#subtle magic

“People talk about the holidays being a romantic time of year, but normally they speak of Christmas or Valentines, but never really about Halloween,” a quiet girl who had been coming to the cafe for months stated as she stared across the street, watching an old abandoned store with a longing look to her eyes. “But there is something there… when the masks hide us, and slowly allow us to reveal ourselves…”

The blonde waitress topped off her cup of coffee, following her gaze across the road. “Still thinking about that girl?”

“Raven, yeah,” she answered as she pushed up her glasses to reveal the blush of her cheeks. “I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since last year…”

Carmen let out a soft laugh as she patted the early morning customer on the shoulder. “Don’t worry there Amber, if it is to be, you’ll see her again,” the waitress offered warmly giving her a tight lipped smile. Over the past year of her coming in almost daily, she’d come to like the shy romantic girl, and was rooting for her to get her heart’s desire.

“Thank you,” the girl answered, wrapping her hands around the mug and lifting it up for a sip. “I would just be happy talking to her again. I probably seem like a stalker to constantly come here.”

Carmen gave her a warm smile before going to check on the other tables. Meanwhile, Amber found her mind driving to the first meeting with the enigmatic Raven. It had been days before Halloween, and she had been on her way to a costume party hosted by some friends of hers.

Yes, it was an attempt to hook her up with someone, but that’s not relevant to the story.

She had seen the store on her way to the big box store a few blocks further, and decided to take a chance on getting a costume from the specialty store. It was in that fateful choice that she knew her life was going to be changed forever.

Walking through the door to the echoing chime of a funeral knell, she found herself walking into Jack Skellington’s land, and at the counter, in her obsidian witch’s dress with large hat and fishnet sleeves was Raven, watching her with a curious expression.

Before she could speak, the woman waved her towards an aisle. “Costumes are down aisle three, I think you should look under the red sign,” she offered, a knowing look in her eyes. “I’ll be along after I ring up this customer.”

Just as she finished speaking, a cart ladened with candies, decorations, and so much else rolled around the far corner and beelined to the counter. The bubbly blonde girl pushing the cart was beaming to her dark haired friend that was helping keep everything from spilling out. At least, she thought they were friends, though thinking about it, the way they bantered and looked at each other, she wasn’t sure anymore.

There was something magical between them.

Leaving them to their shopping, she went down the costume aisles, and found a wall of choices. Looking up she swore they stretched onwards into the sky. Focusing on the directions given to her, she pressed onwards, and searched for the red sign that had been mentioned.

Getting to the right section, she found that they were mostly women’s costumes, and in her size. She just had to narrow it down from there. Was she feeling like being a princess, a witch, a cat, or something else? They looked like they’d be comfortable enough, and came with make up kits to help complete the look.

She was about to give up, when she saw it, the gleaming bronze colored scale, the curled horns that framed the face and swept back over her shoulders, and the gloriously cheesy looking wings. The Dragon Queen of her favorite book series The Dragoncrown Saga.

She hadn’t even known they made costumes for that series!

Plucking if off of the hook, she double checked the sizing, and found that it was just perfect for her, she just wished she cou-

“You can try it on if you’d like my queen,” the cashier offered from behind her, giving her a start. Turning around, she could see her smirking as if she’d caught her doing something. “I think you’ll look simply regal in this.”

“R-really?” Amber had squeaked, not sounding like the confident and bold queen the costume would have her pretending to be.

The cashier walked over, smiling as she waved her towards the back of the store. “Come on, let’s go try this on, I think we have some makeup to help complete the look if you’d like,” she insisted as she led the way towards the back, where a full make-up counter was set up, an artist leaning against the stall.

“Hey Raven, got a newbie?” the artist asked, looking her over. “I hope it’s something interesting.”

“The Dragon Queen, face scales and cheek scar?”

“Oh, I love it, go on and try it on dear, we’ll get you all set for any costume party you need,” the artist gushed as she held open the door to the changing room. Raven guided her in by the hand, giving her a playful smirk and devastating wink before the door shut behind her.

Half an hour and $50 later, Amber was gone, and in her place was an imposing, confident, and indomitable Dragon Queen, first of her name. The latex scales around her eyes and across her nose were comfortable, and she could barely feel the fangs in her mouth.

Raven and the artist gave each other fist bumps as she walked away to her car, getting almost to the party before she realized that she had been thinking about the goth clerk the entire time. She knew she’d never be able to handle a woman like that, but she wanted to take the risk, to dare to dance.

Unfortunately, the next time she’d had the chance to go to the store again, it was the day after Halloween, and the store was gone. Not just gone, but transformed. Where once a stately gothic manor stood, now it was a drab and bland concrete monolith to consumerism.

Sighing into her coffee, Amber tapped the claw of the metal finger ring she had picked up for herself for Christmas against the mug and stared at the cursed building. She was going to be brave, she was going to face this trial with courage and humility. She was going to ask out the big titted goth woman, come dragon fire or arctic chill.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled the scent of the coffee, and felt something change in the air. Opening her eyes, she saw the black spires rising into the sky, the sharp, angular arches and facades. And there, causing her heart to skip a beat was a vision of obsidian and crimson, staring directly into the window she was staring out of, as if she could see her.

Raven.

The goth turned with a wave as the door opened, and she saw the artist that she’d never gotten the name of, and the lights flickered on throughout the four stories of the mansion, large orange letters proclaiming that the Halloween Dream was open.

Turning, Amber found Carmen there with a knowing smile and the bill. “I believe you have somewhere to be, it’s on me today sugar. Go on.”

“Thank you!” Amber offered as she rushed away, her mind so focused on the girl that had bewitched her for nearly a year that she never saw the fanged smile on Carmen’s face, as she waved a hand, and the other patrons began chattering and eating their foods, like they’d wakened from some thrall.