FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Of course," the Magician said in answer to Lucien's assessment, "I try to be as...transparent as possible. I find that makes for the least amount of...friction."

Geralt glanced in the direction of the violin, excitement lighting his features. "Aha! I knew it wasn't just in here for show, you don't seem the type to talk the talk and not walk the walk." He straightened and moved toward the instrument, which was sitting on a stand in the corner. He reached for it, but paused to look over his shoulder, "May I? I never handle another man's instrument without his explicit approval," he asked. Lucien waved a hand in assent, and Geralt picked it up lightly, holding it at either end to admire its craftsmanship.

"This is just a lovely piece. I never learned to play, myself." he turned the violin over and back again, then took a closer look at the strings. "I did learn the keys when I was young, though." he glanced around the trailer, chuckling before setting the violin back down where he had found it. "But, where do you keep such a large and heavy thing? I don't suppose you hide it under the hat?" he said this in jest, leaning forward and looking expectantly at Lucien.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan kept his eyes on Lucien as he moved toward him, but instinctively backed away as he approached. The closer Lucien got, even in this small moment, the more that Faolan noticed the gulf of fear that lay between them. As Lucien unlocked the door, he watched his hands, smooth and pale like always, and his eyes, bright and golden...how Faolan had missed looking at them. Even now that they were so close, Faolan felt isolated and alone, unsure if he would ever be able to bridge the gap he had made between them.

He followed Lucien into the room, it was bigger than what they were used to, more well-kept. Faolan could immediately see how Lucien had been spending his free time alone. Piles of books everywhere, not surprising. He recognized the name on one of the spines as an Irishman: Oscar Wilde, but did not know the work itself. He let his bag slide off of his shoulder and opened his mouth to comment, but noticed the other Irish product present in the room sitting on the table next to it. His jaw slowly closed when he noticed it was half empty, and his eyebrows furrowed. So, one small stint of drunkenness was not enough for Lucien? That explained the haggard look he had about him, well, as haggard as Lucien was capable of looking, anyway.

He dropped his bag to the floor and noticed his clothing folded neatly on the second bed. He was grateful for them, suddenly feeling much more filthy now that he was under a roof again. He was careful not to touch anything as he stood in the room, knowing his hands were caked with weeks of dirt that the water of lakes and streams just could not eradicate.

"Thank you..." he said, quietly as he crossed the room to take the key from the table and slip it into his pocket. "It'll be nice to be...clean." He was talking as if underwater, his words sounded foreign...far away.

He turned to see Lucien changing and immediately averted his eyes, dropping them to the floor. He approached the second bed and the clothes there, but paused as he heard Lucien speaking to him. He felt as if a hand had reached through his ribs to squeeze his heart. For a time...he wasn't planning on coming back either. But he couldn't tell Lucien this, of course...he didn't have the words to now.

"I was..." he began, then paused again as he clenched his fists and opened them again, "I needed some time...to myself." While this was true, there was so much more he knew he had to say. He should apologize for worrying Lucien, for leaving him in the first place, but his breath caught in his throat when he tried. He had imagined this moment, his return, so many times that it seemed to play on a loop in his brain. He didn't think it would be this hard to just say what he needed to say. The real thing was not the way he'd imagined it, but what had he expected? He couldn't talk like Lucien could, explain. The way he said it in his mind just sounded absurd, and he couldn't bring himself to let another hear it, let alone the person he cared for most in the world. He would make a fool of himself...

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan had been dreading this moment for two months. Ever since he had left, he had been tortured by the thought of his returning. For a while, it had been almost easy to resume his routine before he had met Lucien. After the night of the change, he had found himself so lost, so distraught and confused, that even the thought of seeing Lucien again had made him sick to his stomach. It was not out of hatred or anger at the Frenchman, no...Lucien deserved none of that. It was out of worry and fear. After he had regained himself, he tried to move on, to go back to civilization and to Green Bay, where Lucien was waiting...but, he just didn't. As the days passed, he found himself wiling away the hours in the woods. He had hunted, fished, hiked, climbed, slept in trees and in the dirt, washed himself in streams, cooked over an open flame. The longer he was alone, the more the voices in his head quieted until they were simply a whisper. A whisper he could tune out.

But two days ago he had realized that this silence would be short lived. He had a nightmare, for the first time in many years. He had been walking down a long, winding path, using only his nose and ears for guidance. He heard music, singing, like in a church choir, and smelled sweet breads. He knew this had to be Lucien calling out to him. He began to jog, then broke into a run. Sweating and panting, he made his way down this path, clouded in penumbra, but the faster he ran the quieter the singing got, and the more faint the sweet smells became. Finally, he saw something lying in the road in front of him and approached it. It was Lucien, lifeless at his feet, his chest open, his heart gone. When he fell to his knees and looked down at his hands, he saw blood and chunks of flesh and he knew...he knew this was his doing. He had torn Lucien open, ripped out his heart and eaten it. He couldn't live with himself, and his howl of rage and pain echoed through the chambers of his mind.

He had been awakened by the sound of his own screams in the middle of the night, thrashing about in the makeshift bed he had formed from leaves and an old blanket he carried in his pack. After he caught his breath, realizing that it had been a dream, he packed his things and left for Green Bay.

And here he stood. The sound of Lucien's voice, the look of his face...it was a relief to see and hear them. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders and a smile tug at the corners of his lips. He was alive, and safe, and clean and warm. This was in contrast to Faolan, who looked exactly like a man who had spent the last eight weeks sleeping on the ground and foraging for food. He was dirty, disheveled, and smelled of mulch and sweat. He had nearly knocked the landlord of the establishment off of his feet when he'd asked for Lucien. The man only told him where to go out of fear, but Faolan didn't care. He had to see him, to make sure he was okay.

"Fine," he said, biting the inside of his cheek to keep his smile at bay, "Just dirty, tired. I've been...out." this was all he could think to say.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Cora tilted her head toward Ivory at her comment about Lucien and Geralt. She wasn't quite sure what looking at the Ringleader had to do with anything. Maybe she just wasn't understanding the phrase, but it seemed a good thing that Geralt was interested in Lucien, wasn't it? Wouldn't that make it more difficult for Geralt to...misbehave? She glanced around the table, waiting for someone to clarify.

Illyana's mouth twitched into a frown as she locked eyes with Aurel. She knew the two of them were having the same thought. It was clear that Geralt was flirtatious, to say the least, with everyone, but that he had certainly shown a little more interest in pursuing Lucien. This worried her for the same reasons as Aurel; Lucien was hurting. He hid it well, and no one who hadn't met Faolan would never pick it up, but she and Aurel could see it. They had met the two men when they were both very young, and it was clear from the start that they had a special connection. These last four years, since Faolan had vanished, Lucien was extra fragile. It got better as time moved on, of course, and his parting was further and further in Lucien's past, but Illyana knew that Lucien never stopped thinking about it. It was obvious especially during the night of the Full Moon, which Lucien kept track of on the Calendar hanging in his trailer. She knew that Lucien would not want either of them sharing this information with the rest of the group.

Finally, Illyana turned to Akane and spoke up, "Lucien is...well, he can be too kind for his own good sometimes," she began, "His willingness to forgive people can sometimes...cloud his judgement. Geralt, if what Ivory and I believe is true, seems like the type of person who could easily exploit that kindness." Although this was in no way a revelation, she hoped it would be enough to satiate their curiosity. Before she could stop herself, she added, "He has weaknesses too, just like everyone else. He may seem invincible...but he's not."

Cora seemed to take this in and nodded as Illyana finished speaking. "Oh, I see now. I do hope you're wrong though, Illy. Hopefully Geralt just wants Lucien to be happy, like the rest of us!"

Illyana's mouth twisted again, and she sighed, "I hope so too, Cora."

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Geralt's smile widened a bit as Lucien continued to speak and explain Ivory's position. He was aware that her aggravation with him was misdirected from another source, after all, he had only just met her and even he did not have time to offend her on a personal level yet. Vampires, however, had strong senses and even stronger instincts. When they didn't like someone, they made it known.

"Forgive me, monsieur, but 'worry'," Geralt said in answer, standing from his chair, "is not the word I would use. I am simply..." he waved his hand for a moment as if cycling through an invisible sheaf of papers, "informing you of my intentions. Trust me, I am happy to take any opportunity to prove myself to her and the rest of your troupe, not to mention yourself. I think, given time, you all will...warm up to me. Maybe even quicker than you think." he said, giving Lucien a small wink.

"Speaking of which...I am excited to watch you perform. May I ask what you have prepared, or do you prefer to keep it behind the curtain?" He leaned on the back of the chair had been sitting in, looking at Lucien with dark, intense eyes.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan pushed through the tightness in his chest, the heat that threatened to well into his cheeks, to keep his expression as blank as possible. He looked at Lucien and tried to separate him from his feelings, to tear him out of his chest and let him be free of the confines of his ribs. It was hard, but Faolan had seen pain and suffering. He knew he could get through this.

Another silence fell between them, and after a moment Faolan stood up. The chair's feet made a harsh wailing sound against the floorboards as he did so. He crossed the room, the bottoms of his boots thumping toward the bed and his bag. He crouched to organize his things, keeping his back to Lucien.

"Going to leave a little early," he said, zipping up his bag and standing. "Get a head start." He crossed the room to the door and touched the handle.

"We're meeting in Green Bay...right?" Lucien said, his voice wavering slightly with nervousness.

Faolan paused, his fingers resting against the cool brass of the handle. He turned slightly toward Lucien and nodded, "I'll be there." he said, then walked out the door. In this moment, he was not entirely sure that this was true.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan quite literally wolfed his food down. He needed to eat quickly, to get out of here before Lucien was finished so that he had an excuse to leave. His heart pounded in his chest as his brain swirled with anxiety and his body ached at the notion of walking out the door again...his attempt to distract himself by eating was working, but not entirely. A couple of times, he found himself wanting to glance up at Lucien, but he fought the urge and continued eating sloppily. He had nearly cleaned his plate when the Frenchman finally spoke up.

He was in mid-bte through a piece of sausage when he stopped as if he had been struck. Lucien's words were sharp and painful and they pierced him like a silver blade. A burning pain erupted in his chest as he rose his eyes and locked eyes with the Frenchman. He could see the way he looked last night, cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling in the lamplight above, chest heaving...he wanted desperately to reach out and touch him, to apologize, to explain...

But he couldn't. Lucien's safety was what mattered most, now and for ever. If keeping this act a singular event was the way to do it, then Faolan had to resist.

He swallowed his bite of sausage and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he leaned back in his chair. A heavy silence hung between the two of them for a moment before Faolan shrugged and said, "Its not a good time." His voice was flat as he spoke, his expression blank. He pushed all romantic thoughts out of his mind as he looked at Lucien. Harsh though it was, he could not allow his mind to be changed.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Cora turned to Akane as she spoke and smiled brightly at her friend's words. She didn't care particularly that Akane agreed with her, but was happy that her friend was looking at the situation from different angles as well. She especially liked her mention of Lucien and his purpose for putting their troupe together. She knew that Akane was right and that they had to trust Lucien. Even though Illyana felt that Geralt was dangerous, she knew that the Ringleader would never let any harm come to them. He always said that it was his job to keep them safe, and up until now he had done it well. He and Illyana could have easily left her where they found her to dry up in the sun, and they didn't...they took her in and protected her. It would be wrong to deny that protection to someone else before they had any facts.

Illyana found herself completely stumped by Akane's words, and was even a little disappointed that Ivory had not spoken up before the Kitsune. But, again she couldn't help but agree with their statements. The two of them were wise on their own, but together they were a powerhouse. Illyana couldn't help but remember the day that Lucien, Aurel, and Faolan had found her. She was all alone in the world, lost and confused, looking for a love that she was afraid she would never find again...although she still feared this, she knew that Lucien had given her the opportunity and the power to find what she so craved. Without him, she may even be dead by now.

But what Akane had revealed about the feeling Geralt's touch had given her did strike her as concerning. She wondered if it had been anything like what she had experienced upon touching the card that Geralt had left with Lucien. Though she knew that her and Akane's abilities differed greatly, there was something to be said for the girl's instincts. They were strong, maybe there was something to them like there had been with Aurel's snakes. She made a note to speak with Akane about this later.

After Ivory spoke, Illyana nodded somberly, her eyes far away. "You two are right," she began but quickly nodded to Ivory, "but so is Ivory. Lucien founded this place to give us second chances, that's true, but he wouldn't want them squandered either. All we're saying is that you should be careful, trust your instincts. He's still a stranger, and there's a lot we don't know."

Cora looked between Illyana and Ivory and nodded enthusiastically, "We know, we'll be careful! You all need someone to look out for you, too." she said, then looked to the Kitsune, "Right Akane?" She knew she would have to vigilant from here on out, and recognized that she had initially let her guard down around Geralt. She decided to try to remain nuetral until the man gave her a reason not to be. Well, she would try her best anyway.

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Geralt made his way inside, a little disappointed that the Ringleader had not been caught in the middle of anything. He'd like to see Lucien...off balance for once, and maybe soon on his back.

Of course, he did not show this in his expression at all, and stood with a smile until the Frenchman offered him a seat. He took it, crossing one leg over the other and tilted his head as he listened to Lucien's shpeal. Of course it was about performances...Geralt had almost hoped that he was in trouble already just so he could see Lucien with ruffled feathers, but this firm and decisive version of him was also acceptable. There was nothing that Geralt could imagine Lucien doing that wasn't a turn on...

He raised an eyebrow as the Ringleader finished speaking, and left a healthy silence between them. Now he saw why Lucien had called Ivory and him in separately. It was likely that Lucien had made sure the girl would be okay with this arrangement before he asked Geralt. There were very few reasons for the Magician to be upset about this, given how attractive and mysterious their little knife thrower was, he wouldn't let her sour attitude ruin his admiration of her...assets. Geralt's only question now was how Lucien got her to agree to this.

Geralt finally spread his hands and fingers wide and shook his head as he answered, "Well, I can't say I'm not just a little shocked by this particular turn of events, but there won't be any complaints from me. I'll be happy to work anywhere you'd like me," he said with a sly smile. After another short pause, her furrowed his eyebrows a bit and added, "Although, I can't say the same for Miss Ivory. It's clear that she doesn't necessarily enjoy my presence. While I don't plan on starting anything, I hope you don't expect that I won't defend myself if she becomes...difficult." Although Geralt aimed to please the Frenchman with every action, he would not prostrate himself. He was to proud for that. If there was a show-stopping argument with Ivory over their placements, he could promise that he would not start it, but he would also not let the girl trample him in public. He had his dignity, and even the promise of a night alone with Lucien wouldn't be enough to cast that aside.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan exited the room quickly, wanting no more debate or dwelling on the subject. He made his way downstairs, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone else that was boarding in the house. Of course, this wasn't hard for him as most avoided him anyway.

He went into the kitchen and began making plates for himself and Lucien. The two had woken up rather late, so there were only the dregs of breakfast left, but as there was no one else in sight at the moment, he raided all of it. After he had filled their plates, he remained for a moment to stuff the last of the bacon into his mouth, and took the last slice of toast as well, before heading up to their room again. At least while they were stuffing their faces, they couldn't talk.

He entered the room and brought the food to the small table in the corner of the room, under the window. He set the plates down and shrugged toward them, still making sure not to put Lucien in his direct line of sight. "A little cold, but serviceable." he grumbled, then sat down and started eating, keeping his eyes trained on his plate.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan grunted, still with his back to Lucien, "That's the dog bitin'." Of course this was in reference to the entire bottle of whiskey the two had shared the night before and the hangover that plagued them both now, but he couldn't help but notice the grim pun.

Once he was dressed, he made for the door, careful not to look directly at the Frenchman. He needed to keep himself focused directly on the task at hand to avoid deviance from his plan. He'd wanted to leave as soon as he reached the door, but he paused as Lucien spoke to him.

His hand hovered against the knob of their door, as his turned an ear toward Lucien. His heart was pulling him one way, back, toward the Frenchman and the bed they had shared that night, but his head pulled him forward and toward a more rational action. He felt as though he might rip in two.

He knew that it would be hard, but that he would have to take away Lucien's hope of discussing the events of the previous night. He steeled himself and said, "There's nothing to talk about." he said, his voice completely devoid of emotion. It was hard enough for him with just his thoughts, his memories of the previous night, he did not want to look at it directly for fear that it may make him slip up. The last time this had happened, he had put Lucien in grave danger. He was not about to let this happen again.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana was glad to hear the the others were in line with her tactic of letting Cora decide for herself. She only needed the tools to know what to look for, which it seemed that she and Ivory were more than willing to give her.

As Aurel began speaking, Illyana locked eyes with him and gave him a small, knowing and reassuring smile. She reached across the table and laid her hand on top of Aurel's briefly. "That's good to remember about your snakes, they act very instinctively. Watching their behavior could be a good way to ward off unsavory situations." This was good news, as far as she was concerned. The more she was able to anticipate about Geralt's reactions and intentions, the better. If Aurel's snakes were having a negative reaction to him, this was certainly cause for concern. It made her feel a little better about her weariness, even after her conversation with Lucien.

After listening to everyone speak their peace, Cora sat a moment to reflect on all she had heard. She understood now why Ivory and Aurel did not trust Geralt, because they too had experienced situations that lead them to be uneasy about him. Ivory distrusted the Magician's never-ceasing charm and read it as his way of hiding something negative about himself, and Aurel was weary because of things that had happened to him in the past. He knew not to trust people at their word. Of course, Cora was not immune to this type of deception. She had witnessed her share of evil when she first came abovewater...but, to her, the man who had taken and hurt her had always been evil. He had no nice words, soft touches, or an ounce of compassion in his rough and calloused heart. He was angry and envious and proud, and he took that out on everything weaker that he came into contact with. She knew this when she had first laid eyes on him, and knew it now even after he was rotting...but Cora did not feel this way about Geralt. There was something in her that told her that there was a lot of depth to him, layers, and that not all of those layers were necessarily bad.

"I understand what you mean, Ivory, Aurel..." she began, looking to each of them, "but...if that's true, isn't the opposite true as well?" She looked at everyone at the table, unsure if she was right or not, but feeling that she was making sense, to herself at least.

Illyana was surprised to hear this from the mermaid, but it sparked her interest to hear this from Cora. "What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Cora looked to Illy and then back at the rest of the group and shrugged, "I mean...if people can hide behind their words to make you believe that they are good when they aren't, then cant people who are good do the same thing? Maybe what he's hiding isn't something bad or dangerous...maybe it is something that he just doesn't want us to know." She looked to Aurel with wide-open eyes and a half-smile, "We all have secrets, that doesn't make us bad people."

Although Illyana wanted desperately to argue with this logic, she could not find the flaw in it. While Cora was not exactly defending Geralt directly, there was no denying that her understanding of him could be true. She opened her mouth as if to respond but could not find the words. She looked to Ivory then, hoping the Dhampir would have something clever to say.

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Geralt arrived at Lucien's trailer with no time to waste. He approached the door, knocked quickly and entered without waiting for a response. Part of him, of course, was hoping to catch Lucien unawares. "Did you send for me, patron?" he said, already halfway inside of Lucien's trailer.