sweetcandygirl | Nothing Better than a Good Ol' Carnival

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Nothing Better than a Good Ol' Carnival

It is a great day to be at Coney Island. Harley had invited Caspar and Adia to come visit her, now that she was set up with a new community to protect.

Coney Island features an amusement area that includes 50 or more separate rides and attractions. And it truly embraces the themes of burlesque, circus sideshows and vaudeville everywhere you look. One can hear the excited cries of people on the rides.

The PINpoint address was set up so that Adia and Caspar are 'exiting' from a photo booth that is no longer used by the general public. Nearby, Harley waits by one of the food vendors, wearing a pink polka-dot dress and sporting sunglasses and a sunhat.

She beams at spotting her two friends. "Welcome to Coney Island!"

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"We can still help them train without needing to put on skates." Eggy grins. "I get to pelt them with tennis balls, which they then avoid."

There is a bit of competition between Harley and the opponent Jammer. They are elbow-and-elbow on the rink, each trying to out beat the other.

Caspar glances Eggy's way, looking over his robotic ape suit. "How hard are you able to chuck those tennis balls?"

His attention quickly returns to the rink, where Adia has not taken her eyes off the action. "You can do it, Harley!" she cheers encouragingly.

"Knock her down, Harley!" Caspar shouts, his voice carrying a good deal farther above the crowd's roars of excitement. "Kick her ass!"

"Pretty hard." Eggy smiles. A weird look at the egg-face. "Why... would you like a little competition?"

Harley seems inspired by the encouraging cheers. She blows a kiss at her VIP section, and then flips the opponent jammer over her head, so the other girl lands on her butt. Then she fights her way past the blockers again, to score another point for her team.

"A three-point lead is very decent!" Goat Boy claps.

"No, not really. I'm more interested in the schematics of your suit. Why the ape design?"

Adia nudges Caspar a little in the side. Don't be nosy. But the Cylon shrugs. Eggy will tell him to mind his own business if he doesn't feel like explaining.

When Harley knocks down her opponent, Caspar cheers in delight. This is way more fun than a rollercoaster. Adia claps when her friend scores another point. "Is the score usually a lot closer than this?"

"The ape design allows me to use heavier and more durable cybernetics. I am the un-official bodyguard for the girls. And having a larger frame makes me more intimidating." Eggy explained.

"Would you like to see the schematics later?" Eggy can talk about robotics forever.

"It takes a lot of endurance to be a jammer. The other team switches out between two jammers. That is why each round is only two minutes, to allow the girls to regain their strength. And it keeps the score tight." Goat Boat explains. "Harley has a higher endurance level, so it gives our team an advantage. She has passed them three times, and gained one point for each opposing player she has passed."

More durable cybernetics. Hmm. Eggy might be onto something with that ape design. Even if it would look ridiculous in a suit. "Yeah, I'd like that," he says amicably. He doesn't miss a chance to talk shop, either.

Harley's endurance is no surprise to Adia. "What's the highest her team has ever scored? Do you think she'll set a new record tonight?" Either way, she's putting on a great show for her fans.

"They have scored in the 100s before. And some games even went into the 200s." Goat Boy chuckles. "They do have a mercy rule, so if the score is too one-sided, the leading team automatically wins."

Vendors are now in the stands, selling merchandise and quick snacks. Goat Boy calls over a merchandise vendor, who has hats, flags, T-shirts, and stickers.

"You mentioned wanting some fan-based items." He smiles.

"That high?" Adia says in surprise. "Pyramid scores rarely get into the teens..."

"If the Pyramid players were on roller skates, the game would go a lot faster," Caspar can't help but point out.

When the vendor arrives, Adia looks through the merchandise curiously. It's strange to see her friend plastered on t-shirts and flags, but exciting, too. Eventually she selects a t-shirt featuring a chibi Harley on skates, pigtails flying underneath her helmet. The drawing is too cute to resist. Caspar eyes the clothing options skeptically -- not his style -- but does pick up a metallic keychain featuring the Gang of Harleys logo and a tiny baseball bat, in honor of their Jammer.

"What is this Pyramid game like?" Goat Boy asks.

The game breaks for a quick intermission, giving both teams a chance to review their strategy. Harley waves at Adia and Caspar from the huddle.

"It's played on a triangular field," Caspar explains. "There's a hoop each team is trying to shoot a ball through while trying to avoid being tackled and knocked out of the game."

"A little like football," Adia adds, "From what I've read about Earth sports. It's very popular, one of the first things we built on Atlantis was a stadium."

Her wave gets an enthusiastic wave from Adia in return. Caspar smirks and gives her a thumbs-up. You're doing great out there, Harley.

"I would like to watch a game some day." Goat Boy smiles.

The rest of the tournament is just as action-packed as the first quarter. Harley spends a lot of the time in the action, as the team's main jammer. And at the end of the game, her team has secured a huge 115 points.

Harley heads over to the VIP Section at the end of the game. She is a little bloody and bruised, but is already healing.

"Hey guys!"

"I can send you a video," Caspar says. "But trust me, it's not nearly as exciting as roller derby."

For a moment, he feels genuinely bad that he can't take Goat Boy to a live game. It'd be fun to snark openly at the action with someone else. But good luck bringing someone with horns on his head to a place where the Nexus is still a secret.

"Hi, Harley!" Adia has a bright smile for her friend. She's not even concerned about the blood and bruises! ...okay, she is, a little, but they're healing right before her eyes, so she won't be a worrywart and ask if Harley is okay. "You were amazing out there. We had a great time."

"I liked the part where you hit people," Caspar adds, although his smile is far too genuine to be taken as snark. He really did have a great time watching the game.

"It is my favorite part too." Harley grins. Roller derby is a good way for her to vent her aggression.

"You guys wanna meet the rest of the team?"

"Sure." Adia smiles shyly. "I mean, if they aren't too tired from the game..."

"I want to meet the one who clocked the other team's captain in the second half," Caspar says. "Her left hook was perfect."

"Nah. We usually go out for drinks together." Harley opens a rink door, offering out a hand to them both.

"That would be Harlem Harley. The best pivot of our blocking squad."

Adia glances back at Goat Boy and Eggy before taking Harley's hand. Are they coming, too? She'll give them a friendly goodbye otherwise.

Caspar nods at Harley and slips through the rink door, avoiding physical contact. Nothing personal, Harley, it's just not his thing with most people. "She was fantastic. Is she super strong, like you are, or does she simply make it look that way?"

Goat Boy and Eggy are not going far. They are going to help the team pack up their gear.

"Harlem's ability is to absorb the traits of any material she touches. So if she was to touch... let's say the cement of the rink before the match... then she would have cement-hard punches." Harley winks at Caspar, because that is totally what happened.

"Harlem! You have a fan!" The pivot blocker turns around with a smile.

"I have lots of fans! Who is this one?"

"Nice," Caspar replies, nodding his head in approval. A practical super power, good for a fight. When the woman in question turns around, he's tempted to offer his hand for a shake, to see if she has kept her cement grip, but his personal aversion to touch keeps him from doing so.

"Caspar," he introduces himself. "Those were some great punches you threw out there. Excellent form."

"It was a very exciting game," Adia adds shyly. "My name's Adia, we're friends of Harley. It's nice to meet you."

"Any friends of Harley are friends of ours." Harlem picks up a spare helmet, with the team logo on it, and hands it to them.

"I am glad you enjoyed the game."

Caspar takes the helmet automatically, then looks at it, mystified. "Is this a souvenir?"

"Can we get the team to sign it?" Adia asks hopefully. That's what you do with equipment that a player hands you, right?

"We can! That would make it even more special." Harley signals for the team to gather around. They all greet Adia and Caspar, before signing their rollerderby names to the helmet.

Caspar wraps an arm around Adia, his other holding the helmet steady so each team member can sign it. He keeps his gaze on her, happy to see her smiling. It's not often that they get to have an adventure without it being a matter of life-or-death.

"Ah!" Adia says suddenly. "I forgot my stuffed bear back in the VIP section. I'll go get it. It was nice meeting all of you." She gives Caspar a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back for her carnival prize.

"Thanks for showing us a good time," he says to Harley quietly, when it's her turn to sign the helmet. "Adia needed the break from Atlantis and the Nexus." And, though he doesn't say it, he needed one, too.

"You know that anytime you guys wanna break, you can count on me." Harley is really good at coming up with fun activities.

[and I think we can end this scene here. Yah!]

((Sounds good to me! I might borrow the setting of Coney Island for a prompt, if that's all right?))

[Love it! Adia and Caspar are always welcome there!]

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Nothing Better than a Good Ol' Carnival

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