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It was bright at the carnival. You could never really say the sun shone down on the place, the sky was always covered in a blanket of clouds. It was still bright though. As if the light didn't come from the sun, it just hung in the air. The Proprietor didn't really mind though. Sunlight wasn't something he needed to live, not being human and all.
Today, like most days of the year, he wasn't up to much. When you aren't convincing folks to assassinate presidents or keeping the current assassins residing at the carnival away from each other's throats, things are pretty quiet. The Proprietor had sat down on a solitary bench and decided to relax because, hey, even weird devil-on-the-shoulder guys had to take a break every once in a while.
He'd just gotten comfortable when he heard footsteps approaching. God, who could it be this time? Whoever it was, they really should go bother someone else. The Proprietor turned his attention to the noise only to find that it was The Balladeer who was walking towards him. Ugh. The Balladeer had a light smile on his face and was carrying something in his hand. He waved. The Proprietor groaned.
"What is it now, cowboy?"
The Balladeer's grin widened. Whatever it was he had cooked up to bother him today must have been good.
"Do you know... What day it is today?" The cowboy asked. If he smiled any wider now his jaw would probably fall off.
The Proprietor sighed. "No. I don't know what day it is today."
"Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's......." The Balladeer imitated a little drumroll with his hands. "Your birthday!"
The Proprietor quirked an eyebrow "No it isn't? We don't even have birthdays."
"Well, technically no. But it's nice to have a day that marks /you/, don't you think? Even if it wasn't the day you were actually born." The Balladeer hopped up on the bench next to The Proprietor. "I've already given myself a date! And this date can be yours, if you want to. Or you can change it!"
The proprietor chuckled "So i could change the date to... for example, the date of Abraham Lincoln's assassination?"
The Balladeer's face fell a bit "Come on, be serious about this! Shouldn't it be something more important? And maybe something... not as violent?"
He laughed "I am serious! And that date /is/ important. You just don't want me to steal Booth's thunder."
The smaller figure sighed and patted his shoulder. "Well, if that's really what you want I won't stop you. I'm still celebrating your birthday today this year though! I even got you a gift." The Balladeer reached out his until now closed hand and opened it, revealing a necklace much like the one he usually wore. The Proprietor laughed.
"You're giving me your necklace? I was hoping you had something better hidden in there. Like a motorcycle"
The Balladeer snickered "How would I even- pfft, I'm not that strong. And it isn't mine, it's yours." He reached down and grabbed the necklace he was wearing, holding the two next to each other. He leaned in closer to The Proprietor to show him. "You're the only other being here like me. We don't agree on a lot of things but I wanted us to share something physical. Just to show we are connected, in a way."
The Proprietor grabbed the gift from The Balladeer's hand and hung it from his fingers. He considered it for a couple of seconds. The dull light didn't really do it any favours. He was sure it would glitter beautifully in the sunlight on earth. Not that that really mattered. He scoffed, stuffing the gift in his pocket.
"You're so sentimental, cowboy. I'd admire it if it didn't make you so annoying." The Proprietor leaned forward, looking away from The Balladeer. "I guess I should be polite and thank you for the gift. But don't expect anything fancy for yours. The best you'll get is a fancy drink"
The Balladeer sighed. "Well. It's nice you'll mark it anyway." He got up from the bench and looked back at The Proprietor. "It can get lonely to be the only one of your kind. And having something to look forward to is nice when your existence is, you know, infinite." He shrugged. "Just... Consider it, okay? Whatever date it is I'll celebrate you." And with that, he was off. The Proprietor didn't even hear him walk away.
He sighed, pulling the necklace out of his pocket again. He stared at it. Well, it wasn't an ugly piece of jewelry. He'd certainly seen worse. How long was it since he'd worn jewelry last? He couldn't even recall. Maybe he could wear it for special occasions. After all, it'd be a shame for this craftsmanship to go to waste... as long as The Balladeer never saw him wearing it, of course