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Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel was quick to head off toward his trailer, which luckily was tidy this time around. The bright snake was curled around one of the bars that Faolan had installed on his wall for the snakes to slither on if they felt like.

"We've made a new friend, and she's going to sleep here tonight. I hope you don't mind if I move you outside for now? I don't want to startle her." He told the snake, who tilted her head but nodded.

"Not at all... Perhapss I'll go on a little hunt.." She responded. Aurel raised his hands and let the snake slither onto his arm, before carefully placing his hand near the end of her tail to steady her, before leaving his trailer and heading to a nearby tree to place her near, in case she wanted it.

"Okay, she can go ahead!" Aurel called out, since he was currently out of sight of them.

Lucien nodded and was quick to stand as he caught Faolan's gaze. It was clear the girl hardly had any strength left. Aurel hadn't wasted much time in going to move his snake, but it was clear with every second that passed that the girl was likely not going to make it. Lucien didn't step in, at first, but then he heard Aurel call out that he was done, but my then Illyana could no longer sit upright in her chair. Seeing her begin to tilt off her chair, Lucien placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to steady her, and paused. It didn't seem like she was too aware of what was happening anymore. She really was that exhausted.

"I'm sorry, it's probably best if I pick you up." He muttered, giving her a small moment to protest, but having received nothing, he carefully picked her up, and walked over to Aurel's trailer. The teenager had come back to open the door, and Lucien set the girl down on the mattress. He made sure the windows were all open for her, to get some fresh air, before he stepped out, and joined Faolan once more, who had begun to clean up.

"Hopefully she'll feel a little better tomorrow.." He said, beginning to help pick up as well.

"I hope so too.." Aurel muttered. "But um, looks like it's like the good old days again?" He said a little lightheartedly, hoping to brighten the mood at least a little.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien pulled back his glass after Geralt had filled it, but didn't drink, at least not yet. He should probably at least try to pace himself a little. He still had a lot of the night to go.. then again.. he could just make his drunkenness go away if he happened to take it too far. He was glad he had that available for himself at times like these.

"I suppose you're right. I had a lot of time on my hands when I was young, it gave me a lot of time to learn." He told him, considering continuing his drawing before changing his mind. He might not be able to concentrate on it well enough.

"I'm not sure what a man such as yourself would consider to be a great reward." He said, though there was a part of him that had a couple ideas, based on what he knew about Geralt so far. It was becoming a little harder for him to maintain eye contact with Geralt when he was looking at him like this. It was almost like his piecing eyes could see right through him. "But I'll certainly keep it in mind."

At his next question, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I haven't, I tend to ask people for permission before doing so. Not everyone is a big fan of being drawn, and it does require me to well.. observe them often, I suppose, to be able to draw them from memory." He explained. Illyana and Ivory were probably the two who were the least fond if it, and he of course, respected that.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien smiled, glad to know the girl understood, but her fatigue had grown quite obvious. He nodded in agreement with Faolan as it was time to go to sleep.

"Yes.. that is probably best.." He said, before glancing over at the bus and Aurel's trailer. In terms of sleeping arrangements.. he wasn't sure what to go with, or at least what would make the girl feel the most comfortable.

"Aurel, would you be alright in letting Ilyanna sleep in your trailer? You can sleep with us on the bus instead."

Aurel of course was quick to nod. "I don't mind at all, I just er.. have to move the snake.." He muttered. The snake was getting a bit large, and while the girl hadn't minded the viper, he wasn't sure if she wanted to sleep in the same place as a snake that was large enough to wrap around her body.

"Would you be okay with sleeping there, Illyana?" He asked the girl, also making sure that's what she wanted. "If not, we can make different sleeping arrangements for you." If the girl wanted to sleep in the bus by herself, then he and Faolan didn't mind camping outside, since it was something they were used to doing anyway. He just wanted to make sure the girl felt safe.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien had not expected for Geralt to respond so blatantly. Of course his intentions now were very clear, and Lucien's mind was becoming far too clouded with whiskey to maintain his usual composure. His cheek's darkened in color, and he was quick to avert his gaze, and made a small attempt to clear his throat as he moved his glass toward the mouth of the bottle. Despite the circumstances Lucien still didn't feel like being the first to back down from their drinking, though that in itself was a dangerous game. He felt like he could maybe pull off a few more and still keep a decent amount of awareness. That's what he hoped, at least. It had been a while since he had drank this much.

"Well I don't think there's anything too special about it.. just me scribbling away at my sketchbook.." He said, glancing down at the sketchbook in his lap.

"If you want, I wouldn't mind giving it a try, I'm always quite willing to test my skills, though I've never had someone actually pose for me. I usually just draw them based on observation. Not everyone is willing to sit still for extensive periods of time." He said with a small chuckle.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Illyana's disappointment at being told they would not be leaving tonight was very clear. Lucien felt a little bad. It was obvious that she wanted to get home as soon as possible. Part of him thought that someone suffering from abuse wouldn't want to go back home so hastily but... there was also the girl's twin sister. Perhaps she was the reason? Either way he wasn't going to ask, as it seemed she might not be willing to share just yet. He met Faolan's eyes, and nodded slightly, at least to show that he agreed with him.

His expression softened as he turned toward the girl.

"Please don't be upset. I understand how badly you must want to be home.. I'm sure it would be best for you to arrive in the middle of the day, and not at night, so you can explain things properly to your parents. You have a sister as well, yes? Getting a good rest overnight will also help you physically recover a little more, so you can go ahead and greet her properly. You don't wish to make her worry right?" He said gently.

"I promise that we will head out as soon as we possibly can tomorrow, okay? We'll do our best to get you there as fast as we are able." He tried to reassure her.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien raised his eyebrows slightly at Geralt's words. The man certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to his blatant flirtations. Sometimes it was easy to forget what the man's intentions with him were.. In all honesty, Geralt's presence here had allowed him for a good.. distraction from his usual sorrow.. He could not say he didn't appreciate the company in this night either. There was something that prevented him from breaking Geralt's eye contact, but he managed, turning his attention to the whiskey instead. Maybe he had consumed a little too much? He had already been drinking a decent amount before Geralt had joined him.

"I certainly hope they're work appropriate." He said, even though he was well aware that was not the case. He was quick to go along with his following words to divert his attention from the previous topic.

"It doesn't hurt to stay organized every now and then. It makes it easier to find things, or refer to old drawings, I suppose.." He muttered as he retrieved his sketchbook from him, almost absentmindedly.

"If you really want to, I don't really mind. It's not bad to get to share them every now and then."

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien attempted to keep his worry under control as the girl made her way to them, but he stopped himself from moving, considering she previously hadn't wanted him to touch her. She was able to make it to her chair to sit, and he was glad that she was finally getting a proper meal. He returned her small smile with his own, and nodded in agreement with Faolan as he told her to eat. Her nourishment was most important.

Faolan served the rest of them, and for the most part there was silence, and none of them wanted to get in the way of Illyana finishing her food. In the end though, the small girl hadn't even been able to get through half of it, but neither of them pushed her to eat further. Lucien knew it was bad to push someone past their limits when they have gone hungry. They had been through this before. Instead they wrapped it up so she could eat the rest later if she got hungry again.

"So then.. Illyana, you want us to take you home, yes? To Utica?" Lucien asked, deciding it would be best to figure out exactly what they were going to do.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien let out a small chuckle. He wasn't all too surprised that Geralt was willing to put that to the test. He was certainly not the type of man to back down from any challenge, even an indirect one.

"Of course, of course. Name the game, or method, and I'd gladly let you put it to the test." He said. Honestly he was curious. While he had seen Geralt's 'magic' at play, he did want to see the extent of his other capabilities. Perhaps it would allow a few more clues as to what the man's true nature was.

The Ringleader took another drink of his whiskey as Geralt looked through his sketchbook, smiling at the compliment.

"I'm fond of both. I have a sketchbook dedicated to that as well, and one for landscapes and nature. It really just depends on what I'm in the mood to draw." He explained.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien and Aurel did as Faolan asked. The nephilim began to expertly cut the bread into slices, while Aurel went off to begin setting up their table. He opened the side storage of the bus to pull out some chairs to set up around the fire and the plates Faolan had asked for, and took a seat once he had finished doing as he was asked.

By the time the girl had finished, they were gathered around the fire. The snake had settled back around Aurel's shoulders, since there was no longer a need to make himself unseen from the girl.

Hearing the door opening, Lucien turned to Illyana, taking note that she had made no move to approach them. He gave her a smile and motioned towards a chair. "Please, feel free to take a seat." He urged her, taking note of her nervousness. It seemed the clothes had fit her well enough. He was just glad to be seeing her in a better state.

"I hope you like roast beef sandwiches." He said to her lightly, hoping to make her a little more comfortable.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Despite his melancholic mood, even Lucien could not help but let out a small laugh at the man's comment.

"No, he would have been absolutely terrible at it." He said honestly. Even when he had attempted to make Faolan give it a try, it hadn't gone well. The man could hardly draw a straight line, so Lucien had stopped insisting, even if he had found it a little amusing.

His attention shifted as Geralt took the sketchbook from him, but made no attempt to stop him. He was a bit surprised to notice how he didn't seem to be straining his eyesight at all, despite the lingering darkness, but he didn't comment, and let the man look as he pleased. There was nothing in this particular sketchbook that he wouldn't want Geralt to see. He let out a small chuckle at the compliment, the sorrow in his eyes slowly dissipating as he was offered a distraction from his previous line of thoughts.

"I'll withhold my response to your question. It's no fun if I give you all the answers is it? I can tell you though, that while I consider myself humble, I might be able to give your dexterity a run for it's money." He said with a small smile.

"Feel free to look through it, this one's dedicated to animals." He added, just in case the man was curious.