FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

So, it seemed that Lucien was in the dark about a lot of things as well. It wasn't surprising, give his upbringing, that a few things would be left out of his education about himself. Faolan's situation was not dissimilar; he had had to find out much of what he knew today about his 'condition' via trial and error. It wasn't like he had anyone around to really explain anything or show him the ropes, so to speak. If he had, his life may have turned out differently.

The more time he spent with Lucien, the more he came to realize how much the two of them had in common.

Faolan's eyebrows raised at Lucien's next demonstration. The list of things that Faolan didn't think possible was growing longer by the second. The "barrier" that Lucien's relic created was visible only for a second, but Faolan could sense it's presence in the back of his mind even without having to see it.

"Hm." He grunted, not really knowing what else to say. Instead, he got up and walked over to Lucien, then waved his hand in what appeared to him to be pure air. His hand stopped and fell against the barrier, and now he could see it underneath his palm, reacting to his touch with a small remittance of light. He rubbed his hand against it, feeling a slight tingle on his fingertips, before dropping his arm.

After a pause, he shrugged, "All of this, and they still wouldn't let you run to the market, eh?"

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan felt an ire rise in him at the thought of one of those pricks back on the ship busting Lucien over the head. He almost scolded the lad, but thought better of interrupting. It wouldn't change anything now, even if he did.

He made his way back over to the rock he had settled on originally, leaned back and crossed his arms as he listened to Lucien's explanation. Faolan, try as he might, could not imagine not being able to feel pain. The concept didn't quite make sense to him. Of course, he could withstand a good bit of it before it was anything to cry about. The knife in the gut wouldn't have effected him so if the damned thing wasn't silver. Although he had been stabbed, kicked, punched, thrown out of windows and knocked on his ass more times than he could count, the pain never really let him. It dulled, sure, and was less intense as time went on and his body grew accustomed to it, but it still hurt and was unpleasant.

A thought struck him then; he wondered if the priests knew this. It didn't entirely add up if they did, if Lucien couldn't feel pain then what had they been so protective over? His healing powers, he supposed. It wasn't every day that someone stumbles upon a part-angel, or whatever he was. He supposed the priests were more worried about people using Lucien than they were hurting him. But still, it didn't excuse their behavior. At least the lad could have run to the store without getting hurt along the way.

When he was finished, Faolan nodded, watching him hover. "It's a good instinct you have, not to rely on that. Just because you haven't been hurt yet, doesn't mean you can't be hurt. Might just be waiting to find the thing that gets you." He almost growled the last couple of words. It had been an accident that he had even discovered his aversion to silver. Beforehand, he had experienced vastly accelerated healing. He could be hurt by any standard means, but the wounds would heal nearly instantly. He had even watched as his flesh pushed bullets out that had been lodged there only seconds ago.

The accident that lead to him discovering his weakness to silver was one he would never voice aloud: he had been helping a family move and had scratched his hand on the spout of a silver hot-water jug. The wound had not healed right away, as he was used to, and instead festered and drained his health. He thought he even may loose the entire arm, but within forty-eight hours, the fever had ended and he had regained consciousness, drained but alive. He made sure to stay away from the stuff ever since. He had only ever had few incidents with it, the worst of them being his encounter on the ship.

No need to share this specific information with Lucien just yet...

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt listened intently to Akane's explanation, his eyes flicking briefly to her shadow and back when he sensed movement. That change, it couldn't have been a trick of the light. Was this something the two of them had in common? Only time and exposure would tell him that.

He couldn't help but admire the light dancing in Akane's eyes as she spoke with him. She had a youthful vigor about her in every aspect of her interactions with others; from her dance, to a conversation, she was animated and engaging. Geralt found himself admiring that, and remembering what it was like when he was young and full of hope...

He pushed those thoughts from his mind and gave Akane a toothy grin, missing some of its characteristic edge. "Aren't you just a charmer...I respect that you give credit where credit is due, but no one could do that dancing for you, remember that." He gave her a wink, then nodded to Lucien, "Oh, she's brimming with natural talent, I can see that from a mile away. I'm excited to meet this...Cora you mentioned, especially if she helped to inspire something so breathtaking." He could tell that Akane was pleased by his compliments, and even though he was laying them on thick, he knew when to quit.

He leaned away from Akane, and gestured to the ringleader. "After you. And until next time, rote schönheit." He added to Akane, and waited for Lucien to lead the way.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Oh, I'm positive of that." Geralt's smile crept across his lips in this moment of sweet irony. Although it was not necessarily love he was interested in, Lucien had certainly caught his attention for several different reasons. Geralt had never found himself particularly attracted to men, he had experienced their company in different scenarios over the years and had never truly shied away from it. This instance was different than anything he had ever felt before. He was familiar with desire, in fact he was almost singularly driven by an insatiable lust, but this was altogether different. Lucien was already so familiar to him, and yet so foreign, so pure and so mysterious...he was a collector of fine things, and Lucien was absolutely a fine, fine thing.

Not to mention the rest of his troupe, he would have to remember their part in all of this.

They will fall...

As Lucien's introduction concluded, he did his best to draw his thoughts away from desire and toward a more practical thought pattern. It would do no good to show his desires this quickly, although he was sure Lucien already knew some of his designs. Besides, he had more class than those drooling buffoons in Ivory's crowd.

As Akane took the stage, he found himself entirely enraptured by not only her dancing but her skill with the flame. Her movements were precise and fluid, very practiced, and although to a seasoned performer like Geralt they looked a little stiff, the crowd would never notice.

Just as Ivory was not afraid of her assets, Akane was fearless when it came to handling the flames. The first thing to notice was that they were blue, which was certainly impossible unless they were created using some supernatural ability. While he knew he would have trouble pinpointing her exact species, he could at least piece together her abilities. This dance was telltale of quite a few things, and frankly, put his little fireballs from earlier to shame. He would have to step up his flame game to compete with this display. The finale was absolutely astonishing too, and she did have some command over the crowd. Though she seemed slight, there was certainly a feral ferocity in this girl that was being suppressed. Perhaps Geralt could find a way to let it out...

As she approached them, a wide smile lit her face and Geralt could not help but return it. Despite the power and fierceness she displayed on stage, she appeared to be exuberant and young at heart. There was something endearing in that.

Young is good...easier to corrupt...to twist and bend to our will.

"That was entirely fascinating, to say the least! What a dancer you are, and those props! I can say I have never seen anything like it. Did you choreograph it yourself?" Ivory's confidence and hard edge had lead him to believe she had chosen her own moves. He assumed all of the performers had this power over their performances, but Akane's bright child-like eyes hid a true master. She may be easy to fool, but there was danger there, he could sense it.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Probably best, yeah." Faolan said, and chuckled again lightly. There was a moment's pause and then he remembered to put Lucien down. His cheeks felt a bit hot as he realized he had just been standing there holding him, how foolish he must have looked...

But the conversation took his mind off of his embarrassment for the time being. Faolan couldn't help but furrow his brow and tilt his head at Lucien's next statement. If the wings hadn't been enough, now he was telling him that he was unable to feel pain? Faolan believed him of course, and was even a little envious. It was too bad his particular affliction hadn't come with that perk, or he would have avoided most of the pain in his life. If his scars had anything to say, his experience had been very much the opposite.

"So, yer tellin' me I shoulda' just dropped ya'?" He asked, eyebrow cocked. It was then that he realized how quickly he had grown comfortable around Lucien, enough to joke with him at least. He'd thought, after all these years of being alone that it would be a little harder to crack his shell. He couldn't tell if he was softening or if it was just Lucien's natural charisma that made him comfortable so quickly. Either way, it was better than worrying about what he had to say all of the time.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt leaned back at Akane's explanation, but his brow remained furrowed in concentration as he listened. When she was finished, he nodded, "Ah! I see, well, it is certainly fitting. You must be quite the rare gem, even back home. I can't wait to see what you can do on stage." Although her outer appearance and actions screamed of this girl's innocence, Geralt sensed that there was much more to her than her naive exterior might betray. Although he could not place her exact type, he knew she had to be special as Lucien and Ivory were. He doubted he would see a regular human among these performers, and was unsure if he would be more or less impressed if he did.

He nodded to Lucien as he headed off, watching him walk away with narrowed eyes and a slight grin. This night was turning out to be far more worth it than he had hoped. Even if everything hadn't fallen into place perfectly, he doubted he would have many issues going forward, especially with Akane. Though, that shudder would have to be addressed sooner or later.

As Lucien took center stage, Geralt leaned over to whisper to Akane, "He is quite the crowd magnet, isn't he? I can see why all of you came together, his charisma is breathtaking." Among other details...

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt immediately noticed the shudder run up the girl's body at his touch, and was quick to withdraw his hand. His eye twitched ever-so-slightly as he caught sight of her shadow twisting form. It looked to him to be a quadruped of some kind, a dog or cat, but it was too fast for him to make out more detail than that.

This one can sense us...be careful with it.

Perhaps this was the same reason their gypsy had declined to touch him as well? Although, this Akane didn't seem to be prepared for it. He maintained his easy smile throughout their exchange, not wanting her to know that her sudden reaction had bothered him in any way. Still...it was intriguing. Her attempt to excuse the reaction was cute, to say the least, Geralt almost sighed in sympathy for her.

"No need to apologize," he said as she removed her mask, "Although, I don't see why you would want to hide that gorgeous face." And she was quite beautiful, and very exotic. Although it was hard for him to tell her age, she could have been anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five. He made a mental note to find this out later.

"We are indeed here to see your show, and I must say I cannot wait. Watching is sometimes more fun than participating." He said with a quick wink. Then, his eyebrows furrowed as he leaned forward, keeping his hands clasped together behind his back. "And, was that 'Akane' I heard Lucien say? Am I pronouncing that right? It has a lovely sound, do you mind if I ask it's origins?"

Although Geralt had traveled much of Europe, he had never made his way to Asia. He heard they had lovely scenery there, and fascinating cultural practices. He knew he would make his way there eventually.

There's always time... The dark chuckle resounded through his thoughts once more.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan couldn't force his smile back from whence it came when he saw Lucien excitedly rising into the air. It truly was a sight to behold, a nearly grown man flying with two six foot long wings sprouting out of his back. If Faolan hadn't seen the things he had seen, this would have knocked him flat.

He watched a little nervously as Lucien rose into the air, and when the Frenchman tripped up, Faolan instinctively jumped to his feet to help if he was needed. It seemed that Lucien had caught himself, but Faolan watched all the same.

Suddenly, he thought of his mother and if she could see this how vindicated she would feel. His smile turned slightly sad, but remained on his face at the thought of what she would say if she were here with them now.

He watched as Lucien rose higher and higher, and stepped forward, almost underneath him just to be sure he would be okay. At the height he was reaching, he would break the canopy soon. "Don't get out of sight..." Faolan whispered to himself through gritted teeth.

And, of course, the inevitable did happen. Lucien was blasted by a gust of wind from the side and swerved off of his path. Faolan knew immediately that Lucien would not be able to right himself, and positioned himself under the lad as he plummeted toward the ground. A couple of sentences passed, and he held his arms out for Lucien. The Frenchman fell into them, and Faolan's braced knees barely moved with the impact,; wings and all, he was much lighter than the Irishman expected.

He looked down at Lucien, smiling a little more confidently now, "Well, you really made bags of that." he said, clearly joking with him.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"If it's even half as thrilling as yours, I don't see how I couldn't." He said to Ivory's back as she left them. He watched her go, eyeing her legs as she moved away. That girl had quite the grip...

He held a hand out to Lucien as he passed, prompting him to lead the way.

They reached one of the more brightly colored tents, and he tilted his head at its design. He supposed it was right for a Fire Dancer's use, but it was a bit too flashy for him. His attention was then drawn immediately to the girl who approached them and her very slight and interesting accent, Asian by his placement. Her costume was the same bright red color as her tent, and her hair for that matter. Interesting to see a redhead from Asia. This definitely piqued his interest, considering his interactions with Asian women in the past. Lucien had collected quite the menagerie of fine female performers.

She was certainly much friendlier and more willing to mingle than Ivory had been. Geralt's smile widened as she offered her hand, and he said "Not as lovely as it is to meet you, I'm sure," as he took it very gently as he leaned forward to kiss it, keeping his eyes on the girl's through the holes in her mask.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan opened his mouth to protest Lucien's offer once more, but the lad kept talking so he shut it again. He listened silently to all he had to say, not interjecting or making any changes in his posture or expression. Once it was all out, Faolan couldn't really blame him for wanting to share his secret. Faolan had been curious, especially after the healing incident, and as long as the lad didn't demand any information in return, he didn't see the harm in letting him speak. He kept his mouth shut, watching Lucien's face as he struggled to find the words. He was clearly nervous, but if this was something he was determined to do, Faolan knew the cost of trying to talk him out of it.

The Irishman's jaw nearly dropped when wings sprouted out of Lucien's back. It was as if they had always been there and he had just never seen them. All of a sudden, everything made sense. The healing, the smell and feeling of purity that surrounded him, and his conversation with the priest. This was the Divinity Father Cyril had mentioned. His eyes moved over the wings, tracing the feathers as he processed what he was seeing. Lucien could definitely use these to fly, if he needed to, they were the right size for him.

Before this moment, Faolan had never entertained the idea that angels and demons existed, but this had to be proof. Religion had always been a point of contention for him, especially growing up in an Irish Catholic household, and when he was younger he had thought it easiest to discount everything he had been taught, including the winged men that did God's bidding. Now he felt a little foolish. Of course, he had been well-versed in Irish and European mythology, and had done a bit of research on curses, even vampires, but this was an entirely different matter. If Angels were real, than what else was?

Once everything had settled and Faolan had a chance to let this knowledge wash over him, he couldn't help but smile as he looked at Lucien. It was clear that freedom meant much more to him than just leaving a life at the church.

"Well," he said, finally breaking the silence, "I can't say I'm surprised, what with the healing and the way these priest's seem to have kept you." There was another pause, and Faolan looked around. "Now I see why you wanted to do it here." When Lucien didn't respond, he laughed and gestured toward the clearing, "Well," he said, "Go ahead."