"Takes one to know one, right? Just call 'em as I see 'em," he said as he gave up the search for the prizes, looking back at her. He'd been in the part of a good samaritan here, but he enjoyed a good bit of fun like anyone else. As a teenager he particularly liked fun at the expense of others, but honey ultimately worked better than vinegar.

As for the choices in balloons to shoot, well. He could opt for something easy after netting what he assumed were her top prizes, or he could continue to make life harder than it really needed to be and go for the balloon behind the grinning steel mask. His curiosity was tugging at him: he was curious what each of the prizes were, and so far his luck was holding well enough with the trick shots.

He looked them over just a moment longer, then aimed for the balloon behind the steel mask. He took a half second extra to make sure his hand was steady and his aim was good, then hoped that he wouldn't see a spray of confetti as he pulled the trigger.