Earth-247

Two Ribbons and a Snowball

"You didn't have to kill him, Fred," Jason chastised the Blob, unable to suppress a cheeky smile.

Suddenly, the launched man popped up. "Behold! I am untouched!"

After Unus the Untouchable climbed back into and across the ring, Erik could see that the man was indeed unscathed. His clothes were not even ruffled. "Remarkable," Erik commented to himself.

The Blob dusted his shoulders off then asked, "Seriously, though. What's in it for us? Other than, you know, the whole 'no oppression' thing?"

Erik sighed and looked to Jason for confirmation, who provided it with raised eyebrows and a shrug. "Yes," Erik relented, "I can pay you, much more than you make now."

"Why did you not start with this information?" Unus the Untouchable exclaimed as he vaulted over the front ropes.

Erik shook his head as the Blob crawled out from under the front ropes, then he directed an observation towards Unus the Untouchable. "By the way, your stage name is a mouthful."

"Angelo," Unus the Untouchable answered while offering a handshake. Erik accepted with gingerly disgust.

"Fred Dukes," the Blob announced before snatching Erik's hand and shaking Erik's entire arm.

Once released, Erik readjusted his glove and remarked under his breath, "What a fitting name."

Angelo and Fred exited at Erik's gesture, but Erik held back Jason. "If I live to regret this," he seethed to Jason, "so will you."

Jason offered another shrug and a shit-eating grin of feigned innocence. Erik released him and exited the tent, leaving Jason to catch his breath.

***

The duo meandered through the front garden of an opulent, brick mansion. Scott couldn't take in the grandeur visibly, but he listened in awe to the gentle ripple of water cycling through stone fountains.

Scott started and stopped a few sentences. "How did... how do..." He took a breath and admitted, "I'm trying to think of a polite way to ask about your wealth."

Charles smiled. "It's a strange notion, isn't it? That it's impolite to ask about a person's wealth? I suppose it's a folkway that the well-to-do developed to stop the so-called commoners from approaching them."

Scott was silent.

"I apologize; that's not what you asked me. The short answer is inheritance. My grandfather was a highly valued scientist employed by the government to research various topics, none of which he was ever able to disclose. I, myself, have earned several grants to fund my genetics research, but I am not oblivious to my advantages."

The sudden sound of hydraulics halted Scott halfway up the stairs to the entrance.

"It's safe, Scott. You're hearing the wheelchair lift," Charles assured him.

"Oh," Scott accepted. "Probably should've inferred that. Sorry."

"You've done no harm," Charles began as the lift reached its apex and the gate disengaged. "Replace empty apologies with gratitude, my boy."

Scott nodded. He took issue with the choice of the word "empty", but he knew what Charles meant. The first of several lessons, I suppose, he noted to himself.

Upon hearing the doors swing open, he followed Charles inside before a concern bubbled up. "Is there a lot of stuff in here that I could break? Like, should I be extra careful with this?" he asked, shaking his cane at the end of the question.

"I'm much less concerned with what you could break and much more concerned with what could break you. They make vases every day, but there's only one you, Scott."