Illyana knew at once that every suspicion she had about Geralt was absolutely true. He was arrogant, if nothing else, but suave, graceful, and charismatic. If the reaction of the woman who dropped him off was any example of his sway over people, she had no doubts about his ability to draw a crowd. Illyana studied him intently as he approached them, trying to "read" him, although this was harder for her without physical contact, but she knew that was not a risk she should take right now. For the first time, she found a person to be a complete enigma. He had no aura, which was not impossible but extremely rare, especially for someone with his ability. As she studied his form, she caught movement in the corner of her eye as the car behind him pulled away and the light shifted. His shadow...it was not his own.

As she got closer, she instinctively stepped closer to Lucien, grateful that he had come between them despite his desire to be polite. She said nothing, and simply waited, seeing if there was anything else she would spot before their brief interlude was done.

Geralt blinked several times in surprise at Lucien's words, and tilted his head as he responded, [color=crimson]"Oh, dear, Lucien, you're not [i]cross[/i] with me are you? My deepest apologies, I can assure you, it will not happen again."[/color] He bowed low, dramatically, but somehow not comically. Everything he did was intentional, practiced, as if he had done this all before a hundred times and perfected his technique. When he looked up, he locked eyes with Illyana and could see her shudder from the impact of his gaze. Here was their little detective...and a gypsy at that.

[color=crimson]"Oh, but how rude of me. Lucien, introduce me to this charming creature. I assume she is your resident Diseur de Bonne Aventure?"[/color] He leaned to the side, toward Illyana and reached out to take her hand.

Seeing his intention, Illyana stepped back, her hands conveniently tucked underneath her shawl. She nodded and dropped her eyes to the floor. Prolonged eye contact with Geralt was causing her some trouble, she could feel a headache coming on. [color=598527]"I am Illyana Brewer, Madame Illynova to my patrons. And there is no need for introductions, Mr. Wagner, I already know all about you." [/color] She glanced up at him briefly, but did not hold his gaze. The spotlight of his attention was beginning to make her dizzy. This would certainly take some getting used to.

[color=crimson]"Mm..."[/color] Geralt raised and eyebrow and leaned away in response, it was clear she was not comfortable with contact just yet. He would have to give this one some time to warm up. [color=crimson]"Well, hopefully not [i]everything...[/i] Mystery is my trade, my dear, I would hate to ruin the surprise."[/color] He let the moment between them linger before looking back up at Lucien.

[color=crimson]"But, monsieur, I hope you are playing with me. I came with the full intention of putting on a wonderful show tonight,"[/color] he stepped back and raised his arms, showing off his suit and stature, [color=crimson]"I hope the lack of top-hat doesn't alarm you, I wouldn't want to...steal your thunder."[/color] He glanced at Illyana and winked, before returning his gaze to his new master.