[center][h2]Matthew Detmer[/h2][/center][hr][@Ruler Inc],[@Spoopy Scary][hr]

All at once, Matt was being dragged around the festival. Amanda was talking and smiling and god- [i]laughing[/i] her head off. It was intoxicating and dizzying and all he could ask himself was how empty he had felt without that being in his life. This girl shone like the sun.

"Hey, you, come here, newcomers?" a woman asked, approaching them. "I see you don't have balloons."

[i]"Yeah,"[/i] the woman beside him piped up, ever a spitfire. [i]"What's all this about?"[/i]

Matt had lived here for a few years now and had taken part in the festival more than a few times as a child and as an adult. He opened his mouth to explain it to Amanda, but the lady beat him to it. "So every year during this festival, everyone who's gets a balloon and a piece of paper. You're supposed to write a wish on the paper and at four, we all let the balloons go!" 

Amanda's face broke out into a smile and something inside Matthew wished he had brought Amanda her at some point all those years ago. [i]"Ooooh, Matt,"[/i] She said, facing him with wild and excited eyes. [i]"Let's do it, I want the blue one."[/i] Matt choked somewhat at the beginning of her sentence, but quickly collected himself when he realized that she wasn't insinuating [i]that[/i].

Eventually, with a dark cyan balloon in her hand and a bright red one in his, they sat down at a table to write their wishes. She was bent far over the table suggestively, but Matt wasn't paying attention. He had taken out his phone and was sending a quick text to Israel.

[quote=Matt]
We're at the festival. By the tables writing our wishes. Red and blue balloons. Just shout when you get there.[/quote]

Matt slipped his phone back into his pocket. Walking right past Amanda's show and sitting down- focusing on his blank piece of paper in front of him. What did he want?

He looked at his hands, and realized with a childlike smile that he couldn't ask for a cool superpower- he had one of those. He had friends, one that would likely catch up with him soon, a home, a job, hobbies... He looked over to Amanda, realizing that he had everything he could possibly wish for already. The idea hit him like a ton of bricks while he was looking at her. A deep frown etched itself into his features, and he looked down, writing down his wish quickly and folding the paper several times so that Amanda wouldn't be able to read his wish.

[hr]

[center][h2]Henry Olin and Enoch[/h2][/center][hr][@eclecticwitch][@CaptainBritton][hr]

The Henry’s brow raised as Bobbi seemed to bounce between several directions at once. The crowds and activity on all sides seeming to gain her attention and lose it just as quickly- penultimately resulting in her doing a full one-eighty away from the conversation she was having. Henry’s jaw set when she saw him, expecting something along the lines of what had happened yesterday. He watched her intently, waiting for her to say or do something but was pleasantly surprised when all she did was raise a stuffed alligator above her head and waved it above her head. Henry was unsure of how to react to this.

Her attention was almost instantly returned to Drake, and Henry breathed a sigh of relief, his whole body sagging slightly against the tree further- which groaned under his weight. He looked up at the palms far above even his head and shifted his weight off of the tree some. He tugged at the balloon in his hands, enjoying the light bounce. He grunted- feeling a sudden weight on his tail. The appendage was almost entirely muscle and prehensile so he lifted it, curling it around his body and turning around to find the a small child that had stepped on him by accidently. The child scampered off with little more than a look, and as he returned his eyes to the ever shifting tide of people he flicked his tongue habitually. He frowned as he tasted the air. The scents of various body fluids, pheromones of all types, the ocean, alcohol and food. People all smelt very similar, but every person had their own discerning markers that set them aside from one another. They were imperceivable to the regular person, because it’s not like humans stank on average or anything. Drake smelt slightly metallic, as if he placed his tongue on a 9 volt battery or sucked on a coin. The girl he was talked to smelt like chemical of some sort. Sonya had the tinge of phlegm. Amanda smelt like, well, sex. And so on and so forth. He almost never forgot the indicative marker that attributed to a person. It’s why he was so good with names and never forgot someone- he couldn’t. Even if he wanted to.

There were two scents that he could discern that he had smelt before. They were too far away and too diluted by other, stronger smells to determine location or actual existence. The first had been an enigma to him for the longest time until Adam’s funeral- where he attributed it to be most like a mausoleum. Like something old, ripe and sour. Mildewed, almost. It was difficult to pinpoint, and even harder to define, but it was a unique scent. It put him on edge, but it was gone almost as soon as he smelt it. He narrowed his eyes at everyone and no one at the same time.

The second smell was much easier to attribute to someone, for he had smelt it just the other day. An interesting mixture of tobacco and gunpowder. Unlike the previous scent it was much easier to locate, as it got stronger with every second that passed. He followed his nose in the crowd, eventually coming upon the man in question- the curious cat himself- Jake. The man had the lingering smell of liquid courage, characteristic of this festival, that was likely making the approach easier. They hadn’t met by the most normal means, after all. He knew better than anyone that he was a difficult person to approach, both from a personal and instinctual sense.

“Jake Riley, in the flesh.” Henry boomed, mirth encompassing his tone. “Come to take me up on my offer of a free drink?”

“Yeh.” Came the accented response, “If’n you’re still good for it.” Brooks grinned. Characteristic of the man, him and his piece both assaulted Henry’s nose with senses. It was clear he was, as always, packing. Henry didn’t verbally reply, instead pointing to where he’d be so Drake and him could keep eyes on one another, and then motioning for the man to follow him across the street. The crowd quickly dispersed and then weaved around the gentle giant, who approached a tex-mex style vendor in a food truck. The giant placed his hand on the roof of the vehicle, leaning against it as he read the menu, much to the operators chagrin. He was trying to decide if he wanted seconds after his meal less than half an hour ago. When James caught up to him, he looked over to the man.

“Anything jump out at ya?”

Brooks’s two dull greens scanned the menu, lower lip curling slightly, as he ran his hand across his stubbled chin, an index finger particularly trailing his shrapnel scar.

“Fajita sounds good. Chicken, yeah? Could for for another brew if they got that, too.” Brooks nodded, looking over to the scaled man of meat. Henry cast a gaze to the cashier, fishing a plastic card out from his chest piece to pay. The man sent the order forward, and Henry shifted his weight away from the food truck, causing the shocks to shift the car back to stability.

“So, Jake,” Henry said as they waited for the food to be ready, sidestepping to allow the line behind them to put in their own orders. “Tell me ‘bout yourself. Normal people dont go checking out skirmishes. Usually they run the opposite direction. What makes you tick?”

Brooks internally froze. He kept his cool exterior, but inside he was thinking about his responses very carefully. “That’s a hard one, y’know. I guess I ain’t one to run away. Gunshots a block down the street. Hard to ignore, y’know? Figure you check it out, call law as need callin’, other than that I figure it’s a waste a’ your time to investigate a big heap of fuck all.” Bad answer, Brooks. You’re too buzzed for this. Henry flicked his tongue, tasting the air again in case the scent from before reared its head again, but continued the conversation.

“Fishy.” was all Henry said in response. He’d been in this game for almost as long as Enoch had been alive and wasn’t so easily fooled by the dismissive answer. That being said, he didn’t sense that James was someone he’d have to worry about. He had the right kind of air around him. It was difficult to explain, and difficult to ignore. “What brings you into town then? Certainly arent local given our conversation in the alley and your lack of, well...”

Henry tugged on his balloon, making the small and delicate object bob in the air by him for emphasis of James’ lack of balloon.

“Work. I’m with Maersk, at the docks. Supposed to be learnin’ how to operate cranes n’ shit, loading and unloading shipping containers.” Brooks played it cool, despite utterly fucking his cover from the start.

“And how’d you land that job?” Henry said, giving James a sly grin. He’d let the man dig himself the hole, if only to have a little fun before having him come clean. If only for his own sick sense of amusement.

“Shippin’ is a big industry, y’know. Always lookin’ for hands. Applied, n’ I got the job.”

Henry nodded, deciding not to press further on the matter.”Son, whatever it is that you’re running from- just remember that you have friends in town when it catches up to you.” he said, keeping his attention on the crowd and intermittently flicking his tongue more. “Cause shipyard workers, well, they normally don’t smell like gunpowder.”

Brooks froze, eyeing Henry up and down, his amicable expression having changed to one of suspicion, of paranoia. He remained silent, waiting for where Henry was going with this. Henry, noticing his silence tilted his head slightly, peering down at the man. He snorted, seeing his sudden attitude change. He must’ve hit the nail on the head. Huh, well that explains why the man had chosen to check out the scene. “Relax, Jake. If I was planning to do something, I’d have done it by now.”

Brooks lowered his voice cautiously. “So what’s your game, officer? I’m here, you got me.” Brooks darted his eyes, faking confidence and going on the offensive as he went through every scenario in his head.

“No game, friend.” Henry confessed. “Saw someone doing something suspicious. Figured I’d look into it. It’s my job.” he explained, continuing. “But I didn’t find you particularly suspicious. My intuition is usually pretty good, and I don’t get that sinking feeling that I usually do around unsavory individuals.”

The great lizard sighed. “Not that there is anything I can do even if I wanted to. You haven’t done anything wrong. The ball’s in your court. Suppose it’s up to you now- if I should have a reason to be concerned.”

“It’s behind me. Has been for a while now. Just wanna live my life.” Brooks clarified, sighing heavily. Henry smiled and gently patted him on the back. “Then consider me your new best friend in town.”

The giant looked up at his balloon and then down to Brookes and frowned. “You don't strike me as the type to get a balloon. But say you did, what would you wish for?”

“Y’know, I ain’t thought about it much. I guess I’d just wish to forget all the bullshit, y’know? A true new start, ignorance is bliss, yeah?”

That struck a nerve in Henry, who froze at the mention of forgetting the past. He looked over at Drake- who had done wonderful things for FAMA- really, but he hadn’t been tested yet. Not truly, at least. The things he and Adam had seen had broken most men- it almost certainly broke him. The grit necessary to come out alive, to steel yourself and mold into something less than human to simply survive- he hoped that Drake would make it out of the other end. The boy was like his nephew- and Henry was likely the closest thing to an uncle that the boy ever had. There was a pregnant pause, broken when Henry finally spoke. “Amen to that, brother.”