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Austin loved the festival, the lights and the sounds, it all added up to something wonderful even if it did mark the start of school again. He'd never had trouble with school, was always surrounded in willing participants for conversation and he got by. What mattered was that he got by. Well-liked and mostly pleasant, he tried to get along with everyone that he met even if they proved to be something of a pain. He'd met quite a few people who hadn't appreciated his warmth and enthusiasm and he'd always been sort of thrown off by them. He was a constant beam of sunlight, only outmatched by the brilliant smile that he often had to offer in the presence of the people he cared for. He found himself disinterested in many of the games, he'd always been sort of bad at carnival-type games and he didn't think his luck would change any time tonight. Scratching his jaw thoughtfully, he settled on one of the target games and eyed the target before throwing the ball.

The soft ding as the first one landed home was a confident boost, the second ding nearly made him jump and made him feel very good. The third ball soared right over the target and hit the ground with a soft [i]thump.[/i]  It made him and the woman working jump. He made a face and ran a hand through his messy pale blond hair, shrugging lightly at the woman and smiling sheepishly. He hadn't really expected to win, he had a tendency to lose his nerve right as he was getting towards the top. "[color=6ecff6]I kind of suck at these things.[/color]" a light laugh of the apologetic sort. "[color=6ecff6]I used to suck at baseball. I'm much better at kicking than throwing.[/color]"

This kind of overly honest behavior was normal of Austin and he waved off her offer of one of the small prizes. He wasn't really one to settle and he made a note to come by later tonight and give it another shot, there was no reason not to and maybe he'd actually win this time. Shaking his blond mop from his eyes, the wind was knocking it every which direction and basically making it an aggravation more than a hair style, he got a good look around. The lanterns were bobbing with the way the wind moved and people were walking with the easy freedom that small town life often gave one. That was one of the things he liked about the festival, everyone was so calm and there was so much happening. He knew his dad was probably heading home by now, having filled up on junk food and now probably groggy from walking. That was alright with him, he'd catch him later when he was ready to leave the lights and the laughter. 

There was something genuinely pleasing about being surrounded in so much positive energy. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he moved through the people with easy steps and breathed in the air of cotton-candy and corn dogs. It reminded him of being younger somehow, made his mind pass over the hazy memories of his mother, a woman with soft blonde hair and pale blue eyes. A woman with a smile that his brain could never completely place because it had been overlapped so many times that now it could have been anyone's smile. He remembered her voice though, soft and beautiful, a laugh that he had inherited, a laugh that got too loud when in full force. However, he couldn't recall much else, she'd left when he was five with some sentiment that he couldn't quite remember. Though he could have sworn it had something to do with her not getting along with his father anymore which was what he had assumed. 

He'd never once heard them fighting though, which was the oddest thing, he thought disagreements were settled through loud arguments and slamming doors but they had been quiet. He supposed maybe the silence had something to do with it. He had never really asked his father, it had taken the man years to get over it and sometimes he still seemed a little pressed. They never discussed anything deeper than the occasional query of "How are you feeling?", in which Austin usually replied that he was feeling fine and his dad usually replied that he was feeling fine. It was no fun to dwell on misgivings and the Jones family had taken that to heart. Living in the moment had become a motto of sorts and that's what Austin was good at, living in the moment. Basking in the sunlight and trying to work things out without stressing. That's what he was good at and he liked to make sure people knew that through his exuberance and brightness.

He made his way to the food and picked out a bag of popcorn, refocusing his thoughts to the task of eating as he looked around for something else that caught his attention.