WE WERE DREAMING, WAITING FOR NIGHT.
» THE PARK — INTRODUCTORY NOTES
When District 3 opens up, subtle and silent at first, the most noticeable area is the large park. A mixture of open picnic fields and heavily wooded trails, the park offers an escape from the cityscapes for those who seek an oasis amongst nature. Benches and light posts dot the twisting paths, offering a moment's rest to anyone traversing the park for a leisurely stroll or running for… exercise. Unlike its smaller cousin to the south, this park is devoid of statues or monuments, instead more of a tribute to nature and the pursuit of its company. There are, however, several small playgrounds spread around the outer edges for anyone who seeks some playtime with their inner child.
Speaking of your inner child, should you venture to the southern half of the park, you'll find a small carnival that appears to be abandoned. The rides and stalls all appear to be in decent condition despite lying still and silent; if you choose to hop the fence, you'll find that the cables running haphazardly over the grass are connected but powerless. No amount of effort to turn on the rides nor break into the games will prove fruitful, but the park at large has posters stapled to trees here and there advertising the opening of the fun fair very, very soon.
For those who are brave enough to leave the paved walkways to venture deeper into nature, you may find hidden gems—a quiet pond covered in lilypads with a small dock to sit on and dip your feet into the green waters; a romantic pair of swings atop a small knoll overlooking a creek; a shortcut through the trees where even your footsteps are muted by the leaves and dappled sunlight barely reaches your face through the trees above. Here and there you'll find the woods open up to a secluded meadow where the grass is tall and the wildflowers grow thick.
You may also find yourself imagining things just out of reach, like shadowy figures darting from bush to bush, predatory in nature. The phantom call of a crow may echo through the forest's canopy though, like the rest of the city, there is no wildlife to be seen nor heard otherwise. Was that the shout of a woman in the distance, or the cry of a fox? The longer time stretches on, the harder you'll find it is to make your way back out of the treeline, and the trees stretch far above to block out any hope of navigating back to the familiar buildings of the surrounding city. You might want to call for help—if you get find service for your device, that is.
The new park is a permanent location that is open to residents 24/7 as there are no fences nor gates. It's larger than the one new City Hall and has more potential for exploring as well as different features from its cousin. For those that are familiar, it will evoke thoughts of New York's Central Park with its mixture of open areas contrasting with thick woods. Paved walkways, freshwater ponds, picnic areas, and a couple of playgrounds can all be found throughout the park. Along with these, residents may stumble upon other natural and man-made areas such as rocky outcrops, unmarked trails, bicycle paths, fountains, and other things typically found in large urban parks—minus the wildlife. It can be a romantic setting as easily as it can be a horrific one depending on the time of day as well as the company that you keep.
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THEN THE HEAT BROKE, THE NIGHT WAS CLEAR.
» THE FAIR — RIDES & ATTRACTIONS
At 6:00 PM City time on September 19th, the numerous light bulbs of the fun fair burst into blinding color simultaneously, lighting up the darkening sky as loud carnival music slowly churns to life from unseen speakers. The rides all spring into motion, operating on a strict schedule that will allow carnival-goers the time to get on the ride as well as stumble back off after they've had their fun. No one is running the rides that you can see, though they all have the typical podium with an array of buttons that could be used to start and stop the machinery that creaks and groans with age. If you'd like to see what it's like working as a rider operator, you're more than welcome—just make sure you're not making everyone sick.
Due to the fair's small size, the rides are all fairly tame in size and speed. There's a merry-go-round with brightly painted horses to ride along with a handful of mermaids, sculpted hair permanently billowing in the wind. One section at the edge is dedicated to a massive stationary head, evocative of a ventriloquist's dummy, with its mouth gaping open for riders to sit inside, perched on the tongue-shaped bench. For the braver riders, a few other unnerving steeds await, such as a lion with blood dripping from its teeth and claws, a zebra with eight legs, an uncomfortably hairy tarantula, and a gray-skinned creature with its eyeless head split open into a massive mess of razor-sharp teeth. Though the merry-go-round spins at a leisurely pace, staying on if for too long is likely to induce a strange sense of dizziness even after disembarking and attempting to walk it off. The repetitive groan of the pipe organ rings in your ears, hardly helping your disorientation at all though you seek a quiet place to recuperate.
Further along in the fair is a low building comprised of little more than a laminate floor, metal grating roof, and bright red railing that encloses all sides. Strewn about inside are bumper cars, big enough for two if you want to squish in together with a friend, but lacking seatbelts. As you run to find a car you like, you can hear the electricity begin to hum through the roof and spark with the bent antennae of each car as their motors awaken. Loud rock music drowns out the sound of squealing wheels as the drivers begin the arduous task of steering the bumper cars into each other. It's all fun and games at first, but it's easy for a little competition to turn into a grudge match.
The last ride looks like a large metal bowl with steep sides painted dark blue and covered with stars, plantes, galaxies, and a comically simplistic spaceship. The archway standing just in front of the ride's entrance calls it "THE GRAVI-ATOR" with a disclaimer in small print about holding on tightly to personal belongings once on the ride. Stepping into the door cut out in one side, you'll find there are no straps nor seats—everyone should find themselves a comfortable place to lean, preferably in one of the spots that has padding on the walls, because soon the ride will begin to spin and everyone will be pinned down by centrifugal force.
Though they may not be as thrilling as the mechanical rides, there are a few tamer attractions for those seeking a break from the bright lights and loud sounds of the carnival. A hall of mirrors stands to one side of the area, a gaping clown mouth serving as the entrance to the dark building. The laughter and screams from outside are quickly muffled as atmospheric music plays lowly while you try to navigate through a maze of mirrors, many of which distort your appearance. You may see flashes of people that you don't remember seeing come inside, oddly shaped and shadowy where the corners of two mirrors meet. Did you feel someone brush up against you? No, impossible in such tight corridors, but you should probably hurry along to the exit.
There is also, of course, a tunnel of love, though it is a cheap imitation of one. Rather than sitting in a romantic gondola, those interested in going through will do so on foot—a rather daunting task considering that you'll be in the dark once you walk through the heart-shaped door and through the musty red curtains. Still, there's enough time to steal a kiss, or grasp blindly for a hand to hold if you're scared of the dark. Has your lover always had such cold, rough hands? It might be soothing in the muggy warmth you find inside, or maybe it's reason enough to find the way out on your own.
Located in the southern half of the large park is a small fun fair that will open to the public the evening of September 19 with operating hours from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM City time. Before opening, none of the rides or games will be operational; however, there will be fliers advertising its opening all around the city on billboards and telephone poles, and adventurous characters are able to hop the fence and explore if they so desire. However, they will not be able to turn on any of the rides or games, and will not be able to break into the rides or booths under any circumstances.
Upon opening, there will be a number of rides running themselves on a schedule that allows people time to get on, have some fun, and then get back off again. Though there's something unsettling about the music they play, or maybe how shaky they feel, there's no apparent danger anywhere. Residents are encouraged to enjoy themselves with a group of friends, or maybe a date, and experience all that the fun fair has to offer! The fair will not be open forever, though; its gates will close permanently at 11:00 PM on September 30 and all traces will disappear that night to leave a large, open field behind in the park.
This is a good, ol' fashioned carnival designed to bring together groups of people for thrills and fun. Though there are no overt game mechanics at play, we encourage everyone to get creative and add their own flair to this month's event. If you have any questions about player plots you'd like to run, please revisit the Events & Interactions section of the F.A.Q. and drop us a comment on the mod contact for any additional questions.
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IT SEEMED AN HONOR TO HAVE A MOUTH.
» THE FUN — GAMES & FOOD
The majority of the fair is occupied by stalls full of fair games, their walls and awnings decorated in various themes to match. The shooting gallery is a scene from the American West, cowboys astride horses with a background of cacti and orange rocky mesas. The targets themselves are a variety of desert animals: vultures flying from the roof, lizards skittering along the ground, and coyotes chasing rabbits throughout the middle. A handful of rifles are waiting along the half wall in front, chained and bolted to the wooden surface to keep them from getting carried off, and an array of hats hang above them as prizes displayed for winners. There are the typical cowboy hats, then some pink and green ones, some multi-colored jester hats, and a few that look like uncomfortably realistic rubber masks of faces twisted into horrifying expressions.
The next stall over is as different as can be imagined with psychedelic rainbows, glow-in-the-dark smiley faces, and paint splotches covering all surfaces. Inside is a grid of brightly colored balloons that rain silver glitter once they're popped. Cups of plastic darts lie in wait for those who wish to try their luck to pop five balloons in a row, though the observant will notice there are only four darts per cup. The sides are lined with prizes ranging from sticky fingers, slide whistles, and bouncy balls to an assortment of blow-up weapons such swords, hammers, maces, and frying pans.
Another quintessential carnival game is ring toss, set up in an extra large stall with three open sides for groups to play together if they wish. The bottles are all uniform in size, shape, and their clear color, but if you get a good look at a few, some appear to have items floating inside of them, suspended in glowing liquid. Above, massive stuffed animals hang from every possible section of the ceiling. None of them look quite right, though, such as the smiling bear with an extra row of teeth or the goose with two heads at the end of one floppy neck. The dog is pretty cute, but it's missing an arm and a leg in a way that appears intentional, and that cat has its eyes sewn shut.
Of course, no fair would be complete without food. There are plenty of stalls ready to serve, much like the restaurants in the city, where residents are welcome to swing by for some greasy grub. Corn dogs, fries, funnel cake, pizza, shaved ice, and fried junk food are all easy to find around the carnival. Spread amongst the stalls are popcorn machines playing cheerful music, carts with towering racks of bagged cotton candy, and poles planted in the ground with rainbow lollipops and candied apples sprouting from them. In one corner of the fair where the biggest concentration of food stalls can be found, there is an area of tables with umbrellas for anyone to sit and eat. Food at the fair adheres to it's own unique reset cycle and can be found replenished every evening at 6:00PM just in time for opening.
Despite the potential for danger from the shooting gallery and balloon dart games, both are designed to be as harmless as possible—the bullets are rubber, and the darts are made of plastic. While they will still leave a bruise, there shouldn't be risk of blood loss. The shooting gallery guns are chained in place, unable to be stolen. Removing the darts from their stall will result in thiefs walking in a tight circle that always brings them back in hopes the darts will be restored to their rightful place.
Though the food and games are free, the prizes are not—anyone who attempts to steal prizes without winning the games first will find themselves misplacing their items before leaving the carnival. If residents become aware of this phenomenon and try extra hard to focus on not losing their stolen prize, it will nevertheless slip from their hands and be lost—though a keen eye might see it back in its rightful place at the game stall. If you have the right temperament, this could become a game in and of itself!
Additionally, if there are any fair games or foods that have not been explicitly mentioned above, players are welcome to assume they can be found. Nothing as extravagant as a theme park or amusement park will be present as all of the stalls are designed to be mobile—this is a traveling carnival, after all. Similarly, players are welcome to design their own brand of unsettling game prizes as long as none of them can be used as an actual weapon or to otherwise harm fellow fair-goers.
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WILDCARD.
The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back.
If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations.
This month's event headers come from "Midsummer" by Louise Gluck.
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citylogs2023-09-19 09:00 pm
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The memory of a leather strap in his hands and dogs around him is one he often visits, sometimes in the few moments before sleep takes him and sometimes in idle daydreams when he has nothing better to do... but from Louis mouth and in this situation it reminds Lestat too much of their time in the department store where they'd given in to temptation and played the role of human for a brief interlude. What if he were human now, and he had his dogs sleeping on their bed at home, and he and Louis were spending the evening together before retiring and waking up in the morning to the sun, both with bodies that craved food and contact instead of the suffocating pull of the blood...
That tapping of Louis' finger feels like a test, like the twitch of a rabbit's tail at the side of a racetrack. Lestat forces himself to be still beneath it, though he can't do anything to calm his heart, nor the haze it's pace seems to put him in. ]
Then command it, if you believe that.
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The hand on Lestat's heart shifts by just a few inches, toward the center of his chest, where the chain of his pendant dangles in a long V — so enticing and so perfectly-suited to Louis' purposes that it almost seems intentional. Slowly, Louis winds the chain around his fingers, until it's tight enough that the tips of his fingers are just touching Lestat's collar. Louis can feel his heartbeat in his cheeks, in his throat, in his wrists beneath the cuffs of his shirt. )
Heel.
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Time seems to slow down as Louis winds the chain around his fist, and with the coil of metal comes a different coil of tension in Lestat's body he's never felt before in his life. He can't put a name to it, can't think, can't do anything but watch the metal glinting in the bright lights, and listen to the links slide over each other and against Louis' skin.
When he speaks, Lestat's pupils blow wide and his mind goes blank to leave not a single thought in his head.... beyond the instinct to let his hands slide slowly to Louis' shoulders, palms flat on them, body still and rigid like a good hound waiting for his master's approving hand. He's still, so still, all except for his eyes when they flicker down to Louis' mouth. ]
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Or perhaps it's the clanging of the skeeball booths and the whirling carousel music and the scent of popcorn in the air. The atmosphere is hardly a seductive one.
Lestat's eyes flit to his lips, and Louis feels the stir of a blush in his cheeks. He's amazed that Lestat's holding still. Really, he's amazed that Lestat is playing along at all, and not just being naughty and willful just for the sake of it. A fascinating revelation, though he isn't sure just what to do with it. )
Good boy.
( A swift brush of his lips to Lestat's, a firmer pressure of that hand against his chest, and Louis withdraws once more, thrilled by his own boldness. He doesn't move far, though — his fingers remain twined in Lestat's chain, the pendant held between his palm and Lestat's chest. )
Will you behave for the rest of our date?
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He loves to push and push and push to see how far things will go, and Louis is his favourite subject for that experimentation… so why, then, is this having such an effect on him? He knows exactly why, but admitting to it is something else entirely.
This quiet dominance from Louis, this show of intensity and of a placid understanding of Lestat’s motives and desires has him feeling more seen than he thinks he’s ever been in his life. He can remember it once, when he was very young, and the concept of being good wasn’t quite as impossible as it is now.
The kiss is like a prize, but Lestat feels the petulant urge to chase it for something harder, deeper, because the deep tone of Louis’ voice and the liquid quality of his gaze is prickling over his skin in a way that makes it hard for him to want to stand still. Louis like this is astounding, something Lestat has never seen and is therefore enraptured by. He wants to see how far this will go, too. ]
Absolutely not.
[ He admits, breathless but full of worship, like a man commenting on the craftsmanship of a particularly stunning statue. His fingers are twitching at his sides. His leg moves, just slightly, his knee pressing the outside of one of Louis’ as though he intends to step closer into his face. ]
Oh, my heart.. I won’t make it that easy for you to tame me. [ But his usual domineering tone is completely absent, replaced instead with something quiet, almost pleading. ] But I would absolutely love to see you try.
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I think I must want a challenge.
( Louis tugs him gently away from the stand, caught by some self-conscious impulse not to take up too much space for too long. Still, he's surprised at how easy a thing it is to be at Lestat's side like this, so openly affectionate and belonging to each other. He doesn't mind that people might know what they are, he welcomes it. )
The fact that we're trying this a second time is a testament to both our stubbornness, don't you think?
( It's gently teasing, still, but very fond. There's a tentative quality to his voice, the subject of their past still such uncertain ground, and he hopes Lestat will take it as an olive branch. )
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He lifts his hand to the one Louis has around his arm and links their fingers - Louis seems unpeturbed by this ever so small public display of affection, and so Lestat can’t resist testing how far it might go. Then he pulls Louis closer, their steps falling in time, and traces a thumb over his new ring as he talks. ]
I think it’s more to do with your passion for punishment, and my romantic refusal to let a good thing die.
[ If he had an arm free he’d feign a dramatic swoon, but as he doesn’t he simply looks at Louis out of the corner of his eye, a smile curling his lip that makes his silent reply all to clear: olive branch accepted, with gratitude and relief. ]
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Is that the reason why you turned me?
( Not that Louis would ever have such an ego as to call himself a good thing, of course, and he manages this only because it's almost self-deprecating. But he's beginning to accept the fact that Lestat thinks so somehow. )
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Oh yes, mon cher. You know, don't you, how I love to surround myself with beautiful things? How could I resist your angelic face and your kind heart?
[ He squeezes his hand, just once. It's not entirely a lie, but he doesn't need to tell Louis that. It feels almost unnatural for them to be talking and teasing one another so casually about things that once caused pain and resentment to reflect on... but, he supposes, this is a good thing now; perhaps this means that the both of them are healing, that their foundations are to be more solid from here out. He hopes so. ]
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You silver-tongued liar.
( It's easy to be kind to Lestat now, but in those days they had both been so sharp-edged and ready to be cruel at every opportunity. Perhaps Louis had been kind or gentle in an abstract sense, perhaps Lestat had valued that more than he'd ever let on... but had Lestat ever reaped the fruits of that compassion? No, hardly ever.
He looks upward, toward the large and frankly unsettling plush toys suspended from the booths. Prizes — Louis wonders what might happen if someone were to simply take one, but he isn't curious enough to find out himself. )
I want to try one of these target shooting games.
no subject
[ It's such a throwaway comment, said with such quick dismissal that it's almost as if it shouldn't mean a thing to either of them... but that is simply not the case, now, is it? Lestat knows damn well that it's dripping in subtext - and so he should, he put it there on purpose - but just for good measure he squeezes the hand in his as he directs his attention toward what Louis is looking at with only the faintest hint of an impish smile playing at his mouth. ]
Then let's try it. I like the look of the one that moves and throws in targets you shouldn't hit, or are you more interested in a calmer test of accuracy like the dart board?
no subject
No, no, I've played enough darts for a whole mortal lifetime. It's one of the better ways to pass the time in a bar when one doesn't drink.
( One corner of his mouth twitches upward, his expression nostalgic. There's years of history in that look, though not necessarily any stories interesting enough to tell. He'd enjoyed San Francisco well enough, the nightlife, the culture, the mortal celebrations that he never felt a part of but warmed him nonetheless. )
I'm very good at it. ( He says matter-of-factly, like he doesn't think he's bragging. ) But I think I would like to try something new tonight. Let's have a go at the moving targets.
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[ Nevertheless, he urges their step toward the stands lined up with the slow moving targets on automated wheels, their paper pictures fluttering in the easy evening breeze. ]
Though I suppose you are right on the money with darts; snooker always gets much too ugly, and gambling on cards can be such a sinful vice. Or so I've heard.
[ Lestat himself has never really seen the appeal in those kinds of games, nor has he really spent all that much time in bars in general - parties, events, yes, but not so much bars. It's a weird feeling to experience Louis holding the upper hand of experience, but not necessarily a bad one - he's reminded of Louis enlightening him regarding the vampire haunts and his notoriety in them, on the night he'd returned to him, and it throbs fondly in his chest.
He watches the progress of the targets for a few moments, taking in their numbers - 10, 50, 100 - and the image of a stick of dynamite peppered between every two or three, and then looks down to inspect the little pellet guns. ]
It looks simple enough to me. Should we compete for the highest score?
no subject
( Louis nods, picking up one of the little plastic guns and turning it over in his hands curiously. It's lighter than he expected it to be. )
I hope you're prepared for a difficult match, because I intend to win you a prize. I believe that's a date tradition?
( It's not really that he thinks he can beat Lestat (though wouldn't that be something?), but that presently he thinks this is all much too silly to worry about either way. How often does he have the chance to do things that are completely frivolous?
He lines up a target in his sights and follows it as it moves, getting a feel for the speed. Simple enough, if the game isn't rigged. )
Ready when you are.
no subject
It doesn't last all that long, however, because Lestat is just as much a competitive creature. ]
Not if I win you one first, my love. You'll have your work cut out for you.
[ He lines up his own shot, eyes trained on the larger numbers with focused attentiveness until one approaches his firing line, and he shoots-- landing easily within the boundaries of a target marked 50. ]
no subject
But this... Oh, Louis had never seen this look in Lestat's eyes in those long years. He would have assumed it was a trick of the light, just wishful thinking on his part. Louis had wanted to make Lestat happy even then, but it had seemed like such an impossibility that he eventually closed himself off to the idea that he could actually crave such a thing.
Ping. The pellet hits Lestat's target. )
Well shot.
( Louis sets his sights on the target marked 100, in between two sticks of dynamite. He could make it easily, but if the aim on his rifle isn't accurate... what an embarrassing opening shot that would be.
He almost moves to take the safer shot, the easy row of 10s beneath it. But then his eyes move to the large stuffed toys dangling above them as prizes — odd things though they are — and he feels his resolve strengthen. (Also, a part of him wants to find out if anything will happen if he does hit the dynamite.)
Aim. Fire. Ping.
His first shot hits home for 100 points. Louis, quite pleased with himself but too well-mannered to crow about it, does a small, dignified fistpump. )
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He's never had the chance to feel like this with any of his fledglings beside Claudia, but maybe this isn't a vampire thing at all.. maybe this is just simply a man hopelessly in love with another man. Oh, he can dream. ]
Bravo, bravo. Very impressive. Perhaps we should have made a career with you as a sharpshooter rather than laundering money this way and that, hm?
[ It's so natural for him to fall back on flirting, if this can be considered such, and he smiles easily as he lines up to hit his own 100 with little effort. ]
no subject
( Louis laughs at the idea, and it nearly ruins his aim. The shot hits the outer edge of the 50-point target. A success, but only barely. Don't be so easily distracted, Louis... )
You're the mighty hunter. I didn't even have the heart to shoot a rabbit.
( Of course he'd had no qualms with eating meat, or with letting a butcher do that ugly work for him. But he'd felt so squeamish looking down the barrel of a rifle and imagining a living creature on the other end. This, though, is perfectly harmless. Would he have enjoyed this kind of game as a mortal man, he wonders? Perhaps a little. But he can't imagine attempting it on his own, not without Lestat to inspire him to do frivolous things he otherwise wouldn't. )
It does sound exciting. We could have been some sort of traveling carnival act. But if I were a sharpshooter, what sort of dashing rogue would you make of yourself?
no subject
And hadn't that been exactly what had drawn him to Louis in the first place? That tender heart, his powerful emotions, his strong morals, his troubled mind.. This reminder of pacifism might have annoyed him when they'd first met but now? Now it only firms the image of Louis in his head, and he's all the more appreciative of their differences. ]
Well, there's plenty of options to choose from.
[ Lestat steps a little closer, a hand gently gracing the small of Louis' back because yes, he noticed how distracted he got by Lestat's quip, and if it's that easy to turn the odds in his favour then of course he's going to play the game with gusto. ]
Perhaps I could breathe fire, or walk the tightrope. Something astounding, you know, something that deserves a spotlight.
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He smiles, much too sweetly. )
You could be the lovely assistant I strap to the target.
( He isn't actually annoyed — it's just a game, of course — but he can't help himself. )
no subject
I could, but your act would be entirely overshadowed by me, and I wouldn't want to do that to you, you know? Beautiful assistants are supposed to be disposable, not steal the show.
[ Speaking of stealing the show, and running entirely on his own fumes, Lestat aims and hits another 100. Then, as if he weren't being obnoxious enough already, he tips his head back and laughs. ]
Why, you'd have a riot on your hands if you put someone as angelic as I am in harms way.