but she's a black magic woman

[topslug]

Who: topslug, goesberserk, and omnisciens.
When: Afternoon to Evening, October 31st
Where: Out and about the city, mostly in Sector 4.
Summary: It's Halloween, and Yako's all dressed up for trick or treat! Too bad her costume came with a little more than she bargained for. When the sirens ring and the detective turns into a witch, it's up to her hapless sidekicks to catch

Comments

DAYTIME: The Fairgrounds

[topslug]

[ For hayride shenanigans and other Halloween madness. ]

[topslug]

[ By the time Yako reaches the entrance of the Fairgrounds where she and Shizuo have agreed to meet, she hasn't had much luck finding any more candy to distribute-- mostly because she just ends up eating whatever candy she buys. Curiously enough, a few people have actually stopped her to give her some candy, which is a pleasant surprise. Of course, Yako ends up eating that too

[goesberserk]

[It's something of a mystery to Shizuo, how he got talked into this. It happened gradually, didn't it? From helping Yako find pumpkins to going to the carving to this. He's even had to ask off work early today so that he could come and meet the girl for the festivities, though his boss had little problem with that. Shizuo's found that consistent hard work usually leads to a lot of leniency when a time like this comes around

[topslug]

[ Yako's justification for the costume would probably be something along the lines of being a good witch or someone's fairy godmother, but really-- it's just an excuse to wear something different. After the masquerade, something easier to move in was definitely a priority.

The wolf-ears make spotting Shizuo easy enough, and though she's a little disappointed he's chosen to stick with the bartender outfit, she can't say she's surprised. ] Hey. [ She laughs, unable to resist the impulse to reach up and tug on one floppy, lupine ear. ] You look pretty good.

[ She's carrying a vaguely broom-shaped handbag to carry her candy in, though it's sadly empty at the moment. She can't help peering at him speculatively, as though he might spontaneously start laying candy corn. ] What do you want to try doing first?

[goesberserk]

[He's a little surprised when she reaches up and grabs for one of his ears, but allows it anyway. She clearly doesn't mean any harm, and he realizes that it's probably as weird for her to see him dressed up as it was for him to see her.

With that out of the way, he considers her question. There's a lot going on here and it's hard to keep track of everything, from the games to the haunted houses...]

You can decide. [He shrugs and pulls a piece of candy out of his pocket, unwrapping it.] This is all new to me, so it doesn't really matter either way.

[topslug]

[ Oh man, why did Shizuo have to bring out the candy. Now Yako wishes she had some. Ignoring her stomach's low gurgle (candy doesn't go much towards filling it, apparently) she perks up and glances around.

As though on cue, a cart drawn by a placid-looking donkey goes trundling by, piled high with hay and giggling children. It comes to a stop not too far away to let off its passengers, and Yako points over in its direction. ]

I think that's supposed to go around the fairgrounds, so why don't we get a ride on that? It'll give us a better idea of what else there is to see.

[goesberserk]

[That's a... donkey. Shizuo eyes it for a moment, watching as the children jump off and realizing that most of these activities seem to cater to a younger audience. Aren't they a little out of place?

Still, Yako seems to want to do it, and so he nods and draws up to the cart with her, ready to pay whatever the fee is for one ride.]

[topslug]

[ Pretty much the only people over the age of twenty are parents holding the hands of sticky-looking children. As they line up for the hayride, they're joined by teenagers who nudge and jostle each other in their costumes, laughing and talking loudly.

At the head of the line, the fee charged is a single dollar, collected in a battered looking tin. Once they've paid (Yako murmurs quiet thanks when Shizuo foots the bill, determined to pay for the next ride) they're left to choose a seat. ]

Front or back?

[goesberserk]

[Man, those kids are loud. Shizuo knows that young people tend to just be that way, but it's still kind of annoying. If they ruin this ride for them --!

He's distracted by Yako's question. While having to hear those kids jabbering on behind them might be grating, he thinks that the front will give them a better view.] Front. Come on. [He grabs for Yako's hand and helps her up.]

[topslug]

[ Apparently oblivious to whatever potential disaster-in-the-making she's just averted, Yako lets Shizuo help her up, settling herself gingerly on the hay bales. Luckily, none of the straw pokes her anywhere awkward, and she grins at Shizuo once she's settled.

Once everyone's on board, the driver clucks at the donkey and they trundle off, beginning to make a slow circuit of the fairgrounds' perimeter. According to the driver, their last stop will be Grayson's Orchards. Yako settles in for the ride, though she turns to Shizuo after a moment. ]

Er... You wouldn't happen to have any more candy, would you?

[goesberserk]

[It's not long before they're on their way, and Shizuo does his best to ignore the snot-nosed comments that the kids are making behind them. He'll just focus on Yako's voice and that should keep the anger at bay.

Actually, the weather is cool and crisp and strangely nice, so there's that upside too. And he's never ridden on a pile of hay before, so he has to admit it's a novelty. He smiles briefly at Yako before digging into his pocket and handing her a candy bar.]

I don't really get this holiday, but anything that involves a lot of sweet stuff is fine by me.

[topslug]

[ The candy bar, predictably, is received with a wide grin. Yako takes her time peeling the wrapper apart before she bites in, not quite managing to quell a soft hum of bliss. ]

I'm looking forward to when it's over. [ That might sound a little odd, but she adds-- ] Because a lot of the candy'll be on sale.

[ Despite its deceptively slow gait, the donkey actually manages a decent clip, and the cart jolts and shudders along the road. It makes Yako's shoulder bump into Shizuo's more than a few times, but she doesn't seem to mind. The teenagers seem to be making the most of it, throwing their arms up and pretending they're on a roller coaster ride. ]

[goesberserk]

[On sale? Now that Shizuo thinks about it, that makes sense. They have to get rid of all the leftover candy quick, so the stores are bound to sell it all cheap. That's something he'll have to keep in mind. He'll stop at one of the grocery stores tomorrow, then.

The ride is a bit rough, but they're also allowed to take in the whole crowd of people and the strange lights and decorations scattered around.]

Keep in mind the stuff that looks interesting. [They were going to need to remember where everything was.]

[topslug]

Okay. [ And so Yako turns her attention to their surroundings carefully. It isn't properly dark enough to appreciate the lights, but the fairgrounds makes a good go at it. The decorative lights are probably going to see much use as Christmas lights once the season rolls around.

Aside from the standard rides, there's a haunted house, a haunted trolley ride, plenty of game booths with a Halloween twist, and some kind of lucky dip where people can draw either a trick or a treat. Eventually, the fairgrounds gives way to the Orchards. As they skirt the perimeter, going around before they head back, the pumpkins and other seasonal produce inside seem to come alive, bouncing and spinning in their plots.

Probably just an animatronic trick, but Yako has to laugh. ]

[goesberserk]

[Some of those games look like the kind that Shizuo can win. He remembers how he won that prize for Maya when they went to the fair before, so maybe he can do the same for Yako. Maya got a kick out of it, so will Yako? Well, they'll check it out later if they get around to it.

The orchards look pretty impressive at the moment, though, with some of the pumpkins lit up and dancing around. Shizuo glances over when Yako laughs. This is all as new and special to her as it is to him, which makes it more enjoyable for both of them.

And those teenagers have calmed down a little, at least.]

Must have taken a while for them to set all of this up.

[topslug]

Looks that way. Seems they just like going all out. [ Yako remembers working in the Fairgrounds as a mascot-- earning her the "chicken girl" moniker from Tyki that she hasn't quite been able to shake. That had been pretty fun, though it wasn't a challenge to remember where to find eggs that were hidden with five-year-olds in mind.

The cart rolls around and starts heading back to the Fairgrounds proper, leaving the dancing pumpkins behind. It's a comparatively short circuit, which isn't surprising because they're still inside the city; maybe if it had been in the farmlands, the route would have been a little more scenic. When the cart creaks to a halt, Yako gets unsteadily to her feet, preparing to hop off. ]

Well, what next?