Illyana listened to Lucien with bated breath, but she knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. It was the look on his face, the relaxed nature of his shoulders, the glow of his aura. She had known him too long to dismiss these signs. 

She barely heard it as he confirmed that Geralt would be staying among them, and dropped her eyes to the ground instead. She knew that Lucien would be expecting this from her, but she could not just let this go, not when she thought that they were so close to being rid of Geralt's dangerous influence. It seemed that he was able to sink his hooks in further to Lucien than she had feared. She had been too distracted by her own happiness close at hand, that she had lost sight of the safety of the others in her troupe, and for that she felt guilty. Maybe there was still time to convince Lucien that this was not the right call.

Cora was also relieved to hear this news. She knew that whatever had happened had caused a ripple of negativity to flow over their troupe, and she was happy to see this end. When Lucien had gathered them all to talk, she hadn't been expecting this announcement, and was the only one who looked around in surprise when Geralt was brought up. When Lucien voiced his opinion and decision, she looked over her shoulder and flashed a small smile to Akane who was standing behind her chair. She knew that her friend had also been worried about Geralt and the others and was glad that this stress was now over.

Illyana was glad to hear that she was not the only one with doubts, and even more so that it was Ivory who voiced them. The dhampir was known to be outspoken, which was what Illyana needed right now. She was shy by nature and just the thought of speaking to Lucien about something so serious made her stomach turn and her hands shake and sweat. But, she knew what she had to do.

When silence had fallen over them again, the "gypsy" raised her eyes to the Ringleader, hoping that she looked confident but knowing it was most likely a lost cause. Her voice was quiet but firm as she asked, [color=598527]"Was a reason given?"[/color] It was a simple question, but it meant a lot right now. If Geralt had given a reason that Lucien determined was and acceptable excuse for missing a show, that was one thing, but Illyana knew that the man was slippery and hated talking directly about himself. The odds were high that he did not give a reason at all and that Lucien had no idea why he had been absent and where he had been when he was scheduled to be performing. If this were the case, then how could he let the man stay? Would he extend the same courtesy to the rest of them? Lucien was fair, but it was clear to Illyana that his judgement was clouded. She would never say her true thoughts in front of everyone, but if she thought it necessary, she would have to take him aside and speak with him, no matter how hard it would be for her.  

Cora's smile faded as she looked over at Illyana and saw the look of concentration on her face. She was biting her bottom lip and gripping her elbow so tight with her opposite hand that her skin was turning whiter than usual from the pressure. Something was clearly bothering her...but this was good news. Cora didn't understand, but rather than asked, she simply watched. She had a lot to learn about humans.