Goblin' It Up Errand Main Thread Fin

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With a bucket full of candy and sugary delights to last her about two days, she headed down to the Ballroom. She had caught a glimpse of it coming in and was generally really nervous about walking through the tunnel that the Professors had created. It was a moment that made Willow wish she had gone with someone else for once in that night. But no, she was strong and independent at a ripe age of twelve years old. She didn't need anyone to hold her hand. The brave badger held her head up high as she tried to nonchalantly skitter through the tunnel as quick as she could. The fire didn't really scare her anymore, the cobwebs were fine, but it was really what might've lurked in the darkness that terrified her.

At the end of the tunnel she plucked a Jack-O-Lantern treat bag and tossed that in with her bucket. The movie of Nosferatu had already started and she didn't want to interrupt or disturb anyone's movie time so she quickly slinked over to the snack table to gear up for the rest of the movie since it had just started. Willow would normally not drink anything but water or tea this late, but she opted in for some pumpkin juice for the occasion poured into a black cup for an extra spooky effect. Extra snacks were taken like a couple of chocolate covered pretzels, some gummy candy, a multi-eyed rice krispie, and a ghost cookie. Briefly she wondered if the skeleton was also candy, but figured if he was still in tact with everyone that had already arrived that was probably not the case.

With her armfuls of goodies and drink prepared to go she slowly made her way over to the area that had been set up with an incredibly amount of blankets and pillows. She wished she had this many in the common room, truly this should've been what the Hufflepuff common room looked like. Ducking her head under the projector she found a particularly cozy pile and settled in for the movie. It wasn't exactly her taste as she preferred Disney movies, like one of her moms favorites Hocus Pocus. Even though the next time she would go home would be way past the time for that movie, she made a note in her head to ask her parents if they could watch it together in her next owl home.

When it came time to pack up and leave she would be proper hopped up on sugar and happy to head to her warm cozy hammock to snuggle up with Buttons and dream some candyland dreams.

✿Word Count✿
442

✿Outfit Ref✿

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Many regarded dance as an art form - an outlet for creativity and expression. But, Val felt that the only feeling she'd expressed throughout her Irish stepdance to the ballroom was pure distress. Her try at slipping another candy out of the cauldron had landed her in this unfavorable predicament with one of the Ravenclaws she'd trick-or-treated with, Elias, trailing not too far behind. In her embarrassment, the young girl had aimed to stun an orange-haired Elias by swinging at his head with the pillowcase that held the sweets she'd accumulated over the night. Perhaps, in retrospect, she should've gone about it differently. The cauldron itself would've done much more damage if she had the strength to topple it over to fall on his foot.

If her circumstances had differed, perhaps Val would linger in the smoke-filled tunnel to truly appreciate the eerie atmosphere. But, the smoke now only served as an inconvenience in her rush to undo the curse that had befallen her. Her feet felt as though they would fall off at any second, and there appeared to be no end to the tunnel. Soon, though, she emerged on the other end, the lights dimmed and the room bustling with activity as others made the final stop to the ballroom for the film.

Lifting her pillowcase to obscure her features as she approached the librarian, Val's dance came across as more of a stumble. In a futile attempt to spare her last few shreds of dignity, the Slytherin girl said that the curse had been meant for a peer, and she'd mistakenly been hit with it in their place. It made no sense, and the woman that had freed her of the hex had most certainly been aware of the truth, but before she could be discredited, Val ran off with an uncharacteristically nervous, jumbled up excuse about needing to select her goodie bag. That much hadn't been a lie, at least. In her rush to have her hex removed, she'd forgone the process of taking a bag at the end of the tunnel entirely.

Upon reaching the Astronomy professor, out-of-breath, Val looked over the selection of goodie bags. Ultimately, she chose the spider decoration, pulling it up to her eyes to properly look over before trailing over to one of the raised tales holding sweets and drinks. The selection was enticing, but Val's mother had warned her of cavities. The thought of one seemed more nightmarish than any of the scares Halloween had to offer, but...

A cupcake couldn't hurt. The girl felt that it'd been deserved, seeing how much she'd gone through over the night. Though Callie had been close by, Val chose to disregard her presence entirely out of pure spite. Pulling up a chocolate cupcake with vibrant orange frosting to daintily nibble at, Val stood back as the night continued on.

Word Count: 476/400

From within a corner of the ballroom, a pair of watchful eyes observed the room from behind a leather mask. A mask that seemed to resemble the peak of a penguin, peeking from underneath a black, just as leathery, tophat. It wouldn't be too clear who she was and Nico didn't mind that. Her red hair was tucked away, invisible to the eye.

She wasn't really out for interactions. She just wanted to make sure that things went smoothly and nothing too outrageous would take place. In her leatherlike gloves, she carried an old fashioned lantern and in her other, a walking cane with a quartz knob. A stone that stood close to her heart as it resembled self-care and peace. Ironicly, tonight her unsettling aura was rather present. It would add a more... well... unsettling vibes for many. Might make the movie even more real...The dhampir didn't really care. Not for all of them. Maybe a few. A handful.

Within the fog, some would notice a vague red glow coming from within the goggles of her mask. Nico wasn't necesarrily upset. She mimicked some sort of rage and set her eyes aflame, adding an extra bit of spookiness to her attire.

As things went on, the dhampir would slowely walk around, moving throught the decorations to occasionally startle someone or to just be on guard.

Interacting with @Lydia Cooper, @Eyre Reeves, @Zykeal Lane
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Hana's Outfit

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[font=PT Sans]Hanako’s eyes widened at her unexpected reply. She wouldn’t leave him unless he wanted her to? Was that not what he said in the beginning? Did the vague sentences he used before just a way to blame it on his personality again? He always thought his personality was a good enough reason for people to leave but did was there a time he asked if he liked them to leave? Was it even something to be questioned about? How long had he placed a period on his thought process so it never got to the point of asking himself what he wanted? To want something, he thought, was a way to get invested. Invested in a person that might make you fly high up the clouds or down the grimiest sewers. He didn’t like those changes so he never asked. He wondered if this was something that needed to be changed but just the thought of him made him flinch. So he never answered if he really wanted her to stay or not. How could he when he himself wasn’t so sure?

She also said she had fun with him. Probably because he was the only one with her though? Trick-o-treating was always better with others, especially if he himself thought so. Hanako had a few troubles comprehending what on earth he would’ve done to make himself actually enjoyable to be around. He would’ve continued to do so if not for the change of expression that feel on Rod’s face.

He was always so used to seeing her smile and be enthusiastic about everything that it felt unnatural of her to look so shaken. What got her into this state? Before he could even wonder more, his hands moved on their own and very gently, flicked her forehead. While he didn’t have enough time to catch his hands, he knew that he just didn’t like seeing her look like that. Besides, he was most likely the reason why she ever had to wear such a face. “ If I hated you for something you did, surely you would guess that I have absolutely no problems with telling you straight to your face. “ With only the assumption that she would be distraught over his sudden suggestion, he wasn’t entirely sure if that’s what she needed to hear but then again, he wasn’t the best when it came to comforting people.

Unlike before, there was no twinge in his chest nor the sudden desire to run or insult her when she looked upset. Nothing except the urge to make things clear. Other than his whole fake identity of course. “ I don’t think I can change your mind about me yet. But I trust you to make your own conclusions. You seem like a smart cookie, you’ll figure it out~” he shrugged, his confidence slowly coming back to him. She’ll find out sooner or later. That he wasn’t someone to keep around for too long. “ We still have that movie and hang-out. If you still find it fun to be with me, we can do that?” He gestured to the area where the movie had been playing. He easily gave up on insisting he was no good since it seemed like people tended to believe the things they found out themselves. It was no biggie. He had something he wanted to find out concerning little miss Adlai Rod as well. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to meet her with a paper bag but he’ll leave that problem for future Papa MacarooOni to figure out. “ How about it?~” while his expression may have been concealed, his lighthearted tone had shown how hopeful he was. It wouldn’t be too bad to watch a movie with the weird girl.
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w/c : 669 + 629 = 1290

@Adlai Rod

Open/Closed for chit chat

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Interacting with @Paisley Brown
Entering from Astronomy

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Allie and Paisley had wandered around the castle for a while, collecting candy from each location as they went. Allie could tell her friend was a little tired, but for some reason she felt just the opposite as the pair walked towards the ballroom. The hallway had been fully decorated and had a very spooky atmosphere. Allie shivered slightly, even though she knew everything was fake it just looked so real. "They did an amazing job with this, don't you think?" she asked her friend, turning to Paisley.

When the girls entered the ballroom, they were greeted with the sight of much, much, much, much more candy and other sweet treats. Even the tables had been covered in spiderwebs, it seemed like nothing in the room had been spared from that decoration. When she heard the announcement saying that they were about to start the movie, Allie hurried to follow Paisley and quickly took a seat. After a few seconds, the announcement actually sunk in. . . a horror movie?! They were watching a horror ovie???!!! Allie had half a mind to stand up and leave right then and there, but something kept her rooted in place. It was only when she heard her friend muttering something that she was able to speak again.

"I know, I hate horror movies!" she told Paisley nervously. "Sorry if I freak out. . ." biting her lip, Allie clenched her hands into fists. She had never understood why some people loved scary things, and didn't think she ever would. Hearing a crunch, the first year looked over at the seat next to her where Paisley was sitting. Her friend had taken out a piece of candy and had just bitten into it. Seeing this reminded Allie of her own candy, and she took one out, sticking it into her mouth and sighing at the sugary taste.

When the movie started, Allie sat back in her chair, trying to prepare herself for the jump scare she knew happened in all horror movies at least once. The beginning of the movie wasn't too scary, and so the girl relaxed a little. . . a big mistake. She couldn't help herself as she screamed softly. Luckily, a few others had done the very same thing so it wasn't too noticeable, but. . . Paisley hadn't said anything though, something that Allie was happy about.

A while later the movie ended and Allie turned to Paisley with a sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry for screaming," she said to her friend, blushing a little. "I just really, really, really don't like scary movies. . ." The rest of the night had been absolutely wonderful though, and the girl was very glad she had agreed to do this with Paisley.

452/400 words
Errand Complete!

Mentions: @Valerie Baines
Interacting with: @Callie Jensen

Upon trudging his way through what he could only assume was meant to be some sort of spookily themed hallway (the cobwebs didn't exactly do it for Eli), the boy scanned the room briefly. Clearly, he was late. In one corner Valerie was moving from professor to professor, presumably having her curse undone and gathering a cupcake, while Callie was seemingly standing at a table filled with goodies. Ultimately, he decided on joining her, as even if she had slightly ditched him and Val, she hadn't tried to take Elias' head off with a pillowcase full of sweets. That would probably come later in the night.

Scooting awkwardly around the outskirts of the room, the young Ravenclaw had no intention of seeking help for his... vibrantly coloured hair for the time being. He was content with simply keeping it hidden until fewer people were around. Or, perhaps even better, until he could figure a way to undo the curse himself. Unfortunately, the latter was unlikely to occur. While he was a generally good student and wizard, this seemed to be a tad out of his league. It was magic done by a professor after all.

Once satisfied that he could b-line from his location on the wall over to Callie without disrupting anybody's movie-watching experience, the boy did just that. The burst of movement had a rather unfortunate outcome however and just before he skidded to a halt at the table he presumed Callie had claimed for them, the hood of his costume fell to reveal his hair. Scrambling for an excuse of some kind as his hands darted up to cover it up once more, Elias spoke in a hushed tone, "I dyed it for Halloween. Laugh and I'll thump you, it's meant to be white."

Was that plausible? Probably not, especially considering he hadn't had orange hair prior to Callie running off at the Astronomy tower, so if she'd missed out on the experience of watching Eli dye his hair nobody was to blame but her. Continuing on at little more than a whisper, he glanced at the table, spotting the fact that she'd collected not only goodies for herself, but him also, Eli was eternally grateful and scooped up one of the lemonades before taking a sip, "Thanks for getting me a drink... I'm parched after all that running I just did to keep up with you. You're a nuisance, you know that, right?"

WC:419
Total: 1483

Callie didn't quite notice Valerie dancing into the room and nor did she realise the girl actively avoided her. Not that she'd mind even if she had took notice of the Slytherin as Callie wasn't the type to get hung up on that sort of thing. Besides, a movie was playing! Perhaps Valerie was an avid movie lover like Callie! Doubtful, but certainly a possibility. Instead Callie sat quite happily munching on the various goodies she'd managed to stockpile. By the looks of what she had gathered it was enough to last the girl a fair few weeks, a fact that her housemates would likely lament. Callie Jensen and a large quantity of sugary goods wasn't a brilliant combination.

However when Elias finally appeared in all his orange haired glory Callie couldn't help but let out a small giggle at his predicament. If he had dyed it for Halloween why was he threatening her if she laughed? Besides Callie hadn't at all took notice of the rather..bold choice of hair beforehand. She may have been focused on sugar but Callie wouldn't have been that badly out of touch with reality. "Well, it's certainly a bold choice in style. One that requires..confidence! Gotta give you credit for that." Callie spoke in a much quieter tone than usual in order not to disturb those watching the movie. To reassure Elias of her support Callie even made sure to give him a pleasant thumbs up. "The librarian is getting rid of the hexes, if you got hit by one. Not that I'm implying you did! Clearly this entirely an act of your own free will."

Callie took a sip of her own drink and gave Elias a small smile in response to his thanks. "I know I am, it's part of the charm." She responded simply with an apologetic grin. "Sorry for leaving you in the dust, got a little carried away. Guess I'm still not used to Halloween away from home, huh?" A brief tinge of sadness danced across Callie's features but disappeared just as quickly as it came. No need to dwell on things that gave her a weird feeling in her stomach afterall..or was that the sweets talking? "Apology cupcake?" She pushed the cupcake forward to Elias before briefly looking over to the movie. "So, how about we go collapse in that pillow mound? I dare say you've earned it for all that running around."

● 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕄𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥 ●

[font=curlz mt]A[/font]s the night slowly went on, a few remaining stragglers entered the room. They got the same welcome from Professor Karr offering them a treat bag, and a less than pleased look from Robyn as she had to continue hand cranking the movie while dehexing them for their disregard of the signs posted at each location for the amount that was allowed. Students settled in to their own tiny fortresses of comfort, some even snoozing despite the ever so terrible Nosferatu going on in front of them. Despite all of the sugar coursing through their veins, they seemed absolutely wiped from venturing and laughing with friends or spending a night to treat themselves. The event was a roaring success with all who attended it seemed. Even those that skittered through the tunnel that echoed some of their trauma fear.

Robyn couldn't be more grateful for the movie ending, finally being able to stop the terrible hand crank that would probably leave her arm sore for a few days. But she didn't regret helping out a friend that seemed to truly care about the students and their happiness around Halloween. Robyn stood up and once again amplified her voice with a simple spell. "Please take a few moments and gather your things. Ms. Shymane and I will be escorting you back to your dorms. Any in Hufflepuff or Slytherin, make your way over to her. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, you'll be coming with me." She didn't want to make the prefect traverse any towers when her dorm was literally in the dungeons, so it made sense to send the Hufflepuffs with her since it was on her way. "No lollygagging or attempts to sneak off. We'll know, and it's quite late and I don't think either of us would like to deal with that." She stood off to one side of the entrance, dehexing any last minute stragglers that didn't come to her that she noticed in the crowd of students. Briefly interacting with any students that approached her to say hi or say something about the event. She would be polite and kind but would quickly cut the interaction off as she was in the mode of attempting to get everyone back safely and was hyper vigilant.

She would let Nico lead out first, making sure every one that appeared to be in her group actually left. With a final sweep of the room she would escort the rest of them out as well.

This was the last moderation, the movie has now ended and students will be led directly back to their dorms as curfew was at 8pm. You're free to continue posting to exit the thread and finish up any lingering interactions!

As always, feel free to owl myself or @Nico Shymane with any further questions about the errand.

Thank you to all who participated, and Happy Halloween!

@Xailah Alptraum | Mentioning @Piérre Marchonné

As the apology was accepted- if with slight snark- Peri bobbed his head in a birdlike way. He would not press the topic of familial expectations just yet; enough was gleaned from the slivers of her eyes, the terseness of her answer, and the odd wiggle of dark hair. Xailah's metamorph mannerisms were many and varied, though he was trying to retain them. Antlers, antennae, a tendril-like tress. "Tell me sssomething I don't know." The Ravenclaw caught a glimpse of guilt he quickly sought to snuff out. After a moment of scanning their spooky surroundings, he seemed to settle on a subject, then leaned in to oblige her "request". "There is a community in India called the Zoroastrians, who believe the body becomes touched by evil as soon as it dies. They don't bury them, but instead put them atop a platform called a dokhma- or 'Tower of Silence'- so that the sun and vultures can take them away." The tidbit was delivered with all the polite precision of one reading a passage from a book. With this "new information" offered, a vaguely sly smile sprang up, and Pericles pointed towards the field of bountiful bedding. "Shall we?"

Peri walked with his mask in one hand, a sack of sweets in the other, and Schrödinger cradled along his arms. A fond look formed while he carefully stepped over a sleeping Piérre Marchonné. While they walked, they spoke of movies, and it was with a spark of glad surprise that Peri discovered this would be Xailah's first film. Oddly, for a boy with a blatant love of books and the bizarre, he dismissed the mere mention of Dracula by casually commenting "I've never read it." He moved on merrily, more interested in answering her question. "My folks have friends who host an annual 'showing' of old films. A few were rather dry, as they were meant more for the adults, but we've attended ever since I was five. The Hound of the Baskervilles, House on Haunted Hill, White Zombie, The Curse of Frankenstein ... they take place every October, so I haven't gone with them since I started attending Hogwarts." Tonight filled a traditional gap. Peri followed along to the place which "Schrödinger" had designated, though he paused, pondering the advice on Athena. The boy had been leery to force his feline into any activity, letting her carry on as she pleased, though Xailah offered a gentler alternative. Incentive. There returned to him the soft glow of enlightenment, realization lighting his expression while thoughtful nods ensued. "Thank you." That was all for now, small yet sincere. They would have to talk more after he put the theory into action.

Xailah's intent was considered as carefully as a construction working heeding his foreman. "I hope you have some experience with building things, because I would hate for all of our hard work to crumble." "I do! Not forts- not often- but I like to build these sort of... reaction puzzles, called Rube Goldberg machines. They're wonderfully complex series of actions that ultimately result in, well..." an uncertain quirk of the mouth, "I suppose that's far from a fort...." "If this fort does collapse I will be blaming you, Pericles." With a most "serious" bow of his head, the lad answered in his best impression of a dusty old butler: "Naturally, madam." Pillows fit like puzzle pieces in his mind. "I believe our best bet would be to build a sort of lean-to." Survivalist tactics, which he had never been forced to flex due to a comfortable lifestyle lacking in trauma, would be put to the test. "We will use long bolster pillows- those round ones, there- as our pillars. We'll brace them with flat pillows at the base, then drape one of the lighter blankets back, anchoring it with cushions. " Plans amalgamated, Schrodinger safely set aside, he set to work. The end result was indeed a cozy little lean-to: perhaps a bit short, but it surrounded them from the sides and blocked their backs, entirely open in front so to see the screen fully. It was just high enough for them to slide beneath, but not so tall as to obstruct the view of others behind them.

Tucked to one side with Schrödinger set in the center, candy and mask in front, Pericles propped himself up on his elbows. He whispered one more fact as the film began, explaining that in these sketchy black-and-white videos, the heavy makeup of actors and actresses alike which- as with theater makeup- was designed to make their exaggerated expressions more visible in such a grainy recording. He hushed as those fateful white words glowed against the black backdrop.

"Wait, young man. You cannot escape destiny by running away."

There was the eerie Renfield grinning over obscure arcane symbols, insinuating some plot was afoot, before informing Harker he was invited to Transylvania.

"You will have a marvelous journey. And, young as you are,
what matter if it costs you some pain- or even a little blood?..."

"Seems a fitting line for first-years at Hogwarts," he whispered, eyes lidded in sleepy humor. As Harker passionately kissed his beloved Nina goodbye, Pericles looked down and idly preened the feathers of his mask, supposedly grooming away at wayward dust. It was safe to see why many of their peers had drifted off. There was no audible dialogue after all, only the continuous croon of creepy organ, though the boy remained entranced as Harker at last arrived in Transylvania. There was an odd clip of what looked to be a hyena skittering around outside. It was supposed to be a werewolf, a tidbit which caused Pericles to huff a happy hum, whispering to Xailah "Why d'you suppose they didn't have any actual wolves to play the part...?" Perhaps muggles thought the striped hound looked more exotic. It was all quite silly, and the boy seemed to slowly forget all about the accusatory quill as well as his obscure unease. That is, until Johnathan cracked open a book in his room titled The Book of the Vampires. Although Harker considered this book with over-the-top disbelief, Pericles' expression was distinctly different. His eyebrows knit lightly, lips dragging down at the corners.

Harker laughed and laughed as the superstitious townsfolk refused to bring him near the castle, where he was met by a man with great long limbs, eerie fingers, eyes ringed by a phantasmal blackness, dressed dark as night itself. His appearance elicited a tuneless laugh from Pericles, though the airy scoff seemed to lack amusement it had for the hyena. Harker sliced the skin of his thumb while cutting a bit of bread, and soon the Count loomed towards him menacingly, drifting nearer as Harker shrank away in terror. Having watched with intense fixation, Peri all too suddenly turned on his side and started stroking Schrödinger. He ignored the ominous organ tunes while distractedly fiddling with the feline's ear.