Welcome to Gaia! ::

"They're heading for the teacup ride thing, I think!" David growled lowly as he allowed himself to be pulled into the noisy, germ-infested crowds. He swore, the minute he got out of this night, he was never ever coming to this park again; He would never be able to view it as the once peaceful haven, only a fairground for disaster and nasty. David smirked at Kinsey's muffled comment, wondering if he could get away with breaking one of Prajna's wing or something. Seriously, how did his sister manage to keep this Frei so tame?!

That's when David raised his eyes to finally get a good look around.

"Wha...where are they?" David gasped, suddenly anxious. They hadn't been that far ahead had they? "Oh come on!" He nearly ripped his hand out of Kinsey's grip as he did another quick scan of the crowds, the faces. Nothing red. He bent low to the ground. No ribbons. Releasing an exasperated sigh, David returned to his upright position and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well..now what? I think you saw last time just how much control I have over Prajna; Even if we did find mine at least, it wouldn't sit still for long. If anything it'd run away again. But what about yours? I know he's got a bit of a.." David considered the words carefully. "A temper. How much trouble do you think those two could get into if we just give them their space? Yours, is he..scared of anything?"

David recalled what might frighten Prajna into returning but he came up with nothing. The flame, at home, never seemed afraid of anything.

Meanwhile, Prajna's face was torn between fear and excitement. Its icy blues trailed after the guardians' disappearing figures before turning back to Varun's mischievous features. He was grinning in a devious manner that Prajna recognized instantly. It was one of his prouder smirks! Like from the first time they met! Prajna felt its own lips curl up as well under Varun's hand before prying its mouth away from him, carefully.

"Ruin fun? That is David. David ruins all kind of fun," Prajna snorted playfully before taking a peek of its own around the corner. That's when it happened. Varun took hold of one of Prajna's hands and retook the lead, rushing happily towards the teacups once again. Prajna did not blush at first but the color rose slowly, like a ball gaining momentum down a hill. By the time the troublesome duo had sneaked over to the teacup ride and taken a spot in line, Prajna's face was burning, though it had clamped its lips so tightly together one might assume it was sick.

The fluttering sensation increased and Prajna wondered if yes, it was sick. This is what those people on television felt like right? When their faces turned weird colors and they let out moans and wails of pain? Sure, Prajna wasn't crying or anything but precautions should be taken right? At this thought, the flame instinctively tightened its grip on Varun's hand, unknowingly seeking some kind of answer from the only person it knew and was close enough to react to. Unfortunately, this was exactly the person who had brought the question up.

" Varun...is..Prajna..sick like?" the flame mumbled embarrassingly, looking away in attempt to retain what little proud it felt it possessed.

David couldn't resist a bitter chuckle as he imagined Varun glowering high above some poor Gaian man, a clawed finger pointing at some puny watermelon pressed against the citizen's quivering body, demanding it back, "Prajna's pretty similar then, I guess you could say. Incredibly selfish, self-centered, it won't listen to me in the least so.."

David turned to face Kinsey, a gentle grin instantly softening his sharp, anxious features, "So don't be sorry, not to me at least. It's tough, this parenting biz. I'm just one of the luckier ones, I guess; My sister's more of the parent, I'm just the babysitter." He shrugged, before taking a final glance around the fair grounds. Then the Chinese man proceeded to head to a small snack stand, gesturing Kinsey to follow, "C'mon girly. Kinsey isn't it? Let's just grab some food and chill, have some kind of good time. The kids will find us eventually or we'll wait for them at the exit when the fair closes. Either way, we'll leave together."

Turning his face back to the stand, David mumbled, "Hopefully, all in one piece."

Meanwhile, by the teacups, Prajna did indeed hope that it would make it through the rest of this night in one entire piece. Varun clearly hadn't understood what Prajna was saying but a small relief washed over the flame instead of expected irritation. Maybe it was better this way, Prajna thought, smiling a bit as it felt its nerves relax ever so slightly. Deep breathes, deeeeep breathes. That's when Prajna felt its companion cringe and the Star followed Varun's piercing stare to the back of a shady looking man standing near them in line. This man..was too close for comfort and Prajna frowned deeply, though inspired by a new thought: If Varun and Prajna got into trouble with their guardians away, what if they never got to see one another again? As if David or that frail looking guardian of Varun's could keep the two apart, Prajna did not feel like troubling itself.

"Varun. Gentle. Varun and Prajna are very close, see?" Prajna purred in the other's ear before tilting its head to the ride's entrance. There were maybe four or five more pairs ahead of them and then they were in. "Gentle waiting-like. No trouble tonight. Prajna is here."

And with a hopeful smirk, Prajna waved its stuffed animal around Varun's face, hoping to distract the Leviathan for just a few more minutes.

"Two funnel cakes, two bags of cotton candy and a water please," David purred casually to the poor teenage girl working the booth. Instantly the female reddened and broke into a fit of giggles, her co-workers following suit just a few seconds later, and then David turned to Kinsey, "What would you like to drink? And don't worry: This'll be my treat. You seem a little more rattled by our kids' disappearance than me, so I thought a sugar high might be just the cure."

As the man turned to address his darker female companion, the staff suddenly turned sour, some looking defeated and some irked. If David had been more irritated by their idiocy, he would have shrugged at them or maybe thrown an arm around Kinsey's shoulder, just out of spiteful emphasis, but the girl beside him did not seem the type to take that immaturity lightly. If anything, it might have upset her more and as a host, that was the last thing the man wanted to happen.

Before Prajna could explain itself, it felt itself being lead towards a giant blushing teacup. It crawled into the cramped but smooth quarters, beside Varun and placed its elephant between them. There appeared to be some kind of wheel, almost like a black pizza, in front of them and Prajna raised a brow curiosity. What now? That's when it heard the machine roar to life and the ground immediately began to shift, rotating slowly at first in small circles. Prajna looked around them and saw that some people had grabbed hold of the round thing and were..pulling it? Adrenaline began to course through the flame's cold veins once again, and Prajna shot Varun an energetic smirk, "Varun! Take this and make strong.

Prajna placed its hands around the rim of the wheel and then motioned for Varun to do the same.

As the cashier began handing David his ordered assortment of carnival goodies, the man handed one of each back to Kinsey. In the end, they both had one funnel cake, bag of cotton candy and drink each. Stuffing the bag of cotton candy under one arm and carrying the sugar-coated pastry and water in one hand, David looked around for a place to sit. Unfortunately, it seemed, all the tables were already preoccupied, either by parents who were tired from chasing after their children or disgusting toddlers, stuffing their faces with candy apples and popcorn. Unable to help it, the man cringed at the sight before turning to his companion, "Wanna just walk and talk? Doesn't look like we're going to get a nice place to sit. Ever."

He broke out into a casual smirk, gesturing with his head towards a small clearing by the petting zoo before walking towards it, "Don't worry about it. I've come to realize that, with Prajna, freaking out just creates more unnecessary anxiety. It does what it wants, whether that be following rules or not. I'm just hoping that one day there will be someone strong enough to teach it a lesson." He paused, a thought occurring to him as he leaned against a fence. "Have you met my sister?"

Prajna couldn't help but be impressed at the speed Varun used to execute the necessary strength to get their teacup going faster and faster, until the world around them was a blur. At one point, Prajna even stopped helping him turn the wheel, too overwhelmed by the beauty of the dizzying world. The speed, the blurs, they felt so familiar. Prajna's hair whipped madly around its face and it was until the tendrils of red hair stopped licking at the sides of the Star's face did it realize they were slowing. No, not slowing but stopping. Prajna mimicked Varun's bittersweet expression. This had been so..wondrous!

"Strong..Yes, Varun is very very strong. Prajna is happy," the flame admitted as they exited. Prajna felt like it was on some kind of high. This night was proving so worth it. It had managed to get rid of David, it had found Varun and it was experiencing so many new things. But now that the teacup ride was over, what would they do now? Prajna turned to Varun, an enthusiastic smile on its features, "Again. Varun! Pick next!"

David coughed a little as he sipped his water, "You're a cop? Nice. So the next time I get a speeding ticket, I can just have you pull a few strings? I'm kidding."

And the smile he produced was genuinely impressed and humorous. Then he shrugged, the smile fading just a tad, "I didn't pick up the kid, my sister did. She said that she just named it, signed a few papers, or was about to anyways, and brought it home. She thought it would be rude to ask and I followed her example I guess. I've tried to joke around with Prajna about it, but it seems adamant about keeping it a mystery, as if telling the public will cause them to treat it one way or another. I guess it's right. Maybe."

He picked at his funnel cake, trying to get the pieces most covered with powdered sugar first, "Smart hm? -he chuckled- Prajna's shown a bit of intelligence too, though it seems to use it for more bad than good. You saw how it acted last time. It'll use its cunning and whatever advantages it has on someone to its get the situation in its favor. Does it to me. ALL the flipping time. Drives me crazy." And David gave up, ripped a huge piece of funnel cake off and pushed it into his mouth. Mmm, perfect!

Prajna felt Varun close in and it appreciated the intimacy. What a nice feeling, to have someone so close to you, someone to share such adventures with! The Star smiled another brilliant grin, nodding, "Yes yes. Varun makes Prajna happy. Maybe, little very happy?"

It drenched its last few words in a flirtatious tone of voice as it had done before with Rivener. There had been other kinds of fun Prajna had quickly forgotten.. A hand. Prajna stared at Varun's extended hand and instinctively took it in its own. How expected..Such strong, confident hands. And yet, the Leviathan's hands were also so incredibly soft, warm and pleasant like the kisses of a summer sun. Distracted by the sensation and the metaphors running through its mind, Prajna soon found itself back beside the other redhead, staring at something magnificent. Another ride.

"Cah-met? Goes fast..Yes!" Prajna quickly agreed, as it wiggled them into the line, enthusiastic once again. That's when something hit it. It turned its sharp eyes back to Varun's face, a mixture of confusion and awe in its features, "VARUN! Varun read letters?"