Lucien was relieved to see Faolan agree. While he would have been more than willing to do this on his own, it would be more reassuring to have Faolan to back him up, in case anything went wrong. If it was just him he would not have been concerned but.. a child's safety was also at risk here. He didn't want to be completely reckless if he could avoid it. He hoped he hadn't hurt Faolan's feelings by being so harsh but.. he wanted him to know he was determined about this.
He nodded in agreement, finding no need to argue in that. He was fine with doing that first, it could have been a misunderstanding, part of him hoped it was. There could be some circumstance they didn't know about, maybe it was all part of the act, but honestly he doubted it. Children were easy to manipulate, it was possible that they didn't even know that the situation they were in was wrong.
He squeezed Faolan's hand, and followed him silently. He stopped when directed to, and followed him when the coast was clear. With his hearing, it was easy to maneuver their way back around the other tents, until they reached the back of the Son of the Serpent's tent. Upon arrival, Faolan gave their surroundings a quick glance, before pulling out his switchblade and jamming it into the tent, before tearing it open. He wasn't given much of a chance to stop him. He felt there could have been a better way to get inside but.. well.. it was too late now. Faolan motioned for him, and Lucien wasted no time in slipping inside, he knew Faolan would be a bit on the intimidating side for a child. The child had sat up quickly, fear crossing his expression, but he saw them wince. Were they in pain?
Lucien slowly raised his hands, making no move to approach at first. "We aren't going to hurt you." He spoke gently in German, and gave the child a smile, even though the sight he was met with made him want to do anything but that. The cage was not big enough to hold the kid inside, he doubted he could even fully stand in it. Now that he could clearly see for himself, he saw the snakes curled around the child's body, very much alive, though it didn't seem like they meant him any harm. It was certainly intriguing. The boy shot Faolan a nervous glance as the large man entered the tent, though he had kept his distance, giving the tent a small sweep before heading to the entrance, probably to keep watch.
"Y-you.. you can't be here.." Despite the soft and meek voice, Lucien was able to tell that this child was a boy, even though his appearance could say otherwise, considering his long, golden colored hair. His accent was very thickly German, which made him think he was a native. Quite a long way from his home.
"I know, and I'm sorry for frightening you, but my friend and I are only trying to help." His voice was soft as he spoke, gentle, not wanting to alarm the boy in any way. His eyes darted around nervously, but he didn't say anything more, so Lucien took that as his chance to get closer. Seeing him like this now, the nephilim could clearly see his reddened face, and tired eyes. Even he could smell the alcohol from where he was standing. The snakes slithered away from the boy and closer to him, their eyes on Lucien. it was strange.. almost like they wanted to protect the boy. What was most noticeable about him were his light-green colored eyes, that looked almost snake-like. It was a little surprising. Perhaps there was some truth to this.. son of the Serpent name. He knelt down, but kept a reasonable distance, not wanting to scare him.
"Do you mind if I ask how you ended up here?" He asked him, trying to keep his anger in the back of his mind. The boy's living conditions were clearly not good. Anyone in their right mind would want to get this child out of here. He could not believe he had been used as an attraction this whole time. Had this not concerned any of the viewers? Seeing a child in this condition?
"Johan.. found me.." He responded.
"Johan.. is that the man with the cane?"
His question had immediately caused a flash of fear to cross the boy's face. "Y-Yes.."
That was enough to tell Lucien that he had been correct about this man. The child was certainly being abused. The snakes had reacted accordingly, and hissed, though it was seemingly not directed at him.
"That man.. is he.. mean to you?" He asked. The boy's eyes darted toward the entrance, as if checking to see if no one else was listening, before shaking his head.
"N-No.. he.. feeds me.. and.. gave me somewhere to live.." Despite his words, the boy's expression betrayed him. It was almost like he was forcing himself to say these things. He took a better look at the boy. His body language was very withdrawn. He was practically dressed in rags, and despite the fact he stated he was being fed, he still looked a little scrawny. The boy looked.. a little frail. It was during his small glance over that he noticed a bruise on his arm.
"Do you mind if I ask how you got that bruise?" He asked, and the boy immediately covered it with his hand.
"I-It's nothing.. I just.. had to learn.. to do better.. I'm trying.. to do good.. and make more coin.."
Lucien had to stop his brow from furrowing. Did he beat the poor child when his performances didn't go well? Based on the threat he had overheard.. it made more sense. It.. had been a long time since Lucien could remember being this angry.
"I think.. that you're doing really good right now, thank you for answering all of my questions, I know it's hard to trust a stranger like this, but you did very well." He praised the boy, hoping it would ease his fears. It seemed to allow him to relax a little.
"Do you speak any English?" He asked.
"Not.. well.. I understand a bit more than I can speak.. just.. what I picked up while I was here.." He muttered.
"I see... thank you for telling me, I'm going to go talk to my good friend over there for a second okay? I'll be right back." Before he stood up, he paused, and glanced down at the wolf he was holding. "Do you want to keep this safe for me? He's my new friend, I think he will help you feel a little better." As he spoke, he gently reached out, just inside the cage, to hand the boy the wolf. The snakes stared at him, but did not act against him, and he wasn't particularly worried about them either. The boy hesitated, but reached out and took it from him. It was then that he noticed the glistening scales that shined in the light, almost matching the color of his eyes. It didn't seem like it was makeup.. but he decided not to linger on the thought too much, it wasn't all that important right now.
Seeing him a little more relaxed and reassured, Lucien rose to his feet, and walked over to Faolan, quickly explaining what he had been told, his frustration and anger more clearly expressed now that the boy could not see him.
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