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Closed Masque Carnivalia

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking. I guess I'm pretty tired. I'll be right back." he went to the edge of the tent, and saw the little hats Annie was talking about. Great. Just out of his range of reach. Perhaps his budding tail though... Logan was right. His tail was just long enough to reach the pile of hats, and he brought them closer. He unstacked the hats, and held each one outside of the tent until they were full, and brought them back in pairs to Annie. To his luck, there were eight even. "Hey, so I wasn't sure how much water you wanted, or how much Kiara needed, being a water-type and all, so I filled them all up, and I can go and get more if necessary." After Annie responded negatively to his previous statement, he didn't want to do anything stupid to anger her, so he figured too much was better than not enough. Besides, if it turned out Kiara didn't need all this water, Logan had at least gotten some drinking water for the rest of them. The hats were a little small and dingy, but who were any of them to complain, given their situation? Annie, perhaps, but Logan would let it slide with her because, well, he didn't really know why he would. He just would, and that's as much as there is to say on the matter. Logan didn't know why he was such a screw up all the time, but if only he could get someone's approval. Other than Connor's, of course, because Connor was just that kind of guy, Logan supposed. He had been pretty quick to accept Logan for all that he was, and Logan felt like Celest was getting there, but now they spent so much time separated, and there was the whole thing he saw with Connor and Celest, Logan just felt alone again. Maybe that's why he was trying so hard with Annie, he just wanted someone to like him. He was certain that Kiara was alright with him, but Logan had never really spoken with her. Or Tess, for that matter. Or that fabled ghost carnie he had heard about, but never really seen. Logan sighed as he thought of these things, because it was amazing to him that so much could happen in just a few hours.
 
Tess shrank from the yelling Gardevoir, lowering her head meekly. "I... I'm sorry" she whispered, but her response was lost to the Gardevoir, Annie, because she had already turned away to talk to Logan. After a brief discussion, they moved Kiara into the broken cage and Annie told Logan to get water. Seeing that Annie had a moment, Tess carefully walked up to her. "I'm really sorry I yelled at you," she began, "I was just worried about my friend here. Is there anything I can do to help?"
 
"Really?" Annie blinked. "Eight is good, I think. I'm thirsy anyway." She took the first hat and sipped on it, her lips clicking together as she tasted the water. And then she turned her head to the side, and spat it out. It wasn't very much, anyway. "Word to the wise, it doesn't taste wonderful. Guess it'll be alright if I get a little thirstier."

Then the grass-girl apologized to Annie. She looked the girl up and down, and then waved her hand at the apology, saying, "No, it's alright. Just help me clean up your friend here, maybe wash up yourself, to. You look like you've had a rough time anyways. Actually, I think you can do that yourself. Help Kiara get cleaned up, I mean. You two do that, m'kay? I'm Annie, yadayada, stay right here, m'kay?"

She stood up, taking her heels from the ground, holding each with one finger. "Logan, I need your help." She picked up a hat, muttering a 'sorry, Logan,' before throwing the water out of it. It was small, but so was her head. This would keep her hair dry. "Come on, we're going outside for a bit. Not far, just to see if there's any food anywhere." She hopped on one leg, slipping on one shoe, then the other. No sense getting her feet even muddier than they were.

She had seen plenty of little vendors sitting around, and after she had woken up in the carnival, tried to open one. All the ones she had tried on her own were rusted shut, though. Logan could probably bust in no problem, though.
 
Annie exchanged a few words with Kiara, and then beckoned to Logan as she hobbled to put her heels on, for they were on a mission to find food. She had donned one of the top hats, and she looked kind of silly. Not that Logan was complaining, but. Then without saying anything else she strutted out into the rain.

Logan followed her, of course. He had to struggle a little bit to keep up with her, but once again he attributed this to his thick, trunk-like legs he was still adjusting to. He thought that since this was a carnival, they should look for vending stalls, but Logan also figured that this was Annie's intention, because she wasn't stupid. Once he caught up, Logan wasn't sure of what to do next. "So, crazy weather, right? I mean, wasn't it just raining like an hour ago? It makes you wonder what the weather will be like on a normal day... It's a shame about your dress, too, it being white and everything. White doesn't mix well with water..." Logan tried not to look at Annie when he said this, and he instantly regretted it. STUPID STUPID STUPID. WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID? He thought when he was done, and he could hardly contain his shame of even thinking of such a thing, it was so stupid of him! Would he never get his cool back?
 
"Yeah, they predicted this weather. Saw it on TV the day before the parade. Should be over by tomorrow." Then Annie froze. What was he talking about with her dress?! She turned her head slowly to face him, with a shrewd look.

"My dress?" She asked, balling a hand into a fist. She was trying so hard not to have a massive explosion of anger at the pervy dino-man. If she scared him off, he wouldn't help her find food. At least he seemed embarassed by his comment, and was trying to look away. It wasn't an excuse, but it was at least a sign he wouldn't be moving so fast as to try groping her soon.

It also didn't mean she didn't want her sweater back. It was a good cover-up. There was a vendor nearby and she grabbed at the handle. As if the handle being wet and slippery wasn't enough, she could see the rust. She tugged at it, and it didn't even budge. She stepped back, and closed her eyes, pointing at the vendor. "See if you can open that... You pervert."
 
Yup, he offended her.

Logan felt like she was going to punch him, but Annie got distracted by a vendor hut. She tried to open it, but of course it was too far rusted shut for someone with average strength. She got frustrated, and ordered Logan to open it, calling him a pervert. Logan began one, twice, and three times, but he couldn't think of anything. "I'm sorry," he finally got out, "I was just trying to make conversation, and I haven't really thought straight for a while, and... it's just..." He sighed, went over to the hut with his head hanging, and ripped the doors from their hinges. Within the hut, there was a popcorn machine and some hot dogs. He grabbed a few bags of the dogs, and a few bottles of condiments. He thought about it for a little bit,removed his shirt, and tied all of these things into it. He held out his shirt for Annie to take, and when she grabbed it he grabbed a large 50 pound bag of popcorn and the machine to prepare it with.

When he was exposed to the rain again, he set down the popcorn machine and looked at Annie. "You're really pretty, okay? I've been trying my hardest to make you at least enjoy my presence, but it seems nothing impresses you. I feel so alone here, because everyone seems all set, socially at least. Connor and Celest have each other. Kiara and Tess seem to be really good friends, and you don't need anyone at all, it appears. But me, I almost literally have no one. Connor likes me, but all he ever does is spend time with Celest, and I'm nowhere near familiar enough with anyone else to be happy. I thought we could be at least friends. That's all I've ever needed. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier, but usually I have no idea what to say to someone like you." He wasn't sure what else to say, so he just stood there, breathing slightly audibly.
 
Annie snatche the shirt bundle and held it a little grudgingly. She silently accepted his apology, straightening her little plastic hat. He explained how very lonely he was. She rolled her eyes, making sure to hold the bundle directly in front of her so he wasn't peeking any more.

"I know I'm pretty." She said defensively. "Before I established my temper with the other kids in school, I had boys knocking down my door, so to speak. I put a stop to that." She gave a little satisfied laugh.

"As for you..." She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you shouldn't have such a restrictive definition of 'friends.' There are two extremes. People like Connor, who think absolutely everyone and everything can be his friend, and people like you who think they have zero friends no matter what. Look at things my way. If someone seems likeable, and you've had more than three conversations, you're friends. Maybe not best friends, but friends."

She smiled to herself, pleased with her solution. "And I do enjoy your company. I'm just kind of a... Well, for lack of a better term, I'm kind of a bitch." She found a toothbrush, but it was used, filthy, and half-eaten by rodents. She threw it away with a little 'ew.'
 
Logan could hardly believe it. She actually enjoyed his presence, when all this time he thought she didn't like him at all. "Well then maybe you shouldn't be so sheltered about it. Expressing your feelings isn't always a bad thing, you know," he wasn't too sure where he was going with this, "And that's just it, though. The only people I've talked to here are Connor, Celest, and you. So it's not like I have some twisted and off base definition of 'friends', I'm just not... good at talking to people." He looked up, and sighed. "So, do you want to continue looking, or do you think this is good?"
 
"I'm not 'sheltered!'" Annie punched Logan on the shoulder. "I'm one of the most expressive people around." She pulled a strand of hair up and put it under the hat. "Just because my life wasn't rough, doesn't mean I'm bottling anything up. I'll keep it simple, my life has been a smooth ride with no real sob stories."

She thought about his argument to her 'friends' theory. "It's like school. Most kids don't even have one friend by the end of the first month. You've got three on day two. So there goes your stupid theory." She said smugly.

"Actually, I was hoping to find something good to drink. Or something for breath. Seriously, two days with no brushing, I can taste my own breath. And it tastes like how I'd imagine kissing roadkill would taste."
 
[Tee hee, Annie is kind of a bitch.]

Celest didn't react to the first-aid kit being empty, but instead went on silently in search of another stall. With any luck, there would be a useful kit somewhere, but given where they were at and how long it had been since it was open, her demeanor became more pessimistic by the minute. But it didn't particularlly matter to her, anyways. She never used antibiotics for her self-inflicted wounds, but rather let them heal on their own. Celest felt the need to feel the pain every step of the way until it was healed.

However, the thought of medicine fled her mind as she felt the rain lighten the slightest bit. Celest looked up at the sky, sighing, and turned to Connor. "I really don't need anything to heal it," she said, stepping back from him and standing on her own. "I've dealt with this before, Connor. I can recover by myself, honestly."

Celest ran her fingers through her wet, silky hair and wrapped her arms around the wound, ignoring the pain it caused. "... Maybe... we should go to the others," she suggested quietly, looking at her feet. "There's no reason to be out here alone when we can just... go back." She pointed this out a bit reluctantly, though; she wasn't thrilled about seeing Annie again, nor did she want to see Logan in fear of feeling the need to hurt herself again. She still felt guilty about Logan being the indifferent one, and she didn't deal with shame lightly.

Celest shut her eyes and exhaled her breath, focusing on sensing the others. The dreamy bluish hue came into view, and she pressed on into the vision, seeking out the others. She saw that Annie and Logan were in a hut about twenty yards from where she stood. Just the two people she dreaded showing her face to at the moment. How very convenient.

"... Two of them are over there," she muttered, vaguely nodding to the hut. She didn't say the names, though, and decided to let Connor figure that out himself.
 
Of course. He said something that seemed innocent at the time, and now she was all punchy again. Not that it hurt at all, or that Logan even really felt it, but it was kind of annoying.

"You only express yourself when you're mad! Granted, it's quite often, but you could have said something about being friends without me having to pry it out of you forcefully." He looked further down the way they came, and saw some more booths. "Well, we could look down there, it looks like there are more booths along the way." He looked at her, holding his shirt and getting rained on, and then at the popcorn machine, and Logan had an idea. "Here," he said, "Give me my shirt." He tok his shirt back, unwrapped the goods within, and put the hot dogs and condiments inside the glass box. He made sure the dry side of his shirt was on the inside, and handed it back to Annie. "Put it on," he said, "I wouldn't want you to catch anything oout here... As a friend."
 
Connor looked at Celest, confused. She was very stubborn about self-destruction, apparently. "Well, we at least should stop the bleeding. If you have to be stubborn, we can see if the others have anything that would help." He figured that in this matter, Celest was going to be firm. "Just promise you'll be careful. Bet if you trip, that'll hurt like hell." He took her hand and went in the direction she had indicated.

"Might as well see who it is, I guess." His first guess was either Kiara and Tess or Logan and Annie, and since Kiara seemed pretty out of it, he was betting on Logan and Annie. Celest probably knew, but Connor didn't feel like asking her if she wasn't offering.
 
Celest nodded. "If I fall, that's my fault. I'll deal with the pain, I assure you. I've done it for several years, after all." She let Connor take her hand as he went off in the direction she told him Annie and Logan were. she slowed her pace, though, as they neared the hut, and found herself shaking. She had witnessed Annie smacking Logan when she sensed the two, so supposing the Psychic Carnie was in a foul mood...

Celest shook her head and matched Connor's speed. Annie seemed like the type of person to bounce from emotions to and fro fairly easily, so she might've gotten over her sour demeanor. ... But that also meant by the slightest change or choice of words she would explode again. Celest sighed deeply at this and closed her eyes. She still feared Annie, but maybe, just maybe she would be in a good mood...
 
Annie just stared at Logan out the corner of her eyes. "I'll pry you forcefully..." She muttered grudgingly. Speaking louder after that, she said, "Yeah, well, maybe we'll strike gold and happen on a truck's worth of bottled water and lemonade powder." She kicked at another vendor door, and, unsurprisingly, it didn't move.

Logan offered her his shirt. She took it, holding it rather awkwardly. "Um... Thanks... I guess." She held it up to her thin frame. It was a bit large. Definetly not her style, even less than this dress. She looked between the shirt and Logan several times. "You know, why don't you keep it? Not really my style, anyway." She tossed it back to him. "I appreciate the offer, but if I catch anything, I'll throw it to someone else. Maybe Connor, just for kicks."
 
Annie actually tried humor, and Logan laughed. When she returned his, well it wasn't a shirt anymore, given the lack of sleeves, so his vest, Logan put it back on. He then threw the popcorn machine over his shoulder so they could continue. He saw her kick another stall, but of course to no success. So of course Logan walked over and pried it open with no effort, but this was a game stall, so there was no food in it. This was going to be a hopeless endeavor if they couldn't distinguish between the two kinds of stalls, Logan figured, so he inspected the stall for identification. He couldn't really see anything on the game stall, so he went back to the one where they found food. He looked it up from top to bottom, and finally found something. There was a semi-colorful sign that simply read "FOOD". This was hard to see at first definitely, but if you looked closely you could see it.

He turned back to Annie. "So, it looks like the booths with food have signs that say food on them, appropriately enough. Perhaps the ones with drinks say 'liquids' or 'drinks'? Find all of the ones labeled 'food', or labeled with some sort of liquid sign. Do you think you could open these things with your powers? It would be good practice, anyway." Logan then readjusted the machine on his shoulders, and continued down the way, looking at each booth closely.
 
"I can't even lift a pebble, much less pry open these doors. I'll leave it to you for now." Annie folded her arms. "It's not a big deal. There's water everywhere right about now. Maybe we should just get back to the tent." She didn't turn and begin walking though. Rather, she just kept poking around in general, not really wanting to look inside anything as much as just look at the surrounding area.

"Here," She began as she picked up a pebble. "I'll prove this to you. As stupid as I'm going to feel for trying this again." She held the pebble out towards him in her open palm, and stared at it intently. She wanted it to move. She put every effort into projecting the idea of it moving to the stupid little rock.

She blinked as an idea wedged its way into her brain. What if she shouldn't try to manipulate the stone, but the area surrounding the stone? Maybe she should say the stone's energy, but that would imply that it was alive.

"Hold on, I got an idea..." She told him. She focused on the area directly surrounding the stone, wanting it to propel the stone into the air. There a spectacular moment of absolutely nothing before she sighed, and slumped into a pathetic little slouch.

"I knew this was stupid." She growled. She tried to pocket the rock, and only managed to get herself angrier when she found out there wasn't a pocket in her dress. "Those masked freaks went through the trouble to put me in this stupid dress and heels, and didn't even give me a bag to finish the outfit. Bastards."
 
Connor glanced in each tent as he walked past. He found himself repeatedly hoping there'd be a little light coming from one. And he could walk in, and there'd be a homely old man who talked in riddles, and smiled a lot, who would give him and Celest a cup of tea, and give them the key to the carnival. that would be wonderful.

It wasn't terribly long before he saw two figures, who couldn't possibly be anyone but Logan and Annie. Logan was so oddly proportionate, and Annie... Well she was much taller than Kiara, Tess, and Ally. "Oi!" Connor waved at the two of them. When he was closer, he was able to make out what Logan had with him.

"Wow, Logan, that's impressive! I knew you were strong, but all that on one shoulder? You, my friend, are a beast. That is one of the coolest things I've seen. If you can lift the Merry-Go-Round half a meter, I will give you all my money as soon as we get out, plus monthly payments for the next ten years!" He laughed a little. The part about monthly payments was a lie.
 
[Just the monthly payments part?]

Logan watched intently as Annie tried to move a pebble with her mind. It didn't work, and this just made her stress out and complain more about the carnival. Which at this point did not surprise Logan in the slightest. She had suggested that they just go back, because there were copious amounts of water lying around anyway, mand Logan was about to give in when suddenly they had guests.

Of course it was Connor and Celest, who else even leaves the campsite? Connor started going on about how Logan is the strongest ever, and clearly Logan was in no position to disagree. Logan didn't pay too much attention to what Connor was saying until he mentioned money, because there were threeparts to Logan right now. The part that wanted to be bros with Connor, the part that didn't even want to look at Connor, and the part that wanted to punch Connor. For a while, the punchy part was winning, until Connor mentioned money. If Logan couldn't get Annie with his personality alone, perhaps a large lump sum of cash would help...

"Half a meter, you say...? Yeah, I might be able to do that."
 
"Oh look." Annie said as Connor approached. "Celest and her trained monkey." Connor immediately began spewing something about Logan's strength, and Annie just counted the number of blinks there were between the four of them. Logan seemed interested at the prospect of money. Connor promised him what sounded like a hefty supply as soon as they got out.

"Logan, think about Connor and his personality. Does he seem the type to be rolling in dough? I don't think so. It's a stupid bet. Besides, the Merry-Go-Round is on the other side of the carnival. I actually woke up under the rainbow horse." Though she doubted she could actually get them to stop. In her experience, if there was a bet, boys took it. Sort of like little kids are always daring people to do things, young men had some stupid code where they can't refuse a bet.

She figured at this point, she could at least talk to another girl. "So... Celest..." She began. She wasn't sure if Celest even wanted to see her, much less speak to her. The wound in her stomach, which Annie figured she should keep quiet about, was good enough reason to pass them by. "I like your pants." Well, not much else to talk about, right? After she didn't care for Celest's shoes. And she needed girl talk, or she would die. "Have you had them a while, or did they come with the Carnival?" This was going to be a boring, boring conversation, she could tell.
 
"It is?" Logan asked, looking at Annie when she said the merry-go-round was all the way across the carnival. He really didn't want to walk that far, and then all the way back to his tent, espescially if he had to lug the popcorn machine with him. "Maybe another day," he said to Connor, "I'm to tired to go all the way out there at this point. And besides," he added, thinking quickly, "Me and Annabelle were looking for drinks other than rain water while we were out here," he readjusted the popcorn machine, half for emphasis and half for comfort, "And we had just started to make some progress. So me and her will continue looking, and you and Celest can go check up on Tess and Kiara, okay?" Logan was really hoping Connor would listen to his idea and go back to the tent. He wanted to be alone with Annie forva while longer.
 
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