#ferpxhalloween

Continued from here.

@sapphirerigelian

It was rather likely that getting lost inside the old castle was a poor idea, but Rinea supposed there was nothing to be done. Keep moving forward.

She crept down the dark halls, trodding over matted red carpetry, path illuminated by moonlight in the window and candles in sconces. Door after door stood imposing in the wall. Had she had any idea where in the castle she was, Rinea may have peeked inside. For now, she was focused on finding her way back to her group.

Behind one of the mahogany doors, however, came a low moan. She turned her head and paused. Yes, there it was again. A moan, a rattle, and then silence.

Transfixed, she took a sconce off the wall. It bounced off the stone as it moved, dancing and playing in the eerie midnight. The ball would be starting soon then - it was officially Halloween.

Rinea turned the knob of the door, stepping inside. Immediately she ran into another person. She screeched and dropped her candle. Wax spilled across the floor, running into the crevices in the masonry.

“Who’s there?” She called, trembling.

The architecture of the theatre was lovely, far more so than Eliwood could have ever imagined. The house itself was gorgeous, decorated with ornate reds and golds. The natural curves along the walls and at the perimeters of the seating particularly called to him, though the proscenium was far grander. As he tilted his head upwards to bast in its artistic prowess, he noticed the marbling of the ceiling and a crystal chandelier nearly at the center. He glanced to the stage, open to the audience though there was not a show scheduled for the night. It was welcoming, almost beckoning him forward.

But it was not this was not what drew him to the theatre. While enjoying drinks and conversation, he had heard a rumor of a ghost sighting in this exact location and he had been unable to resist investigating for himself. For what purpose does the ghost remain? He wondered to himself. He took a step forward, intending to make for the stage, when the door creaked open behind him and a body collided with his back with a shriek. He nearly jumped out of his own skin and quickly whipped around, reaching for the dagger he had concealed within his festive clothing. 

However, he had not been faced with a foe, but a lady. She was clearly frightened and for that, Eliwood felt a tinge of guilt. Quickly, he dug his foot to the flame that had caught on the floor, extinguishing the heat before it could spread. He extended his left hand, as he held a candle in his right.

Continued from here.

@dreamyarcher

Setsuna frowned deeply, eyes glued to the pond. She’d seen something. She was sure of it. Though maybe not sure because it was a fountain so the water was always moving but she was so sure she’d seen something.

Siting on the edge of the fountain, she leaned over the pool of water far more than was probably safe as she scanned the water. It had looked like something swimming around, but there weren’t any fish in the fountain. That was strange, right? To have a big fountain but only one fish? That didn’t make any sense to her.

So focused on trying to spot the mysterious maybe shape in the water, she payed no attention to the people who walked past, chatting softly.

A soft, warm sigh penetrated chilling air as the maiden entered the courtyard, relieved to have finally been able to retreat for a quiet moment. Though she had made great strides in improving her social capabilities, she simply couldn’t adjust to the excitement of large crowds, and as a result, she found herself weary far too early. The breath of fresh, crisp air was the exact sensation she sought; something that heavily contrasted the sleepy stuffiness of the castle. Lifting her head, she noticed a few small groups of people walking along, almost urgent, as if they had someplace to be.

It was then that she noticed an unfamiliar face, gazing deep into the fountain, appearing rather fixated. Upon first glance, Micaiah assumed that the girl had lost a possession to the pool of water. That is, until she began to sense her waves of confusion. At least, that’s what she thought she felt. It was curiosity that drew her towards the woman and before she realized it, she was nearly beside her.

The hours wore on with cries of vigor and glee filling the castle halls as visitors from across all lands indulged themselves in the night’s festivities. It was all very well and fun to catch up with friends and neighbors alike, but eventually Ismaire could feel her attention slipping, her mind searching desperately for a means of escape from the constant chattering.

Things just weren’t quite what they used to be, she supposed. More likely than not she had just changed. In either case, a breath of fresh air would certainly help ease her spirits. She wandered quietly away from the party, excusing herself politely but otherwise unnoticed – or so she thought.

“Setsuna,” Ismaire greeted, taking the offered glass in hand. She hadn’t expected to run into anyone outside, but was glad that it was a friendly face that found her, at the very least. “I am, but wanted to take the opportunity to explore as well. Would you care to join me? I could use the company.”

She reached to link her arm with Setsuna’s. It seemed she wasn’t asking so much as she was insisting upon her company.

Lady Ismaire had left her little time to even consider the question before she looped her arm with hers. Not that it really mattered. Setsuna would have said yes to whatever Lady Ismaire asked her anyways, so she simply fell in step as the other woman guided her.

A tiny memory jumped to the back of her mind, of what had happened the last time someone had guided her off from a ball like this. She shrugged that memory off for now.

“I’ve been here a few times.” Setsuna mused without prompting as they walked. They air was a bit colder outside, without the heat from a large crowd. Setsuna had plenty of layers, so it didn’t bother her, but she wondered how Lady Ismaire felt about it. Setsuna supposed if the woman was uncomfortable she would make it clear.

The Liminal Castle is open to all, but Halloween always seems to bring something strange to life…

The Castle:

👻 - Many wonderful shows had graced the castle’s private theatre, a wonderful spectacle for all. But there’s rumors of a ghost wandering the theatre at night...Why not investigate? 💃 - The ballroom is filled with the sounds of music and people dancing the night away. Why not grab a partner and join in? 🎥 - Many mages worked hard to figure out how to bring life to still pictures, but they did it! A little too well...You find yourself trapped in the movie playing on the screen! (Sender specify the film) 📷 - You’re not sure how you ended up wandering so deep into the castle, but now you’ve found a strange mirror deep in the basement. It seems to show you but...something just isn’t right?

The Courtyard:

🍎 - Throw food at someone. Go on. Do it. They probably deserve it. 🍄 - There’s something strange about the taste of this treat, but you just can’t put your finger on what it is...hang on. When did everything suddenly get so big? When did you get so small!? 🍸 - Share a drink with a friend. Or sabotage someone else. How many drinks do you think they’ll need before they start doing some stunts? 🍇 - What’s Halloween without some candy? Luckily, the best candy maker in the kingdom is here with treats for sale. You should try some! Share with a friend.

Into the Woods:

👀 - You can feel the eyes of something following you in the woods. You aren’t sure what it is, but when it finds you, there’s no denying that it’s hungry. (One muse is a vampire. Or neither! Go hunting.) 🐺 - The howls bounce against the trees, and you can hear the sound of something running. It’s big, and fast, and most definitely coming for you. (One muse is a werewolf. Or neither! Go hunting.) 📖 - You find a strange book just sitting there in the woods. Someone must have dropped it. But when you open the book, it’s clear by the surge of power you feel release from it that this is not some ordinary book. 🎃 - Strange things are said to happen to people lost in the woods. You didn’t expect to see the ghost of someone you know there.

The Gardens:

Hector doesn’t seem angry or even exasperated when hit with a random projectile -- rather, he’s amused if anything, and Ephraim breathes a sigh of relief. Rarely did anyone other than Innes (or his sister) ever witness him slipping in dignity, and he’s usually reprimanded when it does happen. Having his antics laughed off is honestly the best possible outcome.

“Well, creative certainly is more flattering than a lot of other adjectives you could have used,” Ephraim says with a lopsided smile. “And I’m not too easily upset. If I had been, I probably wouldn’t have thrown chocolate.” Too late he wonders if the statement sounds like a threat rather than the straightforward way he had intended to come across. At the very least, somewhere out there Innes can be grateful Ephraim doesn’t consider him a real threat. (Or perhaps that would just serve to offend him further...) “Maybe I’m the one who should be worried, if so many people have it out for you.”

As though a fire has been lit within him, Ephraim perks up at the mere mention of a contest. The word itself has conditioned him to tense up and get ready for battle, though a fighting stance probably won’t help him shovel candy into his face any faster.

Hector had been fussing over what he should have out to drink once Charlotte came over. He had just started to talk with the other and didn’t know much about her yet so he wasn’t sure what her drinking preference would be. He looked over and saw Lilina playing with her toy axe that she had, pretending to be a monster and couldn’t help but chuckle and smile to himself. He wished that making decisions over what to set out to drink wasn’t so difficult, but it was proving to be harder than he originally anticipated.

He went into the fridge and tried to see if he had anything besides sports drinks that he could put out. He searched in the back and found a small box of apple juice, laughing to himself as he pictured the type of reaction Charlotte would have if he invited her over for a juice box of all things. He decide to take it out so that Lilina would have something to drink so she wouldn’t try to take a sip of whatever he finally decided to put out.

After handing his small daughter her juice box he looked over at the time and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, knowing that Charlotte would be over any minute. That’s when he remembered that he had a bottle of wine that Eliwood had given him awhile ago, telling him that it would be a great drink if he were to ever host a party. He figured that now was as good a time as ever to set it out since he wouldn’t have any other use for it.

He grabbed two wine glasses, thanking the Gods above that he wasn’t going to have to put the wine in one of Lilina’s cups. He filled the two glasses about half way before setting the bottle down on the table. “Who said that you couldn’t have a few drinks to celebrate Halloween.” He mused, laughing when he heard Lilina just laugh and make a monster noise at him as a response.

Charlotte hadn’t remembered the guy after that night in the pub.

She probably should’ve felt bad about it. She didn’t, but she’d at least act like she did. He kinda should’ve expected it with how she’d gone down with the drinks, but apparently he’d saved his name on her phone somehow, and the text saying he was “that guy she’d fought at the bar” was enough to give her a hazy memory.

An unhappy one, seeing as she’d acted like a fucking animal in front of so many people. She hoped nobody there recognized her. Or at least nobody got a video online where she could be recognized. But none of her social media had blown up about a fight, so she guessed she was still fine for now.

Honestly, she didn’t know why this Hector guy was inviting her over. It wasn’t exactly a situation where she’d say they were close friends or anything afterwards. It kinda sounded like a booty call, but considering how long it had taken to admit she was hot, she wasn’t sure she’d be feeling it. Still, she’d dressed up cute, told Benny she was heading out, and left to find this guy’s place.

He lived in a nice place. Charlotte frowned. Where the fuck did some pub brawler get the money for a place like this?

...It might be a booty call after all.

“Oh… thank you…” Myrrh murmured when another girl pressed a handful of candy into her hands. It was clear it was freshly made—perhaps from the candy maker.

Although, she had to wonder why the other girl had chosen Myrrh, of all people, to share her excess candy with. Was it because of her child-like appearance? It didn’t bother her much though.

“My name is Myrrh… What’s your name…?”

The quantity of the purchase had been accidental. In truth, Mitama was in the habit of buying candy in large quantities to share with a certain sugar loving friend, but it had been a great time since she’d seen him. Old habits and the like, it seemed.

“Oh? A pleasure to meet you, Myrrh.” She had no particular reason when she’d chosen the young girl to receive the candy. Simply that she looked young and Mitama thought she would enjoy. 

The ghost isn’t him this time.

The woman stares at her in horror. “How could you not know? The two of you… You were so happy… Do you even know who I am?” 

Pink hair… “Are you… Lady Ethlyn?”

The stranger turns around and gasps, but at what Deirdre can’t determine. She runs off into the grove.

“Come back! If you’re real, you can help me…” Selfish, foolish princess. The voice in her head scolds her as she runs, distracting her.