Geralt absorbed all that Lucien was saying, on some level, he was accepting of the offer for more freedom. However, he was almost positive that Lucien would not be willing or able to give him exactly what he felt he needed, not yet anyway. There was still more foundation to lay before Geralt bared all of his soul to the man. For now, he would have to remember to play his part, act the dutiful employee, and bide his time without letting his ego get the better of him.

Though he heard the words and knew that Lucien meant every one of them, The Magician himself had no illusions about the part he played in Lucien's little "family". He doubted that a few of them would never accept him no matter what he did, no matter Lucien's feelings toward him. Some people could just not be swayed. Cora and Akane already seemed to have opened their arms to him, even if only a little, but Aurel, Illyana, and especially Ivory...no, they would rather sip poison than admit his role in the life that Lucien had built for them. To those three, he was a temporary asset and he knew he would never be anything more.

"Understood, Patron. If I need something to change, you will be the first to know." He flashed a smile and held up two fingers, "Scout's honor."

He was pouring himself another three fingers from the new bottle when Lucien spoke again. He glanced over at the man with a sly expression, "I could say the same for you, you know." After a beat, he capped the whiskey, sipped and added, "My mother was Irish, actually. I inherited none of her features, nor her last name, my father was entirely too German to allow that...but she was born and raised on the Isle. Though, she spoke not a lick of the language, and I never learned, I remember small things like sláinte, dia duit, craic...just little things." He glanced over at the Frenchman as he swallowed another mouthful of whiskey. He was not intending to leave before he felt a little of the effects of the liquor and hoped that his companion would commit to the same. "How about you?. H Your response was too smooth for it to have been mere repetition."

Lucien was glad to hear Geralt agree, and simply dropped the subject. There was no need to linger on such things any longer. He raised his eyebrows slightly as the Magician revealed his Irish roots. He was right in saying that he held no resemblance of it.. not in the least, so he never would have guessed. He sensed some ire rolling off the man's tongue as he said the word father. It seemed.. he held a bit of distaste for him. Perhaps the two did not get along well, but he wasn't going to ask anything in regards to it. He knew better than to try to dig that deeply. It wasn't like his relationship with his own father was any better.. considering he never met the 'man.'

"Well.. even if you don't resemble her in appearance, you have the 'uisce beatha' flowing through your veins just like her." He said with a small smile, raising his glass of whiskey a little. He had a feeling that Geralt would know what the words meant. It seemed like the sort of knowledge he might hold. At the question that followed, Lucien's eyes shifted from the man to the glass he was holding, as if trying to see something in the reflection of the liquid that wasn't there.

"I'm fluent." He told him. "But only in speaking it, I can't read or write it." He added, before a drink from his glass.

Geralt let a small smile play on his lips at the mention of his mother's blood. This was true, if not for her and his father, he would not exist. He at least owed them that much, even if their parentage had been...lacking. "You're not wrong...I suppose that's why it's so easy going down." He rose his glass a bit too, but refrained from sipping from it again. He did not want to cut the night short, he had to pace himself, though it would take at least another two helpings for him to feel its effects.

He raised his eyebrows at the mention of uisce beatha and the following confession. Honestly, he hadn't expected that. Before The Republic of Ireland gained its independence from England in 1922, the British had been attempting to wipe all trace of Irish culture from their domain. It had been illegal to speak Irish and even wear a mustache for a while, as this was seen as an Irish fashion. The fact that a French immigrant living in the United States knew even several phrases in Irish was quite astounding, not to mention fluency.

"You get more and more impressive every time we speak." Geralt said, looking at Lucien with half-lidded eyes and a light, easy smile. "Who taught you? And don't tell me you learned it on the road, or 'here and there' because I know that can't be true." He kept his tone light, but sensed in Lucien's expression a deep sadness. It was a look he had seen many times before, in fact the occasions were countless, as he always recognized it when he looked in a mirror.

A small chuckle escaped Lucien's lips at his response. "Perhaps it is. You have that advantage, at least. I learned the hard way." He said a little amusingly, but his smile did not fully reach his eyes.

"No need for such flattery, you've got a decent amount of languages under your belt as well, I'm sure." He told him, considering how easily the man seemed to adapt his accent. It was either that, or he was just quite skilled at it. His next question left Lucien in a small pause. He should have seen the question coming considering the circumstances.. but the words had escaped him before he had any time to consider it. It seemed the whiskey he had already been drinking before Geralt had joined him had already loosened his tongue. He'd be sure to be a bit more careful.

"You caught me." He said. "I have an Irish.. friend who taught me the language." This question had been a little hard for him to answer.. choosing the right words without somehow instilling more questions.. Faolan was a topic he didn't hit quite often. Aurel and Illyana avoided it like the plague, because they knew bringing him up upset him. It reminded him of how worried he was.. how much he missed him...

The Ringleader stopped his train of thought there, not wanting to mentally linger on the topic any further. He didn't want to do this now. No.. he couldn't do this now. Not on the night of the full moon, and certainly not in front of Geralt. He had to keep a better grip on his feelings.

It was clear to The Magician now that this line of questioning was only causing Lucien to put up a wall, so Geralt decided to abandon the topic for now. Though he was curious, insatiably so, he did not want Lucien to become closed off to him. It was clear that whoever this friend was, though it was most likely the man in the drawing, meant a great deal to him. This has to be the same man from his conversation with Aurel as well...but Lucien had used present tense. This meant that the Irishman was alive, but that he was no longer involved with the circus or its members. Given time, Geralt was sure to get the answers he sought. For now, it was best to remain light, he had to make the most of his alone time with Lucien.

So, despite the hundred burning questions swirling through his brain, Geralt simply nodded. "Mmm, I see." After a beat, he noticed the sketch in the book that the Frenchman had been working on. Even in total darkness, Geralt's parasitic companion allowed him to see clearly, so the blackness was no obstacle to him. The sketch itself was actually quite good, a wolf howling at the moon...appropriate for the evening's scenery. "Don't tell me this friend also taught you to draw?" He reached over and plucked the book from Lucien's lap, letting his finger brush against his thigh lightly as he did so. "Your line-work is impeccable...what other secrets do those hands hold, hm?" he asked, looking at Lucien out of the side of his eye and raising an eyebrow playfully. Maybe a little flirtation would help to take the man's mind off of the past and keep him concerned with the present as well.

Despite his melancholic mood, even Lucien could not help but let out a small laugh at the man's comment.

"No, he would have been absolutely terrible at it." He said honestly. Even when he had attempted to make Faolan give it a try, it hadn't gone well. The man could hardly draw a straight line, so Lucien had stopped insisting, even if he had found it a little amusing.

His attention shifted as Geralt took the sketchbook from him, but made no attempt to stop him. He was a bit surprised to notice how he didn't seem to be straining his eyesight at all, despite the lingering darkness, but he didn't comment, and let the man look as he pleased. There was nothing in this particular sketchbook that he wouldn't want Geralt to see. He let out a small chuckle at the compliment, the sorrow in his eyes slowly dissipating as he was offered a distraction from his previous line of thoughts.

"I'll withhold my response to your question. It's no fun if I give you all the answers is it? I can tell you though, that while I consider myself humble, I might be able to give your dexterity a run for it's money." He said with a small smile.

"Feel free to look through it, this one's dedicated to animals." He added, just in case the man was curious.

Geralt listened and watched very carefully when Lucien answered his question about his friend, and noted the very obvious hint of sorrow in his voice and the faraway look in his eyes when he talked about it. It was clearly something that pained him to think about, best to keep it on the back-burner. There was no need for any...distractions now.

"Mmhhmm...I see." Geralt raised his eyebrows playfully at the Ringleader's next response, glad to hear the light tone return to Lucien's voice and a glint sparkle in his eye. He decided that he liked the Frenchman most when he was being playful. "I'd like to test that out sometime, not that I don't trust your word, of course. What is it they say? 'Trust, but verify'?" He said, giving the man a sideways glance as he began to flip through the sketchbook. All of the drawings were rather impressive, to say the least, it was clear that Lucien had an eye for art and a talent for it as well. Geralt glanced at the man's fingers as they curled around the whiskey glass, smiling as he imagined them holding a variety of...other objects.

"These are really quite good..." Geralt said wistfully as he lingered on a drawing of a hawk in flight. "Have you mastered human figures as well, or do you prefer to stick to the wild?"

Lucien let out a small chuckle. He wasn't all too surprised that Geralt was willing to put that to the test. He was certainly not the type of man to back down from any challenge, even an indirect one.

"Of course, of course. Name the game, or method, and I'd gladly let you put it to the test." He said. Honestly he was curious. While he had seen Geralt's 'magic' at play, he did want to see the extent of his other capabilities. Perhaps it would allow a few more clues as to what the man's true nature was.

The Ringleader took another drink of his whiskey as Geralt looked through his sketchbook, smiling at the compliment.

"I'm fond of both. I have a sketchbook dedicated to that as well, and one for landscapes and nature. It really just depends on what I'm in the mood to draw." He explained.

"Mmm..." Geralt nodded as he continued to flip through the sketchbook. "A few things come to mind right away...but here is not the place for them, I'm afraid." He made no attempt to hide the suggestion in his voice or his expression and made sure that he made eye contact with Lucien near the end of the last sentence. He was sure that the Frenchman was not trying to flirt, but from what Geralt had learned over the short time they had known each other, the man simply couldn't help it. This trait was far from a bother though, and in fact proved to be quite the opposite. Geralt quite enjoyed entrapping Lucien into small flirtations when he had the chance, and would never back out once the game had begun. Whatever he could do to bridge the gap between colleague and sexual partner, he was happy to bring to the table.

"You're certainly organized, I can see that, though I'm not surprised." He finished leafing through the book and handed it back to the Frenchman, making sure that their fingers touched as the man took it from him. "I'd like to see your other work sometime, if you're not feeling too shy."

Lucien raised his eyebrows slightly at Geralt's words. The man certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to his blatant flirtations. Sometimes it was easy to forget what the man's intentions with him were.. In all honesty, Geralt's presence here had allowed him for a good.. distraction from his usual sorrow.. He could not say he didn't appreciate the company in this night either. There was something that prevented him from breaking Geralt's eye contact, but he managed, turning his attention to the whiskey instead. Maybe he had consumed a little too much? He had already been drinking a decent amount before Geralt had joined him.

"I certainly hope they're work appropriate." He said, even though he was well aware that was not the case. He was quick to go along with his following words to divert his attention from the previous topic.

"It doesn't hurt to stay organized every now and then. It makes it easier to find things, or refer to old drawings, I suppose.." He muttered as he retrieved his sketchbook from him, almost absentmindedly.

"If you really want to, I don't really mind. It's not bad to get to share them every now and then."

Geralt chuckled aloud at Lucien's next comment, "Oh, they certainly are not." He had noticed a sway in Lucien's hand as he held his glass, a slight flush in his cheeks and a heaviness in his eyelids. The Frenchman was becoming drunk. Maybe just a buzz at this point, but he was on his way. In a show of solidarity, Geralt emptied the rest of his glass into his mouth, not even bothering to taste it as the fiery liquid slid down his throat. He barely batted an eye as he refilled his glass, then offered the bottle toward his companion.

"I'd love to, honestly, any excuse to watch you work..." he laughed lightly, leaning a bit closer to the Frenchman and lowering his voice slightly, "I wouldn't want to assume your artistic method, but maybe I could pose for you sometime. That'd be a fantastic way to test your skills, if we really wanted to." While Geralt's intentions with Lucien had always been clear, at least in the German's mind, he hadn't expected this conversation to get this far. Whatever negative feelings of sadness, doubt, or nostalgia were holding Lucien back, Geralt did not want to let them get in the way of their perceived closeness. It was his best chance yet to get a little closer to the Ringleader, and he was not about to let it go to waste.

Lucien had not expected for Geralt to respond so blatantly. Of course his intentions now were very clear, and Lucien's mind was becoming far too clouded with whiskey to maintain his usual composure. His cheek's darkened in color, and he was quick to avert his gaze, and made a small attempt to clear his throat as he moved his glass toward the mouth of the bottle. Despite the circumstances Lucien still didn't feel like being the first to back down from their drinking, though that in itself was a dangerous game. He felt like he could maybe pull off a few more and still keep a decent amount of awareness. That's what he hoped, at least. It had been a while since he had drank this much.

"Well I don't think there's anything too special about it.. just me scribbling away at my sketchbook.." He said, glancing down at the sketchbook in his lap.

"If you want, I wouldn't mind giving it a try, I'm always quite willing to test my skills, though I've never had someone actually pose for me. I usually just draw them based on observation. Not everyone is willing to sit still for extensive periods of time." He said with a small chuckle.

Geralt happily filled Lucien's glass with three more fingers of whiskey, smiling all the way. He would be happy to provide a more...liquid experience for the Nephilim. He was far too wound up on a regular basis and deserved a chance to relax, especially if Geralt happened to be near when the Ringleader let down his guard. Though even the Magician's head was beginning to become a little hazy with the liquor, he suspected that he was much better off than Lucien, at least so far. It had taken him many years to build up this level of tolerance, but he had neglected to eat a meal before coming over tonight just for the special occasion.

"Oh, please," the man said as he set the bottle down, "There's no need to downplay your talents like that. I consider myself quite skilled in manual pursuits and I have no skill at sketching." After a beat, he looked over at Lucien with a cocked eyebrow and responded, "If the reward is great enough, I'd be willing to sit as long as you needed..." He made sure to make eye contact with the other man then, his dark eyes piercing Lucien's light golden ones. Even in the dark, he could see them shining with an inner light. Something he missed when he looked in the mirror...

Empty.

"Although, now that you mention it," he said a little louder, talking over the voice in his head, "I am curious...have you ever drawn me?" This question would tell him so much, and for such a simple answer.

Lucien pulled back his glass after Geralt had filled it, but didn't drink, at least not yet. He should probably at least try to pace himself a little. He still had a lot of the night to go.. then again.. he could just make his drunkenness go away if he happened to take it too far. He was glad he had that available for himself at times like these.

"I suppose you're right. I had a lot of time on my hands when I was young, it gave me a lot of time to learn." He told him, considering continuing his drawing before changing his mind. He might not be able to concentrate on it well enough.

"I'm not sure what a man such as yourself would consider to be a great reward." He said, though there was a part of him that had a couple ideas, based on what he knew about Geralt so far. It was becoming a little harder for him to maintain eye contact with Geralt when he was looking at him like this. It was almost like his piecing eyes could see right through him. "But I'll certainly keep it in mind."

At his next question, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I haven't, I tend to ask people for permission before doing so. Not everyone is a big fan of being drawn, and it does require me to well.. observe them often, I suppose, to be able to draw them from memory." He explained. Illyana and Ivory were probably the two who were the least fond if it, and he of course, respected that.

Geralt could see that his prolonged eye contact and proximity was getting to the man, which pleased him greatly. For some time, he had been worried that the attraction between them was only one-sided, but the Nephilim's reaction here was enough to convince him otherwise. There was no need for him to become uneasy around The Magician, especially given their emploee/employer relationship. The drink had a little to do with it, he was sure, but not all. Every now and again, the Frenchman would glance down at Geralt's hands, but quickly look away. This was enough to tell The Magician that his insistence was not going nowhere, it was just going somewhere very very slowly. While this would normally be an annoyance to the German, for this particular prize, he was willing to wait.

"Mmm..." he hummed sagely as he took a conservative sip of his drink, "It sounds like our childhoods were almost entirely opposite." A small sarcastic grin lit his features then but was quickly replaced by his more suggestive expression. No need for distractions like that now.

"I should have known," he added when Lucien explained about the drawing, "You'd never do anything that could be perceived as even slightly unwarranted, or make anyone uncomfortable without their permission." He realized then that his tone and words were becoming a little too self-righteous, so he pulled back a little. Although Lucien was not willing to hold his gaze for almost any length of time at this point, Geralt kept trying to maintain eye-contact as long as he could. "Consider my permission granted, here and now, for any sketching, drawing, observing, or other...artistic activities." He held up a hand as if being sworn in, his dark eyes alight with mischief.

At this, Lucien could not help but let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure they were." There was no way that Geralt had anything even resembling his childhood, considering where and how he had grown up. He simply could not place him in that kind of setting.

"Guilty as charged." He said simply, knowing very well that this was the kind of person he was. There was no hiding that.

Lucien was well aware that his inability to hold eye contact had been noticed.. but he couldn't really help it. He found looking away completely to be a bit rude, so he had began shifting his gaze elsewhere. Considering the topic at hand, he had found himself looking at the man's hands. They seemed like they would be intricate to draw.. since he was always constantly doing something with them.

"I'll certainly keep that in mind.." He said, lifting his gaze to Geralt's face. For a moment, he observed his features, considering he now had the permission to draw him, so he would be able to do so even when he wasn't around. There was one thing he had always noticed about the man.. even before this..

"Forgive my staring, I am simply committing to memory, so I can draw you in the future." He said, pausing for a moment. "I couldn't help but notice.. Geralt, you always look quite weary. Obviously it doesn't take away from your alertness but.. it does worry me. Do you not sleep well?" He asked. This time it was he who leaned forward, though only slightly. Despite his currently flushed expression and clouded mind, his worry seeped through his expression.

"Mmm, please do." His humming was getting deeper, lower and lower in his throat. This was mostly subconscious, but something he did when he was trying to...attract a mate. Although Lucien was male, and these types of small displays did not usually work with males as well as females, it was almost instinctual, the way his body reacted as he grew more and more aware of how beautiful Lucien was. How much like her he was, how mystifying their connection...

And there had to be one, there was no way this resemblance was a coincidence. And Lucien being French, of all things? No...no, this was too perfect.

Unless...unless fate was playing a cruel trick on him, and it wouldn't be the first time.

Sacrifice.

Geralt shook his head slightly and pulled away, but only a bit, before he re-positioned himself closer still to Lucien. He was practically hanging off of the side of his chair by the time he spoke next.

His mouth had stretched into that wide, almost predatory smile as he watched Lucien study his features, his eyes alight with the fire of lust, even in this almost pitch darkness. "Oh, study away..." he said, his voice low and heavy, "Make sure not to miss any details..." he added, his tongue slowly curling from between his lips and tracing them before he withdrew it again.

At Lucien's next comment, he couldn't help but chuckle and drop eye contact to land on the man's hands. "Well, well, well, I didn't take you for a man to point out one's flaws so readily..." he shook his head and waved a hand to dismiss the comment just as soon as the words had left him. "I suppose my weariness is just my age catching up with me...I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn't think it would be quite so soon." After another beat, he slowly reached for Lucien's hand, "I will say though, I find I sleep much more soundly when I have...company..." As his warm hand laid over top of Lucien's chilled skin, he brought his eyes up to meet the Frenchman's once more. Normally, he would have preferred to wait a little longer to make a move like this, but with an opening like that, he simply couldn't resist.

Lucien felt almost drawn in by Geralt's gaze, this time finding it a little harder to look away, even if he wanted to. Perhaps he.. really did have too much to drink. At his following words he had immediately become apologetic.

"Ah.. I'm sorry.. That was certainly not my intention.. I was just worried.." He muttered, for a moment worried that he had offended him, but it seemed that was not the case. It was hard for him to discern whether he was being truthful or not, but it was mostly because he really couldn't pinpoint the man's age. He of all people was well aware that looks could be deceiving in that manner, considering his own circumstances.

He was about to tell him not to be ridiculous, after all Geralt didn't really look to be that old. In circumstances like these.. he actually appeared to be fairly young. It was.. certainly odd.

His thoughts were broken as he felt Geralt's warm hand on top of his own. It startled him a little, but not visibly, as he hadn't really been expecting it. The warmth was.. welcoming, in a way, in the cold night, almost appreciated in the solitude that haunted him, especially on nights like these.. but it was his following words that broke him out of that, which caused him to slowly pull his hand away, and set it back on top of his sketchbook. This time he did avert his gaze, feeling a little guilty that he had allowed things to get this far. How unlike him.

"Ah.. it seem's I've had too much to drink.. I did end up going through a quarter of my bottle before you got here.." He said, attempting to maintain a light tone, but his eyes appeared apologetic. It had been a long time since he had gotten caught up in old habits.

Disappointment immediately clouded Geralt's eyes as he felt Lucien grow resistant to his touch and eventually pull away. Of course, he had known this was a possibility, but before he had spoken the Nephilim had seemed almost relaxed in his grasp, accepting of it. Had his words been too overtly sexual? Normally, a pickup like this would have worked like a charm, but Lucien was not just any man...even Geralt could not hide the frown that replaced his smile as the connection between them was severed.

Pathetic. Worthless. Failure.

This also immediately sobered him, and all traces of alcohol in his system seemed to be wiped away in an instant. "Oh, I suppose I have as well." He said, before tossing back the remainder of the whiskey in his glass and glancing at the half bottle that now remained of the one he had brought as an offering.

Geralt knew that he had a tendency to be...dramatic when it came to his failures, and holding in his utter despair at this turn was difficult for him. It was best if he extricated himself now before he said or did something that he would regret.

He stood, rather abruptly, and glanced down at Lucien almost absently, "I'll take my leave of you, get some of that rest I so desperately need." He did not allow the Nephilim time to respond before turning and making his way toward the ladder. He would have preferred to blink away, but even despite his rush in leaving, he knew that consistency was important here.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he mounted the ladder and began to descend, flashing one more strained smile at Lucien before he disappeared, "Try not to say up too long..." And with that, as soon as he was out of eye-line of the Frenchman, Geralt disappeared in a whirl of pitch-colored smoke.

And just like that, the man's demeanor completely changed. Geralt was clearly displeased by the rejection Lucien had given him. He had been witness to Geralt's look of displeasure a few times by now, and was able to recognize it quite clearly, even when his mind was clouded by all that he had drank.

He hadn't expected Geralt to want to leave so abruptly, but he made no attempt to keep him here, only looking at him apologetically as the Magician made his way toward the edge of the roof.

"Goodnight.." He said, though his voice lacked his usual spirit. He had no intentions of asking the man to stay with him, not after having rejected him in that manner. Geralt was a prideful man after all. He knew that more than anyone.

A heavy sigh had escaped Lucien after the man had gone from sight. He leaned back against his chair once more, his hands moving to rub his eyes as if trying to clear a haze.

What am I doing? He thought to himself. For a moment he was tempted to clear his own mind.. but he had then decided against it. Maybe he was better off this way than sober. He had allowed himself to get carried away.. and in turn had gotten too comfortable. Lucien couldn’t deny that he had not felt this way in a long time… The nephilim had not had any traces of intimate contact since Faolan had disappeared. For a moment he had lost himself to the small comfort he had been given in a very long time.. but he knew it wasn’t right, nor was it fair of him to do. He was growing reckless again, back to how he was when he’d accidentally end up giving people the wrong idea with his overt politeness, something he had made sure to grow more careful of once he had started seeing Faolan… The way Geralt was also didn’t help his situation, but he couldn't blame him for that. It was also his responsibility.

He shook his head, trying to clear away those thoughts. They would not help him here, not when he had been left to his own solitude once more. Perhaps.. this was simply how things were meant to be.

With another dejected sigh, Lucien finished off the rest of his drink, before setting the glass down at the table and turning his gaze back on his sketchbook. His eyebrows furrowed, before he turned to the next blank page. He didn’t want to draw the wolf anymore…

--

Meanwhile, Ivory sat at her desk, her window open as she stared up into the darkened night sky, lit up with stars. It wasn't a sight they got to see often... considering you got to see the most amount of stars in the desert. It was.. nice, aside from how bright and annoying the sun was during the day.. but it was at times like these where things felt.. peaceful, with the bright light of the full moon illuminating the sky. She let out a small sigh as she looked down at her sketchbook, and a few bunched up pieces of paper scattered around her desk. They were scrapped ideas she had found unsatisfying. None of the designs were satisfactory for something she'd want to go out of her way to make a mosaic out of on the roof of her trailer.

The dhampir had never been the flashy type in her everyday life, and her clothing and outer trailer appearance reflected that... but she had been yearning for a larger project to work on to fill her free time.. and with the collection of rocks she had began to gather.. she thought.. why not make some art out of it? The best place for it, in her opinion, was the roof of her trailer, where not many could see it. Not unless they were up above anyway. Having decided to commit to it, she was attempting to preemptively draw a design, so she could know what other kind of rocks to look for. Perhaps she'd ask Aurel for some opinions, he had always been pretty good at abstract stuff.

Setting her pencil down, her blue eyes drifted back up to look out her window, hoping to draw a bit of inspiration from the sky. It ended up reminding her of the vision Illyana had told her about. It had been a while so she had almost forgotten about it.. or at least.. threw it into the back. She still didn't understand what the stars could possibly mean, and Illyana hadn't mentioned anything either.

Ivory shook her head, and closed her curtains, not wanting to begin thinking too much about that again. She rose from her desk and headed over to her bed. Perhaps she'd just hit this again at another time.

--

Aurel sat on his bed, a few snakes curled about as he gave his window a worried glance. It was the full moon.. The man had almost gone to go see Lucien.. that was until he had noticed that Geralt up there with him. He was hesitant to go after that, mostly because he didn’t want his presence there to make Geralt wonder if there really was something going on. Then again if he was already up there… he wasn't sure what Lucien would tell him.

The man let out a sigh, and decided to just stay in his trailer. Hopefully everything would be okay… this was the third full moon since Geralt had joined them, surely he had noticed some sort of pattern.. but he only hoped that Lucien wouldn't end up revealing too much to the man. He didn't want him end up thinking he could take advantage of his sadness to get to Lucien's heart. That was the last thing he wanted...

"Should we go lissten?" Bengal asked, clearly noting how worried he was.

"No.. I'm sure Lucien and Geralt would notice.. it's okay.. I'll just see how Lucien is doing tomorrow.." He muttered, before laying down on his bed. Hopefully everything would be alright.