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[center][color=#837E7C][b]MENTIONS:[/b][/color] [@AmpharosBoy] [@NachoBachoPacho]

[h3][color=#837E7C]A Collab with [@AmpharosBoy][/color][/h3][/center]

[color=#837E7C]Jules was on her way back down the dusty road when she saw a familiar sight. It was that kid from before! Her temporary frustration immediately morphed into anger, and she turned on her heel. [color=#41A317][b]“You..!”[/b][/color] she called out in Donny’s direction as she stormed in his direction in a fury. She grabbed Donny by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against a wall. “You have some guts do pull of the shit you did!”

Donny's face almost ducked chin-deep into his scarf, eyes widening at the sight of her. [sub]Oh fuck.[/sub] He subconsciously thought to himself, panicking momentarily as she looked ready to beat his dumbass to a pulp. Though, if she caused too much of a scene here, she'd end up in more trouble than she'd want. So he managed to calm himself and look at the bigger picture here; Flashing a smug grin at the irritated European woman. [color=yellow]"And you have guts for taking down so many racers, despite the amount of prying eyes that were about."[/color] She was tough, maybe, but she was still human: Still a person who couldn't get away with potentially murdering ten men and women. At least, without purchasing some silence.

Jules was still upset over the “announcement”, only becoming more agitated when the boy brought up her little dilemma again. It was a stupid move, surely; she could have gone without using her ability in plain sight. [color=#41A317][b]“I didn’t mean for so many people to go down,”[/b][/color] she stated begrudgingly. She wouldn’t admit it, but she suddenly started to feel guilty, which only upset her more. [color=#41A317][b]“Besides, you weren’t part of the crash, so why should you care?”[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]"Hell, why wouldn't I care?"[/color] Donny scoffed, admittedly amused. [color=yellow]"Clearly, you're dangerous. Not just because you're a good jockey, but because you're willing to fight dirty to win. Got to worry about you a lot more than the clean-shoes in the race, even if you 'didn't meeeeaaaannn to hurt so many'."[/color] He glanced away, thinking back to the crash he witnessed, before looking at her once again. [color=yellow]"Was a hell of a fancy trick you showed off, by the way![/color]

Her grip only tightened as Donny continued to speak. Crap, so he actually noticed what she had done, exactly? Well, now she was caught between a rock and a hard place. A moment of silence passed between them as she released her grip, an annoyed ‘tsk’ coming from her lips. [color=#41A317][b]“What do you want from me, kid? I can spare a few dollars to make you shut up about that fancy ‘trick’.”[/b][/color] She told him in a grunt. 

That's all she was offering? A few dollars? He would've laughed, had she not been on the verge of strangling him. [color=yellow]"A-A few dollars? That's your negotiation?"[/color] He questioned, held back laughter in his tone and his cheeks slightly puffing up from holding it in. He reached into his scarf, pulling out the wanted poster and turning it in her direction, pointing at her own mug on the paper. His eyes kept locked on her in case she tried to snatch it away. [color=yellow]"You look worth more than a couple of bucks if you have a poster like this. But perhaps there's a way we can handle this that doesn't involve money?"[/color] He questioned, eyes slowly glancing downwards, seemingly looking her over before making eye-contact once more.

Jules’ brow furrowed further at Donny’s first reaction, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. He seemed less than amused, which meant that he was probably smarter than she thought. At least he wasn’t interested in robbing her blind and was open to negotiation. She noticed the shift of his eyes, feeling herself stiffen up a little. This kid… was he really suggesting what she thought? That horny bastard— of course he would think about something like that? Nevertheless, she decided to loosen up. She had to get that poster away from him. It frightened her that he even had it in the first place. If she played this wrong, he could very well just keep it for himself. 

A smooth grin spread over her lips as she stepped closer, slowly raising a hand and running a finger up and down his shoulder. [color=#41A317][b]“Well, of course there is~”[/b][/color] she purred in a sultry voice. [color=#41A317][b]“You should have just asked, sugar. I’ve got a thing for short guys, anyways~”[/b][/color]

Donny's expression scrunched up, both because Jules still reeked of horse feces, and because whatever the hell she was doing, it was the entire wrong idea here and still getting him riled up in a way he couldn't understand. And on top of that, she ticked a horrible box in his mind; She called him short, which caused his expression to shift into a glare of pure, unadulterated anger. [color=yellow]"[i]Th-The hell did you just say?![/i]"[/color] He questioned, face red with his hand firmly against her, shoving her back as he got himself away from the wall. He clenched the poster, shaking it momentarily to pull her out of whatever shitty ass dreamland she was stuck in. [color=yellow]"Obviously you don't get it. I'm not looking for whatever the hell you're offering, I want to know--"[/color]

He gestured to the spheres at her waist with his free hand. [color=yellow]"How you do that trick of yours. That seems like enough compensation."[/color] Whatever else she was trying to offer, he didn't care: Money, a cup of sugar, shitty ass compliments about her preference in men, none of these were really hitting him. He wanted to be able to throw like that; And she was the only person with the knowledge to do it. As far as he knew.

It looked like she struck a nerve. Jules frowned as she was shoved away, returning to her annoyed glare. She was toeing some hot water when she wanted to get the hell away from Donny as fast as she could. Watching him carefully as he spoke, she once again stiffened up when he motioned towards her waist. Oh. He was interested in [i]those[/i]. He had the gall to even suggest something like that? She scoffed. Then the scoff became a low laugh. 

[color=#41A317][b]“Oh, you have me in stitches…”[/b][/color] Jules chuckled, pretending to wipe away a tear from her eye. [color=#41A317][b]“... what was it? Ronny? Johnny? I’m not too good with names. If you think that I’ll sink so low as to actually [i]teach[/i] you, you’ve got another thing coming. Now… I could give you a bit more money if you’d like. Ten dollars for both of us to walk away and pretend that this never happened? I’ll even forgive you for throwing shit at me.”[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]"Ten dollars? Forgiveness?"[/color] Donny scoffed in retort, hand with the poster going down to his hip, resting against his body. What was she, stupid? He already denied cash once, you figured she'd understand rather than make this more difficult on herself. She taught him the trick, then they parted ways. Simple enough? Apparently not for this woman. [color=yellow]"I've got a better idea."[/color] His posture shifts slightly, staring at her with a curious gleam in his eye. [color=yellow]"Since you'll be stuck teaching me, we can stick together during the race. You sure took a tanking in the ranks. It sure would be helpful to be partnered up with somebody actually on the scoreboard, wouldn't it?"[/color]

A smirk crossed his face. [color=yellow]"This is the deal: You train me. We finish the Steel Ball Run together in the meantime. We win. We split the cash and part ways. I'll even throw a little extra your way; I was going to say 50/50, but I'll throw an extra 5 million from my side onto yours as a little 'teaching fee'."[/color] He was honestly tired of her, but if he could get her assistance the race would go smoother. He could do plenty with 20 million. Learning that technique was worth a bit of monetary loss. This was his last offer though; She could've taken the one before, but now she was stuck with this one. Or figuring out what he'd do if she refused again.

Damn, this kid [I]really[/i] wasn’t budging. He was definitely smart-- and damn annoying, too. His words made her want to just knee him in the gut, but... Donny knew that he had her caught and that there was nothing she could do to fend him off. Unless she killed him. But Jules wasn’t one for killing, despite having accidentally caused the death of all of those other racers back there. She set her hands on her hips, her frown becoming more and more like a childish pout. The thought of having someone stick to her ass sounded like a pain. Though, even if she didn’t win the race (which she was pretty sure she would), she had a higher chance if she accepted his proposition. 

[color=#41A317][b]“You drive a hard bargain,”[/b][/color] she finally murmured. [color=#41A317][b]“But trust me when I say I’ve never taught anyone before. That, and I don’t really consider myself that easy of a teacher. The whole technique falls on the Zeppeli name; my forefathers must be turning in their graves at the moment with me agreeing to teach a common street rat.”[/b][/color]

[color=#41A317][b]“That being said…”[/b][/color] Jules continued with a hefty shrug, glancing away for a moment. [color=#41A317][b]“I suppose that I have no other choice. But mark my words, kid.”[/b][/color] She turned back to him. [color=#41A317][b]“If you breathe a letter of my name to anyone, you’ll regret it.”[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]"What, you think I'll betray you?"[/color] He questioned, though didn't wait for her to answer as it was already clear what she'd say. Instead, he continued: [color=yellow]"I'll give you a little bit of assurance."[/color] He raised the poster, gripping it with both hands before ripping it. And then he tore those pieces apart. And those pieces. And those pieces. Until it was nothing but little scraps of wanted poster. Then, without even a hint of hesitation, he crammed [i]all of the paper into his mouth,[/i] forcing himself to swallow down a bit at a time. Eventually he managed to finish the task, but belched and shot out a very small piece of the poster, which he caught in his hand.

[color=yellow]"There. Evidence. Gone."[/color] As the word 'Gone' left his lips, he pressed a finger against her shoulder; Sticking the tiny scrap of poster to her, before backing away a few paces, clapping his hands once or twice. [color=yellow]"You probably have things you want to do. I'll see you at the start of the next stage... Partner."[/color]

Jules didn’t have any time to respond to Donny’s question. At first, she was satisfied with his decision to shred the paper. Though, it all changed when he decided to [i]eat[/i] it. She stared in a mixture of bewilderment and surprise as he swallowed the shreds and winced when he punctuated his act with a belch. The evidence was gone— save for the piece that he pressed onto her shoulder. Scowling in disgust, she brushed it off, at the same time realizing that she was [i]still caked in horse shit[/i]. Now that she had gotten that out of the way… 

[color=#41A317][b]“I’m going to see if I can get this stuff off of me,”[/b][/color] Jules muttered as she glared at him. [color=#41A317][b]“We'll be leaving for the desert soon. If you’re not around by the time I do so, then I’m not waiting for you. You want to learn, you have to show your dedication.”[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]"I'll be seeing you, then. I'll just be taking a little time to care for the steed, then I'll be ready to head out."[/color] Donny spoke, bidding a quick farewell as he quickly made himself scarce; The short blonde man wandering off to do god knows what. Take care of his horse? It was doubtful that such a thing was the entire story.

[hr]

Luckily for Jules, it took only a few minutes to find a person willing to lend her a washcloth. Unluckily for her, however, the washcloth was pretty small, and by the time that she was able to wash off some of the manure that had clung to her skin and clothes, it was beyond usable. Even though she was still somewhat dirty (and definitely still smelly), she thanked the lady that had lent it to her and was once again on her way. Her mind wandered aimlessly as she walked. So she had to teach his kid the Spin just so he wouldn't snitch on her. What did she get herself into, exactly? Was entering the race just one big mistake? She pulled off her hat, sighing as she ran her hand through her dampened hair. Now she had to deal with not only winning the race, but avoiding her bounty, and teaching a random stranger a skill that had been retained in her family for generations. 

She dusted off her hat as she tried to pay close attention to remove the last of the shit that covered the fabric. At least it hadn't covered the feathers. Her eyes peered at them to make sure of the fact when she came across a rather large cluster of people surrounding the tall man that she had seen before the race even started. Jules' eyes widened slightly. So [i]that[/i] was Simon Garfunkel? The man that had sped by her, before they reached the finish line? How did he even achieve so much speed? For a moment, she hovered around the outskirts of the crowd. What should she do? What [i]could[/i] she do? And with that, Jules began to plot. 

Slipping between the crowds, she snuck up besides Simon and gently touched his arm. [color=#41A317][b]"Excuse me, Mister First Place Winner!"[/b][/color] she chimed with what seemed like a genuine smile as she looked up at him. [color=#41A317][b]"How about I treat you to a drink? What better way to celebrate your first victory in the Steel Ball Run?"[/b][/color]

While she might have looked and sounded sincere, even going so far as to dip her head modestly as she waited for his reply, Jules was interested in getting to know the man. He had to have some sort of strategy up his sleeve in order to completely shred the contest during the last few meters. If she could get him to relax as they shared drinks, maybe something could slip out.
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