Confucius Is Confused

~Unmistakably, I can still feel your heart, beat fast when you dance with me.~

Her soft laughter only served to make him feel better, and he perked up a little at her words. 

“Mostly? I never took you for a trouble-maker,” he murmured in amusement. “I must’ve been a bigger influence on you than I’d thought. Of course I’ll be fine. Hm, well if you insist.” The sight of her gentle smile was enough to make him not even mind that they were still holding hands, a fact that would’ve normally flustered him to no end. As it was, he simply nodded at her words and went on looking at the rides.

He found he even kind of enjoyed it, this time to just walk with Beta and not have any other worries on mind, just listening to her point out attractions and food and replying in kind. He was particularly amused by her reaction to the funnel cakes (’Figures she’d go nuts over sugar.’), and was contemplating buying one for her, when they reached the Ferris wheel and every thought was swept out of his head at the sight of the tall ride. He felt that if he tipped his head back any further his neck might break, or he’d fall over. Beta seemed to have a…knack, for finding rides, to say the least.

“R-Really, you’re sure the view’s worth it?” he questioned in a final, vain attempt at changing her mind, and hating the stammer in his voice. Her wide red eyes looked pleadingly at him, and at the question, he knew he was a goner. He just couldn’t seem to say no to that…d-dumb look on her face. He coughed and continued in a steadier voice, resigned to his fate.

“You know well enough that I’m not leaving you alone. Of course I’ll go with you, dummy.” ‘I won’t like it, but it’s the last ride, so I’ll go with you.’

There was more to it than just that, but he wasn’t going to think on it too deeply for now as he stepped up to take a place in the waiting line while the wheel began to slow and stop periodically, letting off it’s passengers so new ones could board, and bringing him steadily closer to his doom.

“Hehe~ If anyone asks, you said it, not me.” Beta had to keep herself from breaking out into a grin. Cassius had always said that she and Benedict would drive him crazy with all the trouble they caused. Perhaps Alpha would have to join in on their fun sometimes...~ “Alright, let’s go.” She barely even noticed how his hand was still entwined with hers, though the sensation was warm and pleasant.

There were a number of options for the both of them to embark on in this amusement park, but Beta knew they had to take on the grandest monster of the attraction. Her ruby eyes glimmered at the mere sight of the spectacle before them, even despite the distractions of the food and carnival games around them. Alpha’s surprised proclamation at the sight of it almost made her giggle. Maybe he didn’t find the last ride exactly exhilarating as she did, but he had to admit the sight of this beauty alone was something to behold. They just had to go for it, just this once...!

“Yeah, it has to be! We can probably see the whole city from up there. Please...~?” She waited patiently for his answer, hoping desperately that he would say yes, and ignoring his stammering. Finally he seemed to cave, and Beta’s smile blossomed into a soft grin at last at the prospect. So he would finally accompany her after all... The mere thought set off a tinge of pink in her cheeks, and she was grateful her company was not about to leave her anytime soon.

“I can only wonder why,” Alpha replied, looking into her red eyes with an amused look, taking note of their unique coloration and almost forgetting his own eyes were red too. ‘Does that mean she finds the color of my eyes nice?’ he suddenly wondered, but quickly shook the thought off. What did it matter if she did?

He watched her pull her hand away and shrugged himself. “Well, what’s done is done. And I don’t really mind not seeing the parade, Beta, seriously.” He snickered at the look on her face, like she was doing her best not to scold him for his suggestions and on the brink of failing.

“You is who I’m calling killjoy,” he returned with a smirk. “But fine, fine, I’ll do my best to keep out of jail, for Pietta’s sake. Or rather, Dello’s. I think he’d have a panic attack if that happened. I don’t wanna think about what Pietta would do.” It seemed for a moment that her blank mask wavered, but he figured he must’ve imagined it when it remained the same, even as she pulled him up onto her shoulders.

He gripped her shoulders tightly, looking all the world like a cat stuck up in a tree, looking warily about as he tried to process the fact that Beta had scooped him up onto her shoulders like a sack of potatoes. He clamped his mouth shut after his rather undignified yelp, looking down at her with wide eyes. He felt a little more secure with her holding onto his legs at least, but he still felt rather alarmed.

He’d given her this idea, hadn’t he. Honestly, he’d only done it for her, not so she’d get it into her head to pick him up in return! The parade was not worth this, really.

“Yes, yes I’m sure,” he replied tensely, still clinging to her. “Look Beta, I really am fine with not-wait what are you-no sTOP!” As her grip loosened, he could feel himself slipping back, and he renewed his efforts to cling to her, glaring down at her sharply.

“What do you think you’re doing?! I said put me down, not drop me!” he yelled, more than likely pulling the attention of some of the other parade-goers’ even with all the noise, not that he particularly cared in that moment. “Honestly, don’t you-!” He started up as the float passing by shot off a conffetti canon, causing his eyes to snap to the parade. He blinked in surprise at the flashes of color and movement as the parade went on, tipping his head to one side in momentary curiosity. “Huh…?”

“Hehe~” Beta’s short laughter was her only response. Red had always appealed to the blondette for a number of reasons. She had always admired its vibrancy, striking in detail against any other color it mingled with. Even more so, she loved how the color seemed to symbolize such a range of emotions within others, from anger to passion. Unaware of however possibly narcissistic the thought was, she was fascinated by the shade of her own eyes. Alpha’s held the exact same shock of red... Did he ever feel the same as she did about his eyes? Did he think his eyes were pretty too? For a moment, she almost wanted to ask. Thinking about it later, she wondered why she didn’t.

She shook her head, finally allowing herself to crack a smile at his ridiculous comments. Alpha seemed to have so much fun by messing around with his family. “Whatever you say. But I won’t be the killjoy when they make a scene at the police station.” Though she sounded serious, she was rather amused by the idea of Pietta writing up the police on her hit-list. She knew her fathers would probably do the same thing if it were her, although with more or less screaming involved, she was not quite sure. “...She would really let them have it, wouldn’t she?”

As Alpha clambered over her once more, her arms carefully adjusted to holding him back up again. Seriously, why was this such a big deal to him? Letting him see the parade like this was the least she could do after he’d done the same for her. She looked up at him blankly once more like it was perfectly obvious why she would do this. 

“Okay. I just thought you wanted to see, but I guess you really don’t. I’ll put you down.” But she wouldn’t get the chance... As quickly as Alpha’s protests had drawn the attention of the parade crowd, they died as his eyes lit upon the floats on the street. Her own eyes were trained solely on his reaction. It was always cute how he seemed to tilt his head to the side when he was confused, just as she did. Again she found herself smiling without a care in the world. Maybe now Alpha could finally start to have some fun here...

   “Mythology, now?” It was an experience to engage with another being outside of her major, particularly one of the social studies branch. An intertwine with literature and ancient topics cultivated into culture and the hatter’s interests lit up upon further learning of the clock fixer’s assignment. The hatter steeples her fingers together and rests her face against them. A gentle hum escapes her. 

   “Seven sins, hmm? Well, Miss. Beta, they include gluttony, sloth, envy, lust, pride, wrath, and greed.. I believe there are different avatars they represent in the hierarchy tat Hell presents?” Sophie shrugs and notices the stare casting on her. A terrible flush of nervousness grows on her cheeks and she looks down again. “Is that having to do with your assignment? Do you have anymore information in regards to it?”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites. It’s nice to see how other cultures saw the world once.”

Beta’s ruby eyes lit up at the mention of the subject. History had always been intriguing to her, enough for her to pursue it in her higher education. Ever since Benedict and Cassius had told her of the following of the Goddess of Time back in Umbra City, she had been astounded by the variety of cultures and practices around the world she had never been able to acknowledge until now. Beta was glad now to have someone to speak about all of this to besides her professors. Now if only the blonde could figure out why her companion was so nervous...

She nodded as she spoke, her gaze turning back down to the pile of papers strewn across the counter. “Yes. Each can be represented by a certain animal. I’ve been wanting to look into this for a while...”

“This is all the research I’ve pulled up so far. The sins seem to be recognized as a snake for envy, a lion for pride, a pig for gluttony...” Her mouth tugged a little at this point, as she found pigs too cute to be considered overly gluttonous. But she continued, more than happy to uncharacteristically ramble about the subject.

“A bear for sloth, a dragon for wrath, a fox for greed, and...” Her brow furrows and she looks to Sophie in confusion. “There’s one I’ve never been able to get. Why does lust... have a goat?” She blinked a couple times, wondering if the hatter had any explanation for this phenomenon.

“Sounds like a very complicated way of saying ‘red’, but if you think it’s pretty, so be it,” he replied with an amused roll of his eyes. “Well, it would make sense they all incorporate that theme somewhere, no?” Not that he knew, still unable to see the parade himself.

Finally setting her down, he gave himself one last stretch, before meeting her eyes. He glanced at her hand still on his shoulder in puzzlement, before looking up as she spoke. “Eh, hopefully. You just seem more into this than I am, so I figured you should get to see more of it yourself.” He smirked widely as her face became a blank at his sword comment. While the idea was still quite appealing to him, he decided he’d rather not go to jail either. It would’ve been worth it though.

“Fine fine, killjoy,” he huffed, glancing around. “But I don’t think there’s much we can do at this point that constitutes as ‘legal’.” The dead-pan look on her face only confused him further, that is until… “What? Hey, wait-!”

He let out an undignified yelp as Beta sweeped him off his feet, literally. He scrambled around for several seconds, before finding himself perched on her shoulders, his eyes wide and wondering what had just happened. He looked down at her in amazement. This girl was gonna be the death of him. At least this height wasn’t as jarring as the rollercoaster, but he still felt somewhat uneasy, and as a result he clung to her shoulders and neck without realizing, too busy trying to figure out what Beta was thinking.

“B-Beta! What the-p-put me down!!”

“I like it. It’s always been my favorite color.” Beta smiled a little as Alpha rolled his eyes before turning back to inspect the crowd and clamor once more.

Only when she noticed the strange look he gave her did she gently pull her hand away from his shoulder. She shrugged a little as he continued, indifferent in her opinion on the subject. “You still deserve to see it for yourself. And I still wish one of us brought a camera.” What was he smiling about? Was he seriously asking for trouble again? He got into enough without even trying as it was almost every day. Beta almost huffed back at him, both concerned and amused at Alpha’s train of thought.

“Who are you calling a killjoy? Anyway, it’s up to you what you decide to do. But don’t complain when Pietta has to come bail you out.” Her own comment almost cracked a smile through her sheer facade, but it held firm as she carefully scooped Alpha onto her shoulders.

She looked up at him curiously, finding everything he did was... kind of cute. It was rare to see him act so nervously, holding onto her for dear life and practically squeaking. Though it might’ve seemed almost embarrassing to some, she found she didn’t mind in the slightest if he held onto her like this. She held onto his legs to keep him from tipping over as he scrambled over her.

What was the issue here? Did she really have to put him down? He did the same thing for her just a minute ago, and he deserved to see the parade as much as she did. She would do it if he really wanted her to, but who would want to waste the golden opportunity to see the parade like this?

Alpha on the other hand, could have gone without being deafened by the people around him, but he decided that if just for one day he could tolerate it. Beta at least seemed to be enjoying herself. She had a smile on her face like nothing he’d quite seen before, and it seemed to send a spark of electricty up his spine every time she glanced his way. He’d die before he voiced that, of course. He didn’t seem to realize that his own mouth was beaming in a grin that was quite a contrast to his usual scowl.

He looked surprised by Beta’s little fact, tilting his head to one side as he looked up at her. Huh, so she wasn’t quite so airheaded as he’d thought. Granted, he hadn’t been aware of this himself. “…it does? That’s certainly new. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before. So would we have ‘coccino’ colored eyes?” he questioned teasingly, smirking. “Sounds like a mouthful to say. But it does work for this parade. Er, at least I’ll take your word for it. Still can’t see, you know.”

He stubbornly held out even as his knees began to ache, determined to at least not end up dropping Beta onto a bunch of strangers. At her agreement, he gratefully leaned down, allowing her to climb off. As soon as she was off, he immediately straightened up, rolling his shoulders to get the stiffness out of them. “That feels much better,” he admitted, meeting her eyes as her hand fell on his shoulder. He blinked as she inspected him, and grinned. 

“Hey, I’m fine. Sorry I couldn’t keep you up any longer. You seemed to be really enjoying the parade.” He followed Beta’s lead, looking around to see if perhaps during the time he’d been holding her up, a spot might have opened up from which they would have a better view of the parade. But they had no such luck, and he gave a frustrated huff. “Well, we don’t seem to be any closer to finding a solution to our predicament. You sure I can’t just plow a way through the crowd? It’d be an easy task with my sword.” He looked out flatly toward the mass of people, seeming quite unrepentant at the thought of threatening them to move with a sharp metal blade.

But then he noticed Beta’s contemplative stare, and he looked to her in confusion, but her blank look gave nothing away. “Eh? You do? Well, I’m all ears.”

Beta found it rather adorable when he tilted his head to the side if he was confused. She was glad she was able to tell him something new, considering his parents Dello and Pietta seemed to tell him everything. At his question she smiled a little and nodded. “I guess so. I didn’t think of it that way. But it sounds pretty. It fits here, too. Every float has at least one shade of red.” Her head slowly shifted to the side as she scanned the marching cavalcade.

When he put her down, she relaxed, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder without her noticing. “It’s okay, Alpha,” she tried to reassure him with a smile. “I got to see a lot of it. If we find an open spot, maybe we can both watch the rest.” Her face fell to its usual emotionless mask as she scanned over the crowd once more. At his sword comment she had to resist rolling her eyes, instead giving a tiny shake of her head. The thought of him slamming into the crowd with a sharp blade didn’t seem to faze her very much despite the circumstances.

“I don’t want you spending the rest of the parade in jail. Let’s try something less illegal.” At Alpha’s confusion, she blinked like her idea was obvious. Really there was only one option they could take at this point... “C’mere.”

@infiniteszero

   “Oh, good morning, Miss. Beta,” the seamstress chirps from behind the counter of her store. Copper eyes descend on the large amounts of papers in her arms. She cocks a brow and brushes down her emerald dress, approaching the blonde and taller woman. “May I ask about that, dearie?” It seems the other was intent on discussing whatever she was on the paper. 

Beta nodded to the shopkeeper, easily keeping hold of the massive pile of papers haphazardly stacked in her arms. “Good morning, Sophie~” the blonde responded quietly as she shifted the pile. She had been determined this morning to share her recent research with her friend the hatter, and now her ruby eyes sparked in delight at the question the other posed.

“Well I suppose he needs someone rooting for him.” Alpha chuckled at the thought of the small shopkeeper, before his mind was pulled away as he lifted Beta up on his shoulders. He grinned widely at the sound of her laughter, feeling rather pleased even if he couldn’t see much of the parade at the moment.

Her smile was enough of a sight for him to watch, having already accepted that he’d miss most of the parade. But the sight of the emotions, all soft and happy, flashing across her face, made up for it entirely. He kept his head titled back to watch her, listening to her voice above the noise of the crowd as she explained in as much detail as she could what the parade looked like as it drifted by. It was a nice change from her usual blank expression, and it amazed him how incredible she looked whenever she showed emotion like this, in the soft curve of her smile or the lighting up of her eyes. But realizing he was getting distracted (and for the strangest of reasons), he quickly shook his head and focused on what she was saying.

“A heart? That seems so cheesy,” he called back in mock disgust, eyes flickering mischievously. More than likely, he wasn’t going to remember even half of what she was describing to him now. Still, he appreciated her efforts, and did his best to reply to show her he was paying some attention. At her question, he paused and blinked. “Uh…well, I’ve got my phone, but that’s in my pocket, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to try to grabbing that right now, y’know?” He didn’t trust this crowd to catch her if he ended up tumbling her off somehow. The noise surrounding him was somewhat deafening, but for now he’d put up with it, contenting himself with distracting himself from it by watching the never fading smile on Beta’s face, meeting her eyes with each glance she threw his way.

And all of this would have been perfectly fine. If he was a bit stronger, that is. As it was, he lacked somewhat in the upper body strength department, and it was beginning to become noticeable. At Beta’s inquiry, he instinctively replied, “I’m perfectly fine, Beta. I can take a lot more than thi-” But just as he said it, someone bumped into him from behind, and he staggered in surprise. His already shaking knees nearly buckled, and so to save Beta from a fall, he admitted defeat.

“Scratch that. I think it’d be best if you got off like, right now. Please.” With that said, he slowly eased into a crouch to make it easier for Beta to climb off.

For this being her first real experience at a parade, Beta felt ecstatic even amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd around her. Her “parents” Benedict and Cassius had often shown her parades on television before, but nothing compared to watching the looming floats and raucous bands storming their way along the city streets. To see this celebration up close and personal was enough to make her smile like nothing else had in a long time. The only thing that made her smile more was the look that Alpha gave her when she glanced down at him, reflecting all the same happiness she felt in his ruby-shaded eyes. For a moment she wasn’t quite sure what better grabbed her attention, the parade’s clamor or the glimmer in Alpha’s eyes. It was always so comforting to see Alpha without his usual scowl plastered on his face. Maybe today was even better than she thought...

“Well, this is the Coccino Parade. ‘Coccino’ means scarlet, right? And a lot of these are red and pink... I think this is supposed to be cheesy.” But Alpha didn’t really seem to mind. Beta had always been a sucker for “cheesy” herself. She nodded slightly and dismissed the thought with a soft “okay,” the thoughts of cameras quickly dissipating as she watched the parade continue to pass by. Pietta would probably be taking pictures the whole time anyway, and Beta didn’t want to miss a second of this spectacle by fumbling around with a camera.

She blinked back down at Alpha, concerned when he started shaking. He’d held out for a while, but he wasn’t going to drop her now, right? Would he be able to catch her if he did? For a moment she was nervous, and at his strained request she nodded. “Alright, I’m coming down.” She gently climbed off of his shoulders, tilting her head slightly to the side as she inspected him. He was obviously shaken up... After a moment she gently placed her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Not everyone could be as physically capable of lifting as she was, and it seemed Alpha was no exception to this fact.

“Hey, are you okay?” She glanced around the excitable crowd surrounding them, her head slowly flitting as she tried to catch another glimpse of the parade. After a moment a slight scowl etched onto her face as she found the task fruitless. “Well, now we need to find some other way to watch it... Got any ideas?” She glanced back at Alpha, reading his face silently for a moment before a plan of her own popped into her mind. With some effort she held back a smile at the thought.

Behind him, he could just catch Beta’s apologies towards those he was shoving past, and he continued to do so, quite unrepentant. He’d tried the nice act at the beginning, but since that hadn’t worked, it was time for him to do things his way. Unfortunately that wasn’t proving to be anymore useful considering they were still stuck at the back of the crowd.

He was surprised Beta’s patience was still holding, but at the thought of Dello, they both calmed. “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard. Being so small, Benedict or Cassius could probably carry him on their shoulders. Or he could worm his way through the crowd ahead of the others. That is if he doesn’t get squished first. Who knows!”

He was glad she agreed to his plan so quickly, her eyes curious rather than suspicious, so hopefully her first response wouldn’t be to smack him. Her eyes closed, and with that he put his plan to action, lifting Beta up on his shoulders and hoping he’d last through at least some of the parade like this. Her arms came around his head, gripping tightly to prevent herself from falling, He was about to ask if she was okay, when her laughter, clear and full of delight, rang out through the noise of the crowd. His mouth split into a wide grin at the sound, tilting his head back slightly to look at her. She was looking back down at him, the sun overhead casting her face into shadow, but her eyes sparkling all the same. He felt his heart quicken, and he felt quite happy that he’d come up with this idea.

“Good! Eh, really?” He tried to peer over the heads of the crowd once more, but seeing as that failed, he returned his gaze to Beta. Suddenly it didn’t really matter that he wouldn’t get to see the parade himself, so long as Beta was enjoying herself. He raised his voice back to her as the crowd grew louder as the first float began to make its way down the street. “Okay. Is it really so cool that everyone’s cheering like this? And I’m fine!” For now, at least. He’d never been particularly strong upper-body wise, but he felt he’d be okay holding her like this for a little while longer.

“I really hope he doesn’t get squished. I’m rooting for the mushroom.” For a moment Beta smiled at the thought of the smallest shopkeeper riding on Benedict’s shoulders, making comments on the engineering structure of each float that passed by in the parade. Then she herself was scooped up onto Alpha’s shoulders, and she couldn’t help but laugh in her delight at the fact.

This might be one of the best ideas Alpha ever had, she thought, smiling softly at him as she looked down at his face. He seemed so happy as he stared back up at her, his smile rather goofy but adorable, and his eyes glinting in the light. Whatever it was that made him so happy, she hoped she could keep going with, just so she could see that smile spread across his face. 

“Really~! It’s beautiful, Alpha. I wish you could see it. It looks like a big heart made out of twined ribbons, all made out of flowers, and it’s lit up on the bottom. And it’s orange and pink and blue... Do you have a camera? I want to take a picture.” Her smile never left her face as she watched the parade slowly begin to float by past them. A couple more floats drifted through the streets, and Beta ignored the cheering of the crowd surrounding them, content to just sit on Alpha’s shoulders and watch the world go by. Every once in a while she would steal a glance down at him as she described the floats, dancers and bands that marched along the street.

He grinned triumphantly at her words, his dizziness no longer quite so apparent. He let out a soft chuckle, before settling back into an easy smile at her amused gaze.

“Hmf, be nice,” he scolded, his eyes flickering with mirth. “You don’t want me to get worse, do you?” Not that there was much chance of that happening, if his growing liveliness was any indication. Still, he knew she had been quite worried, so he decided to let off easy. He looked at her steadily, then smirked. “Really. And if that’s what you want to do…not that you need to, of course.” He wouldn’t voice it, but he appreciated the thought.

Hand in hand, they strolled around the fair, casting their eyes about in search of a suitable ride that they’d both be able to enjoy. At her words, he paused thoughtfully, then shrugged. “Sure, I guess. It wouldn’t hurt to look, would it?” At her shy reflection, he gave her a lop-sided grin. “One ride was better than nothing…well, maybe. But it’s okay.”

As he looked around, ignoring most of the rides upon which people were screaming, his attention was pulled to Beta and her excited look. Welp, this could go one of two ways. He prayed it’d be the good one.

“What do you have in mind Beta-…?” He drifted off and let her continue speaking as he tilted his head back, taking in the sight of the Ferris Wheel with wide eyes. He should’ve prayed harder. He cast Beta a quick glance and groaned inwardly. 

There go the eyes. Does she seriously do that unconsciously.

Managing to keep the dread out of his voice and sounding mildly curious, he replied carefully, “You sure, Beta? I mean, that ride goes rather slowly and all. We might not have time for much else afterwards…”

Beta almost broke into a grin, delighted by Alpha’s change in demeanor. Now she knew she was doing her job in taking care of him, his smile the only proof she needed of his feeling better. She smiled right back at him, giggling softly at his reply.

“Alright, I’ll be good. Mostly...~ You’ll be just fine, Alpha, but this is still our day to have fun.” She ignored any accusatory tone in his voice and focused instead on the relief that he was feeling better. After scaring her so badly, it was nice that Alpha could still find it in him to joke around with her. She nodded to him, her lingering smile still gentle as she walked with him around the park. “I’m happy to, Alpha. If it makes you feel better~”

The young blonde found herself rather enjoying her time with her dear neighbor, never slipping her hand from his as they sauntered around the park looking for rides. Every once in a while she would point out an attraction to Alpha, entranced by the sight of water-gun stands and dart throwing booths. She fawned over the scent of funnel cakes wafting through the air, and soon enough all her troubles were forgotten. Until she found the Ferris wheel, she scanned the vicinity extensively, hoping to find a ride to make it up to Alpha after the fiasco earlier. Reaching the wheel, she figured she’d finally hit the jackpot.

He didn’t really understand his thought process himself, but at this point he felt it’d be easier to just not try to. He was dizzy enough, and besides…the answer would be embarrassing. At any rate, Beta seemed to accept his words at face value, so that was one bullet dodged he supposed.

He opened an eye to peer up at her, and blinked as he took in her confused look, raising a brow in question himself. It looked like she wanted to argue against his saying it wasn’t her fault, and he squinted at the thought, a stubborn glint in his eyes. “What? It’s not like you physically dragged me onto that ride. Stop blaming yourself.” If he felt it was her fault, he wouldn’t have made it any secret. But as it was, he’d chosen to ride and that was that. Finally she nodded, and he relaxed as well. “Good.” But at her amused noise, he smirked, both eyes opening now as he sat himself up a little. 

“Do I detect sarcasm in those words?” he questioned in mock annoyance, grinning mischievously. Seemed he was feeling better already, with her around to distract him.

He’d never met someone quite so frustratingly stubborn (Pietta was close, but she was more eccentric than anything), and being caught up quipping back and forth like this. So he decided just this once he’d throw in the towel, sighing as he settled his head back on the backrest of the bench. “Alright, alright. Just don’t let it get you too down. I’ll be fine.” He smiled with amusement at her huff and nodded. “Suit yourself.”

He lifted his head, peering about while the fair went on about them. “Mmm. There’s gotta be something around here we can do. Maybe the water park rides might be better? Most of the fair attractions are all similar to the roller coaster…At least if there isn’t, the entry was free.” He smirked, then sat up, stretching. He blinked at her offered hand, then took it and rose to his feet, nodding to her.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“But...” Beta sighed, resigning herself to finally drop the subject. Honestly, Alpha could give her a run for her money when it came to stubbornness. She might not have agreed with him, but she felt no desire to argue, especially when he was still feeling so dizzy. “Alright, you win.” She found herself smiling a little despite herself, amused by his determination. That smile slowly bloomed into a grin as she found his retort rather adorable.

“Maybe, maybe not~” Beta found herself feeling oddly playful, especially given Alpha’s condition at the moment. Hopefully she was serving as a decent enough distraction to keep him from feeling so dizzy. Even if her methods of trying to cheer him up sounded like more of an argument, she hoped he knew that she meant sincerely to make him feel better. He seemed to call the battle off himself, nodding softly in response. “Alright, I hope so. I’ll make sure of it.”

She smiled as Alpha took her hand, then scanned the vicinity, carefully avoiding running into anyone as they wandered around the park. “Maybe, but would you want to walk around here first just to make sure? You have a point though... If anything, at least we got on one ride today.” At this, she blinked, then shyly brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “Well, I’m not sure if that counts, given how that turned out...”

Turning her gaze away, her eyes lit upon something she was shocked about never noticing before. Surely this was the answer they were looking for...! Her eyes glinting with excitement, she turned back to Alpha.

“We’ll see about that,” Alpha returned with a grin, before blinking nervously as their turn came. After that whole ordeal was over, he wasn’t about to decline her help, and leaned on her shoulder as she rushed to his side. He sank down on the bench. He couldn’t quite blame Beta for what happened; she was too excited to notice, and anyway, he’d gone on the ride willingly. Well, sort of. But that was besides the point.

He met her concerned gaze with a dazed one of his own, trying to get rid of the feeling that at any moment he could lose his lunch. “Well, I did, and there’s no changing that now,” he pointed out slowly, his head clearing a little. She seemed to be interested suddenly in the stands around them, and he could only wonder why. He scowled slightly at the look of disappointment that crossed her face, and he sat up a bit straighter. “Hey, you didn’t know this would happen. But I did, and I went up there myself. So wipe that gloomy look off your face. It wasn’t your fault.” As if to accentuate his words as final, he lay his head back and closed his eyes. Then, as an afterthought, he muttered somewhat stubbornly, “And I did not look nervous.”

His expression morphed into one of confusion as she shook her head and nudged him. “But you were so energized and happy getting off there, and I just made you worry.” He smirked, looking back at her with dizzy but slowly clearing eyes. “ Not sick just yet, and I’m hoping to stay that way. But, are you sure? You wanted to. I can stay here and wait for you while you go again you know. But, if you insist.” Mild as she was, Beta could still give him a run for his money in stubbornness.

Her sympathetic gaze made him feel a little better. Least it wasn’t pity. He wouldn’t have taken that. He contemplated her words for a moment, then shook his head slowly. “I think I’ll feel better if I walk around a bit, to clear my head and all. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you if I start feeling dizzy again.”

Beta let Alpha lean on her shoulder, watching him carefully. If he knew this was going to happen all along, why did he choose to subject himself to it? The logic behind this was something she couldn’t bring herself to understand. She would have loved to contemplate the matter further, but Alpha still looked like he was about to be sick. At his words, she nodded, understanding his point even if she didn’t agree with it. “True...”

She noticed him shift, and at his words looked back to him in confusion. How can he say that when she had been the one to egg him onto the ride in the first place? Part of it had to be her fault, right? So why was he so keen on insisting otherwise? She wanted to protest, resisting the mutter of “but” that threatened to escape, until he closed his eyes and dropped the subject. Did he really believe that...? If he really thought so, then maybe there was some truth behind it, right...? If he wanted to go on the ride anyway, then she shouldn’t take it so hard. She allowed herself to relax on this thought, nodding softly. “Okay...” Hearing his offhand comment, she calmed some more, smiling slightly and letting out a small “pfftt” of amusement. “Whatever you say, Alpha~”

Then it was his turn to look puzzled, and she shook her head once more. Was this how he felt when he had to console her? Maybe both of them had the habit of falling to this defeatist attitude. “Stop that. I would’ve worried no matter how I got off that ride, with you looking like that. As long as you feel better, it doesn’t matter anyway.” She huffed softly, hoping to get her point across. “I’m sure, Alpha. And I don’t want to leave you here by yourself.”

She blinked, relaxing slightly. “Okay. Maybe we can take a look at some of the other rides too in the meantime. When you feel better, we can go on something less intense. Up to you.”