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

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt raised his eyebrows at Lucien's back as the Nephilim responded. He sipped his coffee as he listened, looking over the banquet of fresh-baked sweets that lined the tables.

At the mention of the word 'birthday' he felt something cold and metallic grip his heart and he visibly shuddered.

That was right...it was...October now? No, it couldn't be. Where had September gone? Life on the road had warped his already flimsy sense of time. Could it be this time of year already...?

There was a long pause as his eyes took on a far away look. He could feel how hard his heart beat against his rib-cage, his breath shorten, his skin and veins tighten and contract. Seconds passed, but they felt like minutes.

Lucien turned and placed a plate on the table, and that somehow managed to snap Geralt from his moment of...what was it? Fear? Guilt? Anger? It was hard to tell, all of those emotions felt so very similar to him now.

He took a sip of his coffee again as he approached the table, taking great pains to make sure that his sudden turn of mood was not present in his movement, voice, or features. October....he thought he'd had more time. He'd always thought that, and he'd always been wrong.

The Magician remained standing perpendicular to the Frenchman so his full face would not be visible if the man became too curious. Though he was not a fan of sweets, and currently his stomach was twisted into knots, he thought it would raise suspicion if he refused. "Mmm..."he said in a flat, quiet voice, "Don't mind if I do." He plucked one of the beignets from the plate and shook it to remove the excess sugar. No need in getting his vest dirty, he planned on wearing it for the show tonight.

He took a small bite and forced it down, then forced a smile and his next words as well. To him, it sounded like they were coming from a different mouth, a different man, a different world. "Nothing like a taste of France to start my morning." he chewed, swallowed, and washed it down with some coffee. It was not entirely unpleasant, but this was becoming dangerous territory, and he could feel his parasitic companion coming to the forefront of his mind as he sensed the weakness. Why did it have to be October?

[xivyxx]

Lucien tilted his head ever so slightly as Geralt ate the beignet. Perhaps he didn't like them? He hadn't particularly seemed all that enthused, but the Ringleader didn't take it personally. Not everyone was a huge fan of sweets. He stepped away and went back to his work to check on the next batch.

"Agreed." They'd be ready at any moment.

It was then that he noted Aurel's approach, and gave him a big smile as he arrived.

"Good morning, Aurel. Happy birthday." He greeted, taking a moment to ruffle his hair a little.

"Thank you, Lucien." He said with a small chuckle. "The smell of beignets brought me here." He said, eyeing them from behind the Frenchman. He knew to expect this sort of thing from Lucien every year, and honestly he did look forward to it a little. Currently the man only had Cinnamon on him, the bright colored rosy boa who had wanted to join him today. Amusing for the occasion, considering the sweets present.

"Sharp nose as always. Here you are. Nice and fresh." He said, handing him a plate.

"Does this mean I can skip breakfast and go straight into desert?" He joked.

"I'll let you get away with it just this once, because it's your birthday." He said amusingly.

Aurel smiled before making his way over to the table. "Good morning, Geralt." He greeted the magician before taking his seat.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt felt as though his head had been plunged into a fish bowl. The world around him was a little less...sharp, everyone's voice seemed to echo as if from far away. He finished the beignet in his hand purely by instinct. He didn't taste it, nor did the movement of his hand or mouth inconvenience him in this moment. He felt....empty again.

He glanced up as he heard Aurel and Lucien conversing, but had not picked up on any of the words themselves. He flashed the young man an uneasy smile and held up his mug to him, "Good morning, Aurel, and many happy returns on your birthday." There was a long, awkward silence, then The Magician slowly began to back away.

"It was lovely to see you both," he said as he turned to leave, "Have an extra for me, will you Aurel?" And with that, he began heading back to his trailer just as the hand that held his mug began to shake.

Failure...disappointment...murderer....homewrecker....criminal...scum....

The words repeated over and over in his head, chiming out with each step as the gruff voice of the parasite filled his mind. He had to get away, to be alone for a moment to handle this.

Just as Geralt was leaving, Illyana approached the mess area. She barely glanced at him, but even she noticed that his eyes were pointed at the ground, his brow furrowed, his step unsure. He looked...confused or pained...?

Not that this would change anything for her. The man clearly was not in the mood for company, and she wasn't about to suggest that he stick around.

The young woman had seen Lucien early this morning when he was setting up and she was going about her daily chores, but she did not return to the mess area until she saw Aurel arrive. Once she did, she greeted him with a large smile, the likes of which were extremely rare on the face of the young diviner.

"Good morning, Aurel, and Happy Birthday!" She sounded chipper, cheery, and was holding a box as she walked up. When she reached the table, she placed the box on it and slid it toward her troupe-mate. "Your present," she said, still smiling, "I hope you don't mind opening it now, I can't wait for you to try them."

[xivyxx]

Aurel could tell immediately that Geralt was seemingly not in the best of moods.

"Thank you, and I'll be sure to." He responded.

Both he and Lucien watched the man walk away. At this point.. the troupe was quite used to Geralt's mood swings, so it didn't really surprise them when things like this happened. This time it was weird, however, at least for Lucien.. considering his mood had actually been quite bright until just a little while ago. Still, he didn't have too much time to ponder it as Illyana made her arrival.

Aurel returned her smile, glad to see her in such a good mood. "Good morning Illy." He said, looking down at the box he had been given. He thanked her for the gift, before he carefully began to open it. His nose caught the scent of what it was before he finished opening it, but his eyes brightened nonetheless. It appeared to be a box of different assorted Asian teas. They smelled quite delicious.

"These smell amazing! Thank you, Illy!" He gave her a bright smile. "I'll go ahead and make some now, so everyone else can try it too. They will go great with the beignets."

Lucien's smile widened at the exchange, while worried about Geralt's now soured mood, he didn't want it to get in the way of Aurel's day. He was glad to be able to see him so happy.

"I preemptively boiled some water already, so it's all ready to go." He told him, having already known what Illy had gotten him.

Aurel let out a small chuckle at Lucien's preparation, so he went ahead and picked green tea to make for everyone.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana's smile widened when she saw how happy her gift had made Aurel. She knew that he would like them, but seeing the smile on his face made it all the more joyous for her. "I'm so glad you like them!" She said as she took a seat and plucked a beignet from Aurel's plate. "I think the black tea would be best for these, it has a more bitter flavor that will compliment them well." She said as she took a small mouse-like bite from the corner of one of the pastries. She would have offered to make the tea for him, but he seemed to excited that she didn't want to mention it. She was happy just to watch him enjoy her gift.

As he made them and she had chewed and swallowed her morsel, she added, "When we stopped at Las Vegas, the girls and I went into town and found a store that dealt only in imported items from the orient. Akane helped me read all of the labels." She took another bite of her pastry and looked around, wondering if the Kitsune and Mermaid were going to join them any time soon. She was excited to see Aurel's reaction to their gift as well.

[xivyxx]

Aurel paused as Illyana spoke, putting the green tea back and grabbing the black tea instead. If that was her recommendation he'd take her word for it. Regardless he looked forward to trying them all at one point. He began the preparation before glancing back at Illyana as she spoke.

"They're perfect. I was starting to run low on my preferred teas, so this was very well timed. Akane's let me try some of them before but they can be pretty hard to find at times, I'm glad you were able to." He said, retaining his smile as he spoke.

It was when he was done with the tea and walking back to the table that he saw Akane and Cora begin to make their approach. By then Lucien had already set out mugs for them all to be able to try it, and went back to take the last batch of beignets from the oven.

"Good morning, Aurel! Happy birthday!" Akane exclaimed upon their arrival. She had been looking forward to this all morning, but the two of them had only just finished in helping out before they went back to grab Aurel's present. She set a very nicely wrapped present on the table. From the kitsune's skills in origami it was clear that even the wrapping had very sharp attention to detail.

"This is from both of us! We really hope you like it!" She added.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana simply smiled brightly at Aurel's response, his happiness fueling her own. She was also excited to try the teas, as she had not purchased any for herself that day, preferring to let Aurel be the first one to have any.

Her attention was taken when she heard Akane's voice ring out from beside her, and saw the Kistune and Cora approaching, carrying Aurel's gift. Cora had been overjoyed when they'd found it in the shop, and even happier that she was able to help purchase it. Where she came from, the concept of gift giving was much more archaic and had less meaning that abovewater dweller's practices. She was always excited to take part in their customs. Watching Akane wrap his gift had been one of her favorite parts of the morning. The Kitsune was so deft with her hands, so precise, it was soothing to see as she pulled and folded the paper over to create a perfect package. Cora couldn't wait for him to open it.

"Happy Birthday, Aurel!" Cora said brightly as she smiled her greeting to everyone at the table. At Akane's comment, she giggled and shrugged, "Well, Akane picked it out, I just helped pay for it!" She had been told by Illyana that she was not supposed to discuss the cost of the gift in front of Aurel, so she stopped herself just short of saying the amount. Apparently it was rude to tell someone how much you spent on them, it could lead to feelings of "bitterness", or at least that's what Illyana had told her. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, but was happy to be practicing her etiquette in the real world.

[xivyxx]

Aurel turned his smile on the pair as they greeted him. "Thank you, both of you." He told them, glancing down at the perfectly wrapped present.

"Is it alright if I open it now? Or should I wait?" He asked.

"Oh please open it now! We can't wait for you to see it!" She said, clapping her hands in excitement.

The man let out a chuckle before doing as she asked, being just as careful in opening her present as he had Illyana's. It was clear she had dedicated time to the wrapping, so he didn't want to ruin the paper. The paper revealed what appeared to be a yukata. He removed it from the wrapping, being careful as he extended it, having made sure his hands were clean before hand. It was similar in style to the one he used for his performances, but lighter in color with tints of light blue and white It had a different sort of elegance to it. It was something he could easily use in a performance if he wanted to.

"I love it, thank you!" He told them. "I think I might use this one for performances too, it suited for it." He added with a bigger smile.

Akane grinned. "I'm so glad to hear that! We thought the same thing when we got it!" She exclaimed. It had been a hard choice, because they had so many pretty designs, but she thought this color suited him better because of his complexion. She was glad they had made the right choice.

Aurel was careful to fold it over again and cover it in the wrapping paper again, to make sure that it would not get dirty, and placed it along the end of the table. He'd take it to his trailer after breakfast. Just then, Lucien approached the table and set down the last of the beignets, along with the rest of the breakfast that had been prepared.

"Ah yes! I made some of the black tea Illy gave me, so feel free to have some." Aurel said as he took his seat again as everyone did the same.

It was then that Akane glanced around. "Has Geralt already stopped by? I know Ivory said she'd be a little late because she was working on something." She said.

Lucien gave a glance in the direction the Magician had gone. "He was here earlier, but I assume he headed back to his trailer. It might just be one of those days." He said.

"Oh.. I see." Akane said. That was unfortunate.. he had been in such a good mood lately.. but she didn't want to let that get her down, it as Aurel's birthday after all. Perhaps he would feel better later in the day?

The Ringleader used that chance to change the subject. "Well, the beignets are still quite warm, so all of you should feel free to dig in. I expect Ivory will be joining us soon." He said, knowing the dhampir wouldn't want them to wait on her. He knew she had finished her set up early so she could finish working on Aurel's gift, but she said she would be finished around breakfast time. He was sure she'd be looking to the sweets as well.

[FreckersFrog]

Cora's eyes lit up when she watched Aurel unwrap his gift, and her head bobbed slightly as she watched the motion of his hands. She was gripping the arms of her chair tightly as well, as if she were about to see her own birthday present for the first time. It was a relief and exciting to see his expression when he looked at the fabric and then realization swept over her. The mermaid's heart felt like it was about to explode as she looked over to Akane and saw fire dancing in her friend's eyes. It was true what she'd said about gifts, they make the giver just as happy as the recipient. Cora was overjoyed to be a part of it, so much so that she felt tear welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly, and no one seemed to notice.

Illyana, similarly but with more restraint, watched Aurel open his gift and smiled all the way. It really was lovely, the Yukata, and the silk was so soft and warm...she knew he would loved it. Akane had picked the perfect color for his complexion. When they were at the shop, the girls had even found one that would look nice on Illyana herself, but she had forced them to promise not to purchase it for her. Though it was lovely and just a beautiful shade of green, she felt she would be a little silly wearing it. She wasn't as elegant or graceful as Cora, Akane, or Aurel, or even Lucien for that matter. Japanese silk just wasn't in her future, and she didn't need a tarot reading to tell her that.

After the thank-yous were passed around, everyone took their places at the table just in time for Lucien to serve up breakfast. Illyana fixed a cup of tea with honey for herself and Cora, who liked hers with honey and milk. She delivered the tea and went about eating with everyone. She had been excited to see Ivory's gift as well, although the dhampir had managed to keep it a secret from almost everyone, including the clairvoyant. She knew that the knife thrower would not begrudge them if they started eating, she wasn't really one for decorum. In rare form, Illyana served herself a small plate of breakfast, finished a beignet and snagged another from the pile before she decided that would be enough. They didn't get to have treats like this as often as when they were younger, so she wanted to take advantage of the time.

[xivyxx]

Breakfast had been very enjoyable for everyone. Ivory had eventually joined them after finally completely finishing her work on Aurel's gift.

"It's a bit difficult to wrap.. so I kept it in my trailer for now. Those of you who were curious though, can come with me and Aurel to see it when I show it to him." She said with a smile, knowing how curious everyone was about it. It was fun to tease them like this sometimes. She had gladly taken part in the eating of the beignets, happy that Lucien had left her some extras for her to take back to her trailer. When everyone was finished, she let Akane, Cora, Illy, and Aurel come with her to her trailer to get a look at the present she had made. Lucien had stayed behind to clean up, since he was one of the few who actually knew what she had made, mostly because she wanted the measurements to the inside of Aurel's trailer without being obvious about it.

She went inside, setting down her beignets on her table before she picked it up and took it outside. It was a long, somewhat curved piece of wood, painted to look like a long tree branch. It even had what would have looked like separations of smaller branches near the ends. Using a normal thick branch meant having to make sure there were no insects or anything living within them, so she had decided to carve her own out of a large piece of wood instead, and took the time to paint it to make it as realistic as possible. It had certainly caused a bit of a mess in her trailer, since she had to work out of sight, but she had cleaned up already since everyone else was busy. She had made sure to work at times Aurel was least to notice what it was she was doing.

"I carved it myself." She said proudly. "I can help you drill it into your trailer, I figure it might help make the snakes more comfortable?" She added.

Aurel's eyes almost sparkled at this. "It will! Thank you Ivory!" He exclaimed. Cinnamon slitered down his shoulder and to his arm to observe.

"I like it." She stated.

Akane gave a small clap as Ivory had walked out with Aurel's gift. Though the gift was technically not something Aurel himself could use, she knew how happy it made him when he was given things that could make his snakes more comfortable and happy since they were staying with him.

Ivory's smile widened. "Glad to hear it! I've got my tools, so let's get this thing up so it can be ready for use. We still have a good amount of time before shows start." She said, before walking with Aurel toward his trailer. She spent some time adjusting it properly across the walls of his trailer before drilling them in and testing it's strength.

"All good to go." She said.

"Thank you!" Aurel responded. Ginger had wasted almost no time in slithering onto this new addition to the trailer.

"It'ss nice.

Ivory could tell the snake at least seemed pleased. She was satisfied with the choice she had made. She left Aurel to his own devices after that, heading back to her trailer to clean up the paints and other materials she had used, as she had went to join the others a soon as she had finished.

Lucien had finished cleaning up in the mess area before he had headed to his own trailer, waiting until Ivory had finished installing her gift to Aurel before he had went to go Aurel his. It was a set of oil pastels. They had been a bit hard for him to find, but he had managed it. He figured Aurel would appreciate new options to draw with. He had been quite happy with them.

The rest of the day had been relatively peaceful. Aurel wasn't one for parties, so they had refrained from having one, but the man had still enjoyed the rest of his day.

[FreckersFrog]

Cora was more than excited to see the present that Ivory had prepared for Aurel's birthday. She knew that the dhampir had been working on it in secret, and had not asked as Illy had explained that part of the fun was waiting to be surprised. Now that it was time, she could hardly wait for it, so she decided to accompany the pair for the reveal.

Illyana normally would have broken off from the group to go about her chores, but it was Aurel's birthday after all. She made her way over to his trailer with the rest of the troupe, and was very happy to see the young man's eyes light up when Ivory handed over her gift. It was just like her to make something so special with her hands. Illyana had, at one time, wished that she could be as crafty, but she had always been clumsy and a little unsure of herself physically. Better to leave stuff like that to the experts, and for Aurel and the rest of the troupe, having her around was very handy. She was never hesitant to offer her services as a handy-woman, and Illyana was thankful for that. Before she had joined, it had been a little hard for them after...well, for just Lucien, Aurel, and herself. Lucien did his best, but he was more artistic than handy. Of course, he knew more than either her or Aurel combined, but he didn't know how to do half of the things that....they were capable of before. Ivory had been welcome, of course, but after they had found out how good she was with mechanical objects and how creative she was, well, that was certainly not a detractor from her charm.

After the gift-giving was over, the others went about their normal daily activities. Illyana took inventory and sent carnies out for replenishment. Now that their financials were back in order, it had lifted a weight from the clairvoyant to send them on errands like that. It felt much better for her handing them a hefty stack of notes than having to scrounge for food. She supposed that she had Geralt to thank for that, so she did it silently. It would be better for her if he didn't know, she was sure his smugness would only be annoying if she thanked him in person.

Once the chores were complete, Illyana helped Cora tidy her trailer for the evening's shows. The water they had just refilled was so clear that some of the taller patrons could see through it and into her home and Illyana wanted to make sure her things were kept private. Although Cora hadn't thought of this, as the people who visited her were always too entranced by her to care what was going on in the water or behind her, Illyana said it was better to be safe than sorry. She took some pieces of furniture and butted them up against the back of the tank to conceal the interior, and that was good enough for now. She would have to speak with Ivory to see if she could come up with a more permanent solution.

After this, she took a shower as moving the furniture had been a little more tough than she'd expected. By the time she was finished, night was nearly falling. Illyana and the rest returned to their trailers to ready themselves for the evening.

[xivyxx]

Lucien walked through the grounds, making his usual rounds around the circus. He and the others had grown used to a relatively steady flow of people. While not all towns proved to be an extreme success like Vegas, it was still much better than before. He understood it varied by the circumstances the people there were living day to day. The day had been relatively peaceful. Geralt had made himself scarce, but this was something the troupe was used to by now. He still didn't understand the reasoning behind it.. but at this point trying to inquire too much of the man didn't lead them anywhere. It was honestly unfortunate... that they still knew so little about him.

It was then that something unusual snapped the Ringleader out of his thoughts. The line gathered at Geralt's tent was still there. He took out his pocket watch to look at the time, eyebrows furrowing slightly. It was about five minutes to showtime, why were these people still outside?

He approached the carnie in front of the entrance of the tent. Now getting a better look, he appeared to be quite nervous, even more so when he saw him.

"Oscar, should these people not have gone in by now?" He asked him.

"Er.. yessir but.. Geralt's.. not here yet." He said, eyes darting around the area.

This caused Lucien's eyebrows to furrow. It was true that Geralt had not been seen all day, but that wasn't that odd for him. Despite him having made himself completely unseen at other times, he was always back in time for the show.

"I will return shortly." He said, quickly making pace toward Geralt's trailer, giving it a knock.

"Geralt, it's almost showtime." He called out, but received no response. Knowing how the man was, he knew not to linger there any longer. If he had been inside he surely would have answered. He walked away from the trailer and spoke to another Carnie.

"James, have you seen Geralt today?" He asked.

The man shook his head. "I haven't sir.." He responded.

This was bad. Two minutes left until showtime, and the Magician was nowhere to be found.

"Please look for him, tell the others to let me know the moment anyone see's him." He said, before hurrying back to his performance tent. He still hadn't arrived. He doubted the man would be running late, it seemed after the discussion they had that he was well aware that wasn't something he tolerated. Was he really going to miss the show? A frown formed at his lips. Despite all the thoughts running through his head, he could not afford to wait any longer. The people would not want to wait, and they were normally seated about 10 minutes before show start. He could not afford to make them wait any longer.

This was something Lucien never thought he would have to do. Granted someone falling ill was always possible. He would never make someone perform in such circumstances, but there was always some kind of warning beforehand. That was not the case here. Nothing about Geralt had been weirder than normal. Even if.. the world 'normal' was relative to him. Had it been worse than he thought and he simply not noticed?

He shrugged off the thought for now as he arrived back at the man's tent. Although reluctant, he would have to give some sort of excuse for his absence. If they had not found him now, then there would be no reassurance that he would find him before his next show, if he wasn't on the grounds.

"I am terribly sorry for your wait." He addressed in a clear voice. "I'm afraid that our Le Magicien has fallen ill, and will be unable to perform today. I offer my sincerest apologies for this inconvenience." He said with a deep bow.

"I know some of you came very much excited to see him, and I assure you the last thing he would want would be for you to leave disappointed. To make it up to you, all of you here will be given free access to two additional preformances here of your choosing. I humbly ask for you to accept our apologies for the time you took to come here." He said to them all.

There was a clear disorder among the public. There was clear disappointment among them, but some had taken it better than others. There was a group of people that had been satisfied with the reimbursement they were given, but others.. not so much. These people were the most difficult for Lucien to deal with, and those who were set on wanting to see Geralt's show, because that's why they were here. Only being left with the opportunity to see it on their final night, Lucien's hand was forced, and he was obligated to provide that small group with free tickets to the final night. That.. was a much bigger loss he hadn't been expecting, and it had certainly soured the Ringleader's mood. Even by the time he had finished dealing with the unfortunate situation, Geralt was still nowhere to be found. The entire performance night went by, and the Magician was nowhere to be found.

By this point, Lucien's displeasure had evolved into an emotion the troupe was not used to seeing. At one point he had thought, what if something happened? What if he got hurt? But thinking about who he was talking about, he thought it unlikely. The man had the skills to slip out of any troublesome situation he could get into. So why wasn't he here? A scowl was clearly seen on Lucien's face as he made his way back to his trailer once the shows were over. He didn't like showing this side of him to the troupe, and preferred to be alone at times like this. Even if they asked him about it, right now there was not much he could tell them.

His curtain lay wide open, within sights of the entrance to the Magician's trailer. If he arrived, he'd see him. There was no way he could let something like this slide. Such irresponsibility was not something Lucien was willing to tolerate. The Ringleader was not pleased.

[FreckersFrog]

Night fell and the time for performances came and went. Geralt did not appear back on the grounds until well-after midnight, and in fact, several hours before sunrise. He displaced himself directly into his trailer, knowing that a walk through the grounds would not be ideal, given his circumstances.

You have made some mistakes tonight, Geralt... The voice inside his head cooed.

The Magician immediately went for his liquor cabinet, but found his blurred vision too unreliable in the darkness. He snapped his fingers and lit the lamp. "That's better..." he slurred aloud as he rummaged through the cabinet. "And just moments ago you were praising my efforts," he added to himself as he selected a bottle and pulled it out into the light, "Such a fickle mistress you are... He said, uncorking the bottle and taking a big swig of it directly from the neck. "Normally I'm into fickle, but with you its just annoying. He closed the cabinet and let himself fall into his chair, raising his feet and resting them on the table.

The voice chuckled, Fickle or not, you know of what I speak. Your little project will not be pleased with your absence.

Geralt sighed and took another swig, "You think I don't know that? Good Satan you are irritating."

Wallowing in self-pity does not befit a man of your stature, Magician.

At this, the man laughed aloud, throwing his head back, "Now, there is the demon calling the Devil red."

Do not mock me, human. The voice became more gravely, which meant that Geralt's Dark Passenger was becoming angry with him. There is still much suffering before you if you take my Lord's name in vain again.

There was a slight pause as Geralt gazed at the label of the bottle in his hand. It was wine, French of course. "Hm. Do your worst." He said, tossing back another gulp of the sweet pungent liquid.

[xivyxx]

Lucien's mood had not eased as the night went by. He was glad that he received no visitors from the rest of the troupe. He was sure that talking about it would only worsen things, and the one he did need to talk to was still not here. The Ringleader was a patient man. He was ready to wait all night if he had to, and for the most part, he did. While he had not seen the man himself. He saw the lights flicker on in the man's trailer.

So he had teleported home. It was probably how he had left as well. Despite Geralt's clear attempt to not have wanted to be seen returning, Lucien was not willing to wait until the next day to seek an explanation. He didn't want to give him time to formulate some sort of excuse for what he had done. He wanted to catch him off guard. Perhaps then he'd get something.

The Ringleader rose from his chair and left his trailer, heading straight for Geralt's. This might have been the first time since he had come that he had went out of his way to look for him there. It had never been necessary until now.

Upon arrival, he gave the door three knocks. "Geralt. I know you're back. Open the door." He said in an uncharacteristicly demanding tone.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt heard Lucien's knocks and his voice while the wine bottle was still vertical. He lowered it, slowly, and smiled as he swallowed the mouthful of alcohol. "Speak of the Angel..." he said quietly to himself, then set the bottle on the table and slowly stood before making his way to the door. He took his time, running a hand through his hair which he knew was messy, and straightening his vest, shirt, and tie, which he knew were loose and wrinkled.

Before he opened the door, he cleared his throat and blinked. He'd been preparing for this talk all night, but was taken slightly aback by the speed at which Lucien wanted to discuss things. Normally, Geralt would make himself scarce a this point, not sure he was in the mood to be questioned, but he knew that leaving now would only make things worse. Best to rip the bandage off, he supposed.

When he opened the door, he did not smile, but kept his expression neutral. It was clear that he was drunk, if not by the smell of wine and brandy, then by his disheveled appearance, but he didn't care. He was a grown man, and Lucien had not staked his claim, therefore he had no say in the Magician's activities. Unless they interfered with work, of course....

"Evening, Lucien. Or..." he paused and leaned forward to look at the sky, "Should I say morning?" The sky was still dark, but he knew that it was well-passed midnight and his bedtime. He could tell immediately the Lucien was angry, this was an expression he had never seen on the man before. Despite the fact that he was feeling a little defensive, he couldn't help but be aroused by it. If this is what the Nephilim's brow looked like furrowed...well, he wasn't sure it was such a bad thing.

"Feel free to come in," he said, stepping aside and holding an arm out for Lucien to pass. "Must be cold out there, judging by your...demeanor." He really shouldn't joke, but he couldn't help it, the Ringleader was making it far too easy.

[xivyxx]

The smell of brandy and the familiar smell of wine had hit the Ringleader's nose the moment Geralt had opened the door. He had held back a grimace at this, but the response he received almost made his present scowl deepen. He supposed that answered his question. Had he been partying? Was that why he lost track of time? That made this entire situation much worse. He had hoped him to be more responsible than this.

He came in and closed the door behind him, attempting to retain a form of control. "Is that really all that you have to say for yourself?" He asked, his tone lacking it's usual softness. He would not raise his voice, not yet, but even now it was clear how angry he was.

"You missed all of your shows Geralt. Why?" He wanted to hear some form of an attempt at an excuse. Something to show that he at least cared about what he had done, that he knew he had messed up. Was he asking for too much?

[FreckersFrog]

The speed at which the Ringleader entered his abode pushed Geralt back a bit and the neutral expression he wore dropped into a slight frown when Lucien shut the door. This was improper decorum, and that irked him, but aside from that this confrontation was incredibly sexy to him. He would have to maintain a semblance of cool-headedness during this conversation if he was committed to not letting it get out of hand. It seemed that Lucien was thinking the same thing, Geralt could tell that he was trying to hold back.

The inside of the man's trailer was akin to a museum of macabre artifacts and relics evoking the occult. He had heavy dark curtains to cover the windows, a single oil lamp in the corner that filled the room with smoke. The furniture smelled of cigarettes and cinnamon and alcohol, not all-together unpleasant in the right circumstances. All if the furniture was crafted from dark or even black wood with similar metal trim. He had many items of memorabilia scattered about: several glass cases full of pinned insects, jars of unborn animals, a black trunk in the corner which lie open to reveal many tools of the magician's trade, including a top hat, cape, and cane, and it looked as though the man even had an ashtray the shape or made from a human skull. The bed was clothed in black sheets as well, and separated from the room by a black curtain which was now ajar.

He followed the Nephilim inside and moved toward the table he had been sitting at when the man arrived. He turned his back to Lucien so as not to show his reaction to his line or questions, but he wasn't sure if this would make the man more or less angry. "I'm not sure what else you are looking to hear, Lucien. I was...caught up in a previous engagement." He reached for the wine bottle, took it in his hand and turned to offer it to Lucien. "Night cap?" he asked, forcing a sly smile.

[xivyxx]

Lucien was too focused on the man in front of him to pay much attention to his surroundings, even if it was the first time he was getting to do so. His eyebrow twitched as Geralt turned away from him. It was very clear from his demeanor that he was not feeling any remorse for what he had done, despite the seriousness of it. It was either that, or it was the same as last time and the man simply did not want to admit to his mistake. Right now, Lucien did not care for the Magician's pride. He did not plan to tip toe around him.

"It is not the time." He responded curtly to his offer.

"Maybe I had been expecting too much from you, to think that maybe you would feel apologetic for having missed all of your shows with no warning, for a late night at that. I had to explain to all those people why you didn't show, not to mention do damage control on those who were more than just a little upset by it. I thought you had a bit more sense of responsibility. Do you really care so little for this place? For what we do here? If that's the case, please tell me now. I don't want to play guessing games with you anymore." He could only let the Magician get away with so much. If this was the halfhearted attitude he would be seeing from him from now on, then he needed to know. He could not accept such a mistake again.

[FreckersFrog]

At Lucien's response, the Magician no longer made any effort to hide his displeasure. A mean scowl to match the Nephilim's spread across his lips, an expression he was unused to wearing in the presence of others. His already dark eyes deepened in shadow as his brow furrowed. For a moment, he merely stared at the Ringleader as he expressed his disappointment and outrage at Geralt's actions. The bottle of wine lowered slowly until it was at the man's side. He did not interrupt, did not make a sound, until Lucien had finished speaking.

Geralt hardened himself to the words that were being flung at him like daggers. He had heard worse, much worse, with regards to his character over the years. He was not hurt by Lucien's anger, his confusion, his sense of betrayal...not yet anyway. Drink had numbed him to any feelings of guilt or remorse. Now, for the first time since laying eyes on the man, all Geralt wanted was for the Ringleader to leave his sight.

A heavy silence hung between the two men once Lucien had completed his speech. Slowly, Geralt turned and lowered the wine bottle onto the table, slid his long fingers from its neck, and crossed the room to the trunk containing his old props. Without a word, he passed Lucien and crouched before the trunk, moved some things aside and withdrew from it a roll of bills. He appeared to count it for a moment, sizing the weight and checking the denominations. Once he was done, he stood again and extended the bills toward Lucien.

"Clearly, this has upset you, caused you some degree of discomfort and..." he struggled with the word for a moment before coming up with it, "Annoyance. It was never my intention to cause these feelings in you, and I hope not to do so again." Contrary to the mysteriously accented, deep and complex voice The Magician used even in personal interactions, his tone had flattened to a point that no emotion remained. "This should cover your losses for the night, and if not, let me know. I would be happy to deduct the remainder from my next cut." He stopped talking, but Lucien did not appear to be reaching for the roll of bills in the man's hand. Geralt sighed heavily, walked to the liquor cabinet and set the bills there. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been a long night and frankly, I do not wish to discuss this any further." He then made his way back to the table, to the wine bottle and took another heavy swig from its neck.

His business, his misery, his guilt and disappointment, his life...it was none of Lucien's concern. Geralt had tried many times now to allow Lucien to get closer to him and he was refused at every turn. As far as he was concerned, the Ringleader could either put up with him or fire him, and his life would not change. He was stuck, simply, until someone freed him. There was no use in struggling, in pushing the boulder up the hill any longer, he could accept his losses and move on or wallow in them. For now, wallowing suited him, so those were his plans for the evening regardless of what Lucien wanted.

[xivyxx]

Geralt's response was not what Lucien wanted to hear. In fact, he hadn't even bothered to respond to his question, and that in itself was an answer. He made no attempt to take the man's money. That wasn't what this was about. It was about integrity, and that was something the Magician seemed to be lacking at the moment, if his tone told him anything.

"I don't want your money, Geralt." He said, before turning toward the door. He could not simply pay him off and expect everything to be okay. "You cannot continue to run away from your problems. Refusing to talk about it is not going to make it go away. This is not something I will simply just let go. You're an adult, and sometimes you have to take responsibility for your actions. I expect to hit this conversation again when you're sober." He said, before leaving the man's trailer.

Was he disappointed? Yes. Angry? Even more so, but he would not continue to waste his time when he knew the conversation wasn't going to go anywhere. He'd give the man another chance, when he had a clear mind and would hopefully end up reflecting on what he had done. Tomorrow was the Big Top show, and he hoped this was not something he would have to deal for that too. He had to resolve this before then. Irked, Lucien headed back to his trailer. All he could do for now was hope that this time would allow Geralt to come to his senses.