The set-up was perfect, the timing divine, and now all he had to do was deliver the finishing blow. All eyes were on him, and he relished the attention - the spotlight, the nightlife - for at the heart of it, Vladimir was something of a diva. He grinned, his pointed teeth gleaming white under the unrelenting glow illuminating the stage. This, this was being alive.

It was silent - (well, not exactly, a few rather rude audience members were talking during the performance, but they were mosquitoes to him) - and he leaned in on the microphone, sheer delight shining on his face.

"I suppose he just couldn't… go with the flow."

After that, there really was true silence. Vladimir stared at the crowed, and they stared back. Then, Jinx began throwing rotten fruit and all hell broke loose.

It was infuriating. How dare they throw Vladimir, Greatest Comedian in the World, out?! It was a disgrace! Intolerable! He, the pinnacle of comedy, getting booed off the stage?

"Plebians. Why can no one appreciate true humor?" He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms in discontent. The night was chilly and clear, the stars shining bright despite the streetlights hanging above. It did little to improve his soured mood, however. That was supposed to be his big debut!

"Whatcha doin', mister?"

Vladimir paused. Who, exactly, had the audacity to interrupt his brooding? He looked left, then right, and - on a hunch - turned his gaze downward to meet the wide and curious green eyes staring up at him. Ah. He should have known. Of course that effervescently cheerful voice belonged to Lulu, the Fae Sorceress. Her small purple hands grasped her comically overlarge hat, pushing it up so she could beam fully at him.

Well. It wouldn't do to let anyone see him bothered, so instead he smiled and made a grand, sweeping gesture towards the sky. "Simply enjoying the wonderful night, my dear girl."

She tittered, then twirled lightly on the tip of her toe, rustling her skirt and hair in a cascade of purple. "Oh, that's good! I was worried gettin' booed off left ya tipsy-topsy."

Vladimir froze, and ahemed lightly to regain his composure. Curses. He'd rather hoped to escape any mention of that unfortunate debacle. Still. It wasn't his fault, it was theirs, so he wouldn't let it trouble him. "Well, it was unfortunate, but I'm not one to b-negative about things…" He shook his head, sighing over the simplicity of fools. Likely, he should retire for the night, rather than wasting any more of his time thinking about mere peons -

A chiming laugh rang out beside him. Between bursts of giggling, Lulu managed, "I get it! It's another blood joke."

Once more he paused, staring as the purple yordle flapped her arms and laughed in pure delight. Vladimir couldn't control the gigantic grin that spread its way across his face. He descended, knees bending so he was the same height as her. "Ah, someone who finally understands the art of fine humor!"

"I'm not sure about all that, but I really like your jokes!" She brushed her hair aside and smiled at him wide and sincere. It was also a little manic, but that was hardly unusual considering her personality.

"Shall I tell you more?"

"Oh, yes please!" She bounced on her heels, the very picture of enthusiasm. Vladimir smiled, leaning around her and gesturing to the grand, full moon bleeding her light into the sky above them.

"What do you call a bloodsucker from the moon?"

"Uhmm… I dunno, what?" Her expression was the very picture of perfect befuddlement.

The thrill of the punchline delighted him. It was just as satisfying as delivering the final blow that extinguished the light from his opponent's eyes. "A luna-tick!"

She clapped in a quick, energetic burst. "Oh, that's good!"

"Did you hear about the two blood cells?"

"No?" Her head tilted to the side, mouth pushed into a little, curious 'o'.

"They loved in vein!"

She laughed again, a positively addicting sound. Affirmation was among the sweetest of drinks, and he fed off the off the attention. It was vanity, but he didn't care. He was allowed to be vain. He was about to fire off another joke when something caught his eye. A small, pixie like creature crawled out from underneath the gigantic hat perched atop Lulu's head. It scuttled down Lulu's face, settling on her nose like a particularly friendly butterfly.

"Oh! What's that, Pix?" She crossed her eyes so she could look at it. "You have a joke for Mister Vlad?" Lulu cupped her hands in front of her, and Pix fluttered down to rest on her palms. Politely, Vladimir shifted his attention to the sprite.

"Okay, Pix says… How can you tell if the ocean is friendly?"

"How?"

"Pix says…" She couldn't stop herself from giggling. "It waves!"

A smile tugged at the corner of Vladimir's lips. It was inexpertly presented but highly charming, and he found himself genuinely warming to the girl's company. "Well, tell Pix that his joke was very good."

"Oh, you can tell him yourself! Pix can understand eeeeevery language! He's really smart." Pix dipped and weaved around Lulu, as if affirming her statement, then landed on her shoulder. Lulu looked at him, her big, green eyes growing even bigger in surprise.

"Oh no! Pix says we gotta get home. The snorklebugs are having a huge tantrum! Those sillies, I gotta calm them down." She smiled at him apologetically, and Vladimir pushed himself out of his crouch.

"Well, we wouldn't want that to happen. You'd better hurry!" He had no idea what a snorklebug was, but it didn't really matter. To her, it was a matter of some urgency. He waved her away.

"You're really funny, Mister Vlad! Have a splendiferous night!" She bounced up in the air, waving frantically before turning and running off, her arms stretched out at her sides. He could hear snatches of some chaotically hummed tune as she disappeared down the street.

Vladimir crossed his arms again and turned his gaze up to the all encompassing moon above. It was a rather splendid night. "I think I will," he said, a peculiarly persistent smile lingering on his face.

((a/n: Don't worry, I haven't given up Sunshine Days or anything! I just needed to write something short and sweet to recharge my writing batteries. I might expand on this later; I do think Lulu and Vladimir would have a rather fine friendship.))