”i’ve never been to unova, actually.”

lulu’s head was on a swivel. she had a strange energy about her. maybe she was drunk. 

”this way. come on.” she was already pulling him in the direction of a water gun game—the kind where you have to shoot into the little hole of the clown’s mouth.

the carnie was paid in tickets, and she eyed their opponents, who all looked under the age of twelve. fuck them. 

”bring it,” she taunted, eliciting a look from a parent.

THEO BECKETT

☉

drunk or otherwise, there are games waiting to be played. pulled in a direction, theo follows after, narrowing his eyes at the water gun game even from afar.

it's cute, he decides.

theo spends the first round as an observer. like the other parents, he crosses his arms over his chest, watching lulu battle her kid opponents.

"don't lose."

unfortunately for her, one of the little rascals is the champ of the water gun game.

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

weird.

”shut up!” she barked back, focusing aggressively. her meekness towards him seemed to fade altogether with a gun in her hand, fake or otherwise. in a lineup of children, she was utterly terrifying.

the champ put up a fight. it was neck and neck, and as the end of their game drew near, her knuckles turned white.

she pulled out ahead. DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING. ”yes!” she grinned back at theo excitedly, cheeks flushed and glistening in the sunlight. her eyes were bloodshot.

”pick a prize, oda!”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"oh, shit."

she actually did it.

surprise wears across his features, contorted much like a performer is a few stalls down. a second passes, and he smiles.

"any prize?"

the choice is difficult. he pushes his specs up the bridge of his nose a little as he thinks. in the end, he settles for the largest prize there is — a wailord as tall as him.

"that one."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

usually, one might have to play more games to win such a large prize. not today. maybe it was something about their look, but his choice was free. giant wailord it is.

”uh... sure.”

it was handed over. lulu eyed up at its dumb-looking face for a moment, and then it was back to the booths.

”what next? you have to play me at something.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

the prize definitely isn't earned, but theo remains blissfully unaware. or maybe he simply doesn't care. either way, he wraps his arms around the large plushie that almost towers over him.

"but you'll lose..."

he takes a moment to swing the wailord onto his back, forced to lean forward slightly to support its weight. its mouth pokes over his blond hair.

"darts. over there."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

she looked up at him, pinkened eyes twinkling with a fresh lust for dominance he would not have yet witnessed.

”no i won’t.”

she was confident. she was a better shot than throw, but the aim and the will was there. she could do darts. fuck tequila.

”let’s go, then. let’s see what you’ve got.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

he hasn't witnessed it before, and now that he has, he finds that he doesn't quite mind it. it actually suits her. maybe.

"if you say so."

the usual indifference in his demeanor is missing at the moment, replaced by something far more genuine and innocent.

love?

they make their way over to the darts station, and within a few moments, their arsenal of darts is placed before them.

'pop at least three balloons and you win a prize. five for the big one.'

"go on, monday."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

carnival games brought out an elusive part of lulu. a competitive spirit, that manifested in much more colorful ways than her grade-a poker face over cards, or chess.

monday. what a strange name. it didn’t feel natural yet.

she took up the darts in one hand, tossing them with the other. not perfect, but certainly not bad for someone drunk on tequila. she made four.

”again.”

anything less than perfection was intolerable.

THEO BECKETT

☉

four balloons means a prize. the attendant reaches for a small mimikyu, placing it down on the counter before giving her more darts.

theo only manages two balloons; his final throw of the dart bouncing off in a way he'd only seen in cartoons.

"is this rigged like the others?"

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

lulu looked over at him, cackling at his question, as well as his attempts. theo was one of the most intimidating and powerful men that she’d met in her life. where once she might have been embarrassed by him for this, now, to see him fail so terribly at something only tickled her soul. maybe that was some kind of love, in a weird way.

”maybe you need better glasses. your eyes are getting old.” she grinned.

THEO BECKETT

☉

he plucks the spectacles off the bridge of his nose for a moment to peer down at them, scrutinizing with feigned concern.

"hm. maybe i do."

but as a new set of darts is placed down in front of him, likely for her next go, he picks one up and tosses it towards the row of balloons.

boing!

"this is rigged."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

her focus lingered on his glasses longer than she’d expected. a sour, unexpected memory twisted with a passing wave of resentment. everything seemed to darken, but her attention was retrieved when he took one of her darts.

”hey!”

but she stopped short. his attempts were amusing. instead, she decided to sit back and watch, smiling.

”never mind, actually. carry on.”

THEO BECKETT

☉