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

[xivyxx]

As the days had gone by, Father Cyril was more in belief that the man would not return, but Lucien still believed in him. He said it could take up to a week after all, and they were nearing the end. It was still within the time frame he had been given, so he did not lose hope. It was upon the sixth day that there was a knock on the door. Usually the priest did not receive many visitors, as anyone who wanted to speak with him usually went to the church to do so. Lucien practically flew out of his room before Father Cyril could make it to the door.

"Faolan!" He exclaimed, but held off on the hug, considering the reactions the man had to them. The man looked incredibly wary, which then brought about concern into his expression, but relatively he seemed alright. He was quick to step aside so he could enter. Father Cyril was clearly surprised to see him, after all he hadn't actually expected him to return. Still, it seemed the man was tired, so he didn't think they'd be heading out today. He would be sure to have a talk with him tomorrow.

"Feel free to clean up and use the couch." The priest said simply, before heading off to his room. It wasn't like he was trying to be the bad guy here, the man was clearly tired, but he worried about what this might mean for Lucien in the future. He had a lot to think about overnight.

Once the priest had gone, Lucien turned his attention back to Faolan. "Are you alright?" He asked him, considering the man's tiredness. Of course he was happy the man had come back but, he wanted to make sure he was in good health before they departed. He didn't want him to push himself either. He could bear to stay a little longer if it was necessary.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan was relieved that the door had been answered so quickly, he had been walking for the better part of a week, and though he was used to it, the change had left him drained.

"Dia duit," he said quietly, "What's the craic?" and stepped inside as Lucien held the door. He nodded a hello to the priest, but sensed the tension in his tone. He guessed that they had had the fateful conversation after all. He needn't concern himself with that, as long as he was welcome in the house, he would take the offer and keep his mouth shut.

He sat down on the couch immediately, leaning into the back of it as he dropped his bag on the floor and began to untie his boots. "Hm," he grunted at Lucien's question, "M'fine. Been walkin' quite a bit, sleepin' in the dirt. Just banjaxed, that's all." His thick accent had reduced his speech to a near mumble, making him much harder to understand than before. He just wasn't in the mood for enunciating. His hair was tousled and dirty, and a growth of beard peppered his chin. It was clear that the travel had not been easy, although Faolan wore it pretty well, considering.

[xivyxx]

Lucien tilted his head slightly as Faolan spoke. Usually he was pretty good about understanding him through his accent, but this time around was a little more difficult, as there were some words he did not comprehend. He didn't want to make him rephrase, because he thought it rude, but the gist of it at least told him that the man was okay. He didn't really want to bombard him with questions when he was looking so tired. He briefly glanced down the hall before looking back at Faolan.

"Well.. do try to get some rest. I.. talked to Father Cyril.. he'll probably want to talk to you tomorrow but.. he seemed inclined to allow it." He told him simply.

"You're clearly quite tired from your journey, so I don't wish to keep you up. I'll leave you be." He told him, turning to leave, but then paused, turning to give the man a smile. "Welcome back, and rest well." He said, before going off to his room. He was clearly happy and relieved to see Faolan had safely returned. His excitement for their upcoming journey only increased now knowing that he was so close to being able to leave with his friend.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan nodded at Lucien's statements, it really was all he could manage at the moment. He tossed his boots to the ground, and absently took his shirt off before stretching out on the couch and yawning. "See ya in the morning, lad." And, almost instantly, he drifted off to sleep.

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

He slept all through the night. Exhausted as his body was, the sleep had done him good. He had trouble opening his eyes, but what truly woke him was the smell and sound of crackling bacon, oil, beignets and powdered sugar. His stomach growled loudly, and slowly Faolan's emerald eyes came to focus on the ceiling.

He gave himself a moment before rising, yawning so hard that his jaw cracked. He winced slightly, then stretched, grabbed his shirt and made his way into the kitchen as he forced it down over his shoulders.

[xivyxx]

Lucien slept quite well that night, and had woken up around the same time as Father Cyril, out of habit. He left his room, quiet as he took note that Faolan was still sleeping. He headed for the kitchen, figuring he could help out with breakfast. The priest still appeared a little pensive, but he spoke up once Lucien had entered the room.

"I must admit... I didn't expect him to return.. but I will keep my word, and have a conversation with him." The priest told him. Lucien wasn't really offended to hear this, after all he didn't really get a chance to get to know the Irishman while he was here. He was happy he had been proven right.

"Thank you, Father Cyril." He told him, before he began to make beignets. It seemed that Faolan liked them, so he figured he'd make them one last time before they went on their journey, considering he wasn't sure how often he'd be able to do so. When they were just about finished making breakfast, Faolan entered the room.

"Good morning." He greeted the man as he helped the priest set the table and place the food down before they took their seats. Faolan was looking a little better, but he still looked a little weary. He decided not to comment on it however. It was halfway through their breakfast that Father Cyril had finally decided to speak.

"So.. Lucien tells me you are aware of his ability to heal, and yet you didn't question it, or tell anyone. Why was that?" He asked, causing Lucien to almost choke on his food. He was quick to recover though, eyes darting from the priest, to Faolan. The question caught him off guard completely, as he didn't really think the priest would start with that. Despite the bluntness of the question, Father Cyril knew what he was doing. He was going to judge this man for himself, and that included his reaction to such a sudden question, to not give him time to come up with any sort of excuse. He needed to see if he could truly trust him with Lucien.

[xivyxx]

Faolan took his seat at the table, grunting his hello to both Lucien and the priest. He was still half awake, but the smell of the food was bringing him to full consciousness. "Thanks." he said as Lucien set a plate before him, and didn't even wait for anything to cool before he began eating. He was hungrier than he anticipated.

He had just taken a bite of beignet when Father Cyril began to speak. Although he was surprised by the priest's tactic of bombarding him with this question, especially given how early it was and how tired Faolan had been, he did not show it in his expression or posture. He simply chewed, swallowed, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before replying.

"Aye, the lad acted quick under quite dire circumstances. Saved me life." He looked at Lucien as he spoke, and then made direct eye contact with the Priest once more. "Everyone is entitled to their privacy. What matters to me is that he stepped up, helped me in spite of his secret. The least I can do is keep me mouth shut."

He took a bite of bacon as he finished, scarfing it down quicker than a blink. His plate was nearly half-clean already. He would never say it out-loud, but he'd missed Lucien's beignets.

[xivyxx]

Father Cyril didn't respond immediately, clearly pensive. It didn't seem like the man was lying. From what he had seen in the time he had spent here he did seem like he liked paying back his debts, considering he had helped out and even gave him money for letting him stay. He knew that was the kind of person Lucien was, considering Father Thomas had expressed his concern at the fact the man wouldn't think twice before helping injured animals when he was younger. It seemed to be an instinct for him to want to help people, and in a way that's what concerned him.

"That's how he's always been, but that's why we're so worried. If he goes with you, are you going to help him keep his secret, and himself, safe? There are plenty of people out there who would happily exploit his gifts." He asked.

There was a part of Lucien that wanted to speak up and complain that he didn't have to be babied on his journey, but he bit his tongue, not wanting the priest to end up changing his mind. He had full intention of asking Faolan to teach him how to defend himself so something like what happened at the ship wouldn't happen again. He stayed quiet, glancing toward Faolan's nearly empty plate. The man was clearly hungry. Without a word, he simply pushed the plate that held a couple more beignets in his direction, since he had made a few extras, before going back to his food.

[FreckersFrog]

At this question, Faolan's jaw tightened visibly as he clenched his teeth. Part of him wanted to bite back at the priest, pointing out that he himself may have been exploiting Lucien by forcing him down a path that he clearly did not want to take. He almost opened his mouth to share these thoughts, but the sound of the ceramic plate sliding towards him and the smell of powdered sugar distracted him from his anger. Best not get into a row with the priest right now, at least for Lucien's sake.

Instead, he reached for a beignet and said, "I could promise you up and down that I'll do this or that, but what is that worth in the end? Lucien's made his choice, he trusts me, and...I trust him. You want to come along and watch over his shoulder for evil-doers, be my guest. I won't let anything bad happen on the road, to him or to me. Wouldn't be much point in leavin' if I planned on that." He took a bite of beignet and leaned back in his chair as he chewed it, savoring it this time. He would miss these on the road.

[xivyxx]

It was clear that Faolan had not been fond of the question that had been asked of him, but his response hadn't been as angry as he might have expected. That much Lucien was grateful for. Hearing Faolan say that he trusted him brought a small smile to him.

The priest was a little surprised at his response. There was a part of him that felt he had been a little rude in his answer, but at the same time, the fact he hadn't tried to please him with the response showed that he was at least being genuine. He couldn't really think of much else he could ask of him that would discourage Lucien from leaving. With a sigh, he turned back to Lucien. Honestly he was hoping the Irishman would mess up in his responses so he could use that as an excuse to keep him from leaving.

"Lucien, are you sure about this? You haven't had any second thoughts?" He asked him.

The nephilim was quick to shake his head. "I don't have any second thoughts. I really want this." He told him, his voice no longer holding any sort of hesitation.

"The world out there.. it's corrupt, and full of sin. You can't let those sort of people get to you. You'll have to be careful. You can't allow yourself to be tainted." He warned him, hoping it might have some chances of deterring him, but at this point, there was nothing that would change Lucien's mind.

"I'll be careful." He said simply. It wasn't the first time he had heard that. Growing up, he had heard how sinful the world was multiple times. The older he got however, the more he could see that some of their definitions of sin were a little.. skewed, but that was never something he had stated out loud.

It seemed there was really nothing Father Cyril could say to get the man to change his mind. Another sigh escaped him. In the long run.. saying yes to this was probably better than saying no and having him go off on his own anyway. There wasn't really any way for him to force him to stay here.

"Alright. I'll allow you to go, but on the condition that you try to write to me and Father Thomas at least once a month, to give us a peace of mind in the fact you are safe." He told him. At least this way they would know that he was okay.

Lucien smiled widely. "Thank you, Father Cyril!" He exclaimed, bowing his head to the man before looking excitedly at Faolan. "When do we leave?"

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan continued to savor his beignet as the conversation turned away from him, grateful for a little respite from the questioning. If the priest had continued his mock interrogation, he wasn't sure how long he could stay civil.

He listed to their conversation and found himself satisfied by Lucien's demeanor. The lad had decided, and that was enough for the Irishman even if the priest could not accept it. At the mention of 'sin', however, Faolan's teeth snapped together and his fists clenched automatically. This topic of conversation was not something that he could abide hearing, he felt the blood pump in his ears, but only until Lucien responded. He relaxed slowly, the tension in his muscles dissipating. Despite this minor episode and the calming effect of Lucien's response, Faolan had lost his appetite.

When Lucien turned to him, Faolan couldn't help but chuckle quietly and shake his head. "Well, if it's okay with the father, I'd like to stay for another hour or so before I start walking again." He glanced at the priest, his smile fading.

[xivyxx]

The priest simply nodded. "That is fine." He said before rising from his chair and taking his plate over to the sink to wash it. "I'll be going over to the church for a little while, but I'll be sure to come back in about an hour to see you off." He said, causing Lucien to nod. With that, the priest took his leave and Lucien rose from his chair.

"I'll make some beignets for the journey! I hope I'm not wrong in assuming you like them?" He said. From his observations, the man tended to typically eat them first if they were available. It was a little satisfying to see in all honesty. It was one of the things he was quite proud he could make. He had already packed the majority of his essentials prior to Faolan's arrival, mostly because he wasn't sure how long they'd be staying.

"Ah, you can sleep some more if you'd like? You do still look a little tired. I know I'm eager to leave but I wouldn't want to keep you from more rest." He said, wanting to be considerate of him.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan nodded to the priest as he left, not feeling the need to continue their conversation. He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair, watching Lucien as he went about his business in the kitchen. At his observation, he responded with a "Mmm." and a nod, but felt his face flush slightly. Probably the fatigue.

At Lucien's next comment, he shook his head and slid down a little in his chair. "Nah. Appreciate the sentiment but...once I'm up, I'm up. We'll take it easy on the road 'til I've got my strength back." He paused a moment, glancing around the sparse room and letting it breathe a moment before continuing.

"He doesn't like me." He said, keeping his tone flat. It was a matter-of-fact statement. Not that he cared much for the priest's opinion for what it was. He was certainly indebted to the man for all he'd done for him, almost no one would accept a stranger in off the street. Priests back home had shown less care to pregnant homeless women. So, while Faolan didn't care about the priest's opinion, he did care about making sure he had paid his share. Leaving debts open was something he was not fond of, if his actions on the ship had shown anything.

[xivyxx]

Lucien simply let out a small chuckle as he went about to take out the ingrediences for the beignets again and began to get to work.

"As you wish." He said, figuring that if the man really wanted to rest, he probably would. He just seemed like that kind of person. When Faolan spoke up again, he glanced in his direction. In all honesty Lucien had also made that observation. He thought maybe he found the man intimidating, or simply didn't like his way of speaking. He knew people back home made a fuss about such things, which was why he always cared to be polite in speech.

"I'm not sure if it's that he doesn't.. like you.. he's just.. overprotective? and you most likely came off as a bit intimidating to him. Either way it doesn't matter. I like you, and he's not the one who will be travelling with you." He said, before pausing for a moment.

"Perhaps that was a bit rude.." He muttered, mostly in regards to the priest. It wasn't like he didn't value his opinion but, if there was one thing he had noticed back home was that sometimes the priests tended to judge too hastily. Lucien didn't like doing that, mostly because he was well aware that looks could be deceiving. That's why he hadn't thought twice about sticking to Faolan when they had first met. Despite his harsh words, he had been willing to help him, and that was enough for him. It still was.

"He has to at least have liked you a little bit to have said yes." He added.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan nodded at Lucien's explanation as he traced a bit of wood on the table with his finger. He did have a way of making Faolan feel a bit better about his choice of words. He was a polite lad, which probably had something to do with his up-bringing. Faolan had not been raised with similar values; being from a small farm in the bogs of of "emerald isle" was a disadvantage in polite society. Most heard his accent alone and decided he would be uncouth, rude, and ignorant. He didn't mind that they thought this, and didn't even mind if his words or actions proved them right, he only minded if he owed someone something and did not pay. This included a swift kick in the ass, or payment for some favor they had done him. As far as he was concerned, he and Father Cyril were now at a zero balance, and that was something he could live with.

"Well, lad," he said after a moment, "you do have a way with words, I'll give ya' that." He reached for another beignet, not able to let them sit and waste on the table. "I'm glad the two of you could come to an agreement," he added, mouth half full, "But it doesn't seem like you would have listened if he said no." The determination in Lucien's face and voice during their conversation had been plain to see. He was not ready for priesthood, and Faolan doubted he ever would be.

[xivyxx]

Lucien glanced back at Faolan as he spoke. "Thank you?" He supposed that was a good thing. He had at least learned that the way he spoke to people affected the way they reacted to him.

"I am as well." He really hadn't been looking forward to further fighting with the priest if he had said no. Momentarily he paused in his work, but then continued. Faolan was right, he wouldn't have taken no for an answer at this point.

"You're right." The man had already been too excited and too prepared to leave to just sit down and accept his response. "I didn't think he would end up saying no in the end, after the last conversation we had while you were gone. I feel the alternative of me going off on my own later if he didn't allow me to come with you was too much of a risk for him to take, so I figured it would end up alright." He said.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan raised his eyebrows slightly as Lucien explained, and he finished off his beignet. He had certainly thought all of this out, much farther than Faolan would have anticipated. The lad was naive, yes, but smart all the same. For the first time since his proposition, it struck Faolan that they may make a good team.

A twinge of doubt gripped his heart at this thought, and he decided to leave that emotion buried for another time.

"It's good that the two of you won't have any bad blood. Makes the road harder." He paused for a moment and then added, "I hope you're traveling light, by the way, more than one bag on your back will make the distance double." At least this was one thing that Faolan had not had to learn the hard way.

[xivyxx]

Lucien nodded. "Yeah.. I am too. I would have been able to leave anyway but.. it would have left a bad taste in my mouth." He muttered, having finished with the dough. "Of course, I don't really have many things that I have to take with me, and well, I don't really have to go around carrying religious texts anymore either." He said a little amusingly. He had packed clothes, his.. mementos of home and small journal, along with some writing materials. He didn't need anything else.

Some time passed as Lucien finished making the beignets and had packaged them up neatly for the journey. He was basically all ready to go by the time Father Cyril returned. He had left the priest some beignets for him to eat as well, it was only polite to do so. He was sure to leave four dollars on the table, almost half of his remaining money, because he didn't want the priest to feel like he was taken advantage of in his time here.

"So.. you're all ready to go then?" He asked, causing Lucien to nod.

"Yeah.. I left some beignets for you.. as a thank you." He said, not mentioning the money. He'd see it later.

"I'll really be missing those when you're gone." Father Cyril said in an attempt to be lighthearted. Lucien simply let out a small chuckle, and then headed to the door with Faolan.

"Take care of yourself Lucien.. and may our Lord be with you on your journey." He said, before extending his hand for a handshake and extending a small book to him with this other. A Bible. Lucien felt it rude to decline it, so he accepted it and returned his handshake.

"Thank you Father Cyril.. thank you for everything. I'll try to write to you and Father Thomas as soon as I am able." He told him, leading the priest to nod. With that out of the way, after Faolan exchanged his goodbyes, they headed out on their journey.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan added a dollar to the pile of cash on the table for Father Cyril, and gave the priest a nod and a wave as the two departed. Once they were out of town, Faolan could breath a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he disliked civilization, it was more that it didn't agree with him. Besides, he had interrupted his routine to come back here for Lucien, now he felt as though his journey had finally begun.

Wanting to regain his strength, the Irishman hired the two a ride out of New Orleans. The two agreed to sit in a truck bed as their driver made their way to a town called Eunice. It was about three and a half hours to their destination. Faolan lounged in the back, stretching his long legs out across the bed of the truck, closing his eyes and turning his face to the sun for a bit, feeling his strength replenishing slowly as they moved along.

About an hour into the drive, Faolan flagged Lucien's attention and leaned in to discuss the "plan". It was best if he was aware of how Faolan's routine worked. He would save the details for...well, possibly forever.

"So," he began, keeping his voice low and grateful for the high bed walls that protected their conversation from the sound of the wind, engine, and prying ears, "This is how it works: every three and a half weeks or so, I need to go off a ways on my own. Like this last time. I can't take you with me on this...errand, so you'll have to stay behind wherever I leave ya'. Mostly, it'll be in or near town that I leave ya', I don't plan on ditching you in the woods somewhere." His attempt at a joke sounded a little too serious, Faolan had not yet mastered sarcasm.

[xivyxx]

Even little things like driving around in a truck like this was something Lucien had never been able to experience before. He glanced off the side of the truck, watching the passing trees, until Faolan had caught his attention, causing him to turn toward him.

He listened quietly as he spoke. Honestly, he was really curious as to what it was he had to do that left him so exhausted like this. It was worrying, considering the usual strong demeanor the man carried himself with.

"I wouldn't actually think you would do that to me." He said. If his intention was to do something like that, then he could have just left him at home. Lucien wasn't particularly concerned about it, who he was concerned for however was Faolan. Whatever it was he was doing clearly took a lot out of him. Honestly he wondered if this was something that he was able to cure. Up to this point he had only healed physical wounds.. and well.. silver poisoning, apparently. He glanced in the direction of the driver, and then down the road. He would have tried it, but it felt like too much of a public space. He'd have to give it a try another time.

"If this is the best way.. then I'm okay with it. I trust you." He had agreed to listen to whatever Faolan said, and the man had come back for him once already when he could have just left him behind. If this was his usual routine, then he couldn't really get in the way of it. He had promised he wouldn't get in his way.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan nodded, glad for Lucien's agreement and his trust. It would make things easier when he had to leave him alone, especially if the time was extended due to...unforeseen circumstances. "Ah...that's another thing." He continued, letting his eyes fall a bit as he spoke, "I may be gone for different amounts of time. Two, three days, maybe a week, possibly longer. I'll try to get back to you as fast as I can, wherever you are, but it can be difficult to gauge at times." He paused for a moment as the truck rattled loudly over a patch of loose road, before adding, "Might make you nervous, but try not to worry. I'll come back for ya' eventually." He thought he should add this addendum. He had never traveled for longer than a couple weeks with someone before. If Lucien planned to stick around for the long haul, he ought to be fully aware of Faolan's routine.

At Lucien's acceptance of these terms, he leaned back into a comfortable position against the back of the truck bed. "Oh," he said, almost as an afterthought, "If you ever feel like takin' off on your own, just let me know. I've got my own way of doin' things, not sure if it'll be up your alley or not." He meant this entirely, and had no expectations about how long Lucien would stick around. Despite his laid back demeanor, Faolan knew there were times when he was hard to be around. Aside from this, the lad had fought for his freedom, both externally and internally, and the Irishman was not about to hold him down now that he had it.