Barbra grinned as she played a normal Gotham game of hopscotch. "One corpse, two corpse, three corpse, four, so much blood I can't find a door." She cried out as she jumped over the body marks. "Five corpse, six corpse, seven, eight, nine, so much blood now everything can't be fine!"
"I never understood why they leave the body outlines on the ground." Iruma, her youngest and cutest BFFEAEAEAE nodded as he kept track of their tally while they sat on the sidewalk. "I mean, doesn't the chalk just make the ground dirtier?"
"Eh, it's not like they're big on cleaning the place." Harleen said. "I mean, look at the sky." She pointed to the dark and murky air.
"I just assumed that was from all the blimps in the air." Iruma nodded. "I mean… why use blimps?"
"Cause they're cool." Barbra smirked.
"… What's the point of cool?"
"Because cool is fun and fun makes you happy!" Harley grinned. "That's the point in living!"
"Isn't the point of living to survive?" Iruma asked.
"No, no, no, I know you're talking like this, cause you live on the streets, but survival and living are two COMPLETELY different things." Barbra reassured. "You can go your entire life surviving without even knowing what it means to live."
"… You lost me."
"Basically surviving is what you think it is, but to live is to make sure you're happy with what you're doing." Barbra clarified. "To make every moment count so that you go to bed at the end of the day not just satisfied… but rejuvenated, rejoicueful, remarkable, and any other 'Re' words that I can't think off that basically mean you go to bed super happy!"
"It's like how we ditch class to hang out with you." Harley grinned. "Sure, to 'survive' life, we should be going to school and studying, but we're choosing to live by having fun with our newest BFFEAEAEAE instead, cause having fun with you is more important and valuable to us!"
"I keep loosing track of how many es and as you have." The boy mumbled.
"Four, and that's not important!" Barbra nodded. "What IS important is that just becomes something is 'pointless' doesn't mean it's useless. Sometimes, the most fun things you can experience are pointless, which can make them the most valuable thing you can have!"
"Yeah, what can be better than a head full of good memories?" Harely asked as she did cartwheel, walking on her hands as she rubbed Iruma's head with her feet.
"A stomach full of soup?"
"One day we've really gotta get ya off the food metaphors." Harleen deadpanned. "Now we need to get you some fun, like …" Her BFFEAEAEAE's eyes looked around, her eyes sparkling as she ripped a poster off the wall and shoved it into. "This!"
"… A man in a top hat?" Iruma asked.
"Riiight, still can't read." Harleen nodded. That was definitely on their list of things to do to help the boy. "It's an add for a magic show that's coming to Gotham, today even!"
"Pfft, magic." Barba scoffed. "Magic's just tricks people do with wires and pyrotechnics." Dad said any magician was a con man waiting to strike.
"Eh, magic tricks are fine just as long as they make you laugh." Harleeen grinned. "Point being it's a show that's meant to be watched for fun, and there's never a reason to not have fun!"
"What about the risk of death?" Iruma asked.
"That just makes it better!" Babs grinned. "Trust us Iruma, you'll have a good time. Have we stirred you wrong before?"
"Kind of." He nodded. "But both times lead to food and that book that makes me feel fluffy and warm, so I guess I can see your point."
"Great! Now come on, to the show of magic!" Harleen chuckled. "And Babsy, don't ruin the magic for him."
"Aww, but it's more fun when I can explain the trick."
"It's more fun when you can't explain it."
"Beg to differ." After all, she was a woman of science.. science of crime fighting and butt kicking that is!
Zee pointed as she adjusted her bow tie on her head. "Daddy, do we have to preform today?" Normally she was only a little nervous about performing. They only had been on the road for two weeks, and only gotten a handful of shows… but now they were preforming in Gotham… the dirtiest city she's ever seen!9
"Unfortunately we really have to … the tax rates in this city are draining us dry." He grumbled. "Just the cost of a motel.. ugh.."
"But everything's so dirty here, and I could use more practice with the act…"
"You're a natural Zee," Her daddy smiled, rubbing her head.
"Even if I got out of the saw the lady in half trick early?"
"Those old folks didn't want to see a beautiful little girl like you sawed in half."
"Even if I got out of the invisible box early?"
"That kid's birthday cake had too much sugar."
"Even if I somehow draw a tarot card of death from a deck of playing cards?"
"Hey, if I found out I was going to die at thirty six, I would've been grateful to find out in such a funny way." Daddy smiled.
"Aww ... you're just saying that." She didn't know much about the world, but she knew enough to know when someone was stretching the truth.
"I'm saying it because I believe it, Zee." He laughed, holding her hands. "It doesn't matter how much applause you get, when your on that stage, you get to shine like a little star. And with every show, you get even better and brighter."
"Really? You mean it?"
"I know it. Now go out there, and shine for the world."
"Alright!" Zee cheered, running out the curtain.
"No-wait for your cue …" Daddy called out to her.
"Say hello to the fantastical Zatanna Zatara-!" She tripped while running out, her make up slightly smudging as she met the small wooden floor of the cheap stage.
"Hello!" From the crowd of ... what she could count to be up to ten-fifteen people, a boy with blue hair that looked to be her age, if a year or two younger, waved with a wide smile of sincerity.
"I … I have come to perform for all of you … with magic!" She let the doves fly out … which proceeded to peck at her. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Was this why daddy said not to rush brushing them?
"I'm out." Spoke a man, walking to the door. "I didn't pay to see a kid perform."
Great, she was losing the audience before she even started! "Wow, she made birds out of thin air!" The boy from earlier shouted with the same level of excitement and wonder she had in her voice whenever she saw one of daddy's tricks.
"Alright, thank you, my most valuable and lovely assistant for your warm up act!" Her daddy walked onto the stage, helping her out of the pickle she had put herself in with his words. "Now, let's give this performance a little … pizazz!" He waved his hands, sparkles shining around the stage and audience, as people now grew interested.
"So sparkly…" the boy from earlier eyes widened.
"Now for our first trick, how about a spin on an old classic?" Dad asked, pulling out a handkerchief … that was connected to another and another, flooding out along with articles of clothing that wrapped up into a man in a well dressed suit with a bunch of handkerchiefs for a face. Said handkerchief man gave a bow to the audience.
"A man made out of blankets ... so cool!" The boy cheered loudly. "He must never get cold."
Arlight, the audience was starting to regain their attention, now she couldn't afford to mess this up again. Don't mess it up again, don't mess it up again. "And now, for those purists out their that love tradition, let us pull a rabbit out of a hat." Daddy flipped out his hat on his hands, presenting it before Zee for her to reach into.
"Okay, you got this, you got this." Just reach into the hidden flap and get the rabbit out. "Alright, here I go…" She reached in … and began to fall in it. "Ahh! Wrong flap, wrong flap!" Her arm sank in, along with her head.
"I've got you!" Daddy shouted, pulling her back.
"Wow, imagine the storage space on that thing!" The boy exclaimed, almost sparkling with delight. "You were right Harley, this was a fun activity!"
"See I told you, laughs all around!" A girl with blonde pigtails cackled. "Hah, who messes up the hat trick. That's a thing you have to truly SEE to believe."
… Somehow the combined comments managed to both raise AND lower her self esteem. "Alright, almost got it-!" Her daddy called out as he pulled the hat off, messing up Zee's hair. "Hm, that seems to be one stubborn rabbit. Say Zee, what don't you check behind your ear?"
"My ear?" She questioned as she did just that… pulling out said rabbit she was trying to get out. "What?" Even she didn't fully understand how her daddy did these tricks sometimes.
"Wow, magic is fun!" The boy cheered loudly.
"Yes, and now, watch as I make my lovely assistant… disappear!" Daddy popped out the box for her to enter.
"Okay, go in and slip out the back. Don't let them see you, don't let them see you, don't let them see you…" Zee mutters to herself as she walked inside. "Don't make it obvious, don't make it obviously, just walk out the door, just walk out the door-" She walked out…. Too early again. "...Tadaaa…?" She weakly announced.
"... I'm gonna get a refund." A woman stood up and walked away.
"Worst show ever."
"I've been mugged by criminals with more therticality." Given this was Gotham, that one didn't sting as bad.
"The costumes aren't even good." Everyone was mocking them… no… her… they were mocking her because she didn't know how to do stage magic and she was no good to anybody at all and they would all walk away just like mommy did…
"..She teleported right outside the box!" The boy cheered. "She's amazing!" He clapped, even when more of the audience got off and left. "Do it again! Do it again!" The boy… was staying… he was happy she was here.
Zee smiled, holding back the tears she felt were coming up. He was cheering her on … her and her magic … "Very well, watch as I … levitate!" Zee grabbed onto a small wire, letting it pull her up … unfortunately, it was one of Daddy's wires, which meant it was meant to pull him up with his weight … resulting in her getting jettisoned into the air. "GAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"She can even fly!"
"Don't look down sweetie, I got you!"
"You were right Harley, this was awesome!" The boy Harley and Babs have been lookin after like a little brother cried out giddily. "Magic is amazing!"
"Yeah… I'm glad you think so.." Babsy nodded with a forced grin as she stuffed her face with hotdogs. "I didn't know what to expect from this thing, but man, is it a stinker." Babsy whispered to her. "Like seriously, no acts have gone right once since it started ... It's almost fascinating on that alone."
"I told you, magic is cool as long as it brings the laughs." Harley chuckled. "Plust it was like, six dollars a person, not like we were gonna get Vegas magicians or anything like that… although I would've loved to see how a lion would've made things interesting." All the blood and guts spilling all over the place.
"Okay, I believe we can settle down with something less intense." The man that was probably a dad chuckled. "How about a card trick?" He began pulling out cards, letting them float around into a deck, before he opened it up, showing off a small white mouse, before letting it vanish.
"So many animals. Now I'm starting to see how babies are made." Iruma nodded. "All animals are magic… no wonder they taste soo good."
"I wish I still believed that…" Babsy shivered from likely a traumatic memory of seeing that mouse give birth. "How much longer is this show?"
"It's forty five minutes and we've been here…. Ten of those." Harley looked to her watch. "Relax, Barbababelbel, the point was to give Iru something to enjoy, and he's enjoying it, no need to sweat it." She took a sip of her soda.
"I guess you're right …" She sighed. "... Oh god, is this what mom feels whenever I drag her to a Batman convention?"
"Sacrifices have to be made." Harley snickered as she poke Iru's face, who was still mesmerized by the stage show. "And can you really tell me it aint worth it seeing this face all lit up and sparkly?"
"Eh, you needed something?" He asked, turning away.
"Nah, just keep watchin, Iru." Harleen rubbed his head.
"Guess you got a point." Barbra nodded with a small eye roll. "Still, this is Gotham city. Couldn't they at least be criminal magicians trying to steal people's money with magic tricks that we could beat up, or at the very least, watch Batman beat up?"
"... Babs, you really gotta stop tryin to find Batman durin the day." Harley noted. "You're his biggest fan, you know better by now."
"This is why Gotham needs more super heroes." Barbra muttered, looking around. "Come on, shady activity, where are you? If I can't see Batman, I can at least fight some low level crime that Dad won't find out about."
"Babelabera, you gotta relax. If someone's bein a supervillain, it's gonna be obvious." It's what made living in Gotham so much fun.
"I know, but they can at least be a little more obvious-Oooh, ski masks at twelve o'clock!" Babsy turned her head to the side of the stage, going mainly unnoticed due to either the bored or the nonexistent audience giving them little to no attention.
"Ski what?" Iruma asked.
"Nothin, nothin, you just keep watching Iruma, me and Harley will ... go get more snacks!" Babsy reassured as she took her hand and led her away. "We'll be back in a minute!"
"Aww, look ats you not wantin' to ruin his fun. Knew you had an ice cream heart." Harley hugged her.
"Not as soft and plushy as yours, leany beanie." Babsy snickered. "Alright, we stake them out, beat them up, and get more popcorn, sound like a plan?"
"Yep, I agree with absolutely everything." Along with stealing everything that they were stealing, plus their own wallets. Stealing was a victimless crime after all.
"Knew you would agree! Now, time to go stealth mode!" Babsy pulled her hoodie up and tightened it as it covered her whole face. "Ahh, everything's dark, the bat has been blinded!"
"Boop, boop." Harley giggled as she ripped out two tiny holes.
"Batvision is a go!" Barbra grinned as she leaned into the shadows with her cutely dramatic poses as Harley simply just kept walking forward. She had nothing to worry about in this city after all.. Not like anything was brave enough to actually try and hurt her.
"Hmm … maybe I should invest in a clownsy thing …" Like a cute little jester hat. Her name already sounded like Harlequin… Harlequin, Harley Quin, oooh, now that sounded like name sounded in infamy and laughter!
"Ssssh, quiet, they're speaking!" Barbra hushed her as they ducked behind a dumpster. "Okay badguys, tell me your secrets.
"When's the boss coming in?" One of the goons asked as he looked at a watch. "I thought he was suppose to be on time or something was his shtick."
"No, you're thinking of Clock King. Abra's got this whole magicians thing going for him."
"Awww." Barbra pouted quietly. "Just lame old con tricks."
"Didn't you say you wanted to beat up a magician?" Harley asked.
"Yeah, but I want to be dazzled and amazed by the showmanship, not constantly be aware that everything I see is a trick." Babsy groaned. "Like, I may not be a fan of the Joker, but at least he's honest about poisons and gasses and gadgets, and I have something to fear. Even someone like scarecrow, sure he uses nothing but gas, but it's a gas that brings out my inner most fears, they're both scary villains! I have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to magicians."
"I'm sure you'll find something to be excited about, look." She pointed to a cloud a smoke above the goons, sending down a lightning bolt that formed into a man in a magicians outfit and a weird metal wand.
"Behold, as I, Abra Cadabra, have graced you mortals from the sixty seventh dimension." The man spoke.
"There's only fifty two dimensions." Babs groaned. "… Unless you count dimension zero."
"I thought your thing was that you were from the future?" One of the goons asked.
The magician twitched. "That doesn't really help sell the 'magic vibe', does it Frank? I'm a showman, if people know I'm from the future, they're just going to say 'it's all a trick' and I have more integrity than that."
"Aren't you stealing from a single dad?"
"No, I'm stealing form a single dad that'll go down in history as one of the greatest magic users of all time, and I don't intend for some lowly stage man to one up me in history!"
"They're really committing to this future bit." Harley scratched her head.
"All the more reason to take him and his non-impressive butt down!" Barbra shouted.
"Should we do something about those two girls watching everything?" One goon asked.
"...For someone that admire's Batman, you certainly don't have a quiet voice." Harley chuckled.
Citizen Abra … or as he would soon be known, Abra Kadabra, grinned as he marched forward. Givoni Zatara, a renowned magician of the twenty-first century. So focused on his daughter and her potentially budding magic he would be BLIND to what happened to his wares. Unfortunately … "I despise you Frank, I really do." He murmured. What was the point of a goon if they couldn't fix basic problems? "You couldn't have checked the area BEFORE?!"
"I did check the area, I was just waitin on your orders." He asked. "Like, I don't know if this is one of those 'push them away and hope they don't tell anyone' situations or a 'shoot them in the head' situation."
He groaned. "How much did you hear?" Abra asked said brats.
"Which part? About robbing a single dad or being from another dimension and/or future." The girl with blonde pigtails titled her head.
"Both." He pointed his fingers at them, targeting the two with a matter mover as he yanked the brats over. "Silentius." And activated the voice command for his sound nullifying barrier. A normal gun would be heard by Zatara. "Now then, names girlies, real ones."
"Barbra Gordon!"
"Harleen Quinzel!"
Ah, Batgirl and Harley Quinn. B-list super heroine and villain turn major tech support and the most influential anti heroine. Time cops would definitely be on his ass if he offed them. "Tie them up and leave them in the garbage, they shouldn't be too much of an issue." He could hypnotize them to forget about this later. No harm, no fowl.
"No way, mr Magican, no one's getting in the way of this show!" The young Batgirl shouted as she took out her grappling hook. "Okay Grappling hook, do your thing!" And sent it right into his head. "Works less like a grappling hook and more like a concussion gun!"
It stopped five inches from his face. "… Yeah, I'm in Flash's weight class. Unless you can pass Mach 2, no dice."
"Pfft, so you fight some old geyser from world war two, big deal." Harly quinn rolled her eyes.
"Time travel, remember?" He deadpanned. "I fought every Flash."
"There's more than one flash!?" Batgirl shouted in excitement.
Deeefinetly erasing their memories when this was all over. Good thing he already placed the soundproof bubble. "Yeah yeah. Now then, tie the girls up." He grabbed the grappling gun. "They gave us free rope."
"Darn it, curse my improvisational skills at crafting!"
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Babsy, it's still a great weapon." Harley Quinn nodded.
"Aw, thank's leany beanie." Batgirl smiled. "Now lets break out of it!" The two girls squiremed from their tied positions as they wiggled about in the dumpster they left them in.
"Um … shouldn't you magic that up?" Frank asked.
"In case you forgot, I'm busy trying to delicately steal from a magic man." He growled. "So you keep watch, fucking got it?"
"Fine." Frank side. "So… you girl's like shadow puppets?"
"Depends, can you make a puppy play basketball?" Harley Quinn asked.
"Or a leprechaun eating a burrito?"
"Or a snake doing the tange?"
"Or a cat detonating a nuclear bomb!" Upside to dealing with the the child version of heroes, they weren't smart enough to be heroes just yet.
Okay Abra, small setback, but you could still grab the gear and get out of here. He went back inside, slowly moving to the unprotected back.
"And for our next trick, we'll need a volunteer from the audience. Zee, you have any idea who that lucky man.. Or lady… will be?" The man he was robbing asked.
"Oooh, me me me me me!" Spoke a boy … with a blue cowlick … oh son of a whore, Iruma fucking Suzuki!? EVERY time cop was on that boy's ass. The amount of people that would pay for him dead was astronomical!
"Hm… I pick.. The nice blue haired boy." And of course Zee fucking Zatara would pick the walking danger magnet to come up to the stage! Why NOT make it even harder than it needs to be?!
"Yaaaay!" The walking pile of trouble came up to the stage with that stupidly happy and sincere smile that he was known for. "So, what do I do!?"
"Stand very, very still, for we shall delve deep into the recesses of your mind…. And pull this!" Givoni pulled out a hotdog behind the boy's head.
"You can make food out of thin air…. You're the greatest man alive…" The boy's eyes sparkled with wonder at the low brow trick.
"Oh brother…" Abra rolled his eyes as he kept his focus on the prize. Alright, all he needed to do was steal Givoni's magic spell book and he'd be set for life after selling it on the magical black market.
He slowly opened the back door, slowly making his way to the back set. Staves, parlor tricks, two cute bunnies locked in a cage. "Ugh, you've definitely do NOT feel like a master of the mystic arts… why you chose stage magic I'll never know." When you had the power to bend the world around you, why bother pretending you were anything OTHER than superior to everyone else?
Abra grinned as something caught his eye. "There we are." A single book covered in a glass casing. He flipped open a specialized monocle, gazing over the energy readings and looking for a weak spot in the glass.. "Aha, your slipping Givoni." Simple enchanted glass. Bullet proof and flameproof, but a simple molecule displacement ought to break it nice and easy. He just had to let the wand do the work without causing any more of a fuss-
"Hocus pocus, hitting you in the head destroys your focus!" A rush of blonde and red collided with his back as he slammed forward into the hard glass.
"What the-" The runes lit up … aaah bugger-
BOOOM
He was sent flying into a wall, crashing as he slid down. "Gaag! How did you get past my minions!?"
"Oh Frank? Turns out he's a nice guy. His shadow puppets are crap, but I offered him some pointers for letting us go." Harley Quinn giggled.
"That little …" He stood up, his hands glowing. "I may not be able to kill you, but a couple of broken bones never killed anyone."
"You're right …" Abra slowly turned to Givoni Zatanna, glaring at him with a promise of vengeance. "A few broken bones seem suitable for tripping a sensory rune during my daughter's performance."
"Oh… ah… Givoni.. Big fan, hehe… I wasn't ..ruining the performance persay…" He tried to justify. His tech was great, but up against real magic, it needed a few more bugs to work out.
"Nah, he was just going to use it to steal your stuff and sell it to the future." Batgirl said.
"I see… well, I suppose there's on one thing to do to a scoundrel like you." He took out his wand and began waving it.
"Come on, no need to be hasty, I'm sure that, two show men of our caliber can certainly work something out-" He took out his wand. "Fulgar!" And shot out a bolt of lightning.
"Tcerider." And the bolt flew up to the ceiling.
"Oooh, lightning rod, nice." Batgirl nodded. "See, his simple tricks can outdo your complicated ones! That makes you the worse magician!" She kicked him in the leg.
"OW! That hurt-"
"Tah Mwo Ruoy ni kcuts Teg."
Abra's hat began eating him. "AAAAAHHHH!" He screamed, before it covered up his body, trapping the future man.
"Yeah! That's what you get for trying to ruin Iru's first magic show!" Harley Quinn's voice shouted as she began repeatedly kicking him in the shin.
"I'll deal with him later. Here, why don't you two girls go get whatever you want from the concession stands? On the house."
"Yay! Free popcorn!"
"I hate kids…." Full grown adults kicking your butt was far less humiliating than getting beaten by a couple of brats barely out of diapers. He should've traveled less into the past.
Iruma watched the girl's hand with rapt attention. "Is … this your card?" She pulled out a blue card with arrows on it.
"Not at all. You made my card change into something new! Super impressive!" He exclaimed with excitement. "How did you get so magical and impressive?"
"Aww, you're just saying that…" Girl waved off with a tiny chuckle.
"No, it's true, it's the most magical thing I've ever seen." He nodded with insistence. "I mean I used to not realize magic was super cool and awesome, but you and your dad have been proving me wrong." He didn't even know that magic was REAL until now.
"Well, I guess I am a little impressive." The girl with sparkly hair smiled. "It's mainly thanks to daddy though. I don't always do magic right… but he teaches me everything I know." She nodded as she pulled out a flower from behind his ear. "Aww man, Lilies, I was going for roses."
"Roses always have thorns, lilies are softer." Iruma smiled as he took it. "Thank you…. Ah… sorry, I didn't catch your name before."
"Oh, it's Zatanna, but everyone calls me Zee… I mean.. Everyone WOULD call me Zee but there's never really everyone around, so I guess it's just Daddy that calls me Zee…" She blushed as she let out a cough. "Sorry, I'm rambling."
"It's okay. You're voice sounds nice." It wasn't as high pitched and squeeky as Harley's and Barbras. Not that he had anything against their voices, but.. Zee's sounded much softer… it was a good change of pace.
"Oooh… ah… thank you.." Zee's face flushed as she twisted her leg a little. "You're one of the few nicest people I've met traveling with daddy… a lot of them end up booing us… well.. Me in general.."
"Don't see why, your work's amazing." He grinned. "So you go around the city making magic shows?"
"Cities to be more accurate." Zee nodded as they both took a seat on the stage. "Daddy and me own the show, so every few weeks we drive around a city and stay there. Then we pack up, and move to the next city and do the same thing all over again.. We end up staying in the RV most of the time, but.. When you're travling with someone you love, then it doesn't feel too bad at all."
Sounded like she had a dad that loved her… he wish he knew what that felt like. "Wow, you travel the country?" Iruma's eyes gleamed.
"Yep. We get to see all the places in the world. From the mountains, to the beaches, to the forests …" She frowned. "Never made any friends though …"
"That's fine. I've lived by myself in Gotham all my life and only just made friends last week." Iruma chuckled. "And you're really good at magic and pretty. It won't take too long for people to be your friend."
The girl blushed. "You.. you think I'm pretty?"
"W-well yeah, your like, a magic princess." He nodded shakily. "L-like the kind who heal people with light and stuff …" Like his novel … that Barbra and Harley had to read to him because he still hasn't figured out how to put words together yet. Still liked it though. "Everytime people see them.. They feel lighter, and they make the world feel…. Better than it did the day before."
Now Zee was REALLY blushing. "Well… you're like a… ah… cute little prince…" She said in a slightly squeaky voice.
"I can't be a prince. I'm not rich or carrying a sword." He argued.
"I'm not rich and I don't have any butlers, yet you called me a princess." Zee smiled as she rubbed her hand on his face, her touch being soft and gentle. "Thank you Iruma….you have no idea what your praise means to me."
"I try to help whenever I can." He nodded with a smile. "So.. are you going to be doing any more magic shows later?"
"Oh…" Zee's smile suddenly went down. "I… this… this was our last performance in Gotham… my daddy and I are driving out tomorrow."
"Oh… you are…" Iruma didn't expect to feel disappointment… but a small part of his chest felt… a little less light than he expected it to. He thought… He thought he was making a new friend. "I guess that makes sense. You're so amazing and make people happy and fluffy feeling. You have to make other people happy too."
"Yet they won't be you …" The girl hugged him, her pretty hair glimmering as her eyes sparkled. "Thank you for being my first friend… I promise I won't forget you."
"I won't forget you either." He patted her back.
"Zee, were almost packed up!" Her father called out.
"Coming Daddy!" She called back, before turning back to him. "Bye.. I'll miss you." She hugged him one more time before skipping away… skipping away like a pretty princess.
"Bye…" He waved back, his hard feeling empty yet warm at the same time. "Bye Zee.." He had three friends now… and he couldn't see the third one for who knows how long… if ever again.
"Hey Iruma~." Harley sang. "We got you food."
"Awesome!" Well, he still had two. Take the joy in what you had, Iruma. "Where'd you guys go, you missed the rest of the show.. Unless it was finding all this food, in which case that's completely understandable."
"We fought a magician that was like this guy but worse." Babra affirmed with a nod as she bit into a burrito. "No showmanship whatsoever."
"Ooooh. I mean, Zee made it fun." He smiled as he began eating the food himself.
"Zee huh? Already have a cutesy nickname for your girlfriend?" Harley chuckled.
"Course I do." He smiled. "I call you Harley instead of Harleen, and we both call Barbra Babs…. Plus wouldn't you two be girlfriends too? Unless you guys are boys and I haven't caught on yet." He looked at them with a head tilted. "You have long hair, so you look like girls…"
"Hahah, never change Iru, never change." Harley ruffled his head. "So you had fun today? Have fun living?"
"Yeah… yeah I feel warmer on the inside than I did this morning…" He felt.. Happier. "I.. I think I want to start living more."
"And you will every day you're with us." Barbra ruffled his head. "Now, let's all feast!"