[CoC Event] Friendly Carnival Show-Off (Private w/ Erin)

This area is outside of Vale's walls, but within a relatively safe distance of the city.
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Bartok Evergreen
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Aura Color: Blood Red
Occupation: Student
Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

Bartok and Erin hadn't hung out just the two of them in a while. Back at Signal they were inseparable, but with the new school, the new peers and new schedule, they had only been around eachother a handful of times, normally with someone else around. Bartok had missed their times alone together. Not because of any romantic reason, but because she was still his best and oldest friend. She deserved to be treated as such.

It just so happened that this Carnival came to Vale. And with Beacon's approval no less! Carnivals and fairs were a great place to be with friends. But this first time would just be Erin and him. He could come back later with Al and other people.

Bartok stood tossing a softball in his hand before catching it again. Through a click of the tongue or two, the surrounding sounds of people and other games was making things a bit blurry, he was able to see the milk bottles stacked into a pyramid.

"Ohohoh! Think you can knock them all down with shades like those, pretty boy? Might want to take them off!" Taunted the booth attendee. Two balls had already missed, arcing down to hit the table.

Bartok had noted that all the people running the booths sounded eerily the same. Same voice behind a mask, all introducing themselves as 'Sliver Shiver', though with different tones or attitudes. Whatever was going on with them, Bartok would not be taunted at an activity he excelled at, especially with Erin next to him.

Despite being blind, Bartok was an excellent archer and that translated into throwing. ...if you discounted his frist two throws. But he had a handle on them now. No moving targets here, just stationary bottles. From listening closely to others play the game, he had guessed that the bottles were weighted somewhat. They would give a little resistance to being knocked back.

"Hey, you gonnna throw or what, batty?" The Sliver Shiver taunted once more. With one more click of the tongue, Bartok took a stance with one foot infront of the other, bent his knees, pulled the ball back before releasing it. It snapped through the air with a spin, hitting the leftmost bottom row of the pyramid and bouncing with it's spin to take out the rest of the bottom row.

With a clatter, all the bottles toppled to the ground.
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Erin Cherrywood
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Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

It had been forever since Erin had spent quality time with Bartok. Every time she saw him it was with someone else. Always around his new friends or in class, occasionally during meal times. She missed him. She missed him but didn't want to be the one who reached out - to admit that she wanted him around.

She'd also spent so much time around Pyry that to ask Bartok out would have felt weird, so she was beyond thrilled when he asked her to the carnival. It finally gave them time to catch up and get close. Maybe they'd finally find time to sit down and listen to their radio shows too.

Wearing tight black jeans with a snug, red, long sleeve shirt she stood patiently beside Bartok while he took a crack at one of the games. Pretty much everyone knew these games were rigged, but that was half the fun if you were a Beacon student. Finding a way to win losing battles.

Crossing her arms over her chest she cocked a hip and smiled as the man(?) running the booth taunted Bartok again. He had no idea what he was in for. She knew how this would end, so she turned her gaze towards the crowd around them. Couples everywhere, but plenty of friends and small groups too.

Twisting the golden ring on her pinky around and around she smiled when the bottles finally fell over. Cue the celebration? "Way to go, only took two more tries than you needed." She teased lightly.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

Sliver Shiver looked back and forth from the bottles to the bat. Bartok had a smug grin on his face until he heard Erin's words. "Hey, these balls are weighted weird, and it's hard to see with all this noise around, ok?" He nudged her with an elbow before turning to the still astonished jester. "I'll take whatever stuffed toy she points to." He had no idea what the prizes were, or even what their shape was. Stuffed things just blurred his 'vision' more.

The clown cleared his throat. "Well, alright then. Showing off for the lady, I can respect that. What will it be, miss?" He gestured up to the array of stuffed toys, all in the styles of different Grimm made cute, some stuffed Sliver Shivers, and other animals like bears and foxes.
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Erin Cherrywood
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Semblance Name: Vertigo
Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

Erin giggled when Bartok defended skills, he was so predictable, always needing to show off, to show he could do everything people without vision impairments could do. It was actually pretty funny because he was much more capable than most people she knew. She just had to give him the occasional jab to make sure his head didn't get too big.

"I was just teasing." She said with playful shoulder bump. "Most people here won't be able to win at this game, so good job." Complimenting him wasn't usually high up on her priorities but she was feeling generous.

Looking at the wide array of prizes she caught sight of a small Beowulf and knew that was the one she wanted. "I'll take that little guy." She answered pointing at it. It was rather adorable and she wondered if her ring would fit on its wrist. Blushing lightly, she shook the thought from her head and focused on taking the prize from the Sliver Shiver.

Turning it gently in her hand she smiled at Bartok. "Thank you. For the prize and for asking me out today. We really don't hang out too much anymore." And I miss you. The last part was a tagged on thought, she wasn't feeling that generous.

"Want me to win you something?" She offered with a cocky grin of her own.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Bartok gave her a shoulder bump back. "Yeah well, I'm pretty good at what I do." He tried to play it off but a smile stretched from ear to ear. He hardly got a compliment from her and they were hanging out again. Wonderful day.

"Yes, well, I plan to remedy that. Just a bunch of stuff going on but now that there's a few things cleared away, I should be a bit more open." Her offering to win him something was tempting. "I already have a day with you and the chance to show off but sure, lets see what else you can win me. What game you want to demolish?" His ears twitch around. "Archery, Pie eating, something with spraying water, something with splashing water, some other things being knocked down... I think there's a mock shooting gallery?"
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Erin Cherrywood
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Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

She shook her head with a smile at his answer. Full of himself indeed, but he earned the right to be cocky so it wasn't a bad thing.

He explained that things in his life were settling and they'd have more time soon and she nodded in understanding. "Can't help it if you're a popular guy I suppose." She said with a shrug. "It's fine though; I'm not shrivelling away in some corner, lost without you. I made some friends at the cafeteria, hung out with Kailyn a few times, had a rooftop picnic, and made flower crowns." She counted off each item on her finger while speaking nonchalantly.

Looking around at all the games she tried to gauge the level of difficulty and average win rate. Most people played for fun but she wanted a win.

Archery wasn't really her thing. She was a fair shot but definitely not one to win rigged games.

She could demolish a pie but the last thing she needed was for Pyry to happen across her covered in pie, she'd never hear the end of it.

Spraying water was the guns that shot water and popped balloons. She was pretty good at those games, but no need to make a hasty choice.

Splashing water? That sounded fun but what was it? Oh! The floating bowls where you could win fish. She always enjoyed those games as kid, but they didn't really have a tank ready for whatever poor fish she'd win.

Knocking things down took too much calculation here and figuring out the sights of any gun here would cost her precious turns and bragging rights.

Water guns it was.

Hooking an arm through his, she guided Bartok to the booth hosting the water gun game. A round was currently going so she went to work inspecting each gun to find the one most likely to lead her to victory. Thankfully it was early enough in the night that almost every lane was being used, that meant a lot of data and bigger prizes. Since every game had a winner the size of the prize was largely dependant on the number of players.

"Sit tight and prepare to have to carry around a real inconvenient trophy." She'd spotted the ideal lane and got in place to make sure she'd get it.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Aura Color: Blood Red
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Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

He knew of Kailyn, she was a cool girl, matched really well with Erin. But... "A picnic? Flower crowns?"

As they walked and waited he tried to imagine Erin sitting down at a picnic. Visualizing the scene wasn't much of the mental gymnastics he was doing, which he could hardly do anyway, it was merging the concept of Erin and a picnic. It worked even less with flower crowns. He knew deep down inside of her was the girly girl who liked that stuff, but to think that Kailyn was able to bring that side of her out. Kailyn probably already had 'best friend' tagged onto her in Erin's mind, but Bartok didn't care. He was the childhood bestfriend, not the new school bestie. Plus he was the charming guy, privy to a different side of Erin than the best girl friend. He was honestly happy for Erin that Kailyn could do that for her.

He waited until she sat down in her seat before saying, "I would have loved to be there when Kailyn put that flower crown on your head. You were without a doubt stunning, your floweriness." He bowed slightly, and then the Sliver Shiver called 'GO!' and pressed the button that released the water.
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Erin Cherrywood
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While she was getting her sights set, Bartok said he'd have loved to be there when Kailyn put the crown on her head and she glanced up at him, suddenly nervous for a second. Had she not told Bartok that she was spending her time with Pyry? The Sliver Shiver yelled "GO" and her head snapped forward as she pulled the trigger.

"Actually, I made the flower crowns with Pyry." The words felt heavy as they left her mouth, like she didn't want to tell Bartok about spending time with another guy. That was ridiculous though. It wasn't like they were dating or anything and he spent time with other girls all the time. It's not like she knew where he was and who he was with at any given moment. "Though I was stunning." She added the joke to try and lighten the mood.

She was thankful for having to keep her face forward because part of her dreaded seeing the look on Bartok's face, but as the balloons filled she realised she was probably just projecting. Why did she even think he would be upset? Heck, he would probably be thrilled that she wasn't hiding in her room anymore. She was just jealous that he'd made friends so she wanted him to be jealous too. Easy solution.

BANG! The balloon popped and she jumped up in the thrill of victory. "Alright!"
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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With Pyry? That sturdy box of one-liners and a crown from the beach? She... made flower crowns with him? "I-... I didn't think that..." No, he couldn't be gay. The guy was after Ax until he found out the hard way that she wasn't into him, and he seemed scared by Erin and her eyes. Did that fear turn to awe? To feelings? So how come the guy was able to get Erin to make flower crowns? To get to her girly side? That was more than just a crush on her, that was something more. That was a deep connection between the two that went straight through Erin's barriers. That was-

BANG! Bartok jolted where he stood, listening to Erin jump and shout victory. He tried to smile, faltered do to needing to breath- his heart was beating to hard, then smiled. Erin finally had someone besides himself to be close to. That was great, honestly. Someone to break her out of that hard shell of hers. He hadn't told her about Al and he either, maybe it was time he rectified that.

"I can't choose a big prize like you chose yours. Choose for me."
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Erin Cherrywood
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She knew as soon as he spoke that she didn't tell him about hanging out with Pyry, there was too much shock and doubt in his voice. If he had pressed the issue she would have explained that it originally started out as a way to get her hands on a shiny trinket turned friendship but he let it go, so she did too. She needed that focus to win the game after all.

Turning to him with a wide smile, she felt guilty at the look on his face. It was hard to read, the emotion there wasn't something she was familiar with - all she knew was that it was a mix of feelings, not all good. She considered justifying her newfound friendship again, but he moved on to choosing a prize so she let it go.

Looking around at all the prizes she spotted the one he needed. A huge King Taijitu plush that would be a nightmare to carry around all night since it was almost as long as she was tall. Pointing at it she looked over at the Sliver Shiver and called her order. "We need that one."

Accepting it with a smile, she thanked the Sliver Shiver and worked to drape the plush around Bartok's shoulders. "There we go, very handsome." She teased stepping back to hold Bartok at arm's length while she studied her work. "All you needed was a wingman to up your appeal."
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

He could tell something big was coming his way, but he didn't expect it to be so long. It drapped aroind his shoilders and still touched his hips. His fingers explored it as soon as it was on him, feeling the plush fabric and the thread seen into it to mimic scales. It had a head at both ends.

"A King Taijitu? Well, I suppose your skills are enough to upgrade me with all sorts of strange things." He pet the stuffed creature like a pet. "Is this prize at any other game? I'd love to win Al one."
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Erin Cherrywood
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She nodded with a smile. "Bingo, you are correct."

At his mention of Al she tilted her head in thought. Al... Al... She was one of the people at the beach. And Bartok wanted to win her a prize. Eying him up and down she tried to figure out the relationship. New best friend? Naw, probably not. Erin was the best friend. Girlfriend? That would make more sense, but it still didn't make sense. Bartok was not the kind of person who had luck with girls. He also wasn't the kind of person to have luck with friends though and he had plenty here. While she considered the idea she made sure to look around for other booths with the same plush, booths that Bartok could win.

Her heart felt weird... She knew a lot of girlfriends didn't like their guys hanging with other girls. She started twisting the ring on her pinky again, anxiety was rising. Would this get in the way of her and Bartok spending time together? She'd have to probe around for more answers. "There are a few that have the same plush. Duck pond, disc drop, spin the wheel, and bottle stacking. I assume the last two are rigged though."

Forget playing it cool, that wasn't her style. "So are you and Al dating or something?" Blunt as usual. She wished she had more tact but beating around the bush would only stress her out more.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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He felt pretty good about guessing the right creature. It wasn't hard, but it could have been any other normal snake that someone decided to put another head on. But even as he tried to distract himself with thinking about that, he kept imagining Pyry and Erin, making flower crowns. Their fingers working on flower stems, tying them together and placing them on their heads. Must have been a great moment they shared. He still didn't know what Erin's attitude during it all was, there was probably a few scowls, but in the end she had done it and enjoyed it. Pyry must have been making lines the whole time. His best friend was finally finding another guy rather than himself to spend her time with. And he couldn't be mad about it. Heck, he was with Al now.

"Yeah, I'd say we are. If you count me asking her out and her agreeing and a few kisses as dating." He nodded with a joking smile, purposefully leaving out a few other things happening. "It was sort of out of the blue, really. But some things happened and... I really like her. She gave me another reason to be here at Beacon and continue as a Huntsmen. It seems you really get along with Pyry though. I don't think you would have made flower crowns with me, anyway."
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Erin Cherrywood
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Things happened? She couldn't push down the bitter feeling that welled up in her chest. She knew what things usually meant and wasn't above covering another woman's bed in trash daily if Bartok got hurt.

Jealousy flared when he said she was the reason for staying at Beacon. Sure, technically he said another reason but Erin knew how things went when girlfriends came into play. Despite what he said she anticipated a lot less time with him.

She wanted to complain. He was her friend... But that's all it was, friendship. Despite his flirting, they were friends and she wasn't about to change that dynamic. Nodding, she put on a smile pat his shoulder. "Good on you. Just let me know if I need to start collecting trash again." She paused a moment. "As long as she doesn't hurt you or be one of those 'no talking to my boyfriend' girls I support you."

When he brought up the flower crowns and Pyry she blushed lightly and looked away. "Yeah... Don't let him know that though. He doesn't need a big head, took long enough for me to get him to quit with the lines." She paused and giggled. "Well, mostly quit."
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

He didn't need an explanation to why she would gather trash. She'd done it to many people who had hurt the two of them, spreading trash from garbage bins and the leftovers of her lunch on people's porches and underwear drawers. She could be a noteable criminal with how good she was with breaking and entering, and here she was using those skills for petty revenge. Petty as it was, Bartok could only laugh and agree with her actions. "Hey, Al really isn't that type of girl, but I'll tell you. And if she did make that rule, I mean I'm hot so it may come up, I'd make sure that you'd be the exception."

"Mostly quit? What, a few lines he said actually make you blush?" He took one of the heads and had it's fabric tongue lick up the side of her head. "Isssss Erin actually lissssstening to pick-up linessss now?"
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Erin Cherrywood
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She shook her head and gave an overly dramatic sigh. "See that's the problem with pretty boys. Let them know they're pretty and all of a sudden they expect girls to follow their every move." She joked.

When he said she'd be the exception, her anxiety and jealousy started fading. "I would hope so. Trips home would be an awkward nightmare if you stopped talking to me. You know my mom would put her nose in everything." She wrinkled her nose at the idea.

Laughing, she playfully pushed the head away. "I always listen, but that doesn't mean I like it."
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

"It's not so much that I expect it, more like a tried and true series of events. Predictions." He nudged her. "Oh, yeah she would not be happy about that. You think that your mom would come down here and put the teacher's to shame when it comes to discipline, if I did that?" He chuckled, which turned into a drawn out sigh as he imagined what wrath Erin's mom would throw at him for ignoring his childhood friend.

"Well," He wiggled the head back towards her. "Then hasssss Erin ssssstarted to likesssss the linessss?"
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Erin Cherrywood
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Rolling her eyes she laughed. "Oh, so now it's a fact that you are just great?" Sure, it was, but there were certain personality types that didn't need to know their true worth and he was one of them.

"Hmm..." She twisted her mouth a bit as she tried to imagine her mom coming down just to kick some butt and force them to get along. "Yeeeeah, she'd probably overpower us both and literally force us together until things were normal again. Then we'd get the sass from your mom." ​ Shivering she shook her head violently. "I'd like to avoid both items on that list."

Laughing again she wrinkled her nose playfully at the snake. "Naw, it's more the way his stupid face looks when he talks. Those damn freckles and eyes..." She trailed off, thinking of the last conversation she had had with Pyry while working on the flower crowns. Sighing she frowned and gently pushed the head away. Stupid Pyry and his stupid handsome face. "But! I am sticking to that single life. Gotta focus on the dream and all that."
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

Bartok laughed with her about their moms. It would be quite an episode in their lives here at Beacon. But then the way she talked about Pyry's freckles and eyes... It reminded him of how some girls swooned over his own ears Or his muscles, or whatever was on display at the time.

He elbowed her. "Single life? You're going to drive yourself mad thinking about Pyry like that while holding yourself back." Eyes... If only he got better at showing his own. Maybe he'd get a girl who'd like his eyes that much. Heck, maybe he did already with Al, he hadn't asked what she thought of them so far.
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Erin Cherrywood
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Rolling her eyes playfully as he elbowed her she shook her head. "Naw, I am sure it'll pass." She grabbed one of the King Taijitu's heads, looked it in its beaded eyes, and smiled at the absurdity of the idea that she should date anyone. She'd spent years of her life shoving away feelings of romance, one more contender wouldn't be too big of a strain.

"Pretty sure it's just a physical draw, and that will dull and die given enough time. Py-chart is cute and all, but he's just as bad a flirt as you, and I am not interested in having to compete with every other woman alive." It used to bug her that Bartok was so oblivious to the fact that she thought he was attractive, but that had passed, and this would too. Setting the head back down against Bartok's side, she shrugged. "That and I don't want to date anyone, like ever. I have dreams of grandeur and dating would just make me soft."

"Moving beyond the life of the great spinster Erin, we should get to winning this King Tai a lady of his own." She started to loop her arm through his again, in order to steer him to another game, before she realized that Bartok having a girlfriend meant that boundaries needed to be shifted. Brows furrowing, she hesitated, then withdrew her arm; she wasn't about to be the one who messed up a happy relationship. "Should I not link arms with you anymore? I don't really know what makes people jealous." That was such a lie, she knew all about jealousy, but she also knew different people had different tolerance levels.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

"Is it bad that you hold onto grudges longer than love?" He jabbed, sticking his tongue out. "If you think it will pass, than maybe it will. But having a partner is so much more than just getting soft. Grandeur or no, partners are amazing to have. You should really think this through." He played with the other head of the snake, not wanting it to feel left out.

When she withdrew her arm, he hooked his arm back with hers. "Something may have changed between me and someone else, but You and I, Erin, have not changed. Now if you start cuddling up to me and feining being cold, then maybe Al would oblige heating you up." He chuckled. "I'll talk to her about it, if you want. But yes, lets find a game I may win... Oh! I heard about some game where you pick doors. Should we try there? See if it has the same prize?"
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Erin Cherrywood
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Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

A snort erupted from Erin when Bartok said her grudges were longer than her love, she wasn't sure why it was so funny but it was. "I am pretty sure it's not love if it can disappear so quickly. As I understand it, love is something that does not fade with time. That would be infatuation."

She should think it through huh? Wiggling her tail back and forth, she considered his suggestion. Maybe dating a huntsman wouldn't make her soft? Humming in thought she considered the idea of asking Pyry out on a date. His smug satisfaction that he was right was a huge deterrent, but the way his eyes would light up... No. She wasn't going to play with something that wouldn't last. "So far the thought train isn't looking promising." She joked.

Rolling her eyes she sighed. "Yeah, no. I'll warm myself thank you." The idea of fighting Al came to mind and she arched an eyebrow. "Also, are you insinuating that I would be the one to lose?" She asked on mock offense.

Doors? That sounded like fun. "Oh definitely! I love a good mystery."
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
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Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

Bartok had something to say about love, about how it was a fruit you partook of, not the cause for the roots, but he let her just think things through. Sadly, she reported that it wasn't looking well.

He held up both hands in mock defense. "Hey, I don't know who would lose to who, but her fire is real hot and she's got some amazing control over it. She'd be tough to get close enough to, I think. Doesn't mean she couldn't be overcome." He thought about how a fight between the two girls might go. Would be impressive.

"Alright then, let's go pick some doors!" He would lead her down to where he heard a lot of hinges creaking, which was hard to distinguish over all the other sounds if he was honest. But it wasn't too far away and they eventually got to the open are, a small booth nearby. There was four differently colored doors with locks, with small rooms beyond them. People were on their knees at the doors, sticking thin metal components into the locks and moving them around. Some carefully, others looking like they were about to break the tools.

"Oh. Pick doors. Not, choose doors. I think I could do this though."
User avatar
Erin Cherrywood
Posts: 155
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:34 pm
Age: 17
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Racoon Tail
Aura Color: Gold
Occupation:
Semblance Name: Vertigo
Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

Erin wouldn't describe herself as competitive but something about the way Bartok suggested she'd lose rubbed her wrong. Sure, she didn't have a flashy, damage dealing, semblance but she had excellent aura control which she could use to block other people's semblances, was quick, and could really throw off someone's balance if they locked eyes. To just assume she'd lose was more than a little insulting and she wanted to defend her honor but but her tongue. No need to get upset about hypotheticals. "In the interest of saving this event I'm gonna let this go."

When they got to the doors she squinted at them to make sure she was seeing things right. This wasn't choosing doors, which admittedly sounded like a blast, but picking doors which was infinitely less cool but still pretty fun. "Well, not as cool as the original plan but I'm still down to try. Do you think it's a race or just getting it open at all?"
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:13 am
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Male
Race: Faunus (Vampire Bat)
Aura Color: Blood Red
Occupation: Student
Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

Save the event? Let it go? Crap, she thought he was thinking she'd lose, wasn't she? As much as Bartok was a ladies man, he forgot how they took things sometimes. The fact that he had only talked about Al being tough made her think he was betting on her, his new girlfriend, over Erin, his best friend. He wanted to correct this but she was letting it go. He could bring it up later, best to leave it dropped for now. Maybe he should introduce the two properly.

At the scene with the doors, his ears clearly picked up the springs and pins clicking as teenagers and adults tried their hands. "Well, let's wait and see, shall we?"

One clicked open and a boy yelped in excitement, opened the door, and was met with a loud horn blaring into his face. Bartok had to cover his ears as the Sliver Shiver on the other side of the door, holding the horn, laughed. The boy was clearly surprised, taking a step back and letting out a short scream. The Jester within threw her a plastic bag full of candy, then shut the door, and audible clicking sound following as it was locked once more.

The Sliver Shiver who sat at the booth was on the edge of his seat, watching anxiously as the others flinched at the sound, and kept going. A little girl, maybe nine years old, stepped up to the same door that had just been locked. The Jester stood up from his chair and provided her with a small turning tool and pick. This clown's gloves were tipped in picking tools, thin pieces of metal that were either wavy for raking, slightly uipturned at the end for single pick picking, or were 'L' shaped for tenshioning. Sliver Shiver helped her through the process, and within moments, the lock clicked open. The Sliver Shiver stood back. Bartok covered his ears.

The door was opened and the girl was met with a shower of confetti, a small bag of candy, and a stuffed toy that she pointed to from within the room. Beaming from ear to ear, she skipped away, calling to a mother to show off what she had earned.

"Quite the chance at prizes, it seems." Bartok said, taking his hands off his ears. "Shall we both give it a go? Double our odds?"
User avatar
Erin Cherrywood
Posts: 155
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:34 pm
Age: 17
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Racoon Tail
Aura Color: Gold
Occupation:
Semblance Name: Vertigo
Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

Tilting her head she squinted around at the different doors, trying to see if there were differences between the types of locks or doors themselves. Nothing obvious stood out. It really seemed to be up to cha- a loud horn cut through the air and she flinched back. Holy crud was that thing loud. She looked questioningly at Bartok, if every door did that this would not be fun. If the horn was that loud for her it must have been torture for him.

A little girl stepped forward, quite bravely in Erin's opinion given that she'd seen the jester and heard the horn and still chose to take her turn. Bartok removed his arm from hers and covered his ears which made her frown, she didn't want him getting ear damage for a stupid toy.

The door opened and instead of a horn it was confetti. Okay, so this wouldn't be too bad. "Maybe I should cover your ears for you when you go? Just in case?" She didn't need a prize, the small Beowulf was enough.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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Bartok Evergreen
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:13 am
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Male
Race: Faunus (Vampire Bat)
Aura Color: Blood Red
Occupation: Student
Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

It was sweet of her to worry about him and his ears, and he only expected it after all the years they had spent together. She had always been protective of his ears, his onlyw ay to see and interact with the world. "Thank you, but you can try and win yourself. I think I can hear the Sliver Shivers inside, if I hear them pick up something like a can, I'll cover them myself." He flashed her a smile before approaching, taking tools from the Sliver Shiver at the booth.

He took a moment to feel around the tools and understand their shape before clicking his tongue a few times to find his door, settled next to it, and thought about how locks are supposed to work. Once he had an idea of how he might use these tools, he went to work inserting the tension tool and the pick, his ears focusing in on the pins next to him. There was surprisingly a lot of feedback given through the tools themselves, as if he could feel the entire inside of the looks through the tools.
User avatar
Erin Cherrywood
Posts: 155
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:34 pm
Age: 17
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Racoon Tail
Aura Color: Gold
Occupation:
Semblance Name: Vertigo
Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

She nodded in understanding. Oh snap, was this growth? She remembered that not too long ago she would have insisted on protecting him, but now she was letting go and trusting his judgment. Maybe coming to Beacon and being forced to be apart so much wasn't entirely bad. He was getting freedom from what she realized was overprotectiveness and she was being forced to socialize. "Okay, just be careful."

When it was their turn she took the kit with a smile. Was it bad that Erin was no stranger to picking locks? She didn't think so, it wasn't like she used the skill for dastardly deeds after all; she'd just sneak in and out of rooms to leave trash and she never took anything. Well, maybe she left the victim feeling dirty and vulnerable but that was just retribution. The people she targeted always deserved it.

Most people liked to focus when picking locks but her brain always wandered.

Taking her place, kneeling in front of a door, she was more than a little jealous of people with animal ears, her tail was pretty sweet but not all that useful. Buuuut, she supposed it could hinder her ability too. Get ears that are too sensitive and things would be overwhelming quickly.

Soon enough she was thinking about school in general again. Things had gotten weird and strained with Pyry and trying to sort through that on her own wasn't going too well, but Bartok's advice was go for it - something she definitely did not want to admit she was considering. Next thing she knew the door was open and she was being splashed with a bucket of water. A small bag of candy dropped in front of her and the door slammed in her face. What the heck just happened?

Grabbing the candy she stood up and shook off. Part of her appreciated the comedic irony of her door though - thinking about boys and ending up in a cold shower. "Ha!"

Stepping aside she tried to regain her thoughts enough to figure out where Bartok was. Did he already finish his door?
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
User avatar
Bartok Evergreen
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:13 am
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Male
Race: Faunus (Vampire Bat)
Aura Color: Blood Red
Occupation: Student
Semblance Name: Bleed and Drink
Weapon Name: Coiled Sting

A few other doors were picked while Bartok worked on his. It turned out that you need to actually know what you're doing, maybe have seen a diagram, to pick these things well. But the bat knew generally how a key worked. Lined up pins in the right way to create a sheer line that the key then turns and moves a lock. But how to tell if something was in the right spot was the difficult part. Was it when it felt springy? Why did some things feel springy and then were difficult to push up? Was one click enough for each pin? And everytime he let up even a little bit of pressure, all the pins fell back down and he had to redo his whole process.

While he was going at it he heard Erin's door unlock and he though he heard liquid in a container before she was splashed with water, or what he hoped was water. He grimaced and braced himself. Not out of pity for her, but out of pity for these poor costumed employees that were about to feel her wrath. But then she laughed and stepped aside. Well, that was different. Maybe Beacon was making them both better people.

It took him maybe five minutes longer than anyone else heck even a little kid got up and opened their's faster, but he was determined to try and get Al this prize. Eventually he found that there was an order to the pins becoming hard to push up, and after they clicked and became springy, another pin became stuck and needed to be pushed up. Once that discovery was made, he systematically went through the pins until the whole thing clicked and the lock turned.

"Yes!" Bartok jumped to his feet and swung open the door, his mouth a wide open grin at his accomplishment.

And that mouth was then filled with something bready and sweet, tasting of cinnamon. It hung out of his mouth and he instinctively caught it. It was a very large elephant ear that had been forcefully fed to him.

"Look kid, good on ya for sticking it out so hard. Take this and play some other games, ya?" The Sliver Shiver tossed a bag of candy to Bartok, which his his chest and fell to the floor, before closing the door. Bartok just stared as much as a blind man could stare. His ear twitched. He turned to Erin, so shocked to do anything but start chewing slowly. It tasted pretty good, if he was honest.
User avatar
Erin Cherrywood
Posts: 155
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:34 pm
Age: 17
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Racoon Tail
Aura Color: Gold
Occupation:
Semblance Name: Vertigo
Weapon Name: Urumi Pendulum

Once on the sideline with the other onlookers, Erin scanned the area for Bartok and caught sight of him at his door. Picking locks wasn't just listening for clicks like a lot of movies made it seem, and she was fairly sure she'd never picked locks around Bartok so it wasn't too much of a surprise that he wasn't quick.

A few people went and opened their doors which was when she realized that the prize behind the doors changed every time and there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for what popped out. Winning a second King Tai here would take extreme luck and more than a few tries.

Bartok was still working his door when a kid went and won. She was starting to feel bad for him, he was definitely taking the longest so far. While she waited she popped a sucker in her mouth and untied her hair. It was still wet and starting to get annoying, she wished she'd won a shirt or something to dry off with.

Finally, Bartok had his door open, something the other onlookers cheered for. His surprise was a big, sugary, ear and a bag of candy. He look hilarious, standing there dumbfounded as the door closed in his face. She couldn't help the laugh as she walked over to guide him away. "I think we need to try a different game if you want a second King Tai. This one is way too chancey." She informed him as she grabbed his candy for him.
There is no such thing as justice, the best that we can hope for is revenge
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