[ORP] The Midway

[Ruriska]

Rigged watched, trying to contain his mirth, as Aegis ripped the gorilla from his grasp and once again punched the bag. Unsurprisingly, it had the same exact result. Lights, music, ding ding ding, 10 outta 10!

@Fealine

[Fealine]

Aegis was now really mad.

Tossing the Gorilla down she ran at the machine with her own two hooves and slammed it again, forgetting to even pay Rigged. She jumped back and waited, huffing, looking as if she were on the verge of angry tears.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

And with that final blow, the machine broke.

It gave a high-pitched beeeeeeeep, the punching bag wobbled and then all the lights and sounds went out completely.

"Well," Rigged said, touching it sombrely with his hoof. "Rest in peace old friend."

@Fealine

[Fealine]

Aegis blinked, stuttered, took a few steps back, then screamed.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WHAT?!" she stomped back over to Rigged, albeit picking up the gorilla plush on the way. "Surely there's a prize for breaking it right? I doub't it was that shoddy so that CLEARLY means I'm stronger right?" she blinked, now utterly confused and looking a tad defeated. She sighed and dropped her head. "Nevermind, I think I wanna just go home." she sighed again, squishing the gorilla against her.

She had decided she did not like carnivals. Or circuses. Or anything similar.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

Rigged brows shot up in mock surprise. "A prize for breaking it? If anything, you owe me the money to have it fixed!" He tutted and then tilted his head as he regarded her with her shoulders slumped, looking defeated. At least she seemed attached to the gorilla now.

"But hey, I'll let you off the hook. It was getting pretty old." He gently bonked her on the head with his hoof. "You know, not everything is about strength. You're allowed to have fun and laugh at things every now and again."

@Fealine

[Fealine]

"Laugh?" she blinked, sniffling a bit and wiping her eyes on the gorilla.

What was so funny about that?? She didn't have the money to fix the machine even if she asked both her parents! She panicked before stomping her hooves a bit to calm down when he said he'd let her off the hook. At least now her heart wasn't beating quite that fast. "It didn't look that old though?" she said again, tilting her head at the machine before back to him. "And why are you so strange? Is this how all carnival people act?" she said, one eye squinted as he bonked her. She brought a hoof up to rub her head where he had done so. It didn't hurt but her leg made the motion anyways.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

"Of course," Rigged chuckled. "All carnie and circus folk are the same. We're all a little bit strange but that's what makes it fun. Gotta have a few screws loose to live the lifestyle."

He rubbed his hoof on his chin thoughtfully. "You take yourself far too seriously, little lady. Life's no fun without a bit of laughter.

@Fealine

[Fealine]

(OOPS FEA I ACCIDENTALLY MODIFIED YOUR POST)
(@ruri: GOOD THING I DONT LEAVE PAGES LMAOOO ILU)



"I mean your a lot strange okay..." she said snorting but just getting that little bit out made her crack the semblance of a smile, even if only for a few brief seconds. "And I can't help it. I want to be strong and protect the people I love. Doesn't seem like much room for laughter there." she added before letting out a sigh and all the tension she had been holding in. As much as he made her angry, the fact that he was so easy going still made her feel slightly better. Maybe he was right after all....

@Ruriska
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[Ruriska]

"You can do that while not being so serious," Rigged said, arching a brow and wondering what exactly this little lass was going through if her main life focus was protecting her family. Didn't kids normally just laugh and run around having fun? "Frowning and being serious all the time doesn't make you any better at protecting them."

He put on a big frown and stomped his hooves about, lowering his voice to grunt out, "oh nevermind, look, I'm stronger now!"

@Fealine

[Fealine]

Aegis thought of her parents, her siblings, Oathkeeper and then watched him and at first frowned, but the more he stomped around the more she realized he looked so ridiculous she couldn't help but laugh. "That is so not how I look!" she blurted out before wiping her face as if trying to wipe the smirk off. It felt strange laughing at him, but also at the same time.... kinda good? "You on the other hand, look positively absurd. No wonder you are a circus folk."

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

Rigged considered that a win. He'd become somewhat fond of the little punchy-frowny Carousel and it was good to hear her laugh. He stomped some more just to see if he could get another chuckle, even turning in a big circle and kicked the base of the punching bag machine. "So strong! My frowns make me more powerful aaaargh!"

When he finally stopped, it was with a lazy grin, resting his rump against machine as if he hadn't just been being on a weird act. "Yeah, I wouldn't belong anywhere else but here. I'm too strange for normal folk."

@Fealine

[Fealine]

Aegis let out another laugh at just how stupid he looked prancing around before stopping to catch her breath and wipe the tears and previous frustration off her face. "Fine fine, I get it I get it." she said with a half exhausted laugh at this point.

She sat down with a soft sigh, resting her head on the gorilla. "No... you wouldn't. I can't imagine you as a normal pony at all." she said, watching him and the broken machine. "I should probably be going now though... mister weirdo."

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

"Though the thing is... everyone is a bit strange, we circus folk just wear it better than most. So there's no point taking yourself too seriously." And with that final wisdom, Rigged was bored. There were people not being swindled while he played with a purse that was already empty.

"Go on home, kid. The midway will always welcome you back if you want to return."

He dipped his head and twirled his hoof in a bow and then he slipped away into the shadows of the tents, leaving her to her own devices.

@Fealine