Who: Rusty & Beth What: Dinnertime! When: Tuesday evening Where: The dining tent Rating: TBD Status: In Progress
Even after being with the carnival for several months, Rusty still hadn't made any close friends. It was his own fault, because he'd been unsure of how he might be received, and then he'd locked himself away dealing with one-on-one customers for so long... of course that would result in a lack of anything more than friendly acquaintances.
That didn't soothe the sting of loneliness, or make it any less awkward being the older man trying to fit into a crowd of considerably younger people. There were a few closer to his age, but they didn't cross paths that often. When it came time to partake in group events, like dinner, he usually just adjourned to his own tent instead of attempting to join the crowd.
This evening, he forced himself to stay around longer, even though the voices whispering to him grew even more intense with every person he passed. There were some that didn't trigger voices, didn't make him stop to listen to what the spirits attached to them were saying... and then there was one in particular that did make him stop short, but for an entirely different reason.
Around her, it was quiet. Not silent, but still, in the way that air blowing through an open grassy field is still. It was so soothing that for a moment, he thought of mentioning it to the young woman... but instead, he cleared his throat and smiled at her, trying to bring her name to memory. Betty? No. Belle? No.
"Beth?" he said, then added (as it seemed more polite), "Ms. Wheeler, I should say. Would you mind if I sat here to eat?" He gestured to the empty spot next to her, and hoped she might say yes.