An Upper Crust ManChapter 10
Jack had always stood out from the crowd in Upper City, if not for of his appearance, then for his personality. There was no place else in the entire world that he was as truly noted by the people for his character as they did here. He doubted that there was anyone else in existence that really appreciated the experience of living in this city as much as him. Of course, he didn't actually live there.
A person of his previous stature could not possibly have dreamt of being as rich as, let alone owning a home as extravagant as the people in such a place. However, Jack always knew he was not just another poor soul that was destined to live a life of mediocrity. Last night had proved that, and tonight he would really prove just how right he was.He still didn't look the part of an upper city man though, not that he was worried. One great thing about the people in this metropolis was their general lack of security, not to mention their lack of concern for missing belongings and or merchandise. Any Nobleman or Lady had plenty of money to throw around, and so if something went missing, they would simply buy another of whatever item had been misplaced, regardless of whether or not if it was stolen. These people were so well pampered that words like "robbery" and "crime" were practically foreign to them; quite literally the opposite of the people on the other end of Valua.
Within an hour, Jack managed to assemble himself a rather fancy outfit. Well, while "assemble" was a fine enough word for it, he preferred "stolen." It wasn't the first time he'd done such a thing. Actually, it was how Jack got all of his clothing…and food…and money. Suffice it to say that he wasn't in the least ashamed of his skills.Back in an alley (and hopefully for the last time), Jack finished kicking his old gear into a gutter behind him while he put on a fancy hat to complete the suit. He wore a dark blue vest with gold trim over a fancy pearl white shirt that matched his pants. As a first, he wore a dark blue sash around his waist that seemed to go well with his vest. Another first was a pair of extravagant pearl white leather gloves that were not at all feminine to look at. To finish it off, he donned a pair of bright brown leather boots that put his old dirty smudge stained pair to shame.He looked like one of them again, now more than ever before. It gave him the confidence he needed to try something crazy. The parties thrown in Upper City were said to be the most spectacular events in all of Arcadia. Of course, getting into any one of these parties was the hard part. He had to be of nobility to get into one, but perhaps, if he looked noble enough, which he certainly did now, he might just be able to walk right through the door without question.
Luckily, finding one wouldn't be a problem. From the mansions on the streets, to the yachts docked at the harbor, you couldn't go far without running into an Upper City party. It would no doubt be the easiest part. Who was he kidding, though? It would all be easy.If there was any problem he had, it was choosing which party to go to, but the streets were practically filled with party goers. All he had to do was go with the flow of the people walking the streets, and he soon found himself in a line just outside of a large ship party as well as in the company of many couples and singles eager to share their thoughts.
Mingling in with them, he caught the eye of a relatively young woman. Jack's eyes met with hers as they were both looking each other over. She looked to be in her early twenties. It was also noted that she was standing close to yet another young noble; a male, though it was hard to tell that at first glance. The young woman, realizing she had been caught looking him over, turned her attention to the lights coming from the harbor in an attempt to act innocent. She would most definitely be used in a plan that was quickly forming in his head. However, his plan didn't have time to develop. His thoughts were interrupted by a distracting question.
"Where did you get that ridiculously awful looking hat?" the young nobleman accompanying the young woman Jack had just been thinking about, who was not a day over twenty, asked with a snicker. His insult had quite a few younger ladies giggling in Jack's direction. The young woman, who had been watching him before, turned her attention back to Jack again, curious of his reaction.
Jack slowly grabbed the top of the hat and took it off his head. Holding it out in front of himself, he studied the top as if he were just seeing it for the first time. It really wasn't a great looking hat he had to admit, although it certainly looked expensive. Perhaps he had gone a little too over the top with his new outfit. Jack smiled and had a laugh of his own at the clever nobleman's joke. "You're right you know. It is pretty terrible to look at isn't it? I don't wear it for looks so much as it is for comfort. It's light as a feather and fits very snugly around my head. You'd actually forget you're wearing it if you put it on," he finished what seemed to be a strange tangent.
Gesturing for the nobleman to see, he said, "Here, have a look at the fabric on the inside to see what I mean."He handed it over to the gentleman who was baffled that Jack did not feel insulted in the least by his cruel words. Confused, the man flipped it over to look at the inside. After finding nothing spectacular about the inside, he looked back up at Jack.
"There's nothing special I see here. Clearly you've made quite the fashion mistake," the nobleman said trying harder to get under Jack's skin. The younger girls giggled again at his blunt rudeness. Again, the young woman kept her eyes on Jack.
"Perhaps if you put it on you would understand why I like it so much. I have a very good suspicion that you'll agree with me if you do."The man, who clearly was desperately trying now to get Jack to crack, put it on and smiled at the young women with an exaggerated expression on his face as if that were the way Jack had looked with it on which got another laugh out of the girls whose attention he'd managed to capture.
The young woman, the nobleman's date, didn't seem too thrilled by the lack of attention she was receiving. In fact, it had become quite obvious that she was thoroughly annoyed by him. To Jack, it seemed as if she were on the verge of leaving him there and now. This showed to be true when she attempted to say something to her date and was ignored; frustration and jealousy for the other girls he was entertaining flamed in her eyes.
Jack wasn't paying attention to the ridiculous gestures the nobleman was making. Stroking at his chin with a couple fingers while studying the hat on the man's head, Jack was finally convinced that it really did look rather stupid. He should get rid of it."Comfy isn't it?" Jack asked cockily.The nobleman, sensing that Jack was about to make a comeback, quickly thought up another insult to counter whatever Jack was about to say. "Yes, well, when you can't afford the finer things in life, I suppose this would seem comfy as you put it."
Ignoring the gentleman's last comment, he continued, but not before giving the young woman a wink. "You're right, it does look ridiculous," Jack said, just before sucker punching the imbecile in the stomach. The nobleman fell to his knees and gasped for the air to return that had just so suddenly escaped his lungs.
Jack bent down to grab the hat, but then thought better of it. "I'm glad you brought this fashion mistake to my attention. I wouldn't want to go to the party and make a fool of myself now would I?"
Beginning to turn and walk off, he stopped halfway and looked back then said, "You should keep that hat by the way, it matches your personality."
He then turned his attention over to the young woman and held out his arm. The young woman looked down at her date, then back up to Jack. Jack was no Knight in shining armor, but he was certainly a much more interesting person than her date gasping for air down on the ground beside them. Smiling, she put her arm through the crook of his, and the two walked up the ramp to the party together.