[IC] Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt nodded to Ivory, "I shouldn't have bothered asking a woman of your talent, my apologies." he said, feigning humility. If the two were to work together, he had to start laying the groundwork now. Let her think she had him pegged, that was the best way to disarm the lass.

He looked toward Cora at Akane's comment, "Well, at least one of you was nice enough to make that sacrifice, eh Cora?" he said. He knew that despite the girl's ignorance and bubble-headed attitude, she had to be sharp and cunning. He could see it in her eyes.

Cora smiled over at Geralt, tilting her head, "I'm not sure I know what you mean, Mr. Geralt." she said, then smiled over at Akane and winked.

[xivyxx]

Akane could not help but return Cora's smile with one of her own, appreciating of the fact Cora had taken cards from her even though no one else had. Her tails shook from side to side from under her dress, no longer in a sulky mood.

It was then that Ivory decided to rise to her feet. As much as she didn't want to spend any time with the magician that was necessary, she knew they had to get this over with one way or another, and she didn't want to risk this failing because they hadn't had enough time to figure something out. She was already assuming that he might be difficult to work with.

"We should go. I assume Lucien doesn't want us to waste any time." She said, preferring to speak up first in regards to it. It would not surprise her if Geralt had been surprised that she had accepted to do this despite how clear it was she disliked him, so she was showing.. initiative, deciding to make a small attempt at following Lucien's advice. She'd see how far 'playing the player' would take her.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt smiled slyly and winked at Cora in response to her comment, "My apologies, Miss, I must be mistaken." He felt something swishing at his pant leg and glanced down to see Akane's tail...no, her tails, swishing back and forth as if wagging. He raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. It seemed he would not have to mine as deep with Akane to figure her out after all.

Filthy half-breed...she probably wines and begs like a dog too... The dark voice dripped with malice.

More like a fox, old chap. Geralt though back.

Ivory's voice broke him from this interanl conversation. "Hm?" he said, as if half listening, then nodded as if he had just remembered his conversation with Lucien, "Oh, yes, practice does make perfect, after all." he said, then made his way around the table. Before leaving, he glanced at the rest of the troupe, specifically at Aurel, and said, "I expect to see some improvement on these poker-faces by the time we're done."

After this, he turned on his heel and held a hand out in the direction the pair would be travelling and said to Ivory, with a slight bow, "After you, Miss Ivory."

[xivyxx]

Aurel looked up at Geralt as he addressed him. "Er.. No promises.. but I'll do my best." He said, not really knowing what else to tell him. It wasn't like he didn't want to get better, but all these years he never really had any reason to be good at lying to people or hiding his emotions. Lucien and Faolan had always been straightforward, and Illy was just not as expressive. The troupe was always quite open with each other, but that had clearly changed now that Geralt was among them. His eyes followed Ivory as she pulled her hood over her head and reluctantly walked back out into the sun. He hoped they'd be alright.

Ivory wasted no time in making her way to the Big Top. It made sense to go there considering that was where they would be performing. Geralt would know exactly the amount of space he'd have to work with. Once in the safety of the large tent, she removed her cloak and tossed it onto one of the chairs, before she effortlessly jumped onto the stage. She didn't waste any time before speaking, not really wanting to get dragged into any pointless small talk. She wanted to get to the point.

"Lucien and Cora perform first, as I'm sure you've been told. The piano in the corner of the stage gets rolled out to the middle. Cora sits on the piano as she sings, and once their performance is over, we cut the lights to allow them a swift exit, and Aurel then takes the stage, spotlight on him as the lights come back on." She moved along the stage as she spoke, motioning with her hand so he could see where Aurel would start off.

"We can't do anything too flashy as to not scare the snakes, so for his exit, Aurel tosses one of Akane's fire hoops into the air and she cartwheels onto the stage, igniting the fire wicks as she goes. While eyes are on her, Aurel quietly makes his exit." It was easy to pull off when Akane's act was so flashy. "Then Akane makes an elegant spiral of blue fire, enough to conceal her, and therefore no one can notice her leave. By the time the fire disperses, she's gone, and I'm here." By now Ivory stood in the middle of the stage, where she usually began from. Usually when Akane created that spiral of fire, she shifted into her fox form and ran off the stage faster than anyone would be able to see. With the large distraction available, she was impossible to notice. The kitsune was very fast when running at full speed.

[FreckersFrog]

"Ich weiß das du wirst." Geralt said aloud to Aurel's comment as they left, then followed Ivory toward the big top.

She was walking fast, which wasn't surprising to Geralt. He was sure that Ivory wanted to get this over with as quickly as she could, she would not be pleased to spend more time with him than absolutely necessary. This was unfortunate for her, because Geralt the Great was a perfectionist. If it was his job to close out the show with a bang, he was going to make sure that he did it right, from start to finish, and this included their transition. Although he knew Ivory was stubborn from the moment he met her, he also knew that she was dedicated to her craft. He could tell this mostly by how well-toned the muscles in her legs and abdomen were. In his experience, vampires didn't need to do much in the way of working out to maintain their trim and lithe figures, but it was clear to him that Ivory was putting in the extra effort, to dazzling effect. In fact, he was glad that she was walking so fast as it allowed him a wonderful view on the way inside.

Once they were in, he followed her to the stage and watched her leap up. Those muscles certainly served her well. He was about to begin speaking, when the girl beat him to the punch. He raised an eyebrow, but dutifully listened to her explanation. As he did so, he made his way over to one of the chairs, pulled it into the center of the space and took a seat in it. He crossed one leg over the other and held his knee with both hands as he watched Ivory's explanation, listening and watching intently everything she laid out for him. The layout she described made sense, but he had suspected nothing less from a man of Lucien's talents.

After she finished speaking, he merely stared up at her. She did abide this for a while, placing a hand on her hip as she looked down at him. When he still did not speak, she waved her other hand and said, "Did you get all of that?"

Geralt nodded and shrugged, "Of course. I'm simply waiting."

He could almost see her holding back an eyeroll, "For?" she asked, somewhat aggressively. "I'm done explaining."

Geralt held back a sigh, "I don't think you are," he said, maintaining his smirk throughout the exchange, "I need to see the rest."

[xivyxx]

Ivory grew a little impatient as she was met with the man's silence. Of course he'd want to be difficultly annoying. She expected that much of him. The dhampir was incredibly irritated by people who beat around the bush and didn't get to the point. She really wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

"What, you want to see my entire performance? It seems unnecessary, at most you'd only need the end of it." She said, considering that was really all that mattered in their transition.

"I think it's best I see the whole thing. What if I have notes?"

At this, Ivory really couldn't hold back on rolling her eyes. What if I have notes? She mocked in her head, honestly she could care less about any 'notes' he'd have to give her. They hadn't even been in this tent for five minutes and he was already trying to get under her skin. She knew he was doing this on purpose, but it wasn't anything so grand that would out him as the bad guy in this situation, and as much as she would have just loved to blatantly refuse, she decided to comply. At least it would be a good amount of time that she wouldn't have to hear him speak. It would make for a nice distraction.

Even though she wasn't really.. appropriately dressed to perform, she wasn't going to let that stop her. She was used to being ogled by the pigs that came to watch her perform. A man's stare did not bother her anymore. She was determined to not allow this arrogant magician to get to her.

"Play the second record then." She said, kicking off her shoes. Not even seconds after she had spoken, music began to fill the tent. Show off. She thought, before neutralizing her expression to begin her performance. She blocked the presence of the man completely, focusing only on her act, like the professional she was. It would take more than this to break her composure.

[FreckersFrog]

It mocks you...the filthy creature thinks it's better than us.

All in due time now...Geralt answered the voice inwardly, mostly to quiet the voice. He needed to focus.

He had twirled his fingers to slip the record of Ivory's choosing out of it's sleeve and begin to play it on the gramophone, never taking his eyes off of the girl. This was different music than before, and hopefully would accompany a different routine as well. He would be greatly disappointed if Ivory recycled the same routine for the Big Top, it was a special show, of course.

Fortunately, she did not disappoint him. The act was not the same, although it incorporated some of the same moves used in the routine from the previous night, they were in a different order, and some were added that he had never seen before. He had been right not to underestimate her. Ivory was, if anything, an accomplished and dedicated performer. Geralt would not have requested to follow any one else's routine, especially after seeing this. He thought the night should build in scale, and this was the best way to accomplish it.

Normally, he would have spent this time watching Ivory's body more than the performance. She was quite attractive, and strong, and though her clothing was baggy, the twists and turns did give the Magician some glimpse of her pale skin beneath. However, this was business, and he intended to keep it that way. He watched her with the eyes of a performer, an artist, and not the eyes of a man. Ivory was not the only person in this tent who was a master of their craft, and he intended to make this known.

He watched it to the end, leaning forward in his chair, resting and elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. He trailed a finger across his lips in the posture of contemplating what he was seeing, but otherwise did not make any comments or interruptions. He had notes, of course, but he thought it best not to tell her while she was concentrating.

Once the routine was over, he leaned back in his chair and offered Ivory a few small claps. "That was stunning, but I expected no less," he said, then stood and moved halfway between the chair and the stage. "I wonder though..." he added, eyes narrowed slightly, "If we can't do more with it."

[xivyxx]

Ivory had managed to ignore Geralt's presence to the entirety of her performance. It was irritating to have had to do it in this type of clothing, as the silk caused too much friction when twists and falls were made in direct contact with her skin, but no complaint escaped her. There was a part of her that was used to undergoing such things when she practiced in her room. It wasn't like it wouldn't heal anyway. It had become a norm with her act.

When she was done, she was unfortunately forced to acknowledge Geralt's presence again. The knives she had been throwing around disappeared, as she didn't have any of her physical ones on her person, and she didn't really like to leave them laying around either. She fixed her clothing, and then stepped away from the silk, looking down at the magician with crossed arms at his words.

"I really hate it when people don't get to the point. If you have something to say, say it. I'm not going to spend my day trying to decipher your vague responses. If you have ideas, share them." She said. It would only drag things on much longer. They weren't going to get anywhere if she constantly had to ask him what he meant, or what he was really thinking. It wasn't helpful, not to mention incredibly annoying.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt raised an eyebrow, smiling mischievously for but a moment before gesturing as he spoke, "My apologies, miss. I only mean...well, the ending is a little," he paused, thinking of the word, "impotent, nein?" He could see the annoyance welling up in Ivory at this, so he raised both hands in surrender. Although he enjoyed the color rising in her cheeks, that was not his intention now.

"I don't mean to offend, of course I think your performance is absolutely breath-taking." He began to pace as he explained, "You are confident, make good use of your space, and there is good drama and pacing. I'm simply critiquing the composition. I think, maybe, the end should be bigger, more grand, more death-defying. I know you're more than capable, and I know the audience will appreciate something more spectacular at the end. In addition, this would give me a little extra time for an entrance that is elegant, and understated."

There was a slight pause here, then Geralt turned back to Ivory, back in the center of the room, and lowered his shoulders in mock-submission, "Is that clear enough?"

[xivyxx]

Ivory didn't say anything, simply allowing the man to speak. She was annoyed by his insinuation, but she still didn't go out of her way to interrupt him. Geralt clearly liked to hear himself speak. She turned back to the silk, her index finger lightly tapping her arm as she contemplated her options. There were a couple things she could potentially try that she hadn't bothered to implement into a show, mostly out of redundancy. It would possibly add a completely other small segment to her act, but it was probably possible. She didn't respond to her question as she approached the silks again. Despite how knowledgeable he liked to sound, she knew he had absolutely no idea what any of these moves were called. Explaining was pointless, so showing him was probably better.

The dhampir jumped up and took hold of the silk again, making her way up to the top. She'd have to think of something creative to do during this segment, since she usually only climbed all the way to the top once. She adjusted the silks appropriately around her legs and body before twisting herself and letting go, beginning the series of movements and twists that made up the fall. Upon reaching certain stops, she created and threw knives to hit respective targets, hand moving almost too fast for a normal person to keep up with. After all, all of this happened very fast. The drop abruptly ended when she had been completely untangled from the silk, all except her tightly secured ankle, head a few inches from the ground. She lowered a hand to the floor, and quickly untwisted her ankle from the silk, before she flipped back onto her feet. That had been really annoying to pull off in these clothes, but she ignored the stinging sensation across her abdomen.

"Is that 'potent' enough?" She asked, crossing her arms again.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt was pleased by Ivory's reaction, only because he could tell that his speech and his reasoning had been enough to convince her. Although he knew nothing of what the moves of silk dancing were called, if they even had names, he had no idea how to use them appropriately, so he didn't bother. He knew Ivory was an expert, and was respecting her craft not to pander to her.

He remained standing as he watched her climb to the top of the silks, then begin tangling them about herself. He watched and memorized her movements, knowing he would need visual cues to time his entrance. It was complex, but he was following it well. He watched her fall, noting the tension in the silk as it rubbed against her skin. That could not be comfortable, but he didn't expect a complaint.

When the drop was done, Geralt could not help but raise his eyebrows. He was impressed, to say the least. Her act was elegant and thrilling, not unlike other activities that were among the Magician's favorites. He couldn't help but allow his eyes to give Ivory a once over, admiring her physique. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be amazing between the sheets.

As she flipped onto her feet, he noticed the marks the silks had left against her pale skin, but decided not to comment. He doubted they hurt anyway, considering her...condition.

He slowly brought his hands together in a clap, shaking his head in wonder. "More than potent, Ivory. That was...perfect. Just what I was looking for." he took several steps forward and vaulted onto the stage with almost no effort, just like his counterpart.

"Now," he said, as he approached her, "For my entrance." He kept a healthy distance, but began to circle Ivory and the silks, looking at the full length of them as he did so. His eyes darted about the stage, measuring for space, making calculations. He stopped once he had reached his original position.

"Honestly," he said after his momentary silence, "I think it's best to go simple from her...build the tension again during the act. We want to give the crowd a moment of pause, let their hearts stop as they see you reach the bottom, and breath a sigh of relief as--" he stopped here, his eyes glinting with the light of an idea, and glanced from Ivory and back to the silks again as a smile slowly traced itself across his lips.

As the pause reached epic proportions, Ivory gestured and raise her eyebrows. Clearly, she was out of patience for Geralt's theatrics.

He shook his head, "Of course, my apologies, I was just...imaging it." He cleared his throat, then walked to stand between the silks and turned to face Ivory. "As I come to save the day." he said, smile wider than ever. "I think I should catch you." He said, matter-of-factly. In his eyes, this was the best, most thrilling option. In addition, it made his entrance give the audience a positive view of him even before he began performing, which he didn't need, but would never say no to an opportunity for it. Yes, this was what they should do, he was sure of it.

[xivyxx]

Ivory didn't respond to his praise, simply satisfied that it had been enough. She wasn't sure what she might have done. In terms of aerial silk that was probably one of the most risky things you could do. After all unlike acrobats, aerial silk performers didn't use nets, and relied only upon their own strength to keep from falling. There was only so much danger she could add without releasing the silks completely.

She remained quiet as the man began to pace and think of whatever the hell was running through his head. Her eyes didn't follow him, there was no point, and she simply listened until he made an abrupt stop. Finally, she turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue, and beginning to grow impatient again as he didn't. She motioned for him to continue, raising her eyebrows slightly. She didn't like that smile plastered on his face.

"I'm sure." She said simply.

When he had finally made his suggestion, if she could even call it that, her eyebrows furrowed, clearly showing her displeasure. Not only did the idea of allowing the man to touch her did not sound appealing at all, but it was exactly what she might expect from him. Something that would make him look good in front of the audience. 'The hero,' saving her from the dangers of her fall. She didn't like it.

"No." She said blatantly, in a tone that left no room for argument. She knew that would not be enough for him however, so she decided to give her reason. Ivory took great pride in her act. She relied only on her own strength and skill. It was why she trained so hard to begin with, to make sure it was something she could pull off with or without her vampiric strength.

"Yes, that would certainly make you look great in front of the audience, but it completely undermines the meaning of my act. I rely on my own strength and no one else's. Having a man catch me at the end of it is completely counterproductive and takes away from my independence." The last thing she wanted was to have to rely on him for something like that.

[FreckersFrog]

At Ivory's response, the smile immediately fell from Geralt's face and was replaced by a look of annoyance. Of course she would take umbridge with his first, and best idea. He had respected the woman as an artist, couldn't she see that this was the most daring plan with the most payoff? Although, he could believe that her personal grudge against him would cause her to shoot the idea down, part of him had expected her to accept it just to prove a point.

He would have retorted more nastily, if her explanation of her reasoning didn't make sense. Although he was still unhappy with this decision, he could see that Ivory cared for her act in a deeply personal way. It was meaningful to her, this performance and the audience's perception of it. He remembered a time when he felt that way about his act...now it was just like tracing over the same line a hundred times.

He pushed these thoughts from his head and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright...I can't argue with that. It is your act, and I wouldn't want to...soil it's presentation of you." He let this hang in the air for a moment, then added, "Let's hear your counter-offer." He had a feeling that all of his ideas, and especially the ones that involved physical contact between the two of them, would be unsavory to the disgruntled vampiress, so it was probably best if she pitched to him instead.

[xivyxx]

It was clear her rejection of his plan had displeased Geralt, but Ivory didn't care. She was willing to accept to work with him for the sake of the show, but he would not allow her to do whatever he wanted with her act. She was willing to accept ideas from him as long as they were more.. equal in the attention both sides were given.

"I'm afraid a counter-offer is hard to make when I don't know what you're capable of." She said, walking past him to approach the silks. "You've seen two of my acts, and I obviously haven't been able to see yours. I don't expect you to show me, but the least you can do is give me something to work with. Tell me a bit of what you can do, or at least what could be best used for a transition, and I can see what I can use effectively." She said.

Honestly this was a good opportunity for her to be able to learn what he could do. She didn't expect him to reveal everything, she'd be lucky if she even got what she was asking for, but if he said no then it would only turn the tides in her favor. She could not work with only half of the information.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt almost sighed again at Ivory's response, but held back so as not to antagonize her further. The second the first sentence had left her mouth, Geralt knew what she was aiming for. Although he was aware that, again, her request was a sound one, he knew this was a tactic she was using to get more information from him. This was a difficult situation, because Geralt had worked hard for years to build and maintain and air of mystery and aw around his abilities. Although he had been asked many times to "reveal his secrets" he had always found a way around the question.

However, he had not ever worked on a team of performers before, and was well aware that Ivory had to have some knowledge of his capabilities if she was to formulate an even semi-passable plan. He could give her a little, what she would see, without telling her how it was done. That, or risk a scolding from Lucien, which did not sound all that horrible...

But, the Ringleader had asked something of him, and Geralt was determined to deliver. "Honestly, the question should be 'what can't I do'," he began, shrugging but keeping his arms crossed, "I can be wherever and whenever you need me to be, and be unseen. I can move you with the audience none-the-wiser, also, but I have to touch you to do that." He tiled his head slightly, his smirk returning but for a moment. "Tell me what you need, and I can humbly oblige, trust me." Or don't, I don't care either way. He said this last bit to himself, and the low growling laugh of the other radiated through his brain.

[xivyxx]

Ivory could not deny that she had received more than she had expected to. Part of her had thought he'd give her that 'a magician never reveals his secrets,' spiel. Honestly she didn't care to know how he did the things that he did, at least, not right now. That was something she was hoping to learn later on. She didn't want to pry into too much too quickly. It's not like she got along with him enough for that, nor did she expect to.

"Hmm." She said. "So, you can be invisible or whatever, and have kind of teleport available." It wasn't a question, and she wasn't expecting any form of answer. In fact she wasn't even looking in his direction, but it was what she had gotten from his words. The 'be unseen' thing was definitely something she would have to keep in mind for the future, but if that was the case then she had more options in terms of how he could enter and she could leave. While she was not all that pleased of the fact he had to touch her for that, she couldn't be completely unreasonable with this.

Part of her had hoped that Geralt would have declined her any information, that way they could end the day there and he would be the one coming off as uncooperative, and not her, but at the same time she knew that would get in the way of them getting anywhere. Still, it would have been at least a little satisfying. Oh well.

She reached out for one of the silks, and stretched it out. They didn't look it, but they were actually quite wide. Plenty of space to hide if she wanted to, specially if both were used. She thought back to her and Akane's transition. With her, there was an incredibly large distraction from Akane's exit, since she couldn't really disappear. With Geralt having this available they didn't need something grand to misdirect the attention of the audience. Geralt clearly enjoyed having an air of mystery about himself. She could probably use that.

"Okay." She said, before finally turning to look at him. "Since you can be 'unseen' then you can get on stage without anyone noticing. As you can see, there is plenty of space to twirl in and out, and hide within the silks. It's not incredibly 'flashy,' but I assume if I dance around in between the silks and break from the audience's line of sight, you can teleport me out and make your entrance from here?" She asked, waving the silk around with her hand before letting her arm fall back onto her side.

"You clearly like to be mysterious. There's no need for anything huge to misdirect or distract the audience to make my exit like what Akane does for her's. It leaves them wondering how it was done, and keeps them in awe for whatever you have in store for them." Under normal circumstances, there was no way she'd ever interact with the magician for as long as she was doing now, but there was a part of her that also wanted to prove a point. She wasn't just going to shoot down his idea without offering anything good in return.

[FreckersFrog]

He knew the Vampire was smart, so he wasn't surprised when she deduced two of his many skills from his explanation. These were mere parlour tricks in comparison to what he was truly capable of. If she was lucky, maybe Ivory would be able to witness some of them.

He waited while she contemplated their situation and watched the wheels turn in her head. She approached the silks, touched them, thought some more, appeared to be measuring with her eyes...and then something clarified. He could see it in her expression, she had found the pitch. He only hoped it would be worthy.

He placed a finger against his lips as she explained, imagining it unfolding in his mind's eye. While it was certainly not as thrilling as his idea, it did have a certain...spark to it. He knew that the audience would be completely entranced by Ivory's routine, as he had been when he watched her. The movements of her body were so precise, the rubes would be following every little twitch of her muscles, waiting for her to slip up. If they had their eyes on her, then suddenly lost her to find Geralt standing in her place, that would certainly bring an air of awe and majesty to the routine. He could easily accomplish what she was requesting, with some flourishes of his own for a little extra pizzazz...yes, it could work.

One flaw was that her disappearance could easily be attributed to either of their skill sets. He would have to make sure to incorporate some disappearing/reappearing into his act to allow him the credit for it...but this would be easily done.

He pretended to think for a moment longer, looking around the stage, then up at the silks and out into the audience.

Finally, he dropped his hand and nodded, "It can work." He said this straight-faced, wanting to make sure Ivory sensed his displeasure so she wouldn't think he gave in too easily. He turned and hopped lightly from the stage to the ground and approached the chair once more. As he took a seat, he said, "Show me." This was not only for theatrics, of course, all of his demands served a purpose. He needed to make sure that Ivory could be completely concealed from the audience before he agreed to support her suggestion. If even one toe, one sliver of her thigh was out of place, the gag could be ruined. The reasoning for this would become clear to her once the test run of their idea was complete, but for now it was best to test her when she had no context.

[xivyxx]

She could see Geralt contemplating her idea as she spoke, but she said nothing else, letting him consider or play it in his head. There was no way it wouldn't work if the magician was up to doing it, it just came down to whether he'd accept her idea. She was willing to work with him to make it better if he had a suggestion she didn't hate. However it seemed it wouldn't have to come to that, as the man finally broke the silence.

It was clear he hadn't completely been satisfied with it, but she could only assume it was because it wasn't as focused on him as it could have been, but that was fine. While she did not like his demand, she knew why he was asking for it, considering he made his way back down to a seat in the audience. She had to aproach this carefully if she wanted it to work, after all for this she had to make sure not a single part of her was seen. She turned stepped away from the silks and turned her back to him. Eyes gauging the space she had to work with. She had to come up with a choreography for this of course, but this didn't have to be anything incredibly complicated. She also had to think about that in a performance, she'd be wearing a different outfit with occupied more room in terms of the skirt. There were many things to consider, and unfortunately she could not know how effective her moves would be in hiding herself without someone else telling her so.

Once she was done figuring it out, she moved toward the silks again, moving around in between them and stretching them out as much as she could just to get a feel for it. Ivory then began to climb them, but not very high. There was no need to go all the way up again. All she needed was the distance to make the drop. Her hand touched the ground once more, and she performed a more elegant flip back onto her feet before she transitioned into a slower dance, much like ballet. It started with her simply dancing in between and around the two large materials, but then she began to further conceal herself within it with every twirl and turn she made. It was like.. a tease for the audience, allowing them some view but then hiding herself from them, until she used twirled the silk completely around herself. This was where she thought it best to make her transition out, but she knew it hadn't been perfect.

With that, she stepped away from the silks, and looked down at Geralt. "What was off?" She asked, figuring he wouldn't hesitate to point out the flaws. She knew at least a couple movements had been off, but that was the price to pay for not being able to see the performance herself. At least for this, she'd need a bit of trial and error.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt watched Ivory's choreography with even more intensity this time around, his eyes following her every movement. The girl certainly had talent, no one could fault her that. To be able to come up with an entire segment of her routine from scratch, on the spot, it was more than any performer he had met on his travels was willing to do. In a strange way, it reminded him of his own dedication to his craft. Long ago...he had the same passion for it that she was showing now. Though traces of it remained, it was not an easy thing to muster. The past...decade or so had been especially difficult for him. His presence here at Cirque D'étoiles was beginning to reignite that fire in him, in just a few short hours he could feel the passion returning to him. It had long lain dormant, and this was a welcome feeling.

Though her heart was certainly in the right place, Ivory's first pass was less than perfect. Although he movements were precise, she was not as successful at hiding herself within the silks as she needed to be. Geralt was disappointed by this, but reminded himself that he had high standards, and that this was only Ivory's first try.

Sloppy... The other voice said, clearly mirroring his misgivings.

At least she had known that it wasn't perfect, however, he could give her points for that. "Left elbow, right foot, and part of your thigh. Also some of your hair, near the end," was all he said in response. His tone was flat, and he had his arms crossed over his chest again as he watched, no smile this time.

After a slight pause, his expression softened a bit as he noted the red streaks on the skin of Ivory's ankle. "Although...that is starting to look uncomfortable. Do you want to take a break, or change and come back to it? We can't have you all marked up in your costume, after all." Although he was not necessarily concerned for Ivory's safety, he did want to make sure that she was able to continue. There was no use in having her practice the routine if she was going to be sore and red on the night of the performance. It would certainly take the audience's attention from the choreography itself, and that would do her no justice. Although, he did wonder why the burns were having a visible effect on her. Though, he did not know everything about vampires. Maybe she was a little less hardy than the ones he had encountered in the past.

[xivyxx]

Ivory clicked her tongue in annoyance, though not at Geralt, it was just unfortunate that there were more flaws than she had expecting. Oh well, she'd work her way up to it. She was about to turn back to the silk when the magician spoke up again. She raised an eyebrow slightly, and then briefly glanced down at her ankle. She couldn't deny that it was annoying, but it wasn't something she couldn't work with. It wouldn't be a problem by the final night, and even if it was, the tights would conceal it. She could also still feel the lingering effects of the last time she had drank blood, it hadn't been too long.

"I don't need a break, but I'll go change. It's best to test this with the costume on anyway." She had to work in the replacing of the skirt into the routine as well. Without waiting for a response, she jumped off the stage, grabbing her cloak from the chair to put it on before she left the tent to head to her trailer. So far things were going better than she expected. While Geralt was still in general annoying, he wasn't as bad as she was expecting him to be, so it made the practicing more tolerable. The sooner she could perfect this however, the better.

Once she arrived at her trailer, she wasted no time in changing into one of her performance outfits, though not the one she wore during the normal nights. This one was different, but held the same concept. With that, she placed her coat back on and headed back to the Big Top. The entire time through her walk, she had been thinking of a way to change the choreography she had performed to better make up for those mistakes. It was unsatisfying to have to perform something imperfect in front of Geralt of all people, but she'd have to deal with it until she got it right. If it could be figured out on the first day, it meant she'd have to spend less time with him in the long run.