Aiko

Aiko grew up in a very small hometown with nowhere to go. Nobody grew up to be somebody special, sticking within the group. It honestly shocked him that his mother had chosen to settle here after hearing her own background leaving her small home for bigger and brighter things. He always knew that even if he never left the town permanently, he needed a job with demands that would have him traveling to feel fulfilled.

When he got the call that a cult leader was stirring up trouble in a remote desert he picked up his things and went on his way, not worrying about getting further details. The first time Aiko saw Midas, the roars of people crowding the streets was still not loud enough to drown out the beating of his heart. Each time a new blinding neon float drifted across the sand dunes, his breath hitched in his throat. Surely, he had to be here. Aiko squinted his eyes and cursed himself for neglecting to pack a pair of sunglasses. The desert sun blazed above in an unforgiving agony. The cheerful shrieks of the crowd a mile to the left crescendoed and he felt the back of his throat quiver as anxious bile rose from the pits of his stomach.

The final, genuine gold-plated float rounded the corner. A mass of salty, sweat drenched bodies began to press in on each of Aiko's sides. This would have been one hellish nightmare for a claustrophobe. He gripped the inside of his cheek with his teeth as a reminder to stand his ground and lifted the cold metal of the camera to his cheek. It took only a millisecond for his right eye to adjust in the viewfinder. When it did, it was time. The sunset created a wondrous backdrop of pink, orange, and golden splash behind the slender, tall figure that slowly moved towards the center of the frame.

Aiko did not hesitate to snap shot after shot. The clicks of the camera should have been completely deafened by the crowd surrounding him that somehow grew even louder. However, as soon as the first clicks went off, Midas' bleach blonde and shoulder length ponytail whipped in his direction. When their eyes met, Aiko could see the confidence held in his eyes waiver. That was his first mistake.

• Some bullet points...you can change the custom list icon!
• “Oh, papa, what news--what news? Have you heard from my uncle?”
• “Money! My uncle!” cried Jane, “what do you mean, sir?”
• “If you are looking for my master, ma’am, he is walking towards the little copse.”
• “I mean, that no man in his senses would marry Lydia on so slight a temptation as one hundred a year during my life, and fifty after I am gone.”