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 Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:59 pm
Quote: Since the Winter Wonderland Carnival opened, there had been a section all the way in the back that remained blocked from view by wooden fences and blue tarps. Every now and then, sounds would be heard of an almost construction like nature but any questions were met with staff just telling passersby that it would be opening soon and to thank them for patience. What in the world had not been ready in time for the opening? Now, the fences are gone and the tarps removed allowing guests to see for the first time, the Winter Carnival’s pride and joy: An Ice Maze! Eight Foot ice walls shoot up into the sky marking the entrance before returning to a mere seven foot the rest of the way through. Scattered throughout the maze are iced carvings ranging from the abstract to animal and human figures. Yet at the center was the true treasure: the figure of a woman made of pure ice resides in the middle looking out at all those who enter her maze with wonder. She appears as if she could almost step off her pedestal and speak with the people around. Even the small fairy like creatures carved around her appear to have their wings flutter in the glow of the twinkle lights hung above the maze center. There is something strangely alluring about her, and once you find her you may find yourself so captivated by her appearance that the rest of the world seems to disappear around you and you lose track of time. Thankfully, there are enough people that someone is bound to shake you out of your stupor...eventually. Making it through the ice maze rewards you with a small little ice fairy sculpture, a souvenir and reminder for the evening. Each person is given one but if you ask nicely, they might just give you one or two more to take home as gifts. After all, who doesn’t want their own 12” tall dancing fairy made of crystal? After you exit the maze with your prize, you may find yourself dreaming of the beautiful icy woman in the center of the maze, watching you with her cool smile and cold eyes. Quote: OOC: Anyone who does this prompt will walk away with an ice fairy sculpture. Each one of them is slight different from the other but they all bare certain similar traits: they are all made of clear crystal without any color, all of them have a single pair of fairy wings and every single one seems to bare a childlike smile. You are welcome to go through the Maze multiple times to see different things and explore the sculptures within. While you will be rewarded each time with a fairy, only ONCE will count towards a raffle ticket!
Sophie was tragically, hopelessly, terribly lost.
She'd come to the carnival with her parents, who'd somehow managed to separate themselves from their only child. Both had partaken of the buttered rum being sold by one of the neighboring booths and had acted strangely afterwards. Sophie wasn't sure if it was the amount of alcohol involved (was there even alcohol involved?) or if her parents were simply just enjoying their holiday time away from work -- whatever the reason, they'd slipped off, giggling with each other no less, when she'd been distracted by one of the many colorful displays.
Finding them was a task, she soon discovered, even more so when she made her way into the ice maze after thinking she spotted her father's large winter coat disappearing behind the wall of ice. It hadn't been him, she'd come to find out, while she also quickly found out that she had absolutely no idea where she was going or how she was going to get out of this strange maze.
Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she nervously kept to the sides of the ice wall, making room for the boisterous, rowdy group of teenagers that came racing by, one after the other.
Oh why had she thought this would have been a good idea??
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 7:02 pm
Austin wandered the carnival with a foggy head.
The buzz of the rum was finally slipping away, a renewed clarity returning to green eyes but the leftover fog was something he thought could only be shaken by sleep. Yet, he was in no shape to drive even if it was very appealing to just slip out and make his way back to his car--- whatever date he might've been on be damned.
Besides, he'd been separated from the girl he'd come with for so long he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd left or found someone else to pay attention to her. Either way, it was no skin off his back. He was a great one night stand, or repeated stand, but not date material and Austin knew that.
It didn't bother him.
What did bother him was the fact that some funky, attractive ice sculpture had lured him into this weird ******** maze and now he was lost. Or as good as lost and the brain fog did absolutely nothing to help with that.
But up ahead he saw something...purple and it only took him half a second longer to place that he knew that purple.
"Yo, Soph!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:25 am
The shoulder closest to the ice wall brushed against the cold, frigid decor and the contact made her shiver. Immediately jerking away, one hand flew up to rub against the offended area as Sophie tried her best not to let her teeth start chattering. Her poor blouse was going to get damp at this rate; it was bad enough that the temperature was dropping down as the evening grew on and her poor body was freezing as a result. More teenagers continued to rush by and she glared almost enviously at them. They all had partners and friends to run through this stupid thing with - and here she was, trying to find her parents, of all people.
Gah, she wanted nothing more than to go home at this point. Her warm apartment and even warmer bed sounded like the best idea she could come up with, instead of losing her way through some silly ice maze by herself.
When she heard her name being called, her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't the low, baritone sound of her father's booming voice - no, it was the handsome, unmistakable voice of the man who could take her breath away easily and have absolutely no clue of it.
"A-Austin?"
Turning around, sure enough, the tall, lanky young man was making his way towards her. How in the world he'd found her was beyond her but he was here and they were together and maybe this whole maze thing wasn't such a terrible idea after all.
"What are you doing out here?"
Did he see her go into the maze and decide to follow?
Cheeks lit up at the thought alone, hands moving up to cover her face as she realized she was blushing. Thankfully, the bitter cold could easily excuse the warmth rushing to her face - at least, that was certainly the excuse she was going to make.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:29 pm
There was a slight misstep which left Austin stumbling, having to reach and grab a hold of one of the ice walls, hissing as the cold of it all bit into the flesh of his hand. When he drew his hand back, he wiped it off on his pants before both of them were slid into the front pockets of his jeans.
When Sophie turned around, she would be met with a lazy grin and half-lidded eyes. At least this time when he thought he knew the girl, he was right and since there was no mistletoe around, he wouldn't be giving any kisses that'd earn him several slaps.
Austin still wanted to know how a stack of paper could manage to hurt so much.
But long legs carried him over quickly enough and he was at his childhood friend's side with an easy, laidbackness. "Oh you know me," he answered without really giving her an real one. Then he shrugged. "What are you doing here?" He hadn't thought that the carnival was really Ms. Bookworm's thing these days since he hadn't seen her at an event like that since they'd stopped going to them together after junior high. "Didn't figure you were here for this kinda stuff anymore."
Maybe it was a rude thing to say, Sophie had an entire life that Austin wasn't exactly part of anymore and he hadn't been outside of when they'd see each other at their respective parent's houses or when he showed up for tutoring after her badgering because his parents paid her to make sure he didn't flunk out of the school they were paying for.
He was smart, he just wasn't educationally ambitious. Not like Sophie.
"You look nice." He felt compelled to point out, letting green eyes look her up and down before he pulled his hands out of his pockets and started to tug off his jacket.
She looked like she was freezing and he was basically a human space heater, he could handle the cold. As long as he could remember, Sophie couldn't, so he offered her his jacket.
"You look like you're gonna chatter your teeth off."
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 5:25 am
The casual smile had her heart skipping beats, hands moving to press up against her chest in an attempt to stay warm. Her sleeve was still wet from the ice wall but it was quickly becoming a forgotten issue the longer she stared up at the tall boy.
No doubt he'd come to the carnival with a group of friends (or worse, a date) but he was so laid back with his answer and the fact he currently wasn't with anyone else...
"You look nice."
The compliment had her blush returning, at least until the warm jacket found its way around her shoulders and Sophie thought for a brief moment that she might die of a heart attack, right there and then. The smell of Austin surrounded her as the scent of the young man filled her nose among the cold, biting winter they were currently victims to. Arms couldn't help themselves as they rose to slide through the oversized sleeves, the warmth enveloping her like a welcomed blanket.
It wasn't a hug, it wasn't him but she was in heaven just the same.
"T-Thanks," she murmured softly, biting the inside of her cheek as the stutter escaped. Why in the world she couldn't control her nerves around him was frustrating. Closing her eyes, she pushed away the shame that came from her answer as she returned his question with a lame response, "I came here with Mom and Dad. I, uh. Seemed to have lost them after they got a little happy with the buttered rum."
Even though his comment stung, she knew it was true; this place was not meant for people like her.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:45 am
Once his jacket was comfortably resting around Sophie's small frame, Austin stepped closer, casually sliding his arm over her shoulder to tuck her in close. He'd done this a million times when they'd been younger and it was near second nature for him when it came to his childhood friend, she was cold and he could help warm her up.
He didn't think anything of it.
"Ah, how are my second parents?" He teased, squeezing her shoulder when he took time to glance around the maze. He wasn't quite tall enough to see over the walls, but he was nearly there. "If I'd know you still liked this stuff, I woulda brought you with me, it'd be like old times y'know?"
Austin started walking, taking Sophie with him. "C'mon, let's finish this maze and I'll help you find your parents."
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:00 am
Her face lit up, both in color and in emotion as she felt his arm wrap its way around her shoulder. As if the smell of him wasn't enough to make her giddy, feeling the young man sidle up alongside her had Sophie almost tripping in place from excitement.
"They're... okay. A little nutty, I think they might have had too much to drink tonight."
The idea of old times hit her chest with a familiar pang, a bittersweet moment for the young lady. Back when two hopeless little nerds got into mischief with one another --- that is, before time moved on and life had them going their separate paths. Sophie made a mental note to check with Austin next time something like the carnival came into town - she knew she wouldn't have the guts to actually go through with the invitation but it was a nice thought, all the same.
"Yeah, o-okay. Thanks."
Exhaling, she looked up to offer the tall boy a small, quiet smile before allowing herself a moment to enjoy the feel of him next to her as they made their way through the confusing... now much less frustrating maze.
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