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Who: Hawke + Merrill + Anyone who comes to visit their balloon booth
When: IC: 6/9
Where: The Cultural Festival
What: Hawke and Merrill try to run a con. It goes just as well as you'd expect.
Rating/Warning: None!

HAWKE AND MERRILL

[ today at the cultural festival, there is a certain booth crammed in amongst all the other booths. it's bright and colorful and very much open to the public. the most noticeable thing about the booth are the stuffed plushes surrounding the edges -- plushes of mosley, bellona, and all kinds of fantastical creatures (dragons, unicorns, three wolves howling at the moon, etc etc). on the wall of the booth and the main attraction of it, is a wall filled with different brightly colored balloons and a sign that reads “BALLOON GAME”. pretty straightforward, huh?

then there are the two manning the booth: hawke and merrill. hawke, just as scruffy as usual with a t-shirt that reads TRUST ME, I'M A DOCTOR and merrill, elfy and pure. as your character approaches, they'll catch a conversation between the two friends. ]

You can't just tell them how to play, Merrill. It's a whole process, you have to convince them! Let them figure it out themselves and say nothing while they do it.

— But Hawke, if we don't tell them how to win, how ever will they— [ merrill's voice lowers to a slightly muffled whisper. nevertheless, she isn't being too discrete. ] Oh, I see. It's a trick, isn't it? You're always thinking ahead, Hawke.

First, thank you, I try. Second, no, no. Not a trick. [ hawke, stop lying. ] A challenge! They have to use their wits. Will the dart pop the balloon? Will they pop enough to win the prize? Will they use all three chances wisely or have to pay to play again? Only the Maker knows, of course.

But we're hoping that the dart doesn't pop the balloon, yes?

[ does this question even require an answer, merrill? unfortunately, hawke's actual answer is drowned out by the buzz of the fair but their booth is open and they're waiting for any sort of customer so, uh...

... step right up? ]

HAWKE

[ as the day goes, hawke decides to give merrill a bit of a break (or told her to go enjoy herself at the festival because she kept BLOWING THE CON -- either one) and hawke takes over the booth completely. hawke is charming and personable to those who approach the booth and encourages multiple attempts to win a prize. surely, you'll get it next time! surely. she even lets a few people win (if only to keep up the integrity of their reputation).

but at one point during the festivities, anyone who comes across hawke will find her at the booth, sitting on the table and leaning against the booth wall, arms crossed over her chest and... asleep? yes, hawke is asleep on the job.

you're welcome to wake her up. or not. you do you, friend. ]

MERRILL

[ with the culture festival wrapping up, merrill found herself levied with the grand, insurmountable task of breaking down the booth. she had to be useful somehow, seeing as how every time she cut in during a transaction, she ended up ruining the con.

this would be easy (easier, at least) if the booth wasn't so— so fancy, but unfortunately, it was way too future-y sci-fi for merrill to figure out. there were hinges in places merrill didn't know hinges could even be, and merrill had forgotten to ask hawke for the instruction manual. she decided, then, to just wing it — she moves to a nearby hinged corner and begins to fold it, when suddenly, it electronically takes over and flips wildly, causing merrill to fall on her back. damn.

when she gets up, everything looks good except... oh, well, it looks like a plush got decapitated. the three wolf moon plush was now a two and a half wolf moon plush. she grasps the head tentatively, wondering what to do now, when she sees someone approaching. she scrambles to her feet, hoping it isn't hawke.

when she sees it isn't, she sighs, holding out the... head. ]

Ah... you wouldn't happen to want a headless wolf for your, um, collection, would you? I'll gladly give it to you if you help me fix — fix this.

[ she waves over to the booth rather sadly. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Chie doesn't even think to chastise the woman for not being as energetic as her, because Chie's so super focused on the game instead to worry about much else. Like... whether or not this might be rigged or anything. She's far too trusting, especially given that it's a woman running the booth. ]

Thirty? Okay! [ She has no idea if that's a lot... ]

Alright! Hyaa! [ And she throws her first. With plenty of gusto behind it, and a positive attitude, there's no way she can miss...right? ]

[ the sweet innocence of youth. hawke will just casually take that fee from chie and give her a thumbs up as she lines up her first shot. there's totally no way you can miss, chie!

... except she does! the dart just sort of loses steam halfway to the mark and falls uselessly to the ground. somehow. wonder how that happened? ]

Ohhh, tough luck! Two more tries though, maybe you can still win!

[ The younger generation has to trust the older generation, right?! It's a fundamental trust between them, that makes the world possible! Students should trust teachers, and kouhais should trust senpais!!

And despite how pumped up Chie is about this, she ends up... completely missing the mark?! And worse that that it's like she didn't throw hard enough!! ]

H-Huh? I'm not even sure what happened there... but I know I can do it this time! [ She even rolls up her sleeve, just to show how things have gotten serious!! Taking up a better stance, she flows through the motions a few times before winding back and throwing as hard as she can! ]

[ yes! that's exactly how this work. trust your senpai, chie. it's not like your senpai is trying to con you out of every last credit. no way! that's totally not what's happening here! ]

Yes, one more try! You've still got two chances after all, if you make them both you'll definitely win something.

[ this one, mercifully, does actually hit the balloon and makes it pop! just like hawke said! whoa, it's crazy. it's like hawke wants to give her some kind of hope or something. hawke just grins cheerfully and gestures for chie to try the last one. ]

See, see! Just like that, you're getting the hang of it already.

[ What kind of person would do that?! Just run a carnival game and cheat?! Surely this pretty oneechan here would never! ]

Alright!! I got it!! [ Chie jumps into the air, pumping her fist with pride. She did it! But that leaves one more to win. Maybe she won't get the big prize, but she refuses to lose! ]

Yeah! Just watch, there's no way I can miss with my next throw! [ Pulling her arm back, she breathes in slowly and deeply, focusing only on her target. With a quiet mutter of "don't think.... feel..." she throws that last dart with everything in her!! ]

[ exactly! hawke is a pure, delicate spirit who just wants to run a game for kids. ]

Yeah, definitely not. No way.

[ but it's all said in a kind of bored tone and hawke just watches as the dart flies towards the balloon, it looks like it's going to make it and...!

... and it bounces off the balloon? it just sort of falls against it and drops to the floor, leaving to balloon unpopped and the dart just sitting on the ground uselessly. wow. that was something else. ]

Huh. That was strange.

[ Someday Chie might end up seeing behind that curtain and she will be...

probably pretty impressed.

But for now it's a different emotion altogether on her face when she sees the thing just bounce off the balloon like that. Stuff like that isn't supposed to happen. Plus, she threw so hard, that dart should have gone through the back of the booth or something, not just weakly fall away!! ]

W-What just happened?! I hit it dead on!

[ Chie looks from the balloon to Hawke, then to the balloon and then back again like three or four times before she decides-- ]

I want to try again, please! [ And she slaps down her credit card again. ]

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