[i]‘...the rest of our days here.’[/i] How long might that be? André had been there just short of a century. Annaliese longer. Diedra and Caius had lived the equivalent of his life more than a couple times over. He didn’t think anyone even [i]knew[/i] how long Madame Sombre had been around. Her very existence seemed a rebellion against the world and its laws. They were unnatural. He could not help but find it [i]wrong[/i] that the [i]Cirque de Noir[/i] and its performers should exist. People should not live longer than civilizations. And yet here they were, doing just that. Ah, but such depressing thoughts he was thinking. Those wouldn’t do. He was eternally required to smile, after all. 

[b]“When the imperfections appear, I usually repair them anyhow. Few of my puppets like to be flawed. And to mention they tend to appeal more to audiences when their paint is less chipped.”[/b] He wanted to say more, but found he couldn’t. The reflections of her sorrow killed the words still unformed in his throat. Instead he said something more quietly and on instinct. [b]“Je suis désolé.”[/b] André would have liked greatly to ease her woe, yet offering comfort was not a skill he was well versed in, therefore, he let the moment pass after an added line. [b]“I will do so. You have our thanks.”[/b]
 
Watching Annaliese talk with the marionette, however, was quite a different scene, of the better variety. André couldn’t help but grin brightly when she straightened up. Especially noticing the tinge to her cheeks. [b]“You should visit them more often, surely they tire of myself. A change of pace, and perhaps, a lovelier face, would brighten their day.”[/b] He chose not to mention that he had not had any plans to make an accompanying groom for the doll. [b]“[i]The kind that we are?[/i] What does mademoiselle mean with such words?”[/b]

André had not expected Annaliese to take a step forward, and he was caught slightly off guard. While far from unwelcome, physical closeness was not something he was very used to. It was probably his unintentional doing. In general, André [i]did[/i] have a habit of spending more time around his puppets than he did other people, especially in more recent years. Recent years meaning a decade or so. At the moment nearness seemed like it might have been a good thing, or perhaps that was specifically being near Annaliese? He could not tell. Either way, this was the closest he’d been to a person in a some time. 

[b]“Merci Mademoiselle, I shall be sure to visit you more often now.”[/b] André could count today as the first time he’d actually heard of a tent with a key. And first times were [i]rare[/i] now. He paid attention to her words. They were the important kind. He also could not help to feel particularly special. She stepped away and for half a moment he’d the urge to pull her back. Realising this, he chuckled briefly, before replying to her invitation to her show. [b]“Expect me there, mademoiselle.”[/b] As André spoke he grabbed some threads from on top of the table and twirled them together until they were one thicker string. [b]“In order to appease, I think I shall perform a shorter show of my own between now and then.”[/b] He put the string he’d made through the key and tied it off before slipping it over his head. [b]“I’d encourage you to return for your own preparation, yet I’d not mind should you remain longer.”[/b]

And with that, André returned to the larger tent. Removing the sign from Marie’s hand as another puppet went to open the tent door.