The two of them strolled down, the streets starting to thin out as most people were either already home or headed there. Prompto was skipping a little bit ahead of the other, his arms swinging at his sides. And, if Noctis was right about this, he sure seemed in a much higher spirits than he normally was. Which, wasn't saying much, but it was definitely noticeable. As he walked at a leisurely pace, his eyes followed the energetic movements of his blond companion. "What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked as the other grabbed onto a light post and spun around on it.

Pausing in the middle of his twirl, Prompto stared at him as if he grew a second head. "Dude, it's almost Halloween," he said, flatly. "You know what that means."

"No school?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But also, events, scary things and all the cool stuff that comes with it," he spoke as if her were talking about a crush. He continued to spin around the post, his hand catching on something and causing it to crumple under his palm. It would have gone unaware, but the top half of it came loose as he hung down.

Curious, the blond hopped away from the metal pole and used his thumb and forefinger to raise the piece of paper back up. His lips pursed as he read over the flyer. As he glanced at it, the raven came up behind him to take a look for himself. "What is it?" he asked, unable to see well in this lighting from the distance he was at.

"Looks like some kind of attraction to me," he guessed, still taking it all in. "'Looking for a thrill this Halloween? Test your intelligence and wit in a Victorian style hunt. Use hints and find clues to track down the hidden fortune of the mansion's deceased owner'," he read aloud, voice growing more excited with each word he read. "And, it seems like it's an overnight thing, so it says to bring a bag to spend the night there."

Noctis folded his arms and stepped back. "Sounds kinda boring to me," he breathed out, completely uninterested.

"Are you kidding?!" the blond exclaimed, paper held tightly between his hands. "This is the kind of stuff I live for. We have to go, you don't see this very often around here. Come on, it's only one night, and it won't be that bad," he pleaded, staring at the other with widened and bright blue eyes.

Groaning loudly, the raven rubbed the back of neck. "Do you really want to do this?" he asked, already giving in. The other didn't answer, he just continued to stare at him. "Alright, alright, fine, we can do it."

"Yes! Hey, do you think Gladio and Ignis would be interested in going as well? I mean, it doesn't seem like their thing, but it's been awhile since we all hung out. And, I'm sure they need a break from working all the time."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask," Noctis shrugged. "When is it though?"

Prompto looked back at the flyer, eyes flitting around in search. "Uhhhhh, tomorrow," he replied, looking back to the other expectantly. "That gives us time to get costumes," he muttered to himself.

The other swiveled his head in his direction at that. "...Costumes?" he repeated, making sure he heard right.

"Yeah, it's Victorian themed. You gotta dress the part to get into character and all that, You know, to make it feel more genuine," he beamed, folding it up and stuffing it in his pocket should he need it later. "If we hurry…" he thought, looking down as he went through the times things normally closed.

"If we hurry, we could get home before midnight," Noctis finished for him, feeling exhausted after the exams of that day. He really didn't feel like doing anything else until he got some much needed sleep. "We can go tomorrow, it's already late." He could see the slight droop in the other's shoulders, but he didn't protest against it; he was pretty tired himself, and the yawn he provided was proof of that.

Waving a hand, he turned to continue walking. "Yeah, you're right, I'll just message the others tonight and see if they're interested. Let them think it over tonight," he said, going along with it.

"Sounds good to me," he sounded relieved, glad he was fine with waiting. "We can go as soon as shops open though, alright?" Denying the guy anything he was this excited about was almost like kicking a puppy, you just don't do it. At this, he perked back up, the bounce returning to his step as he began humming to himself. All Noctis could do was shake his head and carry on.

And, sure enough, as soon as the sun was in the sky, Noctis' phone was going off, serving as an alarm clock, one that was not planned for. He didn't even need to check to see who it was; in fact, one peek through his blinds and he saw the blond hair pacing back and forth out in front of his apartment. "Are you serious," he groggily groaned, pressing his hands against his eyes.

He let the phone ring a couple more times before finally answering it. "Yeah?" he sighed, ready to listen to the other babble on for a moment. "Uh huh, yeah, I'll be down in a minute," he hung up in the middle of the other still talking and dropped the device on the bed. Plopping back down, he stared up at the ceiling and blinked heavily a few times. Groaning one last time, he built up the will to push himself up and sit on the edge of his bed.

Better to just go ahead and get this over with. The longer he waited, the harder this would be. Stretching a yawning, he forced himself onto his feet and swiftly got dressed, not caring how little his attire matched. Not like he was trying to impress anyone. Shoes on and hair at least a little bit pushed into place, he trudged out his door and down the stairs. Reaching Prompto, he was a little surprised to see him so well put together. For someone who wasn't a morning person, he sure looked like a morning bird.

"Hear back from the others yet?" he asked, voice still a tad croaky from having literally just woken up. He yawned again, the action bringing a couple of tears to his eyes

He should have assumed what the answer was just from the fact that he was still so full of life. "Uh huh, and it took a bit of convincing, but they're both for it," he chimed, giving an awkward thumbs up. "Now, I say we head by their workplace and see what kind of costumes they want for this, seeing as they have to work all day," he sighed, obviously not thrilled by that knowledge.

"And they're gonna trust you to pick them out?" he questioned amusement in his tone.

Prompto chewed on his lip for a moment, that couldn't be good. "Well, I didn't exactly tell them that part yet… But, I'm sure they'll be fine with it," he waved his hand erratically to brush it off. "It's just a costume."

Noctis raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't be bothered to care about it too much. If they didn't like this, it wasn't on him. "So, know where we're going?" he asked.

"For the costumes, I was thinking that new one that just opened down the road. As for the actual event, well, I've never heard of this address, but I'm sure Ignis wouldn't mind driving us there. He's better with directions and all that jazz."

The raven gave him a sly grin, "Oh, I see," he sighed, "you only wanted them to come along for a chauffeur."

Prompto froze and reddened, "That's not true at all. I really want them to go. I think we could all use a bit of fun." Noctis just laughed out how easy it was to get him all flustered. "But, I think it's some place right outside of town. I looked it up, and it looks like the real deal. Old creepy house that looks like it was owned by some old rich family." He pulled out his phone and pulled up the web page he had saved. "There it is," he held it out for the other to see.

Taking the phone, he gazed at the house, and he was right. It definitely had the looks for this type of gathering. It was freaking massive, and he really hoped they weren't intending on incorporating the entire building into this. If they were, this was going to be a long night. "This looks...huge," he settled on.

"I know, right, it's gonna be great. Never got to try anything like this growing up, so it's something I've always wanted to experience. Always heard stories of how fun and exciting they were. But…" he trailed off, shutting off the backlight and putting his phone away. "Anyway, let's hurry before the place gets crowded." He jogged ahead, "Last one there is a rotten egg," he called behind him, speeding up.

Shaking his head, the raven played along and charged after him. Like this, they sprinted all the way, all the way until they were leaned over and panting for breath just outside of the coffee shop. Once he felt as though he could breathe well enough, the blond peered inside, frantically waving a hand when he spotted the brute of a man leaning on the counter, looking overly interested in whatever it was he was reading. Behind him was their bespectacled friend, walking by as he jotted things down on his clipboard.

Igis had just been promoted to manager the other day, and already he was taking his new position quite seriously. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eyes and waved with a couple fingers. They took that as their queue to enter.

"Hey, what's up?" Prompto asked, bounding over to sit at one of the stools and placed his elbows on the counter to lean into them.

"Nothin," Gladio sighed, flipping the page, his eyes never left the book. "Just trying to get through the day," he breathed out, reaching for his cup of coffee.

Watching that, the brunet's eye twitched as Gladio took a long sip out of the cup with the store's logo on it. "I do hope you payed for that," he raised his eyebrows, only getting more frustrated, when all he got was a 'sure' and a flick of the wrist. "It's coming out of your paycheck then," he warned.

"Like it would make much of a difference," the larger man retorted, relishing in how the smallest things could get under the man's skin.

"Anyway," Prompto cut in before the 'argument' could go any further. "When I asked you guys about this thing tonight, I may have left out one teeny tiny detail." He winced when the both of them shot their focus towards them, finding a common enemy in that moment.

Gladio closed his book for the first time and leaned in closer. "And, what might that detail be?" he asked.

"Welllll, it happens to be an event that...requiresacostume," he blurted the last part under his breath and dropped his gaze. "Ok, hope you guys are still cool with it, Noct and I are gonna go pick some outfits up now. Alright see ya later." He couldn't even get out of his seat before his wrist was grabbed by the man.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He had obviously caught every word of that, but he couldn't resist the temptation of watching the youngest of their group squirm for a second.

"It's a Victorian style thing, so costumes are required," he whispered, staring into those honeyed eyes. "Hope that doesn't make you lose interest." He looked from one to the other, searching for any signs of them backing out.

Sighing, Gladio released his hold and opened his book back up. "I guess that's fine," he shrugged. "Already made the plan, might as well carry through with it." With that, he was back to flipping through his book nonchalantly. Looking to Ignis, he was doing the same, and it was like he hadn't even heard it.

"So, anything in particular you guys want?" he asked. "Noct and I are about to head over. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Neither seemed too particular about it. "Whatever you find," Gladio answered for them. "It's only for the night, I don't plan on wearing it more that once." Prompto pursed his lips, a few ideas running through his head of the possibilities, but he shook them away. Nah, he couldn't do that, he'd try to find something they'd be ok with.

They bid their farewells, getting out of there just as the first few customers began to filter in. With everything else in place, the two of them headed on down the street, towards the costume shop. Again, they wanted to get there before the crowds could. From what they've heard, this was a pretty popular place, and they just hoped people hadn't bought the place out yet.

Lucky for them, most didn't seem too fond in the type of attire they were going for; the majority of the section even looked untouched. It didn't take long for them to pick out what they needed and make their purchases, neither wanted to be too picky, it wasn't the costumes that was the highlight of this night after all. Now, the only thing they had to do was wait, which was by far the worst part. Hours upon hours until the other two were off and it was about time to head off.

They all decided to meet up and Noctis' place, that being where they'd change into their costumes and get ready before heading out. Prompto was the first changed, unable to contain his excitement and practically ripping his clothes off in the process. Now he stood there in dress pants, a vest, and a paperboy hat. He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror, appearing to be rather satisfied with the look.

"Gonna go beg for some soup, Tiny Tim?" Gladio scoffed. The blond rolled his eyes and stepped away to drop himself on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, yeah, you're laughin' now, but just wait." The tone in his voice didn't bode well, and curious, Gladio pulled out the contents of his own bag and he stared daggers at the other. "Go on, let's see how it fits."

The brute gathered his things and stepped into the bathroom. A few minutes later a emerged wearing a striped shirt with suspenders. In one of his hands, he held a fake pair of glasses. "Are you serious?" he asked, shooting a questioning glance at the others. Prompto gave him a smile, and returning it, the larger man tossed the spectacles behind him. "You're already pushing it with the suspenders."

The brunet gave him a pointed look and narrowed his gaze. "Do you have something against glasses?" he asked, accusation in his words. He folded his arms as the other grumbled something under his breath and retrieved them to slip them on his face. "Better, I think they suit you."

Both Noctis and Ignis were already in their outfits. The latter looking like a spiffy butler of sorts while the other just looked like a man in formal attire, a top hat to pull it all together. "Before we go," Prompto pulled out his phone, and they all knew where this was going, a unified groan escaping all of them. "Say cheese!" he wrapped his arm around as many of them as he could and pulled them in. The moment they were all complying, he snapped the picture.

"Everyone ready to go?" the brunet asked, keys jingling in his hand. The rest of them filed behind him, and that was it, they were on their way. With their bags tossed into the trunk, all of them slipped into his car, seeing as he was the only one other than Gladio who had one, and out of the two the only one that was clean enough for them. Prompto read the address off to him, and he typed it into his GPS and they were ready to go.

Prompto could hardly contain himself. To think, he was finally able to do something like this. For a while, he was starting to think these sort of things were only done in the movies or were just a myth. But, as the mansion came into view, he was more ready than he had ever been for anything.

"Whoa…" he breathed out, unable to take his eyes off it. "It's even bigger in person."

"That's what she said," Gladio coughed out, earning an irritated look from Ignis. "What?" he asked, acting like he never said anything.

He pulled up next to a few other cars, assuming that's where he was meant to park. No one stopped him, so he assumed it was fine. He came to a stop, and everyone eagerly stepped out, the crisp autumn air fully waking them back up. It was about a thirty minute drive, long enough for at least one of them to start dozing off.

Grabbing their things from the trunk, they made sure they had everything they needed before Ignis locked up. "This it is," he sighed, switching his bag over to his other shoulder. Looking to the others, he made sure they were all ready to go through with this before they continued on.

Reaching the door, there was a man standing there, basket in hand. "Cell phones," he ordered, shaking the basket lightly. "This is the 1800's, no phones back then," he reminded. This got him a few sighs as the four of them obliged. They came this far, there was no point in arguing now. Noctis was the only one that was a bit reluctant, but he didn't want to spoil the experience, so he dropped his in as well.

Walking farther in, they dropped their luggage off in what looked to be a lounge, right next to where the belongings of others rested. Walking into the main hall, they were impressed with the sights of the place. There weren't a whole lot of people, most likely because there were other events going on that sounded more appealing to them. But, there was still a decent amount. All of them wearing the appropriate clothing for the time period.

"Guess we're just supposed to mingle until things can get started," Ignis said, readjusting his bow tie and walking forward.

"I'm actually going to have a look around," Prompto informed, walking past the main hall to head towards what he assumed to be a library or ballroom of sorts. Even this room broke off into more, and it wasn't long before he found himself exploring more of them. While he did this, Ignis took it upon himself to find the nearest exit, and not the front entrance. He just needed to get to a spot where he'd be able to have a quick smoke in peace.

Gladio and Noctis, on the other hand, jumped into the fray. "Hmm, the view here isn't too bad," he mumbled to himself. Curious, Noctis followed his gaze and scowled at what he was looking at.

"Really?" he asked, looking at the man with an incredulous glare. He was looking right at the back of a young woman, her hair cut short and barely reaching her shoulders. But, from what he could tell, she looked like she'd be attractive.

Walking over in the most casual way he could, Gladio placed his hand on her shoulder. "What's someone like yourself doing in a place like this?" he asked, voice coming out as smooth as butter.

Said woman spun around and familiarity mixed with confusion graced her features. The man paled a bit at realizing what he;d just done. "Gladdy?" she asked, the hand instantly drawing back as he nervously coughed out of humiliation. "Uh, what's with the…" she trailed off, pointing towards her own eyes and looking back at his. It took everything she had not to poke fun at just how out of place glasses looked on him.

"Hey, Iris," he chimed back up, trying desperately to play it off, "didn't expect to see ya here." He crossed his arms, leaning onto one leg and glancing around quickly. "Sorry," he said after a second of lingering awkwardness, "I didn't recognize you." It only made things worse when Noctis could no longer contain his amusement with the spectacle. "Shuddup," he groaned, giving the younger man a solid punch to the upper arm.

"Sorry, but, you just hit on your own sister," he spoke the obvious, swiping a tear from his eyes. "Oh, I wish I could have gotten that on camera, I'm sure the others would have loved to see that.

"Laugh all you want, but next time you come for your coffee, expect to find something a little extra." That didn't stop the jokes and laughs from coming, it was like it wasn't even a threat to the younger man. That only served to annoy the brute even further.

For a moment, Iris laughed along, finding the whole thing to be more hilarious than embarrassing, then again, she wasn't the one to make the mistake. "Hey, I have to go to the bathroom, so I'll be back in a bit," she said, walking off to hear them continuing their playful banter.

As Ignis was in search of a way out, he passed by a woman, one that took a step back and accidentally bumped into him, knocking him slightly off balance. "Oh, 'scuse me hun, I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'," she drawled out, reaching out a hand to pat him on the shoulder. "You alright?" From the sounds of it, she had to have been from farther south. Either that, or she was really good at putting on fake accents.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured, nodding and looking back into bright green eyes. Her curled blonde hair was tied back in a bun, a small rose adorned clip holding it in place. "I'm Ignis, and you are?" he asked, holding out his hand to shake hers.

"M'name's Cindy," she answered taking his hand and shaking it with strength that surprised him. Not to mention the calluses that decorated her hands.

Releasing his hold, he looked around again, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where I can get to a porch or something do you?" It might have been a weird thing ask after just meeting someone, but he was getting impatient.

She looked him over and noticed the way his hand was fiddling with something in his pocket. "Smoker, huh?" she asked knowingly. "I'll take ya to one, had to go there earlier myself fer the same thing. Come on, it's this way," she waved him along.

Meanwhile, Prompto was still wandering the halls, but he was still fairly close as he still heard the commotion from the other room. He made sure not to drift too far and risk getting lost. Because, from the looks of this place, that wasn't something that was difficult to do. One wrong turn and it felt like he was in another building altogether.

While he explored with limitation, his eyes noticed a figure pass by in the hall just up ahead, and then another followed suit, this one seemingly moving in a stalking manner. He couldn't make them out from here, they were moving too fast and they were too far away. His curiosity getting the best of him, he starts to walk after them, but something caused him to freeze on the spot, petrified from the sound, and he knew exactly what it was. It was a gunshot...and it was close.