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The voices told Jimmy this was the place to be tonight. Dr. Barrow's classes were over, and he'd been put to bed early by the mind the two men shared. Now, it was time for the fun to come out. The academic, boring, false self that paraded himself as a paragon of good was only still around because Jimmy couldn't seem to be rid of him. They were stuck together, for now, but Jimmy didn't let that tarnish his mood as he entered the grounds of the carnival.
He was hoping to feed here, and maybe even get his fortune read. He loved to spook the frauds that ran these these things with his own skills. They were never quite ready, and ended up paying him instead, once he told them things no other could. He snickered at the thought. His hair was tossed up like he'd just rolled out of bed. Each eye had a thick line of dark liner, and he wore a crop top hoodie, tight purple pants, and combat boots. Behind his ear was a cigarette, and another dangled from the middle of his mouth with a practiced balance.
His overall reception was one that delighted him. The little families seemed confused by his outfit, while a few of the men couldn't stop staring. He wondered why the voices had sent him here instead of Venture, or Sticks and Stakes, or even the White Rabbit. He'd learned not to question their wisdom, like James so often did. He finished one cigarette and started another, before deciding to play one of the games.
The game was Follow the Lady, the card shark standing in a stall with tons of stuffed animals behind it. Jimmy moved to take a guess.
"Hey there ugh... little guy," the stall owner said, slightly confused about Jimmy's crop top hoodie.
"Don't worry about it, I'm English," he explained, not thinking there was anything particularly English about what he was doing.
"Oh, of course. My cousin married an English guy," he said defensively.
"You mean bloke."
"Wha=."
"Let's play the game, shall we," the Malkavian said, pointing to the cards on the table. The gambler began his dance, moving his hands faster than any mortal eyes could see. Jimmy watched with ease as the cards moved and came to a stop.
"The lady is on the right," he said, pointing for confirmation. The dealer reveled the Lady and swore. He pulled out two additional cards.
"Bet you can't do that again," he challenged. He was a squat man with a toothless grin, a wanderer his whole life. He was the type who never cheated, and never had to.
"What will you bet me," Jimmy said, smiling with a fair degree of challenge. "Make any bet you like. I'll accept."
The stall owner thought for a few moments, looking Jimmy over, still unsure what to make of him. "If you lose, you give me... two-hundred bucks."
"Fair enough," Jimmy said mischievously, puffing on his cigarette and clouding the stall owner with smoke. "If I win, you have to french kiss me right here in front of everyone, and I mean realllllll sloppy. You got me mate?"
The stall owner looked shocked. "I'm no boy kisser."
"Neither am I," Jimmy lied. "It's just for the game. If you're so good. You won't lose right?"
The stall owner agreed to the bet, not intending on paying his price if he lost. A few lucky suckers picked the Lady out of three cards. He'd never had someone pick her out of five. The card shark snickered, and once again began his dance. He moved with the beauty and sharpness of a practiced vaudevillian. At first Jimmy watched with his eyes, but very soon he shut them.
"Giving up," the stall owner mocked, moving the cards even faster for some reason. Jimmy said nothing. After a few more seconds the stall owner stopped. "Okay, pick your card," he said. He was smiling that ugly grin again.
"It was second to the left but you took it off the board after I closed my eyes. You dared not cheat if I watched, but you figured you'd cover your bets since I wouldn't see. Am I right?"
The man looked stunned. He dropped the card from within his wrist. It was the first and only time he'd ever cheated. He looked horrified. "I'm not kissing you," he said.
"Awe, but we had a deal," Jimmy rebutted. With that his eyes seemed to flash light blue, and the next thing the man knew Jimmy was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. He slithered over, tongue ugly, fat and swollen. The man would remember kissing Jimmy for hours, but the moon child had walked away almost the moment after his eyes had flashed. The stall owner kissed at the air, his hands groping the space in front of him. He'd gotten a fool's reward for his confidence and ignorance. Jimmy snickered as he headed into the Big Top. Apparently the carnival was the place to be. He'd taken a large plush elephant as his prize, and now stood with him in line to get tickets.
"I'll name you Daniel," he said kissing the elephant on the trunk and then kissing the pewter ring on his finger. "Oh Daniel," he said softly. It almost sounded reverent.
