Back once again and here's where things start to get a bit more different! Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Matchmaking and Ice skating
They had found an empty table that was a bit further away from both the doors and the buffet table. By the time they had sat, Mavis and Danny had luckily finally calmed their nerves down. Sally, however, seemed oblivious to the plan the two teens had been devising about a couple sitting just five or six tables away.
Quickly going up and gathering a plate of food each, the trio sat back at their table and began to eat.
"So Danny, how have you been feeling?" Sally asked as she tore apart a loaf of bread and dipped a piece of it into her soup.
"Much better now, thanks Aunt Sally. I'm sorry I worried you so much." Danny said, guilt beginning to pool in his stomach as he took a spoon full of soup and put it in his mouth, having missed the taste of worms wart soup. He realized he had had quite the eventful last few days and despite the fact his uncle had told him not to tell Sally about it in hopes of not ruining her relaxing vacation, the ghost boy still knew she was worried and that she just didn't know what was going on.
"Oh it's alright." The ragdoll woman shook her head slightly and reached over to gently touch her son's hand. "I know this hasn't exactly been the most relaxing vacation for you but I trust you to stay safe. And I know that you're at the age that if you need our help, you'll ask. I'm just glad you're ok."
"I promise I'll explain everything to you when I can find a way to properly explain it, Aunt Sally. I feel bad that you don't know anything." Setting down his spoon, he ran a hand through his hair guiltily.
"It's alright, Danny. Jack has reminded me that I need to relax more and that you and he will take care of everything." Sally leaned a bit forward, fixing her son with a look. "Just promise me that you'll get some time in at the spa while we're here, ok?"
"I promise, Aunt Sally."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Sally. I'll make sure he goes at least once." Mavis spoke up, her favorite blood pasta strung up in a fork in her hand.
"Thank you, Mavis. I know he's in good hands with you." Sally nodded, smiling at her.
"Yeah, she and Ellie will chain me up if they have to. I know it." Danny teased, resting his chin on his free hand. "I'm sure Ellie won't want another morning like this to happen again while she's here."
"What happened this morning?" Mavis asked, raising a brow and looking from the ghost boy to Sally curiously.
"Danny had a nightmare." the ragdoll woman explained. "Scared his sister and it took us a bit to wake him up but when we did, he ended up smacking his head right into Ellie's and they both ended up on the floor."
"Ah that explains the mark on his forehead." Mavis teased the ghost boy, who frowned and tried to use the reflection of his spoon to see said mark.
The two women laughed at him as his cheeks burned green in embarrassment. It took a few seconds but Danny smiled, joining the girls in their laughter at the memory of that morning.
As their laughter calmed down, Sally went back to her soup and dunked another piece of bread in.
"So what do you two have planned for tonight?"
"Mavis was wanting to play matchmaker with Ellie and Johnnystein." Danny explained, grinning as the vampiress smacked his arm for giving away the plan.
"Oh?" Sally laughed softly, glancing over at said couple. "They do look cute together, don't they?"
Mavis' eyes sparkled at the ragdoll lady's agreement with her. Again, she stuck her tongue out at the ghost boy, who still couldn't see it.
"Well do be careful, you two." Sally explained. "Matchmaking can be a dangerous task without certain precautions that should be taken."
Danny coughed on his soup at his aunt's words. This was new. He had never seen that kind of smile on his aunt before. It was a sort of devious smile, a cunning smile. And her eyes were sparking with the same kind of creative electricity that he had seen in his Uncle Jack's sockets in the past.
"Do… do you have some kind of experience, Aunt Sally?" He asked, catching his breath as he wiped up some of his soup that he had spilled from his coughing.
"Well of course." the ragdoll woman gave a mischievous wink. "How did you think Jack and I got together?"
Danny was speechless. He had been told the story of how his aunt and uncle met and fell in love. It had been an adventurous and exciting tale that had originally been set into motion by his uncle's sudden fascination with all things Christmas. Thinking about the story with the knowledge of his aunts hidden matchmaking power, things started to make sense.
The night that she had brought him food when Jack had been locked in his office all day and night. The near death experience with Oogie Boogie and Jack's heroic saving of both Santa Clause and Sally. Even the meeting on the hill where the two had finally proclaimed their love for one another. It would make sense if Sally was the one who had been feeding her now husband breadcrumbs that eventually led to their marriage.
While the ghost boy was gaping at his aunt in surprise, Mavis was awestruck. The women she had grown up with had never really told her much about romance and how two people could fall in love without a zing. Before Danny, she had never had any experience with anything romantic other than what she read in the stories her self proclaimed casanova that was her Uncle Griffin with his invisible girlfriend. The invisible man had always snuck the books past her dad but they weren't much for actual real life experience.
The vampiress stood from her chair that sat right beside Dannys and moved to the chair right beside Sally, watching her excitedly.
"Mrs. Sally, can you please teach me?" Mavis asked, her hands rested on the arm rest that separated her from the ragdoll woman.
Sally gave a soft laugh and nodded, the two women beginning to speak as Danny just decided it was safer to just return back to his soup for now. He'd help with the plan, he just didn't want to be part of the planning process.
—-
Later, two stood on the bank of ground where they had originally talked, looking over the lake.
"You want me to freeze the entire lake?" Danny asked, a bit nervous, as he looked over how large the lake was. Sure, he could do it. He just wasn't looking forward to how exhausted he'd be after.
"Yes. Uncle Griffin gave me this one romance novel where a couple was in a Christmas town and went ice skating for a fun date." Mavis explained, holding a bag that contained some extra stuff to help the date. "I know you can do it, Danny. Just freeze the top layer of water."
"Fine." Danny sighed, trying to hide his nerves with a more playful exterior as he leaned down.
The vampiress watched in awe as his eyes began to glow an icy blue as the same color pooled around his hands in an electric energy. As soon as he touched the surface of the water, the surface began to freeze and spread out in two large circles growing from where his hands touched. The air held a chill that ran down Mavis' back and she hugged the bag a bit closer in an effort to hold in a bit of warmth. Of course, as a vampire, she didn't need warmth, but it was still better than being cold.
Beginning to gasp for breath, Danny tried his best to let the ice spread out to the edges of the opposite bank. It was draining him a lot more than making Mavis' pendant had drained him. Luckily, he didn't exactly need to breathe or anything so the deep breathing he was doing was more of a habitual thing than a need.
Soon, the entire lake was covered and the ghost boy had collapsed back into a sit from the exhaustion.
"Danny?" Mavis asked, concerned as she knelt down beside him.
"I'm ok. Just need a second." He found himself gasping. "How's it look?"
"Perfect." She looked over the now frozen surface of the lake, a smile growing over her lips as she turned back to the tired ghost and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."
Blushing, the ghost boy chose to not try to say something due to the fact he felt as if his tongue would get in the way. He was also trying his best to calm down the butterflies that had yet again returned to his stomach. Mavis, felt a bit warm in the cheeks as well at her own daringness but chose to stand and proceed with her planning of Ellie and Johnny's date.
—-
A small table and two chairs had been set up in the center of an area of ice that Mavis had assigned as the main skating area. A lovely white tablecloth was placed on top of the table and two place settings with a thermos of hot chocolate and two mugs sitting in the center of the table.
The vampiress had slipped a few times while making her way back and forth to the area where she had set up the table. Danny had helped her bring the table and chairs out but then she had told him to sit and rest while she worked her magic.
There were a couple times where the ghost boy had had to fly over and catch her which she was grateful for.
After the place was set, Mavis sat beside Danny, her head on his shoulder as they just took in the lovely set up they had created.
"They're gonna love it." The ghost boy said softly.
"I hope so."
The comfortable silence has settled in yet again with the two of them as they rested a bit after all the work the two had put in. Danny found himself thinking about the girl beside him and how wonderful she was. Just in the short week they had known each other, he had already seen just how much she put her own heart and soul into everything she did and everyone she helped.
It made him a bit sad that he'd have to leave her.
He had to return to Halloween town. Jack had been putting so much work into training him to be the next pumpkin king when he retired. He couldn't leave and stay at the hotel. Danny wouldn't do that to his uncle. Even if he knew exactly how much he would understand his decision to stay with Mavis.
And he knew the same for her. He knew exactly how protective her father was of her. It wasn't very likely that Drac would just let him take Mavis with him back to Halloween town. He was pretty sure the vampire still didn't trust him considering the amount of excitement that was already going on with his arrival to the hotel. Danny knew he'd have to figure out something though. The thought of never seeing her again or even only seeing her less than almost everyday struck a painful cord in his chest.
"Hey Danny."
Her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he gave a soft 'hm' in response to let her know that he was listening. The tone sounded thoughtful and far away, like she had been thinking about the same thing he was.
"Are you happy without your memories?" She asked, hugging her legs but not moving her head from his shoulder.
The ghost boy was silent for a moment, just taking in the question and slightly shocked by the fact she had asked such a question in the first place. Was he happy without his memories?
"Well…" Danny said, thoughtfully. "I don't really know. When I found myself at my grave, I knew I didn't have my memories but I still felt the pain from
them. Over time, I guess I moved past it, tucked the pain away and found better ways to manage. There are times when everything will come rushing back and I get overwhelmed. I don't remember what I lost so I guess it means I don't miss my life. But at the same time, I don't know where the pain is coming from. I get glimpses of things but they usually are a lot more bad than good."
Mavis nodded, listening carefully.
"But, for some reason, being here with you has made dealing with the pain a lot easier." He found himself saying, surprising himself by the fact. She made him happy. She made it easier to get through the bad times.
This made the vampiress straighten, moving her head from his shoulder in order to meet his eyes. Her brilliant blue eyes were watering but Danny couldn't tell if it was from sadness or happiness. The small smile spread over her lips made him decide on happiness though.
"I'm glad I can make it easier." Mavis said, her tone soft and sweet. "And I'm glad that you're happy with me. I'm happy with you too."
The feeling of floating surrounded him at the sight of her and the sound of her words. At this moment, Danny decided that he was going to do whatever he could to stay with her. He wasn't sure how yet but he'd make the trip everyday if he had to. He'd do anything to stay near her. The hours of travel would be worth it just to see her smile.
A giggle caught his attention and he looked down to see that he was slowly floating upwards again. Blushing, he let himself sink back to his spot beside her. Mavis only giggled at the boy, but her cheeks were also dusted with a soft blush.
"Hey." Danny said, reaching for something to distract her from how he seemed to float around her. "How about we try out this ice rink before we grab Ellie and Johnny for it?"
"Oh um…" Mavis straightened and looked over the ice, nerves beginning to kick in. The ghost boy had already had to catch her a few times from slipping on the ice before when she was setting everything up.
"What is it?" He asked, looking her over curiously.
"I've never been ice skating before…" She explained, slightly embarrassed. "While it does get cold here in the winter, the lake hardly ever freezes enough for us to go skating on it. And my dad usually never thinks it's hard enough even if it is. I also don't have any ice skates."
"Oh! That's fine! Here," Danny said, floating up to a standing position and leaning down to take one of her sneakers in his hand. "Give me a second."
The vampiress watched in awe as the ghost boy's eyes turned back to their icy blue while he used his ice powers. A cool feeling surrounded her sneakered foot and ice began to crawl out, first as frost and then forming it's hard icy surface, as it formed sleek ice skates over her shoes. Then, the ice began to stretch out underneath her now ice covered sneaker, forming a long thin blade. As soon as he was finished with the first skate, Danny moved to her other sneaker and did the exact same. Icey laces were already strung over the top of the ice skate where it began to climb up over her ankles.
As soon as he finished, he floated back up to a standing position and his eyes turned back to their original venomous glowing green. Holding out a hand to her, waiting patiently as she gripped his hand tightly as she tried her best to stand, albeit shakily, beside him. Danny grinned as he looked down at his own boots which he had quickly made into ice skates as well.
"How are they feeling?" He asked, looking over her skates, checking to make sure there weren't any signs of discomfort from the girl.
"They feel very comfortable. A bit cold but not freezing." Mavis explained, smiling up at him. "Thank you. They're beautiful."
"You're welcome. That's ghost ice so it shouldn't melt. Just like your necklace." He nodded, smiling as he noted that she was wearing said necklace that he had given her.
Moving to take her other hand, he began to slowly skate backwards and lead her along. She was shaky at first but she eventually caught on, only managing to fall once or twice. Slowly, Danny began to speed up, keeping her hands in his as he continued to skate backwards, giving little corrections to her skating in order to help her as they went along.
After they finished a lap or two, Mavis had gotten the hang of it and let the ghost boy start skating beside her, still holding her hand in case she fell. Letting out a laugh as the wind blew through their hair, she had finally gotten complete control and felt as if she wasn't shaky anymore.
Over the course of the next few hours of their skating fun, they had tried a few tricks while skating and Danny had taught her how to skate backwards. The vampiress was a quick learner and was able to perform a few more complex tricks that the ghost boy had taught her fairly easily. Eventually, the two just decided to talk as they skated along, their hands still intertwined as they just enjoyed some time together.
When the time came, they decided to call it a night and head up to the castle to go retrieve Ellie and Johnny for their date. Unfortunately, Danny had to melt the back half of Mavis' skates so she could slip her shoes out. But he promised he'd make her a pair that she could remove a bit more easily. That way they could skate together more in the future.
As they walked through the main entrance of the hotel, they were met by a fairly disgruntled count, who watched them with a mix of irritation and concern. His long cape was also pulled over his arms as he was shivering slightly.
"Would either of you happen to know why my lake is covered in ice?" Dracula asked, his arms crossed as he seemed to be trying to keep himself from shivering.
The two teens exchanged glances and Danny shyly raised a hand in order to show he did. Mavis only chose to hold her hands behind her back and gave a cute, tiny smile while staring at her dad with her big blue eyes. At the counts raised brow, the ghost boy chose to explain.
"We wanted to make an ice skating rink so I froze the lake." He explained, worried he had upset the older vampire. "It'll melt, it just takes a while. The sun should melt it over the course of the next few days."
Drac nodded, looking over the two, who seemed slightly exhausted from the few hours of skating they had done. He then looked down at the pair of ice skates in Mavis' hands that were made of pure ice. Nodding, he smiled at the two teens, taking note of how nervous the ghost boy seemed to be about getting in trouble for freezing the lake, he decided to give them a break.
"Well as long as the two of you had fun. The guests will want to enjoy some skating as well so we'll open the lake for skating tomorrow. It should be fun." He explained, his hotel manager mentality kicking in. "How did you enjoy skating, Mavis?"
"Of course! The ice won't melt for another few days so you should be fine if everyone wants to skate." Danny piped up, a smile spreading over his lips at the idea. "Mave's a natural! I hardly had to teach her anything!"
"It was a lot of fun." Mavis blushed slightly at the praise. "I'm sure everyone will love it."
"Do you think you could make some more skates for everyone, Danny?" The count asked.
"Oh yeah! Of course! They'll be a bit hard to take off, I'd have to melt them off." He explained.
"Well then maybe we have some spares in the basement." Drac pondered, remembering the year they had gone skating back when Mavis was still a baby. "It looks like I've got some organizing to do."
"Anything I can help with?"
"Not right now, Danny. You and Mavis look exhausted. Perhaps some rest and some dinner would be better. I'll let you know tomorrow if I need anything from you." The vampire shook his head and began to gently lead the teens toward the direction of the dining room. "Off you go."
The two teens gave nods of agreement that yes, they were fairly exhausted from their fun, and began to head toward the dining room. As soon as the count was out of earshot, Danny relaxed his shoulders, giving a sigh of relief which earned a giggle from the vampiress.
"I was so worried he was mad." He explained as they walked.
"Oh don't worry about my dad. He's harmless." Mavis laughed, turning into the dining room. She straightened as soon as she saw Ellie and Johnny at the same table they had left them at. The pair was laughing and both seemed to grow quite comfortable around each other.
"Hang on, Danny. I'll be right back." The vampiress explained, excitement sparking in her eyes. "Grab us a table."
He nodded and watched as she zipped over to the table, using her vampire's speed, and startling Johnny enough that he had fallen out of his chair. Both girls laughed as he embarrassingly climbed back into his chair. Danny had found a table and watched in amusement as Mavis talked to the couple excitedly, he assumed about the ice skate rink they had put together, and managed to get the couple to stand up and follow her out of the dining room.
By the time Mavis had returned to him, Danny had gone and gotten a couple soups and sandwiches for the pair of them. The vampiress had grabbed a sandwich and munched on it excitedly, clearly very proud of how the couple had reacted to the date they had set up for them. The ghost boy sat and waited for her to tell him everything, amused by how she was practically buzzing in pride.
"So they liked it?" Danny guessed, grinning.
"They loved it!" Mavis exclaimed, her words a bit muffled by the food in her mouth which she hurried to swallow. "I practically had to get out of there as quickly as possible because they were already trading stories about the trips they had gone on where they went skating! Your sister's got quite the competitive side to her."
"Sounds about right." He nodded. "She is my sister after all."
"Oh? Do you have a competitive side to you?" She asked curiously.
"Not as much as Ellie but when it comes to pranks, I am the king." Danny grinned, sending her a wink.
Mavis laughed, beginning to eat her dinner as he began to tell her stories of his prank wars back in Halloween town. Apparently Boogie's boys were a worthy opponent to him in his pranking skill, despite the fact that their pranks had a tendency to be a bit more deadly than his. Danny explained that it was a good thing that he was already dead since the trio saw him as their favorite prankee and he was the aim for most of their pranks. The ghost boy was able to get back at them whenever they did get him.
"Sounds like they really hate you." Mavis teased, knowing that the trio actually really liked him from the stories he told.
"As long as they don't bring me to Oogie Boogie. I'll be fine." Danny laughed.
"Who's Oogie Boogie?"
"The second scariest monster in Halloween town." He explained, the tone of his voice changing to a deeper one, as if trying to frighten the vampiress as he wiggled his fingers at her creepily. She only giggled, not seeming very scared. "He's the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright."
"Ooo sounds spooky." Mavis pretended to get scared, hugging herself.
"He's not that bad. Just try not to be alone with him if you ever come to Halloween town. He's pretty dramatic and creepy but he's a con man." Danny shrugged, grinning at her. "When not in his home with all his toys, he's harmless. The only one he's scared of is my uncle. And maybe my aunt when she's in a bad mood."
"Well I'll make sure to stay by your side if I ever visit."
They both nodded and smiled at the thought. Mavis silently hoped she'd be able to leave the hotel and visit the ghost boy one day. She'd have to figure out a plan on how to convince him after Danny and his parents left. But that could wait. She wanted to enjoy as much time with the ghost boy beside her as she could while he was here.
Of course, there was also the issue with the ghost in the forest.
Mavis held a hand to her chin as she thought, maybe she could find out more and try to trap the ghost for Danny. She was tough and could handle herself but she'd hate to make the ghost boy worry about her. Maybe she could just…
Danny gave a yawn as he stretched his arms, catching the vampiress' attention.
"Well I'm beat." He yawned again, his exhaustion seeming to hit him. "I still need to talk to my aunt about your replacement skates. So I'm gonna head to bed."
"Sounds good. Do you want me to walk you to your rooms?" Mavis asked, going to stand only to be stopped by the ghost boy's hand on her arm.
"Nah, I'm fine. I'm gonna take the expressway." He winked at her, his tone telling her that he was just going to fly through the walls and floors.
Giving him a nod, she smiled at him. "Just try not to startle any other guests, alright?"
"Promise." Danny nodded, straightening and giving a little wave as he flew off, turning intangible and going through the ceiling.
Mavis gave a little wave in return, smiling as he vanished. As soon as he was gone, she stood, determination in her eyes as she made for the door. She paid no mind to the zombies that were slowly cleaning up the dishes that had held their dinner as she weaved through the tables.
Stepping through the main entrance to the outside, a bit of wind tousled her hair but didn't deter her as made her way across the bridge and toward the woods. She was going to try. She was going to find Plasmius and get him to leave for Danny's sake. And if anything happened, she'd be able to get away and get to safety.
What could possibly go wrong?