[h2][center][color=aba000]KRISS MAUSER[/color][/center][/h2]
[center][i]LOCATION: RACE MAIN STANDS[/i][/center]
[center][i]TIME: SUNDAY, NOON[/i][/center]

The trio sat quietly in the stands for all of five minutes when Snap's stomach rumbled. She put a hand to her pocket and frowned, discovering it was empty. She glanced up at the sky, then stood to her feet.

"I'm going to go get some food from my car. I'm going to grab my jacket too, it's too cold to sit out here in a polo. You want yours, Allison?"

Allison nodded quickly. She had crossed her arms and was beginning to squeeze them against her stomach to retain warmth.

"Kriss, how about you?"

[color=aba000]"I'm fine."[/color]

"Alright, fine with me. Keep an eye on things," she said, rising and heading back to the parking lot. Soon the two of them were left alone. Allison looked over at Kriss, who was staring blankly in the direction of the track. It was difficult to tell with the aviators covering his eyes. She thought for a moment about what she knew about him and realized she knew almost nothing. He was very reserved and never made conversation with her unless she instigated it, and even then he only gave short answers. She hadn't really considered it before, but now that the two of them were in a casual environment with free time she decided to investigate a little.

"Having fun?"

[color=aba000]"No."[/color]

"Why not?"

[color=aba000]"There is nothing to do here besides sit and watch. If I wanted to spend my day doing that, I would be at the squad watching television."[/color]

"You're not interested in motorsports, are you?"

[color=aba000]"No."[/color]

She looked away as a pack of cars whizzed by, temporarily making conversation impossible. 

"You're not interested in much at all, are you?"

The question annoyed him, but he answered it anyway.

[color=aba000]"I am interested in things. Medicine, exercise, puzzles,..."[/color]

"Family?"

Now she was beginning to pry. Kriss's jaw tightened, but he maintained a lack of eye contact.

[color=aba000]"No."[/color]

"You're not interested in your family?"

[color=aba000]"My family is not interested in me."[/color] That was a lie, and he knew it. His family [i]was[/i] concerned about him. Unfortunately, they expressed their concern through pressure rather than encouragement. The only reason he had taken up EMT work in the first place was spite. His father had said that he'd rather put Kriss through med school than see him join the military, something he had been considering. It was one of the few times he had been legitimately angry at his father. A rift between them had been forming even since Kriss had fallen short of his parents' expectations of his school work. General education was just not a strong suit, and, though he put effort into it, he was never far above average. When it came time to apply for universities, he was rejected. Tension only increased from that point. As of now, he lived outside of his home to help ease that pressure. The less he thought about it, the better.

Allison cocked her head, giving him a look of sympathy.

"I know what that's like."

Kriss turned to look at her for the first time since the small talk began. It seemed a little too convenient of a reply, as though she was just trying to make him feel better. She was looking down at her knees, now squeezed together to try and stay warm, though it seemed as though she was looking back through time.

"I mean...my step-dad is interested in me. I'm not even his actual daughter. My real dad, though...I haven't seen him in years. I was only four when my mom divorced him, if you could call it a divorce. She said she took him to court and he lost hard. He's not even allowed to see me."

A look of anger passed over her face. "Good thing, too."

[color=aba000]"You don't want to see him anymore?"[/color] Kriss asked, suddenly curious. He understood not wanting to meet with a father, but not avoiding them for the rest of one's life. Sure, there was trouble between his father and himself, but that didn't stop him from calling home every week.

"The next time I see his name had better be in the obituaries," she said, her cheeks burning red. "I hope to God I never see him alive again."

[color=aba000]"That doesn't seem fair."[/color]

"He almost killed my mom! And he almost killed me!" she shouted at him. There was a fire in her eyes that made Kriss uncomfortable. Fortunately for him, Snap appeared in the stands again, shuffling over to them. She was wearing a blue reflective fire and rescue jacket and carrying a second in her arms. A package of some kind of snack food was visible in one of the front pockets.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked, sitting back down and passing the coat to Allison, who was already calming down. Neither of them responded. Snap glanced at Allison and caught sight of a tear in her eye that she hadn't wiped away. 

"Kriss..."

"It's nothing, Snap," Allison said hastily, wiping her face and smiling. "He didn't do anything. I just got a little choked up. Did you find the sunglasses?"

The CO nodded, sliding them from another pocket and onto her face as she loaded her other hand with trail mix. She grunted and pointed towards two women not far off.

"Ashton's here."

[color=aba000]"I see that."[/color]

"Which one is Ashton?" Allison asked, following the direction of Snap's finger.

"The tall one," she said before inhaling a handful of food.

Ordinarily, that wouldn't have been of much help, but Ashton's 7-foot frame was absolutely impossible to miss. Allison's eyes widened in surprise.

"Who is she??"

"Firefighter," Snap mumbled, trying not to talk with her mouth full.

"Can she even get into buildings?" Allison asked, as that was the first thing she thought of.

"You should ask her," Snap replied with a grin. Allison looked back at her, then at Ashton, unsure of whether she should actually get up. Snap motioned for her to comply.

"Go ahead, go talk to her. You ought to get to know the firefighters around here anyway. They might be working with us."

"Oh. Okay," the girl muttered, standing and awkwardly making her way down the stands. Kriss glanced at Snap, raising an eyebrow.

[color=aba000]"Does she know that Ashton doesn't talk?"[/color]

"She'll find out."

He turned to watch the exchange. Allison's head was still visible in the crowd, slowly making its way to the firefighter. [color=aba000]"You set her up."[/color]

Snap chuckled, grabbing another handful of trail mix. "Maybe you should go down there too, since you don't talk either."

[color=aba000]"No thanks."[/color]

--

[@Silver Fox]