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Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel turned his smile on the pair as they greeted him. "Thank you, both of you." He told them, glancing down at the perfectly wrapped present.

"Is it alright if I open it now? Or should I wait?" He asked.

"Oh please open it now! We can't wait for you to see it!" She said, clapping her hands in excitement.

The man let out a chuckle before doing as she asked, being just as careful in opening her present as he had Illyana's. It was clear she had dedicated time to the wrapping, so he didn't want to ruin the paper. The paper revealed what appeared to be a yukata. He removed it from the wrapping, being careful as he extended it, having made sure his hands were clean before hand. It was similar in style to the one he used for his performances, but lighter in color with tints of light blue and white It had a different sort of elegance to it. It was something he could easily use in a performance if he wanted to.

"I love it, thank you!" He told them. "I think I might use this one for performances too, it suited for it." He added with a bigger smile.

Akane grinned. "I'm so glad to hear that! We thought the same thing when we got it!" She exclaimed. It had been a hard choice, because they had so many pretty designs, but she thought this color suited him better because of his complexion. She was glad they had made the right choice.

Aurel was careful to fold it over again and cover it in the wrapping paper again, to make sure that it would not get dirty, and placed it along the end of the table. He'd take it to his trailer after breakfast. Just then, Lucien approached the table and set down the last of the beignets, along with the rest of the breakfast that had been prepared.

"Ah yes! I made some of the black tea Illy gave me, so feel free to have some." Aurel said as he took his seat again as everyone did the same.

It was then that Akane glanced around. "Has Geralt already stopped by? I know Ivory said she'd be a little late because she was working on something." She said.

Lucien gave a glance in the direction the Magician had gone. "He was here earlier, but I assume he headed back to his trailer. It might just be one of those days." He said.

"Oh.. I see." Akane said. That was unfortunate.. he had been in such a good mood lately.. but she didn't want to let that get her down, it as Aurel's birthday after all. Perhaps he would feel better later in the day?

The Ringleader used that chance to change the subject. "Well, the beignets are still quite warm, so all of you should feel free to dig in. I expect Ivory will be joining us soon." He said, knowing the dhampir wouldn't want them to wait on her. He knew she had finished her set up early so she could finish working on Aurel's gift, but she said she would be finished around breakfast time. He was sure she'd be looking to the sweets as well.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien followed Faolan quietly as created some distance between them and the bus. When Faolan finally spoke up, he looked up at him, hearing his quiet voice. He could see.. the pain in his eyes, even if he was trying so hard to hide it. He couldn't deny feeling the same. This situation was... difficult. This was not something any child should ever experience.

Unable to stand seeing him this way, he gave his surroundings a small glance for a moment before he reached out and took Faolan's hand into his own, gently pulling it closer to himself.

"I know.." He responded. This was something he was not going to argue with him over. He knew very well they couldn't move forward without knowing.

"I don't like it either.. but I know we have to ask her to tell us the truth, I agree with you." He reassured him, not wanting him to beat himself up too much over the decision.

"I know that this is different from when we found Aurel. She.. had a family and a place she wanted to return to.. I do want to help her. We just.. need to know what actually occurred.." He said quietly, giving his lover's hand a small squeeze.

--

Once Lucien and Faolan had gone, Aurel turned his attention to Illyana. He could tell the girl was suffering based on expression alone. That was enough to confirm that things hadn't gone well, and that it was likely their suspicions had been true. His gaze shifted back to the ground.

"Illyana.. I'm sure that.. you must be going through a difficult time.. I just.. want you to know that no matter what, Lucien and Faolan will help you. They.. found me as a child too.. and they took me in and helped me.. I just want you to know that.. you can trust in them." He spoke to her, not particularly expecting her to answer, but as long as she took in his words.. that was fine.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien knew that staying here would be too dangerous, so he did not disagree with Faolan when he said they should go. Lingering any longer would end up being too suspicious to the lingering neighbors. As he went to the front of the bus, Lucien focused his attention on Illyana. Slowly it seemed that she was beginning to recover, which was incredibly revealing.

This whole situation.. it was unfortunate. There was absolutely no doubt in their minds that Illyana had been abandoned by her parents. All of their suspicions were becoming more likely by the minute, from the picture they had seen to the fact they had only left her things behind.. they didn't want her, and that was hard for him to think about. He could only imagine how all of this was having an affect on the girl. This confirmation however made it absolutely clear that there were things she wasn't telling them, and he knew even though he did not like to pry, it was important for them to ask her about them, if they had any chance of providing her with proper assistance.

Aurel had taken a seat on the cot as he watched Lucien and Illyana, clearly worried, but not saying anything. He was anxious to know what they had discovered, but knew it was best to wait until Illyana was better. As they had made their stop, he took note of the look Faolan had given Lucien. He didn't say anything, but he did scoot closet to the bench, his way of showing that he'd keep a watch over Illyana while they were gone.

Lucien could easily recognize the look on Faolan's face. With everything they had just discovered he figured it was only a matter of time before Faolan would want to discuss their next move. He glanced over Illyana one more time before he rose to his feet, and followed Faolan quietly out the door. They had.. a lot of things to figure out.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel paused as Illyana spoke, putting the green tea back and grabbing the black tea instead. If that was her recommendation he'd take her word for it. Regardless he looked forward to trying them all at one point. He began the preparation before glancing back at Illyana as she spoke.

"They're perfect. I was starting to run low on my preferred teas, so this was very well timed. Akane's let me try some of them before but they can be pretty hard to find at times, I'm glad you were able to." He said, retaining his smile as he spoke.

It was when he was done with the tea and walking back to the table that he saw Akane and Cora begin to make their approach. By then Lucien had already set out mugs for them all to be able to try it, and went back to take the last batch of beignets from the oven.

"Good morning, Aurel! Happy birthday!" Akane exclaimed upon their arrival. She had been looking forward to this all morning, but the two of them had only just finished in helping out before they went back to grab Aurel's present. She set a very nicely wrapped present on the table. From the kitsune's skills in origami it was clear that even the wrapping had very sharp attention to detail.

"This is from both of us! We really hope you like it!" She added.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien was relieved to see Illyana open her eyes. It seemed despite not responding he had acknowledged his words, as he could tell she was taking in deep breaths. That was good, it meant she was aware of everything, even if she could not respond. That in itself was relieving. It was strange to see her lack any panic in regards to the situation, had this perhaps happened to her before? He would have to ask her about it later, just to be sure they could be prepared if it happened again.

He nodded in agreement at Faolan's words. "That would be best." He said. "Illyana, I know it must be hard for you to speak, but before we go, is it alright to leave these things behind?" They were her belongings, after all. The girl had managed just a slight nod of her head, and that was enough for Lucien.

"Alright, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to pick you up okay?" Unfortunately it wasn't like the girl could walk back on her own. He was careful as he did it, being sure not to touch her unnecessarily as he picked her up in his arms and motioned for Faolan to lead the way, knowing he'd keep a good look out.

He waited for Faolan to give them the okay, before they left the way they came in. Luckily they were able to make it back to the bus without any issue, and were met with Aurel's worried expression.

"I didn't see anyone while you were gone, is she okay?" He asked worriedly, seeing the girl in Lucien's arms.

"I think she had some sort of seizure, but I think she will be alright, just needs a bit of time to recover." He told him, setting the girl down on the bench. Aurel brought over some water just in case she needed it, which Lucien thanked him for.

The teenager wanted to ask what had happened and what they had seen, but he knew right now was not a good time, so instead he waited, keeping a bit of a distance as to not crowd Illyana too much.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Aurel could tell immediately that Geralt was seemingly not in the best of moods.

"Thank you, and I'll be sure to." He responded.

Both he and Lucien watched the man walk away. At this point.. the troupe was quite used to Geralt's mood swings, so it didn't really surprise them when things like this happened. This time it was weird, however, at least for Lucien.. considering his mood had actually been quite bright until just a little while ago. Still, he didn't have too much time to ponder it as Illyana made her arrival.

Aurel returned her smile, glad to see her in such a good mood. "Good morning Illy." He said, looking down at the box he had been given. He thanked her for the gift, before he carefully began to open it. His nose caught the scent of what it was before he finished opening it, but his eyes brightened nonetheless. It appeared to be a box of different assorted Asian teas. They smelled quite delicious.

"These smell amazing! Thank you, Illy!" He gave her a bright smile. "I'll go ahead and make some now, so everyone else can try it too. They will go great with the beignets."

Lucien's smile widened at the exchange, while worried about Geralt's now soured mood, he didn't want it to get in the way of Aurel's day. He was glad to be able to see him so happy.

"I preemptively boiled some water already, so it's all ready to go." He told him, having already known what Illy had gotten him.

Aurel let out a small chuckle at Lucien's preparation, so he went ahead and picked green tea to make for everyone.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien could see how hard this was for Illyana.. but he admired her determination to continue despite it. It seemed her parents had done a good job of emptying everything, at least, that's what he thought until they reached the room he assumed was where Illyana slept, which she seemed quite hesitant to enter. He didn't speak up or pressure her, knowing she needed to take this at her own pace.

He was surprised to see that there was still furniture here, but he could tell about half of it was missing.. which made sense if the girl had a twin. He couldn't help but feel upset at the fact they had left all this here, not even thinking of how their child could possibly feel upon seeing just how blatantly they had planned to leave her behind.. that is unless they thought there was no way she could return here. That thought frustrated him further. Illyana did not deserve this pain.

He watched the girl with saddened eyes as she walked around the room, inspecting what was left of her things. Perhaps they'd be able to take some of it back with them if she wanted them in her possession. Once this house was re-sold he knew it would most likely get thrown out or taken away...

Faolan's voice shifted his attention, as he had seemingly found something of Illyana's at least, that's what they thought at first. He was glad that she at least had something of her sister's to keep. No matter how small.. things like that were nice to have.

What happened when Illyana touched the small barrette was nothing anyone he has expected. He ran to them as Faolan called out his name, kneeling down on the floor next to Illyana. Gently he lifted the girl's head, only to check to make sure she hadn't gotten a concussion or anything of the sort during her fall, considering how fragile she seemed. Feeling nothing off, he looked her over with worried eyes.

"Illyana, can you hear me?" He asked her, attempting to remain calm. She seemed to be conscious but not particularly responsive. "It may have been some sort of seizure.." He muttered but was still unsure, it had all happened too quickly.

"If you can hear my voice, try to take slow, deep breaths." He had seen such a thing before, and there would certainly have been further cause for alarm had the seizure lasted too long, but hopefully the worst of it was over. The best he could do for her was attempt to give her instruction if she could fully grasp his words.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien tilted his head ever so slightly as Geralt ate the beignet. Perhaps he didn't like them? He hadn't particularly seemed all that enthused, but the Ringleader didn't take it personally. Not everyone was a huge fan of sweets. He stepped away and went back to his work to check on the next batch.

"Agreed." They'd be ready at any moment.

It was then that he noted Aurel's approach, and gave him a big smile as he arrived.

"Good morning, Aurel. Happy birthday." He greeted, taking a moment to ruffle his hair a little.

"Thank you, Lucien." He said with a small chuckle. "The smell of beignets brought me here." He said, eyeing them from behind the Frenchman. He knew to expect this sort of thing from Lucien every year, and honestly he did look forward to it a little. Currently the man only had Cinnamon on him, the bright colored rosy boa who had wanted to join him today. Amusing for the occasion, considering the sweets present.

"Sharp nose as always. Here you are. Nice and fresh." He said, handing him a plate.

"Does this mean I can skip breakfast and go straight into desert?" He joked.

"I'll let you get away with it just this once, because it's your birthday." He said amusingly.

Aurel smiled before making his way over to the table. "Good morning, Geralt." He greeted the magician before taking his seat.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

That morning was quite busy for a lot of the troupe members. Ivory had wanted to get as much done as she could before the sun had made itself known in the sky, and she had managed to finish things on her end with some time to spare. She had used this time to make her way back to her trailer to try to finish her gift to Aurel. Well.. it was more like her gift to him and the snakes. She knew how much Aurel enjoyed nature, and his trailer quite fit that description. Over the years Ivory had made attempts to help him make his space the most comfortable for the snakes that he could, and what she was making was something that would help with that. She was actually quite looking forward to giving it to him, but it would probably have to wait until morning had passed. It was a bit tedious to carry around.

Lucien had gotten up a bit earlier than everyone else, mostly to get some work done, but because he knew the morning would end up taking up more of his time in a different way. Today was the day Aurel turned twenty-five, and he planned to maintain his tradition of making beingets for him, as he always did every year. He knew Aurel didn't like to make an incredible deal out of his birthday, but he knew this was something he enjoyed. Now that there were more people, he knew he had to make time to make extra batches, especially because he knew Ivory liked to take some back to her trailer to eat later, though she never openly asked for more.

By now he had already made two batches, and was working on the third. That was when he felt someone else join him. Geralt's voice soon followed. He turned slightly toward him.

"Good morning, Geralt." He greeted the man, taking note of his tiredness. By now.. he was a bit used to seeing it, but he couldn't deny that it still worried him even months after the man had joined him. At this point he knew better than to comment on it.

"Ah well, this particular time, I'm not working, so you don't have to worry about that." He said with a chuckle. "This is more of something I'm doing in my free time. Today is Aurel's birthday, you see, and he's quite fond of these." He said, motioning to the beignets. He grabbed a small plate of them, and walked over to the table to set them down.

"Feel free to help yourself, I'm making plenty. It might make a nice accompaniment to your coffee." He told him.

Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

Lucien followed Faolan to the side of the house. Luckily it seemed they would be able to get inside without no issue. He waited near the window, making sure Illyana made it in safely before he actually took a look around them. It wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that they might not be able to find anything here, but he wasn't going to give up so quickly. It was easy to miss the smallest thing if one wasn't looking.

The nephilim made his way out of the kitchen, and began to look for any potential clues. There wasn't.. particularly much for him to look into, as the few things that seem to remain consisted of furniture it seemed they hadn't bothered to take.

"Let's do our best to not linger too long alright?" He said quietly. Their bus was particularly hard to miss. If it stuck around too long he didn't want the neighbors to get too curious. The less time they spent in the house, the better.

--

Meanwhile, Aurel remained vigilant of their surroundings. He hadn't kept the curtain open too much, but it was just enough for him to look out of it without people being able to see inside. He really hoped the others would be able to find something to give Illyana some sort of clue. Knowing how kind Lucien and Faolan were.. he knew that they would not deny the girl somewhere to stay while she tried to find out where her family had gone, just as they had done for him. He had a feeling Illyana wouldn't want to give up so easily.

Part of him couldn't help but wonder... was her bond with her sister so great that she'd seek a family that had left her behind? It was harsh to think about.. but having experienced abandonment himself.. he couldn't help but let that cross his mind. Then again.. their situation was a bit different, considering he had no personal connection to those who had left him.

He let out a small sigh, and continued his watch, the snakes doing the same. Hopefully they would not take too long.