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Geralt couldn't help but nod at Ivory's assessment of Aurel's play-style. It was clear in his body language that he was tense, always waiting for the next card, anticipating his hand before he had it. He couldn't fault the boy for having nervous energy, there was a time, long ago, when Geralt was the same way. A product of his upbringing, he supposed. He wondered if Aurel had suffered from the same overbearing father and over-medicated mother. If he was this nervous with nothing at stake, what would happen when the upped the ante?

During the next hand, Geralt decided to watch Ivory instead of Aurel. He had his tells and his faults, but what did she have? There had to be something, everyone had...something. Some just hid it better than others. He noted her rough handling of the Ace of Spades, and smirked to himself, making sure that she saw. Other than this, there was nothing he could glean from watching this hand. She was a brick wall, a challenge, and he wanted to rise to it.

When she folded, Geralt raised an eyebrow. So, it seemed that she was committed to teaching Aurel more than to winning. Geralt respected this, but it only made him want to teach Aurel himself. Ivory would be a great teacher, that was clear, but there were some things one could only learn for a master.

When the hand was over, Geralt's lips tightened a little bit and he leaned into Aurel. "Forgive me if I am covering old ground, here, but have you ever watched someone else play Ivory, Aurel? If not, I would love to cut in..." he paused and glanced at the vampire, "If that's agreeable to you, of course." His kept his smile soft and pleasant, not wanting to set off any more alarm bells, although he was certain now that there was nothing he could do to ease her distaste for him.

Cora had finished eating and was simply watching the game. She didn't really understand it, but she had played Go Fish with Ivory and Akane before, and she quite liked that game. This one seemed a little out of her wheelhouse, though she watched with interest anyway. She smiled at Illy as the girl approached, and handed her dish over. "Yeah, Illy," she added, "Do you need help?"

Illyana looked over the card game as she passed by, but determined there was no foul play. Geralt was keeping his hands where everyone could see them, anyway. She took Akane and Cora's plates, then nodded down at them, "Thank you for offering...actually, Cora, your hair is looking a little dry, did you want to wash while Akane dries? I had some things to discuss with Lucien."

Cora smiled brightly and began wheeling herself away from the table even before Illyana was finished, "Of course, Illyana! I'd love to help." And it was true, any help that the mermaid could provide, she was happy for. She considered it 'earning her keep', and didn't want to appear lazy or ungrateful, especially in front of Geralt.
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Aurel glanced at Geralt as he spoke.

"Akane's attempted her hand at it, but her pokerface is a little worse than mine." He commented, causing the kitsune's ears to twitch and smile sheepishly in their direction. If Aurel was obvious, Akane was on a whole other level. The motions of her ears and tails were usually what gave her away. Lucien was really the only one who was good at it, but Aurel didn't have the need to state that their ringleader had a good pokerface. Illy was also a good contender, but there were some games she didn't want to play with them because of unfairness. At his offer to play Ivory, the man simply looked to Ivory, leaving the decision up to her.

Even though the dhampir was not particularly inclined to play Geralt, she knew this would probably be a good learning experience for him. Lucien did not really have as much free time to help her teach him. She simply shrugged in acceptance, and began to shuffle the cards again, giving the man his two cards before taking her own.

The three cards placed in the middle of the table were the Ace of Clovers, The Three of Spades, and the Five of Hearts. Ivory glanced down at her cards, though this time she had only lifted them just enough to see them. She could not help the twitch of her brow this time around, a sign of brief irritation, before her expression neutralized again.

Akane was quick to rise from her chair, glad that Illyana had accepted their help, before reaching for Cora's hand and leading her up to the sink so they could begin to help out with the dishes.

It was around this time that Lucien finished taking inventory, and then gave the table a brief glance. So Geralt was playing Ivory? That was certainly.. interesting. He hoped no sparks would fly while he was gone, though knowing how much Ivory wanted to teach Aurel to get better, he figured it would go alright. He walked to Illy and handed her the clipboard.

"It's done." He said. "Shall we go?"

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Geralt couldn't help but hide his excitement as Aurel and Ivory consented to have him play. He pushed his sleeves, which were already rolled up, a little higher on his elbows before he scooted a little closer to the table to accept the cards that Ivory had dealt to him. Before looking at them, he leaned over to Aurel, keeping his eyes on the dealer, "You see, Aurel, it isn't about playing the hand, it's about playing the player. In this case, Miss Ivory." He slid the cards toward him, and bent the corners up to glance at them while leaving them on the table. His face was completely stone cold, betraying nothing, with his trademark hint of a grin. He was leaning back in his chair, totally relaxed, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, one hand in his lap and the fingers on his other hand barely touching his cards. One could only catch him glancing at the hand on the table if they really watched his eyes, otherwise, he appeared completely fixated on Ivory.

"You have to watch her, not the cards. Her face, her hands...her eyes, her lips, eyebrows," he tilted his head toward Aurel when he mentioned this. "Every little movement could betray her hand." He noticed the twitch in her brow and her lip, but did not call it out. Clearly, she was not pleased with her cards, though Geralt knew better than to try and guess what they were.

Illyana, seeing that Lucien had finished with his task, approached and took the clipboard from him. "After you." She said, glancing over her shoulder briefly as they left the mess area, hopeful that Ivory would be able to keep her cool without Lucien there to monitor her.
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Aurel moved aside a little to give Geralt more room as he began to play against Ivory, paying very close attention to him, before shifting his gaze to the dhampir. He did actually catch the change in her expression, which was a little odd, considering she almost never gave anything away.

Ivory attempted to keep a neutral expression after that, determined not to give anything else away to him. She was annoyed by his words, but it wasn't like he was wrong. The key was to keep an eye on your opponent, he was just being creepy about it. She drew the next card and set it down, the Ace of Diamonds. She kept a completely blank expression this time, with just a hint of her previous annoyance, but that wasn't in relation to any of the cards. Of course she wasn't surprised to see Geralt's expression betraying nothing, she knew better than to trust whatever tell he might give her, the man was clearly an expert when it came to hiding his true feelings, so she didn't expect to get any sort of read on him. She didn't speak, since the man was clearly knowledgeable on the subject, she decided to just let him explain.

Lucien nodded, giving the others one last glance before taking his leave with Illyana. While he was a little concerned of what might happen with him gone, he did have faith in Aurel to keep things calm. Despite his shyness, he was actually pretty good at it. When they were far enough away to not risk getting overheard, he spoke up as they made their way to his trailer.

"So.. what did you need to speak to me about?" He asked.
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Geralts eyes flicked quickly to the next card as Ivory laid it down, but then back up to her face in a flash. Of course, he remained relaxed and completely unreadable. It was too early in their...relationship for him to try fake tells on her, she was too weary of him already. No, he had to play this one straight. Though he could simply know her hand, he also declined this. Geralt was far too proud, and too skilled at cards, to lower himself to such tactics. No, he would win or loose this hand playing the right way.

"She let a little something through last time, but she's learned from that." He said, tilting his head slightly toward Aurel as he spoke. "She knows I saw it, so she won't make that mistake again, she's too smart, and too good at poker for that."

After a slight pause, he leaned forward and placed flipped the final card on the table, the Eight of Hearts. Geralt merely tilted his head, then picked his cards up from the table. He held them so that Aurel could see them and spoke again, "Now, she had a good hand, or she would have folded by now. I'm guessing...at least two pair, possibly three of a kind. It's all down to whether her three are better than mine." And as the last word left his lips, he dropped his cards on the table, face up, to reveal the Ace of Hearts and a Seven of Spades. Geralt looked over at Ivory expectantly, barely containing his curiosity.

-------------------------------------

Illyana walked quickly the remaining ten feet to Lucien's trailer, and declined to answer until they were inside. Of course, there was no telling what Geralt could hear and see, even if he was engaged with something or someone else. Once they were inside, she shut the door behind them and let out the breath she had been holding.

"Okay." She began, her fingers twisting together, "I didn't get a chance to tell you last night, but when Geralt arrived...I saw something strange." She paused, then added hurriedly, "Well, several things actually."
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Ivory didn't comment on anything Geralt said. It wasn't surprising that he had noticed her slight irritation, though she doubted he would have known the reason behind it at the time. She glanced down at the table as he turned his cards, before she moved her cards toward the center of the table and flipped them as well. The same card defined both of what could have been either of their victories, but Ivory's suit was higher, granting her the win. Still, she couldn't help but feel irritated that it was the Ace of Spades that had given it to her.

"Beeindruckend." Aurel said, eyes shooting from Geralt to Ivory as the cards were set down. This round had been an extremely close call, just the fact that an Ace had showed up in both of their hands was pretty amazing on it's own. Glancing at Ivory's, he could remember that it was the card she had said she had found on her person after they had seen Geralt. Now it made sense as to why she had seemed annoyed, even though the card itself was good. It made sense why that of all things could betray her composure. If it hadn't been for that, Aurel might have assumed that the dhampir had been trying to trick him.

"Better luck next time." She said simply.

"You're definitely a lot better at this than I am." The man commented. Even though the Ace he held was really good, he had never once let it show in his expression. If Aurel hadn't seen the card for himself, he would have never suspected it.

--

Lucien looked curiously down at Illy as she refused to speak until they had finally arrived, but he decided not to ask as they continued on. She hadn't wasted any time once they were inside. He raised his eyebrows slightly as she spoke, surely hoping that this wasn't the reason why she had been staying up. Knowing her though, it was probably exactly why.

"Well, what did you see?" He asked.
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As Geralt's eyes fell on the cards that Ivory displayed, his smile widened evermore. Of course she had the Ace of Spades, how could it have been any other card? This explained her twitch of irritation when she drew, but oh, how sweet it was. If he had to lose the hand, he was glad it was to her card.

I did nothing, luck of the draw... Dark laughter echoed through his mind.

"Well," he said, letting his eyes roll back up to Ivory as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, "I'll be damned...you can't argue with those results, can you?" He said, looking directly at Ivory.

After a pregnant pause, he looked over at Aurel, "Impressive indeed, and unlikely. The odds of three aces in a hand of nine cards are quite low, not to mention the Ace of Spades..." He glanced down at the deck as Ivory placed it back on the table, "What better place to end our game, hm?" He leaned forward once more and clapped his hands together, "But, what do you say to a different game? One that will help Aurel practice control over his expression?" He looked between the two of them, totally bought in to this past time. He never realized it could be so much fun to watch other people play cards. Though, truly it was the lack of stakes that bored him.

---------------------------------------------

Illyana took a breath before she began to explain, "Well, when he arrived, I noticed right away that he didn't have an aura. This is rare, but not impossible...it's just, on top of everything else it seems significant to note. Also...this is the really concerning bit, I noticed that his shadow..." she paused as she struggled to find the words, not quite sure how to translate what she had seen into language, "It changed...or shifted somehow. I'm not sure that it belongs to him...exactly." Still, it didn't sound right when it came out of her mouth. Although she knew Lucien of all people would understand at least a little of what she meant, there was no way to truly get across what she had seen to someone else.
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Ivory didn't respond, knowing he had taken satisfaction in the fact she had won with that card. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of receiving a retort. At his final comment, the dhampir just looked over in Aurel's direction. It was really up to him, considering he was the one who had to learn. While she would prefer to be doing something that did not require the magician's presence, it wasn't like she had anything else to do at this time of day either.

Aurel glanced at Geralt and then at Ivory as the man suggested a different game. Honestly he would have been okay with watching the two of them play, since it wasn't often he got to see someone who could compete with Ivory's pokerface, but he didn't mind changing the game either.

"Sure.. I don't mind. This is how we usually pass the time." He said.

It was by then that Akane and Cora had finished with the dishes, and had returned to the table.

"May we join you? It looks like fun." Akane commented as she brought Cora up to the end of the table, before taking the spot that Lucien had previously been occupying. She always found the games of cards interesting, and even though she usually lost, it was fun to take part with everyone else.

Ivory glanced at the two women, she didn't like that Cora had been placed next to Geralt but, she'd be sure to keep an eye on him.

"I don't see why not."

--

Lucien listened quietly as Illyana spoke. He could not deny that the things she was telling him were definitely of interest, but he didn't find them strongly alarming.

"Well.. at this point we know that he's not human, but not many here are." He said with a small sigh.

"Look, Illy, I know you're really hung up on wanting to know what's going on with him, but we do not have to react negatively to everything. Akane's shadow shifts all the time, that doesn't necessarily mean it's something bad. I'm not telling you not to be worried or curious, I know you trust your instincts, and I do too. We're keeping an eye on him, I'm less concerned about what he is, and more concerned about what his intentions are." Over the years, Lucien had learned to never judge a book by it's cover. In his travels he had encountered other supernatural, he knew they were out there, and he never judged them by what they were, only by their actions. It had been the same with Faolan too.. despite how intimidating he appeared at first glance.. he knew the man was kind.

"I don't want you losing anymore sleep over this."
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Geralt clapped his hands excitedly as Aurel and Ivory consented to his idea. Although he could think of several more fun and lucrative ways to spend his time, this was the best he was going to get right now. He had seen Lucien walk away with Illyana earlier, Geralt knew he would not get anywhere with Lucien today, at least until he was done working. For now, this was a great way of getting to know his fellow troupe members on a level he could work with more...fluidly.

He was about to speak when Cora and Akane returned to the table and asked to join them. He looked at both of them, his smile all charm, and said, "Careful now, we might get distracted from the game with two beauties at the table..." he winked in Cora's direction and elicited another giggle. This was just too easy.

"But, of course, you're welcome to join us!" He continued, "The game is called, 'Old Maid'," his eyes lingered briefly on Ivory for a moment before he turned to the rest of the party, "Ever played before?" This would certainly be a better way to train the player's facial expression than poker. Poker was about reading someone else, and it was so much about control that it could distract the player. This game was fun for fun's sake, and an easy way to learn to control your expressions so as not to give up the ghost.

Cora's hand shot up into the air, "I have! Ivory taught me to play." She said, smiling over at the Dhampir.

"Ah!" Geralt answered, "So I trust that means everyone else does as well?" he said, raising his eyebrows as he scanned the rest of the group.

-----------------------------------------------

Illyana was taken aback at Lucien's response. Though her expression was subtle, only her eyebrows furrowed in response, she had been expecting almost the opposite at her revelation of this facts. Not only was his lack of concern somewhat alarming, but the sigh that escaped him seemed to be bordering on annoyance. Had the magician already charmed Lucien this much, so as to dismiss these vital clues?

Although...Illyana couldn't deny that he was right. Taking into account the abilities of the other troupe members, and their origins, there was no denying that they're abilities could have been easily misconstrued. Even her abilities had not been looked on favorably until she had met Lucien and Aurel...and Faolan. It was not her intention so much to judge Geralt, but to figure out what he was so they could more easily predict his intentions. She supposed that wasn't coming across, either that or the less likely, Lucien didn't care.

"Oh..." she said, letting her eyes fall to the floor, "I understand." There was a pause before she added, "I'll just keep my eyes open, then." and turned toward the door. Of course this had a double-meaning. Perhaps reading Geralt was the only way to truly figure this out...no matter how badly Illyana wanted to avoid this, she had to expect that this was a possibility.
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Akane let out a small laugh at Geralt's compliment, glad that they had been allowed to join. It was certainly a nice way to pass the time with everyone, not to mention get to know Geralt, since he had just joined them. At his question, she nodded excitedly. That game had been easy enough to learn, though was hard for her to win when it came down to the last few cards, but that was fine, the experience and the fun she could have with her friends was what mattered.

Ivory glanced at Akane as she agreed, and decided to lean over to the kitsune, though she didn't have to speak up too loudly, knowing how sharp her hearing was.

"If you hide your ears, your chances of winning will certainly increase." She whispered, causing the fox's ears to straighten.

"Oh right!" She responded in a light whisper, letting out a small giggle. She knew those usually ended up giving her away. Without a second to spare, her ears flattened against her head, and in an almost completely smooth transition, they disappeared.

"This deck doesn't have a joker though.. so should we take out a Queen?" Aurel spoke up. It had gotten lost in one of the few times they played, considering how often the cards got moved around, and they didn't really use the jokers often.

--

Lucien's expression softened slightly at Illyana's response. He felt a little bad for being too hard on her, but she knew how much she liked to overthink things. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Illy, I don't mean to sound like I'm disregarding what you're saying, I'm not. I really am trying to figure him out just as much as you, but if you make that your goal every minute of every day, he'll begin to notice, if he hasn't already. He's very sharp." For a moment, he hesitated, unsure if he should mention what had happened with Akane or not. Part of him didn't want to, because it would only concern Illy more, so he decided against it.

"I know.. that you're just worried about everyone and I don't blame you, I am too, but we can all work together on this. We don't have to get hasty, doing so might lead to slip ups. You don't want him to catch on, right?" His tone was more gentle as he spoke, realizing he had probably sounded a bit harsher than he intended. If he had to be perfectly honest, he was a little stressed out with this whole impeding situation, as today would truly prove whether Geralt's addition would be enough to get them out of their current financial crisis.
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"Good, I won't have to bother with explaining the rules then." Geralt said, enthusiastically. He watched as Ivory leaned over to Akane, and noticed her fox-like ears slowly disappear from the top of her head. Though his face did not betray it, he was impressed. He'd have to add this to the list of facts he would use to research exactly what Akane was.

He was surprised to think that there were things to research at all. He wasn't expecting to come into contact with creatures that he had never heard of before. Although Geralt was well-traveled and confident in his knowledge of the unknown, even he had to admit that there were things he hadn't seen. He was only sure of three of the troupe's origins: Lucien was definitely of some divine nature, 'madame' Illynova was a seer of some skill, and their Winter Fairy was from a vampiric bloodline. The other three, well, he couldn't begin to guess. But all of this would come in time.

At Aurel's comment, Geralt snapped out of these thoughts and turned his attention on his fellow German. "Das ist nicht nötig, I've always preferred a Joker." he said, and clapped his hands once more.

The sound of the snap was loud, and final as his palms came together. There was a brief pause, and when he spread them apart, there was a deck of cards flashing between his palms in a mid-air spring flourish. The backs of the cards were matte black and had no pattern, and were quite unique. Once they were all in his palm, he cut the deck with one hand, then bent it and flicked another card through the air and into the opposite hand. He held it between his index and middle finger and flashed it to the troupe to reveal a joker. It was stylized after a gentleman with a suit and cane, and did slightly resemble its summoner.

Cora clapped her hands over her mouth as she watched this display, her blue-green eyes wide with wonder as she watched the cards snap and fly through the air. She mouthed 'wow' to Akane, but did not speak. She had never before seen these feats, and even though Lucien and Ivory were good at cards, she was quite sure neither of them could do that.

-----------------------------------------------------

Illyana paused when she felt Lucien touch her shoulder. Although her hand was still hovering over the handle to the door, she looked over her shoulder as he spoke to show that she was listening.

Again, he was right. His assessment of the situation, although it may be slightly clouded, was sound. Illy did not want to tip Geralt off that they were on to him in any way. The less he knew of their abilities and true natures, the better. She knew she would have to live and work with this man, but hoped that his relationship with everyone in the troupe, including Lucien and herself, would remain strictly professional. The moment he felt like he had been figured out, he would likely either lash out or leave them high and dry, and that was not what they needed in this moment.

She could feel that Lucien was stressed. Though his aura remained pure, divine, it was clear that their situation was getting to him. She trusted him to have everyone's best interests at heart, but she worried that he would be spreading himself too thin. Worrying about their financial situation while attempting to field their new member and also put up with his advances, well, it could get tiring for him quickly. She knew he would be too worried about all of these issues to take care of himself, this was why she knew she had to share some of the load.

She sighed and shook her head, dropping her hand from the handle and letting her expression soften. "I'm sorry, Lucien. I do understand, and I know you're right. I just get...caught up sometimes." She reached up and patted the hand that he had left resting on her shoulder. "It's okay, I won't take it too far." she reassured him by giving him a small smile. Though her expression remained slightly tense, this was what she could offer him for the time being.
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Aurel and Akane watched with interest and almost amazement as Geralt expertly handled the cards. They couldn't deny it was interesting to watch. Aurel watched his hands move quickly and expertly, while he was proud of his own quick reflexes, he could not deny the man had his own set of skills. He wasn't sure if he could ever pull off something like that.

Ivory watched him carefully, but did not share the same amazement the others did. It was to be expected he could do that much if he was a magician.

"I can see why." She said, glancing at the joker card. "Clearly black is someone's favorite color." Her tone was flat as she spoke, not really directing the comment to him. She simply couldn't help herself. Her observation had pretty much been made clear at this point. The man was wearing all black after all, and despite her annoyance in the earlier morning, she had noticed the outside of the trailer he was now staying in had been painted completely black.

"It's so mysterious! Can you do other tricks like that? Was it really hard to learn?" Akane asked curiously.

---

It seemed his words had helped Illyana ease a little, that at least made the Ringleader feel better about the situation. It would not have felt right to him to leave this off on a bad note. Lucien had made Illyana his right hand for a reason. While Ivory was very good at telling the carnies what to do, Illyana provided him with support when it came to handling everything and sharing responsibility. He really did rely on her a lot, but he also didn't want her to fall under the pressure of the entire situation.

"You don't have to apologize to me. I didn't mean to sound as harsh as I did. We both have small tendencies to get caught up in our own thoughts." He said, returning the girl's smile, before placing his hand on her head and ruffling her hat around a bit before letting both his hands fall back at his side.

"Ah, before you leave, there was something I wanted to consult you about. The last day, the consecutive shows. I was going to place Geralt last.. it makes the most sense to me but.. I wasn't quite sure who to place before him, since obviously there would need to be a practice on transition.." He trailed off, letting out a sigh.

"Honestly in terms of flow.. I feel like Ivory is the best choice, but.. I'm not sure how well that will go, considering what we've seen." He wanted to get her opinion on it, since he was very sure that this decision would displease Ivory, but whoever he chose would need to spend more time with the man, and he knew the dhampir would hold her own against him. He just worried of how much they might end up bickering with no one around to stop them.
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Geralt placed the joker back on top of the deck, cut it one-handed again, then chuckled quietly at Ivory's comment. "What can I say, it compliments me too well." he held his arms out at his sides to indicate his current outfit as an example. Besides his obvious statement, black was the trade color of the Magician. It would be criminal to try and pass off wearing any other color, not to mention his complexion.

At Akane's comment, he turned toward her and cocked his head to the side, suppressing his laughter this time, "Of course I can! They don't teach sleight of hand in Magician School for nothing." At this, he began to cut the deck in one hand again, once, twice, three times, then he brought his other hand over and began manipulating the cards into a serious of shapes. First one card flashed by, flipped over, and was gone again before another revealed itself. He twisted them through his fingers for several seconds, then performed another spring flourish, then a death roll, before dropping the deck onto the table and fanning all of the cards out, face up, for the table to see.

He then leaned forward, arms crossed and elbows on the table, smiling. "Still, it's nothing compared to that trick you just did," he nodded toward the top of her head, "Where did you learn that little number, hm?"

Cora's eyes had followed Geralt's hands as fast as they could. but still she missed some of his finer movements. His hands and fingers were like lighting over the backs of the cards, he was truly amazing. She glanced at Akane while it was all unfolding, her mouth slightly open in astonishment.

Seeing her friend made her remember the first time she had seen her dance. That had certainly looked like "magic" to her then, and it still did now. She closed her mouth and smiled to herself at the thought; the people in her troupe were definitely one-of-a-kind.

------------------------------------------------------

Illyana's smile remained as she looked up at Lucien while he shared these apologetic words with her. She couldn't help it, Lucien had a comforting presence for her. Even when she was flustered, he always seemed to know what to say to help her calm down.

Although she slightly resisted the hat-rub, she chuckled quietly as Lucien performed it. It had been a long time since he had done this to her, and it reminded her of the old days for a moment. She glanced over at the drawing on his desk, and her smile widened a bit.

She had been distracted when Lucien started to speak again, but her usual stoic expression quickly returned. "Hmmm..." she hummed while pondering his proposition, "Having his performance last is the best option, its the longest and has the most pizzazz." there was a brief pause as she placed a curled finger against her chin.

Lucien was right, avoiding contact between Ivory and Geralt was the best option for a smooth performance. Though Ivory had great self-control, she was the most vocal about her negative feelings toward the Magician. Illyana was sure that teaching them the choreography necessary for a smooth transition would be the hardest among all of the other pairs. Ivory wasn't even comfortable breathing the same air as Geralt, let alone giving up the stage to him.

But she knew that Ivory's would be best. She was already going after Akane and before the Acrobatic section before, and lately had been performing last. In terms of the transition itself, she was the most capable in case Geralt suggested something ostentatious, which he was likely to do. On top of that, the shows were currently aligned from shortest to longest, so having Ivory into Geralt made the most sense in terms of scheduling as well.

"You're right...their pairing is the most risky, but unfortunately for Ivory, it makes the most sense. I think she'll understand, we just have to hope that they both reel it in a little for the sake of the show." Illyana trusted Ivory, but she had a bit of a temper and was more than willing to share it with the rest of the world, and Geralt had shown a particular way of bringing that temper out in her. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it for whatever reason. If they could both practice and perform it in silence together, Illyana was sure it would be a hit.
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Ivory almost scoffed at his response. Shady color for a shady man. She thought. Granted, she usually wore dark colors herself, aside from when she was performing, but that was mostly to block out more rays of the sun. While it sometimes did make things a little hotter, her body temperature was slightly more on the cooler side, so she usually fared alright.

Akane's eyes were filled with curiosity as Geralt spoke. "Is there a school for that? Sounds fun if that's the case!" She asked. Having never experienced any schooling for herself, she didn't really know any better. All she really did know was that people went there to study. As she spoke she continued to watch the motions in Geralt's hands, as did Aurel. It was certainly an entertaining thing to try to follow.

At his question, she tilted her head for a moment. "Number?" She asked, but then realized he meant her fox ears. Honestly she was so used to not having to hide them around the troupe that she hadn't thought twice about having them out in front of the man before.

"Umm.. I'm not sure how to explain it.. Instinct?" She said a little questionably. "It goes beyond that though!" She said almost proudly.

It was then that Ivory decided to cut in, not wanting him to find out so much about her so quickly.

"So, shall we begin playing? Or are you going to keep hogging the cards?" Ivory spoke up to break the flow of conversation.

"Ah yes.. we should probably start, it does take a bit to pass all the cards out." Aurel piqued in to help out.

---

Lucien nodded as Illyana agreed with him. He had thought so too. The dhampir was very resilient, so he knew that she wouldn't let Geralt just do whatever he wanted, but he hoped that wouldn't end up getting in the way of coming up with the transition itself. They did have a few days to figure it out, but that was why he wanted to get this out of the way as soon as possible, to give it time in case something really ended up not working out. If it didn't then he'd have to think up an alternative. Lucien did not like leaving things to the last minute, it was a risky thing to do in this business, specially in the situation they were in now. Good 'reviews' of this show would impact how things went going forward.

"Yeah.. I thought so.. I will speak with her first then, to make sure it's alright before I tell Geralt." If Ivory outright refused him, then he wouldn't blame her. He knew how much she disliked strange men, and considering the type of man Geralt had proven himself to be so far, he knew she'd hate spending any unnecessary time with him. Whatever smooth little words he had for the dhampir would only have the opposite effect, and while he knew Geralt had to know that at this point, he knew that it would not stop him. He seemed to be amused by it, that would be a problem.

"Would you mind getting her for me? It's probably best for you two to switch." He said. With Ivory gone, he'd prefer to have someone else there to keep an eye on Geralt and the others. He had faith in Aurel, but he knew that he could also get easily overwhelmed, and he also wanted to avoid that if possible.
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Geralt couldn't help but smile at Akane's comments, they were so innocent and ignorant. Though she wore the body of an adult woman, her mind was still very naive and inexperienced, as was Cora's. There were certainly things he could teach them, given the opportunity. He would have to check though, to be sure of their age before making any concrete advances.

The Magician had opened his mouth to ask for further confirmation of Akane's abilities, when Ivory interrupted. He had been leaning forward on the table, watching her expectantly, but as he made eye contact with her his smile slowly faded. "By all means." he said, then slid the deck across the table toward her. He then leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers across his stomach as he watched them deal.

Cora smiled around at everyone, happy to see her friend's getting along. Although she sensed tension between Ivory and Geralt, she wasn't sure why. He was so polite and charming, and Ivory was usually very nice to everyone she met. Cora tilted her head as she looked at Ivory, just now realizing her distaste for the Magician...she'd have to ask her about it later.

-------------------------------------

Illyana listened to Lucien's plan, then nodded in agreement. "I think that's wise, telling him first would probably make Ivory say no on principal." She chuckled a little, realizing that if anyone would back her up in an explanation of Geralt's...shortcomings, it would be Ivory. She would make sure to keep the dhampir informed of any new discoveries about Mr. Wagner.

At Lucien's request, she snapped out of her reverie and nodded once more. "Not at all, I'll go now." she said, then made her way out.
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Ivory was glad her interruption had been enough to guide the conversation away from the previous topic. It seemed Geralt wasn't all too pleased with it, but the dhampir didn't care. She didn't want things to go his way. She grabbed the deck, giving it a few shuffles of her own before she began to deal cards to everyone at a quickened pace, as to shorten the amount of time it took, before they began their game. The beginning of it was not as intense, because there were a lot of cards available to them. Without her fox ears exposed, Akane was a lot better about not making any particularly outing expressions, though Ivory could see the occasional twitch of her tails from the edges of her dress.

"Geralt, I heard a rumor from the carnies that you've been doing magic for a really long time, is that true?" She asked with a small tilt of her head, curiosity shining in her eyes. He was a complete mystery to them all, so she couldn't help but want to know.

--

Lucien let out a small laugh, knowing that something like that was entirely possible if it was Ivory, hopefully things would not go that far though.

"Thank you." He called out to Illy as she took her leave, before he moved toward his desk and took a seat to wait for the dhampir to arrive. He honestly hoped things would work out. If they managed to put something together, he was sure that it would actually turn out to be a great performance. While Ivory hadn't had much experience when it came to circus things when she had first came here, it had been clear that she was willing enough to learn, and she actually had very good creativity despite the circumstances she had grown up in. Putting aside this idea of his, there were some things he wanted to address with her in terms of her interactions with Geralt going forward.
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Geralt waited for Ivory to deal, then took his cards. Of course, his face did not change as he looked at his hand. Immediately, he dropped one pair onto the table. He was less interested in the actual play of this game and more interested in how everyone else managed to calm and hide their expressions. He watched the players, his eyes moving around the table as they went, and appeared less-than entertained by his own hand.

Akane's question made him blink for a moment, he had been watching Cora's performance in the game and found it unusually well-crafted. Her face hardly ever twitched away from it's serene smile. He looked over to the red-head now, and cocked his trademark half-smile. "Why, were you looking to poach the secret of my youthful glow?" he asked, dark laughter echoing through the chambers of his mind as he did so. It was his turn, so he leaned forward to pluck a card from Ivory's hand, finding another pair to drop. "That depends on exactly what you've heard," he continued, but as he opened his mouth to say more, he was interrupted by another, lighter voice beside him.

Cora tilted her head as she spoke, "'A long time' is relative, isn't it?" she asked, tilting her head.

Geralt raised his eyebrows and glanced at the siren, amused and surprised at the wisdom she had just displayed. Because of the child-like glow about her, he had not been expecting her to add to this conversation in such a profound way, but he had to admit that he was pleased by this surprise. "Very true..." he said, letting his eyes linger on her for a little longer. Maybe he had discounted Akane and herself too early, this was certainly a sign of hidden depths.

Illyana could see that the rest of the troupe remained in the mess area, still playing cards. As she approached, she heard the tail end of Cora and Geralt's conversation, but thought nothing of it. His eyes rolled slowly up to her as she approached and he held out a hand, gesturing to an empty seat to Ivory's side. "Ah," he said, "Care to join our game of Old Maid?"

Illyana shook her head, her voice flat as she addressed him, "No thank you, I came to fetch Ivory." she then turned to the Dhampir. "Lucien has something he'd like to speak with you about." she said, she knew Ivory would be able to find him on their own.
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Akane couldn't help let out a small chuckle. "It is isn't it?" She said before looking back at Geralt as she dropped another pair. The conversation allowed distraction from the fact she was in possession of the Joker, it kept herself from staring at it, and instead kept her eyes on the magician. She of all people couldn't say anything, considering how old she actually was. She was honestly curious, because she had yet to meet anyone who was as old as she. Granted she had spent her first one hundred years of life as a fox, but it didn't dissuade her from having wanted to learn new things. She found it had only added to her experiences of life, and the years she now had as a human only added to it. There were still plenty of things she needed to learn, but she was happy to have all these great people with her on her journey.

"Something about a hundred years? I'm not sure, but I know sometimes things get lost in translation." She said thoughtfully. One of the many things she had learned when living among humans is how much people loved to gossip. Lucien had always told her not to believe everything she heard. Hearing a pair of light footsteps approach, she glanced behind her, smiling as she saw Illy had returned.

Ivory turned to Illy as she spoke to her, raising a slight eyebrow. "Alright.." She said, though she hadn't been in any particular hurry to leave. Still.. if Illy was here then she supposed she wouldn't be leaving the rest of them alone with Geralt. She handed the fortune teller her cards as she rose to her feet.

"Give them a run for their money on my behalf." She told her, with a slight grin, though there was only one particular person that was aimed toward. It wasn't like they were betting anything, but it would be nice to hear it if Geralt lost. She gave the table one last glance, before she readjusted her cloak and reluctantly walked out from the shade the tarp was providing, quickly making her way across the grounds to Lucien's trailer.

She knocked upon arrival.

"Come in." She heard Lucien call out to her, and quickly went inside. Lucien had been nice enough to preemptively close his curtains on her behalf.

"Illy said you needed to talk to me?" She asked, walking up and taking a seat on the other side of his desk. He didn't seem displeased, so she didn't think he had called her here to give her a talk about being nicer to the magician.

"Yes, I actually wanted to consult something with you. It's our tradition to have the consecutive performances on the last day.. and Illy and I agreed that Geralt's act would best be suited to be last, considering how long it runs. Up to this point the closing had been up to you, and we were struggling with whether we should keep the order we've been using and change it up.. Honestly I feel like transitioning your show into Geralt's would flow the smoothest, but I know you don't like him. If I do this, you'll have to practice at least a few times with him until you come up with a way to do that, but before I mention this to Geralt at all, I wanted to make sure that it was alright with you." He explained.

Immediately Ivory grimaced. It wasn't like she had any particular attachment to the idea of closing the show, she just did it cause Lucien told her it would work out best that way. She didn't care if Geralt did it or not, but the idea of having to spend time with him was displeasing to her. On instinct she wanted to say no, but then she thought about what would happen if she declined. Someone else would take her place, and that meant someone else would end up having to practice with him. Considering what she had seen from him so far, she didn't want that to have to happen this soon, when they still didn't know what he was or what he wanted. She let out a small frustrated sigh.

"Fine. I know everything you decide you do for a reason, and I don't want someone else to get stuck with him." She said, crossing her arms. "But if he pisses me off, I can't make any promises that I'll hold my tongue. He seems like the type to like to be in control of things, and I'm not letting him boss me around." Her tone was dry as she spoke.

Lucien chuckled. "I would expect nothing less from you. He might be an experienced showman but you have seniority here. I know you'll do what's best for the show in the end." He said pausing for a moment. "Yes, I've noticed he seems to like edging you on. In all honesty, Ivory, I would consider approaching this a little differently. He seems to take satisfaction in your annoyance, so I would keep that in mind in your future interactions. Instead of letting him play you, try to play him. You have the wits to pull it off you know?" He suggested.

At this, Ivory's expression eased, and a slight smirk tugged at her lips. "My, what a manipulative thing you are suggesting, Lucien. Aren't you supposed to be the good guy here?" She teased, though she knew he was right. It was clear Geralt enjoyed the.. bickering. She didn't want him to think he could just easily poke at her either, and if she wanted to catch him making a mistake, she supposed she'd have to be more careful in how she reacted to some of the things he said and did. What was it he had said? Play the player? Maybe it was possible for her to get his guard down if he thought she didn't absolutely despise him. She didn't, at least not yet. She just found him annoying.

Lucien couldn't help but laugh. "I like to think I am the good guy, but I know a sharp man when I see one. He doesn't seem like a person who would slip so easily, but if anyone can get it to happen, it's you. Me calling you away can easily be played as me scolding you to be nicer to him." He said a little amusingly. It would certainly make it seem like the Ringleader was less suspicious of him if they went about it that way, but it was ultimately up to what Ivory decided to do.

"Well.. as much as I hate to admit it, he doesn't seem like an idiot, so I suppose you're right. I'll do my best, but I'm not suddenly just going to start being nice to him, that'd be weird. I'll make sure the show is a success, don't worry. You should stop by practice sometime though just to make sure I haven't decided to throw a knife at him." She slightly joked.

"I'll definitely be sure to keep that in mind. That's all I had to say, so you can go back if you want. Mind telling him to come see me?" He asked. "The sooner we get started with this the better."

Ivory nodded, rising from the chair. "I do mind, but I'll do it anyway. Be careful Lucien, don't forget he seems to have taken a liking to you. You are inviting him into your trailer."

"You all worry too much. I'll be sure to be careful."
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Geralt turned his attention to Akane as she spoke up. His eyebrows raised slightly higher at her comment and he shook his head slightly, smiling as he spoke, "Well, the two of you are wise enough for all of the rest of us, huh Aurel?" he said, nudging the young man gently with his elbow. "You are exactly right, Akane, facts can become quite...diluted as time goes." There was a pause as Cora leaned forward to take a card from the Magician, which he offered willingly and with his same smile. She took one, then frowned as she realized she did not have a pair, but quickly her expression returned to its normal placid smile.

"While I have been performing for quite a while now...in fact, I may have lost the exact count, I can assure you it has not been a hundred years. German genes are strong, but they can't make you immortal." Geralt absent-mindedly plucked a card from Aurel's hand, then dropped another pair to the table.

Something else can... More cackling reverberated between his ears.

Illyana took Ivory's cards as they were pushed into her hands, looking up at the dhampir with a hint of desperation in her eyes. She did not want to play, in all honesty, cards had never interested her. They lacked...surprise, as most things did. However, she couldn't necessarily deny Ivory her win, or rather, Geralt's loss.

Hesitantly, she sat at the table, twisting her lips as she looked down at the cards. As Geralt dropped a pair on the table, she realized what game they were playing. She glanced down at her cards, glad that she did not have the 'Old Maid'. Her expression remained neutral and she watched Aurel take his turn.

"I suppose you were not given a choice, eh Madame?" Geralt asked her, smiling devilishly.

She merely shrugged in response and said, "It's not really fair when I play, is it?" Her tone was slightly sassy as she returned this comment, finding power in the revelation of her abilities to the Magician. She knew he already had some inkling as to what she could do, why not let him know that she was aware?

Geralt's expression did not falter in the slightest as he answered, "We can make an exception."
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Aurel leaned slightly away as Geralt nudged him, though it wasn't such a large distance that it would be extremely noticeable to everyone. It was mostly out of surprise, since he wasn't quite used to the man just yet, but it didn't take long for him to readjust again.

"Yes, they are." He agreed. There was no denying that. Despite how hard it was for them to catch certain things at time, Aurel couldn't deny that over the years, both women had displayed large amounts of wisdom, even if they didn't appear to at first glance.

"Oh, I see." She responded. There was a very small amount of disappointment in her voice, but it went as quick as it came. It would have been nice to meet someone who might have lived just as long, but it wasn't that big of a deal. "Well if you've lost count, then it must have been a good amount of years right? Is it fun?" She asked. Surely if one dedicated so much time to something like that, then it was because they were enjoying themselves? Based on what she hard heard in regards to his first show, it sounded like it had been very fun.

"I think you playing can make things interesting, certainly more challenging for some. We're supposed to be learning to have better pokerfaces." Aurel spoke up as he reached over to take a card from Akane, but was disappointed to not find a pair. It seemed Geralt was quite confidence despite being at least a little aware of what Illy could do. It would be nice if she was able to beat him.
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