It was just after dark, the last vestiges of red sunlight quickly fading at the horizen. The lights from the park drowned out any struggling stars (or airplanes) trying to make themselves seen. Noisy, crowded, and 'aromatic', to put it nicely; that was what this place was.

It was human.

Just what James needed.

He wandered through the crowd, ignoring the scattered stares he received. The rest of youth dressed this way, so why shouldn't he? Tonight he wore his usual pair of black jeans, a blue stripe running up the right seam, a similar stripe encircling the left cuff. His shirt was another short sleeve, a small reddish purple flower emblazoned where the left breast pocket would be. Beneath this image was the word Amaranth written in calligraphy the same color as the flower. Over that was what he affectionately called his 'burnt marshmallow coat.' It was large, looked very similar to a marshmallow, and black. It was a bit long even on him, coming down to just above his knees. In hand was a pile of pink cotton candy, which he was eating contentedly.

He eyed the roller coaster, wondering if he'd ride it tonight. Depended, really, on whether or not he would finish this cotton candy.

He really did love cotton candy.

In the meantime, the booth games looked interesting. He couldn't imagine why people paid to lose. There was one, however, that piqued his interest.

It was a rather large booth, with pictures of a cartoon character plastered on the back wall, his mouth open. Some of the pictures were big, about the size of an 8x10 picture, while others were barely the size of a wallet-picture. The point was to throw three darts and get at least one into an open mouth. The size of the prize depended on the size of the picture: big picture meant small prize, small picture meant big prize.

James prided himself on his aim. This one didn't seem like most of the others. He walked up to the booth, the carny squawking loudly into a microphone like a strangled bird to the people passing by.

"STEP RIGHT UP, COME ON, DON'T BE SHY. YOU THERE, COME ON, WANNA SHOW YOUR GIRL HOW GOOD YOU ARE, DON'T YOU? TWO DOLLARS FOR THREE DARTS, COME ON, STEP ON UP -- YOU THERE SIR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY?" This last was directed at James, who nodded. "WELL, COME ON, TWO DOLLARS FOR THREE DARTS."

Paying the man and taking his darts in hand, James took aim at a small picture. He let the first dart fly, hitting the picture squarely in the pupil. "VERY CLOSE SIR, BUT NOT QUITE. TRY AGAIN!"

He did so, hitting the mouth this time. "WE HAVE A WINNER! SIR, YOU MAY CHOOSE FROM ONE OF THESE PRIZES," said the carny, indicating a large group of stuffed animals that looked as if they came up to James' waist. They were certainly large.

"Umm... that one," said the winner thickly through a mouthfull of cotton candy, pointing to a plain looking teddy bear with a red bow tied around its neck. As the carny handed it down, James realized it did indeed come up to his waist. Wrapping an arm around the bear's neck, he set off, now receiving far more stares than before.

'Grah,' he thought, lugging the bear along. 'It's too big.' Looking around, he dropped it next to another booth and kept walking, almost as if he hadn't noticed.

He just wanted to be rid of it.

There was a girl wandering aimlessly by, popping caramel corn in her mouth. She was watching the young man. Her eyes followed the darts as they thudded into the board. Her eyes followed the man as he walked off with his mammoth bear in tow. Her eye followed as the bear was dropped onto the filthy ground and the man walked off.

Soon enough, there was a firgure walking beside the man. It was his bear. Oh wait, no the bear wasn't walking. The girl had picked up the bear and heaved it onto her shoulders, before running to catch up with the man.

She was very bright. One eye was a bright blue, the other a bright green. Her hair was pulled back in a thick braid, splashes of color adorning each bump. Her findernails were painted the colors of the rainbow. Red into purple, and then red again. She wore cut off jeans to reveal her brilliant socks. One was blue with friendly looking insects crawling up the leg, the other was simply striped with what appeared to be random colors. Both came up to her knees. Her shirt was bright yellow underneath and blue jacket.

But her smile was the brightest of all.

James was taken aback. He paused in his walk for a moment. Bears don't walk. Maybe he'd made it angry? Then the colors came into view and it all became clear.

"Hello," he said, peering at the small person. "Did you need something?"

It was a weak question as it was obvious she was returning the bear, but he wanted to keep up appearances that he'd never even won the thing.

James took another bite of the cotton candy, noticing how horrible the bear really was. 'Why'd I even choose it, anyway?'

She grinned up at him.

"I saw you drop it." The bear, of course. "How come you picked him if ya didn't want him?" She didn't say it in an unkind way. Just a curious way. She was still smiling.

Her arms reached up over her head, her hands wrapped around that of the bear's. His stomach folded over her head, his badly made face staring at the ground before her.

James thought it would be best if he was honest with her.

"I picked it to make the carny shut up," he replied with a smirk. "Otherwise he would have harped at me to grab a prize. You can have it, if you like."

Taking the last bite of his cotton candy, he was quick to search for another vendor. He didn't see any, but that was fine. There would be one around the next corner, or maybe just down the path.

She grinned.... or hadn't she stopped?

"Thanks! So what's your name?" The bear is shifted in her grip, her long arm this time around the stuffed mound's chest, beneath it's arms. She pops some more carmel corn in her mouth.

"Want some?" She asks around a mouthful of sweet goodness, gesturing with her free hand.

"I'm James," he replied, wondering if he should ask if she needs help now that he's given her ownership. "How about you?"

As for the second question, he refused. "Too waxy for my taste. I need some cotton candy." He pointed to the empty stick on which his pink cloud used to sit. "Have you seen a vendor nearby?"

She considered for a moment.

"Hmm... nope. But I'm sure there's one up ahead. I don't really like cotton candy. Too sticky." She shoveled more carmel corn into her mouth. Waxy, huh? She shrugged. Whatever.

"To each his own," he murmured in an amused voice. He started walking again, throwing the depressingly empty candy stick in a trash bin as he passed. He gave a sidelong glance at the girl, wondering why she hadn't given her name. Maybe a personal preference.

"Are you from around here?" he asked, striking up a conversation. Or trying, at least.

"Yeah. Me and my dad got an apartment in the good end of town. Been living here my whole life. You?" She looked up at him, and her mis-matched eyes seemed to sink into his. Appearently she was interested in more then just wether or not he was 'from around here'.

"Yes, I've lived here a long time as well." He smiled, but gave no more information. Then he saw the vendor.

"Here we are," he said, coming up to the cart and buying another stick. He smiled, devouring it slowly.

The girl continued to watch him and follow him, dragging the mammoth, cheaply made bear behind her. The eyes flash over him curiously and move when he does, almost to the point of discomfort.

"Any family? Wife? Kids?" She doubts his response will be an affirmative. Family men don't go to amusement parks alone.

"No, no family. I think I'm a bit young for that." He certainly looked like it. "What about you? Just you and your father?"

He wondered if the bear really was a bit too big for her. "Would you like me to hold the bear? At least until we part ways? You seem to be having some trouble with it."

"Nah, it's fine." She kind of liked the attention she was getting because of it. Not that it was unusual for a kid to be lugging around a huge stuffed animal, but it did draw people's eyes.

"Yup. Just me and dad." She offered no explaination as to why, and shifted the conversation back to him.

"Yeah, I guess you are a bit young..." There was a thoughtful pause before she continued, "So whatcha doing at White Skies? Just here for the cotton candy?" She grinned playfully.

James smiled back, taking another bite. "Yes, mostly." He glanced again at the roller coaster.

"Possibly for the roller coaster, too."

She glanced up at the coaster.

"I already been earlier, it's too late now... Do you believe in magic?" The question was sudden and fell like stone between them. This girl liked to know who she was talking to. Her eyes were back on him, unswerving.

James looked down at the mismatched girl. He frowned, pausing in his eating. "Depends on what you mean, exactly." She seemed a bit old for childish ideas, so he was guessing she was innish. He hoped.

"Do you?"

"Definately!" Her glittering eyes held a smile and a hint. If he was innish he would get it. If he was unnish he would probably pass it off as something else. Unnish were good at that.

"Then I guess I do too," he said with a smile. "Not often are innish so blunt. You should be careful."

Backtracking to an earlier comment, James looked up at the coaster again. "Are you certain it's too late?" There was an undertone of hoepfulness in it. If it was, he wouldn't have to decide.

"I'm not always blunt..." She replied vaguely. Her eyes were on the coaster again. "I just mean it's too late for me. The night air is chillier than it is in daytime. I don't like to ride roller coasters in the cold." As if it wasn't cold anyway, even during the day.

Cold didn't bother James, but he thought hat maybe it would be more interesting to talk with her rather than ride the rails.

"No, I suppose it would be a bad idea." He fingered his peircings, grinning. "These would probably frost over, killing my ears."

She laughs and agrees. "Yeah, I guess it would." She pauses to study his piercings. She wears no jewlery of any kind. "I never much cared for earrings..." She said thoughtfully, before adding quickly, "No offence or anything... Just sayin'..." She trailed off, her mind wandering.

He smiled, taking another bite.

"No, I understand. I've heard worse." Indeed he had. Some people had no tolerance for art.

She nodded, and her eyes glance over his face.

"Really? Like what?"

James smiled and said in a high pitched voice, "'Oh, look at that boy, he looks as if he's been put into a blender', or 'Are you ok? Are those there to hold your face together?' Stuff like that." He ended in his normal voice.

"You're very quizzical," he commented.

She paused for a moments, thinking these over. "That's dumb." Her final conclusion.

"They aren't even witty or clever. If your going to make fun of someone, you should at least do it right." The girl shook her head, as if to say, Some people.

His last comment took her by surprise. "Why do you say that?"

James nodded bemusedly. "Yes, I'd appreciate it more if people had something interesting to say. Alas, they don't."

He couldn't help but smile at her question. "Oh, no reason," he said with the air of someone who does have a reason but won't explain it because it amuses him more to keep you in the dark.

The girl gives him a crooked grin and respondes with a "Mmmhmm" that clearly means yeah right.

There is a short silence in which her ever wandering mind trailed over various things, before returning to the conversation. She suddenly pipes up, "Some kid at school called me Cousin It once. And I've been called wierd, stupid, and a freak." She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, "Some people have no eloquence with words."

James smiled. "No, they don't. Maybe you should show them how it's done while you still can."

He let his eyes roam over the booths and people they passed. Some of the booths selling food looked promising, but he didn't feel much like waiting in the long lines.

Maybe another game? Eh, he wasn;t sure he wanted to take the chance of getting another prize.

"Yeah..." She shrugs, "They aren't worth my time." She, too, scans the food stalls, the rigged games, the cheap toys hanging over them... Nothing looked to interesting. Nothing more interesting, at least, then talking to this person she had just met.

Suddenly, what he had just said began to sink in.

"'While I still can?' That's a bit morbid, don't you think?"