Geralt raised his eyebrows at Lucien's back as the Nephilim responded. He sipped his coffee as he listened, looking over the banquet of fresh-baked sweets that lined the tables.

At the mention of the word 'birthday' he felt something cold and metallic grip his heart and he visibly shuddered. 

That was right...it was...October now? No, it couldn't be. Where had September gone? Life on the road had warped his already flimsy sense of time. Could it be this time of year already...?

There was a long pause as his eyes took on a far away look. He could feel how hard his heart beat against his rib-cage, his breath shorten, his skin and veins tighten and contract. Seconds passed, but they felt like minutes.

Lucien turned and placed a plate on the table, and that somehow managed to snap Geralt from his moment of...what was it? Fear? Guilt? Anger? It was hard to tell, all of those emotions felt so very similar to him now.

He took a sip of his coffee again as he approached the table, taking great pains to make sure that his sudden turn of mood was not present in his movement, voice, or features. October....he thought he'd had more time. He'd always thought that, and he'd always been wrong.

The Magician remained standing perpendicular to the Frenchman so his full face would not be visible if the man became too curious. Though he was not a fan of sweets, and currently his stomach was twisted into knots, he thought it would raise suspicion if he refused. [color=crimson]"Mmm..."[/color]he said in a flat, quiet voice, [color=crimson]"Don't mind if I do."[/color] He plucked one of the beignets from the plate and shook it to remove the excess sugar. No need in getting his vest dirty, he planned on wearing it for the show tonight. 

He took a small bite and forced it down, then forced a smile and his next words as well. To him, it sounded like they were coming from a different mouth, a different man, a different world. [color=crimson]"Nothing like a taste of France to start my morning."[/color] he chewed, swallowed, and washed it down with some coffee. It was not entirely unpleasant, but this was becoming dangerous territory, and he could feel his parasitic companion coming to the forefront of his mind as he sensed the weakness. Why did it have to be October?