[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/1NInDhF.png[/img] [/center] [b][code]The Festival.[/code][/b] [hr] His head was killing him. But, he had a pink pill in between his fingers that he slipped into the clear bag and then into his pocket. He always loved coming to the festival, especially when he was a kid. Even though he fell on hard times, he tried to stay positive, and that positivity came in the pink pill. He didn't know what it did but after taking it there wasn't a single negative thought in his head! He didn't have to worry about dropping out of college and getting a dead-end job at a supermarket, having no friends, and no wife and kids like he always wanted! He wandered through the streets of the festival with his head down and his hands in his pocket. His shaggy blonde hair did little to conceal the wrinkles, bags under his eyes, or the dirt on his face. He had on shorts and a hoodie... for some reason, he felt sooo cold, so that's why he put that on. The man slipped the pill and could finally feel joy... but it faded away for a moment. He buckled forward for a second as she felt strange. His head was killing him and all he could feel was... rage. With every pound on his head, he noticed that black veins bled into his vision. He tried to go somewhere to calm down. He held onto the balloon in his hand, it was hard but he did it. [hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/32sPLv7.png[/img] [/center] [sup][sup][@Junkmail][@eclecticwitch][/sup][/sup] [b][code]Charity Beach Festival.[/code][/b] [hr] [i]Don't blow this for me, Henry![/i] Drake thought to himself as Bobbi turned around and waved at the lizardman. Fortunately, she turned back to him and he had it all in the bag! Especially when she asked him to lead her to the balloons. He grinned as he knew that he had this in the bag, "Gladly, Bobbi," Drake started off as he gestured for her to come along. He vaguely remembered where the balloons were and he hoped that he would just find a clue so he doesn't look stupid. Fortunately, fortunately, he leads her straight to it through dumb luck (which was how he figures he gets through life). Straight to one of the tables, and he put his hand out as he said; "So all you gotta do is make a wish, write it on the paper, and then we all let it go at four on the dot," Drake explained, before he looked at his watch. "... Which is coming up real soon so you better hurry up." [hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/TExxMja.png[/img][/center] [b][code]Charity Beach Festival[/code][/b] [hr] The beach festival! Makoto stepped out of the taxi as she merely smiled at the sight of the place. It had great atmosphere; she'd say that much. The REAPER slowly observed all that was before her as she looked at the admission gate. She had to act naturally as she walked up smiling and the guard asked, "Your name?" "Amy Fujiko," Makoto came up with the fake name as she was granted entrance and was flagged down by people talking about a balloon. They told about making a wish and they'd let all the balloons go at four, and Makoto thought it was soooo cute. Like that Chinese thing where they light lanterns in the sky - but way more... American. Balloons were lame if Makoto had to be completely honest! But, she had a wish that she written down on a notepad and it was symbolic only for her. [b][code]Wendy.[/code][/b] After writing it down Makoto tied it to the balloon and quickly started marching. Makoto had to keep her eyes and ears open in case a mark or a target was here. Even if, admittedly, it was pretty stupid to go to a crowded event like this if you were hiding; it was also the perfect camouflage. This would be the last place anyone rational would look... but the first place Makoto would look. Either way, the REAPER merely held the balloon in hand as she looked as if she was marveling at the sight when she was actually just trying to see who's who. Eventually, her eyes landed upon not one but two of REAPER's targets: Henry Olin and Drake Blackmore. Henry wasn't difficult to find and Drake wasn't too far away from him... with a trashy little thing but Makoto had to admit she had some face. Walking around them she could tell he wanted to bone her right then and there! Which would make her job much easier if he was like this around pretty women? Though, Makoto kept her distance from them; only because she didn't want Henry to catch her sent. That'd be a problem later. Either way, Makoto was going to have some fun here before she reports back to the good ol' "Area Director". [hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/jEEqp7d.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/7zfqEL5.png[/img][/center] [sup][sup]Collaboration between [@Ruler Inc] and [@Altered Tundra][/sup][/sup] [b][code]Charity Beach Festival[/code][/b] [hr] It wasn't long before Kashmira got hungry walking around this busy festival. It was also a tad difficult hearing Rashmika in all of this chaos. However, the Sarai girl noticed something; there was meat everywhere! From hot dogs to burgers... and the idea of eating meat was against her religion. It was... annoying. But it was something that Kashmira was used to; especially in New York. However, unlike in New York, there wasn't a sizable Indian population here in Charity Beach. [i]"Ugh, sister,"[/i] Kashmira spook in her native language again. [i]"They are only selling meat here."[/i] [i]"Well, you wanted to go to Florida."[/i] Rashmika answered with a playful chuckle. Kashmira shook her head as her eyes laid upon a food truck. Not just any food truck; a pizza food truck with various hot and fresh pizzas on full display. Her eyes landed upon a whole veggie pizza and saw all the peppers and onions on top of it. Kashmira loved pizza, and even though she got the best pizza in New York; it was perfect! [i]"I found pizza, sister."[/i] Kashmira said with a smile into the phone. [i]"Oh, that's excellent,"[/i] Rashmika said. [i]"Tell me how it tastes."[/i] She walked over to the pizza truck, which had black and red cushioned stools on top, and sat on top of it. An overweight white guy with an apron and gloves (thank God, Kashmira couldn't stand it when people handled her food barehanded!) asked her, "Hey, welcome to Jack's Pizza! What can I get for you?" "Hello, could I get a slice of the veggie pizza?" Kashmira asked as she tied the balloon around her wrist. "Sure thing!" The man said before handing her the pizza slice on a paper plate, and she left it on the counter... which Kashmira absolutely coated in crushed red peppers because she liked her food with a little kick to it. It was an Indian stereotype, yeah, but one that Kashmira couldn't say was too far off from the truth. That same line had only seemed to be getting shorter and shorter. After the girl in front of her had gotten a veggie pizza, another would request a similar item, but this one was more cheese-heavy than what she had smelled pass her, the sight of an Indian woman holding it. "Miss? Hello miss!" The man called out. Ava had spaced out. She didn't realize her nose had followed the scent for just a tad too long, but when she finally returned to Planet Ava, she shook her head and walked forward. "I'll take a slice of the mushroom pizza," she said. As the man smiled and nodded, he took what appeared to be a freshly-made mushroom pie and handed Ava a rather large slice of pizza on a paper plate. "There you are, miss," the man said. With both a nod and a five dollar bill, Ava walked away. She quickly scanned the immediate seating area and the only available one was where she saw the girl from before that had the veggie pizza. Ava wasn't one to join practical strangers, but she couldn't necessarily be picky. She went and sat down across from her, giving her a courtesy nod as she dug into her pizza. Without even realizing it, though, Ava had made an outward appreciation for her mushroom pizza. Which elected a chuckle from Kashmira. She didn't mind the company - not at all - and giving her friend a quick look; a white girl with brown hair that wasn't all that bad looking. Most of all Kashmira didn't think she would try to stab her - which was something she always had to be careful of here in Florida. Though, the girl didn't mind talking to people. "Hello, enjoying your pizza, friend?" She asked while glancing down at Rashmika on the phone. [i]"What making friends now, sister?"[/i] Rashmika sarcastically. Halfway into another bite, Ava had to swallow what remained of the piece of the cheesy heaven before she lifted her head at the girl. She looked at her with a strange glare almost as though she was trying to figure out if that's how all people around here spoke. Ava didn't really make friends that easily, be it her nature to keep most things inwardly or just simply out of habit, yet this Indian girl wasn't shying away from speaking to her. "It's pretty good, I suppose," Ava replied, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I've had better, though. Harry's Place in Seminole Hill has the best pizza in Charity Beach. I dare you to disagree, but you'll probably lose if you tried to." "Oh?" Kashmira said as a friendly smile grew on her face. "In fact... that's where I go to get pizza!" She energetically said - this was quite the coincidence, but Kashmira welcomed such things open armed! "It still doesn't beat pizza from New York, though," Kashmira chuckled, "It's the best." "Small world we live in," Ava commented, slightly laughing at the odds. She couldn't help but feel like this girl was wrong about New York Pizza. At least, she had tried some New York Pies that were cooked by the chef her family home had who spent time learning how to make New York pizza. "It's good, I'll give you that one, but nothing compares to genuine, Italian pizza." Part of Kashmira had to snicker at the comment - mainly because there were a lot of Italians in New York! However, the girl didn't seem to be aware of that... oddly enough, so Kashmira wasn't going to chastise her on it. "Oh, I'd love to try it someday, sounds good," Kashmira started off, though she glanced at her balloon and realized Ava doesn't have one! "I see you don't have a balloon, did you miss the stand when you walked in?" [i]Was she serious?[/i] Ava wasn't quite sure to make of that question. The notion of someone Ava's age having a balloon didn't make sense. Not that she was against balloons as a whole, but she grew out of that phase when she was ten. To save her from Ava's usual bluntness, though, she chose to answer with a little more tact than she usually did. "I guess I was distracted by the music and other festivities, but they aren't really my thing, anyway." She told the girl, taking a small bite of her pizza. "No, no, you don't understand," Kashmira said, gesturing to the piece of paper she had wrapped on the balloon string. "It's apart of the tradition here... you take a balloon, write something down on the paper you wish to happen, then everyone will let them go at once at four o'clock!" "Is it really?" She seemed surprised by this. Perhaps it was due to how Ava didn't really engage in the social events Charity Beach had to offer. She was much too busy for that. "I didn't realize this city was one of [i]those[/i] places." "... What do you mean?" "How to phrase this?" Ava thought for a moment. "Like what you would see in those shows with the floating lanterns. I guess I didn't think this city was like those. Granted, I never once thought they actually existed." She found herself laughing when it sunk in. "Oh? Oh." Kashmira chuckled. "I guess the Americans-" ...Kashmira knew she had to stop saying that to Americans "-try to invoke that image... have you ever heard of Uttarayan?" ... and Kashmira already knew the answer to that question, she was hoping, [i]hoping[/i], this girl wasn't a narrowminded American. She had to think about it, but it did sound just a tad familiar. Maybe it was something she read when her father made her sit through boring lessons? She couldn't remember exactly when it was she had heard about this Uttarayan, but she knew what it was. "Isn't that the celebration of summer for the Hindu culture or something like that?" She asked. "Yes, something like that," Kashmira was surprised this girl knew about that - she was honestly expecting to have to explain it to her. "The celebration of the transition from winter to summer, more or less, in the Gujarati region. However, it's more than just a festival." Kashmira smiled. "It's something that dates way back, " Kashmira started off, "It's where we exchange sweets and fly kites and people from all over the world come to fly their kites with us. But, it looks like I'm missing the point." Kashmira looked down at her phone to see a quiet Rashmika... probably she wanted to let her do the talking. "Kites fly high to represent our high aspirations and sometimes there are enough kites to block out the sky," Kashmira began. "Maybe that's what the Am- people of this town wish to... symbolize. And it'll definitely look pretty when we all let our balloons go!" It was hard for anyone, let alone Ava, to disagree with that logic. At least, she couldn't find the mental energy to care to disagree with her. "You're asking the wrong person about that. I've hardly engaged in this town's traditions. This is honestly my first real day off in a long time," Ava admitted out loud too -- now that she was thinking about it, she didn't know the girl's name. "My manners have weakened since living here. I don't think I caught your name. I'm Ava," she said, smiling. "Kashmira," The Indian-girl slowed down as she repeated her name. "Oh, friend, where are you from?" Halfway into a bite, Ava nearly choked on it when she heard Kashmira's question. "I've been around a lot," she responded as quickly as she could. "That doesn't really answer the question, but that's alright," Kashmira quickly said with a chuckle... She figured that going off her reaction, that was something she didn't want to talk about. Which was okay with Kashmira, but the girl knew that she told her a [i]lot more[/i] than if she answered straight up. "Well, have you been "around" America a lot or have you traveled?" Ava wasn't a fan of this fishing expedition that Kashmira seemed to be on. Why was she so curious all of a sudden? Could it be that she knew who Ava really was? She couldn't take that chance. It was bad enough she refused to use a different name than her given name, but Ava wasn't about to take the chance of revealing more information than she had to. If she could give this girl enough information without saying much, then it could potentially satisfy her curiosity. "Well, I've seen enough of this country to know Charity Beach is a decent place to settle down in," Ava said, smiling at Kashmira. Who had to resist the urge to break out laughing. She had a friend... Israel, he had some strong opinions about Charity Beach and its inhabitants. Mainly how corrupt and useless the police and leaders were - and Kashmira couldn't say that he was [i]wrong[/i]. Nope. Not even in the slightest, but she could do was see it for herself. She went to Los Costas one day and saw how horrible it all was for everyone, and how everyone had the power to fix things... but didn't. It reminded her a bit of India. Of course, America and India were completely different beasts, but they both suffered from poverty and corruption. "I wouldn't say it's decent," Kashmira said. "There is so much pain - so much - and suffering in certain parts of the city, and everyone is oblivious - or worse, ignores it. Have you heard of Happiness?" "It's hard not to," Ava said quickly. "The drug is all over the city." Ava didn't like to think about how this drug was given such a contradictory name, yet it did anything [i]but[/i] bring happiness. "You're right about most of everyone turning a blind eye to it or just pretending it's not a big of a problem than it really is." "They just don't care, sadly," Kashmira started off, "People in this town are so... incompassionate, and,,, I am getting off track here." She quickly realized that she would be ranting for hours and hours on end if she didn't stop herself there. She wanted to get to the positive part, "If they turn a blind eye to it - I won't. I've been working to the best of my ability to help people afflicted by it and their families, and I've been trying to get some media coverage for it." Suddenly her frown turned right side up, and she remembered all the good talks she had with Israel. "See, I try to help people where it matters rather than complain about it! But again... I am one girl." Ava was all smiles, especially when Kashmira talked about how she was helping others, until she said she was just a girl, causing her to grit her teeth. "Don't sell yourself short, Kashmira. Even one person can make a huge difference over time." "But, I wonder..." Kashmira muttered in her thick accent. "People are dying day by day due to the drug - how many more are going to lose their lives before it ends for good." The longer she talked to Kashmira, the more Ava recognized the person sitting in front of her. Save for the darker skin and eyes, she was practically like Ava was, though not as peaceful. Ava wasn't as nice, either. "I don't know. That's a thought for the police. The best we can do is try with everything we have to help those who have suffered and keep on suffering." "Y-yeah," Kashmira said, as her hope returned to her. That was all they can do; Ava was right. She took another bite of her pizza and realized it was almost gone. Oh no! "However, I must ask; what do you do to help people, then?" Yet another question Ava knew she couldn't answer truthfully. It would be a lot easier for her and make her feel a hell of a lot better to just say that she moonlighted as a vigilante that kicked the asses of various criminals who roamed Seminole Hill causing trouble, but that wouldn't be wise of her to do that. The key was for her to remain anonymous. "I volunteer at a few soup kitchens and donate my time to helping my neighborhood out. Or at least, I try to do it," she said, hoping it would be a satisfying answer for the curious Kashmira. "Oh! I do too sometimes," Kashmira answered with a smile. "Perhaps we'll cross paths again someday there?" She asked, not quite a proposition but it was a possibility. She did hope to come across Ava again, but she also wanted to get a move on. She didn't want to bore Rashmika with her standing there staring at her while she made friends, after all. "But, I must get moving, Ava," Kashmira said as she slid off the stool. "It was great to meet you, but I have much to see of the festival." Ava nodded. "Guess I'll be seeing you, then. Try and have a little fun and don't focus too much on the bad shit going around town," Ava advised her. "I'll try not to!" Kashmira said... but she knew that'd be easier said than done.