As he sped through the world on an old and beat-up Vans skateboard that used to belong to his friend in New York, Christopher Waltz realized just how small the town of Teraton really was. He had discovered nearly every corner and crevice of the tiny South Carolina community, but the young man never actually took the time to slow down and really appreciate his surroundings. With a perfect sunset sinking downwards from the center of the sky, and the twinkling lights of the Summer Solstice fair shining in the distance, now was the perfect time to do so. There were so many things on Chris's mind, and this simple moment was a sort of meditation for him.
Once he approached the hustle and bustle of the fair, Chris kicked the skateboard up, instinctively grabbing it behind him, and locking it underneath his arm. He took a moment to look at his surroundings, and then entered the festivity. He was greeted by the many vibrant colors and other-worldy scents of the Magical Lane. Of course, Chris was never really one to buy things, but with so much movement, brightness, mystery...one couldn't help but dart their eyes from booth to booth. Chris didn't believe he had too many good friends from the race of witches, (besides Jae and Jem, of course...) but by all means, he was fascinated by the race's culture. They had such spirituality and significant traditions that couldn't help but intrigue him. He took a moment to stare at the glass crystal balls that his neighbor was selling, and waved to Mrs. Johnson as he passed by (she was a master at divination, but was somewhat blind towards modern culture, as she still wore frumpy dresses that smelled like mothballs from the Victorian era). He then passed by a stand run by a tall, robust man with many rune-symbol tattoos running down his biceps. He was a woodcarver for sure, and had many small pieces lined up for sale. From a small card that was taped to the stand's table, some of the items were supposed to bring good luck. The charmed articles, as the sign said, were adorned with small green tags. "See anything you like?" the man asked. Chris's eyes gazed firmly at a long, black bear pendant with a rune sign on the top of the creature's forehead. Like the card had stated, a light green tag was attached to the necklace's chain. "Actually, yeah, I do," the young man replied. "How much for that?"
Tucking a small bag containing the bear pendant in his sweatshirt pocket, Chris hurried past the musical stage that featured a lighthearted band playing nature-like folk music. The charmed pendant wasn't for himself, but for someone else who was a shapeshifter, and happened to have a Kodiak bear as one of her two animal forms. Her name was Theodora Osonia, and she was stunning. Well, at least in Chris's eyes she was. There were always rumors going around about the girl's true motives, but Chris refused to believe any of the gossip that Theo's personality disproved. She was beautiful and intelligent, and could be fierce while also having a joking nature, something that he had never seen before in a person. To put it simply, Chris had an enormous crush on her, and all of his friends knew it. Some of them even picked on him for it, but over time, he learned to accept the jokes and the teasing. There was only one true problem regarding his fancying of Theodora Osonia: he could never tell her he liked her. He had no trouble striding into danger without even a second thought of consequences, but there was absolutely no way that he could bulk up enough courage to tell the young woman anything he felt. He knew he was just too graceless...
Chris was brought back to earth from his thoughts when he believed he caught the sight of Mel Williams's poofy blonde hair bouncing in front of him. Not quite sure it was her, he watched the girl frolic confidently to an energetic spot that sported a DJ and a multitude of dancers.
Suddenly, he could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket.
To: Chris
From: Mel
Anyone else looking for company?
He looked back at the girl again for a brief second, catching her facial features, and chuckled. Indeed, it was Mel. Of course she'd be dancing like a damn lunatic even at the Summer festival when she worked at a night club, for Pete's sake. It was just in her instinct to do so. The dance floor was her habitat, as he knew she would proudly say. He composed a new message, clicked the send button, and started to approach her.
To: Mel
From: Chris
Turn around
He lightly smiled, his hands in his pockets, and tried not to bump into any crazy dancers as he got closer to Mel. He hoped he wouldn't frighten her while she was having fun or anything.
"Hey!" he exclaimed loudly in the midst of the roaring music. It was kind of strange, as his body was stiff and straight while everyone else's was moving to the loud beat. "How are you? What's up?"