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Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory always found it a bit amusing when Illyana became so.. absorbed like this. It reminded her of when she was little, when she'd manage to get a hold of story books, how fascinated she would be by them, though she never quite reached this.. extreme.

At her question, she simply nodded, though she wasn't sure if Illy had even seen it before she went off toward the back of her trailer. She watched in silence for a moment, watching her move all the books around. Now she could clearly see why the fortune teller had appeared tired the last few days, if she was spending her nights doing stuff like this. Eventually she decided to speak up, wanting to know what her goal was here.

The dhampir sighed. Of course that's what she was doing. No hesitation at all before jumping right into that research. Normally she might have let it be but, considering how little sleep Illy had been getting lately, she figured letting her do this today could be bad, specially if tomorrow was their last night. Lucien would certainly scold her. She got up from her chair and made her way over, her steps quiet as usual. She didn't hesitate before scooping the smaller woman into her arms almost effortlessly, it had clearly startled the girl, but she didn't mind it.

"Not tonight you won't, or you will never hear the end of it from Lucien." She said, stepping around some books to place Illy on her bed.

"You look too tired today to be throwing yourself into research. I'm sure the trail will be just as warm tomorrow." She added, pausing for a moment. She figured it'd be possible that Illy would be stubborn about it.

"I was planning to stay up for a while anyway. If you tell me what to read, I can begin skimming through some books, give you a head start." She suggested. It wasn't like she wasn't curious about the answer herself. She knew that it was best if they got to the bottom of this as quick as possible.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien was glad to see that Faolan had been just as amused by the sight as he. He was glad he had decided to come here, if it meant he could see him smile like this, though he couldn't deny that he got to see a lot more of that smile than he once used to. Regardless, he couldn't get enough.

"But then the 'son' part would make no sense, unless they meant it literally, which I wouldn't put it past them. Maybe it will just be a man with scale makeup on." He said amusingly as they continued on their way. It seemed they had been a little too late however, as there were hardly any people there, and most were leaving.

"Sorry, I'm afraid this attraction is closed now. Best try your luck tomorrow." The carnie standing in front of the entrance said. He had a bit of a German accent, which surprised him a little, but he did remember reading that this circus had been to Europe. The man was on the taller side, and quite built, though no match when placed next to Faolan. He glanced past the man to the entrance itself, but wasn't really able to get a good look inside from where he was standing. Rough voices however, did manage to reach his ears.

-

The boy curled up near the corner of his cage, as far away from the opening as he could. He had a few snakes curled around his feet and neck. His head was throbbing, and he felt incredibly light headed. The effects of the alcohol he had been given had hit him much sooner than usual, and it had impacted his movements, making them incredibly lackluster in compared to usual. Any sudden motion had just made it worse, and the Ringleader was furious because of it.

"What kind of performance was that?! Do you think people pay to see such a pathetic act?" His angry words echoed through the tent in German.

"I-I'm sorry... I'll.. do better.." He responded, quietly, terrified of being at the end of his fury again.

"You know what will happen if you don't." He snapped back, hitting the bars of the cage with the end of his cane before he took his leave.

-

The voice was loud, mostly because it was angry, letting Lucien up every word. The person who was receiving this scolding however, had an incredibly meek voice, and he couldn't really hear the response very well. All he knew is that it sounded like some sort of apology.

He was cut from hearing the rest of the discussion, as the man in front of him cleared his throat loudly.

"Best run along now. He'll be available to see tomorrow." He said, clearly wanting them to leave. Lucien's eyebrows furrowed. He had.. a bad feeling. Something deep down told him he shouldn't leave. It was then that the curtain opened, and another man stepped out. From his outfit, he recognized this man as the ringleader, who had quickly plastered a smile on his face.

"Ah, I see we have two interested in our Son of the Serpent, but I'm afraid he's seen enough people for today, but please, do come back tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be in for a treat."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory didn't speak up immediately once she had finished, as Illyana was clearly in thought. She was always like this, so.. absorbed in her knowledge.

"Probably." She told her simply. It certainly fit with his... style.

At Illy's following question, she remained silent, trying to think back. Honestly in the heat of the moment she had been much more focused in trying to get used to the sensation and attempting to not trip over her own feet when it happened, not wanting to give the Magician that satisfaction. She hadn't really focused too much on the feeling itself because she hadn't liked it one bit.

"Honestly I don't have much to tell you there. It just made me feel uneasy, like.. I was covered in darkness, for a split second. I know that the smoke didn't smell, and that it dissipated soon after. He touched my shoulder to do it each time, and he continued to teleport me around the Big Top until I got used to it. I let it happen willingly, because I don't really want to find out what happens if you don't. My body is moving from one space to another, I prefer it's all kept in one piece." She said. Not knowing how that ability worked exactly definitely made that a risk she wasn't willing to take, even for the sake of knowledge.

"He teleported behind me in a blink of an eye, and then teleported me to take his place just as fast, it lasts no more than a second, it's hard to be.. aware of what's really happening during that time, as I'm usually too busy trying not to trip right after it's done. It's easy to lose balance when you have no control over where you end up.. it sucks.." She grumbled. Not having control over herself was one of the things Ivory hated the most. The fact she had no say in this made the experience even more annoying. She had to rely on Geralt to put her where she was supposed to, and while she figured he'd do it for the sake of 'success,' it didn't mean she trusted him one bit. He was probably only doing it to look good in front of Lucien.

"I'm sorry that's not as helpful, but we still have to finalize things tomorrow, I can try to focus a bit more on the feeling itself then, now that I'm used to the actual displacing." She added, not planning to give up on finding out as much as she could just yet.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien was much more interested in the games than the original attractions the Circus advertised, he figured they could save that stuff for later. Passing through one of the games, he had caught sight of what appeared to be a stuffed wolf. While never having been interested in stuffed animals before, he just couldn't help himself, he wanted that one, and so he asked Faolan for it.

The poor man in charge had not stood a chance, this was the kind of game where Faolan could shine. He had won with ease.

"B-But you won the large one.. The man in charge said. At this, Lucien smiled.

"I know, but my niece is quite a big fan of wolves, so we must simply have that one." He said with a smile. "But I'll take that medium bear as well to make up the difference."

Now met with a more gentle tone, the man did as he was asked, and handed Lucien what he wanted. "Thank you." He told him, before turning to leave, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Go raibh maith agat, acushla." He said in a softer tone to Faolan, knowing that no one around them would be able to understand it.

"Ná habair é." He responded. They had walked only a few more steps before Lucien took note of a woman walking away with her daughter, who was disappointed the game had not been one. The nephilim stopped, and gave the two a charming smile.

"Would you like this? We won an extra." He told her in a gentle tone, which caused the child's expression to brighten immediately. She glanced at her mom, who nodded, and she gratefully accepted it.

"Thank ya Mister!" The little girl responded excitedly. Her mother gave him a grateful smile, before the two went off to finally see the attractions. Both of them had agreed that neither was interested in seeing these.. Siamese twins, as it seemed their intention behind that was to have the audience 'gawk' at their strangeness. It was neither of their cup of tea, so they moved on. Instead they went to watch the fire-eater, which Lucien could not deny being impressed by. For a normal human, it certainly took a certain amount of skill to pull something like that off. The contortionist was equally impressive, but in a different way, being able to bend her body in such a way and make it look entirely painless. He certainly hoped it wasn't bringing her any harm.

The turtle boy however, had been an extreme disappointment, though quite amusing to them both. It had ended up being but a turtle shell with a doll head glued on top of it. How people were willing to pay to see such a thing was well.. beyond him, though he supposed curiosity was enough on it's own, since it had also brought them here. Still, once someone knew that it was all but a rouse, it would most likely not bring them around a second time. They could only profit once, which made him wonder if it really made it such a wise business decision. Perhaps the profit was so large the first time around that it didn't matter? It was a curious thing.

"Well I'll certainly give them props in their advertising." He said, amusement tinging his tone as they continued on their way. By now they had made their way through the majority of the grounds, all except one attraction. The 'Son of the Serpent.' Neither of them had high hopes for this one, considering the rouse that the 'Turtle Boy' had been, but at this point Lucien was more interested in seeing what foolishness they would come up with to cover it up.

"So, what do you think? A man with a snakeskin cape?" He joked as they began to make their way there. This attraction was much more further in than the rest, but was certainly the most advertised once they had entered the circus.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

"I see..." That was all Ivory could really say to that. She was.. awkward at these kinds of things, it's not like she had a close family connection in the past that she could ever possibly be attached to enough to be able to relate to this kind of thing. Not even her mother. Asking Illyana to channel her mother would be the last thing she would ever want to do. She shook her head, and was glad to shake off the subject. She reached for the sugar to put a couple teaspoons in before she stirred it around with her spoon.

"Ah yes.. our practice." She started, before leaning back on her chair, finally taking a sip of her tea.

"I managed to discover two things that he could do. Teleportation, for one.. I experienced that one myself.. since we're using it for our transition.. It seems he can do it to himself and other people as well, though it seems he has to touch them for it." She muttered.

"I don't like it.. the feeling is strange.. it makes me uneasy.. He disappears into a puff of black smoke and appears somewhere else in less than a second. Completely soundless, it caught even me off guard." She hated to admit it, but she knew she had to be honest when it came to explaining this to Illy of all people. She needed all the information she could get.

"He also told me he could make himself "unseen," so I'm assuming that he can make himself invisible, or something of the sort. I didn't get to see that one though, so I can't confirm it."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Once Lucien had gotten back to his trailer, he sat in his office as he began to count the coin that they had earned today, measuring each act in comparision to each other. It was around that time he heard a knock on his door, and saw it was Geralt. He politely declined his invitation this time around, after all he had a bit of work ahead of him, and he wanted to get a decent amount of rest for tomorrow. The man hadn't took offense, and took his leave, and so the Ringleader went back to work.

He had to admit the turnout for this day had gone quite well, better than the day before. It had been twice the amount that they had earned their second day from their previous stop in this town. It seemed like allowing kids to go in for free the first two days had been a wise decision. Perhaps he'd consider doing it again at one point, he'd just have to be strategic about it. It made him optimistic for the final day, where they had their big show, but he supposed he'd have to wait and see how it went. So far the addition of Geralt had proven to be a good one, and it hadn't caused them any problems yet either, but he'd still be sure to keep an eye out for anything.. unsavory.

With all the finances out of the way, Lucien decided to retire for the night, planning to wake up bright and early to do some practicing with Cora. He knew the mermaid was typically an early riser, and Ivory was normally quite the opposite, which would give him time to use the Big Top for practice before Ivory and Geralt needed to make use of it.

-

Ivory took a quick glance around Illy's trailer, taking a look at the ridiculous amount of books that she had piled. It wasn't surprising really, and the dhampir would be the last person to make judgement on the mess. She approached the table she was motioned to and took a seat.

"Sure." She responded, watching the fortune teller prepare the two sets of tea before nearing the table and taking a seat as well. Taking a better look at her, the woman seemed completely exhausted, more so than she had been the past two nights. It was a little worrying, and made her think twice about whether coming here tonight was a good idea.

"How did the readings go? You look pretty tired.." She commented, worry reflected in her gaze. If she kept the girl up too long tonight, it would definitely be noticeable tomorrow, and she knew that a scolding from Lucien was bound to occur. She'd have to do her best to make sure Illy got a decent amount of sleep. The scent of chamomile filled her nose as she breathed in the relaxing smell, and she couldn't deny that she was glad to have it, after having to deal with that Magician for as long as she had.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien watched Faolan struggle to read the flyer he held and gladly handed it over to him, giving him an innocent smile.

"I have no idea what you mean." He said, though he knew full well this was the case. "We really have to see about getting you those glasses, Faolan." He commented. The Irishman had amazing senses, but it seemed like out of all of them, his sight was the worst, as he had increasingly noticed lately.

"It's the first time there's been one in any of the town's we've visited." The only opportunity he would have had to visit one would be in the times Faolan was gone during the approaching Full Moon's, but that chance had never arised until now. He was glad that Faolan was here for it so they could go together.

As Faolan finished reading through the flyer, Lucien turned to see what he was pointing at, and broke out into a laugh. "Last I checked they were. I'm sure they can't be serious, but I'm willing to bet just the word 'Crustacean' is enough to lure in just about anyone. I doubt it's true, but I'm curious to see what else they have. There's games too, it seems fun." He added. Considering his childhood had been a bit lacking in these sorts of things, Lucien thought this might be a good chance to enjoy himself a bit in this way.

Faolan handed the flier back and shrugged. "Well, it's enough to lure you, apparently," he said, nudging Lucien slightly with his elbow and cocking a half smile. There was a brief pause as Faolan looked to the horizon to judge the time, then back at Lucien, "I don't see the harm in it, as long as we're back at a...reasonable hour." Although he was trying his best to hide his intent, the mischievous smile spreading across his lips gave him away.

"Hey, I'm not lured because I believe the things on their ads, it just looks like it might be a nice time." He retorted amusingly, quirking a brow at the Irishman's following comment.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on the clock to make sure we do." He said with a small wink, giving the pocket he held his pocket-watch a small pat before the two began to head off toward their trailer.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Akane had stopped by as she said she would, and Ivory prepared for her show. It went as smoothly as it normally did, with a bit more of a turnout than the day before. That was good. After her last show she headed back to her trailer to change, and waited it out until closure, going to their usual after show meetings. It seemed everyone had experienced a much higher turnout today, with Geralt of course having the highest. He certainly seemed smug about it, which did not surprise her in the least. Lucien had used that opportunity of higher crowds to advertise their new and improved Big Top show. There had certainly been those who seemed excited to see it.

He also took the chance to ask her and Geralt how their practice transition practice was going.

”Nearly perfect, thanks to Miss Ivory.” The man had responded.

”We’ll have it completely ready to go before the show.” Ivory added in. Lucien was at least glad to hear that their practice had gone well enough to the point they had almost finished. Perhaps he had been worried for no reason. It seemed they were doing just fine.

Once Lucien called it a night, everyone returned to their respective trailers, everyone except Ivory, at least.

Instead, she headed to Illyana’s trailer, knowing the fortune teller would want to know in more detail how their practice had gone. She raised her door to knock, but Illyana had seemingly already known she was coming. Not surprising.

”Come in.” She had said, prompting the dhampir to enter.

"I figured you'd want to know what I learned today." She told her as she closed the door behind her.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien could not deny that he would miss this past town, but he knew it was also time to move on. He was happy that he was able to take to the road again with Faolan on his side. He realized that he was thankful for the time they spent in between towns, away from the cities because there were no eyes to watch them. They could be themselves and be just as happy in each other's company, and while it was unfortunate to be unable to hold his lover's hand in the public eye, he made sure to appreciate all the time they had behind closed doors.

Despite the offer Faolan had given him for time off, he had refused it without hesitation. He hadn't really been working as hard as he had because they were in need of money.. it had mostly just been a way to distract himself. Taking time off would only leave him with nothing to do, and he didn't just want to sit around while the Irishman was off working. Instead he had offered to simply put the extra money he had earned away as.. emergency money, and they continued their usual work routine instead.

He was glad Faolan had obliged his want to visit the west coast. Considering all the travelling they did, they had covered a lot of the United States already, he figured it didn’t hurt to get to see the rest. They usually traveled with no particular destination, Lucien had always been fond of getting to see new places, why not do some sightseeing while they were at it?

The town of Douglas had provided them with that sort of opportunity. They had just left their lunch date, which Lucien had quite enjoyed. The nephilim enjoyed Faolan's company no matter what he was wearing, but he couldn't help but find the man incredibly attractive when he dressed up a little like this. He found every excuse he could to attempt to get him into that sort of clothing, this was one of those times.

Walking through the streets, the Frenchman was wondering where they should head next. It was then that he took note of a colorful poster he had just stepped on. It seemed the wind had knocked it off the bulletin board it had been hanging on. He stopped his walk and picked it up, tugging on the Irishman's sleeve to get his attention. The advertisement he was looking at was from a circus, and one that had traveled back from Europe at that. He looked up at Faolan, excitement reflecting in his eyes.

"Would you like to pay this place a visit with me?" He asked him.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory was determined to get this whole teleportation thing down as quick as possible. While the unease grew the more distance was put between them, she became better at hiding her discomfort as the practice continued, until it was an almost natural landing for her. She was glad it hadn't taken an extremely long time to get down.

"Yeah." She responded, before jumping off of the stage. They had made a lot more progress today than she originally thought they would, which she was glad for. It meant they wouldn't have to spend too much time on it tomorrow, as she had hoped.

"See ya." She turned her back to him, and with a salute-like wave, she took her leave, no longer seeing any reason to remain here. Despite her sturdy physique, even she got tired, and there was nothing else on her mind except getting some sleep until it neared show time. It was probably best. She quickly made her way across the grounds, though it seemed Akane had caught sight of her in the midst of helping a carnie with something, and ran up to her.

"Hey, how did practice go?" She asked her.

"It went fine, we got the majority of it figured out, and we'll just be doing final practice tomorrow." She told her. At this, Akane gave her a relieved smile.

"I'm glad to hear that! I can't wait to see what you two have put together!" She exclaimed.

"M'hm, well, I'm going to get some rest before the show. Mind stopping by to make sure I've woken up in time to get ready?" She asked.

"Sure! No problem!" The woman responded with a bright smile. Perhaps it would be a good time to invest in an alarm clock, honestly she hadn't really needed it up to this point, as she usually just woke up to the rowdiness of the grounds or someone simply came to get her, but she supposed if now she had to help keep an eye on Geralt.. she had to make sure to wake up in a.. timely manner.

What a pain.. She thought to herself, before thanking Akane and making her way back to her trailer. Upon arrival she quickly removed her clothes and simply put on a robe before collapsing into her bed. There was no point in changing her clothes if she was just going to change again upon waking up. With that thought in mind, the dhampir eventually trailed off into sleep.