Unanswered Questions--Ciri

Good news--I managed to finally finish off the quest to track down all the question marks in Skellige.  Geralt is no longer the poor, lowly witcher of yore and could now finance an entirely new Kaer Morhen.  As I've progressed through the remaining side quests, witcher contracts, and various other distractions, I've been thinking about Ciri as a character and the future of The Witcher franchise.  Several years ago, CD Projekt hinted that The Witcher 4 could be a possibility (and, after the CyberPunk fiasco, maybe going back to the tried and true is a good move...).  In thinking about a potential fourth game, I wondered if Ciri would be a good protagonist.  In playing through the third game for the bajillionth time, I am always struck by how little you actually get to know Ciri--she's a major part of the plot, but you don't get a ton of insight into her complicated history.

Artwork from the novels depicting Ciri
and Mistle.

One of the questions about Ciri that I (and, apparently many others) came away with has to do with her sexual orientation.  During the Skellige mission chain, Ciri is rescued after being wounded and barely managing to flee through a portal that dumps her into the sea outside of the village of Lofoten.  She awakens with her wounds bandaged but in a weakened state.  The villagers inform her that the only way to fully recover her strength is to spend some time soaking in the heat of the sauna.  Ciri accompanies the sister of Skjall (the young man tasked by Avallac'h with caring for Ciri) to the sauna.  Players are given a seemingly odd choice in the sauna--does Ciri wrap herself in a towel (which is kind of an odd thing to do, but would be understandable for someone who is modest) or enter sans towel (no, you don't get to see any extra-special Ciri parts if you choose this option--pervs!)?

Choosing the no towel option reveals the fact that Ciri has a tattoo of a rose on her upper thigh--a fact that the other ladies in the sauna are keen to remark upon.  This is one part of the game where there just isn't a lot of additional information given and that has a tie-in with the novels.  The ladies in the sauna ask about the origin of Ciri's tattoo and she responds with a vague statement about getting it to remember someone who she loved but who had died.  If you read the novels (which I do recommend) you learn that Ciri's tattoo was a product of her time with the Rats--a gang of bandits who took Ciri in after she helped to rescue one of their members.  During her time with the Rats, Ciri had a somewhat complicated relationship with Mistle, a female member of the group.  The complication comes from the fact that there is some indication that Ciri  pairs off with Mistle in an effort to avoid the advances of another member of the group and that Ciri's mostly looking for safety.  However, there are some indications that maybe the relationship was more serious--they both choose to get matching tattoos and Ciri does tell Mistle that she loves her and that she will come back to find Mistle in the future (Ciri decides to leave the gang...I don't remember the exact reasons--I need to re-read the books).

Bea, the barmaid at the Golden Sturgeon.

After the brief exchange about Ciri's tattoo, the ladies playfully joke about Skjall, the young man who has adoringly cared for Ciri since he returned her to the village.  Here players are allowed to choose how Ciri responds--she can drop a hint that Skjall is a nice guy (maybe there's a bit of interest there); simply state that she's not interested; or make it clear that she prefers women.  I've always felt a bit conflicted about what to choose because Ciri's sexuality is so clouded (if you're trying to play a canon Ciri).

Later in the game there is another possible hint at Ciri's preference.  Prior to heading to Skellige for the final set of missions, Geralt finds himself working with a bevy of sorceresses, Avallac'h, and Ciri to come up with a plan to try to defeat the Wild Hunt.  In Novigrad he agrees to meet up with Ciri to help her tie up some loose ends.  One of those tasks involves heading to the Golden Sturgeon to deliver a gift to someone.  That someone turns out to be a freckled barmaid named Bea who helped Ciri track down Dandelion.  The meeting itself doesn't involve any hints at the actual relationship between Ciri and Bea, but Geralt does feel the need to comment "she seems nice," in a way that hints that he can clearly see that the two had some sort of connection.

So, for me, the option I choose for Ciri is "I prefer women."  The signs seem to point in that direction.  Sorry Skjall (poor Skjall!  He really is a nice guy).