village. "I haven't seen anything in that time, any idea on what it is?"
"Nope, might not even be anything."
"I can take a look if you buy me a meal? You can tell me what’s going on properly." His smile is soft as he looks between Lambert and Ciri, who both nod, reaching out to squeeze her fingers briefly. "See you at the tavern then." Sketching a bow as best he can while seated, he presses a hand to his chest and twists sideways in a surprisingly graceful motion that sends him over the side as Lambert grabs his cloak before it follows him over.
Jaskier reappears with a flick of his tail, splashing them both and dives with a bright laugh. Lambert slowly sinks down to the seat and Ciri leans against his side, "So that's your bard, huh? Well, we best get going." He scoops up the oars from where they've been left in the bottom of the boat.
"He's not usually…"
"I guessed cub, I feel it would have come up."
"Do you know what he is?" He almost doesn't catch her hesitant question over the sound of water as he starts rowing, but glancing over he sees her biting her lip, fingers tangled nervously.
"That might be a question for him. Might be a fae, or uhhh one of those ocean dragons I can't remember the name of. I think some of them have a shape similar to sirens but -" he pauses watching Ciri "- he loves you cub, if that's what you're worried about. Whatever he is, he loves you, even I can tell that." She sniffs but nods determinedly. "So tell me about him, how the hell did you two meet?"