Test Your Strength! [open]

Jason stood several feet away from the attraction, watching as person after person stepped up to the plate, grabbing the oversized mallet and slamming it down onto the target. It'd send a small metal slab shooting up the pole and - if they were strong enough, or lucky enough - hitting a silver bell at the top.
Although no one had reached the bell yet, several were still walking away with small prizes or stuffed animals. There was no way he was going to settle for such things, though. He had to send that bell flying, even if it took him all night to do so. A test of his pride more than anything.
There were several times he thought of turning around and walking away, but stubbornness kept him glued to his spot, eager to go get a turn. "It's probably rigged anyways." The Autumn muttered, trying to convince himself. It wasn't working.

TEST YOUR MIGHT
MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAT

Evelyn nodded vacantly from beside him. Well, more behind him, almost as if she was hiding. "Y-y-yeah... p-probably," she murmured back in a feeble attempt at reassurance. They were inching closer in line as the high striker defeated students one by one. She rubbed her arm, peering past the pole and into the stall, stuffed full of plushies and small cheap toys. Inflated mallets, bubble wands, rubber snakes, a giant stuffed bear or two, even some miserable looking betta fish swimming endlessly around in tiny glass bowls. Don't hurt your pride for a toy, she wanted to say, but she knew that it'd be futile.

The festival was as gorgeous as you'd expect, lit up with paper lanterns and filled with stalls. Games, food, a Ferris Wheel that towered over it all, but she couldn't help but feel out of place in this sea of people, all having fun. She'd never been to a place like this before, let alone with a...

Her gaze drifted up to Jace, who was staring a little too eagerly at the strongman game that had beaten so many other people. Nobody had rung the bell yet. Nobody. You arrogant idiot. She offered him an uneasy smile of encouragement and dropped her gaze to her shoes. Evelyn couldn't help but remember that day from so long ago, seeing him curled up on the floor clutching the places where she'd hit him. I don't think I can watch.

He nodded at the words of the girl behind him, as if he'd heard her when in actuality they'd went in one ear and straight out the other. The blonde was far too focused on how exactly he was going to do this. Was there a trick to it? Did he have to hit it at a certain time or a certain angle, or would he really just have to swing it down with all he had? But that seemed way too simple to be real. He hardly paid mind to the prizes lining the walls. He couldn't really care less about those, it was all for his pride. Only for the challenge. He could do it, he knew he could.

It wasn't too long until the people ahead gave up and it was his turn.

"Step right up!" The man working the game said, rearranging the crumpled bills in his pocket. "Two bucks a swing, son!"

Jason glanced at it quickly. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary, or the stand in particular, aside from the small photo and sign hanging aside the prizes that said 'do not allow this man to play'. The man in the picture was obviously Coach Bear, he noticed with a smirk. Excitement getting the best of him, he turned to glance back at Evelyn, winking and pulling a few ones out of his wallet. "This'll be easy." He assured her, and himself as well, slipping the money in the greedy man's hand and picking up the comedically large mallet. It was a bit heavier than he anticipated, but that was alright.

Tightening his grip and bringing the mallet overhead, he swung it down fiercely. It made an ugly clanging sound and the small ball went traveling up, but only about three-fourths of the way.

"Close, but no cigar." Jace heard behind him, "But you're welcome to try again, friend."

With little hesitation, the Autumn forked over the money again and swung again. It didn't even make it as far as the first time around. Jason huffed, giving away another few dollars and raising the hammer - glancing the Winter's way as he got ready to hit it again.

"Sucker." The man chuckled under his breath where he thought he couldn't be heard.

There was a rising sense of dread in her throat as she watched him swagger over, slip his money into the man's pocket, and hoist the mallet over his head. No matter how much she told herself she wouldn't watch, she found herself staring at him anyways. Evelyn crossed her fingers, smiled back at him when he looked at her, and inhaled a quick breath as the hammer came swinging down. PING. She couldn't stop herself from wincing when the mallet connected with the lever, and her heart sunk into her stomach when she saw it come a quarter ways short of the bell.

Evelyn had begun to stammer out some halfhearted reassurance, but whatever she was going to say died out as he handed over another wad of money and picked the hammer up again. Oh good God. It came down again in a heavy downswing, but that hit was even less impressive. It shot upward only to sputter out and fall gracelessly back to the ground. She put a hand on the back of her neck, giving him a queasy smile when he glanced her way, already ready for another go. Would they have enough money for any other games by the end of the night? "T-t-that was p-pretty c-close," she murmured. Maybe it was rigged. Or maybe that's just what she'd have to tell him once they blew all their money. She wondered if she could find John Warner wandering around somewhere nearby...

Evelyn was being so quiet that he couldn't understand a thing she said over the rest of the festival noises, but he saw the hint of a smile during his fleeting glance and assumed that it had to be something good. His attention turned back to the game, his arms faltering as he held the mallet up before slowly dragging them back down. Oh so casually, he sized the contraption up, leaning forward to give it a good look and a kick or two. There were a few sounds like loose bolts and screws, but he wasn't sure if that actually did anything.

He heard an abnoxiously loud cough from the man behind him and topped, smiling and looking back, he apologized. The older man just huffed. Jason quickly turned his attention back to the game. This time, he assured himself, he couldn't have spent all those months in gym to wimp out at d me cheap carnie game. The third time's the charm, right?

"Here goes nothing." Jace muttered, bringing the mallet back up and swinging it down with another ugly clang. As it shot upwards, his gaze quickly traveled with it, shooting further and further quickly until - low and behold - it slammed against the silver bell, making a far nicer and more satisfying sound.

Jason grinned, laughing a little and dropping the damned hammer while the man who owned the game seemed somewhat thrown off that he'd actually done it. The young man stuffed his hands back into his pockets, walking back over to Eve, almost completely forgetting that he'd actually won something material until the man spoke again.

"Nicely done...!" He called, a little less than enthusiastically. "Pick any prize you want from here."

He hadn't really any idea, glancing down at Eve questioningly to see if anything caught her eye. If not, he'd just go for the biggest thing possible.

BRINGGGG. . .

She blinked, surprised, and then she smiled. A sincere smile this time, nicer than the ones she'd been giving him tonight. "Y-you did it," she said, with only a hint of incredulity. It was something she'd meant to yell, but it came out hardly louder than a whisper. Still grinning, she half-skipped, half-walked over to meet him, only to get paused in her tracks by the questioning look she got. Her gaze drifted past and back into the stall, where hundreds of prizes big and small hung from racks and peered out from cubbyholes. Toys and balloons and fish, but one sat king over them all. It was a stuffed bear, with fuzzy brown fur and a ribbon tied around its neck, guileless beady black eyes and a thin stitched smile, and it looked as tall as Jace. Evelyn was too old for stuffed animals. Way too old. What would she do with something that size anyways? It was stupid. Definitely stupid. don'twantitatallnopenopenopenoepnopenope>><<

Her gaze lingered a little too long before she forced herself to look away, still smiling. Her eyes were focused on a patch of concrete to her right now. "Hehe, y-y-you don't h-have to get me a-anything..." Oh God, did that sound selfish? What if he was only asking what he should get? Or maybe he wasn't asking her anything in the first place, and she'd just imagined the look on his face. Evelyn clenched a hand into a fist, just for a moment, to stop her sudden heart attack. Stupidstupidstupid...

Jason let out the worst shrug of modesty, seemingly trying to blow off his oh-so amazing accomplishment as not that big of a deal - as if he hadn't been ready to blow off their entire festival budget at the expense of the pride-shaving game itself. "I knew I could get it," He grinned back down at her, pulling back the sleeve of his shirt and showing off the hard muscles on his arms. "Look at these ~" And so a few people actually did, including the game-bearer, who didn't seem very amused. In an obvious jest, he cleared his throat loudly. The Autumn relaxed, but didn't seem to pay much mind to the guy's impatience.

When he glanced back down at the girl again, it was easy to find what her eyes were trailing to. Amongst all the prizes, the largest stuffed animal stood out, hung to the wall by the ribbon on it's neck; it looked lonely, and beyond lovable. It looked really soft and the sheer size of it seemed enough to take up half of his bed, he thought. The Winter didn't seem to be the type to like teddy-bears, but maybe he was mistaken because the look on her face told him a different story. "You're too modest." He jibed lightly before pointing down the large teddy to the man. With a nod, he grabbed a hook and pulled the stuffed creature down from the wall, passing it over to Jason; who, in turn, held to Evelyn. "For you." He said simply with a warm smile.

There was a mixed rush of excitement and dread when she saw him motion to the bear. Oh God. Embarrassing enough for him to flex in front of all these people, now this? She began to stutter out some sort of polite refusal, but by then he was already holding the monster teddy bear out to her. Evelyn took it with both arms, bending back underneath its suffocating weight. She was was distressed to find that it was taller than her, and its feet were left dragging on the ground. "T-thanks..." she murmured, her voice muffled in its fuzzy brown fur. It was ridiculously soft. Evelyn hugged it tighter. "Um... a-a-are you s-sure you don't w-want s-something for y-yourself, though? Y-you don't have t-to get s-something like this f-for me, heh..."

He could only laugh at the sight of her trying to hold unto the gigantic stuffed animal all at nce. The thing was almost as big as they were and, for a moment, he thought maybe the pick of prize was a bit too much. Seeing her hold it tighter though and subtly snuggle against it assurred him that he made the right call, still. "I'm sure," Jason reassured her with a smile. "I wanted to get you something nice." Maybe it'd be wise to run her new bear back to her dorm real quick though, he thought, helping lift the giant plush off the floor. "Maybe they have cake pops here too." Jace suggested warmly.

She hid her blush by burying her face deeper into the bear's chest. "Um... o-okay. T-thanks." Evelyn shifted the giant bear in her arms, hoisting it farther up. A small smile spread across her face as she waddled blindly forward, unable to see past the bear in her arms. Memories of a rainy spring day in Rosebury floated through her mind, of cake pops and puddles and tea and a race through the rain. She felt too awkward these last few weeks. Another day like that would do her good. More cake pops would do her good. "C-c-cake pops s-sound good..."

It was almost weird how normal things seemed in that moment, walking standing in the middle of a warm, exciting fesival under the stars, winning giant teddy bears and looking for carnival food. Just another couple out in the night... Even that still took some getting used too. It wasn't a bad thing, but you could say it wasn't something he'd seen coming...
Jason smiled as she hid behind the bear, turning and walking, glancing around the stalls; making sure that nobody walked into the omninous floating bear as they went before he found a small stall with an assortment of different of treats and candies. Thankfully there were a few tables and chairs nearby, just in case. Lord, he went all out, getting two cake pops - twice the size of the ones at the cafe, a bag of cotton candy, a large cone of gelato, candy apple, and - of course, a huge thing of lemonade to wash it all down. "Think I got enough?" He asked with a small laugh.

Weird. That was one way of putting things. Normal was weird here, and weird was normal. For everything to be peaceful, to bear the slightest resemblance to the wider world, that was weird. She'd never been to a fair before, but it was everything she imagined it to be in her head. Stalls and food and games, a Ferris Wheel, the air filled with laughter. Evelyn knew better than to relax. Now was about the time that everything was supposed to go wrong and come tumbling down. Right? Right? The Winter followed him blindly, peering over the bear's giant shoulder as they walked. Maybe she should have gotten something a bit smaller...

Evelyn paused, shifting the plush around to bear (ha) the weight on her other shoulder as he walked up to a stall. Her eyes widened when he turned around, arms loaded with an assortment of treats and candies. Cake pops, cotton candy, ice cream, candy apple, lemonade... Yeah, that was enough. Maybe a bit more than enough. Alright, a lot more than enough. She still smiled, although her mouth was hidden behind the bear's shoulder. "Y-yeah..." she murmured, trailing off into a nervous giggle. What are you nervous about?

The young man quickly moved past his date and her giant stuffed bear over to the closest table, lest he accidently slip up and all his precious food go falling to the floor. It wasn't the fanciest thing, but it was nice, smooth glass with several chairs around and a large umbrella sticking out from the middle, small lights strewn all around to keep up the fair's exciting glow. It was right next to the traffic and stalls even yet, with pleanty of people walking right by one side of the table; both townies and entertainers alike. "Its almost weird how nice this is." Jason set the food down, pulling a chair out for Eve instinctually while he thought aloud. "Things were so different a year ago...

There had been so much that happened back then, he'd though there wouldn't be a moment some gross memory didn't plague him. Jace tried to shake those thoughts away, taking a seat for himself and starting on the gelato, holding it out to her in offering. "Not bad though, right?" He smiled, talking about the evening in general and encouraging her to try some of the sweetness he held.

OOC: I could have sworn that I had Eve sit down already, but apparently I'm suffering from dementia, because she is very clearly still walking in my last couple of posts. oh well. BIC:

Evelyn plopped down in the seat Jace pulled out for her, setting the bear down in the next chair over. It slumped back in its seat, staring at him with blank black eyes. She folded her hands in her lap and stared down, doing her best to relax. He gave voice to both their thoughts. This was weird, for as perfect as everything was. Surreal. A year ago... what had she been doing a year ago? Crying in the library, throwing knives at trees, lying in bed and just staring up at the ceiling, only leaving for classes and food, if even that. But now...?

She glanced up at him, smiling sheepishly. A lot had changed, and there was a difference. The difference was that for once she felt happy. Evelyn leaned forward, taking a bite out from the ice cream. When she pulled away, there was a trace of it on her lip. She didn't seem to notice, her eyes focused on the table again as she fiddled with her hands. "Mhm. N-not b-bad at a-all..."

As the gigantic stuffed bear slumped forward in it's new seat, Jason realized that after letting his eyes wander for a bit, he was caught staring into the toy's bland, black eyes - that seemed to stare into his soul and judge his entire being... Or, maybr that was just the Autumn's imagiation running away with him. The "fun, cutsey" things always unerved him a bit, ever since he was just a kick.

He forced himself to take his gaze away, focusing on the girl beside him instead, leaning closer and taking a small bite of the frozen treat in his hand. Jace had to hold back a small chuvkle as he saw her stare down at her hands, a small bit bb of fruity ice cream still on her lips. "You've got a little ice cream there on your face - ..." He made a vague gesture to his face for a moment, but quickly gave up trying to explain, smiling and leaning in closer instead. "Hold on..."
The blonde brought his fingers just below her chin, raising it gently so his lips could easily reach hers. He definately took care of the litte problem in a tender manner. "Got it." Jace said a bit teasingly before stealing another soft kiss.