FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt's smile widened, "As far as I know, I haven't left anyone unsatisfied yet, and I do not plan to start now." He eagerly followed Lucien from the tent and into the open air, taking a moment to look around before the pair made their way across the grounds.

The amount of patrons that were attending tonight was absolutely abysmal. Geralt bit his tongue, but truly he did not see how a carnival of this size, with this many mouths to feed, could possibly continue to operate without some divine, or otherwise, intervention. Good thing they had recruited Geralt after all, he was determined to be their savior...well, as long as it got him what he wanted.

Geralt's eyes flashed at Lucien's decision to take him to Ivory's tent. Quite a nice piece, she was. He would never deny seeing what she had to offer. The thrill of injury was occasionally intoxicating to him, and with those sharp eyes, he doubted he would leave him wanting for anything.

"Oh, please, lead the way. And excellent choice, might I add. Ivory's particular skill-set is very intriguing to me, almost as much as your own." He paused, raising a hand to hide his face as the young mother with the levitating boy walked by, hand in hand. He resumed speaking when they had passed, "Where did you find her, by the way? She is quite...enigmatic."

Although Geralt was sure that he had pinpointed Ivory's particular origins, he had not encountered one of her kind in quite some time. She was strikingly beautiful, as others of her persuasion tended to be, and had an aura of confidence about her. Any normal man would be too scared to approach her for any reason, Geralt was sure, but he had practice with these things. Besides, her glamours would not work on him, which gave him the upper hand. He had no doubt that she would be far easier to turn than her fearless leader, but he did have to be patient after all. They would all fall, but only in due time. He had just gotten here, he had to remind himself, it would be no fun at all if it was too easy.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

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.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt felt a surge of desire as Lucien turned to him and smirked. He was more satisfied by this display than he had been all night, and he couldn't help bite his lower lip as scenes of corruption flashed before his eyes.

Patience...we will have him, but he must come to us willingly...

"I would expect nothing less from a man with your sense of punctuality." He said, nodding his assent at Lucien's observation. "I only hoped to entertain, nothing more. As humble as I am, each show does give me quite a thrill, I must say." He winked, almost chuckling at his own joke.

At Lucien's next comment, he clasped his hands together in excitement. "Oh, I intended to. I had hoped you might show me around, if you have the time? It has been some time since I walked Carnival grounds, I wouldn't want to get lost in the shuffle." He said, tilted his head, his eyes wide with hope.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

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.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt made his way to side-stage as Lucien joined him. It was hard to admit to himself, but he was impressed by the Ringleader's confidence and charisma. He had a natural charm which was undeniable, and despite the circus struggling at the moment, Geralt was sure that this was one of the better operations he had come across over the years. Not that anyone could outshine him, per se, but this Frenchman seemed to be a perfect match.

Too perfect...

The frown returned as the voice echoed in his head and a surge of rage thundered in his chest. "Quiet now..." he whispered, showing his canines and turning his head slightly to his shoulder, "I need not be distracted on stage."

Geralt forced his focus back to the stage where Lucien was doing his introduction. That charisma spread through the room like a fine mist, enveloping all in its spell. Yes, he was good. Now he saw why the others called him their leader, in practice and in form, he was nearly flawless. He felt the rage from before fade into desire, into hunger, as he watched the Ringleader. Oh, how it would feel to make Lucien his...

At his introduction, exactly on queue, Geralt stepped onto the stage, the string-lights flickering all around the tent as he did so. He watched Lucien's coat-tails disappear as he entered, graceful and quick.

"Welcome, one and all. And thank you, monsieur, for your elegant and accurate introduction." Geralt stood center stage, and already all eyes were on him. The tent was full, every seat taken except for three or four in the back. He may have pulled the entire crowd from outside. Luckily, there was standing room available for tomorrow night's show.

Geralt proceeded with what he liked to think of as 'the kiddie show'. This consisted of relatively run-of-the-mill illusions and tricks for the first half, then slowly progressed to more and more magical displays.

First, he asked an audience member to choose a card from his deck, inviting them on stage and charming them with winks and smiles. He then placed it back in, shuffled, and made the deck disappear. This gained a few gasps from the younger members of the audience. To everyone's surprise, he then asked his 'assistant' to step down and return to her seat, they payoff would come later.

After this, he rifled through a list of casual illusions and sleight of hand to get the crowd intrigued. From here, he moved on to fire in the hands that could catch a stick on fire but not his clothing or skin, he then opened his jacket to look for the cards he had "misplaced" and three white doves flew out from inside (that got a loud collective gasp from the audience). Once he had "located" the deck of cards, he performed a series of feats with that: cutting and shuffling with one hand, water-falling them, even tossing them through the air to land perfectly back in his hands. He then made a show of "counting" the cards and found there were only 51 in the deck. He then asked his 'assistant' from before to check her pockets, and there it was; her card, the seven of spades. This was especially awe-inspiring because at no time did he get close enough to the girl to plant the card on her.

For his next ruse, the penultimate one, he passed around his "magic case" (which took the place of a hat for these circumstances) and allowed audience members to pull objects from it. Each time, he would show the case was empty, then allow the audience member to reach inside with the lid just cracked enough for their hand, and withdraw some prize which, of course, they were allowed to keep. Mostly, he targeted children and teenagers for this. One boy withdrew a handful of black buttons, another pulled a pair of bottle-caps, someone else got shoelaces, and the final audience member withdrew their hand to find a crisp dollar bill.

His final act, the one he had built everything up to, always left the audience with a sense of amazement and wonder. He asked another 'assistant', this time a young boy, to approach the stage. His mother, a mousy thing with a cloche hat, stood nearby, clearly nervous but also excited. Geralt took a moment to ease her fears, and at the sound of his voice and a wave of his hand, she instantly relaxed and watched the rest of the performance through half-lidded eyes.

Geralt asked the child to lie on the ground, on his back, for buoyancy of course, then proceeded to levitate him. The boy giggled hysterically at first, saying it tickled as Geralt waved his fingers and chanted 'magic words' until he began to rise into the air. For some extra flair, Geralt levitated the child over the heads of the audience members. At this, the boy showed some fear until he saw his mother's smiling face, and put on a brave face. Once he was back on solid ground, the crowd stood and clapped wildly, some mother's clasping their mouths shut with their hands and the boy begged to 'go again'. Geralt waved and smiled, did a short 'closing speech' (nothing to write home about), and with a final bow, the lights all went out for just a second and when they came back on he had vanished.

Overall, though it was short and fluid, it did just the job he was looking for. Nothing like the grand performances he had done back in Paris, of course, but the act of performance gave him the same exhilaration that only one other activity could manage.

As the crowd was ushered out of the tent by carnies, their eyes wide and their mouths flapping, Geralt stepped up behind Lucien as he watched from side stage.

"So, how was that for a passing grade?" He whispered in the ring master's ear, an eyebrow cocked to match his smirk.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

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.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Oh, mais j'ai fait. It was the best year they had." He said, and took the bottle back at Lucien's insistence. "Of course, I'll keep it safe for you. I'd be happy to bring it by your trailer later." His eyes narrowed slightly but his grin did not falter. Part of him hoped that it wouldn't be that easy. Despite his desire for triumph, Geralt did quite like the chase as well.

He will fall...

"Indeed, I do." He nodded and began to walk back toward the open case, "That is a good eye you have, monsieur. Be assured I will not reveal my 'tricks' to our patrons as easily as yourself. We all deserve a little peek behind the curtain every once in a while." He looked over his shoulder and winked at the Ringmaster. Once he reached the stage, he deposited the bottle inside of the case and snapped it shut before turning towards Lucien once more, leaving it and its contents on the stage behind him.

"I hope you will stay and watch the show, I always welcome the opinions of experts in the field." He cocked an eyebrow before turning once more and effortlessly leaping onto the stage behind him. The case was gone, and Geralt stood there alone, a cocky smile on his face.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

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.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Oh, Lucien, it is more than suitable. No changes necessary, I assure you." He turned around once more and looked at the space, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. It was not Paris, by any means, but it wasn't as if his patrons came to look at the inside of a tent, was it? If he was doing his job, they would forget that they were even in a tent at all.

After a moments silence, he turned back to the Ringleader and clapped his hands. "Oh! I almost forgot." He picked up the briefcase he had set down at his feet and laid it on the stage in front of him. He clipped it open, and reached inside, up to his elbow. He fished around for a moment, pushing aside his clothing, baubles, and the other effects he had brought. "Einen moment bitte..." He said, slightly strained, and then "Ah!" He withdrew his arm from the case, which from Lucien's perspective looked to hold only a small amount of clothes, and held up a bottle of wine.

Dark red liquid sloshed within, and Geralt closed the case and approached the Frenchman with it. "You didn't think I would come empty handed and tardy, did you?" He said with a wicked grin. He stopped before Lucien and held the bottle out so he could inspect the label. It read "Grand Vin de Château Latour, Pauillac 1897".

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan spent the first few days of travel simply walking away from town. He had bought a map the day before leaving the Priest's and plotted his way up the road, making sure to avoid any other towns. Each night, he slept under the stars in a small one-man camp, watching the moon swell with each passing night. After he had walked for two days, giving New Orleans and the surrounding populated areas a wide enough berth, he simply sat and waited.

The full moon came and went just as almost every other had. He woke up the next morning, nude, covered in filth and blood that was not his own. Luckily, he was in the middle of the wilderness, and it did not seem he was able to make his way to anywhere that he would be able to harm people. He made his way back to the place he had left his supplies and found them unmolested. Lucky for him, this had been a smooth night...well, as far as he could tell.

He spent a couple of hours cleaning himself in a nearby pool of tepid water, and donning new clothes. He was full, so he did not need to eat breakfast. Instead, he made his way back to the road and began his long walk back to Father Cyril's where Lucien awaited.

On the sixth day, Faolan arrived. He went straight to the Priest's. Dirty and weary from travel, he supposed Lucien wouldn't mind if they spent one more night there and left at the next dawn. Besides, it was nearly twilight when he arrived.

He approached the door, bag slung over his shoulder and deep bags under his eyes, and knocked firmly, but not too loud.