Who: Zania and Gabriel Where: The Carnival When: Tuesday evening, June 26 Status: complete
Ever since Zania caught sight of the carnival, she’d been itching to give it a visit. It called to her, especially in the evenings when she was leaving her shop, bright lights that normally never existed in their small town. Every time she passed by, she saw something else she wanted to try, be it the ferris wheel or the fun house or the rows and rows of carnival games. By Tuesday evening she had waited long enough and she dragged Gabriel out of the house, eager to make a night of it. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the week, or that they both had to work in the morning. She just wanted to spend a few hours there, eat something absolutely horrible for dinner, like chocolate fried cheesecake, ride a few rides, then go home and pass out.
“Stuff like this never comes through here,” she told Gabriel as they walked through the grounds, her hand clasped with his. “And when it does, there’s usually weeks of advertising ahead of time to help draw in tourists and people from nearby towns. It feels like this just popped up overnight.” Her brain was still trying to figure out how so many attractions had fit in such a small space. She hadn’t even thought Point Pleasant capable of hosting a ferris wheel in the middle of town, but there it was, towering over everything around it.
Gabriel already loved the carnival atmosphere. The vintage aesthetic to everything was super cool, and all the lights and noise and people really reminded him of home. He liked Point Pleasant for a lot of reasons, but the atmosphere couldn’t hold a candle to New Orleans. “I think it literally did,” he said to Zania, glancing over with a lazy grin. “That bigass wheel’s hard to miss, I know it wasn’t there Saturday. Carnies are good at that shit though.” He swung their linked hands idly, feeling pretty stoked to be there with her. He loved just kicking it around the house with her, but sometimes he itched to get out like this. “You ain’t scared of heights, are you?” he teased.
“Don’t think so,” Zania grinned, giving his hand a little squeeze. “Not a lot of opportunities to test it out around here, so we should find out. Ride that baby to the top and see if we can get ‘em to stop it for us. I bet the view’s incredible.” It would be cool to ride it during the day and see how far into the distance they could see from the top, but she was excited to be doing it at night. There was something thrilling about it, being up there with nothing but the air and the stars. “I always thought being a carnie would be a fun gig, for, like, a summer. But only if I worked in some kind of a show. I like the production aspect. And the costumes.”
Sometimes it slipped Gabriel’s mind that Zania hadn’t done a whole lot of traveling in her life, even to amusement parks or shit like that where her heights tolerance would definitely be tested. He hoped it wouldn’t freak her out -- being that far away from the earth made him a little nervous sometimes, but Gabriel had pre-gamed with plenty of weed, so he was feeling nice and relaxed. He laughed a bit at the idea of Zan being a carnie, because her being a performer seemed way more likely. “Girl, you could be the best fire show bitch on the circuit,” Gabriel drawled with a grin. “Doin’ tricks nobody else can do -- they’ll say ‘how she do that?’ I dunno man, she’s just that talented. Meanwhile you’re all covered in red sequins, lookin’ fly. You could borrow Lucy for it too, people love hot chicks with snakes draped on ‘em.” He could see it all so clearly.
Zania hadn’t seen much of the world, but she had gone to college in a big city and had visited New York a time or two. There hadn’t been rollercoasters, but there’d been skyscrapers, and the occasional rooftop bar, so she thought she’d be fine on a ferris wheel, even if they were far more exposed in that little box. Maybe someday she and Gabriel would take a vacation and truly see the world. It would just take some planning, something she wasn’t always the best at. “See, you get me,” Zania grinned, loving his description of her as a fire show goddess. “I’d finally have an excuse to have a dress that could be set on fire. Strategically, of course. I wouldn’t want people freaking out. Would Lucy be okay with the heat?”
“Maybe not for like, an hour long show, but she could do some tricks with you, yeah,” Gabriel assured her. “I could keep her calm and everything.” He could picture Zania in a fun and sparkly costume, her dreads all done up cool, twirling fire sticks and eating flames and doing ‘dangerous’ tricks that would burn anybody else. He laughed a bit as he slung an arm around her and kissed the side of her head. “Hey at least you know you got a fallback if somethin’ crazy happens with the shop,” he added lightly. That place had been around for decades, kept in business mostly by the under the table herbal remedies on offer, so he didn’t think it would crumble anytime soon. “Sexy Fire Babe.”
Zania laughed, tickled by the fact that her fallback plan was almost literally running away with the circus. It might not be the most lucrative career choice, but neither was running a spice shop, except for the fact that she sold a lot more than spices. “Always good to have something like that in your back pocket,” she grinned. “And I can be your sexy fire babe just about anywhere.” No circus or carnival required. “I always knew I wanted to do something that used my skills. I just didn’t know what until I inherited the shop. My botany degree would have been twice as useful if I had skills like Phee’s, but I think I make it work.” If her ambition had been directly tied to money, she might not have been quite as happy, but Zania was happy with what she had. “How’d you end up working with hair?”
“Always my sexy fire babe, everywhere,” Gabriel agreed in a murmur, squeezing her hand. Ophelia McCarthy’s magic was pretty impressive for her age, and Gabriel was naturally stoked to have another earth witch around sometimes, but he was always in awe of Zania’s power. And Nic’s, if he was being honest. Being around them so much had been inspiring him to work on his own craft more. “Kinda by accident,” he answered her question with a low chuckle. “Hanging out in the beauty salon a lot with my mama and girl cousins, they started just teachin’ me things. I was good at it and I liked it, so I just ... kept doin’ it. I went through the training program already knowin’ everything, getting my license was a breeze.” Gabriel gave a shrug and smiled at her again. “A lotta guys I came up with didn’t have anything constructive like that so they chose trouble instead. So I’m glad my mama kept me close, you know?”
“Smart woman,” Zania smiled. “I know it’s not quite the same, but I’m sure I’d have been in a world more trouble if I hadn’t gotten into magic as I had. Like, it was a more constructive use of my time than what I’d have come up with on my own. My mom was always afraid I was learning too much, too soon, or some shit, but without it… It’s weird to think about.” So much of who she was was tied into her magic that she couldn’t imagine who she’d be without it. “Your mom would’ve liked my grandma. You would’ve too.” It was too bad that the one parental figure that she adored was long gone. Her parents had left their own imprint on her life, but often not in ways that she appreciated.
Gabriel nodded knowingly -- it was weird to think about ever being without his magic too. It flowed through his veins just like blood, and even though it had led to getting him into trouble ... well, it had gotten him out of trouble much more often. It was an intrinsic part of him, and he was sure Zan felt the same. He gave her a warm smile when she mentioned her grandma, aware that she’d been Zan’s favorite relative, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders for a brief walking-hug. “I bet you’re right,” Gabriel said. He gave Zania’s temple a smooch before he released her. “She helped raise a fucking awesome granddaughter, wish I could tell her.” They were deep in the carnival now, and he squeezed Zan’s hand as he grinned. “She’d want you to have fun though, so ... what do you wanna do first?”
“She would’ve loved this place,” Zania grinned. “I think, maybe the Funhouse? I definitely want to ride the ferris wheel while we’re here. And, oh! Look, there’s a maze of mirrors!” She pointed to the structure that looked far too small to hold an actual maze, but then size was deceiving around here. She still hadn’t figured out how they’d gotten the ferris wheel into the park to begin with. “I think that could be fun. I always imagine them as part of the Funhouse, but maybe this one’s more difficult since it’s stand alone? What do you think?” She couldn’t imagine it actually being challenging, though it would be a lot more fun if it was. Or maybe she should have a drink first. It definitely wouldn’t be too easy if she was drunk.
“A whole building full’a mirrors? I dunno if I can take all that handsome lookin’ back at me,” Gabriel mused, grinning as he rubbed at the facial hair on his chin. Then he had to laugh, because his ego wasn’t that huge. Most of the time. “But yeah babygirl, I’m down. Let’s get lost with ourselves for a while. Then we can hit up the funhouse and the big wheel.” He was already high, so getting a drink didn’t really cross his mind as he walked with Zania toward the mirror maze entrance.
“It’d be a great place to fool around,” Zania grinned wickedly. All those mirrors would make for some delicious imagery. Not that she was planning on fucking in the carnival. At least not while it was up and running. It was the kind of thing she’d have done a few years back, but now it seemed a bit juvenile. When he began to head straight for the mirror house, she gave a tug on his hand, pulling him towards a concession stand first. “Hold up, babe. I wanna get a drink first. I didn’t pre-party.” Next time she’d come all high and prepared.
He chuckled as he was diverted toward the drinks first, not at all opposed to Zania getting her buzz on. He’d had the luxury of not driving to this thing, so he’d made sure he was good and stoned before they left. “I brought a joint too,” he told Zan in lower tones as they got in line. “We should spark it up at the top of the wheel.” Cops couldn’t bust you when you were two hundred feet up in the air, right? It made sense to him, and he wanted them to have the best time tonight. Gabriel got a beer along with Zania’s drink, nursing it as they walked back toward the maze.
“Ooo, I like that idea,” Zania grinned. This place would be twice as much fun while high. She opted for a cocktail rather than beer, some fruity concoction with rum that she could tell she’d finish in a matter of seconds. That was probably better though. She’d rather wander the hall of mirrors with her hands free. “This is incredible,” she said, taking another big sip as they walked towards the maze. “Things like this are always a little more fun if you’re drunk or high. Or, not drunk, I don’t wanna be falling over or anything. But I like that buzz where everything’s kinda funny. Not all the time. I don’t think I’d like it if I was always high, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah I know what you mean,” Gabriel drawled with a little grin. He was high quite often and he felt like it was a damn good life enhancer, but even he had to come down sometimes and fire on all cylinders. Not necessarily in a setting like this, though. This kind of night was for relaxation and fun. “You get as buzzed as you want, babygirl. Here’s to us havin’ a fun date night.” Gabriel tapped his plastic cup against Zania’s and took a long pull of beer from it. He was sure they didn’t allow food and drinks inside, so he drank it faster than he normally would have, then tossed the empty cup into the trash bin near the mirror maze entrance. Gabriel smacked his lips and grinned at Zania. “How’s it taste?” he asked, nodding at her own cup.
Zania clinked her plastic cup against his, then took another long drink. This was going to hit her fast on an empty stomach, but that was fine. It was exactly what she wanted. They could get some food later to help balance her out, and then smoke up at the top of the ferris wheel. It sounded like a perfect evening. “Like a carnival in a cup,” Zania snickered, almost finishing it off before she offered it over to him. “Wanna taste? It’s pineapple, lime, rum, and something I can’t put my finger on. Probably dangerous to have more than one of those, all that sugar and booze. I’m kinda surprised they’re selling something so hard out here. They could end up with a carnival full of wasted people.” It could be good for business, or just really dangerous, especially with all the rides.
Gabriel took her offered cup with his free hand and sniffed it before he chuckled softly. “Wasted people spend more money,” he pointed out with a smirk. “Just makes more to clean up, unfortunately.” He tipped the cup back and hummed his approval as he got the last bit of Zania’s drink. It was pleasantly citrusy and had a nice little burn. “Definitely better than their beer.” Speaking of, Gabriel finished off his own drink and tossed both cups into a nearby trash can, then gave Zania a bright smile. “You ready then, sexy fire babe?” he asked, reaching for her hand again.
“Ready, sexy earth man,” Zania snickered, lacing her fingers with his. “That doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? I’m not as clever as I want to be. I’d like to think I am sometimes, but words aren’t really my strength. I was never going to be a poet,” she tittered, unsure where this was coming from. Maybe that drink was stronger than she thought. But that had been the goal, and it was good. Her eyes took in the Maze of Mirrors as they approached it, visually trying to size it up and get an idea of what they were in for. “I wonder if it’s supposed to be intimidating. Like, I always thought fun house entrances were a bit threatening? Even when they’re supposed to be fun. I can’t puzzle this one out.”
He laughed a bit and squeezed her hand at her assessment of herself, definitely able to relate. Gabriel could be a smooth talker in certain circumstances, but he wasn’t super verbose by nature, and he was okay with that. “You’re plenty clever, it ain’t all about words,” he drawled to her, his gaze on the maze entrance. “Think they’re goin’ for mysterious? I dunno, but we’ll find out.” He grinned and bounced his eyebrows at Zania. This whole carnival was kind of Weird and Off, but he sort of liked it that way. They were Weird and Off to most people, so he felt pretty at home in places like this. Gabriel kept holding onto Zania’s hand as they walked into the place, laughing a bit as the first part was one of those hallways with a mirror on either side, Gabriels and Zanias curving off into infinity.
“Trippy,” Zania grinned as they walked into the mirror maze. Reflections of them were everywhere she turned, the depth between them being her only clue which direction to walk. Zania released Gabriel’s hand to spin a bit, looking at herself from angles she normally couldn’t, and laughed softly. “These jeans make my ass look good,” she said, then gave Gabriel a mischievous smirk as she began to back away from him, bouncing lightly on her toes. “It’s yours if you can find me, babe.” It was always his, but that was besides the point. She was feeling playful enough that she darted away, suddenly blending in with the many versions of herself that bounced between the two of them.
Being high in here was already fun, and Gabriel kind of wished they’d done the Ferris wheel first so Zan could be feeling the same as he was. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself though, so it was no big deal. He’d been about to tell her that everything made her ass look good when she threw out a challenge and escaped, and Gabriel’s laughter followed her. “Oh man, you’re gonna fuck my head all up,” he said, grinning, though it was mostly to himself. He put his hands out like a blind man to start feeling his way through the mirror maze, so many reflections of himself and glimpses of Zania moving up ahead were visually confusing as fuck. He tried to hurry to catch up to her, but bumping into a few mirrors and corners slowed him down. At least he could laugh about it the entire time.
Zania laughed and the sound seemed to echo in the maze, making the twists and turns even more disorienting. It took only seconds for her to get lost, unable to tell which path would lead her out or even back to Gabriel. There were times she would catch sight of him, only to realize it was his reflection, that he was farther from her than she thought. “Come find me,” she sang softly as she walked along the path, dragging her fingers along the wall. It might give her away, but it helped her navigate. She’d rather not walk straight into a wall. Zania turned, finding herself at a dead end, her reflection staring back at her. Her eyes raked over her body as she grinned back at herself, an expression she wasn’t even aware she was wearing as she reached out and touched her fingers to the glass. A charge passed through her and she jumped, pulling her fingers back as if bitten, but there was nothing unusual about the glass and her fingers were just fine.
It might have been creepy if he wasn’t following the sexy-ass love of his life -- or trying to follow her, anyway. At one point Gabriel thought he went in the wrong direction, only to catch a flash of her red dreads to his left before he turned around. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. After a few more turns, he didn’t hear Zania’s laughter anymore, or her voice. Or anybody at all, for that matter. It made Gabriel’s heart pick up speed for a moment, and he stopped where he was, hands out at his sides, pressed against the glass. “Zan?” he called, a note of uncertainty in his voice. He got the weird feeling that she might just disappear, and he would never know what happened to her, and it was hard to immediately shake while he was this high. “Say somethin’, I lost you.”
Zania wasn’t sure how long she stood there, looking at her reflection, but it just felt like a second or two and yet… it was so quiet. Had they been the only ones in the maze? Her eyes scanned the mirror for movement, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She heard his voice a second later and breathed a sigh of relief, even if she wasn’t sure why. “Babe?” she called out as she turned, but didn’t see his reflection amongst the rest. It forced her to try and navigate the maze herself, not enjoying it near as much when she couldn’t lay eyes on Gabriel. “I’m here,” she said, then relaxed into a smile when she turned the corner and saw him just at the other end of the corridor. She wasn’t sure if it was truly him or just his reflection, but she leaned into the wall behind her to wait, sure he would come to her. “See me now?”
“There you are,” Gabriel said with relief of his own as Zan came into view again. It still took him a minute or two to navigate to where she actually was standing. When he did, he scooped her up into a hug, laughing a bit as he picked her up and spun her around. “I got that ass now.” He peppered kisses against her face, probably a little too relieved to have found her. It was just a makeshift building with a bunch of walls made of mirrors, something the carnival probably tore down and rebuilt dozens of times a season, nothing special, but ... he’d still been nervous for a minute there. Gabriel smacked Zania’s butt a couple of times before he put her on her feet again.
“Finally,” Zania snickered as he made his way to her, then outright laughed as he lifted her off her feet. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her knees came up to grip his hips, taking each one of his kisses until she was able to catch his lips with her own. With Gabriel back beside her, that weird little moment was forgotten and they were back to having fun again. She wondered if the mirrors would support her weight, if he could press her up against them and do more than kiss, but then she remembered the Ferris wheel and decided that could always wait until later. There would be plenty of opportunities to have his hands all over her in a place that wasn’t quite so creepy. Besides, someone could stumble upon them at any moment. “Ready to get out of here and find the Ferris wheel?” she asked as he set her down.
While Gabriel was down for public sex in a lot of circumstances, this seemed like a particularly bad place to do it. It was only a matter of time before a gaggle of kids came racing through, and their reflections could be thrown in all kinds of unpredictable directions. It was hard to hide in a mirror maze. Maybe they would find some other spot that was a bit more private as they explored the carnival. “Hell yeah I am, let’s get you high, girl,” Gabriel answered with a bright grin. They would soon be high in more ways than one, and he tittered at his own little joke. He took Zania’s hand and started to make their way out of all of those disorienting reflections, ready to squeeze the most out of this carnival with his love as he could.