[ The same bottle of that same foul stuff strong enough to make her throat burn. She'll take it.

Ciri steps closer at the unspoken invitation, standing across the counter from him. She accepts the cup when he pours it. ]

I've made my peace with Alina's leaving. This changes nothing.

[ In a way, Ciri isn't wrong; her everyday won't change, and she hasn't even spoken to Alina in a long time now, having sealed herself off to mitigate the sting of the wound. She had expected nothing. Alina made her priorities clear, and honestly, Ciri couldn't even blame her for choosing a friend from her world over them. With time, the pain has faded. And she's encountered plenty of other things to worry about in the meantime.

But knowing Alina was safe in Thorne even if they weren't in regular contact and knowing that Alina has vanished completely, without having any idea what happens to the people who simply disappear-- well, it's not the same at all, is it? It's not the same feeling. It's not the same, intellectually.

And yet, for all that they can do to change it, it makes no difference at all. ]

As far as I know, Mal's gone too. Again.

Perhaps they've gone together, wherever it is.