Geralt let his face remain stoic as the Ringleader took a seat across from him and began to speak, and he managed to maintain this expression until he was finished. The Magician stared at the glass of water before him, his hand resting on the table and his fingers pressed against the cool glass. He appeared to be thinking for a moment before responding, musing over his options, but really he was simply thinking about how refreshing a cool glass of water could be on a warm October afternoon in California.

After a moment's silence, the Magician returned his gaze to Lucien's face. [color=crimson]"I have to admit that I am...embarrassed with regards to my actions last night."[/color] He paused a moment and cleared his throat, glancing briefly at the stain the wine had left on the wall before continuing, [color=crimson]"Frankly, I acted like an ass."[/color] His tone lightened slightly and he shook his head, smiling wryly.

[color=crimson]"I can assure you that nothing like that will happen again."[/color] He brought his eyes up to meet Lucien's as he said this, his expression and tone firm and completely serious. [color=crimson]"I don't want you to take what happened last night as a reflection of you, or of my proposed worth to this establishment. I'm committed to this place, to my role here, and to you. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have bothered showing up again after last night."[/color] He stopped again and stood from his chair, leaving the glass and walking past Lucien to the window behind him.

For once, the curtains were open, letting the fresh air wafting through Geralt's trailer, clearing it of the muggy smoke and smells of tobacco and alcohol. The Magician stood before this window, looking out of it into mostly nothing with his arm resting on the sill. After a moment, as if to himself, he said, [color=crimson]"It's good to know where one stands...isn't it?"[/color] as he stared out across the empty stretch of land before him. He found its desolate nature comforting. Once he was satisfied with the pause he'd left, he turned around to face Lucien again and leaned against the frame, putting one hand into his pocket and letting that wry smile return. 

He shrugged and said,  [color=crimson]"While I appreciate your concern as my [i]friend[/i], this isn't something that I wish to discuss with you. I think it will be easier for both of us if we keep...personal matters to ourselves, if we're to keep our relationship professional."[/color] Geralt ended this statement matter-of-factly, his tone suggesting that there was no room for rebuttal or negotiation.[color=crimson] "Though I am a little worse for the wear today, it will in no way effect my performance tonight. If I thought it would, I wouldn't dream of going on. In the future, if anything threatens my ability to perform, I will come to you first, patron, as your humble employé."[/color]

That word...[i]friend[/i]...what a nasty moniker it was. Geralt had never cared for being friends or having friends. What use were they to him? Burdens, and nothing more. No, he wasn't interested in being Lucien's friend, and he thought that the man should know that, since honesty was so important to him.