(no subject)

[manofmyword]

There is a man in the bar, sitting alone at a table for four with the Observation Window directly on his left, close enough to touch. He has an enormous glass jar of jelly beans and he is methodically sorting them by colour into a number of smaller bowls laid out in front of him.

Other things about him that might come off as odd include: the fact that he is wearing a ferociously lilac button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows under a muted green vest; the fact that he is not wearing any shoes, and his socks don't match, one of them yellow with a black pattern of bats and the other black with little yellow smiley faces; and, finally, the scars on his face, extending the sides of his mouth into a permanent crooked smile.

He might welcome company. Or he might not. It's not always easy to tell.

Comments

[smokeandstreets]

"What else are they?"

[manofmyword]

"Everything," he says brightly.

[smokeandstreets]

"Everything?"

You can read anything you like into his tone. In fact, he invites you to do so.

[manofmyword]

"Everything," he confirms, grinning the grin of someone who gets both the joke you meant and the one you didn't.

[smokeandstreets]

"No wonder that other tasted weird," he mutters.

[manofmyword]

He giggles.

"Siddown," he invites, waving to the three empty chairs at his table. "Have s'more. Maybe you'll get a good one."

[smokeandstreets]

Smirking: "I've heard that one before."

But he does sit down, swigging his beer and slouching down with his knees apart.

[manofmyword]

"I don't know what you mean," he says airily.

[smokeandstreets]

Tony gives him a look, and then snickers.

"Sure you don't."

[manofmyword]

He winks, picks a jelly bean out of a bowl of pale colours, and crunches it.

[smokeandstreets]

"And the verdict is . . . ?"

[manofmyword]

His tongue flicks out over his lower lip.

He grins.

"You'll never guess."

[smokeandstreets]

Tony raises his eyebrows and licks his lips suggestively thoughtfully.

[manofmyword]

The Joker chuckles.

[smokeandstreets]

"Nah, you're probably right," Tony says, "'cause who'd make a jelly bean that tasted like that."

[manofmyword]

"These people definitely would," the Joker assures him.

[smokeandstreets]

"What a bunch of pervs."

[manofmyword]

"Mm-m." He holds up thumb and forefinger very close together. "Little bit."

[smokeandstreets]

He grins.

"My kinda people."

See, now he has to try one of the pale jelly beans, just to see what he ends up with.

". . . I think that's potato."

[manofmyword]

"Better luck next time?"

[smokeandstreets]

"Hmmm."

He steals another.

". . . Vanilla. Boring."

[manofmyword]

"Nnnnow you're speakin' my language," he says, winking again.

[smokeandstreets]

Tony wags his eyebrows at him.

[manofmyword]

He cackles, bouncing delightedly in his seat.

[smokeandstreets]

. . . Uuuuh.

That was more enthusiasm than he was expecting.