nexus_crossings | Spooky Scary Skeletons!

Loki had no idea if any other places were having Halloween bashes, but that wasn't gonna stop him from having his fun! Pub-crawls were a thing if that were the case! The Viper's Pit had been decked out in the spirit of the season, the drinks, boozy and non were themed for the holiday, and aside from the magically drugged glitter one could play with down in the club, there were all manner of edibles.

While the changes were mild inside the building itself, the field had undergone the most changes, from the disappearance of the arena and bathhouse to the forests normally vaguely in the middle distance having been drawn in much closer, ringing a large open field where several bonfires were crackling merrily, each stocked with comfortable places to sit, as well as marshmallows, skewers, and several options for meats to be grilled over an open flame. To the east of the clearing was an expansive-looking corn maze, and standing vigil over it from somewhere in the vague center was a large Victorian-looking house. Anyone who wanted to go snooping would find the maze and home both charmingly haunted by costumed staff looking forward to the chance to scare the pants off some unsuspecting partygoers.

Nothing about the place seems off, or strange. Bats fly about overhead, the moon is large and positioned quite perfectly to make the haunted house look charmingly spooky, and the woods that spread around the clearing are just begging for people to dare to creep down it's paths, jumping at the shrieks that echo from the maze, or just their own imaginations running away with them. Not that there seems to be anything scarier than some mild-mannered wild-life like the owls hooting in the trees- it seems the woods are more designed for a nice nighttime stroll for folks who might want a bit of quiet than anything.

Of course everyone wore costumes. They did right? It's a costume party after all! And if anyone didn't have one, the staff of the bar were quite happy to furnish some of the spares they had on hand, even if it might be something so simple as an animal headband, a pair of wings, or a sheriff's badge and toy gun.

No one was quite certain when things started becoming weirder. Not specifically, and no one was sure why it had happened, given the first sign of things going wrong? Was one of the poor unsuspecting waiters who'd been wearing a cute little bear headband? Was suddenly now a very large, and very confused grizzly bear in a darling little vest trying to balance the tray he'd been carrying on one paw, and attempting to sort out how to get all the drinks off without tipping them onto the customers, who were now a table of animals of varying sizes and shapes, as well as one very bewildered knight, whose plastic armor was suddenly much more realistic and cumbersome.

And from the yelps of surprise and alarm echoing quickly through the Pit and the yard, it was clear this was not an isolated incident.

((ooc: Costume bash! OOC info is here leave any questions in there! Feel free to tag either pre or post-costume realism! For toplevels please use the Trick Or Treat system! If you're just wanting cute fluff or maybe minor spooky stuff, just leave 'Treat' in your toplevel's subject line. If you're here for scary chases and angst, or being a monster to hunt folks for fun (keeping in mind the AVF is in effect!) just post 'Trick'! If you're open to both just put both in! Hopefully this'll make it easier to match up what folks are hoping to play with here even if you're going in otherwise blind. The costumes will revert come sunrise with no ill effects- happy hauntings!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The power he carries, the role he exists in, has always had a frightening side. If it's shifted to wildness, if it looms a little more heavily tonight, Deet is in a position to mind that less, more settled within herself than she's been for a long time. Dimly, she thinks maybe she should be worried about the change in his presence, the same way she should be worried about the shape her wings have taken, but...she isn't. They still fit together, and it feels strangely right.

The change in height is impossible to ignore, though. She breaks into a giggle when he touches her legs, and puts her hands on his shoulders. "I don't know what happened, exactly, but I think you're smaller."

He's still taller than her, but by much less of a measure; roughly the height a tall male gelfling might be. "There is some kind of magic changing people. My wings have feathers."

Pause. "...your feathers, actually. From your cloak." She arches them forward until he can reach them if he puts out a hand.

"Smaller?" He didn't notice but either he was shorter or she was taller. Given that she has the visual cues to fill in his lack of going about touching things, he trusts her.

Death hugs her first enjoying the fact that he doesn't have to worry so much about accidentally harming her, even with just his own weight. Then he reaches out to touch her feathers and wings. "I noticed your presence feels angelic. It must be the power in the feathers."

He doesn't question the magic. After the last time when he was wearing something awful, short was easier to deal with. He might even say this is a pleasant turn of events even if it is supposed to be a trick or evil.

"It's...sort of fun," she admits shyly. And then he's hugging her and it trips some kind of trigger within her. There's a gasp, another giggle, and her arms come up around him in return, hugging as tight as she can. Funny, it never occurred to her to miss hugging him like this before; she has been able to hug his arm, and cuddle up to him, and cling to his wings, but there's something nice about being able to actually get her arms around his shoulders.

The touch against her wings feels nice, too. The texture of his feathers should certainly feel familiar, but there are smooth, sleek panels among them, like warm, polished crystal, in a slightly chaotic pattern.

"You feel different, too, a little." Wait, that came out wrong. Blush! "I mean, your presence. You feel sharper. Darker. I don't know; I don't mind it, you're still you."

"It...probably won't last very long. Not much past the night. We should enjoy it."

There is something nice about actually being able to hug normally. It leaves him melting into it both physically and his grace. He lingers in the touch, especially feeling where the fairy and angel elements come together. Your wings feel sturdier.

Amusement comes into his presence with her mistake. She wasn't wring about him being little. I feel... protective and easily agitated. I left the people inside because it bothered me more than usual.

Curious about how else she may be different, his hands move to her hair and face. What should we do?

Perhaps something they can't normally but nothing is immediately coming to mind.

Oh! They communicate telepathically all the time, and she's been close enough before that her Essence and his Grace nearly blended at the edges. This is like that, but it feels strangely less risky, as if they're more akin than before.

"I can still fly with them, but the way they move is different," she chuckles a little, and when he moves to touch her face, she lets her arms encircle his waist. The structure of her skin and hair is unchanged, but the glow is stronger and more constant now. It may feel warm, even tingle a little.

"Well...we could just explore the woods together, or we could just sit by one of the fires, but I would like..." She pauses, presence vibrating with awkwardness, and then she gives up on words, and leans in to kiss him, instead.

They've done this before, too, but the size difference was so great, it was awkward and felt a little fragile. This is easier.

He smiles briefly. You have the wings of an insect and I have those of birds. I'm not sure how those motions would merge together.

It's a curious thought but not one he could easily experience. Little sparks of nervousness shoot through him when her arms come around his waist. He's not been hugged this way since he was a child and Sin picked on him for being smaller. This though was so different. His fingers linger on the warm parts of her face. He can't tell why they are warm but he can feel the power behind the change.

Nervous panic rises when her lips touch his but he doesn't pull away. Very slowly his hand drops from her face to wrap around her and his wings follow. Despite his change in form he still possess all his wings, though, now that hers are the same size there is fluttering as he tries to navigate the extra pair of "full size" wings.

The awkward feelings melt away into a cheerful, giddy happiness that ruffles his wings and brings laughter to his presence though it is relegated to his emotions instead of the physical.

She breaks into quiet laughter when he tells her she has wings like an insect. "I think that might be why you like them," she tells him.

"Trying to fly with these feels strange. I don't think they're quite designed for it. But they'll probably go back to normal before long..."

She stills for a moment when she feels his anxiety, but doesn't back off, merely gives him a moment to adjust. The fluttering of their wings together is almost ticklish and makes her shiver, but once they're bound up in one another's wings, it feels like they've made a small, soft, dark world for just the two of them.

When the kiss breaks, she nudges her forehead against his lightly, affectionate. "I thought we ought to do that at least once while we're close enough to the same size that you're not afraid of hurting me."

More than once is clearly also an option, but they don't need to rush. They have all night.

He giggle at her laughter, shaking silently but the sound is in his mind. "They are different than ours but I liked dragonflies before we met."

"I'm sure they are beautiful." Shyness fills up his presence but he doesn't falter quite as much. "If you want to fly I could carry you."

He leans his forehead in and takes a deep breath. "I'm trying to learn how to do this myself, but until then we should take advantage of however long the magic lasts."

"I like yours too. I like everything about you," she murmurs softly, nuzzling against his cheek.

"We can fly later," she says, and kisses his cheek. "Oh...do you think you can learn this? I know you worry about hurting me when we're different sizes. But I like being with you so much."

Her wings tighten around his and she squirms a little closer against him. "We could just...go out in the woods together. Or to my cave, or the villa. We don't have to stay at the party all night."

That is definitely flirting.

His cheeks get hot and flushed under that kiss. "I don't know, but I'm working with Belial to see if I can. It's difficult to contain my power in smaller forms."

This moment is certainly convincing him to try harder. Once he realizes she's flirting he becomes incredibly flustered and shy but doesn't pull away.

"The villa is closer and empty. Everyone is here."

Spooky Scary Skeletons!

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