eye of the storm ¦ carnival au

[Grimm]

[align=center][div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; width: 60%; text-align: justify; line-height:120%"]Among the haze encased clamour of decaying recollection time had picked at with careless abandon he could not recall when last they had set off upon such outing, if an excursion as the one he found himself caught within had indeed even occurred. Instinct the flick of his eyes, caught beneath the strength img halo of illumination ethereal the young woman with so much placed upon her shoulders. A child still was she, however, all scraped knees and intense, prying stare, her constant push for the simplification of the creatures brought home amusing.

Light the chuckle that danced upon scarred lips, light the smile he bore though its demise proved immanent. Beneath the feet of many the old boardwalk suspended above calm tides creaked a sullen song, yet others populating the expanse of pale grains upon the far side. Against the railing he propped up his hip, drowned among the clamour of voices his bitten off groan, familiar though unpleasant the heat lacing his side, working down until his knee stiffened.

Possibly poor had the decision to venture forth as dusk fell away into the dark hues of early evening, subtle in the manner he massaged at aching joints. But to see her, the daughter he had thought himself unworthy relaxed, if not for how well she wore apparent excitement within the open brightness of well familiarised countenance, it proved worth it. About them were clustered others, names dying upon his tongue as he took in each, many having formed their own small groups. So be it, this was a night meant for enjoyment as one saw fit, the heavy tang of salty fried foods of various kinds unmistakable even beneath the salt laden breeze.

"What're we doing first, mäuschen." Expected some form of payback for the soft utterance of pet name, sweet the grin he bore, though still odd the lack of covering within which to hide it. At the least heavy the lengthy trail of dirty blonde hair, clumsy the manner he had worked it into a braid, annoyance the detangeling of a mess tiny hands had made of it. "Or should we let the bärchen roam free and eat to his hearts content."

Somewhat more pointed the comment he offered to sizable companion, yet of no malice had it been seeped within for, during the length of the rather silent trip, Emil had spoken of his own tepid excitement to sample the foods beyond his minimal scope. All the same he found it easy to poke at the bear, interlocking his fingers behind his neck and looking to both in turn.

[michael t.]

Michael was unsure of the last time he had been to a carnival, truly. In fact, he wasn't sure he had ever been to one that wasn't rickety and breaking down, on the very verge of collapsing with one last dying breath. When he had been just a child, the carnival had been a way for he and his mother to get away from his father for a bit, even if his mother's eyes usually just glossed over whenever she went to one. She didn't care so much for her son either, she just wanted to be away from her husband. Michael preferred not to think of those days, an unsettled and itchy feeling burrowing beneath his skin that made him yearn for a cigarette. His childhood had sucked. Thank fuck it was over now. Now he had a better family, or at least a pieced together rather odd group that he had come to think of as one. The main linking piece of that family being Roxie, someone only a few years younger than him that had caught his attention and held it for a long time after they had first met, their bond becoming almost sibling like. It was difficult for him to imagine a life without her nowadays, even if he had been doing "fine" on his own before her.

When Roxie had initially told him that he should go to the carnival, he had been... skeptical. Previous bad experiences had made him hesitant to do so, and he wasn't even sure what he would do while he was there. However, an insistent Roxie was a difficult one to argue with, so now here he was, leaning up against the railing of the boardwalk in his brightly patterned shirt and worn jeans. He had been wondering just how much shit he could steal from the vendors working here when familiar voices began to grab his attention, making his mismatched blue eyes flick up quickly. Sure enough, there was his beloved sister, as well as the two horrifying men she thought of as fathers. Their presence was enough to make him hesitate in greeting her, but it also would've been pretty weird for him to just stand around without saying anything, so finally he sighed and pushed away from the railing. The jog over was short, and he mumbled with a wave, "Hey Rox... Emil, Ahab. It's good to see you guys. It's busy as hell here tonight, eh?" He could only hope that he was being casual enough, and that they wouldn't identify him as the horrible influence he very much was.

[glow=#75603C,1,000]" oh, it's a setup, no, no, we won't fall. "[/glow]

[MYERS]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]Is it a crime, to take his hand in a moment like this? Their fingers barely touch, on and off, and if Ahab is lucky the backs of their hands will touch when they're pressed on a line or leaning on the counter of a vending stall. In the evening light the sunset paints Emil's face a glorious pink, and as the light drops lower those sunset colors are dampened by neon blues, flickering greens, a rainbow of bright lights flashing from all directions. He's distracted, aiming a toy gun to win Roxanne the colorful bear she waxed poetic about, by the way Emil's face softens and changes as their eyes lock. He misses by a hair, and they move on with a pouting daughter in tow.

The flush that sits high on his cheeks and burns his forehead is luckily masked by shining lights. It's a childish thing to think like this, he knows, but he's kidding himself if the brush of their fingers doesn't give him a rush.

Now there is a greater warmth coiling just under the diaphragm as Emil stops, turns, puts his arms behind his head. The beer he's been nursing from an overfilled solo cup wavers in his hand, sloshes a few drops over his fingertips as he hesitates over the curl of his grin. He could look at him, in these artificial lights, fingers interlocked on the nape of his neck, forever.

But he doesn't. Instead, Ahab fidgets away to see Michael approaching, and the pleasant joy curdles. Ah. Him. That boy Roxie always hung around with, getting into who-knew-what trouble, was to make an appearance and undoubtedly scuttle off to get into trouble. Brother, she called him. Hell knew if Ahab ever agreed to adopt a child twice.

Ahab's expression falters into something less than inviting, though he makes no move to shoo the young man off. "Michael, isn't it?" He could go for a smoke right now, but a reflexive pat to his breast pocket offers nothing but an old lighter hiding among the folds. For shame, but he's certain the ride attendants wouldn't be pleased to see him smoking on their grounds. His painfully neutral expression swivels to land on the food stands to their left, their right. "We were just about to get something to eat." Emil, now behind him, is a distant memory that he is hesitant to take another glance back on for fear of falling victim once more. "Here to join us, hm?"

The night was young, and he was willing to wait patiently for what he wanted - a quiet moment unfettered by the loud crowds and flashbulbs. The ferris wheel, after all, could wait for them.

[margaret r.]

[align=center][div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]★ — Margaret had been excited beyond belief when her Mama announced that they were going on a nighttime excursion to the carnival. The carnival! She'd never been to the carnival, and she knew it was supposed to be fun, and Roxie had promised her as many sugary treats as she wanted. Her Mama would probably regret it later when Maggie inevitably ended up on a sugar high, but the crash would doubtlessly be just as sweet as all the candy had been.

She'd been mesmerized by the bright lights before they had even taken a single step onto the boardwalk. The myriad of flashing colors thoroughly captivated her with a front of cheap thrills, although how much fun she'd be able to have under the constant, watchful eyes of those who traveled with her was to be doubted. As long as she could get her little hands on a pile of sweets, she would be content.

The girl, dressed in jeans that were perhaps a bit too large and a mustard yellow sweater to match, clutched a crumpled twenty dollar bill in her small hands. Her little entourage paused for a moment for a reason that was, and would remain, unknown to her, but it probably had to do with  Nearby she spotted vendor whose signs advertised candied apples, lollipops, cotton candy... Roxie had told her before they got there to remain within eyesight, and the man with the candy was just so close. Bouncing on her heels with excitement, she turned to look up at the adults around her, all of whom were preoccupied. Suddenly permission was a thing of the past.

She bounded towards the vendor, and within moments she returned with her arms full of an assortment of candy; a candy apple, a caramel apple, a large back of cotton candy, and a large number of other, smaller candies.. Looking up at all the adults with a grin on her face, she would exclaim, "Look at everything I got!" The twenty dollar bill had been replaced by a singular dime in her pocket. "Do you guys want anything?" she asks, just as excited as before.