[b]Joseph Thawne Festival Tagged;; None[/b] Joseph didn't really know what he was doing here, honestly. The festival hadn't really sounded like a very fun, amusing idea the first time he had read it in the daily newspaper, and it certainly didn't sound like a fun idea when Jolyne commented about going, yesterday. However, the festival would be filled with creeps, and Joseph didn't much trust the town's police force whenever it came to stopping some bastard from antagonizing his younger sibling. His over-protectiveness could be slightly overwhelming at times, but since he understood the term 'personal space' and 'chill', he never really bothered her whenever she was up to whatever she liked to do. More like, he'd be in the over-all area, doing something to pass the time whilst he waited for any signs of distress. This festival was a bit...thick, however, and he'd lost sight of Jolyne not too long after 'mingling' - which, for him, meant crossing his arms and waiting - with the crowd. Usually, he'd trust the girl enough to handle his own business in the city, whilst she did whatever she wanted, but the festival was a special occasion, and he had to take time out of his schedule to handle it. Now, here he was, holding some giant piece of swirled, pink cotton candy that some mother gave him for winning her kid a prize at the water-gun-contest. Like Hell he was going to eat this sugary bullshit, mind the language. His sweet tooth had been removed a long time ago, and he much preferred spicy things. The scent drifted through his nostrils, and as he sat at a nearby hotdog stand, festival goers streaming by and by, the sound of 'oohing', and a rather obnoxious voice garnered his attention. Rather stubbornly, Joseph took a giant chunk out of the cotton candy treat, before focusing his attention on the crowd. People;; men, women, and children, surrounded a man in a pin-striped suit, standing over some device. [u]"Come one, come all, and try out the new and improved High Striker~!"[/u] The man yelled, his golden teeth glinting with his painful-looking grin, The High Striker was one of those strongman-testing games people usually tried, with varying results. Joseph could at least remember that bit, despite not having played too many games in his life. A large, sledge-hammer-like mallet leaned against the High Striker, seemingly rubber...or was that some other material? It shined, regardless. [u]"For it's first challenger, I want someone strong! I want someone tough! I want..."[/u] The man's greedy eyes flickered back and forth through the crowd, obviously searching for someone large enough to give the tricked-out High Striker more publicity. Coincidentally enough, Joseph's dark, disinterested eyes met the man's at the exact moment he screamed that sentence. A sense of annoyance filled the young man. [u]"Him! Come on up, youngster!" [/u] Damn it. The crowd cheered, making a path for the tall Joseph, and he entertained the thought of just ignoring them all and walking away, pronunciating this thought by taking another large chunk out of his cotton candy. However, a little kid ran from his mother and father, little hands wrapping around Joseph's much bigger wrist. [i]"Come on mister, you can do it! My dad says that you're just a wuss!"[/i] Seeming unperturbed, despite his eyes narrowing at the now sweating, beer-bellied father, Joseph sighed mentally, standing up to his full height. Hands resting in his pockets, the young man walked through the crowd, stopping in front of the High Striker, and the man currently standing on the beefy machine. He glanced over the design - the machine itself was very, very tall, the top of the tower holding a vibrant, golden-collored bell. Joseph turned his intimidating eyes to the golden-toothed man. [b]"The prize?"[/b] He asked simply, his deep voice seemingly snapping the man into his senses. [u] "Oh, yes!"[/u] The man reached back, and slid a table from behind his booth. On the table were a large assortment of stuffed toys and candid items, with a very large golden star on each one. The same kid that had so ignorantly 'betrayed' his dad seemed to beam. [i]"I want that one!"[/i] The kid yelled, pointing at an overstuffed teddy bear. Joseph glanced back, an eyebrow slightly being arched, before he turned back to the machine. [b]"Move."[/b] He said to the greedy man, whom leaped back, his grin now slightly malicious. It was quite obvious to Joseph, now, that this was some kind of hoax. What sort of hoax? He didn't really know...but he was going to break it. He was pretty good at breaking things. Taking his hands from his pockets, Joseph grasped the large hammer/mallet with both hands, bringing it up to bear as if it weighed nothing. As the crowd held in their breath, the owner of the machine still giggling like a school girl, Joseph exhaled silently, before opening his eyes, bringing the hammer down with a deep grunt. [center][b]*CRACK*[/b][/center] The sound of the High Striker's impact pad breaking down into itself ripped through the air, along with the sound of the wooden-stocked mallet breaking into splintering halves. The High Striker's tower began to glow a shining red, making incessant ringing noises as the light blasted upwards, almost instantly reaching the top. Once it reached the top, the golden bell began blaring at a very high volume, shaking like a twig in a tornado, before breaking off and slamming into the swindling owner's bald head, knocking the man, dazed, to the ground. Amongst the noise, Joseph grabbed the over-stuff, star-patterned bear, silently handing it to the staring little boy. With another disinterested, yet immensely intimidating glance towards the sweating, pot-bellied father, Joseph walked back over to his cotton candy, picked it up, and began heading towards another part of the carnival. He was getting pretty bored here.