Commander Root's face was a shade of deep, furious purple. When he stormed into the conference room, the officers present all drew back a bit from the heat of his fiery temper, shrinking down in their seats to make themselves inconspicuous in case Root's mood was their fault. However, he barely glanced at them as he crossed the room to the large marble table and slammed an official-looking paper onto its center. Cracks flickered out from under the spotless white page to form a complex spider web pattern on the smooth stone.

Apparently still too enraged to speak, the commander swept to his seat at the head of the table and lit a cigar, quickly filling the room with noxious smoke: a sign of extreme stress. Tentatively, Foaly, head of LEP Operations, slid the paper towards him and picked it up, but didn't scan it, instead looking towards Root.

"Problems, commander?" the centaur asked, wisely not invoking his usual sarcastic tone.

"Just read it," Root snarled from within his cloud of smoke. It was all he could manage at the moment.

Clearing his throat, Foaly obediently began to read aloud, a hush settling respectfully among those present as his words echoed in the small chamber.

"Dear Staff of the LEPrecon,

Greetings. We hope that you are all in good health, and present our sincere compliments. In a show of support for you, our esteemed police force, we, Haven's city Council, have decided to instate an event that we believe will strengthen the bond between each of you and civilians, as well as provide an educational link for our youth to the human race who dwell above us.

"We would like to congratulate you on being chosen to be a part of this brainchild of several members of our Council, and thank you for your patience and cooperation. If successful, we hope to continue this proposed event next year as well, and we know you will all go about it willingly and perform admirably, as usual."

There were some ill-disguised guffaws at this last remark. The LEP was not exactly high on the Council's priority list at the moment, not after the whole B'wa Kell rebellion which they failed to prevent.

"Our request is a simple one. As you may know, the human holiday of Halloween, an ancient religious tradition that has now become a source of enjoyment for both the People and humans, is approaching. This year, we would like our police officers to join the younger members of Haven's population in celebrating this event by dressing in costumes that will be issued tomorrow for your rounds for the next few days, until November 1st. We hope to create an entertaining experience for each citizen of Haven, and this provides the perfect opportunity."

Aware that everyone present was staring at him with dawning horror, Foaly continued grimly.

"Please be aware that this is a requirement, not an optional event. Any officer found not wearing their costumes on the designated days will be considered breaking a city requirement and will be detained accordingly.

"Thank you once again for your cooperation. We wish you a pleasant day."

Dead silence hung over the conference room. Each officer was staring at Foaly as if he had just announced that they all were being required to be infected with smallpox. The quiet was broken only by Root viciously stubbing out his cigar and growling, "The Council has gone insane. Happy Halloween."

A/N: And so...they're doomed! What will our brave heroes do next-walk around in a fluffy pink bunny costume? ((sniggers at thought of Root in such an outfit))

Root: Don't even think about it.

Me: Oh, I don't know, I think it would look rather nice on you.

Root: ((moans)) I don't even get candy, for the gods' sake!

Sorry for the short chapter, all others will be considerably longer. Please do review, even if you dislike it. I'd like feedback.