Happy Fun Ferris Wheel

[Bucket]

Hand swirls, hand goes out, hand goes in sleeve, hand goes in hat, hand produces rabbit.

The routine was so easy that Arcade felt he might fall asleep doing it so many times, but it was his job to make these children stare in awe. He reached behind a young ear and pulled out a spread of cards, then folded the cards into his other hand and held out a handful of special Happy Fun Coins the little ones could use in the arcade. The irony made him smile. The children ran off excitedly to catch up with parents trading exclamations of shock and amazement. Arcade then bushed out his rather impressively silly overcoat and turned to walk towards the Ferris wheel, where there was a long line of people in desperate need of a laugh and unwilling donation to Arcade's wallet.

He introduced himself with typical flourish, producing a bouquet of roses for a nearby lady with nice curves, he offered them to her but puled back just as she reached for them, drawing his hands back and releasing then a white dove instead of a handful of roses. The sounds of awe from the crowd were almost as satisfying as no longer having an angry dove in his pants. Arcade ran through his routine flawlessly, seeming to teleport and transform various objects via deception and dexterity. He gathered three diamond earrings during behind-your-ear tricks, which he decided was enough for the moment. Taking leave with a flourish and bow, Arcade looked for the nearest air-conditioned structure to rest in. What he saw was the little shack from which the Ferris wheel was directed. More interestingly, he saw a man wearing a mask using the controls in the shack from which the Ferris wheel was directed. It only took him moments to decide to slip into the shack and investigate what could possibly be worth wearing a mask for.

Upon entering the shack, Arcade decided what the mask was for. "You know, guy, it would be just as easy to shower as wear that mask. Just sayin'."[/color] The unflattering greeting was only the beginning. Arcade needed to unwind, and massing with mask-face was a perfect venue of relaxation.

[Chess]

Ian found his job very boring. He could run any of the rides at this place asleep. He did not mind it, but found it rather monotonous. There were better things he could do with his time, but Ian enjoyed having the money. It made getting supplies for his occasional night antics much easier. It also gave him the peace of mind that his favorite little girl would always have food. Makel herself was curled up in one of Ian's pockets, enjoying his company and more than likely napping away. Every once in a while his hand would stray into the pocket where she was and he would pet the top of her head or rub her chin or belly with his finger, smiling slightly under his respirator if she nipped or pawed at his finger. Getting the silly little cat was the best decision he ever made.

He was leaning against the control booth nonchalantly, watching the ferris wheel go, when he heard the door open and a rude comment was made. He turned and looked at the man that had entered the room. He rolled his eyes behind his hair and turned back to watch the ferris wheel, waving his hand at the man for him to leave, not fazed by the rude comment the man made. Ian knew that he worked at the park, but he did not know much else about him. He spent little time watching others around the park.

[Bucket]

Disappointed but not discouraged by the masked man's lack or response, Arcade moved closer to investigate both the controls that were so interesting to the man and also investigate the squirming lump in his pocket. Arcade leaned over Ian's shoulders, looking down at the controls and bumping into him in a very slight and socially acceptable way. "What are you staring at. They're just buttons. Do you expect them to run away if you take your eyes off them? Are they leprechauns or something?" Arcade teased as his hand eased gently into his victim's pocket, grasping something fuzzy and warm. He withdrew the little animal in his hand as he leaned away, holding it up to see what it was. "Huh. I thought I was the only one that carried around animals. What's with the kitten? It's a cute one, sure, but do you really need this in your pocket all day? That's kinda creepy."

Arcade considered the kitten with interest. It was a pretty shade of blue-grey, but didn't seem particularly pleased to have been stolen from its owner's pocket. When it met Arcade eyes it seemed to stare into his very soul, demanding to know why it had been manhandled.

[Chess]

Ian did not respond to Arcade when he spoke to him. He ignored the man instead, tensing up as Arcade bumped into him and simply watched the ferris wheel. His supervisor had told him to run the ferris wheel a little longer than usual because the day was slow. He was bored, sure, but it sure beat the hell out of a job where he was required to talk to someone. That would be the worst. Instead, he just pushed buttons all day. He even got paid pretty well for doing this. Of course, his pay also included fixing all of the rides that broke down and doing special firework shows that the park may have.

Ian was suddenly aware of the weight in his pocket growing less and Arcade's hand withdrawing from his pocket. Ian spun around, grasping for the cat, a small "No! Mak--"[/color] managing to escape his lips. He stood back, tense, watching Arcade carefully. If Arcade showed any sign of starting to hurt the kitten, Ian was inclined to attack him, but as long as he seemed to more or less be careful with his little girl, Ian would let Arcade look at her. She could likely wriggle away if she really did not want to be in his grasp.

[Bucket]

A broad grin crept across Arcade's lips as Ian spun. The magician could veritably smell the tension on Ian as he watched the little kitten intently. The tiny cat had seemingly accepted its new position and was stretching in the odd way cats do when Arcade slapped his hands together and Makel disappeared in an explosion of confetti. "Now you see her, now you don't!" Arcade exclaimed as he splayed his fingers to show that his hands were empty. "Wherever did she go?" he asked theatrically, looking around like an explorer in a Lewis and Clark documentary. "I don't know where she could be! Oh well, we'll have to bring the kitten back with magic, won't we?" Arcade announced in hie performance voice, putting on a one-man show for Ian.

With a twirl and flick Arcade pulled a long stemmed rose out from his fingertips, fluffing the petals before sticking the flower in him mouth. He chewed carefully like a gourmet evaluating a new restaurant, then pinched his nose shut and covered his mouth, inflating his cheeks until his face turned red. once his was a glowing crimson, Arcade let the air explode from his mouth, sending a little ball of something flying into the air. He snatched it up and held it down for Ian to see. It was a little beanie baby kitten.

"Oops, not quite alive, is she? Well then, you're going to have to breath life into her," Arcade declared, wrapping his hands around the toy and holding the one aperture his fingers left towards Ian's mouth. "I fancy you'll have to be taking off that mask though, mate. Can't hardly breath life through a mask, now can you?"

[Chess]

Ian could feel his body tense more when he saw the grin on Arcade's face. One of Ian's hands was gripping the control table. His knuckles were white as he started to slightly shake, watching Arcade very closely. Ian almost cried out again when he saw Arcade slapping his hands together. He flinched back away from the confetti, searching desperately for the kitten. He looked back up to Arcade's hands as he splayed his hands. His hand gripped the control table harder, but he did not lunge at Arcade. A magician would be able to bring her back. There was no reason to attack him unless he refused to bring his cat back.

Ian seemed to relax a little and he released the control box, leaning back against it and watching Arcade. He had to admit, Arcade was a good magician. The man had very quick hands and... Well, he made a good thief as well. Ian looked hopefully at the thing in Arcade's hand when the man showed him the beanie baby. Ian seemed to deflate a little, looking up to Arcade when he spoke of breathing life into her. Ian hesitated, looking back down at the beanie baby.

Ian stared at the beanie baby for a while, trying to decide whether or not he should entertain the man or if he should take him down and find Makel himself. With a defeated grimace, he reached up and pulled the mask from his mouth. He pulled the mask down around his neck and took a breath of the air, rubbing his clean-shaven jaw a little. His finger absently brushed against a bandage on his cheek. He took in another breath and breathed onto the beanie baby, cracking his knuckles as he did. Ian was at the end of his patience with this man.

[Bucket]

"There, that wasn't so hard, now was it? Why do you wear that mask anyways?" Arcade questioned as his hands fell away from Ian's face, kneading around the beanie baby as if it were dough. "One, two, and bam!" the magician announced with a flourish, popping his hands open to reveal Makel, who was no worse for wear. Holding the kitten out for its owner, Arcade continued his inquisition. "Why do you have this thing with you anyways? You don't use performance animals, so what's the kitten for. You guard it like a trophy wife or something. You don't use it as a wife, do you? if you want some private time with the kitten, I can leave. Wouldn't want to be a cockblock. What's your name anyways?"[/color]

[Chess]

Ian ignored Arcade when he spoke, taking Makel back once she was in kitten form. She pawed at his face playfully and licked his nose with her rough little kitten tongue. She clawed a little at his hands, drawing a little blood, but expressed her love. Ian silently placed her back into his pocket. He did not answer Arcade right away, stopping the ferris wheel and taking a moment to do his job, then spoke very quietly. "Companionship. No. Ian."[/color] He answered Arcade's questions about Makel and his name, but ignored the question of his mask. Ian pulled the mask back on as he finished letting the last group onto the wheel and let the wheel run on its own. He then reached and pulled out a few band-aids and put them onto his hand where he was bleeding. The trash he tossed into a small waste bin found at the end of the control booth. Ian turned back around so he was leaning against the booth, not dismissing Arcade but not saying anything more to let him go off of.

[Bucket]

"Now seriously," Arcade said with evident consternation, "Why do you have a kitten with you. What does it do in here all day? Chase mice? I know this place is crappy, but it isn't that crappy, is it? Do you have mice in here? I could turn them into more kittens. Then you could have yourself an entire little family here, couldn't you?"[/color]
Arcade's ramblings had little meaning to them. The magician was looking past Ian towards the Ferris Wheel careening slowly through the air. Arcade supposed that Ian's job was no less mind-numbing than a bullet to the brain. At least the bullet didn't last from nine 'til five. To Arcade's tastes, Ian was seeming only marginally more interesting than the task which he performed.
Being the egocentric he was, Arcade was under the impression that most of the other staff of the theme park envied his job. Only the most talented could be magicians, and only a select few of those with the talent were good enough to take up a mantle and be paid to entertain. Arcade had the most dynamic employment in the park, since his routine was left entirely to his discretion, and he reveled in the fact. Having to perform the same menial routine over and over, as Ian did, would bore Arcade to tears.

[Chess]

Normally, Ian's job was boring, but it was easy enough to do. He did not mind doing what he did. It paid more than enough for his bills and gave him enough of an income to have decent spending money. He even got bonuses whenever he fixed any rides that were having problems. Of course, the park manager made it a priority to keep the ride up time as high as he could get, so there was rarely any chance for Ian to fix anything. But that was alright. His job really was not all that bad. It required no brain work and he was in an air conditioned building all day. That is more than could be said about Arcade's job...

Ian pulled Makel out of his pocket and set her on the ground, just to demonstrate what she did all day. She walked around a little, surveying the floor of the building, until she settled in the corner under the control panel. She curled up and stared up at Arcade with her green eyes, watching him in the way only a cat can do. Her tail twitched a little as she studied the man. Ian glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost time for him to leave. He knocked on the glass to get the attention of a man that was making sure things were running alright and signaled to him. The man understood the signal and nodded, motioning back that Ian could leave after this load if he wished. Ian gave a small nod.

Ian turned to Arcade and began to sign to him, half tempted to finish their conversation out in this way simply to annoy the man. His signing was similar to ASL, but there was something different. The motions to each word or letter had been cut down so the signing could be much faster. Ian had taken ASL and made it much more efficient. So he began to sign the answers to Arcade's questions, going slow enough that Arcade could see each sign. She is here just to keep me company. This job is rather dull, I think you would agree. There are no mice. She is my family.