InsaneJournal

Current mood:	working
Entry tags:	julian markum, riley poe

Who: Julian and Riley
What: Riley brings Julian some Pirate gold and Julian cons a girl out of her money
Where: Around the Carnival
When: During working hours
Rating: Low/mild
Status: To be continued!

Countless years had still not taught Riley things like patience, and manners were painful for him; he was used to the 'want, take, have' mentality that more often was seen in two year olds and sirens. At the moment he had ducked under the tent flap to Julian's stall, ignoring that he was technically supposed to be stationed at the platform in front of the freakshow, hawking the acts that were contained within to the marks milling around. Instead he had ducked under Julian's tentflap, dressed in his tuxedo coat and designer black jeans, perusing the tables thoughtfully as a young lady handed Julian an intricate jewellery box and told him in differently that it bad belonged to her grandmother and she needed cash quickly. Riley snorted very faintly, picking up an old pocketwatch and playfully moving it between deft fingers, dangling it on its antique chain.

Ever since touching the amulet for Arkady Julian hadn’t been exactly himself and he’d spent a great deal of time nursing that bottle of Jack he’d taken away with him, but today? Today he was ignoring the thundering headache that only a hangover could provide and regarding the young lady in front of him as she told him the apparent story of the jewellery box clasped in her hands, her greedy needy hands.

He rolled his neck and cleared his mind, reaching out to take a hold of the box. The effect was instantaneous and his breath caught somewhere in the back of his throat and the movement of his eyes became fast until he saw flash after flash of memory and felt the sweeping of the tide attempting to pull him outwards. Julian might not have been on his best game, but he caught himself before that happened and reeled backwards,

Julian’s breath came rushing out as he finally came back to the present reality and he wet his lower lip. “I’ll give you fifty bucks for it,” he said without so much as a trace of hesitation in his voice. It was probably worth twice that, but Julian adept at getting items cheap. It was one of the many reasons Arkady kept him around and paid him as much as he did. “Take it or leave it, no skin off my nose.”

There was a part of him that couldn’t understand selling off items that had obvious sentimental meaning, even if this granddaughter had clearly forgotten whatever it might have been. Honestly? Julian wished he could forget it just like she had.

The girl seemed reluctant, but given her desire for money and her obvious need for it she took the offer and Julian was left with a very old and unique jewellery box.

Riley turned his head, eavesdropping on the exchange, and then wandered over to the appraisal table to examine the jewellery box. "Well, that's pretty," he said, peering at it with interest. He smiled the tiniest bit, then glanced up at Julian. "You look like shit. And don't take that the wrong way, because I'd still do unspeakable things to you should you ever feel adventurous in that regard, but you do look like hell warmed over in a microwave oven. Been having some rough nights?" There was a hint of sympathy in the glib puck's voice and he perched himself on the edge of Julian's table, half-sitting on it with his legs dangling down. "Lemme guess, the box has a hidden compartment in it with some old family heirloom brooch or something in it," he teased, "and you got the whole thing for a song."

“You know exactly what to say to get me all hot under the collar,” Julian returned with a smirk before his gaze left Riley and rested on the jewellery box, tapered fingertips seeking out a small switch that he knew rested on the very bottom edge. “And me? Nah, I’m good.” Only not, more like spending way too much time with alcohol and not getting enough sleep.

He caught his lower lip and reached into the box, shifting away a layer until low and behold there was the payload in the form of a mirror. An antique handheld mirror that according to his vision had been passed down from generation to generation, it was worth a fortune and Julian knew exactly how much it had meant and the things it had captured. Not including the beauty of a woman who had made the mistake of sleeping with its owner’s husband, sufficed to say the woman hadn’t lasted very long without her looks. “Gotcha,” he all but purred as he tipped his head, resisting the urge to touch it.

“Poor girl never even knew what she had, but even if she had I doubt she would have truly appreciated it.”

"She needed the money for a crack habit. You can always tell the type. If it wasn't to buy crack, then it was to fix the things crack caused in her life--- she's trying to buy back a boyfriend, or get her car out of impound, or get store-brand mac and cheese for her illegitimate kids." Riley was cynical, sure, but you had to be when you'd been around as long as he had and seen people evolve the way they had. He'd never understand it. "Stupid fucking humans. They've got the whole world at their fingertips and they squander it on stupidity. No wonder they're such easy marks half the time." He sighed almost in genuine pity. "I like them, too. Nothing fun happened before people started getting all creative."

Julian looked up at Riley through his lashes and wondered if he should point out the obvious fact that he was still human in spite of being gifted as Arkady put it. Still fragile, mortal and inevitably doomed. Such was the way of life.

“I’m going to put my money on the crack addict theory,” he said very seriously, especially if the flashes of a young rebellious child was the same girl he’d seen standing in front of him. “Something about the way she… looked.” And the desperation he’d almost felt radiating off her in waves.

He caught the edge of his thumb in his teeth and then picked up a cloth, using it to guard himself against the mirror as he moved it to one side and out of the box, which he could sell for a good price. The mirror? Would go to Arkady. “So, Riley, what can I do for you? Or did you just decide to grace me with your presence for the hell of it?” Not that Julian was complaining, he enjoyed talking with Riley, even if he was a horrendous flirt and another he could never take too seriously.

"As you can see by my attire, I'm supposed to be working. But as you well know, if I can get away with it, I'm usually not," he said with a cheeky grin. "And so I thought, who better to visit than my dearest old pal. You know, I used to wander the merchant stalls of bazaars in ancient Egypt... of open-air markets in Europe... of seaside brokers in the New World. I spent quite a bit of time at pirates' headquarters. They were a fun lot." He reached into his tuxedo pocket and pulled out a small velour Crown Royal bag, the gold cord at the top cinched shut. "I have something you might like to see. And unfortunately for you, it isn't whiskey."

There were moments when Julian truly and utterly envied all the worlds and apparent history Riley had seen as all he’d known was his limited experience of the world, but he supposed that was what came with being supernatural.

“Haha, you’re so funny.” Julian rubbed at the back of his neck self consciously, wondering if his recent reliance on the alcohol of choice was that apparent? Okay, tonight, no drinking. He’d go to bed sober and hope he could sleep. Totally. If only he could get the images of the amulet out of his head because sometimes? It felt as though they were trying to burn through his corneas.

Julian’s eyes became drawn to the bag and he shifted ever so slightly to get a bit closer to both bag and Riley.

"C'mon, nobody else would notice it, and I'm not being judgmental. I outdrank Socrates, and mine had hemlock in it too. Pussy," he half-snorted, then opened the tie on the bag and poured its contents gently onto the tabletop. The coins glittered dully, once brilliant gold but now very tarnished and scuffed, some of the designs worn off or scratched or abraded. "If we were near an ocean, we could take the merrow swimming... see if she'd like to go treasure-hunting for us. These were won by me in a poker game. Belonged to a pirate who once sailed with Lafayette." He grinned toothily at Julian, arched his brows. "And you know how much I love playing show and tell with you."

Julian’s attention was immediately drawn to the coins and his eyes in particularly traced the imperfections, the apparent scuff marks and the small details that most would overlook, but to Julian they were key.

“I fucking love your stories,” he shared randomly, without really thinking. It was true, Riley had some of the best and Julian? Enjoyed them all. He was a sucker for stories, history and knowledge. Anything that could give him a tangible link and a visible feel for the times that had gone before.

He blinked through the nagging pain at the back of his head before looking up, chuckling slightly at the look on Riley’s face. “And I do so enjoy letting you play show and tell with me.”

“How much do you know about the coins? Or you don’t know enough and that’s why you want me to take a look?”

"Oh, I know plenty about them," Riley said in almost a purr, sifting the coins with his fingertips, listening to their heavy metallic clinks as they bumped each other. "The pirate's name was Charles de Mer, and it was in... oh, let's see... in the 1770s, roundabout," he said absently, scratching at his jawline in thought. "We were in a tavern on the coastline of Florida and I liked the looks of the wench he had on his lap. Bet him a game of poker that I'd win the girl and all the gold in his belt fair-square. He never saw the ace up my sleeve. You'd think pirates would be more careful about who they get hustled by." He shook his head, clucking his tongue in faux mourning. "Not a bright seafarer he was, but he had many an interesting tale about Lafitte. Not Jean, but his brother Pierre," he clarified. "He'd spent a bit of time in Lafayette and then moved to the Gulf, but by then I was bored and moved east to Florida."

Julian perched as Riley spoke, busying his hands with seeking out a cigarette and more importantly his lighter. The same lighter he’d barely been able to open a day or so ago, but that was past and this was now. Important to remember that.

“And here I thought knowing who the first President of the United States was, was an impressive feat.” He eyed the coins and wondered if for all Riley knew there would be anything in those coins that Julian could tell him, perhaps an emotion that might have been lacking in the story?

He rested his lighter down on the counter and did the same with his cigarette. “Question is: was the girl worth the wager?”

"The girl was like any you'd find in a pirate bar on the shoreline, honestly. Long of leg, wide of hip, and very generous in the breast area. Those corsets were a godsend," he sighed lasciviously, then picked up a coin, twirling it deftly between his fingers before extending it in offering to Julian. "See if it makes you hear the sea like those conch shells."

Julian tipped his head at the coin and then bravely reached out, taking the coin from Riley’s hand, brief skin to skin contact until all his hand knew was the shape, weight and texture of the coin. What happened next was almost blinding, Julian’s eyes closed and the lids flickered, tips of fingers tracing the patterns and indentured marks.

He smelt the spray of the ocean, felt the sway of the waves, heard the obscenities of Pirates and most importantly the longing for more. More of what? Julian’s mind spoke the question and his power answered it: longing for coin, gold, wealth and repute.

Julian’s breathing caught as he felt the tracing of hand at the coin, long slender fingers searching further and deeper, whispered promises, the taste of full lips and the haze of alcohol and lust.

It took him another moment to surface and Julian let out another shaky breath. “Well, that’s quite… something.”

"I thought you could use a picker-upper," he said blithely, shrugging his shoulders. "Keep it. Maybe it'll bring you luck or pirate's fortune, who knows." He swept the rest of the coins back into the bag and tucked it out of sight, as dextrous with sleight of hand as most of the conmen on the Midway. "Don't go selling that, either. Some Jack Sparrow fangirl will shell out her college fund for it and then it'll spend life in a glass-topped case in someone's bedroom."

Julian flipped the coin into the air, watching it turn on its axis, glittering, until caught and closed off by the weight of his fingers. “Appreciate it.” He’d been having a shit run as far as objects went as of late, it had been a while since he’d felt something good. Way too long in fact.

“Why would I sell it?” He questioned, looking at Riley out of the corner of his eye. “Considering what it’s born witness to. It’s-” He cleared his throat, shaking his head and placing the coin into his pocket.

He picked up the displaced cigarette and slid it between his lips, using the lighter to catch the tip. “I’ll treasure that,” he remarked lightly and with a teasing look sent Riley’s way just as he exhaled smoke.

"You're the closest thing to a pirate I know nowadays anyway. Even if Arkady's got the hair for it and you look more like an extra from 'American Psycho'," he quipped, shaking his head. Riley was a vampire of pop culture, sinking his teeth into anything that he could in his limited spare time. "You would've fit right in back then, making slick deals." He shook his head, then stole the cigarette from Julian's lips for a drag before passing it back. "What're you doing when you close up?"

Julian snorted as Riley stole his cigarette and he shook his head with warm affection before accepting it back and taking a slow drag. “If only I’d been born something else, huh?” He thought it would be pretty cool to have been alive to see actual pirates.

He considered his activities for the evening and shook his head. “Fuck all.” He flicked ash aside and tipped his head. “Why? You got something up your sleeve?”

"Fucking yuppie scum," he said affectionately, then shook his head with a smile. "I've got nothing planned yet, but that doesn't mean we can't make plans. Go into town and get a beer or something if you like. Dallas has a pretty fantastic nightlife."

“Fuck you very much,” Julian drawled warmly, middle finger also present in his playful return of Riley’s comment. He held smoke for as long as possible before he finally passed it outwards, circles gliding through the air in front of him.

He wet his lower lip and nodded. “Sounds good, count me in. I haven’t been out of the Carnival in ages.” Even if he did avoid large crowds, in case he should get hit out of nowhere by an object he wasn’t ready for.

"Try not to predict the future of my beer bottle or whatever, okay? It's going to involve a lot of me drinking it, and probably a really traumatic incident involving the recycling plant... wouldn't want you to have to relive that," he told Julian dryly, grinning and arching his brow as he hopped off the table to resume perusing the artefacts.

“That would suck,” Julian pointed out just as dryly. “Even beer bottles have feelings.” Now he was kidding and that much was obvious in the smirk and the look in his eyes.

He took another drag from the cigarette and felt the nicotine and tar racing down the back of his throat and to their intended destination: his lungs.

Julian placed the antique mirror into a velvet bag, to be taken to Arkady later and simply appraised the jewellery box again. It was only when he noticed Riley looking at the artefacts on the table that he lifted his eyes. “See anything you like?”

"Lots of things I like, but more things I have no idea for," he said honestly. "I can't just shop like a regular person, I have to think about carrying it around with me for awhile." He shook his head, then glanced at a few odds and ends of jewellery. "Anything I should look at come to mind?"

Julian swept his hand over the air above the artefacts and then caught a set of cufflinks that were square in shape, absent markings present on the edges and made of a particular precious metal.

“These,” he offered as he held them up for Riley’s eyes to peruse. “Belonged to a gambling man with a penchant for the ladies. They’re jammed full of luck, all his dirty thoughts and they’ve adorned some of the finest shirts known to man.” He’d been sold them by the gambling man’s wife as payback for having cheated on her a million times with a lot of different women. She knew how much the cufflinks meant to her husband and how he considered them his lucky rabbit’s foot, what better way to get back at him than to sell them? For a really low price, Julian would like to add.

Riley's interest piqued and he picked up the cufflinks, turning them over in his fingers. "Oh yeah?" he asked with fascination, brows arched as he studied the edges of them. "You're not trying to shill me into buying something you're having trouble moving, are you?" he teased, arching a brow at the other man to indicate that he was only playing.

“Would I ever do that?” Julian asked, voice full of imploring innocence. Truth be told, he never scammed his fellow Carnival folk. Not when it came to objects, he had too much respect for the lot of them. Normal folk were fair game, but never his fellow Carnival folk.

He wet his lower lip and took another drag, flicking away the gathering ash as paper slowly vanished into apparent nothingness. “Let’s just say the man’s wife? Not as happy with the gambler’s choice of lifestyle. She sold them to me for five bucks and asked for a receipt of all things, something about wanting to rub salt into the wound.”

Riley smirked, then lifted the cufflinks again in one hand, holding out his arm to Julian. "You wanna help me fasten 'em?" he asked casually, nodding toward the sleeve of his vintage tuxedo jacket. "How much do you want for them? If they have good luck all over them, then I definitely am interested."

“Considering you’ve gone and given me a good object I’ll let you have them cheap,” Julian murmured as he considered the tuxedo jacket, mentally preparing himself as he could only imagine what Riley might have gotten up to it. If he was properly prepared he could resist the pull of an object, for the most part.

He collected the cufflinks from Riley’s hand and unfastened them. “I was going to sell them for a hundred or so bucks, but seeing as we’re friends I’ll let you have them for fifty - what do you say?” And he wasn’t adverse to haggling, if it was a worthwhile haggling that was.

Julian eased one of the cufflinks through the hole set aside in the jacket, fastened it before righting the link so the patterns caught the light and sat quite nicely against the dark material.

"A piece of authentic pirate gold and you can only knock off fifty bucks?" Riley asked half-incredulously, arching his brow and laughing, but he turned his wrist to study the cufflinks. "How about twenty dollars and we'll call the balance on the gold a gift from me to you. From one friend to another. If you decide it isn't enough payment, I can work it out through sweat labor," he teased with a mischievous grin.

Riley was in fact incorrigible and a terrible flirt, just like Julian had mentally noted upon their first meeting and their subsequent interactions. He felt sorry for people who actually took Riley seriously when he flirted the way that he did, he could only imagine the string of broken hearts left in the wake of him.

“Sweat labour?” Julian repeated, arching an eyebrow. “I mean, my trailer is in desperate need of attention.” His lips pulled into a slow grin before he chuckled, shaking his head a moment or so later. “Call it twenty five and you buy the first round.”

"The only attention I'd give you trailer involves breaking in your mattress," he informed the other man smoothly, then shook his head and reached into his jeans to produce a wallet. He withdrew a twenty and held it out, arching his brows.

“Cheapskate,” Julian remarked with a shake of his head before he accepted the twenty and produced the second cufflink, fastening it to the next empty hole until both were firmly in place.

And his mattress? Was broken in enough.

Honestly.

Only not, and wow that was a really depressing thought. Julian didn’t allow himself to linger on that for too long, tilting his head. “They look good on you. Suit you even.”

"Bad negotiating skills," he countered. "I didn't make it to this ripe old age by giving everyone the money on the first bid. Only fools do that." He looked down at the cufflinks, then back up at Julian, grinning. "Did you just compliment me? Hark. I hear the angels singing 'Hallelujah'."

Julian rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go to your head or your ego for that matter.” Riley had a way with folk it would seem, but Julian liked to think he was a harder sell.

He adjusted the way his tie was sitting and slipped his hands into his pocket, ignoring the way the fingertips tingled as he’d resisted the tuxedo jacket and they were throbbing as a result.

“So, what time do you wanna head out tonight?”

"Closes at three, and most afterhours places close at four. I'm willing to bet you this twenty you were so hard-won about that if we go at three, by four I will have some girl inviting us back to her place to continue the revelry."

“I’d be an idiot to take that bet,” Julian pointed out. He knew how popular Riley was and he didn’t at all doubt the other man’s ability to get a woman to want him to take her back to her place and show her the time of her life. “But you know what? It would be fun to watch so maybe I’ll take that bet and just enjoy the show.”

Lord knew he could do with some distraction at the moment.

"You'll be coming with me to her house, of course. We'll drink her bar and if you feel up to it I'll even let you consummate the deal," he offered generously with a grin.

“Oh wow,” Julian muttered with mock amazement. “You’d let me? Truthfully? Well gosh isn’t that special!” He rolled his eyes and shook his head, leaning back against his booth. He looked at ease, comfortable in surroundings and that in itself exuded confidence. “I feel well and truly honoured. I mean, what would you be doing whilst I was consummating the deal as you so eloquently put it?”

"I'm a giver," he told Julian with an eyebrow arch. "And I'd be raiding her fridge and probably her DVD collection while you were relieving tension. Don't ask redundant questions as if this is the first time you've met me. Your irritability is directly proportionate to how long it's been since you've been laid." He looked over his shoulder as a pretty young woman with a ton of tattoos wandered in to browse the booth.

Julian chuckled and tipped his head to watch the young woman as she moved about the booth and his gaze was drawn to the colourful tattoos covering her skin. Pretty. Not that Julian could imagine getting a tattoo, it just didn’t seem to fit his mould whatever his mould might be.

“Sounds like you’re in for a stellar night then,” he commented to Riley whilst keeping half an eye on the customer.

"Uh-huh... yeah, I'm a giver," Riley said absently, then half-circled the booth casually until he was much closer to the other girl. "Excuse me...hi," he said with a bright smile when she looked up. "Are you local?"

Julian tipped his head to watch Riley and the girl, wondering how long it might take her to fall for the charm. “If so, welcome. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

He shifted from where he was perched and straightened up to his full height.

"I'm from Dallas, yeah," the girl said around a piece of chewing gum. "You have some really cool stuff here... nothing has price tags though," she complained, picking up a pair of tortoiseshell earrings to examine them.

“That would be because I have all the prices in my head and I’m not adverse to changing them if the moment arises or the mood takes,” Julian explained. He watched her with the earrings. “Those would go nicely with you eyes, hazel if I’m not mistaken. That and I can guarantee you nobody else will ever have a pair quite like that.”

He was in his element when he was in that booth, selling and trading items. Confidence exuded from every pore, charm was ever present and the right amount of compliments kept the conversation flowing.

Even if he wasn’t on his A game at the moment.

"Oh yeah? Are they handmade?" the girl asked with interest, popping her gum for a second as she examined the earrings a little closer. Riley grinned, leaning back against the table to watch Julian work his mojo. He liked to see the psychic wheel and deal; sometimes the marks got so much more than they imagined.

Julian rounded on the girl and nodded. “Made with love,” he assured her. He looked and acted the part of a smooth talking salesman right down to the way his cologne hung in the air after he’d moved on. “I know for a fact that they were made by a hopeless romantic for the love of his life, a love he could never have given their families. Very much a Romeo and Juliet kind of dynamic.”

He bit his lip and tipped his head, fingers lightly skirting the earrings. “He poured his heart and soul into creating them, vowing his love would wear them and when she did she would do nothing but think of him.” That much was true, but she didn't know the full story behind how that was even possible. “How many people can say they have earrings made from pure emotion?”

Julian caught her eyes and held them. “I seem to recall she had the same coloured eyes as you do. A real beautiful shade of hazel with golden flecks.”

The girl blushed under his scrutiny, under his smooth words, and she looked down at the earrings in her palm. They would look fantastic with the new natural-shaded batik blouse she'd bought, and they'd suit her dark hair and, as he'd said, her hazel eyes. She swallowed, turned them over in her hand. "I can't probably afford them," she confessed a little weakly.

“Don’t say that,” Julian murmured with a shake of his head. “How much do you have to offer?” He was willing to lay the offer out on the table, see what she could sum up and then counter it if he chose to.

He glanced at Riley and then returned his attention to the girl. “C’mon, try me. I don’t bite.” Unless asked really nicely.

"...like... fifty?" she asked hesitantly, thinking of what was in her wallet. She had a bit more on her bank card, of course, but her roommates would be so angry if she was late on the rent again because of some impulsive purchase. Her name was Mallory and she had her heart in the right place most of the time, but her head was so often childish and incapable of thinking ahead much.
Julian considered her offer and then given the fact the earrings weren’t probably worth much more than that and the story? Had been a well crafted tangled web of constructed lies and mistruths, but the only honest thing? Had been the compliment about her eyes and how the earrings would go well with them.

“Fifty,” he agreed with a nod. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a pretty face.”

If she went away with a good experience then he had a feeling she might convince her friends to come and enjoy the same.

The smile that split her face was wide and surprised, and she made a delighted noise before she could remember that she was supposed to be jaded and bored with this whole thing. "It's... oh wow, thank you so much," she said, handing the earrings back to him as she fished in her purse for her wallet and removed a twenty and the rest in fives and ones.

Julian accepted the earrings back and placed them into a bag, taking the money as it was fished out of her wallet. Only when the cash was handed over did the bag get exchanged. “Enjoy the earrings. They really will look good on you.”

He gave her another smile before turning away, to put the money away and glance at Riley who had been rather quiet.

"See? Hot girl falling to your charm. Why is it you're single again, Markum?" he asked with interest, quirking his brow northward as he rested on the heels of his shoes and his elbows braced on one of Julian's tables.

Julian shrugged and bit his lower lip as he rocked on his heels, hands vanishing into the depths of his slacks pockets. “I dunno, Riley. Guess I just haven’t the person that holds my attention for long enough.”

That and personal relations happened to be challenging, Julian sucked at them. He really did. “Either that or my whole seeing shit whenever I touch objects gets a little old after a while.” He’d had this girlfriend once and he’d caught her out as cheating on him by touching something of hers she’d had with her on the night.

Not a lot of fun.

"You need to just... lower your expectations of people, I think," he said, arching his brows. "You're never going to find a saint, so you get discouraged when you find out people are less than halo-worthy. But c'mon, Julian... you and me, think about what people would know about you if they touched one of your things."

“I’ve got no issues with people being less than halo-worthy,” Julian pointed out. “But I had this girl once, I touched something and I knew all there was to know about the guy she cheated on me with.” He shrugged and felt his fingers itch for another cigarette. “And I’m pretty sure if my objects could talk, they’d tell people way too much about me.”

Maybe just maybe he needed to have a little fun, stop thinking so serious and just enjoy the here and now? His life was fragile and short at best so maybe he was making his life unnecessarily drab?

“You know what? Fuck it, tonight? I’m so getting laid.”

"Really?" Riley asked, then grinned ear to ear. "Fuck yeah, man. That's excellent news. I will ensure it happens. With someone very hot too, you won't wake up with that coyote-ugly feeling." He shook his head, excited--- Riley loved any excuse to play matchmaker and run game.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Julian pointed out as he tugged on his right ear. The headache was still there, pulling at his concentration and making the world a very funny shade of white. Yeah, tonight was going to be a night to just let go and forget all the stuff swirling around in his head. Hopefully it wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it might be.

He wet his lower lip and lifted his fingers to lightly press against his temple.

“Just need to close up for the day, take a shower and we can head out.”

"You've got a couple more hours, pumpkin pie," Riley laughed, "and I've got to get back to my platform before Arkady skins me like a cat. But I'll be by your trailer to collect you around three, yes?" he asked with a smile. "Three AM, when the wild things roam."

Pumpkin pie? That was even worse than… sweetheart or darling, and these thoughts were apparent on Julian’s face. “I have no words for just how weird that pet name is, I really don’t.”

He nodded a second later. “Yeah, three AM it is. It’s a-” He was about to say ‘date’ when he caught himself and rephrased. “I’ll see you then.”

"But it's because I could just eat you right up," Riley drawled in his driest tone, leaning over to tweak Julian's nose before the other man could jerk out of range. "See you soon," he said with a grin, ducking out of the tent before he could get smacked or hit with a projectile.

Good thing too because Julian had in fact picked up something to fling at Riley’s head and he had surprisingly good aim. He shook his head and returned to his store, hoping he’d get some interesting items and be able to bring more to Arkady’s attention.

Three AM could not come quick enough in his opinion.

Julian just needed to let loose and stop thinking.