At Lucien's response, the Magician no longer made any effort to hide his displeasure. A mean scowl to match the Nephilim's spread across his lips, an expression he was unused to wearing in the presence of others. His already dark eyes deepened in shadow as his brow furrowed. For a moment, he merely stared at the Ringleader as he expressed his disappointment and outrage at Geralt's actions. The bottle of wine lowered slowly until it was at the man's side. He did not interrupt, did not make a sound, until Lucien had finished speaking.

Geralt hardened himself to the words that were being flung at him like daggers. He had heard worse, [i]much[/i] worse, with regards to his character over the years. He was not hurt by Lucien's anger, his confusion, his sense of betrayal...not yet anyway. Drink had numbed him to any feelings of guilt or remorse. Now, for the first time since laying eyes on the man, all Geralt wanted was for the Ringleader to leave his sight.

A heavy silence hung between the two men once Lucien had completed his speech. Slowly, Geralt turned and lowered the wine bottle onto the table, slid his long fingers from its neck, and crossed the room to the trunk containing his old props. Without a word, he passed Lucien and crouched before the trunk, moved some things aside and withdrew from it a roll of bills. He appeared to count it for a moment, sizing the weight and checking the denominations. Once he was done, he stood again and extended the bills toward Lucien.

[color=crimson]"Clearly, this has upset you, caused you some degree of discomfort and..."[/color] he struggled with the word for a moment before coming up with it, [color=crimson]"Annoyance. It was never my intention to cause these feelings in you, and I hope not to do so again."[/color] Contrary to the mysteriously accented, deep and complex voice The Magician used even in personal interactions, his tone had flattened to a point that no emotion remained. [color=crimson]"This should cover your losses for the night, and if not, let me know. I would be happy to deduct the remainder from my next cut."[/color] He stopped talking, but Lucien did not appear to be reaching for the roll of bills in the man's hand. Geralt sighed heavily, walked to the liquor cabinet and set the bills there. [color=crimson]"Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been a long night and frankly, I do not wish to discuss this any further."[/color] He then made his way back to the table, to the wine bottle and took another heavy swig from its neck.

His business, his misery, his guilt and disappointment, his life...it was none of Lucien's concern. Geralt had tried many times now to allow Lucien to get closer to him and he was refused at every turn. As far as he was concerned, the Ringleader could either put up with him or fire him, and his life would not change. He was stuck, simply, until someone freed him. There was no use in struggling, in pushing the boulder up the hill any longer, he could accept his losses and move on or wallow in them. For now, wallowing suited him, so those were his plans for the evening regardless of what Lucien wanted.