Lucien's lips flattened into a thin line as Faolan spoke. He knew he had to stay quiet, but keeping calm in this situation was difficult.

"Don't call it an it Faolan! There's a child in there, in a cage." His voice came out in a harsh whisper. Honestly he was surprised. He expected Faolan of all people to want to jump to this child's rescue. He knew how much the Irishman valued freedom, so he simply could not understand why he was being like this.

"The child speaks German, I can ask them what is happening here, what they want to do, I don't know Faolan, but I refuse to sit here and do nothing. The moment I heard those voices I felt unsettled. Even now, the fact that we left feels wrong. If you want me to think about this then help me figure this out. Help me get over there." He told him. His tone left no room for discussion. If Faolan refused to help him here then he would find a way to do it without him. He refused to leave this place without making at least some attempt to provide that child with aid.

Having Faolan's help would allow them to sneak around, because he would be able to hear incoming footsteps of the carnies who might be seen patrolling the area. By now he was sure the majority of the people had left, and the place was closing up. This was their chance, as a lot of the carnies would be distracted.

It was clear from Lucien's tone that he was having no argument. Though Faolan understood why he was so upset, he was torn. His heart wrenched at the Nephilim's words, and guilt hung over him like a shroud. His shoulders slumped, and he looked to the ground for a moment in defeat. He knew that Lucien was right...everything he was saying was true. They needed to find out what was going on here, and correct it if they could. The Frenchman was too good of a person to let something like this sit. But...this was their life together, Faolan was only thinking of them. Maybe a little selfishly, but his intentions were good.

Still, he knew that wasn't enough for Lucien. Not now.

"I'm sorry." he said, meeting the Nephilim's eyes once more. "I know this is...serious." There was a pause as he looked about again, making sure they were entirely alone. It wasn't extremely necessary, given his senses, but he knew that even he could be snuck up on in the wrong circumstances. "We can probably get in there so you can talk to...them. We need to figure out exactly what's going on before we make any rash decisions. It could have been a...misunderstanding that you heard." Faolan said this even though he was almost positive that this could not be the case; he had learned to trust Lucien's gut feelings as much as, if not more than, his own. They had not once steered the pair wrong in the nine years they had been together.

He took a moment to listen closely, see if he could hear anyone in the direction they had gone. He sensed some movement there, but couldn't be sure if it was right next to the tent that they had seen the child in or not. He glanced over his shoulder, then took Lucien's hand. "Come on, around the back," he said, and began leading the Nephilim back to the Son of the Serpent.

Lucien was relieved to see Faolan agree. While he would have been more than willing to do this on his own, it would be more reassuring to have Faolan to back him up, in case anything went wrong. If it was just him he would not have been concerned but.. a child's safety was also at risk here. He didn't want to be completely reckless if he could avoid it. He hoped he hadn't hurt Faolan's feelings by being so harsh but.. he wanted him to know he was determined about this.

He nodded in agreement, finding no need to argue in that. He was fine with doing that first, it could have been a misunderstanding, part of him hoped it was. There could be some circumstance they didn't know about, maybe it was all part of the act, but honestly he doubted it. Children were easy to manipulate, it was possible that they didn't even know that the situation they were in was wrong.

He squeezed Faolan's hand, and followed him silently. He stopped when directed to, and followed him when the coast was clear. With his hearing, it was easy to maneuver their way back around the other tents, until they reached the back of the Son of the Serpent's tent. Upon arrival, Faolan gave their surroundings a quick glance, before pulling out his switchblade and jamming it into the tent, before tearing it open. He wasn't given much of a chance to stop him. He felt there could have been a better way to get inside but.. well.. it was too late now. Faolan motioned for him, and Lucien wasted no time in slipping inside, he knew Faolan would be a bit on the intimidating side for a child. The child had sat up quickly, fear crossing his expression, but he saw them wince. Were they in pain?

Lucien slowly raised his hands, making no move to approach at first. "We aren't going to hurt you." He spoke gently in German, and gave the child a smile, even though the sight he was met with made him want to do anything but that. The cage was not big enough to hold the kid inside, he doubted he could even fully stand in it. Now that he could clearly see for himself, he saw the snakes curled around the child's body, very much alive, though it didn't seem like they meant him any harm. It was certainly intriguing. The boy shot Faolan a nervous glance as the large man entered the tent, though he had kept his distance, giving the tent a small sweep before heading to the entrance, probably to keep watch.

"Y-you.. you can't be here.." Despite the soft and meek voice, Lucien was able to tell that this child was a boy, even though his appearance could say otherwise, considering his long, golden colored hair. His accent was very thickly German, which made him think he was a native. Quite a long way from his home.

"I know, and I'm sorry for frightening you, but my friend and I are only trying to help." His voice was soft as he spoke, gentle, not wanting to alarm the boy in any way. His eyes darted around nervously, but he didn't say anything more, so Lucien took that as his chance to get closer. Seeing him like this now, the nephilim could clearly see his reddened face, and tired eyes. Even he could smell the alcohol from where he was standing. The snakes slithered away from the boy and closer to him, their eyes on Lucien. it was strange.. almost like they wanted to protect the boy. What was most noticeable about him were his light-green colored eyes, that looked almost snake-like. It was a little surprising. Perhaps there was some truth to this.. son of the Serpent name. He knelt down, but kept a reasonable distance, not wanting to scare him.

"Do you mind if I ask how you ended up here?" He asked him, trying to keep his anger in the back of his mind. The boy's living conditions were clearly not good. Anyone in their right mind would want to get this child out of here. He could not believe he had been used as an attraction this whole time. Had this not concerned any of the viewers? Seeing a child in this condition?

"Johan.. found me.." He responded.

"Johan.. is that the man with the cane?"

His question had immediately caused a flash of fear to cross the boy's face. "Y-Yes.."

That was enough to tell Lucien that he had been correct about this man. The child was certainly being abused. The snakes had reacted accordingly, and hissed, though it was seemingly not directed at him.

"That man.. is he.. mean to you?" He asked. The boy's eyes darted toward the entrance, as if checking to see if no one else was listening, before shaking his head.

"N-No.. he.. feeds me.. and.. gave me somewhere to live.." Despite his words, the boy's expression betrayed him. It was almost like he was forcing himself to say these things. He took a better look at the boy. His body language was very withdrawn. He was practically dressed in rags, and despite the fact he stated he was being fed, he still looked a little scrawny. The boy looked.. a little frail. It was during his small glance over that he noticed a bruise on his arm.

"Do you mind if I ask how you got that bruise?" He asked, and the boy immediately covered it with his hand.

"I-It's nothing.. I just.. had to learn.. to do better.. I'm trying.. to do good.. and make more coin.."

Lucien had to stop his brow from furrowing. Did he beat the poor child when his performances didn't go well? Based on the threat he had overheard.. it made more sense. It.. had been a long time since Lucien could remember being this angry.

"I think.. that you're doing really good right now, thank you for answering all of my questions, I know it's hard to trust a stranger like this, but you did very well." He praised the boy, hoping it would ease his fears. It seemed to allow him to relax a little.

"Do you speak any English?" He asked.

"Not.. well.. I understand a bit more than I can speak.. just.. what I picked up while I was here.." He muttered.

"I see... thank you for telling me, I'm going to go talk to my good friend over there for a second okay? I'll be right back." Before he stood up, he paused, and glanced down at the wolf he was holding. "Do you want to keep this safe for me? He's my new friend, I think he will help you feel a little better." As he spoke, he gently reached out, just inside the cage, to hand the boy the wolf. The snakes stared at him, but did not act against him, and he wasn't particularly worried about them either. The boy hesitated, but reached out and took it from him. It was then that he noticed the glistening scales that shined in the light, almost matching the color of his eyes. It didn't seem like it was makeup.. but he decided not to linger on the thought too much, it wasn't all that important right now.

Seeing him a little more relaxed and reassured, Lucien rose to his feet, and walked over to Faolan, quickly explaining what he had been told, his frustration and anger more clearly expressed now that the boy could not see him.

Faolan entered the tent after Lucien, making sure to keep his distance from the cage where the child sat. He didn't look directly at the being there for two reasons: first, he was certain his presence would alarm the child, and second, because he knew that he could not afford to lose his temper now. He had to keep calm so that he could keep all three of them from being discovered.

Once Lucien began speaking to the child softly in German, he started making his way around the tent to be sure they were alone. Luckily, he sensed no movement and the smells of other humans in the tent were fading. He made his way to the front and very carefully peeked out of the flap. He saw movement in the darkness, but it was far enough away that he was sure they would not be discovered. The light inside was dim, and the canvas was heavy enough to obscure the sounds of Lucien's conversation with the child. He waited a moment, and whatever was moving made its way out of sight. He closed the tent flap, but stayed near the entrance and trained his ears and nose outside, monitoring the activity around the grounds.

Once he heard Lucien moving toward him, he turned to assess the look on his beloved's face. He was furious. In fact, Faolan had never seen the Nephilim this angry before, not even when he had returned from his two-month hiatus back in Green Bay. Whatever the child had said had certainly riled him up.

Faolan could not help but glance over Lucien's shoulder at the child in the cage, and he felt a similar fury boil up in his chest. It was clear, even from here, that they were uncared for; skinny, with sunken eyes and horror written across their features. They were covered in bruises, and the smell of blood and liquor filtered heavily from that direction. They were pale and malnourished, long platinum blonde hair was dry and split, and their extremities showed signs of severe dehydration.

He tore his eyes away from the sight as he felt himself loosing control of his anger. His teeth were bared and his eyes alight with fury, but he did not want the child to see this. He calmed his expression as best he could as Lucien began to reiterate their conversation. Anger flashed in the Irishman's eyes, but he managed to keep himself under control, though he could feel his nails cutting into his palms from how tight his fists were clenched.

As Lucien finished, Faolan looked from the child, who he realized now was a young boy, and back to Lucien. Still, despite his anger at what he was witnessing, there was the slightest hint of doubt within him. He agreed that they could not let the child continue to live in these circumstances, but what would they do with him once they freed him? His lot would not be much better at a foster home...but could they care for him properly either?

"Lucien..." he began, steeling himself for what he was about to say, "I understand that this is...despicable, we can't allow it to continue. But, if we get out of here without being seen, what are we going to do with...him?" Though the Irishman was older than Lucien, and had much more experience in the world, he had found himself looking to him for guidance in matters of the heart. He wanted the Nephilim to say something, anything, that would change his mind for the better.

Faolan's anger reflected his own, that much was clear. It was hard to keep their cool in a situation like this. This circus was despicable, to allow such feats upon a child. It made him wonder if there was more going on behind the scenes, but he hadn't seen any of the other acts and performers look like this.

At his question, Lucien averted his gaze. Honestly that was a hard question to answer. From what he had seen, he had no doubt in his mind that there was no way this child was purely human. There had to be some supernatural aspect to him, to have such features, but he couldn't really know more about that without asking him, and now was not really the time. He didn't feel like he would be fully safe in an orphanage with that appearance, but he couldn't bear to leave him here either. He would never be able to live with himself if he let himself walk away from this situation.

"We.. can take care of him, at least until he had been restored to full health. Faolan.. I don't think he's completely human. His eyes are snake-like, and I noticed scales on his body. Those snakes in there seem to mean him no harm at all, in fact with the way they act.. it's almost like they want to protect him. It's not safe to leave him here, and it's not safe to leave him in the hands of a human orphanage either. I know that.. our life on the road can be difficult, but it's certainly better than what he is experiencing here." He reached for Faolan's hand, which he knew was tense with anger, and squeezed it gently.

"I can't leave him here Faolan.. We can ask him what he wants to do, he has the freedom to choose and live his life as he pleases.. that's what you told me once isn't it?" He asked quietly, pleading eyes looking up at the love of his life. He knew that if they did this the road ahead would not be easy with a child to take care of, but he was willing to take that chance, for this boy's sake.

Faolan never took his eyes off of Lucien's as he spoke, green locked with gold. The longer he listened, the more his anger faded. Though his rage at the injustice was still present, Lucien always helped to dampen his negative feelings, relax him. He knew it was this way for others as well, but there was something special about the way he made the Irishman feel, because he knew Lucien deeper than anyone else did. Lucien's kind heart, his open arms, were one of the myriad reasons why Faolan loved and protected him so fiercely. He knew all that Lucien wanted was to pass that protection on to others, now that he had the means. This was just another way that he was spreading his wings in defense of the innocent, of the downtrodden and less fortunate. Faolan could not deny him this, even if he was afraid. Lucien made him feel invincible, and though he had kept this to himself for a long time, he knew that eventually Lucien would want to give it to others as well.

He looked down at his hand as Lucien squeezed it and felt himself relax. He opened his fingers and let Lucien's intertwine with his, blood from his palm smearing both of their skin. He squeezed back, gently, and nodded.

"Okay," he said simply. "If he wants to come, let's go." There was nothing for him to fear.

Lucien tightened his hold on Faolan's hand as he accepted, gratitude and love reflected in his golden eyes.

"Thank you.." He said quietly, pulling on his hand and lightly kissed the back of it, before reluctantly releasing it, and turning to head back to the boy. He knelt back down in front of the cage.

"My friend and I were talking.. and I wanted to ask you.. would you.. want to leave this place?" He asked, causing the boy's brow to furrow, clearly hesitating before he answered.

"I-I don't.. know.."

He knew that this was a big question he was asking, so he decided to rephrase. "Let me ask in a different way.. if given the chance, would you like to leave here and see the world? Away from this circus.. and this cage"

"The world... it.. seems scary.." He said quietly, before sending another nervous glance at the entrance. "Who.. is that big man..?"

Lucien followed his gaze to Faolan. "That's Faolan. He's my closest and most trusted friend. Once.. I was lost.. and alone.. and he saved me from big, bad men. He may seem big and scary, but he's actually very kind. He's been with me for plenty of years now, and he's kept me safe. If.. you want to come with us, I'm sure he'll help me protect you too."

"Protect.. me..?" He seemed almost unsure, but slightly less afraid of him now.

He smiled. "Yes, he would never let anyone hurt us, and I wouldn't let anyone hurt you either. The world can be really scary, but if you have people by your side that you can trust, it doesn't seem all that scary anymore. I want to offer you a chance to get out of here, and come with us. I promise you have nothing to fear, and no one from here will be able to get to you, I swear it."

The boy's apprehension was clear, he had glanced down at his snakes, one of which had turned to face him. It was almost like.. he was communicating with him. It was certainly strange to see, but he didn't question it. Whatever had just happened seemed to make the boy relax a little more.

"Johan.. he won't find me?"

Lucien shook his head. "No, I promise he won't. You won't have to.. learn anything from him anymore." He reached into the cage slightly, and extended his hand to the boy. Some of the snakes moved back slightly, but then tilted their heads in his direction. He was glad none of them had decided to bite him, mostly because he wouldn't have wanted them to get hurt giving an attempt. There was a moment before the boy finally moved, and reached to grab hold of his hand. The boy's hand felt.. so small in his own, so frail. He could see more patches of those scales he had seen on his skin.

"Do you have a name? Mine is Lucien."

The boy shook his head. "They just.. call me Snake.." He responded. It was certainly not a name, but they could come up with something else later.

"Alright then.. Snake, my friend over here is going to break this lock okay? So we can get you out." He said. The boy nodded, and Lucien then released his hand, before calling out to Faolan.

Faolan barely brought himself to let go of Lucien's hand, but be knew it must be done. He let him move back over toward the boy, but didn't bother to listen to their conversation as he could understand none of it. He listened instead to movement outside. It seemed they were alone, and lucky. The man who ran this place certainly did not seem concerned at all for the safety or integrity of his business or performers if he was not even bothering to check in on this child. Had he planned to leave him out here all night...alone in a cage? Faolan was afraid of what Lucien might see if that man were to walk in on them now, but he wasn't sure he would be able to hold his fury back, even for the love of his life.

As soon as he heard his name, his attention was on the Frenchman as he knelt in front of the cage. He approached rather quickly, knowing that breaking the cage would produce quite a bit more noise than was good for them right now. Still, it had to be done. As he walked toward the cage, he finally noticed the snakes that were curled up in various spots around the child. At first, he was slightly alarmed by this, especially as he had seen Lucien reaching inside, but his instincts told him that these animals would mean them no harm. They seemed protective of the child, if anything.

The Irishman looked at the lock that held the cage door shut, his eyes briefly landing to the boy, who was staring at him warily. He couldn't blame the boy, and was used to worse looks from kids. He could see now why Lucien suspected that the child was not entirely human, and his scent told Faolan the same. Though it was covered up by the strong smell of liquor and faint traces of blood and sweat, he smelled something earthy...mossy, like a stone in a forest or a piece of damp wood. It was not unpleasant to Faolan, and instead reminded him of the forests at home. It was similar to the way he felt about Lucien's scent, although it was much less intense for him.

He saw that the lock was hanging free, which was good for him but knew it would be loud. He looked around, but seeing no cloth with which he could dampen the sound, he had almost given up before he noticed Lucien's vest. He gestured toward it, "Lucien, your vest," and held out a hand.

Lucien handed it over without delay, and Faolan wrapped it around the lock and jam. Once it was secured, he motioned for Lucien to stand back, and raised his fist. He began to bring it down, then paused, looking between the boy and Lucien. "Tell him to cover his ears."

Lucien and the child both obeyed, and Faolan brought his fist down like a hammer onto the clock. There was a loud grinding sound, then a pop, and the lock hit the floor. He knew it had been loud, but luckily the trick with the lock had worked. He unwrapped the vest and handed it back to Lucien, and as he stepped back, the door swung free.

Lucien.. this man was certainly strange. He had a smile that somehow managed to reassure him even though he was scared.. it was the first time really.. that he had felt this way. He had even been able to gain his snake's approval. For whatever reason.. they reacted well to this man. They didn't seen to have the need to act aggressive toward him, like they had with Johan. Did that mean that.. maybe he could trust him? He watched the larger man come and tear off the lock. Honestly he couldn't help but feel intimidated by him.. he was really large..

"Thiss one iss.. weird.." The brown, dark striped snake spoke in regards to the large man.. Faolan.. as Lucien had called him. This one was the one that had been at his side from the very beginning.. the snake that taught him everything he knew.. before the circus. It was the only one that he had been able to keep before coming to America, before other snakes had found him. He stared at the man warily, but obeyed as Lucien told him to cover his ears. Honestly he was shocked at the amount of ease he had broken through the lock. Last he had tried it wouldn't even budge. Was this man.. really that strong? Lucien put his vest back on and fully opened the cage, and extended his hand toward him again. This time he took it with less hesitation. The possibility of getting out of here.. he wanted nothing more. Part of him was still afraid that Johan would find out and punish him but.. Faolan.. he was much bigger. If Lucien wasn't lying to him.. he felt like he could feel safe.

He shifted toward Lucien, and grabbed hold of his hand, he pulled lightly on it, and he tried to stand, only to have his legs falter and cause him to fall forward. It seemed.. he was right.. he was simply too weak. Lucien had been quick to catch him, and he couldn't help but wince.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Lucien asked worriedly. He shook his head, but only lightly, the motion of it still made his head throb.

"No.. it's okay.. My head just.. hurt's a little.."

"I'm.. going to try to make it better okay?" He felt a soft touch at his head, it felt.. gentle, and warm, unlike what he was used to. Suddenly he felt that warmth increase. His headache slowly began to fade, until it was completely gone, as was his earlier light-headed feeling. It had caught him off-guard.

"How.. how did you do that?" He asked, clearly amazed.

"It's.. my special little skill. Can.. you walk? Or would you like me to carry you?"

At this, Snake looked down, almost ashamed. "I don't.. think so.. I'm sorry.." He said quietly.

"There's no need to apologize, I'm going to pick you up okay? We're getting you out of here." He felt himself be gently lifted off his feet soon after. He grimaced slightly as his hand brushed his back, but he tried not to react too much to it. He felt the striped snake curl around his foot before he was lifted, having no intention of leaving him, which he was glad for. Lucien looked at the snake curiously, but didn't say anything.

"He's.. my friend.. He.. can come right?" He asked him quietly, hoping it was okay he was sticking with them. It was odd that the man did not seem particularly concerned by it. Usually people were more.. concerned about having the snakes this close to them.

"But of course." He responded to him with a smile. Now having the boy in his arms, Lucien turned to Faolan. "Lead the way." He told him.

Faolan watched Lucien as the child accepted his hand and grimaced as he saw the boy's legs falter. He was clearly to weak to stand, let alone walk. This enraged Faolan even more, but he knew he could not allow this to get to him. Not if he wanted to truly save the child without being noticed. He averted his gaze and focused once more on the sounds around them. Once their conversion in German was through and Lucien had lifted the child free of the cage, Faolan nodded and slowly stepped out of the tear he had made in the back of the tent. He looked and listened about for a moment, then motioned for Lucien to follow.

Boy in tow, the two made their way across the ground the way that had come, behind the perimeter. As they went, Faolan glanced over his shoulder to see a group of snakes, the ones that had been surrounding the boy in the cage, following the three of them. This struck him as odd, and he would have stopped to ask that they stay behind, but something told him that it would be a waste of time. They still had to make it back to their trailer, which had been parked among some other vehicles close to the site. This would be the toughest part of their journey, crossing the dirt lot with no cover without being seen. If they were, Faolan had no doubt that he would protect them, but if the denizens of the carnival gave chase...well, their trailer was not the fastest vehicle as it was hauling quite a bit of weight. There best bet was to make it across and drive away before anyone had time to notice them, or at least give them a good head start. This is what Faolan aimed to do, snakes or not, it was the best plan.

A couple of times, the Irishman had to stop and signal the others to do so as well when he heard someone crossing in front of their path. They made good headway with this, but eventually they came across a group of men all gathered in one spot.

They appeared to be a cadre of employees lingering near the entrance. Faolan could make out the outline of the trailer from here, but it was still quite a ways off. He held up his hand, signalling for Lucien to stop. He looked around, sniffing and listening, to try and get an idea for how to get passed them without being seen. There looked to be about 5 or 6 of them. Nothing he couldn't handle, but a fight would ruin the element of surprise.

They were far enough away that they would not be heard, so Faolan ducked back around the corner of the stand they were hiding behind and whispered to Lucien, "I see about six guarding the entrance. I may have to go...deal with them." At this moment, he saw no other way of passing. At least, if he could provide a distraction, Lucien and the boy could make off toward the trailer, swing back and pick him up. If they couldn't, he could run for it. He was sure he was faster than any regular human, but given the presence of this "special" child, he didn't know how many others may have abilities. Hopefully, Lucien had a better idea.

Lucien followed Faolan through the grounds of the circus, they were much more careful getting out than when they had snuck in. He made sure to keep the boy close, eyes on Faolan as he stopped or kept going depending on the motions the Irishman gave them. It had gone fairly well, up until they reached the entrance, at least. There were carnies at the entrance, and they couldn't really get through them without being seen. He noticed that the other snakes in the cage were trailing and following behind them. It seemed they weren't willing to let the boy be, but he didn't really mind, since the boy didn't seem to either. It was clear there was some sort of friendship between him and the snakes.

They stopped near the entrance, and Lucien's eyes followed Faolan's gaze to the crowd of men. He frowned, as he wanted to avoid any sort of scene while they were here. He didn't want them to know who may have done this. He didn't want Faolan to have to fight anyone either.

"No.. we should be able to pull this off without violence, it's better if we aren't seen.." He muttered, taking on a pensive expression. Lucien glanced around the grounds, trying to find some sort of distraction he could make. He spotted a large tent within view of the entrance, and looked to the boy.

"Do you know if there's anyone in that tent usually?" He asked in German.

"I don't think so.. it's only for performances.."

"Alright.. Faolan, I'm going to break a couple of the ropes securing that tent. It'll most likely collapse, I think that should be enough to pull those men away from the entrance." He told them. Upon receiving Faolan's approval, he turned back toward that tent, and lifted his hand. A small barrier formed around one of the ropes, and caused it to snap in half. He did the same to the other one, and soon after the tent began to shake, and collapse inwards, no longer having the security of being tied down to the ground. The carnies had reacted immediately, as he had expected, and ran toward the tent, and away from the entrance, just as they needed.

Faolan trusted Lucien to take care of things like this without violence. Unfortunately, this was typically Faolan's first thought. It was in his strengths, after all. He was relieved to see that the barrier trick worked, and a small smile flashed across his face as the men ran to deal with it.

He waited a moment, until he was sure they were completely occupied, then moved forward. He had thought for a moment that it would be best to get into the trailer, drive it over and pick Lucien and the boy up, but decided against it. A large, rumbling tub like that would pull much more attention than two and a half figures, even if they were being followed by a bunch of slithering reptiles. He motioned for Lucien to follow, and began to sprint across the grounds towards the trailer. At their position, they would reach the back side opposite the door.

Faolan was a much faster runner that Lucien, and though the Frenchman could fly, it would be too noticeable in this situation. He knew he did not have to tell him that. He could feel that he was pulling ahead a bit, but was okay with this. He did want to make sure the coast was clear before they made it to the door.

It was a good thing too, because as they drew closer, Faolan smelled a foreign presence in the area. He slowed slightly, pinpointing the location as near the door of the trailer. Even at this distance, he could smell more sweat and alcohol, and hear heavy breathing and the sound of small metal pieces scraping against each other. He slowed as he approached, and motioned for Lucien to do the same.

As they reached the back of the trailer, he held a finger to his lips to signify silence, then a palm towards Lucien to indicate that he should wait here. When Lucien nodded in agreement, Faolan slowly began to sneak his way around the trailer.

On the hunt, he was completely silent. His ears and nose were tingling with sensation as he tiptoed around the back side of the vehicle. He peeked around the corner and saw a man at their door, trying to jimmy the lock. Faolan would have rolled his eyes if he hadn't been so focused on the task at hand. There was no way around this, he would have to deal with it his way.

He sneaked up along the side of the trailer, not that he needed to. He was only four or five feet away when the man noticed him. He turned, slowly, drunkenly, and Faolan had enough time to close the distance.

A quiet "He-" was all that managed to escape the man's lips before Faolan's fist found his face. His nose crunched in and his eyes closed. For a moment, the man was woozy, but Faolan had hit him in the right spot to knock him out. The Irishman grabbed the man by the shoulders and let him down gently, so as not to make any more noise, then slid him away from the trailer door to make room as blood trickled slowly from both nostrils.

He retrieved the keys from his pocket and knocked on the side of the trailer twice, signalling Lucien that the coast was clear. He unlocked the door and held it open as the two made their way towards him.

Lucien had quickly sprinted across the grounds behind Faolan, holding the boy close. It did not seem like the carnies were paying any attention to them at all, too preoccupied with trying to sent the tent upright again and get new ropes attached to it. He stopped when Faolan motioned him to, knowing that he had heard something. He felt the boy's grip on him tighten, and he gave him a reassuring smile, taking note that the snakes had finally caught up with them. They seemed.. well.. determined to follow.

The nephilim had heard the small scuffle, if one could even call it that, but approached the side of the trailer as he heard the knock. Passing by he could see the now unconscious man laid across the floor, with a severely bloody nose. Well.. he supposed one man down was better than seven.

"Are they coming too?" Lucien asked the boy.

"Please.." He responded.

"Let the snakes in too, Faolan." He told the man, before he walked into the trailer and set the boy down on the cot they had in the trailer. It was the one Faolan used to sleep on before they had began to sleep on the same bed. They had considered getting rid of it but, for appearances sake, decided to keep it. He supposed that was a good decision, considering they'd need it now.

The reptiles were quick to make their way inside. He moved toward the window, and opened the curtain, which had a good view of the circus entrance.

"It seems no one has noticed yet.. we are in the clear." Lucien spoke up before pulling the curtain closed.

Faolan held the door open, but would have shut it if not for Lucien's request. He watched the snakes slither by passively, but still touched by aw at their loyalty to this child. As far as he knew, reptiles were solitary creatures, so even if they were the boys pets...this amount of dedication and sovereignty was striking. He could not necessarily say that he had not seen this behavior before; for instance, in all his days travelling he had never been attacked by a wolf or dog. However, canines were pack animals, and he knew they would recognize him as their alpha and therefore would not attack unless they were challenging him. Perhaps this child had more in common with him than he knew...

As the last serpent entered the trailer, he deftly jumped inside, the shocks creaking under his added weight, and swung the door shut as quietly as he could.

He heard Lucien's assessment and grunted his response, then made his way to the driver seat and held the key just outside of the ignition. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "Things will probably change once I turn 'er on. We'll have a good head start, but I'll have to gun it." He knew that it would take the employees of the carnival a while before they could gather themselves and give chase, but the trailer's lack of speed was a big disadvantage and he would have to make up for it.

Lucien nodded slightly at Faolan's words, moving away from the boy to pull out the map Faolan had been chartering for their journey. He figured it was best for him to check which way was the best for them to go. Heading out of state lines was probably a good idea. Considering Circuses worked outside the law, he didn't think that it would be wise of them to go to the authorities for this, considering the abuse this child had been enduring. He didn't think they'd dare to try, but i they did, he wanted them to be completely out of the jurisdiction of that state.

"I'm going to give Faolan some directions okay? Make yourself at home."

The boy only nodded, and then Lucien walked to the front of the trailer, taking a seat on the passenger side.

"We should head into Nebraska, to the town of Chadron. There's a lot of forest around, it might be good for us." Lucien suggested, glancing over the map.

"A town visit would be good too, the boy needs new clothes.." He muttered. They needed to get him cleaned up too, or people might be asking a bit of questions when they saw him.

Faolan let the key hover near the ignition but saw Lucien approaching him with the map and decided to hold off. It was best if they knew where they were headed before they took of. The Irishman knew they would not be heading back to Douglas, it was the first place this Johan would look for the boy once they realized he was gone. It was best if the child was not seen by anyone in that town at all. Faolan had been on the run more times in his life than he could count on two hands, and usually relied on instincts alone to guide him through. It had never failed him, but at times like these, he was thankful for Lucien's planning. He had more to worry about than just himself, and he couldn't bare the thought if his instincts got someone else into trouble.

Faolan took a quick glance at the map and saw the dot that Lucien was pointing too. They weren't too far from the boarder, and it would be best to leave the state. Once they were out of sight of the Carnival, they would be free and clear for the most part, unless they gave chase. Faolan could deal with it if they did, but he preferred not to have to do that.

"I think it'll work. Three, maybe four hour drive in this tub. Should get us there well before daybreak." He said. There was a slight pause as he looked up to meet Lucien's eyes. "If they chase us and we have to stop, I need you to get the kid out." He knew that this was not the time to say this, and that Lucien would not have a...positive reaction to this request, but he needed it to be said. They had never been in this situation before, and though Faolan was confident in their plan, he didn't know what exactly lay ahead for them. Better to be safe than sorry.

Lucien didn't think the drive would be too bad, it was the best he could figure out for right now, since they really had to make this sort of decision on the spot. The nephilim grimaced at what Faolan had said, not liking the idea one bit, and was very reluctant to agree.

"That won't be necessary." He said, his tone determined. He'd do whatever he could to make sure that wasn't needed. The last thing he wanted to do was to leave Faolan behind, for any reason.

"It would be unwise of them to follow us with everyone they have, they have an entire circus to leave behind. If I have to use my barriers to run them off the road, I will. It'll be okay Faolan. I'm sure of it." He tried to reassure, before he reached out with his hand, placing it on Faolan's before he turned it, causing the engine of the trailer to roar to life. They had no time to waste.

It was just like Lucien to see the silver lining of every cloud. He almost reached over and pulled the man into a kiss, but remembered that there was another pair of eyes in the trailer and held himself back. For a split second, a wave of despair hit him as he realized that their alone time would be...vastly diminished now that they had rescued this child. But, these were thoughts for another time.

He felt the engine kick to life, and the whole hood began to rumble and cough. It was an old machine, but one he had tuned up himself. She would not break down, but she would make a lot of noise in the escape. Immediately, he flipped the headlights on and floored it. There was some squealing and grinding in protest, but eventually the lumbering vehicle began to move.

They jolted and jostled through the dirt lot for a moment, the whole of the interior shaking and rattling with every divot and bump they hit. Once the rubber met the road, the drive was a little smoother, but it wasn't exactly silk either. He and Lucien were used to it, but he wondered how the child was faring. He was brave to come along with them, but the Irishman wondered how long that bravery would last.

Faolan's eyes flashed to the rear-view mirror, and he saw no lights or movement as they reached the road. He pulled a sharp left, back toward Douglas, and kept his foot down. He had no doubt they would be followed soon, he was just waiting to see the flash of lights behind them.

Snake sat where he had been placed, eyes trailing around the trailer. It was a relatively nice kept place.. and it was warm. It had been a while since he had ever really been.. comfortable. The boy was used to sleeping on the forest floor, and the cage he had been practically living in. He wasn't too hard to accommodate but.. he couldn't deny that this place was more comfortable than what he had grown used to. He glanced down at the stuffed wolf he was still holding. He recognized it, because he knew it was a product their circus held. It was.. odd for him to see the man with it, considering it was sometimes a thing he saw children have when they came to see him. He didn't think they were this soft..

He glanced down at the snakes that had curled up around him. The striped brown snake was now resting around his neck, almost watchful. The sound of the engine roaring to life startled him, but he didn't say anything, used to traversing harsh roads because of the paths the circus would decide to take when they were headed to their next performance destination. He was glad that whatever Lucien had done had made the sickening effects from before go away, or he might have grown nauseated from the sudden movement of the vehicle. While.. he had no idea where they were going.. he honestly didn't care. He was just.. glad that he could get as far from Johan as possible.

Lucien raised his eyebrows in surprise at the direction Faolan had decided to take, giving the map a glance. "What are you doing, Faolan?" He asked, wanting to know why he had decided to head in the direction of town. If he thought about it, it would most likely be the place they would go look for them first.

Faolan knew that Lucien would ask about this, and regretted that he had said nothing before taking off. In the moment, he had just trusted his instincts. The trailer rumbled along the road, and every three or four seconds, he would glance in the mirrors to see if they were being followed. There was no one on the road at this time of night, so he decided they had a good chance of outrunning any heat. An aspect that worked against them, however, was that they were mostly surrounded by flat, open ground. Faolan knew that their headlights would be seen for miles around with no other vehicles to mask them. They were too slow to catch up to any cars that had left the circus before them, even if it had been only by minutes. However, Faolan was counting on the fact that any pursuers would identify their headlights and head in this direction.

"Throwing them off the scent a little," he said in answer to Lucien's inquiry, "We can't out-drive them, but we can point them in the wrong direction."

Lucien did not answer, and Faolan accepted this as understanding and agreement. He left his foot on the gas for several minutes and kept glancing behind them. Luckily for him, the road was relatively straight and well-maintained, so he didn't have to worry about hitting potholes or blocks, at least for this stretch.

And then, he saw them. Two glowing eyes lighting up the road behind them. He had no doubt that this was a vehicle in chase, although it had taken them a little longer to send someone than he had anticipated. At least he did only see one vehicle after them, for now. It was good timing, because the turnoff he needed was coming up.

He let them catch up a bit, still pushing his foot practically through the floor. It took mere minutes, their car was much faster than their mobile home. Once the vehicle was close enough for Faolan to smell the hint of exhaust belching from their tailpipe, he cut the headlights on the trailer, said, "Hold on," and braked, hard.

As he slowed, he saw the turnoff coming and quickly slanted the wheel toward it. It was a sharp turn, but not enough to toss anyone around, though he knew the breaking has jostled a few things that were not exactly nailed down. He let the trailer rumble into a small grove of trees for a minute or so, slowing all the while, then braked fully and immediately cut the engine.

He sat there for a moment, still and silent, listening to the breathing of Lucien and the child, their heartbeats, the quiet ting ting ting of the hot engine and the wind in the branches. They needed to wait until they were fully in the clear, and Faolan would not turn the engine back on until he knew that they were.