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Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Ivory had stayed under the shade through all these interactions, though most of her attention had been on Geralt and Lucien, when she wasn't looking out into the water toward Akane and Cora. She was glad the two women were enjoying themselves. Knowing that Cora didn't get to do this often, she wanted the mermaid to make the most of it. She knew she wasn't being very sociable at the moment, but she hadn't wanted to interrupt Illyana and Aurel's conversation, and decided to simply stay here until it was time to get to work on Cora's tank. After that she would be more inclined to partake in the... 'festivities,' to an extent anyway. She also wanted to take advantage of being out in a forest to look for some things she could use for her crafts, especially because this appeared to be a lake filled with rocks.

Her attention shifted toward Geralt as he approached the mess area. She raised an eyebrow as she watched the man put everything together. She was sure his intent to help wasn't genuine. Was he showing off then? That was probably more likely. Taking into account what she had seen in his show, she figured that what he did required around the same amount of concentration it took her to create and control a large variety of knives, which required much more focus. Interesting.

Lucien was certainly impressed with how easily Geralt had put things together. He figured his skill was extensive but.. he didn't think it was this.. precise. How taxing was it? He didn't really know. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Illy begin to scribble things down in her notebook.

"Thorough as always." He commented, his previous amusement still present. This was very like her.

The carnies thanked Gerlalt, clearly amazed by the skill he had just displayed. For some it was the first time seeing it in play. Lucien approached the magician when he had finished, not having wanted to break his concentration.

"I must certainly say that's very impressive. I assume this made setting up your trailer much easier." He said amusingly.

It was around then that he heard the sound of an engine, and Cora's trailer could be seen approaching. Enough room had been left for them to be able to pull it up near the edge of the lake, as close as they could pull in without there being any danger of sinking.

"Ah, here we go." Lucien said as the remaining carnies got out of the truck, two of them holding a large amount of buckets. "I'm afraid we have a more effective way to remove the water than replacing it, Ivory's currently working on coming up with an alternative." He explained. After all it was Ivory who had come up with the idea of the drainage system they currently held. She was quite crafty when it came to these things.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel had been careful in the way he removed his shirt. While he wasn't as subconscious about his scars as he used to be.. he didn't really want Geralt of all people to start asking questions about them. He had already worn appropriate attire for swimming just in case he had decided to go in, so only his shirt was removed as he had just as quickly made his way into the water and submerged. It was cold, but it was a nice sort of cold, as he was quick to swim further into the lake as he searched for Cora and Akane.

Lucien followed Geralt's gaze to the carnies, a little surprised that he had offered to help. Not because he didn't think he would, it just.. didn't seem like him to perform such tasks.

"If you insist, I won't stop you." He said, motioning for Geralt to go if he wanted. He was sure the carnies would appreciate the help. He figured Cora's tank would be finished soon. As Geralt walked off toward their smaller 'mess area,' Lucien approached Illy, though he was still facing slightly in the direction Geralt had gone so he could see what he was doing.

"Cora looked so happy, hmm?" He asked, his tone light as amusement reflected in his eyes. He knew Illyana had attempted to interrupt their previous conversation, but she was never really the best at intentionally doing things like that. That was just how she was.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien and the child continued to have a bit of small talk, which him attempting to teach him a few more English words that he was having a hard time grasping. When they were unable to train his physical state, he wanted to try to help him learn as much English as he could. It would not only help him communicate better with Faolan when he wasn't around, but it would prove useful to him in general.

After a relatively good amount of time had passed, and he knew the boy suffered no danger of a cramp by trying to swim so soon after eating, they headed into the water. Aurel shuddered a little after entering.

"Is it too cold?" He asked in German, but the boy shook his head.

"No it's okay.. this cold is easier to get used to." He responded.

Faolan had decided to just watch for now, and had remained outside the water while they practiced, until Lucien had eventually found it best to stop. He didn't want to overwork him too hard, and he didn't want him to get sick from being in the water too long either. He picked him up and took him back to the trailer so he could change into dry clothes out of the cold breeze. Aurel was quick to bundle himself up in blankets.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Cold.. aand tired.. but I'm okay." He responded in German.

"Well, you can stay in here and warm up. I'll leave a window open so your snakes can come in, but I'm going to step outside for a little. Just call out if you need anything okay?" He asked. Aurel nodded and laid down on the cot, seemingly with intentions to try to get some rest.

With that in mind Lucien left the trailer to go join Faolan outside, seeing that he had begun to wash himself in the lake. He figured he hadn't wanted to do it with the child around.

"Would you like me to wash your back?" He called out, a small mischievous smile on his face. There was no need to hide anything since Aurel wasn't around at the moment, so Lucien would try to make the most of it.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel let out a small laugh as Illyana pulled out the small book. "No, not at all. I made a bet with myself that you would find a way. I expected you to pull a book out of somewhere." He said amusingly. This was something that had remained the same about Illy after all this years. She almost always had a book on her person, or relatively nearby, one way or another.

"Not really a fair bet." She responded with a smile, causing him to chuckle.

"I take advantage of the bets I can win." He joked, before turning his gaze back onto the water, now in a brighter mood. There.. was no need to ruin such a good day with sad memories. Lucien was clearly in a good mood, and he wanted things to stay that way. He'd be sure to enjoy himself too.

"Thank you." He said in a slightly quieter tone, giving her a grateful smile. "I guess I will go for a swim. Would you mind keeping a look out for my snakes for me?" He asked. Usually if they were gone too long he went to go look for them to make sure they were okay. Of course the snakes could take care of themselves, but there were other predators out there. He didn't want any of them to come to harm. At that Illyana nodded, and Aurel began to head toward the water.

As they had been speaking, the other carnies who weren't currently busy cleaning Cora's tank were beginning to set up a little. For these occasions they usually set up a smaller version of the mess area for food and drinks and other things. Having taken note of Aurel's intention to swim, Lucien turned to Geralt, mostly in an attempt to keep him distracted from that situation.

"Ah yes, I suppose I owe you an explanation. Part of the reason we came to the lake was to refill Cora's tank with fresh water. It's a bit of a process, but we all help out to make it as quick as possible. Once we've finished that, the rest of the day will be dedicated to celebration." He told him, no longer finding any need to keep the reason why they were here a secret. He was satisfied with having managed to clearly surprise the man at least twice in one day.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel looked at Faolan as he spoke. His accent really did make the German sound strange, but his attemt made the boy let out a genuine laugh.

"Very fun." He responded. "Ireland..." He paused, trying to find the right word in english, but he couldn't think of it. "Insel?" He questioned, looking at Lucien.

"Island? Yes, Ireland is an island." He responded, a little impressed with the fact the boy was aware of this. That couldn't have been something he learned at the circus could it?

"You're French?" He asked, wanting to make sure that he was right. As a child, considering how little people liked to socialize him, it gave the boy a lot of time to try to learn other things, look at maps, anything to keep himself away from the kids who picked on him.

Lucien smiled. "I am. How do you know?" He asked curiously, wanting to know how the boy was able to tell. Granted his accent was obvious, but he wished to see how well the boy could discern things like that. He certainly seemed intelligent, despite having been trapped in that circus for the last four years.

"Your akzent, France and Germany nachbarinnen!" He exclaimed.

"Hmm.. I see. You're very smart." He complimented. The more they spoke the more he could discern how intelligent and observant the child really was. He was glad for this, because it meant that he would have a bit of an easier time learning other things. He looked forward to teaching him more.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien's smile widened at Faolan's words. "Now my mind can focus on other things." He lightly teased, before watching the small exchange between Aurel and him. It seemed he was right about Faolan's displeasure, and the boy seemed to have notice it too. For a second he had pulled back his plate, but then extended it fully again when Faolan had smiled and took it from him.

Aurel smiled as he heard Faolan thank him in German, though very thick in accent.

"Bitte." He responded happily.

The nephilim could not help but let out a quiet laugh. "That means your welcome." He said, pausing for a moment. "Bet you wished you had taken me up on that offer to teach you German all those years ago, hmm?" He teased.

Aurel watched the exchange between the two men, before he decided to ask a question. Lucien's accent was one he had heard before. He was fairly sure.. it was French, Faolan's however, he didn't know.

"Sound.. different, where from?" He asked.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Snake hadn't liked the sound of the first name Lucien had offered him. He didn't understand half of the explanation he had given to Faolan in regards to it, but he hadn't liked the name all that much. He was glad that Lucien hadn't been angry with him for it. It seemed.. he was taking this naming thing pretty seriously. The boy continued to watch with curiosity as Lucien continued to ponder. Part of him wanted to speak up and say it was okay if he couldn't come up with one, that was until he spoke up again.

Aurel.. that sounded nicer, and nothing he had ever heard of before.. but something about it stuck out to him. The boy liked it. Satisfied now, Aurel glanced down at the remainder of his food. There was still food on his plate, but he was already full. Lifting his gaze, he took note that Faolan's plate was once again almost empty, and extended his own in his direction, wanting to offer him the rest.

Lucien chuckled slightly at Faolan's comment. "That wasn't fast at all, I've been thinking about possibilities for his name since we first brought it up." He said, but simply hadn't liked any of the options.

"But I'm glad we found something he liked." He said before glancing over to the boy as he offered Faolan the remainder of his food.

"Are you sure you don't want anymore?" He asked him, and the boy shook his head.

"Full." The answer had been expected, but he figured he would ask just in case. Regardless he knew that Faolan would have much preferred the boy finished all of his food. It would certainly.. be a slow process, to increase his appetite.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Akane's smile had widened as Cora took hold of her hand and her swimming speed increased. She loved it when the mermaid did this, mostly because it allowed her to hit a speed she was not able to on her own. As the two broke the surface, the kitsune let out a giggle as they arced through the air, but managed to take a breath before they hit water again, but enjoyed every second of it. It was nice to experience the opposite for a change. Instead of the kitsune pulling the mermaid around on land, Cora could be the one to guide her here, and she was okay with that.

Lucien glanced back at Geralt after Akane and Cora had hit the water again. That expression.. it was certainly not a common one from the man, different than the way he usually held himself. It was.. quite curious. "I will not confirm, nor deny anything. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see now won't we?" He said, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Aurel was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of Illy nudging him. "Hmm?" He questioned, giving the lake another glance before looking down at Illy.

"I don't know, are you?" He asked with slightly raised brows. Knowing what her intention was, he decided to go along and tease her a little bit. He did appreciate her attempts. "Or are you only going to dip your feet in? That might be more boring though, I don't see a book."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien glanced at Geralt, retaining his smile. "No, she's quite alright." He responded, golden eyes then following Akane before she disappeared from sight, having dove down into the water. He hoped the two women would have fun. It was possible the magician had caught the literal meaning behind Cora's name, but he didn't say anything more to give it away, he'd see it for himself soon enough.

Akane finally spotted a larger movement in the water, and smiled as she saw her friend swim toward her, twirling a bit as she tried to keep Cora in her sight. The mermaid's appearance underwater was completely different than in her human form. It was certainly something unlike anything Akane had ever seen before, but being from Japan, she knew there were so many different creatures out there. Instead of being put off by her appearance, Akane had found it very unique, and cool looking.

The kitsune pointed up toward the surface of the water before she began to swim up toward it to get a breath of air. She was excited that she would be able to play with Cora in the water like this.

Aurel stopped his approach after he reached Illyana, snake like eyes looking out into the water. It was in these situations that the man was hit with a nostalgia on his own.. of the old days when he, Lucien, Faolan and Illy would come out to the lake like this to swim. Well, Illy would usually only dip her feet in, but it was still fun. Now he had Cora and Akane to enjoy that with.. but Lucien didn't do it nearly as much as he used to. There was a part of him that always wanted to ask him, but he never brought himself to, not wanting to risk to bring back any sad memories for him, not when his mood was so bright.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien took Faolan's words into consideration. "I wouldn't know too much about that, but I suppose you're right." He had never really known the intent behind his own name. Knowing what it meant was enough for him to at least think she had viewed him positively, but that was all he'd ever really know in regards to it.

Realizing what he had said, he spoke up again, not wanting Faolan to think his comment had ruined his mood."Though, I don't know if I really want to hear that from you, mister I named my dog, dog." He said amusingly, before shifted his gaze back to the boy. In terms of appearance well.. Snake covered his snake like qualities, but it was a terrible name. The other notable thing about it was his long, golden hair. Perhaps something in relation to that? He began to think of other possibilities, until he finally spoke up again.

"Marcus?" He spoke up, directed toward the boy, who tilted his head.

"Mar...cus..?" He questioned, before scrunching up his nose a little, causing Lucien to chuckle.

"I guess not." He said amusingly.

Faolan nearly spit out his food when he heard Lucien's first suggestion. He swallowed, then looked at the Frenchman while fighting laughter, "Marcus?" he asked, then shook his head, "Please tell me that just randomly popped into your head..." he said, keeping his tone light. He didn't want to offend or annoy Lucien, but he was never good at hiding his opinions, especially since the Frenchman had started it by giving him a hard time about his dog's name.

Lucien shook his head. "No of course not, there is a valid reason." He said. "There was a Roman Emperor and philosopher called Marcus Aurelius, his last name meant 'golden, or gilded,' so that was just the first name that came to mind, considering his hair." He said, before letting out a small hum.

"Hmm.. Aurelius.. Aurelius.." He muttered to himself, it sounded catchy, but too fancy. Not a name anyone in their time would use."Aurel?" He questioned, looking back at the boy.

"Aurel.." The boy repeated. "Aurel!" He seemed to like the sound of it, and honestly it flowed well with his German accent.

Lucien smiled in satisfaction at the boy's approval of the name.

"Aurel it is, then." He said.