Welcome to Gaia! ::

If Yukio received an invitation to meet someplace to hang out, even at a somewhat vaguish time, he was definitely going to be there on time, if not early. Such was the case for the annual Adelaide County Fair, the fond farewell to summer that happened in the city of Mayet every year. So, true to form, Yukio had shown up early, wearing his favorite Adventure Hat (a vintage leather flight helmet complete with goggles worn incorrectly) so he wouldn't be missed. Not like one could miss a tall, skinny, blue-haired computer nerd like him.

This time he was meeting his old college friend Alex and Dani, Alex's sister, by the ferris wheel. Even though he had left college behind in his freshman year (for the dumbest reason ever: a bad breakup with a girl he thought he was in love with), the two had kept in touch, if for no other reason than Yukio needed the moral support as he carved a career for himself as a programmer (and hacker), and Alex needed the homework help sometimes. Yukio was quite fond of both Alex and Dani, and both knew about his current situation -- see, Yukio's parents out in San Francisco didn't know he'd quit college and were still paying for his apartment in Mayet. Alex and Dani were even complicit in perpetuating the deception so he could figure out how to break it to his parents before he "graduated." it was a risky situation, but he had no one to blame but himself.

Yukio plucked off another mouthful of cotton candy and tucked it into his mouth as he waited, looking over the crowd as the sugary treat melted on his tongue. He was also listening to the cacophony of the Fair. Every now and then he pulled out his phone to record some sound that caught his attention. He was completely flat deadpan on the outside, but on the inside he was as excited as he'd been as a little kid. Hopefully Alex and Dani would show up soon.

Meanwhile, at Gauc and Roll, a poor worker was loading up what appeared to be a third or fourth burrito for a singular individual standing in front. She already had what looked to be other food in her arms, or at least she'd visited another truck as evident from the corndog that jutted from her mouth. The sparkle in her eyes was a heavy contrast to the terror of the poor vendor, and as soon as the exchange was done they scampered away as though the young woman had done something terrible.

Really, all Mehri had done was ask for four fully loaded extra special heavy duty guactacular burritos.

Nothing major! And she tipped!

Either way she had her food now and was slowly moving around, all the while casually devouring the corn dog that rested between her teeth. It was a secret skill she'd developed and honed in her youth and now, at the fair, she was putting those skills to the test in a way she had never tried before. (Or at least for the week. She was pretty sure she did it last week).

The downside of her skill, however, meant that she couldn't call out to others if they happened to be in her way, and with the way the crowds were moving her chances of not getting shoved by someone remained very limited. As a couple with a stroller passed by she did her utmost not to get shoved by the baby carriage, though she absolutely nearly did walk into the form of a young man who'd come up short in his own efforts not to deprive the world of future generations.

"Bumper cars," Dani said promptly, then after a speculative glance at the Adventure Hat, "and burritos. Loser buys funnel cake." Fair food lost a lot of its charm once it cooled, so why not throw in a speed-eating contest? It was her last week of freedom, after all. (Not that Dani minded school - Smithwick had a challenging curriculum - but there were plenty of other things she wanted to do, and she'd had a whole summer to do them. The little flare of rebellion at the prospect of fitting herself back into someone else's schedule needed shaking out.)

Behind her, Alex made a wordless "!" of surprise as someone walked into him from behind, and turned to check on the individual. "Hey, you alright-" His foot came down on something soft, which burst, and one look at the stricken expression of the woman behind him, and the remaining burritos in her arms, gave him a good idea of what he'd see if he looked down.

"Oh. Geez. I'm sorry." The blond glanced at Yukio as he came up - from what he'd said, Alex's sneakers weren't the only thing that would need cleaning - but his attention was mainly on Mehri and how she would react. She looked pretty upset, but she'd just lost her burrito, after all. (And then he'd, er, made it worse.)

Dani cast a look of annoyance at the woman who'd attacked her brother with a burrito and headed for the nearest food truck.

Yukio watched in fascination as the yukata-clad girl's expression cycled through the gamut of shock, outrage, sorrow, fury, and finally settled on withering before she devoured her corndog like a shark devouring a seal. A thought came to him, an idea. A cunning plan even. He raised an eyebrow, processing the possible outcomes until he determined that it was worth a shot.

Positioning himself between the girl and Alex, he looked at her over the tops of his shades. "Listen, I think I have a way for you to get revenge," he said, voice low. "Alex -- that's the guy who crushed your dreams, I mean your burrito -- his sister Dani has challenged me to a bumper car duel combined with an eating contest." He looked around for Dani, spotted her at the food stands, and turned back to the girl. "Bumper cars have two seats. So how about we team up? Alex and Dani in one car, you and me in the other. I'll drive, you devour. I rise victorious in battle over my friends, and you get your revenge for your squished burrito."

He never changed the flat look on his face, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he spoke. "It's a plan that can't fail. So what do you think, um… never got your name. Mine's Yukio. Pleased to meet you."