"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Akai." Jack was the sort of man who could make a throwaway line like that sound sincere, and he certainly looked like he meant it now. He was in full showman mode, with a warmth to his tone and a sparkle in his eyes that suggested he was truly delighted to have met her.
Nor was it entirely an act. Jack had learned early on that young women and children were often the gatekeepers to a family's purse-strings when it came to entertainment. He could pitch a circus to a grown man, of course; the love of spectacle never really went away, and nostalgia could be a powerful motivator. But how much more effective, to go after the young! They often dragged family along with them; they were more likely to want treats and souvenirs; they were the ones who'd want to ride the carousel with their sweethearts, have their fortunes told, and play the (very rigged) games. He took one look at Masumi and saw, in short, his ideal customer.
"Well, then. You'll have to come out and see ours." His free hand slipped into his jacket as he spoke. "Why, we've got all sorts of wonders. Trapeze artists who defy the very laws of gravity. Fire eaters, and dancing bears, and even," with a shrewder look at her, as if she had a secret and he knew precisely what it was, "a fortune teller who's never been wrong."
He pulled a small ticket reading Admit One from the inner pocket of his jacket and offered it to Masumi. "Since you were so kind as to help me... Why don't you come out to the show when we open, as my guest?"
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Nor was it entirely an act. Jack had learned early on that young women and children were often the gatekeepers to a family's purse-strings when it came to entertainment. He could pitch a circus to a grown man, of course; the love of spectacle never really went away, and nostalgia could be a powerful motivator. But how much more effective, to go after the young! They often dragged family along with them; they were more likely to want treats and souvenirs; they were the ones who'd want to ride the carousel with their sweethearts, have their fortunes told, and play the (very rigged) games. He took one look at Masumi and saw, in short, his ideal customer.
"Well, then. You'll have to come out and see ours." His free hand slipped into his jacket as he spoke. "Why, we've got all sorts of wonders. Trapeze artists who defy the very laws of gravity. Fire eaters, and dancing bears, and even," with a shrewder look at her, as if she had a secret and he knew precisely what it was, "a fortune teller who's never been wrong."
He pulled a small ticket reading Admit One from the inner pocket of his jacket and offered it to Masumi. "Since you were so kind as to help me... Why don't you come out to the show when we open, as my guest?"