Fair Trade (Vincent)

Wearing



It was late afternoon. Kimber Grace's day off. She supposed, technically, it wasn't as though she couldn't take a day off when ever she wanted to. But, Kimber was dedicated to her music. Creating, listening, practicing, writing, completing. Everything took time, and that time was also what helped her be so very successful. Most of the time, on her days off, she would go somewhere that would breed inspiration for more songs. With her small journal in hand, she would find a place where she could watch and observe. It was, frankly, what she was best at.

Too hard, as it was, to actually interact with the world. She was forced to be content to sit on the sidelines and merely listen and observe life as it moved on without her. Touching the flow of life, here and there.

Vincent. He had been on her mind a lot lately. Since the day she had gone into the shop and gotten her cases worked on. He was not there when she picked them up. But two nights later, he had come to her show. To her concert that she had given Therim tickets, to give him. No need for him to pay, just a little 'thank you'. She had appreciated the dinner, loved it, actually. Though she was not happy to find the money she had placed under the salt shaker in her violin case.

It only made her more stubborn. Stubborn enough to return to the restaurant and give Raine the money once more explaining that she was trying to do something nice for Vincent. The woman seemed to have no one to tell her otherwise this time and Kimber paid off his tab.

But, she had not seen him since the night of the concert. She doubted that she would. A mild curiosity for him, she was certain that she was. Since, she could silence the immediate world with her powers, she doubted he would ever truly want to know her. Though, she knew he did not know what her powers were. Or her, defect, she rather thought of it as. As did most of the world.

Tonight, Kimber decided to go out. Out of her apartment, out of the silence, out of the solitude. She expected nothing more than a small night of observations as the blonde woman paid for her tickets and the tokens for rides and the like she might be wanting to ride on. With the red arm band of 'paid' around her wrist she entered the fair grounds with a pocket full of tokens and her eyes already taking in the sights.

No idea, what the night would bring. Yet, she hoped it would be worthwhile coming here tonight.

“Are we done here yet, Claymore?”

Vincent shot a sharp look at the questioner, one Jeremy Deleon, who quickly wiped the disgruntlement off of his face. Deleon was one of Umbra’s many informants at Omni Corp, and Vince had been sent to pick up some information on one of Omni’s latest items. Vince didn’t know the details of what he was receiving from Deleon; that was the analyst’s job, and Vince’s very own Emily was busy checking the information at that very moment, having received it from the USB drive inserted into Vince’s phone.

Having put Deleon back in his place, Vince returned to scanning their surroundings. Why Jeremy had chosen to meet at a local fair was beyond the Umbra enforcer. A public place usually made for a good drop off, but not one where being inconspicuous was conspicuous such as this place was. Vince had never really enjoyed fairs or carnivals. He couldn’t go on the rides without his motion sickness hitting him with a vengeance, and there was only so many times you could play those games that were set up to make you lose.

“What’s taking her so long to check the info? People are staring at us.”

“It’ll be done when it’s done, Deleon. Patience is a virtue. Besides, meeting here was your idea to begin with, though why you wou-” Vince was cut off as Emily’s voice spoke into his ear.

“The information is good. Keep the USB as a backup copy, but I’m already sending the info to Dr. Noon.”

“We’re done here, Jeremy. Have a pleasant evening.” Vince didn’t wait for any sort of response before walking away from Deleon and losing himself in the crowd of fair-goers. "Em, if there’s nothing else in the immediate vicinity, I’m taking the rest of the night off.”

“I don’t see anything, Claymore. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

Vince took the ear bud out of his ear and put it into his pocket with his phone and the USB from Deleon. He let himself be drawn away with the crowd, taking in the sights and sounds of the fair. As usual Vince was burning Tin and enhancing his five senses, so he heard everything around him with a clarity most humans never heard. People screaming on rides not because the rides were scary, but more just to hear themselves scream. Vince guessed that it put them more in the mood to enjoy the silly little contraptions. Game vendors calling out to anyone who passed them, doing whatever they could to get patrons at their set up games. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of the various foods around the fairgrounds: fried dough, funnel cake, popcorn, cotton candy, and a plethora of other items.

Vince found himself a bench and let his mind start to drift a bit as he sat down. After a few minutes of thinking about the fair in general, how nice it could be to actually enjoy those rides that people were screaming their heads off about, his thoughts moved to Kimber Grace. He found that happening more often than he liked in the past two weeks. He didn’t know what it was, but the blonde girl intrigued him in a way that he hadn’t experienced since he was a teenager. He’d only met her twice, once when she came into Therim’s shop, and then again two days later at her concert that she sent him tickets to. In his mind he kept seeing the smile she had directed towards him so often just in those two meetings.

He shook his head to dispel the image. He hadn’t seen her in a week and a half, and that was probably for the best. She was a nice girl, innocent and sweet. She didn’t need a guy like Vince in her life; a guy who toed the line of the law every other day. As he had told Therim the night she first came into the shop, she would be lucky if she never saw Vincent Harper again. He had reiterated that to himself after her concert, which he really shouldn’t have attended to begin with. It had been a fantastic show, though. Word of her being a musical prodigy hadn’t been misplaced. She had swept the entire audience away, Vince included, with her violin and piano.

Vince decided to stay on the bench for a few more minutes before leaving the fair, taking some time to clear his head before he went home. He was sure Emily would have some more work for him to do within an hour or so, and rest was always good when working at night.

Cotton candy in hand.

Pink of course. That was the only good color as far as she was concerned. She didn't know what she wanted to do. The bracelet of tokens lay, thus far, completely unused on her wrist. She didn't know where to start. What to do. What she should think of doing. That she had come here alone, was idiotic. How could she have any fun without a single person to enjoy it with.

She was tempted to donate her tokens. Allowing, someone else to have more fun tonight.

She stepped through the crowd. Her hand moved to her mouth with the cotton candy. She didn't have to chew. It completely disolved on her tongue. The wind blew through her hair. Making the pony tail sway on the air. Shimmering in the dying light of the day. Her blue eyes cast up. Looking at the sunset. Unaware, just now, that she was in Vincent's line of sight.

She closed her eyes for a moment. Letting the breeze wash over her. Inhaling the scents of the fair. The funnel cakes. The hot dogs. The nachos. The amazingly delicate cakes and cookies and brownies. The warm sounds of laughter and children, and parents.

Family, was a beautiful thing.

Her eyes opened. Body turned, ready to move deeper within the confines of the fair when she saw him. Vincent Harper. Her heart stopped. Eyes widened. She was plagued with indecision. She had not expected to run into him again. She had certainly not expected to run into him again. He had come to her concert. They had not spent time together since.

And yet, fate apparently, had stepped in.

She walked over to him. Fully aware that he did not seem to see her at all. She sat down beside him. Reaching over, she tapped him on the shoulder. Giving him a bright smile. Blue eyes glistening in the dying light of day. She couldn't believe her luck! Vincent, here at the fair! Just like herself. She gave a bright and happy wave. So excited that her entire body showed it.

She knew there was never any way that he could feel for her. That he would ever be interested in her. She was not his type. She was certain there were prettier, sexier girls that were into him. She was merely, an convenience for the time being.

Vince sat on the bench with his eyes closed just listening to his surroundings. It was amazing what you could discover just by listening, especially with enhanced hearing. He heard grease sizzling from the food vendors, the hissing of hydraulics on the rides as they started their cycles again every few minutes. He heard the footsteps of someone walking close to him, but didn’t open his eyes yet. If it were someone with ill intent, they would regret ever thinking of him as an easy target. He felt the bench move slightly as someone sat down on it with him, a woman based on the traces of perfume he could smell. He thought he recognized it, but stamped that thought down quickly. There was no way fate would play that kind of joke on him.

But then, he’d been wrong before.

A tap on his shoulder caused his eyes to snap open and his head to turn towards the person sitting next to him, his opposite hand reaching for a dagger that wasn’t there. He mentally cursed himself for not going armed to his meeting with Deleon, but it had been insisted upon by all three of the enforcer leaders.

He took in the sight of her blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and broad smile, not quite believing who had stumbled upon him. “If she’s lucky, she’ll never see me again.” Those were his exact words to Therim the night he’d met Kimber. Seeing her sitting on the bench next to him smiling and waving, Vincent’s first thought was that apparently Kimber wasn’t going to be lucky in this case. Against his better judgment he felt a smile appear on his own face.

“Kimber! How nice to see you again. You’ve been well, I hope?” He looked around to see if there was anybody else paying attention to them, anybody else that she might be here at the fair with; anybody else who might be able to do her the favor of getting her away from the law breaking hand of Umbra. There didn’t appear to be anyone. He turned his gaze back to her still smiling face. “Are you here alone?”

He waited for her answer, hoping for her to say that no, she wasn’t alone tonight while a small part of him prayed that she’d say yes she was indeed alone. She gave a small nod, as if she was embarrassed to let someone know she had come to the fair by herself.

“Well that’s no good. How can you enjoy a fair by yourself?” Vince’s mind screamed at him to stop what he was about to do. He’d said it himself, she was better off not knowing him. So why was he going to do what that small part of him was thinking about doing? He had no answer, and he didn’t bother looking for one. He had his mind set on a course of action now, and that action was to try and help Kimber have a pleasant night at the fair. He was not going to be heading home early as he’d planned, and he would definitely not be taking another job in the next couple of hours.

He stood up and turned to face her, taking in the sight of her fully. She looked very pretty in her pink sweater and mini skirt with her hair pulled back. Her hair had been down the previous times he’d seen her, but he decided that he liked her hair up more. He himself wore a simple pair of dark blue jeans and a black short sleeved button up shirt, un-tucked of course. He held out a hand for her to take.

“Come on. I’ll enjoy the fair with you.”

A smile crossed his face.

Kimber's heart accellerated while her body relaxed. She had a fear he would be annoyed. Taking her to dinner that one night had only been because of the dwarf. She was certain he would not have done that otherwise. Still, she was very glad that he did not seem upset she was here. It was not planned. But she felt as if, surely, fate had stepped in again. Pushing the two together. Perhaps then, it would be an amazingly fun night contrary to her initial thoughts.

She remembered coming to the fair as a child. Having fun. But as her silence grew, she belonged less and less. Finally, becoming more of a recluse, until her music allowed her the freedom to be seen. It was easy to ignore, that which didn't make any noise.

He even remembered her name. Heart: Melted.

She nodded to his question, if she had been well. She had. Busy, but well. Busy was the only way for a lonely girl to spend her days. If she was not busy, the loneliness pressed in on her. Depression would end up setting in. With no real friends around to drag her out, it was up to her alone, to drag herself back into the life she enjoyed.

Was she here alone? She nodded again. But this time, embarassed she looked down at the hands in her lap while she did. A blush coloring her cheeks. She couldn't help it. She had come alone. That was how she did. She motioned to him, wondering if he was alone too? She doubted it. 'Beautiful women always show up when you're around Vincent' the dwarf had said. Surely, he had one of them here now.

She shrugged at his next question. How could she enjoy the fair alone? She just would do her best. That was how it was. Kimber was often alone. Had been alone a lot as a child too. Entertaining herself was something she had learned young. Suddenly, he was up. Kimber's eyes followed him as he held his hand out for her. She reached out to touch it. And ten paused. Hestitated. For, if she touched him, he would go silent too. Though, only for the duration of her touch. Still, to touch his hand..

Biting her lower lip, her eyes flashed up to his 'sorry' she mouthed, and then she took his hand. Afterall, she knew that once he figured it out. He would be gone. Most were. And most were terrified that they might end up as she had. Silent due to the mana. They feared it was contagious. It was not. But many people had irrational fears when it came to things they themselves did not understand. Kimber stood.

Of course, now that his hand was touching hers. He would be silent. Not a single sound would come from him. He could laugh, scream, cough, anything, and he would not make a single solitary sound while he touched her. If he let her go though, all his noise would be restored.

His hand was so warm. So strong. She blushed desperately as she clasped his hand more firmly. It might be the only time a man willingly held her hand like this and she was going to enjoy every single second of it. She pointed, to see if he wanted to walk through the fair. Decide what they should do first. She had plenty of tokens for the both of them to have fun. She wanted to save two though. Because, she had always wanted to ride the ferris wheel with a boy, and .. well, even if nothing would probably ever happen. She wanted to at least, fulfill part of that dream!

She reached out, but then hesitated.

Vincent’s smile didn’t waver. They had only met twice before this, after all. Hesitation was a completely understandable reaction in this situation. He could almost see the cogs turning in her head. She knew next to nothing about him, just like he knew nothing about her, so why would he offer this? Could she trust him again? Vince had no way of knowing that those kinds of thoughts were the last things crossing Kimber’s mind.

“I don’t bite. I promise.”

Her eyes moved from his hand up to his eyes again, and he saw her mouth the word ‘sorry.’ He didn’t have time to even think about what she might be sorry for before she took his hand and stood up. Her hand was warm, and quite soft. He expected her to let go of his hand after she stood but instead she shifted her hand a little to firm her grip, her face turning bright red. Vince found this odd until he realized that she probably hadn’t done a lot of this kind of stuff in her life. She seemed to live in a shell, and he guessed that this was a good ways outside of that shell.

Regardless, it didn’t bother him in the least. He simply wanted to make sure she was comfortable and had a good time. Everyone deserved that every now and then and he knew she spent a lot of time working on her music. The concert he’d attended had been proof of that.

“See, no-”

Vincent stopped speaking midsentence when he realized there was no sound coming out of his mouth. His eyes widened slightly as he looked down to her hand clutching his and everything clicked in his head. He felt her grip loosen, as if she was going to let go of his hand now that he knew her secret, but he squeezed his hand a bit to keep her hand there. He wanted her to feel comfortable around him, and so he had to let her know that the silence didn’t bother him. It had actually bothered him more before he knew how it worked, mainly because he hadn’t been able to figure it out. He kept his eyes on hers and put his smile back on. Then he began burning Bronze, and his voice appeared inside her head.

<Well, that certainly explains a lot. You silence everything you touch, don’t you?> Her shell made much more sense now. Many people were probably at least a little freaked out when they found that they couldn’t make a sound while she touched them. Fear of the unknown caused people to behave irrationally in almost every situation.

He could see shock on her face, but whether it was because of him talking to her in her head while silenced, or the fact that he wasn’t rushing to let go of her hand and get out of dodge, or both, he didn’t know. His smile took on an encouraging note.

<Don’t worry about it. I’m not bothered by not being able to talk. Especially since I can still talk, in a way. Tonight is about enjoying the fair, remember?> She blushed again as she pointed, indicating that they could walk in that direction and find something to start with. It was right around the time when families would start coming to enjoy the fair after a long day at work and school, and the grounds were filling up fast. He started walking, keeping hold of her hand as he led her deeper into the fairgrounds to make sure that they didn’t get separated. He kept their pace very slow and leisurely, actually taking in the sights of the fair he’d been ready to ignore only a few minutes earlier.

<If you see something you want to do, anything you want to eat, or any games you’d like to play, just give a little tug.>

It was only seconds.

Really, seconds. Before he tried to speak while holding her hand. Realizing near instantly, that it was impossible now. She tried to let go. Her face was a bright red, and she was looking down at her feet. Now he knew. Knew the reason she never had anyone around her, why she lived in a small bubble that consisted of only herself. But as she loosened her hand he shifted his grip. Taking a tighter hold of her hand. She looked up and over, those blue eyes searching his curiously.

No one... wanted to touch her.

Then his voice was inside her head. Her wide eyes grew even wider. She didn't know what to make of the whole situation. She had no idea he could speak within her mind, she wished that it worked both ways but she highly doubted that it did. However, a simple nod would answer his question. Everything she touched. If she went on a ride with music, it would be silent. If she tried to play music without her armband, it would be silent. If there was a murder and she was holding the person in pain, they would never make a single peep.

Kimber lived in silence.

He told her that he didn't mind her inability to speak. Since, he could at least still communicate in her mind. She wished again, it worked both ways. But she lit up when he mentioned that they should enjoy themselves. That was why they were here afterall. So, they began to walk. Holding hands, Kimber's blush faded but remained a rosey pink on her cheeks. Because every moment she thought about the way that Vince's hand felt in her own, and it made her blush harder once more. She never seemed to fully be able to get rid of the blush.

He promised her that anything she wanted to do, eat, play, they would do. So Kimber kept her blue eyes open trying to decide what would be fun. She pointed to one of those water shooting games. Where you shoot the target and the little symbol goes up and it goes up until it reaches the top. First to the top wins one of the large dangling stuffed animals above it.

She nodded and tugged on his hand, to go over there. She was excited to just have fun at the fair. Glad now, she had not given her tokens away to anyone as she paid for the both of them to pay. Regretfully having to let go of Vince's hand so they could sit down and play the game side by side.

She sat down and readied herself. Hands on the make shift gun. Her target acquired in the 'sights' When they got the go ahead she quickly began to shoot the water. Though, not actually knowing anything about shooting, or aiming, she was already quite a bit behind Vince, but the goal was not to win. It was to have fun, she never figured she would win.

Her hands were very soft.

That thought kept crossing Vince’s mind as they walked slowly through the fair. He hadn’t gone out and done anything with a woman in the past few years, as all of his time had been spent being Mistress Eve’s ‘pretty.’ It had been nice, but he’d gotten tired of being treated like a toy. Luckily, she’d lost interest in him while he was gone to Elyria for a couple of months. He hadn’t told anyone, but that had been one of his hopes when he disappeared suddenly. It had worked, and now he was back to a strictly business relationship with Eve.

Vince realized that he hadn’t done something like this with a girl since he was seventeen, about eight years ago now. He had gone to a fair, quite like this one, with Emma. His eyes went dark as thoughts of his old high school crush brought with them the inescapable memory of the night of Emma’s death, and the sight of her coughing up blood while looking down in shock at the knife Vincent had planted into her stomach. He shifted his left shoulder slightly, feeling the ghost pain of where Emma’s own knife had slashed when she’d missed his neck after learning that he had his own set of magical abilities. Emma had been a purist, and even the years of friendship and the budding relationship the two of them had had together hadn’t been enough to sway her way of thinking.

Vince shook his head a bit to banish the thoughts and memories. Now wasn’t the time for them. He gave Kimber a reassuring smile as she glanced at him. Tonight was about having a good time with a new girl, not for dwelling on the one he’d lost almost a decade ago.

He felt a tug on his hand and turned to see Kimber nodding off to one of the games they were passing. He let her lead him over to the water gun game. Vincent was in no way a crack shot, but he’d been forced to learn the basics of shooting when he started working at Umbra despite his disdain for anything related to firearms. He sat on the stool next to Kimber as she gave up two of her tokens, remembering that he hadn’t bothered to buy any since he hadn’t meant to be staying at the fair. He noticed four more people sit down to play as well.

Now that he was no longer touching Kimber he could speak normally again, at least for a minute. He laughed a little as he picked up the water gun, which was more like a nozzle on a hose than anything else. “When I was younger, my dad would play these games with us. He would never spray the target, though. Instead, he’d turn and spray my mom and I. He always got yelled at when all was said and done, but in the dead of summer it always felt nice to be wet for a little while.”

The bell sounded, signaling the start of the game and the water started flowing out of the guns. Vince knew how these games worked. He’d known how to cheat at them since he’d learned to use is Iron and Steel abilities. The target they were shooting was simply a small orange piece of plastic attached to a thin metal rod. Depending on where you hit the plastic, the rod would move backwards and that would cause your symbol to go up the pillar. Vince quickly weighed his options. He could play normally, but already he could tell that both he and Kimber would lose to one of the other players, or he could tip the scales in their favor.

In the end he decided not to do anything to affect the outcome of the game, and the bell sounded again announcing the end of the game. The light was flashing over the pillar of one of the people on the other end of the bench showing the winner. He stood up and took Kimber’s hand again. He led her away from the game, looking at all the others around them to find one where one of them could win one of the bigger prizes.

He told her the story. She could only smile. It sounded sweet. Like he had good memories of his family. She did, she supposed. She had a family anyway, and luckily, they weren't horrible. They didn't ever raise a fist to her, they hurt her in ways that they probably didn't even imagine was possible. They merely excluded her from most family things unless she needed to be there. That or, if they wanted her to play music.

His childhood sounded fun. Or she supposed that little moment did. And she was glad they were doing something together that would bring forth such things. She was left at home a lot as a child. Mostly because, for a long time she could not control her aura. She was incapable of holding it in. Silencing the public caused chaos so often she was left with a nanny at home while the family went out.

The bell rang.

The water shot out of her gun as she pressed the button. It was exciting. Trying to keep the water shooting on the target, and trying to keep an eye on the target of those around you.

She lost. Miserably.

But that didn't mean it wasn't fun. She had a bright smile on her face when she stood up. The winner had his girl pick a prize. She hoped to get her own prize at some point. But she was not one to force such things. Good things would happen when she least expected it. That was how she had to live her life. At least, how it seemed.

He took her hand again.

Kimber blushed, but clasped it gently. It felt good. And this time, it was even more voluntary than the last. This time he knew, knew what he was getting into when he took her hand. Knew that he would not be able to speak any more. They walked together. Hand in hand. And if they did nothing else tonight, she would not have cared, just walking with her hand in his would have been enough to turn this night from ordinary to extraordinary.

She was going to let him pick this time. Since she had picked the water guns. He seemed to be looking for something. So she was along for the ride. Eager to see what he wanted to do next. Eager to have some fun. Just being with Vincent was gift enough. As cliche as it sounded. That was the truth.

So she walked. Waiting to see what he wanted to do, wishing that she could ask him one of the millions of questions that ran through her mind while they were together. That would require them sitting down though, thus she would have to wait until they got something to eat in a little bit.

She didn’t hesitate in taking his hand this time, but her face resumed the almost continual blush she seemed to have that evening. He knew what other people were seeing when they looked at the two of them. They looked like a couple out on a date; Kimber’s constant blush said to most people that it was most likely a first date. Vince could see that conclusion on most people’s face as they saw the two of them walking hand in hand and he kept telling himself that he should nip this in the bud before it got out of hand.

Her hand felt good in his, though. And after all, he had told her he’d help her have a good time tonight. That wouldn’t work out well if they got separated in the crowd. It was only to help them stay together. That was the reason he kept giving himself, but he knew that it was a lie. He genuinely liked Kimber; she was intriguing. She was intelligent and talented, and pretty to boot.

The logical portion of Vince’s mind was against him on this, however. You’re only leading her on. She’s only seeing half of who you are. If she saw you while working, like you were only minutes before running into her, she wouldn’t want to be around you again. Those thoughts kept flashing through his mind, and he knew they were all true. He ignored himself. He was allowed to have a good time and enjoy a harmless evening with a girl if he wanted to.

“Come on, everybody! Swing the hammer, ring the bell, get a prize!”

Vince glanced over to the loud voice cutting through the general background noise that large groups of people inevitably generated and saw the High Striker game. The water guns hadn’t been something Vince would normally do well on, but this was another story. That hammer would probably be of equal weight to Excelsior, and Vince could swing the sword around day in and day out. He gently tugged on Kimber’s hand, pointing to the game.

<Let’s see if we can get you some sort of prize tonight.> Prizes were an integral part of coming to a fair, after all, after the food and rides. He led her over toward the bigger man yelling out over the crowd holding the large hammer people would use to try and hit the bell. The game owner smirked as Vince walked up, seeing nothing more than Vince’s boyish looks and smaller frame.

“Not your type of game, boyo. You should keep walking instead of embarrassing yourself in front of your girl.”

Vince let go of Kimber’s hand and smiled at the man. “I disagree, sir. This looks exactly like my type of game. We’ll just have to wait and see, now won’t we?”

The gamemaster just chuckled. “I guess we will at that. Rules are simple: swing the hammer and ring the bell. You get one practice swing and three regular swings. Prizes are based on how many times you hit the bell.”

Vince stepped up to the platform, thinking to himself what a breeze this would be if he burned Pewter. As with the water gun game he was reluctant to cheat, but the thought of using any of his abilities was thrown out of his head when he took the hammer from the gamemaster. All of his metal’s reservoirs immediately disappeared as if he’d burned Aluminum. His eyes widened slightly as he looked back to the guy running the game.

“There’s something different about this hammer.”

“Indeed there is, boyo. That there hammer is enchanted. It completely nullifies any extraordinary abilities whoever is holding it might have. Without it, some random guy with enhanced strength could easily take care of my game and I would be out of a job in no time.”

Vince nodded. The man spoke true. As Vince had figured, though, the hammer was no heavier than his claymore. Vince had been swinging around items like this since he was nine. He didn’t look it, but he was stronger than the average guy, especially in his arms. Fifteen years of sword training saw to that. He looked back to Kimber and gave her a wink before holding the hammer over his head and swinging his practice swing.

The striker had a scale along its back from one to one hundred, with one hundred being that you hit the bell. Vince’s practice swing sent the striker up to about eighty. It was a heavier one than a lot of these games had, but Vince hadn’t given it his all for the practice. He had wanted to get a feel for the hammer and the striker itself to determine just how hard he’d have to swing. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to hit the bell, but it wouldn’t be a cake walk either.

“Not bad, boyo. You might be able to manage a hit and get your little girl a small prize.”

Vince hefted the hammer again, preparing for his first real swing. “More hits get a bigger prize, I assume?” He got a nod to his question. “Good. I should be able to at least get a medium prize, in that case.” The game owner’s face gave away his thoughts of that happening. Vince only smiled at him before turning his attention back to the striker.

He brought the hammer up, and then slammed it down with quite a bit more force than he had for the practice swing. The striker rose to ninety-seven before plummeting back down. Disbelief flashed across the owner’s face. Vince slammed the hammer down with even more force on the next swing and was rewarded by the crisp ringing of the bell as the striker slammed into it. Vince could feel some strain on his arms just from those two swings. The hammer might not be heavier than his sword, but all of its weight was concentrated in one spot, the head, and it was quite different than swinging around a sword whose weight was completely balanced by one of the best blacksmiths around town. Vince brought the hammer up for his last swing, putting his all into it. The bell rang out once again.

Vince turned to give the hammer back to its owner and was greeted with a face full of disbelief. Vince guessed that this man didn’t give away many prizes at his High Strike. Vince’s smile was back on his face as he handed off the hammer. “Two rings is a medium prize, yes?” Another nod, and the man pointed towards the group of medium prizes. Vince motioned Kimber to join him. “Go ahead, pick a prize.”

In a way, his conscience was right. He was leading her on. But, in a way, he was wrong. She would have likely crushed on him anyway. She was not even really so much attracted to his good looks. As she was attracted to his confidence. The way he handled her like she was something to be cared for. She was not cared for by many. Many were terrified of her, and it was hard for her to make connections when she could not easily speak with someone without having a third party change her words from sign, to spoken.

Kimber, was crushing hard, on the man called Vincent. He was sweet, kind, and saw her as a woman, at least, he seemed to so far. She knew, that often, the way she was, was more childlike in nature. Only because, of how overly expressive she needed to be, to speak. Not to mention, the fact that she had been sheltered from a great many things because of her parents' need to keep her at home.

They found a challenge. Or perhaps not.

Vincent, she figured was strong. She did not, of course, know the extent of his power, or that he wielding a sword often. But she knew, from the forge, that he was strong. She knew that he could handle a knife like it was second nature. She had no idea, how he had learned the skills and it was too hard to ask at this point. But, she would, at some point, do just that.

A prize. Kimber's eyes and face lit up. She was not here for a prize. But at least, it would help her remember the awesomeness of the night. Taking something home. To sit in her room. Where she could lay out, and remember. Remember the night with Vincent. When he took her on an impromtu date. A tome for them to have a good time together. To not worry about her silence. Or whatever else he had to worry about. But, instead, to enjoy the night they had been in the same place at the same time.

The man tried to disuade Vince from trying. Kimber let go of his hand and stood to the side. She believed in him. Giving him a thumbs up and a nod to say so. She knew that he would do his best. Prize or not, tonight had already been a lot more fun than she had expected. It was so nice, being able to share a night with someone. To make memories that did not include being alone. It was hard to make good memories when they were constantly under the shadow of being alone.

The practice swing went almost to the top. Kimber clapped silently from her place. Hoping that Vince could see, thus, he would know she was cheering him on in the best way she could. The game-master did not believe in Vince, but Kimber did. The practice swing alone was enough to make her believe.

On the second strike, the bell rung. Kimber smiled brightly. On the third swing, the bell rung again! Kimber clapped as Vince handed the hammer back over to the man and she couldn't help but launch herself at him and give him a hug. He had done so well, and all for her, she couldn't help but be happy about it. Pulling back from the hug, he motioned about the prize and she turned. The man told her to pick anything from the medium section. Seeming a bit dejected that he had to give a prize away.

There were all sorts of prizes. Cats, dogs, monkies, unicorns, dragons, snakes, all of average size. The larger prizes were panda bears and huge dogs. It didn't matter though, she saw what she wished for. Picked a white unicorn, with a pink horn and sparkles in it's fur. It was soft, and it was something she could easily put on her desk at home and look at each time she walked in. To remember tonight. She turned to Vince and came back to him. Taking his hand again, giving a nod of thanks to the man running the game.

Kimber then, pointed at the ferris wheel. It was very close, and the line was not too long. Pulling on his hand, they made their way there. Standing in line, luck had it that the last ride had just finished, and so when the eighth car came around, they were ready to board. Her, the unicorn, and her date. She put the unicorn against the wall so that she could sit close to Vincent and look out over the fair grounds and the city. She wanted to lay her head on his shoulder, but she did not know if that would be welcome and Kimber was not known for being a bold kind of girl. Besides, even if she thought, in her mind, this was a date, she also knew, that was not likely. Vincent would need someone different than her. Strong, confident, with the ability to speak.

He hadn’t expected Kimber to throw herself at him in order to hug him as he gave the hammer back, but he put an arm around her to return the hug nonetheless. He realized at that point that if he didn’t keep himself constantly in check he could easily find himself falling for this beautiful, silent girl. That would be dangerous for both of them, and very unfair to her.

She quickly perused the prizes available to her. Vince had an idea of which one she would pick just based on her personality and the little that he knew about her. He was proven right as she picked up the pink and white unicorn before coming back to take his hand. Being unable to speak now that she was touching him again, he raised his hand in a small wave to the game owner who was rather rudely not paying attention to them anymore. Oh well; he’d get over himself as soon as another customer showed up to test their strength.

Kimber raised her hand to point at something, and when Vince looked he had to catch himself from visibly grimacing. She was pointing to the ferris wheel and looking at him with a big smile on her face before she began pulling him towards the line for the ride. He couldn’t bring himself to stop her; she was very obviously looking forward to something like this, and she had no idea about his motion sickness. He watched the wheel turning and tried telling himself it would end all right. Maybe his sichness would hold out long enough to finish the ride; it usually took at least a few minutes to kick in. He hadn’t eaten this afternoon, and the ride didn’t go around very fast. If he positioned himself correctly in the car, perhaps he could trick himself into thinking he was doing nothing more than Steelpushing himself around.

He knew none of those thoughts would actually make a difference, but still let himself be led towards the giant wheel. They didn’t wait long and before he knew it he was climbing into one of the cars, not returning the big smile that the lady emptying and loading the cars directed at them. She placed her stuffed unicorn across from them and sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers again. He sat very straight and took a deep breath, preparing himself to mentally try to fight the nausea that would soon beset him.

They began moving, only to stop right away as another car was emptied of its occupants and loaded with another group of people. Vince quickly counted twenty cars, and remembered that he and Kimber had gotten on the eighth. With one car past them loaded, that meant there would be eleven more cars worth of stop and go. That couldn’t be good for him, but he kept a weak smile on his face. Indeed, by the time all of the cars were loaded up and the wheel began its constant spin Vince could already feel the nausea gripping at him.

Around and around the wheel spun while Vince did his best not to let his discomfort show. Unfortunately it was impossible for him to keep his face from going pale and regardless of the smile he tried to keep on his face, Kimber would know that he was quite unwell. The logical side of his brain that kept telling him not to let himself get attached to this woman berated him for putting himself in this situation.

When the ride was finally over he waited for Kimber to exit the car before stumbling out after her, his face drawn and pale. “Sorry, Kimber. I should have mentioned my motion sickness before we got in line. You seemed rather excited about it, though, so I just tried to truck through it. Can we go find a place to sit for a few?”

Kimber was estatic.

One of Kimber's largest dreams, one of those moments that she had cherished since she was a little girl as the most romantic thing in the world... was to be kissed on the ferris wheel. Of course in her mind, it was a bit nippy. Red noses, and soft mittens. Flakes of snow falling but only dusting the ground. The first real winter day. With a small biting wind, to make those in love cuddle close. And there she would be, curling into the man at her side. They'd look over the beautiful fair grounds, slowly changing from bright lit colors to white... A Holiday time festival. And then, catch each other staring at the other.. and lean in....

Of course, it was not like she even believed a kiss from Vincent was even.. possible. In any light. Not merely because, they had only just met several days ago. But, also because of the fact that, she was probably not his type. She could see him with some sort of.. Smithy Groupy. Perhaps, a girl that was lovely, daft.. but lovely.

Still, she could not help the excitement that took over as they boarded the car. The unicorn across from them. She slid a bit closer to Vince than she normally would have. But, she could at least hope for a cuddle. Still though, she was excited to see the beauty of the fair grounds from a high up place.

As the wheel finally got moving, Kimber dared a look over to Vincent. She had avoided looking because she did not want to seem as though she was fishing for a kiss. She was not. it was only a dream. One, she was fairly certain, would never come true. Still, it didn't matter, many dreams of Kimber's were crushed. At least, she still had her music.

Vincent was pale as a sheet, and instantly she was worried. Her hands lifted and felt his face. not to be overly forward. But instead, so that she was capable of feeling the skin there. Clammy.

The pale was starting to turn to green. She wished she had something to help him. She did sign to him though, even if he couldn't have understood her.

~You should have told me!~

She could only assume motion sickness, that or .. fear of heights. It could, technically be either. Or something she had not even thought of. Yet still, she would not have gone on the wheel had he mentioned something. Perhaps that was the point. Her face softened, as she realized he had gotten on the wheel, knowing full well he would not feel good once on it. Her eyes looked into his. She leaned into him. Putting her head on his shoulder. Her arm gently, around his waist. They could do nothing til the ride finished anyway, but she hoped this was showing her gratitude to him regardless.

When the ride finally stopped, she got off with him. Carefully holding onto him, incase, he needed to.. be supported for some reason. She could only nod when he told her he should hav ementioned the motion sickness when they were in line. And then, nodded again at his next question.

She took his waist in her arm, and led him to bench not too far away. Making sure he was sitting, she left him with the unicorn and motioned she would be back in just a moment. Stay put! She had a very serious face on at this time as well. She went to a stall not twenty feet away and bought him a bottle of water, before she came back with the cool bottle and handed it to him. Incase, he needed something to drink, might perk him up a little bit. She sat down, on the bench beside him, worried for her .. friend... as he was starting to look better, but even still, Kimber's heart was large and she always worried for other people.

As Vince walked away from the Wheel of Death, nauseated and weak, with Kimber’s arm around his waist, he felt a little sheepish for not mentioning his motion sickness. He could tell she was worried about him from the moment she looked at him in the car. He could also tell that she had pieced together the reason he hadn’t said anything to begin with and was obviously grateful for it; her demeanor for the rest of the ride had said that clearly enough.

He could easily get used to having someone like Kimber cuddled close to him, although a change in scenery would be needed. If he never got back onto a ferris wheel it would be too soon. It had been a long time since he’d held another person with feeling behind it. There had been Eve for the past few years, but there had been no feelings behind that; they had simply used one another while it had been convenient.

He nodded as Kimber deposited him on a bench and motioned for him to stay put. He couldn’t help but smile weakly at the stern face she put on. It was absolutely adorable and completely out of place on her. His eyes followed her as she walked to a nearby stall while his mind wandered. What would it be like to actually be with Kimber? Would she even want to if she knew about his darker side? He’d always believed that everyone had a dark side, yet meeting this beautiful blonde had robbed him of that notion. There was no way she could be anything other than what she seemed to be. He wondered if that was something she thought of him. It was a sobering thought. If she ever learned of the things he’d done to people, sometimes innocent people, it would shatter whatever image she was building up of him.

It couldn’t be helped, though. Even if he only brought out that darker, ruthless side of him when he was working it was still there hiding beneath the surface. Regardless of how he acted towards Kimber, or most other people, most of the time it didn’t change the face that he wasn’t one of the good guys. He’d made peace with that fact years ago and had never thought twice about it. It was a part of him, and nothing would be able to change that.

He came out of his reverie as Kimber returned with a bottle of water and sat down next to him. The nausea was already starting to fade. He placed the cold bottle to his forehead and sighed in relief. He’d feel much better with just a few minutes of not moving. He glanced over to Kimber and gave a small laugh.

“I’m sure that’s not what you envisioned a ride on the ferris wheel entailing, huh? Maybe sometime I’ll show you the only way I can travel without getting sick besides my own two feet.” He briefly wondered how she’d react to jumping from rooftop to rooftop the way he usually did, wondered if she’d feel the same elation he always did.

After another few minutes, when he was finally feeling mostly better, he spoke up again. “Are you getting hungry? I know there’s always plenty to eat at fairs.” He glanced around them, spying all the stalls in sight that offered food; there were quite a few of them. “Hot dogs or corndogs, fried dough and funnel cake, pizza, popcorn. Oh, and don’t forget deep fried anything. I’m sure whatever anyone could think of is available somewhere to be fried up. Anything striking your fancy?”

Kimber sadly shook her head at his question.

It was not his fault. She had no idea of his motion sickness. She had no idea, of course, because he had said nothing. She could not have even guessed. Still, she worried for him. She endeavored to make sure he did not have to go on another ride with motion. Which meant, no more rides tonight. She felt bad enough taking him on the single ride, but she would make sure there were no others tonight. She would not have him uncomfortable after being so kind as to spend time with her this evening when she was certain there were others he could spend his time with.

He mentioned, there was a specific way he could travel, saying that perhaps there would come a day he could share that with her. Her eyes lit up, she smiled, gave a happy nod. She would like that very much. Anyway, .. anything he wanted to show her, she was most certainly in for. Because, she was, despite herself.. telling her that she did not deserve... falling for him.

He surprised her, asking if she was hungry. She figured, that after him getting nearly sick on the ride, he wouldn't be hungry for a while. However, Kimber's stomach answered for her before she could even nod. She knew that he wouldn't hear it though, but she could feel it. She nodded. A bright smile on her face. Standing up, she looked around, curious about what they should have. He was rattling off ideas.

Funnel cake.

A huge bright red sign with white letters almost seemed to glow in the night life. She grabbed his hand and pointed. Nearly jumping up and down. She had always loved them as a little girl. She turned and smiled brightly at him. Collecting the unicorn she began to walk hand in hand with him towards the funnel cake stand. They moved through the crowds, moving through all of the people and the children, the booths and the fun games. All the way to the funnel cake stand where she ordered them a large funnel cake and a couple of drinks to share.

There was a picnic table not too far away and she and Vincent sat down side by side with the funnel cake between them. Kimber sat, sideways, her legs crossed in front of her. Facing Vincent. Her face lit up. This night was all ready filled with the kind of memories that she would never forget. She wished she had an instrument on her, she would love to play for Vincent. Just him. No one else. She knew that she could show him things she could not show someone else, or rather, would not share with someone else.

But alas, she was musicless tonight. Wishing she could make some sort of sound, but she could not. She took a pinch of the cake and popped it into her mouth, leaving a bit of white powdered sugar coating her soft pink lips as she chewed and enjoyed the amazing flavor of fried and sweetened dough.

Kimber’s eyes lit up when he mentioned showing her his unique way of getting around the city. Perhaps if she had no other way home when they finished their time at the fair he would just show her tonight. The evening was already halfway to an impromptu date anyway, so what could it hurt? What could it hurt? You’re being an idiot! It will only lead her on even more than you already are. Vince banished the thought to the recesses of his mind. Leading Kimber on was not what he had in mind. He was simply letting the situation unfold as it would. He was enjoying the evening, even including the ride on the Wheel of Nausea, and he was willing to see where it would lead.

She was on her feet looking around as he listed the various things they could eat, grabbing his hand and pointing almost before he could finish. It seemed that funnel cake was the winner. He stood up a little unsteadily, still feeling the slight after effects of his nausea. He burned Pewter to give himself a little boost in strength until he could shake the sickness, taking away that unsteadiness instantly. She grabbed her unicorn and Vince let himself be led once again through the crowd towards the stand. Moments later they were sitting side by side at a picnic table with a large piece of the fried dough between them. Vince angled himself to face her better as she was facing him; it would have been rude not to, after all.

He picked a small piece off of the funnel cake, not planning on eating a lot until he was sure his stomach could handle it. He hoped to have more than the one bite as this was a prime example of funnel cake and tasted delicious. He gave Kimber a smile as she took her own piece as well, noticing the small amount of sugar left on her lips. He was suddenly overcome with a strong urge to lean over and kiss the sugar off her lips. The desire hit him like a truck and he felt his face flush ever so slightly. He wasn’t sure what to make of the feeling; he hadn’t felt like this in such a long time. He stamped it down, though. Nothing good could come of it; it would only make things even more complicated.

He wished he had some way to allow her to talk; now would be the perfect time for conversation and it would take his mind off of kissing her. As he reached to pull another piece off of the cake he heard his phone start ringing in his pocket. He knew who it would be even before he pulled it out and saw Emily’s name in big letters on the display as she was the only person who had the number. He hit the ignore button and replaced the phone to his pocket again. He had told Em he was done for the night when he finished with Deleon. Besides, he wasn’t going to leave now. Not when he was having such a good time here at the fair. He looked back to Kimber with a smile and noticed the question in her eyes.

“Just my…” he paused, trying to think of a word besides handler to describe Emily since handler would probably only draw even more questions that he didn’t know if he could answer yet. “Hmm…I guess you could call her my partner at work. I told her I’m done working for today, but she doesn’t listen to me all that well.”

Vince fished around quickly for a change in topic. He didn’t want to be talking about work, especially his kind of work. It wasn’t time for Kimber to know about his job yet, if there would ever be a time for her to know.

“So what brought you here tonight? The fair is a strange place to come to alone, usually.”

His phone rang.

Kimber looked at him curiously. She had a phone, but she only recieved text and email on it, as if it rang there was no way that she could actually speak. She wished that she could, but, there was no way, and as much as she tried, she was always silent. Kimber watched as he pulled it out, she was polite enough not to try to read the name. She was not that kind of girl, in fact, she was likely overly trusting of the people that she met. However, that was merely.. Kimber's way. Trust first, find out later if it was worth the regret or not.

Kimber chewed on her lower lip. Wondering. Terrified, that he might have to go. But he canceled the call. Not even answering it. Warmth blossomed in her chest. She could not help it. That he had canceled a phone for her. So as not to be rude, or rather, instead preferring her company she knew not the reason. Yet, somehow, it instilled in her a warmth.

He explained, she was a partner, from work. A slow smile crossed her face. Kimber was not the jealous sort, unless it was blatantly obvious that someone was after the one she endeared herself to. However, as of yet, she had not actually had a boyfriend, thus whether she was jealous or not.. it wouldn't matter since she had no one to truly be jealous over.

He then asked how she had ended up here. Alone. Not really the kind of place you go alone, and she nodded. That was true, and she had almost left. She wished she could speak. She wished that she could speak into his mind like he could her own. Tears stung her eyes. But she blinked them back, unwilling to let them fall. She pointed to her head, letting her index finger touch the side of her forehead, then as her hand moved straight out the finger past the knuckle wiggled.

Inspiration.

She knew he didn't understand what it meant. But, it was how she spoke to the world, she wished that she had a way to reach him. Better than writing. Tonight she had not brought her computer. Digging into her pocket she came out with a pen and stole the napkins from the funnel cake. Running her tongue slowly over her lips to take the sugar away missing a small spot in the corner, she began to write for him.

Quickly, but elegantly.

~Inspiration. I came for that. I almost left, was about to, when I saw you. It is hard for me sometimes, I cannot speak, and it's hard for people to connect to me. Because, they cannot understand how I do speak. Thus far, no one is willing to learn. One day though, perhaps. I am glad that you stayed for me. I am glad that you are spending the evening with me, and I am indebted to you.~

She slid the napkin over, and took another bite of the funnel cake on the table.

Vince could tell right away that Kimber wasn’t the jealous type. Many women he’d been with would try to sneak a look at the name on a cell phone display and ask about it if a female name showed up, usually in a way that was so casual it was obvious. Granted, he hadn’t cared if they’d been jealous or not as he had never had any intention of seeing those women again. Kimber didn’t look, and felt nothing more than idle curiosity that any normal human being would have. He explained anyway, as it was always better to err on the safe side.

The small smile that crossed her lips confirmed her lack of jealousy, and showed that she realized exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t surprised. After all, what did she have to be jealous about? She was intelligent, talented and beautiful. She probably didn’t realize it, her being the definition of modest, but in many cases she was probably the cause of jealousy in someone else. He had seen it numerous times already tonight; the scowl that briefly crossed another woman’s face when their eyes passed over Kimber, or the men who took second glances at her as they passed as if to confirm what they thought they’d seen to begin with. Being with her had gotten Vince his own share of dirty looks as well.

He noticed her eyes glistening with moisture for a moment as he asked what brought her here and berated himself. Why did he ask a question like that, a question that would be difficult to answer when unable to speak? It was insensitive, but before he could apologize she made a gesture. He knew it was probably something in sign language, but he had no idea what it could be. She pulled out a pen and began writing on one of the napkins. He waited patiently, taking another piece of the funnel cake. She wrote quickly and before he’d even swallowed the cake she pushed the napkin over to him.

Inspiration. That made sense; he had always heard that artists and musicians could get inspiration from almost anything. There would be plenty of things going on at a place like this to draw ideas from. He almost laughed in spite of himself when he read that she had almost left until she saw him. She had almost saved herself, in his eyes. He was still telling himself that she didn’t need him in her life, but at the same time was ignoring himself.

He looked back up to her after reading the whole message. He smiled as he reached over and gently brushed the sugar from the corner of her mouth with his thumb, realizing halfway through the motion that it was a silly thing to do since the next bite of funnel cake would only put more sugar on her lips.

"It is my pleasure to spend the evening with you, Kimber, and you owe me nothing. You having a good time here tonight is the only thing I ask for and, save for the ferris wheel not being what you imagined, you seem to be doing just that.”

She took a bite of the sweet delicacy while he read. She had tried not to write too much. She didn't want it to be a bothersome thing. She knew, through experience. People got tired of waiting for her to write her answers. Tired of responding to paper. But it was all she had. Unless someone knew sign language. There was a surprising amount of people that did not. It was one of the big fears of her thoughts, at the moment. That even if Vincent might be interested. Interested in something with her, it might not work properly anyway. Because, she was silent, and he was not. Because, he did not know her language, and no matter how she tried, she could not use his.

His hand reached up. Kimber's eyes widened in surprise. As he touched her face. Wiping away sugar from her lips. Her entire body reverbertated with the blood pounding through it. She was glad, for once, she was silent, for that one second. Only because, she was certain, had she not been, she would have made a noise. Because, here he was. Caring for her. When he didn't need to,have to, but he did. It meant something to her. Perhaps her dreams had a chance afterall.

When his hand dropped. He told her that this evening, so far had been a pleasure. Earning a smile from her. She was having a fantastic time, that much was for sure. Tonight had started about inspiration. Now, it was even better than she had ever expected it would be. So much inspiration filled her mind. Not only from the fair and the families. The smells and the sights. But, also, the fact that she herself was living a night of fun and happiness.

She flicked her hand in the air, when he mentioned the ferris wheel. It was no big deal, she was saying. In a very universal move. Her face twisted to show that on her face as well. Before her calm smiling demeanor came back. Sure, she had dreams of great ferris wheel rides and soft kisses. But, then, so did every girl that had never once been kissed. That had never enjoyed a date, or had someone to care about. Kimber's heart was so big and she had so far not been able to share it with anyone.

She stole the napkin back. Writing a small quite quote.

~I am having a fantastic night. I'm having a great time.~

She slid it over. She did not want to write a novel. There was no reason for any awkward time while she wrote. They finished the funnel cake pretty quick, and she took the opportunity to take a little bit of sugar from his cheek. Softly wiping it with the pad of her thumb. Much like he had done for her. Blushing the entire time, incapable of meeting his eyes. Taking the napkin she wrote one more thing before they rose and threw away their trash.

~What brought you here tonight? Do you want to go to the haunted house?~ she gave him the napkin, picked up the unicorn, and took his hand. Trying to be a little bold. She was not good at that, usually quite meek, but, for tonight, she really wanted to make sure Vincent knew, she really liked him.