Geralt nearly flinched when he heard Illyana's voice as it cut through their conversation. He noted with displeasure that Lucien became aware of how close they were and stepped away. No matter, there would be time enough for chit-chat later when everyone was distracted by his welcome party. He turned toward the girl and smiled down at her, though he was sure to show her and her only that he'd been annoyed by her interruption.

Illyana nodded, glancing at Geralt for a moment and noting the twinge of tightness in his smile. She didn't mind if he was annoyed, for someone who was so observant, it was nice to see him a bit off balance for a change. Afterward, she followed the Ringleader's gaze out over the water, letting her smile remain and even become genuine for a moment. A light cool breeze wafted over the water and pushed the hem of her dress into her shins. [color=598527]"She must be having an amazing time down there..."[/color] she said, slightly wistfully. It must be nice for the mermaid to feel some semblance of home after all this time, and briefly wondered what it would be like when she returned to where she belonged.

Geralt couldn't help but follow Illyana and Lucien's eyes out over the lake, just as the other trucks were pulling up. Neither of them seemed worried, in fact, they seemed pleased for witnessing the drowning of a physical handicapped singer. However...no, it couldn't be. Suddenly, the thought struck him that Cora's title of "La Sirène" was more literal than he first imagined. Come to think of it, he had not actually seen Cora's performance...and he hadn't heard it either. After witnessing her singing, he had just assumed this was her function, but with a voice like that, with the power it held, he would have absolutely heard it if she were singing. Could it be that she was an actual, in the flesh, mermaid...?

[color=crimson]"Uh..."[/color] he said, interjecting as he sensed movement as the other trucks arrived. [color=crimson]"Should we...does Cora need assistance?"[/color] he looked between the two of them, feigning confusion. There was no reason to let them know just how confident he was in his discovery. In fact, Lucien seemed to enjoy surprising him, he'd let the man have a little more pleasure before revealing what he'd guessed. 

It was then that Akane arrived, tossed her clothing aside and leapt into the water in a swimsuit. Geralt decided then and there that today was the best yet since his joining of Cirque D'étoiles.

[color=crimson]"Oh, it seems Miss Akane has beaten us to it,"[/color] He said, letting a delighted smile spread over his face once more.

Meanwhile, Cora had been enjoying the freedom and elation that always came when she entered a living body of water. She felt one with it, and all the animals in it, as it [i]whooshed[/i] through her gills and caressed every curve of her body. She started by slowly drifting through the water, then gradually began to pick up speed. Fish and other creatures of the lake did not seem to be afraid of or even mind her at all. It was nice to be just another part of the ecosystem again, especially after all of the stares and attention she received on the surface.

She was just doing her fifth lap of the lake, gaining speed, when she felt ripples indicating that someone else had entered. She slowed, twirled through the water and made her way toward the disruption in the water, smiling wide as she realized that it was Akane. She greeted her friend by swimming around her in an elegant circle, as she and her sisters used to do after a long time apart. It was comforting to her to reenact these rituals, even if Akane didn't truly know what they meant.