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

[FreckersFrog]

The next day, the cadre of performers and their band of carnies arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada. Geralt had visited the town once before, and it had been a droll affair, so he hadn't really been looking forward to it. Unfortunately for The Magician, he didn't make the decisions about where they stopped and had no say in the matter. Especially after the last evening's events, he did not feel the need to approach Lucien to discuss it either. At least, he had heard, that gambling was now legal there and that construction on the dam was almost completed, so the town had to be flush with cash at the moment. At least that was a way he could spend his downtime, since he had decided to give Lucien his space.

The rejection had been a disappointment, and one the parasite sharing his body had insisted on reminding him of every chance it got. He had done his best to tune it out, but despite his attempts his mood had plummeted. He no longer felt the need to interact with any of the troupe members, and spent every waking moment either in his trailer or away from the grounds. In the coming days, and during the next round of performances, he made himself scarce and rarely appeared between shows.

Illyana, on the other hand, had been more and more energetic the closer they got to California. She was counting the days until they arrived, because she knew what she would find there. She was seen with fresh, bright eyes at almost any time of the day, and Geralt's absence had her smiling a bit more than usual as well. Despite the lull in her research, she had been rather cheerful recently, and others had noticed, though they had said little. Lucien and Aurel were the only ones who knew the details as to her heightened mood. Ivory had an idea, but not the details, and she was too respectful to ask for more than that. The only bit of concern that had reached her ears was when Aurel mentioned to her that Geralt had paid Lucien a visit on the roof of his trailer during the full moon. At first she had been concerned and almost offended by the magician's brazenness in this, and had kept her eyes open for more contact. To her relief, Lucien and Geralt had almost no contact, and the former was nowhere to be seen except on performance nights.

Cora and Akane had returned almost entirely to normal during this time as well, and though the mermaid still found herself having some...different feelings from time to time, she had stopped worrying about them as much. She was just happy to see everyone getting along, though she had noticed Illyana's increased positivity and Geralt's absence. She was pleased by the former and concerned by the latter, but again did not let this get to her. The longer she spent with the troupe, the more at home she felt abovewater, even in the dry heat of the desert.

[xivyxx]

Lucien had done his best to act like nothing had happened, mostly for his own sake. He was sure bringing it up to Geralt would sour the man's mood nonetheless, considering he had clearly made himself a hard man to find. It certainly wasn't the way he had wanted things to go.. but what could he do? Instead of letting those thoughts bother him, he threw himself into his work. Their first day of arrival in Vegas, Lucien had made a visit to town himself on the first day.

It had been many, many years since he had last been to this area, so his connections here were slim. If he wanted to get any healing done, he'd have to forge a new one. Hospitals usually weren't good targets for this, so he had settled with looking into small churches. He was careful about the ones he had potentially decided on. He knew there were corrupt churches out there, so he was not brazen in his choices. It had taken him two days to find one he believed to be trustworthy enough for this, and had been able to find a way to.. prove his skills. He of course had only shared this with the head priest, after deciding on what would be the best place to do this, Lucien had agreed to come back on the last night of shows, before he returned to the Circus to prepare for that night's performances.

The first two nights had been incredibly successful with the current flow of income this city was having because of the dam's construction. Expectations were quite high as they headed into the third day, which had ended up with the highest turnout. As the circus' performance night came to a close, the patrons slowly began to exit the grounds, and a lot of the troupe were getting ready to head to their own trailers, Ivory was one of them.

The dhampir was waiting for the right time to head out. She wasn't particularly fond of heading back while there was still a lot of people around, mostly because she stood out quite a bit and she didn't want anyone trying to engage her in conversation, especially her 'male fans.' It was really the last thing she wanted to deal with after having just finished her last performance for the night.

[FreckersFrog]

Although Geralt had preferred not to be seen these last few days, and he had the means to do so by use of his displacement ability, tonight he had deigned to walk back to his trailer instead of appear there instantly. The reason for this was mostly due to his sour mood. Using the parasite's abilities only served to cause him more stress and upset, so he thought taking in the cool desert air this evening would be best. Seclusion had never agreed with The Magician, but he had felt his pride damaged severely by Lucien's rejection and was still not ready to join the world. He had not even had the heart to visit the Dice House in town yet, and doubted he would before they left. There was really nothing to draw him there, and he simply wasn't in the mood.

Las Vegas had turned out to be much more profitable than he had expected as well. Because of the dam offering more jobs to laborers, the economy here was booming. All shows had seen record turn outs, The Magic Show being so successful that they had to add a third show. Immediately after it was over and the tent began to empty, the Magician headed in the opposite direction, towards his domicile.

Hands in his pockets, his lanky legs carried him there, eyes on the ground. It would be a short walk, but one he needed. Maybe tonight he would go out...if he could muster the energy...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a little girl crying. Immediately, his eyes darted about until he located the source of the sound, worry gripping his heart like a vice. It didn't take long for him to spot her, standing by a stack of empty crates that had been used for transporting the circus' goods from place to place. There were no adults around her, and the closest patrons were too far too hear her cries of woe. Quickly, the German made a beeline for the child, but slowed at he approached her. There had been too many people at his shows for him to recognize her face, but she was fairly certain she had not come from the direction of his tent.

She was small, looking no older than six or seven, with blonde hair tied up into two pigtails with bows on the side of her head. She was wearing a simple but higher-end dress and shoes, and was gripping a stuffed cat with white-knuckles. She looked around, confused and lost, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey there, little one..." Geralt said in a soft, gentle tone, as he knelt by the girl. If it was one thing the man could not stand, it was the sight and sound of a child crying.

The little girl looked over at him, startled at first, and glanced around with even more fervor. Geralt made sure to stay far enough away that he could not reach out for her, she was old enough to be weary of this.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help." He said, giving her a smile. "My name is Geralt, can you tell me yours?"

The girl looked scared for a moment, horrified even, but as she saw him come to a stop and kneel down a ways away from her and heard his soft and gentle voice, she seemed to relax, albeit slowly.

"Ce-...Cecelia..."

"Cecelia, hm? That's a lovely name," he said, maintaining the smile with his knee pressing into the dirt, "And your bows are so pretty...why the long face, hm? I bet you have such a pretty smile."

[xivyxx]

Ivory had began heading out toward the entrance of her tent, but had paused for a moment as heard the sound of a crying child. Curious, she opened the slit in the curtain of the tent to look through it. Her blue eyes were quick to spot the source of the sound, a little girl who.. appeared lost? Immediately Ivory hesitated. She wasn't good with kids, and had never directly interacted with them, for good reason. Her gaze was sharp, and the dhampir was simply too awkward, she figured going out there would only scare her.. but she also knew she couldn't just leave her be. Having almost made up her mind, she was about to step out, but then seeing someone else approach her made her stop.

It was Geralt, of all people.

This had surprised her, as he had been the last person she would have expected to provide assistance. Ivory peeked out a little more, eyes scanning the surroundings. There was really no one else around to see this, except her. For a moment she was tempted to step out just so he wouldn't get a chance to interact with a girl, but taking note of his body language stopped her. She tilted her head slightly, sharpening her hearing so she could pick up his words, an easy feat thanks to her vampiric half. She raised her eyebrows slightly as she watched the man kneel down to the child. His voice taking a tone she had never heard him voice.

It was.. fairly gentle, almost kind. It had honestly threw her off, but what had surprised her even more was the fact that he had knelt down in front of the child. If there was anything she had observed from the Magician is that he hated getting dirty. This much was obvious from the stops they have made at previous lakes to refill Cora's tank. He always did his best to remain clean, but right now it appeared to be the least of his concerns. Seeing that Geralt's intent was to actually help the girl, Ivory stayed where she was, and simply decided to watch the exchange.

[FreckersFrog]

The little girl slowly but surely relaxed as she sensed the good nature that Geralt was currently exuding. Though she was still crying, her voice had lowered and she was no longer actively upset. Though, there was still work to be done...

"My...my mommy, I can't find her. I gotted lost..." she said, and her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Now, now Cece--Can I call you Cece?" Geralt scooted himself a little closer to the child, but kept his hands back so she didn't shy away from him. Slowly, she nodded her consent and his smile widened, "I'm sure the two of us can find your mommy, no problem at all. I bet she's very worried about you..." He glanced around, but did not see or sense anyone approaching them. This was a strange place for a child to have been left, as well, near the back of the grounds...

"First, can I ask what brought you all the way back here? This isn't a place where Cece's and mommies usually go."

Cecelia relaxed more and more as Geralt kept talking to her, and she almost smiled with the use of her nickname, but her worry prevented it. "I was looking for the pretty white-haired fairy lady...she's so pretty and I just wanted to tell her..."

Geralt raised his eyebrows at the mention of Ivory. Interesting...but this made sense, in fact, they were rather close to the tent where the vampire did her performances. "Oh, is that so? Well, little lady, you happen to be in luck. The Winter Fairy is a close friend of mine. Would you like to meet her? The all three of us can go and find your mommy together. How does that sound?" At this, he extended his long-fingered hand to the girl, slowly and gently so as not to frighten her further, keeping his smile all the way.

The girl glanced from his hand to his face, back and forth several times, before she made her decision. Her mommy had always told her strangers could be dangerous, but this man seemed nice...and he did tell her his name. And if he knew the fairy lady, maybe she really could help them. She was so pretty and strong...she would know what to do. Cecelia reached out and laid her tiny hand in the man's big warm one, and he took it and stood, then walked her toward the tents behind them.

Geralt was pleased that the girl had decided to take his hand. If she had refused, he would have had to retrieve someone else, like Lucien, and that would not have been ideal for him. Ivory's tent was nearby, so after he took her by the hand, he began leading her toward it. "You want to know a secret about the Fairy, Cece?"

Cecelia nodded, gripping her cat close in her free hand as they made their way toward the tent.

"She's gets prettier the closer you get..." he whispered, keeping his voice low in case Ivory was nearby. Hopefully, she would still be in her tent. He knew that she liked to wait until most patrons had filtered out before heading to her trailer. Due to her popularity, she attracted many less-than-savory "fans", and preferred that they leave her alone at the end of the night.

Cecelia's eyes sparkled and she finally smiled as he told her this, which caused Geralt's smile to widen just a bit more. As they reached the tent, he paused outside, pulled back the flap and leaned in. "Oh, miss Fairy, are you here? I have someone who'd love to meet you." He glanced around the tent and spotted the vampiress near the back of the space, clearly waiting to leave. "See," he said down to Cece as he pulled the tent flap open a little more, "There she is."

The little girl responded with silence, and open mouth, and large water-filled brown eyes as she looked for Ivory and spotted her. "Wow..." she whispered, completely entranced by the woman even from this distance.

[xivyxx]

Ivory was honestly taken aback by everything she was hearing. For a moment she had even closed the curtain in the tent and opened it again, just in case her eyes, or her ears, were playing tricks on her, but no, it was certainly not the case. Everything she was seeing and hearing from the Magician at the moment was completely different than what she was used to. His body language was completely relaxed, that much she could tell even if she couldn't clearly see his face since he was facing the girl, but she could tell he was doing his very best to reassure her.. and for a moment.. he even reminded her of Lucien. Now that was the last thought the dhampir had been expecting to have tonight.

Her eyebrows rose slightly as she overheard that the little girl had actually been looking for her. That had been unexpected, considering children certainly did not make a large portion of her fan base, that was reserved for someone like Akane, and even Aurel on occasion, and well.. Geralt.

Quickly she had closed the curtain, knowing that the two of them would be coming this way. She had heard Geralt's little compliment but had tried her best to disregard it as she made her way toward the back of the performance tent. She didn't want Geralt to know she had been listening to that conversation. She was.. a bit curious to see if his demeanor would change a little once he was in the presence of someone else.

She glanced toward the entrance as Geralt drew the curtain, gaze turning to the little girl as the two of them stepped inside. She hadn't really.. had much time to think of how she's really interact with her. Ivory was not really good at talking with children. The best she could think of at the moment was to at least pretend she hadn't just listened to that entire exchange.

"Me?" She asked, at least attempting to ease the usual sharpness in her tone. She didn't want to scare her off. She approached the pair, though was still unsure of how to go about this. What would Lucien do in a situation like this? She glanced at Geralt before looking down at the little girl next to him. She was clearly looking up at her in awe. It was.. a little strange.. mostly because it felt different than the looks she was used to getting.

"Are.. you the one who wants to meet me?" She asked.

[FreckersFrog]

The little girl was starstruck, completely in awe of Ivory as the woman made her way toward the two of them. She'd almost forgotten all about the man beside her as she looked up at the beautiful vampiress.

Geralt never let his calm and comfortable smile dissipate, even as Ivory approached. Though his first instinct was to be smug and suggestive, he held back as he knew it would be inappropriate with their company.

"Why, yes Miss Fairy. This little ray of sunshine is called Cecelia, Cece for short. She was looking for you when she lost sight of her mother, so I told her I would introduce you in the meantime." Originally, The Magician's plan had been to leave the child with Ivory when he left to find her mother, but he decided that it may be better to do the opposite. Although she was trying to hide it, he could tell that the presence of the girl made her slightly uneasy. He watched her after that, intrigued by her confusion.

Cecelia smiled up at the woman as she let go of Geralt's hand and clutched her dolly with both arms. "I love your show, Miss Fairy! My mommy says that if I practice real hard, maybe one day I could be as strong as you."

At this, Geralt raised his eyebrows at the little girl. This was not what he had been expecting from someone of her age. Usually, little girls were more concerned about their appearance as they reached puberty than strength, but this seemed to be an enigma. It made him proud, in a strange way, even though he had no relation to this child at all. It was nice to remember what it was like to be young and have so many different paths laid out before you...this girl seemed like she would choose the right one for herself.

[xivyxx]

Ivory had briefly glanced up at Geralt as he had spoken, before looking down at the girl, who still appeared to be looking at her in amazement.

"Ah.. I see.. Nice to meet you, Cece." She said, still a little unsure of how to approach the situation. Should she offer a hand shake? Was that a weird thing to offer to children? It was while trying to decide this that the girl spoke up again. She hadn't really expected her to say something like that. It wasn't typically what people focused on. Usually it was about how pretty or elegant she was, and made no mention of her actual strength, which she had always found a little annoying. The girl's word's however, had the opposite effect, and despite her awkwardness actually did manage to bring a small smile to her face.

"Thank you.. I'm glad to hear it's inspired you to be strong. Your.. mother's right, if you set your mind to it, I'm sure you'll be able to do it." She told her. Saying the word mother to her.. was strange, because she had never had a good representation of one. It was good that the girl had a mother who was nice enough to encourage her dream.

[FreckersFrog]

Cecelia's smile widened even more at Ivory's words, until she was almost laughing with glee. She bounced a little bit on her heels, as if the very idea of being strong enough to perform like her idol had energized her. "I hope so! My mommy is also really strong, she works at the factory even though they told her that 'ladies can't do that kind of thing'." She took on a bit of a deeper tone at her last words, clearly imitating a man.

Geralt's raised eyebrows dropped to their normal height and he smiled over at Ivory as she gave the girl her support. Although his eyes were sparkling in a rare way, he could see that this experience was not transferring to the vampiress. He even sensed some strain when she spoke the word 'mother'...interesting. Maybe she hadn't had such a lovely time growing up with her parents either? Although imagining a pair of vampires as loving parents was a bit difficult for The Magician.

If this was the case, he didn't exactly blame Ivory for her discomfort. He of all people knew what it was like to grow up with less-than-ideal parents. Maybe this experience would be good for her, since it occurred to him that she may not often get the opportunity to interact with children, given the bulk of her fan base.

[xivyxx]

Ivory's eyebrows raised slightly at this. That was something she could relate to, but under a different circumstance. Even though things had certainly progressed after the first world war when it came to women labor, there were still some people who were irritating about it now that the war was over. There were times where buying books in relation to building or architecture was difficult to do because the shop owners would refuse to sell them to her. 'They'd be more useful in better hands' they would say. It always pissed her off.

"Well, I can see how determined you are, don't let them tell you or your mother what you can or can't do." She told her, before pausing for a moment.

"Speaking of her though.. we should probably go find her. I'm sure she's worried about you.." It was clear the girl and her mother got along well, and anyone who cared about their child would be worried sick if they had gone missing this late at night, while she couldn't relate to the sentiment, she did understand it.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt nodded in agreement with both of Ivory's statements. Although she was using a flatter tone and more adult language, he knew that she was trying her best to encourage the child. He smiled down at Cece once the woman had made her suggestion, "Yes, I think it is about time we do that, hm?" He asked, then glanced back up at Ivory. "Would you care to join us? We could use an extra pair of sharp eyes for this mission."

At first, Cece looked upset at the idea of leaving Ivory to find her mommy, even though she knew she was probably really worried. Her eyes brightened at the man's suggestion that the Winter Fairy come along, and she hopped a little on her heels at the mention of this idea. "Oh yes!" she said, a little louder than she intended, "Could you please?" She looked up at Ivory with big, sparkling eyes, clutching her stuffed cat to her chest.

Geralt let out a small chuckle and shook his head, "With manners like that, how could you say no?" He was glad that Cece was a well-behaved young lady, he absolutely detested spoiled and demanding children.

[xivyxx]

Ivory was glad to hear Geralt agree. Part of her had been hoping he would be the one to take her, considering how well he had been doing with her before they had come in here, but clearly that wasn't the case. Seeing the girl's eyes brighten at his suggestion.. it became much harder for her to consider saying no. She would clearly be disappointing her if she did. Children were complicated... and for some reason having the girl look up at her like this reminded her a little of Cora, which made it even harder to deny her.

"Yes, of course..." She said. It was likely that her nose would be of assistance when it came to looking for her anyway. Part of her thought if maybe Geralt had suggested this because he knew she felt awkward around the child, but she didn't think it was the case here.

Thinking of how he had acted with Cecelia before he had come into her tent with her, maybe he really did just want to make the child happy. This side of him was certainly.. surprising, but considering his show was kids-friendly, maybe he was just used to this sort of thing.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt clapped his hands as Ivory agreed, and simultaneously Cecelia hopped into the air in excitement. "Yay!" she said, and Geralt laughed again at this display.

"Alright, Cece, why don't you take my hand," he said, holding it out to her. She took it and Geralt turned, but he paused as he sensed Cece was not following him. He looked back to see the girl holding her free hand out to Ivory as well, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Ivory took the girl's hand, but The Magician could tell by her body language that she was unsure of herself. Had she really interacted with children so little in her life? It was curious, considering that he of all people had a good bit of experience with children. They were attracted to his shows, after all, and he did often use them as "assistants" or volunteers on stage. Rather than be concerned or annoyed by the woman's standoffish behavior, he actually found it quite charming.

Together, the three of them exited the tent and he held the curtain open for Ivory to pass through as well. Immediately, she looked about and gestured in the direction she thought they should go. Her heightened senses were definitely a windfall here, and she seemed confident of her choice.

As they walked, Geralt saw her becoming a little more comfortable, and the little girl was absolutely beaming. If he had enlisted the help of someone a bit more...personable, he might've been tempted to take little Cecelia for a swing, but decided against it.

"Cecelia!?" Just as they rounded the corner back onto the grounds, Geralt heard the frantic calling of a woman. It seemed that Ivory had pointed them in the right direction after all.

Though she was distracted by her proximity to her idol, the girl also heard the call and looked out across the grounds to search for it. A woman was standing only a few yards from them, her eyes and hair wild with worry. "Mommy!" Cece called, but she did not let go of Ivory or Geralt's hands.

The woman recognized her daughter's voice, and like a hawk pinpointing its prey, her head whipped over. "Cece!?" she screamed, and ran for them. As she drew closer, both Geralt and Ivory released the girl's hands and she ran the rest of the way to her mother. The woman fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her child. "Oh my goodness, where were you!? I was worried sick!" she said, then held the girl at arm's length to inspect her. "Are you alright, are you hurt!?"

"No, no, mommy, I'm okay." Little Cece responded, then looked over her shoulder at her saviors. "Look who found me, mommy! This is Gerald," she said, pronouncing Geralt's name in the American way, which made him cringe inside though his face didn't show it, "And this is the Winter Fairy!" she screeched, pointing back at Ivory as if she were a Goddess descended from Olympus.

The woman looked up at the two of them and stood, clutching her child's hand tightly as she did so. Though she looked a little wary, her child's happiness was causing her to drop her guard a little as she eyed Geralt and Ivory. "I see that, baby." she said as her eyes lingered on the woman for a little longer. Then, she addressed the two of them, "I can't thank you enough, Gera-"

Geralt couldn't help but interject here, "Geralt, ma'am." He said and held out a hand for her to shake, which she did so. Her grasp was unsurprisingly firm, "And there is absolutely no need to thank us. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Your daughter is absolutely charming, truly it was our pleasure to spend a little time with her."

The woman's face relaxed a bit more as Geralt spoke, and a small smile even touched her lips.

"Mommy, mommy!" Cecelia said and tugged on her mother's hand. When the woman looked down at her she said, "Look, isn't she so pretty up close?" She turned her eyes back to Ivory, large and sparkling once more.

[xivyxx]

Ivory was a little surprised to see Cecelia extend a hand toward her. It had taken her a second, but she decided to take it. In her eyes, children were very fragile, so she couldn't help but be uncertain of how to go about it, but in the end simply settled for a light grip. That much should be fine.

As they stepped out of the tent, Ivory did her best to sharpen her hearing. There was hardly any people around now, so the smells were not as strong, but the scents were too mixed for her to discern too much at the moment, considering she hadn't met the woman she was looking for. Instead she simply kept an ear out for any sound that might lead to her mother's location, taking advantage of the fact it was much quieter than during the day. It had not taken her too long to hear the faint sounds of a woman calling for her child.

"This way." She said, and guided them in that direction.

Fairly quickly the woman they were searching for had made herself known, running to retrieve her lost child. Ivory could not help but be a little.. surprised by the interaction. It was clear she had been incredibly worried over Cecelia. Honestly she.. had never seen such concern firsthand. It was a little saddening in a way, mostly because she knew that was a love she would never know.

She quickly shook off the thought, not wanted to dwell any deeply into that. It had been so long.. and yet this still bothered her. She redirected her attention to Geralt and the mother as she spoke, to which Geralt had cut her off, seemingly to correct his name. Clearly he did not like it being mispronounced.

Ivory glanced down at Cecelia once more as the girl spoke. A part of her felt a little amused by this. She was clearly not even giving Geralt the time of day... which was something she was sure would have normally bothered him, considering how much Geralt loved attention, but in this case, he seemed not to mind. Turning to the girl's mother again, she actually managed a small smile. The woman was wearing a long, simple, dress, but it didn't suit her, almost like it wasn't something she really wanted to be wearing. That was something Ivory could relate to. She was clearly a strong-willed woman.

"Your daughter is very nice, it's not often I get to meet such young energetic fans." She told her honestly, before extending her hand for a handshake, matching the woman's firmness quite easily. That earned her a smile from the woman.

"I do my best. I explained how much strength it actually takes to do what you do. She hasn't stopped talking about you since we came here the first night, so I just had to bring her back to see you again." The woman said, causing Ivory to raise her eyebrows slightly. The way she talked made it seem like she was raising Cecelia on her own. Still, to think Cecelia was that much of an admirer... She honestly wasn't used to pleasant interactions with fans.. she had to say that this was her first. There was something a little.. heartwarming about that, which made her smile widen.

"That's.. not something people usually notice.. so thank you for that." She told her, a bit of the tension leaving her shoulders, now managing to relax. "I'm happy to hear that my show had such an effect on her. With someone like you supporting her, I'm sure she'll be able to see her dream through." She told her.

[FreckersFrog]

"Being a mother makes you notice things you otherwise wouldn't." The woman smiled at Ivory and glanced down at her child with affection in her eyes. She rubbed her hair gently, almost at a loss for words. "She really is a gift...and I appreciate you saying that. It's nice to have someone who you admire support you like that. We're lucky you found her." She looked back at Ivory, all traces of worry melting away from her in this moment.

Cecelia almost couldn't believe what was happening right before her eyes, her mommy was talking to The Winter Fairy! Her mouth hung open as she looked between the two women during their conversation, but she had no idea what she could say. She smiled back up at her mother, squeezing her stuffed cat tightly to her chest. "Miss Fairy says I can do anything I want, if I try! I want to be just like her when I grow up."

Geralt smiled down at the child, watching the exchange between her and her mother with vested interest. Having not experienced this kind of love and support as a child, he was envious, but not enough to make the feeling negative. He had caught a glint of this same look in Ivory's eyes as she had watched the mother and child embrace as they were reunited. Could they be experiencing the same feelings? Strange, to think that of all things that they had in common it would be this. It was almost sad, too, to watch this display...it made him think of things that he otherwise would want to avoid.

So, he spoke up to take his mind off of it. The Magician crouched down so he was on the same level as the girl, just as he had when he'd first encountered her. "Now, Cece, remember to keep a little of yourself in there as well. You have a lovely personality, I would hate to see you loose it in your quest to become like our Fairy here." When he said the word 'yourself', he reached up and tapped the girl on the nose, which elicited a loud giggle from the child.

"Yes, honey," her mother said, shaking her shoulder a little, "That's good advice." The mother fixed her eyes on Geralt after this, surprised but impressed by his willingness and openness with children. She had not sensed the same thing from Ivory, so it was curious to her, especially from a man with the sort of confident air that this one had.

[xivyxx]

It was hard for Ivory to continue to deny her feelings as she continued to watch Cecelia and her mother. She hadn't thought about such things in so long... The fact she simply could not ignore it was truly bothersome, but Cecelia's happiness and excitement was a little infectious, so she couldn't help but smile down at her as she spoke again, glad that she had taken her words to heart. She had never really considered herself any sort of role model.. it was.. certainly strange to hear someone so young say something like that to her.

Her gaze shifted to Geralt as he knelt down in front of the girl again. His words were sound. The girl did have quite a bright personality, complete opposite to her own. It would be good if she could still remain the way she was even after she grew up. The cheeriness reminded her a little of Akane and Cora.

"It really is.. The most important thing is for you to be able to be yourself. It's what our circus stands for." She agreed. That was kind of their motto was around here.

"I actually can't take credit for finding her, my... colleague here was actually the one who brought her to my tent.. Regardless I'm glad we were able to find her" She wasn't about to take credit for something she didn't do. While she had heard the child first, Geralt had been the one to actually offer his aid.

"Next time.. be sure to bring your mother along okay? You can come see me together. Maybe.. I can arrange from some front row seats on the last night for you.. if you want to come again?" She asked. Normally this was something she wouldn't really do without asking Lucien, but considering the circumstances, she knew that he'd be okay with it. Plus... they had already come see her twice, it would be nice if she and her mother were able to enjoy the other shows as well.

[FreckersFrog]

The mother raised her eyebrows at Ivory's confession, certainly surprised, but this look faded quickly and was replaced by a smile as Geralt straightened again. "I'm sorry, Geralt, I should have asked first before just assuming..."

"Oh, it's no problem at all. Cece is a delight, and it has been my pleasure to help put a smile back on her face." He said, bowing slightly to her. He glanced over at Ivory at her suggestion and cocked an eyebrow as well. Maybe she had picked up some of his tricks along the way after all, taking such liberties with the front row. But he was glad for it, if anyone deserved them, it was this woman for raising her daughter so well on her own. She had done by herself what two of his parents could not: believe in her child.

"And this is an excellent suggestion, Miss Fairy. We would love to have both of you the night after next. You're sure to enjoy it." He said and flashed Cece a sly wink.

"Wow, thank you Gerald! And Miss Fairy too! Can we mommy, pleeeaaassseee?" And young Cecelia showed her mother the biggest eyes she'd worn all night.

Her mother chuckled and squeezed her shoulder, "Well...how could I turn down that face, not to mention such a lovely gift from our new friends?" She looked back up to the pair of them, "We'd love to come, thank you both very much."

"Not at all." Geralt said, laying a hand on his chest in a gesture of contentment. This was the most confident he had felt since his first week among the troupe, and he felt lightened by this new mood.

"Well, it's time that we go...sorry, honey, but they're not the only ones who need to get to sleep. They have big work to do tomorrow!" She smiled down at her daughter.

At first, Cecelia looked like she was about to argue as a deep frown touched her lips. She looked back over at Geralt and Ivory and her expression lightened slightly. There was a slight pause where no one spoke or moved, then Cece flung her arms out and wrapped them around Ivory's hips in a hug. She buried her face in the woman's skirt for a moment, then looked up at her with misty eyes, "Thank you, Miss Fairy! I can't wait to see you again!" After the embrace concluded, she turned to Geralt and though she thought about hugging him as well, she had practiced handshakes with her mommy and thought that would be more appropriate. She thrust her open hand toward him, and he took it with no hesitation but added a little chuckle for good measure.

After this farewell, the mother mouthed 'thank you' to the two of them before taking her daughter's hand and pulling her away. Cecelia kept her eyes on Ivory and Geralt until she absolutely had to turn around, then the two of them turned a corner and were gone from sight.

Geralt watched them in silence until they were gone, then glanced at Ivory out of the corner of his eye with a smirk. His expression had not yet returned to that of his normal smug attitude, his lingering gladness remained on his features as he looked at her. "Well, that was an adventure, hm?" He said, his tone still light and airy.

[xivyxx]

Ivory let Geralt take the reigns on the rest of the conversation, seeing no need to add anything else. Her suggestion had ended up making Cecelia very happy. There was an odd.. warm feeling, that she didn't really get often at this. While very unsure of herself when it came to dealing with kids, that choice had been a good one.

"No problem.. just give Cecelia's name at the gate, and they'll be sure to let you in." Ivory said, making note to let one of the carnies know about this tomorrow, and Lucien as well.

The dhampir was slightly caught off guard as Cecelia flung herself at her, not really having been expecting her to do that. For a moment she grew rigid, not really used to that kind of physical affection, but had at least managed to gently pat the girl’s head before she had pulled away. She really was too awkward with kids...

”You’re welcome.. see you on the final night.” She told her with a small wave, as Cecelia and her mother began to take their leave. She hadn’t minded the silence that followed too much, but when Geralt had finally spoken up, she gave him a glance. Opposite to how the man’s attitude had been lately.. he certainly appeared to be in a better mood now. Had the interaction with the child done that? It was a bit unexpected. Right now she had no reason to be sarcastic or spiteful toward him, so she responded normally.

"Definitely not how I was expecting the night to end.." She said, finally turning around to begin to head back toward their trailers. Unlike usual though, she was not incredibly quick in her step, to at least show she wasn't trying to leave him behind.

"Do you like children?" She asked as she turned slightly to look at him. Her question was fairly straightforward, thinking this would be the best way to get an answer.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt scoffed gently at Ivory's words, nodding in agreement. Very few things could pull him back from the brink of despair that he was teetering on these past few evenings, but this has been just the ticket, it seemed.

He blinked in surprise at Ivory's next question, however. He had always held pride in his foresight, but had to admit to himself that he had not seen this coming. It was direct, a strong question, and he was in a particular mood, so he respected it.

"Is it that obvious?" He said, shaking his head a little without looking in her direction. He had begun to walk beside her, noticing that she was not hurrying away from him as she normally would. Had his interaction with the child intrigued her this much? He supposed he could entertain her with a direct answer...she had helped him with this project after all.

"I do," he added, after a moment of silence. "I find their innocence absolutely charming. Their simplicity...I envy it, at times." He walked with his hands in his pockets and glanced up at the star-filled sky. Absently, he retrieved his watch from his vest pocket and popped it open. He looked down at it and a strange expression crossed his face...a look of longing...then he replaced it and looked at Ivory again, "You? I must admit I noticed that you were a little...off-balance with young Cecelia."

[xivyxx]

Her question had surprised him, a rare instance, but Ivory was glad to have actually received a proper answer. It seemed to be something he didn't have to hide. She wondered how he would react if he knew she had been watching his original interaction with Cecelia? While curious, she decided that for now she'd keep it to herself.

His response had been intrieging, and it caused her to raise an eyebrow. There was no denying that Geralt was certainly not a simple man, but quite the opposite. To hear him be envious of children of all things.. it was strange.

"You could always try to be less complicated." She responded, tilting her head ever so slightly at the unfamiliar expression he wore as he pulled out his pocket-watch. Geralt was.. certainly a man of many faces. It was when he wore a face like this that it made her curious to know what was on his mind, considering how used to she was to the smug look he always wore on his face. It made him just a little more likable.

At his question, she faced forward again, but continued her current pace. If he had been a bit taunting in his tone, she might have not been inclined to give him an answer.

"It's not that I like or dislike them. I simply don't know how to act around them. I don't have chances to interact with kids often, and they seem so fragile, so I'd rather just keep my distance.. I'd rather not accidentally scare them away." She said.