FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt nodded to Lucien graciously and quickly made his way over to where the Carnies were working, rolling his sleeves up as he went.

Illyana saw Lucien approach out of the corner of her eye, and watched as the Magician half-ran toward the Carnies, who had finished with Cora's tank and were now setting up for them. She tiled her head slightly, but her eyes were torn away when Lucien began speaking to her. She shrugged, twisting her mouth a bit, "She did look happy." A small smile crept in after she spoke, the silliness of how she sounded making itself aware to her in this moment. It appeared that the fresh air was even doing her some good.

"What's he doing, anyway?" she asked, nodding towards Geralt as he began waving carnies out of the way.

"He's going to help set up," Lucien answered with a whimsical smile as he followed the young woman's gaze.

The Magician came to a stop as he reached the spot where the carnies were setting up. He waved to the man who seemed to be in charge and asked if he would kindly move his men out of the way. Reluctantly, they agreed, with a little more coaxing as Geralt waved them all aside, smiling widely at them to show his intent and hiding his annoyance with them as they slowly meandered out of the way.

Once they were clear, her took a moment to survey the area and see what he had to work with. The men had already laid out the poles and the fabric to attach, which was good. The table, chairs and other accouterments were still being unloaded. It was no matter, he'd have it all finished in a matter of minutes.

He rubbed his hands together, noticing that everyone above the water had their eyes on him, he could feel them. A small smile cracked his face as he stretched out his arms and fingers as wide as they could go, encompassing all of the materials in sight. Slowly, everything just started to rise, the levitate as if attached to invisible puppet-strings that ran from the Magician's fingertips. With a twitch of Geralt's digits, he sent the poles drifting upright as the fabric began to float as well, as if an invisible wind were picking up beneath it. He stretched it out and moved it onto the poles, securing all four corners with a flick of his wrist. Once everything was put together, he turned his palms to the ground and brought them down quickly, the sharpened ends of the poles puncturing the earth to a manageable depth. Once he was comfortable that this setup was firm, he turned his attention to the chairs, tables, and cooking materials. In a matter of minutes, everything had been levitated over to he designated area and set in its proper place. He maintained a slight smile the whole time, but made sure it looked like he was concentrating. He didn't want anyone who watched thinking it was too easy, or they'd be after him too much.

Illyana's eyes went wide as she watched the spectacle unfold. Of course, she had thought him capable of this from the things she had seen in the big top...but the ability to move objects into place with such ease...and something as complex as a tent-like mechanism...it was frankly astounding to behold. After she had gotten over her initial shock, she drew her small notebook out of the other pocket of her dress, and, tucking her reading material under her arm, quickly scribbled everything down as she watched. She had all but forgotten that Lucien was standing right there, watching her do it, but wouldn't have minded much if he said anything. She was just being thorough, after all.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana was glad to see that their conversation had caused Aurel's aura to brighten, as this had been her intention. She agreed to help with the snakes, then pressed the book to her chest and watched her friend as he made his way toward the water, removing his clothes as he did so. As she saw that his skin was becoming exposed, the medium re-positioned herself to at least somewhat block Geralt's line of sight on the young man. Once he was fully submerged, she relaxed a bit and the smile slowly returned to her face as a cool breeze brushed past her face. The smell out here was wonderful, and the way the wind moved through the tree branches...it was nice to spend some time outside every now and again.

Geralt watched the two younger denizens' interactions closely as the lull in his and Lucien's conversation deepened. He saw the way they looked at each other, their body language...it was clear that they were comfortable with each other. Curious, he hadn't noticed this before. Illyana's expression when she spoke to the young German was soft and gentle, at ease, but it was different than the way she looked when she spoke to Lucien. He couldn't quite tell what was going on between them, but it had to be something.

Lucien's words drew his eye back to the object of his desires once more. He crossed his arms over his chest as he listened, nodding sagely. "Ah, I see..." he said, and caught sight of the carnies beginning the setup for the mess area tent. He leaned over to get a better look around. "I think I might be of service with at least some of this. Do you mind if I excuse myself?" he said this as he slowly began to take a step toward where the carnies were gathered. He would make short work of their toil, and would barely break a sweat. What better way to demonstrate his value to Lucien than to help his tired, his poor, his huddled masses?

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan raised his eyebrows as he listened to the conversation between Aurel and Lucien. The two seemed to be hitting it off well, and Lucien was just as interested in him as the child was in the Frenchman, it seemed. The Irishman finished his meal, had an extra piece of sausage, and set about gathering the plates and utensils for washing. He walked over to the lake water and rinsed the dishes, not bothered by the bitter cold of the water as much as Lucien would have been. He then filled a pot and began boiling water for a more sanitary wash, but listened to their conversation the whole.

It was clear that the child was intelligent and observant, given his age and the things he had seen. What a waste it would have been for him to stay in such an evil place...Faolan could see Lucien's eyes sparkle as they talked, clearly he had noticed the same thing about the child and was no doubt gauging his mental abilities now that they had cataloged his current physical state. It was good to know what the boy would be capable of once they trained him more, whether he would be able to strike out on his own or not. This wasn't necessarily what the Irishman wanted, per se, he couldn't see Lucien denying the boy a place with them if he wanted to stay. At the same time, Faolan wanted to be sure that the boy knew that he was free to leave whenever he wanted. It was important to him to impress that now, before it became a question, especially because up til now, Aurel had essentially been a prisoner.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Cora laughed aloud as well as the two broke the surface, and her giggle continued as they plunged into the lake once more. She continued to swim around with Akane, delighted that she had someone to experience this with.

Geralt's raised an eyebrow at Lucien's response and his half-smile widened slightly. He was pleased to see that The Ringleader was comfortable enough to be playful with him...this was a good sign. "I suppose we will..." he said, somewhat quietly as he studied the Ringleader's face. He re-positioned himself slightly so he was standing next to the Frenchman, close enough for their hands to brush against each other, given the chance.

As he did, Aurel and Illyana's exchange caught his eye and he tuned his ear to their conversation, though he did not make it obvious that he was listening. It appeared that the two were close...maybe more than friends? He would have to slip the question into casual conversation later.

Illyana made sure to keep her smile on, her expression light in her interaction with Aurel. She didn't like to see him down, especially about Faolan. She shook her head, then pulled a small book out of the pocket of her dress and shook it before the young man's eyes. "You underestimate my dedication to knowledge, Aurel..."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"Mmm..." he agreed with Lucien, then gave him a long look. Faolan hadn't realized how much of a carnal appetite he had until he and Lucien had become physical. Of course, he was always respectful, but he couldn't deny that his desire was almost never quenched. These past nights had been especially hard...

He tore his mind away from that, not wanting to get himself deeper down a rabbit hole that he could not navigate back out of. He merely grunted at Lucien's next comment, having caught only the tail end of the exchange.

The boy--Aurel's voice directed at him caught his attention, however, and he looked up from eating again, eyebrows raised. "Me?" he asked, a little stupidly. "Oh, ehm, Ireland. I'm afraid my accent won't transfer well..." he paused a moment, and cleared his throat, "Ich höre mich nach Spaß an, wenn ich darüber spreche." His accent grated as his mouth wrapped around the words. Though German was close to Irish, possibly closer than any other language, there was something about it that was confusing to his palette. Maybe it was because the two languages were so similar...

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan was glad that Lucian had seemingly put and end to his pondering and chosen something that the two of them liked. Aurel...hm, Faolan didn't mind the sound of that very much either. Actually, he rather liked it. It suited the boy.

Faolan chuckled and shook his head as he finished the last of his first serving. "It's only been a day...I suppose you'll be able to give your mind a rest now." He offered a quick wink to his beloved, but was distracted by Aurel grabbed his attention.

He looked down at the half-full plate, realizing too late that he'd been frowning. Everything in him told him to push the plate back toward the boy and make him finish it, but he resisted the urge. It was what his father would have done. His grandparents had lived through the great Famine of 1845, and had instilled in his father a hatred for waste of any kind. Though Faolan had resisted many of his father's traits, this was one that had been passed down to him. Still, Faolan knew he needed to go easy on the boy...Aurel, so he turned his frown into a smile and took the plate.

"Danke," he said, in horribly accented German, before he began to eat.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan watched Lucien's face as he thought, smiling and nearly forgetting all about his food. He always loved watching him when he was deep in thought, or reading a book. He could be so entranced that the world around him just melted away...Faolan had always admired that ability, to just tune everything out. Sometimes, the two would absently be holding hands, and no matter how far away Lucien's eyes or expression got as he delved further into thinking or reading, his grip on Faolan's hand would never falter. It was always steady and cool and comforting.

He snapped himself out of his reverie when Lucien and the boy settled on a name. He looked between them for a moment, then shrugged, "That was fast," he said, then after a beat repeated after them, "Aurel..." he said, trying it out as he looked over at the child. "Mm..." he said in approval, and nodding before he filled his mouth with more eggs.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt merely shrugged, as if to respond with 'If you say so...' It was then that a flash of water and light caught his attention and drew his gaze to the water's surface once more.

Cora had seen Akane's gesture, and smiled to her, nodding her agreement. As the young Kitsune began paddling toward the surface, Cora let her take the lead for a moment, but couldn't help but be playful now that they were in the water. With a burst of speed, she caught up to Akane, took her by hand and pulled her behind as she rocketed toward the surface. Though her "human" or "land" form seemed frail, slender, and weak, in the water, Cora realized her true strength. Her legs had been traded for the tail she'd had since birth, and the water flowed through and with her like the blood in her veins. She was one with it and a resident of it at the same time.

She'd gathered enough speed in just a few strokes of her long powerful tail and fin to break the surface of the water with Akane still in tow. A brilliant burst of water came forth as they broke the surface, droplets falling all around them like diamonds as they shot into the air. Because she was still carrying Akane, the two of them didn't go too high, but it was high enough to make a spectacle, and all of Cora's fish-like features were visible to onlookers if they were paying attention.

Geralt caught the trick mid-way through, and it was then that he realized his suspicion was correct. Cora had to be a mermaid. He spotted Akane's red hair and the tips of her tails, the crimson of her swimsuit, before the two women were obscured by water and foam once again. But of Cora, he saw green scales glinting in the sunlight, translucent fins the color of mist. long green hair like seaweed, and her long muscular tail, the opalescent fin at the end of it arcing through the air like the wing of a gigantic butterfly.

He just managed to keep his jaw from dropping as the two became invisible once more beneath the water's surface. He looked back at Lucien, even sparing a glance for Aurel and Illyana who were standing nearby, his eyes glistening with genuine wonder. "I...well..." he paused, chuckling as he pushed the hair out of his face and shook it, "I want to say that now I truly must've seen everything...but, I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of what I may see if I stick around."

Illyana had been watching Aurel's face as he'd joined them, and she didn't even need the melancholy in his aura to tell her what he must have been thinking about. In the old days, the four of them would come to the lake sometimes when they were out or needed a break from the routine of their lives. Lucien and Faolan and Aurel would go swimming, even though the water was so cold. Faolan and Aurel would splash her sometimes as she sat at the water's edge, just letting her feet dip in. She would scream, and pretend to be mad that her book had gotten wet, and instead take up great fistfuls of mud and hurl them at her attackers. Lucien would laugh with them all, and even managed to coax Illy into wading a bit, but never past her hips. Swimming wasn't really her forte, and she had no desire to learn...but she liked watching them. Remembering the smiles on all of their faces, it made her long to see it again...even if only for a moment.

She looked over at Aurel, smiling as Cora and Akane finished their arc through the air, and nudged him with her elbow. "You going in?" she asked, playfully. She could tell that he wanted to, but something was holding him back...probably Geralt. She knew that Aurel was self-conscious, and though he was comfortable with all of them, he wouldn't want to show that man his back. He was still a stranger after all. But still, she thought she should play with him a little bit, make him remember that she and Lucien were still here, even if Faolan couldn't be.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt nearly flinched when he heard Illyana's voice as it cut through their conversation. He noted with displeasure that Lucien became aware of how close they were and stepped away. No matter, there would be time enough for chit-chat later when everyone was distracted by his welcome party. He turned toward the girl and smiled down at her, though he was sure to show her and her only that he'd been annoyed by her interruption.

Illyana nodded, glancing at Geralt for a moment and noting the twinge of tightness in his smile. She didn't mind if he was annoyed, for someone who was so observant, it was nice to see him a bit off balance for a change. Afterward, she followed the Ringleader's gaze out over the water, letting her smile remain and even become genuine for a moment. A light cool breeze wafted over the water and pushed the hem of her dress into her shins. "She must be having an amazing time down there..." she said, slightly wistfully. It must be nice for the mermaid to feel some semblance of home after all this time, and briefly wondered what it would be like when she returned to where she belonged.

Geralt couldn't help but follow Illyana and Lucien's eyes out over the lake, just as the other trucks were pulling up. Neither of them seemed worried, in fact, they seemed pleased for witnessing the drowning of a physical handicapped singer. However...no, it couldn't be. Suddenly, the thought struck him that Cora's title of "La Sirène" was more literal than he first imagined. Come to think of it, he had not actually seen Cora's performance...and he hadn't heard it either. After witnessing her singing, he had just assumed this was her function, but with a voice like that, with the power it held, he would have absolutely heard it if she were singing. Could it be that she was an actual, in the flesh, mermaid...?

"Uh..." he said, interjecting as he sensed movement as the other trucks arrived. "Should we...does Cora need assistance?" he looked between the two of them, feigning confusion. There was no reason to let them know just how confident he was in his discovery. In fact, Lucien seemed to enjoy surprising him, he'd let the man have a little more pleasure before revealing what he'd guessed.

It was then that Akane arrived, tossed her clothing aside and leapt into the water in a swimsuit. Geralt decided then and there that today was the best yet since his joining of Cirque D'étoiles.

"Oh, it seems Miss Akane has beaten us to it," He said, letting a delighted smile spread over his face once more.

Meanwhile, Cora had been enjoying the freedom and elation that always came when she entered a living body of water. She felt one with it, and all the animals in it, as it whooshed through her gills and caressed every curve of her body. She started by slowly drifting through the water, then gradually began to pick up speed. Fish and other creatures of the lake did not seem to be afraid of or even mind her at all. It was nice to be just another part of the ecosystem again, especially after all of the stares and attention she received on the surface.

She was just doing her fifth lap of the lake, gaining speed, when she felt ripples indicating that someone else had entered. She slowed, twirled through the water and made her way toward the disruption in the water, smiling wide as she realized that it was Akane. She greeted her friend by swimming around her in an elegant circle, as she and her sisters used to do after a long time apart. It was comforting to her to reenact these rituals, even if Akane didn't truly know what they meant.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan smiled through a mouthful of food at Lucien's attempt at deniability. He hadn't exactly hounded him about it or anything, but the Frenchman had brought it up often enough that the Irishman deduced that it must have been important to him. At least enough to make it known. Faolan had never been a man to keep up with any fashion trends anyway, he liked his long hair, and doubted that it would ever change.

"Oh, by all means," he said after swallowing a mouthful of food as Lucien was already tying up the boy's hair. He watched this exchange and saw how delicate Lucien was being. He was always gentle, but watching him with the child was heartwarming in a different way. Lucien would make a good father...given the opportunity. This was a feeling that Faolan had always had, but now was just realizing how true it really was. His smile remained, but turned almost sad as this thought touched him.

There was a bit of silence that passed between them as Faolan thoughts turned toward Lucien and the family he had never had...might never have, especially if the two of them...well, if they were together forever. Faolan loved Lucien, more than anyone, and wanted him to be happy. He hoped that he would be enough, but he had worried in the past that he couldn't be. Maybe having the boy here...it would help with that, at least a little. Or maybe it would make it worse. Only time would tell.

As Lucien sat and looked over at the child, Faolan shrugged as he continued to eat. At a break between bites, he said, "You might be thinking too hard about it." he said, offhand, then looked over at the boy. "Just look at him, see what comes to mind. Isn't that how parents do it?" Not that Faolan would know, but to him, it seemed a more natural and instinctual process than an intellectual one. Then again, almost ever process was instinctual with him.