Chapter 437: Chapter 437: A Better Date (2)

[Third Person Pov]

Thalia watched in mild amusement, holding a corn dog near her mouth while Lucian stood a few feet ahead at a booth stacked with a tall, slightly crooked tower of cans. He had a baseball in his hand and was squinting at the setup like it personally offended him.

"Lucian is now up to the pitch..." he murmured to himself, shifting his stance as if there were an actual crowd watching him in a stadium instead of a handful of bored carnival-goers.

"Just throw it already," Thalia said, rolling her eyes as she took a bite, speaking around it without much care. "I want to finish this today, you know."

"Shhh... you can’t rush perfection," Lucian replied, his tone overly serious for what amounted to a cheap game booth.

Thalia exhaled through her nose and glanced over at the booth manager, tilting her head toward Lucian with both thumbs and a look that clearly said, Can you believe this guy?

The woman stifled a laugh, clearly entertained. Lucian ignored both of them completely, locked in as if this was a championship throw and not a prize for a stamped pamphlet.

Without warning, he lifted his leg high, stepped forward, and snapped his arm forward in a sharp motion. The ball struck cleanly, sending the entire stack of cans crashing down in a loud, satisfying clatter.

Lucian immediately pumped his fist.

Thalia, still holding the corn dog near her mouth, clapped slowly and casually, her expression flat despite the small smile tugging at her lips. Lucian responded with a dramatic bow that absolutely no one asked for.

A moment later, they were walking away with their pamphlets, now stamped with a small image of tumbling cans. Thalia looked at hers for a second before tucking it into her back pocket.

"Damn, this place is getting crowded," she said, glancing around. There were more people now—kids their age, younger ones running around, even a few adults trying their luck at the booths. "It’s getting hard to tell which ones are free."

Lucian smirked when he heard that. He slowed his pace just enough to let Thalia move slightly ahead of him, then shifted position behind her.

Before she could react properly, he ducked down, scooped her up, and hoisted her onto his shoulders in one smooth motion.

"Waaaah—!"

Thalia grabbed onto his head to steady herself, glaring down at him. "What the heck do you think you’re doing?!"

Lucian laughed, clearly pleased with himself. "What does it look like? I’m giving you a vantage point. So? Can you see?"

"I mean, yeah, but come on, this is embarrassing. People are staring," she muttered, lightly smacking the top of his head.

"Let them stare. Who cares?" Lucian said with a shrug. "Just sit tight and enjoy the ride."

She grumbled under her breath but didn’t actually argue further. After a second, she adjusted her position, settling more comfortably against him.

"This isn’t uncomfortable for you?" she asked, glancing down again.

Lucian, whose face was now level with her legs, pulled them in slightly and grinned to himself while rubbing his cheek against her thighs. "Trust me, I’m exactly where I want to be."

Thalia’s expression tightened as her face warmed. She reached down and tugged at his ear. "Stop being a pervert before I get off."

He didn’t respond out loud, but the grin stayed firmly in place.

They made their way over to a basketball booth next. Thalia stayed perched on his shoulders, grabbing a ball and bouncing it experimentally, catching it as it came back up.

Lucian bent his knees and did a small back jump to give her a better angle. She tossed the ball toward the hoop, but it bounced off the rim.

They both let out a synchronized "boo," immediately trying again.

It took a few attempts, but when the ball finally dropped cleanly through the net, they both cheered. Thalia leaned down just enough for them to high five, laughing.

After collecting another stamp, they continued moving through the carnival. By now, Thalia had gotten used to sitting on Lucian’s shoulders, swinging her feet idly as she scanned the booths ahead, while Lucian walked without any sign of slowing down.

Thalia held a stick of cotton candy in her hand, tearing off a piece and popping it into her mouth before pulling off another bit and holding it down toward Lucian. He leaned in without breaking stride and took it, chewing casually.

In return, he lifted one of the drinks he was carrying up toward her without looking. Thalia leaned down from her spot on his shoulders and took a sip, one hand resting lightly against his head to steady herself.

By the time she pulled back, she looked far more satisfied than he did. From her elevated "throne," as she’d started calling it, she had a clear view over the crowd. She noticed a few couples glancing their way, some amused, others very obviously jealous.

One pair nearby caught her attention in particular. The girlfriend glanced over at them, then smacked her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Why can’t you be that romantic?" she demanded.

"Because you’re heavy," the boyfriend replied without thinking. He paused immediately after. "Wait—no, I didn’t mean—"

Too late. She threw her drink straight into his face and stormed off, clearly upset.

Thalia and Lucian both watched the whole thing unfold, exchanging awkward smiles before breaking into quiet laughter.

For the most part, Thalia only got off Lucian’s shoulders when they went on rides. Even then, the experience didn’t quite land the same for them. While everyone else around them screamed and threw their hands up, their reactions stayed noticeably more muted.

On one ride, people around them were yelling while the cart whipped around turns, but Lucian and Thalia just sat there with mostly straight expressions, only small reactions slipping through.

"I keep forgetting that because of who we are, rides like these don’t really do much for us," Thalia said once they stepped off, stretching her arms slightly. "That was honestly kind of slow."

"Of course you’d think that, Ms. ’I’m as fast as lightning,’" Lucian replied, rolling his eyes.

Before he could say anything else, Thalia stepped behind him, grabbed his shoulders, and pushed herself up, climbing back onto her usual spot without hesitation.

As the sun began to set, the sky shifting into warmer colors, the carnival lights slowly started to glow brighter. For their last ride, they both agreed on the ferris wheel.

"Ah, the most cliché way to end a date," Lucian said as they stepped into their seat.

"You call it cliché, I call it iconic," Thalia replied, settling in. "There’s a reason people end with it. Nothing beats watching the sunset together."

The seat gave a small jolt as it started to rise. Thalia pulled one leg up slightly, resting her chin against her knee as she looked out over the carnival, watching the lights flicker on one by one.

Lucian glanced at her for a moment before his attention shifted. A faint dark red energy began to gather around his hands, subtle at first but noticeable enough to catch her eye.

"What are you doing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Lucian didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked around with exaggerated concern. "Oh no... curses. What terrible luck we have. It seems the ride is malfunctioning, and now we’re stuck at the very top while the sun is setting. Whatever will we do?"

Thalia blinked at him as their cart reached the highest point.

Lucian placed his hand against the side of the seat, and that same dark red energy spread along the structure. A second later, the ferris wheel gave a low creak before coming to a stop.

He snapped his fingers, then leaned back slightly, looking at her with a smug expression. "Darn. What unfortunate timing."

Thalia stared at him for a second, then her lips slowly curved into a smile. A quiet laugh slipped out before she covered her mouth, shaking her head.

"You’re seriously something else," she said, still laughing under her breath.

"What? I didn’t do anything," Lucian replied, the grin never leaving his face, which only made her laugh more.

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