#x.thread

When: 31 May 1989

Where: Carnival

Carnival season was a bit of a mixed bag. This year featured some new rides that piqued Luciana's interest--The Ghost Train in particular--and the food featured at such attractions also happened to be one of her biggest weaknesses. Unfortunately, years of shutting herself in dwindled her list of friends somewhat, and too afraid to contact anyone to apologize for her absence, the witch simply began to do things by herself.

Unfortunately, the shine of new activities and her favorite junk foods quickly wore off, leaving Luciana on the precipice of too overwhelmed to really enjoy herself. The last straw came when a gaggle of teenage boys in ripped jeans and dirty band t-shirts collided with her, causing her to dump what remained of her funnel cake into a mud puddle. Stuck somewhere between screaming and crying, Luciana stared at her soaked funnel cake as the boys continued on their way, and only as an afterthought did she send a quick, pointed gust of air to trip the little group of them, but they were too far gone to think much of it aside from perhaps uneven footing.

"Fuckers," she murmured as she picked up the now-dirt-covered paper tray and the remnants of her funnel cake, then turned to find the nearest trash can only to smash into someone else and drop the thing all over again.

"Stop MOVING," she snapped, half to herself and half to whomever had the misfortune of standing too close to her.

WHEN: 1 June 1989

WHERE: Side Show

If there was one thing Hale had mastered in their time on earth, it was the art of gliding through life mostly unnoticed, a definite boon for someone with a penchant for taking things that didn't belong to them. A negative experience could easily be made positive enough to not be memorable, and distractable enough to allow them to slip away with a ring or a wallet or a watch. Some vampires supported their exceptionally long lifespans with other pursuits; Hale made theirs by way of asset redistribution.

It was this talent that made carnivals particularly fun. People were already distracted, and then add to that the crush of the crowd and the grace with which they moved and everything could be theirs. Hale rifled through a nicked wallet as they remained on the periphery of the crowd, and upon finding nothing of particular interest, they abandoned it atop a fence post that gated off part of the side show stage before they continued to the stage itself.

"See anything interesting?" they said as they watched a crowd funnel towards the show itself, a curl of a grin on their lips as they spoke.

When: 1 June 1989

Where: Carnival

When the sun finally set, a dazzling array of flashing lights of myriad colors replaced the gentle watercolor of purple, orange, and blue that once painted the sky. This was their favorite time of the day at fairs of any kind, when all the attractions blazed with neon signs and lit incandescent bulbs, and an artificial glow limned every surface and silhouette. Hale meandered through this atmosphere, gait lazy and hands in their pockets, now having spent several hours people watching and occasionally lifting a wallet or watch when the moment allowed.

As their attention glided easily from one person or attraction to the next, Hale spotted a familiar bit of auburn hair ahead, and as a smile bloomed on their lips, they hurried ahead until they could easily slip their hand into the crook of Gwen's elbow. They gave it a gentle squeeze then peered down at her, beaming now.

"And where's your better half?" they asked as they fell into step with their friend.