[ Maia is relieved, when Geralt does not ask any more questions, or push Maia to continue talking about his dead family. He feels a little sting of guilt, like he ought to correct Geralt, explain the situation - that he had not known his brothers at all, that he had only seen his father once, that his father had hated him and kept him locked up his entire life. It feels wrong, to be consoled for a grief that is far more complicated with anger and resentment and regret than it ought to be.
But he cannot imagine finding all the words he would need, to clarify, and truly, it is not such a great wrong, to allow Geralt to think he mourns his father and brothers differently than he really does. ]
You have a daughter?
[ Maia isn't entirely sure he understands why adopting would have been a necessity for Geralt, but of course he does not ask for a fuller explanation. Probably it had to do with the process by which he was made into a Witcher, and Maia does not wish his own ignorance to dredge up painful thoughts. ]
What is her name?
[ Geralt had made his life sound so isolated, so lonely, and Maia is glad to hear that he is not entirely isolated. He has a family, then. A family he had chosen, but what did that matter? If Maia is honest with himself, the people who are closest to him, closest to being his family, were not his relatives. ]
We must admit, we feel ourselves ignorant, for we have never heard of werewolves, or vampires, or halflings, and as far as we are aware dwarves and trolls only exist in wonder tales.
[ Even before Geralt mentions that there are tensions between the different peoples, Maia already guessed that might be the case. He'd only been an emperor for less than a year, but he has learned a lot in that time. ]
No, they cannot. We agree with you entirely. Discounting people on their race, or rank, or- or gender strikes us as the utmost foolishness. There... has been hostility in the past, between Barizhan and the Elflands. Our father's marriage to our mother was- was meant to lessen that.
[ Maia's tone of voice seems to suggest that it had not been a success. ]
But in truth, so far as we have been able to see, such dislike exists far more amongst the nobles and the politicians than among the people themselves. No one at court would dare to associate with goblins, or even those with some goblin blood, and yet amongst our subjects, the two peoples work together, and marry, and get along without strife.
no subject
But he cannot imagine finding all the words he would need, to clarify, and truly, it is not such a great wrong, to allow Geralt to think he mourns his father and brothers differently than he really does. ]
You have a daughter?
[ Maia isn't entirely sure he understands why adopting would have been a necessity for Geralt, but of course he does not ask for a fuller explanation. Probably it had to do with the process by which he was made into a Witcher, and Maia does not wish his own ignorance to dredge up painful thoughts. ]
What is her name?
[ Geralt had made his life sound so isolated, so lonely, and Maia is glad to hear that he is not entirely isolated. He has a family, then. A family he had chosen, but what did that matter? If Maia is honest with himself, the people who are closest to him, closest to being his family, were not his relatives. ]
We must admit, we feel ourselves ignorant, for we have never heard of werewolves, or vampires, or halflings, and as far as we are aware dwarves and trolls only exist in wonder tales.
[ Even before Geralt mentions that there are tensions between the different peoples, Maia already guessed that might be the case. He'd only been an emperor for less than a year, but he has learned a lot in that time. ]
No, they cannot. We agree with you entirely. Discounting people on their race, or rank, or- or gender strikes us as the utmost foolishness. There... has been hostility in the past, between Barizhan and the Elflands. Our father's marriage to our mother was- was meant to lessen that.
[ Maia's tone of voice seems to suggest that it had not been a success. ]
But in truth, so far as we have been able to see, such dislike exists far more amongst the nobles and the politicians than among the people themselves. No one at court would dare to associate with goblins, or even those with some goblin blood, and yet amongst our subjects, the two peoples work together, and marry, and get along without strife.