What good's a theme park anyway? [Minori] [Finished]

"So long as they're not real ducks," she laughed, following after him, "But hey, sounds good to me! At least I couldn't possibly hurt someone at this game." Technically she could, but she liked to think that she wouldn't turn a toy gun on anyone for any reason. Even in the case of accidents, a feather-light cork to the face was decidedly less harmful than a basketball.

Minori offered a token to the staff member who was manning the booth, noting that this teenager seemed a lot more friendly than the previous one had been. If the slight strain in their overly-large smile was of any indication though, she would wager that the girl wanted to be here just as much as the guy running the basketball game. Suddenly, Minori was really glad that she worked in the family flower store--she could see how dealing with this much noise and this many people could gradually grate at one's sanity.

"Watch the master at work," she winked at him before picking up the toy gun. In reality, she had only played this once before when she was very young, but how hard could it be?

Minori instinctively poked her tongue out from the corner of her mouth as she took aim, her hands surprisingly steady thanks to years of practice with having to deal with delicate tasks. Which one should I hit? she wondered, shutting an eye, Got to watch the timing too, huh?

After a few seconds ticked by, she made her first shot. It was a miss, but she used it as a guideline to adjust her aim, lifting her arms up by a fraction. Her second shot smacked directly into a duck and sent it toppling over, and shortly after, she sent another cardboard bird falling down with her last shot.

"Phew!" At least she did a lot better here!

Lucius watched Minori go with his arms crossed. He was right in that she would be better at the gun game. Now came his turn, however. He wasn't too sure how he was going to play it out. If he was a really good shot he might throw the game and let Minori have a win, but he honestly didn't know how well he'd do at the game

Which meant going all out was probably the best choice. No point throwing it unless he knew he could win, after all.

"Not too shabby, but you fall a bit short for a 'master'," Lucius said with a teasing smirk. He stepped forward and picked up the toy gun, taking aim at his first duck. He managed to hit it dead on, to a bit of his surprise, and his smirk grew into a grin. This was even easier than he thought it would be.

The grin, however, did soon fade as he missed his next two shots. Hmm, it seemed as though it was his turn to concede defeat.

"Though apparently I'm no master either," He added with a chuckle, setting the gun back down and turning to the girl. He felt relaxed for once. There wasn't that itch for adrenaline he usually felt, so he must have been having fun.

"Should we go for cotton candy and then a ride? Or ride and then cotton candy?" As fun as the games were, though, he felt like there was something else they could be doing now. It seemed that even with his adrenaline itch gone he was still just a little bit restless.

Minori seemed genuinely elated that she had won, but rather than gloat, she reached up to playfully bop him on the nose with a finger, flashing him a smile. "Oh well, we don't have to be masters. At least if we're ever in a position where we need to take out three targets, we'll probably manage to get the job done between the two of us," she grinned, airily flapping a hand.

The girl rocked on her feet, turning first to eye the concession stand just a few feet away, and then the variety of rides that were scattered throughout the park. She watched the rollercoaster ascend in the distance, ducking her head to hide her cringe when it went barreling down. Adventurous as she was, that was one ride that always made her a little anxious.

...Not that she had ever been on one, but that was beyond the point.

"Cotton candy first," she answered, already making her way over to the stand, "Let's walk around while eating and chat a bit!"

Lucius blinked when Minori bopped his nose. It was...different, nobody had ever really done that to him. Was she being flirty? He hoped so. Hmm, he'd have to find an opening to push his luck a little. So he gave her a smirk and nodded, walking towards the cotton candy vendor.

"All right, it's my treat then," Lucius said, slipping his hands into his pockets. He really didn't mind who paid for what, but at least he knew that he had plenty of money to spare. "So are you new to Azores? I just moved here about a week ago, myself,"

He'd figure he'd open discussion with something simple like that as he made his way to the cotton candy vendor.

The fact that she had caught him slightly unawares by the nose tap made her smile, though she tried to hide it behind her hand so that it wouldn't be so obvious. Bouncing to a stop in front of the vendor, Minori tilted her head back and stared up at the boy with wide eyes. "Are you sure? You already paid for our tokens, and I don't want to impose."

She bit down on her bottom lip, her brows drawing together. Honestly, it was a little hard not to feel at least a little guilty, even if it was just a couple of dollars altogether. After some thought, she rooted around in her purse and procured her wallet. "At least let me pay for some bottled drinks, okay? It's kind of hot here and they'll be good to have around."

Minori didn't give him much room to refuse anyways. She rose onto her tiptoes to chirp her order at the man running the concession stand from over the counter, sliding over the money and dropping back down. Realizing then that she should probably answer his question, she shook her head.

"Nope, lived here all my life! I wouldn't say that it's necessarily the most exciting place, but lately..." She faltered, a troubled look briefly flickering over her face before she cleared her throat. "But anyways, how are you liking it here so far?"

Lucius didn't really mind that the girl paid for the drinks. Who paid for what wasn't overly concerning to him, just...a part of him felt more comfortable if he was spending the most. He didn't really know why, though. "All right, works for me, thank you,"

He paid the concession worker and took his drink when it arrived, handing Minori hers with a smirk. The girl's short stature was amusing to say the least, so he felt it both an act of kindness and a bit of a tease to not force her to have to get on her tiptoes again. When the cotton candy arrived he did the same thing, taking both and handing her one.

Hm, it seemed something was bothering her. Apparently it was to the point where she couldn't hide it. Some small quirks the girl had been hiding behind other quirks, though those ones had him confused even if he know what she was up to, but this was clear emotion. Should he press the issue? Heh, a part of him REALLY wanted to press the issue. But it was too soon, she could shut down if he got too nosey. Patience was the way to go...unfortunate, Lucius normally wasn't the patient type.

"The truth?" Lucius asked, pausing to bite into some of his cotton candy. The stuff was damned sweet, a bit too sweet to his liking, but it was still a light snack. "It's been dull as hell. Aside from a few notable people I haven't found anything or anyone of interest. I've HEARD of some interesting things, but people never seem to know much about it," He stated nonchalantly.

He took another bite of his cotton candy and considered for a moment before speaking again, "Ever get the feeling some of the people around here are hiding something?"

"Thank you," she beamed, first taking the offered drink and then the cotton candy that followed shortly after. Having noticed the way that Lucius grabbed their purchases with ease, Minori mused over how it must have been nice being tall; with the way the concession stand was elevated, she just barely managed to see over the counter. But oh well, what could you do? Unless she had a growth spurt, she was stuck like this, and wearing heels to an amusement part wouldn't have been practical anyways.

She tucked the bottled drink into her bag so that she'd have her hands free for her sweet treat, tearing off a little bit and popping it into her mouth. A content look immediately settled over her face at the familiar flavour, and she followed up the first bite with another one in an effort to satiate her sweet tooth.

"That's unfortunate to hear," Minori replied in a sympathetic tone, only to arch her brow a moment after, "And uh...interesting things? What kind of things have you heard of, exactly?" Her curiosity piqued, she couldn't help but ask him to elaborate.

His question didn't receive an immediate answer--the girl fell silent, her attention growing a little distant as she slowly licked the sugar off of her sticky fingertips. When she glanced up at him next, however, Minori's bright smile was back and responded in a cheerful voice. "Mm, well...maybe! I think that everyone kind of has their own little secrets that they want to hide though," she answered, leaning forward and letting her voice take on a light-hearted tone, "I mean, don't you have your own fair share of secrets, Lucius?"

"Well, one island in particular has a forest that harbors a ruined tree village, or something. Just little rumors like that about every island in this archipelago," Lucius elaborated. He'd love to say more but he just didn't know enough to even explain some of the nonsense he's heard about since his arrival. He ate some more of his cotton candy, shoving his drink in his pocket. Wasn't the most comfortable spot for it, but it only needed to be there until he finished the sugary snack.

His question didn't receive an immediate answer--the girl fell silent, her attention growing a little distant as she slowly licked the sugar off of her sticky fingertips. When she glanced up at him next, however, Minori's bright smile was back and responded in a cheerful voice. "Mm, well...maybe! I think that everyone kind of has their own little secrets that they want to hide though," she answered, leaning forward and letting her voice take on a light-hearted tone, "I mean, don't you have your own fair share of secrets, Lucius?"

Minori...acted strange before answering his final question. It was as if she spaced out, but came right back like nothing had happened. She clearly heard him, but still...it was a touch unnerving. Did it have something to do with what was bothering her before?

Tch, now you're hiding something too... He thought. Not that he blamed her, he was just making a mental note.

"Fair point, everyone has their fair share of secrets and things they want to keep hidden," He replied with nonchalance. He ate some more cotton candy before continuing, smirking as he finally decided to push his luck a little bit, "But one of life's greatest games is to figure out everyone else's secrets before they discover yours..."

How she'd react to that statement was uncertain, but it was to an extent something Lucius deemed to be true. Either way the result was sure to spice things up a little.

"Ruined tree village?" she echoed, wondering with some confusion if he could be referring to Lunapa Island. If memory served, that was the only island she could recall that involved treehouses, so it seemed like the most logical connection to make. "I mean, there is an island full of treehouses," Minori noted aloud, "So if it'd be anywhere, I'd guess on Lunapa?"

Then again, she hadn't been there for some time, and it wasn't as if she had explored the whole island in thorough detail. Who knew if that rumour was true, or maybe it wasn't even on Lunapa at all.

Minori pulled off some more cotton candy and slipped it into her mouth, her gaze snapping to Lucius to peer at him from the corner of her eyes. She let the sweet snack dissolve fully on her tongue before answering. "Mm, I don't know about that," she smiled dryly, looking to find some humour in the statement, "I feel like most secrets are personal things that would hold no importance to anyone outside of the secret keeper. Like it wouldn't affect you if I told you that I still slept with my teddy bear." Which obviously wasn't much of a secret if the shameless way that she just said it and the easy grin on her face was of any indication.

"...That's an interesting way of thinking, though," she added after a second of thought, nudging him in the arm with hers, "Almost makes me wonder what secrets you're hiding yourself."

"Heh, it is supposed to be on Lunapa Island, good guess," Lucius replied with a smirk. He ate some more cotton candy and listened to her response, and he laughed softly at her example of a teddy bear.

"That is a fair point, I won't lie. Most people, including myself, really don't care about secrets like that," As for what secrets Lucius was hiding? He had to think for a moment: what did he hide from everyone? To be honest there wasn't all that much he wouldn't tell someone if they asked him about it.

"Oh I don't think I have that many secrets, honestly," He replied honestly, "For all I know maybe that's why I like figuring out the secrets of others, or maybe it's just a small hobby for when I'm bored,"

While Minori didn't seem to be offended by his little limit pushing statement on secrets, she did clearly not share the same view...though for an interesting reason. The girl didn't say it was WRONG, just that it was silly. He liked that, it meant she was open minded.

He finished his cotton candy and took his drink out of his pocket, "But yes, if you're curious about anything regarding myself definitely feel free to ask. I don't have much to hide. However, do note that for every question you ask me I may ask one in return," Lucius smirked before taking his next drink. This conversation was truly starting to entertain him.

Oh, so she was right! Ruins though, huh? Interest piqued, she absently lifted more cotton candy to her mouth, repeating the action with a slow, steady tempo. Maybe this called for some exploration on her next day off. She didn't trust herself not to get horrifically lost, but that still wasn't enough to deter her completely. It'd be nice if she had company, but...

...Minori squinted at Lucius from over her cavity-inducing snack, but said nothing. Was it too creepy to ask? ...It was probably too creepy to ask. Apparently she didn't feel any hesitation about asking a total stranger to hang out (if today was of any indication), but she worried far too much about what the other individual would think.

"Or you're just nosy," she clicked her tongue, though it was clear from the light laugh that followed that she was just teasing, "But I suppose I can kind of see why you'd take an interest in secrets. I mean, people are pretty interesting to begin with." She herself never got sick about learning about individuals and what made them tick.

Which led to their next point. Polishing off her cotton candy shortly after he did, she went to toss the paper roll into a bin before returning to the boy's side. Folding her arms across her chest, Minori angled her head and screwed up her face in thought. "I won't deny that I am curious about you," she confessed slowly, drumming her fingers against her upper arm, "But just what kind of questions will you ask me back, mister Bradford? And am I allowed to ask for a different question if I don't want to answer it?"

Lucius observed Minori as she went about her intriguing antics. Her thoughts were as clear as day through her actions and expressions...or they should have been. Yet a good part of her remained a mystery. This was good, very good.

"Oh I'm a nosy bugger, I won't deny that," Lucius admitted with a small chuckle. "But I'm glad you at least feel somewhat similarly,"

He quirked his brow in thought. She seemed...hm, like she actually wanted to play a game like "20 questions" or something. Lucius was up for that, he didn't really have much to lose. With a wry smile he answered, "If I told you what questions I was going to ask then that would spoil the fun," He explained before considering he request.

"I suppose if you're truly uncomfortable with answering a certain question that you can ask for a different one. But I get the same right," He didn't like the idea of potentially having the most interesting answer robbed of him, but he decided to roll with it regardless.

"At least you admit it!" Minori laughed, sticking out her tongue with little regard of how childish it was, "And well...yeah. I mean, I like to think that I'm not that nosy--" except she obviously was, if she was about to fire off a ton of questions at him, "--but I really like learning about people too. It's only natural to be curious, I think."

The way she said it was very matter-of-fact. She waited patiently for him to think over her questions, brightening up when he gave her the option of taking an escape route. Good! Well then, in that case she didn't really think that there was much stopping her from harassing asking him whatever she wanted.

"Let's start with something easy! What do you do during your free time?"

Not that nosy? Lucius doubted that, since this game of hers seemed to be her idea in the first place. He decided not to comment on it and just smiled in amusement.

"I try to keep in shape, usually by free running across San Malarus. Other than that I look for exciting things to do, like explore and meet interesting people. I usually get bored pretty easily, and I love a good thrill, so I'm often on the go or on the move," He answered. Now he had to give her one, and he decided not to instantly fire back her own question at her.

"What's your most embarrassing moment?" He asked with a smirk, "And no, your basketball attempt back there doesn't count,"

She nodded slowly as she took in his response. She didn't find that all that surprising considering how he had previously stated that he thought Azores was boring so far. It made sense that he'd go out looking for some kind of an adventure to make up for it. Her look of interest soon shifted into one completely devoid of amusement when he took his turn asking.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Minori glowered at him, only to sigh and turn her gaze upwards as she dug through the dusty confines of her mind--the ones she liked to avoid and pretend ever happened. "I guess...well, I used to take piano lessons," she started, finally settling on what she thought her most embarrassing memory was, "And during a recital, I slipped--not used to heels, you know--toppled off of the stage, and right onto the boy I liked at the time."

Try as she might to forget about that day, her memory had practically framed the damn thing. She still remembered every tiny detail, from the ache from where she had hit her elbow while falling, to the pained groans of the body beneath her. Not fun.

With a face now the shade of her hair, she shot back with a, "Okay, now you! Most embarrassing memory!"