It's Halloween at the Pen!

[The Portrait of Zool]

(OOC: Just show up with a costume and your sense of fun! I'll open and we'll see what happens. )

 

 

Still hanging regally after all these years, the portrait of Zool stood proudly - under a thick layer of cobwebs. A haze of dust and dark patina covered the gilt frame, giving it gloomy and abandoned air. What could be seen of his visage from under the cobwebs looked even more decrepit. Most of the flesh had been stripped from his skull, and only one eye socket still had an eye in it. His clothes hung in tatters on an emaciated frame, and the one hand that showed was more bone than flesh. Even Matt, his possessed pompadour, looked patchy and limp.

 

Clearly, Zool had seen better days... or had he?

 

Uncannily, moving slowly at first but then shuddering unmistakably, the rotten lips began to move, first spitting clumsily, then hissing the words of a curse from hell! "'Ow d' I 'ook?"

 

"What?" said Grimmael distractedly as he arranged cobwebs.

 

The hideous face in the portrait morphed back into Zool's regular face. "I said, 'How do I look?'"

 

Grimmael stood back a few paces, craning back and turning slightly to regard the enormous portrait with his good eye. Zool obligingly resumed his ghoulish appearance. "You're overdoing it."

 

"O'm...” Zool stuttered and grimaced, then changed back again to his ordinary face. “Oh, come on!" he said, "Couldn't I use some more cobwebs? I have to look haunted!!"

 

"Any more cobwebs and you will look infested, to undoubtedly be summarily ejected from the Keep."

 

"No! All right alright... Fog! I can put some fog in my background!" As Zool spoke, the background of his portrait, which was pretty desolate already, grew dark as night, then the ground clouded over with an eerie blanket of graveyard fog. He turned around to take a look, then faced the front again, smiling happily. "Ahh, that's the ticket - much better."

 

The rubber chicken momentarily poked his head out of Zool's tattered jacket, hir rubberness almost completely covered in mummy wrappings, then hse disappeared again.

 

"Not bad", agreed Grimmael, then added, "Just try to not fog everyone out just yet," as some of the fog began to roll out of the portrait and onto the Conservatory floor. "Remember, Halloween isn't until tonight."

 

"Oh, sorry," said Zool as he looked to the bottom of his painting. The fog spillage slowed considerably, but stubbornly refused to stop completely. "Well, it's not that bad..."

 

Grimmael rolled his eyes, and turned to leave, dragging his half shrunk body.

 

"Wait! Grimmael!" Zool called. As he turned his attention back To Grimmael the fog resumed spilling liberally.

 

Grimmael sighed. "Yes?"

 

"Aren't you going to dress up?"

 

Grimmael drew himself to some semblance of proud posture. "My dignity is my constant costume," he replied.

 

Zool opened his mouth to reply, but finding nothing to say closed it again. "Spoilsport," he murmured, as Grimmael resumed his exit, but not too loudly. Indeed, Grimmael had little but dignity.

 

“Now,” thought Zool as he re-donned his ‘dead face’, “To scare up a little action!” Grinning eerily into the unusually dim, fog shrouded Conservatory, he waited…

Edited October 21, 2007 by The Portrait of Zool

[Mynx]

“Come ON, Kitty, give it over!” Tanny growled as she wrestled with Mynx, the two of them holding on tightly to the feline’s scythe.

“You’re not going to a costume party as the Reaper again!” Tanny insisted, before finally managing to wrest the scythe out of Mynx’s paws with a triumphant cry.

 

Mynx grumbled and folded her arms, sitting on her bed in a huff as she watched her friend carefully place the scythe in a corner.

“Well what do you suggest then, Wuffie?”

“Hmm…how about…a faery?” Tanny grinned cheekily at her friend, before ducking as a cushion was thrown at her head.

 

“How about a Gunslinger?” Mynx grinned and conjured up a pair of six-shooters. Tanny rolled her eyes.

“You may as well just go as yourself dressed like that, Kitty. Come on, have an imagination!”

“The last time I ‘had an imagination’, she got drunk, nearly got me killed, and then refused to vacate my subconscious,” Mynx pointed out acidly.

 

Tanny laughed and turned to start rummaging through her friend’s wardrobe.

“What about a Cheshire Cat?”

“And spend all night having to smile? No thanks.”

 

“But you have a beautiful smile! All toothy and sharp!” she grinned, and this time didn’t duck quite in time as another cushion hit her back, making her dive deeper into the wardrobe. You wouldn’t know she was blind from her aim, that’s for sure… She came out holding something in her hands, and giggling. “How about a Playmate Bunny? This would fit it right!”

Mynx frowned at the silk items in Tanny’s hands, before her MageSight recognised them to be a collection of scarves.

 

“Those?!” the feline laughed. “They’re all that’s left of my…Skielah’s…whoring outfit! And no! Just because I’m covered in fur doesn’t mean I want everyone to be able to know how far the fur reaches!”

“Fine,” Tanny huffed a sigh and continued rummaging through the wardrobe. Finding a leatherlike skirt, she pulled it out with a frown and held it up.

“What’s this?”

 

“Ah…that’s one of Skielah’s….travelling outfits,” Mynx coughed.

“It looks like leather,” Tanny frowned. But it didn’t smell like cow or lambs leather…

“Yeah…that particular outfit I believe was a sixteen year old girl…”

Tanny let out a yelp of shock and disgust and threw the ‘skirt’ back into the wardrobe, before casting a glare at the look of amusement on Mynx’s face.

 

“You sure used to be a bloodthirsty creature, Kitty.”

“I suppose you could say that,” Mynx admitted, before her faded eyes lit up with an idea.

“Ooooh I could go as the Blood Countess!”

“Who?” Tanny frowned in confusion as her friend got up from the bed and plucked a history book from her shelves, a kitten running up to her shoulders to provide the physical sight Mynx currently lacked.

 

“Countess Elizabeth Báthory,” Mynx explained, frowning in concentration as she linked with the minion. “She was a Hungarian who lived around the 16th or 17th Century. Rumour has it she used to kill people and bathe in their blood to retain her youth and beauty.”

“Sounds charming,” Tanny grimaced, before grinning wickedly, “but I think a traditional dress like that would look absolutely charming on you, Kitty! Petticoats and corsets and all!”

 

Mynx looked like she was about to argue the point, before sighing and grinning ruefully.

“Well, at least we can agree on a costume…”

 

 

Not long later, Mynx was beginning to rue her decision. The feline’s ears were flat against her skull in displeasure as, behind her, Tanny tugged on the strings of the corset.

“Stop squirming, Kitty!” Tanny grumbled, contemplating putting her knee at the small of her friend’s back to brace.

“At least leave me enough room to breath?” Mynx bit back, tail lashing beneath the petticoats in annoyance.

 

At last, after what felt like an age, Tanny tied off the corset with a sigh of relief. She took a step back to look (and giggle) at her friend’s outfit.

“Keep your tail down, Kitty, it makes the back of the outfit look weird.”

Mynx grumbled a response but dutifully dropped her tail, wrapping it loosely around one of her legs under the skirts.

“Now, let’s get the dress itself on you,” Tanny picked up the rust coloured dress and threw it over Mynx’s head, before pulling it down and ensuring everything was in place.

 

“There! You look lovely, Kitty!” Tanny giggled.

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Mynx assented, seeing only her MageShadow in the mirror. She studied what she could in the reflection for a moment, before turning on her friend with a grin.

“But now we need to find YOU a costume, dear Wuffie.”

[Wyvern]

Wyvern hobbles into the Conservatory on a pair of flimsy crutches, white bandages covering his horns, claws, and chest. His left arm is in a cast while his right wing is held up on a wooden support board on wheels. A patch hangs over one of the overgrown lizard's eyes, with another adhesive patch hanging over the end of his scaly snout. Wyvern grunts and creaks his neck in the direction of a voice that comes from the Cabaret wall.

 

"Hey there Wyv. What're you dressed as, a mummy?"

 

"Nawww, not quite." Wyvern scratches at some itchy bandages, then approaches the Cabaret wall and sniffs at the thick layer of cobwebs that cover it. "I'm supposed to be that troglyodyte on the Almost Report that keepsss getting into ssserious accidents... I figure it'sss the least I can do for all the trouble he's put himself through. Don't tell anyone that though. My official cossstume title is hereby 'mummified pirate with technologically advanced wooden arm enhancements and professional skateboard.'"

 

Wyvern pokes at the webs on the wall curiously, then begins peeling them off layer by layer.

 

"Where'sss the pumpkin ale at anyway?" Wyvern freezes up as he notices the familiar mummy-wrapped figure of Zool's rubber chicken under the patches of web. The reptilian Elder goes slightly pale. "Oh my gawd, Zool issat you?! You look... infested. Wait right here, I'll get the paint diffusing insecticide pronto!"

[Tanuchan]

Thanks to Mynx for the ideas and writing with me

 

~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

“But now we need to find YOU a costume, dear Wuffie,”

 

“Me?” Tanny asked innocently. “I’ve already got my costume.”

 

At Mynx’s frown of confusion, Tanny grinned and held out her arms. “I’m just going to change into wolf form and go as the Big Bad Wolf!”

 

“Oh no you don’t,” Mynx growled. “You don’t get to tie me into a torture device of a dress only to not dress up yourself.”

 

“Well what do you suggest, Kitty? I could go maybe as a Billy Bumbler?”

 

“A poodle would be a better fit.”

 

“Only if you go as a Faery Godmother. You’re already dressed halfway into that...’ She tugged at Mynx’ skirts, batting down the bump her tail had created again.

 

Mynx hissed, and before Tanny could move, she tackled her to the ground and pulled a tin of paint seemingly out of nowhere.

“Maybe not a poodle then, but I think at the very least we should add some stripes…you’d make a very fetching tiger you know, Tanny.”

 

“What the-ACK!” Tanny spluttered as Mynx began to paint orange and black stripes all over her body. A wrestling match ensued, and when Tanny finally escaped, it was with a full body’s worth of orange and black paint. Frowning at the feline, Tanny concentrated and changed into her wolf form, thinking the paint would be removed when the fur grew out.

 

Feeling triumphant, Tanny-wolf looked down at herself to see…black and orange paint still decorating her. She let out a growl of frustration that reduced Mynx to helpless giggles on the floor.

 

“Kitty what did you DO?” Tanny yelled as she shimmered back to a painted human form.

 

“It’s just a spell, Tanny,” Mynx chuckled. “I’ll lift it after the party and the paint will wash right off.”

 

Tanny sighed, looking at herself again in the mirror. “I look quite ridiculous, you know...”

 

Mynx grinned, “You need the matching ears and tail...” She giggled, waving her paw and muttering a chant.

 

“No, wai....” Tanny felt a strange itching at the base of her back and top of her head, before the itch was replaced with the appropriate appendages. She turned with a grimace, only to frown in confusion. The paint had stretched to cover the ears and tail too…but they weren’t in the least feline.

 

“Kitty, this is a wolf’s tail...” She raised an eyebrow, swishing the tail, “It’s more than that, it’s my tail!”

 

Mynx frowned and checked the spell she’d cast, before letting out a shrug. “Maybe the spell just adapted to your own magic, Wuffie. You are more wolf than you’ll ever be cat.”

 

“I suppose.” Tanny giggled then, noticing a discarded cheerleader outfit and having an idea.

“How about I go as CheerMynx?” she suggested, getting a wide grin from Mynx in response.

 

Moments later, Tanny was admiring herself in the mirror – a human with a wolf’s tail, painted in tiger stripes, and dressed as a cheerleader. It certainly was an interesting costume. To cap it off, Mynx had donned a blonde wig on Tanny’s head, before handing her the pompoms.

 

“There,” Mynx grinned, looking at Tanny once more with the aid of a kitten, “MUCH better!”

 

Laughing, Tanny attempted to giggle the way she’d heard CheerMynx laugh.

“So do we like truly go to the party now?”

 

“It’s ‘totally’, Wuffie,” Mynx chuckled, already hearing a quiet wail of protest in the back of her mind at the perceived mockery. “And yes, let’s go to the party.”

[Silver WInd]

Properly secures her broomstick within the broomstick rack and then makes her way to the doors of the Conservatory. Reaches up to strighten up her pointy black at before pushing the door open, just peeking inside at first and glancing around for a moment. Well it looked safe enough. Not really being one much accustumed to parties, but had heard so much about this Halloween Bash, thought she would swoop in and see just what it was all about. Slowly begins to step further inside wearing a pair of point black boots, and her faveorite red and black striped socks, and not too long, yet not too short black dress. Her silver pentagram catching within the lights.

 

Glances around for any familar faces as she creeps further inside and shamelessly begins to make her way over to the food table. Her eyes appariase the assorment with an approving nod and she picks up a plate and begins to pile it up with all sorts of squggily and squeeshy, and squirming treats and wonders if the eyeballs are genuine as she pops a couple in her mouth.

 

Sinks back against the wall to savor the tastey morsels not quite sure about mingaling about yet.

[Ran Yoko]

Sora was worn out before the party even began. Blackjack thought she should dress like a card dealer from a casino, Xiao thought she should be dressed like a Chinese princess, Jackie thought she should dress like an Eskimo, Foxy suggested a Western outfit. Max thought an English queen, Yue thought a cheerleader.

"Enough!!!!!!" Sora had finally yelled, sending her pets running for cover. She had noticed a pair of revolvers in her closet, and came up with an idea on her own. Jeans, a white T-shirt, a long black trenchcoat, half gloves, and a wide-brimmed cowboy hat.

"I told you she was going to be a cowboy!" Foxy exclaimed.

"I'm a bounty hunter!" Sora said, before opening the door by her bookshelves and flying down to the party.

[Degorram]

Degorram stepped from the shadow of the threshold (making certain she stepped with her right foot first) and blinked in the bright lights of the parlor chandeleir. Her long, wavy hair had changed to a void-shade of black and hung loose at her back. She was clad in a white toga, draped tightly over her shoulder and around her waist. Her face was the only intricate piece of costuming about her, and it was difficult to tell if she was wearing a skull mask or if she had painted her face to imitate KISS. She grinned, baring a wide, toothy smile: it was face paint.

 

"I love halloween," she said to herself as she poured some punch and gulped it down. "A wonderful chance to act like even more of a freak than I already am."

[The Portrait of Zool]

Zool was glad to see some people begin to arrive. He was very pleased at the inventiveness and imagination they used in their costumes! "Why, Mynx came as the Countess!" thought Zool to himself. "How elegantly deadly she looks in that gown!" (Zool didn't know much about anything, but one would be surprised the things one sees and learns just hanging on a wall for a few centuries!)

 

Tanuchan looked positively dangerous in her tiger stripes, and Wyvern looked... Wyvern looked strangely like himself.

 

Despite his costume, Zool paled when Wyvern stated his intention to get the 'paint diffusing insecticide' to cure his 'infestation'. "Uh..! Wyv! No! It's JUST a COSTUME! I'm NOT INFESTED!"

 

Wyvern's many 'technologically advanced wooden arm enhancements', splints and wheels made such a creaking groaning clatter as he scrambled to turn around that he was unfortunately unable to hear what Zool was saying clearly - not to mention the noise of his own avarice. "Don't worry Zool! I'll save you - and be sure to give you the bill! After all, what's one life worth? Let me count the Geld...!" Dollar signs were in his eyes.

 

"Oh bother.." said Zool, then shouted over Wyv's head. "Grimmael! GRIMMAEL!"

 

Grimmael's head turned at the first shout from the food table he was setting up, then dragged himself over. "You screamed, sir?" he said dryly.

 

"Grim, Thank GOD - Wyvern thinks I am infested and is going to get some paint diffusing insecticide to cure me!!"

 

"Now Zool I told you..."

 

"JUST STOP HIM!"

 

Grimmael frowned and stuck his crippled foot in front of the retreating Wyvern. The skateboard wheels jammed tight and Wyvern teetered into a crashing pile.

 

"OWWWW!" yelped Wyvern.

 

"Now do you believe me?" asked Grimmael.

 

"Yes, YES I believe you." Zool grimmaced as Grimmael began peeling off layers of cobwebs. "...but keep some in the corners pleease... I mean... if you think it's okay..."

 

"...medic..." said Wyvern in a strained voice.

 

Zool and Grimmael both looked down at Wyvern. "Heh! Good thing you already had all those splints and bandages on!" said Zool.

 

Wyvern looked up blearily, focusing slowly on Zool's visage. "You... You're not infested anymore...OW!" he said as Grimmael gingerly helped the dazed almost-dragon to his feet.

 

"No, uh... Grim cured me." Suddenly a look of rembering lit his face as he glanced at the massive Conservatory clock on the wall. "Say, isn't it about time for the band to arrive...?"

 

As Zool spoke, a brilliant point of red light suddenly appeared in the center of the conservatory. The point of light expanded into a brilliant portal ringed with fire, out of which stepped as menacing of an entourage as the Pen had ever seen.

 

First out stepped the Lord of the Night. Skin as pale as death, spotlessly dressed in Tux and cape, hair meticulously combed back, teeth and eyes as sharp as impaling spikes. He made a single motion with a hand, and an enormous pipe organ appeared on the stage. Next came a trio of zombie girls to sing backup, chillingly clumsy, revoltingly decayed, wearing dresses that would be HOT on a live woman but only turned the stomach with what they revealed tonight. Then out shuffled the Mummy, bass guitar gripped by the neck. Then came the wolfman, pouncing from place to place and swinging his six-string like an axe.

 

Lastly, came the drummer. Barely squeazing through the portal, accompanied with the stiff smell of sulphur and burning souls, his long horns almost scraping the ceilling and his hooves gouging the floor in a shower of sparks, the Ruler of the Nine Hells trotted heavily to the stage where with another flash of smoke and sparks appeared The Drumset from Hell!

 

"Zool!" exclaimed Grimmael. "What have you done now?!?"

 

"Yeah, I know - the Surfing Druids were booked - but don't worry, these guys came remarkably cheap - though I had to sign some goofy contract - in blood."

 

Just then Satan looked over at Zool and chuckled smugly before going back to tuning up his drums.

 

"The jokes on them though," said Zool to Grimmael from behind his hand. "The 'blood' I signed with is nothing but cheap paint."

 

Grimmael swallowed hard as the band began to play. He doubted heavily if what the blood was made out of mattered at all.

Edited October 24, 2007 by The Portrait of Zool

[Kikuyu_Black_Paws]

Kikuyu stood before her mirror, a long, slender paint brush in hand. The sleeveless, flowing black bards shirt she wore opened in a V across her belly and swept down into a sort of jacket at the back. Her black slacks were adorned with endless colorful scarves, tassles, and ribbons. They swayed and twitched as she moved back and forth, painting the curling runes across shoulders, arms, collar bone, hands, and stomach. Her face she saved for last, etching light blue tendrils around eyes and cheeks. Her lips she tainted slightly blue and she smiled at the effect. Bending she pulled on her boots, which were also covered in scarves and sashes. Buckling her belt low around her hips, she sheathed her ever present weapons into their proper slots. The bells on her ankle and wrist bracelets sang quietly as she glided over to her door. Hair hanging loose around her face, half of it tight in a coiled braid at the back of her head, more bells hanging from this: perfect. Kikuyu grinned and the tatoos under her lashes changed from their stoic grey to bright blue. She strode out into the hall to find Degorram and the costume party.

 

As she entered the room, Kikuyu glanced around the perimeter. Hmmmm, no sign of Dego yet. But there was Zool, Wyvern, Mynx, and some freaky satanic creatures in the background, playing something that she assumed must be music. And then-- oh wait! There was Dego, standing at the punch bowl and slurping down (from the look of the empty plastic cups littering the table around her) yet another glass of the 'toxic' brew. Kikuyu sashayed up to her twin and leaned against the table next to her. "Well, Dego, it looks like you spent some time on your costume."

 

Dego glanced at her sister and grinned eerily yet again. "And yourself." She glanced with amusement at the nervous Grimmael. "What do you think's wrong with him?"

 

Kikuyu shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe we should go check it out." She emphasized her words with a cruel, wide-eyed grin.

 

Dego laughed and nodded. "Aye, lets give him a hand!"

 

With identical mischevious grins, Kikuyu and Dego reared up behind Grimmael and Zool, prepared to bring some Halloween joy to their host...

[Wyvern]

Wyvern groans and rubs one of his aching horns, leaning against his rickety 'professional skateboard equipment' and cursing over his foiled act of artist-unfriendly heroism. The overgrown lizard's groan is not pain-induced, but rather associated to the zombie band's lumbering rendition of "Great Balls of Mire," which stinks in more ways than one. Wyvern winces and grits his teeth as he passes by a few spots of wet swamp water that the band seems to be tossing around, not wanting to come into contact with any H2O. He turns his head as he notices Grimmael getting an unusual amount of female attention, with an oddly familiar-looking skull-faced girl and Kikuyu in her flowing bards shirt both approaching the servant. Wyvern zones out for a moment as his beady eyes focus on the way Kikuyu's shirt emphasizes her "scarves," but snaps out of his trance after getting some odd looks and loud throat-clearing sounds. He raises a bandaged claw to greet the two gals with a goofy grin, then turns to mingle with the rest of the party-goers, ever-cautious of the swamp water puddles that dot the floor.

 

"Heyyy, Ssssora!" Wyvern hobbles forward and raises one of his 'technologically advanced wooden arm crutches' towards Sora Hikari, who stands next to the Conservatory's entrance. "Nice cowboy outfit you got there."

 

"I'm a bounty hunter!"

 

"Right." Wyvern grins awkwardly towards Sora, then gestures to her to enter. "Come on in, and don't mind the musssic. I'm sure the band will be finishing their rendition of 'Alwaysss Tear us Apart' soon."

 

Wyvern grumbles as a zombie band member with a leg where an arm should be clashes down on a cymbal to accentuate his last word. The overgrown lizard retreats in the direction of the party lounge area, where he notices Mynx and Tanuchan chatting near a Conservatory couch.

 

"Hiya Mynx and... Tanny?" Wyvern raises a brow and tilts his head, examining Tanuchan as if she were a piece of abstract art. He reaches down and adjusts one of his arm casts so that his claw is touching his chin in a "thinking lizard" posture. "Is there a contessst going on for 'costume with the most festive colorsss'? Cus' if there is, I'd really like to talk to you about booking some odds in favor of your current look, if ya get my drift..."

 

Tanuchan stares glumly at Wyvern, then glumly at Mynx. A long moment of silence passes before the reptilian Elder forces an awkward rasp of a laugh.

 

"Ehaahawhaw, errr... Wait right there, I'll uhhh... I'll get ya galsss some punch. Heh."

 

Wyvern slinks away as well as one can slink when bandaged, in casts, and with wooden crutch-trolleys. As he moves towards the party's food table, two of the zombie band members begin losing limbs from their intense performances on triangle chime and wind flute respectively. Wyvern ignores the hand and the disfigured head that land near the food table as he spots Silver Wind dressed in a nice witch number, alone and snacking near a wall. He claps his claws together and hobbles up to her with a wide toothy grin.

 

"Ssssilver Wind, great to see you here! How's tri-"

 

Wyvern pauses and glances down as the disfigured zombie head rolls to a halt at his feet. Silver Wind stares down at the head as well, frowning and twisting her nose in distaste.

 

"Well, I guessss we should sweep that up. Good thing you've got a broom on hand." Wyvern glances at the remainder of the zombie band, then back at Silver Wind. "If ya'd like, we could also 'sweep the rug' after that, if ya know what I mean. That is, IF these zombie bozos know any actual dance tunes."

[Silver WInd]

Though she prefers the Surfing Druids, always been a fan of their stuff, and thought she had heard they might be here, she decides maybe these Zombie fellows were not THAT bad, and digs the music as she enjoys her squishy snacks. When a certain reptilian creature would start to slither up toward the food table. At first she eyes Wyvern with some suspicion, but there was just something about him that tended to grow on you after a while, and she could not help but to smile and nod her head in greeting.

 

She was about to make some remark upon his peculiar looking costume when she would be stopped as the head came to roll just at her feet. Glancing down a moment. Well there goes my appetite for the evening she thought with a shake of her head when she would glance back up to Wyvern. "I parked my broom outside" She would say, though furrowed her brows slightly a bit distraught at the idea of using her broom as a common cleaning utensil.

 

She cocked her head at his next suggestion, and wondered if she ought to refuse, but now that she could not eat, what else were there to do, and what could she say, she did enjoy a good dance, she had to admit. "Sounds like a plan."

[Wyvern]

"Ssssplendid." Wyvern grins at Silver Wind with a slightly bashful expression, then kicks the disfigured zombie head like a football to clear it away from the dining area. The head, now even more disfigured, lands in Sora Hikari's arms. "Dancing it isss! Just a moment."

 

Wyvern jerks in the direction of the zombie band, careful not to tip over his 'technologically advanced wooden arm enhancements and professional skateboarding equipment.' He raises a brow as the Lord of the Night on pipe organ leans into a cobweb-covered microphone and speaks with a smooth radio announcer voice:

 

"Thank you. We are Hootie and the Rulers of the Nine Hells. Up next, the smooth sounds of 'My Ghoul' and 'Sold his Soul to Hell (Zool Edit).' We're also taking organ donations for our lovely backup singers, just drop them off in the coffin next to the stage. And now... 'My Ghoul.'"

 

Wyvern creaks his neck to stare up at the ceiling and rolls his eyes as the haunting chords of "My Ghoul" begin engulfing the Conservatory. He lets the mummy bassist play a few notes before carefully raising one of his feet and stomping it on the ground.

 

"Come on boyssss!" Wyvern yells and snaps a claw, pointing in the direction of the band. The music pauses for a moment. "Hit it!"

 

The zombie band members all scratch their heads and turn towards one another in confusion. They then pick up spiked clubs and turn to their keyboardist, a hunchback midget with a nametag reading "It."

 

"Oh no no no!" Wyvern raises his claws, then grumbles and stomps his foot on the ground again to get the band's attention. "I mean play some upbeat dance musssic."

 

The zombie band members turn to each other again and mumble amongst themselves for a moment before the wolfman lets out a long howl and begins playing the first chords of 'The Tombstone Shuffle' on his six-string axe. The other members of Hootie and the Rulers of the Nine Hells follow suite.

 

"Alllriiiiiiggggghhhhhttt!" Wyvern shifts his arms to the sky, then turns to Silver Wind with a gleeful look in his eyes. "OK Silver Wind, let's see watcha got."

 

With that, Wyvern begins dancing as best as he can given his current costume, which amounts to tiny motions to left and to the right.

[Silver WInd]

Stands back and waits for the music to get started, and a good dance tune to pick up, but begins to wonder if it is hopeless when the band moves all charge at their keybordasit so named It, and are about ready to pouund him to pulp. Winces and braces for the sight, when at the last minitue he is saved as Wyvern calls them back.

 

Eyes the coffin a moment and wonders, if they have gotten any donations yet when at last a tune begins to pick up. Wonders, of the Wolfman's six string axe really isa guitar, or acutally an axe with six strings tied to it, before turning to join Wyvern upon the dance floor.

 

Smiles seeing the look within his eyes as he begins to dance as much as he can within the space provided and the restritions of his costume as she begins to get down with the music with the Witches Twist. "Now this is a party."

[Kikuyu_Black_Paws]

Kikuyu paused in her conversation with Grimmael to glance over at Wyvern and Silver Wind. She stared boldly for a moment, watching them boogie on the dance floor, before she allowed a wry grin to twist her lips. Dego glanced at her twin sister with a raised brow. "I know that look, and I like it," she said, her mouth twisting as well into a wild smile. She followed her sister's gaze to fix on Wyvern and Silver Wind. She frowned. "What're you looking at?"

 

"You see what I see, don't you?" Kikuyu purred.

 

"Aye?"

 

Kikuyu nibbled on one of her long nails, eyes hooded with thought. "Let's get some more punch. And after that, I'm afraid we'll have to do some...cutting in. We owe Wyvern a visit."

 

Dego's eyes lit up and the twins grabbed two cups of punch. They stepped out onto the dance floor, completely unnoticed by the unfortunate Wyvern.

 

Silver Wind blinked as the two tall twins appeared suddenly on either side of the Almost-Dragonic salesman. Wyvern gave out a small squeak like a badly squeezed accordian. The girls were gripping him rather tightly by the arms. The dragon smiled up at them. "Hello galsss!" he hissed. "Sssome lively dancing, isssn't it?"

 

Degorram smiled at Wyvern a little too icily. "Sorry Wyv, we're going to have to borrow you for a moment!"

 

Kikuyu grinned with slitted eyes at Silver Wind. "I really do apologize for stealing your dance partner, but we'll bring him back in a flash!"

 

"Whatsss this about, huh?"

 

"We're just going to go talk about the organ donations," Degorram growled as they pivoted and led Wyvern off of the dance floor. "Won't take a second!"

 

Kikuyu and Degorram planted Wyvern on the other side of the room, towering above him with identical spooky glares. Wyvern glanced between them with a faint smile. "What? C'mon, I haven't sssnuck into anyone'sss room lately! I haven't even sssssniffed a Sssstealth-Sprite, and I sssaid I was ssorry for the sscream machine! What else could I have possibly done!?" Wyvern silently went back in his head to try and think of what it might be before the girls (now legendary for their persuasive manners in the art of reminding) decided to refresh his memory.

 

Kikuyu grinned. "You're not in trouble, Wyv. We just wanted to congratulate you. Wasn't it you who brought the insecticide? Anyway, this party is a real...what's the word...blast!"

 

Degorram grinned too.

 

Wyvern glanced between the two girls. "That'sss it?"

 

Degorram nodded, her grin still plastered to her face. "That's it. You can go back to your dance partner, we shan't bother you again!"

 

Wyvern headed back to the dance floor, shrugging. A silly grin came onto his own face as he turned back to look at the twins who waggled their fingers at him, their faces still stretched into grins. Maybe they were finally beginning to trust hi--

 

Something exploded on Wyvern's back, spraying him with red powder. Wyvern coughed wildly as the cumin found its way into his nose, his eyes watering. Degorram and Kikuyu were roaring with laughter. Kikuyu was actually on the floor, her eyes tearing as she laughed so hard she could not breathe. "Happy Halloween Wyvern!" Kikuyu roared. "Almost-Dragonic-Brand-Pepper-Bombs™! I found them in your room!"

 

Wyvern blinked as he rubbed his stinging eyes. He was about to come up with a good comeback when Silver Wind dragged him back onto the dance floor. "Come on, pepper-boy," she laughed. "Let's dance!"

 

Kikuyu and Degorram leaned against each other, still laughing and wiping their eyes, as they made their way to the wall where other pennites were lounging. Still giggling, they planted themselves on the long stretch of plaster, watching as Wyvern picked up where he had left off with Silver Wind, still choking, but muttering to himself calculations of pepper-bomb sales.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Kikuyu Black Paws

[Patrick]

Tanny, in her CheerMynx costume, giggled and pointed at a flower. "Pretty!!"

Mynx' voice was amused as she commented, “Close, Wuffie. Just remember to add the word totally or like beforehand. Or both!” she grinned.

The wolf-feline grimaced, and mumbled. “I’ll never get it right! I’m not a blonde, to start with!”

 

“You’re doing rather well, Wuffie.... or should I say CheerWuffie?”

 

Tanny laughed, and glanced at her friend. “Careful with the hem of your dress, Kitty. You’ll get them either soiled or all trampled” As the feline sighed and picked them up, Tanny shook her head,”No no.... you seem to be grabbing a mop in each hand! There, like this...” she corrected Mynx’ hands, “Now graciously lift your dress just enough to not let the hem touch the ground, and just enough to show your shoes.”

“Shoes?” Mynx lifted the dress higher to display her noticeably feline paws. “I’m not exactly designed for shoes.”

“We could make some?” Tanny suggested, receiving only a growl in response that made her laugh.

 

Giggling, they passed just under the oak at the Courtyard. A soft, querying “Hoot?” greeted them, and Tanny looked up.

 

“Heya, Patham!” Mynx waved, grinning, “Aren’t you coming to the Halloween party?”

 

Patham blinked sleepily, making Tanny grin wickedly.

 

“Pretty!! Awww, you’re totally, like, soft and fluffy! You’ll have so totally fun in there!”

 

Patham blinked faster, completely taken aback, and couldn’t react in time as Tanny jumped lightly and grabbed his feet. He flapped his wings, gasping, but soon found himself held tightly by four hands.

 

“A pink bow!” From a pouch, Tanny produced a length of bright-pink ribbon, and deftly tied it around Patham’s neck. Mynx giggled, adding some sparkling effect to it. The loops of the bow appeared right above the owl’s head, and the tails fell daintly across its chest.

 

“And I’ll call you Fluffy!” Tanny petted Patham, who started to protest but was muffled by a tight hug.

 

“That does remind me of foxes...” Mynx winked at Patham, who was finally coming out of his dazed state.

 

“Hoot? Hoot hoot hoot!!” He protested, flapping wings so wildly that Tanny sneezed. Mynx grabbed him before he could fly, and sensed him trying to shapechange.

 

“Oh, not right now, Patham.... I think you need some fun, you’ve been too attached to your perch in that oak lately. C’mon, this will be a perfect opportunity! At the very least, hopefully you won’t end up attacked by flying tangerines. Death of Rats will find something else, I’m quite sure of it....”

 

“Mmm... we can’t harness an owl, can we?” Tanny pondered, and Mynx nodded.

 

“Maybe tie his feet?”

 

“Jesses!”

 

Grinning, Mynx added bright pink-colored leather jesses to Patham’s feet, and Tanny clapped her hands.

 

“Cool! That’s so totally fun, Fluffy! We can play as falconeer and her bird!”

 

An unenthusiastic “Hoot” from Patham confirmed that he was not yet as excited as Tanny and Mynx. Or maybe he was still just half-asleep. Fully waking up for an owl was never something easy.

 

But still…it could be fun.

[The Portrait of Zool]

The Portrait of Zool, hanging from his wall in his portraitured state, was unable to join the revelry around him, but he was having a good time anyway, doing what portraits do - aside from grinning like death under a mask of dust and cobwebs against a midnight background with fog spilling out and around...

 

He watched amusedly as Kikuyu and Dego abducted Wyvern, and laughed uproariously as the cumin bomb went off sending Wyvern into a fit of coughing - then Zool caught a whiff of the cumin himself and... had... to... "AH-Choo!!" The cumin cloud had spread right up to Zool's portrait! Dust, cobwebs, and fog billowed from the painting as Zool went into a fit of sneezes, which in turn reinforced further sneezing. Fortunately, the loud music covered most of the noise, though anyone who happened to look up at that time saw an apoplectic Zool jerking and twitching in seemingly unceasing sneezes. It was such a sight that Grimmael almost smiled.

 

Ha! What a great party! (Ah-choo!)

[Peredhil]

Peredhil wandered in to the Conservatory. In one hand was a long spear. The shaft appeared to be black wood bound with mithril, while the foot-long head shimmered through its sheath so brightly that it dazzled the eye.

Uncharacteristically, the half-elf wore mithril-washed chainmail, a gleaming helm of steel, and a silver shield set with white stars. The chain skirting, bound at waist with a white-shell decorated belt of silver scales, fell to just above green leather boots.

On his finger gleamed a ring with a large sapphire stone, for Ereinion, called Gil-galad, , although he'd given Narya to Cirdan, had not yet passed Vilya on to Elrond when he bore Aeglos to the Last Alliance.

 

Heading over, he Politely greeted his host and waited for the sneezing to stop so he could thank Zool for the invitation.

[Wyvern]

"Hoooo boy..." Wyvern grits his teeth as the cumin begins finding its way to his snout, still following Silver Wind by the hand and moving back onto the dancefloor. A trail of red dust sprinkles from the lizard's tail and puffs from his scales left and right. "Awwww geeze. Of all the dirty... *sniffle.* Errrrk."

 

Wyvern comes to a sudden halt, scratching at his snout and trying to remove the traces of cumin powder surrounding it. Silver Wind takes Wyvern's stop as a signal to start dancing again, and goes straight back into her impressive rendition of the Witch's Twist.

 

"Uhhh, S-Silver Wind? Maybe I should go get a-"

 

Wyvern's eyes fix themselves on Silver Wind's graceful motions, and he goes still as the twists and curves of her dance mesmerize him. Once the overgrown lizard snaps from his trance, it's already too late. He sniffles loudly, then grabs Silver Wind by the hand and twists her far to the right in a dance maneuver, aiming his snout to the left as he lets out an monstrous sneeze. A huge gush of flames fires from his mouth as his sinuses once again get the best of him. The flames fly by the other party-goers harmlessly, but crash against the cobwebbed wall where Zool's Portrait sits. Fortunately, the ultra-absorbant cobwebs surrounding Zool douse the flames in their entirety. Unfortunately, the webs themselves are reduced to ash and render Zool's costume that much less sinister.

 

"Ssshhhoot."

 

Wyvern starts sniffling again as more cumin reaches his nostrils. The overgrown lizard frowns as Silver Wind swerves back in front of him in the dance, then quickly lifts her off of her feet and holds her in the air with trembling claws. He lets out another enormous sneeze under her legs, the resulting flames soaring in the direction of the band's stage. The female zombie backup singers are burnt to a crisp as the fireball explodes upon impact. The Lord of the Night begins playing his organ faster, driven by the flames surrounding him, which results in a stronger dance tune. Wyvern coughs black smoke and lifts his snout to the sky to clear his nostrils... only to get a knee to the face!

 

"Owww!" Wyvern sets Silver Wind down with a grunt. She promptly places her hands on her hips and frowns while the overgrown lizard grumbles and rubs his cheek. "I wassn't staring up yer skirt, I ssswear!"

 

Wyvern snorts... then sniffles, then sniffles and snorts again. He lifts both of his claws to his snout, the distinct itch of cumin in his nostrils.

 

"Dangitall." Wyvern's eyes grow slightly wider with each sniffle, escalating to a frantic state. "Is there a flame warder in the house?!?!"

[Degorram]

"Erm, Kikuyu," Degorram said, raising one of her eyebrows. "Flame alert."

 

"What?" Kikuyu asked, turning from the corner that she had been wheezing into. Her mouth was still twisted into a sadistic grin and she was panting slightly from laughing so hard.

 

Degorram lifted one of her pale arms and pointed to the hazardous Wyvern. "The cumin has proved to be disasterous." As she spoke the lizard lifted his dancer partner off her feet and let out another catastrophic sneeze, incinerating zombies and cobwebs alike.

 

"Drat." Kikuyu grumbled. "Better go get him some punch."

 

"I'll do it," Degorram said. "You stand there and look dignified or....something." She walked over to the punch bowl and ladeled out another cup lazily as flames continued to shoot around her. Downing the first glass she smacked her lips, enjoying the fruity flavor with relish. Another cupful entered her mouth when Kikuyu screamed at her "GET ON WITH IT!!!"

 

Sniggerin, Degorram hurriedly filled another glass and walked towards Wyvern, who was holding both hands tightly over his smoking nose and mouth. "Here....."

 

"ACHOOOOO!!!!"

 

The flames flew about Degorram in a fury of heat and cumin-scented air. When it stopped, the punch had been vaporized in her hand and her toga, once white, was now a charcoal black. Her skin was red hot, and it slowly cooled back to its normal, painted colors.

 

"That was epic," she said with a small smile. "Shall I get more punch?"

[Venefyxatu]

"OOooooooooohhh... shiny!" Tanny giggled and pointed at the spear in Peredhil's hand, the movement jerking Patham almost off his perch on her arm. "Pretty and totally, like, shiny... soooooo bright too!" Her eyes examined the ring, and she promptly scampered towards Peredhil.

 

"Ooh no you won't!" Mynx tugged at Tanny's tail. "I will not be stuck here! I think the Blood Countess needs a dance!" She brightened, and followed Tanny towards Peredhil.

 

Tanny giggled, then slapped Mynx' rump again, hissing, "Your tail! Can't you ever remember that? And don't stalk like a cat, you have to walk slowly and regally!"

 

Mynx' glare sent Tanny in a fit of giggling, to which Mynx promptly replied, "Higher pitch, and louder! You're too contained for CheerMynx, dearie...."

 

Patham hooted, not completely happy at being constantly jerked around, but he had to admit that it was a good way to awake completely. He was sure that he could have thought of something fun to do, if only he could wake up properly...

 

Tanny rolled her eyes, and then gave Mynx a bright smile. "Kitty dear, I think I have just the perfect dancing partner for you...."

 

With a toothy grin and a complete disregard for Mynx' suddenly suspicious look, Tanny tugged at a familiar link in the back of her mind.

 

::Stephen! Wake up, you lazy Ranger! I have something fun for you to do!::

 

She felt the grumbling, then Stephen Hascodem answered in a hiss, ::Wolf-Lady, you have just managed to make me jump and scare a most interesting rabbit away!::

 

::What, are you now hunting rabbits for dinner in the Pen grounds?!::

 

::I was trying to study its habits!::

 

::Since when you study rabbits? Oh nevermind, Stephen... grab a White Rabbit costume and come to the Conservatory!::

 

::Have you got any idea how many rabbits that would take? Not to mention converting them into a costume? I'll be there in a month or so ...::

 

The silence that came back over their mindlink was enough to make Stephen forget his irritation at the interruption and make him chuckle. Curious about what Tanny was up to, he decided he'd follow her advice ... somewhat. Since he didn't have a white rabbit costume lying around and he wasn't about to actually take a month to create one, he'd have to come up with something different. After pondering for a little while, an idea struck him and he got up to gather some branches. When he had what he wanted, he made his way to Tanny's cottage and pillaged it for some more items.

 

When he'd put on the ragged clothes and tied two sticks to his legs to keep them stiff, he swore softly, realizing that he'd forgotten one minor detail. It was physically impossible for him to tie a stick behind his back to his own arms ... Thinking this through a little he came up with a different plan. He put the carved pumpkin on his head, took off the shirt again, put one of the sticks he had left through the sleeves and tied it perpendicular to another one, after which he tied it to his torso behind his back. This took some minor acrobatics and several attempts, but in the end he succeeded. When he finally somehow managed to get his arms through the sleeves without tearing the shirt further he heaved a sigh of relief.

 

"Next time she wants me to dress up she'll have to do it herself ..."

 

With these muttered words he started making his way to the Conservatory.

 

 

As soon as Stephen stepped into the Conservatory, Tanny bounced over to him. He couldn't as much see her as hear... and he was pretty startled at what he heard.

 

"Hiiiiii ranger!! It's so totally cool for you to be here! And see, you are in, like, such totally cute costume! Are you the Great Pumpkin that comes on Halloween?? Awww... so totally inspiring, you need just some cute little dog like Snoopy to so totally rock!!"

 

Stephen blinked and coughed.

 

"T-t-tanny?! What did they do to you?"

 

::C'mon, Ranger... of course it's me... just have a bit of fun, huh?::

 

Tanny giggled in his mind, thankfully like herself and not the cheerleader she was supposedly faking, which made Stephen a tiny bit calmer. He heard Mynx approaching, and in his mind Tanny described her costume. He would have stared at the countess-clad cat if he could, but he got a good idea from Tanny's deliberately funny description.

 

A soft 'hoot' told Stephen that Patham was also there, and from the specific tone of the hooting he wasn't completely enjoying his costume... which seemed to be connected to the CheerWolf bouncing with him firmly secured by the bright pink jesses.

 

"Oh Ranger you'll so totally love the dancing! The Bloody Countess here so totally rocks in her, like, totally pretty dress!"

 

Mynx growled softly as Tanny tugged her arm and hissed for her ears only, "Stop trying to smooth your dress, it is perfect! And do not stalk, I've already told you that!"

 

Stephen figured that Tanny's suggestion wasn't half bad - dancing with Mynx would, while uncomfortable due to the sticks, at least get him away from a suddenly very bouncy and giggle wolf pretending to be a blonde cat.

 

With a bow towards where he could sense Mynx, he asked, "Lady Countess, shall we dance?" Moments later, they were dancing away ... Mynx quite gracefully, if somewhat restricted by the dress, and Stephen ... well ... scarecrows really don't dance too well ...

[Kikuyu_Black_Paws]

Kikuyu finally stopped laughing (renewed of course by Degorram's "epic" encounter) hard enough to make her way over to help Wyvern pour the entire punch bowl down his throat. The gasping dragon steamed and shook slightly as the punch boiled in his stomach. He glared past watering eyes at Kikuyu before him. "Nice one," he sniffled. "I'll have to treat you to ssssome of my own Halloween tricksssss."

 

Kikuyu's face turned a strange color behind her Woad tattooing as she covered her mouth to stifle more laughter. "Sure thing," she wheezed. "I'm looking forward to it."

 

Wyvern sniffed a final time, perhaps trying to seem indignant at her passive lack of fear, or perhaps clearing the last of the cumin from his nostrils.

 

Kikuyu lounged against the refreshment table, snagging a bat shaped cookie and biting a wing off. This party wasn't bad at all...

[Venefyxatu]

[OOC : Co-written with Blby, who made a great writing partner![/ooc]

 

~~~~

 

 

Blby sighed and crawled out of his necromancer costume, and leaving it where it was curled up next to it, under a sidetable. This was just too frustrating. He'd gotten eliminated and thrown out of the other game and his costume wasn't any good and it was just too much. He let out a sad little meep and curled up tighter.

 

Passing by the Conservatory to see if anything interesting was going on or would be going on in the near future, Venefyxatu thought he saw some movement under one of the tables. Since he vaguely remembered there had been some sort of ninja stealth sprite infestation he decided to check it out - after all, those things had apparently been quite a bother to get rid of.

To his surprise and relief, instead of ninja stealth sprites, he found a guinea pig that had arrived only recently with what seemed to be some sort of costume ...

 

Blby was just settling in for a good pout when he heard a noise. Wiggle jump, scurry? His body lengthened with excitement and emotion. Who was it and what did they want? Were they stopping here by accident or was the person stopping here to see him. Stick head out and risk being caught by a hawk? Better to stay under the table for a moment. Still, the body was taut and curious and the whiskers sniffed the air.

 

Finally it occured to Blby to speak "Hello?"

 

Smiling slightly, Venefyxatu looked down from where the voice had come. When he saw nothing, he looked a little more carefully and saw the whiskers sticking out from under the tablecloth.

"Talking whiskers ... how fascinating. Hello there."

 

What to do? Where to go? Friendliness! Speak (not hide?) No, speak. Feeling vulnerable!

A small black streak scuttled, fast as it could, out from under the table and zoomed up the leg of a nearby terminator suit. He dodged under its cloak and up, into the head. The eyes lit up and a small black whiskery nose came out." Squea.....I mean, hello!"

 

Venefyxatu frowned briefly, then blinked. He blinked again, and took another look at the terminator suit. That was the most interesting way he'd ever seen for a small creature to move around.

"Erm ... that's a nice ... suit ... you have there?"

 

"Well, I'm a rather little guy, and I'm trying to be a necromancer. But, I don't think small things tend to be all that intimidating. How bad does this look? Should I go to the Halloween party like this or curl up under a table? ... "I don't" talking too much, stop, hide....trying to be social "I don't mean to sulk, just I'm not sure. eEEep?"

 

"Hmmm ... Do you want me to be honest?"

 

He assumed the brief wigglefuss meant yes.

 

"Well ... it could probably use a little work, but that doesn't mean you need to hide, you know. Besides, I've seen a lot of scary small things ..."

 

Blby shivered slightly still not running, talking, extended conversation, quite proud of myself really "Small and scary? I might like to be small and scary. I tend to be small and easily ignored. I'm too nervous to scare anything. Would it help if my cloak were red not black?" *Blby flashes the eyes of his suit again and lowers the voice slightly. "But were you impressed by the costume, and could you tell that I am a"...he paused for effect.... a Necromancer!"

 

When Blby announced his costume in such a dramatic manner, Venefyxatu took a step backwards. When he replied, it was impossible to tell from his voice whether he was being serious ...

 

"Really? So you're the one I saw earlier - I half expected an army of skeletons and zombies to follow you, too."

 

Blby preened and fattened happily. "Really? Now if I could just find some!"

 

He took a few steps in his costume, perhaps trying to skip. The steps did echo, but their stumbling stride rather spoiled the effect. With unexpected speed, Venefyxatu moved aside to avoid the skipping terminator costume.

 

"Perhaps we could make you look like one? I'm sure it would look perfect with your black cloak, too."

 

look like what? an army of zombies? funny, but surely not. He probably means make me look like a necromancer....Damn, maybe I don't already. Still, this dude is pretty creepy. I bet he's good. "You can make me look like a real necromancer? *Blby dashed in circles for a moment inside the terminator head, occasionally scurrying over the microphone* "I'd love that!!" wheee! I wonder if necromancers eat lettuce

 

"Like a real necromancer ... well ... we're not always very scary you know. I was more thinking along the lines of a zombie, or a ghost. Or maybe a skeleton."

 

He got an idea and paused briefly.

 

"Hey, have you seen the Death of Rats?"

 

speedy, whisker twitchThe skeleton rat? He's very cool!

 

"How about we dress you up as him?"

 

Blby wiggled. "SQUEAK" Oh funfunfun!

 

Suddenly grinning, Venefyxatu added, "And perhaps we could dress him up as you, although that might take just a little more convincing. Perhaps if you'd borrow him one of your suits?"

 

"You might tell him not to bring the tangerine cannon next time. It was rather disturbing."

 

"Hmm ... you make a good point there. I'll make sure to tell him that. Would you like to try out your new costume?"

 

"Umm, squeak, how would you make me look like a bony rat? I mean I still want to keep my flesh."

 

The Nether mage answered with another grin, "Don't worry - I do more with my magic than walking around raising armies of undead. Let's start by making everything that's not your skeleton invisible?"

 

"You walk around with armies of undead?!!" HIdeRUN! Do undead fit under tables?

The suit ran around the room in clear terror and then paused in the doorway. Panting sounds came from the microphone.

 

It was hard to contain his laughter, and he didn't quite succeed. "No, not here at least ... there's nothing interesting to conquer here."

 

"Please please please don't bring an army to the party. I promise there will be nothing to conquer. You can even have my suit if you want. Just don't conquer me!"

 

That was too much - Venefyxatu started laughing outright. "Don't worry little one - I wouldn't fit inside your suit. Also, unless something goes very, very wrong, which I've never known to happen, no armies will invade this place."

 

Then, with a snicker he added, "Or conquer its residents."

 

Blby, nodded meekly, a funny gesture on a guinea pig. "Then I guess I would like to go as the Death of Rats. By the way, since you control skeletons and he's a skeleton, could you control him?

 

"Hah; I doubt he'd let me! If you like I can try to control you, but something tells me you'd prefer it if I didn't. Now, if you'll wait here for a few moments, I think I have something for you."

 

With that, Venefyxatu opened a quick portal and stepped through. There were some rummaging sounds from the other side, after a while followed by a muffled "A-ha! I knew I had one." Moments later, he returned and closed the portal behind him.

"Would you be willing to step onto my hand?"

 

Blby watched the proceedings in semi-shock "This is all happening rather fast don't you think" he muttered to himself as Venefyxatu disappeared. He scurried into his suit and returned moments later with some hay. calm peace, chew, chew, chew. No hawks here, just a real live scary necromancer who doesn't have any armies of zombies. But,.... suddenly a thought popped into Blby's head and when Venefyxatu returned to the room he saw Blby running in circles on the rug squeaking madly "He could control me! he could control me!"

 

"Don't worry ... I'm not going to take you anywhere unless you tell me to. Which would make you control me I guess."

 

Blby shook himself when he saw the shadow of the necromancer return. "Step onto your hand? Ooo..okay, but please don't pick me up. It's VERY upsetting.”

 

Venefyxatu lowered his hand for the small rodent and held still as Blby walked on, trembling violently from head to toe, but not running or hiding anywhere

 

"I won't pick you up ... this will just make it easier to do the magic. Just relax and hold still."

 

Deciding it would probably be best for Blby's nerves if he didn't compare it to using fairy dust of dead fairies, the Nether mage calmly started moving his free hand in circles over the guinea pig, leaving a soft glow in the air where his fingertips passed. With a few softly muttered words, he made a gesture as though he was pulling something upwards, upon which most of Blby spontaneously became transparent, leaving only his skeleton visible.

 

"There you go ... you can step off again if it's more comfortable."

 

Blby pondered all of this “So now I just need a small scythe. Maybe even an Almost Draconic one would do. I'm told that they don't work, but I don't need it to work ...

Thank you so much! Are you going to this party?"

 

At the mentioning of an Almost Dragonic product, Venefyxatu became even more pale than he already was.

 

"Erm ... I hate to do this to Wyvern, but I would advise against Almost Dragonic products. Remember I had something for you?"

 

When Blby produced another nod, Venefyxatu took something from one of his pockets. It appeared to be a small scythe that looked almost like that of a certain skeleton rat.

 

"This was once given to me as being a replica of the scythe of Death himself. I'm still not sure whether it's true, but I kept it anyway ..."

 

"Wow, and I can borrow it? I wonder if it's magical"! A guinea pig set of bones did a leap into the air at the thought of this. "Chirpchiprchirp!"

 

"Feel free to use it as long as you need."

[Wyvern]

Wyvern gags and hacks up a bit of punch, the excess fructose making sloshing sounds in his reptilian stomach. He blows some wet ashes from his snout and wipes them on the snack counter next to the dessert tray, killing a few appetites in the process. The overgrown lizard raises an apologetic claw to Degorram as she passes by, mumbling something about how she looks good in black and how her skin was hot to begin with anyway. The reptilian Elder then turns to Kikuyu and gives her an evil eye, a wide smirk slowly making its way over his snout.

 

"Y'know what Kikuyu? Forget about the trickss, I'm gonna give you a Halloween treat for a change." Wyvern hobbles over to Kikuyu's resting spot and spreads his wings with as much bravado as he can muster, which doesn't amount to much given the wooden props that his wings rest on. "A danceoff! You, me, and the half-incinerated band. Right here, right now. Preferably before any more inssstruments burn down. Let'sss do it!"

 

Wyvern grabs Kikuyu by the hand and begins pulling her towards the dancefloor, hobbling in overdrive in the hopes of reaching the dance area before the band's rousing rendition of "Undead to Me" is over. His pushes forward as he notices Mynx and Stephen grooving on the dancefloor, not seeing the puddle of swamp water that rests on the floor in front of him. Wyvern grits his teeth as he suddenly slips over the wet spot, losing his balance and pulling Kikuyu down with him...

 

;-)

[Degorram]

A loud almost-dragonic whoop called Degorram's attention around once more. She had just been having a staring contest with one of the portraits on the wall, and as she turned the tiny knight in the picture squeaked "I win! I win!"

 

The shape shifter walked over to the tangled pile that was Kikuyu and Wyvern, both now sopping with marsh water. Wyvern was incidentally sitting on Kikuyu's stomach, and Degorram wondered if he had actually fought to land on top of the accident or had gotten there by chance.

 

"You're always in the most interesting places Wyv."

[Kikuyu_Black_Paws]

Kikuyu wheezed for breath, the dragon's weight pushing down uncomfortably on her abdomen and making stars dance before her eyes. Kikuyu pushed herself up on her elbows. Her druid paint was smeared all up her left arm. The slashing, dripping blue sworls dripping down her arm only enhanced the wet-rat, severly angry Kikuyu image. Her hair soggy and curling rapidly in the humidity, Kikuyu rolled onto her side, dumping Wyvern off of her stomach. The dragon, as unfortunate for him as it might have been, according to Degorram's enlightened statement, slipped in the water again and fell back to further entangle himself in Kikuyu's hair.

 

Grimacing with pain, Kikuyu loomed over Wyvern, her eyes slits of humorous rage. "I'm wet, Wyv," she said.

 

Wyvern grinned up at her, unabashed. "I ssswear thisss wass not part of my plan." The dragon tried to get up, yanking his horns which in turn yanked on Kikuyu's hair. The ninja yelped and grabbed Wyvern's head. "Don't move!" she growled. "That hurts! Somebody call an ambulence! Or a firetruck!"

 

"Maybe we ssshould just cut--" Wyvern immediately stopped this line of thought as Kikuyu turned practically glowing eyes on him. He could imagine smoke coming from her mouth and fire shooting out of her eyes. "Ambulence! Firetruck!" he yelled.