Disclaimer: Beware. Existential horror, folks.
First, there was darkness- the sort he would've enjoyed, had the onset not been so sudden- but it quickly gave way to a blinding light that assaulted him so viciously, he thought for a moment it might rip him from his physical manifestation, and he still wasn't ready to be not-quite-dead yet. When his eyes opened, barely able to see beyond the blinding pain, Roman was tumbling through the air, striking towards what he could only assume to be the ground. He flailed, fear gripping him as the wind scrabbled at his coat, tearing his hat away and threatening to pull a scream from deep within him. This was what mortals experienced whenever they saw him stalking them in the night, he was sure, and the ability to feel such an alien sensation as something so tangible only served to make his terror even more severe.
Was this the end of his time as the Vampire?
"Neo!" He called out, trying to catch sight of his cohort, but she was nowhere to be seen, though it was difficult for him to see much at all. The sun was much brighter than he'd ever seen rising over Halloween Town, and the strange white substance covering every inch of the ground reflected it, intensified it, like a magnifying mirror. "Neo!"
He pinwheeled his arms, as if looking for something to grab hold of, but in the end it was the other way around; something grabbed hold of him. It was all encompassing, swirling around his frame in the blink of an eye- a storm of white that nearly obscured the sun's painful rays. His descent slowed until he was set down on something soft and the wall of white disappeared so that he was staring up at a sky streaked with clouds but much to bright for him to bear. However, Roman could make out the Silence's form high above him, floating down thanks to the umbrella from the beginning of their little espionage excursion.
Smoke was rising from his form, the shade of a tree the only thing keeping him from being too pained to move as he struggled to sit up. As much as he hated the weakness gifted him by the mortals, Roman could help but find a little comfort in realizing that he hadn't outright been destroyed by the onslaught of sunlight, meaning there was a chance he could find some sort of shelter to heal himself until the moon rose. All he had to do was survive until nightfall, that's all.
"You're... Roman, right?"
"Gah!" He jerked, falling in his attempt to get away from the voice behind him. His head lolled to the side, ready to be faced with any manner of creature... and finding himself pleasantly surprised by the familiar figure looking down at him. "Weiss?"
"Are you supposed to be smoking like that?" She looked very different from the times he'd seen her, features pale and nearly blinding as their surroundings- in fact, she seemed to blend into it. If he wasn't half certain that his vision wasn't something he could trust due to the sun's power weakening him, he'd swear her boots weren't even there, as if they were made of the ground itself.
"Now that you mention it, no." He groused, a groan of agony slipping from his lips. "It's a bad habit I've picked up."
Neo finally touched down a few feet away, scrambling through the white stuff to reach him. It parted for her like sludge, clinging to her boots and making her movements difficult. It also crunched underfoot, if he wasn't entirely delirious, but neither of them paid that detail any mind as the Silence quickly tried to use the parasol to provide a bit more protection for the weakened Vampire.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Turn off the sun," he replied, half out of frustration with her question and half an honest request, because if it was something within the Snow Spirit's power, he wasn't about to pass it up.
In the next few moments, the ground beneath him- soft and pliable as it was- shifted in the most unsettling way, the wall of white returning, except thicker. Slowly, it solidified further, blocking out the painful sunlight and creating a dome of sorts. "Will this suffice?"
Roman took stock of himself, carefully bending each limb to see the extent of the damage done. It was brutal but nothing he couldn't recover from and he was already recovering, so that was a good sign. "Yes. Thank you." He looked at Neo, who seemed just as lost as he was, and then looked back at Weiss. "How did you- what even is- who are you?"
"I thought we'd already been introduced," she said, raising a brow and chuckling. The Snow Spirit lifted a hand, the white substance springing up to swirl around the length of her arm in a rather dexterous display of her mastery over the substance. "This, is snow. I assume the rest is self explanatory." Her gaze flicked away as something caught her attention, form dissolving into snow in the blink of an eye hardly a moment later. When she returned, the woman was holding his hat, lightly dusting the white substance away. "I believe this belongs to you."
As she handed him the bowler, Roman felt his jaw slacken slightly, eyesight now restored enough for him to see that he wasn't hallucinating before. He accepted the offering with a slightly trembling hand, unsure what else she could do in this strange new form. If she found out why he was here...
"Th-thank you. Again."
"No problem. Now, is everything alright in Halloween Town?" He looked up, noting worry and concern in her features and even fear, but it wasn't the kind often traded by the monsters of his home. No, this was a different kind, and he didn't like it. "Is Blake okay?"
"O-of course, yes, she's fine." He glanced at Neo, wishing the diminutive woman could offer some form of support. "She's... working with the Mayor on something, last I heard, so no trouble at all." He straightened out his coat's lapels, pleased to see there was no lasting damage done to the fabric. "As for us, we... well, would it be at all possible to keep this little trip between us?" He flashed a little smile, fangs on display in a subtle show of intimidation. "We were just a little curious. You know how it goes."
Although the worry abated, the Snow Spirit now looked more than a little suspicious, crossing her arms over her chest. "I realize she probably never said as much, but I can't very well have just anyone coming to Christmas Town unannounced. I'm sure if you talked to Blake-"
"That won't be necessary." He cringed, deciding to play up the only advantage he seemed to have available. "Please, Weiss, believe me, our dear Black Cat doesn't need to know. She... may have mentioned not going through the portals but, honestly, the impulse was just too difficult to resist!" Slumping back and playing up the very real pain he still felt coursing through his body. "I realize it wasn't the smartest thing but... well, our beloved Queen of Halloween would be quite cross if she found out..."
Weiss narrowed her eyes briefly before coming to some decision, her expression relaxing into one of amusement. "Like a child caught peeking at their presents." She sighed, clasping her hands in front of her and nodding. "Very well; I won't mention this to Blake. However, I would like something in return." The Vampire regarded her for a moment, his gaze sliding to the Silence briefly before he nodded. "What does Blake like?"
"I... don't... follow?"
"Do you know of anything she collects?" The Snow Spirit lifted one hand, placing the knuckle against her chin as she thought, brows slightly furrowed. "I'm afraid the only things I can think of are undead, which happen to be in short supply in Christmas Town. Aside from that, I've considered books-"
"Oh! Is that what you mean?" Roman chuckled, slightly relieved he might be off the hook so easily. "The Black Cat has always kept the most impressive collection of literature in Halloween Town. Every story behind each of the monsters who dwell within sit on her shelves, and there are countless more detailing all the things mortals fear- it's almost a requirement for the reigning Queen to read them all."
"Does she enjoy it? Reading, I mean."
"Well, she did." He shrugged, pleased the movement didn't cause him any agony. He was healing much quicker than he thought he would, given the lack of fresh blood in him. "Over five hundred years with the same collection- I think anyone would tire of that, don't you think?"
Nodding, Weiss turned, the tips of her hair brushing lower than it had just the day before, if his memory was any good. "I suppose that's a start, then. Thank you, both, but I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere at present." She looked over her shoulder even as her form began to blur, breaking into a thousand little bits of snow. "Please, stay here as long as you need, but be wary when you return. The portals all seem to act the same and the landing is considerably more difficult in Halloween Town."
"I'll keep that in mind," he replied, waiting until it appeared the woman was entirely gone- every little bit of free falling snow within the dome rushing into one of the walls surely signified her departure- and allowing himself to slump back, the snow beneath him crunching as he laid there in abject horror at the mess they'd gotten themselves into; if Cinder even thought about asking them to return, he was likely to try scaring the Flame into leaving him well enough alone. She might have a bit more power than him on a regular night, but his age gave him a slight edge that he would be all too happy to exploit if necessary. "I don't know what Blake sees in this place. It's absolutely horrible."
He was cold and recovering and now had to deal with figuring out a way back that would hurt at least a little less than coming here, which promised to be a tall order indeed. Perhaps they could simply wait until Blake's next visit; the Black Cat was able to traverse the planes without any negative side effects, so she could certainly bring them back, too. It might even be worth incurring her ire; he might even be able to sweet talk Weiss into keeping the Queen from lashing out or punishing them. She seemed to at least understand that there was some merit to his explanation for their appearance in another realm.
"We gotta get out of here. The moment the sun sets, we're leaving." Roman turned his head, seeing Neo's sympathetic look.
She gave a shrug, as if to apologize for dragging them out into the forest in the first place. "Sorry."
His eyes widened, another stab of fear infusing his being as he quickly tried to scramble away. Because he certainly didn't speak, and it was only the two of them within the snow dome, which meant the only person there to speak also didn't speak, or at least so he thought.
"Did you just talk?" He couldn't help but shout, pressing against the surprisingly solid wall of the dome as he stared at the woman who was formerly the Silence but just made noise and he couldn't even comprehend what he'd just heard.
For her part, Neo seemed equally terrified by her own inability to communicate as she had for nearly three centuries, hands clamping over her mouth as she sat in the snow and trembled.
What horrible magic had this place wrought on the pair of them to be reduced in such a way?
Roman whispered, pointing a finger at his cohort. "Don't you say one more word, Neo; not one more. You are the Silence and you need to act like it!"
She seemed just as freaked out but nodded, cringing when her jacket crinkled with every motion, the sound of fabric shifting echoing in the enclosed space.
"Okay, no, we're done here, we're done." Snatching up his cane, Roman began attacking the wall he'd been pressed against, unwilling to find out just what else being in the Snow Spirit's plane had done to them.
Thankfully, Neo was content to let him do the work; the less she moved, she less noise she made, and the more level headed they could both remain.
The moon had hardly risen, the night young and pleasant despite the tension mounting in the ramshackle lean-to Yang had claimed as her own decades ago. She used to live with Ruby near the cemetery but opted for her own home when the previous tenet went to join the not-quite-dead. At present, Blake was too busy keeping her impulse to roar in the woman's face in check to be much concerned about her friend's living arrangements.
"This is not that difficult," she said, hackles rising at the continued confusion showing on the Clown's face. "All I'm asking for is a box."
"But... what kind of box?" The blonde emphatically pointed at the table between them, laden with an assortment of boxes, none of them even close to what the Black Cat was trying to find. "I mean, I've got plenty, Blakey, but-"
"But they all have something in them." The argument had started before the sun was fully set; although Yang was not much of an early riser, Blake had wanted to get a jump start on the day, foreseeing troubles much like this one standing in her way of accomplishing everything. "I need an empty box."
"That doesn't make any sense!" She swept a hand out, indicating the offerings she'd already brought. "All of these are already finished! Why would you want something that's incomplete?"
"Because I'm going to put something inside it."
"Like a demented jack?"
"No."
"A severed head?"
"No."
"... a dead bat?"
"No, and I don't want any of those things in the box either!"
Yang blinked a few times. "Then... what exactly are you asking me for?"
"A. Box." She put her hands about a foot apart. "About this big, empty, in white. That's it."
"Wait, so no blood? What about teeth? Spiders? Locks? C'mon, at least a tortured soul?"
"No."
"Then I don't get it." Her brows furrowed, the Clown scratching behind her ear with a frown. "It sounds like you're asking me for nothing."
"No, I'm asking you for a box."
"Blakey, look, boxes are kinda my thing. Scary surprises- that's what I'm all about," she said, snapping her suspenders to accent her point. Yang paused, looked over her offerings, and then met the Black Cat's gaze with a shrug. "But what you're saying doesn't make sense."
Trying to explain that she didn't need nor want the surprise to be scary to the blonde was akin to trying to convince a mortal they needed neither air, water, or food, so Blake opted for a different approach. "Okay, can you make me a killer box?"
"See, now we're talking!" The Clown laughed. "Yeah, I can do that!"
"Alright, but can you make it without the blood spattering the outside?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"And no teeth."
"... okay."
"And no minor demon possessing it, either." She went over her mental checklist of what was required to make a killer box, satisfied she'd gotten all of them. "How about that?"
Yang started at her for a solid five seconds before she blinked. "You lost me. I thought you wanted a killer box?"
Slapping a hand to her forehead, Blake admitted defeat and changed tracks entirely. "Do you know where I can find Ruby?"
Suddenly, she wondered if Weiss had felt as exasperated with her when she received her present. Although she could hardly fault the blonde for misunderstanding- it was quite the odd request without any first hand experience- it was still aggravating when she'd already showed her the one the Snow Spirit had given her. Regardless, she resolved to apologize if that was the case.
Roman grit his teeth, huddling in the shade of a tall tree, its branches laden with snow and providing enough shade for him to recover somewhat. Add to that Neo's parasol and he was weathering the blazing sun a might easier than earlier, if by only the slimmest margins. Carrying the woman certainly wasn't helping their progress any but his nerves were shot once he realized the Silence's every step brought with it a crunch of snow underfoot and the rustle of fabric. At least with her in his arms, the Vampire could convince himself that it was his coat making all the noise.
That was probably the only thing saving his sanity at this point, deluding himself into believing that Neo's very self wasn't compromised by coming to this thrice damned plane. The sooner they were back in Halloween Town, the quicker he could make it emphatically clear to Cinder that they were both washing their hands of this mess. Junior was right; whatever trick they might be able to play on the Black Cat was not worth the prestige at this point.
As Roman mustered his strength, trudging through the deep snow towards the next suitable resting point, Neo remained as quiet as possible, and it grated on his nerves. She was the Silence; the fact she had to put honest effort into being the one thing she quite literally personified was beyond anything the nigh ageless Vampire could comprehend. It wasn't just unnatural- it went against everything he thought he understood about the planes and the way they interacted.
It suddenly occurred to him that there might be something equally disturbing wrong with him, something he simply hadn't noticed yet, and the idea of being divested of himself while suffering through the sun's torment spurred him to move just a little faster.
"We need to get out of here." Muttering to himself helped only a little- as long as he didn't direct anything towards his cohort, of course, because she was just as terrified of her sudden inabilities as he was- but it kept his attention off the fact that neither of them had any idea where they landed or where they were in relation to the portals they sought. "If we keep moving, we'll be fine."
The Vampire bit back a groan as he left the safety of the shade and stepped out into the bright sunlight, his skin smoking as what little he was able to recover was lost again.
If he survived this, he was never going to even think of crossing the Black Cat, ever again.
Blake waited patiently as the Reaper puzzled through their conversation. Seeing as Yang ultimately couldn't understand why her friend would want something as 'ridiculously useless' as an empty box without anything 'scary' involved, the Black Cat hoped that Ruby would be a little more receptive. Truthfully, although younger by a few decades, the Reaper had the advantage of a special communion with the not-quite-dead and could draw from millennia of knowledge in the event she needed assistance.
Still, even she was having difficulty grasping the concept. "Blake, why do you need this, again?"
"It's for a present. For Weiss." The Queen did her best to keep the frustration from her tone, holding up the one the Snow Spirit had used for the broach still pinned to her ascot. "Like this one, but in white."
"What's a present?" Ruby tilted her head, scythe gleaming brightly as it caught the moonlight.
"Well, it's a gift you give to someone," she replied, though she immediately noted the inconsistency in that explanation. "It's like when Yang gave you that exploding box a few decades ago, remember?"
The Reaper chuckled, nodding. "Yeah! She scared me pretty good with that one. But, if that's-"
"It's different." Preempting the confusion seemed the best method, at least for the moment. "In Christmas Town, they don't give presents to scare each other. They're supposed to bring joy."
"Well... I guess you know best." Although looking slightly uncomfortable with the idea, Ruby eventually shrugged. "Okay, I think I can do it. Just give me a couple of hours, alright?"
"Of course." Relieved she'd succeeded and trusting the woman with the task, Blake turned to go. "Thank you. I'll be back later."
While it had taken her a bit longer than she expected, there was only one part she was missing for Weiss' gift, aside from bringing all the pieces together. There were the other stops she had planned- most of which were calling upon her fellow creatures to ensure the next time the woman came, she would have an idea of what they could do together- but those would depend on whether or not she could track everyone down. She also still had to stop by and talk to the Mayor and, if time permitted, it was probably time to address Adam. As much as Blake loathed to deal with the Shade usually, his cooperation was necessary if she was going to maintain ahead of her duties enough to not get chided by the Snow Spirit again. That would be the last thing she dealt with though, more to give herself time to enjoy not dealing with him than for time constraint purposes.
Idly, she noted how very strange it was to feel so busy, especially considering she was only doing what she should've been all along. It wasn't bad, though; in fact, she actually felt pretty good, managing her affairs like she did before becoming disenchanted with her role. The Queen of Halloween she was once more, a smirk on her lips as she caught sight of Jaune walking along the road just a bit further than her, probably on his way to find his three companions.
Well, she did need to talk to him anyway. A little scare first wouldn't be entirely out of place.
Roman's legs finally gave out, sending both of them sprawling in the snow; he'd barely made it to the shade of yet another tree when the sun, having passed its zenith, exacted its toll on his weakened form. He could feel the dreaded temptation to enter the Deep Sleep- that prelude to not-quite-death that every member of Halloween Town eventually succumbed to- and the Vampire did everything in his power to fight it back. Even Neo, setting her own fear aside for the moment, did her best to drag his larger form deeper into the shade.
But it wasn't true darkness, not nearly enough for him to recover, and the very thought he might expire here, in this cursed land of snow, was almost enough to pull a bitter laugh from his lips, had he the energy to spare.
Then, with such suddenness that he couldn't tell if it was real or imagined, Roman Torchwick, the Vampire of Halloween Town, was enveloped in the deepest darkness, one that soothed him almost to the point he forgot his previous pain.
"So... this is what the sleep feels like." He muttered, ready to reluctantly begin his forever slumber in this strange plane. "Goodbye, Neo."
"... is he always this dramatic?" The flat, borderline angry tone snapped him out of his peaceful acceptance of his fate, prompting green eyes to open wide. Rather than hovering on the edge of a quasi-nonexistence, Roman and Neo were once again ensconced in a narrow dome of snow, with the Spirit who conjured it forming from one of the side, a severe frown on her lips. "I'd hoped you'd have the sense to stay put until I was able to assist you, but I suppose wandering through the forest in your condition seemed the more reasonable option."
Oh no.
Oh no.
The Vampire exchanged a worried look with his cohort, the two realizing in tandem that the tone Weiss had just used was something they'd never heard before, even after following the woman through a whole night. It sounded suspiciously close to the stern tone Blake would use as a warning before exerting her power and changing into one of her more terrifying forms and that sent a new shiver of fear down their spines.
"Now, as I'm sure neither of you have noticed, you're even further from the portals than you were originally." She turned, lifting an arm that he could see only by the grace of his enhanced vision, the Vampire more attuned to total darkness than Neo. To his surprise, the wall of the new snow dome rose up and hallowed out, creating a hallway that led off somewhere. "If you follow this- and don't break out of it this time- you should make it to the portals before nightfall, which you absolutely need to do."
Roman sorely wished he possessed the strength to cower appropriately. The Silence was doing a good job but that seemed entirely lost on the woman flicking her long white hair over one shoulder, blue eyes gleaming bright even in the dark.
"Are you two listening? I can hardly see in here, so if you're not-"
"W-w-we're l-listening." He was a centuries old Vampire and he was stuttering like a mortal child; if he survived this ordeal, he might live long enough for the mortification to destroy him instead.
"You- wait, you both-" Weiss stopped, pressing her lips into a tight line before the slope of her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. "I'm not angry with you, either of you. It's... something else that's making me a tad short. Nevertheless, you have no reason to fear-"
"We have every reason to be afraid," he quickly replied, the words slipping through clenched teeth as he forced himself to sit up. "This- wherever this is- it's an absolute nightmare." Roman pointed at the woman beside him, nevermind that the Snow Spirit apparently couldn't see the gesture. "She's the Silence and she can speak and make noise and you have no idea how wrong that is!"
"I... suppose I can see the problem there." She obviously couldn't- the same way Blake could never understand what fear truly was, how it could claw at a mortal's mind and soul, or even shake an immortal to their very core. The Butcher was dead on the money; this was a very bad idea. But then, suddenly, her eyes seemed to light up in sympathy, and though he didn't believe it, the Vampire did feel hope again. "Actually, yes, I completely understand. I'm sure you're both eager to return to Halloween Town and be yourselves again; just rest here and follow the tunnel when you have the strength." Her lips curled into a small smile. "And I will hold to my promise. Blake-" Her gaze suddenly deviated as a roar of wind washed over the snow dome, strong enough to rattle wood and glass were they around. "Drat. I must go but, please, stay within the snow; you'll be safer here."
Safer?
Safer?
Even as the Snow Spirit once again passed through the wall as if it wasn't there, Roman felt a new fear well within him. Whatever had snatched the woman's attention away was somehow more dangerous, more demanding of her attention than seeing the two of them safely back home, and the dread was more motivating than an entire cauldron of freshly drained blood.
"Come on, Neo." He pushed himself to his feet, staggering only slightly and doing his best to ignore the soft hush of fabric that indicated she followed suit. "We need to find the end of this."
It took a solid half hour to calm Jaune down enough for him to be somewhat coherent; the Living Scarecrow, though a position as old as Halloween Town itself, was only a few decades old and still growing into his title. Pyrrha did her best to console him but the Black Cat admittedly had gone a bit past what she'd intended in the first place. Even Ren and Nora were a little shaken up, though the Sound was the first to recover, laughing loudly.
"Wow, Blake, you really got us that time!" She shook the head of her hammer in the Queen's direction. "I didn't know you could pull your own head off!"
"It's something new I'm trying," she said with a shrug, her body fully intact once more. Apparently, that was a trick she'd picked up at some point and had forgotten all about. "I suppose it went over well?"
"Very." The Sloth slid his gaze towards Jaune, who seemed to be mostly recovered. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, ha ha." The Scarecrow stuffed a few more pieces of straw back into place before offering a small smile. "Guess I should've handled that better."
"Well, she is the Queen of Halloween for a reason." The Poltergeist pointed out, hovering nearby. While her appearance was always opaque and tinged burnished gold, her manner of dress fluctuated between ages gone by and the mortals' present day, whichever worked best to terrify her targets. Within the town, however, she usually stuck to a set of armor from the time period she assumed the title, often playing the part of the martyred soldier. It seemed strangely fitting.
Before Nora could get started on bellowing out any more of her titles, Blake interjected with the entire reason she'd approached the four. "Jaune, I was wondering how your corn field maze was doing. Have you been keeping up with it?"
"Huh? Uh, kinda?" The ripped portion of cloth that served as his mouth screwed up in thought, button eyes flicking towards the indicated area. "I haven't cleared the paths out in a decade or two, but there shouldn't be much blocking the ways. Why?"
"The next time Weiss visits, I'd like to take her through it." Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she leaned closer. "And, perhaps, enlist a few friends to give it the proper feel."
The Sound immediately gasped, rocking on the balls of her feet. "I'm definitely in! We haven't had a proper witch hunt in ages!"
"The Snow Spirit is not a witch." Ren gently corrected, though he nodded all the same. "But it has been a while."
"I think it's a lovely idea," Pyrrha said, rising up slightly. "If we started now, we could probably have the paths cleared before sunrise."
Looking at the other three seemed to make up Jaune's mind as he quickly nodded, the floppy hat on his head nearly falling off with the motion. "Sure, we can do that! We'll get started right away."
"Perfect," Blake said, the plan becoming more solid in her mind as each piece fell into place.
"Do you have any requests?" The Scarecrow adjusted his overalls, seemingly nervous about the task ahead of him. "Like, I think my predecessor got the Crow to fly him over the maze one year, so he could drop onto whoever was below. Something like that?"
Tilting her head as she mulled the idea over, she ultimately decided against it. She would be sorely tempted to test the limits of Weiss' ability to resist fear some other time- and she was a little surprised at how excited the prospect of a repeat trip through the corn field made her- but this would be more of an introduction to the appeal rather than an outright attempt to rattle the Snow Spirit's nerves. After all, the Snow Spirit was more than indulgent of her desire to experience Christmas Town's charms whenever she visited; it only seemed fair to turn the tables.
"I'll keep that in mind but I trust what you come up with this time will be more than enough." The Black Cat smirked. "I want Weiss to enjoy the maze; if we frighten her too badly, I'm afraid she won't."
Although she didn't miss the four nearly identical looks of skepticism she received in response, Blake decided to brush them off and continue on her way after a brief farewell. On the one hand, the entire ordeal had put her a little behind schedule, which was bad, but on the other, she was a step closer to having all her loose ends tied up, or at least arranged prettily. That should be enough to keep her from getting in trouble with the woman when next she crossed the planes into Christmas Town. Or so she hoped, anyway.
At any rate, she could arrange the last collection of minor details later. There were still stops to make before she drug herself to the two places she didn't want to go.
They'd walked for hours through the snow tunnel, every crunch of snow echoing in the enclosed space and driving Roman just that much closer to a mild form of insanity. Even if she was behind him, just knowing that the second set of sounds were coming from a woman who wasn't supposed to make any was grating, a thing he absolutely refused to accept as being possible without the aid of horrible magic or terrible power. The sooner they returned to Halloween Town, the absolute better; this was a form of torture that mortals could never begin to imagine, much less comprehend.
The Snow Spirit hadn't returned since her last departure, which was equal parts a boon and entirely unnerving. Her absence meant there was no one to bear witness to the deteriorating states of both monsters, which would help save what pride they managed to have left, presuming of course that they made it back to Halloween town at all. However, it also begged the question of what could possibly warrant her full attention, this being that had found them so easily, who seemed to be connected to every little white speck in this strange land, and the mystery was something he didn't want to fathom. It could only be something terrible, he reasoned, for if she was akin to the position Blake held in Halloween Town, only something on par with the most terrifying of Shades could compel her attention elsewhere. It was a logical argument that made their hasty departure more sensible- and thus, easier to focus on- than being abjectly horrified by the realm blanketed in snow.
Really, all he wanted to think about was crawling back into his coffin and taking the next four nights to rest. He was also heavily considered actually joining the not-quite-dead, if only to save himself from the fallout of Cinder's plan.
Roman couldn't imagine the reaction that would get now. He still had little idea as to what the Flame was planning, ultimately, but he'd expected a good-natured scare would result in a little distress and laughter afterwards, as was often the case for the other monsters of Halloween Town. Now, though, after seeing what horrible powers the Snow Spirit had at her disposal, he worried about what could happen. When if she didn't take kindly to being scared, or if she saw the denizens of Halloween Town trying to scare their Queen as some sort of affront and blanketed the dark landscape in this white abomination?
Then again, he was sure there were worse reactions, and that thought absolutely terrified him, even more than the crunching of snow behind him. If Blake took Cinder's plan as some sort of affront, there was no doubt she'd react accordingly, and the Black Cat always possessed the ability to send any monster in Halloween Town to their not-quite-death, even the ones who were far older than she.
But Blake wasn't as rash as that, nor as quick to fury as the Shade. There was still a chance the scare would go off without any lingering maladies inflicted upon the perpetrators.
Still, he was not going to be one of them.
"Neo, the moment we get back to Halloween Town, we're washing our hands of this mess." The Vampire muttered, doing his best to address his cohort without actually acknowledging the way he could hear her stuttering step. "Whatever happens next isn't worth going through this again."
Perhaps the most frustrating portion of the whole ordeal was the Silence's absolute inability to communicate now. Before, she could at least make her thoughts known in the same odd way that the long slumbering entities that manipulated things in Halloween Town could, vague ideas taking shape in the target's mind. Apparently, now that she had an actual voice, that ability was lost to her, meaning he either put up with the horror of her being able to speak or he simply didn't expect an answer.
Quite frankly, the choice was obvious.
Blake ducked into the tavern on a whim while heading out to see the spiders, quite certain that her requests hadn't yet been met. Quality work took time, of course, but she could at least drop by for the sake of pleasantries. In fact, she considered bringing Weiss to the ramshackle building during a later visit and wondered what the usual crew who spent their time there did for amusement.
It was quite the surprise, then, when she walked in and was immediately confronted with the Witches and Mummy looking altogether too pleased for words, the sapphire and chalice set on the bar's counter proudly.
"You already finished?" She raised a brow, striding over to inspect the handiwork. Blake didn't doubt the flawless quality she found, the curse seamlessly transferred while the spell was woven tightly into the sapphire's very core. "I'm impressed."
"Well, we were suitably motivated." Melanie laughed, tapping a long fingernail against the gem. "There's a bit of a trick to it."
"Trick?" The Black Cat frowned, worried that the Malachites had misunderstood her request; while she might be able to take whatever little joke they'd designed in the spell, she didn't want Weiss dealing with it.
"Well, not everyone can cast spells and manipulate magic, so we opted for an easy trigger." Miltiades' explanation was swiftly followed with a smile. "We thought it would be prudent."
Blake appreciated the twins' thoughtfulness. Weiss was obviously well versed in bending the magic of Christmas Town to her will- or what the Black Cat recognized as magic, at any rate- but she might not have the same amount of skill with Halloween Town magic. It would probably take her some time to master it.
However, it suddenly occurred to her that she never mentioned who the gem was for in the first place. The surprise must've registered in her expression because she was quickly met with two knowing grins.
"Did someone tell you or did you figure it out?" She gave them a wry smile, finding little use in denying anything. Soon, all would be obvious anyway, so there was no point in subterfuge.
"A lucky guess," the red clad sister replied, nodding towards the sapphire. "None of us would need a spell so rudimentary."
"And, none of us would need a destination so specific."
"Fair enough." She shrugged, scooping up the gemstone and putting it in her pocket. "But, keep this quiet for now, please. I'd rather no one spoil the surprise."
Although the twins seemed suitably confused by the request, they nodded all the same, allowing Blake to pick up the chalice. Almost instantly, she could feel the niggling sensation of being watched, a faint shadow at the corner of her vision shifting form far too often to be real. Not even Adam would be capable of pulling such a stunt, if he ever worked up the nerves to do so.
"This is a lovely curse." She murmured, looking the glass over and ensuring it suffered no damage since she'd selected it. "You've outdone yourself, Emerald."
"It was nothing." The Mummy's smug smile belied her nonchalant tone but the Queen of Halloween wasn't concerned about that at present. Whether or not she decided to brag about the compliment later wasn't really important. "But be careful with the chalice; breaking it means the curse will transfer to the nearest object."
"I'll keep that in mind." Blake would need to deliver it herself to ensure nothing happened to the glass, adding one more stop to her list for the day. "Thanks, all of you. I really appreciate your assistance."
Perhaps it was how genuinely excited she was about the prospect of Weiss' gift coming together so neatly or just a general surprise at her expressions of gratitude- she was the Queen, after all, and could simply demand what she desired if she so chose- but all three of them seemed to exchange glances that bordered on nervous. It was probably a combination of the two, honestly; plus, this was the most she'd left the graveyard in a few decades. Meeting the Snow Spirit was definitely the best thing to happen to Blake in her over five hundred of existence, but perhaps it was also one to happen to Halloween Town. She was certainly doing more to keep the residents on their toes than usual, and every monster enjoyed a chance to exercise their skills.
"Oh, and, Blake?" Melanie looked at her sister, the two communicating non-verbally for a moment before she continued. "What were those things you brought us?"
"They're called candy canes. From Christmas Town."
"Could we get more?" Miltiades leaned forward, a slight frown to her lips. "We've already eaten the ones you brought. We'll enchant whatever you want if you do."
"I'll ask Weiss the next time I see her." Blake laughed, turning to continue on her way. "And I'll ask if she wants anything in exchange."
She left the tavern with a wave over her shoulder, ignoring the whispers flying around that drew attention to her parting words. It was common practice for things to be traded- services for items or something of the like- but given freely the way presents were was nearly unheard of in all but the most specific circumstances. In fact, the only thing that came to mind where a denizen of Halloween Town would give without expecting to receive anything would be scares, the little tricks they played on each other, but it was more of an understanding that there was always a 'later' implied for reciprocation.
Maybe that should change.
They waited until it was obvious the Black Cat wasn't going to return before conversation resumed, the twins leaning across the bar top to listen to Emerald's whispers.
"Mercury tracked their scents deep into the dark forest, but then it just vanishes." She waved her hands. "Gone, nothing. He spent all day out there, and he couldn't find any sign of where they went."
"Do you think they found those portals Roman mentioned?" Melanie frowned, not at all liking where this conversation was going.
Miltiades shivered as she glanced at the door. "Or worse; what if Blake found out they were following her?"
"I don't think so." The Mummy shook her head, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms. "There are a lot of monsters in Halloween Town who would threaten harm but none of us would try to actually kill each other, Blake least of all. She might get angry but I don't think she'd get that angry."
The twins still looked nervous, their robes shifting slightly with their movements as they walking towards the cauldron. As one began adding ingredients, the other spoke, taking turns to ensure the brew was made properly while carrying on the conversation.
"Roman and Neo wouldn't just disappear though."
"And Roman can't stand being out during the day."
"So if they didn't find the portals..."
"And they weren't attacked..."
"They found the portals." The three snapped their gazes to Cinder as she entered, the worn out Werewolf trudging along behind her. He immediately plopped down in a chair, ears drooping as his body sagged.
"Merc, are you alright?" Emerald went to sit by him, noting the thorns stuck in his fur. Although she hated doing it, the Mummy began picking them out, the wrappings covering her hands too thick to be pierced.
He let out a low groan that was tinged by a canine whine. "The forest was messing with their trails. Had to crawl through a thorn bush wall to pick them up again."
"And what he found was... interesting." The Flame reached over the bar, plucking a bottle of green apple poison from the counter and pouring herself a glass. "It seems the Vampire was right about there being a nexus connecting our plane to others. What's more, I think he found which one houses our mysterious Snow Spirit."
"But were you able to find him?" Junior, who had spent Blake's entire visit sitting on the broken staircase leading to the seldom used upper floor, growled out, his eyes narrowed as his expression hardened. "The more time we spend sneaking around to pull one over on the Black Cat, the more I feel a guillotine being raised over my neck."
"For all that you have done, sure." Mercury grumbled, though he didn't have the energy to really deal with the Butcher at present.
"Oh, I'm certain our comrades will rejoin us soon. We're always drawn back home, when we have the sense to think about direction." Cinder smirked, taking a sip of the liquid swirling in her glass. "More to the point, not there's a new avenue we can use. We just have to see if it's available."
Emerald looked at the Flame, an uneasy sensation settling in her core. She could see the ambition burning bright in the woman's gaze, the promise of a reward almost beyond imagining. As she ripped a particularly well stuck thorn from the Werewolf's pelt, she began to wonder if maybe Junior had a point.
Author's Note: The plot thickens. Also, I actually finished writing this story yesterday, so yay.