[EVENT] 'Tis the Spooky Season...

[vrdr_mods]

Autumn is drawing on in the Velvet Room and its environs. The days are colder, the nights are crisper, leaves are a riot of colour ready to fall from the trees. And (besides all the pumpkin spice popping up for some reason) that means only one thing: Hallowe'en!

As the season approaches, you may undergo a mysterious transformation. Perhaps you wake up with wings, or hooves, or gills! Or perhaps your transformation will change more, go deeper... perhaps to your very soul. Who can tell? You might wake up as an animal, or a mythological creature. Or as anything at all.

Transformations will reverse on the morning of November 1st. Probably.

In the meantime, Destinyland is celebrating the holiday. Cheerful Jack-o'-Lantern Shadows have set up on street corners, handing out flyers advertising the park's seasonal festivities. In the days leading up to the 31st, Destinyland will host all the usual fun: Hallowe'en games, Trick or Treat for the babies (and the not-so-babey), the Gorb fortune teller, Shadow-run food stalls serving spooky meals and treats, and, of course, the haunted house with its array of friendly, candy-giving Shadows. Or maybe they're not so friendly.

On the night of Hallowe'en itself, there will be a parade at the park and a grand party out in the main square with food, music, and plenty of space, though characters are not obliged to attend. However, if you wish to show off your new form, see what transformations have been wrought on your fellow guests, or simply take the chance to celebrate, it may be a good opportunity...

Who knows? Perhaps you'll even see some special guests.

[ooc: Welcome to our second Halloween event! This post will serve as a mingle for the duration of the event. Feel free to invite friends to play as guest characters, too! There will be a toplevel, and guest characters are simply whisked into the setting to engage in festivities, with a slight ghostly aura. For an example, see the thread here from last year!]

Comments

[lostgemini]

Kou can't even appreciate the effortless grace of the movement; all he can think of is how like Goro that is. Goro's always been the more effortlessly graceful, poised between the two of them. Kou knows he's always been more sloppy, and he didn't mind, not when he could so easily pretend he wasn't, and he had his own qualities where Goro fell short, but- but-

He swallows again, his face working overtime not to crumple with grief, not to give in, not to be weak in front of this fake. Being alone here is difficult? Hah. Haha.

"Nobody understands," he says, breath hitching. "Even if- if they were. Here."

His voice is far too brittle, and the stutter gives his roiling emotions away, but he can't stop.

[lakebrat]

And Goro doesn't elaborate, just tilts his fox head a little, brown hair pooling in golden light, willing to listen. "No?" he asks.

It's down to Corvus; he can elaborate, if he likes. Or he won't.

[lostgemini]

Kou shakes his head. His horns are heavy on his head, and make the motion a little awkward. He swallows, closing his eyes.

"No."

He doesn't elaborate.

[lakebrat]

That's fair enough. They can just sit here. Goro offers him a little smile, instead, which isn't all it could be what with the fox nose and teeth, but still manages to be kind. He's good at kind. Plus, he's involved now.

"I'm guessing you don't work at Leblanc. Or live there. That seems to be more the domain of the Rens and Akiras, as a rule." Small talk, gentle and undemanding.

[lostgemini]

"I... huh?"

Work or live at Leblanc? That's... yeah, that's Ren's thing. Kou doesn't even show his face there anymore, not when he and Goro killed the mother of the owner's daughter.

It's hard to even remember which one of them landed the killing blow. It didn't even matter, considering they were one soul, two bodies-

Were. Were. Were.

His voice cracks a little as he tried to answer the question.

"No, I- no. I don't go there."

[lakebrat]

No, perhaps not. The picture resolves itself a little more, though still not nearly clearly enough. "No," he agrees, looking down. "I never saw myself working in a café, either. It turns out I had quite the knack for it."

It's not just making coffee, after all. It's listening. At least, if you're good at it.

[lostgemini]

Another strike. He already knew but-

God. Goro could burn instant noodles, if you let him. It's not like Kou's some kind of master chef, but he could do some cooking, at least. Provide for his little brother in whatever way he could.

Not enough. Never enough. Clearly not, when he's-

He curls into himself slightly more, wings tightening around himself.

[lakebrat]

And Goro watches the wings tighten, watches Corvus cringe deeper into himself. I'm here, he wants to say. You don't have to bear this alone.

But who is he to judge? As if he'd share his private griefs with anyone. He's still barely discussed his mother with Ren, even, who he increasingly shares everything with. He shifts in turn, quiet and open, luminous and bright, a soft ear flicking as his tails shift behind him.

[lostgemini]

It's almost too tempting.

The demeanor is off, but the looks are (mostly) right. The gentle, open expression is- too much. It makes Kou long for his brother all the more, painful grief holding him in a chokehold.

He wants to lean into the other. Wordlessly ask for a hug, comfort, things he was used to but hasn't had in 8 months.

But that's not Goro. That's a stranger with his face. It's painful. So very painful.

He can't stand it.

"... Stop looking at me like that," he says, voice wavering.

[lakebrat]

"Of course," he murmurs, chagrined, turning his fox face away. Sometimes there is nothing you can do.

But he stays there, nonetheless, looking out at the cognitions passing them by, and the odd little Shadows here and there with their pumpkin heads. He knows when to give someone space, if he knows nothing else.

[lostgemini]

The silence stretches.

Kou realizes how fucking pathetic he's being- damn near falling apart in front of a stranger, just because he's got his brother's face, and some of his manerisms. Wouldn't most people be over this shit by now? Ren certainly mostly seems over it. Everyone else too.

But what Kou and Goro had- that couldn't be understood by anyone but them. Sumire sometimes feels like she comes close, but at the same time, not in the slightest. She doesn't understand, and could never understand. She lived in her sister's shadow, whereas Kou and Goro-

What they had was unique. Unreplicable. Without Kou, there was no Goro, and without Goro, there was no Kou. Two halves of a whole, a unit, practically bound together by an invisible force. Nobody could ever understand just how much Kou and Goro were intertwined.

So where does that leave him, now that Goro's gone? He still doesn't know. It doesn't feel like he'll ever will.

He takes a sip of the coffee, if only to distract himself. Not only is it cold, it's also downright nasty.

"... I hate this."

Is he talking about the coffee, or the grief that pounds through his veins?

[lakebrat]

And Goro glances back, rather than turning the full force of his attention back on him. "I could try for something better, if we could make it to Leblanc?"

But he knows Corvus probably doesn't mean the coffee.

[lostgemini]

He doesn't mean the coffee.

Well- he hates the coffee too. It's gross, and he can't tell if that's because of his newfound transformation, because his grief makes the taste off, or because it's actually bad. Might be a mix of all three- not that he really cares about the hows or whys.

He's so tired. His heart aches, but he slowly exhales anyway, glaring at the shitty coffee in his claws.

"... Yeah. Sure," he answers, after a few moments.

It'd certainly be better than falling apart on a random park bench in Destinyland.

[lakebrat]

So they make their way there without too much difficulty. The gate doesn't even stop them, for all that Corvus was apparently dropped in Destinyland for no reason at all. It's not until they get back through the door of Leblanc that Goro realises the actual process of coffee making might be more difficult for an angelic fox than for a boy.

"Huh," he murmurs, glancing at the narrow workspace and the rows of jars. "This might be a little more difficult than I anticipated."

[lostgemini]

And Kou quietly follows, trying to force himself to just breathe. He's not really paying attention, just focusing on calming down; so much so that he even forgets to stop for cigarettes on the way to Leblanc. He only realizes as much when he's already inside, watching Frog awkwardly staring at the workstation- made for humans, not for tall angelic foxes.

He wants a smoke so bad. Dammit.

"It's fine," he sighs, leaning against one of the booths. "I didn't really want coffee, anyway."

[lakebrat]

"It would have been something to do with your hands, at least," he sighs in return, turning to ... sit awkwardly on the counter, just below the base of his tails. Damn, Boss would kill him if he could see that. Not to mention that Leblanc's usual cosy ambience is just as washed-out now as the selfie he tried to take for Ren this morning.

He offers Corvus a surprisingly-shadowed little fox grin. "It's not as if I can even drink coffee. Which is something of a pain. I already miss it."

[lostgemini]

"Touché," Kou gives a weak grin back, "I don't know if that coffee tasted so shit because it was, or because..." He tugs at some of his fur. "... of this whole thing."

[lakebrat]

"You know, you do look striking, I've got to say." His smile becomes more of a smirk, gaining a foxy edge. As if he's not literally glowing, and more than half bushy golden tail. "The horns are an especially nice touch."

[lostgemini]

"Uh- huh?"

Kou looks up in surprise, taken aback by the sudden compliment on his... features. He's not sure what to think of it, considering they just kind of appeared without any input of his own.

When's the last time he received a compliment, anyway?

"Uh- Thanks," he says, looking away somewhat bashfully. "Your tails are... pretty, as well."

He feels a bit like a moron, but it's better than nothing, right?

[lakebrat]

Yeah, that cut a closer than he meant, by the look of things. He folds his hands—long furred fingers, annoying claws and pads—in his lap. "I'll take your word for it. I can't see them properly. I don't photograph well, because of the"—he indicates around himself, lifting a hand—"glow."

More seriously, he continues, "I see what people talk about, now. With the transformations. This is my first."

[lostgemini]

Kou can't help but huff out a small laugh at that, still trying to shake off the earlier awkwardness.

"Yeah- can't imagine," he says, "being the source of a constant micro-sun sounds like a pain in the ass. And here I though the wings, tail, and horns were bad."

He squints a little as he looks back at Frog, consternation on his face.

"Wait- this is... a regular thing?"

[lakebrat]

"So it seems." It is a little consterning, to be honest. More than a little. "Before I got here, my Ren was turned into a child for a month or so. Nobody asked him, any more than we were all asked today. And there were... consequences."

He doesn't elaborate on what they were; on the depth of Ren's self-loathing afterwards, that had directly or indirectly led to his Palace. "Actually, that was at Hallowe'en, too. You have to wonder what the next trick will be."

[lostgemini]

Oh, great.

So not only is he stuck in the fucking grief whiplash tower of terror, they can just mess with his body at a whim. Lovely. Wonderful.

"As if this shit didn't suck enough already," he hisses, looking away from Frog. "I can't imagine being an adult stuck in a kid's body."

Isn't having to see strangers wearing his brother's face enough?

[lakebrat]

"The strange thing is, I think he quite liked it," Goro murmurs, careful not to overshare. "As I think a lot of people are enjoying their transformations now, from what I can see. But there are also people who object intensely to it, to the idea that Igor can just—alter us. And I see their point."

[lostgemini]

"He liked it," Kou deadpans.

Then, he sighs, awkwardly shaking his head. "Don't know what I expected, really. If he's anything like the one from back home, then I shouldn't be surprised. Hell- the guy fell in love with his would-be murderer, and then -if you can fucking believe it- he tried to hook up with me, of all people, as if I'd-"

His mouth clacks shut the moment he remembers it's not his Goro he's talking to, but a fake. Spooked by how easy it was to forget, he shoots the other a withering look, then quickly looks away again.

"... Anyway." He coughs.