happy (early) halloween 2019!
Of Pumpkin Spice And Jack-o'-lanterns
"How fascinating!" Lightning exclaimed, hovering over Jericho. "To think that such amusement could exist by carving a pumpkin!"
Jericho mimed laughing. He set the knife down on the counter and scooped out the pumpkin's innards into a nearby bowl. He flicked a few large seeds to the side as Lightning settled down next to him, holding a mug of freshly brewed pumpkin spice latte.
Gingerly sipping his drink, Lightning sighed and asked, "What is this called, my friend?"
Jack-o'-lanterns. You cut the faces out for Halloween. You can even light them up by putting a candle inside, Jericho signed, Lightning's grin pressing into his cheeks as he explained.
Nodding, Lightning glanced at the assortment of carved pumpkins. He hadn't noticed them when he and his brother arrived to the Tower. He had hurried over to the bar where Robin was preparing Fall drinks with Starfire offering her own brand of celebratory concoctions from Tamaran. Robin had urged him to only drink his latte when Starfire presented him with what he believed was a wriggling, pulsing tentacle stewing in a bubbling orange muck trying to escape the cup.
When he noticed Jericho holding a knife in the kitchen, concern shot through him. The notion of him attacking one of their friends crossed his mind as he flew over to him, but curiosity swiftly replaced his horror. Seeing him cut through the pumpkin and carve out an intricately spooky face filled his chest with joy. People below the clouds were always coming up with amusing celebrations, and the idea of jack-o'-lanterns immediately seized his attention when Jericho lit a candle and placed it inside.
He hummed as the face brightened. The fire illuminated the shadows, giving the crooked mouth and vacant eyes a sharper look. Lightning glanced down at the counter, realizing even more jack-o'-lanterns were present, each of them different from the last, some hollow and others lit.
"Astounding! How has Lightning never heard of such a game?" He set his mug down and picked up a steak knife. "Now, which pumpkin shall have the honor of being my jack-o'-lantern?"
Jericho couldn't keep his attention off the knife. He knew Lightning was frenetic in his actions. The steak knife certainly wasn't helping his own anxiety. Deciding to start small, he selected a pumpkin that had dotted lines on it for Lightning to follow and cut through.
"What? What is that? It is slandered with predisposed markings," Lightning scoffed and waved his hand. "No need to offer someone as skilled as Lightning such a beginner's pumpkin." He seized a rather large one, the stem bigger than his hand, and with a grunt, he slammed it down between them on the table. "This one is much more deserving to be carved by none other than I!"
Sweat beaded on Jericho's brow. He wasn't sure if he needed to possess Lightning to stop him from doing anything too foolish. Lightning was nimble, but he was very exuberant and brash. Everything about him was loud and abrasive, and even when he stabbed through the pumpkin and carved, it was exactly that.
Lightning heaved out slabs of pumpkin and tossed them on the table. He wreathed through the guts, his expression twisting in annoyance when the sticky innards coated his fingers. He continued hacking and slashing, the pumpkin's exterior becoming more ghoulish as he persevered, the hard exterior beginning to make his arm feel like jelly.
"Cursed pumpkin, why must you make this difficult?" Lightning huffed, stepping back and glaring at the uneven eye holes.
Maybe because you picked a pumpkin that's out of your league? Jericho signed, his brows furrowing.
Uttering a short bark of laughter, he claimed, "Nothing is too strenuous for me. My skills are to be revered." He jabbed his finger at the pumpkin, sneering, "This gourd shall not get the best of me!"
With that, he went back to stabbing right through it, Jericho's eyes widening all the way. He couldn't believe what he was watching, but he was too fascinated to interrupt. The way Lightning haphazardly cut and gouged, how he miraculously avoided sawing off his fingers when he rammed the knife inside the pumpkin, it was all somehow fitting the anxious spirit of Halloween.
Gasping to catch his breath, Lightning stepped back and tossed his knife on the table. Arrogance surrounded him like a palpable aura. Throwing both hands out, he cried, "There! What do you say of this artifact of the season? Do not hold back your praise!"
Jericho simply stared at Lightning. He pointed at his mouth, grinning as Lightning's cheeks darkened.
His lips twisted into a frown as he added, "You know the meaning behind my words when I ask not for your words but for your impressions!"
Slowly gazing back at the jack-o'-lantern, Jericho wondered if he should put it out of its misery. The mouth was horribly lopsided. With slash marks appearing like jagged scars for teeth, it couldn't really be called a traditional mouth for a jack-o'-lantern. The eyes resembled Lightning's, but one was much larger than the other with a surprisingly detailed iris and pupil. The other eye lacked any detail and was a mere hole. It seemed Lightning had tried giving it a headband if the stab wounds dotting what he believed to be the forehead was a representative of anything. Simply put, it was the worst jack-o'-lantern he had ever seen.
It's good. Great work. I mean it, Jericho signed, the spark in Lightning's eyes too much to kill with criticism.
Setting his hands on his hips, Lightning cackled and shouted, "Excellent! Once again, Lightning shines brighter than the rest." He wrapped his arm around Jericho's shoulder and set their jack-o'-lanterns together. "Come, my friend! Let us drink the pumpkin spice lattes until we have our fill!"
As Lightning snatched his mug and guided Jericho away, Jericho smiled. It was Halloween, and he supposed even ugly jack-o'-lanterns should be respected, even if they were made by someone as haughty as Lightning.