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

[xivyxx]

Lucien returned Faolan's smile with his own, appreciating his love's attempt to reassure him. He was sure that would be the case, but he would be sure to check her condition the next day, just in case. They all helped Faolan clean up, and Lucien's smile widened a little at what Aurel had said.

"It really does.. To think we ended up taking that road because of a small coin flip.. honestly I'm glad things turned out that way." He said, before looking at Aurel.

"I do hope you don't mind accompanying us for a while. It's been quite a long time since you haven't had your own space." He said.

Aurel let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "I'll be okay. I do hope you two don't mind me accompanying you.. considering." He couldn't help but tease them, knowing the two did like having time to themselves. Aurel of course had matured over the years, and was now very capable of teasing his two caretakers when it came to these things. He knew that with the girl's presence here they would have to begin hiding themselves again, but he at least was willing to make sure that he do whatever he could to at least help them get some time together. Lucien and Faolan had provided the teenager with much happiness in his life, something he never really thought possible. This was the least that he could do for them. He wanted them to be as happy as they had made him.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan's face split into a toothy grin, showing canines as he reached for Aurel and pulled him into a loose headlock, "What's that supposed to mean, huh?" he said, and ruffled the lad's perfectly straight long platinum hair with his rough knuckles.

Although at first Faolan had been nervous around the boy, over the years they had grown quite close, even physically. Even though the Irishman still did not like being touched or touching strangers, he was comfortable with Aurel enough now for small shows of affection like this. Though they were few and far between, as he saved most contact for Lucien, he found himself teasing Aurel in physical manners often. He had never had a brother, and his sister had been too feminine, by his mother's insistence, to wrestle with him, and his father had been too distant and busy too. Since this revelation, he'd imagined this must be similar to what it would have been like to grow up with another close male in the house, and it was welcomed by him.

Still, some doubt crept into his mind at the thought of the girl being nearby. He and Lucien would have to go back to hiding, even when they thought they were alone. He glanced up at the Frenchman as he released Aurel, a look of longing entering his eyes for a moment before it faded. It would be hard, but he knew they could do it...as long as it didn't have to be forever.

[xivyxx]

"Hey!" Aurel protested as Faolan got him in a headlock and made a mess of his hair. He didn't struggle, knowing that there was no point considering how strong Faolan was. Instead, he waited for the perfect opportunity, until Faolan had loosened his grip to look at Lucien. Taking advantage of his distraction, he swiftly reached up and aggressively ruffled the Irishman's hair, before quickly slipping out of his grasp and moving away from him. He went toward Lucien, where he knew it was safe.

"You know what it means!" He replied, sticking his tongue out at him.

The entire exchange had made Lucien laugh, amusement clearly reflected in his eyes as he watched the two interact. He had caught the look Faolan had given him, and gave him a small reassuring smile, hoping it would ease whatever doubt was slipping it's way into his heart. He knew that having the girl around would mean they would have to be careful around each other again, even more so knowing that Illyana was a very intelligent child. It would be hard for him too, considering how long they had been together, but hopefully they would get this entire situation properly figured out.

"Children, please don't fight." Lucien said as Aurel had made his way toward him.

"We don't mind the company, Aurel, but if you aren't careful, you might find your hair getting messed up on numerous occasions." He said amusingly, before motioning them all toward the bus.

"We're don't cleaning up, so let's head inside. We've got a long road ahead of us tomorrow."

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan's moment of concern was broken by Aurel's forced contact, and though he was very quick, Aurel was faster and the lad had slipped away before he had a chance to snag him again. He fought a smile as he looked over at the young man as he slid behind Lucien, "hiding" from him. Instead of going after him for more, he pointed to his eye and then pointed to Aurel as a playful warning that he was being watched. Having him around had been a good distraction at least, and he knew that Aurel did not like to see either of them worried or concerned. He was growing into a fine young man, and Faolan was proud of him.

After a beat, he nodded in agreement with Lucien. "Too right, I'm knackered," he said, then headed for the door to the bus. It was about time all of them got a good night's rest so they were properly able to greet the coming days. The Irishman knew they would not be easy, for anyone.

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

The next morning came and went, and Illyana remained unconscious until after lunch. Lucien had checked on her several times, holding his fingers to her nose and checking her temperature in addition to small healing treatments to keep any stomach cramps or fever at bay. The girl seemed to be improving, but her body was craving the rest. Though he had to touch her to heal her, she didn't wake up when he entered the room, which was best anyway as he did not want to alarm her.

Though, eventually the time came when consciousness slowly returned to her. It had been like waking before, slowly, but it came more easily to her. At first, she was confused as her sight returned and focused on another unfamiliar ceiling. It smelled strange too...not like home and not like outside, but like a strange combination of the two.

Once the awareness of her unfamiliar position struck her, she shot into a sitting position in bed, chest heaving as she looked around. Slowly, calm touched her as she remembered the events of the previous evening. The bus, Lucien, Faloan, Aurel, the viper and the roast beef sandwich rushed back into her mind all at once. She was in a tiny ovular pod of a domicile, this must have been the small trailer attached to the back of the bus she had seen before. How had she gotten here...? One of them must have brought her.

She looked around, calmed more when she found that she was alone. The windows were open, which let in sunlight and a fresh, warm breeze. There was a bookshelf and the bed, but not much room for anything else. It was small and sparse, but clearly lived in. The strangest thing about it was the metal bars that had been added to span the inside roof space...what purpose they served, Illyana could not fathom at the moment.

Once she felt grounded, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when she felt no pain in her feet or legs upon standing, and then realized that she had also managed to sit up in bed without pain or soreness...maybe the night's rest had been better for her than she'd imagined. That, or Lucien had used more of his ability on her while she slept. Though she hadn't given her consent, she couldn't be mad. After all, she'd had no dreams and she suspected her was only trying to help.

Before leaving the trailer, she checked to be sure her bag was there and found a glass of water and a plate of food sitting near the bed. It was the other half of her sandwich. She hadn't planned on eating, but the sight of the food sent her stomach to moaning, so she paused to eat a little more before exiting.

She still hadn't managed to finish the meal, but did her best to make a dent before she was full, and left Aurel's space to greet the day. The sun blasted her in the face as she opened the door, and she shielded her eyes to protect them from the light. She could see nothing at all for several moments as she blinked the moisture from her eyelashes, trying to see the figures that were huddled in chairs nearby.

[xivyxx]

Aurel simply let out a small chuckle at Faolan's action, and the three of them headed inside the bus. Aurel had been quick to make himself comfortable on the cot, turned away from Lucien and Faolan to at least give them a bit more privacy. The viper had come with him, but the large python had remained outside for her own comfort. Considering how big she was, Aurel did not have to be particularly concerned for her safety.

Lucien enjoyed the most he could of Faolan's embrace throughout this night, knowing that they'd have to keep apart the next morning. He honestly hoped everything would work out for the girl they had with them.

--

As the next morning came, it seemed Illyana had not awakened, even after all of them had gotten up and had breakfast. Lucien checked on her every now and then, wanting to make sure she was actually alright, but he had done his best not to wake her, considering she needed all the rest she could get. After he had done some minor healing on her once more, he had left her food and water before he quietly left Aurel's trailer and went back to sit with Aurel and Faolan.

"How is she?" Aurel asked.

"She's doing well, I think she's just simply exhausted, so I'm going to let her sleep some more." Lucien responded.

The three of them killed sometime with some minor conversation, until they had all heard the door to Aurel's small trailer open, and Illyana came out. Lucien was glad to see her walking around okay.

"Good afternoon, you seemed pretty tired, so we didn't want to wake you." Lucien spoke up.

"Were you able to eat okay?" He added after a moment's pause, making sure she had appropriately eaten.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana blinked hard several times and as Lucien's voice reached her ears, she realized that it was him, Faolan and Aurel all gathered together outside. Of course, who else would it be?

Before she exited the trailer, and once her eyes had cleared, she looked from side to side to make sure that there was no one else around. This was a precaution she had learned in her own home, as she was best neither seen, nor heard. When she was satisfied that the coast was clear, she stepped down the large step from the trailer, her hand on the door frame to steady herself, and approached the trio.

She felt worlds better from yesterday, and the past four or five days seemed like a dream to her now. She was leaving this trailer feeling almost wholly herself again...almost. Once she was home, once she was with Isy again...she knew that would make her feel much better.

"Hm?" she said, realizing that she had been lost in thought as Lucien spoke to her, "Oh, yes, thank you for bringing it..." she said, her hands wringing together as she looked about. That was when she noticed the sun's height in the sky and panic suddenly struck her.

"Wait," she said, her eyes widening as she looked back at the man before her, "What time is it!?" Her voice rose slightly, cracking again though her throat had been moistened. Was it this late in the day? Would they still be bringing her home today? Why hadn't they woken her up at dawn...? They would have been on the road for hours already...

Faolan had looked up from the newspaper he was skimming as Illyana left the trailer, and he sat a little more forward in his chair when he noticed her grip the doorframe, but relaxed when she began walking toward them. It seemed that Lucien's healing had done the trick for her after all. He did not speak or stand, seeing no need to at the time. She was more comfortable around Lucien, though she was not necessarily nervous around Faolan, the Frenchman was better at these types of things.

[xivyxx]

Her eagerness to get going was evident, as the girl even offered to help them put stuff away, but Lucien told her there was no need. They hadn't taken too much out, since they knew they would be heading out soon. They had been quick to put away their chairs into storage, and Aurel went to get the large python to put her back in his trailer for the road, before placing the viper around his neck. If they were going to be travelling he figured he'd keep him on his person. Considering how curious Illyana was about the snakes, he figured it would give them a start to possible conversation. They had a five hour drive ahead of them after all.

All of them piled into the bus once they were done, and Aurel and Illyana had ended up taking a seat on the bench, with the girl sitting as far from the front as she could. He gave her her space and sat on the opposing side. After a moment of silence, he had decided to speak up, since he had told Faolan and Lucien he'd try to talk to the girl.

"Um.. do you mind if I ask how old you are?" He asked her a little awkwardly, since they still didn't know how young the girl was. "I'm fourteen." He offered, just in case she was curious.

Meanwhile, Lucien and Faolan were up at the front, with Faolan at the wheel. Lucien had the map on his lap, so he could direct Faolan if needed. On the dash sat a small radio, which Lucien had turned on to play some music. This was mostly so the ride there wouldn't be silent, but also so Illyana might feel comfortable enough to talk to Aurel without worrying about them overhearing, though.. that was pretty hard with Faolan around.

[FreckersFrog]

Eager couldn't even begin to describe Illyana's mood as the trio began to pack up and add everything to the bus. She'd offered to help, but had been denied this by the adults as they replaced everything on the bus. Instead, she watched nervously as they went back and forth carrying everything, wringing her hands until they gave the go ahead to board.

She also watched like a hawk as Aurel brought the large python back into the trailer where she had slept. The creature was large, about 4 feet long, and bright yellow and white. She had never seen one in person, but couldn't keep her eyes from widening as he carried it by. She wondered how many more snakes the boy had...

She took a seat on the bench and positioned herself so that she was farthest away fro the drivers but also so that she could see out of the windshield if she wanted. Faolan began driving, and Lucien smiled back at her, reassuring her that they would get her home as quickly as she could.

Nervousness played on her features for the entirety of the drive, but she tried her best to seem relaxed. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she started slightly when she heard Aurel speak to her. She had been avoiding looking at him for the drive, noting his skin, hair, and eyes, and the fact that he must be special as well. She hated it when people stared at her deformity...but really it was only her mother every time it was exposed. Her father avoided looking at her at all most of the time, but Isy was never like that. She was always respectful and kind, and made her feel wanted when her parents were neglectful. Illyana couldn't wait to see her sister again. But for now she had to settle for the company she had.

She flashed a small, nervous smile over at him before answering, focusing her line of sight on the snake around his neck. "We're ten, me and my sister. Turning eleven in...," she paused, furrowing her eyebrows, "Wait, what day is it?"

At her question, Aurel glanced over at the calendar across the room. "It's.. June 4th." He told her.

Illyana's face immediately feel upon hearing this, both because she asked about the date before noticing the calendar herself, and because it had passed her and Isabella's birthday.

"I'm..." she began after this, her eyes now fixed on her feet as they swayed back and forth with every movement of the bus, "Eleven now."

[xivyxx]

Aurel took note of the fact the girl was avoiding looking at him in any way she could. He was unsure if it was intentional or not on her end. There was no way she hadn't noticed his appearance.. was she just trying to be polite? He appreciated the gesture. It was likely she might understand the feeling of what it was like to be stared at. Considering the girl's level of understanding, he found that to be quite possible. He was debating whether he should mention it or not.

It seemed his response in regards to the date had disappointed her, but considering what she had told them, then it most likely meant that her birthday had recently passed. It had been surprising for him to hear she was eleven though.. considering how small the girl was. He would have guessed around eight years old at first glance.

"Oh.. happy late birthday then.." He told her, though he couldn't help but feel a little bad, since she hadn't been able to celebrate it with her family. For a moment he was unsure of how to proceed, wanting to find some way to cheer her up, he glanced at the viper at his shoulder.

"Would.. you like to hold him?" He asked, causing the snake to look up at him. Aurel gave him a sheepish smile, hoping he'd go along with it for now.

"Fine.. I'll let the child hold me." He said, much to his relief. Normally he wouldn't have offered something like this, because he didn't know how people would react to his snakes, but Illyana seemed like the kind of person who would be really careful, and considering how she had reacted when she had first seen him, he figured it might help brighten her mood.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana let herself wallow for a moment in her sadness, remembering birthdays gone by and what a happy day they had been for the two of them. Because of Illy's deformity, she had a high sensitivity to the feelings of those around her, and often it was hard to block them out even if she tried. Most of the time, she was ostracized from her family, staying away for her parent's sakes as well as her own. She could feel the disappointment and fear in the air every time her mother and father remembered her existence, and it had always been...unpleasant.

However, the twins' birthday had always been a cause for celebration in the family. To Illyana, it felt like the one day that her parents could be happy with her nearby. On top of that, birthdays always made Isabella extremely happy, and because of their connection Illyana felt her feelings as if they were her own. It was the one day a year that she felt loved, and she had missed it...

Aurel's voice brought her out of her reverie just as she began to sink deeper into despair. "Hm...?" she hummed absently as she glanced up at him with eyes full of sorrow. As her mind deciphered what he had said, this look slowly began to change back to neutrality. Her eyes widened a bit at the suggestion and she glanced at the snake and then back at Aurel. "Um..." she said, her voice a little shakey. Her trepidation did not lie with holding the creature, she could sense that it had a connection to Aurel and that he wouldn't offer this to her unless he knew it was safe. However, it was the look between the young man and his companion that solidified her decision. Although she could not hear the words, she understood the snake's intentions and knew he was giving his permission.

Eventually, she nodded slowly and an almost imperceptible smile played out across her lips. "Yes, if that's okay..." she said, and held out both hands as Aurel offered the creature over to her.

She felt the weight as the snake slithered onto her and was glad that she was strong enough to support him. She knew that she was small for her age and understood that this came with a decrease in strength as well. The creature was cool to the touch, and the snakes were softer and more smooth than she looked. He slid up her arm a bit and coiled his tail around her wrist. She almost giggled as his tongue flicked out and tickled the inside of her arm.

"Wow..." she said slowly, staring into the eyes of the animal. He exuded a protective feeling, similar to that of Faolan. She felt safe holding him, and this showed itself in her expression along with the wonder that touched her eyes. Although she hadn't noticed this change and was completely absorbed in what was happening. "What's his name?" she asked, glancing up at Aurel briefly and then looking back down at the snake.

[xivyxx]

Aurel could see the sorrow in the girl's eyes, and was glad that he had decided to do this. He wasn't going to force it on her if she didn't want to, but it seemed like she had made up her mind, and so he carefully handed the viper over to her. He gave her a small smile as the snake made himself comfortable on her arm. He could tell that it was curious of her, because she didn't seem afraid of him at all.

"I like this hatchling.. she reminds me of you when you were that ssmall."

He chuckled a little at his comment, remembering the time they had met like it was almost yesterday. He had never felt as comfortable as he had in the presence of this snake, and he was glad he was able to share that with Illyana.

At her following question however, he glanced back at her.

"Oh.. he doesn't have one.. I could never really come up with a good one.." He said. Honestly he hadn't really put too much thought into it, since the viper didn't really mind if he had one or not.

[FreckersFrog]

Again, Illy could not hear words coming from the snakes mind, but she felt that it was tolerant...no, that it may actually like her. This made her smile inadvertently as she looked down at him, but again she was too absorbed in what she was doing now to catch herself.

At Aurel's answer, however, her face twisted into one of slight concern. How had Aurel not named him? Clearly this animal had an intelligence about it that was not common among reptiles, maybe he hadn't wanted a name? But that seemed silly...didn't everyone want a name?

"Hmm...well, usually people name their pets after what they look like, or silly things they do. I know he's not your pet, but...well, would he be okay with you naming him?" She looked back up at Aurel as the snake slithered onto her other arm and coiled its way to her bicep. This was a relief, as he had been getting heavy to hold aloft.

[xivyxx]

Aurel was glad to see the girl looking much happier as she held the snake. It was probably the most positive emotion he had seen from her since they had found her, that was good.

He tilted his head ever so slightly at her assumption. Was it that obvious their relationship wasn't that way? The snakes were certainly not his pets, they were his friends and family, but he was curious as to how that girl came to that conclusion. Wouldn't most kids assume he was a pet?

"He doesn't really mind whether or not he has one, but I suppose I should have tried to think of something better.." He muttered.

Honestly it had been a bit weird of him to consider. The snake had found him and practically raised him to be able to survive in the wild, they respected each other, and before Lucien and Faolan, the snake was all he had in terms of a parental figure, as odd as it was. When he met him, neither of them had names.. so he supposed he had never really thought too much of it.

"Would you like to help me come up with one?" He asked her. Now that he had more than one snake around again, perhaps that would be best.

[FreckersFrog]

"Hmm..." Illyana had already been in the process of thinking of a suitable name by the time Aurel made the suggestion. It didn't seem right to her for him not to have one, he was sentient and intelligent and kind...he should have a name like any person would.

"I could help, if you both don't mind." She said, though her eyes were trained on the snake. She studied his coloration, the way he moved, his eyes, trying to see if anything came to her. Although he was a dull brownish-gray color, he did have lovely black stripes all the way down his body to his tail...that was probably the most striking thing a bout him.

Then, she remembered a dog in her neighborhood. She had always wanted one, but her parents wouldn't allow it. Isabella had a pet bunny they had named Hopscotch, but she had died last year and her parents had simply refused to get either of them another animal. The dog's name was Tiger, which she was thought was ill-fitting as it wasn't a very ferocious or courageous puppy, but it had belonged to a boy, so she supposed she couldn't blame him for not thinking harder about it.

Tiger wasn't right though, it wasn't...regal enough. Suddenly, her furrowed brow loosened and her eyes widened, then she looked back up at Aurel, "What about Bengal?" she said, her voice higher than usually in her excitement. "He's not really the right color, but his stripes remind me of a Bengal Tiger, and his fangs are kind of like claws."

[xivyxx]

Aurel let Illyana begin to contemplate a name, not wanting to interrupt her train of thought as he looked down at the snake. He really was fairly comfortable around her. That made him a bit happy, to know someone shared a similar likeness for the creatures as he. Lucien had interacted with the snakes on occasion, mostly out of curiosity about how much they could really understand, but it wasn't the same. Faolan on the other hand never really went out of his way to, and honestly he couldn't really imagine him with a snake around his neck. It was a little funny to do so, so being able to share his experience with someone like Illyana was nice.

At her suggestion, his eyebrows rose. "Bengal huh.." He said. "What do you think? Tigers are those large orange cats with stripes, you've seen them before." Back at the circus Johan had managed to get a hold of an old tiger.. unfortunately it had passed away before he had met Lucien and Faolan but.. he had always felt so bad for the creature, but had also been amazed by it. He had never seen such a big cat before.

"Ah.. yess... I remember.." He said. "It iss a big and powerful creature.. I'm alright with it." He said, causing Aurel to smile a little.

"He likes it." He said, clearly glad they had found a name he was fond of. "Thank you, I'll be sure he's called that from now on."

"Maybe you could help me come up with a name for the other snake as well? It would be nice if they both had names."

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana's eyes widened once again at Aurel's mention of the tiger. She was especially fond of all animals, given their simple and elegant natures. They did not give her the same feelings or visions as humans did, so she was more comfortable interacting with them. Mostly, their emotions were positive ones, and when they were negative it was because of simple things like pain and hunger, rather than rage or jealousy. She liked how...easy they were to get along with.

Because of this fascination, she was instantly jealous herself of Aurel's proximity to such an amazing and powerful creature as a tiger. She had only ever seen them in books, and usually those were drawings. She had seen a tiger's stuffed head in an antique store once, but had tried not to look at it. It made her sad.

But now she felt only wonder. "You've seen a tiger before...like actually seen one in person?" For now, she hadn't even registered Aurel's offer, being so focused on his first statement. Though she had felt a wave of something like approval from the viper, now Bengal, as he curled and twisted his way up her arm and onto her shoulder.

[xivyxx]

Illyana's amazement was instant. It seemed she was really being truthful when she said she really liked animals. It was clear how interested she was in them, and it was when talking about them when she expressed the most emotion in her words. He wondered her reasoning behind it. For a while, Aurel had considered snakes to be better than people, because they had always been nice to him, as opposed to all of adults and children he had encountered growing up.

At her question, he glanced back at the girl. Part of him felt like maybe he should have been more careful when he mentioned having met one, considering the circumstances but, he hadn't really been thinking about that when addressing Bengal.

"Oh.. yeah.. Do you know what a circus is? I.. used to be part of one.. they had one there.." He didn't say much more than that, considering the memories regarding the circus weren't all that great. He supposed that could be excluded from this however, since she was mostly interested in the mention of the tiger.

[FreckersFrog]

Illyana's expression fell at the mention of the word 'circus', and it was clear that she was almost instantly detached from the conversation as the gears in her mind began to whirl. How was this possible? A coincidence like that...she never would have guessed that Aurel had shared an experience with her. It was clear by the tone of his voice that the place did not hold happy memories for him, and hers had been the opposite of pleasant as well.

She glanced over at Lucien and Faolan in the front of the bus, but did not say anything. Could it be more than a coincidence? Fate...it had to be.

Knowing that she wore her sorrow on her sleeve, Illyana tried her best to brighten her mood by raising the tone of her voice slightly to mask the look of fear in her eyes. "Well...I wouldn't mind helping you name the other snake too, if you both wanted." The Viper, now Bengal, as circled his way around her shoulders and was not slithering back to Aurel using Illyana's arm. "What kind is she?" Illyana wasn't sure why, but she knew that the snake was female. She could barely remember seeing it, but could feel its strong presence even from this distance. She remembered her being large and light-colored...

[xivyxx]

Aurel had noticed her expression had immediately dropped at the mention of the circus. That.. was strange, considering he thought most kids loved that kind of thing, unless she had never been to one.. or maybe had gone to one and seen something she didn't like? He didn't ask about it, considering he also didn't want to talk about his experience there. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her.. but it really seem like this topic got to her, and that worried him.

He welcomed the change of subject, and gave her a small smile to attempt to ease her a little as Bengal slithered back up his arm.

"Sure, I'd welcome the help." He told her, before glancing out the window.

"She's a yellow ball python. She's fairly large, and probably still has room to grow." He said with a small smile. He still remembered when he had first found her out in the forest. She had been curious about him, and had taken a liking to him instantly. He remembered almost giving Lucien a heart attack from having been found with the snake wrapped tightly around him, but not enough to hurt him, she had only been curious, but had decided fairly quickly that she had wanted to tag along with him.

[FreckersFrog]

"Hhhmmm..." Illyana focussed on the task at hand, wanting to distract herself as much as possible from thoughts of the circus and the things that each of them had experienced there.

She had never seen a yellow ball python in person, but of course had read about them in her books about African fauna. She wondered how Aurel had come by her...his explanation about Bengal made sense if he was German, but had he been to Africa? She doubted that, given his complexion. It was possible that she had come to the United States as an egg, or had escaped from some exotic animal trade...either way, Illyana was sure that she had fallen into the best hands possible.

Suddenly, a light clicked on in her brain. "What about Lemon?" But as the name came out of her mouth, she disliked it. Lemon's could be delicious, but most people associated them with an intense sour flavor. It wouldn't be right for such a regal and beautiful creature. "No, no..." she said, holding up her arm so that Bengal could transfer back to Aurel. "Something yellow...or white...not Daisy..." That was far too feminine.

Her brow furrowed and she placed her bent index finger against her chin in the posture of thought, wracking her brain. Then, it came to her. "How about Ginger!?" she said, the enthusiasm immediately returning to her voice. She liked this idea. It was simple, descriptive, feminine, and sounded a little exotic. Besides, Illyana was a particular fan of candied ginger and ginger-flavored tea.