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

[FreckersFrog]

Cora could hardly contain her enthusiasm with Ivory's response, her smile widened to near inhuman proportions, but only for a moment. "Thank you," she said, her voice and expression totally heartfelt. This may have seemed like something trivial to anyone else, but to Cora this mattered. She was glad to be included, even for small practices like this.

At Lucien's comment, she nodded and followed him down via the ramp on the side of the stage, then took her place in the audience. She preferred the center, about three rows back, knowing this to be the "best seat in the house". She placed her hands in her lap and watched, eyes wide, as Ivory began to climb.

Geralt, feeling more than a little perturbed at the lack of attention he was receiving, graciously took his place behind the stage. All eyes would be on Ivory for this section, but his show was last, and therefore the most memorable. He knew his time would come, and was confident that the wait would be worth it. He would make sure of that.

He was even more annoyed by the fact that he had revealed this feat to Lucien already. He was sure it had surprised the Ringleader the first time, and regretted not saving it for now. Still, he thought he might be at least a little impressed by the distance and silence of it. He made sure to be as far back from the stage as space would allow, wanting to make the most of his second in the spotlight. Or rather, not in the spotlight.

[xivyxx]

Lucien watched Ivory begin her climb, for a moment surprised to see her reach the top again. It was not often she went all the way back up after having come back down, but he was curious as to where it was going. He didn't have to wait too long, as he then watched her drop. He had seen these drops in play before, but never to this long, and from the top. If he didn't know any better, he would have been worried that she could get hurt, but of course that did not come to pass.

Her fall seized, a few inches from the ground as the dhampir hung upside down by her ankle, before she quickly flipped to her feet and begun a different dance, one whose choreography he had never seen before. It was definitely new. He watched her move through the silks in an elegant fashion, and took notice of an increased pace as she began to become almost lost within the silks, until she had covered herself with them completely, and both Lucien and Cora completely lost sight of her.

[FreckersFrog]

Cora watched in awe as Ivory climbed the silks, her mouth slightly open as she followed the woman's movements all the way to the top. The way she used her legs...it was beautiful, and such a show of her amazing strength. Of course, Cora had watched her act before, but this time she saw it in a new light. She felt a small pang of jealousy as the dhampir's nimbleness, but it passed quickly. Envy was not an emotion that Cora let herself wallow in, and always seemed to subconsciously shrug it off. Of course, she was familiar with dancing, but Ivory had taken it to the next level by making it vertical. It truly was a spectacle to behold.

She let out a small gasp and clapped her hands over her mouth as she watched Ivory fall, suddenly. For a split second, she was worried that the woman would be hurt, but when she saw her stop suddenly, her head mere inches from the floor, she relaxed a bit. This had been the most impressive thing she had seen yet, and her eyes sparkled just like the first time she had seen the flames that Akane could produce from her hands. Of course, being from the ocean, she had never seen fire before. She had actually been shocked that not all walkers could do it, once Akane explained her talents. This was on a different spectrum, but just as incredible to her, especially because Ivory did not seem scared.

She was also an accomplished dancer, and Cora watched with a smile as she twirled and pirouetted through and around her silks. It was beautiful to behold, and the admiration in Cora's gaze was clear.

Geralt watched all of this unfold with a flat, almost bored expression. He knew that Lucien could not see him from where he sat, and Cora would be too entranced to care what he thought. He had seen this so many times now...it was starting to get bothersome. He began to tap his foot as Ivory reached the ground. When he cue came, he managed to change his expression just before he disappeared in the usual curl of black smoke.

He reappeared behind Ivory, tapped her on the shoulder, and stepped out from between the silks with a flourish to push them aside. He smiled down at Lucien and Cora, pleased by their expressions despite the fact that he knew that Ivory was absorbing ninety-nine percent of the credit. He bowed flamboyantly, and popped back up to a standing position.

"Really, Lucien," he said, "Your Ivory has all the talent."

[xivyxx]

Ivory knew it was coming, but she could not deny that the feeling still threw her off at times but she no longer had any problems retaining her balance as Geralt swapped places with her. This time around however, she tried to focus on the physical feeling itself, as Illyana had asked of her. This time she was able to notice that it was not a cold feeling that she felt from this, but a warm one. It was like the heat was enveloping her body, but it wasn't so extreme that she was bothered by it. The strangest part for her was the fact that it originated from her feet and made it's way up, which was strange, because one would think if it was some sort of.. energy, it would originate from where he had touched her, but that was not the case. These were all the things she could take note of this time around, the process was too fast for her to be able to pick up anything else, but she'd be sure to try again the next time it was done. She would have plenty of chances to figure it all out.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Geralt's words, and then stepped back onto the stage to see Lucien's reaction.

The Ringleader was surprised, but certainly pleased, giving them both an applause. He recalled seeing the magician do this the day before when he had gone back to his second act, but he wasn't really able to see that previous dark smoke among the silks. It was very well hidden, and with the lighting the audience would be none the wiser. Honestly he was surprised to know that Geralt could utilize whatever this ability was to teleport people other than himself. It was impressive, and definitely useful for this type of situation. Unlike Ivory and Akane's transition, where they had to misdirect to pull it off, this made it so it was not necessary at all, making it less risky but more mysterious, because the audience would have no idea how it was done.

"You're too modest, Geralt. That ability of yours is indeed very impressive, it makes this transition go quite smoothly. I must say I'm impressed with what you to have come up with. It certainly adds some aspects of mystery, which is exactly the mood we want to set before your own show begins." He analyzed.

"I commend both of your efforts for coming up with such a thing in such a short amount of time, and Ivory, those last minute additions were also spectacular. I'm sure the audience will be pleased." He praised.

[FreckersFrog]

As soon as the performance was over, and Cora had recovered from the shock of what she had just seen, she began clapping vigorously. She had seen nothing of Geralt's abilities thus far, and was more than pleasantly surprised at this display. Either he had snuck up, completely unseen, while Ivory was distracting the audience with her dance, or he had managed to instantly switch places with her. She guessed the latter was most likely, because the former did not explain Ivory's sudden disappearance.

"That was...amazing!" she said, slightly shrill in her disbelief. She clapped her hands over her mouth briefly again as the shock began to subside and slowly began to relax as he mind played the scene over again in her head. She didn't know what was more impressive, honestly, Ivory's strength and talent, or Geralt's mysterious abilities.

Geralt's smile finally reached its full width with Lucien's comment. He knew that the man could recognize talent, there was no doubt of it given his choice in his troupe. He was just glad to finally be recognized for his efforts.

He lowered his head slightly in humility and placed a hand on his chest. "Oh, Lucien, you flatter me. Truly, everything aside from my small part was Ivory's idea. She deserves all of the praise." He lied through his teeth, but either way, it made him seem that much more humble.

He stepped forward and gracefully let himself down from the stage, then approached Cora and leaned down with his hands behind his back, "If it brings a smile to your face, my dear, I consider it a success."

Cora smiled back up at Geralt, her cheeks shiny and red. "I could watch it all day! Both of you," she said, leaning around Geralt to look at Ivory. "The way you dance...it was just hypnotizing." she looked back at the Magician, "And that...how did you--"

"Ah-ah-ah," Geralt interrupted, holding up a finger as he straightened. He then looked to Lucien in mock disappointment, "Does she not know the cardinal rule of magic, patron?"

Cora's eyes went slightly wide, then she followed Geralt's gaze toward the Ringleader, blinking in astonishment. Had she done something wrong?

[xivyxx]

Ivory had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at Geralt's words. He truly acted.. quite humble when Lucien was around. Considering what Geralt had originally wanted to do, she could imagine that he was not quite satisfied with the fact things had ended up going this way, but she wasn't about to comment on it right now. Play the player, she had to remind herself. It was harder than Lucien had made it seem.

"You are being quite modest. Things wouldn't have gotten this far if you had not been willing to tell me at least a little of what you were capable of." She said, deciding to play along for now as she jumped down from the stage. She could tell that Lucien was a bit surprised by her words. Complimenting Geralt of all people was difficult for her, but there was truth to her words. If he hadn't told her, it would have made things more difficult and annoying.

"Thank you, Cora, though it's not nearly as hypnotizing as your song." She complimented, before looking at Lucien, who let out a small chuckle.

"It's just a small rule of thumb, Cora, that a magician never reveals his secrets. Their performances are supposed to be filled with mystery, so it is a lot more exciting for the audience if they do not know how it is he performs all of his tricks." He explained, knowing there was no way she would have known this. Magic was still a bit of a foreign concept to her.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt had to stop his jaw from falling to the floor at Ivory's words. Was that a shred of a positive thought she had shared? He looked at her with his eyebrows raised instead. Though it was not exactly a compliment, it was still the closest to praise he had heard from the vampiress since his arrival to the troupe. Had she seen his hand, and still raised? No...not yet, it was too early for her to know enough about him to assume his little game. Still...there was something...gratifying about it.

"Please, Miss Ivory, I am but an open book. You only need to turn the page to find out what you need to know." He said, tiling his head toward her and blinking coquettishly.

Cora's eyes softened slightly at Lucien's explanation, and even more when she saw Geralt was still smiling at her. So, she hadn't necessarily broken the rules after all, and hadn't offended anyone either, that was a relief. She could be quite "crass" sometimes, as Lucien had said, because she hadn't yet mastered her manners. Humans were curious creatures about that.

Geralt tapped the side of his nose and returned his gaze to the Siren. "Exactly. Magicians are..." he struggled with the word for a moment, looking to the ceiling for guidance, "Mercurial creatures. Being too revealing pins us down, and we prefer to be...free." He spread his fingers wide, like the pinions of a bird's wing, to illustrate his point. He leaned forward again and added, "Besides, it wouldn't be as fun if you knew how it was done, would it?"

He'd decided from this conversation that Cora had to be new to the life of a performer if she didn't even know this fact about Magicians. He wondered how long she had been with the troupe and where exactly she had come from. Although she spoke with an American accent, something told him that she was not exactly a native. He couldn't ask directly, that would be prying, and after Lucien's warning, he had to be careful around the girl. Still, if he caught her alone he may be able to ask.

Cora nodded, tapping the side of her nose gently as she mimicked Geralt's gesture. "Aahh..." she said, "I see. Mercurial...that means changeable, right? Illyana taught me a couple things about the stars and planets and all that..." she said, following the Magician's eyes up as well. Learning about all of the things up in the sky had been much more entertaining to her than learning about the things of the land, and she had asked Illyana many questions during their lessons about the planets, clouds, rain, stars, wind, and all of the other things that came from "the heavens". She found it fascinating.

"Too right, my dear." Geralt said, tilting his head slightly in her direction. He was impressed...although she seemed a simple creature, she was clearly hiding some intelligence. Curious indeed...the more he spoke with Cora, the deeper he wanted to delve into her past.

Cora's smile widened in response, pleased that she had gotten it right after such a mishap.

[xivyxx]

Ivory could tell that her little comment had pleased Geralt, it was notable just from the look on his face. She hoped he wouldn't get too used to it, simple comments like these were easy for her to make, only because they were factual. She wasn't about to intentionally flatter the man to win him over, she had no reason to, but she would at the very least display cooperation. There was no need to make this harder than it was.

Lucien was quiet during Cora and Geralt's exchange, not finding necessary to intervene. He was also proud of Cora for how fast she caught on to the things they taught her. It was clear that her extension of knowledge was much, much larger than when she had first joined them. There was nothing Lucien loved to see more than this type of progress.

"Well, I suppose we're all done utilizing the Big Top for now? I'm quite looking forward to how things will go tonight." Lucien spoke up, about to take hold of the handles of Cora's chair, but then let his arms fall back to his side as he saw the Siren's intentions to do it on her own. Ivory walked off the the chair she had tossed Illy's scarf into, and wrapped it around herself, ready to go back out. She was glad she wasn't going to have to spend the rest of her morning in practice with Geralt, at least. She was looking forward to some peace until it was showtime.

[FreckersFrog]

Cora took hold of the wheels of her chair as Lucien reached for the handles, smiling back at him as she began to push herself. She was in a good mood, feeling accomplished by their conversation. She was a little proud of herself, and decided to show it by taking the reigns of her own steed.

Geralt nodded in agreement at Lucien's comment, and held an arm out to the rest of the attendees. Bowing slightly, he said, "After you," and let them all pass. He noticed Cora begin to push herself, and Lucien walk slightly in front of her. Ivory, with her long and muscular legs, was well ahead of them now. What a perfect opportunity to impart a little gift to the troupe's resident Siren.

The Magician waited until they had taken a few more steps forward, keeping a slow pace behind the group, then called out, "Oh, Cora, I think you dropped this?" He bent down as he saw her acknowledge his question.

"Hm?" Cora said as she heard Geralt speak her name. She stopped and turned herself around, watching as the Magician crouched and picked something up from the ground. He remained in a kneeling position and held it out to her, wearing his usual charming smile.

She moved closer to him and reached out to take the card he held, furrowing her eyebrows as she flipped it over to see the face. It was the Queen of Hearts. "But, this isn't-"

Geralt caught her eye by tapping the side of his nose, then winked and straightened himself. "After you, my dear," he repeated, then gestured toward the exit.

Cora looked down at the card curiously for a moment, noticing a slight shimmer over it's laminated surface. She smiled up at the Magician, tucking the card into her blouse before she turned herself around and began to wheel toward the tent flap once more.

[xivyxx]

Both Lucien and Ivory caught this exchange, and saw the flash of the card Geralt had given the Siren. Lucien was curious, considering the cards they had received. Was this a.. thing he liked to do? He wasn't particularly worried, considering nothing had happened with his own card. Even now it simply sat in the drawer of his desk. Part of him still wanted to ask, but he did not think he'd receive an answer.

Ivory didn't say anything, but she definitely took note of the card. This was probably something Illyana would want to know later. Now that she thought about it, she still had to give the fortune teller her own card, but she believed it best to do after this town visit was over, just in case it was too much for her.

--

The rest of the day was quite peaceful, with the others taking part in practice for the big show tonight. Lucien paid close attention to the amount of people that were showing up for the big show. The difference was clear, but it wasn't completely outrageous in comparison to the day before. About.. fifty percent higher, if he had to guess. Lucien was fairly good at remembering faces, and he could see some he recognized. Returning patrons, which was very good for them. Satisfied, he headed toward the Big Top. Cora had just arrived with Ivory, and he smiled as he approached. Cora was wearing a beautiful, elegant, dark blue gown, with shimmers that would shine nicely against their lighting. Ivory had put her hair up in a bun, in such a way the state of it's current dampness could not be seen.

"Elegant as always, I am honored to accompany your beautiful singing tonight." Lucien said with a small bow and gentle smile, causing the Siren to giggle. "I see Ivory worked hard on your hair, it looks beautiful." He complimented.

"I do my best." Ivory said with a smile. She knew how much Cora enjoyed this show, so she tried to do her best to make her shine, not that she needed any help with that. Cora could shine just as brightly without this getup.

Lucien saw a carnie out of the corner of his eyes motion a thumbs up, the crowd had settled, and they were ready. The stage had everything set up already with Akane's tools, Aurel's snakes, and Ivory's knives but they were covered with a dark cloth that was hard to see, and not distracting, as the light would be shining on Lucien and Cora throughout the entirety of the performance. Everything had been placed strategically, so it wouldn't get in anyone's way.

Lucien came out onto the stage to greet the excited crowd, giving them his large, charismatic smile.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Cirque D'étoiles!" His voice echoed loudly throughout the tent.

"I see some familiar faces in the audience tonight, I am honored that you have come to see our show, some of you for the second time, but I promise you what you're in for tonight is nothing like you've seen before! New songs, new dances, and a completely new act of the mysterious man I'm sure you've all heard of, Geralt the Great!" Cheers echoed through the crowd, and Lucien retained his smile, giving the audience a small bow.

"Sit back and enjoy yourselves tonight! As we open our night with our beautiful chanteuse!" He told them. The lights dimmed, and in that instance the piano was pulled onto the stage by the pulley system Ivory had put together for it, with Cora already sitting proudly and elegantly on top of the piano. Lucien bowed, and took his place, before the soft music of his playing began to fill the room, followed by Cora's beautiful voice. He maintained the perfect mindset for it this time around, the balance between letting Cora's voice carry him and not allowing himself to lose completely to it. His emotion seeped through just enough, and he could tell with the occasional glance that his intention behind the song had been made clear. The pleasant expressions of the audience was enough to bring a smile to Lucien's face. Their cheers was enough to show their love for the song before the lights dimmed once more, and they left the stage as Aurel quickly replaced them in the dark, he threw off the black cloth that covered the basket his snakes were in, and with that the music changed, and his performance began, the soft, slow hypnotizing music filling the air as he and his snakes moved with the rhythm of it.

When Akane's turn came. Aurel reached for one of the other cloths that covered her tools as his song slowly came to the end. He tossed it high into the air with small flair. The light shifted from him to the corner of the stage, where Akane cartwheeled to the center just in time to catch it and set the wicks aflame, to which by then Aurel had taken his leaves with his snakes.

All of this was meticulously planned, with the right lighting and misdirection, they could pull these kinds of things off quite well. Because Akane's show was so flashy, transitions were easy, because eyes were on her almost immediately.

Ivory had moved to stand behind the curtain she would be coming out from when her turn neared. By then Lucien had already taken Cora away so she could get a clear view of everyone's performances, since he knew how much she loved doing so. Throughout her act, some of her tools were tossed elegantly off stage when she was done with their usage, where a carnie would catch it to put it away, to have less to get in the way of Ivory's own performance.

It was done smoothly, and by the end Akane only had her fans. She spun in an elegant circle, and flames followed suit as she became completely surrounded in large, blue flames. With the audience captivated by the sight, Akane quickly shifted into her fox form, grabbing hold of the fans with her tails before dashing off stage with incredible speed. Ivory was quick to come out to take her place, and Akane quickly turned to control her flames so the dhampir would not come to harm, causing them to completely dissipate, and allowing Ivory to begin her act.

This had been a hard practice for them, because it required Ivory to have complete trust that Akane would not allow her to get burned. Honestly she was happy the dhampir had that much faith in her, and she did her best to make sure she could safely enter the stage even when she was surrounded by flames. Despite the uncomfortable heat, Ivory knew that Akane would not let her down.

Akane smiled as she watched Ivory begin her act as she set down her fans. Her fox form was unlike a normal fox's. It was much larger than the average fox, more lean, with her fur being just as bright red as her hair in human form. Her biggest defining feature was the fact that not one, but two long flowing tails with whitened tips that were swishing from side to side behind her as she watched Ivory's act.

[FreckersFrog]

The rest of the day passed by without significant incident. The big top and all of its accouterments had been set up, the practices had been completed, food made, so really this was a day of relaxation more than anything, especially for the Carnies and for Illyana, who would not partake in the big top show this evening. She would be watching, of course, but there really was no room for her act in the lineup as it was a one-on-one sort of experience. This was fine with her, there were always things to organize around the grounds, lists to make and chores to catch up on. She quite enjoyed big top days for this reason, it allowed her to recharge after consecutively reading for days, which was a significant drain on her system.

She was glad to also see that Geralt had decided to keep his distance, at least from her, today. She only glimpsed sight of him once, when he returned to the mess area after Lucien and Cora's practice to make himself a cup of coffee. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him spike it with something out of a flask. He smiled and raised to cup to her in greeting, but did not speak, before walking off and making his way to his trailer. She took note of the drinking, but would not broach the subject with Lucien unless she saw it effect the man's behavior or performance or she caught him offering anything to Aurel. She would have to be careful about what she shared about the Magician with the Ringleader, especially after their conversation the previous day.

Otherwise, the day passed peacefully for the clairvoyant, and she even had time for a little more research before the show began. Of course, she wanted to show her support for her fellow troupe members, and did make herself present at the show, though she remained backstage. She wore her typical gypsy garb while there were customers on the grounds, not wanting to have to explain herself if she was seen wearing her standard fare. She smiled as she watched Cora and Lucien's performance, but made sure to cover her ears as she listened to avoid any undo stress on her mental state.

Cora, who had been so excited about the performance that she could hardly sit still, spent the rest of her day preparing for the show. She picked out her dress, decided on her hair, and did her own makeup as Ivory had taught her to. Once she was done, she still had several hours to kill, so she spent the rest of the time with Akane, practicing and talking. Before she left her trailer for the rest of the evening, she tucked the card that Geralt had given her into the pocket of one of the warm-weather jackets she had folded in her trunk.

Once the show was on, she wore nothing but the biggest of smiles. She felt beautiful, and knew the audience would be "enamored" with her, the word that Lucien had used before. It helped that the lights were on the two of them, and that the faces of the audience were shielded from her sight. She felt totally alone, accompanied only by the music that flowed from Lucien's fingers. She thought that their performance was even better than the two practices they had done earlier in the day, and was nothing but thrilled as they left the stage to loud applause.

She caught sight of Geralt backstage as she was lifted from the piano and set into her chair by Lucien. She smiled at him, and he flashed a quick one back at her, but kept his distance. She looked down, a bit dejected, but nearly forgot all about it as she was turned to face the rest of the show. She watched the rest, beaming the whole way. Though she had seen it all before, watching her friends perform was always so exhilarating.

Geralt had taken his place backstage, but made sure to have a good view of the backside of the performance as well. As a man of the stage, he was well aware that all of the misdirection for the transitions would be facing the audience itself, and the Magician wanted to catch whatever Lucien, Akane, and the others did not want him to see. For the most part, it was rather straght-forward and his sharp eye was not challenged until Akane left the stage. There, he was surprised to see her physical form shift into that off a twin-tailed fox. Now, this was very interesting.

A Kistune...divine filth.

Geralt hmm'd to himself, placing a hand over his mouth to cover his response, "Very interesting..." While he had read the word before, he had never actually encountered any of these mythical beasts, that he had known of. As far as he was aware, they were shape-shifters and tricksters, which was very telling when he considered Akane's act, along with her personality. It also explained her almost ethereal beauty and her red hair, which was extremely rare in the orient.

As Ivory's act began, he sidled his way over to the girl, now in her fox form and came to a stop beside her. "Now that," he began, not leaning down but making sure his voice was directed toward her large red-furred ears, "is an impressive trick." In fact, it may have been the most impressive thing he had witnessed since joining the troupe. He wondered what else Lucien had hidden up his sleeve. He stayed facing the performance as he spoke, providing the illusion of attention despite that fact that he was barely watching at all. He had seen it so many times by now, the most alluring thing about it was watching Ivory's well-toned body perfectly manage the silks.

[xivyxx]

Akane's tails twitched as she heard Geralt's voice and pulled back from the curtains slightly to look up at the man. Honestly she had almost forgotten that he was back here, since the others usually watched from the other side.

"Oh! Geralt." She said, wasting no time in shifting back to her human form and straightening out her dress a little, before lifting her mask and throwing him a smile. "Why thank you!" She was unsure if she should explain it or not, but decided she'd do so if he asked her. It wasn't really the time. She didn't want to distract the man too much knowing he went after the dhampir, but she supposed they had a bit of time until then.

"I hope you enjoyed the shows so far, I can't wait to see yours." It was something she was very excited about, considering it would be the first time she'd be able to see it for herself. She was sure it was the same for some of the others as well. Hopefully Aurel would be back in time to watch it.

[FreckersFrog]

"My apologies, miss, I didn't mean to startle you," Geralt said, taking a half step back. He knew that the girl was still uncomfortable with close proximity, as were most of the denizens of the circus. He had to make sure to be respectful of it until she got over whatever it was that was causing her to keep distance.

It can sense me here...that is why it cowers and trembles hehehe....

Geralt ignored the cackle in his head and nodded, "I am having a marvelous time. Each member of your troupe is exceptionally talented, I only hope my small offering is worthy of your stage." He said, bowing his head slightly to demonstrate humility.

He glanced up to see that Ivory was about halfway done with her performance, which was just about the time he should be getting into position. "My que is on the horizon. I do hope to see more of what your particular talents bring to the stage in the future," he winked.

[xivyxx]

Akane shook her head. "Oh no need to apologize, I was simply focused on the stage." She said with a smile. It was a bit difficult to get used to his strange presence, but she'd manage soon enough.

"I'm happy to hear you're enjoying yourself, but there's no need to be so modest." She said, before following Geralt's glance to Ivory's performance. It was probably best she left him to it.

"I look forward to it!" She said, before stepping away. Giving the man a small wave, she ran off toward the other side of the stage, peeking around for a moment before shifting into one of the carnies. It was the least conspicuous appearance. With that, she walked out off the side stage and went to stand beside the audience so she could get a clear look of the stage for Geralt's performance.

It was around that time that Aurel returned after getting all of his snakes settled, and had approached Illyana.

"It seems like I made it just in time.." Aurel said quietly.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt tilted his head back slightly and chuckled, "Oh, trust me, humility is one of my most endearing qualities." He glanced back at Ivory as she climbed the silks for her final drop. "Enjoy the show," he said, tilting his head and giving a bow, before he disappeared in a swirl of black smoke and reappeared in position to take Ivory's place on stage.

Illyana had entered through a flap in the side of the tent and was standing near the back behind a stack of unused chairs and other miscellaneous objects. She preferred to be away from the crowd, with so many thoughts swirling around them it was often hard to concentrate. Even though she didn't have the best view from here, he was glad to accept it if it meant she could focus on the performances.

In fact, her focus on Ivory's performance was so completed that she jumped and let out a small gasp as Aurel approached her and spoke. She had not been expecting him to join her tonight. Sometimes he sought her out, sometimes he didn't. She glanced over at him, her eyes wide and cheeks slightly red with surprise. She swallowed and took deep breaths to calm herself, then offered him a small smile. "I suppose you did," she answered, then nodded toward the stage as Ivory dropped. "I've never seen her do this before..."

[xivyxx]

Aurel gave Illyana an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He had hoped not being loud would ease her reaction but.. sometimes he forgot how easily startled she could be. He followed Illyana's gaze to Ivory's performance and nodded slightly.

"I've seen small drops, but not complete drops like that one.." He commented. Honestly it was impressive, he didn't think he could try doing anything like that, but he always respected Ivory's guts when it came to this kind of stuff.

"This whole part of the act is new.." It was when she disappeared into the silks that Aurel raised his eyebrows as Geralt came out of them.

"There was no redirection like with Akane's transition..." He muttered, a little surprised, but impressed by it.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana was completely mesmerized as she watched Ivory twist towards the stage, then stop suddenly and hang upside-down by her ankle. Even she could not help but let out a small smile as she saw that her friend was unharmed. It was quite a thrill to see, and she wondered whose idea it had been to incorporate that element.

She tried her best to follow Ivory's movements as she detached herself and weaved through the silks, dancing first just outside of them and then within. She began to loose sight of her, glimpsing only flashes of her skin and costume, until she was completely out of sight.

Geralt took his cue with ease, and didn't even have his eyes on Ivory as he folded into a cloak of shadow and reappeared just in time to switch with Ivory. His eyes had been on Lucien, who was watching the show with his arms crossed from backstage, completely composed.

Geralt stepped from between the silks, pushing them aside effortlessly as he did so that they waved enticingly behind him. The crowd hung in silence for a moment as all faces looked down on him and he relished in their captivity. A huge smile split his face and he held out both arms in welcome. It was then that the crowd erupted into applause, and the whole tent reverberated with their shouts of pleasure and awe.

After a moment, Geralt held up a hand and the crowd slowly came to silence once more. "Our Winter Fairy, ladies and gentlemen, let us have another round for her fantastic feats of daring, strength, and pure elegance." he held his arms out once more as the crowd began to clap again, and a few men shouted. The applause was shorter this time, and when it was over, Geralt took a step forward to the edge of the stage.

"Now, I will not presume to waste my audience's patience with idle jaw flapping. You all came to see something...magical, did you not?"

This statement was followed by even more vigorous applause and louder shouts in the affirmative. It had been a long time since Geralt had performed for an audience this large, and he felt even his icy heart begin to thaw as they called for him. After all this time, a full house still had a way of wooing him.

"Well, with a response like that, I definitely cannot refuse you," he said once he could be heard. "I am sure that you all know who I am, thanks to our illustrious host, but I promise you that I will spend the next half hour or so getting to know each and every one of you..." He let this statement hang in the air for a moment as he looked around the audience, meeting eyes with several members, mostly women, before he returned his attention to the crowd as a whole and took a few steps back to center.

Sensing the silks on either side of him, he glanced at them, turned around in a full circle and followed the line of the cloth all the way up to where each one was attached to a heavy beam in the ceiling. He had planned this little trick out in advance, but had not told anyone in the troupe, preferring not to hear a counter-argument to his plan.

"Well," he said, as a few chuckles rippled throughout the crowd, "we simply can't leave these here, can we?" he asked, turning to the crowd. A couple clapped in response, but mostly they were hanging on the edges of their seats, waiting to see what he would do. Just how he liked them.

He stood between the two silks as he rolled up his sleeves, then held his arms out at his sides, palms up and elbows bent. He flexed his fingers a couple of times, took a deep breath, and snapped. Sparks flew from the ends of his fingers and immediately caught the silk on fire. It burned quickly and efficiently, the flammable cloth catching at lightning speeds as the fire ate the silk all the way to its zenith at the very top of the tent. Ashes drifted down from the ceiling to land on the stage, but not a single fleck of gray touched Geralt. A perfect circle of clean wood surrounded him, but he brushed his shoulders off anyway.

"I clearly didn't think that through," he said, and the audience chuckled once more as he looked around himself in mock dismay. Slowly, he turned his face back to the audience as his crooked smile returned and he shrugged, "Ah, I have just the thing for this." He squared himself in the center of the circle, gracefully brought one of his legs up, let it hover for just a moment, then brought it down as if crushing an unwanted insect. As the sole of his wingtip connected with the stage, the ash was swept away from him in an instant, as if a typhoon had just blown in behind him and pushed all of it on to the dirt floor.

"There," he said, and the crowd broke into applause once more, "Now we can really get started."

From here, he took the show on the usual tour. Since he had them captivated already, there was no shortage of people who wanted to volunteer as his assistant. He began with the card trick, then moved on to a series of sleight of hand and illusionary demonstrations to keep them interested. The crowd was too large to pass his case around, so he spent a little more time on the fire portion of the show and made a bit more of a show of revealing the card. He did add a couple of animals to his coat trick, including a snake, which he credited to Aurel's performance and elicited a few laughs. He added a short segment in the middle where he hypnotized and audience member, asking them to do several menial tasks and in general make a fool of themselves, to which the crowd reacted quite well. Once all of that was finished, he ended with his trademark levitation trick, moving the volunteer off stage and a little higher than he would in his standard act. This was always a crowd-pleaser and the best item to leave them on. When he was finished, he stood center stage and disappeared as the lights flickered amidst raucous applause.

He appeared again next to Lucien, who had positioned himself and Cora with the best view of the stage while still hiding from the crowd.

"The reviews are bound to be just marvelous, if I dare to dream," he Magician said aloud as he leaned over Lucien's shoulder.

Cora had watched the entirety of the show with bated breath, especially when it came to Ivory and Geralt's parts. She simply couldn't take her eyes off of the man, though she did steal a glance at Lucien when the silks caught fire and began to burn. She could see that his expression was tight, it was clear that he was displeased, but as always, he maintained his composure.

She had been so amazed by the entirety of the act that she hadn't been expecting the man to show up next to them after it was over. A high-pitched squeal of alarm exited her, but she clapped her hands over her mouth to silence it as she realized that it was only Geralt. She saw both his and Lucien's faces twitch momentarily as they heard this sound escape her, but she looked over with wide eyes at Geralt.

"That was incredible!" was all she could think to say.

"Thank you, my dear, I cannot tell you how glad I am that you enjoyed it." Geralt said with a slight bow. Though he had recovered quickly, the shriek that Cora had let loose pierced his mind like a hot dagger. It did not seem to effect his parasitic companion, Geralt knew there would be complaints if it had. Very curious...this girl had many talents that were yet to be revealed.

[xivyxx]

As soon as Ivory had recovered from the teleport, which hadn't taken long, she was quick to make her way to the side of the stage to make sure she'd get a decent look at Geralt's act. This was something she too was interested in, as it would allow her to have a bit more clues about him. This time around she hadn't been able to focus too much on the feeling of the teleportation.. mostly because she was more focused on the show itself. She didn't want her desire to figure things out to risk ruining anything. She was sure she'd have other chances for it, but right now she wanted to see just what that magician really had to offer. She had heard his mention of her but didn't react to it, simply holding back an eye roll.

Aurel was honestly surprised by the entire display of Geralt's act. He had heard of magicians and what they were capable of but.. this was clearly on an entirely different level. Even though he already knew it was real, he could really tell that there weren't any extreme tricks of misdirection, his magic was very real.

"He's really good.. The crowed clearly loves him.." Aurel said quietly as he watched. Honestly it was hard to keep track of all of the things the magician seemed to be able to do. "But.. I'm sure Ivory's not going to like what happened to her silks.."

Lucien had watched Geralt's show with just as much interest as the first time, trying to catch on to any of his new tricks. He could tell just how excited Cora was about all of this, and he was glad she was enjoying herself. Everything had been fine until the magician had decided to burn the silks, that made him furrow his brow a little. He was sure that Ivory would not be pleased with this, and he honestly wasn't either, even if it was for the show. When Geralt disappeared from sight, he hadn't even turned around when he had appeared behind them, not immediately, though he had grimaced when Cora let out a yelp. It had sent a sharp pain through his head, but he had quickly recovered before he turned to face Geralt.

"I'm sure they will, but I do hope you have replacements ready for those silks." He said. While he did not sound angry, it was clear that he was a bit displeased by his choice. He understood the concept of it, considering all the other performers made sure to get rid of their own tools and instruments for the next act, obviously Ivory couldn't do that, so he understood Geralt's need to remove them, but it was the way he had went about it that he had disapproved of.

Unfortunately he did not give the man much time to react as he had to go back out onto the stage to close the night, and thank everyone for coming. The applause was grand, and he knew that Geralt was right. The reviews would surely be amazing. He could tell how pleased the audience was as they began to take their leave and Lucien returned to his previous spot backstage.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana watched at Geralt took the stage with furrowed brow. Though she had seen magician's acts before, and read even more about them, she was sure that Geralt's would be just as...unique as the Magician himself. She focused intently on his hands as he performed, but try as she might, even she was not able to watch all of their movements. She even caught herself distracted on occasion by his misdirection. It was no wonder the audience loved him, if he could fool someone like her, she had no doubt that the normal humans that attended their shows would have no chance at catching him. As far as she could tell, each one of his tricks used some facet of his real magic. Traditional human magicians used all sorts of tactics to pull of the feats that they claimed were real; plants in the audience, trick knots, misdirection, and "special effects" like pyrotechnics to draw the audience's eye away from them while they snuck their way into the prestige. On the contrary, however, it appeared that Geralt the Great wanted all eyes on him at all times. This was especially interesting...but not as interesting as his hypnotism trick. Many stage magicians would use a plant for this, recruiting someone from town and bribing them into pretending to go along with the trick. She couldn't say this was entirely impossible, as Geralt had not been seen about the grounds for most of the day. It was possible that he had gone into town to recruit a plant, but not likely given his immense pride. No, Illyana would believe that this was genuine and be sure to add it to her list of his abilities until he proved otherwise.

Illyana hadn't even spared a thought of Ivory's silks until Aurel mentioned it. She kept a half-smile at bay as it threatened to creep across her lips, "If he's not careful," she said quietly, "the crowd will be the only ones pleased with him." She omitted mentioning that she hoped this would be the case.

Cora's face fell slightly as she heard Lucien's comment. Although his tone was not angry, she had never heard Lucien angry, she could tell he was at best disappointed, which was worse in a way. She was glad that his displeasure had never been directed at her. She could see the tension in Geralt's jaw when he heard this and Lucien walked away from him, his eyes followed the Ringleader as he made his way back on stage amidst applause. Though he was smiling, Cora could tell that he was also not happy with the way their small exchange had gone.

Still, he turned to her, leaned down and offered her a peek inside his sleeve. She squinted, furrowing her brow in confusion, until she spotted the dark blue shining material inside the sleeve of his coat. She gasped, then looked up at him with eyes wide as he held a finger to his lips, then tapped the side of his nose.

She scrunched her own nose up as she smiled at him and mirrored his gesture, feeling a swelling of pride in her chest as she realized that the two of them were sharing a secret.

As Geralt spotted Lucien returning, he straightened up and smiled toward the Ringleader as the tent erupted into cheers and applause. There was no denying that his show had been a complete success. If there had been a better turnout, the Magician may have used the phrase "near-perfect" to describe it, and he knew that his new employer was well aware.

As Lucien came to a stop in front of them, Geralt began speaking to avoid any more scolding, "I do apologize for that little display, I did not think of the silks ahead of time and simply...improvised. But, fear not, I would never have destroyed something so beautiful without a way to restore it." he added a wink towards Cora as he finished speaking and she smiled in return.

[xivyxx]

Ivory wasn't mad, no, she was incredibly annoyed by what Geralt had done. She wasn't sure if this was some sort of intentional jab at her, no actually, she was quite sure that it probably was. Almost on instinct alone she wanted to storm over there and ask him what the hell his problem was, but she didn't. Oh no, she stayed right where she was. She exhaled, and maintained her cool. Play the player, she had reminded herself. It was just silks, she had plenty others, as they were normally replaced when she wanted to change the colors or she felt like they were getting old. It wasn't a big deal, it was just.. the principle of it.

Still, the dhampir would not let this get to her, because she knew that was exactly what Geralt would probably want. No, she would pretend to not care at all, like it didn't bother her. He was simply getting rid of the silks so they wouldn't be in the way, just as Aurel removed his snakes or Akane removed her tools. That's at least what she told herself, to keep her expression neutral. Instead of heading toward Lucien, who she figured Geralt was currently with, she went toward Aurel and Illyana instead.

"What did you guys think of the show?" She asked them.

Aurel glanced over at Ivory as she approached, honestly a little surprised that she didn't seem angry. "It was good.. in all honesty, I could tell that the magic was real.." He said, giving the stage another glance.

"You.. disappeared off the stage, how did that happen?" He was honestly curious, and he figured Geralt might not tell him.. but maybe he could get a response from the dhampir.

"It was teleportation." She told him, not particularly concerned to keep it a secret, at least not with troupe members. "He teleported in and then teleported me out so he could take my place." She explained, causing Aurel to raise his eyebrows.

"That's quite the skill set.." He said. "You don't seem that upset about the silks." He was mostly just curious about it.

"It's not that big of a deal I suppose. There are replacements." She said in an almost casual tone. Even she had to admit she was a bit impressed with her own self-restraint.

-

Lucien's expression did not ease completely, but he was at least glad to know he had a back up plan for what he had done. "That's good to hear. I'm sure Ivory will be glad to know her silks will be replaced, but please do refrain from damaging anything on stage in the future, at least without running it by me first." He told him, pausing for a moment.

"Putting that side, the audience clearly enjoyed today's performance. I will most certainly say tonight was a success. I look forward to what the future will bring." He said, knowing that he couldn't only scold the man. He could not deny how good his show actually was. This would definitely be something the audience would end up talking about to their friends and family. This was how news began to spread, and it was what they wanted.

-

Akane, like the others, had been impressed by Geralt's act, especially the fire related skills he seemed to show. While she was sure Ivory would not appreciate the burning of her silks, she was curious as to what kind of fire abilities this man held to be able to do such a thing. Was it similar to her's, or more limited? She couldn't wait to find out. The magician had certainly been modest, he was clearly skilled, and honestly Akane was glad she had gotten to see it. When the show was over, she waited for all of the audience members to be completely out of the tent, and that there was no one in sight before she shifted back to her own form, and quickly made her way to the side of her stage. She could smell Lucien and Cora there.

Seeing Geralt, her smile widened. "That was amazing!" She said, giving a few claps as she approached.