FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan could feel the woman on his arm loosening her grip and was glad for it. It seemed that his body language had been enough to push her away. As they approached a building ahead, Charlotte seemed to let go of him entirely. The four approached the building, and stopped. Faolan kept his distance, averting his gaze from Lucien and Marie, who were engaged deeply in conversation.

He felt his heart thump loudly against his ribs as the woman asked them to come inside. He didn't know why exactly, but part of him feared that Lucien would agree. Faolan would refuse, no matter what, of course, but leaving Lucien there with them...the thought filled him with dread. He was slightly relieved when he heard Lucien's response, and looked up at the Frenchman for the first time since they had left the building.

"Oh, you can't mean that!" Marie said loudly at Lucien's response, and squeezed his arm close to her as she pulled him towards the door, "Come in...just for a little while, keep us company...we can't sleep in the house alone, right Charlotte?" she said, standing on tip-toe to get as close to Lucien's ear as she could.

Charlotte, who had seemed to catch on to Faolan's lack of interest, struggled to find and answer for a moment before saying, "That's right, it does get awfully lonely in there..." While she was going along with the other woman's pleas, she did not seem as committed, and for this, Faolan was glad.

Faolan, seeing Marie's proximity to Lucien's face, could not hold his irritation at bay any longer. He said, quietly but firmly, "Look, we're not interested in your...services. You best get inside before you catch cold in those...dresses." The last word slid out of his mouth with a hint of contempt.

At the sound of this, Marie turned her attention to Faolan, her brow furrowed in anger. Finally, she let go of Lucien's arm and placed both hands on her hips, clearly offended by what Faolan had implied. "Excuse me, mister, what did you just say?"

Faolan was fed up and could no longer keep his words or his emotions in check, "I said," he repeated, "We've got no coin for either of you, so you best be gettin' inside."

Marie was flabbergasted for a moment, her mouth hanging open like a dead trout, before she came to her senses and took a step toward Faolan, her finger extended to poke him in the chest. "And just what are you implying? My friend and I don't have to take this, it's harassment!" Her voice grew louder with each word.

Charlotte, seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, took a step toward her friend to intervene. "Marie, we should just go..."

Marie whirled on her friend in a flurry and yelled, "I'm not going anywhere until this molly apologizes to me!"

Faolan, his fists clenched at his sides, was clearly upset by the introduction of this slur, and he lunged toward the woman. "What did you just say!?" He rose his voice, not as loudly as hers, but enough to cause Charlotte to shrink away.

Marie, however, was not backing down. She took another step toward the Irishman and spat, "You heard me."

"Marie!" Charlotte called, now several steps away from them.

"What!?" The irate Marie answered back, her voice shrill, "Anyone can see from a mile away that he's sweet on the Frenchie. So, what, you jealous that he's getting a little attention from the proper sex?"

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan grunted in understanding as the woman explained where she lived. His head was beginning to throb, not only from the pungent smell of their flowery fragrance, but also out of annoyance at the sound of their voices. This was why he didn't like bars, people like these two who couldn't mind their own business. And Lucien...of course he was drunk, they both were, but he had gone along with them without even trying to dissuade their attempts. Faolan knew they were only asking them to their home so they could get them alone...but, perhaps that was what Lucien wanted after all? Maybe the Frenchman had finally tired of Faolan's company and was seeking the companionship of someone else. Maybe he did this frequently when Faolan was away...not that it mattered, of course. The Irishman was only annoyed by it because it had ruined his otherwise pleasant night.

There was a lull in the conversation as the two of them walked, Charlotte continuing to look up at Faolan, desperate for his attention. Finally, she said, "These two are complete opposites. This one is so tall, broad shouldered...strong..." she said, her eyes making their way up and down Faolan's body as he walked.

"And quiet!" Marie chimed in, "At least this one likes to talk in his pretty accent." She said, pouting her lips toward Lucien.

Faolan, no longer able to take their chatter, muttered, "'This one' has a name..." under his breath, but loud enough for all to hear. He also shook his shoulder a bit to dislodge Charlotte, who seemed perturbed by this but did not let go, though it managed to put a little distance between them. At least her chest wasn't pressing against his arm anymore.

"Oh, of course, how rude of us!" Exclaimed Marie, "What are your names, boys?"

Faolan blew hard out from his nostriles in a sign of irritation, and turned his face away from the two women and Lucien as he grumbled, "Faolan," almost too quiet for anyone to make out.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

As Geralt's eyes fell on the cards that Ivory displayed, his smile widened evermore. Of course she had the Ace of Spades, how could it have been any other card? This explained her twitch of irritation when she drew, but oh, how sweet it was. If he had to lose the hand, he was glad it was to her card.

I did nothing, luck of the draw... Dark laughter echoed through his mind.

"Well," he said, letting his eyes roll back up to Ivory as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, "I'll be damned...you can't argue with those results, can you?" He said, looking directly at Ivory.

After a pregnant pause, he looked over at Aurel, "Impressive indeed, and unlikely. The odds of three aces in a hand of nine cards are quite low, not to mention the Ace of Spades..." He glanced down at the deck as Ivory placed it back on the table, "What better place to end our game, hm?" He leaned forward once more and clapped his hands together, "But, what do you say to a different game? One that will help Aurel practice control over his expression?" He looked between the two of them, totally bought in to this past time. He never realized it could be so much fun to watch other people play cards. Though, truly it was the lack of stakes that bored him.

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Illyana took a breath before she began to explain, "Well, when he arrived, I noticed right away that he didn't have an aura. This is rare, but not impossible...it's just, on top of everything else it seems significant to note. Also...this is the really concerning bit, I noticed that his shadow..." she paused as she struggled to find the words, not quite sure how to translate what she had seen into language, "It changed...or shifted somehow. I'm not sure that it belongs to him...exactly." Still, it didn't sound right when it came out of her mouth. Although she knew Lucien of all people would understand at least a little of what she meant, there was no way to truly get across what she had seen to someone else.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan had taken the chance to stand, and waited for Lucien to do the same. A slight twitch in his lip betrayed his annoyance as Lucien stood and the woman put her hand against his chest to steady him. He looked away, almost in embarrassment, and felt the other woman gasp his arm. Again, he almost pulled away, but fought the urge and stood his ground.

Even in his drunken state, he knew that these women had some end game they were attempting to play. They were either prostitutes, or they were planning on having Faolan and Lucien jumped in the alleyway. Either way, they would be disappointed; Faolan, at least, was not interested in their company.

Charlotte smiled and looked up at Faolan with half-lidded eyes as the four made their way out of the bar. Faolan was steady walking, but having her hanging on him made him overbalance a little bit so he appeared more drunk than he was. She kept looking at him, and though he would glance down at her, his gaze did not linger long.

"Oh!" she exclaimed at Lucien's answer to Marie's last question, "That is just adorable! Marie, did you hear that?"

"Of course I did, he is just the cutest thing!" Marie said, but then paused a moment, slowing her walk and looking at Lucien, "Wait a minute, how old are you?"

"Oh, stop it Marie, I'm sure he's old enough." She looked back up at Faolan and squeezed his arm, "This one certainly is..."

Faolan pulled away from the woman a little and averted his gaze, tired of their chattering. "So, where is it you said you lived?" He asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan's mood and expression instantly soured when the women approached and began speaking with Lucien. It was clear that they were looking for companionship this evening. It was not the first time this had happened to him and Lucien separately, but the two had never been interrupted in this way before. Although he was unhappy, it would be unclear to anyone but Lucien, who had learned to read his moods and body language like the hands of a clock. He had leaned away from the two women and turned his body to face the bar, leaning over it with a slight hunch in his posture. He hoped they would leave soon, the smell of their perfume was making his stomach turn.

He listened to their conversation with Lucien and glanced at the bottle that they had left on the table, there was only a thin layer of whiskey left in the bottom. As the two women turned their attention to Lucien, he took the bottle and poured the last bit of alcohol into his own glass before tossing it back.

"Hm?" he hadn't expected to be spoken to, and had resigned himself to thinking that their full attention was on Lucien. Of course, he had been hit on by women in bars before, usually when he was working, but his gruff demeanor was enough to send them on their way within a couple exchanges. With Lucien, he knew this would not be the case. He was far too charming and polite to send them back from where they'd come.

He looked over his shoulder at the woman, but only briefly, and shrugged at her. "Nah, Irish ain't as pretty as French."

The light-haired woman shook her head, giggling too loudly for the situation, "Oh, you stop it! Look, Marie, he's shy!" she said, and leaned a little closer. "Pleeeeaaaassseeee...?" she pouted, leaning over so Faolan had a clear view all the way down the front of her dress.

He averted his eyes, and sighed heavily, clearly annoyed, "Grá", he muttered.

Charlotte leaned back, looking confused, "Grah!?" she exclaimed loudly, and both of them laughed again, "What does that mean?"

"Romance." Faolan said matter-of-factly, glancing at Lucien out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, no, really?" she asked in disbelief. There was a brief pause, but she leaned in again and placed a hand on Faolan's knee. "Well, lucky for you, I like the strong, silent type..." she said, getting uncomfortably close to Faolan's face.

Faolan tensed, but held back from jerking his knee away, fixing his eyes on Lucien to maintain his composure.

Charlotte did not take this as a sign to back off, and instead gave Faolan's thigh a squeeze. As she moved, her hand slid a little higher up, and Faolan twitched noticeably but did not pull away. "I see you boys are on empty, why don't we buy you a drink?"

"Actually," Faolan said abruptly, then moved to get out of his chair. As he did, Charlotte's hand fell away from his knee, and she backed up a step, not expecting his sudden movement. "I think we were just about to leave."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan, clearly aware of how his drunkenness was effecting his body's responses, had hooked his feet under the steps of the stool to steady himself. The more they drank, the more time he and Lucien spent together here, the more at ease he felt. Being with him in a place like this, when he was sober, he thought it might make him nervous, but in fact it had the opposite effect. Despite the noise around the two men, Faolan had no trouble ignoring it for Lucien's sake. The Irishman was entirely absorbed in their conversation, no matter how inconsequential.

"Well," he began, swaying slightly on his stool as he refocussed his eyes on the small amount of whiskey left in his glass, "It comes from 'uisce beatha', means 'water of life'." He said before tilting the glass and letting the last few drops of liquor run down into his mouth. He couldn't taste it anymore, now that he was properly blocked, but for some reason he wanted to keep drinking. "I don't have to drink it, see..." he added, leaning toward Lucien slightly, "Because it runs in my veins."

Lucien couldn't help but crack a wider smile at Faolan's expression as he shared this information. He was swelling with pride, for someone who was not interested in drinking before, and the Frenchman couldn't help but acknowledge that. "Well," he said, "That sounds pretty romantic to me..." Leaning towards Faolan until the two were only inches apart. He kept his smile, glad for the proximity.

Faolan's first instinct, had he not been drinking whiskey for two hours, would have been to pull away from Lucien. Unfortunately, his body and his mind were miles away at the moment, and he could not quite react fast enough. In fact, he felt his eyes drawn to Lucien's lips for some reason, and felt his mouth hanging open slightly as hot breath escaped him.

"Oh, I agree with that, don't you Marie?" A foreign, female voice, brought Faolan out of his reverie instantly. He leaned back away from Lucien, almost overbalancing and steadying himself against the bar. He looked over to see that two women had approached them, pink in the face and scantily clad for being unaccompanied this late at night. One had dark hair, and the one who spoke had blonde hair. The two were completely slathered in makeup, and their perfume was so strong that Faolan had to fight the urge to cover his nose.

"I absolutely do, Charlotte." The dark-haired woman answered as she sidled up to Lucien and placed her had on the back of his chair. "And those accents! Where are you two from?" She asked, looking expectantly between the two of them.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralts eyes flicked quickly to the next card as Ivory laid it down, but then back up to her face in a flash. Of course, he remained relaxed and completely unreadable. It was too early in their...relationship for him to try fake tells on her, she was too weary of him already. No, he had to play this one straight. Though he could simply know her hand, he also declined this. Geralt was far too proud, and too skilled at cards, to lower himself to such tactics. No, he would win or loose this hand playing the right way.

"She let a little something through last time, but she's learned from that." He said, tilting his head slightly toward Aurel as he spoke. "She knows I saw it, so she won't make that mistake again, she's too smart, and too good at poker for that."

After a slight pause, he leaned forward and placed flipped the final card on the table, the Eight of Hearts. Geralt merely tilted his head, then picked his cards up from the table. He held them so that Aurel could see them and spoke again, "Now, she had a good hand, or she would have folded by now. I'm guessing...at least two pair, possibly three of a kind. It's all down to whether her three are better than mine." And as the last word left his lips, he dropped his cards on the table, face up, to reveal the Ace of Hearts and a Seven of Spades. Geralt looked over at Ivory expectantly, barely containing his curiosity.

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Illyana walked quickly the remaining ten feet to Lucien's trailer, and declined to answer until they were inside. Of course, there was no telling what Geralt could hear and see, even if he was engaged with something or someone else. Once they were inside, she shut the door behind them and let out the breath she had been holding.

"Okay." She began, her fingers twisting together, "I didn't get a chance to tell you last night, but when Geralt arrived...I saw something strange." She paused, then added hurriedly, "Well, several things actually."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan did laugh aloud at Lucien's next comment, even a little louder than he intended to. "Oh, just thought you'd mention that, hm?" He said, shaking his head and reaching for the bottle. He poured himself another round, his hand very steady, he was pleased to see. He poured himself one finger's worth this time, and tossed it back in one smooth motion.

As the bartender approached, Faolan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned toward the man, "Just give him a moment, he did start off with red wine, remember."

Faolan then turned back to Lucien and met his gaze as the Frenchman spoke. For the life of him, he could not pull his eyes away for a couple of seconds after he had finished speaking. When he felt as though he could move again, he shifted himself in his seat to lean slightly against the bar, grunting to himself as he did so. "Mighty confident now, give it a few and you'll be singing like the lads outside." Something in Lucien's eyes...it was making him uncomfortable, but he couldn't place exactly why.

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About an hour and a half later, the bottle of whiskey was nearly down to its last dregs. The bar had filled considerably, with men and women alike, as the work hour was done for the day and the weekend began. Faolan and Lucien continued their game, well past where a sober man would have stopped.

Although he was not as drunk as he has ever been, Faolan was certainly feeling the effects of the alcohol now. He was much warmer than was comfortable for him, and had undone the first three buttons of his shirt and tied his hair back into a loose ponytail to keep it out of his eyes. He was glistening slightly with sweat, but it was not profuse, just enough to keep him cool. He was sitting on the stool, turned towards Lucien, and gesturing with an empty glass.

His words were just shy of slurring as he spoke, "Do you know where the word 'whiskey' comes from, anyway?" He asked, his voice a little louder now to carry over the sound of the other patrons.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt couldn't help but hide his excitement as Aurel and Ivory consented to have him play. He pushed his sleeves, which were already rolled up, a little higher on his elbows before he scooted a little closer to the table to accept the cards that Ivory had dealt to him. Before looking at them, he leaned over to Aurel, keeping his eyes on the dealer, "You see, Aurel, it isn't about playing the hand, it's about playing the player. In this case, Miss Ivory." He slid the cards toward him, and bent the corners up to glance at them while leaving them on the table. His face was completely stone cold, betraying nothing, with his trademark hint of a grin. He was leaning back in his chair, totally relaxed, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, one hand in his lap and the fingers on his other hand barely touching his cards. One could only catch him glancing at the hand on the table if they really watched his eyes, otherwise, he appeared completely fixated on Ivory.

"You have to watch her, not the cards. Her face, her hands...her eyes, her lips, eyebrows," he tilted his head toward Aurel when he mentioned this. "Every little movement could betray her hand." He noticed the twitch in her brow and her lip, but did not call it out. Clearly, she was not pleased with her cards, though Geralt knew better than to try and guess what they were.

Illyana, seeing that Lucien had finished with his task, approached and took the clipboard from him. "After you." She said, glancing over her shoulder briefly as they left the mess area, hopeful that Ivory would be able to keep her cool without Lucien there to monitor her.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Hm," Faolan grunted in mock-anger, though his slight smile betrayed his true mood, "Glad I can entertain you." He let Lucien pour, watching the amber liquid fill the bottom of his glass. It would take more than two shots of Whiskey to get Faolan drunk, even at his least resilient, he could easily down four or five before he started to feel really woozy, but he could already feel the warmth from the first drink swirling in his stomach. Luckily for him, he had just eaten nearly an entire loaf of bread from the bakery before coming here. He had some 'gas left in the tank' as American's said.

At Lucien's next comment as the two raised his glass, he couldn't help but pause. The thought of carrying Lucien out of here...or anywhere for that matter, made the warmth in his cheeks intensify. In order to hide this, he threw the second drink back and put it back down onto the bar, a little more forcefully this time. He wasn't sure why Lucien had him all bothered at the moment, but he didn't exactly dislike the feeling.

He knew that his Irish constitution would cause his cheeks, neck, and chest to redden the more he drank, but this was not a testament to his drunkenness so much as a marker that he had enjoyed some whiskey. Perhaps this would allow Lucien to grow overconfident and end the charade early, but he wasn't about to hope for that just yet.

"It does get better the more you drink," Faolan said, sniffing in as he felt his nose beginning to run, "But then it gets worse, fast." He added, chuckling to himself a little. "We should take a break, let it settle, then go in for another one if you're still feeling steady." Despite his full belly, even Faolan knew that drinking this fast would only result with the both of them neck-deep in a toilet bowl. He definitely wanted to avoid that, even if it meant he had to "lose" Lucien's little game.