#odyssey

"Somehow I'm not hungry" Gwen winces happy to gget away from the smell

Rocholar beams as he fist bumps back, maybe he sees Briar as the bullying offensive older sister who is still no less cool that he always wanted

Briar just grins. "I'll eat yours then. Do you think we could loosen the safety bars on the ferris wheel with no one noticing? If someone slid out and dangled, that would be AWESOME. They would be SO scared, and the people on the ground runnin' the ride would shit themselves too that they're gonna get fired and sued!"

"Yeah but they they'd close a fun place and we couldn't go again and THEN where would you have an excuse to puke on?"

"Aw. Yeah, I GUESS." Briar sulks for a moment. "Hey, I think they have games over there! Got any money? Maybe we can win a prize!"

"Okay, a few ggames, then we wash our hands and have food" Gwen agrees, and she pulls out some money the baron gave her

"Step right up, step right up! Ring the bell and get a prize! Pop a balloon, make a basket, it's all the same to me, games are fair and prize as good as free! Step right up!"

Down the midway, a voice is heard, calling and cajoling to the passers by.

"Huh" Gwen looks that way, then realizes it might not be fun for the younger kids "Maybe I shouldn't"

Briar's brow wrinkles a bit as she listens, looking a little uncertain. Gwen may understand why - there is a hint of glamour in the call, a soft tugging that draws attention towards the caller.

"Step right up, fairest games in town! Pick a duck, everyone's a winner! Toss a ball and win the pretty fishy, Dart versus balloon, you know the drill! Step on up, you've got cash to burn and time to kill!"

Rochallor doesn't seem to have picked up on the thread of glamour, but neither are any of the small crew overwhelmed with the need to suddenly change their direction and head down the Midway. However, Briar walks that way anyways, as she already wanted to play a game.

As they get closer, the carnival caller comes into view, and it's a Nocker! Dressed in traditional red and white stripes that make his swirled cheeks pop with color, a brimmed hat and a thin cane he uses to point to this or that prize, he warbles out invitations and grins as unsuspecting patrons turn their steps and head down towards the games.

Gwen blinks then looks ..troubled. She moves with the kids, ready to protect them, she decides to put a cap on the money they'll spend "We've got ten bucks to blow then we go eat"

Rochllor follows "Joe's a real good ball tosser"

A teenager is in front of them and handing over a few bills, to be exchanged a handful of darts. "Excellent choice, excellent choice! Three tosses it shall be, and only one balloon pop needed to be a winner! Choose your mark and let fly!" The barker chortles, stepping back out of the way.

The boy carefully lines up a shot, throws... and the dart hits the wall.

He frowns and tosses his second dart, and the dart goes short.

The last dart this time it bounces off the balloon it hits. "Grrrr..." He grumbles.

"Too bad, so sad, try again, One more play, it's sure to be your lucky day!" The nocker cajoles...

"Nah, you cleaned me out." The kid grouses, and wanders on his way.

What an array of games! Shoot an air rifle to punch out a paper star, darts and balloons, goldfish in cups, catching up a goldfish with a magnet! Softball into the barrel, basketball into the hoop, ring around the bottle!

Rochallor looks at the prizes, what he might want!

Oh, all sorts of things. From tiny plastic figurines and rings, miniature baseball bats and inflatable unicorns! Plush animals from tiny to ginormous, nearly as big as Roch himself. Marionettes on a string, vouchers to exchange at the food booths, foam hats! One prize shelf, way at the top, even shows a coveted Gamestation 5! Of course, the more points you have, the better prize you can win...

The boy closes one eye, the better to ken

But he blinnks, there's a spell in the air, but the items seem mortal. Well, that's okay. He eyes a plush animal, a big WOLF plushie "Gweeen.. could I have a ticket? I'd like to lose it"

Gwenn raises a brow, then nods "Okay." And pays for the boy's attempt

Rochollar gets some darts "How many balloons has to die to win that?" He looks at the wolf

The barker turns with a grin and his brows dance up at noticing the fae meins among them!

"For that wolf? Why, the general public would need three wins to walk away with Wolfie. But for good friends of mine, yes good friends, I'll call it one. That's right! Stick the balloon and win a prize!"

The darts handed to Rochallor are light and rather worn - not much of a point on them. "Safety first, don't you doubt it, but they can poke a balloon sure as my name's Jimothy James Jubilee. Why, here's a sample, Missy, take a try." He offers another dart from his apron of pockets to Gwen. "On the house, just for practice."

Gwen raises a brow but takes it, and feels the point, but also feels the point of one of Rocholars. She kens, but also checks the balance naturally

"Come now, come now, we haven't all day, there's rides to rides and more games to play!" Why, the point on her dart DOES feel a bit sharper than the ones Rochallor has... and a bit more weight to it as well. Jimothy's gaze notices her feeling the tip, and he chuckles, shaking a finger. "Now now, that's not in the Carnival spirit, is it?"

"Not a problem..." She swaps the heavy and sharperr one with one of Roch's and hands THAT back to the nocker "I feel more spirited this way"

He tsks a bit, and then says, with a smile. "Fair is fair, and we see that you know the name of the game. Take your shots, young sir, and may the odds be in your favor!"

Rochollar has tried to use this distraction to work something of his own. Briar might notice as she's not distracted as he mutters "Magic feathers help elephants fly, a dozen clowns can fit a small car, the world is just the world is good, good as it gets, but if you want justice, hedge your bets" And he FLINGS all three without much warning at the balloons, hopingg his gimmix works

POP! POP! TUNK!

Two balloons met their fate, though the third dart falls to the floor. Jimothy reaches up and pulls a rope, causing a bell to chime loudly. "WE HAVE A WINNER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THEYDIES AND GENTLETHEM! Congratulations, lad! Now, would you like to keep the prize you sought, why, a perfectly nice stuffed toy, or press your luck for a higher rank?"

He pulls a curtain, and shows that behind there, above the tiny trinkets and stuffed toys, are larger prizes. The Gamestation, as well as a small portable TV, what looks like an off-brand Tablet, and even a bike!

"Darts or Rings, Ball of Basket or Base! Worth it to me just for the smiles on your face!"

A small crowd drawing around, and he steps away for a moment to take bills from the others, and conduct a few tries, though he glances back at the trio to await their decision.

Briar says, "They should have a SPEAR throw. Now THAT's cooler than darts. And you could win a spear! You WOULD win a spear, Gwen."

She adds, "Or you can gut the carnie with the spear if they're cheating..."

If Jimothy hears this, he doesn't dignify it!

Gwen smirks, then looks at Rochollar "Wolf in the hand is worth a bike in the bush"

Rochollor almost whimpers at the sight of the bike, but then he nods and poinnts at the wolf

The one he won fair and .. okay he won it

Returning after a moment, the Carnival barker reaches up with his cane and hooks down the plush wolf. It drops into Roch's grip - light enough, but BIG and FLUFFY.

"Excellent choice, excellent choice. Now, any more games for you, Miss, or young lady? We have some very fine ballcaps, fresh and ready to be painted, or the little souvenier bats can be snapped for a fine makeshift weapon, they can." He grins to Briar as he points out different items. "Toss a ball, toss a ring, win a prize, that's just the thing!"

Briar is gazing up at the top rack covetously.

"Briar, odds are slim but if you want to try" Gwen sighs

Roch SQUEEZES his prize

Meanwhile, several small stuffed snakes and a glowstick necklace are handed off as prizes in the Duck fishing game. True, every rubber duck IS a winner, but it soon is evident that the prizes are not worth the cost. Or... they're not worth it to the parents forking over bills, but the kids who get them squeal in delight!

"Basketball! Gimme gimme." Taking the a bit of money from Gwen - that uses up what she earmarked - she pays off the Barker and is handed three basketballs. He gestures to the nets.

"Sink or swim, and I'll give you the same odds as the young lad. Since you're practically kin, you get my special rate - One, you hear me, just one dunk! And you win the prize of your choice from tier 2."

Jimothy takes a basketball, and leans back to toss it at the net - it rolls on the metal rim and then swishes through. The same ball is offered to Briar as one of the three.

Briar dribbles the ball on the counter a few times, it bounces obligingly.

And she leans back, holding the ball, squinting to aim, and tosses it - the ball seems to be spot on, but it bounces off the rim.

Audible teeth gnashing

"Oh, so close! Try again, little lady!"

Briar rolls the ball through her hands, contemplating, brow furrowed. Sizing up the angle. Is this that math bullshit? Maybe she just needs to aim better.

Rochollor realizes attention is off him again, and whispers in his wolf's ear, ready to use it on the last try to help the terrifying redcap who has been so.. uhm.. well, she's been something "By the power of Jordan, la bronny and shack, if it starts to miss, put it back. It's not that I think her skills do lack, but I have to put up with her when we head back" he chants this softly until the third ball is released. Meaingg if she ges it on the second, well, he can stop

The second ball is tossed!

And it bounces off the rim again! Tricky, this, can't get the right angle...

"come on..." gwen hopes.. then sighs

"Argh!" Briar snarls, and... BAM! She chomps on the ball in frustration, and it pops in her face. "ARGH!" Jimothy jumps back as the ball pops loudly, and then steps forward, leaning in. "Now here there, lil' miss, you're okay, ain't ya?" Dropping the patter for just a moment. "That didn't snap you in the face or get yer furkin' eye?" Sounding concerned as well as flabbergasted.

"Lemme give you a new ball..."

"NO!" Briar snaps at him, and she CHUCKS the deflated ball at the basket! Now, the flattened thing shouldn't, by all accounts, have flown through the air with the same deft soaring motion as an intact ball - but for some reason, it does! And it hits the backboard! And it slides down through the basket!

Jimothy watches this, then looks at Briar, and then back at the collapsed ball on the floor, and looks... speechless a moment.

"So, Briar.." Gwen says hastily, though her eyes are wide "what prize did you want?"

Rocholor cheers briar on "What a fortunate total coiinkiydinnk"

"Now wait just a minute there, that doesn't..."

Briar leans forward and GROWLS AT HIM. "Ball. Went. Through. Basket."

...Jimothy swallows, and reaches up to ring the bell. "We, uh... we have a winner! A Tier 2..." GROWL. "TIER THREE PRIZE, FOLKS! Two big winners in one day! Ring ring, the plays the thing!"

"Pick your prize, and then please, get her out of her, lady." He pleads to Gwen.

Gwen smirks a bit at that "Well, seeing as you are 'practically kin' " she tells Jimothy "But we'd go even faster if you threw in an exra prize" She points at a cheap but baby safe prize to give to Rien later "On top of what my friend won" Oh she's been paying attention to the Ailil

"Geez, lady, take it." He tosses over the small foam sword, and then looks to Briar, who points up at the portable TV on the top shelf, and that too is fetched.

As he hands it over, he grins to Gwen, and says in his normal voice, in a bit of an undertone. "I can't rightly complain, you've drawn more marks then I might have seen all day. Just don't come back unless ya gonna play by my rules next time, eh?"

Turning back, he rings the bell. "On their way, Folks! See the big winners, going along on their way? Who will be next? You, you, or is it you?!"