"It is a Ferris wheel! I haven't seen one of those since I left Kalos." His voice was wistful and whimsical, caught up in both nostalgia and excitement for the attractions ahead.

Speaking of attractions... Summer Atreides looked fine as ever, even with the FLAREON-themed headband and tail complimenting her attire. It actually seemed to give the usually-frosty woman a cuter aesthetic.

Barnaby, on the other hand? He was unsure if the accessories suited him, and asked Summer as much. He slightly shifted his hips side to side, letting the tail bounce off her body.

"What do you think? Does it go with my outfit?" He asked wryly, flashing her a teasing grin.

"Come on, let's head inside!"

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉

"I've only seen them in movies or on TV shows. I never really thought I would see one in person."

It was perhaps a testament to her childhood, growing up under the watchful eye of her father. Everything had been about work. Her job was to learn, to become an affluent lady. That goal was achieved. And no one had dared to betray her father's orders.

So, to see something like this... she felt like a child again, looking around with wide eyes and an open mouth. There was cheerful music as they entered.

Turning her gaze to Barnaby, Summer couldn't hide a smile, covering her mouth as she giggled.

"I think it looks fantastic on you. Can I please take a picture to keep forever?" she teased.

With a small nod, Summer walked inside with Barnaby. Immediately, a stall caught her eye. Toys, like little miniature versions of Pokemon, hung from the ceiling, as people tried to play a game. "Step up, come test your luck and win a prize!" the man running the stall was chanting.

"Barnaby! Can we go there?"

BARNABY FINCH

☉

"We'll have to ride it, then! I bet the view will look gorgeous once the sun goes down."

He wondered idly about Summer's upbringing, mildly surprised that she had never even seen a Ferris wheel in-person. They were a pretty common occurrence in most large cities during festival season. What castle tower had she been kept in all these years?

"Can I please take a picture to keep forever?"

Although she may have been teasing and not entirely serious, ask and you shall receive. Barnaby pulled her in close, squishing their cheeks together and extending his arm out for the cutest Flareon-garbed selfie there ever was.

"I'll text you the pic later." He promised airily, tucking his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. Seconds afterward, he reached for Summer's hand and held it loosely, enough to where she could opt out of the gesture entirely if she wanted to.

It truly wouldn't bother Barnaby either way, as he was just here to spend a relaxing evening in the company of a friend. A newly forged title to their relationship, but one he felt justified in applying.

Summer's adorably earnest voice pulled him away from his thoughts; Barnaby looked up and smiled, seeing literal children playing at the booth. Which was fine, but he found it amusing that Summer Atreides of all people wanted to win stuffed Pokémon plushies.

It was a side of her he didn't expect. He liked it.

"Of course! We can go wherever you want." This trip had been planned with her enjoyment in mind, after all.

"Race you." He challenged, unprompted, and immediately began jogging toward the game stall, his Flareon tail bouncing behind him.

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉

So, added on their to-do list was the ferris wheel. Given, it wasn't like their list was a lengthy one anyway, but the longer than seem to stay, the more things appeared to catch Summer's attention.

"Nighttime? Okay. We can go at the end of the evening, then," she confirmed with a nod.

Leave it to her to believe she was making the final say.

She was startled by the quick grab, the press of cheeks, and looked completely off guard for the picture he took of them both. Her ears were pointed sideways a bit from the sudden pose, and her face turned a pinkish hue from embarrassment.

"I-I wasn't even ready!" she protested, adjusting her ears.

However, she didn't beg for a retake. It wasn't as if she was taking the photo for her. It was all about remembering today, remembering who she spent it with. She did look good, she made sure of that, but her own appearance didn't matter as much for the memory.

And, she took his hand. It was an act of comfort for her, being in this alien surrounding. Barnaby seemed willing to do what it took to make her happy. She appreciated that in the least.

"What- hey!"

Barnaby's FLAREON tail bounced behind him as he took off, definitely having a head start and having longer legs than she did. Taking off after him, Summer only stopped when she reached the stall, grabbing her ears.

"Cheater!"

BARNABY FINCH

☉

"Aaaand that's my win!" A declaration made in triumph as Barnaby reached the game stall. He'd barely broken a sweat in the endeavor, but looked back at the approaching Summer Atreides and wiped his brow in mock-fatigue anyway.

"Come on, Summer, I'm just doing what it takes to succeed. Nothing wrong with a little head start." An endearing quip spoken through a teasing smile. He looked at her with light in his eyes, where one could find genuine happiness and pleasure.

How could she be mad at that face?

"Here, I'll make it up to you. Let's play this game." He gestured to the booth beside them, which, upon closer examination, housed a fairly typical carnival experience: balloon darts.

"Loser buys dinner. Deal?" He offered, already readying his tickets to spend on their first round of darts.

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉

Oh. Summer Prescott could absolutely be mad at that face.

"It isn't when you aren't wearing heeled shoes and are shorter like I am," she pointed out with a huff and a pout.

But, her pouting and frustration was short-lived as the stall caught her attention again. There was playful music in the background as individuals threw dulled darts at balloons. Safety first, kids.

"So you just get a dart and throw it to pop the balloon? Seems easy enough. I'll be waiting for you to pay dinner later, Barnaby," Summer said as she took a place at the stand.

Five darts were given to her. She took the first one, lining up her shot, and threw it. It touched the balloon, but the balloon didn't pop. In fact, it almost seemed like the dart slid off.

BARNABY FINCH

☉

“It seems easy, but these little carnival games always have a trick to them.” Advice that came too late, as her first dart bounced off the rubber of the balloon. In response, he gave a sympathetic click of his tongue.

“You need to throw it with power and control. If not, it won’t be able to pierce the balloon.” Barnaby looked particularly adept as he said this, with the first of his darts having punctured a yellow balloon near the middle of the board. Unfortunately, he didn’t have as much luck as he’d hoped with the rest of his round.

In the end, his total punctured balloons was three - a middling number, much to Barnaby’s chagrin. But how many did Summer manage to pop? Would he be on the hook for dinner?

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉

Summer wanted to say something sassy to Barnaby, but she watched him as he threw his dart forward. It popped the balloon, almost like he was a natural. She wondered, how many times had he played a game like this?

She threw her darts, one at a time, until five rounds had been finished. And the results...

4L_5cS6G

A total of two were popped by her. One short of not having to pay for dinner. Summer grimaced, grumbling a bit as she crossed her arms.

"How am I unlucky? Or are you just always lucky? What the hell, Barnaby?"

But truly, her greatest disappointment was not winning that cute ABSOL plushie. It looked just like Freyja...

BARNABY FINCH

☉

He’d been hopeful that she’d be a fast learner, but alas, luck was not with Summer on this particular game. Two more failures followed her first, with only a set of successfully burst balloons to show for her efforts. Barnaby clicked his tongue again, casting a faux-sympathetic look on his friend as he answered her question.

“No one likes a sore loser, Summer.” Her grumpy countenance was a little endearing though, especially when he caught her staring longingly at a certain stuffed Pokemon. “Tell you what. Since you’re getting the food, I’ll win you that Absol.”

Heck yeah. It was time to flex his popping prowess. All those hours spent training his steady hand and lighting reflexes was about to pay off. Or so he’d hoped. Unfortunately, Barnaby was having quite a difficult time bursting enough balloons to make the designated quota. By the end of the ordeal he’d spent way more on the damn ABSOL plushie than she would on their simple carnival food dinner.

“Here you are.” He sighed, placing the stuffed Pokemon into her awaiting arms. Around them, dusk was beginning to settle onto the horizon. Street lamps began to bloom with light, anticipating the approaching night. “Ready to go find something to eat?”

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉

At his comment, Summer couldn't help a snide yet teasing remark back.

"You obviously do, since you're still here with me."

A challenge, in a way, to prove her wrong. Summer smirked, a look in her eye screaming that she knew Barnaby Finch liked her the way she was.

Or, perhaps, that was just how egotistical she was.

However, her shit-eating smirk was erased from her lips as he claimed he was going to win the plushie ABSOL for her. In fact, she looked shocked, not to mention hopeful and excited. Just like a child who was told that Santa Claus was going to show up in a few minutes.

"R-really? You'd do that for me?"

While it was painful to watch — Barnaby really wasn't as good at darts as he claimed he was — he finally won that plushie for her. As soon as it landed in her arms, Summer squeezed it tight, hugging it close to her chest as she looked up at Barnaby with the widest eyes anyone could imagine.

"If I wasn't so mad about paying for dinner, I could kiss you right now," she said, walking forward toward a dining spot.

"What peaks your interest, since you won the bet?"

BARNABY FINCH

☉

"Summer, come now. Don't let your anger spoil a good time." Barnaby countered with a puckish grin before following her to the main dining area of the fair.

To be honest, none of the fair food truly peaked his interest. His palate wasn't attuned to the copious amount of grease and sugar found in most of the options here. Everything seemed fried, including corn dogs, funnel cakes, pickles, macaroni and cheese... the list could go on. He gave them points for variety, at least.

Looking through the booths, one in particular did catch his eye: SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS HAND PIES ♡ SWEET AND SAVORY!

"Let's try this place." Barnaby suggested, pointing at the stall in question. Now that they were closer the menu was easy to read; it did indeed include both entrée and dessert pies in a myriad of flavor combinations.

"I'll have the chicken pot pie and a lemon/raspberry pie." With his order placed he gestured toward Summer, continuing with a smirk, "Add those to her tab, please."

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉

Summer only stuck her tongue out at BARNABY FINCH like a child. Yet, she was having fun with him. She wouldn't admit it out loud, because she kept losing each competition they had at the fair.

But she felt like she was getting back some lost time.

Her own eyes scanned the rows of food stalls that awaited customers in the fairgrounds. She could smell the almost sickly smell of grease coming from nearly each one, as well as hear the shouts of the vendors trying to lure people to try their food.

"Is that guy really... selling fried butter? Do people actually eat that?" Summer asked Barnaby, a look of horror in her eyes as she whipped her head away from the man trying to call out to her.

He decided on a place, and Summer noticed a variety of pies on display and on the menu. Savory and sweet, baked and fried. It seemed like it was a healthier option than the others they had come across. Thank Arceus Barnaby didn't want to eat something slathered in pounds of grease.

"I'll have a vegetable pie," she decided, though she shot him a look as she dug out several PD to hang over to the vendor.

BARNABY FINCH

☉

Luckily their dinner was small enough to eat on-the-go (hence the name hand pies), so the two continued their walk around the fair as they ate.

"Thank you for the meal~" Barnaby hummed between bites. A kind sentiment, but his voice was way too smug for the appreciation to be completely sincere. Still, despite his teasing, he was having a good time with Summer. Taking in so many sights that were likely foreign to her, seeing her reactions... it was nice. As if she was reclaiming some lost part of her childhood. Speaking of—

"I think it's about time we got on that Ferris wheel, hm? How about it?" The horizon had grown dark as they'd walked and above them a bright moon had blossomed, accompanied by a myriad of stars all around.

With his pies finished, Barnaby wiped his hands with a paper napkin before offering an open palm to his friend. If she accepted, he'd lead her to the Ferris wheel in the distance.

Summer Atreides
mission: RONDEZ-VIEW CIRCULATION
outfit check

☉