Why hello there!
As always, the Halloween tradition continues so let's see where Spooky Season has taken King this year.
Special thanks to woruto and jojoDO for some help and stuff, and Mana_Sputachu, who helped more than she knows 3
Onward~
It was Halloween, and Céc Levasseur, who preferred to be called King for many reasons, wasn't exactly happy. Although it was the bartender and Nak Muay's favourite holiday, she was deeply perturbed by how she would be spending it: chaperoning her pre-teen brother, Jean, and his friends as they roamed suburbia trick-or-treating because weeks earlier, their aunt, Madeleine — AKA Maddy — decreed that the boy was not to leave the house without an adult present — period. Of course, no one's parents or legal guardians wanted to spend their nights roaming the neighborhood with a bunch of little boys when they could be doing more important things like streaming scary movies (and then having to pause those movies every few minutes to answer the knocks of endless groups of trick or treaters), which was where King came in.
Even though Jean had started to gravitate more toward spending time with his buddies as opposed to his older sister (which was understandable and expected), King was still "the coolest!" and, as such, the perfect candidate to escort the boy and his friends on the scariest night of the year. After all, she wasn't old, crotchety, and conservative like everyone's parental figures; she'd let them have fun. Predictably, the bartender wasn't exactly Aunt Maddy's or Uncle Gary's definition of a responsible adult, but Jean's incessant imploring eventually wore his guardians down; he could go out with his friends as long as King agreed to watch over them.
Admittedly, the Frenchwoman sometimes missed taking her sibling trick or treating; she just strongly disliked babysitting other kids because there was something intensely nerve-wracking about ensuring someone else's children stayed safe and alive under her care. Of course, she would legitimately kill for Jean if it meant securing his safety and happiness, which was why she reluctantly decided to step into the unenviable position of being responsible for a gaggle of adolescent boys in the first place. However, King was self-aware enough to know that she didn't have the patience to be the only adult among a bunch of precocious kids, so she decided to enlist some help…or try, anyway, as, so far, both Mary and Mai were busy. That left only one other person she could call: Yuri Sakazaki.
Even though King and Yuri were practically sisters, a breach of trust a while back had severely damaged their relationship, and despite being over it, King sometimes felt residual pangs of something she couldn't place, mainly when certain subjects came up. It also didn't help that Yuri's brother, Ryo, whom King was once quite close with (to the point of even crushing on for a little while), had become more of an acquaintance as of late thanks to… a lot of things. A lot of things that King didn't like putting Yuri in the middle of. But the fact of the matter was she didn't want to be alone with a bunch of children, a couple of whom she didn't even know. If available, Yuri would be an excellent companion: a happy-go-lucky foil to King's more subdued character.
And, so, the bartender apprehensively made her phone call, fully expecting Yuri to say something like, "No can do, Céccy, Robbie and I are gonna get together," but was pleasantly surprised to discover that the young woman didn't have anything going on and was more than willing to accompany her on the metaphorical suicide mission. The two ironed out the plan of attack, agreeing to meet at the Sakazaki Residence before making the drive to suburbia, gathering the kids, and letting them lead the way through the cookie-cutter streets just after dark. It sounded pretty easy in theory, but King couldn't help thinking about all of the things that could potentially go wrong. After all, a group of little boys under her supervision? While it was true that she was excellent when it came to caring for Jean, it was because he was her brother — the only real family she had left (Maddy, Gary, and all of those distant relatives scattered around France didn't count…). That was a far cry from some random kids she might see in passing every few months… if that. Nevertheless, she had to make this work — for Jean's sake and the sake of everyone depending on her, which was why she had no choice but to meet things chin up and tits out (as she had once heard the blonde pirate woman say).
Of course, King's tits weren't actually out, nor would they be at any point during the night, and especially not with her attire: her simple, low-effort Donnie Darko outfit that consisted of a black jumper with the human skeletal system on it, a light gray hoodie, and black Chuck Taylor high tops. Rounding out the ensemble was a small, over-the-shoulder passport bag with ghosts printed all over it that wasn't part of the costume; she just needed it to hold her valuables.
Yuri, on the other hand, was a different story.
Upon arriving at the Sakazaki Residence, King was surprised by the sight of the younger woman, who was wearing a red, sleeveless dress with a short, frilly skirt, elbow-length white gloves, and white thigh-high stockings. Her hair hung loose, held back by a headband that perfectly matched the dress, and there was fake blood smeared over one half of her face. She also wore a plush Kuromi backpack and her own red Chuck Taylors, which were not part of the outfit but smart choices to hold her jacket and keep her feet comfortable, respectively, as walking around in high heels and without any outerwear when the temperature inevitably nosedived would be a terrible idea.
"Céccy!" Yuri called as she ran up, threw her backpack in the front seat, and entered the vehicle, her tone tinged with a sort of manic frustration. "Céccy, we need to go now, okay? Like right now!"
"Okay, hello to you too but what —"
At that moment, the front door flew open and out stomped Yuri and Ryo's father, Takuma, who was very obviously displeased about something.
"Oh, shit," King muttered as Takuma approached the car, fists clenched and jaw set.
"Yuri," he bellowed. "Yuri, you are not leaving this house in such a short skirt! I demand you get back here right now before —"
"Before what?!" Yuri exclaimed out the open window. "What are you gonna do, Dad?! I'm an adult and can wear whatever the heck I want!"
"But you also live in my house, and as such, you will follow my ru —"
"I'm not in your house right now though, am I?!"
Takuma's nostrils flared as he suddenly turned his attention to King, who was grimacing.
"King, you better not pull out of that driveway until she's in something more modest!"
The bartender frowned. She didn't have any desire to be pulled into yet another Sakazaki Family Quarrel, and definitely not one that was so baseless, because one, Yuri was an adult, and two, there was nothing wrong with the length of her skirt in the slightest. She glanced at her friend, who was clearly fuming, and then hit the switch to roll up the windows.
"Je suis désolé, Mr. Sakazaki, mais je ne peux pas vous entendre," she called innocently as the glass slowly slid upward.
"King! King, you will not —"
"What?! I can't — I don't know what's going on," King yelled as she put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Once on the road, she sped off, leaving Takuma to stew in front of his house. Yuri, meanwhile, was stewing in the passenger seat.
"That… darn…!"
The young woman made a frustrated noise.
"Are you okay?" King asked somewhat apprehensively.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm not gonna let that old goon ruin my fun! Besides, what's he gonna do? Screw off and abandon us again?"
King's eyebrows shot up. She knew Yuri held a lot of resentment toward Takuma for his actions when she and Ryo were children, but to hear her openly refer to it was certainly out of the ordinary, as she had an extremely unhealthy tendency to bottle up her feelings and ignore them in favour of keeping the peace.
"He has a lot of nerve, coming back into our lives the way he did and then acting all high and mighty like," Yuri went on. "I don't care that he sent money every now and then; he was gone for years and it sucked! And he sucks!"
The bartender shot her friend a sympathetic glance when they reached a red light.
"Have you considered… maybe telling him how you feel? Or if not him, then… maybe… a family therapist?" She ventured, well aware that suggesting therapy might not go over so well.
"It would just make things worse," Yuri answered. "I'll keep on doing what I do and —"
"Holding it in to try to keep things copacetic isn't going to work forever… it's a festering wound that's just going to get worse… surely you know that. Right?"
"No, I know…"
Deciding not to press the matter any further as her companion trailed off, King silently concentrated on the road. Yuri, meanwhile, pulled her phone from her bag to scroll through something.
"Hey," she spoke up, her tone chipper and devoid of a single trace of anger or sadness, "is it okay if I play some music? I made a new playlist!"
At that, King pressed her lips together, as she and Yuri's taste in music couldn't be any more different. Her friend's preference for sometimes questionable pop music and rap conflicted with the bartender's fondness for rock and various subgenres of jazz on an almost cosmic level, with some of the "bangers" Yuri enjoyed the most being akin to what the Nak Muay assumed the wailing of the dead must have sounded like.
"I mean…"
"Please? I think you'll like some of these new songs!"
King took a quick glance at Yuri, who was making puppy dog eyes at her.
"...Fine."
"Hurray! Thank you!"
Yuri grinned as she started the process of pairing her phone's Bluetooth to the car. It took only a moment before a borderline painful melody started to play, causing King to grip her steering wheel tightly while she drove. She pressed her lips together and renewed her attentiveness to the road as best she could while trying to tune out whatever the hell was coming from the speakers.
###
A little over half an hour later, King and Yuri stood side by side on the front porch of Maddy and Gary's house, which was outfitted with some very basic Halloween decorations (cotton spiderwebs, a black and orange wreath, and a small jack-o-lantern) that the bartender instantly knew were her brother's idea. It was a far cry from some of the other houses on the street, which were decked out with sturdy faux headstones, fog machines, and talking animatronic figures. Even though it wouldn't be fully dark for another twenty or so minutes, the bright porch light was already on, contrasting harshly with the rest of the neighborhood's toned-down green, orange, and purple lighting.
"Alright, remember," King said with a deep breath, "do not take Maddy or Gary's shit if they try to start in on you. If they say anything negative about your costume or martial arts —"
"Relax, Céccy. You know I can handle them!"
"I know, but I still don't want them to say something to you that's out of line."
"Psssht! I'm too adorable for them to say something out of line to me."
"You're covered in fake blood."
"I'm still adorable, though."
King playfully rolled her eyes as she rang the bell, its LED lights glowing blue and spinning as the chime sounded. Not even a full ten seconds later the door was pulled open by Jean, who wore Star-Lord's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 outfit, complete with an old Walkman clipped to his belt.
"Céc!" He exclaimed happily. He beamed at his sister, who greeted him back, but instantly flushed a dull pink as he noticed Yuri.
"Ahhh… Yuh… Yuri…! Hi! W-why are you…?"
"I needed moral support," King told Jean matter-of-factly.
"I thought I was your moral support," he replied with a frown.
"Yes, but you're going to be with your friends all night and, thus, unable to offer me said support."
"Okay, fair."
There was a brief pause as Jean turned his attention back to Yuri, who smiled at him.
"You're getting tall," she remarked in place of a standard greeting before ruffling his hair.
"Because… ummm… uhhh… vegetables," the boy stammered as he moved aside so the two women could enter the house.
King quirked a brow as she quickly realized that Jean — who had crushed on Yuri when he was younger — might have still been harbouring a little bit of puppy love toward her friend despite the passage of time. Inwardly kicking herself for not considering that on any level, the bartender gestured for the younger woman to go ahead of her, which she did with a smile and the usual bounce in her step. King made to follow but immediately noticed that Jean, whose cheeks were now a deep scarlet, was staring directly at Yuri's rear, which was famously on the larger side of things. The Frenchwoman fixed her own eyes on what was actually something of a lethal weapon and made a face as she suddenly understood what Takuma was so worked up over earlier: Yuri's skirt appeared shorter in the back than the front because of the amount of surface area it needed to cover, which was… a good amount, to say the least, and the thigh-highs she was wearing only added more fuel to the proverbial fire. With a displeased grunt, King pressed her lips together, grabbed the back of Jean's collar as he started into the foyer, and pulled him back toward her.
"Hé ! Qu'est-ce que tu regardes?!"
"Euh… Je veux dire... il y a... beaucoup de…"
"Beaucoup de what?" King sharply prodded, though she knew exactly what there was a lot of.
"Beaucoup de… tulle," the boy answered with a sheepish expression.
"There's no tulle on that dress."
"...shit."
At that, King gave her brother a disapproving look before letting him go, and then stepped further into the residence, where Yuri had come face-to-face with Aunt Maddy, who was, in a shocking turn of events, speaking to her in a friendly manner.
"This is a lovely dress," the older woman was saying. "I don't know about all the blood, but… What kind of costume is it, anyway?"
"Oh, it's from a movie," Yuri chirped. "I don't expect many people to know it but I thought it was cool anyway. At least Céccy gets it, so there's that. Right, Céccy?"
"Perfect Blue," King stated as she approached the pair. She then made eye contact with her aunt, whose attitude instantly shifted from cordial to catty.
"Cécile," the older woman sneered while looking her niece up and down.
"Auntie," King said in a scathing tone, as Maddy hated it when she called her that.
"You look like a boy."
"That's sort of the idea."
"You know," Maddy started caustically, "this aberration of yours needs to stop, Cécile, especially since you'll be around children tonight. What do you think they'll say when they see you?"
"Probably 'hi?'"
"You don't think you'll confuse them because of how you look?"
King narrowed her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Without any makeup, your face is very boyish, but your body is still very feminine. Don't you see how that would affect them? I've already had to talk to some of the other parents about how your… orientation… won't affect things with the boys."
"My orientation…? Did you…? Did you out me?!" King sputtered in disbelief.
"I just really wish you'd at least put on some eyeliner," Maddy nagged, ignoring King's questions. "That way you'd look somewhat ladylike."
There was a long, uncomfortable silence as King glared at her aunt. The bartender knew she needed to keep her temper in check, but Maddy and Gary always brought out the worst in her, even when she tried her best to be civil and polite. It was just their dynamic: they all intensely disliked one another and only interacted because of Jean; if it hadn't been for him, King would have severed ties long ago, but they were her brother's legal guardians — not her — and, as such, she had no choice but to keep them in her life.
"Do you know what I really wish?" King responded in a low, quiet tone. "I really wish you'd think about how horrible the things that come out of your mouth are."
"I only speak the truth, Cécile!"
"Your 'truth' is nothing but ignorant bullshit, and the fact that you've been talking about my sexuality with your little friends as if I'm some kind of predator is deplorable, you miserable cu —"
At that moment, Yuri reached out, grabbed King's arm, and gently squeezed it while subtly shaking her head. She then flicked her large eyes toward the stairwell, where Jean (whose cheeks were finally a normal colour again) was standing with his best friend, Mike, who was wearing something that King was pretty sure was from a popular anime. Both kids looked like they were caught in the proverbial headlights.
"Uhhh… Hi," King greeted the other boy. "I didn't realize you were already here…."
"...Hey… Yeah. Came after school."
There was another stretch of silence, this one more awkward than anything else, as King cleared her throat and turned back to her aunt, who wore a mocking smirk.
"I think we're done, Cécile."
"Et je pense que tu es une salope enragée," King growled.
"Le dire en français ne vous rendra pas moins un brat," Maddy retorted.
The bartender pressed her lips in a thin line and sharply inhaled as she worked to keep her composure.
"Fuck you," she grumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. She then glanced at Jean and his friend, who both appeared stunned, and offered a forced, graceless smile just as Yuri bounded toward the stairs.
"Hi," she said, almost a little too loudly, in an extremely transparent bid to break the tension in the room. She stuck a gloved hand out toward Jean's friend and beamed. "I'm Yuri! I like your Luffy costume!"
"I… Mike," the kid said while nervously reaching out and shaking the young woman's hand. "And thanks."
"Pleased to meet you! Hey, Jean —"
"Yeh-yes?!"
King raised her eyebrows as her brother flushed crimson again. His eyes briefly met hers before he fixed them on Yuri and cleared his throat.
"Yes?" He asked in a slightly deepened voice that made King want to fall over laughing.
"Are your other friends gonna be here soon?"
"Oh, well, they were gonna meet us at the park."
"I thought we were all meeting here?" King asked with a frown.
"We were, but Eric has to bring his little sister now and he said to meet at the park since they live across the street from it. And then Aaron is gonna —"
"Whoa, wait! Little sis — your friend is bringing another, younger kid? Jean, that's not what —"
"Aw, come on, Céc! His parents told him he couldn't go unless he took her, too."
"Damn it," King sighed. "How old is she?"
"I dunno; six or seven?"
King couldn't help it as her jaw slackened. Having to watch over the boys was one thing; having to watch over the boys, along with a very young sibling who would more than likely go ignored by an older brother full of resentment for having to bring her along, was another.
"I didn't agree to —"
"Don't sweat it, Céccy," Yuri spoke up. "I'll help pick up the slack! I can keep her company and talk to her about pretty dresses and stuff while you focus on the others! It'll be fine!"
"One extra child shouldn't be an issue, Cécile," Maddy chimed in.
"Nobody asked you, Auntie!"
"Hey, watch your tone when you speak to your aunt," came the disembodied voice of King and Jean's uncle, Gary, right before he emerged from the kitchen holding a sizable bowl of assorted candy bars.
"Gary," King deadpanned.
"Hello, Cécile. Are you sure this task is something you're up for? Given your… tendencies… it might be too much for you."
"My 'tendencies?'" The bartender queried while casually plucking a fun-sized 3 Musketeers bar from the bowl as her uncle walked past.
"You're an adult with certain preferences, a fondness for drinking, and a bad temper. I just don't see how you're going to make this work."
"For fuck's sake," King growled while tearing open the shiny wrapping. She stuffed the entire candy into her mouth, crumpled the garbage in her hand, and glared at her aunt and then her uncle (who was positioning the candy bowl on a side table) as she chewed.
"Are you guys ready?" Yuri inquired cheerfully, obviously still trying to diffuse any further agitation.
Jean nodded and then turned to his friend.
"Ready, dude?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's go," King said just after swallowing her candy. She turned and made her way to the door while the others trailed behind.
"Jean, you be careful," Gary called.
"I will!"
"You had better keep a close eye on him and the other kids, Cécile," Maddy added. "I don't want to hear a single complaint from anyone about how you handled things."
"Can you please just stop talking?!" King asked without even turning around.
"All I'm saying —"
"Je m'en fou…!"
With that, King stepped outside into the cool evening and let out a deep sigh.
"Alright, kiddos. Since you guys know the plan, you lead."
"Okay, come on," Jean said while he and Mike stepped in front of the two women. "We can go this way."
The bartender nodded, then watched as her brother and his friend went ahead, chatting about Maddy and Gary before switching subjects to something about school. Meanwhile, King tossed her trash in a nearby bin, then walked with Yuri, never taking her eyes off the boys as they moved through the neighborhood, stopping to knock on the doors of any decorated houses they came across.
"Hey, Céccy?" Yuri asked as the two kids ran over to a home that was outfitted like a cemetery.
"Hm?"
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah; why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, because of what happened back there. They shouldn't treat you like that."
"I'm used to it," King shrugged.
"I know, but…" Yuri made a face as she trailed off.
"It's fine, but let's not get into it, okay? We have more important things to focus on."
"Like the boys who are getting pretty far ahead of us?"
"Like the boys who are getting pretty far ahead of us."
"How far is this park, anyway?" Yuri inquired.
"It's right up there —" King pointed up a small, curving hill — "as soon as you get around the bend."
The duo continued their trek as the sky darkened, though they had to pick up their pace to keep up with the kids, all the while chatting with each other and offering polite greetings or compliments to the groups of trick-or-treaters who happened to pass by. Finally, they reached the park — and the sprawling houses directly across from it. Jean and Mike sprinted to one that wasn't decorated, save for a small pumpkin, an elaborate crucifix, and a brightly coloured wooden sign that read, in big, bold letters:
"NO CANDY, DO NOT KNOCK"
Brow furrowed, King followed the boys to the porch and stood just a few feet away from them as they rang the bell, talking to each other the whole time. After a moment, the door opened to reveal a short, bespectacled kid dressed as whom King recognized as Mouth from The Goonies; a strange choice given how old the movie was, but an amusing sight nonetheless.
"Hey," he casually greeted the group.
"What's up?" Jean replied.
"Hey," Mike said at the same time.
"Are you ready?"
"Wait, man, I have to get Sophie. She's putting her shoes on," the new boy — Eric — grumbled. There was a pause as he set his eyes first on Yuri and then on King, his jaw dropping.
"What the hell, Jean?!" He gasped. "When you said your sister was 'king,' I didn't think you meant the King!"
"What?! We told you who she was!"
"I thought y'all were just fucking with me!"
"Whoa!" King exclaimed while putting her hands up in front of her. "Language!"
"Aw, c'mon, Céc," Jean frowned. "You know we say —"
"I am aware that you 'say worse' around each other, but at least wait until we're away from here before you start throwing your obscenities around."
"And maybe not in front of her," Yuri spoke up while drawing closer, her eyes fixed on the doorway. "What's your name, cutie?"
King saw an almost abnormally short little girl standing just behind Jean's friend. Dressed up as what appeared to be some sort of rainbow fairy and holding a plastic jack-o-lantern bucket. She looked at everyone, impassive, before setting her large eyes directly on the Nak Muay, who, at five feet nine inches tall, literally towered over her.
"Salut," the bartender said with a pleasant smile.
"I don't like you," the child bluntly responded.
"Sophie!" Eric shouted. "Hey, I'm sorry, she's just —"
"No! I don't like weirdos!"
"My sister's not weird," Jean shot back, though he didn't sound entirely convinced of his own statement, which made King raise her eyebrows.
"I heard Daddy say she thinks she's a boy, and I don't like that because that's not normal! Normal girls don't have short hair or think they're boys!"
At that, King, astonished by the rudeness of the girl called Sophie, nearly choked on her saliva. She stared down at the tiny child, her face screwed up as she tried to think of a kid-friendly response to the inflammatory attitude and statements.
"Your dad… is mistaken," she stated carefully. "I don't think I'm a boy."
"Well, you look like one."
The bartender opened her mouth to respond but stopped when Mike turned to look at her, his face inscrutable.
"Did you know there's a whole Reddit thread about you being trans?" He asked matter-of-factly.
"What?! But I'm not trans," King exclaimed, wide-eyed and full of dismay, as well as a mix of other emotions, all of which being some form of mortification. She knew the masses thought she was a butch lesbian (not at all surprising…), but now there was discourse about whether or not she was transgender?! On the internet?! How on earth was she going to shut that down without being called some sort of bigot?!
"Might wanna tell people that," Eric stated.
"Quel cauchemar," King groaned.
"Ah, don't worry about it, Céc," Jean remarked while placing a hand on his sister's back. "It's not the end of the world or anything."
"But…"
"Au moins il ne s'agit pas de quelque chose de pire…? Right?"
King drew in a sharp breath and glared daggers at her brother because what he was alluding to was much, much worse than any rumours or discussions about her gender or sexuality could ever be. He grimaced before turning to Sophie, who had walked up to Yuri and was regarding her with a shy smile.
"I like your dress," she told the young woman while twirling from side to side.
"I think I like yours more," Yuri replied brightly. "My name is Yuri by the way. Your name is Sophie, right?"
King watched as the girl happily nodded, a little annoyed by the stark difference in how the child had just talked to her versus how she was talking to Yuri. Frowning slightly, she watched as her friend stooped down to be closer to eye level with Sophie, a gentle smile on her face.
"You can walk with me," she began, "but I'm gonna need you to apologize to my friend because what you said wasn't very nice, okay?"
"Yeah, Sophie," Eric spoke up, agitated. "If you don't say you're sorry I'm gonna leave you here and not tell Mom and Dad, and then you'll be locked out and alone!"
"Noooo," the little girl wailed as tears instantly began streaming down her face. Swiftly,
Yuri sprung into action, offering soothing words while King pressed her lips together and ran her hands through her hair. They hadn't even left yet and the kid was already crying…
Not good.
"Hey, what's going on out here?!"
In a flash, a middle-aged man appeared at the door and took in the sight of the motley crew on the porch.
"Sophie's being annoying and rude," Eric huffed.
"But why is she crying?! Sophie, what's the matter?!"
"Eric's being mean and that weird skeleton boy-woman is scaring me!"
The little girl clung to Yuri and pointed at King, whose jaw dropped. How the hell was she scarier than the blood-slathered college student the child was hanging onto?! She looked at Yuri, wide-eyed (Yuri winced), before turning to the man in the doorway, who was glowering at her. Clearly he was one of the parents Maddy had talked to, which meant she had to be extra cordial just to prove a point. With that in mind, the bartender extended her hand with the most genial smile she could muster.
"King," she said, almost too politely. "It's lovely to make your acquaintance, sir. How do you do?"
"Harold," the man said, his tone somewhat icy, as he gripped King's hand in what he must have assumed was a show of strength as he shook. Unfazed, the Nak Muay tightened her hold, effectively showing her strength, which made Harold abruptly let go. He flexed his fingers a few times and chuckled nervously before looking at his daughter, who was still clinging to Yuri but no longer in tears.
"Sophie, why don't you give the lady some space and stay with your brother?"
"Dad!" Eric hissed.
"No! I'm staying with her!" Sophie exclaimed.
"It's fine," Yuri told Harold. "I don't mind."
"As long as it's not a bother for you…"
"Aww, we'll be the best of friends tonight! Is that okay with you, Sophie?"
The little girl nodded, narrowed her eyes at King, and then refocused on Yuri — all smiles.
"Can you two be the best of friends as we go?" The Frenchwoman asked. Realizing how impatient and annoyed she sounded, she forced a smile and hastily added, "We don't want the other houses to run out of candy before we get there!"
"Good point," Eric said quickly. "And we still have to meet Aaron and Jade. Let's go, guys! Bye Dad!"
The kids ran down the short steps and onto the sidewalk with Yuri following close behind, leaving King on the porch with Harold, who gestured for her to come closer.
"Yes…?"
"I know exactly who you are, not just from your fighting on TV, but from Madeleine and Gary," the man started in a hushed voice. "Normally I wouldn't let my kids near your type, but I've been told repeatedly that you'll keep them safe. I expect you to do that; otherwise, there will be hell to pay and I will personally see to it that you face some very unpleasant consequences. Do you understand me?"
King pressed her lips in a thin line while she thought of something to say that would be more clever and articulate than the crude, knee-jerk response she was tempted to blurt out. She drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and looked Harold dead in the face, her expression very serious.
"With all due respect, sir, you know nothing about me or my 'type,'" the bartender started. "I assure you, your kids — even the little one who's displaying a shocking proclivity toward bigotry at such a young age — will be one hundred percent safe with myself and Yuri, but if you ever threaten me again — which is not a very Christian thing to do, I might add — I will kick your spleen straight out of your body and into orbit like a football. Do you understand me?"
Stunned into silence, Harold could do nothing but nod, which elicited a genuine smile from King.
"On revient bientôt," she said sweetly while putting her hood, which had fallen some time ago, back on. She then caught up with the others, who had just gotten candy from the neighboring house.
"Is everyone good?" She queried.
"Yeah," Jean answered. "What was that about?"
"Nothing."
"Céc."
"Jean," King said, her flat tone matching her brother's. The two stared at each other briefly before the bartender sighed. "Go be with your friends. We have to get the other one now, anyway, right? Even though he was supposed to be at the park?"
"Oh. He's still gonna meet us there now with his girlfriend but his mom asked him to do something so he's running late."
"Jean — " King drew the boy's name out while throwing her head back — "What are you guys doing to me?"
"It's fine, Céc. The three of us can hang out by the swings or something while you and Yuri take Sophie up and down the street. They should be here by the time you're done."
King thought about the suggestion, which wasn't bad, but there was no way she was leaving the trio alone, as she suddenly had a nagging suspicion that they were up to something. The feeling was only reinforced by the looks Mike and Eric shared with one another.
"Nice try, kiddo, but I'll stay too. Yuri can take her new parasite around and meet us over there."
"Yuri can do what?" The younger woman asked as she and Sophie, who had just finished collecting candy from another residence, walked over.
King explained the situation to the pair, who were more than okay with the idea, as it allowed the little girl to stay with Yuri and keep her distance from King (whom she would periodically scowl at) while — of course — getting plenty of candy. The bartender watched her friend skip off with the small child before turning around to see her brother and his pals, who had moved a few feet away and were regarding Yuri's behind with a sort of stunned reverence.
"Dude," Mike breathed.
"I knew it was a weapon from seeing her fight but shit," Eric remarked.
"It's amazing," Jean added.
"She carries it well."
"Really well…"
King pressed her lips together and shot the boys an annoyed look. Of course pre-teens lacked manners and were full of burgeoning hormones, but seeing her baby brother actively participating in the ogling of her friend — and someone he knew well — in a group setting was as weird as it was mildly disturbing. She supposed it was part of growing up, but she made a mental note to discuss it extensively with him later. Frowning, she stomped over to the trio and bluntly stated, "Knock that shit off."
"Uhhh… yes, ma'am," Mike told her while the others fell quiet. There was an uneasy stillness before Jean cleared his throat.
"Ummm, should we…?"
"Go," King grumped while gesturing toward the plastic play structure in the middle of the field.
"Are you sure?" Her brother prodded. The question was met with a curt nod from the bartender, who made a face at the group.
"Oh-okay," Eric stammered. "Uhhh… let's go."
The boys hastily started their trek to the play area, frantically whispering as they moved. Predictably, they reached it before King did, by which time their discussion had tapered off into something calmer but also somehow suspicious, as King could make out words that sounded like "away," "quiet," and "careful."
Deciding to keep her distance just enough to give the boys a little privacy (and maybe subtly eavesdrop), King sat down on a nearby swing and narrowed her eyes as she attempted to make out any pieces of the others' conversation. She took in her surroundings as she did so, from the houses lining the streets (she could just make out Yuri and Sophie skipping together in the distance) to the bunches of trick-or-treaters walking around. She stared blankly at a group she recognized as little wannabe Avengers as they strolled by, escorted by a woman dressed as Red Riding Hood, who smiled as she passed. King swallowed — hard — as she was abruptly reminded of the mercenary agent and boxer, Vanessa. She couldn't help it as her mind wandered, first toward whether or not the operative was having a nice night trick-or-treating with her family to wondering how her marriage, which was at times rocky, was holding up. She shook her head slightly as she willed herself not to let her thoughts get too carried away (thinking about certain things around children would be highly inappropriate) and, instead, pulled her phone from her small bag so she could open iMessage.
"Kill me," she typed into the text window. She wasn't expecting an immediate response, which was why she tilted her head slightly when the animated ellipses icon popped up right away, followed by a message from Detective Mary Ryan that read, "Don't be so dramatic you dork"
"I'm French — what do you expect?"
"Incredibly French, but I love you anyway. I don't have much time but how are you holding up?"
"Decent considering the circumstances," King typed.
Mary responded with only a question mark, so the bartender went on:
"Maddy outed me to the other parents, and there's this little girl who hates me that had to come with us. I think she's a bit homophobic even though she's practically a zygote. Then her father — who IS a 'phobe — threatened me so I told him I'd kick his spleen into orbit. Oh, and there's a Reddit thread speculating that I'm trans."
"MESSY!"
Mary's reply made King giggle as she imagined her friend laughing her ass off from her desk at the police station. Another message popped up that asked, "Okay and Yuri?"
"She's handling the girl; they're getting along great. The boys are ENAMORED by her ass. They're also up to something, though. I can tell by how they're acting."
Upon sending that, King glanced over to where the adolescents were socializing and noticed Jean looking right at her, his expression that of someone caught in some questionable act. He hastily turned away, allowing her to get back to her text communication with Mary.
"They're going to convince Jean to sneak off with them in three…"
She hit send, waited a moment, and then typed another message.
"Two."
Send.
"One."
Send.
The Nak Muay briefly shut her eyes; when she opened them, her brother and his friends were no longer near the play structure but, instead, jogging through thick crowds of trick-or-treaters walking through the area. Immediately she noticed they were now accompanied by another boy who was dressed up as Terry Bogard, complete with a fake ponytail clipped to his cap (she couldn't help laughing to herself), and a girl outfitted like Velma from Scooby Doo, who had a large messenger bag slung over her shoulder. King jumped up from her seat on the swing and texted Yuri, saying, "Boys are trying to sneak off. Following through park."
Not bothering to wait for a response, King stowed her phone in her bag and scanned the crowds of people until she spotted the group again. Instead of running straight up and asking them what the hell they were trying to do, she decided she would let them think they had pulled one over on her as she tailed them, first to a large row of townhomes, where they knocked on each door, procuring an enormous amount of sweets, and then down a side street that led past a few darkened homes before they disappeared (or tried anyway) around a corner house that was elaborately decked out like a haunted pirate ship, the haze from the fog machine and crowds of people approaching the home or taking photos helping to obscure any and everything in the area.
"Shit," she grumbled, squeezing between Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Hopper from season three of Stranger Things. She kept her eyes fixed on the children as they easily navigated the packed streets, talking and laughing with one another. Soon, the area became darker, quieter, and less crowded, which allowed King to pick up bits of conversation as she hung back and ducked behind various structures as they all moved through the neighborhood, toward a deserted side street that was closed off because of new construction.
"Why do you call her 'sis' all the time?" Eric was asking Jean, who shrugged in response.
"Because it's her name."
"No way. Why won't you guys just tell me what it is?"
"Because knowing you, you'd put that shit in every Discord server you're in," Aaron answered.
"No I wouldn't!"
King couldn't help it as a wry smile spread across her lips. She hated her name — now more than ever — but loved how everyone's shortening of it was always misinterpreted as "sis." It made staying as anonymous as she possibly could a lot easier. Of course, Mike — who had been in Jean's life for years — knew her actual designation (no thanks to Maddy and Gary…), but, as far as King knew, he had — thankfully — never told it to anyone else out of respect for her privacy.
"So Sophie is with her?" "Velma" was asking.
"Yeah," Eric responded. "She didn't like her at all. I don't think my dad did, either."
"Yeah, because your dad's a dick," Jean spoke up. "My aunt and uncle are bad enough. What's his excuse?"
"Uhh… he's a dick?"
"Obviously."
There was a lull in the conversation before Aaron turned to Jean and asked, "How pissed is your sister gonna be when she finds out we left, anyway?"
"She's gonna murder us," Mike answered. "Except for Jean, of course. But the rest of us are probably living on borrowed time."
…Damn right.
"So we should be quick," the girl stated.
"Yup…"
"Do you think there's really anything there?" Jean asked. "I mean… wouldn't we have heard about it sooner?"
"They just discovered them," Eric replied. "But they decided to build there anyway."
"Way to respect the dead…"
King made a face as she listened to the children go on about how one of the incomplete houses was supposedly built over a Native American burial ground. She acknowledged that it could be a possibility, but, more than likely, it was just a rumour started by some older kid who saw Poltergeist once. Regardless, she decided to hang back and observe the group as they turned on flashlights, climbed over a short wooden fence, and ran over to a house that was mostly built but missing window panes and doors, their voices now nothing more than distant echoes. It wasn't until they were inside that King moved to catch up: She deftly hopped the fence before crouching down near a porta-potty, squinting in the near-darkness. She quietly pulled her phone from her bag to see if Yuri had texted her back (she hadn't) before turning her ringer off and silencing all notifications. She couldn't have a random phone call or text blowing her cover…
"Someone should keep a lookout," King overheard Jean tell the others as she drew closer to the house, stopping just under a large side window. Phone in hand, she peered over the edge so she could have eyes on the kids.
"I don't think there's a need," "Velma" responded as she pulled a Ouija board, three candles, and a lighter from her bag. She started setting up quickly, removing the board from the box, placing the candles, and carefully lighting them.
"Yeah, when's the last time someone other than the construction crew even came out here?" Eric asked the others.
"True…"
All of the kids fell quiet as they took their places around their little game. After a minute or two, they began speculating about what might happen once they started their spooky shenanigans.
Meanwhile, King mulled over her next course of action: burst out of the shadows and yell at everyone for their reckless and, frankly, stupid behaviour? Or scare the living shit out of them for daring to sneak off under her watch in the first place? Choosing the latter, she took a moment to think of something she could do that would frighten a bunch of children who were trying to conduct a seance.
Moan like an idiot? Knock on the walls?
No, lame.
It took only a moment before the Frenchwoman abruptly recalled an event during the last King of Fighters tournament that she wasn't present for but Mary, who was, told her all about: The churlish, possibly psychotic but also closet cupcake of a young man, Iori Yagami — who happened to be a musician by trade — decided to team up with her old colleague and acquaintance, Chizuru Kagura, to scare people at the hotel by going into the stairwell and singing eerie tunes in the dead of night. Something like that would be perfect… except that King couldn't carry a tune to save her life; hell, she couldn't even hum in key.
And that was when it came to her.
Quietly, she peered over the windowsill again to check on the kids, who were talking to each other about how the seance was supposed to work, then turned her attention to her phone. She opened the YouTube app, thought for a moment about the proper words she needed, entered them into the search bar… and nearly let out a delighted gasp (she had to cover her mouth) as a few short videos related to her query popped up in the results, with the fourth one seeming to be exactly what she needed:
Iori Yagami: Simon & Garfunkel cover - Scarborough Fair - A Capella
Although unfamiliar with the song, King decided to weaponize it as best she could. With renewed resolve, she hugged the wall and slowly made her way to the back of the house, through the small field of dirt that would one day become a fenced-off backyard, and stopped just outside of what was undoubtedly the back door to the as yet unbuilt patio. She peered inside (it was illuminated only by the candles the kids had brought along and somebody's flashlight), picked up a small rock, and snuck into the large kitchen, making sure to stay as light on her feet as she possibly could while making a mental note to thank Mai for all of the past pointers on stealth.
The Frenchwoman continued into a large dining room that hadn't been completely drywalled yet, listening to the kids as she maneuvered through the dark space:
"Okay, don't move it."
"I'm not!"
"Oh my God, did you feel it? I swear I felt it move."
"I didn't feel anything."
Little imps…!
King pressed her lips together as she reached a narrow stairwell just around the corner from the room her brother and his friends occupied — the perfect spot for her to initiate her plan. She crouched with her back against a thin, wooden plate and threw the rock down a nearby hallway. The sound it made wasn't terribly loud, thanks to its size, but it was more than enough as the kids fell dead silent.
"What was that?!"
"It was just the place settling! Right?"
"Maybe. Or maybe something really is trying to communicate with us…"
"Let's keep going."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah!"
King made a face while peering at the group, who appeared a little spooked but appropriately distracted as they started to recite a bullshit incantation led by the girl. Slowly, the Frenchwoman moved closer to the stairs, turned the volume on her phone as loud as it would go, and tapped the screen, causing Iori's baritone voice to cut through the still air, the melody — thankfully — somewhat creepy:
"Are you going to Scarborough Fair…?
…Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…"
Immediately, "Velma" screamed, which was followed by terrified exclamations from the others, who were no doubt shaking like leaves as Iori droned on:
"…Remember me to one who lives here…"
"There's something here! It's here!"
"Why did we have to do this?!"
"This was your idea, man!"
"I didn't think —"
King pounded a partially erect wall with her fist, the sound reverberating through the empty house and eliciting more screams from the kids as Iori's performance went on:
"Tell her to find me an acre of land…"
"We have to get out of here!"
"Quick! Put out the candles!"
"Hurry!"
Another blow to the wall sent the kids into what King could only guess were borderline hysterics, as one of the boys was now sobbing while someone else was moaning for their mother. As much as she wanted to keep the prank going, the bartender knew she couldn't take it too far; after all, she wasn't trying to inflict lifelong trauma. Slowly, she turned down the volume on her phone before closing the app entirely. She needed to get out of there before the others did for her plan to work out perfectly, prompting her to look around for anything she could find to help facilitate a stealthy escape. Immediately, she spotted a crumpled-up water bottle not too far from her.
Garbage ex machina.
Smirking, King quickly picked up the item, threw it toward the kitchen (the group screamed when it landed), and then ducked into a nearby room that had a large window at the rear.
"We need to find Céc!"
"What's she gonna do?!"
"Who cares! Do you have everything?!"
"Hurry up!"
King held back laughter as she hopped over the window frame and sprinted into what would someday become the backyard of the house next door. She needed to get back to the busy streets before the kids, which wouldn't be hard because she knew the layout of the neighborhood well. She ran until she reached the pirate ship house, where she placed her hands on her knees and caught her breath while other people passed. As a fighter in great physical condition, she had excellent cardio, but she still expended a lot of energy; taking a moment to compose herself was integral to the success of her plan. She waited for her breathing to steady before she rose to her full height, which was when she spotted them: Jean and his friends came running around the corner, unbridled terror on their faces. She drew in a breath, put her hood, which had fallen while she was running back on, and suppressed a grin.
Showtime.
"Oh my God! Jean!" King exclaimed while stomping toward the group. "Jean, where have you been?!"
"Céc!" The boy shouted. "Céc! I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!"
"Sorry?! You're SORRY?! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Where have you been?!"
"I mean, we —"
"We're sorry, Miss King," Eric blubbered. "We were — we — there was this house, and a ghost, and —"
"A ghost?"
"There was this singing voice," "Velma" added. "It — it was-wasn't hu-human!"
A small part of King felt bad for the scared children, but, hopefully, this would teach them not to sneak off to fuck around with the occult. Regardless of lessons, playing dumb was of the utmost importance, so she narrowed her eyes as she looked from frightened face to frightened face (her poor brother…!), squinted her eyes, and queried: "Did you guys eat laced candy or something?"
"What?!"
"Huh?!"
"NO!"
"No way!"
"Of course not!"
"Then what the hell are you talking about?! And how dare you sneak off on me?! Don't you realize that I'm responsible for all of you?! Why would you do something like that?!" King demanded.
"Céc, we're sorry," Jean started. "We just… we heard about this —"
"Je me fiche de ce que tu as entendu! Come on!"
With that, King turned her back to the group and took a deep breath. Although nothing she said was untrue, she still had to keep herself from laughing since she (or her phone, rather) was the source of the kids' hard-learned lesson.
"We have to find Yuri," she snapped while briskly walking away. "She has no idea that I had to go after all of you! Now come on!"
"We're sorry we snuck off," Mike apologized as he stepped up next to the bartender, who was several paces away from the group and pressing her lips together in her usual fashion, not because she was deep in thought or perturbed, but because she was trying not to smile.
"I don't want to hear it! You are all in deep shit with me!"
"But, Céc! There was something out there," Jean cried while catching up. "It was singing! And — and — "
"And if Maddy and Gary find out about this you're going to be grounded and I'm going to be banned from the house for a month so I hope whatever was singing was worth listening to! Let's go!"
Jean stopped talking and hung back to be with his friends, who were all frenziedly going on about the "ghost," how scared they were, and how angry King was. King, meanwhile, pulled her phone from her bag to see a series of texts from Yuri, each one more distressed than the other, with the last one being an all-capslock mess of jumbled Autocorrect fuckery.
"Céc, where are we going?" Jean called, his voice slightly shaky.
"Back to the park," King answered while distractedly responding to Yuri, who had informed her that she was at the playground. Within minutes, the group reached their destination and were greeted by the young woman, who was now wearing a denim jacket over her dress and sitting on a swing with her phone in her hands. Right away, King noticed that Sophie wasn't with her.
"Where's the kid?!"
"It's cool, Céccy; she just wanted to go home after we saw a werewolf. He was actually hella nice, and even tried to calm her down with extra candy but she tapped out. What happened to you guys?"
"There was a ghost!" Aaron informed the young woman.
"A ghost?" Yuri made a face.
"Yeah! We heard a ghost singing!" "Velma" chimed in. "It was so scary!"
"You should have heard it!"
The group started going on all at once, wildly talking over one another while Yuri listened. Finally, she glanced at King and narrowed her eyes.
"Céccy, did you hear it, too?"
"Of course not," King replied. "I was busy looking for them!"
"We really are sorry," Aaron told the Nak Muay with a sniffle.
There was a long pause as King looked over each scared child. Satisfied with her handiwork, she placed a hand on her hip and cleared her throat.
"It's time to go home. You guys lost any additional privileges you might have had tonight by doing that."
Full expecting the kids to whine, the bartender was pleasantly surprised when not a single one of them protested. Eric, of course, was the first to go since his house was directly across the street. Then, Aaron and the girl took their leave, slowly walking through the field toward the condos on the other side, leaving King with Yuri, Jean, and Mike.
"Lead the way, boys," she ordered while making a sweeping gesture in the direction of Maddy and Gary's house. Eyes wide, Jean swallowed hard.
"O-okay."
The boys went ahead, whispering about the supernatural presence they encountered and how their other friends were holding up. King and Yuri hung a reasonable distance back, listening and observing. Finally, Yuri leaned over and whispered, "What did you do?"
"I did nothing," King answered.
"Bullcrap, Céccy," Yuri shot back. "I know you —"
"Shh!"
Quietly, King explained what happened with the kids to Yuri, who listened, wide-eyed, the corners of her lips slowly curving upward.
"Oh my God, Céccy," she whispered just as they reached Maddy and Gary's house. "You're such a troll!"
"Hey, they wanted to act tough and contact a ghost," King remarked with a shrug.
"That's so bad, though!"
"So bad it's great."
"Ha," Yuri replied with a grin. She paused before asking, "Do you think you'll ever tell them? Or if not them, then just Jean?"
The bartender held back a snicker as she watched her brother and his friend silently walk inside, looking like they were going on a Walk of Shame. Lips pressed together, she crossed her arms and thought about how Jean would react to learning that she was behind the paranormal encounter. She would probably do well to tell him sooner rather than later since he had a thing about honesty (and had a decent chance of figuring it out on his own anyway), but the idea of letting him stew for a while was too good.
Beaming, King removed her hood and stepped toward the open door.
"Nah."
Alright, another Halloween is in the bag! Let's get to those notes because you know I have them:
* The breach of trust between Yuri and King refers to the events of the fic Hurt, in which Yuri accidentally shares some very private info about King to Athena.
* "Chin up and tits out" is a reference to a wrestling promo by Toni Storm, who feeds this line to an interviewer before throwing a shoe at her. It was later turned into a fanart featuring B. Jenet (I can't remember who the artist was...)
* King's Donnie Darko costume first appeared in Preferences
* Google Kuromi because Idek how to describe the damn thing. It's a mascot. Like... that's all I can say about it.
* "Je suis désolé, Mr. Sakazaki, mais je ne peux pas vous entendre" = I'm sorry Mr. Sakazaki but I can't hear you
* King and Jean's foyer conversation:
Hey! What are you looking at?!
Uh, I mean.. there's... a lot of...
A lot of what?!
* Tulle is a type of fabric; it's the frilly stuff you see on fairy dresses and tutus and stuff like that
* King is bisexual. Maddy and Gary don't like that.
* Et je pense que tu es une salope enragée = And I think you're a raging bitch; Le dire en français ne vous rendra pas moins un brat = Saying it in French won't make you any less of a brat
* Luffy. One Piece. Google if you don't know it
* Je m'en fou = A very rude way of saying "I don't care." Basically, "I don't give a shit."
* The Goonies is a movie that came out in 1985. Mouth was a character played by Corey Feldman (Google)
* Quel cauchemar = What a nightmare
* Au moins il ne s'agit pas de quelque chose de pire = At least it's not something worse; Jean is lowkey alluding to King's assault, hence her reaction
* Poltergeist is a movie that came out in 1982
* Iori being a "closet cupcake" refers to Come a Little Closer, in which King dubs him "Cupcake" because she thinks that he's sweet to Chizuru
* The bit about the stairwell with Iori and Chizuru is the plot of The Siren, a fic I wrote with Mana_Sputachu that you can find over there
* King is an excellent actress (I mean, she had to be to carry out her ruse with Big, so...)
* Je me fiche de ce que tu as entendu = I don't care what you heard
* King is a troll, okay. Look at the shit she says to people, not to mention her G-Mantle intro in AOF2
Alright. We did it. If you got this far, a huge thank you for reading and maybe even reviewing! Hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time (I hope)! Cheers~