FreckersFrog

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan busied himself with setting up the fire and the food as Aurel and Lucien discussed the facts. Try though he might to distract himself, he knew that he would have to face this head on at some point. Avoiding it would do no one any good...and for the sake of that girl, he and Lucien would have to stay strong when they saw the way her parents reacted to her. In all likelihood, their expressions and actions when they saw her again would be very telling. If they were too eager to have her back, or nervous to see her accompanied by strangers, it would be suspicious, and if they were not eager enough that would also cast doubt upon them. He trusted that he and Lucien would decide the best course of action when the time came, the Frenchman was persuasive with words and the Irishman was intimidating. Either way, they would get their answer.

Faolan paused also as Lucien ruffled the lad's hair and he smiled up at him. Over the years, the three of them really had become a family, and Lucien's interactions with Aurel always reminded Faolan of why he had fell in love with him in the first place. Lucien had no conditions on his love, there was no ceiling to it. Once he loved you, that was it. No negotiation, no way to wriggle away from it. When he had you, he had all of you.

At Aurel's comment, Faolan was shaken from his reverie. He chuckled as he turned back to the fire, "No, she didn't, and yes, it is. She also was more interested in facts about your snake there than any of your other qualities. I think Lucien is right, she doesn't seem the type to judge by appearance alone. If you do speak with her, I would just talk...see if you can get her to open up without asking anything directly. Then let us know if you sense anything strange. Use that nose of yours." He said, tapping the side of his own nose with his index finger as he flashed a smile at Aurel.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt let a small smile play on his lips at the mention of his mother's blood. This was true, if not for her and his father, he would not exist. He at least owed them that much, even if their parentage had been...lacking. "You're not wrong...I suppose that's why it's so easy going down." He rose his glass a bit too, but refrained from sipping from it again. He did not want to cut the night short, he had to pace himself, though it would take at least another two helpings for him to feel its effects.

He raised his eyebrows at the mention of uisce beatha and the following confession. Honestly, he hadn't expected that. Before The Republic of Ireland gained its independence from England in 1922, the British had been attempting to wipe all trace of Irish culture from their domain. It had been illegal to speak Irish and even wear a mustache for a while, as this was seen as an Irish fashion. The fact that a French immigrant living in the United States knew even several phrases in Irish was quite astounding, not to mention fluency.

"You get more and more impressive every time we speak." Geralt said, looking at Lucien with half-lidded eyes and a light, easy smile. "Who taught you? And don't tell me you learned it on the road, or 'here and there' because I know that can't be true." He kept his tone light, but sensed in Lucien's expression a deep sadness. It was a look he had seen many times before, in fact the occasions were countless, as he always recognized it when he looked in a mirror.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ashamed, Illyana averted her gaze from Lucien's face as he withdrew. She could tell by the look in his eye that she had worried him, and she expected nothing else. There would be more questions now, she was sure of it, it was only a matter of when.

That was too much to tackle right now, so she simply nodded to the man and left her eyes on the ground as he, Faolan, and Aurel exited the bus. She waited a few moments in silence, too afraid to move in case she fell. After what felt like an hour but was only mere minutes, Faolan returned and set a bucket of water on the ground near the kitchenette, then opened a cupboard and set several clean towels on the counter. "Don't worry about the water, I'll clean everything up when you're finished. Take your time, I'll be preparing dinner outside." The girl simply nodded as he left, taking the bag from earlier with him, and waited to let out the breath she was holding until he closed the door.

When Faolan returned outside, he set the bag on the ground and busied himself with preparing a fire. He had already dug the put earlier, anticipating that he may need to it warm the meat when he got back from shopping.

To Lucien's question, he turned his head slightly but did not stop his work. He spoke quietly, knowing the girl may be listening. "I think there is much more to her story than she's telling us," he said with a flat tone, clearly worried, "I don't want to force her to say anything she doesn't want to, but I won't leave her in a place that she's not safe either." At this, he stopped and looked up at Lucien as he crouched by the fire, "As much as it bothers me to say...We don't know enough yet, I think we have to see what happens."

This course of action clashed hard with Faolan's general principals about life. He had always espoused freedom as his most cherished right, and it felt restrictive of him to put a condition on leaving the girl in her rightful home. But her reaction to Lucien's reach was more than concerning, and it made Faolan uncomfortable to think that she would want to return to a place where she had suffered any form of abuse. The Irishman's dark green eyes fell on Aurel and he felt his heart squeezed by a cold fist at the thought of being asked to return him to the place they had found him. It made him sick to even consider...so with this girl, well, he was feeling conflicted to say the least.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt absorbed all that Lucien was saying, on some level, he was accepting of the offer for more freedom. However, he was almost positive that Lucien would not be willing or able to give him exactly what he felt he needed, not yet anyway. There was still more foundation to lay before Geralt bared all of his soul to the man. For now, he would have to remember to play his part, act the dutiful employee, and bide his time without letting his ego get the better of him.

Though he heard the words and knew that Lucien meant every one of them, The Magician himself had no illusions about the part he played in Lucien's little "family". He doubted that a few of them would never accept him no matter what he did, no matter Lucien's feelings toward him. Some people could just not be swayed. Cora and Akane already seemed to have opened their arms to him, even if only a little, but Aurel, Illyana, and especially Ivory...no, they would rather sip poison than admit his role in the life that Lucien had built for them. To those three, he was a temporary asset and he knew he would never be anything more.

"Understood, Patron. If I need something to change, you will be the first to know." He flashed a smile and held up two fingers, "Scout's honor."

He was pouring himself another three fingers from the new bottle when Lucien spoke again. He glanced over at the man with a sly expression, "I could say the same for you, you know." After a beat, he capped the whiskey, sipped and added, "My mother was Irish, actually. I inherited none of her features, nor her last name, my father was entirely too German to allow that...but she was born and raised on the Isle. Though, she spoke not a lick of the language, and I never learned, I remember small things like sláinte, dia duit, craic...just little things." He glanced over at the Frenchman as he swallowed another mouthful of whiskey. He was not intending to leave before he felt a little of the effects of the liquor and hoped that his companion would commit to the same. "How about you?. H Your response was too smooth for it to have been mere repetition."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan was relieved to hear Lucien change the subject. If he knew one thing, it was that this girl needed to eat, and sooner rather than later. "I left some washing water outside," he said, and began to move toward the door, "I'll put it in a bucket and bring it in with a clean cloth."

Illyana's attention was immediately taken once more by Lucien's voice, and she jumped slightly as he interrupted them. She had been about to ask Aurel how he was communicating with the creature, but she supposed this was something that she could discuss with him later. She was rather dirty, and she didn't want to scare Isabella by showing up at home looking like this. Lucien was right, it was best if she washed herself, especially if she was going to eat.

She nodded in agreement, then slid the bundle toward her. Why she had decided to stand then and there, she did not know, but her legs seemed to slip out from under her of their own accord. As soon as she tried to hold her own weight, her legs shook, wavered and buckled beneath her. Dizziness struck her head and she felt herself falling, but managed to catch herself against the arm of the bench before she collapsed. She sensed movement next to her and an alarmed look crossed her face as she saw Lucien reach towards her. "Don't touch me!" she shouted and shirked away from his hands, moving away as far as she could while still balancing on the bench.

Faolan had been halfway outside when he heard the shuffle behind him and Illyana call out. Though her voice was not loud, her tone was commanding and forceful. He turned to see the scene and furrowed his brows. There was much more to this than the girl was willing to share, of this he was sure.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien shook his head ever so slightly. "There is no need for such a thing, you are after all, a part of this now." He told him. Everyone here did their part, Geralt included. He was helping them get out of their financial rut, and this in a sense was also helping him continue to be able to care for everyone that was here.

He was silent as Geralt openly explained. He hadn't expected such blatant honesty. Boredom wouldn't have been the reason he might have thought of first.. but after the Magician explained.. Lucien began to understand. He hadn't meant to make Geralt feel like he was restricted in such a way... He could tell that this was hard for Geralt to admit, but he wasn't completely ready to close the door on this conversation just yet. There was something he wanted to add.

"All has been forgiven, Geralt. I just wanted to know your reason. I know you don't want to linger on the topic much longer, but I want to apologize to you for having made you feel this way. I expressed how much I wanted you to have artistic freedom but.. clearly didn't notice how much this was bothering you. That was on me. I should have paid more attention. Please, if you ever feel like you want to do something new with your show, anything at all, come talk to me. The last thing that I would want would be to take the joy of performing away from you." He told him genuinely, but had lifted his glass.

He had been a little surprised to hear him cheer in Irish, though it was appropriate to the drink.

"Not just mine, Geralt. You are one of us now too." He said with a small smile as he gently tapped his glass against the German's.

"Sláinte." He said in response, before pausing for a moment. Deciding to turn the conversation to a lighter subject, he spoke up again. "I must say, your Irish accent is impeccable, despite it being such an uncommon language."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan snorted and shook his head, but heard Illyana speak before he could respond. He raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder at the girl. It was plain to see that she was not at all frightened by the presence of the serpent on board, and in fact seemed much more interested in it than in the food he was about to prepare. She had to be starving...at least this had confirmed his theory about her force of will.

Illyana never took her eyes off of the snake, even as Aurel spoke to her. The way it moved, the way it seemed to turn toward Aurel and the young man's reaction to this...it appeared that the two of them were communicating. This was most curious...if she had the opportunity, she would have to ask him about it later. The boy's admission tot his nationality at least explained his accent as well.

"Actually," she began, completely absorbed in the conversation, "European Asps are extremely venomous. They can kill a human with a single bite. Although, they aren't as dangerous as, say, a common rattlesnake, which produces hemotoxin that can cause necrosis."

Faolan's look morphed from one of surprise to concern as the girl continued to speak. It was clear that whatever she was wrapped up in now, she had fully devoted herself to it. It was strange ton consider her condition and then see her react like this...he wondered what other facts she had floating around in that brain of hers.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Geralt kept his eyes on Lucien as he spoke, balancing the glass between his fingers as it rested on his knee with the other hand relaxed in his lap. He then turned his eyes away and stared at the liquid as it swayed in space.

He was smiling, of course, but in his eyes there was a far off look and his voice was low and thoughtful. "Well, here I am. Ready and willing," he said finally, and kept his eyes averted as he continued. "I was careless and disrespectful to you, and frankly, I'm ashamed of myself." When he turned his eyes back to the Ringleader, there was a glint in them that had not been present before, a force behind them that lit them as if they were alive again. "I'm sorry for the way I acted, please know I meant it as not reflection on you and that it won't happen again."

After a beat, he chuckled to himself as if embarrassed, and shook his head as he took on a lighter tone, "What I'm trying to say, is what is apology liquor without the apology, hm?"

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Faolan took a sharp intake of breath and clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Mmm, I'll give you about seventy-percent." He then pulled from the bag another paper-wrapped bundle, from which the smell of Roast Beef was issuing, and folded paper bag. He unfolded the last parcel and withdrew a large yellow bread roll from its confines, holding it up to Aurel as he spoke and shaking it to tease him. "Its potato bread, for sandwiches."

Illyana watched Faolan's interaction with Lucien and Aurel closely. She could tell by the way that they spoke to one another that they were all very close...family, like Lucien had mentioned before. It was strange to imagine the three men all living together like that. Who did the cooking and cleaning and looked after Aurel? Although he was a teenager, he still wasn't a fully grown adult. Which one of them worked, and which stayed home? Did they trade off? It was strange to imagine...but then again, if they lived on a bus, there was nothing about their lives that was traditional.

As she watched Aurel peek over the passenger seat, she saw something bundled in his lap. It was...moving? A snake?

Her eyes widened, but in wonder, not in fear. She addressed her next question directly to Aurel as she looked over the arm of the bench, trying to get a better look at the creature in his lap. It appeared that she had completely missed Lucien's statement and the mention of food.

"Is that vipera aspis? A European Asp? They're not native to the United States...how did you get it?" She turned herself on the bench so that she could see better, but her arms and legs shook with the effort of it. Despite her interest, she was still extremely weak, and the adrenaline from the lie she had told was beginning to wear off. She didn't seem to mind her hunger or her thirst, however, and was more concerned with the serpent on board.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

A small smile flickered on Geralt's lips at the invitation. It seemed he had been right to think that Lucien would not hold a grudge. Now, all that was left was to take this forgiveness the rest of the way.

He climbed the ladder the old fashioned way, and as his head crested the roof of the trailer, he gave Lucien a look with raised eyebrows. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything...but I see you've gotten started without me." He held up the offering he'd brought, "coincidentally" another bottle of Irish whiskey. "I brought apology liquor, if you'd care for a refill?"

"I do apologize, I was not expecting company." He responded, eyes shifting to the bottle he held.

"Well.. who am I to say no to apology liquor?" He asked, finishing off the glass he had before extending it toward Geralt.

Geralt let a full smile play on his features, then climbed the rest of the way up. He took a look around before sitting down, a look of aw on his face. Way out in the desert, away from all of the lights of the city, the stars were shining exceptionally bright, not to mention the moon.

After taking a seat, Geralt set the bottle that he had brought down, then refilled Lucien's glass with the remainder of what he had brought himself. "Don't worry," he added, then pulled a whiskey glass out of his pocket, "I always bring my own glass." He winked, poured three fingers of the amber liquid into his own receptacle and took a sip.

A moment of silence settled between the two men as they each stared out into the darkness, visualizing whatever it was that had brought them up to the roof in the first place. Each had their own goal, set just beyond where their eyesight could reach.

Finally, Geralt spoke again, "I was, you know..." he glanced at Lucien, and when he saw the man's raised eyebrows, he added, "Avoiding you." The Magician knew that now was the best time for vulnerability. He would have to show some to Lucien in order to receive it in return. It would be easy for him to fake, but harder if it was real. He would just have to open the gate a tiny bit, just enough for some of him to leak out, before he closed it again and locked it tight. If all went well, he knew the reward would be worth the trouble.