o l i v i a

The twins nodded as they listened to Livvy affirm the safe places to touch the pony. They giggled as they continued to softly comb the dirt and dust over Marshmallow before Schuy turned and said. He feels softer than Orion and he's so soft! Mariah grinned and turned to Livvy. "Orion is our dog." she clarified. "That's a great connection, Schuy. Good job, Mighty Mouse." she smiled to her children.

"Oh!" she smiled brightly at this new information, looking from Schuyler to Seraphina as they talked about how soft the pony was, and then their dog. "They are soft like puppies, aren't they? I have a cat named Mallow, she's very soft, very fluffy," which was fun for Livvy up until Mallow left fur all over the place, but that was besides the point. Pets were good to have, and kids with pets really got something out of that, she didn't doubt it for a second. These two were proof of that.

"A few black bats on the wall won't hurt but I refuse to let this place look like tacky Halloween threw up everywhere." She had strong aesthetic preferences. Clearly. "Yeah, we an lay things out on the island," she pointed over to the area, the largest flat space in the home.

"My mom still has all of the old, tacky Halloween decorations. Christmas, too! But when it's your parents, it's a little different, you know? More endearing," made her smile and think of her childhood, so it was hard to be mad at how dorky it all looked. And besides, she loved unboxing it and putting things on the trees or hanging them on the walls. "Perfect," she began to take a few unwrapped things over that way, setting them out gingerly, to make sure not to chip or break anything. "I bet I can figure out where things go just by knowing your taste."

WHO: Matilda & @docolives

Although Livvy wouldn't say that the kitchen was her favorite place in any house -- too much of a perfectionist, she got upset anytime anything wasn't cooked exactly the way that it should be -- but when she got to spend time in a kitchen with a friend, preferably making something sweet, that made life a lot better. When Matilda had asked if she would be interested in coming over to make some cookies, it had been an automatic yes, heading out dressed in jeans and a comfy sweater, hair pulled back, ready to cook. And thankfully… well, Matilda was already ahead of the game with the hard part done. "Lifesaver," she said with a laugh, nodding her head, "does that mean I get to do all the fun stuff?" because that was what she loved to do the most. Icing, sprinkles, the sweet stuff that everyone loved the most about baking. At least in her opinion, anyway. "You got it," she said with a smile as she headed towards the fridge, pulling out the piping bags and carefully taking them over to join Matilda, setting them down one by one. "The temptation to eat the frosting right out of the bag is pretty strong, I hope that you know. Not that I will! I have some restraint! But very little."

"Feels so funny to be doing a shot of … juice," Livvy said while laughing, but that didn't stop her from following through on the shot, lifting it to her lips and swallowing it down eagerly. It did have a good taste to it, like most sugary drinks. And maybe it was better to be drinking non-alcoholic beverages than downing glass after glass of something that was going to make her wake up with a bad headache. She didn't quite love that idea. "You and me both," she said warmly, reaching for the full-sized drink that she had ordered and twirling the straw. "It always feels good this time of year to have a good day, you know? Not that a good day is ever a bad thing, but heading towards the holidays, trying to put good into the world… it all adds up."

"For me! Yes!" Sylvia broke out in a fit of giggles. Teasing Livvy was fun. "Look, it's something I'd want you all to do for me if I was out here like that," she shrugged. Really, that's what friends were for. Once their food was ready for pick up, she took her own order and turned to where Livvy was pointing. "Looks good," she agreed with a nod, heading in that direction.

"You are the queen of Halloween, after all," although Livvy was pretty sure that was a title that so many people wanted to claim, Sylvia was still the person she was closest to who could win the crown. So that made her Livvy's Queen of Halloween, if nothing else. "And we would. Maybe that's a goal for next year's Creek Fest -- hair cuts right here on the festival grounds. Could you imagine?" That would be a sight to see. "Perfect," following in step with Sylvia, she licked a bit of caramel from her finger on the way to the table. "It'll have good views."

"Okay I know white is a sin to wear in fall, but I want his letterman jacket to be the statement piece." She replied. It had been a mission to find jd's old letterman jacket and it was accomplished. She had so far worn it to every game changing up the look every time without fail. "Maybe one of those chunky sweaters that absolutely gives grandma but it's fine." Naomi loved the chance to stock up on seasonal items even if sometimes she didn't clean out her closet first. "I think we can find both in a timely manner. Maybe a little necklace too because why not."

"It's only a sin if you believe in super outdated fashion traditions," Livvy said with a laugh as she looked over her shoulder at what Naomi was talking about. "If it's white, then you want… dark blue jeans to go with the whole navy, and maybe find a silver pair of shoes, or lots of silver jewelry?" she suggested, flipping through some of the sweaters that she was keeping her eye on. "But that's what I was thinking, yeah, grandma sweater. Warm, cozy, age-appropriate," okay, the last part was said with a grin. Livvy didn't actually think that she was a grandmother, but she couldn't help her own amusement. "This is pretty," she pulled out an ombre blue sweater, with lighter shades at the top, darker on the bottom. "Would fit the theme pretty well!"

Malia hadn't always been a club type woman. However, since she had done some traveling, she found it wasn't that bad at all and she actually had a lot of fun there. Diego Miguel had actually taken her to her first club and they had frequented them throughout their relationship. He always knew how to make things fun for her. Now, she had become more accustomed to making things fun herself. It was a skill that not many people had and she was proud that she gained it.

Letting out a soft laugh as the woman next to her said that she had never been here before, she gestured around the space, "well, take it from me. It's a lot like this, but maybe a little less loud, and probably a few less cobwebs hanging from every corner," since it wasn't like it was decorated for Halloween every weekend… thankfully. That might end up being a little bit much. Still, Livvy liked coming here when she needed a change of pace and to do something different with her night, so it was hard to be too upset about a vibrant atmosphere. "That could be true! Although you'd think they'd want to be able to hear your order when you get a drink, too!"

"It wouldn't be my house if it wasn't pink!" Really, it was a prominent part of Cori's personality. Her closet, her home decor, her holiday decor. All shades of pink, white, gold. Something about bright purples, greens, orange, and black for Halloween just did not speak to her. "There should be more in there," she gestured to the bin Livvy had. "For the kitchen, living room, this whole place."

"It's why I love you," she said with a laugh, knowing that she and Cori had pretty similar aesthetics when it came down to decor. Even though she had given a touch of spooky over to Mikey, to let him put his own taste into the house. Just a little, though. She didn't want to sacrifice any pink that she had and was ready to put into the house. "Should we take everything out, unwrap it, and then decorate once we've amassed everything and can get an idea of what goes where?"

At the potential of getting kicked, Schuy's eyebrows rose and Sera hid behind Mariah's leg. "Remember guys, he's only going to kick if you walk behind his legs. Miss Livvy just showed us safe places to touch Marshmallow." Mariah said, trying to calm and remind the twins. She walked a little closer and softly rubbed the pony's shoulder and middle. "See, he likes being touched right here so no kicking." she told the twins encouragingly. Schuy was the first to step up on the stool and followed his mother's hand watching the horse with one eye and his other on the hand he was using to pet Marshmallow. "Good job, Mighty Mouse." Mariah whispered to her son as she picked up Sera and put her on her hip. "Let's try together, Ladybug." Mariah moved her daughter's hand under hers and helped her pet the pony's neck. Sera slowly pet Marshmallow before smiling a little at her mother.

"Marshmallow is a good pony, don't worry about it," she assured them with a soft laugh. But even good ponies could be spooked a little bit, especially by small bodies that were running around behind them. But as long as that didn't happen, then she didn't think that they needed to worry about anything, thankfully. "There are so many good, safe places to touch the pony, he won't mind one bit as long as you stick to those," and he really didn't. If anything, he loved the little bit of attention that he got, getting to spend time with people who wanted nothing more than to love on him a little bit. "Isn't he soft?" she asked after a moment, watching ass Sera and Schuy both gave it a shot. "Just wait for another month or so, when winter rolls in and he has a thick, long coat. He gets even softer, then!"

"That's part of the fun!" Sylvia was always a proponent for all things spooky, but she was well aware that it wasn't everyone's thing. That included Livvy. But that wouldn't stop her from encouraging it, nonetheless. "You're doing more work than the rest of us, the least I can do is bring you food when I visit," she shrugged. Sylvia was all for enjoying as much of the festival as possible. "And it's the perfect way to spend the week!" Once both their orders were in and paid for, Sylvia stepped aside with Livvy to wait on their orders. "Where to?" she asked, asking where they were headed to to eat.

"For you," she said with a laugh, pointing to her friend. There was a reason that Livvy shined at Christmas time -- she didn't have to worry about scary things going on around her. She only had to focus on the happy, wholesome, warm and cozy holiday things. And that was far more her speed. "You're very sweet," she said with a warmer smile, watching as the food was prepared in the tent, and then taking the food once their names were called. Thanking the woman that handed it to her, Livvy turned to survey the area, finding some tables tucked off to the side, under some brightly colored trees, and closer to the creek. "What about over that way?"

“My pleasure.” The brunette grinned. If she was going to go away for a few hours then shopping was mandatory along with a small list of things to do. Try a new matcha place , get some souvenirs and figure out her fall attire. It was a win all around if you asked her on top of supporting her alumni at an away game. “It’s always worth it to do something new, it makes the trip memorable so I get it.” Or maybe Naomi just had a shopping problem. “What’s on your list?”

"Agreed, you get to make a memory in a new place… even if that memory is shopping," which to Livvy, wasn't going to be a bad thing. After all, she loved going home with new clothes, and hadn't she just cleaned out her closet recently with Sloan, with the goal of getting rid of things she didn't wear? Maybe it was a little counterproductive to buy new things, but those new things would be season appropriate, at least! That had to count for something. "Something cozy and warm, thinking a navy sweater, to match the boys' colors. That way I can be cozy and spirited, you know? What are you looking for?"

"I think that one has the more just regular fall stuff," Cori answered as she lifted the lid on the bin she had claimed. "I have.." Cori picked up some black bats to be hung up and a small pink skeleton. "Halloween." Livvy's bin had more general fall items, Cori edition. Pink ceramic pumpkins, gold leaf garlands, white ceramic pumpkins.

"Got it," she said with a nod of her head, determined to figure it all out. Livvy's own decorations were boxed like that -- cute little ceramic ghosts in one box, pumpkins and leaves in another. Not that she went very 'all out' for Halloween, but she still liked to have a decent variety when she could. "Then I'm fall girl!" She glanced down into the box and broke into a wide grin, "a very pink fall girl!"

Alright, I'm pretty sure that Halloween decorations are actually slowly appearing in my little front yard -- a neighbor joked that it might happen but I've found myself not sure if there's two or three extra pumpkins out there and a possible other thing I don't remember. Now I feel like I'm going to be side-eyeing my sidewalk every time I'm going in and out of my place. Did you get your fix of apple cider donuts?

If it's one of the girls over there in Lupine Lane... I'd put money on you being right about them being the culprits! But there are worse things than having pumpkins appearing out of thin air, right? Especially this time of year, you never actually know what else someone could be dropping off in your yard. I'm a very 'add in something new every time I go to the store' person, though, so I get it. I did! I still have some apple cider in the fridge, too, but that's a staple until the Halloween season is done.

Maybe horse girls would find some other creature to obsess over. Elephant girls, llama girls, camel girls. None of it has the same right, though. Well, around here it can be in either direction, but still heavily favoring the for pets aspect of things. Eh, they don't taste so bad.

That... just doesn't have the same ring, no. Horse girls just evoke a sense of ... well, anyway, it's not the same as an elephant girl, to say the least! Besides, they would just obsess over unicorns. And that's not going to help. It's not really about them tasting good or bad, it's about them being fluffy and cute and wiggling their noses.