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Ah. That question. Iosif had been kind of hoping that wouldn't crop up, because the story behind it was long, complicated, and perhaps not the best tale to tell when trying to make a favorable first impression. It wasn't in Iosif's nature to lie however (he could embellish stories certainly, but actual lying never sat well with him) and so he cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders somewhat absently. When he spoke it was with noticeably less enthusiasm. "I am from Moscow, in Russia, yes? Except I have move a lot. In Moscow, in uh - " He hesitated for a moment, trying to remember the English translation, "in Pale of Settlement? Place in Russia set aside for Jews. After this, the Pale of Settlment, my family move to New York. And then I move to Chicago."

Well, the easy part was over. Iosif had told them truthfully where he was from. He wasn't quite as comfortable telling them why he had joined Cirque, however. "I join this circus 'cause I figure my talent will be useful, eh? I shoot things!" Immediately Iosif brightened, hand settling on the innocent looking pouch by his hip. His face once more illuminated with a smile, Iosif turned expectantly towards Lucrezia, interested to hear her story.

While he hadn't told either girl the whole story, he hadn't lied. Thus things were okay in Iosif's somewhat addled mind.

Having not been asked, Grete decided not to tell why she joined Cirque. She figured that it was something that she would keep to herself anyways. Part of her wanted to confide in someone, but it would probably just scare people off. Or backfire, and then Grete could wind up in jail.

That wasn't a fate that she wanted at all.

"Oh, god," Grete covered her mouth after hearing Lucrezia speak, "I'm so sorry about your father. I didn't mean to..." She trailed off, feeling guilty and horrible that she had asked about it.

Grete then watched Iosif. Her eyes searched his face for any sign of whether or not she had just brought up somthing that she shouldn't have.

And her bets were on that she probably shouldn't have asked. Grete, nervous and guilty, just tilted her head to the side and glanced downwards at the ground, hoping that someone else would change the subject to something lighter.

"C'est vrai," gasped Lucrezia, considering it for a moment and returning Iosef's grin. There was something about this big bear of a man that was endearing, even if it was just his insurmountable enthusiasm.

"It's funny," she sighed when she finally regained her breath from the chokehold. "Back home, I always hear about people running away to join the cirque..."

She looked around at all the brightly colored tents and trailers that made up the camp before finishing the statement.

"But I never really knew what they meant until now."

Iosif was likely perfectly aware of his strength; he just tended to disregard the health of others unthinkingly. Iosif beamed proudly at both girls as if they had experienced some sort of epiphany under his tutelage, and then laughed loudly at Grete's comment. Pounding his chest with a fist as if to prove it was solid, Iosif turned to Grete and said, "Of course I am in the perfect healths! I am like opotime of this." Of course what he meant was "epitome", but nevermind. Vocabulary was never one of Iosif's strongest suits.

Lucrezia's comment made him think for a moment, though. He was a bit old to run away and join the circus. He preferred to think of it as a midlife crisis. He'd always wanted one of those. With a contented sigh, Iosif stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned his head to the side, considering Grete and Lucrezia both. He hadn't realized how much older he was than the others. It didn't bother him, really. It just struck him as different.

His mind quickly leapt on to newer, more interesting topics. "We ought have toast, yeah? You can drink?" Iosif asked, raising his brows in challenge towards the girls.

Grete let out an audible snort of laughter at the question of whether or not she drank. She instantly felt unlady-like, however, and tried to make it appear as though she were just having a coughing fit.

"I believe we should make a toast!" She turned to Iosif and asked, "Is there anything in particular that you want to drink? I did just buy some new stuff..."

Her voice trailed off, and she simply glowed in anticipation. The alcohol that she had just bought was high-quality, and she had been wanting a drink, but figured that she would just hold off until she was by herself.

Now, she actually had an excuse!

Lucrezia nodded and flashed him a smile, "Right," she acknowledged. Iosif didn't seem that bad, she reflected. And Grete? Well, Grete, she had to admit, was nicer than she'd originally thought.

"So," she asked him, "Have you found your way around yet?"

"Eh, I see some tent, I see the people - is more than that?" Iosif asked, seeming to genuinely not know. He'd taken a few walks around - like the one he had been on before encountering Grete and Lucrezia - but Iosif's sense of direction had never been that developed to begin with, and truthfully he wasn't quite sure where he was at that moment.

Then he remembered: he was looking for something!

"Oh!" Iosif exclaimed suddenly. His trademark smile appeared once more and he laughed, looking a little embarrassed. "Okay, I has maybe a question for you gals. I am looking for sleeping place? I do not know where it is to be." He'd spent the last night curled up under a tree - nice, but not exactly how he wanted to spend his time permanently.