James Moriarty knew a lot of things: knew how to properly set up a bomb, how to dispose of a body and leave no evidence behind, how to come up with a plan that would get himself and Thalia the ultimate amount of candy on Halloween. Yes, Jim knew enough to be considered a genius, but there was one thing he didn't know and that was sign language. He was determined to learn it, to memorize every scrap of material about sign language that he could get his hands on.
It wasn't just a hobby, it wasn't something to do that would make the time pass by sooner, it was something he had to do. He has to do this in order to get 'Bastian to move into his house with Jim. He had to because Sebastian and Thalia are a package deal, and Thalia is partially deaf. Well, deaf enough to warrant hearing aids and the people around her to use their hands when she wasn't wearing her little accessories.
So he'd set his mind to it, and the time came for him to prove his mastery over languages. He, Sebastian, and Thalia would spend the day together and it was a chance to prove to his sniper just how dedicated he was. Of course, no one was perfect, James Moriarty included as he quickly learned that Friday afternoon. Seeing as both men were in Oklahoma to pick her up for the weekend, they'd decided to go to the theme park nearby. Frontier City was just as cheesy as it sounded, but it was Thalia's favorite place to go in this state.
The two year old seemed to be in a particularly loving mood because she wrapped her little arms around James' neck and held on tight, forcing him to carry her to the children's part of the park. He didn't really mind it since she was clean and, not that he'd admit it to anyone, he'd missed wagging her around as he came up with new plans. He used to tell them to her before he knew she had hearing problems, whispering and playing with the pale wisps of her hair. She'd only been a few months old then, but she had looked up at him in a way that made him think she could understand.
Both men had to use sign language for her to understand them with so much noise around, her hearing aids tucked safely in the little Scooby-Doo pack on her back. The pack itself gives Jim a hint as to what to give her for her upcoming Easter present. She was certainly spoiled rotten between the gifts he bought her and the ones her aunt sent her from various places in Egypt.
By the time Jim came to the conclusion he wasn't, in fact, perfect was at lunch, when he'd signed to the little monkey on Sebastian's hip. He'd meant to ask her if she wanted some fries with her vanilla shake, but then Seb erupted into laughter and Thalia was giving him an astounded look. "What am I missing," Jim asks Seb in confusion, his brows drawn together. Once he got his breath back, Sebastian explains that Jim's sign language was slightly flawed and he owed Thalia ten dollars to put in her swear jar.
Because, he can't imagine how he'd messed up so horribly, he didn't ask if she wanted fries. Oh no, nothing could ever be so simple for him, of course not, why should he have it so easy? No, he'd asked her, an innocent two year old baby, if she wanted hell. Thalia was sold on him after that, his handing over ten precious dollars and then some extra for the horrible mix up earned him Thalia's blessing as long as the money and random little gifts kept coming. As Jim soon found out, he didn't mind spoiling the little girl. Especially when he realized the really noisy toys were sent to the house of one Sir Augustus Moran.
Yes, life really did have funny little victories.