[ Thancred does eye the bottle of wine for a good few seconds, considering, but he doesn't want to be anything other than razor-sharp for what awaits, so perhaps that isn't the best idea at the moment. He gives a small shake of his head, a quiet decline.

Tired as Yennefer's tone might be, Thancred can tell that her questions are meant as a jest. He lets out a scoff that doesn't quite make it to a laugh; even he struggles to make light of this current situation, particularly when it brings make so many memories that sting even now. ]

Both, I suppose. [ He remembers when he'd come to see her at some late hour when half their number had been abducted, how they had taken a moment to catch their breath together — and how it had finally felt like he was forgiven for what he did in Nocwich.

He reaches one hand up to rub at his eyes. ]

There was a time when Himeka and I, along with the rest of our order, were falsely implicated in an assassination attempt on the sultana of a powerful city-state. [ He drops his hand and stares directly at Yennefer as he weaves the tale. ] There was more to the plot than that, mind, and I will not bog you down with all the details, but the salient point is that we had to suddenly flee the city, even using dangerous magic to escape pursuit.

[ There's a pause as he indulges in a wry, mirthless smile and looks away. ]

In fact, that was what led to my losing the ability to cast magic.