( Victor's turn to consider. He frowns, flexing his fingers in remembrance. )

I was handing it back, but it ended up falling down. There was a bunch of loud talking about debts for damages, or something like that, but I couldn't make much sense of it since nothing had actually been damaged.

( Except he'd taken what he'd been given and failed to "play" properly, which was a debt of a sort, when looked at through a certain warped lens. Victor has a sinking feeling all that shouted nonsense in the end actually means something, which is half of why he studies Childermass in turn, his own features neutral. )

I feel like I should be wondering who's behind the running of that carnival.

( A question not always worth asking, where he's from. )