Where's the SAD Park?

Valentine's Day. Singles Awareness Day. Sunday. Whatever day people chose to look at it didn't change the fact that it existed. Days, sometimes weeks, leading up to it the stores and towns would place their decorations ranging from flowers to hearts and an ungodly amount of pink and red would take over as the aesthetic theme. Ew. Aliarey didn't particularly care about a day dedicated to the lovey dovey couples out there, but she could do without the decor taking over. Rose Garden especially went all the way with it, as they usually do consider their reputation. Something inside Aliarey told her that she should have avoided the place like the plague until the day had passed. Yet there she was, right smack in the middle of a town that had suffered a storm of girly colors and an awful mix of too much perfume and cologne. The latter she wasn't sure if she could even blame the shop stands displaying the stuff or the people around her having poured entire bottles of it on their being in the hopes of smelling fancy for the special day. It gave her a headache and was really souring her already less than jolly mood.

"I'm going to shoot Trey for making me do a stupid delivery job out here. IF I ever get out of here." Alia complained to herself as she tried getting through the crowds of people buying flowers, candy, cards, questionable attire and accessories for later... Anyway, she had completed the job any moron could do, but apparently the hardcore side mission was trying to get out of town! She couldn't even get to where she wanted and ended up moving with the crowd. People were so pushy! If it kept up she'd probably lose her mind and patience and start shooting to make people disperse. Fortunately, it didn't get that far. The flowing movement of the crowd had brought her to some sort of amusement park that had recently been build. Not that she had even taken notice of it at first. Its decor and noise had blended in with everything else in town, and it wasn't as if she was paying attention to anything else besides finding a way to the town's exit that didn't require climbing onto buildings and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It wasn't until she nearly crashed into one of the greeters for the park that she finally took notice of the obvious amusement park and its grandiose gate. Now all the sounds of the rides and people started to tune in.

"The heck is this place?" Aliarey inquired curiously after regaining her balance and already forgetting that she had nearly ran into the greeter without apologizing. Her attention could only focus on very few things and as such had its priorities. The strange park required much more focus than respectful mannerisms. It hadn't been there the last time she was in Rose Garden, after all.

"I'm glad you asked!" The greeter didn't seem to mind the interaction at all. In fact, he seemed to be completely thrilled that another person had taken interest in the park. He had been shouting all day with his co-worker standing some feet away on the other side of the entrance gate, announcing the park's open testing phase and that they needed volunteers to enter the park and try some of their attractions. The greeter was a tall and big bald man that could have been a bodyguard elsewhere if he wanted if his size was anything to go by. But, his kindly grin gave away that he was more the teddy bear type than anything. That or maybe it was just the pink colored suit that made him seem less intimidating. Alia couldn't tell. "This is an amusement park that has been built by my employer. I assume you have heard about Rose Garden's most popular chocolate company?"

He didn't wait for an answer, which would have been a solid no. Alia didn't really follow chocolate or its companies. "The company is always looking to expand in ways that will bring joy to all that are on the adventure of love! First it was chocolate, then the company's unique marriage magic, then it was time to enter the catering market, and now... we are on the amusement park phase! Welcome to Loveland Park!" The greeter made exaggerated and dramatic movements as he spoke, with the end motioning behind him while striking a pose as if he were presenting to Aliarey the greatest thing ever made.

The blonde blinked and arched a brow. She leaned to the side a bit so she could get a better look through the gate and into the entrance. God. It was more pink and heart filled than even the town. He wasn't kidding that the place was dedicated to "the adventure of love." It was Valentine's Day in theme park form. Seemed kind of silly to build an entire park just for one day a year though. Unless they were going to keep those decorations up all year every year. That'd get super old after a while. "Right... well I'm sure it's pretty amazing for people into the whole romantic couple thing." She shrugged her shoulders and turned away, preparing to leave the greeter and the park behind and continue her challenging side mission. "I'm part of the SAD group so I'll go look for that park. I'm sure it's around here somewhere." Not that Alia truly believed there was one around town. Not when the obvious market was focused on couples.

"This park is not for just for couples! It's a park for all ages and relationship statuses! Everyone is invited to enjoy this time of year with our company! And! Since we're asking for volunteers to test our beloved park before the grand opening it's free!"

Aliarey stopped after taking a few steps and faced the shouting greeter once more. "It's free?"

"FREE!"

"Huh." Her interest had been caught. She could probably check it out if it was free. It couldn't be that bad. There was at least a roller coaster that she could see over the gate. The shape was full of cringe to her, but at least it was something. "Alrighty then. I guess I'll head in for a few minutes. Can't be any worse than the rest of town."

"SPLENDID! As a reward for volunteering you will receive a special cupcake on your way out! Enjoy the park!" The greeter allowed Aliarey to step through the gate and went back to his advertising.

"Fantastic." Aliarey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. All the cupcake did was remind her of the free cupcakes that were being given out when she was first obtaining her iLac back in the day. She wasn't particularly fond of the baked treat after that mess. With such obvious bravery and confidence, Aliarey stepped into the dangerous world of Loveland Park. Now, where would she start her little exploration?

(Word Count: 1167)

-Rose Garden, outside Loveland Park-

Wearing her best (and only) casual outfit which consisted of a purple long-sleeved t-shirt, black skirt, black thigh-high stockings, and black tennis shoes, Diana strolled up to the gate of Loveland Park and paused for a moment before going in. She was here as a volunteer to test the park before it opened to the public. Normally Diana would give a place like this a wide berth, but since she was wanting a break from dangerous work for awhile, she decided to pay it a visit today. Diana was not sure what to make of an entire theme park devoted to love, but she had survived Singles Night in Capital Crocus several months ago, so surviving this theme park should be a piece of cake.

In theory.

Diana thought that she had seen a flash of blonde hair that belonged to her old pal Aliarey Casady pass through the gate, but then she realized that Aliarey was far from the only blonde in Earthland with long blonde hair. Her sister Lucia had long blonde hair. So did that obnoxious wannabe mob princess Francesca Corlone. Her acquaintance from the gambling boat, a young woman named Stella Herschel, did as well.

Diana hesitated for a moment before going into the park to make certain that this was what she wanted to do with her day. Once she went into Loveland Park she was committed to the park until she was finished testing everything. Diana thought about what she was about to do and took a deep breath. She then exhaled and felt at peace with the decision she had made.

She was going to brave Loveland Park.

Diana put her right foot forward and walked past the burly man in the pink suit who stood at the gate while keeping a straight face. Once the huntress was past him Diana allowed herself a small smile. She had just passed by a burly man who could have easily broken her over his knee like a dry twig wearing a pink suit and she found the dissonance of the sight more than a little funny. Diana kept her small smile all the way into the park itself.

-Inside Loveland Park-

Diana stopped a short distance away from the entrance and looked at all the pink and red that dominated the space along with liberal quantities of heart-shaped lacrima lanterns. This park was definitely worthy of being called Loveland Park. She spotted someone with long blonde hair and clothing that looked like Aliarey's and approached them. Diana stopped to their right and got a good look at their face... it was Aliarey.

That move probably made Diana look really creepy, but whatever. Diana gave Aliarey a small wave with her right hand and spoke to her.

"Hello Aliarey. Are you looking forward to exploring Loveland Park?" Diana asked her fellow blonde whether she was looking forward to exploring a park dedicated to love or not. Aliarey was free to respond as she wished. Diana was just trying to make small talk with a person she considered a friend.

[Post Word Count: 518]
[Diana's Word Count: 518/2,000]

"I don't even know where to start." Alia mumbled to herself as she stood there and moved her gaze to take in the full view of the park. Well at least the view that she could see from right there. The place was bigger than she expected. Although, her words were not from being in a state of awe or even complementive in nature. The woman just really had no idea where to start in a place that was meant to make her gag. The decor was nauseating and the lovey dovey stuff she had already seen from volunteer couples that passed by had to be a form of a plague. They were contagious! Was she overreacting and exaggerating her opinionated thoughts? Of course, and she knew that. It still didn't change the fact that she considered the park's theme to be totally weird. The first attraction she saw was a kissing booth even! Surely that violated some kind of hygiene or safety law? There was no telling where those lips had been! Those people enjoying themselves over there were nuts!

Alia inwardly gagged as she looked away from that crowded attraction. There had to be something cool around that she could try out on her own without getting a disease in the process. It was around that time that she felt her personal bubble come into danger of being popped. Someone was standing there, right beside her. They didn't say anything. Alia felt like she was being stared at. Oh it had better not be some kind of creeper that saw her all alone and thought they'd get an easy Valentine's day park date out of her. People like that tended to be shot instead.

Her head turned to fixate her blue hardened gaze on the creep that was apparently committing the crime of just standing there. Instead of some weird horrible monstrosity of a person standing there it was instead someone she knew. Oh right! It was a holiday event. That meant she was fated to run into the fellow blonde at some point. It was good that things had been so consistent in that area. Especially right then. That meant she now had a buddy for the two person stuff! The normal stuff. Not creepy sweater sharing stuff like the other attractions she noticed.

The fierce gaze softened now that she realized the person standing there wasn't some random creep. The thoughts of guns blazing could be put away. "Ehhhh, looking forward to it is a bit of a stretch," Alia replied to Diana's question. "The Valentine's day hype isn't really my thing, but I was told by the guy in the pink suit over there that getting into the park was free today. So here I am. Although I'm starting to kind of regret stepping in here. Have you seen some of the stuff they got here?" Alia nodded her head over towards the kissing booth and the sweater cake decorating game. "I wouldn't do it if I was paid to and that's saying something." That was true enough. Aliarey loved getting paid and having more jewels in her pocket. No amount would get her to try the disgusting kissing booth though or get her to look so stupid while playing that sweater game. No. Amount.

A curious thought crossed the mage's mind. Was Diana visiting the park alone too? Or had things changed and she was there on a date? With a mysterious figure that had yet to be seen. Maybe they went to get some cupcakes. "What about you?" Alia asked while leaning against some large heart decoration that had a map of the place. "Here as a loner volunteer or are you like those other people out here on a date at a free exciting locale?"

(Word Count: 633
Alia Total: 1800)

When she saw Aliarey's initial reaction to her Diana knew that she had come on too strong. That was what she got for being spontaneous and trying to behave as a normal young adult. Diana put the awkward introduction behind her and paid attention to Aliarey's spiel; she could tell that her fellow blonde was not entirely thrilled to be here. Neither was Diana. She was here because she needed a break from search-and-rescue work, but a rescue mission to Silent Glaciers or the Abandoned Cabin was looking very appealing right about now.

"I have not seen any of the activities yet, Aliarey." Diana informed her fellow blonde that she had not yet had the privilege to peruse the activities that Loveland Park offered. Shortly after giving that answer Diana looked in the direction her fellow blonde had nodded in and noticed two activities that she could immediately cross off her list without the slightest hesitation. One of them was that time-tested classic the Kissing Booth. The other involved two people getting into a single large sweater and frosting a cake... judging from the look of it, the person in the back had their arms in the sleeves and was blindfolded before being tasked with putting the frosting on the cake. Meanwhile the person in the front had their arms at their sides and gave verbal directions on how to frost the cake to their blindfolded partner.

Diana's frown made it clear that she was not interested in either activity. Neither was Aliarey, who emphatically stated that she would not go into the Kissing Booth or play the sweater game even if she were paid to. Diana could agree with that... no amount of money was enough to make those activities enticing to her. She did not like being touched by anyone, especially not by strangers. Both of those activities would involve being in uncomfortably close proximity to strangers and being touched by them, something that she wanted to avoid unless it could not possibly be helped.

After making up her mind the huntress turned back to her fellow blonde and spoke to her.

"I am not interested in the Kissing Booth or the sweater game either, Aliarey." Diana made it clear that she did not want to participate in those activities either. Diana then heard Aliarey ask if the huntress was here as a lone volunteer or out on a date with a partner at the park. The huntress gave a small smile before replying.

"I am here by myself, Aliarey. Or I was before we met up." Diana replied. Knowing that her words sounded an awful lot like an offer of a date, the huntress quickly tacked on a proposal so that the second sentence did not sound quite as awkward. Diana was aware that they were in a park devoted to love and that two beautiful blonde mages doing activities together could easily be construed as a date despite the two not having any romantic feelings for each other. That possibility was why Diana was making her proposal optional.

"If you are not here with anyone, perhaps we can do a few activities together, Aliarey. As platonic friends, of course. It is your choice." Diana made the proposal to Aliarey. Now it was the blue-eyed blonde's choice as to whether she would accept the proposal or turn it down. Diana would accept Aliarey's response no matter what she chose to do.

[Post Word Count: 574]
[Diana's Word Count: 1,092/2,000]

Whew! Aliarey was relieved that Diana was not interested in those weird over hyped activities either. There would end up being some awkward questions if Diana expressed interest in doing them. The more important thing though was that she wouldn't have to go through the weird awkward process of saying hell to the no if Diana tried to convince her to try and have fun with the Kissing Booth and Sweater Sharing mini game. They were thankfully on the same page. "Glad we're on the same page. I don't even know how I'd react if you flat out said that you'd skip on over there." Aliarey grinned with her joke, but honestly she was probably serious as well. What did someone do when they found out someone they knew had gone completely insane? Call the mental hospital? Bash them on the head with a nearby object to knock some sense into them? Shoot them? Man, how did people handle this sort of stuff everyday of their lives? Just thinking about the possibility of having to save Diana from the kissing booth plague was exhausting.

Alia didn't take Diana's words to be strange or some weird kind of pick up line. She had spent enough time with Diana to know that... maybe. Maybe the green eyed blonde had to meet a certain number of outings and festivals with another person before she got romantically weird. Huh. That had never crossed her mind before. Her shoulders shrugged as she took control of her brain and forced those concerns away. Alia would just have to be aware and cautious. Or maybe not. Diana quickly clarified things by mentioning doing activities as platonic friends. Great! No weirdness! Aliarey excitedly and instantly shot up from her leaning position against the sign. "Awesome!" She shouted, her arms raised above her for emphasis. Was now having a park buddy really that big of a deal that she had attracted looks from others nearby after that outburst? Yes, yes it was.

"Lets check out this map and see what they've got to do around here that won't give us diseases or make us look like morons!" Of course the dimwitted blonde was talking about the same map that had been knocked off its pole after she chaotically jumped up. Not that it bothered her in the slightest, assuming she even put together that it was her fault the thing crashed to the ground to begin with. She moved on from that and lifted the heavy sign effortlessly. While she didn't particularly look it, Alia was a bit stronger physically than an average human female. The sign was placed back onto its attachment on the pole, loosely but that's probably why it had fallen off to begin with. Hands on hips, her blue eyes scanned over the map to get an idea of what the park had to offer. "Oh, neat! They have bumper cars! Lets do that!" It wasn't a suggestion or even a question. They were doing it. Alia had already decided. The only way they wouldn't be doing it is if Diana didn't bother catching up to her and meeting her there, which was possible after the gunner mage took off in a run towards the bumper car area.

Assuming Diana went that way as well, she would see that there was no line. Plenty of people, of course, but no line since everyone was already in a small bumper car in the arena. Aliarey herself was in one at the edge of the ring that allowed space for people to get into the cars. She was in the driver's seat, eagerly waiting for her Vday buddy to join her in the two person car crash activity. Innocent violence in a theme park. Super awesome!

(Word Count: 629
Aliarey Total: 2429)

Diana was not sure what to make of Aliarey's remark that the latter did not know how she would react if Diana willingly went to those two activities. Diana blinked and struggled not to express the incredulity she was feeling. What kind of person did Aliarey take her for?

Then Diana thought about it.

Well, what kind of person Diana was was a good question, really.

Diana kept her cards close to her vest and did not let Aliarey know much about her because in the past "friendships" had been disposable. Diana never knew when she would have to walk away from someone for their safety as well as for her own safety. Now that her parents were no longer pulling the strings Diana was free to make friendships that were real. Perhaps Aliarey had really thought that Diana wanted to go to the Kissing Booth or wear that sweater and try to frost a cake.

Without knowing very much about Diana, what else was the blue-eyed blonde to conclude other than the green-eyed blonde might be interested in those activities?

Diana let the matter drop and was glad to hear that Aliarey had accepted the offer to do park activities as platonic friends. There were no expectations of romance before, during, or after the activities. It would be two blonde girls doing completely innocuous activities and being friends who also happened to be female. Diana watched as Aliarey found a map and began reading over it to find an activity that would not "give them diseases or make them look like morons!" as Aliarey memorably put it.

The blue-eyed blonde read over the map until she found something that was to her liking. That something was Bumper Cars. Aliarey said "Let's do bumper cars!" and off she went towards the Bumper Cars. Diana was more than a little amused, but she was also dismayed at the speed at which her blonde companion moved. The huntress was going to get left behind if she did not catch up with Aliarey very soon.

"Aliarey! Wait for me!" Diana called out and began running as fast as she could go to catch up with her companion.

[Post Word Count: 364]
[Diana's Word Count: 1,456/2,000]

Aliarey sort of heard Diana calling out to her to wait. It went in one ear and out the other immediately, though. All that was allowed to gain her full attention was the thought of the exciting bumper car game and getting there ASAP. Through the crowd she ran as fast as she could, bumping people out of the way as if she were practicing for the mayhem she intended to cause once she was in the mini car. "Move it or lose it, people!"

The bumper car arena wasn't too far... if nearly on the other side of the park counted as not far. Aliarey barely noticed. She enjoyed running and getting her energy into active mode. The quick moving and possibly crazy lady continued forcing her way through the crowd as she entered the bumper car dome and practically leapt right into one of the mini cars. It was pink and red with white lining and hearts all over it, but the cutesy looking car would soon bring terror to the other participants! It would haunt them in their dreams! Bring on the horrible nightmares of being chased and bumped into the great beyond! Aliarey would make sure of that!

Now she just needed Diana there. One side of the mini car had the wheel but the other side had access to the pedals. Aliarey preferred doing the driving but maybe taking control of the pedals would be better to make sure they went as quick as possible. It also allowed the freedom for her to add a bit more fun to the game. She smiled mischievously when the idea crossed her mind. "Hey! There you are!" Aliarey would say once Diana caught up and joined her at the mini car. "What do you want to do? Steer or work the pedals? I'm good with either!" The blonde let out a small evil cackle after that. This was going to be fun! Whichever one Diana chose, Aliarey would switch seats or remain where she was. After that, it was time for the game to begin!

(Word Count: 347
Aliarey Total: 2776)

Diana hoped that her fellow blonde would hear her plea to slow down and allow her to catch up, but Aliarey was not stopping for anything or anyone. The huntress would just have to keep up with her energetic companion the best she could and avoid running into anyone while following Aliarey. Fortunately Diana was able to duck and weave through the crowd, exercising considerably more finesse than her partner by dodging around people rather than plowing through them.

"Sorry!" Diana apologized repeatedly as she ducked and weaved around people in her quest to catch up with Aliarey. The huntress had a lot of practice in evasive maneuvers. Typically she was strong enough to take out targets long before they could get within striking range using either her magic, her summoned weapons, or Saint Sinner Valentine. On those occasions when enemies managed to get within striking range Diana managed to dodge most of the attacks and that ability to dodge was serving her well in Loveland Park.

Once Diana had ducked and weaved through the crowd and emerged on the other side of the park she found Aliarey sitting in one of the bumper cars. It was pink and red with white lining and hearts all over it, which was not exactly what Diana was expecting. Then again, the park's name was Loveland Park, so she should have expected something that lived up to the park's theme. Diana set aside her expectations and hurried to join Aliarey at the bumper car.

Once the green-eyed blonde reached her companion Aliarey offered her a choice of which set of controls to man. Diana had a choice between steering or working the pedals. Diana looked at Aliarey, who was currently manning the steering wheel, then looked at the pedals. The huntress thought about it and quickly made a decision.

"I would like to take control of the steering wheel, if you do not mind." Diana announced her choice to Aliarey. If the blue-eyed blonde agreed to it Diana would provide the precision steering and Aliarey would provide the brute force in this game of (mostly) safe vehicular combat. Despite their drastically different approaches to combat the two blondes made a surprisingly good team. Perhaps it was because of those differences that they made such a good team. Aliarey could cover for Diana's weaknesses and Diana could cover for Aliarey's weaknesses... being able to do that was a large part of what made any team great and today would be no exception.

Together they would defeat any who dared to stand against them with a combination of precision steering and sheer speed. At least that was the plan. Diana would not object to working the pedals if Aliarey really, really wanted to have the steering wheel.

[Post Word Count: 462]
[Diana's Word Count: 1,918/2,000]

"Works for me. Have at it!" Aliarey made the short hop and scoot to the next seat over where she had access to the pedals. Truthfully, Aliarey was a horrible driver anyway. The last time she drove, while she very much enjoyed the experience, was quite horrific to her former teammate and passenger back then. There was a bump on her head for a week after being clobbered by Grema for her reckless driving. But Diana seemed cool and less... aggressive? Emotional? There was a word for it but the blue eyed blonde couldn't place it. Anyway, she was one hundred percent positive that Diana would totally enjoy her driving skills and not threaten to kill her afterwards. Showing off her "amazing" skills would just be saved for another day. That day Aliarey would let Diana take the wheel and show her stuff!... In a bumper car game where the amount of damage and explosions was pretty minimal. What exactly was Aliarey expecting from it? She didn't even know. Just something awesome to entertain her was all.

Alia gave her companion some time to get settled into the seat and get used to the wheel. Not a whole lot of time, but surely it was enough. "All right! Lets get into the action!" Aliarey shouted excitedly as she stomped onto the pedal to send power that would get that small car moving. "Go for whatever target you want and crash right into them!" It was then that a flash of light came into existence around her, and when it faded Aliarey was holding a bazooka over her shoulder that was set to aim at whatever target she chose. It wasn't a normal bazooka, of course. That'd be crazy! It was actually filled with one hundred percent old fashioned H2O. "I'll make sure we get some bonus points!"

And so that was the game. As Diana drove around to bump into other cars and avoid the ones that dared attempt to crash into them, Aliarey made sure to keep her foot right down on that pedal. They weren't stopping for nothing! It was almost certain that she forget that there were even brakes on the mini car. Those they crashed into would get shot by the water bazooka. Even cars that rushed past them ended up as targets for her water weapon. The blonde cackled with each target that became drenched in water. It was a good thing the game was powered by magic instead of electric connections and circuits!

Once time ran out and all the cars were forced to stop, Aliarey whined in disappointment. "Awww, over already? Lame." The bazooka disappeared in a short burst of light and the requip mage hopped right on out of the car. "Well, that was fun." The young woman began to do some stretches to get her blood flowing again after having been sitting for a while. "Anything else you wanna do? We can go look for another map if you want."

(Word Count: 499
Aliarey Total: 3275)

When Aliarey gave her consent for Diana to take the wheel the green-eyed blonde did so and quickly got behind the wheel. Diana tried out the wheel and quickly learned how it worked, then when her companion decided it was time to roll into action the huntress obligingly rolled into action. Aliarey gave her instructions to hit other vehicles and dodge those trying to hit them, which were simple enough instructions. Diana obliged by seeking out targets of opportunity and dodging hostile drivers to the best of her ability, but that ability was not very good since this was her first time actually driving any form of motor transport.

Diana briefly looked at her companion while driving and saw that Aliarey had summoned a bazooka. Diana silently prayed to whatever cosmic entity was inclined to listen to her that the Rune Knights did not descend on the park and arrest them after the game. Fortunately it turned out that the projectiles Aliarey fired at targets the huntress rammed were just filled with water, but she was fairly certain that this game was Bumper Cars, not a demolition derby. She did not see any of the other patrons wielding water weapons, so the huntress would keep silently praying that the Rune Knights did not show up. Nevertheless she played the game and got rammed three times, but she gave slightly better than she got and hit six cars in return.

The game ended a lot sooner than the huntress had anticipated. The cars stopped of their own accord and the green-eyed blonde at first thought she had somehow done it, but she quickly deduced that the vehicles stopped whenever the time for the current session ran out. Diana was glad it was over and climbed out of the driver's seat to face Aliarey, who had dispelled her bazooka. The blue-eyed blonde asked Diana if there was anything else she wanted to do and whether they should go look for another map. The huntress wanted to find something else to do before she called it a day, so she quickly gave her answer to Aliarey.

"I would like to find something else to do, Aliarey. We should go find a map and see if we cannot locate another attraction that interests us." Diana gave her answer to Aliarey's question. Bumper Cars had been an interesting game, but unlike the blue-eyed blonde a short distance away from her the huntress was glad that it was over. Hopefully they had not made any real enemies thanks to Aliarey firing at people with water-loaded projectiles during a game that did not ordinarily feature ranged weapons.

[Post Word Count: 440]
[Diana's Word Count: 2,358/2,000]

If the two of them were going to get into any trouble there weren't many signs as of yet. Sure there might have been some angry stares or annoyed looks, but there were also some people with senses of humor as well and laughed it off. If any authorities were coming they were taking their sweet time saying anything. It was okay though. Aliarey knew how to run the other way to avoid trouble. Surely Diana knew how to do that too. They'd be finnnneeee. The more important thing on their agenda was finding another activity, and that was all the taller blonde cared about.

"Map it is!" Now they just had to find one near where they were. Alia looked around and saw one set up right outside the bumper car arena. A few people were already standing around it, but they'd surely move out of the way by the time they got over there. "There's one. Come on!" With a quick skip in her step, Alia made her way over to the map sign, fully expecting Diana to follow along.

The people that surrounded the map hadn't moved yet, but Alia could get a gist of what some of the things there were to do by some of the bigger images and words scattered around the map. "Okay, that's where the Kissing Booth and Sweater Together game are," she stated, pointing in the air towards where those were listed on the sign. Her finger moved along, tracing a path in the air to where they were then. "Bumper cars are right there. We did and destroyed that." More tracing along the attractions on the map continued. "Looks like we got Tunnel of Love, the Heart Roller Coaster, and ooooo Lovely Laser Tag." The last option caught her interest. Now that sounded fun and pretty much what she had already been doing while they played with the bumper cars.

Alia nodded, satisfied that she had gone over the entire map to locate what was left in the park. "Yeah, so those three are the main attractions left. That I can see from back here anyway." She turned to face Diana with a wide grin on her face. "I'll let you pick since I picked last time. I don't allow this for just anyone so don't waste this rare opportunity!" She was teasing really, but at the same time it was a pretty valid fact. In most cases Alia would have just picked the next thing herself without caring whether the other person was interested in doing it or not. But hey, Diana had stuck around that long so she might as well allow her to pick something too.

(Word Count: 450
Aliarey Total: 3725)

Diana saw Aliarey make a beeline for the map and Diana knew that if she did not hurry she would be left behind, so the green-eyed blonde hurried and ignored the withering glares of a few of Aliarey's victims. Diana cared about them only up to a point. She cared up to the point that there were no fatalities and the authorities were not called. There were no fatalities and the authorities had not yet arrived, so Diana was not awfully concerned about what had happened to the people on the Bumper Cars ride. It seemed like a cavalier attitude to take because she was not the one who was soaking wet from an unexpected water rocket, but she had not heard any apologies from people who had deliberately rammed her in the driver's side and laughed about it, so they should have known that a little bit of combat came with the territory whenever one played Bumper Cars.

Besides, if the authorities did arrive, Diana could evade detection and get away without anyone the wiser. She had had plenty of practice in evading pursuit, after all.

Diana walked briskly over to the map and stopped a short distance from Aliarey, who pointed towards the area where the Kissing Booth and the Sweater Together game were. Diana frowned at the mention of those games... if she did not want to participate in them when she had first arrived, she certainly did not want to participate in them now. Of greater interest to her were the next activities that Aliarey announced: the Tunnel of Love, the Heart Roller Coaster, and Lovely Laser Tag. Diana visibly perked up when those three activities were mentioned.

Diana was iffy about the Tunnel of Love. It was a slow-paced ride that had potential to be a little fun, but Diana had sold Aliarey on going into the park by offering to do activities as platonic friends and she was pretty sure that Aliarey would balk if she selected that one. The Heart Roller Coaster was something that genuinely interested Diana because she had never been on a roller coaster before and thought that it would be fun. Lovely Laser Tag was also of great interest to Diana and it seemed to be of interest to the blue-eyed blonde as well. The icing on the cake was that Aliarey had given Diana the privilege of picking their next activity.

Diana thought about them for a moment. The Heart Roller Coaster and Lovely Laser Tag both seemed like fun, but Diana might only get to pick one, so she would have to make her choice count. The huntress thought it over a little more and thought about what her energetic companion would like. Once she had started thinking about what Aliarey liked the choice was a no-brainer.

Lovely Laser Tag it was.

"I choose Lovely Laser Tag." Diana informed Aliarey of her choice. Diana was sure that her companion would be pleased with that selection. The huntress herself liked the idea because if the authorities showed up in mid-game they would be able to make a run for it as opposed to being stuck on a roller coaster with only one way in or out and rolling right into the hands of the waiting authorities. There was also a certain appeal to a combat sport where no one got hurt unless they tripped over an obstacle or ran into one another. Furthermore, Lovely Laser Tag made use of several skills Diana had practiced over the past two years, so the choice to play that game was a natural one for her.

[Post Word Count: 604]
[Diana's Word Count: 2,962/2,000]

"Awesome! I'd say race ya there but I think I would probably win anyway. Don't want to leave you behind TOO much today." Alia was referring to how Diana was left behind when the activity of bumper cars had been decided. If there was any actual mutual deciding when it came to that. She laughed a bit after saying that, allowing one to take the guess that she was joking. That was kind of, sort of the case. A big part of her did believe that she could out race the other blonde easily. Conceit was a strong trait for her and it wasn't exactly something about herself that she tried to hide.

"We'll take our time getting there this time." And so she did. The blue eyes blonde started to walk towards the laser tag building, its location having been memorized from staring at the map of Loveland. Diana at that point probably could have taken the opportunity to leave Alia there by taking off running just as she had much earlier. If that happened though Aliarey would be content with taking her time and continue her lazy stroll. She'd catch up.

Once the building with the laser tag game had been located and reached, the only thing left to do was go inside. There was a lobby of sorts right through the entrance door with a desk against the back wall. Behind that desk was a Loveland employee dressed in the color theme of the park with a fancy hat and heart shaped name badge to accessorize the look. "Hi there! Here to play a round of Lovely Laser Tag? Just go through the door to my right and you'll be given a vest and laser gun before the game starts. Have fun!" The employee waved them off and went back to sitting idly, waiting to greet and instruct anyone else that came into the building.

"Cool. Easy entry and no wait!" Boy, she and Diana were totally lucky. The game would be great! Her imagination went wild with how she expected the laser tag game to go. It wasn't until after she had gone through the door and equipped herself with the blinking light vest and laser gun that she came back to reality. An announcement for the next game was made on the intercom in the room. It was about to start. "Ready to win this thing?" She asked Diana, fully confident that they would take out the other team all too easily.

Once Diana was ready Alia walked out of the room and into the very large area the game was to be played. It was dark with mostly the lit-up vests and glowing pink paint on the walls making it possible to see much under the black light. Speaking of those vests, there sure were a lot of them on the other team. Actually wait. Aliarey recognized some of them. They were people she had shot with her water gun during the bumper car game. Was this their way of revenge? To team up and destroy Diana and herself at a game of laser tag? Did they really pay that much attention to the conversation to find out that the laser game was where they were going next? Or was it just coincidence? Hmmmm, Alia wasn't sure that she quite trusted coincidences.

With a low whistle the woman slowly slid to the side and then quickened her pace to disappear behind one of the play blockade setups. This, of course, meant that she had left Diana standing there alone against a number of laser tag foes, but she was positive the green eyed blonde would get out of there asap before she got tagged. If not, well that was an oops. Being a team player was still a work in progress.

Near instantly the dark room was filled with a light show of flying laser hearts. Mostly from the opposing team trying to hit the two blondes to eliminate them from the game. A fight like that wasn't anything new for Aliarey though. Her own laser gun was used to effectively tag the other team. Some she was able to eliminate completely, others she at least tagged enough so that Diana could help finish them off. Her own vest had been hit twice with one charge left before she was out. As fast as she could move around and use the room set up to her advantage, Alia was still prone to making a mistake that got her into the line of fire. She didn't intend for that last life to end though, and thanks to having a partner in the game it didn't. The laser tag game would end with the two blondes winning.

(Word Count: 791
Aliarey Total: 4516)

Diana was relieved when she did not have to engage in yet another footrace with Aliarey to get to an attraction. The green-eyed blonde was also relieved to see that Aliarey agreed with the choice of activity. Diana looked at her companion and saw that Aliarey had set out at a leisurely strolling pace, so Diana would do the same thing. Together the two blondes set out for the Lovely Laser Tag attraction at a leisurely stroll. They had plenty of time in which to get there and play the game.

Once they got to the building that hosted Lovely Laser Tag they were engaged by a park employee standing behind a desk at the back wall: the employee was wearing an outfit that matched the color theme of the park with a fancy hat and heart-shaped name badge. The employee pointed them towards the door just to their right, where the two blondes would be given the gear needed to play the game. Diana followed Aliarey into the room and grabbed a laser gun before putting on a vest. Once that was done they stood in place a few minutes before the announcement for the next game was made over the intercom.

Aliarey asked Diana if the latter was ready to play. Diana faced the blue-eyed blonde and nodded.

"I am ready to win this, Aliarey" Diana replied confidently. When the time came they strolled out of the room together and into the arena, which was a large room which was dark and featured glowing pink paint on the walls. There was black light to help the players see... not that Diana needed it because she could use vision modes to pick out her targets. However, she would not use it today since the opposition was already badly outmatched and she wanted to give them something resembling a fair chance to play.

Speaking of the opposition, Diana looked at the people and noticed that most of them were victims of Aliarey's water gun during the Bumper Cars game. She wondered if they were here specifically for revenge or if it was just coincidence, but it did not matter why there were here. They were already dead.

Er, they were already out of the game.

When Aliarey slipped away to take cover Diana frowned and hurried to shelter before she could get tagged, performing a slide that put her behind a barricade and made the untrained opposition miss each and every shot. She scrambled to her feet and watched most of them try to engage Aliarey without giving her a second thought. The huntress noticed that they were filing towards the blue-eyed blonde like people whose only training in marksmanship and squad tactics was playing Call Of Responsibility or one of its many sequels. The position of the barricades was a perfect setup for a crossfire... not that Aliarey needed too much help because she had already taken out some of the opposing force and almost eliminated others.

Diana hurried to the right side of the barricade and picked off a few inattentive players Aliarey had tagged but not fully eliminated, then went around the barricade. She hurried to Aliarey's aid and eliminated a few more players who were so busy seeking out Aliarey that they had neglected to look for Diana, but one player noticed the crossfire they had been set up for and fired a shot that hit Diana. After taking the hit the blonde quickly flopped onto her back and fired a shot that took him out of the game.

She scrambled to her feet and avoided shots in her direction made by a trio of players who were slightly more savvy than the others and hurried behind her barricade, then waited. The trio split up to try and corner her, but she was already onto them and went on the offensive. She tagged out the guy circling around to her side of the barricade, then quickly looped around and dove to avoid a second tag shot from his partner. She landed on the ground and fired a shot that tagged the second member of the trio out, then she got on her feet and quickly moved to the barricade Aliarey had claimed at the start of the game with her opponent being none the wiser.

There she picked off a pair of inattentive people looking for Aliarey and picked off another would-be hero running at her while firing, then turned her attention to the barricade she had left behind. She noticed the last of the trio peeking around the barricade with his back to her. Diana raised her weapon and fired, taking him out of the game with a shot to the back.

After the huntress had taken down the last of the organized opposition it was a simple matter of sneaking around and picking off stragglers while taking care not to hit Aliarey. The opposition had made their first mistake by showing up to the game. They had made a second mistake by splitting up instead of working together to take her down. They would not stay in the game long enough to make three mistakes. The victory of Aliarey and Diana was only a matter of time... Diana still had to take two hits before she was out, but she was not going to take two more hits.

The huntress quickly went on the offensive and cleaned up the remaining opposition, which was only about four people who had tunnel vision and only one hit left on each of them. Once they had been swept off the field Diana searched for any players who might have gotten smart enough to hide, but the only other player she saw running about was Aliarey. The blondes had claimed victory over numerically superior opposition thanks to teamwork.

[Post Word Count: 960]
[Diana's Word Count: 3,922/2,000]