Two sets of eyes peeked around the huge oak tree, assessing the immediate situation with growing need while the crowd before them bustled cheerfully across the green grass of the city park. In a close distance, a man stood surrounded by a group of anxious children and youthful men and women. In the man's hands, he stretched a bright orange balloon, gaining his audience's attention yet again as he began to perform what he had devoted his life to doing.
"Look at him."
"Disgusting."
"Going at his manipulative magic again."
"And people trust him to do it."
The two young men gave each other searching stares before they looked down to where a black sport bag lay by their shoes. The blonde kicked the bag slightly, shrugging his shoulders as they participated in a silent communication of questions with no answers. A gloved hand reached down and snagged the handle of the duffle bag as the blonde went back on the lookout, waiting for the perfect opportunity for himself and his companion.
"They need to clear the way... we can't trample through three-year-olds just to attack the poor man."
"Poor man?" The blonde exclaimed wildly. "Poor man, indeed! He fooled us!"
"Yes, yes. He did. Clever how at the time we believed him."
The blonde's eyes widened briefly as he saw the crowd starting to diminish, seeing a clear opening. Grabbing his friend's jacket sleeve, he had them sprinting across the park in a matter of seconds. Reaching the crowd, no one paid them a moment's glance as they sidled into an open space, watching the man carefully.
"Get ready." The blonde's friend whispered, unzipping the bag and handing his partner a glinting object. The sun caught on the surface of the object immediately and sent a brilliant sheen of light on the blonde's pullover. Reaching back into the bag, the other man put his hand on the black contraption they had brought with them.
The balloon man watched as kid after kid left with older brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, before turning to look at the two familiar young men who had showed up at his cart a couple of hours prior to that time. He offered a small smile as they stepped forward, receiving his full attention instantly.
"Hello, lads. Back again?"
They nodded, slowly.
"We have a bone to pick with you, fine sir." The blonde calmly mumbled, straightening his back and gesturing to his friend. "Show him."
The black object was removed from the duffle bag, shoved out to bounce in front of the balloon man's face with no little amount of immature annoyance. The blonde's friend took over the complaining, his smooth voice rising slightly, his eyes fuming.
"You call this a gun, sir? A gun? It looks nothing like a gun!"
The balloon man's eyebrows lifted.
"You must understand that it won't look ex-"
"-Silence! You deceived us!"
"Scoundrel!"
"Liar!"
"Cheat!"
"We want our money back!"
"This is a non-paying service. You got that for free." The balloon man interrupted quietly.
The two young men glanced at each other, their plan quickly getting out of hand.
The blonde shouted, "Now!" and they both went into motion at the same time, charging forward past the balloon man to the colorful cart with its blues and greens and yellows. The balloon man let out a startled shout as four loud pops appeared and he watched one of his green giraffes fly wildly from the abuse before turning back into a string of deflated material, landing fifteen feet away on the soft ground.
The blonde's friend pointed at the balloon man after he ripped the head off of a pink poodle, "You picked the wrong people to fool with! A gun... ha!"
Brutal treatment was given to a yellow sword, a red heart, a purple star, and a multi colored hat; a crowd had started to form a distance away from the cart, watching the young men continue to assault the balloon animals. A little girl cried out as a dog was ripped in half, "Stop it, you monsters!"
Parents commented quietly, "How immature."
And the balloon man watched with bright eyes, unable to stop soft snickering from passing through his lips.
Standing amongst the massacre of color, the two young men finally stopped and once again locked eyes with each other. Time ticked by slowly as they stood watching each other, eyes managing to break away to the gathered crowd around observing them.
"Go!"
Treize and Milliardo bolted from the scene of the crime, leaving behind shreds of balloon and a crowd of laughing spectators.
They raced passed swing sets, and ducked killer Frisbees.
A dog tromped along with them until its owner shouted for it to stop chasing the weird people.
Finally, they reached a location out of sight of the evil balloon man with his cart of lies.
"Look. Over there." Treize pointed off to his right, his eyes lighting up.
Milliardo turned and followed the direction his friend's finger was pointing and he smirked as he saw a dark blue cart with bright stars all across the surface. A man stood in front of a small crowd, the tips of a dark robe lightly caressing the ground with a gentle swaying motion. Treize grabbed his arm and yanked him over to the cart, getting ready to find something wrong.
"Everyone... remember the card. Put it in your mind and keep it there." The magician revealed the nine of spades to the crowd, closing his eyes and turning his head away so the audience wouldn't think he was cheating.
Unaware to the magician, the two older men of his audience relaxed to try and prove him fake.
Fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds later, four doves fluttered out in the open, trick cards scattered across the ground, and magic rings chunked into a tree while the two men dashed off, laughing wildly as the magician chased them with a wand of flowers.
-- End!