Halloween!

[theguidebook]

Who: Anyone and everyone!
What: Costumes, parties, and evil pumpkins
Where: Idol Springs
When: Halloween (October 31)
Warnings: Beware of giant evil pumpkins.

During the day, the gift fairies are busy flitting about, delivering a box to each Outsider! In each box is a costume, presumably to be worn to the Halloween party advertised on posters in every world. Costumes aren't required...but why wouldn't you wear a costume to a Halloween party?

The party itself is fairly humble, as the natives have had to contend with errant pumpkin vines and mischievous ghosts all month. There's a table of actual food, many pumpkin or squash based recipes, and a table for desserts with all manner of pies and pastries, as well as overflowing bowls of candy. There are streamers and simple decorations, and some games such as bobbing for apples... A small hay maze has been set up to one side. A few musicians are playing music - square dance calls included. It's nothing fancy, but it's certainly intended to be a fun break from all the recent strangeness. They'll even be keeping the ghosts out for the duration of the evening!

Until midnight, that is. Then the party will have an unexpected guest...

Comments

[aftermtsilver]

"Sure," he agrees. "I'm not complaining. It's good to see more people around. Not that I don't like the company already here."

[warlord_of_aurora]

Enzan nods his head before asking, "Are your Pokemon not here with you?"

[aftermtsilver]

Red puts a hand onto his waist, shifting up the bottom of his overshirt where his pokeballs sit. "They are. I've got some here, then my blastoise is helping with some lifting. Espeon and Pikachu are keeping an eye out - y'know, lending a hand to the locals with the ghost watching."

A frown makes its way onto his face. "It's been bad the last few days, so I figured we could all help out. I'm helping out too, just, well..."

He trails off, looking at the pumpkin before him with a deepening look of displeasure. The bad vibes it gave off and the fact that the fruit was unknown to the locals (growing that large and strangely, anyway) still didn't sit well with the trainer, especially since he was staying in the same area as it.

[warlord_of_aurora]

Enzan follows Red's gaze to the pumpkin and he blinks once. He then refocuses on the trainer, "I see. How has that been working out for you?"

[aftermtsilver]

There's a bit of a silence until he shrugs his shoulders, shaking his head. "Dunno. But I don't think I should ask Snorlax to try punching it."

Well, maybe there was no point worrying about it. He smiles again, backing away from the pumpkin. "Anyway, so what are you goin' to do? Going to stay here for the party?"

[warlord_of_aurora]

"Of course."

It's a new kind of celebration so he's going to enjoy it for all it's worth.

[aftermtsilver]

"Great. Have you been here before?"

[warlord_of_aurora]

"Only in passing."

[aftermtsilver]

"Have you seen the carpenters here? They're lending chairs for the party - I was just going to get some to take where they're having the party. You should see them at work, they made all of sculptures in this world."

[warlord_of_aurora]

"I think I'd like that. They sound very skilled."

[aftermtsilver]

"Want to now?"

He grins as he asks, pointing behind him and taking some steps in the same direction.

[warlord_of_aurora]

"Sure."

Enzan follows Red, his Pokemon in suit.

[aftermtsilver]

If he's going to be followed, then Red will be all too happy to lead Enzan the way!

It's a bit of a walk, though nothing significant, with plenty of locals to be met along the way, adorned with accessories to compliment both Hallween and their unique dress sense. Black hula skirts instead of green, head gear of simple black headbands to fake, outrageous hair. They weren't party central like one realm with a strict dress code, but if a party was coming to their doorstep, they clearly going to make the most of it!

The workshop, their destination, is like a large garage, a wide, tall opening allowing in fresh air and letting out noise. There's festive spirit all around the building and over it too, decorations hanging up over the entranceway and delicately carved pumpkins nearby. It's hard to tell how many of the carpenters might've originally come in to work, or if they started to before deciding to indulge in the drinks brought in to be shared by their fellow colleagues. Whatever was the case for some of them, a portion of the green fellows can be found sitting outside, merry indeed.

The sound of cutting and hammering can still be heard though, seen too, from those who are deciding to wait until joining in on the drinks and celebrations. The day is still young, after all, and anyway, some still find the ability to work and laugh.

But other than the workers, what is evident is their work. Pieces ready to be sold are left outside for admiring (and to entice a sell), ranging in size from Now-You're-Showing-Off big to Put-In-Your-Back-Pocket sall (you'll need to move in close to see those, of course).

The carpenters welcome the visitors to the place, Red giving greetings to them and asking how they are. Soon after, he's ready to usher Enzan over (if he needs to be encouraged to take a look!) at the items not the chairs he came to pick up- which can be seen over that way sitting by a wall, but there's no reason they can't spend five seconds going this way to look at the finely crafted drawers, tables, jewellery boxes and other such crafts, right?

[warlord_of_aurora]

Enzan follows Red's lead for the most part, so when they reach the items that had caught the trainer's attention he takes the time to admire them. His Pokemon spread out as well, Pichu pulling herself up to look at the the jewels, her eyes sparkling with interest.

[aftermtsilver]

The carpenters don't even need to come over to brag about their wares with Red there. He brings to attention a welsh dresser, touching the side of it to move a hand down over the patterns of swirls, commenting in fascination how it was all done by hand, throws in how his mom had always wanted one, but "they were always too big for our kitchen, the ones she liked."

Soon after, he removes his hands suddenly, laughing with a grin. "Mom always told me not to touch stuff, too."

But then Red crouches down, moving on from the welsh dresser to a table beside it, looking to the pokémon as he begins to tell how he watched the table being made, voice lowered. "He had everything marked out in pencil, and that's all he had to follow. Nothing else. Just these lines and his eyes, feeling out what he wanted. He just chips away at the wood all careful, stopping and looking and going again. It was like he was in a trance, nothin' startled him."

He makes movements with his hands like holding a chisel, acting out the memory, a person absorbed in his own storytelling. Pointing to the jewel-decorated jewellery box, he adds how the same person who made the table made that as well. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Sorry, Enzan. Red might have a habit of getting carried away with stories.

[warlord_of_aurora]

"They are."

He doesn't mind the stories and listens to them attentively.

[aftermtsilver]

Red nods to Enzan, picking up himself back up and clapping his hand before brushing them.

"They'll try making anything if you ever need something." He looks at each of Enzan's pokémon, a hand going to the back of his head as he flashes them an apologetic smile. "But the party's probably what you wanna be enjoying right now hearing me go on, huh?"

[warlord_of_aurora]

"Well... I'd be lying if I said that wasn't at least a little bit true. But I enjoy your company, so it's all good."

His Pokemon keep wandering around, looking over the furniture.

[aftermtsilver]

"No problem! I can grab the chairs now and we can head back."

At least it was still early, and very little would have been missed, if at all. Red went to where the chairs had been left out for him, speaking a few words to one of the men that came over to him. He hoisted them up into his arms, but set them again after a few steps, looking over to Enzan and co while resting against the back of the chairs.

"Are they ready?"

[warlord_of_aurora]

"Everyone?"

At the sound of his voice, his Pokemon return to his side. Eevee leaps up onto his shoulder and Enzan looks back to Red, "They're ready to go."

[aftermtsilver]

The stacked chairs were raised back into his arms, shifted into a comfortable position with a small grunt. Red looks to Enzan, giving him a nod and a confirmation. "Okay!"

The chair tops were rested over his shoulder, allowing him to see where he was walking.

"How's the ghost trouble been in your area, anyway? Had any?"

[warlord_of_aurora]

"Well, not as much. But I almost had a log drop on my head."

That had been very startling.

[aftermtsilver]

"A log?" It might've been tame, but Red still sounded baffled by it. Probably because with all the recent trouble, the size of it is large in his mind. He made an unsettled face, the side of his mouth tipping.

"I dunno, it's weird. I hear Halloween's all about tricks, but people here've been saying it's not normally like this. Like, all the pumpkins poppin' up everywhere was weird, then all the ghosts too? Some of the tents here got slashed this morning. It's good the dragons are around now but, I dunno. Is it going to stop after tonight?"

[warlord_of_aurora]

"I do not know. But hopefully it will stop."

There was no telling when another unfortunate "accident" would occur after all.