### **Harmon Rottlage & Leonard Boggs** --- And you want to know What's that god-awful sound Something's dragging on the ground The machine is bre̸ak̷i̴ng̸ ͟d̀ow͢n̴ --- The Fair. Ever since... well, earlier today, Harmon was dreading the thought of this event. So many meta-humans. So many NEST agents. All in one place. Every one of them a spark that could set off a chain reaction and wreak havoc. Most of them probably knew that but disregarded its importance. These powers, this meta-energy... it brings out the worst in people sometimes. Turns them into terrible, deplorable creatures. Harmon never liked NEST but he always remembered what they were around for. To keep things like... like this... under control. But be that as it may, he wasn't about to turn himself in to Saint Frank and face the overly-drastic consequences the agent would no doubt place upon him. It was best for him and Lenny to stay in disguise, keep their heads down, and hope nothing happens. And speaking of disguises, Harmon was very pleased with the new gloves and camouflage boonie Lenny had bought for him at a dollar store, thankfully right before it had shut down for the fair. The hat was a little large for Harmon's head, but that would only be the case without the shards. It fit perfectly over them, and the wide brim concealed his lack of eyes well enough. The two were walking towards a crowd, now. Lenny led the duo as Harmon kept his head hunched over and arms overlapped. These clothese... they weren't the same as the old blanket he used. But, they seemed to work a lot better in terms of warding off the cold. He felt... rather comfortable, really. But that inkling fear of the NEST troops stationed at every corner... there was no ward against that. "Hey, c'mon." Lenny said in a hush voice, turning his head and motioning for Harmon to speed up towards him. "Don't fall behind, you and me have to stay together." Harmon quickly picked up the pace and matched Lenny's stride beside him. As they entered into the thick of the crowd, Lenny continued, "Keep your cool Harmon, just walk with me and... try to look low-key. Can you do that, buddy?" Harmon nodded his head, the brim of the boonie hat flapping a bit. Combined with the scarf, it was hard for anyone to make out his face, or lack thereof, even from close up. People were brushing past him and Lenny and just... going about their business, enjoying the Fair. Harmon could see the bright lights and bustling stands, and the boats on the waterway. They didn't seem to fill him with the same sense of awe and wonder that other folks were experiencing, though. The two emerged from the other side of the crowd, still on the sidewalk. Up ahead of them was an intersection, to the right of which the Fair begun, and the to the left, it ended. There were two NEST troopers standing on opposite ends of the intersection's corners. "Alright." Lenny said, placing his hand on Harmon's back. "Let's just turn right and stay in the crowd. Be cool." The two made their way forward, brushing past a few more people, easing up to the wall of the corner building and doing their best to not draw any attention from the agents. They were feet away from the corner now. Harmon was shaking a bit as he slowly sidled around the corner, behind the back of the agent standing at the corner. The moment he was clear, Lenny was already behind him, strolling as nonchalantly as possible. Ahead of them, down the bustling road, stood row upon row of game stands and prize booths. Lights were flashing everywhere from on high, especially prominent on the boats and luxury cruisers sitting in the waterwat further down. The sense of wonder and amusement was still very alien to Harmon. This place horrified him. "C'mon." Lenny said, patting Harmon's back. "Let's just find somewhere that doesn't look too heavily guarded and hang out for a bit." "But..." Harmon said in a whisper, "Fair... w-when it, when it ends?" "We'll think of something." Lenny responded, "For right now let's just worry about not getting caught." Harmon nodded, and the two resumed their pace, blending into the crowd, evading the eyes and ears of the agents around them. And in that moment, Harmon was slowly crumbling on the inside, being in the thick of all those potential sparks, just waiting to ignite... And burn everything.