route_1065 | 8th Act - Happy Anniversary, Eve's Garden Circus!

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8th Act - Happy Anniversary, Eve's Garden Circus!

Who: Come one and all!
Where: Goldenrod
When: The weekend through the 15th to the 18th
Summary: The Eve's Garden Circus is celebrating its first anniversary!
Rating: PG
Log:

You know what's better than a regular birthday? The birthday of a circus.

Throughout the streets of Goldenrod, folks will find all sorts of colorful characters and Pokemon about. Fliers and the like have been regular eve since the Circus started up a year ago, but the advertising is in full force today just to make it EXTRA apparent that today is the day. Another hint is all the air traffic in the skies- various Flying-type Pokemon that make up the Circus' transportation service. Who knows? Maybe you're one of those using it today!

And of course, who can miss the colorful spectacle that is the circus itself? Past the entrance gate (which will let you onto the circus grounds for a miniscule fee) are dozens and dozens of stalls and little tents. Looming over them is the main tent itself, a monstrosity of bright welcoming colors. There are all sorts of things amongst their ranks, but it's generally fairly easy to find what you're looking for as Pidgey of a feather flock together and all that... From games of all sorts like the usual carnival games to more of a retro arcade, to a set of shops with local crafts and maybe something from the foreign trainers.... Of course, there's also all sorts of food stalls and even shacks for more filling stuff.

There's even a Litleo hunt going on today! Catch one, win a prize!

With all that alone, you could probably keep busy for most of the day! But surely you aren't forgetting the Big Act?

Yep, the big acts in the Big Top. Times are posted both at the front gate, on fliers you can pick up here and there, and by the entrance to the large tent. For each day, there will be three shows! Better hope you can snag a ticket before they get sold out... Although maybe you'll get lucky for the next show. Or the next day....

Either way, it promises to be a fun weekend!

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[WELL, HELLO THERE, HAMMER. Yusuke ducks his head a bit to avoid it, but doesn't lose the stupid grin on his face - in fact, it only widens.]

Yeah, but where's the fun in that?

[Hehe. Carefully side-stepping out from under the hammer, Yusuke takes another bite out of his corn dog, then gestures to the carnie with it and asks (through a mouthful of food):]

So what's his problem?

[water u doin', carnie]

I don't know, he started acting like that the first time I played this game, and he's been acting like that every time I come to play.

[It does occur to Maka that he's probably terrified of her but she can pretend it's not that for a little longer.]

Are you gonna try too, Hamster-cheeks, or are you just gonna stand around like you're cool?

[Unphased by the insult, Yusuke swallows and shrugs, looking nonchalant.]

Depends. Y'think they'd make me pay for it if I knocked the bell off the tower? 'Cause that's probably what's gonna happen if I give it a swing.

[Aaand now he's smirking, both at his own bragging and at his own shitty joke. Get it? "Give it a swing"? MAN, HE'S SO HILARIOUS. How can one person be as funny as he is? He just doesn't know.]

I don't know, Urameshi, when people talk instead of act they're usually full of shit.

[This is punctuated, of course, by Maka gently passing the hammer.

By gently she actually means throwing it.]

And I don't think that bell's going to even jiggle at you blowing out some hot air.

[OH SHI-- you know, it's a good thing Yusuke's reflexes are as good as they are, because if they weren't, he probably would've gotten that hammer right in the face. As it is, he manages to grab it just in time with the hand that's not holding his corn dog - but not without stumbling, because how could he not after catching a heavy thing in mid-air with one hand? He isn't unaware of how that must make him look, though, WHICH IS WHY HE SHOOTS MAKA A DIRTY LOOK THE SECOND HE REGAINS HIS BALANCE, staring her down as if daring her to say anything.]

Oh, is that so. Tch.

[Yusuke rolls his eyes and straightens up, lifting the hammer to test its weight. Eh, okay, that's not so bad. It felt way heavier when it was being unceremoniously chucked at him like a baseball. Satisfied, Yusuke hefts the hammer up onto his shoulder, shoves his corn dog into Maka's hand--]

Here. Hold this for me, wouldja?

[--and struts up to the tower with aplomb. From the corner of his eye, he can see the carnie cautiously peeking up over the counter. Looks like the guy's slowly recovering from the little scare Maka had apparently given him. Well, we can't have that, now can we.

Once he's in front of the tower, Yusuke carefully swings the hammer back down and grips its handle with both hands. He's more than ready to show off just how strong he is, but before he does, he turns his head and flashes Maka a grin.]

How 'bout it, Daru-Maka? You ready to see how it's really done?

That joke was funny once, get it over with.

[Meanwhile, the corndog is "accidentally" taken from her hand by the Houndoom coming up to her side. What the hell did I walk into? says the Pokemon's expression, who's this prick?

Nonetheless, Maka will wait patiently, arms crossed, watching Yusuke.]

[NOOO, HIS CORNDOG... well, that's one way to wipe that smarmy look off of Yusuke's face. He glares at Maka and her Houndoom and tells her, in a voice so flat you could iron your shirt on it:]

Okay, you're buyin' me a new one as soon as I'm done with this.

[And with that, he turns away and peers up at the tower. All right, he thinks. Here goes. He adjusts his grip on the hammer's handle, sucks in a breath, and...

CLANG! He brings it down with every bit of strength he's got. The sound the puck makes when it hits the bell is tremendous, and much like it did when Maka took her turn a few minutes before, the ground shudders under the impact of the hammer. Barking out a triumphant "HAH!", Yusuke whirls back around to face Maka, the smug grin on his face practically stretching from ear-to-ear.]

Nailed it! As expected. Y'know, I feel bad for you, Maka. It must suck to have to eat your words and get upstaged at the same time.

[HE CROWS, AS IF HE PERFORMED ANY MORE IMPRESSIVELY THAN SHE DID... geez, what a jackass. Meanwhile, the carnie looks like he's going to be sick. Oh god, there are two of them. WHO INVITED THE ABSURDLY STRONG TEENAGERS TO THE FAIR AND WHY DID THEY ALL HAVE TO SHOW UP AT HIS STALL...]

[Flatly:] You said you were going to knock the bell off. How you did was no different than how I did.

[Really...rather average as far as Academy students would perform, judging by her unimpressed look.]

Absolutely no difference, actually.

[The Houndoom nods in agreement, spitting out the stick the corndog was on.]

[... ouch, she sure didn't pull any punches there. It's nothing that Yusuke can't handle, but that doesn't make him any happier to hear it. Quite the opposite, even. Have fun watching him huff and holler and Tough Guy Posture all over the place, Maka.]

Hey, gimme a break! This is a carnival game. Everyone knows these things've been tampered with!

[... Yusuke, what does that even... well, anyway. Evidently, the point here is supposed to be that it's somehow the game's fault, not his. He points at her with the hammer, swinging the thing up with the ease of lifting a feather. Apparently he's adjusted to its weight.]

Look, you wanna see that bell fall off so bad, I'll make the damn bell fall off. Just watch me!

[...

He pauses. A thought pops into his head like a lightbulb in a dark room. You can see it when it does, too: one second, he's fuming and generally looking mad as hell, then the next he's grinning wickedly like the world's shittiest leprechaun. Oh boy. Looks like it's time for another one of his terrible ideas. He lays the head of the hammer flat on the ground and leans on the handle as he goes on, looking at Maka with a bright-eyed, impish expression.]

Or, if you think you're such hot shit, you can try and we can see who knocks it off first. Whaddya think, Pigtails? You feelin' up to the challenge?

Edited 2015-05-26 22:48 (UTC)

No.

[Ouch, she...didn't even pause to consider for a second, just immediately went in with with refusal.]

What's going to happen if one of us does break it off? Who's gonna pay for it? The police might get called on us, and I'm certainly not going to keep my silence for your sake since you'd probably just run off the second someone said "fees."

[See, the difference between Yusuke and Maka (besides the abundantly obvious) is that Maka has been conditioned and disciplined in the shape of a soldier--always abide by the law, remember that while there are some privileges she's granted as an Academy student that doesn't mean she's above it.

She takes a moment to roll her shoulders and neck, what's she doing that for? She said she wasn't going to take that challenge.]

If you're so damn eager to prove yourself to me, let's settle it the old fashioned way.

[Yes, Maka is offering to go into a straight brawl to settle their differences. Academy rule number one: it can be talked out with your fists.]

[... oh. Well then. And here Yusuke was standing here scowling and rolling his eyes and getting ready to call her a buzzkill. A second passes, during which Yusuke just kind of... looks at her with vague surprise, as if he's only just now seeing her properly for the first time. Then, finally, a smirk spreads across his face, and he shrugs and straightens his back, saying:]

Okay, fine. You want your face rubbed in the dirt that bad, let's go. It's been a while since I've last had a good fight.

[Long enough, in fact, that he's already practically buzzing with adrenaline. He hadn't expected Maka to be this kind of fighter (that is, the kind who'd suggest a brawl out of nowhere), but man, he is not complaining. He turns back towards the counter and barks:]

Hey! Carnie!

[The carnie jumps and peeks over the counter cautiously. The whites of his eyes are showing. Yusuke points at him with the hammer.]

Don't think that just because I'm walkin' away for a minute means you can screw me out of my prize. I'm comin' back for one of those things, so set it aside for me, all right?

[By "one of those things", he means the Entei plushies he just gestured to. Listen, he might not be big on stuffed animals, but there is no way he's gonna win a carnival game and walk out of it empty-handed. At any rate, the carnie nods vigorously, so Yusuke, satisfied that he and the carnie have an understanding, hands the hammer off to the next person waiting in line to give the game a try and turns to face Maka again, cracking his knuckles.]

So? Where to? I'll let you pick the venue, since it's your ass that's gonna get kicked.

...Nn, actually.

[While she wasn't keyed up and ready to brawl like Yusuke, there is a deflating as she remembers--oh--someone's waiting for her.]

Sorry...I'll have to postpone. I don't want to keep the guy I came with waiting or freak him out coming back with your blood on me, I won this prize for him anyway.

[Yes. This again comes down to "sorry, my common sense says no."]

You live here, don't you? I'll be in town for a few more days if you wanted to actually finish this.

[Maka's not the only one who's visibly disappointed by the prospect of having to put off their fight for a while - Yusuke is, too, perhaps even more so than Maka is. Aw, man. And here he'd been all pumped up and ready to go! Still, he guesses he can understand Maka's reasoning here, so he doesn't argue with her or give her any shit - just frowns, and shrugs, and tries not to look too let down. Gotta keep up the appearance of not givin' a shit about anything, after all.]

What, are you kidding me? Of course I wanna finish this. Just lemme know when you're ready to have your teeth handed back to you and I'll see if I can fit you into my schedule.

[WELL. Good to know he's not so bummed out that it's rendered him unable to be a snarky little shit. Anyway. He figures he might as well go ahead and collect his prize, since he's not actually going anywhere. As he turns away to go do that, he calls back to Maka over his shoulder, his voice easily carrying over the murmur of people around them.]

So who's the guy? Your boyfriend?

[Arrogance and obvious lies (right, like a punkass kid makes schedules) aside, Yusuke's comment about Kaneki being her boyfriend almost slips past her.

It's just...such a foreign question. Nobody assumes back at home that just because you're close with a boy that you're dating them, Meister and Weapon partnerships are very often mixed gender and while you're very close, you don't usually date. There's no time for dating.

Besides which, Maka is the very definition of "un-dateable" so even if there was time for it and she was interested in it--]

Friend, not boyfriend! Do I look like the kind of person that goes on dates to you?

[... well, THAT was quite the reaction. Yusuke shoots her a funny look as he waits for the carnie to pick his ass up off the ground and fork over his prize. What the hell kind of question is that...]

Yeeeeah, why not? It's not like you look like you haven't left your mom's basement in ten years.

...Huh?

[What does her mom have to do with anything? They didn't have a basement.]

I don't live with my parents...and my room wasn't in a basement.

[A beat.]

Geez. I was ten when I left the house, what kinda comparison is that?

...

[Yusuke stares blankly at her. Is she screwing with him? He doesn't think she's screwing with him. He opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again, then, seeming to reconsider, closes it again and shakes his head.]

Y'know what? Nevermind.

[IF SHE DOESN'T GET IT, HE'S NOT GONNA EXPLAIN IT TO HER. He's got way better things to do, like give the carnie the evil eye until he gives him that damn stuffed animal already. That seems to do the trick: upon noticing that Yusuke looks like he's about five seconds from busting his skull open, the carnie scrambles up onto his feet and hastily retrieves the Entei plushie, which he then holds out to Yusuke with shaky, sweaty hands. With a cheery "thanks!", Yusuke snatches the plushie away and turns around to join Maka again, shoving the plushie beneath one arm like an enormous stuffed football as he goes.]

Look, the point is is that you're pretty and you don't do anything like breathe through your mouth or pick at your crotch while everybody's watching, so I don't see why you wouldn't look like the type of person who goes on dates. But hey, if this guy's not your boyfriend, then he's not your boyfriend. I was just wondering. I mean, it's not like people usually win prizes for their friends.

[Or at least, they usually don't in his experience, anyway. Then again, most of his friends are assholes like him, sooo...]

[Oh god, the positive talk again, gag her.]

Looks are an opinion, that's all there is to it.

[And in all honesty she doesn't care what people think of her looks (though she still gets commentary on it). As for the more...graphic descriptions of what she's not, she gets the idea that he means a shut-in or "neckbeard" as Kirikou would call it, and no--she's not one of those things.]

Being the punk ass that you are, of course you'd think it's weird for friends to win prizes for each other.

[A pause, she adds with somewhat of a sarcastic tone:] Although, I don't know exactly how much of a punk ass you really are if you go out of your way to call some girl pretty. That's a little too much like being a nice guy, what if people start talking?

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8th Act - Happy Anniversary, Eve's Garden Circus!

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