Spooky Scary Skeletons!

[magpiemythos]

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!))

Comments

[alittlehinky]

"I didn't know there were varying degrees of Forbidden-ness." He's already entertained, and the thought that Loki definitely approves of providing forbidden snacks is only more pleasing. "Here, I'll show you."

He beckons her after him. In truth, the ice cream bar is routinely available at the Viper's Pit, but it's especially tricked-out for Halloween tonight. In addition to chocolate and vanilla, there are seasonal flavors (pumpkin, ginger) and thematic toppings, like gummi worms and little dark-chocolate bats. "I'm Cricket. Cricket Pate. Laserbeak, huh?"

An unusual name, but when she mentions Soundwave it makes sense. "So you're usually metal and lights, then? You're taking the change awful well."

[alittlebirbtoldme]

"Nice to meet you, Cricket! I'm having so much fun being fleshy! I can usually only talk to Soundwave, Ravage and Ben, because Ben can hear it when I think. And I can't eat any of this yummy food!"

Laserbeak grins as she creates a truly epic sundae. She will have one scoop of each flavour of ice cream and some of all of the toppings. "I'm normally a red and black metal bird. Ice cream is the Most Forbidden Snack because it melts inside of your gears and cables and then your Carrier gets really annoyed because he has to help you get it out."

[alittlehinky]

Cricket is not quite as devoted to snacking as his new friend, but he decides to help himself to some pumpkin ice cream with butterscotch topping, then stands back and watches her sundae get bigger and bigger. "Don't make yourself sick, now. That can happen in a human body. And the cold might make your head hurt if you eat too fast."

"A bird, huh? That explains your choice of costume. I'm fond of magpies."

He tugs a chair out for her and sits across from it, at an empty table. "Do things taste different right now, since you're in a human shape?"

[alittlebirbtoldme]

"They taste better!" Laserbeak says with great enthusiasm, sitting down with him. "Thank you for the chair! I dressed up as a magpie because people say that I act like one. I bring home sparkly things. Sometimes I eat them, sometimes I make things with them, sometimes I wear them but mostly I just like having them. Although there are certain people I take great delight in taking sparklies from, because they're nasty and don't deserve them. Like Starscream." She makes a face.

Then, she puffs out her chest and makes a proud, haughty face. "Lord Megatron has fallen! I, Starscream, am now the true leader of the Decepticons!" she says, and mimes putting a crown on her head before she leans in and says, "I swear he used to say that if Megatron tripped on a rock and rested a moment before he got up," with an eyeroll.

"Of course I borrow my brother's stuff too but that's because he has so much of it. Both Soundwave and Lord Megatron used to give him jewellery all the time. I took that collar Megatron gave him and used the diamonds to make Ben's jacket though, because he's conjunx to Soundwave now and it's not right for him to be wearing a collar from Megatron."

She is all but inhaling that ice cream, but fortunately has managed to avoid brain freeze...so far, anyway. It is actually amazing how she can manage to eat so much and talk so much at the same time.

"Humans can get sick from eating food? I mean, I got sick from eating ice cream as a Destron, but...metal people aren't supposed to eat sugar and milk. Anyhow, how did you meet Soundwave? He hasn't been here very long! Ravage and I were here long before he was!"

[alittlehinky]

Cricket has always been a bit of a sucker for extroverted personalities. He enjoys reckless, passionate, or bubbly people, particularly since his own normal tendency is to be a quiet, steadying influence. In part, this is how a gentle country boy ended up dating the god of mischief. He's not above picking up other friends, though, and the glimmer in his eyes says he's finding her stream of chatter entertaining rather than annoying.

He nods and hums acknowledgement at intervals, but mostly just lets her go, especially since she's spilling all kinds of gossip.

"So you're creative, then? Making new things out of bits and pieces you can re-use? That's a useful skill."

When she asks a question and pauses, he's willing to answer, though. "Human stomachs aren't that big," he says. "They stretch a little when we eat, so they can hold the food, but there's a limit to how much they can hold without hurting."

"I've forgotten what it is about cold food making your head hurt. I think it makes the blood vessels constrict or something. Anyway, if it happens you just have to take a break from eating."

What she says about Soundwave doesn't quite make sense, as he's not yet aware there's more than one. He tilts his head thoughtfully and taps his fingers on the edge of the table. "I met Soundwave over a year ago," he says. "He showed up out of nowhere, half-starved and determined to get something to eat, so I helped him negotiate rather than let a fight break out."

"...of course, it's possible there's more than one. This is the Nexus, after all."

[alittlebirbtoldme]

"Starved? A year ago?" Laserbeak is momentarily confused--and concerned. Then she remembers the day Ravage got so upset that he drove himself right through the gate in his alt-mode and Clobber just carried him into the house and dropped him in Soundwave's lap.

"Wait, I heard about this. There are two Soundwaves. Ours is blue and the other one's purple and doesn't have a face or hands. And his Ravage is dead, and his feelings are gone. Ravage met the other one and was very upset, because that almost happened in our world. They were going to do it to our Soundwave, and they were going to kill Ravage, but Overlord saved them."

[alittlehinky]

"Ahh." Cricket blinks, then looks thoughtful. In his current mental state, he's friendly enough if there's no reason not to be, but dressed as a gangster, he's thinking in terms of territory and business. This sounds like something he could use some more information on. It's unlikely any of the Decepticons are going to be selling moonshine, so they won't be a problem, but allies are useful, too.

He takes a bite of ice cream slowly, then says, "It was the purple one I met. I like him; he's a bit of a smartass, but practical. I hope I'll get to meet the other before too long."

[alittlebirbtoldme]

"He's around here somewhere. He's all dressed in blue and gold, with blue hair and gold glasses and a really fancy blue and gold suit. He's kinda freaked out about being a human."

Laserbeak frowns. "The purple one isn't here, is he? Ravage will really freak out if they just run into each other at random."

[alittlehinky]

"Sounds fancy," Cricket smiles. "But I suppose that's what Halloween is for. Maybe he'd adjust better if he had snacks, like you?"

Probably not, but he's never been anything but human, so his advice is not going to be helpful no matter what.

He shakes his head. "I haven't seen the purple one, and I'd bet money he won't be here. He doesn't strike me as the party type. I wouldn't worry."

[alittlebirbtoldme]

"I think so. But I think that maybe Soundwave is a little grossed out by the whole being-human thing. I know he is grossed out by human food because he always gets so upset when I want to eat it. He thought Ravage made a pretty sort-of-human, but mostly he just touched his hair. When they're normal, and they're alone and not busy, they kind of get all over each other." Laserbeak snickers. "They lived apart for a while and ever since Ravage came back and agreed to get married, they've been locking themselves in their room every day for hours."

Laserbeak giggles. "Ravage makes so much noise. He sounds like a bunch of street cats fighting while somebody's engine keeps backfiring."

She covers her melting ice cream in sugary glitter, eats some of it, and makes a very happy birdy noise.

[alittlehinky]

"I can imagine how it would be disorienting the other way 'round," Cricket says thoughtfully. "So I can't blame him for being disturbed."

He might expound upon this premise, except then she's talking about what is clearly a very passionate romantic relationship. Under normal circumstances he'd blush and try to change the subject, but given that he's not his usual self tonight, he breaks into a slow grin and eventually has to hide a laugh behind a cough.

"I'm not sure they'll thank you for sharing that with me, but I'm entertained." And he really cannot imagine the purple Soundwave locked in a loving embrace at all, which further reinforces the idea that these two are very different people.

The bird noise makes his eyes twinkle though. "My lover was stuck in a magpie shape for a while, a couple years ago. I still call her Pretty-Bird. She's a rabbit tonight, but you're making me nostalgic."

[alittlebirbtoldme]

Laserbeak grins. "Oh that's adorable! I don't really understand romance but people in love are cute. Also silly. Is she the rabbit that's biting people?"