One Oversized Teddybear (For LARIATO)

That sentiment seems to melt him on the spot. He was a lot more prepared for things to end than for Julia to make a sacrifice for what was honestly just a budding relationship. But the appreciation is all too obvious on his face, from the softening of his gaze to the tiny, but uttermost sincere smile.

Without hesitating any longer, he suddenly wraps his arms around her in a warm embrace. That reassurance means more to him than he can properly communicate, and he refuses to turn her loose any time soon. Though he doesn't go for a kiss immediately, his head tucks against hers in pure affection. She can get a kiss soon enough. For now, he just wants to convey his appreciation in this one, albeit simple, but wholly heartfelt gesture.

Drake didn’t say a single word in response, but he didn’t have to. His face told Julia everything she needed to know. And a bigger wave of relief washed over the blonde than she could ever remember feeling, at the realization that everything was alright now.

She was caught off guard a bit ad Drake suddenly threw his arms around her, though likely not nearly as surprised as he’d been when she kissed him moments ago. And though this wasn’t a kiss, that was completely fine for Julia, who wrapped her arms around him to return the embrace. The kiss, though there certainly was affection in it, had been mostly to convey how sincere her words had been. He understood that now, and so their relationship could now continue to grow however it would.

After a few moments, Julia finally broke the silence. “You still owe me a giant teddybear, ya know.” she said with a joking and playful tone.

Drake blinks when she speaks and lets out a soft, quiet laugh. His head tilts to press a kiss to her lips before starting to disengage from her. "Yeah. I do." He definitely does now. "But first, we've gotta work our way outt'a here."

He holds a hand out to her in invitation, foregoing the arm-loop. And should she take his hand, he'll begin carefully wandering through the polished tunnels with her, using his free hand to help guide them along. A glance to either side gives him nothing but a myriad display of them together, and it's enough to earn a grin from the dark-haired teen. "Y'know, we look hot together," he remarks playfully. "No wonder the audience was all into it..."

Not suspecting a kiss was coming, it caught the blonde by surprise as their lips pressed together. Though she wasn’t complaining, almost seemed to melt right into the brief kiss before Drake pulled back from it. She then chuckled in response to his words, before smiling and nodding as she took his hand in hers.

Julia followed along with the model as the two traveled through the tunnels, with reflections of the two moving in sync with them in seemingly every direction. Hearing his comment, the blonde giggled and looked at one of the reflections. “Damn right we do.” she replied with a wink, causing seemingly thousands of copies of herself throughout the room to do the same.

The sound of another couple giggling as they entered the house of mirrors could be heard, not far away. “I think it’s that way.” Julia said, pointing toward where the voices seemed to be coming from.

"Perfe-" Bash.

Drake staggers back a step and rubs his nose again. "Okay, no sharp turns. Hands out in front." But at least the young model tanked the hit rather than let Julia plow headlong into it. Hopefully. There's a chance she blundered in right alongside him, but...

Anyhoo! He begins groping his way along the glass, his other hand squeezing hers. And soon, they pass the couple who'd just entered. Before them, the lights of the carnival outside. Drake eagerly tugs Julia the remainder of the way outside with a laugh.

"Freedom!"

To anyone who'd been lingering for any length of time, the change in demeanor would be almost comical. He went in morose and uneasy, and is now emerging, hand-in-hand with a girl, and all smiles. Something went right in there.

Julia gasped suddenly, her hand coming over her mouth as Drake suddenly took a sharp turn only to crash into a mirror. She had been ready to make the same turn right after him, but like a knight in shining armor, the model had inadvertently saved her from an embarrassing crash. But once she saw he was ok, she just giggled. “Be careful there, Drake.”

Once he moved along again, Julia went right with him, moving carefully in order to avoid smacking into any of the mirrors. And once they saw the other couple move by, the light that marked their freedom came into view. And Julia laughed right with Drake as the two made it outside.

“Woohoo!” she shouted cheerfully. The mood was definitely different than it had been when the two had entered, and for the better. Still laughing like a giddy schoolgirl, Julia began to scan over the area. “Alright! So what next?” There were several different games set up in all directions around them. A couple Julia immediately noticed were the classic ring toss, as well a game where people were swinging an oversized mallet to try to send a ball attached to a poll up to ring a bell at the top.

It's the mallet game that Drake's gaze has zeroed in on. A test of strength? From him? A professional wrestler who utilizes power moves in his repertoire? A lot of people sell him short for his size, only to regret it in the summit of a piledriver. But also the assortment of prizes - one being a profoundly large, fluffy brown bear.

"See that?," he asks. An arm loops Julia's shoulders to tug her in close and points with the other hand, a-la explorer. "That's gonna be yours. Start coming up with a name for'em." The arm around her shoulders pulls, attempting to tug her into his chest for a side-snug before disengaging and hurrying in its direction.

Money is passed to the man and the mallet is handed over. The teen tests the weight balanced between his hands to get a feel for it. It feels... off somehow. Like the head of the mallet should be heavier. But that's not going to stop him. He turns to look back over to Julia with a raised eyebrow.

As Julia was tugged in closer to Drake's body, her eyes moved to where his hand was pointing, and a bright smile quickly formed as she saw the large, brown stuffed bear. "Woo! I already know what I'm gonna name him!" she said excitedly as Drake then hurried off.

Moving closer to get a better view, she watched as the model lifted the giant mallet. She knew he was strong, but it almost seemed like the mallet wasn't as heavy as it should've been.

But the thought was quickly pushed aside as Drake looked back at her. "You've got this, Drake!" Julia shouted, still smiling brightly as she cheered him on.

The teen smiles brightly when Julia's cheer reaches him. "You're gonna have to start coming to my matches," he notes. The thought of having someone in his corner who wasn't just a spectator is pretty fun and endearing. But now, he has to earn that faith.

The teen's frame rises slowly as he draws in a deep breath, and lowers just as smoothly. Feeling himself centered, he draws the hammer back and deepens his stance. The mallet-head arcs through the air and SLAMS into the pedestal. The weight springs into the air and *ding*s against the bell!

"Hah!"

The carnie turns to retrieve the prize, which turns out to be... a modest-sized hippo. As he starts to hand it over, Drake shakes his head and lifts a hand, refusing. "Nono, I want the big guy there," he indicates to the bear with a nod. The carnie insists that this is for repeat winners.

A look is cast to Julia, then back to the carnie with a wry smile. "If she hits the bell, too, will you turn it over?"

The carnie scrunches up his face in thought. A scrutinizing look is shot to the perky blonde. She's feminine, wearing layers... she looks more like a pageant queen than a powerhouse. So with a smirk, he agrees.

Drake takes out the additional money to pass to the carnie, then turns to Julia and holds out the hammer length-wise, as though it were some mythical weapon. His head cants to her, those bangs hanging a little more forward to frame his face, and his purple eyes set to her blues. "You got this, baby. Don't hold back."

Julia watched excitedly as Drake stepped up and drew the large hammer back, practically holding her breath as he got ready to swing. This was easily the most suspenseful individual moment of any carnival visit she’d ever been on. Not necessarily because of the bear, but more because she just wanted to see Drake win.

Come on...

The hammer came down and crashed onto the pedestal, sending the weight up and straight into the bell! “WOOO!” Julia shouted enthusiastically, throwing her arms into the air. “I knew you could do it!”

But then the negotiations regarding the bear began, and Julia became more than a little curious what was going on, especially once they looked her way. But when she realized she was going to be getting a turn, surprise crept into her expression. She definitely didn’t have the same physical strength Drake had, and seriously doubted she could repeat his success.

He then held out the mallet to her and she looked into his eyes, unable to help but blush as he spoke, particularly at what he’d called her. She couldn’t fail now, not after that. Shyness quickly being replaced with confidence, the blonde’s lips curled into a smile once again as she took the hammer. “I never do.” she replied with a wink, before stepping over to the pedestal.

The hammer wasn’t light, per se, but she was surprised it didn’t at least weigh a bit more. Regardless, she held the face of the mallet over the pedestal before pulling it up and over her head. Julia focused in on her target, then hurled the hammer down with everything she had. And after the crash, the weight shot up the pole, tapping the bell just barely loud enough to make an audible ring. Definitely not quite as good as Drake’s, but it counted.

“I DID IT!” the blond shouted joyously, immediately dropping the hammer and turning to throw her arms around Drake. You’d think she just won the world championship, and in fact for a moment, she completely forgot she’d won anything at all as she just squeezed him in her embrace.