"What are you doing?"

Rylai looked up from the pumpkin in front of her. "I'm carving a face into the pumpkin."

A tiny frown creased the skin between Lanaya's brows. "But why?"

"Because it's Halloween of course."

The frown only deepened. Clearly the Templar Assassin didn't think that was a good enough explanation. Rylai rolled her eyes then she grinned up at the woman who was standing in front of her. "It is fun. I love to decorate my place for Halloween with pumpkins and candles and stuff. And someone has to make the pumpkins. Some of the staff helps me but since it's something I want it's only fair I do most of the work. And it is fun to make them."

Lanaya still didn't look very convinced. She had gotten better at doing things out of fun since they were together but, regardless, she was overly serious most times. Still grinning, Rylai held tools out for her. "Come, I'll show you. There are enough pumpkins that even if you don't get it right the first time it doesn't matter."

Now her eyes narrowed. "You think I'm not able to carve a face into a pumpkin?"

Rylai couldn't help it, her grin got wider. Dare challenge a proud assassin. But Lanaya sat down next to her and took a pumpkin. Then she watched how the Crystal Maiden did it, listening to her explanations before she started. Rylai kept looking at her from the corner of her eyes, not wanting to let her know that she watched. The Templar Assassin was extremely concentrated, utterly focused on her pumpkin. But all the concentration in the world couldn't help to cover how incapable she was. Oh, the pumpkin got a face but Rylai thought it was the ugliest face she had ever seen on one.

When Lanaya was finished and showed her work, the Maiden was glad she had watched the process. Because otherwise she could never have kept a neutral expression now. She just nodded. "Very good."

"You mock me." The narrowed eyes again, searching her face for a hint of mockery. But though Rylai wore her feelings on her sleeve, she was absolutely able to mask them if necessary. And this was definitely one of those moments. Because as with a child, one could never say that something the Assassin had done was anything but perfect. Not because it would truly hurt her feelings or anything but either she would never do it again or she wouldn't stop doing it until it was truly perfect. None of those options was what the Maiden wanted here.

So, as she would with a child, she smiled first at the pumpkin and then at the woman. "No, it's very good. Do you want to make another one?"

The Templar Assassin frowned again, then she nodded. "Not as boring as I thought it would be."

Rylai laughed. "Why, thank you."

They kept carving pumpkins the whole afternoon and though she had hoped the faces of the ones Lanaya did would get less ugly, it seemed this was no case of practice but a simple case of no talent existing. She'd simply have to find places for them where she wouldn't see them all the time but where the Assassin felt they were appreciated.

Aside from the fact half of the Halloween decoration created on this day was ugly, it was definitely more fun to make it with Lanaya together. After she had carved the first two, she decreased the level of her concentration and they talked, laughing and joking, planning what they would do during the event.

"You want to dress up on Halloween?"

"Dress up? Like, wear a dress?" Lanaya was clearly confused by this.

"No, silly, I mean like wear a costume."

"Why would I do something like that? Oh wait, don't bother, I suppose it's fun. What will you dress up as?"

Rylai leaned over and kissed her quickly on her mouth. She loved how the Assassin had loosened up over the time they had known each other now and how she asked questions, actively participating in a conversation rather than passively taking it in. "We could get partner costumes. Like little red riding hood and the wolf. You'd be the wolf of course. Or we could go as the same."

"And where would we go like that?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Kunkka has a Halloween party on his ship every year. He invited us. And before that we can go through the village and play trick or treat." Now she was grinning again. The villagers already knew she liked to do this on Halloween and weren't the least surprised that between all those kids going around she was going, too. Normally she would join one of those groups of kids but with Lanaya they could go as pair. She felt a little giddy at the prospect of having someone to spend this Halloween with, someone with whom she could do all those things she loved.

Sometimes she looked at Lanaya and wondered how she had been able to get this unbelievably gorgeous woman to be with her. They were so contrary but then they got along so well, suited each other perfectly. Maybe their differences brought them together, Lanaya's calm bringing Rylai down when she was too excited or too much swept away by her feelings while Rylai's cheerfulness made Lanaya not so stern all the time. Whatever it was, it worked.

"Trick and treat." Her voice was dry but the tiniest smile was playing around her lips. "Of course you are such a kid that you still do that. You want to know what I did the one time some kids showed up at my door at Halloween?"

"You probably scared them out of their wits."

"I did. No one ever dared disturb me afterwards."

She could so picture it, the kids opening the door, hopeful expressions on their faces morphing into ones of horror. And Lanaya, looking utterly unfeeling but laughing on the inside about having been able to scare them away forever. "You surely were the best neighbour they could get."

"Keep your sarcasm to yourself. They should have known better than to disturb me. Who goes to an assassin and shouts 'trick or treat' into their face anyway?" She shook her head. When she looked up and saw Rylai grinning, her eyes widened. "Oh no, you said you want to go to the village. I don't go trick and treating with you to some assassins and things."

"Ha, scared they will scare you away?" The idea had formed into her mind and now Rylai wanted to do this. She wanted to go to the doors of the creatures she feared or that were fearsome in general. The village was boring and with Lanaya by her side they could do everything! She laughed at her shocked expression but oh, this would be so much fun! "Come on, please?"

The Templar Assassin sighed and Rylai knew she had won. "Yeah, we'll trick and treat the shit out of them!"

"Rylai, you'll be my death, I swear."

"Yeah, but only because you'll die of too much fun."

"I'm absolutely sure of that."