ARE YOU SCARED YET?

some people on this earth are just meant to be miserable, jasmine thinks inwardly while she continues to silently critique the other woman. the siren confused as to how anyone could find fault so early in the evening or why they would choose to spread their particular brand of sunshine in such a public space. is she a masochist too, getting a kick out of subjecting herself to the most excruciating torture before lashing out? jasmine can only assume. “I don’t know, you seem so devoid of joy, maybe he got a laugh stealing yours.” jasmine bluntly responses, humming happily as her tongue is coated from powdered sugar and syrup from the small bite of funnel cake. it’s the little things in life that make it so rewarding. “you know, if you were going to be this miserable to begin with, why come at all?” the siren asks in earnest, still eating.

to  say  that  minji  is  annoyed  is  an  understatement  ,  but  she  can’t  find  enough  energy  to  muster  to  get  in  an  argument  .  much  less  with  someone  who  ,  clearly  ,  was  simply  just  enjoying  their  time  — still  ,  she  can’t  help  the  fiery  glare  at  the  other  ,  barely  resisting  the  urge  to  roll  her  eyes  .  “  well  ,  then  ,  i  guess  you  could  say  that  he’s  been  laughing  for  years  .  ”  this  is  ,  after  all  ,  HER  NATURAL  STATE  ,  but  whatever  .  “  i  –  ”  she  sighs  ,  catching  the  glimmer  of  her  red  fingernails  under  the  lights  as  she  checks  them  out  .  “  my  kid  is  here  …  i  wouldn’t  have  dressed  up  to  come  if  it  weren’t  for  them  …  ”  she  glances  at  the  other  ,  shrugging  .  “  you  know  how  children  are  …  ”

“well someone’s in a bad mood already. what’s the matter? did the boogeyman steal your halloweeen spirit?” jasmine asks with a chuckle, holding her own plate of funnel cake, the pastry stacked a mile high. the brunette is hoping the sugar will starve off whatever foul cravings are gnawing at her. the last thing she’s in the mood to do is proper clean up, especially when she’s dressed so nicely in her bejeweled bodysuit. “relax,” the statuesque beauty tells her with that honeyed southern drawl. “or else someone might think you’re up to something. you aren’t, are you?”

more  like  the  boogeyman’s  halloween  spirit  has  never  really  existed  for  a  while  ,  but  that’s  a  different  conversation  for  a  different  day  .  “  that’s  very  counterproductive  for  him  ,  then  …  ”  she  deadpans  ,  but  there’s  a  slight  twitch  of  her  nose  at  the  sight  of  the  other’s  plate  .  she  didn’t  think  that  they  could  get  even  higher  ,  but  to  each  their  own  ,  she  guesses  .  and  ,  really  ,  minji  is  far  too  preoccupied  with  tending  to  her  own  problem  .  scowl  deepens  at  the  accusation  ,  followed  by  a  scoff  .  “  i  am  up  to  something  — i  plan  on  getting  home  soon  and  sleeping  early  …  or  is  that  TOO  NEFARIOUS  for  your  liking  ?  …  ”  

                       predictably ,  any  annoyance  directed  at  him  simply  went  right  over  his  head .  he  was  far  too  focused  on  the  potential  for  a  sugar  high ,  followed  brutally  by  a  sugar  crash .  eagerly  taking  the  plate  from  her ,  he  promptly  dug  in ,  clearly  not  minding  that  the  food  wasn’t  exactly  top  tier .  studying  her  for  a  moment ,  he  couldn’t  help  but  notice  she  appeared  to  be  in  a  poor  mood .  he  mulled  over  asking  about  the  negativity  surrounding  her ,  but  decided  against  it .  he’d  never  been  one  to  initiate  deep  conversations ,  and  he  certainly  wasn’t  going  to  start  now .  shrugging  carelessly ,  he  continued  to  pack  away  the  funnel  cake .  ‘  the  night  is  still  young .  ’  he  couldn’t  help  a  small  smirk  from  pulling  at  his  lips .   ‘  why  did  you  bring  that  up ?   would  you  like  to  join  me  in  finding  said  poor human  ?  ’

she  watches  the  vampire  for  a  moment  ,  partly  mortified  .  “  you’re  going  to  choke  ,  vik  …”  she  says  ,  recognizing  the  reprimanding  tone  that’s  only  reserved  for  lena  or  adrian  .  “  it’s  an  OBSERVATION  .  ”  she  counters  ,  but  there’s  a  sense  of  …  odd  — and  misplaced  — appreciation  …  that  he’s  noticed  ,  called  her  out  for  it  .  a  wry  smile  ;  she’s  very  ‘    displeased    ’  about  it  .  “  ugh  —  ”  but  does  she  really  want  to  ,  though  ?  she  tilts  her  head  ,  hears  the  crack  of  bones  in  her  neck  .  “  can  i  call  in  that  favour  now  ,  where  i  don’t  have  to  do  anything  and  i  just  sit  here  while  you  do  the  dirty  work  ?  ”

there it comes :        a waft of dread ,      of   lingering madness  wrapped in porcelain skin and black velvet .    those beady black eyes burrowing into his skull like a tiny little nefarious worm ,   searching for bits of terror to savagely clench between its teeth .      he should be disappointed—–losing such an easy pray ;    but they’d already been reduced to white noise by the time the nightmare’s mocking antics caressed his ear .   ❛     i don’t know …       ❜     it leans into her taunt ,    pert little nose invading minji’s personal space without qualms ,    hooded eyes fixed on the bottomless abyss bleeding through her sockets .       ❛      i think i’d be a little   envious …        i’ve always wanted to know what   you taste like …     ❜  

almost  ,  she  laughs  ,  but  her  eyes  roll  with  stubborn  loathing  .  really  ,  there  are  little  from  the  festivities  to  TRULY  ENTERTAIN  her  ,  much  less  keep  such  fickle  attention  .  so  ,  she  lets  him  close  —  smother  her  ,  mute  every  other  sound  and  scent  and  colour  .  it’s  sickening  ,  but  that’s  not  new  …  and  she’s  not  half  as  bad  at  this  ,  either  .  “is  that  how  confession  works  for  you  ,  father  ?”  head  tilts  back  ,  gaze  sharp  as  the  edges  of  a  knife  .  the  words  tumble  out  of  her  mouth  ,  hushed  .  “does  my  salvation  come  …  when  i  do  ?”  

OPEN STARTER : halloween festival ( @maraishub )

lucien had always been content with halloween for the ease of it all . once a year it was socially acceptable to get a bit bloody , scare people , and stay up till dawn broke and that had always been good enough for him . it was his third year in a row dressing as a vampire of his choice , rather uncreative really — at least he was putting effort in activities for once , winning another cheap but rather large stuffed bear at a game booth . 

“ you want this ? i don’t have much use for it . “

“you’re  …  the  guy  from  buffy  ,  right  ?  nice  costume…”  dmitri  says  ,  trying  for  a  small  talk  because  there’s  really  not  much  to  do  to  pass  the  time  right  now  .  he  eyes  the  giant  teddy  bear  ,  curiosity  making  him  lean  closer  .  “how’d  you  manage  to  win  that  ?  nah  ,  s’all  good  .  don’t  you  have  a  partner  or  a  kid  to  give  that  to  ?  or  ,  y’should  just  keep  it  for  yourself  —  a  souvenir  or  something  .”  

                         wandering  aimlessly ,  he  had  to  admit  humans  were  actually  somewhat  decent  at  throwing  entertaining  events .  none  of  which  were  actually  scary ,  but  unfortunately ,  shrill  screams  coming  from  the  haunted  house  were  piercing  his  ears  -  so  clearly ,  some  people  were  being  sufficiently  spooked .  naïve  mortals  that  had  no  idea  what  fear  truly  was ;  if  this  was  back  in  the  old  days ,  he  would  give  them  something  to  really  be  scared  of .  instead ,  he  was  just  enjoying  the  festivities  ,  pretending  to  be  one  of  them .  how  ridiculous .  spotting  a  cohort ,  he  made  his  way  over  to  her .  ‘  the  line  was  too  long  for  those  and  i  got  tired  of  waiting ;  can  i  have  some  of  yours ?  ’

she  finds  herself  sighing  ,  narrowing  dark  eyes  with  a  silent  accusatory  tone  :  seriously  ?  yet  minji  has  never  found  a  good  reason  — or  ANY  REASON  at  all  — to  be  overtly  hostile  with  vikirnoff  ,  not  in  the  same  way  as  the  brother  or  whatever  the  fuck  they  were  .  plus  ,  the  cake  is  not  as  appealing  by  the  time  it’s  past  her  esophagus  .  “whatever  ,”  she  mutters  under  her  breath  ,  holding  half-finished  plate  towards  him  without  looking  .  “HAVE  THE  REST  ;  it’s  making  me  sick  anyway  .”  knees  ,  pressed  together  ,  pull  closer  to  her  body  ,  other  hand  dusting  crumbs  off  the  tight  ,  pitch  dark  dress  .  “i’m  surprised  you’re  feeding  with  actual  food  and  not  some  poor  human  or  something  —”  oh  ,  how  she  wishes  that  she  was  .

OPEN STARTER : halloween festival ( @maraishub )

“ not to be a total bummer but i’m literally hating this . “ eleanor whimpers , hiding behind anyone she could while being guided through the haunted house — stopping to jump at every unexpected flash or scream around them . “ caramel apples sounds like a much better alternative ! “

“do  you  ?”  he  retorts  ,  sarcastically  ,  of  course  .  the  haunted  house  is  scary  —  that  much  ,  they’ll  begrudgingly  admit  …  they  follow  eleanor  ,  jumping  at  the  slightest  when  a  scare  actor  pops  up  ,  but  dmitri  is  going  through  it  in  a  breeze  .  at  least  ,  that’s  what  they  hope  it  looks  like  .  “i’ll  get  you  ,  like  ,  three  if  we  get  through  this  without  me  accidentally  punching  someone  — jesus  ,”  he  curses  at  the  next  pop  up  of  some  guy  in  a  scary  mask  .  

  status·· :   OPEN   location :  hollingwood forest , halloween festival                  ↳               –           [   @maraishub·.  ]

❛   hmm …     what’s    that look ?      i’m so bad at this …    it’s always been my weakest spot —   o h .     am i inspiring you    to make a confession or something?    ❜     it looks  &   feels amused—–that prevalent hunger coating the edges of his   lewd   tongue .   ❛    don’t worry ,      my lips are sealed ...       i promise to keep them that way—-unless you don’t want me to .    ❜  

it  is  IMPOSSIBLE  to  resist  the  hideous  and  disturbed  look  that  crosses  her  features  at  the  scene  ,  at  the  dialogue  ,  at  the  whole  …  of  it  .  forcefully  ,  like  dread  pressing  its  entire  weight  on  a  chest  ,  minji  butts  in  — finds  her  place  where  michael  is  .  AS  USUAL  .  “would  you  like  to  hear  my  confession  ,  father  ?”  flat  ,  yes  ,  but  there’s  an  itch  in  her  throat  — a  laugh  ,  pushing  to  be  heard  .  “i  haven’t  done  this  in  years  actually — i’m  supposed  to  go  on  my  knees  ,  right  ?”  

They didn’t actually think the other would bite, but was thrilled to find that the cast line had been snagged. “Car accident.” Pretty plain at the get-go, but they held up a finger to wait for further details. “During an actual shitstorm that caused a gigantic hardwood tree to fall right in front of our car. I’m talkin’ inches away. We ended up love tapping it, but if my friend hadn’t driven like a blind granny then we would’ve been toast.”

And that was just one of the many close calls Arlene had tacked to her memory, bittersweet as it was.

“Your turn.”

an  involuntary  wrinkle  of  her  nose  at  the  boldness  ,  the  conversation  spoiling  even  further  .  she  doesn’t  like  being  told  to  wait  —  and  on  busier  days  ,  she  would’ve  excused  it  as  another  patron  asking  for  one  more  glass  .  she  tries  not  to  say  something  too  awful  ,  knowing  some  co-worker  is  watching  ,  always  ready  to  find  her  doing  something  wrong  . 

it's  a  no  brainer  that  the  boogeyman  enjoys  these  festivities  —  but  after  the  horrid  ,  brutal  happenings  during  the  night  of  the  hunter's  moon  ,  there  seems  to  be  no  way  of  properly  satiating  the  hunger  that  has  been  sitting  in  her  stomach  since  .  the  fourth  time  through  the  hall  of  fears  ,  and  she's  found  an  empty  table  to  sit  on  ,  heels  resting  on  the  seats  ,  feasting  on  a  poorly  made  funnel  cake  .  this  must  be  what  it  feels  like  to  be  a  ghoul  —  and  she  despises  it  .  perfectly  manicured  finger  wipes  at  the  side  of  her  mouth  ,  before  it  curves  to  a  scowl  .  "what  ?  ..."  

location :  hollingwood forest , halloween festival 

“  hi  !  hey  ,  hello  !  ”  she  jogs  after  a  passerby  with  a  strained  smile  , heels  digging   into  the  soft  grass  &  feeling  the  burn  of  blisters  at  the  back  of  her  foot . “  can  you  spare  a  second  to  comment  on  this  year’s  halloween  spectacular  ?  ”  she  begins  to  open  her  palm  -  sized  notepad  ,  only  realising  mid  -  flip  how  interruptive  this  interaction  may  seem  ,  “  oh  –  i  work  for  the  paper  .  sorry  probably  should’ve  started  with  that  .  ”  @maraishub· 

dmitri  — as  they’d  like  to  believe  — is  nice  ,  nice  to  have  a  talk  with  ,  nice  enough  to  give  an  opinion  because  his  are  harmless  .  so  he  shrugs  it  off  ,  to  himself  ,  and  gives  a  little  nod  at  the  other  .  “uh  ,  yeah  — no  ,  no  ,  that’s  fine  .  i  mean  ,”  they  look  her  over  ,  catching  the  notepad  .  “i  would’ve  figured  it  out  ,  right  ?  anyway  ,  what’d’you  say  ?  oh  ,  that  halloween  …  thing  ?  s’cool  ,  seems  like  a  real  good  show  and  all  …  you  guys  do  this  every  year  ,  right  ?”  

        DMITRI’S  DISAPPROVAL  ISN’T  SOMETHING  THAT  ROMAN  SEEKS  TO  HAVE.  he’d  never  push  the  other  to  do  something,  but  you  can  bet  that  he’ll  sit  there  and  frown  like  a  child  that  hasn’t  gotten  its  way.  “ fine,  we’ll  have  a  normal  night.  can  i  have  the  epipen  back,  though ?  i  need  something  to  fidget  with.  these  fingers  man…  they  just  don’t  like  being  still. ”  is  roman  lying ?  is  he  going  to  use  it  as  soon  as  he  can ?  it’s  possible,  but  it’s  also  just  as  likely  that  he  won’t  be  self-serving  for  one  night.  “ born  and  raised,  buddy.  why ?  what’s  happening ? ”

dmitri  pretends  that  they  don’t  hear  a  possible  excuse  in  that  .  they  didn’t  like  using  it  on  others  who  were  above  high-school  age  —  but  he’s  grown  to  have  a  fine  ear  for  them  that  sometimes  ,  it’s  hard  not  to  notice  .  still  ,  he  throws  the  pen  back  to  roman  ,  anyway  ;  as  long  as  dmitri’s  clearly  seeing  him  .  but  what’s  truly  uncomfortable  is  dmitri’s  attempt  at  making  sense  of  what’s  happened  :  in  their  head  ,  it’s  all  …  darkness  ,  blood  ,  blurring  vision  .  “nothing  ,  really  — maybe  it’s  just  because  i’ve  never  been  in  this  part  of  the  world  a  lot  ,  i  guess  …”  that  much  is  true  ;  they’ve  spent  the  last  twenty-one  years  between  shitty  ,  rainy  weather  and  scorching  ,  arid  heat  in  a  different  continent  ...  but  even  they  know  that  doesn’t  mean  anything  .  maybe  it’s  better  to  ignore  it  ...  so  they  do  .  “anyways  –”  they  sigh  ,  “–  haven’t  seen  you  lately  .  how’re  things  with  you  ?  how’s  work  ?”

she grins a little at him,shrugging her shoulders as she does so,     as if completely unconcerned by the possibility of that outcome.     in reality she’s just spent her entire childhood mapping out areas close but just safe enough to traverse.     she knows this swamp,     and it probably knows her too     (     which is a mildly horrifying thought but,     not if she doesn’t think about it     !     ),     so she’s more than a little confident in her ability to navigate around it.     “   well then,   the swamp gets its meal and we become missing posters taped up around town.   i wouldn’t worry about it too much,   if not the swamp it’s usually something else.   something’ll get you eventually.   ”     she’s only teasing a little,     but there’s a hint of truth underlining those words.     selene would be fine,     most of the things that go bump in the night,     most of the monsters lurking around,     they were her friends after all.     but a skinny little kid like him?     he’d need to be a little more careful.

the ma’am makes her twitch a little,     even knowing she’s clearly the older of the two of them here.     “   if they’re all going to be like you i probably won’t bother with the heroics any more,   that’s for sure.  ”     she scoffs,     then winces a bit as the ache in her hip makes itself known again.     maybe her age was showing,     or something,     because she feels awfully close to filling out the description of a brittle old lady.     christ.     “   we should go,   before swampy wakes up and decides to take you anyway.   i know you said you don’t live with your parents—   which seems really irresponsible to me personally—   but it’s still not good to be wandering around alone.   i’ll walk you home,   consider it an added bonus to saving your ass.   ”

something’ll  get  you  eventually  .  um  ,  okay  — what  the  fuck  ?  dmitri’s  smile  falters  ,  a  memory  being  prodded  by  such  an  eerie  ,  ominous  statement  .  it’s  not  a  threat  ,  but  they  feel  a  chill  run  up  their  spine  — though  ,  most  importantly  ,  and  even  worse  ,  strain  in  muscles  that  leave  him  reflexively  clenching  and  unclenching  hands  .  wanting  to  run  ,  or  hide  .  “well  ,  i  hope  not  –”  he  tries  to  remain  upbeat  ,  as  if  they’re  not  currently  being  ambushed  by  a  scene  that  they  have  yet  to  properly  deal  with  ...  dmitri  doesn’t  want  to  grieve  (  simply  out  of  the  fear  of  never  resurfacing  from  it  )  , at  least  ,  NOT  NOW  .  “–  i’ve  got  plans  ,  and  i’d  hate  for  them  not  to  be  done  because  some  weird  swamp  ate  me  .  hold  on  ,  actually  ,  what  do  you  mean  by  that  …  what’s  wrong  with  the  swamp  ?”

LENA LIKES TO BELIEVE that they can feel their mother coming , even if they know that it was not the truth. they would not ‘ feel ‘ anything if minij wouldn’t let them. 

         the witch lifted their head from papers, looking up at minji and smiled gently, putting down the pen. they frowned lightly.

 “  of course, i ate ― “                                 they looked quickly at the clock and blinked at the hour.  “   ― almost eight hours ago. oh.   “

            oh, indeed. they qucikly took in all the papers, half-drinked cups of cold coffee between them, and finally felt how their stomach tried to communicate that it was empty too long. 

  “   i will clean this up and we can go for dinner together… “                              they said, already standing up and starting just on that.   “   that’s okay, mom ?   “

she’s  tried  to  reconcile  with  this  peculiar  thing  ,  this  motherhood  ,  but  it  doesn’t  take  a  genius  to  understand  that  it  is  more  than  likely  that  she  never  will  —  simply  for  the  fact  that  she  is  a  thing  of  horror  ,  not  of  love  .  yet  the  door  is  open  to  this  constantly  running  ,  distressed  child  ,  and  minji  will  continue  to  welcome  her  home  …  if  not  for  a  responsibility  dating  eighty  years  or  so  ,  but  for  the  company  .

being  called  mother  and  mom  ,  though  — god  ,  it  makes  her  feel  unnecessarily  old  ,  MAKES  HER  FEEL  HER  AGE  or  something  .  “eight  hours  ago  ?  that’s  an  awfully  long  time  ,  lena  .”  she  says  drily  ,  watching  them  with  an  unamused  expression  ,  before  dropping  it  .  doing  anything  about  it  seems  a  little  too  …  much  …  though  now  seems  like  the  perfect  time  for  a  warning  ,  anyway  .  “hm  ,  yes  ,  that’s  fine…  by  the  way  ,  did  you  find  adrian  ?”  she  says  ,  nonchalant  ,  using  that  damned  cat  as  an  excuse  ,  as  a  means  to  show  a  semblance  of  the  expected  —  and  yes  ,  fine  ,  real  —  concern  .  the  days  after  the  hunter’s  moon  hasn’t  changed  much  while  she’s  been  in  town  ,  but  there  have  been  new  faces  — people  that  she’s  more  than  willing  to  get  to  know  herself  ,  not  lena  .  “i’ve  been  looking  for  him  for  days  now  …  did  you  take  him  ?”  

a   snarl    deforms the smugness of its delicate features—-classic pavlovian conditioning ;      no less natural than sinking his teeth into pounds of flesh .   birds fly ,   dolphins swim ,   and michael rebuts any form of authority .     was it learned behavior ?     another way to emulate   her ?        he has little will to stop and ponder ,     then .      ❛    you are …    they only run from me because i want them to ,     ❜      serpentine eyes    burn like blue ice through the thick blackness that shrouds them  ,      slickening sweet murmurs melting on his tongue .

❛    come now …     don’t be upset ,     ❜     slithering over minji’s   corporeal   form like oil ,     it looks almost   relieved  ;       bony fingers wrapping itself around hers  &   digging its claws into each gap it can find .    jagged canines   sleek with blood and glee ,       it bares its teeth unapologetically ,     gloved thumb wiping off the red from his mouth .  it never redirects attention to the staggering prey ,     stumbling nearby — but rather stays   fixed     on that little nightmare ,   so convincingly wrapped in flesh .     ❛      i can’t help it …      they always   taste sweeter     when i’ve got my eyes on you  …       ❜  

absolutely devastated that she’s not paris hilton this year — but she’s biting the bullet and doing her motherly duty , halloween edition , and giving lena ( @hellcreatures ) what they want . in 20 years , she’ll let lena decide that they go as coraline and the other mother or something .