d a r r i u s

“Creativity in Hollywood has gone down the drain.” She rolled her eyes. Every single entertainment company wanted to rebrand the past and it usually always fell short. Jo made sure she watched her step and was careful. She believed in the paranormal but she didn’t want any souls following her home. “The woods huh? Maybe we should check it out one day… if we survive this one.” She was up for the challenge. “I just don’t want to be stepping on somebody’s memaw’s resting spot you feel? They might have immortality and we don’t know it.”

"You're not wrong," he said through a smile. There were more and more remakes, more and more sequels, and he supposed that it made sense. After all, eventually ideas ran out over time. But that didn't mean that every movie needed to be the new version of an old movie, sometimes new things could be fun, too. "Happily. The chapel makes for a really pretty spot, with the creek nearby, the trees this time of year are so beautiful… you almost forget that you're standing near a bunch of gravestones." Almost, since they were right there, anyway. "I get you," he stepped carefully along the path, hands in his pockets, "this one's pretty cut and dry, though. Graves where they're supposed to be," although he paused, looking over at Jordyn, "I think, anyway. I guess if things pre-date recording, you never know."

"It could be both, great for making our minds really think, bad if there's anything that jumps out at me." At least Eliana was being honest, she wasn't someone who liked the idea of someone or something jumping out at her. Glancing up at Darrius she laughed, "Well that makes two of us, I haven't done one in a long time, like to wait till they switch things up because they can only hide clues in so many places." she said as they headed up towards the line. "We get 60 minutes to get everything solved, think between two that's more than enough time... I don't want to be the one on the wall of unsolved."

"You're going to sacrifice me?" he asked without missing a beat, looking over at Eliana. Not that he could really blame her, wasn't that half of the reason that people took company with them to these things, so that someone else could make you look good if they were more scared? Well, that and relying on someone else's brain to help you figure out how to get through, but that was besides the point. "Alright," he rubbed his hands together, nodding his head, "and what are we treating ourselves to after we survive this? Hearty meal? Fancy drinks? Ice cream? Tylenol and therapy?" The last one might be necessary if it ended up being a little too scary.

"Well, what a better way to grow your confidence more than by challenging yourself to wearing heels?" she smiled teasingly. She was a jokester from time to time. Sometimes, it was cute and sometimes it was annoying. She hoped that it was more cute than annoying. "Awww, bandanas are so cute too! I've done those before but Meesha is not a fan." Her dog would not allow Taryn to wrap anything around her neck. She took it as an insult and ran away from her every time she took one out. "I think mine will get bows for every holiday. I tried hats and that was a disaster. Nanook tore his to bits thinking it was a small animal. Meesha pooped on hers. Phoenix somehow got his wrapped around his nose and mouth. I still don't know how it actually happened." she chuckled thinking of the memory. "But I'm really hoping for some great pictures of all of them."

"Still… hard pass. I think I'll challenge myself in other ways," he said with an amused smile. There was some truth to it -- challenging yourself helped you to grow your confidence, but Darrius could find ways to do that where he wasn't going to risk the health and well being of his poor ankles. Which should count for something. "No? I guess I can understand that. And if they don't want to wear the bandana, you're better off not forcing it. I feel like any time I've tried to force Walter and Gale into something, it honestly just makes them hate it more." And the last thing that you wanted to do was make someone -- even a dog -- hate something. "I've had my dogs tear things apart like that, too, for what it's worth. It's a pretty good way to tell that they really don't like what you're giving them."

“It’s the only fall thing I do besides pass out candy and watch I know what you did last summer. The new one is terrible.” She made a face. Jordyn never saw the fun in doing too much fall activities. She limited herself in her twenties because drinking ginger beer and bobbing for apples after was a past time for a reason. “There is more?” Call her clueless but she certainly did not brush up on cemetery history for fun. “How many are without headstones, just to be on the safe side.”

"Most remakes are," he said off handedly. "Every now and then they get one right, or at least put enough of a new spin on it that it feels like a different movie, so you don't mind watching it, but…" that was the rare, outlying kind of situation. Most of them, truth be told, just paled in comparison. "There are," he nodded his head, gesturing out towards the town, "not big ones like this! They're graveyards, mostly, attached to churches." Pinecrest was still the biggest, probably the one everyone knew. "My favorite one is up by that chapel they restored a few years ago. That one's got the kind of spooky vibes you expect, being in the woods, moss covered headstones. Now here… as long as you stay on the walkways," he gestured, "you won't step on anyone. Even if they don't have headstones. I can't make promises in the other graveyards!"

"Better than me," Alec shrugged. "I usually pick something up or throw something in the microwave. Don't ask me to try and put anything together." Truly, any real culinary skills eluded Alec and all in his life were well aware. "Could also be some sort of late night creation, you know?" he shrugged. People got creative when high, or drunk, and hungry enough. Either way, not something he was up for giving a try in that moment. Once Darrius had put his order in, Alec stepped up to the window to order for himself. With it paid for, he stepped aside and joined Darrius to wait for their food. "Shouldn't be too long."

"Hopeless," he hefted a dramatic sigh, giving his friend a sidelong glance when he said that he often heated things up in the microwave, "but please tell me that they're good, healthy meals, and not Kid Cuisines? Those brownies were made of something that I'm pretty sure human beings weren't meant to consume," but he was laughing as he said it, because he would still eat it. Gladly. There were some things that were just nostalgically good, no matter what anyone else said. "True, something people put together when they had a little bit too much moonshine, if it was made in a place like this," which he didn't know, but… blueberries. That seemed to mean anything was possible. "True," he said with a nod, glancing from the food tent out to the crowd of people. "They really do hustle to keep everyone fed."

Who: Jordyn & @darpow

"Carving pumpkins is for the weak," Darrius scoffed, while fully knowing that he had carved pumpkins on his porch at home. That was okay, that was tradition, but these tours could be tradition, too. And there was something nice about a quiet, respectful walk through the cemetery to learn a little more about the town that they called home, and the people who helped to make it. "Well, for starters, I do know that this is the oldest cemetery in town, pre-dating most of the buildings in the area. There's probably only four or five that were erected before the first person was buried."

"No I can't. Because if you left that shit with me it'd be you dropping it off too. So you could tell me all about the death glares you get." She said with a quick and tight smile, seconds later broken up when she snorted at the imagery of it all. Not unfamiliar with giving crap. A moment's worth of mocking in the who would take the first step as Sav gestured the cemented path ahead, "I have a good feeling about this — so we better decide now how to divvy up those winnings." As she mocked kicked his butt in the direction of Mack's. Fiddling again with a brand new cigarette, grateful for Darrius and the new distraction.

"Make me do all of the dirty work," he replied on a low laugh, shaking his head. But if he had to duck into some place that would appreciate giant tins of popcorn, unload it, and get rid of their shame, then that was exactly what he would end up doing. After all, what were friends for, if not taking care of one another's embarrassing moments and wealth of popcorn that they didn't need?

"There's always something inventive at these things, gotta give folks their props for every creative creation we see," he shrugged. Really, it was commendable. Alec's creativity was limited to the arts. "You think it's one of those last resort invention when somebody made all the jam, syrup, muffins, pie, or whatever else. Then just, what else can the blueberries go into?" he laughed. That, or it was much more intentional from the start. As the line moved forward, Alec looked over the menu, deciding on what to order for himself. At their turn, he let Darrius go ahead first, still looking over the menu himself.

"It's true. Meanwhile, I have literally no imagination when it comes to food, so I'll just do the plain ole stuff and call it a day," but then again, most of the time, Darrius probably shouldn't even be allowed in a kitchen. But he was getting better, at least! "That's kinda what I'm thinking, yeah -- then they had this spur of the moment idea, made it, asked their friends to try it... you know how it goes," eventually, someone told them they liked it enough that they should sell it, and the rest was history. Funny how that worked. Ordering his food as he stepped up tot he window, he pulled out his wallet, handing over the bills, and stepped to the side to wait. "I'm basically salivating, I'm that hungry right now."

Taryn rolled her eyes at his words. "I think that's just a cop out. You have to be confident in bets and challenges, Darrius." she grinned. "And if people laugh at you for being hurt then they're not nice people." she said with a nod. It was something that her grandmother had told her years ago when picking friends. "Yes! I'm thinking of matching autumn bowties for Nanook and Phoenix and a bow for Meesha's ear. And they're taking individuals so I can hang them on the wall going up the stairs. I have plans, Darrius. Big, big plans." she smiled excitedly.

"Oh, I have plenty of confidence… just not in women's footwear," he laughed, shaking his head. Ask him a history challenge, put him up to the task with a trivia game, sure, he was going to knock it out of the park -- that was the confidence that he held on to. But the kind of confidence required to walk around in something that was going to hurt his feet and possibly actually his entire body? No, not so much. "That'll be really sweet. My boys normally get bandanas to wear for every holiday. They're not big on being dressed up, but they're okay with bandanas, maybe a scarf," those little boots didn't work, he figured that out the hard way, and sweaters? Good luck! But it was cute when you got them all dolled up for a picture or two.

That's simply not true. I'm a wildcard and say things that shock you all the time, I'll have you know. I'm a shocking and surprising young man who keeps you on your toes. Or she figures she's already invested enough in me what with raising me and helping put me through college, so I guess that's...pretty fair actually. You're king nerd, and I'm glad you still embrace that fact.

Disgust me, maybe? But things that shock me...? I'm not sure that I'm ready to go that far, bud. But you do keep me on my toes, regardless. Sometimes in a good way, most of the time in a, "what did I get myself into" kind of way. Just saying. That's true, she just wants to see you do well for yourself, on account of how she's put so much time into you, which is fair. I do. I'm not exactly going to win anyone over by denying it.

"If I get too many," she snorted, the last long huff of the cigarette just that as she tossed it back on the ground to stomp out with her boots toe. "You planning on dumping a whole closet's worth on me? Well, don't. I don't have that many people to regift to and I might feel a little bad when that shit goes bad, sealed up and I'll never know." Not that there weren't other options but still. "Those are some sad, sad dreams." Bending to pick up the butts, "But I could use that gift card — Mack's might have something like it going on, wanna? Hope we get historical horror trivia? Don't know if I can sit through a movie right now anymore."

"Can always donate it," he suggested with a lopsided, teasing smile. "Could you imagine rolling up to the community center with dozens of buckets of popcorn, telling them that you don't need them and hope that they can feed the hungry?" With popcorn. When they were probably hoping for foods with good nutritional value, but... sometimes, beggars just couldn't be choosers! "Yeah," he smiled and nodded, gesturing in that direction. "We might as well check it out, try our luck, see what we can run into. If you're down, I'm down."

Who: @darpow and Bradley

"It's because they're useless," Darrius said without missing a beat, flicking the end of the tiny little carving knife that he was holding on to. "I really don't know who decided that they should be used to cut into a pumpkin, because they're not nearly strong enough," they ended up bending if not breaking, and there was just a whole mess to deal with. It wasn't good. "What you need to do is sneak into the kitchen and ask for a real knife," he held up the one that he was using, flashing a grin, "just be charming."

Who: Eliana Vagh & open!

Darrius liked to think that he was good at this kind of thing -- that he would walk in, figure it out, save the day, and someone would treat him to a tall beer and a salty treat afterwards. Okay, no, sure, that wasn't really how the whole thing worked, a lot more went into it than just being smart, but... that didn't mean that the confidence wasn't going to give him at least a little bit of a boost. "That's either really good or really bad," he said as he made his way inside, letting out a laugh, "but I'm up for the challenge. I haven't done one of these in a while, I'm a little rusty... but I'm pretty sure we can figure it out."