Halloween Hauntings

Tailing not far behind Ash and Cadence was another muscular girl in a tight outfit. It wasn't as form hugging as Ash's, being a little more padded. Made by Marika and conceived by Jane, the white haired girl was decked out in the outfit of Captain Marvel, a silver star glittering on her chest. The costume emphasized her muscles, making her look even bulkier than usual. She uncomfortably shifted, feeling a bit naked in this weird outfit she couldn't wear her coat and shorts under. Seemed like Marika only wanted Jane and Yuu along on her trick or treating trip.

"What do you even do at a party? There aren't even kids I bet. It's past their bed times." Martha complained, kicking one of the foam skulls Marika had left all over the kaspa around. The location when they teleported didn't raise her spirits. What even was this room? You couldn't run around with a ball around here! Before she could think too hard about it, she spotted fluffy wings. She looked to who they were attached to with interest before she noticed who it was. "Ah, fuck! You!" Martha raised her fists and started moving her feet.

---

Nicole hummed off tune as she walked to her dorm from her job, wet feet tracking puddles all the way. It was a ways from the pool to her room, enough that she probably should have put something over her swimsuit. She shuddered a little in the nippy air as she walked across campus. It never got this cold in Atlantis! She'd mind more if she didn't look so good in red. The chilly hybrid made it to the dorms without too much frostbite and began climbing the stairs. A combination of her clumsy footwork and the water on her feet tore her feet out from under her as she took a step.

She flailed wildly on her slowed drop, ripping a piece of paper off the wall in her attempt to stop herself. She groaned face down on the stairs. Her featherfall necklace saved her from injury, but it was embarrassing. Royalty shouldn't fall all over itself. She pulled herself to her feet with some tears in her eyes before noticing the paper she knocked to the ground. Her tears vanished at once when she saw what it was. A costume party! A place to show off her fashion genius! She ran the rest of the way, falling three times and not caring at all.

The moment the scrolls were activated, she was in the foyer, appearing in a flash of light. She looked like a vampire with her Victorian dress, grey skin, and sharp teeth, but the barely visible gills on her neck revealed her true nature. Her red and black dress was decked with many, many hearts. More hearts decked the scrunchie she held her long hair up in and the red plastic wand she waved like it would actually do something. Perhaps it would. She was a mage after all. "Eee! So many costumes!" She squealed, putting her hands together and hopping. It was like a fashion show but better!

---

In one of the bedrooms of the huge house, one of the servants was working on her costume. Instead of the standard black and while, she donned a tattered gown that looked like it had been soaked in blood and then attacked by a badger. She tugged on the sleeves to make sure it was snug then hopped onto the bed to pull red tights over her legs to give them the same bloody look as her dress. A cravat riddled with holes around her neck and she was ready for the finishing touch. She lowered her masterpiece, an oversized, lumpy foam head with eyes scattered randomly on its surface, over her own head. She proudly marched out and headed behind the bar, a few rubber tubes flopping on her chest and back from the oversized head. She was SO glad she got this job.

Remilia Arling pulled a dirty green tank top over her head. The top was a bit short so her navel was exposed but that was in line with the costume. At least her bra wasn’t sticking out of anywhere. Next she put on shorts of a similar color and that was also too short. Next up, she put on long white socks and tall boots. To finish off her costume, Remilia took a pair of airsoft handguns modeled after the Heckler & Koch USP Match line with a black body and a silver slide; the only inaccurate part was the orange barrel tip signifying that they were not real guns. Despite this, the magazines in the handguns were not loaded as non-lethal didn't mean not dangerous, but she did have loaded magazines on her belt. She put the guns into holsters found on the sides of both her legs.

Remilia examined her costume in a full-body mirror. The top and shorts, while of an accurate length, weren’t as tight as Lara Croft’s were. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find a tighter pair, but with so much skin already showing she already felt a bit uncomfortable. Furthermore, even with the push-up bra she put on, she could not match her inspiration. Finally, her hair was both the wrong color (black, unlike Ms. Croft’s brown hair) and the wrong length. She tried messing with it while she was putting it up in a ponytail, but there was only so much length that could be hidden. And she didn’t want to cut her hair just for a costume she would wear once.

Despite not being satisfied with how her costume came out, Remilia didn’t let anyone or anything notice that; not even her own reflection. After putting on a small green backpack, she picked up the invitation and realized that she had no idea how she was supposed to get to the party. The invitation said it would turn into a magical scroll when the time for the party came. The problem was that Remilia probably had less experience with the hidden world when either Eri or Fumi. In fact, she only encountered hidden world individuals 5 times, one of which was when she first gained her power. She was approached by an organization claiming to have the goal of keeping the Hidden World hidden. They gave her a very brief lesson about the hidden world, why it’s important to keep it hidden and how she could contribute to their goal. That lesson did not cover how to use magic scrolls.

Without much to go on besides cartoons, Remilia decided to just read the contents of the invitation out loud. She got ready for the surge of magic to transport her. But that did not happen. Figuring out that was not the right thing to do, she tried to just focus on the scroll and hope that magic worked on the basis of pure will. Again, she was not whisked away. Sighing, the decided to check the entire letter. That’s how she spotted the tiny, faded writing on the back. She decided to read that aloud, too. As soon as the final sound left her, the world around her faded and was replaced by a far grander and fancier place. But it wasn’t just the new location that shocked her. The number of dressed up people was bigger than Remilia expected. How did this world actually remain hidden?

The end of summer was near. Its advance was more than a certainty, it was an unequivocal truth. As sure as the number two comes after one and as the Sun would rise from the east and disappear on the west, Its coming was restless and unstoppable. One could easily notice the more obvious signs. Nights growing longer with each passing day, fiercely green leaves slowly losing their brilliance and vigor, as they waited for the inevitable fall, and the warm light of the sun growing weaker and weaker. But there were deeper and more subtle changes, harder to notice using only one’s senses. You could sometimes caught a glimpse of them for just a second in a cold gust of wind, in the solitary dance of a leave as it falls from its tree or in the pale rays of the morning sun. The entire world seemed to be under a gloomy and overwhelming quietness. The gentle breeze that blew over the green rolling hills of Ireland was barely a whistle and the whispering of the leaves and grass seemed to be numbed. Even the animals and critters kept a respectful silence, as if Mother Nature itself was silently mourning in advance for all the lives, from the tiniest of bugs to the tallest tree that would be lost in the next months. A similar silence, a deeper and more nostalgic one, accompanied Arlana as she walked on a small path through the Irish country-side.

The dirt road in which she travelled was almost hidden beneath a light layer of grass, only a pair of stubborn lines of earth remained as a testimony that there was once a road there. Yet, Arlana would have been able to find the way even in the darkest of nights. The path was carved with fire on her memory. The girl remained mute as she slowly strolled down between the hills and trees, without even a trace of her usual smile, and a simple bouquet of crimson flowers rested on her hands. Sun glided at her side. There were no words between them or any of their typical rude exchanges, there was no need for them. The silence that floated around them was occasionally broken by the soft snores that slipped from the hood of Arlana´s panda-like hoodie. A tiny mouse, the newest member of that strange group, dozed happily in the warmness of the fabric, wrapped in his own green and white scarf. The first Card of the Mayor Arcana, the Magician, had never made this trip yet and ended up falling asleep in the long train ride that took them to that beautiful piece of Ireland.

An ancient and mossy wall, which reached the girl’s shoulders and built by stacking rocks on top of each other, began to flank the road as the group went deeper into the country side. The short wall followed the curve of a hill for a while and finished on a big battered gate of curved iron bars. Arlana ran her fingers over the rusty metal almost unconsciously, following its curves to the center, where the initials “E.C” were barely visible. The girl stared at her fingers, stained by orange dust, and was somewhat amazed of how battered everything was after just merely two years. And was also surprised when the abandoned door opened, creaking on its hinges, after a weak push. The path continued forward after the gate, flanked by trees at both sides, and circled around the burnt ruins of what once was an elegant mansion. Behind the mansion, the path went up a short hill. And towards there Arlana was headed.

Resting on the top of the hill, as a silent watchtower, was a big oak tree and resting protectively under its shade, were two tombstones. As she got near them Arlana’s pace became slower with each step until she finally stopped, just a few meters away from them. A gentle breeze whispered on her ears and caught the rebel locks of her crimson hair, caressing them softly and revealing, from moment to moment, the sea of mixed emotions on her eyes. The girl stood there for some time, seconds that felt like minutes and minutes that felt like hours, passing silently.

Her hood was shaken weakly as the Magician climbed out, sluggishly rubbing his eyes and yawning. The tiny mouse looked around curiously and was about to break that unpolluted silence when he was interrupted by Sun’s gesture, pointing with his beak down the hill. The magical rodent caught the meaning, but hesitate for a moment when he glanced over at Arlana, before jumping down from her shoulder and disappear between the tall grasses of the hill, Sun following him downwards.

When the pair was out of sight Arlana took a deep breath and stepped towards the oldest tombstone, a tablet of the purest and whitest of marbles that stood immaculate over the grass. As strange as it was, that stone was the only thing that seemed to remain untouched by nature and not even a single drop of moss had latched into it, corrupting its purity. Arlana kneeled next to it and laid the bouquet at the birth of the tombstone. “Hi, Mom” the sound of her own voice surprised her, as if she hadn’t talked in ages. She slowly turned to the other tombstone, right next to the other one. Although that one was new, nature hadn’t been kind to it. “Hi, Dad”. She stood up, so she could see them both. “I…” she began “I know it’s been a while since the last time I came here. I just…” the words silently died on her throat and her eyes teared up. There was so much she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask that would remain unanswered… but there were some things that were better left untold. “I haven´t forgotten” she whispered to the graves “I haven´t forgotten our promise”

A quarter of an hour later, Arlana walked down the hill and sat in an dry stump of an old tree near the entrance of her childhood home and melancholically stared at the scorched and blackened skeleton of the place she had once called home. Sun and Cian (as Arlana had decided to call him the mouse) had joined her shortly after, but kept her company in silence. It wasn’t after she stood up and was walking away that she noticed the card peeking out of the mailbox, one of the few things that had managed to stay untouched by the flames. It had caught her eye, as the new and clean paper stuck out like a rose in snow. Curiously, the girl opened the envelope and her eyes run through the neat handwriting. “A party for the Hidden World?” she muttered in surprise “How the hell did this got here?” Why would this Eri person send an invitation to that ruined house? Arlana shrugged the mystery, maybe she had somehow ended up on some Hidden World database or something like that and they sent the invitation there. After all, legally, her address was still there.

Cian climbed swiftly to the girl’s shoulder and straightened his glasses as he read the card. “What is this?” he asked “Some sort of gala?” Arlana shrugged with little interest and crumpled the letter on her hand, before throwing it behind his shoulders “it’s just a silly costume party for Halloween… it´s a human thing” she quickly added, before the mouse could try to satisfy its curiosity. “Oh, that’s sound delightful!” Cian exclaimed in a melodic voice “why did you throw the invitation away? It’s some kind of human ritual to show that you accept it?
“It means she’s not going to that fucking thing” snorted Sun, who had landed on a tree branch on top of them. “Why not, may I ask?” Cian asked as he stared with surprise at Arlana, who quickly replied with reluctance “It´s just that… I´m just in this Hidden World crap just to find the Cards and I have to work too… I don’t have time to go to some party and have fun while there are still other…” She started counting her fingers, before sighing “Nineteen cards left out there” The girl started walking towards the gate and mumbled to herself “Besides, I don’t really have any friends to go with, so…” she left the sentence unfinished as she got further away. Sun and Cian crossed a scheming look and a joined their red haired friend after moment. At their backs, the crumpled note had disappeared without a trace.

A few days later…

“GOD DAMMIT!” Arlana slammed the door of her apartment in and stomped to her bed, shouting a series of insults that made Sun proud. Her entrance caused an avalanche of books that fell over the studious Cian when the sudden slam destroyed the small tower of books he had been reading. Sun, already used to Arlana’s outbursts, didn’t even flinch and kept sapping between channels with a bored look. “What’s up? That annoying fucker again?” the bird asked with his eyes fixed on the TV. Arlana groaned with her head on a pillow and stretched her arm to show the crumpled invitation to the Halloween party. “This fucking crap keeps appearing whenever I am!” she yelled angrily, throwing the paper all across her house. After she had left it on her old home, the envelope had been popping up everywhere she went. From randomly showing up on her bag, to replacing the bookmark a book and, in on bizarre occasion, it had appeared on in the middle of the toilet paper roll. “It’s driving me insane!” she glared at the piece of paper and yelled “I don’t want to go!”

Cian muffled scream for help caught the girl’s attention. She picked up a thick book from the pile and the mouse came with it, holding to the edge of the cover with his paws. “If I may intervene, love” he said soothingly as he straightened his round glasses. Arlana frowned, but didn’t interrupt him and Sun, with a mysterious smirk on his beak, glanced at the pair “that invitation might have some magical properties that binds it with the recipient, preventing it from being destroyed until it has been properly replied. May I?” he asked, with a meaningful look towards the invitation. Arlana beamed at the paper with acid on her eyes before letting the mouse jump down from the book.

The magical mouse opened the letter (not without some effort of his small limbs) and investigated the contents with interest. From time to he would mumble for himself “Oh… interesting… yes, very interesting indeed”. He suddenly gasped in surprise “It can’t be!” He exclaimed, jumping with excitement around the card “This energy! It’s from a one of our brothers! This invitation is somehow linked to a Card!”

In almost comical coordination, Arlana and Sun’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?” They yelled together, dashing towards the mouse. “Gimmie that!” Sun pushed his older brother out of the way and when he focused on the invitation, his fiery eyes seemed to jump out of their sockets. “He’s right! It’s faint, but it’s there!” Arlana was ecstatic, infected with the same feverous excitement from her friends. Another Card! And she had been trying to get rid of that paper for days! And the party was that very same day, she could still make it!
 
With a satisfied smile, Arlana fell back to her bed and stared at the greyish roof of her bedroom. But when she realized that she’d need a costume, her excitement faded rapidly. Playing with the idea of going costume-less, she absently ran her fingers over the cover of a book and ended up staring at it. A tiny small peeked out the corners of her mind. If she had to go to that party, at least she would go as something she loved. She could have a little fun, right? She had almost everything she needed… where the hell would she get a lute?

She was ready a few hours later. Dressed in some brown and green linen clothes she had (guiltily) bought in a renaissance faire, a grey hooded cloak on top and her wavy and fiery hair tied into a ponytail, the girl was acceptable, yet slightly more feminine, version of Kvothe the Bloodless from the Kingkiller Chronicle. A plastic sword hanging at her waist and an old lute crossed on her back completed her look. Waving her cloak as she turned around, she faced her magical companions. Although Cian hadn’t decided yet and would dress up at the party, Sun was already in costume. He had shape shifted his body just a bit and instead of a sparrow, he was now a proud hippogriff.

“All right, let’s go!” Arlana exclaimed and, caught in the moment, unsheathed the sword and pointed forward. Caught by a sudden insecurity, the girl lowered her arms “Are you sure there is a Card there?” she asked “I don’t want to know I dressed like this for nothing”

“Yeaaaaah, sure!” Sun said as he shared a look with his brother. A mischievous smile appeared in their faces as they stared impishly at the girl. “Or… we could have been planning all this from the start so that you get your sorry ass out of this hell hole and go have some fucking fun!” Sun exclaimed and as Arlana’s eyes in surprise, he screamed “HIT IT!” And Cian activated the scroll.
 
The messy apartment faded into a whirlwind as they were teleported straight into the mansion, were Arlana’s obnoxiously loud scream echoed like a trumpet. “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”

An enthusiastic voice spoke out to the crowd that was surprisingly on time. Initially, she’d hoped she could greet them one on one, but it seemed people really wanted to party and she couldn’t blame them! Taking her stance in front of her growing guests, distracted momentarily as the girl with fiery red hair announced herself in a very explosive manner, Eri’s smile was wide and she held her hands to her chest to still her beating heart before clapping her hands happily. “It’s so nice to meet you all! I thank you very much for attending! Now, I suppose I’ll just give a short introduction and then you’re all free to do as you please; with some minor rules, of course!”


Eri looked around at her guests to see if they were paying attention, and her eyes stopped on Cadence first. Having to physically hold herself back for the moment, Eri couldn’t help but completely radiate excitement and positivity, she was almost bouncing in place! “Firstly! My name is Eri Neeve and this is my vacation home! Which leads to my second point, please don’t destroy anything!” She heavily stressed the destroying part, waving her hand slightly as she rambled momentarily. “It’s really pretty and I love the location, it cost quite a bit too and the renovations are really fresh… holes in the wall, broken things...it’d really stink!” Bouncing right back into her overly excited hostess mode, she clapped her hands again with a loud jangle of her jewelry following. “Anyways, other than that, I simply gathered you all here for the party promised on the invitation!! In all my centuries of living here, it’s surprising how little I know about your “Hidden World”, and I really wish to learn more about it and yourselves! So, without further ado, I welcome you to my party!” At her words, the doors behind her opened loudly, presenting the decorated ballroom. The entire area was littered with streamers and ‘spooky’ decorations; there was a DJ placed far in the back, a bar area with a surprisingly frighteningly dressed individual manning it, and all of the tables were decorated with any food cooks could prepare.


With her introductions over, Eri simply let out a squeal as she quickly bee-lined her way towards Cadence, nearly tackling the misanthropic doll as she hugged her tight, ferociously rubbing her cheek against Cadence’s and leaving behind glitter where it rubbed, all while suppressing a loud sob. “Cadence!!! I can’t believe you actually came!! You never answer my texts when I invite you out!! I’m so glad you came and you look so CUTE.” Eri whined loudly while locking her arms in a surprisingly solid embrace around the doll’s neck, stopping her rambling as she took a deep breath...seems she’d forgotten to breathe. The reprieve allowed her to look around at the guests she’d brought with her, and her eyes practically glittered. “Are...are these your sisters!! Oh my goodness you’ve told her about me? Cadennnceee! They’re so cute, I’m so glad to meet you!!” Departing from Cadence, Eri and her lack of boundaries immediately approached Ash, clapping her hands in her enthusiastic way once again. “Thanks so much for the compliment! Ahh, I love your outfit! It’s so bright, you look very good in it! So you’re Ash then? I’m Eri!” Obviously the girl already knew if Cadence had told her, but Eri was just too happy to simply do her introductions.


It was only after her fawning of the other two sisters that she noticed the bigger one making her way with some bit of aggression towards one of her other guests. “Oh well...that’s...an outfit alright.” She thought distantly while looking at the extremely pretty blonde. However, she approached Martha, clicking her tongue in a motherly “tsk tsk” nature while placing her hands around the other girl’s raised fists. “No fighting please! I can understand that there may be bad blood, but I must ask in all respect that you withhold your fighting!”

“You heard the lovely, lovely girl.” Amai cooed while whipping her tail around with a dangerous smile. She couldn’t help but notice that something was off about Martha this time around…”Hmmnn...what’s this. You’re not completely dense anymore, are you. For a minute there, you were even interested in something. Could it be...you’re not a total freak anymore? Say, what is it about me that you like so much, freak?~” Amai was purposely taunting Martha, publicly and unabashedly while twirling one of her curly strands of hair around her finger. “No fighting means not purposely egging someone on please! “ Eri looked over her shoulder with a disappointed frown and Amai only smiled brightly without a hint of savagery, letting out a soft, amused sigh. “ Well, if the lovely hostess asks me so nicely, I can’t deny such a beautiful girl her heartfelt request. So long as she dances with me later, I’ll comply.~” At the end of her sentence, she went to stare at Eri’s chest with no shame whatsoever while the girl sighed, hoping she’d diffused the situation slightly. “Well, if you need me, I’ll be at the party doing better things with my time.~” Amai chimed while departing through the open ballroom door with a saunter.


“Mm.” Eri mumbled slightly as the blonde left, her very actions making a soft and unpleasant tingle form at the back of her head. That woman was trouble with a capital “T!” “Anyways… well, I’m sorry for that, but it’s very great to meet you! I’ve always wanted to meet Cadence’s sisters.” Eri quickly jumped back into her happy personality, dropping her hands from Martha’s wrists to clap her hands together again slightly. “It’s very lovely to meet you, your outfit looks wonderful, by the way! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some more greetings to do!”


Fumi had slipped by when the discourse began to occur, her fluffy hair bouncing beneath the bandages as she made her way into the dining room. For a moment she was in awe at the sheer work that went into the decoration and lighting of this place, but her attention stopped at the massive volume of food that had been applied to the tables. Jackpot!! Faster than she’d moved all day, Fumi slipped her way into one of the chairs directly by a large, pumpkin shaped bowl of candy and she immediately began eating with a pleased sigh. Finally, food!


Back in the foyer, Eri approached the remaining group of her guests. The first she'd encountered was the smaller girl with the bright red, Victorian styled dress. She'd loved that era! "Hello there, it's lovely to meet you! I thought I'd greet you myself, I love your costume. Red is a very nice color on you!" She amiably smiled while giving a small bow of greeting. She did enjoy the girl's red hair just as well! Eri couldn't help but squeal internally over how cute she found the sharp-toothed girl. "Well, I won't hold you up any longer, please do enjoy yourself!" 

Making her way to the two who'd entered together, Eri quickly bowed in front of both Rin and Gen, raising back up with a bright smile. "It's lovely to meet you as well! Nice jacket!" She commented towards Gen before letting out a small "wow" under her breath as she admired the detailing done to Rin's arm. "And really great job on your arm! It looks fantastic! You must have a really steady hand. Well, I hope you have fun, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to find me." She gave another quick, bouncy bow before floating her way to the next guest. She didn't just want to part from them all without saying hello to each, that was the whole reason she started this party anyways!

Eri wasn't much for pop culture, besides that of musical artists, so many of her guests' costumes were lost on her. Especially Remilia's, she almost felt bad for not knowing the reference that she knew had to be there. "Hello! It's great to meet you." Again, another bow, a greeting she was getting dizzy from.  "Very cute costume!! It fits you very nicely!"  She couldn't believe the turnout she was having, she had so many to greet and so many compliments to give! "I hope you enjoy yourself here, again it was a pleasure to meet you, but I don't want to hold you up. Please do enjoy yourself!"

Eri was practically out of breath by the time she approached Thomas and Derek. Fanning herself lightly, the girl took in a deep breath and gave a warm, charming smile after she managed to get her lungs back in order. "Ah, hello! It's lovely to meet you both; your outfits are very cute! Especially yours!" She spoke directly to Thomas afterwards, steepling her fingers together while she giggled quietly. "The wings are very cute, pink is one of my favorite colors. And I really like the horns on yours! Very cute!" Cute, cute, cute; everyone who'd attended so far had been extremely cute in how they'd presented themselves! She really did love it. "Please do have fun at the party, I'll definitely see you two later!" And she was gone again with a bounce in her step to the next person.

It was on to the girl who'd screamed really loud when she'd appeared! "Oh dear, is everything okay? Was it the scroll? It surprised me a lot too when I used my first one." Eri spoke sympathetically as she folded her arms beneath her chest, looking at Arlana with concern. The last thing she wanted was for one of her guests to be displeased already!..Well, besides the two who'd already tried to pick fights. Seemed the girl was just simply surprised at being here though, there was no physical injury she could tell! So Eri simply gave a quick bow in greeting. "Well, please enjoy yourself! Lovely to meet you, oh! I love your hair, by the way!" Just like the girl with the pretty  red hair before, this one was similar! She did adore that color. "I will see you later, have fun!"


The boy she came up upon next seemed to be in awe, and she felt a small bit of pride. She had wanted reactions like that when she decorated and renovated for the party! "Hello there, lovely to meet you. Your outfit is really cute! Halloween mummies are always cute...as a matter of fact, you weren't the only one..." She trailed off as she looked for the extremely small girl who'd appeared first, but she was missing! Did she already go into the ballroom?...Letting out a soft hum of thought, Eri let out a small sound of surprise as she got back on track, offering the guy a small bow and a friendly smile. "Do enjoy yourself, Mr. Mummy, I have to finish up my greetings!" Scampering away, Eri came up on the last of her guests.

“Hello there!," Eri's voice was lively as she walked towards Smith and Chase. "It’s lovely to meet you both! I’m sure you don’t want to be kept waiting too much longer...but I just wanted to personally give my greetings to you! I love all of your outfits! And...wait a minute, hey you’re the rude guy from the Resort?!” Eri had to cover her mouth with her fingers as she choked back the loud giggle she gave at his outfit. Was he...was he Pikachu?! Even Eri couldn't escape the cute electric mouse mascot for Pokemon. She LIVED in Japan, after all. “I-I mean...ahh...great outfit.” She said in between bursts of giggles; it was physically hurting her to be this quiet! She had tears building in the corners of her eyes as she looked away, snickering in delight. That was NOT something she’d expected to see, but was so glad she did. There was something satisfying about seeing someone like Chase in such an unexpected outfit. “W-Well, thank you all very much for attending this party, I hope you have fun and please come to me if you need anything!” Giving a quick bow, Eri bounced back up and gestured for everyone to follow, skipping lightly with the soft clinking of her jewelry following her. She was already having fun!!...Even if there was that worrying feeling in the back of her head. She’d initially thought it’d been just Amai triggering her omen-sensing, but it was still persisting…

---

It was loud. It was disturbed. The house had been changed so much, it was having trouble finding its way around and it wasn’t the only one. Eri’s party was attracting more guests that she wouldn’t be quite aware of for just a while longer.

When Eri came to talk with the boys, each one reacted differently. The first one was Derek, using such formal greeting. He took Eri's hand while he bowed and kissed it. Looking at her with the eyes of a prince (of course) looking at his damsel.

The honor is ours, we are more than delighted to be your guests... And you our beautiful hostess - Once he stood up. He let Thomas to greet the girl, while he noticed Amai with other people. The outfit the succubus was wearing didn't make sense, but still, it was kinda funny to see her as an angel.

Oh, thank you! And you just look extremely cute with that Mermaid dress! It fits you very well - He said while giving her a hug, and of course being careful to don't mess with her costume. Then he spoke again - We are glad you liked our costumes! They are handmade! - The priest said with a smile - Oh! Sorry Miss Neeve, we forget to introduce ourselves. He is Derek Van Dercycle and I'm Thomas Sillything... yeah, I-It's not the best surname of the year haha... - He said a bit nervous while laughing but he did his best to ignore that little detail.


Once the girl finished chatting with the boy, she went to greet other guests. Meanwhile the boys started walking and searching for something to eat, at least, it was Thomas the only one being hungry.

You look pretty excited, fledgling - The blonde said with an arrogant smile, he knew Thomas was the type of boy who never went to that type of parties, so he assummed that the boy was more anxious than nervous - Don't worry, Mommy Angel is over there - he said rolling his eyes towards Amai who was chatting with other people as well.

S-Shut Up! I'm just happy to be here... - The younger one said while pouting.

"Freak!? What are you even talking about, you weirdo!?" Martha stomped up to Amai before she turned away. "Hey! I'm not done with you! I haven't even started with you in fact! Hey! Heeeeeeey!" Martha growled and turned back to her sisters, keeping close to them in this weird place. "I'm not a freak." She mumbled. "Yeah... uh... good to... something." Eri's costume was weird... it gave her those funny feelings that boy with the tail did!

Nicole smiled and bowed. "I know, it's so pretty! I made it myself!" Greatly nicked and bandaged fingers betrayed that she was telling the truth. She was able to conceive of what she wanted, but her pudgy fingers were clumsy. She had gone through quite a bit of fabric piecing this outfit together. She waved her wand and shuffled into the main portion of the house. She needed somewhere to show off her outfit! She looked to the dance floor. Hmph. She would need a partner. She looked around the room for one.

Jenifer hummed the tune of Spooky Scary Skeletons as she cleaned a bottle. Finally, a decent job with decent pay and she actually wanted to do it! She could only be happier if it was more than a day long. She saw her first customer approaching. "Hello sir! What would you like!" She said, dissonantly chipper for her outfit. She didn't even feel exhausted for once.

Arlana had to spend all her self-control, even a little more, to stop herself for creating a delicious new mouse and sparrow brochette as Eri delivered her joyful speech. The girl barely listened to the host words as she glared with dangerous eyes at Sun and Cian, who were wise enough to slowly get out of her reach. As soon as the Idol Banshee finished and disappeared into the crowd, Arlana turned around and headed towards the door, offended.

“Oh, c’mon Lana!” Sun exclaimed, when both he and Cian caught up with her. “You can’t just fuck off after all the trouble we had to get you into this shit!”. Arlana beamed at him with sparkling eyes “I don’t know why you assholes did all of this” she muttered, clenching her teeth “We could be looking for a Card instead of losing our time here. Let’s go, if we go before the host greets us they won’t even know we’re gone”

Sun flew in front of her and blocked her way, as Cian climbed to her shoulder through her cape. “No, we won’t go” said the magical sparrow, shaking his head. When he crossed eyes with Arlana’s venomous glare, his fierce expression softened. “Give me a break, you idiot” he grunted. He was being rude as ever, but something in his voice made Arlana stop “Ever since we came back from Siberia you’ve been acting weird and I’m fucking tired of watching you feel sorry for yourself. So you’re gonna get in there or I swear on our father’s name I’ll start throwing fireballs in your wallet every time you get paid” There was a tense and silent exchange between them and Cian stepped back, fearing Arlana would just bite Sun’s head off. But at the end, the girl sighed and clicked her tongue “Fine, dammit” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose “I’ll stay”

Sun smiled smugly and gave her friend a pock on her forehead “That’s what I wanted to hear! Now let’s go have some…” suddenly, his jaw dropped when the beautiful host of the party made her way to them. The woman’s… revealing outfit was more than enough to charm the flaming bird, whose words died on his throat once the bouncing seashells appeared on his sight. Eri’s excitement and cheerfulness caught Arlana completely by surprise. She unconsciously took her hand to her precious hair when the mermaid commented on it and the girl was barely able to mumble a faint “thank you” before the banshee moved on. Behind her, Sun melted into a flaming heart and reformed back to his hippogriff “costume”. “I’m so glad we came” he sang happily as he flapped away behind Eri, leaving a surprised Arlana behind him.

“You fucking perv…” Arlana snorted as she watched Sun looped in the air. The Tarot Apprentice eyes ran through the crowd. The party had everything: Mommies, angels, demons, super heroes, power rangers, a huge Pikachu… her eyes stopped involuntarily on the beautiful women that had attended the party, whose costumes seemed to fit perfectly and caught the eye of everyone around them. She looked down at her own obscure attire and sighed. “Ugh, I’m such a nerd” she muttered, internally cursing her insecurities. Disheartened, Arlana headed towards the tables. If she was stuck there, at least she’d eat some fancy food.

As she made her way through the party, a soothing voice rang on her ear. “You know, love?” said Cian. Arlana was surprised, she almost forgot about the light weight standing on her shoulder. “We are very different, Sun and I. From all of our brothers and sisters, we must be the ones that are furthest away from each other. He can’t stop his tongue, I prefer to think before I act. He is impulsive, I try to keep my cool. He likes to chase around women, I find… better things to do with my time.” His eyes were fixed on the brilliant trail his brother left as he flew “In our… peculiar family, it was well known that if and whenever both of us agreed on something it was always considered of the upmost importance.” With a gentle smile, the mouse turned to Arlana and beamed at her over his thick glasses “This whole charade wasn’t just mere whim of his, love. He might be rude and a total wanker at times, but Sun deeply cares for you and wishes you to be happy. After all, all this was his idea. And even if the time we have spent together is short compared to his, I do care about your well-being.” Moved by that sudden words, Arlana couldn’t help but feel a deep affection towards both his companions. Cian remained silent for a moment before continuing “I don’t know what is troubling so much and stops your for having fun and knowing more people, love. But you must understand that the Path of the Fool is a difficult one to travel through… but nothing says you must walk it alone”

“I know, I know… it’s just that…” she sighed. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to meet new people, get new friends, hang out and do whatever a normal seventeen year old would do. But she wasn’t just a normal teenage girl. She had already tried to go out with some friends from work but, how could she act normally and have fun knowing about the Hidden World, the search for the Cards and the weight of her promise behind her back? Even as close as she was to Sun and Cian, they eternal life and magical nature gave them a completely different view on the world. Arlana couldn’t just catch a movie with them or talk about small and unimportant problems with his magical companions. Unable to see a way out of that situation, Arlana, unconsciously, was slowly closing herself to the rest of the world.
 
“Don’t stress yourself, love” said Cian and added with a smirk “Who knows? Maybe you should take a page out of my brother’s book and pick a suitor in this party, I’ve recently read that this kind of events are perfect for such a thing” Arlana snorted sarcastically and shook her head “Yeah, because that’s exactly what I need right now” If she was having trouble just looking for friends, a boy was definitely out of the question. “Oh look! Here comes one!” Cian exclaimed, pointing to the tall man dressed like an old roman emperor “Hey! Over here, lad!” The mouse called to Smith, waving his small paw “Are you interested in being this girl’s boyf…” The poor mouse suddenly found himself flying across the saloon after Arlana violently catapulted him away like a furry rocket. With uncanny precision, Cian landed in the middle of a big sauceboat and splashed in tomato juice. Over the mumbling of the crowd, Arlana heard Sun bursting into violent laughter “HEY CHEF! THERE’S A MOUSE IN MY SOUP!”

The girl was barely able to stop her bright blushing when Marvel Smith got to her. She did remember him, from the fight against the Avatar of the Primal Roar on Siberia. Arlana wasn’t aware that he was Marvel Smith, in fact she had never hear anything about the billionaire, but she found something intimidating on the man’s cool demeanor and elegance. “Yeah, it’s been almost a year I think” she said, rubbing her head awkwardly. She felt so clumsy! And was still wondering what such a serious looking guy wanted with her. However, she did feel quite excited that he recognized her outfit “Yes! I’m Kvothe!” she spoke hastily and the words trampled on her mouth “I didn’t think somebody would know who I was, I really liked the character and I wanted to come like him but I didn’t think I did a good job and I…” her voice became weaker and weaker as she blushed and looked straight down. There were a few seconds of awkward silence before she replied with a thin voice “I like your costume too” why the hell hadn’t she said that first?!

Eri was ecstatic as she practically bounced into the ballroom area. It seemed her guests were already beginning mingling, the loudest and most prominent being Cadence’s enthusiastic sister, while the others seemed to at least be enjoying the food. Seemed she had made a great choice paying as much as she did for her chefs! She stopped off towards the entrance as she pondered what route to take next; Eri didn’t want to pester Cadence too much, plus Cadence could always use socializing with others considering how much she clearly didn’t like it, so who should she talk to? Deep in thought, Eri stopped moving entirely while tapping her chin with her sparkling, pink nails, only to jump as she heard the sudden cry out of someone having a mouse in their soup!! “What!” Eri’s voice went an octave higher than she really intended and felt the small jewel in her ring crack, immediately covering her mouth with her hands while making her way quickly to the table where the commotion was happening, unaware of the strange creature tailing her while she was there. “Oh dear, oh dear…” Mumbling quietly from between her fingers, Eri looked into the sloshed, red soup and winced as she saw there was indeed a mouse in it! That wasn’t good for appearances...or the mouse! “Ahh…” Filled with distress over the idea of not only dirty food for her guests, but for the life of the poor creature that’d somehow ended up in it, she winced and looked for one of the cloth napkins, folding it around her hand and reaching into the liquid to pull out the small creature. “Poor thing...are you okay? Hah...not like you’d know what I’m saying anyways.” Eri sighed softly while looking at the small creature in her hands, the napkin not providing much barrier as she felt the soup staining her hands. Moving Cian into one hand, Eri picked up another napkin to try and dry off the small ball of fur, frowning lightly as she tried to see if he was okay beneath the dark, red paste. “Poor thing!!”

---

Someone was loud...very loud, and she recognized that voice. Fumi looked to the braggart who entered as grandly as she’d expected from someone like Falken and she sighed quietly. That guy… Shrugging her shoulders, Fumi was unwrapping a plateful of candy when the girl appeared, dressed like Lara Croft. She’d played a game or two of the franchise on a stolen console before being stuck and eventually forgetting it. At the question of the candy, Fumi nodded then held up a finger, stone faced as she picked up the candy she’d unwrapped in both hands before quickly tossing them up, one after another, catching each then clapping her hands together at the end, shaking them in a “Ta Da!” fashion, smirking after with her mouth completely full. However, as the loud, red haired girl appeared, Fumi simply reached over to grab the full bowl as the two were distracted...and she simply took it with her, hopping off the seat while making her way towards where there was more food, and two extravagantly dressed guys that she’d never seen before. Choking down what she had in her mouth, Fumi sighed at the sweet taste of the candy and gave Falken a peace sign, smiling cheesily while passing by, only to keep hopping along with her massive amount of hair bouncing along and trailing bandage with it. She dropped her bowl back on the table and began to peruse the rest of the selection, scooting by and between Thomas and Derek while she hummed happily, fast on her feet. She was going to get the candies she thought looked best first before anyone else could!

---

Amai had been perusing the alcohol selection from afar before looking with interest towards whoever was being so loud; she always did appreciate a flashy entrance. At the sight of Falken, a wide smile spread across her lips and she felt herself biting down on her thumbnail lightly, shuffling happily in place. He looked incredibly good in that outfit...terribly cute, but she couldn’t simply skip right to dessert. There were still many more courses for her to taste...though she couldn’t help but let out a surprised and sarcastic laugh as she noticed Thomas and Derek; of course those kids would show up...and one took the angel role too, it seemed. It was rather funny seeing Derek with the horns on...so leaning across her table, Amai offered a twiddle of her fingers with a sadistic smile, just to let them know she was there. But her attention kept wandering to Falken and she simply sighed, smiling at her own lack of self-control; it felt great to be unable to stop herself. Flicking her tail hastily from side to side, Amai departed her table and made way to the show-off. “Seems the party really has arrived, Mr.  Degiraz.~” She called out in a sing-song, flirtatious tone before her attention shifted to yet another rather cute, yet peculiar girl. Truthfully, it was the red hair that drew her in...then the cute dress and the sheer air she gave off. “Oh. hello.~” She purred towards Nicole on her way past her along the dance floor.

---

"Yeah, food. Sure." Martha mumbled, dragging her feet to the open table. Her eyes lit up when she saw all the options. But this musclehead biker guy was stealing all the food! She nudged him a little to open the table to herself and snatched at whatever looked interesting. "Scoot, this food is for everybody!" Martha said, with no real intention of sharing the food with "everybody".

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Nicole grinned when she was complimented, showing razor sharp fangs. "Hi. Cute dress." Another paragon of fashion! Everybody here looked great! What a good choice. She hadn't even had to bite anybody yet.

---

Jenifer nodded her bobbling head and grabbed the bottle. She poured a shot and set it in front of him. "One at a time, buddy. Especially since you haven't flashed your ID." She withheld the tiny glass until she confirmed this guy was of age. Otherwise she'd down this herself.