Riley had been busy in the city--- with two weeks off and the carnival almost abandoned by most of its members while people took their holidays, it had been quite a feat to break away from the hustle and bustle of New York to come back to the outskirts and deliver gifts. His car had been positively loaded down with the gift baskets and wrapped parcels and he had delivered them like some day-late Santa Claus, alternately swearing and humming as he picked locks and opened unlatched windows. He hadn't reached his current age by being defeated by something so insignificant as little latches on trailer doors.
With the last of the parcels delivered, he sighed and raked a hand through his curly brown hair in relief. He would be heading back to the city very shortly; he had a full day of things planned with his girlfriend and Aden and Toby, not the least of which was a very posh dinner he'd made reservations for at an upscale place in Manhattan.
But before he could get back in his car he saw a girl positively skipping along, a girl with vibrant hair and a basket in her hand. He didn't recognize her, but then he'd been away for several days; who knew if Arkady had hired someone over the holiday, when most people had taken their leave?
"Hello!" he called, catching her attention and waving one hand idly, wiggling long fingers. He was devilishly handsome, keyword 'devil'; the mischievous eyes, the sly smirk, all of them would've looked right at home on some cunning little fox. "What're you doing here, sweetpea? Most people've gone into the city for Christmas. You looking for someone?"