I Wanna Get Better

[Maxpphire]

To say Dreki had been distracted mentally lately would be a bit of an understatement. If not keeping himself busy, he has lately caught himself just staring out into nothingness, not really focusing on anything, not even his thoughts or even old memories he had just gained back. He had been trying hard to put those memories, fresh wounds behind him for now, they had hurt too much to tackle head-on lately. Being free, lately, had been much more suffocating than having been trapped and tortured. He just wasn't used to it. For the very first time in his life, he was free to live it as he pleased. No overly sheltering father, no suffocatingly religious foster parents, no adoptive father watching his every move, just himself, and himself alone. He felt lost, even his own memories felt like strangers.

He had kept himself so busy that his birthday had even passed without him even noticing. He had meant to spend it with Ash, given how they at least made plans to celebrate with each other, even if it wasn't on the exact day. He had an idea of how to celebrate and sent her a text.

'Hey, sorry I didn't get back to you about my birthday, I'd been pretty busy as of late. There is an event at the carnival tonight, it's been rented out by my employer at the college I work at, mostly for supernaturals or those in the know. They are free to be themselves so if you wanted to know more about other types, then this would be a good event to do it at. I'll be there more in the evening to nighttime, just text me when you get here and we can meet up somewhere.'

Once he got there, he figured he would donate some blood, and pick up a Supernatural Business Showbag. Not like he could read the information in the show bag without help, but he did need to find a doctor at least in the know who would be able to take over his medical care since he needed more than most others given his status of being altered. He figured he could ask Ash when she got there, or even use the computer that read for him at work if worse came to worst.

Thinking of that computer brought him to think about Sam. God he missed Sam and the physical releases that came about in the past. Really he didn't know how to cope very well with what he had to go through to get his freedom, and his previous self-therapy had always been one night stands. This time, he just wanted something familiar but dismissed and suppressed such feelings. After all, Sam had asked someone out before he took that week and a half off, to recover from being ill, and then his family's death all one after the other. He pretty much dismissed himself as being a small and insignificant speck in Sam's already long life. Part of him regretted allowing Sam to know the finer details his life at all, it was a risk he took, one at the time he wanted to take in hopes that either he would find help or someone who wouldn't run away. Neither of which he found through him.

He sighed, and shook his head, as if to shake the thoughts of Sam out of his mind as he began to walk around, checking out the attractions, waiting for his phone to go off and maybe hear back from Ash, and if he didn't, then he had hoped that being alone in such a busy place would be enough of a mental distraction for him. His face mostly sat in a neutral expression. His hair up, two braids on either side of his head, all four of which formed a low sitting ponytail at his nape. While his hair had a more feminine tyle to it, his clothes were that of his usual wear, black slacks, white button up, and black vest.

[Maxpphire]

While wandering around, he felt out of place. The look on his face was neutral but leaning on more of a somber tone. He felt like life was just passing by around him so quickly and he was just moving at a snail's speed. He would occasionally stop off to the side, watch people play assorted games just to see how they worked, then moved on. After a while, he stopped walking after feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached for it and his headphones, figuring it was likely a response from Ash, but as he was pulling it out of his pocket he was bumped into, causing him to casually toss his phone forward by mistake. He went to grab his phone before looking at the person, he recognized the voice as one of his students.

"Oh no! We're sorry," They started until they noticed just who it was, "Oh! Professor Arach! I'm so sorry, really I didn't mean to bump into you like that, is your phone ok?" He had just picked it up and brushed off the dirt, no cracks, everything was fine.

"Yeah the phone is fine, honestly, no worries, it happens." He said with a small but reassuring smile, "Enjoy the fair, ok?"

"Yeah, we will, you try to too, ok?" They said, Dreki turned his head slightly in confusion, it was the word 'try' that caught his attention more than anything, the student looked at him concerned and explained before he could ask, "We've noticed you seemed down or out of it while in class, you still seem a bit out of it even in a fun place like this, maybe try some of the games? Anyway see you around."

"Alright, will do, thanks." He said and waves bye to them as they waved bye back and continued forward. He watched them walk away as he hooked his headphones into his phone, a little concerned. Was it really that obvious that he hadn't been feeling like himself lately? In a way he hoped that Ash would cancel so she wouldn't notice, and he wouldn't have to even think about such a fresh wound and bring her down emotionally along with him, her text proved otherwise.

'Hey! Don’t even worry about it, it’s totally okay! Life happens, even when we don’t want it to. Also, whoa! Supernatural Carnies? (Are we even allowed to text about this stuff??) Either way, DEFINITELY count me in! Shoot me the address and I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve made it there. '

He responded.

'Of course we can, not like anyone else is ready our texts beyond just the two of us. The carnival is -here-, I'll be awaiting your text on once you're here.'

He couldn't just not respond to her positively after seeing her text, part of him felt trapped, thinking of another excuse why he could be down, not feeling like himself. Something that she wouldn't exactly see through. At the same time he didn't want to lie to her either, that wouldn't be right. Sure he could always just be like 'I don't want to talk about it' but it was a big enough event to have happened that didn't seem quite right to say. He had an idea, given how he was just thinking about Sam not that long ago, it shouldn't be that hard to shift the blame over to him right? 'Just send him a text and let him ignore, or even flat out deny you, that would be fine' he thought to himself as he moved over to his conversation with Sam, it had been a while since they had even sent one another a message.

'Hey, It's been a while hasn't it? The Facility had been forcibly disbanded so I'm officially free. Sorry if this is a bother but are you at the carnival? I am meeting a friend who's newer to the idea of supernaturals here, but figured it would be nice to see you too. Let me know if you're interested in hanging out.'

He had re-written it several times before he decided it was up to par with his own standards and sent it out. He was trying to not over explain everything, he really wanted to in hopes that would help his case. Part of him wanted Sam to say yes, but had a pretty big gut feeling he'd either be ignored, or told no. He knew if he did over-explain things that his gut feeling would be more of a 100% rather than a 95% of rejection. He felt nervous, despite trying to use it to explain his disappointment with life away. He didn't know what he wanted. He wanted to be surprised and see Sam, but he also didn't want Ash to ask if everything was ok and notice his mood hadn't been a good one.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered to himself at his own conflicting emotions, part of him wanted to take that text he sent to Sam back but knew it was too late for that. He felt like an idiot right after he sent it, well either way it would be better than a lie, right? He sighed as he continued on with his wondering around, looking around at the games and attractions, sticking his phone back in his pocket.

[Existentially Odd]

Sam was, indeed, at the carnival. He was pretty sure every supernatural in the city was at the carnival, it was boggling! And more than a little overwhelming for a quiet guy like him. He hadn't anticipated such a response when he'd agreed to man the KGA stall, offering course information and advice alongside the new Dean.

Zim had been there all day and was still powering along. Sam had enjoyed chatting with him in between the ebbs and the flows of the public, though he'd only been there an hour himself. It had been long enough for him to wish he wasn't there any more and to want to retreat to his nice, quiet library with some books for company. At least there were plenty of amazing sights strolling past their stall - and occasionally stopping in to ask a question. He was feeling positive about enrolments for the new year, at least. The Academy deserved more students, he felt.

His phone was in his pants pocket. He'd worn a suit because he felt that appropriate to represent the Academy, though his boss hadn't felt thus inclined. Sam's suit was an elegant navy blue with an emerald satin tie and pocket square. He'd combed his hair back sleekly and secured it in a tiny tail at the back of his head. Again, for the (unnecessary) professional look.

The text he read gave him pause and instantly distracted him from his own concerns about the crowds. He felt an unexpected rush of warmth when he saw it was from Dreki. Surprising. The contents of said text were even moreso. He had to read it multiple times to take in the full impact of it. I'm officially free. How curious... and what a curious series of thoughts tumbled through his head right afterward.

Howdy. Yep, I'm here, manning the KGA stall for a bit, chatting with folks that want to know more, handing out info. Wow. That's amazing news, so happy for you! Would love to see you for a chat if you head over this way

Sam hit send and lingered over his phone, scrolling back through his previous exchanges with Dreki. Some where a little risqué, bringing fond memories to bear. The angel-mortal had had a particularly powerful effect on him. Uncharacteristic, even. He'd grown fond of him scarily fast - enough that when things got too complicated and hard, it'd just been easier to break ties. Better than risking himself for someone in an impossible situation. But now he was free?

He didn't know whether that was a positive development for him or worse, considering his odd weakness. For a mortal. Hrmmm.

[Maxpphire]

When he felt his phone vibrate in his pants, he expected it to be Ash more than Sam. He plugged in his headphones and when he heard 'One New Notification from Sam Academy Librarian' he had sighed. He knew it, this was it, the moment of denial he could tell Ash about, to pretend to be the reason why he's a bit sad. However, much to his own surprise it wasn't. He nearly dropped his phone upon hearing the text for the first time as his heart rate skyrocketed. He listened to it several times before he decided that yeah, it was indeed a real text, from Sam. He put his phone back into his pocket as he made his way back towards those booths. He knew where they were, after all the culture booth was pretty close to it, and he did have a hand in setting that up before the carnival started, given how it was his idea to Ben anyway. He just didn't want to be there all day and opted to come back at night, after some rest, turned out that was a good idea given what just happened.

He hurried his way on over, but as he got closer to the booths, he slowed his roll into that of his normal walking speed. He had really liked Sam, even through the initial hurt of originally being rejected. He really did wonder if that was just because of his previous situation and now that it was over with, Sam would be more open. In a way that worried him as well, what if he had to deal with anything else hard in his life? Would Sam just up and run away from him again?

He was still reeling from his sister's death, in such a way he couldn't even talk about it yet. What if Sam asked about her? Either way, he couldn't tell him, at least not yet anyway. Not just because the words of hearing it out loud hurt, but he was afraid that he'd be likely to chase Sam off again. His thoughts attempted to spiral downwards, but he took a deep breath in attempts to calm himself. It mostly worked, while he was still nervous, it was more of a good nervous than a bad one. He made it to the booth and looked inwards.

"Sam?" He called out, thinking he saw his outline, but had been second guessing himself a lot. His tone was slightly excited, nervous, and curious, the last one mostly to make sure that was indeed Sam. He had for sure been doing better since his freedom, but it was hard for him to see given the surrounding events.

[Existentially Odd]

The Kerr Galvin Academy for Supernaturals stall was arranged to maximise space and traffic flow. The information tables were on opposite sides of the three by three tent (pushing outside the boundary of the it because all the flaps were rolled up) with two chairs positioned in front of each so folks could sit down and sign on for classes.

There were chairs behind the tables, too, and Zim tended to stick to one side, Sam the other, sitting to guide people through signups or standing in the centre, encouraging curious onlookers in. There were times they could've done with a third such setup at the back, and more volunteers, as the dance of sitting and greeting was quite monotonous.

Luckily, Sam had just farewelled a signup when Dreki arrived. "Dreki! Hey there," he greeted, circling the desk hastily and gently taking his hand to guide him to one of the chairs at the front of the desk. He sort of expected to be reprimanded for fussing but the lighting wasn't very direct - most night visitors had good enough night vision so that only a little was enough - so he didn't trust Dreki would be able to find his way to the clear plastic chair easily.

Sam dropped Dreki's hand and sat in the chair beside, angled to face Dreki rather than the desk. To anyone passing, it would look like he was recruiting, though he wondered if the Dean had had cause to meet Dreki yet. He'd know this was a social conversation, not a business one, in that case. Oh well. "So, big news! How did it happen?" he asked eagerly. The thought of helping Dreki had seemed insurmountable so Samuel found it very difficult to imagine the cogs that had turned to allow the angel-mortal resolution.

[Maxpphire]

He honestly didn't mind Sam helping him, day or night his sight functioned the same, but the touch of Sam's hand felt nice, nicer than he wanted to admit lest he come off as desperate. It did make his week to hear from Sam in such a way, he never thought that this would be happening but was glad it was. He knew he could always use the excuse of 'oh I work at the Academy, I don't mind helping out a bit, I helped with the culture booth this morning.' as an excuse if the new Dean had words about it, after all he did enjoy helping anyway. When Sam asked him how it happened, he tensed a little bit, closed his eyes thinking how to phrase this, but opened them to speak.

"I accidentally caught the attention of Vampires that felt more vampiric than even you do, by a lot I think age is what it is? They implied they were much older than my friend Drew who is also a Vampire, so much so they originally didn't want him to help out worried that they wouldn't be able to protect him too. Anyway they didn't like the idea of what was going on and decided to get rid of it. I helped, but without them it wouldn't have happened. One of them even fixed my memories while also looking for all the information they could get on it. Getting used to being free is, a lot of work, but I'm making my way through it." He said purposefully leaving a lot of details out, "the big thing is that whole place is no more, and thus I don't have to worry about going into hiding or anything. Hofflan is dead, I can use my wings to soar on my own now rather than be a songbird trapped in a small cage. It's refreshing." He spoke truthfully, the irony of his own metaphor not lost on him, given his musical talents. He didn't even mention Emma at all, it was on purpose and he wondered if Sam would notice or even ask about her.

"Anyway, what have you been up to beyond working the Library? Anything? Find any new leads on this two artifacts you were looking at? Any other new artifacts? Are you able to go out and look for them?" He asked in a way to change the subject, but also because he was genuinely interested.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel listened to Dreki's tale attentively. He'd accidentally caught the attention of Ancients? More than one, by the sound of things. Yeesh. But it had worked out well, Dreki's primary tormentor was dead and the facility closed down. Sam noticed there was no mention of Emma - since she'd been the main sticking point that had prevented Dreki from allowing inadequate action (from him or anyone he knew) in the first place, she was conspicuous in her absence. That worried him.

It took him a moment to switch gear and remember which ones Dreki was talking about. It'd been a few weeks since they'd had any contact... huh. "Still pretty much all about the library," he drawled with a grin, admitting his life was limited, "but I have a full staff now and I'm almost through the training phase with all of them so I should be able to branch out and start hunting things down soon. I'll have a little freedom myself," he gave a breathy laugh that ended somewhat abruptly.

Was it insulting, to compare the enormity of Dreki's tortured life to his banal existence in the library? He hoped the blond wasn't offended.

[Maxpphire]

He had let out a small chuckle with his exhale when Sam joked about having freedom of his own, he didn't find the joke offensive at all. If anything, he was reminded much of old times. He smiled warmly for probably the first time since his actual escape. Sam still had a way of making him smile fairly easily, even when smiling was hard for him to do at the moment.

"I assume this staff of yours are also adequate in helping me out if I need it, you never struck me as the type to be bad at training" He mentioned, sure Sam trained them up well but was more curious about other things they may have been told, "but I am curious, did you tell any of them that it was a professor who was visual impaired or that there just was someone who was visually impaired that uses the library? I only ask because sometimes people can be a little overzealous in helping. At the high school I work at, I told a class my first year there, one of my band classes, and this one girl would try to make it down early, before the previous class was even let up, to attempt to 'help me' set up for her class. I turned her away several times, and even gave her detention once for just entering and doing stuff without even asking me first. She got mad when I sat her down told her I didn't need the help, she couldn't understand that I can be independent at all. So as long as they don't treat me like I'm totally helpless it'll be fine, I just want to be prepared for it if needed." he explained better, even with a harmless story of his past that he wasn't sure if he had told Sam about already or not. It was clear he didn't mind Sam's help to the chair once he got there, but those were also for his own personal reasons. He didn't need a team of new people instantly trying to guide him to the right computer or offer to either get or put away whatever books he was reading every night he was there either. Hell, he'd get annoyed if Sam attempted to do that every night too and he liked interacting with Sam.

"Also, if you're ever up for it, I'd be more than happy to actually celebrate our freedoms sometime," he spoke in a sort of warmly nervous tone, clearly wanting to pick back up where they left off and hoping they could, "even if it is in a small way, like just enjoying the carnival tonight or something." He then added in case Sam didn't want to. He had been reminded of Sam asking someone else out to a positive response at one point before this all went down, he didn't want to scare Sam away if he happened to be taken. Friends were better than nothing, and he'd rather at the very least have Sam in his life as a friend if they couldn't continue were they had left off.

[pentagrandma]

It had been a while since Ash had seen Dreki last. Since that night, when her fragile little bubble had shattered and come crumbling down. She’d obsessed over the details up until the present; replaying the events and subsequent conversation over and over in her mind, analyzing and reanalyzing. He’d answered every question she could throw at him and more, but she found herself questioning still. The things she’d believed not of this world, in fact, were.

Supernatural inquiries dominated her Google search history, and doodles of celestial beings (namely in Dreki’s image) were scattered among her school notes. She’d even spent time on her tablet, drawing in full-color a golden-haired angel with sightless eyes likened to the sky and a pink mouth pursed like a rosebud; thoughtful, and more than a little bit melancholic.

When Dreki’s first text had come, Aislin’s heart and stomach performed a nervous duet as she read over the words. For real? A fucking carnival for the supernatural? And she was being invited? She quickly tapped out a response, fumbling a few times in her excitement and having to backspace to correct her mistakes. Yes. She would absolutely be there.

His responding message, indicating she should let him know when she arrived, was acknowledged by way of a thumbs-up emoji before she tossed her phone to her bed and pursued the daunting task of figuring out what the hell she should wear. Several outfits were tried on and tossed aside for various reasons: too flashy; too revealing; too dowdy. Ugh! Eventually, she settled upon a ribbed, mock-neck top in forest green with capped sleeves; worn tucked into a pair of black, high-waisted skinny jeans. She accessorized with a harmonious combination of mismatched silver chains around her neck and left wrist, and further took the time to paint her nails and lips a matching shade of burgundy. After applying a quick coat of mascara, she shoved her feet into a pair of chunky black boots, grabbed her classic leather motorcycle jacket (the one with the asymmetrical zipper), and hastened out the door far later than she’d intended to.

The drive there had been one of suspense. She’d been too wound-up to listen to music; fingertips tapping a restless and repetitive tattoo against the wheel. With each glance at her phone’s GPS, the closer she neared her estimated arrival-time, her uneasiness grew. “You’re excited, Ash,” she self-encouraged, “Not scared.”

When she finally pulled into the lot, she slowed and came to a stop at a staff’s signal - rolling down her window as they came to speak with her politely. After answering a short series of questions, she was allowed to pass. Having half-expected to be turned away, she exhaled her relief and found parking.

She grabbed her phone, and fired off a text to Dreki:
I’m here! I just parked. Where can I find you?

[Existentially Odd]

"Oh," Samuel replied - somewhat dumbstruck - when Dreki told him all about overzealous students and not wanting special treatment. For a moment, panic-fuelled guilt kicked in and Sam couldn't remember what he'd said to his new staff about Dreki and the particular-needs terminal. After a few highly-stressful seconds, the haze cleared and he remembered. "Uh, pretty sure I just told all them mostly about how the station was setup and said that there was a lecturer who'd use it regularly and you'll ask for help if you need it. I don't recall making a big thing out of you, but I don't remember verbatim, sorry."

He could check his memories, probably, he was trying to be more mentally aware lately, but he didn't think it was necessary. Dreki seemed happy enough to accept his explanation because then he changed the topic entirely to going out. To them going out, together. His instinct was to shy from it, remembering how heavy their interactions became... but things were different in Dreki's life now. Less misery - although he still didn't seem a hundred percent and Sam strongly suspected something had gone wrong with Emma - and more of an open outlook. A life to be discovered without being fettered by insanity.

"Sure," he agreed to go out with Dreki but anything else he might have said was cut off by Dreki's phone vibrating. Even with the noise of the crowd moving around, he was close enough to Dreki to hear it clearly and he fell quiet, waiting to see if he was going to answer it.

[Maxpphire]

He did feel relived at what Sam had explained, that a big deal wasn't made out of it. He knew Sam even had a habit of being a little too helpful himself, but it seems as if this time, at least with the Library anyway. Now he'd just have to wait and see how the workers do react to him. He was hoping that he would indeed be lucky that none of them would take proactive steps to help further, because sometimes that also happened, either way it was out of Sam's hands for now.

When he heard Sam agree, his smile turned larger, and was going to wait for Sam to continue before he answered his phone, but it seems as if Sam also heard his phone vibrate and noticed the pause, he decided to take that time to answer her back.

"It's probably Ash, my friend I said I was also meeting here," he said putting an earbud in only one ear and listened to the message. When done listening he removed the earbud and responded while talking to Sam still, "Going to tell her to meet me here, but to check out any booths she wants to on her way over, I've seen them all by now already so she may as well enjoy the sights while she makes her way over" When he finished his response he put his phone back in his pocket.

'I'm at the Kerr Galvin Academy booth, chatting with someone whom means a bit to me. See you when you make your way over, no need to rush, if a booth you pass catches your interest, feel free to check it out first. I've helped with some of the set up and been here a bit already so I've already been to the ones that have caught my interest.'

He wasn't quite sure how to phrase who Sam was to him. The agreeing to a date seemed like more than friends, but at the same time they would likely need to find their footing again with each other. Sam did mean quite a bit to him, and being able to see him, be free to chat with him without the underlying tension of being suck for once was already more than he had ever expected out of the night, and the fact that Sam agreed to a date, blew his expectations out of the water. The night was going well thus far, he relaxed a bit more, felt even a bit more comfortable in his own skin than he had lately.

"Any ideas of what you'd want to do?" He asked, smiling, his tone a slight bit more upbeat compared to when he first made his way to the booth, "even perusing the carnival along with a friend, and doing something together alone afterwards sounds like a nice idea." He said not wanting to discount the carnival idea just because Ash would be around, but even to add on they could likely grab food and drinks, hang out, or honestly anything just by themselves afterwards, to help make it feel more date-like in the end. Heck that idea would start them off slow again, give them time to rebuild what they needed to before attempting to continue again if Sam needed that step.

[Existentially Odd]

At first, Sam took 'Ash' to be a boy's name but then when Dreki used female pronouns, for some reason he was surprised - though he didn't understand the nature of his own feelings. Because Dreki was so delicate, he'd assumed him gay? Who was to say Ash was anything but just a friend? Why did Sam find this interesting enough to mull it over when it was none of his business?

The thoughts were fleeting, filling in the time while he watched Dreki construct his reply text. It seemed rude to just watch that, though, so Sam looked around to check there weren't any punters to talk to, in the meantime.

When Dreki spoke next, Sam's gaze returned instantly to the blond, a wry smile growing as Dreki leapt straight in, nervous qualifiers and all. That hadn't changed. Being invited along as a third wheel was different, though. He was intrigued by the notion of hanging with Dreki with someone else but he'd made other plans.

"Uhh, gimme a sec," he begged, looking around for the Dean. Leaving Dreki seated, Samuel hurried over to Zim in between customers and had a discussion with him. If Dreki was watching, he would note both participants having extended things to say, a few laughs exchanged and Sam being slapped on the shoulder before he turned away and returned to Dreki's side.

"Okay," Sam said, getting settled in his seat again. "I was planning to be here all night but Zim said that he's got a replacement coming soon and he's still feeling enthused about being here -  the man's been at this all day, he's a trooper! - so he's happy for me to go for a bit and come back in an hour or two, then he'll head home. Sound okay?"

[Maxpphire]

He hadn't expected Sam to ask for some time off right away, particularly not if he was busy. The exchange between the two of them went rather well from the looks of it, but he just thought it was in regards to something else. The unexpected nature of that gesture was nice, and Dreki lightly blushed, allowing his cheeks to turn a light golden color, at the idea of Sam specifically asking for time to spend with Dreki now of all times. It made him feel like he was worth something to Sam, and it made him feel special.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were busy the whole night," he mentioned, "The carnival itself was only a suggestion, but since you got the time off, we may as well make good use of it." He smiled, excited for the exchange, and for Ash to meet Sam, and really just to have a good night for a change. He needed time to actually just relax and enjoy himself. He was a little worried as he didn't want Ash to feel like a 3rd wheel, but beyond that he was finally just excited for once.

"Zim was also a great choice in a Dean, his energy is infectious and I can only imagine how many people are excited to join the Academy because of this booth alone and his help in it." He was now just making some harmless small talk while they waited for Ash and the replacement. Nervousness overtook his mind as he really wasn't sure what else to talk about, he had too much to talk about as compared to before when everything was locked away, back then he didn't feel like he had enough.

 A lot of the stuff he could talk about however, would also probably not be great topics to talk about with Sam either, now thinking about them. His life up until this point, wasn't great, and wanted to keep the heavy stuff out of his relationship with Sam for now. Whether or not he could feel comfortable opening up to him in the future he wasn't actually sure. Suddenly his excitement turned more into nervousness. What if he never felt comfortable around Sam discussing the harder stuff? Not like he would want to talk about it more than the rare occasion, or if it came up naturally in their conversation, but maybe if their relationship goes to being friends or even something more and becomes more solid, he'd give it a try.

"Anything in the carnival you're excited to do?" He asked, knowing him and Ash pretty much had all night, but Sam only have at best, a couple of hours to make the best of it. He was trying to get his mind off of his fears, and back onto the fun stuff to come.

[pentagrandma]

Aislin wasn’t game enough to leave her car without a destination in mind, so she watched the passing people (Beings? Supernaturals? How was she supposed to lump them all?) as she awaited Dreki’s response. It came rather quickly and she read the words twice-over, construing them with overthought.

Someone whom means a bit to me. No need to rush. If a booth you pass catches your interest, feel free to check it out first.

Did he want for her to lengthen her trek to him, so he could have some time with whoever it was he was with? Should she sit in her car for a while longer? ...

After giving it some thought, she pulled down the driver’s side visor to fuss with her hair for a moment in the mirror; making sure that its natural disarray appeared intentional and artful. She’d need to get out and into the carnival before she lost her nerve entirely. She could probably handle wandering alone for a little while, couldn’t she? It’s not like anyone would attack her. Ha-ha! No way! Surely the supernatural were all very civilized! The year was 2019, for crying out loud!

With a deep breath in, exhaled upon a heavy sigh, Ash left the sanctuary of her car. She shrugged on her leather jacket, keeping it unzipped and open, and checked her pockets for the necessities. Phone, keys, ID, cash, and lipstick (in case it needed reapplying) - all there. Nothing left to keep her in place.

Finally, she journeyed into the horde of mismatched folks, bidding herself not to gawk as she took in their all-too-real and bizarre characteristics; with their wings, and tails, and horns; their pointed ears and glowing eyes. Most of them were breathtakingly beautiful. All of them were terrifying.

Now, in the thick of it all, she wasn’t convinced she had it in her to wander about by herself for very long, after all. She needed a buffer - the comfort of familiar company - to help keep her anxiety in check. She had to shove her hands into her pockets to preserve the fresh polish on her nails, lest she chip it away in a fit of nerves.

There were two things Ash kept an open eye for: one, of course, the Kerr Galvin Academy’s booth, where Dreki had said he would be; two, a drink or food stall offering any kind of booze. She seriously needed to take the edge off. Skimming menus, she found bottled waters and soda; a slushie stand and (shockingly, though she shouldn’t have been surprised) a blood café. She gave up before long, pulling her phone from her pocket to type out a text to Dreki:

I was going to wander, but I am *seriously* overwhelmed. Sorry! Headed your way now.

Hitting send, she pocketed her phone anew - pausing to look around for someone who looked normal enough to request directions from. There was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, loitering around one of the stalls. She’d pegged him as human until she approached and he smiled, revealing a pair of fangs too sharp to be considered anything other than authentic. He was the genuine article. A real, living (or dead?) vampire - grinning wide and regarding her beneath quizzical brows.

... “Yes?” He’d asked when she proved too busy gaping to speak.

“Oh! Sorry!” She blurted, an embarrassed heat rising to her cheeks. “I’m looking for the Kerr Galvin Academy’s booth - could you point me in the right direction, by chance?”

With a nod, he gestured with a guiding hand. “Keep going that way, it’ll be the fifth or sixth booth on your left.”

Ash clapped her hands together once, keeping her palms pressed together in grateful supplication as she enthused, “Thank you!” She was met with a parting wink as she resumed her pace; willing herself to slow down in her pursuit of Dreki, if only to buy him even just a little bit more time alone with his supposed someone-special.

[Existentially Odd]

"Yeah," Samuel agreed with Dreki's statement that they might as well make use of Sam's time off, now that he'd arranged it. "Well, I figured we were already both here, so why not?" he shrugged and grinned at Dreki, explaining why he'd chosen the carnival. What he didn't express was his uncertainty in getting close to Dreki again. Something informal like exploring the fair had an appealing undertone of casual about it, without the pressure of expectations.

"Yessir, the Dean's pretty nice," he agreed as Dreki continued their conversation, tilting his head as he considered Dreki's final question. "Not really," he drawled. "I'd expected to be here all night and that suited me fine. Maybe popping in to see one of Ben's meet and greet sessions, see what the vibe is like? But otherwise just to people watch," he shrugged. "It's boring but you don't get such an eclectic mix of species like this in one place very often and I'm excited to see what's out there!"