Sharp Edges: Crosshair x Reader [NSFW]

Carnival Games, Part 2

Translations: Drydak - a stupid person. Bantha fodder - utterly worthless

You and Crosshair both agreed that so far your evening at the carnival had been a very successful and fun outing, but you were still irked that you had not been able to win at least one game yet. As you continued to stroll the aisles, Crosshair nudged your arm and gestured at a booth just ahead. "That one looks different," he mused. You drew near to a small, curtained stall with the words "Clued In" scrawled at the top. At first you thought it was fortune telling, the interior was so dark, but then you realized the lights were lowered to allow a tabletop hologame to illuminate the small space. V-shaped projections of characters' faces sprang up from silver pucks, each one wearing an exaggerated expression or goofy disguise. Cards strewn over the table gave various clues as to which of the characters had committed a grisly murder. Your job was to guess your opponent's suspect through specific questions.

"You up for this? I haven't played this game in years but it was super popular when I was a kid. I sometimes thought my first career would be solving murder mysteries," you joked, pretending to peer through a monocle with a wink at Crosshair.

"I'm sure I can put up a good fight," he laughed in return, perching precariously on one of the rickety stools opposite you.

You each had a deck of cards, a pair of dice, and a notebook. As the holograms flashed through various faces, you began passing pointed questions back and forth, trying to narrow the field and hone in on who the suspects might be.

"Does your suspect have glasses?" Crosshair asked you, tossing a card down.

"Nope," you grinned, taking the dice in your hand. "Does your suspect eat with a small fork, or have a mustache, or have brown hair?" You knew that asking such a layered yes/no question would give you the possibility of eliminating almost half the board, and it was technically allowed.

Crosshair scowled and gave a reluctant no, leaving you with a much smaller pool to choose from. As you lobbed questions back and forth, you found yourself absorbed in analyzing the quirks and nuances of each character, trying to discern their motivations and actions in order to guess correctly. In fact, it wasn't unlike the customer-focused strategy sessions you had to do for work -- one of the few parts of your job you actually enjoyed.

After several more rounds you were fairly certain you knew who Crosshair's hidden suspect was. "I accuse the delivery driver with the plaid coat and the gold-rimmed glasses of committing the murder, in the dining room, with a knife," you stated coolly, lifting your chin in the hopes you were correct.

Crosshair's mouth dropped a little as he pulled out his hidden card. "Looks like you're right," he hummed, an undisguised look of admiration in his eyes. "How did you do that so quickly?"

You shrugged, thrilled yet also embarrassed. "I don't know...I just pay attention to details, I guess. It's all about asking the right questions. I have to do the same thing at work when we're figuring out how to make customers buy something."

"Well, it's impressive," he murmured. You felt your cheeks heating up into a deep blush, and turned to the counter to pick up your prize. The vendor handed you a glittering gold medallion that was hung on a wide, multi-colored ribbon. One one side the word "GENIUS" was inscribed in Aurebesh over a large star shape. On the other, a magnifying glass, mustache, and folded hat were arranged in a circle.

"Fits you perfectly," Crosshair teased, as he lifted the medal over your head and settled it around your neck. You grinned and swatted his arm in protest. It was a little ridiculous, but you secretly enjoyed running your fingers over it as you left the booth and continued your explorations.