xivyxx

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien raised his eyebrow slightly as Faolan almost slipped, but he commended him for at least managing to correct himself in time. Honestly it amused him a little, but he was glad he was putting in the effort.

"Hmm." They did sound like jobs mostly suited to him.. but he knew from Faolan's expression that he was worried about what that meant. Even though Faolan had improved in his sociability over the years, he was probably unsure of how he'd properly interact with Aurel. Language was also the problem.. though it seemed the boy was familiar enough to respond to them, that was good at least. In this short amount of time the boy already looked more at ease than he had when they had first found him. He was glad that it seemed he trusted them, but he knew that there were only so many days they could stay out here without working.

He reached out and placed a hand on Faolan's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before pulling back.

"I don't mind being the one to go to town to work, but before then.. how about we give it a couple days? We can focus on trying to get the boy walking again, and that will give him a bit more time to be more comfortable around us. He already seems willing to speak with you, so I'm sure things will work out." He tried to reassure him.

"Back when we first met I was alone, even if you seemed intimidating, there was a part of me that knew I could trust you. Your presence was reassuring to me. I'm sure the boy will come to see you the same way." He told him with a gentle smile.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel was relieved that Geralt had accepted his response, he wasn't sure how much he could have explained if he had continued to pry. It was a valid excuse.. in his opinion. It was a bit surprising to hear Geralt laugh. He hadn't thought his statement was so funny.

"I'm sure there is." He simply agreed, seeing no need to push the topic further.

Two pairs of snake like eyes followed Geralt as he moved to pour himself a cup of coffee. He decided to stick with German while talking to Geralt, since there was no one else around, and he had told him he'd speak German with him while the chance arose. No one else was around either.. so it wasn't rude. He was curious of the man's response, part of him wanted to ask how, but he wasn't sure how much he'd get from that.

"Travelling is nice.." He said. Aurel had lived the majority of his life on the road, or generally travelling around, ever since he was a child. While his previous circus days were nothing compared to now, it had made it so it was easy for him to adjust to change. The life he lived now was definitely more comfortable, though he could not deny that he sometimes missed the old days... A fact he often kept to himself. He took note that the man sat a bit of a distance away, was it because of Bengal? He was glad for it regardless, mostly because he didn't want the snake to feel more unsettled.

Aurel showed a bit of hesitation at Geralt's next question.

"Be careful of what you tell thiss man.." Bengal warned.

He didn't have to be told twice. Giving too much information about himself would also give the man more information about Lucien, but he didn't want to make it seem like he was hiding something. Geralt seemed like the type of person to dig for things.

"I met Lucien when I was twelve.. before the circus was actually founded.." He responded. This was something he could probably figure out from the carnies that had been here with them during those days, so he didn't see the need to hide it. That would only make the man more curious.

--

Lucien noted the change in Illyana's expression at his suggestion, but he had expected as much. He hoped that this wouldn't be an issue later. He honestly did want everyone to just get along.. but right now that was too much to ask for, there was still a lot of mystery surrounding the magician, and he knew it would be difficult for some people to accept that. Illyana and Ivory especially.

He followed Illyana's gaze to the mess area. He could almost feel her anxiousness to want to go. At first glance it just seemed like they were having a conversation, and Geralt was keeping a decent distance, at least, but still he spoke up.

"If you would, thank you. You can start with Geralt and Aurel." He said, motioning over in their direction.

"If you have the chance, please spread the word among the carnies too, their pay is also ready. We might as well have the meeting in the mess area, since it's still up."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien raised his brow slightly as he felt Faolan's eyes glaze over his body, knowing full well what he meant. He too however had to make sure to keep himself in check around the boy. That was.. probably the real downside to this whole situation, but well, it wasn't going to make Lucien regret his decision. They would figure things out.

"It did didn't it? I had a good teacher, though I must say comparing my physique to his is cheating." He said, before nodding in agreement.

"We can take a few days to focus on that. He might be more comfortable here out in the forest than in town, so we can probably take advantage of that." He said, glancing over at the boy. "I suppose we'll have to see." He said.

"How were the job offers in town?" He asked, since that was also one of the reasons he had gone. Now that they had the child with them, he knew they'd have to be more aware of their spending, as they would have to provide for him as well. Lucien didn't mind, he was willing to take full responsibility for this. The nephilim had never minded putting in some extra work.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel didn't respond right away, mostly because he knew he had to be careful with how he responded to Geralt's question. He was a smart man, and he knew he wasn't the best liar.

"It's.. not that big of a deal.. It's just harder to sleep.. The snakes are more active." He told him. That at least was not a lie. The full moon affected people and animals in different ways, at least that's Illy had told him from the books she had read. He had noticed that his snakes tended to be more active on those nights, coming in and out of the trailer. Sometimes he gave up on sleep and spent the night with Lucien, since the man stayed up during those nights as well.. but there were other times that he was tired enough that he'd be able to sleep. It really just depended.

"Well.. as long as you aren't overworking yourself.." He responded in German.

He wasn't really prepared to answer his next question, after all the man had only been with them a few days.

"I think.. well? Not that many people are used to life on the road like this.. and I hear you were a famous magician before this? I assume living conditions might have been different.." He said.

--

It was unfortunate that Illyanna was really one of the few people he could not fool, no matter how hard he tried, but at least Lucien had been doing a good job at keeping what his late night task actually consisted of. He knew he wouldn't hear the end of it if she found out, so he knew he couldn't overdo it.

He nodded in agreement as she spoke, scanning the area of the grounds as Illyana explained their progress. At her question he became pensive. He had actually been meaning to bring this up to Illy, even though he knew the woman wasn't fond of the magician.

"I preemptively asked Sanford to buy some things already." He said, pausing for a moment. "However.. I feel we should take this chance to make Geralt feel a bit more welcome. I know things are still tense, but everyone did receive at least some sort proper welcome once they had settled in. We can take advantage of the chance we're filling Cora's tank to do so. A celebration of our good fortune, our new member, and our bright future." He told her.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien smiled at Faolan's reaction to his mention of beignets. He was glad that Faolan's birthday was coming up so he'd have a chance to make some for the boy as well. He'd be sure to make an extra batch or two, just to make sure they could each get their fill. Hopefully by then the boy's appetite would be larger. Seeing Faolan was finished, he took the bowl from him and served the man another, knowing he wanted more. He was personally full, so he didn't mind if Faolan had the rest. He knew how much food the Irishman needed to eat to feel satisfied. He handed it to him as he spoke and let out a chuckle.

"Look at you, already planning out his regime. We need to get him his leg strength back first. He's actually a pretty good swimmer, I thought that might be a good way to help him with that."

He remembered quite clearly what training with Faolan was like. It had been hard at first, but he had been determined to follow through so he could become stronger, and it had paid off, but he wasn't sure how much the child would be able to take right now.

"What's your definition of light exercise?" He asked with a raised brow.

Snake watched the two men interact with interest, trying to focus and pick up what they were talking about. It was clear from their interactions that they got along well. The larger man's expressions had eased as time passed, and now the boy found no trouble in relaxing around them. He couldn't really remember the last time he had felt.. so at ease.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel jumped as he heard Geralt's voice behind him turning around to look at him. How long had he been standing there? Bengal had hissed, but hadn't made any movement toward him. It was the first time he had seen the man for himself. He slithered into a better position around his shoulders to get a better look at him, but made no aggressive movement otherwise, which Aurel was thankful for.

"Bother me?" He questioned. "Ah.. no it doesn't bother me at all. It's quite the pretty sight.." He responded, relaxing a little. He would have to be careful of the things he decided to say out loud, considering how easy it seemed for the man to sneak up on people. Looking the man over, he could see the bags under his eyes. Had he not slept well?

"You seem tired.." He commented, though was unsure if he should actually ask him why. "I hope you are.. adjusting well to this place." It was his attempt to be nice, since he didn't really want to make the man feel unwelcome, he knew Lucien wouldn't like that.

--

Lucien raised his eyebrows slightly, not having expected to run into Illyana, though he supposed he had taken quite a bit of time. It was no surprise she had decided to come check on him.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, before shaking his head. "No, I woke up a while ago, but I was counting our earnings and getting the pay ready. The totals were better than I expected.. more than the last time, actually. We will have enough to cover all of our expenses for the next town." He informed her.

"I apologize for not leaving my trailer sooner, how long until we're good to go?" He asked, glancing at his pocket watch.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien nodded. "Yes, we most certainly will. I want him to try beignets too, maybe he'll like them just as much as you do." He said to Faolan, giving the man a small wink.

He watched the exchange between Faolan and the boy with a smile. While he too wished he would eat more, he knew it would be a slow process before he could eat like they could.. well.. at least like he could. He was quite sure no one could really eat like Faolan did. Still, he was glad to see the child able to interact with Faolan. It didn't seem like he was as intimidated by him anymore. He watched as the boy smiled brightly at Faolan's response and then nodded at his words, before looking down at his snakes. There was a moment of silence then, before the boy nodded and some of the snakes slithered off.

"Are they leaving?" Lucien asked curiously.

The boy shook his head. "Hunting." He responded.

"Do.. you know how to hunt?" He asked, causing the boy's smile to return.

"Yes!" He seemed to hold pride in this fact, which made Lucien smile. It certainly interesting. If he said he had lived in the forest then it made sense but he wondered how the child was used to doing it. He had to have been able to do a decent job if he had survived out there by himself with just a snake by his side. There were still so many mysterious things about the boy, but he knew they'd have to take it slow. He couldn't drown him in a bunch of questions the first day.

"Perhaps you'll find a much better hunting partner in the boy, since I've never had the knack for it." Lucien said to Faolan with a small chuckle.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

The next day had come to life very early, as everyone had gotten up to do their respective duties. Akane ran around helping in what she could as usual, and Ivory had reluctantly dragged herself out of bed to 'help' even if there wasn't all that much for her to do at this point. Knowing that they would be going to the lake, she wanted to save the majority of her energy for that, considering filling the tank was usually quite the task.

Aurel had tried to help out for a while, but had eventually tired and sat to take a break in the mess area, blanket wrapped partially around him. He wasn't really.. as active as he used to be. This time around he did have a snake with him, Bengal, who had wanted to tag along. He figured among all his snakes he had the best self control if he happened to run into Geralt.

"Headed to lake next yess? We will be able to hunt.."

"Yes.. I'm sure you will all be able to find plenty of prey.." He said, eyes trailing in the direction of Lucien's trailer. It wasn't normal for the Ringleader to sleep in, but on the last night of the circus it was a somewhat common occurrence. It was the day he took to himself, whether it was to go watch a movie or simply enjoy a night out. He was glad that Lucien was still willing to do this sort of thing. Everyone needed a break now and then, especially him.

"Worried?"

"A little.. the full moon's coming up soon.." He said with a sigh.

---

It was a bit hard for Lucien to get out of bed the next morning, but he forced himself to do so. He still had a job to do, after all. Considering his outing last night, he still needed to count the earnings for the final night, and then divine the money earned to pay everyone. A small yawn escaped him as he got ready for the day, and took a seat at his desk to begin the count. He could hear the carnies out and about already, already taking down tents and beginning to load things up. Lucien knew that he had slept in quite a bit. Even then he still felt tired, but it wasn't incredibly obvious. He hid it well, and he wasn't about to let it get in the way of his job.

He spent the next hour counting and dividing the money, each into a respective pouch of coin. When he was done, he wrote down the numbers, his way of being able to tell how impactful Geralt's joining of the circus would be to their profit. So far.. they had made much more than they had during their first stop. With what was leftover there would be enough to make it so they could stock up on gas and more supplies as well. When Lucien was finished with a pouch, he'd roll up the bills nicely, before tying them together with a rubber band and putting them at the top of the pouch before closing it. As usual, he stored Cora's money in the safe, and put the general circus' earnings, along with his own, in there as well. The rest he put into his drawer, since he would be giving them out during their meeting before they went on the road again. Now having finished all of that, Lucien finally left his trailer.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

By then Snake had 'finished' eating. This.. was the most he had eaten in a while, and he didn't feel like he could have any more. He had eaten a good amount of the meat that had come with the stew, but had left about half of the liquid itself. Honestly it.. felt like a waste of food. Glancing over at Lucien he could see he was almost finished with his.

As Faolan addressed him, he tilted his head slightly. "Never had." Back at the orphanage he had seen it on a few occasions but.. he had never had any himself, but it had always seemed like the other kids enjoyed it. He watched the larger man get up to step toward the stew, seemingly to serve himself more. Instead the boy lifted the bowl slightly in his direction.

"Want?" He asked. "Can't eat anymoe.."

Lucien glanced over at the boy. "Are you sure? You can have as much as you like. There's plenty." He told him, not wanting him to feel like he had to hold back, but the child simply shook his head.

"Full.." He responded.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien let out a small chuckle at his response. "I'm sure you will." He responded. For a moment he watched the man go, before he then headed back to his own trailer to get some of his things together. He wanted to be able to make the most out of the time he had tonight. He changed out of his ringleader outfit and into more casual clothing, and pulled out a black duffel bag from under his bed, where he kept everything he needed for tonight, before he put on his coat and quietly left his trailer. No one ever really questioned his leave, as most had taken it as the Ringleader wanting time for himself after their closing nights, so he was quite glad no one really prodded him for information. Really the only people he wanted to really avoid finding out about this were Illy and Aurel, because he knew they wouldn't like it.

Lucien drove to town, parking in front of a small home. It was a home he recognized.. from years ago, back from their travelling days. He had healed a middle aged man who was slowly growing blind. He had been the only provider in his family, so him losing his sight would have cost them their livelihood. The man had always said he would be forever indebted to him for his aid. Knowing connections in towns would be needed for future visits, he had decided to make his family his contact for when he was going to stop by. He knew he had to spread the word somehow, and had discovered this was the best way. That was why he had the carnie sent a letter ahead, so they would know to do so.

He gave the door a soft knock, and an old man answered the door, immediately smiling upon seeing him.

"Ah.. Lucien.. it's good to see you return so soon, come in, come in." He said, motioning for him to come inside. As they walked into the living room, he spotted the man's wife, who he gave a smile to.

"Yes.. It is good to see you both again Martin, Linda. Due to some circumstances we made another stop in this town, I figured some would be able to make use of that." He said.

"Well we're glad to see you are well, feel free to use the room in the back and the bath, I know you like to get straight to work." His wife spoke up.

He nodded, giving them a thank you before he headed down the hall. Out of everything this.. was probably what he could admit he did not enjoy the most. Obviously as a Ringleader of a circus, his face could be easily recognizable if he wasn't careful. He wasn't just.. a traveler anymore, going from place to place. He took the spotlight sometimes, and that made it a lot more likely for people to be able to find and identify him as the one who went around providing healing to people.

The only thing he could think of to.. work his way around that was to change his appearance completely and well.. dressing as a woman ended up being the best thing he could think of. His neutral features allowed for fluidity when it came to things like this, so aside from his height, it wasn't particularly hard to do so. If people identified him as a woman, there would be no way they would look at the Ringleader and think he was the one behind this, that at least.. was what he told himself. He had to admit it was a bit embarrassing.. With a sigh, Lucien made use of their bath, something he was glad to be able to enjoy every now and then, before he began to get ready, slipping into a long black dress and a dark cloak, finishing it off with a black wig of long black hair. All the dark colors made it easier to blend in during the night. He liked to stand out the least amount that he could. Taking a glance into the mirror when he was finished, he let out a sigh. It was unfortunate how easy it was for him to pull this off. The only thing he really had that betrayed him was the fact he was much taller than the average woman, but well, when you spent a lot of time sitting down and providing healing, people didn't really pay much attention to that.

With that, Lucien took his leave to the designated area, which coincidentally enough ended up being an incredibly small church, run by the close friend of the old man he had saved. Upon going inside he could see a fair share of people who were already there waiting.

"I'm sorry for the wait.. but I'll get started right away.. please line up here." He spoke in a soft, fluid American accent, with absolutely no traces of French. People were eager, and did as he asked. Lucien spent the next hours looking after each person, trying to identify their illness or disability, and then healing them of them. One of the things he was glad he had decided to study and read were the fair share of medicine books he had gotten a hold of, the knowledge had helped immensely in these kinds of situations. Lucien hadn't just.. wanted to heal people without knowing what it was that was afflicting them. Having the knowledge actually helped, because sometimes people didn't actually need his abilty, just proper treatment.

Unlike in their previous visit, Lucien was actually able to get through everyone this time around, which he was glad for. It had however left him a bit tired, but no so much that he wouldn't be okay after getting some sleep. By then, it was around three thirty, and Lucien finally took his leave, heading back to Martin's home to change back into his normal clothing. He hadn't made a ridiculous amount, but it would definitely be a bonus to what tonight's show would bring them. He had decided he would use this money as emergency funds, just in case things didn't quite go as he hoped.

"Bless your kind heart, Lucien. We're thankful for what you do. Please.. feel free to visit us again any time, even if it isn't for business." Linda told him gently.

"Thank you for your kind offer, and thank you for allowing me to come here to do this.. and for keeping my secret."

"Of course, lad. I owe you our lives for what you did for me and my family. I hope others realize how blessed they are. Good luck on your next stop." He told him, giving Lucien's hand a firm shake.

With that, the Ringleader took his leave, and headed back to the circus just before four. The carnies knew what to do.. so he'd probably be able to catch a few hours of sleep at the very least.. he'd make the most of it. He was quiet and swift as he headed across the grounds and back to his trailer, to which he quietly closed the door. Kicking his duffel bag under his bed, he tossed the bag of coin on his desk and collapsed onto his bed, letting out a sigh. Sometimes it was easy to forget how tiring this could be but.. it was worth it.