I'm sorry for Ya guys. I'm playing Act II right now, but I've already decided - I took a sample of 'Shani hate' and 'Triss hate' (and re-loaded the game), and I decided that while Triss will indeed be pissed off, there is no such thing as a stable relationship with a sorceress (I think is the word). Besides, Geralt was always associated with Yennefer, not Merigold. (Merigold was the lesser mage at some point, IIRC, or at least treated like one)So I chose Shani. She's a nice kid, and after all I already had something going there. ;-PBesides, Triss will ALWAYS have her motives and needs, and she will not discuss them. The weight of the world is on her shoulders (not kidding here) AND, to top it off, she's in the Mage Association (or whatever it's called in English ;P).What I mean by that is what was going on in the book ("The Witcher" by Andrzej Sapkowski - on which the game is based) -- a lot of political whirl, and the Mage Association always having their fingers in the pie. They don't explain themselves, and (as it's said in the book) they're the ones who REALLY run things (each king/queen has his/her own mage/sorceress advisor, you know...). And that's true. But with such power comes great responsibility, and I think Alvin (just like Ciri in the books) is also a part of the Big Plan. So I can't really trust Merigold farther than I can throw her... ;PP With Alvin, anyway... ;PPPPSo my money's on Shani. 'Sides, I can go and rescue them in any situation they would need rescuing. I mean, if the kid IS an important part of the story, there can't be a Plot-Dead-End situation where one'd have to trace back to Act III and choose again, right?