A Plan Begins to Form (Finale) (Page 50)

Now is a good time to leave with Ciri. Jaskier told us he'd deal with Whoreson Junior. I have to deliver a letter to Francis Bedlam. I start strapping my sword to my back as Ciri asks me a question. "Where are we heading first?" She has her mind dead set on meeting Mr. Lockhart today. It'll have to wait until we deal with this letter first.

I pull out the letter and wave it in front of Ciri. "We need to take care of this. Feralda asked us this one thing, and I plan on delivering." I never said no to meeting Lockhart. It just has to wait after this. I travel light. The biggest thing I carry around is my sword I got from Gaunter. "We should head out now. You ready, Ciri?" She nods her head, and I can see the hope in her eyes regarding meeting Lockhart.

She finishes getting her gear on. Jaskier told us if we want to find someone, we need to talk to people around Novigrad. If we ask the right person, we'll get the information we need. "Where are we heading? I would like to know what part of town we're going to." We're going to a heavily populated part, so there is no need to worry about running into scum for right now.

I approach the front door with Ciri right behind me. "We're heading to the main square. We'll ask the right around and find Francis. If we have time, we can make a trip to Lockhart." I finish telling her as we exit the Rosemary and Thyme.

We walk side by side, and I feel Ciri hitting my arm in a gesture to bring my hand out of my pocket so she can hold it. "I have to keep my hands in my pockets, so nothing gets stolen, Ciri." She frowns at me and huffs as she turns her head away. I won't lie. That was pretty cute. We can't hold hands at the moment, and I know it sucks. I just have to be cautious with thieves.

She wraps her arms in the gap that my body and elbow make. "This will have to do..." She brings her body in close and leans her head on my shoulder to relax. In a way, this is better... But it does feel a little one-sided. "How long do you think it'll take to find Francis?" She wants to speak with Lockhart first. She's not the only one. I'd like to know how much it'll cost.

We walk the streets to the main square as the sun warms the day up. I love and hate the spring weather. It can't make up its mind of hot or cold. "It really depends on how lucky we get. Hopefully, he has a well-known name, and it won't take too long." In all honesty, it would probably take a bit of coin and time to find him.

After another 3 minutes, we pass a big store with beautiful dresses. The ones that catch my attention are the wedding dresses. Talk about finding something you need. I stop our walk and notice Ciri is relaxing with her eyes closed. "Ciri, look at this..." She opens her eyes and tilts her head to look. Her face says everything. The dresses are gorgeous and unique. She lets go of me and approaches the window.

She's looking at the ones on display, but I can see others just as good in the back. "These are beautiful..." I get a mental image of Ciri in a wedding dress that takes my breath away. I'm brought back to reality, and Ciri is a little sad at the moment. I'm going to be turning myself into a hypocrite in a second, but I think Ciri needs this.

I walk up beside her and look at the same dress she's looking at. It's beautiful and fits her figure perfectly. "Want to go inside and check them out?" It's not like we're going to waste the day here. She turns to me in surprise. This will make her day better, which is all I can really ask for in the end. She grabs my arm and pulls me into the store.

Looking around, there are people of high society in here. We stick out since we have weapons on our backs and have combat gear on. We do mix well because we're attractive, making this a little easier. We make it deep in the store as Ciri picks out different things and inspects them. The craftsmanship is lovely here. It reminds me of the work I've seen at Brennen's place.

As Ciri has a good time, a lady wearing fine clothes approaches us. "Are you looking for something specific? I can help with whatever you are looking for." I'll be using the money I brought, but money can always be made with skills like mine. I turn to the lady and smile. We shake hands as Ciri goes through dresses and clothes ignoring what the woman says.

I stop shaking her hand and look at the dresses that Ciri likes. "We're in the market for a wedding dress." As soon as those words leave my mouth, Ciri looks at me with shocked and tearing-up eyes. "If my fiancé picks one that she likes, I'd like to place a hold on it to get more funds." The lady helping us goes to the back to get the paperwork.

I walk up to her as she has her hands full of clothes. When I reach her, I kiss her forehead, take the clothes out of her hands, and put them down. "Don't you want to pick one out?" My voice is calm and confident. She looks like she's going to burst out crying... Just as I'm about to talk. She jumps onto my body, hugging me. I have to hold her as she hangs on.

She lifts her head, and our noses are almost touching. "*Sniffle* You're an idiot... *Sniffle*" The gesture meant more to her than I thought it would. She kisses my lips and cheeks, expressing how happy she is. I just take in the shower of love she's showing me. Then we hear someone clear their throat, and I turn my head with Ciri still in my grasp attached to me.

I let Ciri down, and I notice the lady brought back an older man with him. He walks over to us and inspects me specifically. "Your gear and weapon suggest that you make enough money to hold a dress. What is your name, son?" He's a businessman. First, it seems he does look familiar, though... Like I've met him before. I hold out my hand, and we shake in the way of greeting.

I look at him closer and notice he's around the same age as Brennen. "My name is Cera. This beautiful woman is Ciri. She's my fiancé, and we're looking for a wedding dress." The man looks at the rings we're wearing. He rubs his beard and turns to the lady who has the paperwork. He waves her off to give us some privacy. He walks over to the dresses that Ciri is looking at.

He says something I did not anticipate as he's turned away from us. "I see you met my little brother, Brennen. I haven't talked to him in many years... If he did work for you, then you're both special people... Am I correct?" I look at Ciri, and she's just as confused as I am. This man already has an idea of who we are. We might as well tell him what he already knows.

To help straighten my thoughts, I take a breath. Talk about a family full of talented people. "Yeah, we did meet Brennen. He's the one that made our rings. Who are you?" He turns with slightly raised eyebrows and chuckles as he looks at our faces.

He stops playing with his beard and puts his hands in his pockets. "So you're Cera Dorren... You're an important person... I'm Wickerson Novick. Feel free to ask me anything you might need from my store or me." Well, that's kind of foreboding... Do people know more about me than I do? He's also the older brother of Brennen Novick...

I look to Ciri, and she catches on quickly as she picks out the dress she really likes. The man nods as he calls the woman again, and he puts it in the back on hold for us. He seems the type of person to know others in Novigrad. Maybe he can point us to Francis. "I do have one question. Do you know where we can find a Francis Bedlam? I have a letter from a friend of his." The man turns and looks at me.

He quickly goes into the back, leaving Ciri and me kind of lost about this. He comes out with a piece of paper with instructions on it. "That is where you can find him. You need to know someone to talk to him, so I'll sponsor you." Talk about convenience, almost like it was meant to happen. We leave after saying our goodbyes, and we continue our day.

~~~(POV: Wickerson Novick)~~~

As they leave the store, I rush to the back room where the most powerful man I know is. "I've done what you've asked, Master O'Dimm. I know how important he is to politics and royalty. But why are you so invested in him?" This is the man who helped me get out of my little brother's shadow and build this little paradise I have. I wouldn't have any of this without his power or connections.

He grins wickedly at me. He's someone I hoped never to meet again, but he said my debt would be settled after I help him with this. "That's for me to know, my old friend. Now, stay out of their way and prepare the next thing I asked for." I don't hesitate and immediately start on what he said. I don't know what you did to draw his attention, Cera... I've never seen him so invested in all the years I've known him...