[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

[gorobo]

Falcon pauses. Ordinarily, he'd long have grown uncomfortable with such prolonged physical contact, but there's something... extremely calming about petting the cute ears and soft fur of Raven. The purrs harmonize with something in his circuits in a way he can't describe, and... well.

He should really tell Raven to move it.

"I have nowhere to be," he says instead. Which might as well be Falconese for 'please stay I'm comfortable'.

[fogboundcrow]

"Oh. Well... all right." Mmm, comfortable. He relaxes again, purring anew. Comfy, warm, comfy warm...

He'll drift off before long, a big bundle of fluff on a robot.

[gorobo]

Falcon keeps petting, watching as Raven's vital signs drift more and more towards sleep.

It's not... bad, and before long, Raven's fully asleep, and Falcon has a lapful of softly snoring catboy. He should mind, probably, but he doesn't. The purring snores are oddly comforting, just as this whole interaction has been.

He'll feel awkward about it later, most likely, but for now?

Well, he can hardly disturb Raven now, can he? Instead, he leans back, and continues softly scratching behind Raven's ear while he sleeps.

[fogboundcrow]

Raven dozes for a little while, but eventually he starts to stir, with a big yawn and a stretch to accompany it. Behold his mighty lil' fangs.

[gorobo]

Meanwhile, Falcon has simply... relaxed. Relaxed in a way he hasn't in ages. It scares him a little, but something about the purrs and (albeit limited) sensation of fur against his body.

But it seems Raven's waking up now. He'll have time to think about this later.

"Did you have a good nap?" he asks, a small smile on his face. Raven's little fangs are adorable.

[fogboundcrow]

"Oh... yes. I think so." He's not purring, shh. That must be robot noises you're hearing. Totally not a contented, fluffy boy. "I hope I didn't inconvenience you."

[gorobo]

"Not like I had anything better to do." He shrugs.

[fogboundcrow]

"Oh. Well, that's good." A shy smile spreads across his muzzle. "Still, it's a good thing Yu isn't here, or I'd never live this down."

[gorobo]

A small smirk appears on Falcon's face, and he closes his eyes, relaxing.

"Oh, certainly," he hums, opening one eye in amusement, "A-cat-chi."

[fogboundcrow]

Oh, god damn it.

His fur fluffs up a bit, and he pouts, tail thumping. "I am not that cat-like. ...Normally."

[gorobo]

Cute. But Falcon's not here to upset Raven.

"I know, I know," he says, "I was just teasing you."

[fogboundcrow]

"Well, I'd accept it from you over someone like Yu. If it were him, he'd use his goofy monotone voice, and probably make a stupid face..."

But... hm. Perhaps that wouldn't be too bad. He looks down, contemplative.

[gorobo]

"From what I've heard, isn't it a brother's job to annoy you?" He lets out a small chuckle. "Well, I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm, either way."

And if he does... well, he doesn't, from what Falcon's heard. Which is for the best.

"Something on your mind?" he asks as Raven looks down.

[fogboundcrow]

"...It's been quite some time since I last saw him." All of them, really. He could always ask Igor for another dream, of course. That might help, but it'd be nice if they were here.

[gorobo]

Falcon's face sobers, and he looks away. His steady petting comes to a halt.

"... I'm certain Igor would let you go back," he says, "if you asked."

[fogboundcrow]

"Well, I don't want to leave everyone here behind, either." It's okay, Falcon. Raven remains firmly in place.

[gorobo]

Falcon doesn't immediately reply, staring away.

"But you can't stay here forever, either," he says, "this place, as good as it is at mimicking it- it's not reality. You still have a life back home."

[fogboundcrow]

"Perhaps I can just ask for more dreams... Then I wouldn't have to leave just yet." That might be a fair compromise, perhaps. It helped last time.

[gorobo]

"Dreams are just dreams," he says, sober. "I... Raven. I'm not trying to upset you- I really am not. But... if you miss your family, perhaps that's a sign it's time to return to them."

He gives Raven a scratch behind his ears, almost mindlessly.

"You're a bright presence here, true, but it isn't your home, in the end. I mean... you've been here longer than I have. How long until you've been here longer than with them?"

[fogboundcrow]

"The dreams send me back in my sleep, but allow me to remain here, too." It's... something. A compromise.

His ears fold back, and his head droops. "...At this point, I have been here longer."

[gorobo]

"Raven..."

Falcon goes silent for a moment or so, staring at Raven with a complicated emotion brewing in his circuits. This kind of living- it can't be healthy for a young boy like Raven.

Selfishly, he'd like Raven to stay. Bitterly, he envies Raven for the privileges Igor grants him.

Realistically...

"... It's your choice, but," he murmurs, "the longer you put it off, the more... disjointed it's going to be when you go back home, I believe. I'm not trying to chase you off, but there are people who care about you in reality. And they deserve to watch you grow too, don't they?"

That isn't to say anything of the sheer volume of unhinged, emotionally compromised assholes that are in here, and continue to ride in number, or the people who are, plainly said, dangerous. His own first encounter with Raven was proof enough of that.

[fogboundcrow]

"Whenever I do truly return, I'll be at the point I left them. They'll still get to see me grow."

But mentally, he'll be different. That he cannot deny.

[gorobo]

"But it won't be the same you as the one that left them," he says, "will it?"

He stares out into the sky; the sun is starting to set, an orange glow paintint the sky. Here and there, some stars are already becoming visible.

"... Well, again, you know how I feel about this place," he mutters. "Do whatever feels right, Raven. That's not up to me."

[fogboundcrow]

Oh. The sun is starting to set, isn't it? Raven looks up, ears twitching. "...Do you need me to move? I'm sure you have places to be."

He probably does, too.

[gorobo]

It doesn't escape Falcon the way Raven dodges the matter of leaving. Part of him wants to call Raven out on it, but it is as he said; it's not up to him.

Fuck knows he's dodging certain matters himself. That just seems to be standard Akechi practice.

He gives Raven a cursory pat, and lets out a small robotic noise that could, perhaps, pass as a sigh. He watches the candles in the pumpkins flicker for a moment before he replies.

"Honestly, I was just going to read a book after this," he says, "but I'm sure you hav a more exciting evening planned..."

What with Halloween, and all.