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“The name's Lanny. Lanny Party if you're feeling fancy. Although most people just call me Lan. You can call me whichever of those three names suits your tongue.” Lanny said.
He was escorting me down a back alley that ran between a series of tall buildings, nestled somewhere deep in the heart Meep city. These were routes that I never walked and, to be perfectly honest, being on them made me feel a little uneasy. I kept wondering if someone would step out from a darkened corner and rob me, or worse! I'd heard stories of people getting hacked and losing complete control of themselves. In all the stories I'd heard, they'd taken place in places like the one Lanny was walking me through now.
Speaking of Lanny, he seemed oddly at ease moving through these deserted back streets. It made me wonder how often he had trodden these paths. He was a strange character. More unique than any I'd encountered in Meep city or on any of the servers I'd been on before. He wore a beige colored tweed suite, with a thin yellow lining running through it. Underneath the jacket was a matching vest in which he sported a gaudy gold pocket watch, with a chain that rattled audaciously when he walked. He also had on matching dress shoes and, to top it all off, a top hat on his head! If he'd been wearing a monocle he would've looked like the love child of a British gentleman and a carnival ringmaster.
As unique as his clothing was, it was his demeanor that really made him stand out. He spoke in a voice as smooth as warm butter, but behind every word and gesture there lurked a mind as cunning as a snake. He had an objective in mind, that much was apparent. Furthermore, he wanted me involved. Perhaps bumping into me had been his plan all along! Or perhaps I was just being paranoid. What I didn't know though, was whether his goals would profit me or not, and that was my primary concern.
“Stop.” Lanny came to a halt and raised one slender hand into the air to indicate that I should do the same. “We're here.”
We were standing at the back entrance to what looked like an abandoned theater. It had not been used for some time, and most of the veneer was now gone, but I could still see the fading designs painted onto the walls. At one time it must have been a beautiful structure. Now it just seemed sad, and slightly ominous.
I gave Lanny a skeptical look. “What is this place?” I asked.
A slightly menacing smile crept across his face. “This my boy is where the magic happens. You and me Peter, we're going to be rich. All you need to do is follow my instructions very, very carefully.”
Lanny paused for a moment to look me over, probably trying to see if I was still on board with his plan, then continued. “You see, I know how to beat the system! I have the answers to the questions! It's all one big game!”
He leaned back and let out a slightly maniacal laugh that echoed off the high walls of the buildings around us. I said nothing, but simply stared at the strange man who was propositioning me, and wondering how I could have gotten myself mixed up with someone so strange, yet entrancing at the same time.
“I just have one question for you Pete, my friend,” he said. “Are you afraid of clowns?”