FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana let everyone file out of Lucien's trailer, then shut the door behind her. She squinted in the bright sun, though her hat brim shielded her from the worst of it. She smiled at her troupe as they all gathered outside, but it faded again when she caught sight of Lucien walking out across the field, raising a hand to one of the Carnies who was still taking things down. She remembered suddenly why she had been so adamant about not recruiting "Geralt the Great" in the first place: to protect these people, her troupe, her...new family. She had grown into a woman here, protected by Lucien and others. It was her duty now to protect them in the only way she knew how.

Cora's laugh cascaded over the group once more like music at her friend's enthusiasm to help her. She accepted Ivory's lifting with grace and spoke to Akane over her shoulder, "You could always just stop using your legs, it worked for me!" She couldn't help but chuckle at her own joke.

The four of them began moving off, Cora describing excitedly all of the clothes on the floor and where they should go for travel, along with warnings about the musty mildew smell and the dampness inside, when she realized that they were missing someone. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Illyana standing a few paces behind, staring out across the field with a worried look on her face. No, not worried...sad.

"Wait, everyone," She said, and they came to a halt and turned back. "Illy, are you coming?" She asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Illy tore her eyes away from Lucien and let them fall on Cora once again. She smiled nervously and nodded before taking a few quick paces to catch up, "I'm sorry, I got distracted. I'm coming!"

As Cora smiled and turned away with the others again, Illyana set her brow and nodded to herself resolutely as they made their way across the grounds toward her friend's quarters. No matter what, she wouldn't let anything happen to them, and no warlock was going to change that.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory let out a small chuckle as Cora's laugh echoed throughout the trailer. She couldn't deny even she could be dazzled by the mermaid's natural charm. Her smile twitched ever so slightly at Illyana's following comment. It looked like she wouldn't be able to get away with simply going back to playing cards with Aurel, but if it was just to help tidy up Cora's room, then she supposed that was fine. At least it didn't involve being outside.

"Oh yes of course! I'd be happy to help!" Akane exclaimed, having moved around the chair to make an attempt to pick up the mermaid, Ivory stepped in before she could however.

"How about you let me do it? Could you open that door for me Akane?" She asked. It was likely the kitsune could probably be able to carry her, but she wasn't sure for how long she would be able to before her arms wouldn't be able to keep up with it anymore. She didn't want to risk her dropping her.

"Alright, I have to work up some of these muscles so I can be able to carry you myself one of these days." She told Cora a little lightheartedly before headed for the door to get it open, moving the mermaid's chair a bit closer to the door.

Ivory easily picked up the mermaid from her chair and made her way outside, carefully setting her down. Aurel had followed suit, waiting for Illyana to step outside before he closed the door behind them.

"So we're all going to go help tidy up Cora's room then? Sounds fun. It should help us kill some time until it's time to go." He commented, not really minding providing some assistance with that. He enjoyed hanging out with everyone no matter what they were doing.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana smiled wider as she was bombarded by the troupe; over time they had learned to break her carefully constructed stoic exterior. "Okay, okay, I'll be sure not to fill me schedule that day." A small chuckle escaped her lips as she laid a hand on Akane's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Cora's beautiful and light laugh twinkled through the room like rain, touching all who heard it with a surge of joy. She squeezed Illyana's arm again before bringing her hands together in a clap. "Thank you, Akane! Maybe you could help me do a little cleaning up? I let it get messy again..." She glanced down at the floor, more than a bit ashamed, and her cheeks flushed a bit.

"We can all help, Cora," Illyana said, with a glance towards Ivory and Aurel. "Let's all do some work before we get on the move." She turned to open the door and motioned for everyone to exit into the bright sun.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana had felt a weight lift from her shoulders. It wasn't relief, just that she felt like a hurtle had been jumped. She couldn't help but smile lightly at Lucien's flourish and Akane's comment. They really were something, this troupe. They were almost a family...almost.

"Let's not forget that Lucien's formalities help pay the bills, just as much as the rest of us." She smiled over the group, crossing her arms across her chest and then letting her eyes drop in modesty.

Cora smiled as well; walkers were silly, especially these ones. The mention of her refill brightened her eyes and widened her smile immediately. She was about to respond, leaning forward in her chair, when she hesitated and looked back at Illy. Her smile faded and eyebrows raised in an expression of concern at her friend's body language and she reached out to lay a cool hand on Illy's elbow. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Illyana? I trust you, if you don't like it, maybe it's not such a good idea."

Illyana nearly started at the contact from Cora, not out of fear, but out of surprise. She looked down at the beautiful woman, her face wrought with worry, and sighed quietly. "Oh Cora," she said, laying a hand on top of her friend's, "It's okay. I trust you all too, this is the right decision. And..." she glanced up around the room one more, "We'll protect each other, just like always." It was a strange and rare sight to see Illyana so optimistic, especially after nearly the entire troupe had openly disagreed with her recommendation, but she truly felt better about it now that they had all spoken. Or, that's what she told herself, though that gnawing feeling remained in the back of her skull.

Cora smiled and squeezed Illy's elbow before turning her gaze to the rest of the room as well, "Of course we'll protect each other. And after we get fresh water, we can all have a celebration about all the money we'll get!" She beamed across the small room at her companions.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Cora looked back and forth between Lucien, Illyana and the rest of the troupe with large inquisitive eyes. She was taking in everything they were saying, but honestly for her it was a bit overwhelming. Since she had joined Cirque D'étoiles, she had never been asked to join or give input in a meeting of this caliber. It made her feel important and welcome, but also it worried her. From what she understood about how things worked on land, money was exchanged for things like food, gas to run the trucks, clothes, and lots of other things. It sounded like they would be out of money, and thus out of all of these things, unless they made this man join their troupe. When Illyana had explained how recruitment to the circus worked, it seemed more about rescuing or helping people, like they had with her. They must be desperate if they were leaving this strategy behind.

She blinked slowly as the others talked, and waited until Ivory was finished before adding, "It sounds like we need him. I mean...I trust Illyana too," she looked to the girl then for reassurance, "But you even sound like you know that we need to do this..."

Illyana's eyes moved over the room. She heard everyone's reasons, and even though she agreed with them, this choice was not an easy one to make. The whole thing just made her uneasy. She looked at Ivory, a little surprised when she offered to go along, but grateful. She had planned on accompanying Lucien to town for the act, but felt a small weight lifted from her shoulders when Ivory volunteered first. If she was to meet this man, she wanted to do it in a place that she felt most comfortable.

Once everyone had finished their say, she nodded resolutely. "It's decided then, we go to Graston, and we ask Geralt to join us." Her eyes fell on Lucien then, no longer pleading, she had accepted the decision of her peers. "He won't say no. Even if it seems like he will, he won't."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Cora clapped her hands together in excitement at Akane's suggestion, "That would be wonderful! Maybe then we can finally teach Illy how to swim!" Because it was harder for her to get out, she had gotten used to people coming to her when she needed company or for requests like meetings and the like, but there was no reason to make her trailer any more uncomfortable to be in than it already was. Maybe she could try to clean up a little, too.

Cora spotted the rest of the troupe heading toward Lucien's trailer, and greeted them by waving and shouting, "Hi there, everyone! Ready for the meeting?" As soon as they stopped, she held her arms up to Lucien, expecting someone to carry her inside, as was the custom. She could pull herself up and into a chair, but Illy always pointed out that she would get dirty if she did that, so she had accepted the alternative enthusiastically.

Illyana responded to Cora's excitement with a wave, trying her best to smile. The tension of the moment had caught up with her, and she was starting to feel the pressure of it. She knew she would have to explain her side of things, and try to get across the severity of the situation. It was hard for her to articulate her feelings, she had never gotten used to that as a child.

She entered the trailer last, motioning for her two companions to enter before she closed the door behind them. Once Lucien began speaking, she listened intently although she already knew what he had to say. The thought of telling her side loomed ever closer, and when it came, she swallow the lump in her throat and began in a voice more confident than even she was expecting:

"First, I want to say that Lucien is absolutely right about the dire straights we find ourselves in. The haul in Kellville was significantly less than we were hoping...less than we needed. We may be in the most difficult position we've been in in a long time. The way things are going for us, the choice seems obvious...but other factors caused me to want to make sure everyone was involved in this decision before it's made.

Graston is larger, has more people, which means it'll have more coin for us. The problem is, we have already hit Graston this circuit, so we'd be making a big loop. We all know what it can be like visiting a town for the second time through. If we can get this new act...it may be our saving grace. Again, this seems obvious...but, I have a bad feeling about this man, this 'warlock'."

Illy paused and surveyed the room, taking a deep breathe to calm herself before continuing. The memory brought a cold sweat to her forehead, even in the hundred degree weather, she felt a chill. "It's hard to describe the way that I 'see' things...it can come in a lot of different ways. But, when I 'saw' him...it shook me. There was something off, something wrong about the whole thing, about him. I don't know what it was, and I don't know if I'll ever know," as her eyes scanned the room, they fell on Ivory for a brief moment longer than the rest, before she dropped them back to her feet. She shifted her stance, gripping her left elbow with her right hand as she continued on. "All I know for sure is that this man is dangerous. His name is Geralt the Great, some of you may have heard of him around the grounds or in town on the circuit. Most people think he's a myth now, he's supposed to have been practicing magic for almost a hundred years now, which, as you know would be impossible for any regular human. But I know he's real, because I saw him. I have no doubt of his abilities, and if we recruit him, and if he agrees, he has the potential to bring in a haul like we've never seen before. Enough to get us further West," she threw a meaningful glance towards Lucien at this, "if that's where we'd want to go...I just, if we do this, I wanted everyone to know the risks." She ended a little abruptly, leaving her eyes pinned to the wood of the table. She had had the floor for far too long.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana turned a slight smile toward Ivory at her comment, and then at Aurel when he echoed it, a little surprised at the invitation. Trying her best to hide the intrigue on her face, she nodded, "Oh, I usually prefer to read quietly to myself. But...thank you, I might stop by some time." She tried her best to be casual, but it could be hard for her. She grew up expected to be neither seen, nor heard by her parents and existed mostly as a ghost in her own home. Occasionally she forgot that others may enjoy her company. And Ivory was right, she was sure that if anyone could come up with a game that cold trump her abilities, it was the dhampir.

They set off together across the grounds, Ivory in her cloak and Aurel walking lightly beside them as usual. They were a motley crew, but somehow they had all made it work. In answer to her cohort's question, Illy looked over her shoulder, "I asked for it, actually. It has to do with our next stop. There's a crossroads ahead, and we've some decisions to make." She thought it wise to leave the part about their finances out of it until they were all together, no need to rattle anyone just yet.

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

Cora smiled brightly as they approached her friend. While everyone had intrigued her greatly upon their first meetings, it was Akane that she had been most interested in. She had never heard of small creatures with fur-covered bodies before, aside from humans, so her ears and tails had been of particular interest. Cora had never felt anything as soft in her life. Well, maybe aside from sea moss.

She also admired Akane's willingness to help outside with all of the packing up. She and Illy were always offering to do something for someone, Cora only wished she could offer the same. It really was just easier for everyone if she stayed out of the way.

"A group meeting, we haven't had one of those in lots of moons!" She paused, "Oops, I mean days." She chuckled as they started again toward the ringleader's trailer. "It's good to see you too, Akane, how nice of you to be helping! I would have loved a visit, but coming outside for a little to see everyone is way better. Oh, did you hear, maybe I'll get a refill soon! Then it won't be so uncomfortable in there for everyone." Her smile widened as a rare cool breeze brushed her cheek.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana heard a bit of one-sided conversation from Aurel before opening the door, no doubt he was conversing with his serpentine companions. She glanced about the darkened room, squinting to make out details, her eyes had adjusted to the morning sun and were not ready to be greeted by the oppressive darkness inside of Ivory's trailer. The bright sun cut through the room from the break in the door, touching the pale skin of Aurel, which was about all she could make out until her eyes adjusted.

Although, she didn't really need to see to be able to tell what the two of them had been doing. It wasn't the first time that Ivory had convinced Aurel to abandon the day's work for a game of cards out of the sun. The light-haired "Dhampir" had claimed that the sun did not agree with her complexion, which Illyana thought was a bit of an overstatement, but she wasn't about to share this opinion with her knife-throwing cohort.

After a half second for her eyes to adjust, Illy squinted in Ivory's direction and shook her head, "No time, Lucien and I would like to see everyone. At his place." She paused a moment before turning away and added, "Besides, I don't think you'd want to play with me anyway." She couldn't help but relax into a half-smirk at this, but only for a moment before fading back into a neutral expression. A card game with Illy would be pointless for her opponent. Not that she would ever actively use her abilities to win; most of the time, knowledge came to her whether she wanted it or not.

She turned back toward the outside, leaving the door ajar as she stepped away, awaiting her companions in the beating sun outside.

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

Cora had already begun to wheel herself around the corner of the trailer when Lucien stopped her to drape the shawl around her shoulders. She looked down at herself briefly before smiling up at him, "Oh, sorry, I forgot." Although, she wasn't usually paying attention to her clothes regardless. Teaching Cora the value of modesty had been difficult after fifty-plus years of carefree living under the sea, and she wasn't the best at dressing herself now that she was on land. Finding clothes was usually Illy's department, or Akane if she was available. Despite Aurel and Lucien's kindness, she preferred the company of other females. This was a product of her upbringing, those of her race were female-only. She hadn't even known that men existed until she had come to the surface.

She adjusted the shawl as Lucien took the handles of her chair and began to push her towards the center of the field. The bright sun beamed down on them from above, and she immediately felt her skin and hair begin to dry. This wasn't comfortable for her in the slightest, but her land-locked guardians knew this. She trusted they would not keep her outside for too long.

When Lucien mentioned Akane, she smiled brightly at the thought of her friend. She shielded her eyes with her hand and scanned the grounds before her. Men moved about carrying sacks of things, long skinny poles, heavy pieces of wood, and bags slung over shoulders. Through the bustle, she saw the flash of Akane's bright red hair and pointed excitedly in her direction. "There, I found her!" She chirped excitedly over her shoulder at Lucien and leaned forward in her chair unconsciously.

"Oh!" She said, suddenly, and looked over her shoulder again. "I wanted to ask you, is there any chance I can get a refill soon? It's starting to get pretty tart in there..." She thought that was the right word, she had heard some of the Carnies say it before. Her tank was refilled whenever the troupe came across a large enough body of water that could spare some of its moisture for their travelling mermaid. Typically, this happened about once a month, sometimes three weeks if she was lucky, but it had been nearly two months since she had seen fresh water in her tank. Not only was the smell of mildew permeating the inside of her trailer and her clothes, algae was starting to grow in the corners of the tank, and it was getting harder to breathe in there with every passing day. It wouldn't hurt her at all not to have fresh water, but it was a matter of comfort.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana nodded as Lucien followed her out the door, and nodded again in acceptance of his request. It would be about an hour before everyone was ready to move, by the looks of things outside, she had plenty of time to fetch Aurel and Ivory and have a discussion about their prospects. While she knew it irrational and unlikely, she only hoped that someone would side with her in this. She was sure the group would decide what was in their best interests...maybe this was just her way of stalling the inevitable.

She made off in the direction of Ivory's trailer, a short walk from the Ringmaster's door. It was close quarters here, life on the road required that everyone get comfy very quickly. There had been some friction between members at first, but that was all but gone now. Family was the best word to describe them, even if they didn't always agree.

Ivory's trailer stood out among the rest only because it was a flatter color than many of the other members of the troupe. It was a dark blue, with scrolling designs tracing across the top of it, outlined in bright red. A foreboding sight to some, which Illyana was sure
was a conscious choice by its inhabitant. The mousy girl made her way to the front door, and smelled a whiff of laziness before she even approached it. She walked up, listened for just a moment, and knocked rather stoutly against the frame, waiting for a response.

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

Cora had been spending her days as she did most others, floating lazily in her tank and awaiting some form of interaction. This was her usual mode of operation during the pack-up, she wasn't of much use to anyone outside anyway. Heavy lifting really wasn't her forte. She had just been drifting off into a nap in the over-warm and musty waters, when she heard a rapping at her door.

Immediately, the sounds of splashing could be heard from outside of the trailer, followed by the distinct squeaking of skin against wet, smooth metal, some rummaging, and a cool clear voice calling from inside, "Just a moment!" Politeness and pleasantries did not come naturally to her, this line was something she was parroting from Lucien and Illy's lessons as anyone who listened close enough could decipher from the jilted and stiff way it exited her lips. Still though, her voice always brought a calming sensation over those who heard it, as welcome as a cool ocean breeze on a warm summer day.

There was a bit of a wait, but sounds of quiet thrashing and rummaging could be heard from inside of the trailer. A giggle here, a grunt there, and eventually the door opened to reveal the troupe's resident Mermaid.

Cora was gorgeous, in a word. Long strands of bright brown hair framed her perfectly symmetrical face and porcelain skin. Her eyes were large, the color of warm honey and dancing sunlight. Her lips were full and freshly pink, and her body was slender and long-limbed. Standing, she would have been above the average height of most women of the age, but currently, and usually, she was seated in a wheelchair, looking down at the ring master with raised eyebrows. She wore a loose-fitting white gown and a blanket to cover her legs, and appeared to be entirely damp from head to foot. In fact, the gown was so wet that it was almost completely sheer. If one looked around her, they would see that inside, the trailer was a complete disaster; clothes and books were strewn about the floor, along with other knickknacks and baubles, with a clear path through the debris leading from the wall of water behind her to the doorway for the chair. The scent of mildew wafted from inside, not rot, just old water.

"A meeting!? What took you so long to come and get me? I hope no one was waiting long." Cora said excitedly, her pleasantries seemingly forgotten in the wake of interpersonal interaction. Her slender hands gripped the wheels of her chair and tilted her forward down the ramp that was currently occupied by Lucien. "Close the door behind me, will ya'?" She paused as the wheels touched dirt and looked back over her shoulder at the Nephilim, "Oh, please." she said, and smiled wide to show perfectly straight pearly white teeth.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illy listened politely to all Lucien had to say. He was right, she knew this of course, but something inside of her was so against this that it made it hard for her to accept. Is this what it had come to? The night of the vision had been a hard one, and thinking about where they were left now brought back those memories full-force.

She had never seen or felt anything like it before. She was trapped in an orb that loomed down over the subject, and it felt like her whole body was on fire and frozen at the same time. It was as if she was buried under mounds of molten rock, immobile and unable to break the vision on her own. This was the first and only time since that she had been a silent, distant observer, but still inhabiting something or someone. The scene before her was not a particularly nasty one: just a man, sipping some acrid drink and chatting up a woman, loose by the sight of her. He smirked devilishly, a smile that would make any other woman swoon as it had his current prospect, but one that made Illyana's skin crawl. The vision flashed into several other scenes in rapid succession at the same time as this: the man on a stage pandering to a captive crowd, counting fist-fulls of green with that same smirk, watching women walk by coffee shops with empty eyes, and something just on the edge of her vision, the man in tears maybe? Either that or cackling maniacally, but it had been too blurry to make out fully.

And as soon as it appeared, the vision was gone. She had come out of it gasping for air in the middle of the night, holding her throat, feeling as though she had been paralyzed for years and had just woken from a coma. Of course, this was never the case, the vision had been thirty seconds at most. But to her it felt like an eternity at the bottom of a ice-cold lake.

She slowly drew her fingers into a tight fist as Lucien finished speaking, her eyes set on the table. She needn't check the man's location, she'd known where he was ever since the vision weeks ago. "He's is Graston." She said this matter-of-factly, all semblance of anger had leaked from her voice.

She stood then, and raised her eyes to Lucien once more, "I know this is something we must do...that you wouldn't ask unless it was serious. And it is." She let a sigh escape her lips, "I suggest we ask everyone. If we are to ask him to join us, they ought to have a say." She turned her body toward the door of the trailer. Clearly, 'no' was not an answer that was on the table.