How Green Becomes Wood

"Sentient meatloaf and talking apples, we are shaping up to having an entirely horrifying meal. It'd be delicious at a funeral, I'm sure," Daizi laughed.

"He means you are not subtle or patient enough," Dark teased in undertones, "You cannot brute force everything, you know."
 
"It's throwing a ball at a bunch of stacked bottles. What about that requires any kind of subtlety?" Xander demanded.

"Maybe they glue some of the bottles together," Alec suggested with a faint smile. "Or they use optical illusions to make it look easier than it really is."
 
"They are weighted down," Dark explained as they headed to that particular game, "and if one bottle is slightly out of alignment, it absorbs the force of the toss. Plus the softball they give you is softer than regular softballs."

"He's studied, you know. When we were kids he lost as often as most people do, but you both know how stubborn Dark is." Daizi said, the slight breeze tossing her hair and the hem of her dress in a way Dark found too distracting to really respond to the gentle ribbing.
 
"Then you find the sweet spot and throw extra hard," Xander shrugged. "If they're weighted, then, logically, the bottom ones would be the heaviest. So, you'd aim for the bottom center where the center of gravity would be. It's just Newton's gravitational law, right? And maybe call the operator on the fact that one of them is out of alignment."

"Oh, yes, so very simple, indeed," Alec said dryly. "How do you remember Newton's law of gravity?"

"I remember you watching a video about it when we were trying to figure out our science homework," Xander told him.
 
Dark shook his head as they walked, "Sure, simple as. That is why carnival games are notoriously easy to win, right?"

"And I'm pretty sure they aren't require to put them back into alignment," Daizi chuckled, "They don't make money if you win. They want you to lose."

Dark didn't mention the game gave you one ball to knock all the balls down. He would learn that soon enough.
 
Xander shrugged. "Simple doesn't mean easy, do it?" he smirked. "But I bet I can come closer on my first try than you did on yours!"

"That's hardly fair," Alec frowned. "You have his warning about what's to come and random science knowledge."
 
"I was also depressed and probably a bit overstimulated," Dark said in defense of himself, "I was at my very favourite place for the first time in my life, anyone would not be at their best then."

Daizi hummed lightly, "I wish I could've been there with you on that day. It's sort of sad, I think, that I missed out on one of the most important days of your life."

"I would have loved to have you there, if we knew each other then," He replied, "but I think missing one big one balances out if it is compared to how many moments, of all sizes, we have shared."
 
"There's the bottles," Alec said. "Xander, since you're so eager, why don't you go first?"

They received their tickets, and the guy handed over one ball. Xander stared at the ball. "One ball? One? Seriously? One chance? I thought I'd get like three. How is one ball fair?"

Alec shrugged. "You said you had it figured out."

Xander glared at him but weighed the ball in his hand, studied the stack of what looked like old milk bottles, and reared back. He let the ball fly, and it soared through the air. It hit the bottles with a solid thunk in exactly the right spot. The bottles wobbled a bit but didn't fall. Not even one.

"Oh, come on! Seriously? How can you guys get away with something so obviously rigged? At least make it look less obvious!" Xander raged.
 
"Rigged!" The carnie exclaimed, for the first time since they had come up ceasing to toss one of the balls, sounding truly offended, "No, Sir, this is simply a game of Skill! Look here," Swiftly he tossed the ball towards the bottles, knocking all three over. Seeing this, Dark lightly crossed his arms, and sort of seemed a bit more jumpy seeing it. He took a brief look at the twins, and then back at the carnie as he restacked the milk-bottles and retrieved his ball. "If I could do it, so could you. Any of you," He gestured not only to their family but out at the crowd, not even really hesitating when he passed by Daizi.

"Do you want to go, Goose?" She asked, not realizing she hadn't been immediately excluded by the carnie--although, it wasn't necessarily from the man having faith in the blind, considering if she missed, which she was likely to do, it was more money in the carnival, and therefore his, pocket.

"Mm-mn," Dark shook his head, tapping his fingers against his bicep, "Not yet. I want to keep watching. Somebody else, first."
 
"Of course, you can do it. It's your literal job," Xander said, his tone so dry it would have made a desert thirsty. "You wouldn't keep your job for long if you couldn't actually do it, could you?" He turned to Daizi. "Go for it."

Alec inched closer to Dark and whispered, "Did they change how they rigged it, or is he just skilled?"
 
"When we walk away I will tell you," Dark replied, standing to the side to allow Daizi through so she could have her go.

The look on the carnie's face when she approached suggested his inclusion of her actually had nothing to do with his desire to make money for his job and everything to do with how he had simply overlooked her disability entirely, and he took a brief and sudden glance at the rest of them, revealing that he was, despite the atmosphere and commitment to the bit, really just a guy in his early 20s who probably took this job to make a little extra cash for a couple weekends. But then he shook it off, handed her the ball, and was actually kind enough to say the balls were straight ahead of her. Wanting that little extra power Dark swore she didn't need to win, she took a step back and threw the ball as she stepped forward and...

Missed. Entirely. And the carnie, who was standing a bit too close, paid the price. This was enough, at least, to stop Dark from nearly bouncing on his heels and made him quietly chuckle. Hearing the sound of the ball hitting something soft and not the clink she had heard when Xander tossed the ball, Daizi quickly deduced what had happened, and quickly she said, "Oh my god, I'm sorry!"

To his credit, he just laughed it off himself and said, rubbing his shoulder, "I wonder how many points I'm worth."
 
Xander snickered once he saw the man wasn't upset and nodded. "At least a few."

"I think you are worth a lot, sir," Alec said with a weak smile. "I'll try not to hit you, sir."

"I don't think you could possibly hit him. That was a once-in-a-lifetime shot," Xander told him, handing him the ball. "Come on. You're going to do great! Be the first of us to win. You can do it!"

Alec took the ball, squeezed it tight, and took a deep breath. "Okay!" He glared at the stack of bottles like it was his worst enemy, pulled back, and threw the ball with all his might. Perhaps he overcorrected because he was nervous about hitting the carnie because the ball sailed wide on the opposite side that the man stood. It didn't even come close to grazing a can. "Oh. Sorry."

"That was a pretty good throw for someone who can't even get their socks in the hamper," Xander assured him.
 
Last edited:
"Once in a lifetime, indeed!" The man laughed, and went into the little bin where they kept small prizes for really little kids who succeeded in, if nothing else, hitting the bottles as a participation award, and gave Daizi a little blue bear with magnets in the hands and feet so it could be stuck to the fridge, or wrapped around , "Just don't tell my boss, or the other patrons, or else everyone will be pelting me."

"Not a word," Daizi swore, and after figuring out what the bear did, carefully had it hold onto her cane.

Dark watched to see how well Alec would do, and when he missed, he lightly put his hand on his shoulder, and then walked up to take his turn. He set his hands on the counter, and leaning forward slightly asked the carnie, "I do not suppose I can use your ball?"

This was apparently an unexpected question, and the young man paused for a second before remembering his training and saying, "No, sir."

"I thought not. And I can guess standing where you stood also is against the rules," He paused, glancing at the carnie, "Right. Well."

Dark took the ball, the one everyone else had used, and stood for a bit tossing it in his hand to get a feel for the weight, staring cold at the bottles. Then, in one swift motion, he threw the ball. It didn't hit them in the space between all three, instead it hit lower, only towards the lower two. There was a brief moment where it looked like the hit might have been absorbed, but then all at once they toppled.

The carnie stood in surprise to see all of the bottles knocked over so completely, at the first throw, and failed to quickly respond about the prizes. After a moment or two, he pointed to the row of big stuffed animals: Stuffed owls, bears, and the strange, ubiquitous, rastafarian bananas, and more.

Dark smiled slightly, and turned towards the twins, "One of you pick, I do not care much for the prizes, really."
 
Alec smiled at the little blue bear and stood close to Daizi, giving Dark plenty of room. When the balls toppled over, he let out a delighted cheer. "You got them! I knew you would, but that was still awesome to see! Well done! That was absolutely fantastic!"

Xander scowled. "Ah, man, I really thought I had that one," he mused. He reached up and very lightly patted Dark's shoulder. "Nicely done, sir." He wasn't at all sore about "losing," and he was very impressed by Dark's throw, but he was trying to hide it. Even so, he couldn't help the arch of his eyebrows, giving him away.

"How about a stuffed bear?" Alec suggested.

Xander shook his head. "You can get a stuffed bear from anywhere. How about that funky banana?"

Alec shuddered. "No thank you. It looks terrifying. An owl?"

Xander considered and finally nodded. "An owl seems pretty cool. I can agree to an owl."

"Then if we're all agreed, let's get an owl. And since you won, you get to choose where we go next!" Alec told Dark happily.
 
"An owl is nice," Daizi agreed, and the carnie obliged in giving the owl over.

Dark tucked it under his arm, "Whoever wants it can have it, I do not mind. And we can play the balloon game next, or the watergun game."

"Is the owl cute?" Daizi asked, "I know I said we're not decorating the nursery with carnival prizes, but there are owls in the wallpaper, aren't there?"

Dark took a glance at the stuffed bird, "There are, and it is relatively cute... But I do not trust these prizes with a baby, considering how cheaply they are made."
 
"We'll put it through a thorough vetting process," Xander told him with a wicked grin. "Besides, that little mini won't even be able to grab it properly for a couple of weeks, right? So just stick it in a corner as a decoration, not a toy."

Alec held up a finger. "No fair, Professor, no fair! You made us pick, so you have to pick. You have to say what game you want to win at next or else it's not fair. You can't just suggest the two games someone else has already mentioned."

"He's right," Xander agreed. "You gotta pick since you won this game."
 
"I think she wants it," Daizi added, "she started moving around at the mention of it."

"She does not know what she wants, she has let to learn what owls even are," Dark replied blandly, but still put his hand on Daizi's belly, hoping to feel the reported movements, but he removed it quickly, because much to his obvious disappointment, he still did not.

"Well that's why she wants it so badly, she's curious," Daizi replied, linking arms with him.

He squinted slightly at the twins and said, "But I am interested in those two games. I do not really have a preference. I will enjoy myself regardless of the order, but... I suppose if you are adamant, we can play the test lf strength game, where you try to ring the bell by swinging the mallet."
 
"Awesome!" Xander grinned. "Right, where is that?" He looked around, trying to locate it. "They can't possibly rig that one, can they?"

"Most likely they can," Alec told him. He touched Daizi's arm lightly to let her know where he was and to reconnect with her a little. He tried to avoid touching Dark since that notable did not appreciate touch, and Xander was moving too much for a furtive touch, but too long without some kind of physical contact made him feel like a balloon whose string had been let go by a careless child.
 
Daizi smiled feeling Alec's touch, and in response she let go of Dark for the moment and instead held onto him, "Are you having fun, habibi?" She asked quietly, allowing Dark to lead the rest of them to where he had seen the test of strength game.

"Back in the 1930s, they used to be very rigged," Dark said to Xander, "but it was reported on in 1935, which supposedly made operaters stop rigging them, but now it has been so long since the article has been published, it is very probable they have begun fixing them again. But I have a good technique," Then he glanced behind himself towards Daizi and Alec, "The last game, when he won, it is because he was using a much firmer ball than what he gave us."
 
"I think this might possibly be the most fun I've had in my entire life," Alec admitted to Daizi. "Dizziness and all! A completely different and incomparable experience from the concert we went to. It's so vibrant and kind of freeing! Are you enjoying yourself? I'm sorry you can't ride on the rides with us."

"I knew it!" Xander grinned. "And he was way closer and at a different angle. The cheat. But I guess that's a part of the game." He glanced up at Dark. "How do you rig at bell-ringing game? Tighten the plate or something? Get it off center?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top