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

[FreckersFrog]

"Tidy indeed...just like its occupant." He said as he poured Lucien a glass and then filled his own before placing the bottle on the table between them. He picked his glass up by the stem and swirled it in the glass before holding it to his nose and locking eyes with Lucien once more. "I hope I didn't offend, of course. It is my bottle, I thought it only natural that I pour." His free hand was lying in his lap, the corkscrew seemingly gone from the space.

While they sat, his eyes darted briefly to the bulletin board over Lucien's shoulder. He spotted what looked to be several small photos, likely a group photo of the troupe and some other close-ups if objects that he couldn't make out on this first glance, a collection of post cards, an envelope, and a child's drawing. This was particularly interesting to him, as there were no children in the troupe, at least that he knew of. He could tell it was old, however, as it was layered over by other papers and photos. It showed four figures, two smaller, one of medium size, and one that was gargantuan in comparison. That was all he could make out without getting closer.

"My apologies," he said after a moment of silence, "I was admiring your collection while I let the wine breathe." He gestured to the board with his glass. "I hope you don't mind..." he said, as his eyes drifted back over to it.

[xivyxx]

Lucien did not find the need to respond to his first comment, but at his second one he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I was under the impression that it became mine the moment you presented it to me." He said a little jokingly. "I don't mind either or, I was simply teasing." As he spoke, he picked up his glass, slowly swirling the wine in his glass. When was the last time he had a bottle from Bordeaux? It had certainly been a while. He took a moment to breathe in it's sweet scent before his gaze shifted to Geralt as he spoke.

He had been too focused on the wine to realize he had been looking through his bulletin board. Lucien had always been big on.. mementos. He liked to take at least one picture after a successful show, or sometimes after they gained new members. He had postcards from some of his travels even before he had begun this circus, but some of the photos of that time weren't posted, but were in his bedside drawer instead.

"Ah, not at all. I'm quite fond of suiveniers and well.. mementos I suppose." He said with a small chuckle. It was nice to see the progress that had been made since back then to now. It helped keep his spirits up when he was down. Sometimes he just couldn't help but think of the past. For a moment he had completely forgotten of the drawing he had on the board. It was drawn by Aurel when he was a child, it was of himself, Illyana, Aurel, and.. Faolan. Certainly to others this might seen a little questionable, considering the lack of children, but part of him hope Geralt wouldn't think too deeply into it.

He distracted himself from those thoughts by finally taking a small sip of his wine, savoring the taste.

"Nothing beats the flavor of home." He commented.

--

The snakes did not respond immediately, clearly thinking among themselves.

"I trust Liquorice's instincts. Be careful around that man." Bengal warned.

"Cora is a ssweet girl. We'll make ssure no harm comes to her." Cinnamon said, a couple others nodding in agreement.

"If all we musst do is watch, then we will watch." Amber said.

Aurel let out a relieved sigh at this. "Thank you.. I.. will probably not be taking you guys with me around tomorrow, but you can feel free to roam as you please, just please try to keep your distance from him, alright?" His tone was clearly worried as he spoke, he didn't really want any problems, but once agreed they agreed.

"I'll be sure you all get a very good meal next hunt." He told them gratefully with a smile, before they all dispersed to their respective areas of the room. With that, Aurel changed out of his clothes, and crawled into bed, letting his thoughts wander for a while before he eventually trailed off to sleep.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt simply smiled at Lucien's teasing. He was glad that the ringleader had seemingly relaxed around him, at least enough to let him inside his "home" and drink wine with him. Being French, he assumed it would take more than a few sips of Cabernet to intoxicate the man, but it was certainly a start.

"Hm." He nodded at Lucien's memento comment, taking a moment to swirl the wine once again before he followed up with, "I should have guessed that about you. Do you mind?" He gestured to the desk, then stood and made his way over before Lucien had a chance to respond.

At the ringleader's next statement, he couldn't help but pause in his examination of the man's work-space and look over his shoulder. He let out a quiet chuckle, then asked, "I couldn't agree more..." He smiled as he noticed the King of Hearts card that he had left in Lucien's care sitting on the desk, and wondered if he had tried to throw it away. The card was lying next to a small white paper crane, like those you would see in the orient. He had never been, of course, but he knew how to recognize it.

He took a sip of the wine from his glass, a little earlier than he would have usually, and let it sit in his mouth a moment before swallowing. "Mmm..." he sighed with pleasure, impressed with himself for not the first time today. "Blackcurrant and...smoke, likely from the French Oak." This had been an excellent year. He let that statement hang in the air for a moment, then added, "How long has it been, since you've been home?" He asked, then turned back to the board, noting an aged envelope with French postage.

[xivyxx]

Lucien had certainly not expected Geralt to take further interest in his board, but he hadn't really been given much time to answer him, as he had already began to make his way toward the desk. He held back a sigh, it was too late now. The man clearly had no hesitation when it came to satisfying his own curiosity. That shouldn't have surprised him, but he didn't get too annoyed by it, and allowed the flavor of the wine to distract him.

"You certainly know your wine well." He commented, as the man wasn't wrong in his statement.

At his following question, Lucien glanced in Geralt's direction as he inspected the board. "Around twenty-two years? It's been quite a while." He said. Honestly he didn't mind answering these types of questions, it's not like he had anything to hide, it also opened windows for him to ask some of his own if he wanted to, though he wasn't sure how quickly he wanted to begin to pry into the man's life.

"And you? Berlin was it?" He asked, finding it a good chance to return the question.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt nodded, raising his glass and tilting it to look at the color, before swirling it once again. "That I do," he agreed, "Although, its more of a hobby than anything." Prohibition had really been what had started Geralt's interest in alcohol of all types. He had always been a drinker, but since the early 20s he had been especially fond of speakeasies, and in fact had spent a majority of his time in them over the last ten or so years. He had been born to be a rule breaker, so when he heard the alcohol had been outlawed, he simply could not help himself.

Geralt turned back to the board as Lucien answered his question. He let his eyes linger on the photos for a moment; one was a group photo of the troupe, as he had thought, plus two extras whom he hadn't met. The others were stills of trailers, grounds, the circus' sign. Then he let his eyes move to the drawing he had seen. He moved a corner of the envelope to get a look at the whole thing, and saw Aurel's name signed in cursive in the bottom corner. So, it seemed the boy had been here since he was young. Or, at least Geralt hoped so by the state of the art. There were four figures, Aurel himself was easy to spot as he had long, light colored hair. The other was undoubtedly Lucien, a medium height person with shaggy black locks. The other two were unrecognizable, the smallest and largest figures, and both were red-heads. While the figures themselves seemed to be the work of a pre-pubescent child, the background was actually quite good and may have been beyond a child of 9 or 10 as he had originally thought. It was clear where the artist's focus was as the trees, grass, flowers, and even the birds were well-defined.

He raised an eyebrow at Lucien's question, then turned back around. His answer had been slightly intriguing as well, but proved nothing that Geralt didn't know already. He had either left France when he was an infant, or did not look as old as he actually was. Judging by the fact that he was clearly a creature of divinity, and knew the flavor of wine, Geralt guessed the latter.

He turned around at Lucien's question and leaned against the desk with his ankles and arms crossed. "Oh, me? I left Germany when I was still a teenager, it's been...well, a long time." He took another sip of wine before adding, "I'm glad to hear you got out of Bordeaux before the war, of course. Even more so that you harbor no ill will towards die Deutschen, not all of us are...sympathetic to the cause. Nasty business, all of that, made me ashamed to call myself a German." He said, and he meant it. Geralt had never had a fondness for war, senseless violence over boarders and territory. It was pointless bloodshed, and he wanted no part in it.

More souls for the Lord, more dirty nasty sinners to tear and consume... Geralt's lower left eyelid twitched, but only slightly.

[xivyxx]

Lucien went back to looking at his glass as Geralt spoke, swirling the wine a little more before taking another sip, taking another moment to appreciate its taste. "It's not a terrible hobby to have." He had been quite disappointed when Prohibition started, but he had made due without it, until it had become legal again. He didn't find it worth the hassle of trying to get a hold of it, and considering Faolan had never been much of a drinker, it wasn't something they really needed.

Now, however, he was able to indulge as much as he wanted, when it could be afforded at least. He couldn't deny that he had missed it, however, and even now he was hit with the nostalgia of home, now that they were talking about it. He decided to slightly turn his chair to face Geralt as he had remained near his board, and was interested in his response. Leaving home as a teenager.. he supposed for some that wasn't that odd, but it did make him curious.. exactly how much 'a long time' was, considering the rumors of how long the magician had been practicing his magic.

At his mention of the war, Lucien averted his gaze. Those were certainly.. troubled times. Bordeaux had gotten lucky during the war.. as it had been made the temporary capital during the attacks on Paris. He didn't like to think about it, he felt the same about war. It was unnecessary bloodshed and cruelty. It brought out the worst in people.

"Yes.. I left slightly less than a year before it started.." He muttered, a hint of nostalgia in his voice at all the memories that followed that fateful journey.

He looked back up at Geralt, shaking his head. "No.. of course not. Individuals should not be held responsible for the actions of their country, or its leaders." He could tell from the way the Geralt spoke that he was being genuine in his words, and he appreciated that. From the sound if it, it didn't seem like he had been in Germany during that time either, but he decided not to ask.

"Well enough of that.. nasty business. We don't want to spoil the flavor of a good wine do we?" He said, hoping to steer the subject of the conversation elsewhere. It was not a topic he preferred to linger on.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt simply nodded at Lucien's words, then held up his glass in a mock toast, "I'll drink to that." he said, then took a larger swig out of the glass. "Mm..." he began again, wine still filling his mouth. He swallowed, then continued, "Speaking of which, I do apologize for that comment about your accent earlier. It really is impeccable, I just noticed that young Aurel was a little...shy, so I was trying to lighten the mood a bit." He paused a moment, then looked over his shoulder at the board behind him. "The two of you have known each other a while, I imagine, from the look of this portrait." This was not a question, as the statement was obviously true. Geralt was simply taking this opportunity to learn as much as he could about the ringleader. He doubted he had much time too, although, it would not be the first time he had been wrong about someone's intentions when they had asked him into their living space.

[xivyxx]

Lucien held up his glass, and took a drink in turn, letting out a small pleased sigh. The ringleader was truly satisfied to be able to enjoy a glass of wine again. Geralt's question tore his gaze away from his glass and to the board he had been looking at. Of course he would ask, but honestly he was unsure of how much to tell him. He didn't want him to get the wrong idea about Aurel, perhaps warning him would be a good thing, as he would be more aware of what made the man uncomfortable.

"I am not an easy man to offend, I understood the reasoning behind it, so no need to apologize." He said, hesitating for a moment. He couldn't really deny he had known him a long time when there was clearly evidence in front of him that said otherwise. He supposed there wasn't really a need to deny it either. "You aren't wrong.. Aurel's experience with people in the past... has not been the best, and that's lead him to be shy around strangers. He holds nothing against you personally, it might just take him a while to warm up to you."

"Yes, we have." He decided not to give anymore information than that, at the risk that it could lead to Geralt prying more deeply.

[FreckersFrog]

"Well, I can't fault him for that. If I make him, or anyone else for that matter, uncomfortable you make sure they let you know so you can tell me. I know that my..." he paused a moment, as if struggling to find the word, then gestured toward himself when he found it, "presence...can be a bit overwhelming at times." Though he was attempting to be humble, his usual grin never faltered.

After a beat, he looked over his shoulder once more at the drawing, smiling as if a fond memory had popped into his head. It was clear that Lucien was avoiding the question, but that only made his desire for answers stronger. He was foolishly polite, so much fun to play with. "And the other two?" He asked, turning fully to gesture toward the two redheads on the page. "Clearly, this one is you, it's too handsome to deny," he paused a moment, then turned back again, "And Aurel is easy to spot, with all of that hair. But the other two, it's not anyone here now, is it? Although, I suppose the red-head could be Akane?" He had briefly compared the drawing to the group photo and was sure it was not the pair of acrobats, they were much to compact to be the taller one, and the woman had dark hair in the photo. He didn't think of the fire dancer right away when he saw the picture, the figure in this depiction was wearing a hat and had a little line on her face that looked almost like a frown. No, it was definitely not the bubbly Japanese girl. In fact, both of the redheads looked upset, to a degree. He wondered if they may be related in some way.

[xivyxx]

Lucien didn't think he'd hear Geralt admit to such a thing, but he was at least glad to know he was willing to cooperate when it came to this. He was sure there were some.. that wouldn't think twice before snapping at him if he stepped out of line, like Ivory, but there were others.. that would not, and that was actually something the ringleader wanted to preemptively bring up to him.

"You're too kind." His compliment made him chuckle as he tried not to make it obvious that he didn't want to completely answer his question.

"No, the little girl is Illyana." He responded, taking another sip of wine. Considering how perceptive Geralt was, the moment he took note of Illyana dyeing her hair brown, he'd probably link her to being the girl in the picture.

"As for the man, that's a story for another time." He honestly didn't want to give him too much detail in regards to that, because he knew it would only lead to more questions. He was sure this would make him more curious, but he didn't really want to get into it right now. He had already told the man quite a bit, and while Lucien didn't have anything to hide, his personal relationships wasn't something he was so willing to share.

"Ah.. In regards to your previous comment about making people.. uncomfortable.. I feel this is important for me to address. Cora... she's.. not completely accustomed to interacting with people. She has been through a lot, and I'm afraid that sometimes she might not realize that certain things should be making her uncomfortable. I hope this does not make you think I believe you have bad intentions, I don't mean to offend you in any way, I simply ask that you respect her personal space." His tone was not aggressive, but there was a sternness to it. This was his way of warning Geralt that he shouldn't get any ideas. Cora was intelligent, but was sometimes easy to flatter and warm up to people who were kind to her. Geralt was definitely the type to flatter, and he knew that Cora was already at least a little fond of him, but still he couldn't help but worry.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt raised his eyebrows at the revelation that the girl was Illyana. He was surprised, but now the expression made much more sense. He had hardly noticed a twitch in the young woman after she had refused to shake hands. Although, he was sure she had dark hair...but, ah, this made sense. She was not a gypsy at all, her whole outfit, her hair, the makeup, it was all a ruse. He should have known when he detected no hint of a Romani accent in her speech. He wondered if the entirety of her act was just as fake...but, no, Lucien would never employ a regular human for a job in his Circus, it just didn't make sense.

The comment about the tall redheaded male figure made Geralt's heart leap with anticipation. So, there was more to this story that Lucien was not comfortable sharing just yet...this intrigued him greatly, especially considering the stern tone the ringleader had taken on when he said it. He couldn't blame him if this was personal, the two had only just met, but Geralt burned with so many desires for the Frenchman that he was having a hard time keeping track of them all.

He was about to speak again, but held his tongue when Lucien continued. He listened well, nodding here and there, and tilting his head in the posture of someone interested. He sipped his wine down to its last dregs, then nodded one final time before answering, "Oh, I completely understand, and no offence taken. I do apologize for my...proximity, let's say, with Miss Cora. She is just a dish...and I must admit, I do have a hard time controlling myself around beautiful things..." he said, finishing off his wine and giving Lucien a sly glance. He set his glass down on the desk, then held up a hand, his heels together and his back straight, "Right hand to the Lord, I promise to watch myself around your performers." He relaxed, then chuckled, "Well, my co-performers, I should say."

Lucien's protective instinct was not surprising to Geralt, in fact, he had expected such a comment to come at him at one time or another. He did not think it would be this soon, of course, but Cora had been a special case. Despite her age, he was sure she still had some learning to do about the world around her. She and Akane exuded and innocence that was, well, interesting, to say the least. If Lucien's warning did anything, it also informed Geralt that Cora was in fact the weakest of his troupe, and the most prone to manipulation. This was good news, in his opinion, and fueled his ego as well, as his guess had been correct about their little Siren.

[xivyxx]

Lucien was glad that Geralt hadn't taken offense. Honestly he had planned to bring this up later but.. he figured he would just get it out of the way now, he didn't want to risk putting anyone in any uncomfortable situations, especially Cora, knowing what the mermaid had gone through prior to being in the Circus. He would never allow any harm to come to any of his performers, and if saying goodbye to their new recruit achieved that purpose, he would do it, no matter their financial circumstance.

"It's quite alright, I figured it was best to.. put that out there now." He said, quirking a brow at his following words.

"I appreciate your understanding, Geralt." He said, honestly unsure of how much the magician really meant. Either way he'd be keeping an eye on him. The fact that Akane and Cora were extremely close worked to his advantage. While he worried Akane could be naive, she did have good instincts. She wouldn't let any harm come to Cora if she could help it, it was just the type of person she was. If Geralt didn't watch his step, it was possible she could catch on, and that helped put Lucien's mind a little at ease. Lucien had finished his wine a little after Geralt had, and he took this as a good opportunity to end their conversation.

"Well, I'm glad we had the opportunity to talk. I don't mean to kick you out, of course, but it is getting late, and I assume you have some unpacking to do? Unless you can just.. magically unpack all your things." He twirled a finger as he spoke, joking a little toward the end as he rose to his feet.

"Regardless, I do have to wake up early tomorrow, so I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt couldn't help but let his face fall the moment Lucien mentioned that their night together had to end. He had doubted that anything would happen between them tonight, but there had still been a tiny sliver of hope that he would at least get a little more than excellent wine and mediocre conversation. Well, either way, a night spent with Lucien was definitely no night wasted.

He absently took the small pocket-watch type object out of his vest pocket and checked it before replacing it and moving away from the desk, empty glass in hand. "Yes, yes, how time flies and all of that." At Lucien's unpacking comment, he couldn't help but let out a genuine chuckle. "Well, I hope the rest of my 'tricks' aren't that easy to anticipate." He walked over and placed his glass on the table next to Lucien's and the nearly full Cabernet. Almost absent-mindlessly, he placed a hand on the mouths of the glasses, quicker than the eye could catch, he lowered his palm until they were flat on the table. The glasses were gone when he moved away.

"Oh, please, there is absolutely nothing to forgive. I appreciate your hospitality, more than I can say. I hope this won't be the last time I...impose upon you." He said as the two of them moved together toward the door. Once they were at it, he opened it and stepped halfway out, his foot on the first step, before he turned to Lucien and added, "Now you see me..." and winked, before taking his leave and closing the door behind him.

[xivyxx]

Lucien took note of the man's disappointment, but he didn't made a comment on it. Clearly, he had wanted to stay much longer, but he felt like their time together had come to an end for the night. At the man's chuckle, he couldn't help but take note that it was.. different than the short ones the magician had let out before. Perhaps this one was more genuine? He was glad his joke had not gone unappreciated. He made a mental note of this for the future, the man's laugh was not unpleasant.

"I'm sure they aren't, I just assumed from what I've seen so far." He said a little amusingly, eyes watching the man's motions as he made the glasses disappear, despite the fact he should come to expect such things, he couldn't help but be both curious, and impressed.

"Well, you know where to find me if you ever need anything." He said. It would be rude to deny him at least that. He wasn't the only person here who stopped by and paid him visits either, so it wouldn't be that odd. He walked Geralt to the door, stopping by it as the man stepped out. At his final comment, he couldn't help but let out a laugh. The man certainly had a good sense of humor, and he couldn't deny he was pleasant to have conversations with, when he wasn't trying to pry, at least. That made him understand how silver-tongued the man really was, because despite the fact he knew there wasn't something quite right about him, it was easy to speak with him. He'd have to be careful, but not so careful that it would be too obvious that he was being guarded with him. If Geralt thought he was no longer being wary of him.. then perhaps it would also be his chance to get some answers. For that, he would have to wait and see.

[FreckersFrog]

Geralt slipped down the stairs of Lucien's trailer as light as a father and made his way the short distance to his own door. Even now that he was alone, he couldn't help but smile to himself. Her first solo encounters with the Ringmaster had gone better than expected. Although the man was surely still weary of him, as any intelligent person would be, he knew that his natural charm was already working its own magic upon the Frenchman. As long as Geralt was careful, he would have Lucien exactly where he wanted him.

You have done well, human...they are not aware of me. Though they try, they will not find me. I hide within your very soul. I will have them for our Lord and he will rewaaardd.

The gleeful darkness of the voice swirled through Geralt's mind as he stepped up the stairs and opened the door and the smile instantly dropped from his features. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, rather roughly in his annoyance.

He took a moment to assess the inside of the trailer. Although it was cramped and spare, he rather liked it at first glance. While Geralt had grown up with more space in his home than he knew what to do with, his adult life had been full of small dingy spaces. This was far from the worst place he had lived. Over the years, he found himself quite enjoying small spaces, he had never been one for ostentation in his private life. He did that for a living, why bring it home?

He crossed the small space and tested the bed. It creaked hard under the small amount of weight he added to it and a plume of dust dispersed from it as he pressed down. He sighed, "Well, that won't do..." he said under his breath.

No space fit for a King, burn it to the ground...

"Now, now, that's a little excessive, wouldn't you say?" He whispered to himself as he opened the briefcase that was now lying on his mattress.

I spit on their attempt at lodging.

"Well, that's what you said about the last place and we ended up staying there for a year." He said as he reached into the briefcase up to his elbow, searching for something.

It would take a majority of the night to get everything set up correctly, even for him, so he started now.

[xivyxx]

The next morning, Lucien had gotten up around six, but had not left his trailer right away. His night with Geralt had been enjoyable, but it had taken from the time he would have normally used to count the amount of coin that had been earned that day, so he decided to do it in the morning instead. He had to admit the amount left more to be desired, but it was certainly more than he had expected for their second visit here. If the next day proved to be better, once word got out of Geralt's performances here, then he should be able to see a large improvement in the turnout.

Once that was done with, Lucien got ready for the day and left his trailer. A lot of the carnies were already up and about, as they knew they would be tasked with more advertising this morning. He had a quick breakfast, and made sure all the carnies had done the same before he finally gathered the ones that usually went out to town.

"So, this time will be a little different, since we are shifting the focus of our advertising a little." He handed each of them a piece of paper, on it he had written out specific instructions on the things they should be saying. "Be sure to emphasize that this is Geralt the Great's.. comeback. Today is the last day children can enjoy his shows for free, so we can capitalize on that as well." He explained. The last day would also be a lot more worth it for people to come see, considering he was saving Geralt's performance for last. Honestly he had been considering placing Ivory's act before his, but he was sure she would not enjoy this, considering they would have to practice the transition. Usually they tried to make the way one performer entered and the other exited as smooth as possible.

"Alright, you can all head out." He told them.

"Yessir." They responded, before they headed out to one of the trucks.

A flash of red caught his attention as he took note of Akane leaving her trailer. She noticed him and quickly waved in his direction. It seemed she was heading to Cora's trailer. He'd have to make sure to take note whether Cora would dress.. appropriately this time around, but he had faith in Akane, the girl did have more experience than her when it came to this stuff. He could see her fox ears from here. For a moment, he wanted to call out to her, in warning that Geralt was here and therefore this would probably caught his attention, but after thinking about it for a moment he decided it didn't matter. The man was observant, and had probably already figured out she wasn't human. Akane never really went out of her way to hide it either, and he was almost certain that if Geralt asked her, she would probably just tell him what she was. He simply let out a sigh and headed to the mess area to meet them there. While he had already had breakfast, he still enjoyed spending time with his troupe in the mornings.

--

Akane was quick to head to Cora's trailer that morning. The day before, Ivory had commented to her that if she had free time in her mornings, she should stop by and get the mermaid if no one else had yet. She of course, had not hesitated before agreeing to this. Usually she tried to do it if Lucien hadn't, but sometimes she overslept a little, though not nearly as much her dhampir friend did. Still, she didn't need to be told twice, she always enjoyed hanging out with her friend.

As usual, she hadn't bothered to hide her fox ears or tails that morning. She was wearing another long, bright summer dress, one that made it easier for her to hide her tails. It was certainly nice to not have to worry about it.

"Cora! I came to get you!" She called out as she knocked on the door.

[FreckersFrog]

Cora had not bothered to rise with the sun that morning, and had kept the skylight in the top of her trailer shut. Usually the day after a performance, she preferred to sleep in anyway.

She was lying at the bottom of her tank, on her side asleep when she heard the knock at the door and Akane's voice from the other side. She woke up immediately and turned toward the sound as a slow and tired smile crept across her lips.

Come in! She shouted, but only a burst of bubbles escaped her mouth and floated to the top of her tank. She noticed this right away and rolled her eyes at herself before pushing herself to the surface of the tank. "Come in!" she said, this time her voice carrying across the air.

-----------------------------------------

Illyana had awoken at dawn with a start, in her bed with a book lying open on her chest. She had tried desperately to go to sleep without doing any more research in an attempt to appease Lucien, but wasn't able to help herself. There was just one more thing she wanted to check out before she was satisfied enough to sleep. Unfortunately, though she had spent some time reading the night before, she couldn't remember any of it now.

With a sigh, she pushed the book off of her into the pile that had collected on her bed, and yawned before rising. She dressed quickly, her stomach growling as she did so. She usually helped cook breakfast in the mornings, and at the least always did a check of their supplies before the days meals were prepared. Lucien was the Ringleader, of course, but he couldn't do everything, and it was usually Illy who picked up the slack.

She left her trailer, making sure to don her hat first, and squinted in the morning light as she wrapped the light blue shawl she was wearing a little tighter around her shoulders. It was not as early as she had hoped, but she did not yet smell sizzling bacon on the air, so she figured she had enough time. She had taken the clipboard with the mess inventory on it and made her way across the grounds to the windbreak they had set up against the slight incline that made the hills around them.

She slowed, however, when she noticed a lone figure sitting at one of the tables, reading a newspaper and clutching a steaming cup in his hand. Her face immediately soured as she noted the black travel boots, trousers, and un-tucked button-down that Geralt was wearing as he lounged in one of the chairs. Although this was not ideal in any way for her, as she spotted no one else around at the moment, she would not let the troupe's new member disrupt her routine.

She set her mouth in a hard line, her brows beneath her cloche hat furrowed, and walked to the mess area, making a point not to look in the Magician's direction.

-------------------------------

It had taken only a couple of hours for Geralt to set up his trailer and clean some of the debris that the carnies had undoubtedly left behind. Once he had finished, he'd sat and read for a while before drifting off into a fitful sleep. After a couple of hours of this, he had awoken and busied himself with finishing touches in the early hours of the morning. Afterward, he had made his way over to the mess area to eat. Seeing no one else up and about, he had simply had a seat, taking this time to enjoy some coffee and a paper in the crisp fresh air. Thoughts of the night before still lingered on his mind, and he found it harder than usual to distract himself.

After a while, he sensed movement and glanced up from his paper to see the young gypsy crossing the grounds toward him. He noted her appearance, no makeup, and she looked particularly tired, but maybe he was just noticing it now without the dark circles that had concealed her exhaustion the night before. He watched her as she made her way towards him, noting that she specifically avoided his gaze as she made her way over. This made him smile. Her rigid reluctance to show him kindness was amusing, as if he cared about her opinion. There was only one person's eye he wanted to catch, although he knew that his interactions with the Troupe would greatly effect the way the Ringleader saw him. He had made good progress in his first night, no need to waste it by being nasty now, even though he so craved it.

When she got closer, he lowered the paper and followed her by turning his head in her direction as she walked by. "Good morning, Miss Brewer." He said politely. He noticed her glance hurriedly in his direction and mutter a response that he could barely hear. She had a clipboard in her hand, and turned her back to him as she began checking things off of a list of some sort. She really was quite the little worker bee.

Geralt folded his paper neatly and set it on the table before him, looking at Illyana's back as she worked. "I made coffee, would you like some?" He asked, and stood before she could respond.

Illyana glanced over her shoulder, doing her best to conceal her annoyance, and shook her head, "No thank you, I prefer tea."

Geralt, still smiling and staring, made his way around the table and approached Illy, steaming cup in hand. "Are you sure, I don't like to brag but...well, who am I kidding?" He chuckled quietly to himself, sipping from his mug as he reached her, and peered over her shoulder at the list she was carrying.

Illyana was trying to focus on her list and ignore their newest member. It was too early in the morning for a conversation with him just yet, she may not be as on her guard as she needed to be. She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't hear him come up right behind her.

Geralt took a moment to look over the list, an inventory of some type. "Hm, inventory before the meal? Now that's dedication."

Illyana started when Geralt spoke and jumped away, clutching the board to her chest. She turned toward him, her hip bumping the table and rattling the metal canisters and cups that sat on it. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes wide. She had not even felt him come up behind her.

"Oh," he said, setting his cup down and stepping toward her, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He reached for her elbow, which was bare now that she had jumped away from him and her shawl had fallen by.

Illyana adjusted her shawl a little, looking away from Geralt as she responded. "It's fine, I just...I was focusing."

Geralt couldn't help but let a small smile creep across his lips, but dropped his hand as he noticed movement behind Illyana. "Hm, now I see why you don't drink coffee..."

Illyana, her brows furrowed, opened her mouth to respond as Lucien arrived.

[xivyxx]

Akane wasted no time in opening the door once her friend had given her permission to enter, smiling brightly at Cora.

"Good morning!" She chimed, waving up at her. "I'll help you get your clothes together!" She exclaimed as she walked over to her drawer. She thought about what she should pick, and had noticed last night that Cora seemed quite uncomfortable in the clothes Illy had chosen for her. While she knew it was to be more.. conservative, she didn't want to make her spend the rest of the day in discomfort, as opposed to the day before when she had only dealt with it for a little while. Instead, she chose a summer dress similar to her own. She found these comfortable and they covered enough, so she figured Lucien or Illyana wouldn't have a problem with it. She turned and walked next to the makeshift slide that had been made to make it easy for Cora to get out of her tank.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

--

As the mess area came into view again, Lucien was surprised to see Geralt already there. It seemed he had shown up sometime after he had left to go arrange things with the carnies. Seeing Illyana there however, he quickened his pace. While his line of sight of the man wasn't the best, he felt he was too close for comfort. Knowing how sensitive Illyana was because of her psychic ability, he didn't want him touching her, especially not this soon when they still didn't know very much about him. He'd rather avoid Illyana being exposed to any intense visions that touching him could possibly give her.

"Good morning." He greeted them both, taking a moment to glance in Illyana's direction. Her expression was a little.. off, but he assumed that was because Geralt had most likely pulled her into conversation. She seemed slightly more well rested than last night, but there was still some tiredness to her expression. He certainly hoped she hadn't stayed up doing more research, and for a moment, his expression reflected that, since he had wanted her to get more sleep today. He didn't feel like either of them had been here very long, as he had missed both of their arrival when he had been here earlier. He stopped a little behind her, and reached out to gently take the clipboard from her hands. He was willing to bet Illyana hadn't eaten yet.

"Breakfast has already been prepared, Illy. Have some, I'll finish this." He said, motioning to the prepared dishes with his free hand. It was harder to tell because the food had been covered to keep the bugs away, but enough had already been made for everyone. Lucien always made a point to make sure the troupe had their share of food before they started working. Everyone's health was important to him, and Illy had a habit of working a little too much, so he knew he sometimes had to keep an eye on her work habits. He supposed that was partially his fault, considering he too was a bit of a workaholic.

It was then that he turned to Geralt. "I hope your new home treated you well?" He asked. Paying closer attention, the man also did not look particularly well rested. Perhaps unpacking his things had taken longer than he thought it would?

--

A ray of light hitting his face was what roused Aurel from his sleep. Amber had slithered out through his window, and that had shifted his curtain enough for the rise of the sun to be made known to him. He squinted slightly, and while a part of him considered maybe going back to sleep, he decided against it. Today would be the first morning Geralt would spend here, so he felt he couldn't just.. be idle in his room. If he was an early riser, he wanted a chance to observe him properly as he interacted with the others. With a sigh he got up, and got ready for the day, slipping into one of the yukatas Akane had gotten for him.

His first instinct was to choose a snake to take with him, but then he decided against it, remembering that he had decided to not carry any on his person. It felt... strange.

"Well.. I'm going to go get breakfast. You can all roam as you please but, just be watchful okay? And no aggressive action." He added a bit more sternly toward the end. Not all of his snakes were here, but he knew they would share the information.

"Be careful.. Do not let the man get too close." Liquorice hissed, to which he nodded.

"I will." He told them, before heading out.

[FreckersFrog]

Cora smiled brightly down at Akane as she entered, balancing herself on the edge of the tank with her torso up out of the water. It would have been strange for any other viewer, but Akane was used to the sight: above the water, Cora resembled a human exactly, but once her body was submerged in water, it took on that of her true form. Her legs were fused together in a long greenish-blue tail that swayed back and forth under the water, her fin almost transparent. At first, this discovery had been very strange for Cora, as she had never poked her head out of the water until...well, the day she had been forced to. It felt strange as well, but she quickly got over that. There were more uncomfortable things to feel abovewater, she had learned that very quickly.

"Okay!" she said in response to Akane as she positioned her self and slid down out of the tank and onto the floor of the trailer. The others in the troupe had helped placed a bundle of dry towels there to absorb some of the water, but they would need changing soon. Once she was on the floor, she grabbed the damp robe from the ground and draped it over her shoulders, wrapping it about her torso before climbing into her chair, using only the strength of her arms. By the time Akane had approached, she was brushing out her long straight hair with her fingers.

"Oh no," she said in response to Akane's question, "I was still sleeping when you came, actually. It was okay!" She smiled, then looked around the dark room. Without her skylight open, it was almost pitch black in here, not that that was a problem for either of its current inhabitants. "What time is it, anyway?" She cocked her head to one side, curious. Usually, she woke up rather "early", from what the others had told her, but it was hard to tell with no outside source of light or air just how early it was.

-----------------------------------

Illyana had noticed Geralt reaching for her only as he pulled his hand away, and the muscles in her face tightened even more. As Lucien stepped up behind her, she jumped again, nearly bumping him. She looked around, confused for a moment, then felt him take the clipboard from her hands. She looked up at Lucien as a scolded child would, then sighed and nodded, before heading over to the various dishes that had been covered to keep warm and sanitized, giving Geralt a wide berth as she did so.

Geralt watched this unfold and his expression never changed. He watched Illyana skirt him and move toward the food that had been left out, then looked back at Lucien as the two made their way over to where he had been seated before. "I was just telling the young Madame that she should eat some before working...but I suppose that's why you're the boss, isn't it?" He said as they sat down, raising his mug of coffee in a mock toast.

He paused before lowering himself all the way, and held the mug out, "Oh, that reminds me, coffee?" He asked the ringleader, smiling toothily.

[xivyxx]

Akane turned around, having heard the scuffle of Cora getting onto her chair. "Well I came right on time then!" She said, returning her smile before she knelt down and picked up the clothes she had chosen for her.

"Hmm it's around 8:30 I think? I saw Lucien heading to the mess area, so I assume others might be up already. I didn't check, since I came straight here." She said before she handed Cora her clothes.

"Here, put these on, I tried to shoot for something comfortable, but uh.. 'appropriate' as Lucien would put it." She said with a small chuckle. Akane found the way Lucien worried about such things to be a little endearing, since she knew he was just doing it to look out for them.

--

Lucien gave Illyana an apologetic glance as he saw that he had startled her. He had been too preoccupied with putting some distance between them that he had forgotten to make his presence known. He knew how jumpy Illy could be, after all.

"I'm afraid I do not set such a good example, being the workaholic that I am." He said with a small chuckle as he took a seat across from Geralt on the table. "I appreciate the concern, however." He said, though part of him wondered if that was really the case.

Briefly he glanced down at the clipboard he held, taking note of the things that Illyana had already checked off, before looking back toward Geralt as he offered to make him coffee.

"Ah.. Sure, why not. I could always use a little caffeine in my system." He said a little jokingly. He didn't really see the harm in accepting.

It was then that Aurel arrived, briefly glancing at the three that were already in the mess area.

"Good morning..." He greeted them, before heading over to Illy who was already grabbing breakfast. It was a little relieving to have Lucien around this early with Geralt around. Knowing him he had probably already finished what he had to do, that was probably why he was here.

---

While others had an easier time getting up in the morning, Ivory did not. She heard the activity outside. Usually it was what woke her up, since her hearing was quite sharp, but most of the time she ended up ignoring it and going back to sleep. This time however, she could not do that. She had told herself she would wake up early. Well, earlier than she ever normally would have, but just the thought of that made her want to throw her pillow over her head and forget that the sun existed.

"Ugh." She groaned, irritated, before sitting up in her bed. Ivory had never been a morning person, and it wasn't really just because of what she was. Back when she was home.. what time she got up didn't really matter, because it wasn't like she could go outside or there were any time constraints for anything. It was a habit that was hard to shake. That had taken nineteen years of her life, and while now there were more things she could do with her time, doing anything so early in the morning was usually discouraging, not to mention being out in the sun too long weakened her after a while, especially if she had blood recently. That was a fact she wasn't willing to share though. Ivory hated sharing her weaknesses with people, so she much preferred using the excuse that she didn't feel like doing it.

"What a pain." She grumbled. This only made her annoyance with Geralt stronger. He was the reason she had to even bother with this in the first place. Sluggishly, she got out of her bed, not bothering to change. Ivory never really put in any effort to her appearance in the mornings, the only time she bothered was for acts. Some would say she didn't need it though, she had the natural beauty to not require it, even if the woman herself didn't care for it. Dressing up and putting on makeup only made her look more like her mother, and she hated it. Instead, she grabbed her cloak from her coat hanger and threw it on, pulling the hood over her head before grabbing her deck of cards off the table. Perhaps she'd ask Aurel to play later as a distraction from yearning more slumber. She squinted in irritation as the sun hit her face when she stepped out of the trailer, grumbling under her breath as she made her way toward the mess area. While she wasn't planning to really have a meal this morning, but she knew that's where everyone would be.