FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt and the others stepped out of the way as Lucien directed the carnies to taking down the mess area. Before doing so, the magician snatched up two pieces of toast and disappeared them in his grasp. He smiled over at Aurel, standing next to him and said, "For the road."

As the troupe members began to disperse, Illyana stepped away from Lucien as well, saying, "I've got some things to wrap up as well, see you at the lake." She flashed a small smile, making sure to avoid lingering on Geralt.

The Magician had just pulled a flask out of nowhere and was just unscrewing the lid, his long dexterous fingers working at it while he held it in the same hand. He paused in this when Lucien turned toward him, and after a beat, slowly began twisting the cap back the other way. "Just in the nick of time..." he chuckled and closed his fist, the flask disappearing inside of it. "I wouldn't mind driving at all, if you point me in the right direction." He smiled, though it was somewhat strained.

You best hope no one else notices the shake in your hand...the sweat on your brow...Magician. The voice spat.

It was true that Geralt's addictive personality often lead him to overindulge in vices. His dark passenger was capable of diminishing the symptoms of this abuse, but his whims were his own, and they were hardly ever happy with each other. This was his form of revenge for Geralt's passivity with the troupe at the moment. It was no matter, he had learned to ignore it over the years.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan nodded at Aurel's explanation. He didn't know what the last word meant, but he could tell that it had something to do with the boy's throat or chest because of the way he glanced down when he said it. He was about to clarify when he heard Lucien stirring.

He looked over to the Nephilim and gently shook his head, his expression tight. "Boy's not feeling well. What does 'krank' mean?" his accent made his German sound absurd, but he knew Lucien would understand him, he always did.

"It means ill, or.. nauseous, depending on use." Lucien said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Mmm..." Faolan said, now certain that he was correct about the boy's condition. As Lucien joined him in a crouching position in front of the boy, Faolan leaned back to whisper in his ear, "Sílim go bhfuil sé as an alcól .... tarraingt siar."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana had returned to the mess area just before Ivory and the carnies started filtering in. She accepted her pay and tucked it into the pocket of her dress, then stood near Lucien with her hands folded in front of her. She kept her expression neutral throughout Lucien's statement, making sure to glance at Geralt when he rose his mug toward The Magician.

Geralt handed out the beverages and took a sip of his own as he remained standing while listening to Lucien's announcement. He looked over the crowd around them, sizing up the true number of hands at Lucien's disposal. It appeared that he had a total of eleven rubes in addition to himself and the performers. It made sense now why the man seemed so desperate for money, he had many mouths to feed and pay for. The carnies themselves didn't seem to take as large of a chunk from the coffer, but each of them still had to be fed and cared for while in the circus' employ. It was a shame, considering that Geralt knew he could do the jobs of at least half of them, and if the troupe had a strong man...well, they would be entirely devoid of use. Maybe, as time wore on, Geralt could convince Lucien to cut a few of them loose. It may be difficult, but Geralt had no doubt that he could convince him given the right opportunity. He'd wait, of course, until the two of them were closer and his opinion had more sway.

The Ringleaders words sparked him from his reverie, and he looked over at him with a bit of genuine surprise. He swallowed the gulp of coffee in his mouth, then laid a hand on his chest as he spoke, "I am humbled by your kindness, sir. And to the rest of Cirque D'étoiles for offering me a proper welcome." He rose his mug to the crowd before continuing, "If I'd known, I may have brought something special from town to contribute. Oh well, maybe there will be time yet." he added a wink to the end of this speech. Though he was a bit taken aback by this detour, he thought it would be a welcome distraction for everyone and a chance to worm his way a little deeper into their ranks. A welcome party certainly meant alcohol, which meant lowered inhibitions, which gave The Magician perfect opportunities to press for a bit more information about the members of the troupe.

Still, he did have one more question with regards to this little get-together...but he would wait until the crowd dispersed before he asked.

Cora's eyes sparkled with happiness as Lucien concluded his speech. Of course, she had been looking forward to the lake ever since it was mentioned in the trailer right before recruiting Geralt. Having a party on top of that was so exciting! She had heard about them before, but had never really attended one. She was excited to see what it all entailed, and maybe she would have a chance to speak with Akane about it before they started moving. Some members of the troupe had had small celebrations for what they referred to as "birthdays", but at the time, Cora had not been interested in attending due to her...nervousness around people. A couple of months ago, they had officially welcomed Cora with a small "party" when she'd begun performing with the troupe, but it had been quiet and small. If everyone, including the workers were invited, she had no doubt this would be the true party she had heard about.

"Oh, this sounds wonderful!" she shouted, unable to contain herself. "I can't wait!" she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Akane once more, placing her thin pale hand over her friend's and giving it a squeeze to show her excitement.

Illyana could not help but smile a little as she saw Cora's reaction to this. It had taken a good amount of time for her to be comfortable interacting with them, and now she was really coming out of her shell. Illyana could sense her heightened excitement in her aura, and was thankful that she was far enough away that it would not effect her mentally. Cora's psychic abilities were quite powerful, but they were just starting to show themselves. Illyana was excited to see where they would take her once she was truly comfortable with them.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt smiled wider as he stood and grabbed a mug for Lucien. He poured, then looked over the fixings on the table and found that they still had a little bit of cream left. He'd noticed that Lucien took cream the other day, so he lifted the carafe and poured a small amount into the mug. He paused a moment and glanced over his shoulder at Lucien's comment on his appearance, and a small mischievous grin lit his features. "If I could trade mistakes for sheep..." He said flippantly, with a shrug, then added, "I'm sure I'll be just fine, I'm well suited to travel." He stirred the liquid until it was a dark umber color, just shy of black. He turned and offered the mug to the Ringleader as Akane and Cora approached. "For you, patron."

Cora and Akane had been organizing her clothes when Illyana had come for them. She'd wasted not time in hoisting herself into her chair and leaving with Akane, happy to see the others before setting off. Today, she had chosen a long-sleeved and high-neck dark green dress and Akane had offered her a beige jacket to wear over it, due to the chill air today. She smiled as they made their way across the grounds and the warm sun touched her cheeks. She was beginning to like being outside during the day, it was a stark contrast to the cold ocean water she had lived in all her life.

She smiled with her usual brightness as she greeted Lucien and the others, "Good morning everyone!" She noticed Geralt had his back to the group and turned to hand Lucien a mug of something steaming. She immediately noticed the bags under his eyes and the sallow look of his skin. Though he seemed clean and well-groomed, his hair was hanging over his forehead a bit and his posture seemed a bit drained. She tilted her head at this, but said nothing. Humans were strange creatures, she was more interested in observing their behavior than anything else.

"To the two of you as well, damen. Would you like some coffee?"

Cora, who never usually drank coffee but was just beginning to like it, responded with a loud "Yes please!" and Akane nodded as well.

Geralt smiled at both of them, but paused before turning back to the pot. "Don't tell me...lots of dressing for the both of you?"

Cora nodded vigorously. She did prefer a lot of sugar and cream, though Lucien had told her that eventually she would grow out of that. She wanted to enjoy it while she had the chance. "Medium for Akane though," she said, looking over her shoulder at her friend.

Geralt nodded his understanding, then set about making coffee.

A fine maid they'll make out of you yet, Geralt...The gravelly voice said snidely, but The Magician ignored it. While he was happy to do this every once in a while, of course he didn't want them to get used to him waiting on them, there was no use of letting this good mood go to waste.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan watched the boy's face carefully as he looked at him from out of the bundle he had made for himself. Searching his face, the Irishman immediately noticed that his cheeks were flushed, far redder than would be normal for this temperature. He heard a shake in the boy's voice through his short response, and saw how white his knuckles were as his small hand peeked out to grip the edge of the blanket.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger at the boy, but in anger at his suspicions. He had smelled alcohol in the room that they'd found this "snake" in, and noted his wobbly demeanor and half-lidded eyes. He'd been drunk when they found him, and Lucien had presumably taken care of that with his ability. It was possible that if this was truly "normal" as the child indicated, that he was experiencing withdrawal. Faolan had seen it enough in his childhood, and the smell of sweat that wafted out from under the child's blankets only confirmed this fear. The Irishman's father had been an incurable drunkard, the result of a pour of whiskey into every cup of coffee he had ever seen the man drink. "To warm the bones," the man always said. He'd offered the amber liquid to Faolan as a boy, before he was ten years old, and though he had been curious, Faolan had only pretended to sip it after a harsh look from his mother. If his father went any length of time without drinking, if they'd run out and not had a chance to go to town for the grocer, he'd begin to shake and sweat. His stomach would heave, he would be mean and angry and lash out. He'd vomit and curse, and strike Faolan and even his sister and mother on occasion. Drink made him bearable at least, and as a young boy Faolan had found it more preferable for his father to be with alcohol rather than without. This became such a fear of his, that Faolan would often sneak a bottle away and return it only when his father was close to running out, just to be sure he would not turn into the monster he could be. It usually worked, and that was his life before the attack.

This would not be the case with this boy. Though Faolan was still uneasy about touching the child, not to mention the snakes that coiled about him, he reached a hand up slowly. "Is it okay if I feel your forehead?" he asked gently and quietly, letting his hand hover before making contact with the boy's forehead. Depending on how hot the child's skin was, he could tell how far the withdrawal had progressed, and if it was withdrawal at all or something more sinister.

The boy looked slightly uneasy, but nodded anyway. Faolan's eyes flashed to the snake near the boy's throat, but it made no move at him as he slowly made contact with the boy's forehead. It was burning hot, even hotter than Faolan's already warm skin. This confirmed his worse fear, and his face hardened. If he ever saw that man, Johan, again...

"What are your other symptoms?" he said, still keeping his voice low but no longer whispering. He would need Lucien now, to clear the boy's illness, at least this time, and Lucien would never forgive him if he suspected Faolan of trying to keep this from him.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Ah, our fearless leader shows himself at last," Geralt said in English as Lucien greeted them. He noticed that the Ringleader looked quite tired. Though he was, of course, well-dressed and groomed to hide it, the dullness in his golden eyes was a clear indicator for The Magician. It appeared that his night out had been a bit longer than anyone actually knew. He wondered absently what pressing matter that elderly couple had to offer...but pushed the thought from his mind. There was time yet to find out all he wanted to know. Desperation had never been his color.

He accepted the pouch graciously, weighing it in his hand for a moment before setting it on the table next to him. "I'm sure this is more than sufficient, thank you. I have no doubt that our success will only increase the longer we travel together." He could see the man sizing him up, and let a pause hang in the air for a moment before adding, "I heated up the coffee, would you like me to make you a cup? You look a bit...worn out." No need to dance around it, after all. He knew Lucien would have noticed his own state of exhaustion but was too polite to point it out. Geralt was not bound by the same conventions when it came to the Ringleader, and he was feeling particularly...relieved after his excursions last night.

Illyana left quickly and went about gathering everyone to send to the mess area. Akane was in Cora's trailer, making sure everything was buttoned up tight for the road. She informed the both of them and left, searching the grounds for Ivory next and last. She found her in her trailer, saving up her energy for their party at the lake.

"Ivory," she said as she knocked on the door, "Lucien is holding morning meeting in the mess area. Whenever you're ready." she said, and left before the dhampir could answer. She knew the woman was awake, she could sense her dwindling aura, but knew she was conscious and waiting.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan was perfectly content and able to sleep on the passenger seat with the seat back all the way down. He reminded Lucien that he was capable of sleeping on the floor with no padding at all, and that he would be more than fine on the seat, but it took him actually laying on it and refusing to move for the man to let his decision go. He did fall asleep quickly with his arms wrapped around himself under a thinning blanket, but made sure to position himself so that he could see Lucien in the rear-view mirror. It was easier for him to fall asleep knowing that he could open his eyes and see his beloved was safe and comfortable...

Eventually, he drifted off and slept through the night with no trouble at all. He awoke before dawn as he sensed the sun's rise. His body usually woke up on its own. It was a brisk October morning, but Faolan was almost never cold. He shrugged off the blanket and stretched silently in the seat once he saw that Lucien was still asleep. A small smile lit his face, and he was about to stand slowly and quietly to go relieve himself when he remembered the boy on the cot between them. He reached up to turn the mirror so he could see the child.

At first, all seemed well. The boy was still and quiet, and Faolan was about to turn the mirror back, when he saw the slightest shiver coming from him. Was he cold? Lucien had made sure to pile him with every nice blanket they had, and the child had fallen asleep with the jacket Faolan had brought him still on, but maybe the boy was especially sensitive to the cold.

Slowly, Faolan got up and moved toward the cot. He took the blanket he had been using, by far their thinnest but still infused with his body heat, and laid it atop the pile the boy had wrapped himself in. He turned to go, but paused. Normally, he would have let this go, but something in him sensed that this was not right. His instincts for protection were going off in him like alarms. Silently, he turned back and crouched in front of the boy, not too close to scare him, but within arm's reach.

"Hey..." he whispered, and reached a hand out to touch the boy's shoulder. He could just see his forehead and long blonde hair twining out from under the blanket. "Are you alright?" he asked, making sure to keep his voice as low as possible. He knew Lucien would awaken, but if he could discern the cause of the shiver before then, Faolan would ease the man's stress a bit. Lucien cared far too much and sometimes it was at great personal risk to his own health. Faolan knew having this child here would only make Lucien's stress levels rise, so he wanted to do his part if he could to ease some of that for him.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt's face tightened ever so slightly when Aurel answered. The young man was obviously nervous, it seemed The Magician had struck a chord with him. He couldn't tell if this unease was due to the question or the answer, and whether or not the redheaded man in the picture was dead or alive. He guessed the latter, just based on how both Lucien and Aurel had responded to his question, but at this point there was no way to know.

He would have pressed harder if he had not seen Illyana coming at them as fast as her slender legs could carry her tiny frame toward them. He leaned forward and opened his mouth, as if he were about to reach out to comfort Aurel and say something, despite the serpent, but stopped when he "noticed" the girl on the horizon.

Illyana reached the two quickly, and she seemed to have caught them at an awkward moment. Geralt was reaching toward Aurel's shoulder, but still a ways off, when he paused and looked over at her. It seemed she had cut him off. His expression lightened and she opened her mouth before he could, "Aurel, good morning!" she spoke a little too loudly, but lowered the volume as she reached them and came to a stop. She nodded sagely towards The Magician, "Geralt." was all she said in the way of greeting. Then, she turned back to the Snake Charmer and her chipper voice returned, "Lucien wants to see us all for a morning meeting."

Geralt nodded back toward the Diviner and smiled. "Good morning to you, Madame Illynova," he said, though he noticed she was not wearing all of her typical garb this morning and had replaced her scarf with a cloche hat. He'd noticed movement in the direction of Lucien's trailer, it appeared their leader was heading in their direction. "Where should we meet him?"

Illyana noted Geralt's exhaustion in his expression, posture, and the bags under his dark eyes. She had her ideas about how he'd spent the evening, but it was none of her business. If it got him to leave the circus grounds, it was worth it in her opinion, even if it was just overnight. "Oh, uhm..." she paused and glanced over her shoulder, realizing Geralt's meaning, "Here, I suppose. He's on his way."

Geralt's eyes slid over to Lucien as he strode toward them and back to Illyana. He said nothing, but his smile widened and he tilted his head slightly.

"Well..." she said, feeling her cheeks grow hot as she realized how foolish she looked. "I have to...go get the others." And before either man could respond, she had turned and run off toward Cora's trailer.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan felt himself relax a little at Lucien's suggestion. He was glad to hear that this was the plan, and he knew that it was the best course of action. Having Lucien around was better for both himself and the child, he was sure that the Nephilim's calming aura was felt by not only himself but their new charge as well. Getting him to be more self-sufficient was also best, as Faolan still had issues with close proximity with anyone except for Lucien. He wasn't sure the boy wanted to be touched by him any way, so it was best to let Lucien handle all of that until the boy could wash and dress himself, at least, and did not need to be carried anywhere.

He nodded his agreement, but his cheeks reddened ever so slightly at the Frenchman's last comment. He finished his meal in silence, wiped his face on his sleeve and shrugged before turning away to look into the fire. He couldn't help but let a small smile linger, even through his embarrassment. Knowing that Lucien felt comfortable and safe with him was what he considered to be his greatest asset in life. As long as he was there to protect him, he considered his course a success. Although he doubted that the child would ever be truly comfortable with him, Lucien's explanation and guidance would be enough to help him along.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt had been correct, the boy knew nothing of what his previous comment has insinuated. Oh well, it was no matter, plenty of time to explore that avenue when the time came.

At his response, Geralt raised his eyebrows as he took another sip from his coffee mug. He let out a sigh of satisfaction, then nodded as he slowly brought his eyes from the liquid in his mug to Aurel's face once more. "Ah...that explains the drawing I saw in Lucien's quarters. That must have been you."

Geralt had his suspicions from the moment he laid eyes on the crudely drawn family portrait that Lucien kept in his chamber, but the signature in the corner had confirmed it. Aurel didn't know, however, that Geralt had been close enough to see that it was signed. He was simply using this as a tactic to gather information, and the drawing was a god way to ask about the past.

"Lucien and yourself were easy to recognize, of course. But...I noticed a redheaded pair in that picture, a larger man and a small girl. I was surprised to find out that Illyana is the little ginger. But, the man...I haven't seen anyone who even remotely looks like him around here. Is he simply hiding or...is he no longer with us?" Geralt tried to keep his expression even when he asked, but a little bit of his wicked smile poked through. The night had left him more tired than he thought, and he was not as on edge without the others around. This, coupled with Lucien's answer about the man from their previous conversation about the picture made him thirst for the knowledge and almost show it. He knew that Aurel was simply not perceptive enough to see his true intention. On the outside, this seemed a friendly and candid chat about the young man's past and nothing more.

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Illyana nodded to Lucien's suggestion before scurrying off towards the mess area. There was no more time for idle chit-chat, she had to see what was going on over there.