Bright Lights, Big Carnival [Taavi]

[Mr. Peace-and-Logic]

Thao smiled triumphantly at figuring out the question, and aftre a small pause, met Taavi's expecting eyes. "I'm Thao," he said with a friendly grin, extending a slender hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Taavi." He laughed a little, feeling in very high spirits. All previous awkwardness had been forgotten, at least in his mind.

It suddenly dawned on Thao that, regardless of the fact he now had company, he was still hopelessly lost in the mirror maze. Ultimately, he'd have to ask Taavi for help. Doesn't seem like it'll be much of a problem, though, the taller boy thought, since she doesn't seem like the type of person who would abandon me. Memories of his sisters playing pranks on him by ditching him rose almost instantly, creating a flicker of irritation across his features. It went as quickly as it came, however, so Thao doubted Taavi had noticed.

[Rena DeVito]

"I'm Thao," the boy said, a grin stretching his face, "Nice to meet you, Taavi." Taavi's strange half smile came, as the vixen was delighted that Thao had managed to pronounce it correctly. Nevertheless, as Thao's hand extended toward Taavi, and the tiny girl involuntarily flinched. Her body trembled as a shudder passed through her. Tentatively she reached out and barely shook his hand before releasing his hold. A light blush graced her cheeks and she looked away.

Regaining control of her facial temperature, Taavi gazed back at Thao, vainly hoping he had missed her blush. She would hate if he misinterpreted her lack of control. The slender girl had looked just in time to see Thao's face flinch as if there were some irritating thought, but he brushed it away as one would brush away a fly. One brow arched in question, but Taavi wasn't really sure if she wanted to know what that had been about.

Turning away from Thao, she glanced around, trying to remember where she had come from. Crap. In the process of finding Thao, she had managed to lose her way. 'That's what I get for not paying attention,' she thought rather cynically. The short girl reached out to the nearest glass, her fingers brushing lightly across the surface. Taking a few steps forward, she paused as she felt the glass turn away. The girl glanced over her shoulder at Thao, wondering if he was going to come along.

OhOhSea://

Hmm....Maybe Thao should somehow figure out Taavi is a shifter...She doesn't know there are any other shifters, so this could be interesting ^_^

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[Mr. Peace-and-Logic]

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Taavi recoiled sharply, flinching at the sight of Thao's outstretched hand. The pink-haired boy frowned; that was certainly not was he was expecting. She seemed almost afraid of the way he offered a handshake, although she did return the gesture. She ghosted over his hand with the very tips of her fingers, shaking it once before immediately letting go. Her hand, cold, from what Thao felt of it, retreated to her side. Thao was also surprised to see the faintest pink tinge dash across the girl's face. That's...unusual, he thought.

The moment passed quickly, however, and after Taavi turned away, it left Thao's mind. The small girl reached out to the smeared glass, cold fingertips making contact with the reflective surface. She walked along, hand trailing behind her, before she finally stopped and her hand hit air. She turned her almond eyes to the boy behind her, almost questioningly. Thao held his hands up, grinning sheepishly. "Hey, lead the way. Please. I'm totally lost." He waved one hand quickly and glanced around, apparently emphasizing his lost-edness. "In fact, without you, I probably would've stayed here until the janitor or something came along." The clown shuddered at the thought. THAT would have been unpleasant.

"So...yeah. Let's play follow the leader," Thao said with a friendly smile. He crossed his arms behind his back, and waited patiently for Taavi to take the first step into the depths of the maze.

[Rena DeVito]

Taavi found amusement as Thao spoke. "Hey, lead the way. Please. I'm totally lost." The boy glanced around, waving his hands helplessly. "In fact, without you, I probably would've stayed here until the janitor or something came along." The girl turned her head forward to hide her half grin. She flipped her long, silky hair over one shoulder and then waved for Thao to follow her. As she started forward, Thao spoke again, "So...yeah. Let's play follow the leader." In the mirror reflections she could see his friendly smile over her head. She extinguished her half smile and turned a corner. Several minutes later, Taavi had made it safely out of the mirror maze, and if Thao was able to keep up with her, he was out safely too. She stepped outside into the glaring sun and shaded her eyes.

She gazed around, eyes lighting on several rides. Where should she go next? Taavi had no idea what rides the fairgrounds had to offer. She supposed she could ride something like the ferris wheel, but that sounded extremely boring. She started walking, not particularly sure where she was going.

[Mr. Peace-and-Logic]

The halls of the mirror maze twisted and turned, but the smaller of the pair managed to find gaps in the glass that would lead them to the exit. Thao followed closely behind Taavi, trying desperately not to get lost or confused in the reflective maze. After a few minutes of exploration, the tiny girl emerged into broad daylight, Thao coming along soon after.

Without a word, Taavi looked around the open carnival and took off in a leisurely walk. "Hey, wait!" Thao cried, catching up to her quickly with his long strides. "Thank you for leading me out," he said, smiling amiably. His warm brown eyes attempted to catch hers, but no such luck. "Um. So, if you don't mind, is it alright if I tag along with you?" he tried, matching her walking pace. "I mean, a carnival can only be so fun when it's only you enjoying it. I didn't come along with anyone, so...yeah." The tall boy's last statement hung in the air awkwardly as they walked together. Thao vaguely wondered where Taavi was thinking of going, but he didn't question the smaller girl.

After a few moments of silence, Thao reached up to his backpack strap and hoisted it further up on his shoulder. It wouldn't do to have it slip and fall, now would it? He looked nervously down at Taavi, waiting for some sort of indication that she had heard him.

[Rena DeVito]

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[atrb=background,http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad340/Toki_Graphix/Regular%20PT/Taavi---Red-Fox-1.png] The tiny Asian girl walked along easily, without hurry. She was going to spend the entire, wonderful day riding every single ride, winning every single game, and avoiding every single male. Taavi absentmindedly listened to the crunch of gravel under her feet. People swarmed all around her - each having a place to go, something to do. Taavi's brow furrowed as she wondered how many people around her were hiding fear and pain. She pursed her lips and continued walking forward. "Hey, wait!" someone shouted. Taavi ignored the voice and kept moving forward. The steady crunch of gravel behind her warned her of an approaching person. Who though? Who could possibly want to follow Taavi? Fear clutched her heart and she wondered if her father had been released from jail yet. Mentally, she calculated the years and realized she should be in the clear. Unless. Unless he escaped? Her breath caught in her throat and she attempted to lengthen her strides. Still, the person caught up easily. She glanced at the person from the corner of her eye and realized it was Thao. Bumbling Thao. The Asian girl stared straight ahead, trying to still her pounding heart and erase all signs of fear from her face. "Thank you for leading me out," the boy said, in a friendly way. Taavi could feel his gaze on her face and a small blush rose on her cheeks. She couldn't tell if it was an angry blush or embarrassed. The girl didn't say anything or do anything to show that she had heard. After a moment he continued, "Um. So, if you don't mind, is it alright if I tag along with you?"

[/u] By now his naturally long strides had become shortened to match her own short strides. Taavi wondered what others around them thought of them. Not that she really cared - she just found it interesting to see another person's point of view. She tried to imagine seeing a midget of an Asian walking next to a tall brown-haired boy. Definitely not siblings. Too awkward to be a date. Maybe a stalker and his quarry? Taavi's heart clenched again. 'Okaaaay. Time to change the subject.' She turned her attention back to what Thao was saying. "I mean, a carnival can only be so fun when it's only you enjoying it. I didn't come along with anyone, so...yeah."

'I don't need a lost puppy following me around everywhere. Much less a guy,' Taavi thought venomously. Outwardly, the girl twisted her lips and shrugged. Now why did she do that? That meant that boy was going to stay around. Guuuuuh. More awkward silence because she was incapable of speech. Why the heck had she left her pad of paper home? She knew by now that she needed it, no matter where she went. Taavi sighed when she didn't see anywhere to buy paper. Thao shifted his backpack, pulling it more securely onto his shoulders. Did he happen to have paper in that backpack?

Suddenly Taavi turned her almond shaped eyes on him, and mimed writing. She knew better than to try and sign it - he wouldn't understand American Sign Language. She mimed it again and then tugged on his pack. 'You have got to have paper in there somewhere Thao.' she thought. What would he need a backpack for if it wasn't for paper? The thought unsettled Taavi, and she pushed it aside. She was with him now, and there was really nothing she could do about it. Well, maybe not nothing. But Taavi wasn't heartless. She wasn't going to kick a hopeful puppy. What he was hopeful for Taavi had no idea.

The girl glanced around, noting how people flowed around Thao and herself. They had stopped in middle of the road dirt and gravel road. Maybe not the smartest thing to do. Her gaze was pulled from the crush of people to the rides that they were rushing too. She didn't know where to start. So many rides, and she having never been on any of them. She glanced at Thao. Maybe he would know where to start? Just as quickly she shoved the thought away. Taavi did not need some man telling her what to do or where to go.

M U S E: seven
T I M E: one hour, ten minutes
C O U N T: seven - one - six
I N S P I R A T I O N: n/a
N O T E: yay for muse~!

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[Mr. Peace-and-Logic]

The muted, buzzing streams of people drifted leisurely past the odd pair, the droning of chatter keeping Thao occupied as he waited for Taavi's response. It was almost soothing, hearing the indistinguishable voices of strangers rise into the bright, sunny air, with a lively undertone of carnival music. It certainly did a fair job of keeping the young man's mind off of whispering doubts - was she ignoring him for a reason? Was this a sing that she wanted him to leave? Did she really not hear anything he said? Did she even care? Once again, Thao forced his mind to relax as he tuned back into the background noise. Her answer would come in due time, and he just had to be patient.

Finally, after a period of time that seemed much longer than it really was, the young Asian girl shrugged her shoulders briefly, lips quirked in a curious sort of half-smile. Thao smiled back birghtly, giving himself a mental thumbs up. Taavi, even after the brief period of completely ignoring Thao's presence, had given a somewhat positive answer. The taller teen considered this a good sign - he wasn't entirely certain that it meant she'd want to continue hanging out, as she had seemed very determined to get away from him at first, but he would take what he could get.

After a short beat filled nothing but the crunching of gravel and the white noise of the carnival, Thao felt dark eyes land on him. Taavi was staring rather intently at him, oddly serious, making a strange gesture with her hands. After a half-second of giving her a quizzical look, it registered what she was doing - she was miming writing onto her other hand. A small hand reached up and tugged his backpack, and Taavi then resumed her writing imitation. Thao stared blankly. "You want something to write with?" he guessed, letting the canvas object slide off his thin shoulder. Opening up the zipper with a high, plasticky sound, the young brunette started rooting around for two objects he knew would be in there.

"Ah, here we go," muttered the corgi shifter as he hands brushed a row of metal rings. There was a bit more scrambling around, until his thin hand emerged with a small green notepad and a scratched up pen. The pad of paper had been for jotting down details for parties, such as times and locations, but was currently empty - he chalked it up to still being new in the area. Sliding the slightly ajar bag back up onto his back, Thao offered the objects to his smaller companion, eyebrow quirked. He hoped that paper and writing utensil was what she had been miming; there was no way to be certain. He seemed to have a habit of not understanding Taavi.

[Rena DeVito]

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[atrb=background,http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad340/Toki_Graphix/Regular%20PT/Taavi---Red-Fox-1.png] Taavi waited impatiently as Thao stared at her blankly. After a couple of seconds, he asked, "You want something to write with?" Taavi barely shook her head yes in affirmation. 'Good Lord. The boy does have a brain after all!' she smirked, with a roll of her eyes for an extra measure. Luckily enough, Thao missed her smirk and eyeroll because he was rummaging around in his backpack. Taavi resisted the temptation to stand on her tiptoes and peer over his shoulder. Curious as a cat, this was Taavi. The slender girl tried telling herself that she didn't care what was in the backpack - to no avail. Taavi glanced away, her eyes roaming over the fairgrounds. She briefly wondered which ride she should ride first. Heck, she wasn't even sure all the rides that were here. Taavi pursed her lips, feeling frustration about her childhood rise up in her. Damn father. Had to be a fuckin' alcoholic. Taavi jumped slightly at the sound of Thao's voice. Her head snapped around to look at him before she could totally wipe the anger off her face. 'Damnit Taav.' She thought vehenmently, 'You know you're better at keeping your emotions under control by now.' The girl's face smoothed into an impassive mask. Taavi's gaze fell to Thao's hands as he offered her a slightly beat up green notepad, and a pen, with the plastic coloring scratched and chipped slightly. Taavi stared at his hands, knowing she had to reach toward him to hold the items she had requested. In a blur of motion, she reached out and snatched the notepad and pen, not caring how rude that appeared. Turning half away from Thao, Taavi absentmindedly, yet brutally, rubbed at a spot on her hand where she had accidently brushed against Thao's hand. After a moment, she flipped the notebook open, and clicked the pen. In flowing handwriting, she wrote: Where to? The girl then shifted the notebook, so Thao could read it. Having never been to a carnival, Taavi literally had no idea what rides were available. She only had vague ideas. M U S E: two T I M E: forty - two minutes C O U N T: three - five - three I N S P I R A T I O N: various lady gaga songs N O T E: blah. i hope you're happy.

[Mr. Peace-and-Logic]

Ignoring the swiftness of Taavi's grab for the notebook, Thao waited patiently for her to finish her writing. He certainly didn't wait long, however; the young woman holding the battered pad only scribbled for a second or two, and then turned the paper towards its owner. 'Where to?' it read. Thao took another glance around the carnival, hoping for inspiration. "Where to, huh?" he asked himself absentmindedly.

Well, there's a small roller coaster...plenty of game kiosks...mused the taller teen, orange brown eyes sweeping the area. He wasn't entirely sure what rides Taavi would like, or if she'd rather try her hand at some of the games that were spread throughout the carnival. From what he knew, she seemed to prefer the larger attractions, like the fun-house they just escaped. "Well, there's a Tilt-a-whirl over there..." Thao suggested after a moment, waving his hand in the direction of the machine.

Leading up to the ride, there was a scraggly, fidgeting line of a few people, all teens like themselves, that would quickly clear up with the next opening of the line. However, the people waiting were clearly a collection of friends - all of them male. Still painfully oblivious to Taavi's secret phobia, the brown-haired shifter was merely concerned with the length of the wait. "It looks like it'll stop soon, so it won't be too long before we could go," he offered hopefully.

((Muse = dead. =\ ))

[Rena DeVito]

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[atrb=background,http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad340/Toki_Graphix/Regular%20PT/Taavi---Red-Fox-1.png] "Where to, huh?" Thao intoned. Taavi rolled her eyes and then stared up at Thao, almonds eyes scrutinizing him carefully. Why did he feel the need to repeat everything she said? Was it because she couldn't say it herself? Was he simply just that eccentric? Or? Taavi turned her gaze away from Thao, staring blankly off into space. Surprisingly enough, Taavi wasn't completely terrified of Thao, although she was definitely going to keep her distance. A group of nine year old kids were running to join two adults in a line for one of the rides. Unfortunately, Taavi and Thao were in between the kids and their destination. The mini-mob of children stampeded towards the two adults - who were most likely one of the little brat's parents. Taavi grunted as she was rudely bumped into, and nearly fell over due to the fact that she was only slightly taller than them. Scowling, she flippantly flipped off the kids, who were still running away. Although the children didn't see the rude gesture, the parents did. They retaliated with an extremely haughty death glare of doom. Taavi snickered at the expression of parents. Honestly, you'd think they could handle their kids being flipped off when they so obviously deserved it. 'Sides, it wasn't as if the kids had seen it or anything. Taavi's head snapped around when Thao spoke, "Well, there's a Tilt-a-whirl over there..." Taavi's smirk faded to a more sullen look. She kept getting distracted around him. Who knew what he'd try if she wasn't vigilant a hundred percent of the time. Determined to keep focused, Taavi looked in the direction his hand waved. A tilt-a-whirl? She had never seen one of those. With childlike excitement, Taavi bounced on her tiptoes. Seeing the larger attraction, the Asian girl gave a small nod of approval and followed as Thao headed towards the ride. Taavi's fast paced walk slowed as they got near the line and she realized the line consisted only of guys. "It looks like it'll stop soon, so it won't be too long before we could go," She glared up at Thao, feeling the sudden urge to smack him. But no, that was a ridiculous thing to want to do. He had no idea that she was terrified of being around guys. Instead of whacking Thao a good one, Taavi folded her arms and sullenly glared at the other boys. As long as they stayed away from her, she wouldn't break their every bone. ... Not that she had the skill to do that. N O T E S: no worries, mine is "muse = dead" as well xD if this doesn't make much sense, i blame lack of sleep. >.> and am i the only one who's noticed that she's starting to think of thao less as a guy? which in taavi's case is good |3