JP LtCmdr Alora DeVeau & 1Lt Anthony Meeks - A Fair Distraction (Pt 2)
Tory Flory
((Starbase 118 Ops - Commercial Sector))
Meeks: Ok… now, close your eyes.
Alora peered at him with suspicion.
DeVeau: You’re not going to prank me, are you?
Meeks: Nope… No pranks, I promise.
DeVeau: Okay, but if you throw a pie in my face, you better be warned - I strike back!
With a laugh, Alora closed her eyes and attempted to wait patiently. Attempted.
As soon as she closed her eyes, Anthony stepped behind her and placed his hands over her eyes. Gently, he turned her around, keeping himself behind her.
Meeks: Ok. Walk forward.
DeVeau: I feel like I'm in one of those trust activities.
Evidently Alora did trust him enough to step forward.
He couldn’t tell if it was the excitement, or if there were nervous trepidation, or maybe both, but Alora paused momentarily before stepping ahead. Carefully, he guided her step-by-step until they reached the corner, then turned her to her left. By now, the cacophony was fully within their ears.
Meeks: Ready?
Alora laughed.
DeVeau: Yes! Very much so!
Meeks: Ok. ::Removing his hands:: Open your eyes.
Anthony stepped back a couple of steps. All around them was a full-on all-out carnival. They were standing at the beginning of the fairway, games of all kinds lining each side. The breeze brought the aroma of cotton candy, roasted peanuts, and various other sweet and savory fair treats to them. Flashing lights, bells and whistles filled the air with sights and sounds of happiness.
In the distance, at the end of the fairway, were rides of all types, even a ferris wheel. People were laughing and playing everywhere.
Meeks: Where should we start?
DeVeau: Oh wow!
Alora clapped her hands together in glee. She'd had no idea that there was a carnival! Hovercars races on a track, two types of swings, one high and one low, spun around and around. Teacups circled each other at dizzying speeds. A see-through container offered a gravity free experience without the need for a space suit. In another section, people could do rubbery suits and literally bounce off walls in snoop up room. Even a merry go round, graced with fake animals from all sorts of planets are decorated with wild coloured paint that glowed with a resonant luminescence.
DeVeau:. The teacups! Definitely the teacups!
Alora grabbed Meeks' hand and dragged him forward.
Meeks: Teacups it is then.
Her reaction was all the reward he needed. He was having so much fun seeing her have fun. They crossed the area quickly and climbed into a large polymer facsimile of a large cup on a saucer. It was brightly colored in pastel pink and had flowers of some sort in a row along the side. In the center was a flat wheel on a post, and benches had been formed into the inside of the cup for them to sit on. He sat across from Alora and waited for the ride to start. With a subtle jerk, they were off.
The cup began circling the area on a round plate set into the ground. As soon as it reached a speed faster than a walk, the cup started to turn on its own axis.
DeVeau: Turn the wheel! It’ll make it go faster!
Alora reached out to grab the wheel and tugged. Some had that function, and some did not. This one was equipped, and as soon as she exerted force, the teacup began to spin more quickly.
Meeks: Whoaaaa! ::Laughing:: I didn’t know it did this!
Anthony grabbed ahold of the wheel and pulled, helping make the cup spin.
Alora laughed again, calling out above the noise of the crowd.
DeVeau: Come on, Marine, put your back into it!
Meeks: Too much faster, I might need a bag! ::Pulling harder::
DeVeau: Are you weak in the stomach soldier!?
The cup spun so fast, the world went by in a blur. He was having too much fun to notice just how dizzy he was getting. Across from him, Alora’s brown hair flew out beside her, sporadically covering her face and her smile. Anthony was incredibly content in that moment, having an amazing time with his friend. The ride slowed to a stop, and the small doors clicked open.
DeVeau: Whoot!
Alora stood, then immediately sat down, still giggling. The world swayed and dipped and spun, but in a good way. She allowed her brain to stop swimming for a moment, then carefully picked her way out of the teacup. Even with that moment of recovery, her steps faltered, and like those who went before them, she held onto each cup as she made her way to the exit, then to the railing. Fortunately, but the time they reached the end of the ramp, the dizziness had faded enough that she could keep her footing.
Meeks: Let’s go win you a bear. There has to be a shooting game over there.
DeVeau: Do they have cats? I do like bears, but I also have a fondness for cats. Oh look! Phaser rifle shooting game! I bet you’ll kill it!
Alora pointed, then hurried over to the stand and slipped to the back of the line. There were a couple of people before them, and she leaned over to watch them shoot.
DeVeau: I really stink at these games, but they’re still fun.
They stood in line until it was their turn. Throwing down a handful of credits, Anthony selected one of the phaser pistols on the table. He looked it over, and once he was happy it was unaltered, he handed it to Alora.
Meeks: I bet you don’t suck. You first.
DeVeau: Trying to think of ways to keep me from winning? Trust me pal, I stand no chance.
Alora stepped up and settled on the stool, then leaned her elbows on the table. Carefully, she aimed, then pulled the trigger. The shot missed wide.
Meeks: Oh, come on. You got this.
DeVeau: Yeah yeah yeah, mister sharpshooter. Those little marks are a lot smaller than a person!
Alora wasn’t a terrible shot, but she was also used to shooting bigger things when it was actually necessary to shoot. Once more, she set up for a shot. That one was closer, but still missed. The third was closer still, and the last two met their mark - but she didn’t win a prize.
Vendor: Sorry folks, three hits to win! Who’s next?
Meeks: Three, huh?
Anthony picked up the phaser, took careful aim in a two handed stance and pressed the trigger rapidly three times. Each of the shots struck the little dot dead center. The vendor slid a small bear across the table and Anthony handed it back.
Meeks: ::pointing to a large purple cat hanging behind the vendor:: I want that one.
Vendor: You’re going to have to hit a lot of those dots to win that.
Meeks: ::Winking at Alora:: Challenge accepted.
DeVeau: Uh oh. Now you really have him going.
Anthony slid the credits across the table, took up the phaser and started shooting. By the time he was done, the vendor behind the table handed him the big stuffed animal and politely asked him to leave. Anthony turned and handed the cat to Alora.
Once more, Alora was laughing, hugging the purple cat to her chest.
DeVeau: Oh my goodness, did you see his face?
Meeks: Yeah, let’s not tell him what I do for a living.
DeVeau: Man, I need to do some more practising. I haven’t had to shoot a phaser in a long time - I’m rusty.
Meeks: You did well. That little dot was pretty tiny. But, any time you want to hit the range, I’ll be happy to take you.
DeVeau: I’ll remember that.
Meeks: What next? Ferris Wheel?
The ferris wheel. Alora turned her eyes toward the monstrosity that towered above all the fair. It didn’t matter where you were, if you were at the fair, you could see it. The buckets stretched high above them, and seemed to almost reached the ceiling. A chill ran down her spine just looking up high enough to see the top of it.
DeVeau: Absolutely not.
Meeks: Not into heights? Ok… something lower then.
DeVeau: A _lot_ lower.
Anthony looked around at the various rides. There was one set up as a boat ride through what they called an “Enchanted Forest”. Who knows, that may be the exact speed they needed at the moment. Nodding at that ride, Anthony pulled her in that direction.
Meeks: How about this one? It’ll get us off our feet for a minute or so.
DeVeau: Sure! Now water I can handle.
Meeks: When we get done, we’ll see about winning you another cat to go with that one.
DeVeau: Maybe a green one? Two of my favourite colours!
A light blue boat with grey trim slid up when they finally got to the front of the line. Alora climbed inside and set her cat in the middle of the seat.
DeVeau: What do you think I should name her?
Meeks: Name her? You can name her anything you want. She’s yours.
DeVeau: Maybe Violet. Kind of obvious, but that’s okay. Seatbelts on!
Anthony reached over and shook the stuffed toy’s paw.
Meeks: Hi, Violet. It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Ops.
DeVeau: Silly, don’t be so disrespectful. She’s Lieutenant Violet.
Meeks: What? She’s part of the team now, right?
DeVeau: Of course? What did you expect!
The boat ride started and they were afloat along a slowly moving river of clear water. Music filled the ride with soft waltz-like tunes and the lights dimmed to a very low hue. With every corner, the ride showed them new scenes from various fairy tales, like Alice in Wonderland. Colored lights accentuated the scenes, leaving Anthony and Alora in a peaceful dim world.
Meeks: ::Whispers:: This is really neat, the way they put all this together.
DeVeau: it is. I’m loving it. Oh, look, another fairy tale coming up.
The scene shifted, one taking on a different scene. Hills and mountains replaced the fantastical elements, though a spirit floated and a Kai stood, moving to engage in some silent conversation while Bajoran landscape passed them by.
DeVeau: Oh, I don’t know this one. Do you?
Meeks: No. I’m not familiar with that one either. They sure did an amazing job creating the set. It really tells the story visually.
Drifting by, the scene continued to tell it’s story to the boat behind them. Before long, they were coming to the end and the lights started to get slowly brighter until they were back at the loading area. It was a nice reprieve to be seated in a slow ride, but there were stuffed animals to be won and sweet foods to be eaten. Time was a-wasting.
Anthony hopped out of the boat and offered his hand to Alora to assist her, and Violet, out of the ride.
Meeks: What would you like to do next?
DeVeau: We could just walk around, see what other things they offer, then make a plan. Might be better than just randomly going places. But then again, we could just randomly go places.
Alora turned around, the sights and sounds constant in their cacophonous harmony.
DeVeau: I hadn’t even /heard/ that they were doing this. How did you find out?
Meeks: I overheard somebody talking about it, I don’t remember who, but I knew I had to bring you.
DeVeau: Well, thank you. This is awesome.
There wasn’t anything better in life than sharing something fun with someone you like. Anthony was enjoying the carnival as much as he was enjoying watching Alora’s reaction to it.
Meeks: We can absolutely just walk around and take it all in before deciding what to do next. If you see something that strikes your fancy, then we’ll do that.
DeVeau: Oh, what’s that?
Alora got distracted by another game, this one with a lot of brightly coloured lights that flashed in various patterns. Immediately, she was off like a little squirrel hurrying after a squirrel-sized nut.
Anthony followed, watching with amusement how easily Alora allowed her inner child to come out.
Meeks: Right behind you! ::Reaching into his pocket for credits::
**********
1Lt. Anthony Meeks
Company Commander
1/292nd TMR D Co.
Starbase 118 Ops/USS Narendra
R238801IG0
&
Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau
Science Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
M239008AD0