THE CARNIVAL RETURNS. ...that sounds kind of ominous.

[waterwaiter]

[It isn't every day an entire carnival pops up overnight outside one's cafe, so you can probably imagine Cress's surprise when he opened the door to find just that. Wasn't there only one roller coaster at Lake WTF yesterday? And the Ferris Wheel wasn't decorated like that before... nor was it adjacent to a Love Tunnel

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TUNNEL OF LOVE

[waterwaiter]

[It's best to approach this ride in twos; who knows who you might end up with otherwise?]

[orangemineral]

[ Chilena?

Jasmine's just walking around, curiously checking out the carnival when she spots the Tunnel of Love. She's never been in one before... what made it called that, anyway? ]

[rocketambition]

[Where has Archer been? He's been avoiding people for the most part. The mun doesn't know. But today is different. There's a carnival, and Archer is curious.]

[That's why he's here, staring blankly at the Tunnel of Love. Hopefully this is just here for the duration of the carnival. He wouldn't want to get dragged on this stupid ride by anyone--]

[...Oh, hi Jasmine.]

[orangemineral]

[ ... Oh, hi there. She looks up at him nervously. When was the last time that she had seen him? Silent Hills? ]

... A-Archer.

[rocketambition]

[It was an awfully long time ago, that's for sure. That hasn't changed the fact that he's not sure how he feels about her, or even what to do.]

Ah, Jasmine. [Oh man, this is awkward.] ...How have... you been...?

[orangemineral]

[ It's not like Jasmine's any less confused; she remembers him saying that he liked her, and yet he just... vanished. But now he's here in front of her and part of her actually wants to cry. ]

U-um... I've been... okay...?

[rocketambition]

Well that's... good...

[What does he even say? He can't just excuse his absence away. He's not sure he even wants to.]

[orangemineral]

[ She exhales a little shakily, a blush coming to her face as she purposefully avoids eye contact. ] ... I-I'm glad you're okay. I missed you.

[rocketambition]

[Archer is silent for a long moment, just thinking. He's been away for awhile, long enough for her to move on and forget about him. Maybe some part of him was hoping for that. It would make everything easier.]

[But she didn't forget about him. She waited for him. He can't help but feel guilty. He hadn't thought Jasmine would...] Shall we? [He tilts his head toward the Tunnel of Love and holds out a hand. The ride itself has never interested him, nor do the romantic themes. But it's loud out here, and probably more quiet in there. At least in there he can think. Then maybe he can figure out just what to do about all this.]

[orangemineral]

[ She quietly nods and rests her hand in his, squeezing gently as if to test if he's actually real, but it's really just for her own comfort.

Jasmine just... missed him a lot. She doesn't even have words for it. ]

[rocketambition]

[Archer is a bit surprised by the sudden squeeze and he glances down at their hands as if to confirm she actually did it. After a moment he squeezes back. He missed her too.]

[They're soon seated on the ride, and almost immediately Archer turns to her.] I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I didn't believe you would wait for me - otherwise I would have returned sooner. I haven't been sure what to think about all this... or about us.

[orangemineral]

[ She shakes her head slowly, offering him a warm smile. ] Th-there's no need to apologize, Archer... You came back, and that's what matters to me more.

[rocketambition]

[That silences him for a moment. Now he just feels even guiltier. He never should have left her.] Still, I'm sorry. I wasn't sure how to approach this topic. Team Rocket has meant everything to me for years and... and after what happened... [A small sigh.] I think I need to start looking past what Team Rocket wants and think about what I want. My goals and Team Rocket's are no longer the same. [He just doesn't agree with Silver. Silver was also the one who killed Jasmine so that certainly tainted him a bit.]

[orangemineral]

[ She hesitates for a moment before speaking and squeezing his hand again. ] ... I'm not going to ask you to give Team Rocket up. I just, um... agree with you. I-I mean, sometimes you need to think about yourself?

[ She looks a little sheepish. ] ... Technically, I shouldn't have taken so much time off to go to Sinnoh and pursue contests... b-but I knew that's where my heart was set. I-I think it's the same thing here... [ Oooor she could be babbling nervously, but who knows? ]

[rocketambition]

Thank you. [He squeezes her hand back tightly - he really has missed her company.] I believe you're right. Still, I don't want to make any rash decisions regarding the team or you. I haven't been very active in my duties with Team Rocket for the past few months either; if they haven't missed me, I doubt they'll miss for for much longer. [Not that avoiding Team Rocket members will be easy, but he can try it. Without having to think about his obligations to the team, perhaps he can come to a decision?]

[orangemineral]

[ It hurts a little for her to say this (after all, what if he chooses them over her?), but she turns to look him in the eye. ] ... No matter what you decide, I'll be here for you, okay? I care about you a lot...