Color & Noise [Open]

[SKYE ASHEREI]

Skye's eyes opened wide as he looked out at the thousands of twinkling lights. The carnival was a huge whirl of color and sound against the starlight above. Rides whirled by, leaving trails of decorative lights,and small flags of all shades flapped gently in the breeze. They also left behind noise as they went about their tracks, and the sound of many voices hit his ears. There was singing and music coming from the stages, the sound of many people laughing and chatting, and even a few arguing. It was beautiful, in a way, if not slightly intimidating alone.

Nevertheless, the young boy grinned, running into the crowds as he left the boundary he'd been watching from. He didn't have a whole lot of money, but he figured that he had enough to afford a few rides, and if nothing else he could watch what was happening on stage. This was one place he'd never been, before. He'd always wanted to come, but he'd been nervous about coming to such a place by himself. There was only one other time he'd even been to a carnival, back in the real world. His parents had taken him for his seventh birthday. An image of himself sitting on his father's shoulders, eating a piece of cotton candy while his family stood in line at the ferris wheel, played over in his mind. It was probably one of his best memories. He wished he had more like it. His parents had never been perfect, yet he missed them, now. His mother had become nothing more than an empty shell with the conversion...and his father... The boy's gaze fell, before he caught himself. This was no time to think about such things - after all, he'd come because he wanted to have fun!

Double checking how much money he had, the Beast looked around at the rides, before settling on a ride that lifted you into the air and spun your cart in circles. The line wasn't as big as the others, and he remembered enjoying a similar ride in his last visit to a carnival. He still wished he had someone to go with, but at least he got to pick everything himself. He refused to let himself feel lonely. Giving his feet a last, anxious shuffle and with his fingers subconsciously fiddling nervously, he quickly ran towards the line.

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[SOPHIA FLYNN]

Sophia had a wide grin plastered on her face. She may have been a lone-wolf type of person, but carnivals always hit her soft spot. She had loved carnivals since she was a kid. The sights, the sounds, the rides... But above all, the Food. She loved Carnival food more than almost everything else in the world. Cotton candy and Caramel Apples were by far her favorites. She walked through the crowd, eating a caramel apple, and looking at the rides. The sound was bearable, but there was almost too much. Her eyes widened as she saw it. "The spinny tower of Doom." She said, repeating the name she called it when she was a young girl.

Sophia, Darius, and Beatrice walked along happily. Beatrice and Sophia splitting cotton candy, and Darius sipping a slushee. The three of them stopped and looked at the giant tower, and Beatrice insisted they go on it. The other two agreed and they raced toward the ride. The ride rose up slowly and started spinning. The two girls giggled as they spun, but Darius, who was afraid of heights, closed his eyes and hunkered down in his seat. The ride suddenly came to a stop, but didn't move down. The three looked at each other in confusion when they heard over the speakers "Sorry Ladies and Gentleman, we're having a bit of Technical Difficulty, but we'll have you down as soon as possible." The three of them gave worried looks to one another as they waited the fix.

Megan shook her head, pushing the memory back. She raced toward the tower and waited patiently. As she waited, a different scent crossed her nose. She turned to see a fellow Beast walking toward her. "Hmm... A bird-boy. That's interesting. What's someone as young as yourself doing going on this ride alone?" She asked as he got closer, a confused look on her face.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

Skye blinked, an older woman who was standing in line turning to face him as he approached. Her features pegged her as a fellow Beast, and she was looking at him with a slightly confused look on her face. He came to a stop as he reached the next space in line behind her. "Umm, well..."

[/color] He looked down a bit. It probably was a bit odd for him to be here by himself. Most other people stuck at his age were here with older companions. "My dad couldn't come...and my mother doesn't like carnivals or rides... I don't like it at home very much, and I didn't have anyone else to go with, so I decided to come by myself."[/color] He tried to grin at the end of the statement, still relatively pleased with himself for being brave enough to do so even if it probably wasn't the wisest choice in the world.

He didn't explain everything fully. Leaving out the details that his father had been turned into a Virus and that his mother was a Hollow who no longer was capable of caring for him at all. In truth, he hated it back at home and went most places by himself. He wished that he could've been older. He looked back at the ride again, watching it lift up and spin. He felt nervous, for some reason, even though he wasn't quite sure why. After all, he had wings! If something did happen to go wrong, he could always fly away. But even though he was excited about going on it, the prospect still made his stomach feel heavy. Even with his wings, and despite the fact that he'd been even younger before, the ride had seemed less intimidating when he'd been in line with his parents those years ago. It was strange in a way, wasn't it? His lips down-turned just slightly, the boy looking back up at the other Beast again. "Do you...think I could ride in your cart?"[/color] He eventually asked uncertainly, looking slightly embarrassed at the question. The thought of riding by himself suddenly made him anxious.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[SOPHIA FLYNN]

Sophia listened to the boys tale. "Well, you shouldn't wander around alone. you may get hurt." She said with a nod. "Theres a lot of people that are seeking to end us... We aren't the friendliest people around these parts, you know?" She said with a chuckle. Looking back up as the ride spun, a large grin on her face. Her ears twitched as the boy asked to ride with her, and she looked back down at him with a confused look. "I guess so... Just don't get scared and cry or something, because I'm not your mommy, and I ain't gunna help you." Her voice almost sounded cold as she talked, and that made her feel slightly bad. "Let's go, kid..."

As they got to the front of the line, she sat down in the cart, and looked at the boy, patting the seat beside her. She grinned in excitement as the announcer for the ride spoke. She pondered what he said for a moment. It's odd really. She had never been to a carnival where she could understand the announcers over their loudspeaker. She chuckled slightly, both at this notion, and the fact she was 21 and as excited as a little kid for a ride at a Carnival.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The woman told him that he shouldn't wander around out here alone, how many of the people around here could be dangerous. He knew it was true. In a world like this, where one sometimes had to hurt others to survive, people you thought were harmless could turn on you in an instant. "I know...but I don't want to be stuck at home forever..."

[/color] He answered, shuffling his foot in the soil beneath them. He didn't like being lectured, but he knew that the wolf woman was probably right. He hated being stuck at the age he was. It was so limiting. It wasn't far at all.

But his expression upturned slightly at her response to his question. It was obvious that she wasn't overly eager about letting him come with her, but she didn't tell him that he couldn't. "I'm not gonna cry! I don't need my mom."[/color] He insisted somewhat defensively, trying to sound confident. He wasn't that much of a little kid! But his gaze was slightly brighter now as they waited for their turn to get on.

The line actually went pretty fast, and the older Beast motioned for him to take the seat next to her as she sat down. He grinned, doing so as he entered the ride. "Umm, thanks, Ms..."[/color] His voice trailed off, the boy realizing just now that he didn't know the woman's name. "What's your name, anyway? Mine's Skye, by the way."[/color] He asked and introduced simply, kicking his feet against the bottom of his set in both tension and excitement as the ride attendee buckled everyone in. The man's voice sounded through a loud speaker with the usual announcements, and then the ride all at once lifted up, tickling the young boy's stomach as it did so.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[SOPHIA FLYNN]

Sophia looked down at her little friend, her look softening as she thought back to when she was that young. "Well, here we go, get ready little one." She said, a grin crossing her face again. She chuckled as he paused for her name. "My name is Sophia." She held out a hand in greeting as they reached the top, feeling the thing start to spin slowly, building up speed. "Last time I was on this ride, I was 12. My brother, my sister, and Me. My brother almost cried because he's afraid of heights, and we got Stuck at the top for an hour and a half." She said, getting increasingly louder as the speed of the spin increased. She held her hands upward and shouted in joy, feeling like a kid again and loving it. The wind, as they spun, caused the collars on her neck to shake, making a jangling noise, barely audible over the rushing wind and motor. The wind also caused them to cool, sending a slight shiver up her spine.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

Sophia...so that was her name. It was pretty, actually, but he didn't stop to think about it much as the ride continued to rise into the air. He wasn't as afraid of heights anymore, because of the way he'd grown used to flying, but as the ride slowly began to spin, gradually increasing in pace, he felt the tingling sensation in his stomach start to increase. It felt odd, but not in a bad way, and it made him laugh as the breeze made his hair dance in front of his face and the ride continued to swirl them in circles, high above the rest of the carnival. Not much could be heard from below, but from up here, and at the speed they were spinning, the colors and lights seemed even more alive, blurring and swirling across his path of vision as he glanced downwards while the stars swirled above. There was a grin on his face, the young boy enjoying the wind on his face and the way the tingling in his stomach rose and fell with the ride's movements.

He strained to hear his companion's words as she spoke, barely managing to over the rush of the wind and the mechanical hum. He blinked when she finished, though. "You got stuck at the top?"

[/color] That sounded unpleasant. That would be a situation wearing having wings like he did now would come in handy, otherwise the thought would've made him nervous. He smiled a bit at his own memories. "My parents took me on it for my 8th birthday."[/color] He laughed a bit himself. "My dad actually got a bit nervous, but my mom loved it. She used to like rides, back then... They took me on all kinds of them!"[/color] He tried not to let the memory make him feel melancholy, this time. Things were what they were now. They weren't like that anymore, and it was a shame. But that didn't change the way he'd felt, back then. Instead, with a glance over at his older companion, he did what she was doing, lifting up his hands and giving an excited shout as he giggled.
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[SOPHIA FLYNN]

Sophia laughed softly. "Yeah, we did. It was GREAT!" She sounded almost happy about the ride breaking down all those years ago. "I almost hope it breaks down again, the view from this high up is enchanting!" She watched as the colors swirled below them, a slight grin crossing her face. She looked at her friend with a smile. "Sounds like your parents really love you." She said, thinking about her own parents. "My parents went into a slight depression when my brother left. It was understandable though, he left to become a cop in a big city, and he didn't call too often..." She sighed slightly. "Then he vanished completely, taken by a scientific experiment, as was my sister... I found this out only a few years ago, when I was given my collar." She said, a slight frown crossing her face. "They're only given to next of kin when the Hybrid has been... Decommissioned."

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The woman laughed, not seeming too alarmed at the idea of the ride breaking down. She actually had a grin on her face, looking down at the colorful night view. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... Skye smiled slightly himself, but a melancholy tint entered it at the other Beast's next words. He looked down, more at his feet inside the ride than at the world below. "Maybe they did at one point... I wonder..."

[/color] He thought aloud, his voice quiet. His parents had never been the greatest or most attentive. His father had had his work, and his mother had had her art. Those had seemed like the most important things, to them. He'd always thought of himself as second place. But...he did have those few good memories, like his 8th birthday, when they'd really felt like a family. And his parents had always been protective. He'd hated it, before, but looking back on it, maybe that had been their way of expressing affection. But...none of that mattered, now. "But they don't anymore..."[/color] He finished simply, his voice dull. It wasn't that they had chosen not to care about him at all, but with his father as a Virus and his mother as a Hollow, they'd become simply become incapable of it. Maybe he hadn't really realized what he'd had until he'd lost it. While his family life had never been ideal, he'd give anything to have it go back to how it was before, now.

But enough of that, he blinked, forcing the thoughts away as he focused again on the swirling view of life and lights. As the wolf woman spoke again, though, he turned his gaze back towards her, taken aback. "An...experiment...? That's..."[/color] He blinked again. Her brother and sister had been lost to an experiment? That was horrible! He'd never had siblings, but he'd always kind of wished he had...he couldn't imagine losing them to such a thing. "Hy...brid?"[/color] He repeated her words, uncertain of what she was talking about, his confusion showing on his face.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[SOPHIA FLYNN]

"I guess this place changes us all..." She said, staring upward at the sky as the ride started to slow down. "On the outside, I was a nice person... Never able to stand the site of blood. Now, I have to wipe blood from my hands every few hours..." She looked down at her clawed hands. She sighed as the ride started to lower, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple of 'Chips' "This one was a Siren... and This one, a Leech... I could have helped both of them without much harm to myself, but It didn't seem right. She looked back down at the boy, holding the chip from the Siren out toward him. "Need some energy?" She asked softly, as she crushed the Leeches chip between her fingers. She closed her eyes and shifted as the energy flowed into her.

"The hybrid project... I don't know a lot about it, but from what I heard, they take people and inject them with Animal DNA, twisting them into... well, Beasts... And they put these collars on them, and when they do something wrong, they say the word on it, and it shocks the Hybrid, like a Shock collar on a dog." She said, explaining what was going on. "Sonar was my brothers Binding word, and Gone was my sisters..." She nodded, pointing at the collars around her neck. Tapping her claw against them softly.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The ride slowly began to slow down, the motion decreasing as his companion stared skyward, now. Skye's gaze absently moved back to his feet at her words. It was true, though. Even though he was as young as he was, his life had become no different. As a Beast, you had to destroy life to sustain your own. It was a miserable, guilty existence, but it was the only option they were given. Maybe that was why nights like this, where you go just have a little fun and try to forget about it for a while, where so precious. It felt kind of good to talk to someone in the same situation, though. He nodded dryly, looking back up in her direction as she held up the spare chips...all that was left of what had apparently been a Leech and a Siren. Without being made of flesh, these chips were all those who had passed on left behind...and it was what Beasts like them fed off of. The thought made him feel sick to his stomach, like it always did, but he took the chip from the Siren that the woman handed to him. "T...thanks."

[/color] He sputtered, almost sounding ashamed. But he passed the fellow Beast a grateful smile before looking down at the chip. At least this meant that he wouldn't have to kill himself, this time...whoever the chip had belonged to was already gone. Curling his palm, he crushed the delicate chip in his fingers, enjoying the sensation of the energy entering his own form, in spite of himself. The young boy gave a quiet sigh.

The boy blinked in surprise, quickly raising his gaze again at the woman's next words. "That's how you became a Beast...?"[/color] He'd simply become what he was now during the mass conversion. But an experiment? That sounded awful! People really could be cruel. He gazed at her collar. It would be scary to have something like that. What if someone said the word on accident, or if you were just walking in a crowd? He absently wondered what her word was, but figured that it would probably be better not to ask. "...What happened to your brother and sister?"[/color] He eventually murmured as the attendant came to unbuckle them, the boy stepping carefully out of the ride. Hopefully she wouldn't mind the question.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[SOPHIA FLYNN]

"Oh, nonono... I became a beast with the conversion. I just used it as a reference..." She said, stopping for a few moments as he asked his next question. "Well I'm not sure, I was just told that they were Gone, for good..." She sighed as the thing stopped at the bottom. "So, what ride do we hit next?" She asked with a slight grin. Even through the conversation they were having was sad and slightly morbid, she was still happy, due to the carnival's natural energy. She looked at her little friend with a smile, "Lets go!" She said, starting to walk toward another ride. Usually she wouldn't give away so much information about herself, not trusting very many people, but Skye reminded her of her brother at a younger age, somewhat. She stopped when she saw the concessions stand. She walked over and ordered a cotton candy, then rejoined the other Beast. She pulled a bit off fluff off and popping it in her mouth. She held it down and offered her little friend some as well, a smile plastered on her face, still.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The woman explained that he'd slightly mis-understood. But if she'd been transformed into her current form now, then... "You mean they did the experiments in the old world?"

[/color] He blinked. That almost made it seem worse, somehow. He remembered the real world as a much better place than this, but maybe that memory was slightly distorted. Perhaps life had been just as cruel, back then. He looked down again as she mentioned her siblings. "Oh...I'm sorry..."[/color] Gone... He wondered if there was a chance that they were still alive, and existed somewhere else now after the conversion. Maybe it could have given them an opportunity to escape from the experimenters, but then again...perhaps it had been too late. Maybe by 'gone', they really had meant that they'd lost their lives. The thought made him sad, somehow, as he looked up at the older Beast. He decided not to say anything else about it, though.

Instead, he let his face brighten a bit as his companion mentioned another ride. He was excited at the prospect that she was going to stay with him for more, the young boy having been unsure whether or not she would. He gestured to a medium-size roller coaster not too far away."Can we go on that ride? I always wanted to go on a roller coaster, but my parent's said I was too small when they took me."[/color] He looked up at her hopefully. After all, he wasn't going to be getting any bigger, now would be as good of time as any to go.

They stopped by a concession stand, the boy passing the woman up an excited, grateful grin as he took a bit of the fluffy candy. It brought back memories of his trip with his parents, again. That had been the only other time he'd had it. It tasted just as good as he remembered it, too.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[SOPHIA FLYNN]

Sophia ate the cotton candy happily, and looked up when Skye asked about the roller coaster. She grinned happily and nodded, starting toward it. As she walked, she ate her cotton candy, and reminisced about her time as a kid.

Sophia, Darius, and Beatrice walked through an amusement park, Darius and Beatrice bickered about what ride to go on first. Today was Sophias 16th birthday, so she didn't care what they decided, they were going on what she chose. She grabbed her siblings arms, dragging them along toward a roller coaster. Darius looked at it, as the carts that were running climbed a steep incline, and then dropped down the other side at a high speed. To his surprise, the roller coaster didn't stop when it reached the ground. It went UNDER the pavement. "Are... Are you sure... It's safe?" Darius asked. Sophia chuckled and looked back. "Yeah! Duh! Stop being such a wimp!" She said, hearing her sister giggle as she talked. "This is going to be so much fun!" Beatrice said as they waited in line...

She looked upwards at the roller coaster with a small smile.. "Yes it is Bee... Yes it is." She looked down at the other beast with a smile. "My brother hated rollercoasters too... Kind of a scared little kid, eh?" She asked with a chuckle.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The woman nodded at his suggestions, making the boy grin as they headed towards the roller coaster's line. There were a few more people in line for this one, but with luck it the wait wouldn't be too long... Looking up, he thought he heard Sophia mutter something under her breath, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. He blinked, but then she looked down at him again, telling him a bit about how her brother had been scared of roller coasters. He giggled slightly. "I used to be a lot more scared of that kind of thing before I had wings. Now I'm kind of used to heights."

[/color] He'd had a fear of them when he was younger, but now they weren't an issue anymore. At least that was one good thing about the way he was now. Of course, that wouldn't account for all the rapid motions and turns of a roller coaster, but he didn't feel as anxious as he would've those years ago. "Maybe my parents were right not to take me before...but I can't wait to try it, now!"[/color] The grin on his face only grew wider. This would be his first time on a roller coaster.

He licked the sugar left by the cotton candy off his fingers as he waited, the line moving up as the ride came to a halt and the current riders exited. Him and his companion probably wouldn't make this shift, but he figured they'd make the next. Staring out at the carts as they carried the current passengers away for their round, he watched the ride weave up and down on the tracks, rush sideways on the turns, and curl upside down on the loops. He realized he still felt a bit nervous, his feet shuffling anxiously. He tried not to show it, though - he didn't like always seeming like such a little kid.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]