Near the gates of the city of Randall, was a tavern, that despite the lack of business, was still open. The open, swinging doors were gently rattled as a slight breeze drafted in. Yet it affected no one who was in there; as the fireplace kept the entire room warmly lit.
Sitting on the stools near the counter, was Farzen and Laberd. They were rather...not in the mood for conversation, to say the least. The masked swordsman was a bit crabby, as he was resting his cheek against the smooth wood of the countertop. A small scar traveling across his left eye, giving him a dangerous appearance. Some would say that he was dressed up as a bandit, but in reality, he was just dressed up for a night around the city.
Laberd, on the other hand, was more upset than cranky. He was dressed up as a grim reaper, something befitting of him in both tone and character. Sitting next to Farzen, he just stared at the drink in front of him. Unlike his companion, the fencer actively drank his. The contents were a bit alcoholic, but nothing too strong.
"So….." He spoke up, hoping his partner would care enough to respond. Turning his head to face him, the masked swordsman gave him a blank look. "Don't even think about it." He muttered, turning away.
Frowning, he tried coming up with something to catch his friend's attention. It was the least he could do since he dragged him along for the ride. Despite his age, the fencer still liked trick-or-treating. But he was too shy to go by himself, and viewed as an attacker or stalker; so he usually brought along his friend. Albeit, they did make a suspicious duo for those who didn't recognize them, but thanks to a certain chain of events, they were widely known.
Before he could manage to utter a single word, Farzen stopped him dead in his tracks. "Look, it was a bad turn of events. Neither of us could have done anything." He stated. The coldness in his voice causing his friend to shrink. "I mean, you could've just froze them in place-" "No," he cut him off. "I'm not going to use my powers on a couple of kids."
Silence fell between the two again, like a thick blanket of snow. Occasionally, the tavern keeper would glance at the two nervously. They were an odd pair.
Taking a swig of his drink, the masked swordsman turned to face the tavern keeper with a bleak expression. "Why're you just staring at us? Get back to work." The sudden command caused the tavern keeper to jump; and immediately resume to wiping the mugs dry.
Laberd just shook his head, and leant in. "That's not how we talk." He said.
"Forgive me for my poor language, comrade. From this day forth, I pledge to resolve this communicational stump." He responded sarcastically, gulping down more of his drink.
Sighing, the "grim reaper" peeked at the open doorway to see a waitress handing out candy to passing children. Her infectious smile causing the passerby's to grow one of their own. "Would you like a refill?" The tavern keeper asked him. Changing his line of sight back to the server, he was spooked solid. They had adorned a generic knight costume, making him have a flashback of earlier events..
"Ummm….I think your friend here is broken." She spoke, gaining the masked man's attention.
She was right. The man was rigid; eyes wide in disbelief. Unblinking, and unmoving. "You alright?" He asked, earning no response. "Laberd, if anything is bothering you, just tell me." As the minutes passed by, he grew more and more worried. What if he was stuck like this all night? "Hello?" He called, waving his hand in front of his face.
Unbeknownst to him, the events that had transpired an hour ago played vividly in the fencer's mind. There they were, walking down the streets with a sack of candy. It was filled to the brim with almost every treat imaginable; even some homemade goodies. Farzen followed his friend closeby, glancing back at a trio of teens who eyed the two men.
He wondered what their problem was, but his comrade was oblivious to it. After all, he was too busy munching on his newly acquired treats. The combination of chocolate, nuts, taffy, gummies, and pretzels overwhelmed his tastebuds; clearing his mind of all distractions.
As the small group of teens got closer and closer, a strange tripedal figure lurked in the masked man's field of vision. Almost as if it was heading right for them. Little did they know, that's what was happening. The being was shrouded in a dark, slick hide. A strange protrusion where its head belonged was disturbing. Where its neck was supposed to be, was just an orifice of black emptiness.
He should've turned his head away. Acted like he didn't notice it. But it was too late. The appendage on its head jerked, and looked directly at him. It now sped up to a near run. This came as a shock to him, and he too, made a run for it. Grabbing hold of Laberd's hand, the two hopped over a bush, and used it as covering.
The sound of footsteps could be heard on the opposite side of the foliage, but it wasn't by the group following them. To his relief, it was the beast's. Even though they've been given chase by a creature like that, his friend was totally unaware. Still munching on whatever he could get his hands on.
"That was a close one…." He said to himself, peeking over the bush. "What even was that?" Although he would've liked to spend some time thinking over it, that had to be put on hold for now. The only reason why was because that group….had stopped in front of the bushes.
Of course, they knew where the two were hiding, and decided on waiting them out. The masked man knew he couldn't stay and hide forever, due to an active amount of trick-or-treaters walking up to the house. It was only a matter of time before he had to come up with a choice.
Taking in a deep breath, he put on his best smile, and stood up. The head of the group, who was dressed as a generic knight, had a smug look on his face. Probably it being the fact that he cornered an adult.
"Well, I know it's in the spirit to perform mean tricks on one another, but could you three step out of the way?" Farzen asked, nudging Laberd. When the fencer finally got up, the trio grinned. "You know the saying. Trick-or-treat. And guess what we want?" "Trick?" The masked man answered. .
"No. Treat. So we'll be taking that." He stated, snatching the bag away from Laberd in a flash. He was about to ask for it back, but the lot of them ran off into the crowded streets. Relocating it would be much more of a hassle, yet he couldn't just stand aside and not do a thing about it. So for the next hour, they spent the time looking around, questioning the kids and houses, but turned up empty handed.
This bugged him. Not only did he have to go through the process of finding those teens, but the fencer wouldn't shut up about his stolen treats. He ceaselessly droned on that they absolutely had to find, how important it was to him, and how hungry he had suddenly grown.
After putting himself through enough torture, he ended up in the local tavern. Drinking away the headache as his partner silently sat beside him. The frozen look of horror was gone, and he was now back to reality.
The two left shortly after, trudging back to their headquarters at the slowest rate possible. The streets weren't as crowded as before, which made traversing them less of a hassle. So much for a happy Halloween, the fencer thought, missing his sack of candy. For all he knew, those teens were on the other side of the city. Eating away at his treats. Sighing to himself, he lifted the hood of his costume over his face, and stared at the passing lights.
All they had to do was make it back. Which wasn't so much of a difficult task, as drinking a glass of water was.
At the intersection of the street, they saw their commanding officer. He was holding a plastic bag filled with snacks for who knows what. The shadows dancing behind him giving it a clear indication that others were heading the same way. Approaching him, the masked man waved at him. "Evening, commander." He greeted.
Hearing the familiar voice, Rouche saw the two standing side by side. He gave them a confused look. Weren't they supposedly trick-or-treating? Then why wasn't there a bag in sight? Hearing a yelp of terror, he spun around to find his sister standing in the darkness. "Limera! Quit it with this act!" He yelled angrily at her, causing the girl to jump. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She apologized, coming into the light.
Her face was visible now, making her appear rather….unnerving, especially in that costume. "How can such an innocent face, and macabre outfit go together?" Farzen questioned, obviously in shock. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the elder sibling shook his head. "Don't bothering asking. Julius was the one who gave her the idea."
Tapping her fingers together timidly, the claw like extensions of followed suit, mimicking her. "Now now sis, I didn't mean to- Hey! Don't eat when I'm talking to you!" Clutching her right arm, he stopped the sorceress from snacking on her treats as he spoke. "Honestly. Why're you trying to ignore me?"
"I'm not! I just deserve this!" She argued, pulling it away from her brother's grasp. "Yeah, I deserve a break too, but I got dragged into buying food at eight in the evening, chased around by a crazed group of children, and had to deal with a few girls who were close to killing you." He snapped. "Oh please. If it had come down to it, I would've burned them into ashes."
Her response sent a shiver down his spine, happy knowing that he had arrived shortly before she could act. "Anyhow, I never expected to be out this long. It's nearly eleven, ten, so we should get going." Nodding in agreement, the other three followed him back. Although his sister was a bit reluctant at first, she knew that he was just worried about what might happen if she stayed out too late.
On their way back, Limera had finally noticed the full moon hanging over their heads. It casted an orange glow onto the dimly lit paths. The color of it being a dark, orange red. She wondered if maybe his sphere would go through a similar change, thanks it to it.
Arriving on the grounds of the headquarters, the four members of the Guard closed the gate behind them, and walked to the campfire located in the empty space of the plaza. Estelle and Julius were still telling stories, since they had nothing better to do. At the sight of their commander, they jumped for joy; knowing that their wait wasn't all for naught. Chuckling at the sight, he made his way over to his seat.
His sister and co sat with them, her obviously sitting next to her brother. "So, what took you so long?" The sky pirate inquired, holding his hands out to the warm flame. "There were a few bumps on the road, but nothing major..." Laughing, Rouche doubled over from the poor excuse. "...Is what I'd like to say. Though, the actual details don't matter." He explained, leaning back in his adirondack chair.
This, Julius couldn't ignore. "Hey! Quit lying and tell us!" He pleaded. The sudden show of interest made the commander uncomfortable, "Well… I guess I could spare you the details." "What!? Of course you can't! You need to tell us what exactly happened!"
Of course there was no way out of this, but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun. "Oh? And if I choose not to? After all, you can't force me." He taunted at his comrade, knowing all too well that the dark haired Guard would take the bait. "C'mon! You can't keep us in suspense!"
Opening the bag he had with him, revealed to be graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. A smile cracked on everyone's face at the sight of the treat. Something fitting for the cold weather. As Rouche passed them around, Estelle went off to find some appropriately sized branches to skew them on.
Roasting them over the fire, they all felt a warm feeling inside. Not from the fire, but from the friendships they had been able to experience. In a word, it felt nice.
Placing the spongy treat in between two graham crackers and some chocolate, they happily dug into the delicious snack. Stories were told around the campfire, but this time, they weren't works of fiction. Rather, the events that had unfolded prior to the meetup. Limera felt bad for Laberd on his behalf, and offered to share it with him.
The group snickered when hearing out Rouche, for he had the worst luck and timing compared to the rest of the events. While the rest conversed over the facts of each story, the sorceress nibbled on another s'more.
"Y'know, besides from everything that happened, I'm really happy we can be together." She cheered.
"As am I.' Farzen acknowledged.
"I'm always happy with you guys!" Julius shouted.
"There isn't any other place I'd like to be." Laberd added.
"Teamwork makes the dream work!" Estelle chimed.
"I can't imagine a day without any of you." Rouche whispered, closing his eyes with a smile.
