► a. NIGHT - early;

[ being around large groups of people really isn't his thing.

it's just one of many things that Heine doesn't like and steer clear of as much as he can, but there are limits to how far he can travel just using the back end of the streets; eventually, he has to emerge and mingle with the crowd of residents out enjoying the festival, and aimlessly following the flow of the people, he end up in the square. the sky has been lit up for hours in a multitude of colours - red, yellow, orange, each of the lanterns glowing softly and pulsing with light that Heine could recognise as being some unnatural thing. he would have known that even without seeing how they seem to pass clear through people and other hanging objects overhead - mere projections, and certainly no technology that he himself is familiar with.

it makes his head hurt, frankly.

they never really had anything like this where he come from. the people too busy trying to survive. the gangs out on their usual turf wars. the kids busy getting kidnapped. they don't have room for festivals.

he moves away from the main street as soon as he could, cutting away from the crowd and ducking into one of the many little alleyways veering away from the square. the lights are still there, but blocked out by the buildings surrounding him, it's less glaring. here, he could breathe a bit better.

hearing footsteps, Heine jerks his head up, eyes narrowing as he stare at the direction of the noise. it could just be coincidence, not everyone enjoy the festivities going on, but Heine is all alertness and teeth, bristling like a beast backed into a corner. ]

Who's there?

► NIGHT - stalls;

[ okay, bugs aside? the food at these stalls weren't too bad an option as a whole... but depending on what you picked, of course. call it what you will, but it's with a sort of begrudging curiosity that he tries a sampler from a stall selling donut holes - there's some kind of sweet-sour filling inside, like jam but not quite, and Heine makes a face. ]

--The hell is in this thing?

[ the stallholder cheerfully informs him that it's a special mix of crushed fire ants. ]

Yeah, no.

[ Heine turns around, shoving the rest of the tray at the person nearest him - which is you. ]

Take it, I don't want this thing.

► get out of jail free

[ hit me up with whatever! ]