Haroween

I decided right then and there as I looked in the mirror.

I was going to kill her.

Spinning on my heel, I stormed out of Lafter's room and threw the door open.

"I am not wearing this!"

Lafter leaned over from behind Orga with a curious look.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked.

"What's wrong—"

I started and held my hands out toward myself.

Namely, I held my hands at the sheer black dress that hugged me so well it didn't need to show skin to be scandalous. The slit on one side went all the way to my waist—my underwear would be visible if not for a pair of black shorts—and the thigh-high stockings were tight enough my legs might as well be bare too.

All in all, "I'm not a stripper!"

Lafter frowned. "You're a witch. If you don't look a little like a stripper you're doing it wrong!"

"What?!"

"You don't look like a stripper," Orga said.

I pointed a finger at him but stopped before saying anything. My eyes looked him up and down. Embarrassment in my own outfit quickly faded.

Orga stood in a puffy white costume that covered him from head to toe. There was a single horn sticking out from the hood covering his head, and a mane running down to his shoulders. Over his face he wore a mask that I assumed was supposed to be a horse's muzzle.

My jaw dropped. "What did she do to you?" What has she done to us?

Orga—he was in a unicorn costume—looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Lafter says we need costumes," Mikazuki explained.

He sat in a bare spot on one of my workbenches. I quickly gathered he was supposed to be a wolf. He had a black nose over his own, held in place by a thin string that went around his cheeks and under the silver hood of his costume.

Behind him, Akihiro grumbled in a bear costume and Shino laughed in a leopard outfit.

She's gone mad with power.

"They thought they could go out on Halloween night without costumes!" Lafter shook her head and turned toward the recliner. "Blasphemy!"

"Pretty sure Halloween is based on a pagan holiday," I pointed out. Not that I cared, it just seemed silly to call it blasphem—"Wait, that's not the point!"

"Yeah yeah you hate your costume that I slaved over! At least put on the whole thing before you complain."

She reached over the chair and in a sudden twirl tossed a piece of cloth at me. As I caught it, she rushed forward and brought a stupidly wide-brimmed hat down atop my head. While I tried to deal with that and my hair, Lafter pulled a cloth around my shoulders and fixed it with a pin. The webbed shawl at least covered my chest. The damn dress was so tight it actually looked like I had a bust, however small it might be.

"There." Lafter stepped back and pinched her chin. "I don't know what you're complaining about." She pointed to Orga and the boys. "They look ridiculous. You look great!"

"I look like Sabrina the Teenage Callgirl!"

"You're a witch!" Lafter repeated.

"Witches have warts!"

"You wouldn't be sexy if you had a wart!"

We were going nowhere fast. "Well what are you supposed to be?"

Her outfit was just a blue dress. It was a nice dress. Blue and white with frills at the bottom and wrists. The sleeves puffed out at the shoulders. The bare part just under her neckline that showed off her cleavage was a bit much. The costume was still more conservative than some of her outfits. Or mine.

Lafter straightened up, her hair tied behind her head in a bun, and proudly proclaimed, "I'm Saber!"

I stared. "Who?"

"She's a video game character."

I flinched, my back going straight. Orga gave me a knowing look and I pointed my finger at him before he said anything. It wasn't my fault. I was used to Veda speaking from nowhere.

What I wasn't used to was Veda having her own voice and her own mouth and she was standing right beside me.

She tilted her head beside me.

Her body looked like me, but not in the way her voice sounded like Mom's. She was thin and willowy, but shorter. Her hair was a lighter shade of dark, and longer on one side than the other. Her lips weren't as wide as mine and her eyes were set differently.

Still. Side by side, we could pass as sisters. We looked different, but we also looked related. She even wore glasses. I doubted she needed them.

I looked down, brow going up. "Who are you?"

She wore a breastplate in a Gothic style with matching shoulder guards that layered over themselves. A red scarf went around her neck and a matching sash around her waist. She wore dark pants that puffed out above the knee and knee-high riding boots.

"I am Ireena Kolyana," Veda answered. My brow remained raised. "She is a character from Ravenloft. Her perseverance is admirable."

Oh. Dungeons and Dragons. That makes sense.

Turning my attention back to Lafter, I told her, "I am not going out in public dressed like this."

Lafter started to speak but Veda said, "We could remain here for the evening. I've never 'watched' TV before. I don't mind."

I stopped myself before saying anything.

Fuck.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in fucking public.

"You couldn't do it," Lafter said smugly. "You couldn't make Veda stay inside and miss her first Halloween."

"I'm going to make you suffer for this."

"Ten pieces of candy say you're going to be too happy seeing Veda do Halloween things to hold a grudge."

"You look nice," Orga insisted. "What's the problem? It's a dress?"

Calling it a dress was generous. "I look like I belong in a brothel."

"No you don't," Mikazuki replied dryly on my other side.

"If you were in a brothel, you wouldn't be wearing anything." Shino laughed. "You look way classier in that. Like you should be in a really nice restaurant."

"The hat wouldn't fit through the door," I grumbled.

"She's just being self-conscious," Lafter retorted airily.

The hat was at least useful for hiding my face a bit… Then again, Newtype and Taylor Hebert never dressed like this. As we moved, no one paid us any real mind. That included me.

I hadn't been so unnoticed in months.

We went south from the factory and entered an area of the Docks filled with homes, duplexes, and apartment complexes.

The decorations around us were a mix. Classic spooky stuff of course. Skeletons propped up against walls, bats hanging from balconies, eerie lights glowing behind windows. There was a lot of Chinese New Year-type stuff too. Paper lanterns, sparkler-style fireworks, and papier-mâché animals.

I guessed the local Asian population was reusing the decorations.

It sort of worked and it illuminated the street from one end to the other in a soft glow. Stands stood in front of stores. The street was blocked to cars on either end as far as I could see. It all looked like a mix of a traditional Halloween and a street fair.

I hadn't seen Halloween openly celebrated in the Docks in years. Everyone stopped celebrating it around the time I started middle school because the gangs always seemed to get into fights during the holiday.

You'd never think we'd stopped now.

Up and down the street, small zombies, ghosts, and cartoon characters were shepherded by taller figures. Not all the adults were costumed, but many were. Stands were set up along the street and some of the first floor stores were open.

Veda was just ahead of me, head scanning left and right as she went.

I watched her, trying to reconcile that the disembodied voice I'd talked to for months—raised, really—was walking with her own legs. Looking with her own eyes. Asking what was on the stick in her own voice.

"Mango smoothie," the woman behind the stand answered.

Veda examined it with unwavering eyes. The woman looked a little nervous. It took only a second for Veda to move to take the popsicle, and she moved so quickly the woman offering it flinched.

"Thank you," Veda said. She raised the frozen glob of sugar, staring rather than eating. Did she get anything out of eating?

I'd looked over Dragon's gynoid design, and it was clearly her tech. The entire thing might as well be wetware save for a few necessary components and reinforcements. The taste buds should work. Not sure if the digestive system was meant to…

Ew.

I killed that thought. Murdered it in its sleep. I didn't want to ask.

Stepping forward, I got a popsicle of my own. I stuck it in my mouth and accepted the freezing chill that settled into my cheek.

Veda watched me and a moment later did the same.

"So cute," Lafter whispered with a big grin.

"Shad uhp," I growled.

"Seems safe," Akihiro whispered behind us.

"Yeah," Mikazuki agreed.

"Alright." Orga reached into his costume and produced a phone. "We'll split up. One group each. We'll meet back at the factory by nine." He tapped out a message with his thumb. "And don't let any of the kids go wandering off."

"Got it," the boys echoed.

We waited and a few minutes later a whole pirate crew came down the streets. The younger boys from Tekkadan were all dressed up in bandanas, eye patches, and fake parrots. They were loud, and their numbers immediately stood out. Some of the older boys accompanied them sans costumes. I knew Katz and Aston, as well as Akihiro's brother Masahiro, by name.

Trevor and Charlotte were with them.

Charlotte wore a spider outfit that was tight on her figure, but modest enough not to be immodest. She had little plastic legs stuck to her back and her mask bore eight big red bulbs arranged over her brow.

Trevor dressed like an eighteenth century aristocrat with a petticoat and puffy white wig on his head.

Lafter whistled. "Charlotte's Web. Clever."

"Thanks." Charlotte waved and her hand stopped mid-way when she noticed Veda beside me.

Trevor looked at me and smiled wryly. "You really managed to get Taylor to come out for the night?"

Lafter rolled her eyes. "Ye of little faith. What are you?"

"Sir Issac Newton." Trevor turned back to me and stopped. He blinked, looking back and forth between Veda and I.

Right. They didn't know about that yet.

Veda pulled the confection from her mouth. "Hello, Charlotte. Trevor."

Trevor and Charlotte leaned forward. They both knew her voice.

"Veda?" they asked at the same time.

"Yes. Hello."

Their jaws dropped.

"What happened to you guys?" Katz asked as the rowdy and jittering crew approached. He looked Orga over and was clearly holding back laughter. "Are you a unicorn?"

"He doesn't want to talk about it," Shino snickered.

Orga's cheeks turned red, but it didn't stop him from being in charge. He gave the older boys their marching orders and they started splitting the pirates up into smaller and more manageable groups.

"How do we split this up?" Shino asked. "By age? Height?"

A hand pulled at me, and Lafter spun me around.

"I need you to come with me," she whispered.

"What? Why?"

Lafter grimaced, averted her eyes and—Is she blushing? "Because I want to go with Akihiro."

Oh. Wait, "Since when do you lik—"

"I didn't say like," she snapped in a low voice. "I just don't want to humiliate myself."

"So… Don't?"

"But what if I say something stupid?" I started to look but Lafter forced me around to stop me. "Don't look!"

This was ridiculous. "I doubt you could say anything stupid enough to make him—Wait is this why your dress has a boob window?"

"Stop being angry over how amazing you look in that costume and help me navigate teenage hormones!"

"Lafter, I've never dated in my life unless you count that stupid phase when I wanted to marry my dad and he humored me because I was six." Mom found it hilarious. "You are asking the wrong person for dating advice."

She flustered and it occurred to me this wasn't one of her silly moments. It was, but not one where she was just being herself. She was actually afraid of scaring the guy off.

I sighed and shook my head. "Lafter, just go with Akihiro and… I don't know. Ask how his day was? Do you seriously think he's going to reject you for being you?"

Lafter grimaced.

With a groan, I added, "Do you really think that or are you just nervous?"

Lafter 'umm'd' for about ten seconds.

Then she 'volunteered' to go with Akihiro and his group. Charlotte and Trevor stared at Veda for a bit longer and then agreed to help Shino. Katz and Mikazuki took the third group. By attrition, that left Veda and I with Orga and twelve boys between the ages of eight and ten.

We started by getting everyone popsicles.

"You look like big sis Newtype," one of the boys said as three of them crowded around Veda.

"I am Veda." They apparently didn't recognize the name. She noticed the popsicles in their hands. "Do you like popsicles too?"

I leaned toward Orga.

He flinched when my stupid oversized hat hit him. "Sorry."

"You're right," he grumbled. "That hat is too big."

"I know. Do they really call me big sis Newtype?"

"Yeah." Orga watched the kids with what I could only call a glimmer of joy. "Sorry. For what it's worth, it means they know you're not going to betray them. It makes you family."

Not really sure how I felt about that…

"They're used to being betrayed," Orga added. "A lot of us are. It's why I needled you. A lot. Sorry."

"It's fine."

"I can tell them you don't like—"

"It's fine," I repeated. I didn't know how I felt about it, but yeah. It didn't hurt me. "So, what now?

"Not sure," Orga admitted. "Never done this before. You?"

"Halloween hasn't happened in the Docks in a few years." He nodded. Of course, he'd been around. "I did when I was younger."

I glanced around, spotting the directions the other groups had gone in.

"This way"—I stuck my popsicle back in my mouth and pointed—"I ghes."

As we got started with the night, I couldn't help but feel I was forgetting something.

sys.h[grn]/ _ in position
sys.h[red]/ _ all Haros deployed
sys.h[red]/ _ begin operation
sys.h[prp]/ _ trick or treat
sys.h[blk]/ _ trick or treat

"Well, a whole pirate crew." The old lady at the door chuckled and started dropping candy into buckets. "Don't make me walk the plank dearies."

"Give us your bootie!" one of the boys said as they clamored for a spot near the door.

"Oi!" Lafter pulled one of them by the ear. "Be nice and stop shoving!"

The boy strained as she pulled. "Okay! Okay!"

"Good." Lafter released him and pointed. "Form a line for the nice lady."

"Oh it's quite alright," the woman said with a smile. "It's good to be young."

Glancing over her shoulder, Lafter watched Akihiro watch the street. He looked left and right like one of those prairie dogs. What did he think was going to happen?

What Lafter knew was that she hitched her horse to the wrong wagon. Commitment was nice, but not at the expense of missing every signal in the world.

The kids were paying more attention to her dress! She had a good bust and she knew it, but showing it off didn't seem to mean a lot to Akihiro. On the one hand, that was great. Boobs aren't everything about a girl. She had other assets. On the other hand, he was making it really hard to get over the damn fence.

The guy could blush or something. Taylor looked great in the dress she hated and Lafter looked even better. At least she could pretend he made the first move. That would make the actual first move way easier.

Boys could be so inconsiderate.

Once the last member of the motley crew got their candy, Lafter herded them off the stoop like a sheep dog and started them toward the next duplex. The kids were mostly well behaved. They crowded when the door opened and excitement got the better of them but wharf rats didn't survive by enthusiasm. They survived by being careful.

The crowding on the street wasn't helping.

The kids being kids, they eventually managed to relax and started to compare candy. Aston led the group from the front and Akihiro stuck to the rear. Lafter always managed to find herself in the middle despite her best efforts.

"What about that one?" one of the boys asked. He pointed at the next house as Aston led the group past.

"The light's off," Aston explained. "They don't want to be bothered."

"Big sis."

Lafter glanced down as they continued on.

"What's this?" The boy held up a small white and brown candy. "It looks like soda."

Kids ask the silliest questions. "That's because the candy man froze an entire soda and squeezed it into that one bitty candy."

The boy stared. "Really?"

"Yup."

He turned the little fingertip-sized candy. "How do I get the cap off?"

Lafter leaned in, whispering, "You'll have to hang onto it. I'll tell you later."

"Okay."

Hopefully Danny brought enough drinks when he set up the barbecue. She'd pull some trick and swap the candy for a soda. Actually, just to be sure, she pulled her phone out and started a text to Pink. The Haros were good at acquiring things.

They stopped at the next door and Lafter needed to pause and get the boys acting like kids instead of gremlins. Aston gave her a thankful smile. While the man behind the door handed out Snickers and Twix, Lafter finished her message.

Actually, come to think of it, she hadn't seen the Haros all day…

Eh, it was probably fine.

An idea came to mind, and Lafter paused before hitting send.

She glanced at Akihiro from the corner of her eye and then at her phone.

Taylor did say to just talk about his day. So, normal person stuff. Stuff people would talk about when they weren't trying to figure out if they wanted to just hang out or make out. Not that she wanted to make out. She didn't just make out with a boy without dating him at least once.

Not that she'd ever dated before…

Lafter decided love fucking sucked. For something everyone wanted, it sure involved wanting a lot of humiliating things. Though, she might only find them humiliating because she didn't normally think of herself as the type to swoon.

"Next house," Aston said. "Come on."

She did not swoon.

The next three doors had their lights out and Lafter helped Aston keep the crew moving. They reached the end of the street and there was a figure huddled over on the ground. A dingy-looking blanket surrounded them and a steady stream of mist puffed out from under the hood covering their head.

The guy—or gal, Lafter couldn't tell—had a bowl before them. It was empty.

Lafter recognized the posture.

The other groups of kids, teens, and adults avoided him. Everyone felt bad for the homeless, but no one ever did anything about it. They just wanted the dispossessed to be disposed somewhere they wouldn't have to see it.

She thought back to the food drive and wondered if maybe she was being too harsh. It's not like having a roof and walls made her life simpler or anything. Everyone had their own problems.

Still. As Aston positioned himself between the figure and the kids, Lafter started to reach into her—

One of the boys got around Aston and stood before the figure.

Aston tensed up, moving quickly forward.

Her power flared up, and Lafter swung her arm out. Akihiro walked into it and stopped her. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. Then she felt her cheeks turning red and she looked away.

"Trick or treat," the boy said. He reached into his bucket and dropped a handful of candy into the empty bowl.

Lafter tensed herself, remembering Charlotte and the other people who stuck up for her. She didn't… It didn't compute in her mind. People like Taylor were rare. Most didn't stick their necks out for others.

She watched the boy smile and wave as he stepped back to rejoin the group, wondering.

It's not like life handed anyone in Tekkadan an easy way through life. Surviving usually meant keeping what you had and giving it up only to get something you needed. It was just candy, but it was probably the most candy these boys had seen their entire lives.

And he gave his up, just like—

"Trick or treat, trick or treat!"

Lafter stuttered. "Hold up—"

The dingy blanket flew back and Green jumped into the air. His propeller blades popped out of his ears. The Haro rose into the air with a green glow around him and a lantern painted onto his ball.

"Trick or treat, trick or treat!"

From the rooftop above, White and Purple hefted a bazooka and pointed it into the sky. They each balanced it with a hand. White wore a purple hood with a billowing cape. Purple had a funky-looking mask on, a tiny crossbow held in her other hand.

White raised her free hand, chanting, "Azarath Metrion Zenthos!"

The bolt cut through the air with a soft 'phlink' and before Lafter could shout at them, it hit the rocket.

The air exploded and Lafter covered her head.

When nothing happened, she looked up and found Akihiro looming over her and two of the other boys.

Her heart started fluttering, then stopped when the first piece of candy bounced off his head and rolled away from her. The first was followed by a second. Then a third. A fourth.

A literal rain of candy showered the street, sending shouts and screams—most of which quickly became excited—through the air.

Lafter rose up, holding her hand out as the rain continued for a full ten seconds. Of course, every piece missed her. How the fuck did they pack so much candy in one rocket—Wait, when did they start packing candy into rockets?

It took Lafter a moment to register that some of the screams were very close. The pirate crew surrounded her and Akihiro, scrambling for candy that now covered the sidewalk, road, and parked cars. Dozens of others up and down the street did the same.

Lafter watched as Aston scrambled to keep their kids together. "Ummm…"

"Like fireworks," Akihiro mumbled. He still leaned over her a bit, and Lafter noticed his hand on her shoulder for the first time. "Why did they do that?"

She couldn't answer, too afraid of sounding like an idiot when German came out of her mouth. That, or she would use English and it would be embarrassing.

His hand continued to rest on her shoulder and she was racing to figure out why and say something before it moved. Or didn't move. Or fuck this shit why was it so hard?!

English. German. A bit of Portuguese. It all went through her head all at once.

She was going to look like an idiot—She needed to say something. Anything. Anything that wouldn't call attention to how nice it felt to be touched.

Gritting her teeth and forcing her lips into a line, Lafter asked, "What kind of soda do the kids like?"

"Hm?" Akihiro looked at her.

Lafter gawked, hiding her face from him and cursing herself. She fought to keep her voice even. "What kind of soda do they like?"

"Soda?" He glanced up, clearly thinking. "They don't drink soda. It's bad for their teeth."

That at least got her to solidify into more than ashamed jelly. "So is candy," she pointed out. "It's Halloween."

"They'll be running around all night."

…Seriously? Lafter turned and looked at him blankly. "Halloween."

"Juice is better," Akihiro said with a straight face.

"Hallow-ween." Lafter frowned, frustration welling up in her throat. He ignored her dress, among various other things she'd tried, and now this? "Seriously, when was the last time you had fun—" She stopped herself, fingertips going white against the surface of her phone.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Sorry." Akihiro looked away, and Lafter started scrambling for something to say. "I'm not used to this."

Her mind stopped. "This?"

Akihiro scanned the street. Much of the candy had been claimed and the Haros were gone. "Not having to worry about being shot every time we go out."

Oh. "Oh…"

"I'm ruining the fun," he grumbled.

His face turned down in a way that made his bear costume look pathetic instead of adorable. Though, even when he was pathetic he was kind of adorable. No way in hell she was saying that though. Should probably get a date or two under her belt before she started calling a boy as big and muscley as Akihiro 'adorable.'

The bear costume didn't help with the…urge…to tease…

Lafter glanced away, mumbling, "It worked on Taylor." Not like she'd shied away from it before realizing she liked him.

"Did you say something?" Akihiro asked.

Lafter turned on him quickly, stepping into his path and poking a finger at his—very muscled—chest.

"You need to lighten up," she snapped. "Seriously. You're almost as bad as Taylor!"

She had forgotten to send her text. Apparently, the Haros were doing something Haro-y. They could get soda while they were at it.

Aston got the pirates back in one group, Lafter sent her text, and she soldiered up and grabbed Akihiro's hand. He had very big hands.

Pulling, she started forward and said, "Come on. I'm going to make you have fun even if I have to beat it out of you!"

Akihiro followed after her, glancing down at his hand and then to her. "Uh, okay?"

It occurred to Lafter she'd been overthinking this entire problem.

"What was that?" Charlotte turned and searched but she didn't see any flash of light to accompany the exploding sound.

Trevor stood nervously beside her, looking at the sky. "Not sure. It sounded close though."

Shit. Right. "M-Probably just a prank." She forced a smile and waved her hands. "First Halloween in years. Someone's just excited."

That did not help.

Trevor pushed his hands into his pockets and his face turned serious.

Normally, Trevor seemed so relaxed. Carefree. He wasn't exactly jovial or outgoing, but he never seemed stressed or uneasy. He might be on the inside but he didn't show it.

Lately though, Trevor's face hardened. His lips went into a line, his brow furrowed, and his shoulders tensed. He actually looked kind of sexy, like some action hero on a movie poster trying to look dramatic. Except he didn't have to force it. The smoldering intensity just came naturally.

It wasn't bad but it worried her because it was so different from how he normally acted. He switched between the two 'modes' so quickly. Usually whenever cape stuff came up.

Running off after another cape seemed like a really bad choice for her mental health. Charlotte still felt kind of pathetic for getting so broken up over Carlos. It was only two dates… Then she felt awful for that because even at zero dates, he was a good person and he deserved better than that.

"Did you see Taylor?" Trevor asked.

Charlotte tried not to be jealous because being jealous wasn't fair. "Yeah. She looked great."

"Lafter had to have picked that out for her."

Charlotte turned her head away, feigning interest in a passing pair of girls. "She probably gets a kick out of making Taylor wear something that looks really good on her."

"Sounds like Lafter. It's nice though. Taylor is either in costume or dressing like she's off to a job interview. Seeing her in a nice dress is kind of mind blowing."

She would not be jealous. She would not be jealous. She would not be jealous.

"Yeah," she mumbled jealously.

Well, it's not like she'd put on something cute or sexy. Her costume was a lame pun she'd used for her last Halloween. Picking it for her first Halloween in years seemed fun.

How was she supposed to know Taylor would walk out in something that belonged on a runway?

"Oh, you look good too."

At least he'd become more self-aware. "Thanks. I used to make costumes with my bro—"

Shino leaped from the stoop and landed with a thud. The boy on his shoulders swung forward with a cheer. Charlotte's heart jumped but the tall boy righted himself before his cargo went sprawling.

He raised his maned head with a smile. "Get anything good?"

"Yeah!" the boy smiled. He was missing a few teeth.

Maybe she should make sure the boys were brushing their teeth. Did they even have a dentist? Crap, could they afford a dentist? Was that something she could talk to Shino about?

She never really talked to Orga. He was…difficult to approach. A lot like Taylor actually, except Charlotte knew Taylor enough.

The other boys in their quarter of the pirate crew came down the steps and Charlotte thought about going up. She quickly dismissed the thought. Unfair as it was, she'd gotten a bit too old for trick or treating.

It was a kid's game.

Shino didn't really know how to keep the kids focused anyway. If anything, he encouraged them to be wild.

"Slow down!" Charlotte gently caught Danji as he started up the street and sighed. "Stay with the group."

"But—"

"Listen to Charlotte," a tall boy with dark skin said sternly. "Don't talk back to a lady. We taught you better than that."

Danji scowled but obeyed and the chiding reminded the other boys that someone responsible was around.

"You didn't have to do that." Charlotte smiled.

"They're not used to being out like this," the boy replied. "And we're not used to having them out like this."

Charlotte watched the energetic smiles. They were so innocent and carefree. She envied them almost. She used to be able to smile like that but… Growing up can be cruel.

"It's okay for them to be a little rowdy," Charlotte offered. "They should just watch where they're going?"

Shino strutted by, carrying another boy on his shoulders. "Hear that? Watch where you're going!"

A chorus of cheers and okays followed and Charlotte needed to look away again.

"No trick or treating for yourself?" Trevor asked.

"I'm a little old," Charlotte replied. "I'm fine dressing up, seeing the costumes, and enjoying the night."

"At least yours is a little clever. I threw this together with leftovers from a school play."

Charlotte's head snapped around. "You were in a school play? When?" Winslow didn't even have a drama club or anything.

"Middle school," he answered. With a sardonic smile, he added, "I haven't grown much since then."

"I don't know." Charlotte fixed her eyes on his arm, right around the bicep area. "It's looking a bit snug."

"It's the weights I think." Yup. Charlotte watched him raise one hand and look at his arm with her. Definitely the weights. "Shino kind of guilted me into it. Said he needed a spotter and one thing led to another."

"You look good," Charlotte drawled. She flustered and tore her eyes away. "You know. In a petticoat."

Trevor laughed. "Thank—"

"Hey!"

Charlotte looked ahead. A woman grabbed at an older boy—maybe two or three years younger than Charlotte or Trevor—as he ran. He sprinted with two candy bags in hand, laughing as he went. The pirate crew parted for him, not noticing the little girl crying in the crowd ahead while a man consoled her.

Charlotte split from Trevor, thankful for the distraction.

The boy ran through the offered corridor in the brief moment of confusion.

His hand lashed out as he went, and Charlotte swung for his wrist.

"Hey!" She shouted and knocked his hand back before it could close around Danji's candy bag. Blood boiled in her temples. "What do you—"

"Cease and desist, cease and desist."

The boy froze and Charlotte joined him in looking up.

Navy descended atop a manhole cover. He wore a tiny blue and yellow coat with a lightning bolt etched on the back. It reminded Charlotte of an old comic character but she couldn't remember the name.

The candy stealer balked at the robot. He turned to run the other way, only to find the woman glaring at him. Red flew beside her in a yellow cape bound by a gold chain around his ball.

"Shazam, Shazam!" Red repeated.

Navy swung in fast, a taser popping out of its ear and sticking the boy in the back.

Charlotte balked. Candy thief or not, a taser was—"

"Ow!" The boy jerked and spun. Navy stuck him in the shoulder, a soft 'zip' echoing in the air. "Stop that!"

It must be a lower power taser… Or it wasn't a taser at all.

In a swift motion, Navy swung up and shaved a line through the thief's hair. He shouted and while his hands patted at his head, Red collected both candy bags from the ground. He flew around and returned them to the woman.

"Oh, thank you!"

"Justice prevails," the Haro chirped. "Justice prevails!"

Charlotte blinked as Navy flew away. The manhole must be made of foam or something. She doubted the robots could fly with a real one under them. Red followed, yellow cape fluttering behind him.

"Trick or treat, trick or treat!"

"Trick or treat, trick or treat!"

Charlotte glanced back at the boy as the woman started snapping at him. For his part, the thief patted at his new bald spot over and over. "Does Taylor know they're doing that?"

"Are they wearing literal capes?" Trevor asked.

Shino stood behind the candy bandit, arms crossed and laughing. "That's what you get for punching below the belt! Serves you right!"

"That was dangerous."

"Hmm?" Charlotte turned and looked at Trevor.

"You jumped at him when he reached for Danji's candy," he reminded her. "You could have gotten hurt."

"What?" Charlotte thought back and her face started turning red. She supposed she could have. "I wasn't really thinking about that." Thinking about it, she couldn't help but mutter, "Wish I'd been that quick before."

Maybe if she'd been less of a pushover, Emma and the other girls never would have gone after her. Maybe if she was quicker, Lafter might not have gotten hurt. If she were more confident she could do more than avoid letting Trevor see her blush.

Trevor's expression changed again, but it was new. Warm and relaxed, but confident at the same time. It looked really nice.

"That was brave of you," he offered.

Charlotte felt herself blushing again. "It wasn't that—"

"Thanks big sis."

She turned as Danji and the other boys started offering her pieces of candy from their bags and smiling.

"Y-You keep them," she insisted. "It's fine, really."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" one of them asked.

Charlotte was too busy stumbling over words to respond.

The little operator grinned and pointed at himself. "I can be your boyfriend."

"Well I—That's not—Um—See—" Trevor laughed and Charlotte found her voice long enough to glare at him. "Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm not," he apologized. Waving a hand, he insisted, "I swear I'm not, it's just kind of funny is all."

"How is it funny?" the proposing boy asked.

"You're so embarrassed," Shino chuckled.

"So you are laughing at me!"

"I-I'm laughing with you," Trevor protested.

"No you're not," Charlotte pouted.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to stop. I swear I'm trying."

Charlotte crossed her arms and made her displeasure as obvious as possible. Lower lip puffed out. Shoulders raised. Foot tapping.

Trevor was trying, but honestly?

It was nice to see him laugh.

People should take every chance they can to laugh. She'd make him pay for laughing at her later. A girl had her ways.

Alice tore her eyes away from the Treehouse of Horror marathon.

Biscuit was laughing, hand over his mouth and phone turned away from her.

"What?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he chortled.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Lie better, Pillsbury."

She could guess. He'd only been fretting over the kids going out for Halloween all day. Despite her best efforts at distraction. Really, at this point he could probably go back and hang out with all the guys. The PRT seemed content to leave her. She couldn't see them wanting to go after her boyfriend.

Though, if they did go after him she could go after them and that might alleviate her boredom. Bombmania aside, Alice didn't do well with nothing to do. She could only hammer away at the neutron jammer for so long before she needed something to spice up her day.

Getting his laughter under control, Biscuit turned the screen. "One of the kids gave some of his candy away to a bum."

"Charity?" They were good kids at heart. "What kind of Halloween is Orga teaching them?"

Biscuit started laughing again and between breaths explained, "Turns out the bum was a Haro. They rewarded everyone by exploding a candy bomb over the street!"

Alice sat up.

Biscuit kept laughing for a near minute. Then he noticed her face.

He blinked. "Alice?"

"A candy bomb?"

"Uh, no one got hurt. It was just—"

Alice jumped to her feet and pulled a tool from her pocket. "Those little bastards will steal my shtick over my risen remains!"

"It was nothing to be concerned about," Veda assured me.

I almost asked if she was sure, but I had a sudden sense of being watched. It was weird. The boy looked away as soon as I turned to look at him. That was weirder.

That made the fifth time and I didn't get it. Other than losing the pouch on my stomach—months ago—and growing taller still, I looked exactly like I always did. Save my hair. While it was slowly growing out, it was still a pale shadow of what I once sported.

The dress maybe, but really?

My body was still thin as a rail and flat as a board. Even a dress that showed every pathetic curve wasn't doing me favors. I had so few that the ones I did have looked boney and weird.

…Right?

I'd think they recognized me but I was pretty sure no one had. Between dressing nothing like I usually did and the ridiculous hat, I looked nothing like the cape people would know me as.

I turned again, well aware of another boy staring at my butt. He didn't turn. He turned beet red, stumbled over some words and then promptly continued on his way.

Somehow, I'm going to blame Lafter for this.

Veda tilted her head beside me. "Isn't that considered rude?"

"I guess," I murmured back. "I don't really know what they're looking at."

To my surprise, she'd gotten a fair few looks too. Of course, unlike me, Veda sported amazing hair and her face was better proportioned. I could get why people stared at her—I also had a sudden urge to acquire a shotgun—but why me?

"They appear to be looking at you," Veda pointed out.

Well, yeah. "But why?"

"Pretty sure it's because they're guys." Beside me, Orga looked confused by my confusion. "I thought Lafter was joking when she said you were oblivious."

My spine straightened and I scowled. "Come again?"

"She said you think you're ugly."

"I do not think I'm ugly." I knew I was boyish. "And Lafter's just being nice."

"No she's not."

I blinked.

Orga blinked back. "She's not saying it to be nice."

I gave that a laugh, because apparently everyone needed to make me feel better.

Orga grimaced.

We continued down the street with the boys. The crowd was starting to thin out and we'd have to head back soon. Dad said something about having a cookout at the factory; give the boys something other than candy to eat for the night.

It was a good idea. I was a bit hungry myself. I hadn't had a good burger in a while. If I was going to be thin by default, I might as well make some use of it.

"You don't look like a call girl. They show a lot more skin."

I glanced from the corner of my eye. Orga's face was red, which was ridiculous with the whole unicorn getup, especially the fake muzzle stuck to the front of his face. He felt the need to lie badly to try and make me feel better.

Ironically, I thought a lot less about my body when people weren't trying to make me feel better about it.

"I'm not saying it to make you feel better." He looked at me. "You look good in that dress."

I started to protest, but he kept looking at me.

And the longer he looked the weirder I felt.

We reached the next house and I tried to get a little ahead to break the awkwardness.

"I have observed," Veda noted, "that attraction is not solely predicated on standards of beauty. Many humans are attracted to other elements of a partner."

I glanced at the nearest Endbringer siren, kind of hoping it would just kick off and end this entire experience.

"Her appearance is fine," Orga insisted. To me he repeated, "If someone thinks you're ugly they're not worth your time. They're blind."

"I'm not disagreeing," Veda agreed. "But Taylor does lack the stereotypical physical traits associated with conventional beauty."

"And?" Orga asked.

When did this become a discussion between them about me?

Veda stared blankly, still not quite getting the hang of how people 'moved' in little ways all the time.

"My observations may be incomplete," she admitted. "It is not a subject I spend much time on."

Great time for Operation British to start, Azrael. Just pull that trigger.

"I keep saying she looks good in that dress," Orga said once again. "I'm not lying."

Thinking back to the mirror, I thought about how the dress basically hugged me like a stocking. If not for the high slit I probably wouldn't be able to walk in it comfortably. The shawl Lafter added at least let me obscure my chest… And despite that people kept stealing glances.

"Perhaps we should stop," Veda proposed.

"I'll stop when she stops assuming I'm a liar," Orga retorted.

"I believe this discussion is making Taylor uncomfortable."

"It's the birds and the bees. It's always uncomfortable."

Tell me about—I raised my head at the sound of a small blast.

Bakuda flew overhead, a conspicuously large pack over one shoulder.

I groaned. "What is she doing?"

Veda raised her head. "Unknown."

Orga grimaced. "I thought she was staying in with Biscuit for the night."

I couldn't believe I was saying it but, "Veda, send some Haros to figure out what she's doing and call—"

"The Haros are busy," Veda informed me.

Busy? "How are they—" With mounting terror, I realized. Oh shit. I knew I was forgetting something. "We left the Haros unsupervised on Halloween…"

Lisa considered that there were several things wrong with the knocking at her chamber door.

First off, it wasn't Christmas. Second, everyone she knew would call her and then knock. Third, her room was on the fourth floor. Fourth, and finally, the knock was coming from about two feet off the ground.

"You knew this day was coming," Lisa whispered to herself. Bad enough Relena acquired a hundred of Newtype's mass production look-alikes for Sanc's only hospital. "Hopefully my hair escapes unfazed."

With that said, she reached over for her gun. Newtype backed the little demons up. Blowing one away wouldn't do any permanent damage, but it would be very cathartic…

Lisa thought about that for a moment and sighed.

Maybe best to avoid needless escalation.

No gun then.

She returned the gun to the hand that offered it to her. The robot turned the weapon and flicked the safety back on.

"Safety first, safety first."

"I know tha—"

Lisa turned.

The yellow one looked up at her and ejected the magazine before pulling back the slide and ejecting the round in the chamber. The robot wore armor paneling over its casing. Some of the surface was painted blue with a big blue star between the Haro's eyes.

"Trick or treat, trick or treat."

Welp, time for plan 'fuck that.'

"Okay." Lisa reached under her pillow and produced a party bag of gummi-bears. "Treat."

The robot tilted. "Catch, catch."

"It's Halloween. You can't trick me if I treat, and I'm treating you." Lisa looked at the robot's 'costume.' "Who are you anyway?"

"Booster Gold, Booster Gold!"

She'd heard that name somewhere before but she didn't care enough to hunt it down.

The orange Haro swung open the door behind her and leaped into the room. It struck a dramatic pose, holding a tiny trident in one hand and a stuffed shark in the other.

"Trick or treat!" Its bottom half was painted green with an A-shaped pendant affixed to his front. "Trick or treat!"

Lisa turned and Yellow leaned around. He held up the candy bag, saying, "Treat, treat."

Orange wilted. "Treat? Treat?"

"Treat, treat."

Lisa sighed. "I gave you candy. You're not allowed to prank me tonight, that's how Halloween works."

Orange tilted. "…Treat, treat…"

Yellow jumped down from the bed. "Treat, treat."

Orange turned and waddled dejectedly out of the room, dragging his trident behind him. Yellow followed and Lisa sighed in relief. At least they weren't destroying her stuff anymore. In comparison to how things used to be, their current gags were more of an inconvenience—or a challenge maybe—than agony.

Lisa turned as a bell rang.

Looking back to her bedroom window, she found it open. The robots probably opened it, but Yellow managed to get into her room without tripping the trip wire.

Tripwire was weighted for heavier targets.

Lisa would thank her power, but also felt like she should know why she did that. For the life of her, she couldn't remember. She didn't normally forget things. That was really weird…

Persistent engagement with foe who cannot be remembered.

Yes, that would make sense and it sounded familiar. Except she should remember that—No, wait. Cannot be remembered. Must be a damn strong stranger effect if it worked in real time. Must mean the stranger was right there in the room hanging from the line. She couldn't see anyone but yeah, strangers are bullshit.

"Having fun?" Lisa asked. "Might want to drop your power. Can't exactly do much when I'm—"

"Oh fine."

Lisa blinked. Aisha hung upside down by one foot, arms crossed over her chest. Hopefully Brian didn't know what she was wearing because it would be pretty absurd even if the girl weren't upside down.

Orange leotard with a claw necklace. That also seemed kind of familiar.

Aisha pouted in an exaggerated fashion. "Don't you feel clever?"

Lisa thought about it for a moment. "Clever enough."

"Well, help me down already. You win."

"Sure." Lisa reached under her pillow. "But first." She pulled out the Kit-Kat bar and stuffed it into Aisha's gaping mouth. "Trea—"

A flash of movement in the window sent Lisa spinning. The room twisted around her and she shoved a second Kit-Kat into Black's outstretched hand. The robot flew past her and hit the wall, black cape and pointy-eared cowl becoming disheveled as it landed.

"Trick or treat," Lisa declared.

Black sat up straight and dropped its water balloon in defeat.

Aisha seethed with the candy in her mouth. "Yohr noh phun."

Lisa turned her palm up and patted her head. "Happy Halloween, Imp."

"You're sure that's fine?" Danny was unaccustomed to asking a twelve-year-old for advice, but most little girls didn't see the future. Or versions of it. "I'm concerned."

Across the street, Bakuda was assembling something on the roof of a building.

"It's fine," Dinah insisted. She sat on her lawn chair, picking through a treasure chest of candy.

"You're sure."

"Very."

Danny checked the time. The trick or treating should be wrapping up now. Not a lot of time if they wanted to feed the boys something better than candy and junk food.

"Kurt," Danny called. "Grill."

"Grilling," Kurt answered. He turned both his hands, firing up a pair of large multi-layer grills.

"Stu, burgers."

"Unpacking," Stu replied. He joined a half dozen of the factory boys—Danny figured it wasn't really right anymore to call them former Merchants—in tearing apart the packages.

"Lacy, fruit and veg."

"Chopping." Lacy forced a head of lettuce into Kati's hands and then handed her a knife. Dinah's parents were already preparing a fruit salad. Pink tossed spices and mixed a sauce. Smelled like barbecue.

The lot behind the factory was a flurry of activity and everything proceeded apace.

Father of the year he might not be, but Danny knew how to organize. Mostly it came down to acting like you were in charge. Do that and a lot of people assumed it to be true and did what you said.

When that fails, fake it till you make it.

"This is great," Kurt mused. "It's been ages since we had a good cookout."

"Oh'nine," Danny remembered. Just before Annette passed. "You got the beer?"

Kurt leaned over, whispering, "I hid it where I'm sure the kids won't find it."

Good. "Well, trick or treating should be wrapping up. Given that Taylor and Orga are there, it shouldn't take too long to wrangle all the kids and bring them back."

Danny leaned over, watching as White, Green, and Purple carried one of Taylor's bazookas into the factory. Come to think of it, other than Pink, he hadn't seen any of the Haros since sundown. And why did they have the bazooka?

"Was that a bazooka?"

Danny didn't know the girl. He might've assumed she was Bakuda—he'd never actually met her—but Bakuda was still on the roof across the street. Maybe she knew Orga and the boys? Then again, he probably shouldn't be making guesses based on nothing but the girl being asian.

"I've learned to just assume the Haros clean up after themselves," Danny admitted. "Were you looking for someone?"

Lily glanced around nervously and held up a small folded note. "I got a…text?"

Danny glanced at the note and immediately suspected either the Haros or—

"Pink," Dinah called. "Table for two."

The robot rolled sideways over the ground and waved at Lily. "This way, this way."

Lily stared. "Um—"

Another voice called, saying, "So, I got a note marked 'text' asking me to come here." Danny and Lily turned to Sabah. "Is Taylor around…" Sabah noted Lily. "Oh, Lily, right? What are—"

Sabah noticed the 'text' in Lily's hand.

"This way," Pink repeated, "This way."

Danny watched as Pink led the girls to a small table set up off to the side. Complete with a pitcher of iced water, candles, and— "I thought you weren't going to help anyone with their relationships?"

"I'm not going to give anyone answers I don't have," Dinah retorted. "But some people will never notice anything until you slap them with it a couple times."

Danny couldn't help feeling the girl was splitting hairs, but he supposed things were working out for the most part. Well, as well as they could work out. As far as he knew. Taylor hadn't really mentioned Emma since he told her but she seemed alright. Veda walking and talking occupied a lot of her time since it happened.

Danny was still getting used to it himself.

"So, is this an anyone is invited sort of deal?"

Danny turned to the third person to approach him out of the blue and looked her over. "Might as well be. There'll be plenty of burgers. Nice Mouse Protector costume."

"Thanks! I like to think I made it myself!"

Never leave the Haros unsupervised.

How did I forget that, and on Halloween of all nights?

I'd have to chastise myself for that later. At the moment, I needed to know why Bakuda was jumping around. Staying in for the night was a smart move. Brockton Bay having its first real Halloween in years was a big deal, a sure sign that the city was recovering. Something everyone could see with their own eyes.

We needed this night and I wasn't going to have—

"She is making a bomb," Veda explained.

My sprint faltered but I managed not to fall down. "WHY?!"

"Race to the factory!"

One of the smaller boys surged past me with absurd speed and I almost fell over again.

"We're not racing!" I protested. Veda was running stiffly right behind me, readily keeping up.

Two more boys somehow ran past me.

"You dropped your hat," Veda called from behind, holding the ludicrous thing over her head.

I groaned and sprinted harder. "I'm trying to save Halloween!"

The streets had mostly cleared out and people were mostly heading home. They mostly stopped when a band of pirates came running down the road with some animals, a girl in fantasy armor, Isaac Newton, and me—in my ridiculous dress—right with them.

It wasn't a long run. Not even a quarter of my morning jogs. It felt a lot longer with the words 'Bakuda is making a bomb' rattling in my head.

What on Earth could possess her—

I rounded the corner and looked up at the building just behind Tekkadan's. It was abandoned as far as I knew. Orga had suggested buying the property to separate the younger kids from Tekkadan's official business.

She was there with a fucking mortar.

"Alice!" I snapped. "You come down from there and—"

"Try to show me up will you?!" Bakuda shouted. "You want a candy bomb, I'll show you a candy bomb!"

"That is not what I said!" I shouted back.

"I know!" she answered. "This is funner!"

The mortar behind her exploded. A trail of glimmering white streaked into the night sky. It exploded with a thundering boom and a glimmering sheen shot out from the blast before breaking and falling toward the ground.

My jaw dropped as a thousand potentially horrible things ran through my head.

"Why?!" I shouted at the sky. "Why would you—"

The first shard hit the ground, and then another. Another, and another. Veda held the hat over my head as the first few crystals thunked against the material. Orga flinched when one hit his face, but there were no cuts, radiation burns, bruises, or festering wounds.

As the sprinkle became a rain, the air was filled with rainbows of light from the shards.

Lafter caught up to me, panting and quickly falling forward to grasp her knees. The shards missed her. Of course they did. "Is it hailing?"

Veda swiped out her hand and caught a piece of clear glass. "This is not hail."

Mikazuki stood in the downpour unharmed, turning one piece in his hand.

He popped it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

"It's rock candy," he announced.

My jaw dropped. "Rock candy?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Yey!" The pirates scrambled, holding out their filled candy pails and buckets and filling them further. "Trick or treat!"

"Ha!" Bakuda pointed from the roof at the Haros and laughed. "That's enough rock candy to give the entire city a root canal! Beat that!"

Oh god no.

At the street corner, the Haros looked up and I didn't need to hear it to know.

"Challenge accepted, challenge accepted."

The candy rain continued for nearly a minute, and when it stopped the ground was covered in glassy—but harmless—shards of sugar. Biscuit arrived in a jeep, Charlotte sitting in the seat behind him.

"Sorry," she pleaded. "I'm not a runner."

Trevor was gasping for breath, muttering something about how he should have brought his skates.

"I tried to stop her, Orga." Biscuit leaned out the seat. "But, well… You know."

Orga grimaced beside me.

"We know," we both declared.

A familiar van with a spoiler and flame decals drove up to the front gate. JP leaned out, calling, "Someone ordered sodas? And how about that weather? What was that?"

Pink rolled forward to meet them while the barrier swung up. "Come on in, come on in!"

"Save the burgers!" Kurt and Dad scrambled, picking rock candy off of a pair of grills while Lacy ranted about her chopped veggies.

"Burgers?" Shino grinned. "I could eat."

I blinked, watching as everyone around me started moving. The boys were still scooping up candy, at least until Orga told them to stop. Eating candy off the ground was a bad idea.

That's not what struck me though.

I remembered the last time I'd been to a cookout.

It was right before Mom died. Before my life started…changing. In the moment, it suddenly felt like that was the last time I'd been truly—purely—happy. My family was still together. Weaver—Emma—was still my friend.

The memories were distant, like looking through water.

I felt guilty that I thought of that as the last time I was happy without reservation.

Charlotte helped Trevor across the street, laughing at him for forgetting his skates. He took it in stride. Lafter was pushing Akihiro forward, talking about putting 'meat' on his bones while he gave her a queer look. Mikazuki followed Orga, like he usually did.

"Taylor?" I flinched and turned toward Veda. She watched me with the same passive expression she'd worn most of the night. "Are you hurt?"

I watched them all there. Dad. Kurt and Lacy. Those idiotic groupies and the Haros. Orga and Tekkadan. Kati. Charlotte. Trevor. I didn't know what Sabah and Lily were doing picking pieces of candy out of their hair and why was Mouse Protector there?

The questions didn't matter. The scene, all of them together, felt like…

Veda raised a hand and pressed it to my cheek. "You're crying."

Am not.

I wiped my eyes quickly. "I'm fine." Thankfully my scandalous dress had long sleeves. Putting on a smile, I put one foot forward and something dark closed behind me. "Let's go."

I started across the street and went to my family.