Illyana had returned to the mess area just before Ivory and the carnies started filtering in. She accepted her pay and tucked it into the pocket of her dress, then stood near Lucien with her hands folded in front of her. She kept her expression neutral throughout Lucien's statement, making sure to glance at Geralt when he rose his mug toward The Magician.

Geralt handed out the beverages and took a sip of his own as he remained standing while listening to Lucien's announcement. He looked over the crowd around them, sizing up the true number of hands at Lucien's disposal. It appeared that he had a total of eleven rubes in addition to himself and the performers. It made sense now why the man seemed so desperate for money, he had many mouths to feed and pay for. The carnies themselves didn't seem to take as large of a chunk from the coffer, but each of them still had to be fed and cared for while in the circus' employ. It was a shame, considering that Geralt knew he could do the jobs of at least half of them, and if the troupe had a strong man...well, they would be entirely devoid of use. Maybe, as time wore on, Geralt could convince Lucien to cut a few of them loose. It may be difficult, but Geralt had no doubt that he could convince him given the right opportunity. He'd wait, of course, until the two of them were closer and his opinion had more sway.

The Ringleaders words sparked him from his reverie, and he looked over at him with a bit of genuine surprise. He swallowed the gulp of coffee in his mouth, then laid a hand on his chest as he spoke, [color=crimson]"I am humbled by your kindness, sir. And to the rest of Cirque D'étoiles for offering me a proper welcome."[/color] He rose his mug to the crowd before continuing, [color=crimson]"If I'd known, I may have brought something special from town to contribute. Oh well, maybe there will be time yet."[/color] he added a wink to the end of this speech. Though he was a bit taken aback by this detour, he thought it would be a welcome distraction for everyone and a chance to worm his way a little deeper into their ranks. A welcome party certainly meant alcohol, which meant lowered inhibitions, which gave The Magician perfect opportunities to press for a bit more information about the members of the troupe.

Still, he did have one more question with regards to this little get-together...but he would wait until the crowd dispersed before he asked.

Cora's eyes sparkled with happiness as Lucien concluded his speech. Of course, she had been looking forward to the lake ever since it was mentioned in the trailer right before recruiting Geralt. Having a party on top of that was so exciting! She had heard about them before, but had never really attended one. She was excited to see what it all entailed, and maybe she would have a chance to speak with Akane about it before they started moving. Some members of the troupe had had small celebrations for what they referred to as "birthdays", but at the time, Cora had not been interested in attending due to her...nervousness around people. A couple of months ago, they had officially welcomed Cora with a small "party" when she'd begun performing with the troupe, but it had been quiet and small. If everyone, including the workers were invited, she had no doubt this would be the true party she had heard about.

[color=00a99d]"Oh, this sounds wonderful!"[/color] she shouted, unable to contain herself. [color=00a99d]"I can't wait!"[/color] she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Akane once more, placing her thin pale hand over her friend's and giving it a squeeze to show her excitement.

Illyana could not help but smile a little as she saw Cora's reaction to this. It had taken a good amount of time for her to be comfortable interacting with them, and now she was really coming out of her shell. Illyana could sense her heightened excitement in her aura, and was thankful that she was far enough away that it would not effect her mentally. Cora's psychic abilities were quite powerful, but they were just starting to show themselves. Illyana was excited to see where they would take her once she was truly comfortable with them.