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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. ]

Threaded | Flat

[he's seen plenty of these kinds of booths in his day (speaking like an old man when you're actually a baby, ok), and the fact that he'll have to provide his own con isn't a surprise.

So when he saddles up to their booth, he leans an elbow down and smirks.]

Don't tell me this isn't a kissing booth.

[It's the dragon plush that calls Jack's attention, bringing memories of a friend now gone. It wouldn't hurt to do this gesture in his memory, right?

Right. Except the one in charge is... ugh. Hiccup better appreciates this, wherever he is now.]

So I find the boss sleeping means I get a prize for free?

[ Charlie is well-aware that carnival games are rigged as shit. That's pretty much a law of the universe, and he's not really looking to blow his money, but the sight of a familiar face draws him over to the booth. ]

Just what are you ladies up to?

[ anything like this draws zero's attention, though they don't care all that much for a fair. throwing sharp objects, though, that's good. ]

Show me the arms here. [ zero... this isn't a weapons shop... ]

I'll help you. Just— Just keep it.

[She doesn't need a headless wolf for her collection. Or, any other headless animal for that matter? She's trying to avoid making a face at the mess and failing spectacularly. Sorry, you sad, sad booth attendant.]

[AH, IT'S THE PUNK. And a pure bean who's clearly somehow been roped into these shenanigans because Hawke is a bully who bullies...

But no, Kashuu's actually curious about this booth. He's been trying a little bit of this and that all night long, both by way of snacks and entertainment, so of course he'll be stopping by here too.]

What's all this for? Is it some kinda game?

[ The Champion of Kirkwall and a Dalish elf walk into a tavern...

Dorian recognizes the both of them, of course, and a part of him is a little surprised they know each other; it logically follows, he reasons -- people do tend to cling to what is familiar. Even more mysterious is how or why they've become carnival barkers. Tough times, one supposes. Or a trick of some sort. Possibly both.

He catches snippets of their conversation as he approaches, which does little to assuage his doubts. ]

Ah, yes. This looks like an honest and upstanding establishment.

[ Games of skill and strength are exactly up Chie's alley. She's used to festival types games, catching a goldfish with a paper poi, or other stuff like that. But this is different. She watches someone else play first, and notices how enthusiastically the booth runner encourages the guy playing. But of course, he fails, and that only makes Chie want to win all the more.

Besides, it looks easy, right?

Dressed as usual in her plaid skirt and green track jacket, Chie slaps her credit card down on the counter (she's still pretty unused to using it rather than having cash) and rolls up her sleeves like a champ. ]

One try, please! I know I can do this! There's no way I can lose! [ Oh god, she's so enthusiastic but infectiously confident, smiling brightly. Could someone really ruin her dreams?! ]

[Chibi's paid his ten credits, he's locked his eyes on a unicorn plush (a gift for someone), and he's ready to go. Right now. Let's do it live. In a display of confidence, he licks his fingertip and runs it over the tip of the dart...]

[Only to find out that the dart isn't sharp at all; it's gone completely flat. Chibi being Chibi, he doesn't realize this is a con, but instead assumes the two just haven't been tending to the metal properly.]

You really ought to take better care of these little ones. [And he... Takes a small whetstone from his hat, the same one he uses to sharpen his pocket knife, and starts working at it.]

[Just. Right there.]

( She'd heard the conversation. The game - the 'trick'. It's not that unlike things that Leliana had seen, even taken part in Thedas herself. There were some that loved games, especially the dishonest ones.

It made the challenge interesting, at least. Particularly when it was a skill that Leliana had. Arrows, daggers. Piercing objects. It was one of the few things that could possibly be considered comfortable in this place. Little was so far, but something familiar - especially the faces - helped )

And how much does it take to win?

( Not that Leliana expects an honest answer, anyway. She's met Hawke before, and heard more - though how much of that is Varric's embellishing Leliana will place no bets on. Plus there's a reasonable amount of skill too, and whatever else may be in the game )

[ A Cultural Festival seems strangely placed after the events not too long ago, but perhaps everyone needs a way to distract themselves of the horror that was witnessed. Mitsuru remembers having fond memories of culture festivals at Gekkoukan previously, and knowing that the one during her senior year had been cancelled, she decides to take part.

As a spectator, of course.

She's never heard of a "balloon game" before, but she is curious. ]

Excuse me. I--

[ Oh. Are they asleep?

That...seems to be setting a poor precedent for anyone else on the job. Even if these are volunteer positions, they are meant to be taken seriously. Mitsuru crosses her arms, staring down the sleeping woman.

Unacceptable. Especially since she appears to be a doctor. ]

Excuse me.

( Cassandra had a poor enough experience at the previous carnival to be immediately leery of anything remotely similar. She already has a glare on her face as she approaches, but as she nears and -- Maker help her -- recognises the people running the booth, her expression briefly flickers into one of confusion before she steels herself and again schools herself into a look of general disapproval. )

What are you two up to now?

[Phoenix happens to be wandering by, still wearing a fake beard as he goes to and from his mock trial set-up, when that stand catches his eye. And the talk of trickery catches his ear.

But he draws near curiously, raising a confused eyebrow as he takes a closer look at the set-up.]

This game looks pretty straighforward to me... [Where's the trick? Throw darts, pop balloons, get prizes. Sounds simple!]

[Is Maya gullible enough to fall for this act? Or will her own conning skills save her? ONLY TIME WILL TELL]

Oh, oh, is this a game? What is it?

[She's looking at those cute little dolls with interest... this would be the perfect game to make Phoenix play for her]

[Who let this small child into the booth? While Merril and Hawke are busy fielding their game to customers, Miu just slips in from the back and picks up one of the darts that hasn't been picked up yet. Hmm. Very interesting. Very stealthy, or so she thinks, though they're bound to notice her in a second or two.

She presses the dulled dart to a ballon that doesn't pop, all while making eye contact with whichever of the attendant girls is closest.]

I'm impressed. I wish I'd thought of this. It could be better, though.

Edited 2016-04-05 05:53 (UTC)

Threaded | Flat

h & m hahaha...

Hawkeye

GIMME BOTH. We can do one thread or separate threads I am down with either.

hawke and merrill!!

gimme an m!

hawke and merrill!

no subject

Hawke!

both... i'm so sorry

both!!!

Hawke - I'm back from con so late is better than never i hope?

both ofc

Both??

h & m

both please!