[center][h2]Tony Nicholson[/h2]
[@Sickle-cell][/center]

The man smirked slightly and began to speak, Tony barely able to hear the words over his pounding heart.

“Professional. Not like your friend, there. I’m almost impressed. Might be a future in this city for you - not like the majority of Wonderland’s goons. Forgive the handgun. It’s nothing personal. You tend not to survive very long in this line of work without taking precautions... And yes. We did know, but not coming along regardless is impolite. Be seeing ya, kid.”

The man began to leave, and it wasn't until the door to the cafe had closed completely that Tony allowed his tense muscles to relax, releasing a sigh of relief as he did so. The feel of the metal still clung to his skin, and Tony shivered slightly. He had experienced far worse in the Wonderland, but he never planned on going through anything like that again.

"Man, what a prick."

[color=00a651]"A smart prick. A smart prick, with a gun. Jesus..."[/color]

"Well, his gun wasn't pointed at me, so he was just a prick."

Tony just shook his head silently, doing his best not to laugh. That was a just what Robby would say - he had been in the Wonderland for who-knows-how long, this was probably just like every time he had handed out invitations before. Tony was again reminded how thankful he was that he got the hell out of the Wonderland when he could. 

[color=00a651]"So... What next?"[/color]

"I'm headed back to the Safe house, you don't have anything to do. Just remember to show up to the circus tonight - we all missed you man!"

[color=00a651]"Yeah right."[/color]

The pair shared a laugh at that, and silently, they exited the cafe, before parting ways. Tony knew the general time the circus started, so he'd show up when he had to... Still, the thought of returning after a few weeks of peace was a little intimidating. When he left, most in the Wonderland were on generally good terms with him, but good terms means jack shit when you're in a den of crazies. Still, despite the fact he wasn't looking forwards to it... Getting to meet some of the guys again seemed like it would be pretty fun. And the promise of the bets made it all the sweeter. Tony made his way home, planning on preparing for the circus.

[hr] 

Not much kept his time, in all honesty - Tony still had the mask from when he used to be an announcer for the circus, and he had only been gone for a few weeks. Still, a few weeks is a long time when you used to sleep with one eye open. Other than that... he was honestly ready. He was too poor back when he joined the Wonderland to afford a good costume, and Tony really never felt the need to get a new one. After all, he sure as hell would never get in the ring.

All that was left was to wait... Tony normally would be too anxious to breathe in this situation - hell, if he knew that the final invitation would end up with a gun against his knee, he probably wouldn't have gone in the first place. But in this case, he really didn't feel too worried - he was going in with insurance this time. The power he had was incredible for a guy like him, the kind of guy that stayed out of things. It would let him get out of a situation if things got sour... hopefully. 

Tony laid down on the couch, turned on the television, and began to wait until the circus began.