Timeless Snow ✓

Ch. 19 - Fortune

Passing by game booths, Taehyung had tried to win you a large coffee bean plushie that you had eye a little too seriously when you passed by it. After three failed attempts, the fourth was the charm as he whipped his arm out from behind himself and tossed the baseball with all of his strength. The tin cans stacked up in a pyramid came crumbling down against Taehyung's might. He thrust his fist into the air as if he was trumpet in battle. You chirped with glee as the attendant used a large metal hook to snag the purse-sized plush and hold it out to you. Reaching out you took it off the hook and quickly hugged it to yourself. You hardly ever won anything at carnival games, they were all rigged anyway. His victory wasn't flawless but he earned it. His brute strength was greater than yours at the very least.

Leaning down you pressed your nose against the microfiber fabric and gave it a sniff. Despite it being a coffee bean, it smelt of powdered sugar from the funnel cake truck parked next to the game stand. You didn't expect it to smell like anything, but at least the scent wasn't half bad. Soon after the two of you stumbled on a corndog stand. Like with most things at the fair, the food had a tendency to be on the odd side. The staple of carnival foods? Fried foods.

The sign on the corndog stand was big as a billboard and showcased their 'Mega Corndog!'. Which was as big as a water bottle and stuffed with cheese, peppers, and a hot dog. Breaded and deep-fried to 'perfection'. You had the sweet tooth, but Taehyung had the ravenous hunger for 'greasy goodness'. Getting two, you tried to eat the incredible fat corndog but only managed to eat half before you felt your stomach started to reject the amount of oil that had seeped into the bread. Offering it to Taehyung, he finished his and yours in record time and questioned if you wanted another. You'd rather save your appetite for more odd food later on. Letting your food settle in your stomach for a few minutes before moving on to explore again.

Heading toward the market side of the carnival, you began to window shop. Passing by colorful fabrics and unique trinkets. Handmade furniture and questionable rolled-up rugs. There was always something odd to be found at the state fair. Despite that, there were treasures to be found in you had the right eye. Filtering through thrifted dollar store items that vendors were trying to resell for five times the market value and cheap knockoffs.

You traced your fingers along a few select pieces of custom jewelry, not settling on any one thing in particular. It wasn't as if you could take any of these things back to the hospital with you. Not even the coffee bean plushie. The two of you danced your way through the crowd. Wondering deeper into the scattered mess of shops. The crowd growing thicker as the shopping area began more dense in the back of the fairgrounds. Taehyung followed close beside you, his free hand palming the collapsed umbrella. Waiting prepared for the pending storm.

Finding yourself overwhelmed by the dense area. You stopped in the middle of the path and began to shift your eyes as you looked for an escape out of the crowd. Perhaps heading toward the rides would spice up the night. Leaning toward Taehyung you readied your voice to question if he'd like to take the Fair Wheel up before it rained, but the worlds remained unspoken as a loud voice interjected.

"Come!" A sharply dressed man with a deep voice hollered into the night. "Have your fortune read by Madam Amara!!" His booming voice rumbled over the crowd. His boat shoulders packed under a frivolous silk white shirt and a divine stitched velvet best in shades of sapphire blue. Your eyes darted to the voice, admittedly the phase had caught your attention while the man's appearance caught other's attention for different reasons. The salesman had a very 'prince' charm to his appearance that was causing a few dirty looks from overprotective partners. Your eyes were drawn to the dramatically colored tent off to the corner of the market stalls. A royal purple tent draped with various fabrics in shades of beautiful metallic. If you didn't know better, you'd assume you had stepped foot back in time. Beads were strung in the entrance of the tent, while bound herbs dried in stacks just outside. The smell of crushed lavender and rosemary trailing over to your nose with the breathing wind.