The Muse

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

>"Are you Aika?"

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

Seeing the defeat and betrayal in Emily’s green eyes nearly broke Reya’s heart. "Em, I’m sor- AHH!" With zero warning, Reya was bulldozed over and sent flying face first towards the street. Luckily, in the nick of time, Reya was able to save her face by putting her arms out when she came in contact with the ground. Unluckily, her knees and hands did not come out unscathed. She winced in pain, feeling the burning sensation of her skin ripping against rock. Staying on the ground for a moment, Reya looked through her hands and stared at the black asphalt that dug into her palms and knees. "What the fuck?" She mumbled to herself, afraid to look up at the crowd who had just witnessed her tumble to the ground. 'I could just… roll… all the way home…' She pictured herself rolling up into a ball and leaving the fairgrounds like an armadillo. If only…

Sighing, she looked up and found Talie picking her up off the ground, asking her if she was okay. “I’m stellar." She said sarcastically with a laugh, standing up and dusting off her shorts. Looking at the makeup that Tallie offered to her, Reya raised a brow. This clearly wasn’t hers. Reya met eyes with Talie, realizing at that moment that Talie thought she was helping. 'She thinks Zack is a creep..' She thought, amused at the idea that Talie was trying to follow “girl code” and get her out of a situation with a weirdo. She chuckled a bit, "Some rescue effort there." She whispered to Talie and put the makeup into her pocket for safe keeping.

Her eyes then found someone that Reya had met more often than she would have liked due to her fathers habits; Thomas Fischer. Her heart sank at the sight of him. Thomas was nice enough, but seeing him brought visions of the past that Reya didn’t want to remember. "Hey Sheriff.” She greeted, taking a step back from Tommy and Talie. “Oh, don’t mind me.” Reya said, noticing the teddy bear that Tommy was offering to her and not wanting to interrupt any romantic moment that was supposed to be happening.

Examining her palms and picking out small rocks that were jammed into her skin, Reya listened to a speech that was taking place on the large platform stage near the center of the festival grounds. ‘Did she say… date auction?’ Reya shook her head at the idea and looked further down to her knees which were still seering in pain. She clicked her tongue as she saw her right knee now adorned with scratches and a small amount of blood building. Hopefully that wouldn’t scar. As she continued listening she began examining her clothes to see if anything had ripped or stained. Reya tensed as she heard Em yelling behind her about Madonna, forcing her to turn to see Zack had made his way over to the group. Lovely. Her cheeks still held the embarrassment from the last ten minutes and this was the cherry on top of the entire situation. "Uh… thanks?" She said in response to Zack complimenting her investigative “skills.” Today was going terribly.

Looking past the two siblings, Reya noticed a large semi-truck sitting in the middle of the fairgrounds just as Talie mentioned not wanting to miss out on the funnel cake. ‘So that was the horn I heard…’ She thought, having heard a horn blare through the crowd noise when she had been trying to leave Zack’s grip on her hips. Reading the “Reaves” name on the side of the truck, Reya rolled her eyes. Figures. That family would think they could just park anywhere they felt and make a grand entrance on top of it.

"Martha’s is here!" She exclaimed, noticing that the food truck was sitting on top of the trailer that the Reaves truck had pulled in. Nevermind the Reaves infuriating entitlement! They could do anything they wanted if it meant getting the funnel cake into the fairgrounds. Reya turned to Talie and grabbed her hand, "Let’s go!" She began pulling Talie in the direction of the food truck. Suddenly all Reya’s problems melted away. Who cared about her bloody knee, scratched up hands, the fact that Talie knocked her over into the ground or that Zack probably thought she was an idiot! She came for funnel cake today and she was going to get it!

As they reached the front of the truck, Reya took note of Taryn Reaves having a chat with Jewel Navarro. Both notorious figures around town. Nonetheless, Reya couldn’t deny how impressive the two of them were. Reya had always admired Taryn’s grit and skill with a truck the size of this behemoth. She didn’t know Jewel very well, but the festival she had put on wasn’t half bad.

Turning her attention back to the food truck, Reya pulled Talie into line with her and noted the handwritten sign taped onto the side of the truck. "Free?!" She grinned with excitement, glancing over at Talie. Maybe today was turning around after all. Her knee still hurt, but the funnel cake would surely fix it.

---

_{Interactions: @Zora@PrinceAlexus@Viciousmarrow
Mentions: @Pilatus@QueenBea}

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

For at least ten minutes Levi sat with his back against the picnic table that Tommy had left him at, sitting backwards on the bench so that he was crowd facing. Outwardly he looked calm and collected, per usual, but on the inside his mind spun with different scenarios on why his best friend would have left the conversation so abruptly. What did he say that had upset him so much that he had to flee? Had Tommy expected Levi to chase after him? Levi's eyes stared blankly ahead as he got stuck within his own mind, not truly seeing anything that was happening ahead of him.

Aah really do not want to talk about this with ya, Levi, aah’ll catch ya later.

Tommy's statement played on repeat in Levi's mind as he tried to pick apart each word and the tone behind it. The way Tommy gripped his shoulder and put on a smile that Levi could easily pinpoint as fake. Did Tommy really think Levi wouldn't notice? It had been awhile, but Levi had still memorized the mannerisms of his friend. It was like muscle memory returning again now that they were face to face. Levi knew Tommy and vice versa. At least Levi thought so. That's how it had always been.

“Yoohooooo! Levi!”

Levi snapped away from his thoughts at the sound of a melodic voice calling after him, his blue eyes darting over in the direction of that lovely sound. His eyebrows raised in surprise as his gaze settled on Estella Serrano, a bright shining light amidst the rain cloud he had felt since returning to Sanctuary. "Heeeyyy Stella." He matched her playful tone, straightening up in his seat and letting his eyes take in the vision of her in a bright blue dress that amplified her features stunningly.

“How’s it goingggg? Are you having funnnn?”

"I'm better now that you're here." Normally this sort of compliment was just something he said because it made women happy, but this time, he was actually telling the truth. Stella had been the first person who came to say hello to him when he moved back and her welcome had been heartwarming. He could still remember the excitement in her eyes when they saw each other again. Granted, this was not a fair comparison for Tommy and Phoenix - Stella's little brother Miguel worked at the cafe so she had been one of the very first to learn that Levi had returned.

Admittedly in high school Levi had not paid much attention to the Serrano girl due to the fact that she was a freshman when he was a senior, but eventually he came to know the entire Serrano family well. Once he had become close to the family it made it difficult for Levi to feel good about pursuing Stella without the stab of guilt every time he saw her father Javier Serrano. Out of respect Levi had rarely allowed himself to view Stella as a potential prospect, but there was no denying that she was beautiful. This fact was more evident to him when he had laid eyes on her again for the first time in years; Stella was no longer the kid he knew in high school. It made it incredibly difficult to be respectful.

Across the street, behind Stella, Levi suddenly noticed Phoenix at one of the carnival games with the doctor he had seen earlier this morning. His eyes looked beyond Stella for a few moments, watching the interaction between the two closely. His mind quickly moved on from Chris being Phoenix's potential boyfriend to now wondering if it was the doctor. 'She'll be skipping the ferris wheel for dream boat over there.' His mind advised, forcing him to peel his attention away before he let the unjustified jealousy bubble its way to the surface. If Phoenix was going to have fun, then so was he.

"You free?" He asked, standing up from the picnic table. "I could use some cheering up." He put on his best puppy-dog like pout, begging her to play with him. "Or how about I win you something instead?" He dropped the pout and smiled, looking around to long line of carnival game booths with a variety of different prizes out on display; most of them plushies. "You're my good luck charm, after all."

---

_{@LovelyComplex}

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

Unrelated to the ice cream currently held in her mouth, Ana felt a chill run down her back as the Russian man requested that the child did not touch him again. The statement was cold and devoid of emotion, something she had come to know as a serious warning. She glanced over at the red headed girl, feeling a wave of anxiety for the girls safety in that moment. The jovial nature of her aura dissipated as she thought about what she could do if the attack dog of a man tried to put his hands on the girl. A pink spoon to the eye? A kick in the groin? Definitely. She could buy them enough time to run if she had to.

A sense of relief followed as the girl stepped away from the man, seemingly obeying the request and no longer wanting to test the boundaries. Ana's grip on her tiny pink spoon loosened as her eyes moved back to the Russian man, watching as he began to wipe down his jacket. 'OCD?' She pondered, taking another bite of her ice cream and wondering if that was the true cause of his outburst and not just the fact that he wanted to beat up unruly children.

Ana raised a brow as the redhead made a complete 180 and instead of throwing more insults, she chose instead to flirt. Ana smiled, deciding not to respond, and simply watched the headstrong girl walk off into the crowd and nearly crash face first into another woman. Slowly Ana brought her eyes back to the Russian man, an amused smile on her lips once more. "I'm almost certain that girl has a concussion or something." She chuckled, only half joking. The girl was definitely odd to say the least, but then again, so was this man. Sanctuary was turning out to be a hub for odd people, herself included. "I should probably go check her for a head injury." She continued, getting another chuckle out of herself.

Deciding she was done with her ice cream, half eaten, Ana tossed it into a near by trash can. "I'm Ana, by the way." She turned toward the Russian man again, unsure if she should reach out her hand for a handshake. He clearly had an issue with touching people and she was sure she had already offended him with her offer of ice cream, so she decided against it. "What's your name?"

---

_@Zora

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

Reya's face lit up with a smile as Talie announced that she had won the little game and secured her prized amethyst geode, only briefly taking her mind off of Zack and the closeness in which he watched her. "Yay!" She exclaimed, feeling proud that her father's teachings had been valuable in some respect. Her excitement over the crystal, however, was short lived.

“Wow, see I told you you were good at everything~!”

Reya felt a jolt of electricity fire throughout her entire body as Zack's hand slid across her waist and pulled her in closer. She held her previous smile, completely frozen, but her face gradually colored itself the same shade as a ripe strawberry. Talie's request for ice cream went unnoticed by Reya; besides her scrambled thoughts, Reya could only hear the sound of her own heart trying to jump out of her chest. 'What is he doing?! Is he drunk?? He has to be. What?! What is going on. We've never been this close! AHHHH. Where is Stella?!'

Reya began to nervously giggle as Zack offered to bring ice cream back for Talie. "Yes! Ice Cream!" She confirmed, still feeling the lingering tingle of her nervous system alerting her to exactly where Zack's hand hung on to her hips. She laughed louder, awkwardly, as Zack pointed out how red her face was. "HaahhhaAHHAHAH" She side stepped out of Zack's arms and quickly spun herself around to face the rest of the crowd instead of Talie and Zack - a futile attempt to hide the redness of her face. "It's so hot out here. Are you guys hot? It's super hot. We should get ice cream, yeah. Like, right now." She began to walk away towards the nearest ice cream stand, not waiting for anyone's answer. 'What are YOU doing?! It's hot out here???? REALLY?' She cringed at herself. She was making a fool out of herself and she knew it. Reya was rarely so unhinged, but Zack's forwardness had been the last thing she expected and it had completely knocked her off balance.

"Oh." Reya paused in her step and blinked a few times as she came face to face with exactly who Zack was on the hunt for. Emily had been looking back and speaking to two blonde people whom Reya had never seen and in doing so had nearly run right into Reya's face. "Hey, Em." She greeted, feeling uncomfortable as she knew Emily would notice the tomato color of her skin as well. She turned back towards where she had left Zack and Talie, only a few feet away. "Zack!" She called, waving him over and then pointing directly at Emily. She knew she was most likely about to be on Emily's shit list, but... Reya had to make the sacrifice for the "greater good". It was either address what Reya's problem was with Zack over ice cream with him or throw Emily under the bus as soon as possible to distract him from the situation ever happening. Sorry, Emily. A sacrifice had to be made.

---

_{@Viciousmarrow@PrinceAlexus}

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

"Vhy do you kome if it is overrrvhelming?"

Anastasia was immediately taken aback by the mans thick Russian accent. Such an accent was the last thing she expected to hear in this podunk town. What was a man like himself doing here, exactly? He stuck out like a sore thumb, which is exactly the opposite of what she was trying to do. She pondered on his question for a moment, "I don't know." She simply stated, smiling back at him. Although the answer was simple, it felt nerve wracking to give such a succinct and unjustified answer. In the past she had felt the need to explain her answers for nearly everything. Everything had to be rock solid, no room for argument. "I don't know" wasn't a thing, but it was now, and it felt freeing. She was allowed not to have an answer for everything, she told herself.

Ana shrugged as he turned down her offer of ice cream, thinking it was his loss. She took another bite of her ice cream and looked ahead to the individuals who were playing corn hole. She had played before, but she was no good at it. Aim was not exactly in her wheelhouse, but she still had fun with it.

Ana's attention quickly shifted as she noticed a small redheaded woman slink her way behind the Russian man. Ana glanced over at the blonde man, wondering if this was a person he knew. The way the redheaded girl was acting was odd to say the least.

“Hey. Udders. Can you get lost? The cows are getting milked over there. Also the ice cream innuendo is super obvious and really weird. Please stop and get some help.” Ana's mouth dropped open at the sudden berating from the girl, truly shocked. She glanced down at her chest; were her "assets" really that noticeable in this dress?! So much for blending in.

She looked back up at the girl, then to the Russian, then back to the girl before she burst out in delightful laughter. It had been a very long time since someone had been as bold as that to speak to Ana in such a way. It was actually refreshing to have someone around who wasn't afraid that they would get whacked the moment they misstepped around her should her husband get wind of it.

"I like you." She giggled, pointing at the redheaded girl with her tiny pink spoon, completely unfazed by her comments. Ana had heard much worse. Her eyes moved to the Russian man again who was practically being crawled upon by the girl now. "You two know each other?" She questioned, assuming they must from the way they touched. Ana began to wonder if there was something sinister going on with this man - the redheaded girl looked very young in comparison to him.

---

_{@Zora@Viciousmarrow}

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

Reya quietly followed the USGS woman back into the crowd of people, looking the stranger up and down. She had never seen this girl in town before, but she was dressed a lot nicer than how Reya imagined a person working in geology would dress. Not only that, but the man at the booth had been sharply dressed as well. For some reason Reya had assumed that people working with dirt and rocks all day would dress more... boring. Then again, it was festival day. Maybe the geologists were just the most fashionable of the government branches.

Reya's speculation was interrupted as the brunette began speaking, mentioning that they had not expected to get any customers today. "Oh, I check out what you guys have every year. Can't beat a good rock." Reya laughed as they reached the booth, taking note that the woman's name was Talie. "My name is Reya, or Rey. It's nice to meet you, Talie. I run the Fox Hole just down the way." Reya looked down the street, pointing the direction of the tavern. "Come by for a drink sometime. I can put together a mean Old Fashion." She smiled and returned her gaze to the layout of rocks and crystals. "Or whatever else you like, really."

Her attention was then pulled toward the box filled with a variety of gold toned rocks. She raised a brow, inspecting it. "Why not." She decided to play along, picking up one of the rocks to investigate further. Then another which had a brighter sheen to it. She stared at the two for a moment, rubbing her thumb over top to see if the feel of them stood out to her. Truly, she had not idea what she was doing, but she decided to go with gut instinct on it. "I think-" Reya paused as she caught someone waving at her from the corner of her eye. She looked up to find the notorious Zachary Snypes headed directly for her. Oh god.

As the red-headed man leaned up against the booth, Reya's mind completely forgot all about the two golden rocks she held in her hands. Her glossed lips turned up into a smirk as Zack apologized for nearly running her over. "I'll try to find it in my heart to forgive you." She said playfully, being a little braver than she typically was around men. As Zack introduced himself to Talie, Reya could feel her heart flutter at the flash of his brilliant smile. Removing her gaze from him before she made a fool of herself, Reya suddenly remembered that her hands were full with rocks. She set down one of the rocks in front of Talie which had a brighter golden appearance and placed the other duller rock back into the box. Based on what she remembered from gold panning with her father when she was little - real gold shined brighter than fools gold did, no matter the lighting circumstances.

Reya looked up to Zack once again as he complimented her for being good at "everything" and then proceeded to compliment the way the two women looked. Brain go brrr....

Reya felt the heat immediately rise into her cheeks and any confidence she previously had to talk to him melted away. She laughed nervously and looked away, back to the rocks, in an attempt to avoid him seeing the pink in her cheeks. He was going to lay on the compliments and wanted their help?! She wasn't sure she'd be good at finding anything, but her heart wanted her to take the opportunity. "I can help." She replied, following her hearts desire for once instead. What was the harm? Except for embarrassing herself.... The logical side of her brain was always such a bummer.

Taking in a quiet deep breath to calm her flustered nervous system, Reya tapped the shiny golden rock in front of Talie and looked up to meet eyes with Talie - intentionally avoiding eye contact with Zack at this point. "I think the real gold is this one." She glanced over at the amethyst crystal geode that she had set her eyes on previously. "Do I win?" She smiled, looking back to Talie for confirmation. If she didn't win, she'd have to tell Zack that he owed her this crystal geode once they found his little sister. No way she would be that hard to spot, the Snypes siblings were never hard to find in a crowd. If not for their red hair, the loud voices would give them away every time.

---

_{@Viciousmarrow@PrinceAlexus}

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

With pleasure, Levi took a sparkling golden star sticker from one of the nearby officers and stuck it to the left side of his hoodie; proudly displaying his impressive victory against the dunk tank. Unfortunately this meant that he had to move aside for others to give it a shot, but he was happy enough to have won on the first try. He hadn't lost his athletic prowess yet! The only thing that seemed to sour the experience was Tommy himself. Levi hadn't missed Tommy's expressionless face when the two met eyes with each other. Similar to Phoenix, there was no heartfelt welcome home. This had stung even worse than the cold shoulder that Nixie had given him. The pain of it did assist in the power and strategic aim behind his softball throw, however.

"Hmph." Levi blew air through his nose in a half scoff, half inaudible laugh, as Tommy returned from the water and commented on not believing Levi would return to town. 'I should've stayed in California.' He thought, intrusively. Did he actually believe that? He wasn't sure. As Levi moved aside for the next person to take front and center stage, his brows raised at the comment of Levi being too cool for his friends after leaving. "Me?" He walked over to the side of the dunk tank, closer to Thomas but still separated by a metal fencing that kept people from getting too close to the tank. "I could say the same for you." He retorted before he was able to shut his mouth. For a millisecond it crossed Levi's mind to reenter the line for the dunk tank so he could sink Thomas into the water again. Normally Levi had a better hold on the words that left his mouth and didn't let emotion control him, but after two big ego hits it was hard not to let the sass out. He had fully expected a warm welcome from his friends and was met with coldness. 'Selfish.' His brain said again. Damned intrusive thoughts!

Collecting his emotion once more, Levi shoved it away and let a faint smile return to his face. Even though he had expected more from Thomas and Phoenix, that didn't mean they weren't still friends.... right? He wasn't the type to dwell on it, so he forced the doubt out of his mind for the time being. Grabbing his beer, Levi looked over at the next person in line - a small girl about the age of eleven who waited with giddy excitement. He took a sip and then looked back to Thomas, "When you're done protecting the citizens, let's grab a bite or something and catch up." He took a step back from the fence to leave, "Missed you, man." He looked back at the line up of people, not wanting to keep Thomas from his work for too much longer. "See you around, Batman."

Reentering the crowd, Levi found a nearby picnic table to post up and enjoy the rest of his beer while he people watched. Most of the town seemed to be out, as usual. He looked around to see if he could find any other faces he knew that he could talk with - surely there was SOMEONE who was happy he was back in town right? He took a larger gulp of his beer this time. Why was he so desperate to be wanted all the time? He needed another beer...

---

_@Zora

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

"Thank you, very much." Anastasia took a small cup from a man in a food truck labeled "Rockie's Ice Cream Parlor" and placed a five dollar bill into the tip jar. Inside the cup was an overflowing amount of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with two little pink spoons pressed into the top of the dessert. "Looks so good!" She complimented the food trucks handiwork, grinning despite knowing she would never be able to finish such a large amount of ice cream all to herself. Still, this had been one of the first enjoyable things she had experienced in weeks. Ice cream was her weakness.

Making her way over to a nearby bench underneath the shade of a pine tree, Ana tucked her blue dress neatly underneath her bottom and slowly began to chip away at her ice cream while she observed the rest of the festival from her quiet little corner. The atmosphere outside felt so nice, not at all humid like she was used to, and the people entering the festival seemed genuinely happy. Kids were laughing, parents were smiling, birds were singing, the sun was shining. Not much to complain about, it seemed. Still, her mind liked to wander back to Chicago. It was hard not to dwell, but she tried her best to redirect her thoughts elsewhere.

Ana's blue eyes quickly darted to her right as she heard the sudden eruption of screaming cut through the air, disturbing the peace. Her body tensed as her heart beat faster and she froze in search of the source of anger. Soon she found two red-headed individuals who appeared to be siblings, one of them was berating the other until the small girl took off and the brother chased after her. Ana let out the breath she had been holding on to and forcefully relaxed her body. 'It's nothing... relax.' She thought, focusing her eyes down on her ice cream as she took another bite.

Taken out of her own thoughts, Ana breathed in deep as she smelt a familiar aroma approach. A cigar. She looked up from her ice cream to find a man had decided to post up nearby one of the building alleyways, only a foot or two away from her bench. He wasn't currently smoking, but the smell followed him. She looked him over, noting his suit and the quiet demeanor. Handsome, too. She knew the type of man he was all too well. The smell of the cigar that lingered on his clothing was conflicting. It felt like home and yet it reminded her of the terrible times she had too. Old habits died hard...

Against her own rationality, Ana addressed him. "Are you looking for a quiet spot away from the crowd too?" She laughed a bit and offered him a warm smile, her golden blonde hair lightly flowing in the breeze as it passed through the trees. She looked back towards the crowd which seemed to grow larger by the minute. "It's a little over whelming." She paused and looked to her ice cream, still with one extra spoon sitting on top. "Want some?" She reached out to offer the cup of the ice cream to the stranger, pointing to the untouched spoon with her own spoon. "They must have assumed I was sharing with somebody. This is way too much!"

---

_@Zora

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

Reya hummed to herself as she walked from the tavern straight to the festival grounds, enjoying the fresh air and the warmth of sun on her skin. Luckily for her the tavern wasn't too far away from the heart of town, only a fifteen minute walk at most, and walking seemed like a better option than fighting over parking spots. Having planned ahead, Reya had brought her own change of clothing with her to the tavern so she could shower and get ready right there! Since the tavern was typically never at full capacity, Reya kept one room reserved for her own personal use just in case she needed to store anything or for special occasions such as today. This had come in handy more than a few times! For the festival she had decided to go with a simple outfit; high waisted short-shorts and an off the shoulder white shirt coupled with her favorite silver hoop earrings.

She had only one plan in mind for the festival - Martha's funnel cake! It was a necessity. Mandatory, in fact. If anything else grabbed her attention along the way then so be it, but she wasn't planning on anything else in particular. In truth, she was not sure how long she planned to stay at the festival. It felt wrong to go without her father, even though the past few years it felt pretty lonely even with him there. This was different, though, knowing he truly wasn't around any longer. The funnel cake would be as much for her as it was for her fathers memory.

Upon arriving at the festival, Reya passed by the dunk tank just as the local sheriff was sent into the water. She laughed along with the crowd, her eyes eventually finding the familiar face of the culprit responsible for the dunking - Levi Brooks. 'Of course.' She thought, unsurprised that he was the one to hit the mark. Levi had been one of the top players on the local baseball team and in turn that made him well known to the rest of the high school girls, much to his delight. She smiled and shook her head at the memory of how he flirted with her more than a few times at various high school parties they had come across each other at - usually at his parents house while they were out traveling the world somewhere. Levi took joy in making her blush, which he accomplished often. It had been some time since she had heard from him, but she made a mental note to stop in on the Cozy Bear to say hello when she was able.

Moving further down the street, Reya made a beeline for the exact spot where Martha's Bakery had a food truck set up every single year for their famous funnel cakes. Except....

Reya's walk slowed and her light brown eyes widened in horror as she arrived at the spot which was missing the key food truck. A whole line of food trucks around the street, and right in the middle was a gaping hole. A place where obviously a food truck was supposed to be, but it was nowhere to be found. Reya quickly surveyed the other food trucks lined up along the street. 'There's no way...' She thought, the jovial nature of her attitude for the day dissipating. She frowned when she was unable to find the food truck and began to wonder, outloud, what was going on. "Where the heck is the funnel cake?!"

"I know, right? I didn't hear about them going out of business or anything..." Another patron chimed in who had overheard her as he sat on a nearby picnic table, clearly waiting to see if the funnel cake would make an appearance. Reya scrunched up her face in a pout and folded her arms. This day was ruined! "Well that's just great..." She muttered to herself, standing there for a moment looking longingly at the empty space. What was she supposed to do now?

Sighing heavily, she shook off the disappointment and decided she would see if anything else caught her eye while she was here. Fortunately something did rather quickly at a nearby booth only a few stalls away from where Martha's food truck should have been. Glinting in the sunlight was one of the most beautiful amethyst crystal geodes she had ever seen! Reya approached the stall to browse the rest of the selection laid out on the table, making note that it was part of the local USGS team. She had seen their stalls every year as well and would sometimes purchase crystals or other pretty rocks they had for sale, but this amethyst was the most stunning one she had come across. The man at the booth she didn't recognize, but he smiled and waved at her while holding a cell phone to his ear. "Is this for sale?" She pointed at the crystal. The man looked down and then looked back up at her with a nervous expression on his face.

"Uhm, well..." His eyes darted past Reya and looked across the street, then back to the crystal, then to Reya. "I don't really... uhm... I don't really know." Reya furrowed her brows, wondering what he meant by that. The man quickly looked at his phone and redialed something, putting the phone back to his ear and looking past Reya once more. Turning, she followed his line of sight. Directly across from them was the dunk tank and a gathering group of people. She looked back to the stranger, "Is everything all right?"

The man sighed in an exasperated fashion and set his phone down hard on the table. "I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to be running this thing. It's..." He looked past her once more and pointed towards the gathering group of people. "It's my partner. She's over there, but she isn't picking up her phone! And I can't leave this stall." Reya followed his pointed finger again, looking at everyone in the group to see if she could identify another USGS employee. "She's the brown haired girl there, in the blue floral dress. You see her? If you could.. just... let her know, maybe? We'll sell the crystal to you at a discount!" Reya smiled at the mention of a discount. Sold!

Making her way back to the dunk tank, Reya was nearly run over by two red-headed maniacs chasing each other through the crowd of people. She barely made it out of the way as they sprinted in front of her, causing Reya to stumble backwards a few steps in order to make it out of their path alive. "What the hell?" Reya paused, watching the man chase the girl out in front until she realized who she was looking at. The Snypes siblings. Of course. Another notorious pair in town. Although Reya did not know the younger sister Emily very well, she did know all about Zachary. They had never been very close, but they often had the same classes together in high school. She'd never actually admitted it out loud, but Reya once had a massive crush on Zack in high school. She recalled the time that her father had discovered that Reya had written Zack's name with hearts all over her journal along with her own name paired his last name; Reya Snypes. Her father was not happy, especially because he had heard that Zack was the type to skip school and slack off at times. It was wildly embarrassing when her father sat her down and told her that was not the type of man she should be looking for and explained to her the type of man she needed instead. Not to mention her twin sister teasing her for the crush years later.

Moving on and throwing that memory back into the recesses of her brain, Reya ignored the two siblings and got back on track with her mission - get the discounted crystal! "Excuse me, miss?" Reya called out to the brunette whom she had never met before, dressed in the blue floral dress that the man had pointed out to her. "Do you work for the Geological Survey team? I think your partner is trying to get ahold of you?" She questioned, pointing across the street to the man at the booth who waved back in desperation.

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_{Interactions:@PrinceAlexus
Mentions:@Viciousmarrow, and Levi of course}