I remember losing hope

Claude’s attention was torn, and her feelings chaotic. There was a large part of her that wanted to reach out and embrace Rene, as if the last years hadn’t happened, as if Geralt might not have a spy watching her at the reception. Of course, there was another part of her, that feared her husband, that also kept an eye on the family she was there to spy on and plant something on their persons. She was sure Rene would notice she also had her attention on someone else, but Rene was her weakness and she struggled to mask her intentions around him.

As he spoke the words about his mind being heavy, she focused back on him and tipped her head every so slightly. She struggled to continue a smile, her mouth twitching, as she struggled not to frown.

Mistakes have a way of doing that, if only life’s mistakes were as easy to fix as a miscalculated math problem. She wasn’t really talking about mistakes per se, not the kind people made at least, but the kind life made when it contrived to ruin families and separate two lovers. She nodded to his remark about Lucien. It was heartening to know the Dumont family had bounced back, if only she had done so.

Speaking of bouncing back, Geralt was not at all happy about that in regards to both the Dumont family and the now growing Beauvais family. Two families hurt by that man, well perhaps he hadn’t as directly hurt the Beauvais family, but he also wasn’t blameless where the LaRues had been concerned that had taken everything from Lucien, that he had only recently gotten back. She knew Geralt was planning things, but she wasn’t privy to his plans where it concerned people she knew so well.

Remember that philosophy class we snuck into that one time, you me and Paolo? I remember the professor saying that, To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.? That Professor had quite a few things to say, it’s funny the things we remember years later. Of course, that quote wasn’t really the quote she wanted Rene to remember. No, in fact there was one about being prepared for hard times ahead that the trio had laughed and joked about. That was the quote she wished him to remember, her way of giving him a warning without actually saying the words.