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Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien went back to looking at his glass as Geralt spoke, swirling the wine a little more before taking another sip, taking another moment to appreciate its taste. "It's not a terrible hobby to have." He had been quite disappointed when Prohibition started, but he had made due without it, until it had become legal again. He didn't find it worth the hassle of trying to get a hold of it, and considering Faolan had never been much of a drinker, it wasn't something they really needed.

Now, however, he was able to indulge as much as he wanted, when it could be afforded at least. He couldn't deny that he had missed it, however, and even now he was hit with the nostalgia of home, now that they were talking about it. He decided to slightly turn his chair to face Geralt as he had remained near his board, and was interested in his response. Leaving home as a teenager.. he supposed for some that wasn't that odd, but it did make him curious.. exactly how much 'a long time' was, considering the rumors of how long the magician had been practicing his magic.

At his mention of the war, Lucien averted his gaze. Those were certainly.. troubled times. Bordeaux had gotten lucky during the war.. as it had been made the temporary capital during the attacks on Paris. He didn't like to think about it, he felt the same about war. It was unnecessary bloodshed and cruelty. It brought out the worst in people.

"Yes.. I left slightly less than a year before it started.." He muttered, a hint of nostalgia in his voice at all the memories that followed that fateful journey.

He looked back up at Geralt, shaking his head. "No.. of course not. Individuals should not be held responsible for the actions of their country, or its leaders." He could tell from the way the Geralt spoke that he was being genuine in his words, and he appreciated that. From the sound if it, it didn't seem like he had been in Germany during that time either, but he decided not to ask.

"Well enough of that.. nasty business. We don't want to spoil the flavor of a good wine do we?" He said, hoping to steer the subject of the conversation elsewhere. It was not a topic he preferred to linger on.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien had not expected Faolan's awakening to take so long. After the first hour of waiting, it became a lot harder for the nephilim to remain awake after all the flying he had done last night, so he had eventually trailed off into sleep. It wasn't until another hour had passed that the man was startled awake by the sound of Faolan's voice.

"Faolan!" Immediately he tried to rise to his feet to go to him, but again that stinging sensation shot up his leg, causing him to wince and remain where he was. This pain thing would certainly take a little while to get used to. He glanced over to Faolan, who had sat up now, but realizing he still hadn't... dressed, he tried to avert his gaze to literally anywhere else, a little flustered.

"Are.. are you alright?" He asked him worriedly. It seemed like his head was in pain. "Do.. you want me to heal you?" He added a little more quietly, unsure of what to really do in this situation. Despite his exhaustion, he figured he could manage it. Considering the previous circumstances he had healed him after his return, he could only imagine it was much worse right after shifting back.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien had certainly not expected Geralt to take further interest in his board, but he hadn't really been given much time to answer him, as he had already began to make his way toward the desk. He held back a sigh, it was too late now. The man clearly had no hesitation when it came to satisfying his own curiosity. That shouldn't have surprised him, but he didn't get too annoyed by it, and allowed the flavor of the wine to distract him.

"You certainly know your wine well." He commented, as the man wasn't wrong in his statement.

At his following question, Lucien glanced in Geralt's direction as he inspected the board. "Around twenty-two years? It's been quite a while." He said. Honestly he didn't mind answering these types of questions, it's not like he had anything to hide, it also opened windows for him to ask some of his own if he wanted to, though he wasn't sure how quickly he wanted to begin to pry into the man's life.

"And you? Berlin was it?" He asked, finding it a good chance to return the question.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

By the time the sun could be seen on the horizon, Lucien was completely exhausted. It was hard to keep up with the beast as it ran with all his might, and his wings were screaming in protest, but the growls of pain from the beast became much louder as he flew near, as his body twisted and writhed just as it had when Faolan had first shifted into it. It was hard to watch, so he turned his gaze away. Honestly just imagining how often Faolan had to go through this was just terrible.. no one deserved that much pain. When the beast had finally gone quiet, Lucien turned back toward the now human Faolan, seemingly unconscious. Finally, he brought himself to land safely on the ground, wincing slightly as he put weight on his left foot. Despite being healed, it was still incredibly sore from having been torn into. This.. pain thing was certainly a new thing for him, but it was the last thing on his mind. He awkwardly limped over to Faolan, and took out his clothes from his bag throwing it over his nude body, before setting his backpack beside. He flew back to an opposing tree, and finally slid down to the ground, tucking in his wings.

He kept his worried gaze on Faolan's unconscious form. He wanted to give him space, as he didn't really know the immediate after effects of this change. Now it was completely understandable why it was he was so exhausted whenever he returned from his trips. Anyone would be.. after going through such agony twice in one night. He tried to think back to more on this Lycanthrope curse but, he hadn't read it in so long, it was hard to remember all the details aside from the basics. He supposed he could just ask Faolan but.. they would certainly have a lot of things to talk about when he awakened.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien did not find the need to respond to his first comment, but at his second one he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I was under the impression that it became mine the moment you presented it to me." He said a little jokingly. "I don't mind either or, I was simply teasing." As he spoke, he picked up his glass, slowly swirling the wine in his glass. When was the last time he had a bottle from Bordeaux? It had certainly been a while. He took a moment to breathe in it's sweet scent before his gaze shifted to Geralt as he spoke.

He had been too focused on the wine to realize he had been looking through his bulletin board. Lucien had always been big on.. mementos. He liked to take at least one picture after a successful show, or sometimes after they gained new members. He had postcards from some of his travels even before he had begun this circus, but some of the photos of that time weren't posted, but were in his bedside drawer instead.

"Ah, not at all. I'm quite fond of suiveniers and well.. mementos I suppose." He said with a small chuckle. It was nice to see the progress that had been made since back then to now. It helped keep his spirits up when he was down. Sometimes he just couldn't help but think of the past. For a moment he had completely forgotten of the drawing he had on the board. It was drawn by Aurel when he was a child, it was of himself, Illyana, Aurel, and.. Faolan. Certainly to others this might seen a little questionable, considering the lack of children, but part of him hope Geralt wouldn't think too deeply into it.

He distracted himself from those thoughts by finally taking a small sip of his wine, savoring the taste.

"Nothing beats the flavor of home." He commented.

--

The snakes did not respond immediately, clearly thinking among themselves.

"I trust Liquorice's instincts. Be careful around that man." Bengal warned.

"Cora is a ssweet girl. We'll make ssure no harm comes to her." Cinnamon said, a couple others nodding in agreement.

"If all we musst do is watch, then we will watch." Amber said.

Aurel let out a relieved sigh at this. "Thank you.. I.. will probably not be taking you guys with me around tomorrow, but you can feel free to roam as you please, just please try to keep your distance from him, alright?" His tone was clearly worried as he spoke, he didn't really want any problems, but once agreed they agreed.

"I'll be sure you all get a very good meal next hunt." He told them gratefully with a smile, before they all dispersed to their respective areas of the room. With that, Aurel changed out of his clothes, and crawled into bed, letting his thoughts wander for a while before he eventually trailed off to sleep.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien continued to fly through the top of the trees. With the amount of noise Faolan was making as he traversed through the tree's, it hadn't been too difficult to find him again, but he still made sure to keep his distance. In the times the creature seemed to.. have caught a meal, Lucien would use that chance to rest on a tree a decent distance away, not really wanting him to track him again. Keeping up with him was more tiring than he thought it would be but.. he managed.

He wanted to be sure to be close enough whenever he shifted back.. which he assumed would be when the sun came up. The more he thought about it, the more other things began to make sense. His sense of hearing, smell, and his strength were highly above the normal human, and now he knew why. There was a part of him that wondered why Faolan hadn't told him. He had always been a pretty private person but.. the thought that he might not have trusted him with his secret saddened him. He shook his head, trying to shake off the thought. That wasn't really what was important right now. As Faolan began to move again, so did he. It.. was surely going to be a long night.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"I'm glad you think so." Lucien said, watching as Geralt gracefully slid a glass in his direction. His eyes were slightly curious as to how far his skills extended. Surely he couldn't just.. make whatever he wanted appear? Or maybe he could, there was no way for him to be sure. Every movement the man made was effortless, with no unncesessary motion. It was impressive, really.

"And here I thought I was the host." He said a little amusingly, before letting out a small chuckle at his question.

"No, not at all. Do with your trailer what you will. I sometimes hold meetings in here, so I like to keep things tidy." Lucien wasn't one to judge, and honestly he didn't feel the need to make anyone clean their trailers as long as it didn't become some sort of safety hazard. Cora for one, did not abide by his standards of cleanliness, and sometimes neither did Aurel, though that was more the snakes' fault than his own.

--

Both Ivory and Aurel nodded as Illyana spoke. "Okay.. have a goodnight." Aurel waved at Illyana as she left the tent, and soon the remaining two members headed off toward their trailers as well.

"Aurel, your trailer was placed next to his right? I assume your snakes.. will probably be able to keep an eye on him?" Ivory asked curiously as they walked.

Aurel nodded. "Yes.. I'm most likely not going to take any with me in the morning, but they can hang around the outside of my trailer and keep an eye on him, that was something I planned to ask of them anyway." It would be a good way to do it without being too.. obvious.

"That's good, it will certainly be useful." She responded before letting out a sigh. "How unfortunate, I won't be able to sleep in anymore." Now that she had to help keep an eye out, she certainly couldn't be a complete hermit spend a lot of the day in her trailer, training or otherwise.

"Well, even if we won't be playing in your trailer, I'd certainly be willing for another round of cards. I need a better pokerface now more than ever don't I?" Aurel asked a little amusingly, causing Ivory to chuckle.

"That you do, we will most certainly work on it." At this, she began to split off from Aurel, giving the man a small wave as she headed for her trailer. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Aurel responded. As he headed to his own, he gave Geralt's trailer a glance. There were no lights in the room, it seemed. Was Lucien with him? At this, he let out a sigh. He knew Lucien of all people could take care of himself, but he couldn't help but worry. The ringleader was sometimes just too polite for his own good. He shook his head before stepping into his trailer. He set Liquorice and Jade down before taking a seat on his bed, and turning toward his other snakes.

"I have to talk to all of you." As he spoke, it didn't take too long for the snakes to gather nearby. "You all remember there was talk about a new member? Well.." Before he could finish, Liquorice spoke up.

"We hate him. He'ss dangerous." He hissed irritatingly.

"I wanted to sswipe at him before he sswiped at us." Jade piqued in.

Aurel let out another sigh. "Yes well.. I assume you all might have similar reactions to him but.. You can't be hissing and baring your fangs each time he comes close. We're all being.. very watchful of him, but he's really perceptive. You all doing that will just bring more suspicion from him. I need you all to help me.. keep an eye on him. Cora and Lucien have caught his attention and I'm worried about her.. so can you please look out for them? We can't watch him all the time, but his trailer is next to ours so.. could you do this for me?" He hoped it wasn't a lot to ask of them but.. it would certainly be helpful to have more eyes around.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

It seemed the transformation had taken a lot out of Faolan, as it took a while for his new form to begin to move. As soon as his eyes flashed in his direction, Lucien had attempted to take to the air as fast as he could, trying to avoid the claws that were headed his way. He was unable to completely evade them, as he felt the claws tear into his leg. For the first time in his life, he felt a searing pain shoot up his entire leg, causing him to falter in his flight for just a moment but he was quick to recover. He raised a hand and placed a barrier around himself, in case the creature tried to go for another swipe, as he tried to get higher and higher into the air. Blood trailed down his leg, feeling incredibly hot. There was a part of Lucien that hadn't immediately registered the fact that he had been hurt, that his blood had actually been shed.

He recalled Faolan telling him once that he could not smell him when his barrier was around him, so he counted on that to make it harder for the creature to detect him, even though he hadn't stopped persuing him. How high could that jump? He couldn't risk stopping until he had completely broken the canopy of the trees. It seemed like that was enough to seize his pursuit of him. Honestly he was still incredibly confused. It had all happened so quickly. Was this.. what Faolan did every full moon? He tried to think back to any knowledge he might have of this kind of creature. While some of the things he had read were a little restricted, he knew he had read a few books in relation to other creatures. It had only been allowed so Lucien could be aware of the other evils out there, like demons and such. Considering Faolan's current appearance, the only thing he could think of was Lycanthrope. With the full moon, it was the only thing that made sense. Hearing the creature go off in a different direction, he lowered himself enough to be able to sit on the branches of one of the tallest trees. The pain in his leg was too much to ignore. It was quite a deep gash, and his leg almost trembled from it. So.. this was what pain was like. He grimaced as he reached out with his hand and attempted to begin to heal it. His breath hitched as the healing process began. Being on the receiving end of this was certainly.. different, and honestly physically exhausting. He was incredibly grateful to have wings, as it meant he didn't have to go around running through the forest.

When the healing process was finally finished he exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath near the end of it. To think Faolan of all things would be one of his weaknesses.. it was ironic, but it wasn't something he was focusing on right now. Now healed, he didn't want to lose track of the beast. If he recalled correctly, this lasted.. all night? He had to make sure Faolan didn't get too far, but also not too close to another town. He dove back down, maintaining his barrier as he reached out to grab Faolan's scattered clothes, before shoving them into the man's bag, and taking off again, attempting to follow the trail the creature had left behind.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Again, he received no answer. He could only watch as Faolan began to remove his clothing, much to the Frenchman's confusion, but he couldn't really do anything about it. He had followed him, picking up the clothes he was dropping, but the sounds of pain Faolan was making was a lot more concerning to him, especially when he began to see the changes that were happening to his body. He dropped the clothes, his entire instinct was telling him to do something, anything to help him, but what could he do? Faolan was seemingly aware of what this was, and he was desperate to have him leave. Considering the Irishman was aware of his healing abilities, if they could help him.. he felt like he would have told him so. The desperation in Faolan's voice caused his wings to twitch, wanting to listen to his words, but his body wouldn't move.

He watched in horror as Faolan's body began to reform. He had never seen anything like this before, and by now he could tell that Faolan was changing into.. something else. What that was, he wasn't sure, but all he could tell was that it was incredibly painful for him, and it hurt him to have to hear his screams and see his expression of agony. As this.. change, had seemingly finished, he was met with a different sort of creature, seemingly wolf-like in nature.

"F-Faolan..?" Lucien's voice was almost a whisper as he spoke, but as he did so, he flapped his wings almost instinctively, wanting to take to the air as Faolan had asked of him earlier. Whatever this was, it was probably best he kept his distance.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien knew there was a.. double meaning to his words. Still, he did not react to it, and simply quirked a brow.

"Oh? Well that is good to know. As long as you get your.. required amount of rest, I suppose that's fine." He said simply. For a moment, he had almost forgotten about the offer he had made earlier that day. He couldn't really take it back now, so he gave him a smile. This was fine, there were a few things he wanted to cover with the man anyway, now that he would be living here, it would be for the best.

"I did indeed." He paused for a moment, before motioning over in the direction of his own trailer, since Geralt hadn't quite settled into his yet. "Sollen wir?" He asked, before guiding the man toward it. Upon entering, he walked toward his desk.

"Welcome to my home, please, have a seat." He signaled over to the chair on the opposing end as he spoke before taking a seat on the other side. Luckily, he always kept his room tidy, and had already put away all documents in regards to their finances back in their respective place.

----

Ivory couldn't help but let out a small scoff. "What, he can get more secretive than this?" Despite the slight sarcasm behind her words, she knew that Illy was right. Despite his flashy words, he seemed like a very guarded man. "He already knows I don't like him, so he will most likely approach the others first.. either Cora or Akane I'd assume.. Though, considering you have German in common, I assume he'll also want to speak with you." She said to Aurel, remaining quiet as Illyana explained what she had seen. She couldn't say it wasn't at least a little concerning to hear. There was definitely something up with that man.

Aurel couldn't deny he was a little put off by her response, but he didn't show it. He'd just have to pay more attention and see if he could notice anything different from it, without being obvious about it. Perhaps he could have his snakes keep an eye on it instead. It would be.. less obvious. Once he made sure there would be no problems between them, at the very least. He glanced at Ivory at her comment. Honestly, despite his general wariness of strangers, he was fine if the magician approached him if it meant he could keep him away from Cora and Akane.

"We'll be sure to keep an eye out for it.. but in the meantime, you should get some rest, Illy.. you look tired." Aurel told her, knowing how tiring it could get to repeatedly have visions for their patrons. He was sure Lucien would have told her the same had he gotten a chance to.