Barney was growing confused. Skull owned a Bentley - and a really nice Bentley, too - while at the same time, he... worked at a carnival? Barney was no expert, but he didn't think carnival pay was good enough for that.

"I did most of the retrofits myself," the man objected. "I may as well have built it from scratch. Besides," he added with a slight curl of distaste in his tone, "televisions are useless. What do they do, apart from sit there? How do they enrich your life?"

The teenager in the back - Fletch - looked horrified. "They play TV shows! And movies, and... really really annoying commercials. They tell stories."

"So do books. And they're much cheaper." Skull sat back with an affected sigh. "Not steering-wheel, no. Losing your touch, Gabe?"

~~

"I like the ferris wheel," Guild's daughter answered, pressing herself into her father's leg. "You get to go really high and see the whole carnival."

Looking at Guild now, Ghastly would never have suspected that the man once organised the assassination of Esryn Vanguard. Right now, the Grand Mage was just a father. Even his questioning of Ghastly had lacked its usual biting quality. In fact, the first time he even grew suspicious was when Dad sank to the ground to speak to his daughter, and Ghastly had to bite back a laugh. Guild would have absolutely no idea what to make of him.

They didn't have proof of the staged assassination, but then again, Dad wouldn't need proof to know what Guild was guilty of. Theoretically.

"I like your backpack," the little girl spoke up again with a shy smile.