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Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien began to struggle with how to get himself out of this situation. If he had been sober, he could have easily managed, but this time aronud he had gotten himself in too deep without realizing. Now he understood what Faolan meant when he said that alcohol clouded one's mind. It was through this internal struggle of his that he heard the Irishman speak. It got the woman off his arm, but the nephilim wasn't really prepared for the situation that escalated afterwords. He found it hard to find a place to interrupt.

For a moment, he was shocked to hear the slur directed at Faolan. He furrowed his brow, his expression souring. Hearing Faolan raise his voice made him realize that he had to say something. He was angry, that much was clear. This had been only the second time that he had ever heard the Irishman raise his voice. Quickly he moved, to stand between Faolan and the woman, trying to choose his words carefully. At this point he just wanted to get Faolan out of here. At this point Marie was yelling, and at this time of night it could certainly bring some bad attention to them.

"I'm.. terribly sorry if we've offended you.. mademoiselle. I'm afraid the alcohol has gotten to his head.. I do hope you'll forgive his words.." He said hesitantly, bowing his head slightly in her direction. She didn't seem particularly satisfied with this, but he didn't want to give the woman time to protest further.

"I'm afraid we've overstayed our welcome. Do have a goodnight." As quick as he could manage with his lack of usual reflexes, he turned and placed a hand on Faolan's shoulder to guide him away from the situation.

"Hey wait a minute!" Marie called out, but was stopped by her more sensible friend.

"Marie just let it go, it's not worth it." Charlotte muttered. Clearly the other woman was displeased by this, but she let them go.

Lucien let out a relieved sigh as they turned the street corner and were completely out of the women's sight. He rubbed his forehead slightly, beginning to feel a slight throb at his head. That situation had certainly gotten out of hand. There had clearly been a misunderstanding here, it had happened before, long ago when they had first met on the boat. Why did people feel the need to resort to such slurs? Things like these clearly got a rise out of the Irishman. He didn't like seeing Faolan upset like this, and felt bad for being unable to defend him. In that situation, he just wanted them to be able to leave as quickly as possible.

"I'm sorry.. Faolan.. For dragging you into this. I wasn't thinking clearly.." He muttered apologetically. Not only had it ruined their good time, but it had clearly soured the man's mood.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

At this point, even in his drunken state, Lucien could tell that Faolan was incredibly annoyed. It made him feel a little bad for having dragged him into this in the first place. All he had really wanted to enjoy a nice time with Faolan, but it seemed that the bright mood had passed. It was unfortunate. He'd be sure to apologize later. The Frenchman hadn't even bothered to re-state Faolan's name as the two women hadn't heard him. If he wanted it to be heard, he probably would have said it louder. Charlotte didn't make an attempt to ask again.

"What about you?" Marie asked, shifting the conversation back to him.

"Lucien." He responded, causing the women to smile.

"Lucien, hmm? What a nice name.." She said, trailing a finger down his arm.

"Ah.. thank you.." He responded. It was then that they seemed to arrive at what appeared to be an apartment building.

"Well, here's our stop. You two have been so kind for walking us all the way here, why don't you come inside? It's quite cold out today." Marie tugged slightly at Lucien's arm as she spoke, but he managed to stand his ground despite his slight lack of balance. It was only then that the women's intentions became clear to him.

"Oh.. I.." He struggled with his words briefly, attempting to clear the fuzz in his mind. "We thank you for your kind offer, but we should probably get going, it's quite late, and I'm sure you ladies need your rest. We just.. wanted to make sure you got home safely." He managed to say.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory didn't respond, knowing he had taken satisfaction in the fact she had won with that card. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of receiving a retort. At his final comment, the dhampir just looked over in Aurel's direction. It was really up to him, considering he was the one who had to learn. While she would prefer to be doing something that did not require the magician's presence, it wasn't like she had anything else to do at this time of day either.

Aurel glanced at Geralt and then at Ivory as the man suggested a different game. Honestly he would have been okay with watching the two of them play, since it wasn't often he got to see someone who could compete with Ivory's pokerface, but he didn't mind changing the game either.

"Sure.. I don't mind. This is how we usually pass the time." He said.

It was by then that Akane and Cora had finished with the dishes, and had returned to the table.

"May we join you? It looks like fun." Akane commented as she brought Cora up to the end of the table, before taking the spot that Lucien had previously been occupying. She always found the games of cards interesting, and even though she usually lost, it was fun to take part with everyone else.

Ivory glanced at the two women, she didn't like that Cora had been placed next to Geralt but, she'd be sure to keep an eye on him.

"I don't see why not."

--

Lucien listened quietly as Illyana spoke. He could not deny that the things she was telling him were definitely of interest, but he didn't find them strongly alarming.

"Well.. at this point we know that he's not human, but not many here are." He said with a small sigh.

"Look, Illy, I know you're really hung up on wanting to know what's going on with him, but we do not have to react negatively to everything. Akane's shadow shifts all the time, that doesn't necessarily mean it's something bad. I'm not telling you not to be worried or curious, I know you trust your instincts, and I do too. We're keeping an eye on him, I'm less concerned about what he is, and more concerned about what his intentions are." Over the years, Lucien had learned to never judge a book by it's cover. In his travels he had encountered other supernatural, he knew they were out there, and he never judged them by what they were, only by their actions. It had been the same with Faolan too.. despite how intimidating he appeared at first glance.. he knew the man was kind.

"I don't want you losing anymore sleep over this."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien briefly glanced down at Marie at her question, honestly distracted by having been keeping his eyes on Faolan. He didn't like how close the other woman was getting to him when he was clearly uncomfortable with it. Granted not everyone could read Faolan's body language like he could but.. still.

"Me? I'm twenty-seven." He told her honestly, not even thinking twice about it. The Frenchman definitely did not look his age, but in that circumstance he had not even considered lying.

"The French age quite well, then. I'm a bit jealous." Marie chimed, before glancing over at Charlotte.

"Just the next block over, it's quite close." She responded to Faolan's question.

It was difficult for Lucien to maintain his focus on Faolan and Charlotte, any time he'd glance over to see what they were doing, Marie seemed to try to pull his attention away from them.

"So how come you've waited so long to drink? I hear the French love their wine." She commented.

"Oh.. well I've drank before, just not to this extent." Despite how sensible he sounded, he was trying to make an attempt to not slur his words as he spoke. He knew his head was still not clear, but at least the cool night air was helping him feel less warm. If he was feeling like this, he wondered how Faolan was faring. The man had a much higher body temperature than he.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien didn't respond to the woman, turning slightly to look at Faolan as the woman named Charlotte spoke to him. It was clear by his body language that he was uncomfortable. He of all people knew that Faolan did not like to be touched, even more so by people he didn't know. His stare was more than enough to ask for his assistance, and honestly he couldn't say he liked how close this woman was getting to him. He was about to speak up, but he felt a slight tug on his shoulder as Marie sought his attention again.

"Oh you're about to leave? Well in that case, would you care to walk us home? I hear the French have the best manners. You wouldn't allow two women to walk home by themselves at this hour would you? We don't live that far." She asked, leaning closely against his shoulder. At this, Lucien hesitated slightly, knowing Faolan wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. They weren't wrong, walking home by themselves could be dangerous.. and while the sober version of himself might actually know better, his drunk self couldn't bear the thought. What if something happened?

"No.. of course not. We'll be sure to see you two home." He said, using that chance to also rise to his feet. For a moment his lightheadedness kicked in, and he almost lost his balance, however, Marie had been quite sure to hang on tightly to him, placing a hand on his chest.

"You alright there? You can hang on to me if it's difficult to walk." Marie said with a smile.

Lucien shook his head, attempting to pull away slightly. "It's quite alright, I just stood up too suddenly." He said before calling the bartender over and paying the tab. With that, they were quick to leave the bar. Despite his previous words, Marie didn't seem to be in a particular rush to let go of him. The fresh, cold air felt good on his face, but he didn't get too long to focus on the feeling as the woman spoke up again.

"So, what brought you two out tonight?" She asked.

"Hmm? Oh.. I saw a few men leaving the bar having quite the good time, and I got curious and wanted to give drinking a try." He didn't feel conflicted about being honest, there wasn't really any reason to hide why they had come.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien was snapped out of his train of thought by the two women that had approached him. Honestly his attention had been almost completely entranced by Faolan that he hadn't even noticed them. He didn't necessarily feel annoyed, but he wished he could have spoken with Faolan a little longer on the subject. He turned slightly toward the woman that had taken a seat next to him.

"I'm French. My good friend here is Irish." He responded for the both of them. He could tell by the women's accents that they were American.

"Oh? How interesting! What brings you all the way to Wisconsin?" The one named Marie asked, leaning a little more toward Lucien.

"Hmm? Ah, well we travel around a lot, this was just one of many stops we've made." His tone was bright and chipper as he spoke, in quite the good mood.

"To have home all the way from France, you've certainly travelled a long way! I hear the French language is very romantic, would you mind saying something in French for us?"

This was not the first time Lucien had heard this, so he didn't really mind, if that's what the woman wanted. "What would you like me to say?" He asked.

"You two were having such a lovely conversation before our arrival, how do you say romance in French?" Marie asked curiously. At this, Lucien couldn't help but smile a little amusingly.

"Romance." He said, but thick with his French accent. Throughout the years he had gotten a lot better at hiding it, but it came out completely when he was drunk like this.

"It sounds so much better when you say it!" The woman exclaimed, her hand running along the back of his chair. It was then that Charlotte turned to Faolan.

"What about you, big man? Do you want to say something in Irish for us?" She asked, leaning a bit closer to the Irishman.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory didn't comment on anything Geralt said. It wasn't surprising that he had noticed her slight irritation, though she doubted he would have known the reason behind it at the time. She glanced down at the table as he turned his cards, before she moved her cards toward the center of the table and flipped them as well. The same card defined both of what could have been either of their victories, but Ivory's suit was higher, granting her the win. Still, she couldn't help but feel irritated that it was the Ace of Spades that had given it to her.

"Beeindruckend." Aurel said, eyes shooting from Geralt to Ivory as the cards were set down. This round had been an extremely close call, just the fact that an Ace had showed up in both of their hands was pretty amazing on it's own. Glancing at Ivory's, he could remember that it was the card she had said she had found on her person after they had seen Geralt. Now it made sense as to why she had seemed annoyed, even though the card itself was good. It made sense why that of all things could betray her composure. If it hadn't been for that, Aurel might have assumed that the dhampir had been trying to trick him.

"Better luck next time." She said simply.

"You're definitely a lot better at this than I am." The man commented. Even though the Ace he held was really good, he had never once let it show in his expression. If Aurel hadn't seen the card for himself, he would have never suspected it.

--

Lucien looked curiously down at Illy as she refused to speak until they had finally arrived, but he decided not to ask as they continued on. She hadn't wasted any time once they were inside. He raised his eyebrows slightly as she spoke, surely hoping that this wasn't the reason why she had been staying up. Knowing her though, it was probably exactly why.

"Well, what did you see?" He asked.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien looked at Faolan almost innocently at his comment. "Indeed." He said a little amusingly. He should have known this would encourage Faolan to take another drink to even the odds. He honestly hadn't known that it would be this easy for him to rope Faolan into competition, but he liked how things were going.

At the Irishman's following comment, it was his turn to laugh. "I wouldn't mind, I can actually sing pretty well~" He said. It was something that he often had to do in Church, so he was well practiced. It did make him curious as to whether Faolan could do the same, but he didn't ask.

--

By the time they had almost made it through the bottle, Lucien was definitely feeling the effects of alcohol. He felt a little lightheaded and.. awfully bright in terms of mood. He was very satisfied with himself, because by the fifth glass, it had been clear that Faolan was drunk, but Lucien was still hanging on. Despite that, though, Faolan had refused to give up, and they had continued to drink until they had almost swept through the bottle. The bartender had stopped a couple more times after this to offer them more water, and had commended him. Definitely one of the most resilient Frenchman he had ever seen.

The now red-faced Frenchman was facing Faolan, elbow on the table as he rested his cheek against his palm, swirling a cup of water in his hand. He couldn't help but not be able to tear his eyes from the Irishman in his current state. There.. was just something about him. He really wished they could do this more often.

At his comment, the nephilim raised his eyebrows and shook his head, golden eyes still on the Irishman. Right now it didn’t even matter how loud the bar actually was. He was focused on only him. "No, but I'd love to know." He said, clearly interested in what Faolan had to say.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel moved aside a little to give Geralt more room as he began to play against Ivory, paying very close attention to him, before shifting his gaze to the dhampir. He did actually catch the change in her expression, which was a little odd, considering she almost never gave anything away.

Ivory attempted to keep a neutral expression after that, determined not to give anything else away to him. She was annoyed by his words, but it wasn't like he was wrong. The key was to keep an eye on your opponent, he was just being creepy about it. She drew the next card and set it down, the Ace of Diamonds. She kept a completely blank expression this time, with just a hint of her previous annoyance, but that wasn't in relation to any of the cards. Of course she wasn't surprised to see Geralt's expression betraying nothing, she knew better than to trust whatever tell he might give her, the man was clearly an expert when it came to hiding his true feelings, so she didn't expect to get any sort of read on him. She didn't speak, since the man was clearly knowledgeable on the subject, she decided to just let him explain.

Lucien nodded, giving the others one last glance before taking his leave with Illyana. While he was a little concerned of what might happen with him gone, he did have faith in Aurel to keep things calm. Despite his shyness, he was actually pretty good at it. When they were far enough away to not risk getting overheard, he spoke up as they made their way to his trailer.

"So.. what did you need to speak to me about?" He asked.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien could begin to see the change in Faolan's physique. He wasn't sure if he was actually feeling the alcohol, or if this was just the warmth of the alcohol that was making him this way. He could only imagine he also looked a little red. In their years of travel he had seen how he got when he was exposed to the sun for too long, similarly to how he was now. It was kind of cute, in all honesty. It made him smile.

"It's a matter of getting used to it, I suppose." He said, before his smile shifted into a bit of a grin again. "Though I should remind you that I already did have a glass of wine. That's three drinks for me versus the two you've had. Just.. throwing it out there." He said a little amusingly, just as the bartender stopped by again with two glasses of water.

"Gotta say I never thought I'd see the day where a Frenchman was holding his own against an Irishman in a drinking contest. Best of luck to ya." He said, before heading off to attend someone else. Lucien gratefully took the glass of water, it definitely helped to clear away a bit of the aftertaste of that whiskey. He couldn't help but feel at least a little proud that he was still hanging on, even if he could begin to feel physically affected in temperature, he still felt like his head was quite clear.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Faolan." He added.