Trick or Treat!

[Kitai Yoru]

As the temperature begins to dip, and the nights become a little more crisp, everyone can once again feel the seasons start to turn. The people yearn for the magic of the holidays to lighten the mood and make the end of the year feel all the more special. Until the und of the month, anyone can post in this thread, going over their holiday plans for their characters. This can either be a treat for those around you, or for the regular humans of Karakura, or a trick for them, or the various orgs you feel like making mischief towards.

Unlike normal thread grading, these posts will reward you 1,000 Tp and 10,000 Ryo. The post or posts must equal up to 20 paragraphs, and must be on theme. You only get the rewards once per character. Happy Halloween!

[Ivan Raikov]

The cold drip of water on the back of his neck was what finally woke him up. An audible groan escaped him as he came to, his vision blurry as though he was waking up from a long nap. His head hurt. Everything was spinning. Another groan escaped him as he tried to lift his head, slowly becoming aware that he was slumped over, before realizing that he couldn’t lift himself up fully. Letting out a confused grunt as he tried once again, Ivan steadily began to realize that he wasn’t somewhere he recognized. The floor was pavemented like a public bathroom, with stone and broken pieces all over the floor. What was going on? One side of Ivan’s vision proved to be better than the other, prompting the Quincy to close his right eye so he could see a bit better. His head was foggy. Confused. Where was he?

Ivan purged his head up. There was a light snag before something broke loose. Ivan heard machinery moving all around him suddenly before with a heavy THUNK sound the lights suddenly came on. Obnoxious, bright, fluorescent lighting. Ivan was right. He was somewhere he didn’t recognize. He was in some sort of bathroom. Urinals, toilets, and sinks lined one wall. Ivan saw a bathtub behind him. Broken mirrors hung over every sink. A large puddle of dried blood painted the middle of the room with a dark brown color. Ivan also noticed a body in the room. A dried out corpse wearing a blue shirt and pants. ”What the fu-?” Ivan managed to mumble, before finally realizing the situation he was in.

It made sense now why Ivan had woken up standing up. As he came to he suddenly became aware of a ever growing sense of pain in his arms. So bad it caused him to wince. Looking to his right the Quincy blinked with surprise when he realized he was beind held up by a series of chains. A meat hook embedded completely into his upper arm. Bandages wrapped his bicep, stained red a bit from blood. Ivan yanked a little, wincing a bit from the pain, before looking over his other shoulder to see the exact same thing happened to his other arm. Meathooks through both of his arms held the Quincy upright. Where the fuck was he? What happened to him? Did Alistair have something to do with this?

The sudden sound of static yanked Ivan’s attention to a television that he hadn’t even noticed in the room up until this point. Black and white static covered the screen before suddenly cutting to an incredibly low quality creepy, white, puppet sitting in a darkened room. The puppet slowly turned its head to the camera before finally speaking once its face was in full frame. ”Hello, Ivan Raikoz, I’d like to play a game.” The camera zoomed in dramatically to Ivan’s face. ”You have made a habit of attacking those who seek physical improvement. Assaulting martial arts practitioners in their place of training. You who believes himself untouchable by the rules of society must be made to learn a lesson.” The puppet explained as Ivan started looking around the room. He spotted what looked like a large, sliding, metal door. Was that the way out?

”You have seventy-two seconds to rip the muscles that you are so proud of from your body. The means by which to do so have already been… imbedded within you. If you fail to do so then the bucket of hot molten bronze upon your head-” Ivan looked up, having not noticed the bucket there before ”will tip over and spill onto you. You’ll suffer an agonizing death as you become a statue of the Adonis that you are so desperate to become. Let the game begin.” the screen suddenly went back as a timer on the wall suddenly started counting down. Ivan blinked, looking at it, before finally letting out the pent up sigh he had been saving. Had he been drugged or something? When did that happen? Could have been when he was at at that bar? The restaurant? He wasn’t sure.

”Whatever.” the Quincy mumbled as he lifted his arms up and grasped the chains as high up as he could. Inhaling deeply, broadening his chest, Ivan suddenly yanked downwards with all his strength. The restraints held fast but Ivan felt them give a bit. He continued the pressure. Pulling down with everything he had before the chains were just yanked right out of the ceiling. With bits of the cement still stuck to the ends of the chains they hit the floor rather hard as Ivan stepped away from the bucket over his head, dragging the chains with hooks still in his arms across the room. The tv suddenly came back on, with the puppet back on screen, before it suddenly went ”Hold on that’s not how you’re supposed to solve the trap!”

Ivan swung the chain at the tv, smashing it to smithereens. He realized he’d need to keep the hooks in his arms, annoyingly, despite how much they hurt. He’d probably bleed to death if he took them out anyway. ”This is annoying.” he commented to himself, stepping around the large puddle of dried blood. Had the man wondering just what happened here. There was someone's body chained to a toilet after all. Approaching the metal door, Ivan placed his hand on it. The feeling of cold metal greeted the palm of his hand. Sliding his hands across the door to see if he could feel any grips, Ivan clicked his tongue and decided to opt for the old fashioned approach.

One kick, two kick, three kick, four. Ivan applied sledgehammer-like kicks to the door. Each one denting the door deeper than the last. Until, finally, with one solid spin kick the metal door was knocked from its hinges and fell to the floor with a loud bang. It opened up to some sort of maintenance tunnel. ”Am I underground?” Ivan asked himself aloud, stepping out of the bathroom prison he had been stuck in and into the tunnel. Water pipes lined the wall on either side. Every now and then a drop of condensation would hit the cold concrete floor. Ivan walked barefoot down the hall, grateful at least that whoever had kidnapped him had left him with some pants. Looking at the hooks in his arms, Ivan wondered how whoever it was that was behind this had gotten them in there.

Detaching the chain links from the hooks, Ivan let out a sigh that at least he wasn’t dragging anything anymore. One step after another until Ivan came to a bend in the tunnel. Peering down the corner, the man blinked with surprise when he saw what was awaiting him. Broken shards of glass filled the hallway wall from wall. Various sizes and colors. Ivan narrowed his eyes and stepped around the corner, suddenly realizing as he stepped forward his foot tugged on a cord that came loose. Looking down Ivan looked to see what tripwire he just tripped, before suddenly seeing a television swing down from the ceiling that he didn’t notice.

”You have survived the first test. But now you must suffer to learn your lesson. Day in and day out you run to escape a past that haunts you every day. But now you must suffer the pain of your actions. Walking through this glass will permanently destroy the feet that carry you through life. If you do not reach the end of the hall in seventy five seconds the flammable gas is filling the roar will be ignited. Good luck make your choice.”

”Huh?”

Looking down at the glass, then back at the tv, Ivan began working his pants off. ”Wait what are you doing?” the puppet on the tv asked. ”What do you think I’m doing?” Ivan asked, placing his pants on the ground and then standing on them. He’d start shuffling forward through the glass, avoiding damaging his feet. ”God damn it Amanda this trap sucks.” the puppet would complain as the screen went black. Reaching the other side of the hall and the door, Ivan stepped through after opening the door. Looking at the glass covered pants he had been wearing, Ivan decided to just keep going in his underwear. Those hooks were still in his arms.

Stepping through the door, Ivan blinked to find himself in what looked like a run down house. A crack house if you will. With obnoxiously yellow walls with peeling wallpaper. Smelled like cigarettes too. ”Where the fuck am I?” Ivan asked as he stepped away from the door under the staircase. Letting out another sigh, at least Ivan was closer to getting out. Stepping towards where he imagined the front door would be, Ivan made his way through the house to find the door completely boarded up with metal bars. ”Hmm.” Ivan mumbled to himself as he yanked on the bars a bit. They were sturdier than the metal door down below. For some reason. He would turn to find a flashlight sitting conspicuously on a night table. He picked it up.

Ivan’s heart pounded as he stepped inside the decaying house, its walls whispering tales of dread and abandonment. The air was thick with dust, and the scent of mold invaded his nostrils. Shadows danced eerily in the dim light that filtered through grime-covered windows, casting twisted shapes on the peeling wallpaper. Ivan moved cautiously, the creak of the floorboards under his weight echoing through the silence like a ghostly wail. Each step felt like a descent deeper into a long-forgotten nightmare. The hooks still in his fucking arms.

The house seemed to breathe with a sinister life of its own. Doors stood slightly ajar, as if beckoning him to uncover their secrets, while the broken tiles on the floor suggested a tumultuous past. Ivan's flashlight beam swept across the room, revealing a mix of old, broken furniture and scattered debris. His eyes caught the glint of something metallic half-buried under a pile of rotting newspapers, but he hesitated, a chill running down his spine at the thought of what he might find.

A sudden noise made Ivan's blood run cold. It sounded like the faint scraping of metal against metal, coming from the basement below. He gripped his flashlight tighter, the beam shaking slightly as his hand trembled. Reluctantly, he approached the basement door, its hinges rusted and the wood splintered. With a deep breath, he pushed it open, the door groaning in protest. The darkness beyond seemed almost alive, pulsing with an unseen menace.

Descending the creaking stairs, Ivan felt a wave of dread wash over him. The basement was a labyrinth of shadows, with only the narrow beam of his flashlight to guide him. His steps were slow and measured, his senses on high alert. The noise grew louder, more distinct, as if something – or someone – was deliberately trying to get his attention. The faint glow of his flashlight illuminating the darkness. And, finally, after walking a bit more of a distance Ivan would find what he was looking for. The door would close behind Ivan suddenly, locking him in, as Ivan turned to face who was waiting for him.

A figure standing in the center of the room wearing a black and red trench coat with a pig mask on their head. Hands held behind their back before they revealed themselves to be holding a rather large knife in their hand. Ivan leaned his head to the side and scrunched his face a bit at the person. ”What is this supposed to be?” the Quincy asked, turning to his right and beginning to pace the room. ”Punishment.” Ivan suddenly heard in the room, but not from the pig mask wearing individual. ”You have rejected the lessons my traps were supposed to teach you. You have cheated the game, Ivan Raikov. There is no salvation for you. You will die here. But I am no murderer. I find it distateful. But you cannot leave here alive. This is the final game, but you will lose. Goodbye, Ivan Raikov.”

The voice suddenly cut out as the Pig suddenly rushed Ivan with an oddly lion like roar. Flourishing their dagger in the air to try and throw Ivan off as they approached, closing the distance, making insane distance in seconds. As they got close, finally within reach to deliver justice to the Quincy, Ivan popped them right in the snot. The pig person fell backwards with a girlish shriek, grabbing at her face and letting out a pained and baleful moan. Rolling back and forth on their back, letting out moans, they thrashed around holding the part of the mask where Ivan hit. They sucked in air and let it out in a complaining moan. Ivan, standing there in a ready position, just sort of looked confused.

Rolling his eyes he walked over the person and started kicking them. Over and over again the side. ”What! The! Fuck! Was! All! This! Supposed! To! Be?!” Ivan shouted, with each word ending in a kick. He’d mount the pig person and start punching them in the head, finally tearing the mask off to see that it was a short haired junkie looking woman with a very bloodied face under the mask. ”Really?” Ivan asked, giving her one last punch before standing back up. ”Are we done wasting my time??” Ivan shouted into the room. Shaking his head and looking at the door across the room, Ivan decided that’s where he was going next.

—-----

A short time later

—----

As a bunch of kids in their Halloween costumes walked by the abandoned crack house in some non-distinct city in America, the boarded up window suddenly shattered as something was thrown through it. Right through the metal and wood. ”AAAAAAGGGGHHH” the puppet was thrown the window screamed as he went through the air before hitting the street. Getting back up almost immediately he turned to look at the window he was just thrown through. ”You can’t do this to me! I still have nine more movies!” he shouted right before jumping with panic at Ivan coming through the window after him. Manifesting a childs tricycle out of thin air, the puppet crawled on and started riding away. ”I will have my revenge Ivan Raikoz! The game is not over! I will see you in the sequel!” the puppet cried out before riding into an open manhole and screaming as he fell into the sewer.

Stepping out into the street, Ivan watched this stupid scene unfold and shook his head. How had this all happened anyways? ”I can answer that question.” came an oh so familiar voice that immediately made Ivan’s mood worse than it already was. With a massive scowl on his face Ivan turned to see his clearly drunk Captain standing way too close to him. ”Just predicting what you’re thinking. Nice meat hooks by the way.” he’d say before Ivan grabbed him by the color. ”Explain. Now. Before I shove your head up your ass.” Alexander smiled. ”It’s just a Halloween prank! I hired a serial killer who says he isn’t a murderer to put you through a series of tests that I knew you’d get through!”

”I don’t think that’s what happened at all…” Ivan commented. ”Really? Maybe I didn’t give him enough time. I did just sort of drug you and drop you off on his doorstep a few hours ago.”

”I hate you. I wish you’d die.”

”Happy Halloweeeeen~”

[Kitai Yoru]

1,000 TP and 10,000 Ryo awarded. 12 days left!

[Hoshi]

For a being that doesn't need to sleep, the past few weeks had been something of an existential crisis on his part. He was assisting in putting together an event, both in the planning and the actual heavy lifting to ensure that things went well. Best part, he'd managed to get the time off from Xcution to actually support this endeavor of his. But he hadn't let anyone know yet given he was going to put up fliers for it all around the Xcution break rooms, bathrooms, office boards, the works. You name it and he was going to put more and more fliers over all of it. Especially since part of the deal was they'd get benefits for showing up. So long as they took any of the tabs from the bottom of the fliers. Said fliers he had stacked in the corner of his room as he laid in his bed and stared up at the metallic ceiling above him in pitch darkness. BUT TODAY WAS THE DAY. IT was October 31st and he was going to paint the entire building orange and black if need be. And that wasn't a joke, he'd seriously considered painting certain hallways to bring up the festive spirit since he knew most of the folks in Xcution worked their asses off day in and day out.


His alarm clock went off and the lights above immediately turned on bathing the room in white fluorescent light. Hoshi jumped out of his bed and yelled out. "FINALLY ITS TIME TO SPREAD THE WORD! ITS TIME FOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA FESTIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" He immediately ran over to his closet ripped out a more on point Kimono, one he'd secreted away awhile back just for this occasion. It was predominantly orange for the kimono itself with black symbols and lines throughout it. It also came with a black haori that had grey-blue and orange flowers on it. It was perfect. He quickly changed into it, threw on some black wooden sandals and orange socks and then pulled up a mask of a jack-o-lantern and tied that to the side of his head. A quick look in the mirror and he chuckled mischievously. Its perfect. Now to go staple these fliers everywhere that aren't made of metal. Hehehehehe sorry in advance folks but you'll want to see this!



He then turned around grabbed a shoulder bag, stuffed all the fliers into said back, got a staple gun, sticky putty, and even a hammer and nail so once he was done with the inside of Xcution, he could throw out all the fliers into Karakura at large. It was, after all, only a matter of time before he schilled this street fair to the wider populace. His eyes shined with a dark gleam, knowing he was going to be a fucking menace today and there was nothing short of Shizuka bringing the hammer down on him that would stop him. Thus he raced to the door, waited for the double doors to open, and then ran to the first place he could think of. The newly installed spa room that had been installed. There was a board right out in the front about various events and affairs going on in Karakura. Sometimes it even had raffle prizes for those who used the spring frequently. It wasn't a place Hoshi frequented but he was willing to try his luck here anyway.


As Hoshi ran down the hallway his mind raced with several thoughts all at once. So after this I need to go to the company meeting rooms, place a few fliers on the boards there. Oh! I need to make sure I hit up the training room too because a LOT of folks go there so the earlier the better! Also gotta make sure I give some fliers to those who are in the hallways also. They gotta make sure to tell their friends! Maybe I can stop by a few cafe's and also ask to post a few fliers. Regina's and Cafe Madolche. Hmm. . . Kitai's shop may be good also so he and all his clones can know. I'm sure they'd like a day off. Heh, doubt Kitai'll give em one but ya never know. Oh I should definitely text Yuki and Scarlet about this too! I bet they'd LOVE to come! Maybe we could meet up at the fair tonight? One can hope oooooo but I also gotta work there at some point too. There's still a few vendors that need help getting set up. UGH SO LITTLE TIME AND YET I MUST CONTINUE TO RUN! AND THERE ARE MY FIRST TARGETS!


Hoshi immediately changed trajectory as he saw some R&D nerds and while normally he'd run the fuck away from them today was different. Today he was going to scare them into going. They saw him as he literally ran over and before they could say anything Hoshi shoved a flier into each persons hands, mentally taking note that he'd gifted them three flyers. More than enough for R&D since he wasn't going to go into there himself. He then spoke quickly, almost too quickly for them to comprehend but he was excited and he wasn't going to be stopped. The poor souls before him didn't even get a moment to recover until he was finished. "GOODMORNING!!SOWHATIHANDEDYOUISAFLIERTOASUPERCOOLEVENTTHATISHAPPENINGTONIGHT!ITSASTREETFAIRTHATISCELEBRATINGHALLOWEENANDIKNOWYA'LLAREBUSYANDALLBUTTRYTOTAKEABREAKDANDSPENDSOMETIMETHERE.TRUSTMEIT'LLBEGREAT!I'VEBEENHELPINGSETITUPSOICANVOUCHFORALLTHELOCALVENDORSANDGAMESANDSHOWSTHAT'LLBEGOINGON!ITSTARTSAT7PMANDGOESUNTILMIDNIGHTSOMAKESUREYOULEAVEEARLYENOUGHTOGETINTOCOSTUMEASWEHAVEACOSTUMECONTESTWITHSOMEAWESOMEPRIZES!ANYWAYGOTTAGOMAKESURETOLETTHEOTHERNERDSKNOWABOUTTHIS!!!"


With his spiel done and a couple minutes wasted, Hoshi immediately booked it off down the hallway. He smiled when he saw the door to the stairs and immediately jumped down the center area. Oh this shit would hurt if he went all the way to the bottom but he was gonna be alright given Air Ground was still good inside. Thus once he saw the correct floor number Hoshi smiled and threw a rebar down below him. Then brought it back up and had it create a platform for his legs. And honestly, it hurt like a sonuva but he could still move around so he wasn't going to stop. As he leapt to the door he needed and swung it open, he was met with the hallway that led to the spa area. He let out a loud "YES!" and raced to the double doors at the end of the increasingly warm hallway. As he slammed open the doors he spooked awake the current worker looking over the spa area. He smiled and slapped a few fliers down before giving the same speech. Once done he immediately began to run towards his next destination.


Xcution over the course of the next two hours was in an uproar solely due to Hoshi’s presence. Running without stopping between every major portion of the base. The meeting rooms, the break areas, the data collection center, the filing department, the financial division, hell he even went so far as to, as calmly as possible, walk up to Felicia at her desk outside Shizuka’s office and ask that a flier be given to Shizuka when she had a moment. And then there was the front business building. They did not escape Hoshi’s desire to spread the colors orange and black on every surface imaginable. Their break rooms, offices, restrooms, meeting rooms, and their base waiting area were covered with his fliers. And yet despite his best efforts he still had a quarter of his total flier count despite having given many away, stapled more, sticky tacked tens of hundreds, and hammer in a few fliers on bathroom stalls. As Hoshi finally walked outside the building and saw it was nearing noon he smiled darkly. “Ahhh yes, the BEST time of the day. NOON. THAT MEANS EVERYONE'S UP AND AVAILABLE! EVERYONE THAT I CAN NOW PESTER ACROSS KARAKURA TO COME TO THE FESTIVAL! But first thing’s first, I need to text Yuki and Scarlet." In a surprisingly calm manner he immediately busted out a text to each of them, the same text mind you but so hyper was Hoshi that he typed out the following TWICE.


“G’mornin to you! Tis I HOSHI, and I’m here to let you know about an event that’s happening today that you should absolutely drop everything you’re doing, after work, to make time for. It’s the Karakura Halloween Street Festival! Now, I just want to say I’m not only working there but I’ve also helped set it up this year. So you know it's going to be great! We’ve got a fuck ton of vendors for traditional foods, themed desserts, merchandise from across the country, and even the best kind of vendors . . . THE RAFFLE AND PACHINKO VENDORS! So come on over to the park at 7pm and prepare for a festival unlike anything else you’ve been to yet! Also keep in mind, there’s a costume contest where you can win a cash prize, the raffles also have cash prizes, and if you find out about the “secret questline” at the street fair, you could win even more fabulous prizes!~ Also if you want to visit me, just let me know, I’ll be working at a takoyaki stall from 7pm to 9pm. And then the rest of the night I’m free to hang! OH and I forgot to say the street fair is going on until 12am! So we’ve got all night to hang out and make it a night to remember! So yea make sure you show up and I hope to see ya! Remember, we got a LOTTA events going on so you won’t want to miss a second!”


With the text sent out now Hoshi had to find out just where he was going to strike first. He had Cafe Madolche, Regina, and the Kitai shop to stop at. And one of those was as close as is humanly possible to Xcution. He would head to Kitai’s shop immediately given he could get the clones to come. However he had to decide, was he going to give fliers to a buncha fliers to folks on the way? He was running out and he had to make sure that his three main stops had fliers for the event. He tilted his head to the side and decided that while it was important to let others know, he’d limit the fliers to the street lamps to make sure that folks at large could see them as opposed to givin em to people who may throw them away. He nodded and immediately ran up to the first street lamp he saw, pulled out tape in record time alongside a flier and slapped em both on the street lamp. Hoshi proceeded to stop at every. Single. Street lamp. On the way to the Kitai shop.


By the time he finally made it to the Kitai shop he had now half of his remaining fliers. I really needed to make sure I printed out more. Fuck me. Well I guess I’ll do every other street lamp or something like that. Maybe I’ll even go so far as to give Kitai a few fliers so he can make copies. Yeaaa that’ll work! Hoshi with his thoughts set straight damn near kicked open the door, slamming it on its hinges and the other side of the building as he walked in and immediately ran up to a very bored, and now mildly frustrated Kitai. Sadly it wasn’t the midnight worker Kitai. He really wanted to invite that one since he was on point. Ah well, he’d make due. As Hoshi walked up he heard the groan and eye rolls that this clone did before he got there. “Good afternoon dear customer. . . How can I or any of my “fabulous” associates help you get that which you desire most in the world? . . . Uugh WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA FOR AN OPENING COMMENTARY SEQUENCE!? When I find that little shit who did this I’m going to ren-” Hoshi ignored and subsequently interrupted the clones ranting as he slapped down a few fliers and start speaking quickly and loudly to all the kitai’s in the room.


“GOOD MORNING! I BET YA’LL KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS YEA??!? IT’S HALLOWEEN! AND THAT MEANS THERE’S STUFF GOING ON! STUFF THAT FOR SOME REASON THE FAMOUS KITAI SHOP ISN’T PART OF! *GASP* BUT I’M HERE LET YOU KNOW SO THAT WE CAN ALL ENJOY TOGETHER THE FESTIVAL! Also I need your help putting up more fliers around town because I’m running out but I’m certain you can make more with whatever stuff you have here. AND it’s a street festival that's going on so you all can join and enjoy yourselves. Wouldn’t that be more fun than simply being hidden away in here? Anywho here’s the fliers and if you guys decide to join up lemme know, I can have an area set aside for ya’ll if you want the Kitai shop to be at the festival.” No sooner had the words Hoshi had spoken left his mouth did he start to feel a rumbling in the entire building.


The clone before him attempted, in the meantime, to roll his eyes, head, neck, and general upper body into the back of his eye sockets if only to ensure he wouldn’t be present for what was going to happen. Sadly, he couldn’t do that. Instead all were subjects to hearing the sound of a door being slammed open from somewhere deep within the building. Distinctly below the main floor. The shaking increased dramatically once that sound had passed. Some of the various bobble heads for sale on the shelves even fell down to the floor only to find the floorboards ripping themselves apart to reveal the original Kitai being brought up into the room by what looked like an automated jack that was spinning him around in circles. Once he was a good few feet up above the floor he immediately turned his head, with a gleam in his eye towards Hoshi and almost frantically spoke up. “You're telling me today is an excuse to overcharge people with definitely high quality goods because its a holiday?! AND I WASN’T INFORMED UNTIL NOW?! WHICH ONE OF YOU IDIOTS WASN’T KEEPING TRACK OF THE FESTIVALS?!"


Hoshi, uncertain how to react to someone having more energy than him about his own event, simply spoke plainly and far more quietly than he had been earlier. “Well yes and you can make even more money by joining in the costume contest and raffles. Hell there's even a wager between vendors as to who will sell the most products. Apparently money is involved in that too. So there’s a lot of ways to make money today if you and the clones feel like showing up. BUT you have to let me know so I can prep a space for you and you have to sell festival things or halloween things. Nothing else, unless you're selling food. In which case, do what you want. But yea, it starts at 7pm and goes on until midnight so feel free to show up!” Hoshi by the end was regaining his energy and becoming hyperactive again only to have Kitai immediately have literal eyes made of Ryo replace his previously very living and very present eyes.


Kitai spoke quickly, frantically, with a mind moving faster than the bank accounts he was planning on draining. “Absolutely YES we’ll be there! Ughh you . . . person. . . fiery person. . . with the rebars . . . who has gotten insurance on his rebars. . . RIGHT RIGHT HOSHI, yes Hoshi, we'll absolutely be there and spread the word! Now GIMMIE THOSE FLIERS! We’ll make so many that Karakura will be orange and black before this afternoon. How else can we make sure our fine wares get sold to the unsuspecting. CLONES GET MOVING WE HAVE A STALL TO SET UP! SO HELP ME IF I FIND ONE OF YOU SLACKING I'LL FILL THOSE SLIP AND SLIDES YOU CALL SKULLS WITH NICKELBACK FOR THE NEXT CENTURY ON REPEAT!" Hoshi watched as half of his remaining stack was yoinked from his shoulder bag and the original Kitai was spinning down past the floorboards, which subsequently resealed itself.


With a nod Hoshi immediately ran out the front door, slamming it behind him only to hear more groans from the clones. Many of which were already mildly annoyed that they now had to shift gears almost immediately from a slow day to a race to get things set up for the fair. Hoshi couldn’t help but laugh as even though it was going to be a bit quick and rushed, he knew the clones would enjoy the time off because only so many could run a stall. It wasn’t like Kitai was going to literally make a building or anything in the park.There just wasn’t space for it . . . Or was there. Hoshi looked behind him with a bit of concern. No . . . He wouldn’t . . . . . . He would. He might. And I just instigated that. WHELP. TIME TO PUSH ON THE REGINAS! With that Hoshi blitzed his way to Regina’s at mach speed, especially compared to how he was when making his way to the Kitai shop. He was only putting fliers on every fourth or fifth street lamp he saw given how few he had. Making his running time fucking quick as hell.


Sadly though he was running out of time and had to make sure to hit up Cafe Madolche as well as the fair grounds to make sure that he let the lead person know he got another vendor last minute. Thus Hoshi ran in, and made sure to not slam the door given it was made mostly of glass, before smacking down a few fliers onto the countertop of the tea shop. Then he spoke quickly to Ailene, words slamming into one another and his tone a bit tired given he was basically speaking and breathing heavily the entire day. “OKSOIDON’THAVEMUCHTIMESOI’LLGIVEYOUTHEJIST.THERE’SASTREETFESTIVALGOINGONINTHEPARKANDYOUSHOULDDEFINITELYCOME.ITSGONNABEFUNANDWEHAVEALOTTAEVENTS!ANDYOUCANSELLSTUFFTHEREIFYOUWANTJUSTFINDMEWHENYOUGETTHEREIFYOUWANNASELLTHINGSANDI’LLMAKEITHAPPEN.ITSTARTSFROM7PMANDGOESUNTILMIDNIGHTSOYOU’VEGOTSOMETTIMETOPREPARE!ALRIGHTGOTTAGO,HOPETOSEEYOUTHERE!”


Were Hoshi human, he’d be exhausted from nearly nonstop running. Thankfully he was a mod soul in a gigai body and he functionally didn’t tire unless he spent most of his spiritual energy. And while he’d definitely used movement a few times, he was pretty much still going as strong as he was this morning. But with the clock striking 4pm he was cutting it real close by the time he made it to Cafe Madolche. Thankfully it was close to the park so he wouldn’t have to worry too much about making it over just that he didn’t have much time to tell Ludwig about what was going on. By the time he slammed open the door Ludwig was already there and smiling at him. Surprisingly he seemed expected and there was even a cold drink waiting for him. Ludwig simply chuckled and motioned to the drink as he spoke. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that you are spreading word about a street fair going on tonight eh? It's a good thing you let me know, I’ve got all these desserts made for halloween and I wasn’t sure what to do with them. But now I can share them with others. Not to worry though, I’ve already called up Mr. Fujimotto, so I've got a stand ready. But I appreciate you making your way here so I can set up a few fliers. Do you have any left?”


Ludwig merely chuckled as Hoshi immediately ran to the drink, sucked it down, and promptly slapped the last few fliers onto his counter. With a nod of his head while he looked them over he quickly collected the jist from the fliers. Hoshi however just wanted to make sure of a couple things were made clear to Ludwig since he was the last person he was going to stop and talk to about the street fair. “Good to see you know most of it already! So just to be on the same page here’s the highlights then! 7pm - midnight tonight is when the fair starts. In your case if you need any help setting up I’ll be heading over soon so just let me know. Also there’s a wager going on between the vendors on who can sell the most, and Kitai is coming. So prepare for a hard fought wager haha! Beyond that we have a buncha events so make sure you take some time to enjoy the festival yourself! Also we got a costume contest happening so if you fancy your chances feel free to come dressed up! There’s prizes for winning! With that said I’m heading over now so I’ll see you there!”


With that Hoshi finally ran his way over to the park space where many stands were already in the process of being built up. Folks were decorating the entrances and exits with balloons of all fall colors, stages were being made, speaker systems set and tested throughout the park, and folks were already designating parking zones for those who weren’t people that lived in the city. Hoshi was wildly excited and was about to bounce to the first person he saw that needed help when he saw Mr. Fujimotto who was inspecting a few of the nearly completed stalls. “SIR! SIIIIRRR I GOTTA TELL YA SOMETHING IMPORTANT!!”/color] Mr. Fujimotto turned his head confused before realizing who was running over and yelling at him. The man was in his sixties and had long since dealt with energetic children, thus he smiled at Hoshi and laughed when he saw the shoulder bag and the remains of tape rolls, a half empty box of nails, a hammer, and other tools. “Good evening Hoshi, looks like you’ve been busy. Any chance you were able to put up some fliers around today? Also what do you need to tell me? Is it a last minute vendor?”


Hoshi nodded quickly and spoke about as quick as his pulse was. “Sir, Kitai is joining our fair and is going to need a space for his stall when he shows up. Also he’s bringing friends in matching costumes and they’re helping spread the word! I also posted up fliers on . . . well a lot of street lamps, in the major cafes, and my workplace so everyone should know about the fair today! Been a lotta running sir but I’m ready to help out and then work the Takoyaki stall!” Mr Fujimotto just chuckled as he imagined Hoshi running literally around all of Karakura at a dead sprint considering he knew first hand how deadset Hoshi was in making the fair a success. When he spoke he couldn’t hide back the joy he had and wrapped an arm around Hoshi’s neck as he leaned in. “Well if you’re that eager to work then let's put you to work! You’ve done great in spreading word so don’t worry about Kitai, I’ll make sure he gets his spot. As for you honestly? Pick a spot and go help the vendor there. We got a lot who don’t know a nail from a drill bit and who could use all the help they can get. Also make sure the vendors aren’t rigging their games yea? Some of em want to do that and it’ll look bad on us if they do.” As he leaned back he saw Hoshi give him a salute and then ran off immediately to the stall behind him. With 2 hours and some change to go, the fair was going to be here in no time. And without a doubt, the biggest event Karakura would have this year if all went right. Mr. Fujimotto only hoped that it attracted as many people as Hoshi put out fliers. But for now, he had work to do and inspections to make so while Hoshi worked on helping the vendors he returned to his duties.

[Claramond Althaus]

<sub>This was not the situation that she had expected to find herself in. From what she could remember being as normal sized to what looked like a plush doll, Clara was astonished, and honestly scared seeing what the reflection was casting on her. What was suppose to be a cold night was something that she did not seem to feel. It was neither cold or hot despite the change in the season, looking on and about with the decorations that illuminated the city. Pumpkins in all manner of different materials put on display from paper to the actual fruit, being plastered on windows to serving as candle lit ornaments for the hauntings to come. Was this all a dream?

The Mod Soul's memory was fragmented, scattered with bits and pieces painting a story board that expanded to what seemed to be her life. The changing in shapes of the vehicles she saw driving through paved streets and towering buildings did not match from what she can recall. The cars of now appeared to be more sophisticated in their shapes. Smoothed and compacted compared to the clunky robust appearance that she could remember. The buildings around were more glamourous, holding a technological marvel to them from two story buildings that she last saw. Nothing was as it appeared to be. Yet, what did remain was the celebration that was ongoing, with people dressing themselves in attire to be that as monsters. This Clara can remember.

The tiny footsteps of the bear were silent if not muffled by its own material as the girl wandered about at the edge of the sidewalk. Lots of people bustling from place to place collection the treats that were being passed about in the commercial stores. Small wrapped treats with lots of sugar were waiting to be opened. Children swarmed these spots by the dozens, and at times with accompanying adults too. Hands wrestled with others to grap what they could while others waited for their turn in line. Clara did not really attend these open events, participating in the manner in which many of the other people did. Gathering treats for the end of the night, no. Socializing with peers with warm drinks or deserts, no. Clara could not remember much of her past, merely with the clumps of memories that she had remaining did she know she didn't participate in the same way.

Clara was honestly looking for something. Something that she felt was lost as whatever had plagued her now caused this sudden transformation. She knew that the body she resided in now was not her own. To be a stuffed animal such as this was in the realm of witchcraft or something. To find herself in the plush cuddley, soft and squishy figure did not match anything to what she was really like. Crimson hair. Dark skin. She remembered that she was in a dark place with lots of trees and a body of water before waking up in a dark alley way in this palm sized toy. At first, Clara believed herself to be hallucinating. Children coming by to see her walking on her own scared them, especially when she decided to run towards them in full sprint to ward them away. This was not the polite thing to do, but given the circumstances the Mod Soul had to play tricks to keep people from taking her.

No, what Clara did remember was not being as she is now, but as everyone else around her was. Walking tall with two long legs rather than nubs. Hair that kept her warm instead of unresponsive ears. Well, ear and a half. A small shaped nose instead of a small cute mound with a bean. Everything was off about her, but strangely enough she felt normal about it all. The sensation that passed over Clara was not of being foreign in the body. Not as foreign as she felt in a city that she did not recognize. But calm. Despite the drastic change to herself what the Mod Soul felt was comfort. Another group of children ran towards her, with bags of treats in hand looking to claim an abandoned toy on the side walk. Clara quickly shifted her stance, with paws lifted into the air, and charged. The group of children scurried away, frightened at what was a terrifying sight of a toy seemingly move on its own.

What more could she have done?

Hiding behind a vending machine, the Mod Soul pondered a bit as to what could have left her in such a state. Was it truly witchcraft? Was she experimented on? Did she die and reincarnate? A lot of questions were filling her head as strangely as her comfort with her current state did not waiver. What the Mod Soul had to do was locate the place that she remembered, looking for the place with trees and a large body of water. She remembered that she resided there surrounded by towering lights before she fainted, and became this toy. Nothing in which leading to this point made sense to the girl, but finding herself would perhaps lead to some answers. And the best means to do so meant acting as part of a terrifying doll.

This was easier said than done, as being the season to embrace the supernatural what was suppose to be terrifying, and scary became a point of humor and fascination. This is what the older age group came to see when Clara approached them. The words that were spoken went among with technology and engineering. Some of the people that Clara encountered were amazed that someone developed a toy that could operate on its own and move around to greet people. Others believed her to be something of a "remote controlled" toy. While children often became afraid of was suppose to be an inanimate object, the older Humans saw Clara as a genius scare tactic. Some Humans saw the Mod Soul as cute. Other Humans saw Clara as a possessed toy. She preferred to be feared than to be chased to be studied.

The trick into keeping herself safe was primarily the fear of being a possessed object. Exhibiting habits of something a toy would be incapable of doing. One such notion came with running at people as she did with the children. This did work a number of times, but then again it did so on children. Seeing a toy that they could control and operate turn quickly into something that could act on its own put the thought of fear into their minds. Slowly moving about. Turning her head to face in their direction after appearing lifeless. Small and subtle movements that she can do to create the sense of eeriness worked like wonders. And also worked as a method of quick transport with a swift punt into the air.

Some of the adults became generally creeped when looking to impound the small toy. Perhaps wondering to return it to its owner, with the quick realization that it was operating on its own caused the stress to sink in. Being a small toy in a darkened corner of a street did cause the atmosphere to match for what Clara intended to do when approached. With half of the results being met with running away and the other being running towards her with a kick to the face. Thus far she had come into contact with five total shoes that had her meet with two walls, one car, one open space, and one tree. While there was no pain involved, surprsingly, it was no less infuriating that she had to shake off the sensation of nausea from the amount times she had spun or flipped upon descent. It was not fun.

However, being sent flying into a tree actually did wonders for the Mod Soul. Upon recovering on the tree branch did the scene in her memory come to match to what she saw. A few blocks away was there an area covered with trees, and a single water source that was shaped. She looked onward, seeing if any of the trees were positioned from what she can recall. To Clara's surpirse that the water and a few of the trees were an exact match. Thus, Clara made her move, flopping off the side of the branch, and head first into the ground. Luckily she could not feel pain or this journey would have been something of insanity.

Clara made as much trouble as she could on her way to the park. Chasing children around corners. Hiding behind bags of packaged deserts to jump scare unsuspecting adults. Kicking over a soda can with her small nub of a foot. Clara could not waste time being chased by people to deter her from her destination. The Mod Soul did run into the ocassional kick again that made her land on a cecement fence line, elevating her to stay clear and away from a majority of the people on the neighborhood streets. Although, there was a cat or two that the Mod Soul had to kick out of her way to move forward.

Dogs barked from down below her striding from house to house, knowing that the ruckus would alarm the home owners to stir within their confines. Children that scare easily move away on the adjacent street on the opposite side of the barking, while those drawing an eye to the shadow moving on the fences. On an average day the Mod Soul would be attracting too much attention to be able to move freely. In the light of day her movements would be slow to best remain out of sight. But with the day of monsters and ghouls and witches to breath the night here, the Mod Soul moved almost as easily as she pleased.

This was a night that fitted most to what the Mod Soul was. Playing tricks on the mind, and sense of reason, being the night of tricks and treats made the supernatural blend into the environment easily. The circumstances were made perfect to venture out and find the answer that she sought out, awaiting for the sun to vanish and the night to embrace the city with its cloak. Pumpkins remained lit even in her path, climbing over to the opposite side and vanish with the shadows of the next house. Clara moved fluidly from house to house, keeping caution of those who were easily able to reach her height.

The tricks were only as good as those who were easily fooled. At times the Mod Soul was suspected to being another cat, venturing through the night exploring or looking for its next meal. Possibly, a place of comfort before resting its eyes for the new day to arrive. With the focus being mainly on the event, with the doll moving further out of sight made traveling much more easier. The edge of the park neared with only a busy street keeping her from her goal. Her beaded eyes skimmed the level below, seeing people swarming the side walk awaiting for the opportunity to cross. An impossible task for Clara to sneak her way across, sighing with a bit of agitation of both her small stature, and to the fact she was too close to wait. She had to confirm immediately whether or not the park was what she remembered.

Looking onward, the Mod Soul skimmed once again to find a means of crossing. Her eyes darted from person to person. From bag to bag. To child to child, seemingly observing their belongings for a means to blend in, or perhaps to be carried. Clara taking a moment to observe her own form could only remark as to how small she was than that of an average sized teddy bear. Nearing the stature of a plush toy to that of a imginary friend, she could easily fit into a grocery bag, or a backpack without taking half of the interior space. Thus, she spotted a young girl that had her back inching towards the paralleled wall, and away from traffic. Clara knew what had to be done.

Now, this was not something that Clara found to be pleasing. What was required was to latch onto the child as the sidewalk light allowed passage. With hopes that the child would not notice the Mod Soul dangling off of her backpack, or any other person noticing as a matter of fact, would allow the Mod Soul safe passage across. To Clara's surprise that the child nor her accompanying mother did not notice Clara's descent. Her size being nearly unnoticed by the small girl when catching onto the rear of the child's bag, nearly being light as a feather made of cotton and whool. There was no tug upon her landing, or that the child was too excited to notice the sudden brace of impact behind her. Still, it was a good situation for Clara.

However, it was too good to be true. Clara had no grip on the girls bag, forcing her to motion further and further to the top of the child's backpack. Her own sudden shift in her pawless grip only caused the Mod Soul to be caught in the corner of the girl's eye. A sudden moving object in a crowded setting, with an foreign object moving on its own accord stirred an immediate response from the girl. The girl ran. Pushing through, and past the legs of the adults with mother in tow. Frantic and terrified at the object that motioned about on her bag the girl shifted in her posture and fell to the grassy floor, with Clara rolling into the bushes for cover. She didn't want to remain in the area to be caught by the eyes of the people. So, she continued onwards clinging to the bushes, and towards the water at the center.

Clara sighed again, wishing for the night to come to an end already. Seeing places that she did not recognize was already nerve wracking on its own. Not knowing anyone, or even where she was in general caused her own mind to see monsters in the dark corners of the trees. People ran about on the paved walk ways through the bushes and trees, scattering as they attended to the events that spurred on more frantic running for tricks and treats. Clara remained in the shadows, gazing out at the growing crowd of participants. The Mod Soul exhaled, probing the shadows once more for the spot she remembered.

There was a lot on her mind. Lots of questions that she had no idea as to where to begin. What happened to her? Why was the Mod Soul in the city? How did she get there in the first place? The gaps in memory only caused Clara more grievances as to wonder how did everything come about? She needed answers. She needed to find herself and figure things out. Clara did not know how things would play out, whether her condition was due to a curse, witchcraft, a dream possibly? There were too many questions, and the exhaustion was settling in. She wanted to forget everything that happened tonight.

Through the shadows the water came into sight. With lights shining on the opposite side the Mod Soul turned, and looked about. Trees aligned to what she remembered. The bushes that were shaped in a similar fashion to what she could recall what seemed like nights before. Through the leaves and brush, bits and pieces came back to mind. A tired sensation that made her stumble in the darkness of the thick brush. Bags of trash against a cement wall made for a good cushion, and a place to rest. The aroma wasn't something to like, but it made it so no one would approach. There, in the darkness of the brushes did she see the small disposal area. A small "U" shaped structure made for holding dumpsters and other containers resided. And within a single body laid.

Clara could not see properly, but recognized the shape. Short red hair. Tanned dark complexion. A uniform that made it seemed refine. This was Clara. She was looking at herself, sleeping. Sleeping? If she was truly looking at herself, then who was "she" that was looking at her? Among all the tricks that could be played tonight, this was by far the strangest. Clara did not know what to think, but only to rest. And hopefully, as she clung to the body, when she woke up the next morning that things would be clearer.</sub>

[Akio Naito]

As October had gone on, Akio had spent more time than usual crafting. At first a costume, and then one thousand and six gifts he intended to give away. A resource-intensive project that pushed his limits in novel ways and took the edge off from the extra stress his work provided during that month in particular. He'd barely been able to build it all in time, but in the end everything had worked out. Over the course of thirty days, he had overcome all obstacles to making the most of what he knew would arrive at the end of the month. Or at least the supplies; there was a matter of following through on the day of the event itself. The gift was in the act of giving, after all, not in the crafting that made it more fitting for the seasonal aesthetic.

And so the strange western version of Bon known as Halloween had returned, bringing orange and purple decorations to Karakura. Not that Akio cared much for the foreign festival; it was merely a time to sulk about not being invited to parties he wouldn't have enjoyed and an excuse to dress up with just a bit less of the fear of judgmental stares that he lived with for the rest of the year. But now that he'd learned a wide enough spread of crafting skills from his attempts at replicating quincy items, he had capitalized on that excuse more than ever before with nostalgic cosplay. It was nothing too elaborate; the white shoes, pink-brown jeans, and white v-neck were all store-bought. The effort had gone into sewing the sleeveless ribcage-pattern hoodie, sculpting the wings from foam and spray painting them, and an unwise amount of metalworking to make the wallet chain, with its links alternating between large rings containing crosses and small empty rings. He considered getting to wear it a good night, even with no party to go to.

The lack of any work-related party was for the best. The most his coworkers at the Time Castle ever did was gift each other candy and collectively work to ignore the worst of Le Comte's gloomy and sarcastic approach to the holiday, which would have made any corporate party a miserable experience for all involved. None of them knew what about the holiday caused such a shift in the bount, but they'd collectively resolved to stay quiet and help each other to avoid the worst of Le Comte's attention until the event had passed. They had both given Akio kitkats this time, though they were different flavors, with apple pie from Katsuo and sweet potato from Tetsuhiko. He'd given them both black thunder in matcha and fermented butter flavors. Original flavors and repeats of last year's gifts were seen as an insult at the castle; that was part of their tradition.

He hadn't really thought about where those traditions had come from; only his coworkers took them seriously so far as he could tell, but maybe they were unspoken rukes of the holiday? Trick and treat—that pair of words had implied the surprise of what you got was a core part of the experience, after all. Of course, Akio being what he was, he'd not only planned all his gifts around that but also restrained himself to myriad flavors of one fairly popular chocolate to ensure there would be no accidental repeats when or if he did this again in a future year. Last year had been mochi; this year was black thunder, and next year would have to be something else. No point in committing to a plan for next year when he hadn't even followed through with this one.



On his way to his first destination of the night, Akio took the long way in the streets for a while, basking in the seasonal atmosphere while trying to convince himself that the gift he was delivering to the Uzaki Enterprises building was logical, sensible, and sane. A single, standard-sized chocolate was far from excessive, but maybe the accompanying message may have been seen as a threat. Passing a pumpkin lantern topped with a jaunty hat soothed his fears by a touch; if there was any day that a small reishi construct that couldn't hurt anyone if it tried was an appropriate messenger to Karakura’s top gun dealer, it was the one devoted to this American thing called Halloween. Maybe they would even like it enough to ask for a similar messenger construct for their own use?

He left the box at the front desk, unsure if Kazura would ever actually receive it. A simple orange rectangle tied shut with a purple ribbon, when opened, a plume of white smoke would pour out, followed by a small golden rabbit with gleaming red eyes. The artificial spirit would proceed to leap towards the Uzaki CEO, tell them, "Happy Halloween, Mr. Uzaki!" and then disappear in a shimmer of light with only a single white black thunder bar left behind. The paradoxically named white chocolate-coated version had been a safe option—not an original flavor but nothing so exotic that it would potentially go uneaten. With that first treat delivered, he walked back outside and into the streets for the next treat's destination.

With the cool night air surrounding him, he continued on. Akio stopped to look in a store's window, looking at a display of plush bats posed with flyers explaining the holiday sale offerings. They were actually pretty cute beyond their seasonal theme; maybe that had been because of their style, or maybe it had been that or his affection for ball pythons had started to blur at the edges and include other stereotypically creepy animals? That question rapidly grew into another head on the hydra of anxieties he'd been trying to ignore during the holiday. Tonight was for dated video game cosplay and giving away candy, not getting eaten alive by the usual tangle of fears and regrets. A deep breath, followed by the faux shutter snap of a smartphone picture to preserve the display, then he continued along his route. The last thing he needed was to end up giving late gifts the day after.

The Perfect Broth had been his second stop, and Akio had taken the time to enjoy a bowl of ramen before he handed over the gift intended for Asmoskon and his disciples, enjoying the soy sauce broth's flavor, which was deep yet not heavy, savory but not saline. The gift he'd left on his way out consisted of a single box much like the one he had left at Uzaki Enterprises, save that when opened it would release not one spirit rabbit but three, leaving three black thunder bars in their wake, two being roasted soybean flavor and the third being strawberry. A treat to make up for past misunderstandings, paired with a trick that may well have caused more. Not that the young man wearing fake wings was aware of the latter aspect of his deed.

That checked off the important gifts; he hadn't known how to contact anyone else he'd considered for a more personal gift, let alone an idea of where he could meet them to hand it over or even a place they frequented where he could have left it for them. Besides, would a living god like Kawada actually want holiday chocolate? Ironically, the actual spirits and monsters would be the ones he had the hardest time including in his Halloween plans. At best he'd bump into one of them and surprise them with one of the generic rabbit shikigami in person, but more realistically he'd be giving most of them to strangers when he got to the park and maybe one or two leftover to give away during the walk home.

Out into the streets again, he wandered closer to the park where he'd planned the final of tonight's treats... and found his way barred by a street that had turned into a river of blood. Or at least a convincing mockup; the look and scent were right, but there were places where puddles or droplets had clearly been there quite a while and hadn't dried out like the real thing. Maybe this was an elaborate prank of some kind? Akio tried not to dwell on the scene as he turned back and tried another route, following a trail of flyers that led to the park he frequented, where he found he had accidentally wandered into a more traditional festival setup. Lines of stalls continued into the distance, and crowds of people wandered about in costume.

He quietly made his way through the festival until he found an empty space marked out for some stall or other that had failed to show up. That made it ideal for his purposes. He'd needed a position where he would be clearly visible yet not be in anyone's path so as to avoid injury to anyone during the initial setup. That coincidental arrangement of events gave him just that much more confidence in what was probably a bad idea—confidence that drove him to step into that small rectangle of a festival stall that never was, take a deep breath, and stretch out. What followed was a moment of silence to read reishi flows in the air; once the currents became clear, he launched into an archery kata performed without a bow.

A ritual, almost dance-like but clearly derived from a martial art at its core. Graceful movements that began to align the atmospheric reishi of the park to his stance and breath. A series of parrying motions in the direction of the flows that were less in line with his intentions brought a slight shift to the wind as he forced them into a less disruptive arrangement with the most primitive form of external reishi manipulation possible, while a series of evasive maneuvers had strengthened those that were already properly aligned. From an outside perspective, it looked like a cross between a religious dance and defending himself from an imaginary opponent without fighting back. Then he raised the imaginary bow and drew back at a string that wasn't there.

At the moment an arrow would have been fired, thick ribbons of deep blue reishi rose from the earth and began to flutter in the breeze. Unlike most spiritual phenomena, these were plainly visible to even the least aware of mortals—a technique originally made to induce an awakening in someone with lesser spiritual potential or even none at all—the first technique Akio had ever learned. But just for tonight, he had twisted it to the purpose of making his other spiritual arts visible to an audience of however many he would be able to draw. Besides, wasn't this supposed to be a festival of spirits and monsters? If that was really true, then surely he was acting in the spirit of it in doing this. If it wasn't, well, best not to think of that right now.

A few sets of eyes had already turned to him, seeing the young man surrounded by billowing blue ribbons that grew from the earth itself. The spiritually aware would see him rising several meters into the air supported by a spire of reishi-based rock, but the unaware would only see a shimmering blue tower like luminous bluebell blossoms fluttering in the wind. With a sweeping motion of his hand, he activated several more messenger rabbits that he'd prepared in advance, each small artificial soul dashing to a stranger and telling them "Happy Halloween!" in a cheery voice before vanishing and leaving a black thunder bar in one of a variety of flavors in their place. No original flavor, of course. Even with strangers, he still followed that policy.

Another deep, calming breath, he glanced down at the growing crowd below. Expressions of wonder and terror surrounded him, though thankfully the latter had responded by fleeing his incredibly blatant conjuring rather than trying to start any fights. When it came to magic, there were probably easier ways to achieve a high perch like the one he'd just claimed, levitation for one, but growing a stone spire from the ground had been easier simply because that was something Akio had already known a method to achieve. Quietly, he waved down at the people beneath, an overly dramatic gesture to ensure all of those gathered could see it clearly. If it weren't for the costume and the feeling of safety that came with being a good few meters off the ground, he wouldn't have been able to bear this many eyes watching his every move.

“Lu-li-lu, li-la-la.” Not a song, so much as a short, catchy jingle. With another sweep of his hand, even more of the rabbit-shaped shikigami, visible only as glowing blue silhouettes to the ordinary people of the town, rushed out to deliver their holiday messages and assorted flavors of the only candy he had thought to give away. He smiled down as he watched a group of children trade theirs back and forth, clearly trying to find an arrangement of flavors that pleased all of them with the combination of flavors given. The need to trade with others to get a better match had been deliberate, as the second wave of rabbits had avoided anyone who'd already been gifted, even if they had rejected whatever flavor they had. As Akio saw it, he'd been helping people to connect.

The young man began to notice he'd been receiving cheers and applause in return, something only his released self would have enjoyed, though he'd found himself far less uncomfortable knowing this was a special occasion. A brief, beautiful night that would melt away and vanish, taking this glory with it, was aligned to his style more than any kind of lasting praise would have been. And so he continued on, conjuring rabbits twenty at a time and sending them racing up to festivalgoers to let them hear "Happy Halloween!" Each wave had been just as cheery in their high-pitched voices as the last. Then Akio would wait a minute or two for more people to arrive before repeating the process.

It wasn't much of a magic show; he only repeated the single trick over and over; the lightshow of spirit ribbons and flower petals illuminated him; the not-quite levitation of sitting atop a pillar of what seemed like light to the unenlightened and delivering chocolate with the ephemeral artificial souls. Even so, this was his gift to the people, and he would give them the best he had, which turned out to be twenty waves of conjuring; he'd only prepared one thousand shinigami for the occasion, and every last one had been used up along with well over double the amount of spiritual power he could actually contain. He'd only managed it by relying on the quincy ability to absorb reishi to replenish their reserves, and only to such a degree by virtue of it being a calming repetitive action he got lost in for the few hours his act had lasted.

Once the end had come, Akio sighed quietly and gave one last wave to the crowd below. "Thank you, happy Halloween." Slowly, carefully, he maneuvered his way down the stone pillar he had built. The blue light dimmed as he descended to the ground he hadn't touched in hours, and the ribbons gradually sank into the earth from whence they came. Their blessing of making spirits visible guttered out like a candle in a jack-o-lantern the moment he took a theatrical bow, leaving only the lights of the festival and sinking moon as he basked in a final round of applause before he turned and walked away. He made it eight steps or so before he staggered and had to catch himself; he really had given that performance everything and more.



He found himself leaning against a tree, staring at the distant autumn moon while he waited for his stamina to recover. There may not have been a party, but he had enjoyed his night out more deeply than any in recent memory. Foreign holiday though it may have been, this night of purple and orange lights, of pumpkins and bats, and of ghosts and monsters had done more to center him than another day spent forging arrowheads in isolation would have done. Maybe he could try this again next year? Maybe. For now he could enjoy the moment a little; it had been far too long since he'd even tried to do that. And so, humming that cheery jungle once more, he listened to the sounds of the festival as it slowly wound down over the rest of the night.

[Hanako Nozawa]

Samhain. The season of the witch. All Hallows' Eve. Halloween.

The time when ghosts and ghouls came out from their graves to haunt the living. The time when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest and most frail. When monsters roamed the streets in search of prey from which they might elicit scares and extract a most heavy toll...

More than usual, anyway.

For Hanako, who had grown up in one of the poorer districts of the Rukongai, Halloween had never meant any one thing. Various souls from so many backgrounds described their harvest time traditions differently, but there were always a few common threads: communing with the dead, frights, and candies the likes of which only came around before the weather grew cold and bitter. She loved this season for all its fun and beauty.

She especially loved the costumes.

”Aneue, you're going to be late~” The disembodied voice echoed from around the room.

‶Patience, Tsuki-chan~” Hanako's voice lilted in reply, herself fully engrossed in the tall floor mirror set up in the women's barracks. She fussed and mussed with her hair, getting it to sit where it was tied to the back of her crown and splay out both beautifully and haphazardly. A wide, exuberant grin had been painted in dark purple; itself matching the fresh polish on her nails. A long, expensive robe hung from her shoulders, its front loosened to leave her collar and some of her chest bared; makeup had been used to paint a clean cut into the bottom of her throat, with several trails dripping down towards her breast. A lace choker was worn around her neck in disheveled fashion, as though both to show off her handiwork and to give the impression of having been in a struggle. Hidden underneath the robe, comfortable sandals protected her from the many dangers of the road.

As she reached for a brush to carefully paint the circles of her eyes darker, her fingers brushed over the chosen mask she was to wear tonight. She didn't know the deity or monster in particular it was supposed to represent, but the twisted visage certainly was frightening. She wondered how many of her fellow Shinigami would catch the ‶murderer and its victim are the same” motif she was attempting.

‶How do I look?” Hanako beamed with pride at her appearance, as she spun around on the ball of one foot to face her zanpakutō lying on the near bed. It took her clothes a second to stop spinning after she had.

”Beautiful as always~” The voice of her zanpakutō chuckled. Hanako's smile grew a little, and a little more mischievous as she picked up her mask, quickly crossed the room, grabbed her bag from the table beside her weapon, and spun again before making her way for the door.

‶Don't wait up~” She twisted herself around and blew a playful kiss to the spirit inside her zanpakutō.

The walk across the Squad 13 barracks was brisk, but not cold. The seasonal chill had yet to truly hit its stride, leaving the weather perfect for this time of year, as far as she was concerned. Other Shinigami passed by her, going this way and that on their way to and from duties, or even towards their own spooky plans for the evening. She gave the usual smile to the cute girls and boys, and perhaps a second glance or two before she was on her way out of the barracks and into the wider Seireitei.

The walk did take time, and though the temptation was there to use Shunpō to quicken her trip, the thought of showing up tired and sweaty was even more unappealing. Besides, this way, she would be fashionably late, and would miss out on that awkward phase at the beginning of the party. It truly didn't take her too long, anyway~

By the time she had arrived at the Academy barracks, the festivities were well underway. Smuggled goods from the Rukongai littered the halls and rooms, and fine foods and plentiful drink were available. Hanako smiled wide from behind her mask, genuinely happy to see a few friendly faces among her kouhai.

‶Hana-senpai~!” A voice shrieked over the din of activity, simultaneously elated and a little bit inebriated.

‶Lise-chan~!” Hanako returned the exclamation, squealing in delight as she threw out her arms and brought the younger girl into a long hug. The two embraced for a moment, before a drunken hand roughly pushed the mask up off her face so that sloppy lips could meet her own. Hanako readily returned the gesture, wrapping her arm around the girl while her free hand retrieved her mask from atop her head. ‶Sake, already? Bad girl~” She chuckled from her throat, still smiling wide.

‶But, you were late!” Her kouhai retaliated with a pout, and one which was just as adorable as it was effective. Her pout broke into a laugh, just as Hanako did the same.

‶Sounds like I owe you an apology~” Another chuckle broke from Hanako's throat, and she tightened her grip around Lisette's waist. Their lips met again briefly, then they were broken apart by the flow of bodies coming in from the main door into the hall. ‶Let's find somewhere less crowded!” Hanako had to practically shout over the hum of conversation and party music to be heard, but the smile on Lisette's nodding face was answer enough.

Over the prevailing minutes, she made her way through the barracks which had, for several years, once been her home. It was still an odd thought, given how recently she had graduated the Academy. However, she pushed those thoughts aside, smiled at several friends she hadn't seen in the last few months, and shared a few words on her way towards the back of the compound. The sight of Lisette ahead of her kept her from getting too distracted, until they found their way into a secluded room and shut the door behind them.

Now shrouded in paper-thin privacy, the two embraced again and unsteadily meandered themselves towards the nearest bed; a cot made for one person, but a soft surface, nonetheless. The sound of their voices, their breathing, drowned out the din of the nearby party. The cot creaked underneath their combined weight. A hard knock rang out as her discarded wooden mask fell to the floor. She tasted the sake on Lisette's breath between moments of passion. Her fingers traced the softness of her skin, over and around features driving her wild while the night was still so young. Her hand found one of Lisette's, and held it up over their heads so that her mouth may better-

Another creak interrupted them, and Hanako paused.

‶What's wrong~?” The girl asked breathily from underneath.

‶Nothing~” Hanako chuckled out her reply, and rolled onto her side to free her captive kouhai. ‶Would you mind getting a bottle of wine and some snacks? I have plans for you~” More laughter followed, and Lisette excitedly leapt back to her feet before leaving the room in a rush while Hanako watched with hungry eyes.

Those eyes turned hard and cold as soon as the door was closed again, and swiveled towards a shadow pressed against the wall. Such a reiatsu might have been easier to hide from the students, but detection was always a specialty of hers. She had no trouble spotting the figure cloaked behind the corner of a tall standing wardrobe.

Movement flashed across the room, but was stopped by the officer's more practiced shunpō. Hanako stood in front of the figure, now revealed to be an older man holding a large cooking knife. Standing tall, she was only a few inches higher than him, but she might as well have towered over him for the anger in her eyes, and the nervousness in his. His intentions weren't clear, but neither were they vague. Why else would one sneak into a party with a weapon, after all?

Light glinted off the blade of the knife as it moved, but she was faster still. Her hand gripped his wrist, finding the soft tendons and squeezing until he was forced to relinquish the weapon. He attempted to swing at her with his other hand, but she stepped in too close for his wild attack to do much good. Her knee came up, found contact between his legs, and she pushed hard to put distance between the two of them. He staggered, holding himself in pain, before grunting and charging after his perceived target again.

With a confident grace, Hanako spun on the ball of her foot, using the flat of her palm to open the nearby window before she bent and rolled over her own center of gravity. Her foot swung up and connected with the intruder's jaw and she tumbled across his path until he was between her and the now-open window. Her spin turned into a twirl as she straightened back up, then quickly bent again to raise her heel to eye-level, sending the would-be attacker stumbling over the window sill, where he crashed to the ground outside.

After a few moments, she felt his reiatsu flee the area with haste, and she breathed a shallow sigh. Just when she was considering what had happened, the door opened again, and brought into the room the sweet smell of alcohol, cheese, and company.

‶What're you doing over there~?” Lisette's voice was as music to her ears, and brought the wide smile back to her face. After only a moment's consideration, Hanako slipped off her decorative robes, letting them fall in a heap over the forgotten knife lying on the floor. She turned around, happy to see Lisette biting her lip in glee.

‶It makes it more exciting, don't you think~?” Hanako's voice lilted playfully, and she left the window open as she returned to her excitable kouhai.

[Evelyn Diamond]

Spooky times were here, and Evelyn was all for it. Halloween was one of her favorite holidays, as she enjoyed the atmosphere surrounding it. She was always a fan of monsters, so dressing up as one filled her with excitement. Plus there were real monsters out there that only she could see, so it added to the feeling. She wasn’t quite sure exactly what she would be yet, but she knew that it wouldn’t be your average monster. No, she had other ideas. Something a bit more exciting than her usual go to stuff.

While she hadn’t seen many, Evee had still seen a few hollows when she was traveling out and about. Their monstrous anatomy differed drastically from each other. Some resembled animals, some more humanoid, and some so completely different that she didn’t really have a frame of reference to go off of. To her, their most prominent feature was their mask. Always different and always unique. Every hollow mask she had seen had given her goosebumps. And she wanted to replicate that feeling in her costume. Would it be overboard? Yes. Would it be amazing? Absolutely.

The first problem she wanted to tackle was the mask. It was the most important part of her costume. The body and accessories she could do later. Those would be the easier parts of what she had to do. The question was, what vibe did she want to go for? Her outfit itself already lent itself to mystery, as the majority of people wouldn’t understand what it signified. It would just be a weird amalgamation of creepy features to them. Only the spiritually aware would get the full effect of her costume. Unfortunately for her, she had barely met any of them, so she had no one to show this off too. A bit of a shame, but perhaps things would be different around this time next year.

Her mask would have to be white. That was a given, judging from the hollows she had seen. And thanks to all the crafting and creating she had done for her hobbies, she knew the perfect material to use. Paper mache. Naturally white and cheap. While she wanted to make the best costume she could, Evee also had to keep her money situation in mind. She wasn’t doing the best financially, but she was sure she could create something fantastic for cheap. Others did it all the time, and she would do the same.

All the ingredients for the mask were already at her apartment, so she didn’t need to go out and buy anything. The only things she needed were common supplies such as paper, mesh, glue, and other various materials to make the process go smoother. Placing her supplies down next to her bucket, Evee sat down and contemplated her designs. The materials were ready, now she just needed to decide on a design. She would choose something animal based for the mask, but the question was which animal? What was the look she was going for?

She wanted the mask to be striking. Eye catching to others as she walked down the street. For that she needed a strong silhouette. Off the top of her head, the first animal that came to mind was the hammerhead shark. It had an unique head that looks vaguely off putting. A feature that was perfect for what she was going for. It only took her a few minutes to gather the reference pics that she needed before she was ready to begin. It was time to create her mask!

The first steps were relatively simple. Cut out the mesh into the shapes you needed. It took her a few tries to get it down, but once she understood the sizing of the protrusions she wanted, the process got remarkably easier. Once all the pieces were cut out, she molded the mesh to the contours of her face, curving around her cheeks and forehead. After she made the necessary adjustments, she cut out the eyes for her mask. For this particular mask, she made the eye slits smaller than normal. All for the purpose of hiding them so that she could accentuate the eyes on her hammer like head.

Mixing up her glue concoction in her bucket, Evee began applying her paper strips to the mesh. She covered each part of the mesh methodically, making sure that the paper stuck and the edges were exact. This was a pretty important part of the process. If you rushed it, you’d regret it in the future. Slow and steady wins the race. She just had to be patient. She played music in the background as she waited for the strips to dry before repeating the process. Once the front was done, she flipped it and did the same thing to the back.

Once her mask was completely covered and dried, she grabbed some of her paper mache clay for the details. While she could’ve ended her mask creation here, she wanted to do a bit more. She wanted a bit more oomph, something she was sure the clay would provide. Her clay was soft and malleable, perfect for sculpting the design she envisioned in her head. The paper strips she glued did wonders for the frame of her mask, and now she would fill out the details with her clay.

The clay was attached to her mask roughly the same way the paper strips were attached. It was a familiar process. And due to that, the clay detailing went relatively smoothly. Once the details were done, Evee smoothed out the clay with a small piece of sandpaper, making sure to go over every part carefully. Once that was done, she set the finished mask on her desk with a satisfied smile. The hardest part was complete. Now it was time to work on the clothes part of her costume.

From her memory, Evee could remember around three hollows in close detail. She had encountered a few more than that amount, but not as closely as the three in her mind. Hollows weren’t that rare of a sight to her, but being up close to one was. She usually saw them at a distance, and let them be. Sure she was curious about them, but at her current level she would only be food for the Hollows. Thus she would have to admire from afar until she was stronger.

From what she remembered, the bodies of hollows were usually dark colored. She could be wrong of course, considering her limited knowledge dealing with these creatures. But oh well. Sacrifices had to be made, and she was doing the best she could. Therefore the colors she decided to go with were either a dark blue, a dark green, or something in between. It really depended on what clothes she had available.

Throwing open the doors to her closet, Evee began grabbing various pieces of clothing and tossing them into a pile. She wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted, so she’d experiment until she found what fit best. Her mask would take up most of the attention, so she just needed her clothing to compliment her features. A cloak or a cape would be a necessity, while something underneath could be more simple. As long as the colors blended together, she was sure that whatever ensemble she chose would work.

For her lower half, dark blue leggings and black boots would do. She’d prefer similar colored shoes, but she wasn’t buying completely new ones when the black pair she had would do. For her shirt, she wore a short sleeve blue one with weird designs scrawled across it. She didn’t wear this shirt often, as it looked kind of weird with all the scribbles on it. But for halloween it would be perfect. She could easily turn this weakness into a strength, even if only for a day.

For her cloak, she used a spare curtain she had lying about. One she pinned it to her shirt, and trimmed some of the bottom, it was virtually indistinguishable from an actual cape. Strapping her newly created outfit on, Evee grabbed her mask and stood in front of the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she slowly placed the paper mache over her head, obscuring her sight momentarily. As the sound of her breath echoed around her, she looked in the mirror and took in her new form.

All in all, she’d rate the outfit a ten out of ten, although she was a bit biased. Upon closer examination, there were a few things she could have done better, but she was no expert. And she had created something better than she had done last time, so it was a success on her part, regardless of the small mistakes that dotted her creation. She wrote down the improvements she could make on her notepad, before considering her outfit once more.

For the celebration of Halloween, her outfit was wondrous. However now that she was looking at it, a few ideas were starting to run through her head. She had taken her time with it, and it showed. With her mask on, she resembled some sort of cryptid creature. Her identity was completely concealed as all of her notable features were hidden from view. If this outfit held up well during her outing on Halloween night, she might use it as one of her disguises. Although wearing her hollow outfit for Halloween and then doing potential crimes in it might not be the best idea.

Either way, she had an outfit and a plan. Taking off her outfit and folding it up, she placed it on the edge of her desk. The next half hour was spent cleaning up and storing her materials for next time. This whole ordeal had taken up most of the day, but Evee didn’t regret it. She made a goal and accomplished it. Plus a holiday like this only came once a year, so she didn’t want to miss it. A few hours to prepare for it was a sacrifice she would gladly take.

As she sat down in her chair, Evee looked out her window as she ran her fingers through her hair. Perhaps next year she would have a friend to make costumes with, to celebrate Halloween with, to party with. Her Halloween would be enjoyable, that was for sure. She just wished she didn’t have to celebrate it alone. It was a bit of a downer, but if you only focused on the negatives, you would never get anywhere in life. Instead she would think of the positives. Today was essentially training for next time. Her skills were improving, and soon her tailoring would be a force to be reckoned with.

But for now, she would enjoy her days as much as she could. There was an aura of excitement and fun in the air as the days to Halloween ran down. It was a time of fun. A time for both kids and adults alike to explore things that scared them before. A time where she could relax, have fun, and act dumb for a day. A day to let her worries fade away, for they would be back eventually. But for now, she could enjoy the little things. As she waited for a happy Halloween.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

"Is that... Master Nakajima...? Master! You can't be here! We're conducting a clea-"

"N-Nakjima-taichou?! What is that?! Is that a head...? Oh... N-No... NO!! SARAAAAH!!!"

"SHIFÙ... SHIFÙ, NO! PLEASE... PLEASE, NO! STAY AWAY!"

"Y-YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"NO, NO, NO! SHIFÙ, SHIF-"

---

A breath left the lips of the Captain of the Eleventh Division has she remained seated behind one of her desks, its location briefly forgotten in the moment. It was stiff and cold, useless, the kind that was not meant to bring air but rather to attempt to forget something. She wasn't exactly sure how many times she had attempted this trick. The thought of keeping a head count of it all hadn't even crossed her mind. Knowing how she was, though, she would guess that it had maybe been a dozen times. Nay, a hundred times. Nay... perhaps even a thousand or a million times in rapid succession. In the grand scheme of things, however, it didn't really matter. No matter how many times she would take her stiff breathes, be it at a reasonable pace or at one beyond the likes of practically anybody who happened to be in her nearest vicinity, not a single one of them allowed her to forget. If anything, they just kept reminding her of what happened... of the violence... of the pleading and of the screaming that followed.

Some time ago, perhaps a few days or a week, the swordswoman had found herself deep within the confines of Rukongai. The number of the district she had found herself in was unknown to her even to this day, but she was at least aware of the fact that it was far away from Seireitei. At the time, she had returned to Seireitei only but a single day or so following the destruction of Moscow in the Living World. All that was on her mind at the time was Celes, Charles and the impossible amount of soldiers who had been slain by the arrows of the Vandenreich. The sole thing that she had wanted to do throughout the entire day was to take a break, to mourn for the ones who were lost, if only to make sure she would retain control. Like many others, she liked to believe that she was infallible when it came to loss, that she was able to take, especially after she had realized she could ignore those who had perished to which she had no connection to. However, even she was aware that too much loss in such a short amount of time could reduce the greatest warrior to nothing more than a pile of ash.

Thus, to remediate this, she had decided to first spend the evening with her soldiers at her division's headquarters. It went well. About as well as a pseudo-funeral amidst many others could be, but well-enough. Then, after the proceedings and celebrations came to an end, she had decided to go to Nijūkan West in order to spend the night there. Upon looking back at this decision, even she had to admit that it was a sudden, strange and perhaps irresponsible thing to do; after all, a commander like she must remain with her remaining troops after defeat. Eventually, however, she came to the justification that it was just yet another attempt to further clear her head, this time with familiarity rather than with food and drinks. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. She wanted to speak with her students once more - or at least the ones that were still awake at the time - and, thereafter, go to her private quarters in order to spend the night there.

But when she began her journey there for the nth time, she wasn't met with this familiarity. Not because the familiarity was not to be found there; on the contrary, should she had properly reached it, she would have been able to stumble upon the ongoing preparations for the upcoming Halloween festival, the one that she and the people of the Shutokendō had been planning for a month now. Rather, it was because the further she crossed the first forty districts of the Soul Society, the more she would pass by commoners across it all who had heard of what happened in the Living World. Kimiko had ignored the most of them, of course. She didn't want to hear them again. However, there was this particular merchant, a traveler pessimistic by nature who wandered about the heavenly realm in search of trade and profit from over yonder. Perhaps that was why he had somehow been capable of informing himself about the disasters of the Living World.

Yet another blunder by our oh-so almighty lords. What a shameful display, she could remember him rant before one of his customers over a bottle of sake. I wonder which district is gonna be put to the sword now. She shouldn't have given this string of words any thought; after all, for all that she knew about this random man, his sayings were nothing more than drunken nonsense coming from someone who couldn't have possibly have had any kind of intelligence on what had happened. Yet, somehow, they had enough influence on her to push her to travel beyond her intended destination and straight towards the latter districts of Rukongai. Back then, during the battles, she believed that the loss of life was great, but she had also never believed that what the man spoke of - the cleansing of souls - was necessary. The world was not coming to an end after what the Vandenreich had done, after all. The realms were not collapsing onto themselves due to an imbalance in the cycle. 

That was what she kept telling herself then. That was what she hoped.

Everything after that point was a blur. It was as if her memories had been left purposefully vague to save herself from the pain she had inflicted on others. Even so, it was impossible for her to describe this obfuscation as being efficient. Even though she was now far away from what she had done to those cleansing squads and couldn't quite remember what she had done, she could still recall a few blurbs... and each and every one of them were worse than the ones that preceded them. The scalding heat of the anger that she felt in her heart at the time, the way the people she attacked screamed as they saw her and understood what she was about to do them, the mangled bodies that she left in her wake. She could even still remember the detail of her latest murder, how she deliberately used her technique of her own to empower her hands with energy as sharp as knives and rip him in half. It must have taken hours for her to clean up whatever remained of him on her person after the fact.

The majority of the Shinigami she slew were unknowns to her. They were soldiers that she had never met, most likely specifically chosen to make sure that they would not hesitate to accomplish the job they had been told to do. But there were still a few of them that she had come to know for a very long time, still a few of them who were her very own students only but a week ago. Among them were three who stood out: Tian Kuo, Muramasa Akechi and Sarah Collins. She wished she knew why they did. She wished she understood why they kept appearing in her head and why she kept hearing their words. But even then, their images and their words were nothing compared to the ones that she heard from another Shinigami. She was technically not part of of the squads Kimiko slew, but she was there. She was someone the Captain had learned to hate with a passion, someone whom she believed had no hope for their future as a Shinigami prior to that conversation. And yet... she was someone who had stood before her when she should have logically not done so.

Obviously, I knew about Nijūkan when I sent out the cleansing squads! I searched the permitted areas for a place where none of the students would be cleansed or, as few as possible. Do you know what the data showed? It wasn't possible. There was no place in Soul Society that we could send a cleansing squad to that wouldn't kill members of Nijūkan!

Why would you put a school in every district!? How many students do you need!? Are you not going to be satisfied until everyone serves your cause whether they want to or not!?

I tried. If there would have been another way, I would have taken it! I don't put emotions into my work! If I did, I wouldn't be able to do my job!

So, if you want to blame someone for their deaths... look in the mirror!

Her words resonated just as loud as every other, but their meaning brought them to the forefront of them all. Every time she heard them, it caused Kimiko's breath to accelerate and her world to shatter with even greater strength than back when she witnessed Celes' manipulated mind setting forth for the Vandenreich. A part of her obviously wanted that brat to be wrong, almost desperately so, but it was so very and painfully clear that she was right. So very, very clear, in fact, that Kimiko now felt as though she was the greatest fool to have ever set foot into the Soul Society. Of course there was going to be a cleansing at a point in time: that was how the world worked and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop that from happening. Of course there were going to be students of Nijūkan who would've been caught in the crossfire. And now, of course, these students would have attempted to defend themselves against their slayers. All along, Yume had been right. These schools... Her precious students... They were all fated to bring her pain. To make her feel a misery beyond any description.

The longer she remained behind her desk and inside of her thoughts, the more she would believe that the fate of her greatest work was now going to be a most terrible one. There was no hope for it all. It was going to come to a brutal end, regardless of how this end was going to be reached, and there was almost nothing Kimiko could do to stop it. It would cause her to breathe quickly again, to tremble again, to stare vacantly at whatever was on her desk at the time as the powerlessness crept into every corner of her mind. Throughout it all, she felt as though she could hear the words of her Zanpakuto spirits, but they were too faint, too distant. No matter how loudly they attempted to reach her, they could not. She would just further plant herself into her darkness, losing the brightness that she had been carefully crafting for so very long ever since she had become the master of her dojo. At a certain point, it would even almost seem as though things were going to go completely black... then suddenly...

"BOOOO!"

Kimiko's instantly shot up after she heard the noise. Her eyes were wide open, filled with surprise as they quickly attempted to identify its source. It did not take very long for her to find it: she simply had to raise her head towards the front door of the room to see that there was a little girl - no older than perhaps five or six years old - in a bear costume with her arms raised high up. The Captain would blink as she slowly realized what was happening, at first confused and maybe even taken aback by the fact that she was so easily startled by a child. Then, she would raise her own arms up and let out her own noise of surprise. "Kyaaaaah! Oh no, a scary beaaaar! I'm deaaaaad!" She played along, her mind rushing as fast as possible to reach the light that previously filled her being whenever she was with her students before slamming it straight against her face in the form of laughter. "What are you doing here, Kuma-chan! I thought you were with Mana today!"

"Mana is boring! I wanted to scare Nakajima-senseeeei ! And it woooorked! Hehehehe!" 

Well... the girl wasn't entirely wrong. In a way, she did actually scare the Captain to a certain extent, in her own way. But it wasn't the kind of scares that she hated. If anything, just like that, Kimiko was able to briefly forget about everything that she was dealing with. She could forget about the horrible past, the deeds that she had just committed and instead focus on the present who was oh-so proudly standing before her. She could just focus on being the person that she wanted to be. So, she would stand from her desk, jump right over it, then start getting close to the girl with her hands comically raised high up, just like how a bear would as she proceeded towards the hallway outside of the room where the little girl stood. "Oh, is that so? Well then, I guess I just need to scare you more! Bwah bwah bwaaaah!" She played along a little bit further, adding onto the ridiculousness of the situation solely to please the child. All that was a missing was a costume of her own instead of her haori and she would've completed the part.

From the looks of things, her reaction to Kuma's antics seemed to work, as it was so ridiculous that it brought much laughter out of the little girl. It wasn't the first time she had done this, but something about doing it this time around just felt needed. She didn't care how stupid or cringey it made her look, so long as it allowed her to forget. Unfortunately, however, it wouldn't be able to last for very long, as eventually, she would hear the footsteps of the person who has supposedly been taking care of the little girl prior to this. Judging by the way she was panting as she finally reached the hallway, it appeared as though she had been running all over the place to find the child. Her round glasses even had drops of sweat plastered upon their lenses. "K-Kuma! Y-You're here! Ah, ha! I told you to not run away like that...!!" She openly whined as her eyes fixated on the little girl. "I need... need you to come back downstairs! Just for a second... There's still so many pumpkins to take care of..."

The child would pout for a moment as she took in what Mana said. Evidently, it was clear that she wanted to spend more time with Kimiko to play with her rather than to go work on whatever task the short, glasses-wearing woman wanted her to so desperately help her complete. Even Kimiko was somewhat hurt by the realization that this moment was going to end sooner than expected. But alas, it did, as the little girl will give a wave to the teacher before then running down the hallway and back downstairs. Waving back to her, the swordswoman would smile, though not long after, a quiet sigh would leave her lips as her scarlet eyes then turned towards Mana who had suddenly stopped panting. Even the woman's worry seemingly had disappeared, now instead replaced with a serious frown. "I guess you wish to talk to me." It was less of a supposition and more so an affirmation. "Come with me in my office. I don't want the others to hear us..."

---

Kimiko had by now remembered where she was. Obviously, the desk in question wasn't a random one that she happened to own in these parts of the Soul Society: it was the one that rested within her private quarters within her western dojo. In other words, she was currently within Nijūkan West, what should have been her destination at that point in time. It was the place that she had gone to shortly after she had left Ume behind, and ever since then, it was the place she had mostly remained at, with only but the occasional visit to Seireitei in order to fulfill her duties as Captain of the Eleventh Division. Again, it was a good thing that she had someone who was able to write down the majority of her reports for her, otherwise she would've most likely been stuck in Seireitei... and quite frankly, right about now, that was perhaps the last place that she wanted to be at. It just didn't feel right for her to be there anymore. Not after what happened.

As she made herself comfortable once again in her quarters, she would find herself thoughtlessly heading towards the nearest window in order to gaze upon her school's courtyard, then the 40th western district below its main gates. It was a difficult thing to witness the latter, quite frankly, given the angle at which her room was situated on the floor of this edifice, but even from here, she could see what had been achieved thus far for the Halloween festival. There were the aforementioned pumpkins that Mana had been worrying about, of course, but there were also a number of other decorations: flags in the form of ghosts floating in the wind, origami in the form of bats, targets in the form of popular horror movie monsters... It was a nice sight for Kimiko, to say the least. They all reminded him of the brief joy she felt while interacting with Kuma only moments ago. However, this would be interrupted just about immediately after Mana finally opened her mouth.

"So the rumors are true. The Shinigami were massacring our people... and you went to stop them." The woman spoke as if it was all a matter-of-fact, though Kimiko made no attempts at refuting her in the moment. Instead, she just kept staring at the window, this time with an expression that had become graver and less expressive. She also did not stop her student from grabbing the sheet of paper that was previously sitting on top of her desk. It was only once the girl asked her the following question that she finally decided to open her mouth once more: "You... You were even punished for it...?" 

"Not yet. For now, I've been placed under the administrative custody of Ichibantai and Nanabantai. As long as their investigation remains ongoing, I'm not to take a single step outside of the Soul Society. In normal circumstances, I should have been imprisoned... The only reason why I have not been sent into a jail cell was because of my position as Jūichibantai-taicho." 

The more Kimiko would explain her situation to her student, the more Mana's eyes would widen. Clearly, she was shocked by the information that she was receiving, so much so that, at first, she would just stand there in silence with that piece of paper still stuck in her grasp. However, as she further registered what has been said to her, the woman slowly began to lose her cool. "S-So... So you are being punished! After everything you've done for them... t-this is how they decide to repay you? By killing us and imprisoning you?!" She was trying to keep her voice down, if only to make sure no one outside the room could hear her, but it was becoming more and more difficult for her to do so. "T-This isn't fair... It must be some kind of mistake!"

"No. They haven't make any mistakes. If anything... I'm the only one here who has." Another flow of air sharply rose into Kimiko as she resumed her trick. It did not work. The screaming and the violence was coming back to her. However, she retained her calm the best she could. "Mana... You haven't seen what's been happening in the Living World as of late. I and several others of my kind have been fighting against impossible threats that just keep butchering everything in their way. There's been hundreds of thousands of casualties. Millions, even. When that happens... the cycle of souls... It is at risk of being broken. What those Shinigami have done to us... It was their way to prevent that from happening."

"But... you avenged them..."

"Because I care too much about you. All of you. And now, I'll receive my punishment for that, whenever they decide to get to it." 

A moment of quietness would come to the girl as she further registered everything that was said to her. Her expression, by this point, had turned into one of defeat. She looked stressed, distraught. Meanwhile, Kimiko remained firm. At first, she was satisfied by the way she had declared those things. It was cathartic, in a way, especially given that Mana was one of her most trusted students. However, this expression changed when she heard the paper that Mana had been holding onto all this time suddenly being crushed by her hand. Fearful, she would slowly turn her gaze over her shoulder. It did not take long for her to notice Mana's own expression, which had turned from one of simple astonishment and shock to... one of complete anger. "NO! I won't let them do that! I REFUSE!" The raising of her voice was such that even Kimiko was taken aback. "For once - ONCE! - I meet a Shinigami that is actually worthwhile to me... and n-now THIS?! NO! NO, I WON'T ACCEPT THAT!"

The woman then turned and began to rapidly walk towards the room's door. Kimiko, still taken aback, would attempt to call towards her so as to prevent her from leaving so quickly. However, it was far too late, as before she could say anything more, Mana swiftly turned around once again and huffed. "N-NO! I won't let you stop me again, Nakajima-sensei! I'm tired of always being unable to do anything all the time!!" Her shouting, this time around, had reached a critical point, enough so that her voice could definitely be heard in the hallway outside of Kimiko's quarters. "After this festival is over, we'll talk about this again! I won't let them do this to you! I WON'T!"

With one final slam of the door, Mana finally stormed off downstairs, leaving Kimiko standing there all alone. The Captain was frozen, shaken by everything that she had just heard. More importantly, the powerlessness had returned. The inability to stop what was going to happen, the sheer and utter incapability of escaping a tidal wave about to crash onto everything the Shinigami has ever known up to this point. She wanted to call to Mana again, to run after her and reach her and tell her that she could not hold such anger. Ultimately, however, she would just be stuck there, standing alone in the middle of her room as the images of the dead began to peer into her mind's view once again. She could hear their screaming again. She could hear their pleading and witness their fear, and once again be submitted to the echo of the researcher's words. But amidst them all, she would fear a presence by her side. A figure floating outside the window, staring at her with visage of bitter disappointment as she spoke one single sentence:

"You're on your own, Kimiko-chan."

And with that, the Captain was left there once again. Alone once more.

Forced to ponder on a fate most foul.

[Odalis Delgado]

A bar late at night in the middle of downtown Karakura was flooded with patrons. A line of would be attendees dressed in all manner of costumes stretched from the entrance and across the front of the building. Above the entrance was a concrete overhang, decorated with illuminated signs in the shape of skulls, pumpkins and ghosts. Strings lined with paper bats hung from the edge of the overhang. Odalis, perched atop the overhang, casually flicked her tail across the bat adorned strings, careful to keep the spiked side away so as to not cut them but instead cause them to sway back and forth. Those that noticed the bats flitting in the air wondered if some machine was shaking them for the air was deathly still.

"Halloween huh? I do recall getting out in getups similar to these. As always, people take the chance to dress up in ways considered scandalous at any other time." Odalis remarked to herself as she observed the line of people all happily chatting and joking around with each other. Some of them clearly regretted their flaunting attire however, as they shivered in the cool night air. Though to some it was just an excuse to huddle up to whomever they clung to by their arm. Odalis chuckled at the display. She was glad to have already eaten a hearty meal before. Hunger pains would have distracted her from the unique atmosphere of these spooky festivities.

Odalis pounced off the overhang, landing in the relatively empty street as the crowd was gathered almost entirely on the sidewalks. She padded down the street, glancing back and forth at all the people revelling in their festive mood. She found it rather infectious. "I can't very well just let a night like this pass me by. Though it's not like I can indulge in quite the same way as these people." Odalis mused, her nightmarish visage reflected in a window as she passed, unseen by the crowd around her."No, I'm afraid my current state of being assigns me a very different role." She grinned at the thought.

---

The night went on and Odalis spotted a group of people with a different air about them than the merry bunch crowded in the night life hub of Karakura. The group of four, already at the edge of the festive zone so to speak, was moving even further away to a different section of the city. They spoke in hushed whispers and giggled to themselves. Curious, Odalis stalked after them, noting the outfits of the two men and two women. One man dressed up like Frankenstein's monster while the other looked like a Victorian plague doctor with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He often had to pull off his beaked mask for the others to understand him. One of the women dressed like an angel, as evident by her halo and wings but contrasted by the near criminally short and low cut dress. The other wore a tiger onesie. A more sensible option for the cool weather.

"Now what are you lot up to? Headed to a house party this early? Or perhaps..." Odalis paused, looking up at the building they were clearly headed to. It was an old hospital, abandoned for at least a decade. Its walls were decorated with cracks and graffiti of vartious quality. Most of it simple letters and scribbles. Some of it were words of condemnation and upon seeing them Odalis remembered reading about it. It had been a big scandal back in the day. A doctor and a nurse working at the hospital had reportedly caused the death of several patients by overdosing them with medication. Even outside the hospital the pair had been charged with drugging prostitutes and dismembering them. They'd even killed three staff members who were getting suspicious of them.

Odalis remembered sitting at the family computer, reading up on the event out of curiosity. She'd been casually scrolling through leaked pictures of the womens' mutilated corpses, found on the doctor's computer. Odalis' mother had walked up to her and recoiled at the gory sight on screen. She managed only a glance before looking away in horror, asking her daughter how on earth she could stomach looking at something so vile. Odalis remembered looking up at her mother mildly confused. She understood these were terrible things. Utterly reprehensible from every moral standpoint. Yet she felt not a hint of the sort of visceral reaction her mother displayed. To Odalis the horrific content of those photos was just a curiosity. The psychology behind it and how the pair had managed to stay undetected for years fascinated her.

"I guess I was always a little off." Odalis said to herself, still looking up at the imposing, slightly run down building. The group was already past the gate, a no entry sign barely hanging on, the chain that kept it shut long since cut by daring delinquents. Odalis trotted after them. "But those were just pictures. Not exactly the same as the real thing. I doubt the human me would have been as chill with the idea of eating people as I am now." The group slipped through the large front door as it hung off of one hinge, completely unwaware of Odalis behind them, not hearing her idle muttering.

The inside of the building was in even worse shape than the outside. As outside, graffiti littered the walls, all of it without any artistic merit. These were just the chaotic scribblings of delinquents. With not a hint of the canned artistry of a proper graffiti artist. Just a bunch of kids being rebellious. Even violently so, as some of the walls had holes in them from kids with a whole bunch of pent up aggression taking it out on a perfectly innocent building with sledgehammers and even just regular old hammers. Or perhaps it was just a relatively safe outlet for their destructive tendencies.

"So, what's the plan guys?" Odalis began, as if the group could hear her. "It's Halloween so you figure you'd go to some scary place and get freaked out by your own shadows? Come to think of it there were all sorts of rumors about this place being haunted by the ghosts of the victims. Places like these always gather such rumors." The group kept walking, conversing quietly with one another. The angel clung to the monster's arm, either out of fear or cold. The plague doctor darted his head back and forth, jumping as the tiger grabbed his shoulders and gave a loud "boo". The group had a good laugh at that. Or at least three of them did. The poor doctor seemed ready to have a heart attack.

With a grin, Odalis reached with a tentacle toward a medicine cart standing up against the wall to her right. She grabbed the top of it and yanked so that it came crashing down. Empty glass jars fell off and broke against the floor, the whole clamor echoing loudly off the concrete walls, briefly filling the otherwise quiet space with startling noise. This time the whole group jumped along with the doctor. But no laughter followed this prank. Instead they all stared behind them at the toppled over cart, eyes following an intact jar as it rolled across the hallway. They all held their breath, looking down the hallway, straight through Odalis as she snickered to herself.

"I-it must have been wobbly. The legs just gave out." The monster offered an explanation and as the situation got rationalized the group collectively let out an audible sigh. No longer faced with the possibility of something truly paranormal. Just mundane, safe and understandable reality. "This is fucking stupid man, let's just get back to Sayaka's and get wasted." The doctor chimed in. "Don't be such a baby. We've already gotten this far. There'll be plenty of time to drink later." The tiger said, prodding the doctor's side teasingly who chafed at his bravery being called into question. "Let's just get this over with." The angel said in a quiet voice, clinging tigher onto the monster's arm.

With the group's resolve reaffirmed, they bravely ignored the warning sign and headed further into the hospital. The doctor pulled out flashlights from his bag, one for each, as they got farther from the moonlit entrance. The boarded up windows offered little in the way of illumination. "Yeah, this is definitely some kind of dare thing. But where exactly are you all going? If the rumors are to be believed then the morgue would be the hotspot's epicenter. Of course, there might actually be ghosts there. Not that you'd be able to see them." Sure enough, as Odalis followed the group down the staircase at the end of the hallway they entered the basement and passed through the doors leading to the hospital morgue.

"Right, so what? You just hop in here and get out then?" As Odalis spoke, the doctor, with some amount of reluctance, reached into his bag again and pulled out a ouija board. "Really? Even knowing that the spiritual exists. If those things really worked you'd think it'd be well known among regular humans." The group sat down in a circle on the floor, even setting a proper mood by lighting candles around the board placed in the center. "I mean, I'll make sure it works for you at least. Though you're not going to like it. You really should have listened to the genre savvy doctor."

With the board set up the group glanced around at each other. The tiger seemed eager to get started, amping the others up, clearly hoping for a paranormal encounter. The angel was reluctant, but seemed mostly dismissive of the whole thing. The doctor was restless, seemingly ready to spring up at a moment's notice. Finally the monster looked casual, enjoying the adventure in good company. "Come on everybody. Let's talk to some ghosts." The tiger placed her hand on the marker atop the ouija board, followed by the others. "Just touch it lightly, no pushing it to be funny."

With a chuckle and a nod the monster spoke up. "Yo, are there any ghosts in here? Any ghosts looking to chat?" The tiger scoffed. "No, you have to do it properly like this. I call upon the spirits of this place. Hear us and answer our call. Are you with us?" The angel rolled her eyes. When at first nothing happened the doctor visibly relaxed. Until Odalis cheekily placed a tentacle onto the marker and gently pushed it over "Yes". The doctor, the angel and the monster all froze. The tiger beamed before narrowing her eyes at the three. "You aren't pushing it right?" The three shook their heads, words momentarily lost. With all to much excitement, the tiger spoke up again. "What is your name spirit? How may we know you?"

Odalis, recalling the name of one of the victimized patients, spelled out "Reiko". "Yo, what the fuck?" The monster was shocked but clearly intruiged. Meanwhile the angel grabbed onto his shoulder with her free hand for reassurance. "I'm not moving it." Her voice was shaky. The doctor however, was shaking all over. "Ok, it's real. You happy? Can we go now?" The tiger looked at him with incredulity. "Are you nuts? This is amazing. We've gotta..." She stopped as Odalis began moving the marker again. She spelled out a question "Why are you here?"

The tiger seemed stunned for a moment before composing herself. "We want to speak with you. We want..." Odalis interrupted her again, glad they couldn't hear her snickering as she spelled out "You should not have come." The doctor rose up immediately pacing back and forth. "Alright, let's go. Come on, it's time. This is stupid now. This is very stupid." He wanted to leave, tethered only by herd mentality. The monster and angel both let go of the marker though they remained seated. "Yeah, we should...we should probably go." Only the tiger kept her now quivering hand upon the marker.

"W-why not? What do you..." Staying true to form, Odalis interrupted the tiger to spell out "They are coming. They are coming. You can't hide." With no other hand on the marker, the tiger knew without a shadow of a doubt she was speaking to a ghost. Her hand remained glued to the marker, the whole group frozen in place, their senses heightened by fear. With the tension at its peak, Odalis grabbed the still open doors to the morgue with her tentacles and slammed them shut and with a swipe of her tail put out the candles. The group jumped and screamed, scrambling for their flashlights and Odalis swiped at random loose objects in the room, sending them flying this way and that, knocking over tables and beds, swiping at the flashlights the tiger and monster held before devouring the sources of light with her void.

The monster slammed against the doors, relieved to find they opened easily. "Come on, come on." He shouted as he held the doors open, thinking they might close again. The doctor, still having a flashlight, grabbed the tiger by her hand and lead her through the doorway right behind the angel. With everyone through the monster followed. Odalis charged after them, slamming against the partly open doors, eliciting another scream from the group. Cackling to herself she gave chase, swiping the air wildly, causing her void to devour pieces of the walls and floor, tearing chunks out of carts and tables so they topple over, hammering in the point of something otherwordly bearing down upon the group. A well placed pocket of void created a hole in the ground which caused the angel to trip and fall. "Gotta keep up the classic tropes." She mused. She wrapped the smooth side of a tentacle around the angel's ankle and began pulling her back down the hallway.

To his credit the monster didn't hesitate in grabbing the angel by her arms and pulling against Odalis. With him being in such good shape, Odalis didn't even need to intentionally let go as he pulled the angel free and they darted down the hallway after the tiger and doctor. A flurry of tentacle swipes created a flurry of shimmering void pockets around the pair for a climactic jump through the hospital's main entrance. And as the group kept on running, no doubt swearing off ever doing something like this again, Odalis fell to the floor and rolled amongst the debris and dust in a fit of laughter. "Oh, if only you guys could have seen your faces. Hah, maybe next time you'll listen to the good doctor. Although if there is a next time then you deserve to be eaten. Oh my that was fun. I should play with my food more often."

Odalis rose back to her feet, shaking off the dust on her body and sauntered out into the night, a wide grin plastered over her mask. "I wonder who else I could mess with tonight." Her stomach growled. "Actually, I could go for a snack as well."

[Lulatrix Lapis Lazuli]

Black.

Lulatrix didn't often consider colors in a manner of aesthetics. She was resplendent in white because that was the uniform of the Vandenreich. She accented it in purple because it was the color of royalty and power. Accentuating oneself was a way to be figuratively closer to God and being as close to God as one could be was the ultimate goal of any Vandenreich. At least, it should be. If there was a member of the Vandenreich who didn't want to be close to God, well, they should pray the day never comes when they run into Lulatrix Lapis Lazuli. 

Tonight, however, was different. She had gone to the City of Angels, Los Angelos. Somewhere near it, at least. It was Halloween and to Lulatrix, who was a student of the occult, it was one of the few human "Holidays" she still recognized. It was such an interesting confluence of the Pagan, the Orthodox and everything in between. All Hallow's Eve, All Saints Day, yet bristling with marks of the ancient like Jacks of the Lantern and ghosts and goblins. These days there were costumes and candy and children running around. Everything was so homogenized. Lulatrix was contemplating it as she stood at the end of a street and stared down it. 

She had set aside her Vandenreich whites, but her attire wasn't that far off. She had a large, pointed hat, but it was black. She eschewed the military cut top and pleated skirt for a sleek, form fitting dress, the ends of which were "tattered." Her boots were now shoes cut at the ankle with pointed and curled tips. Stockings ran up her legs into her dress, and she had a small belt and satchel with some "ingredients" tucked away with names like "eye of newt" and other disgusting sounding things. Most of them were just tubes filled with food coloring, or plastic bits she found to look like a lizard eye stuffed in a pouch. She even had Dalet out, her Quincy bow was fully released. The snake head looked like a hissing snake and, with a little bit of creative effort, was even colored black for the evening. 

"Are you a witch?" Would ask some of the passing children. She just held up her hand and put a finger to her lips. Some of the older kids and parents did less asking and more looking. Although Lulatrix didn't notice, or seemed to care if she did, as her dress wasn't just shapely, but had a bit more of her assets exposed than should be on the chilly autumn night. Only a small bit of a feather boa around her shoulders covered her up, but Lula didn't shiver as she took her time strolling along the sidewalks and streets as kids zoomed by with their buckets and pillows of candy. 

She wasn't usually a people watcher. She did need to do it when her mission called to find and infiltrate nests of the so called "free' Quincy who refused His Majesty's glory. She wasn't really watching them tonight, either. She was watching something, which had attracted her to this spot in this city on this street in the first place. While the street bustled with life, Lula's vision saw more than just the crowd. She had a gift for being able see the magic energy that stitched this world together with the other worlds. If the people saw what she was looking at, they might have cleared out by now.


To Lulatrix, it looked like there was a huge crack in the earth. Out from it poured what the humans might describe as a thick, fog-like smoke. It had a purple hue and wafted into the air then dissipated. It was amusing to watch people crisscrossing the streets, running right over it and right through it. Disappearing and reappearing behind the vaporous wall. It was energy. Fresh reiatsu, pure and from the source, leaking from the earth. It was hard to find fonts of energy like this outside of hotspots like Karakura Town in Japan. 

However like those hotspots elsewhere, it seemed to attract spiritual attention. Lulatrix watched. Mingled amongst the throngs of humans was a spirit here or there. Floating apparitions that seemed to be in surprisingly good spirits, all things considered. They followed the trick-or-treaters along, laughing and walking and pointing out all the neat costumes and running away from the scary looking ones. Lula smirked at the site. It wasn't her job to usher the souls of the dead to the next realm. 

No. That would be the shinigami's job. Lulatrix narrowed her eyes and glanced around. She couldn't sense the presence of any Shinigami around. She doubted they would be here. Lulatrix was only here because she was sensitive. She sought out a spot like this and researched where it might be. She'd only really come to observe anyway. The holiday would allow her to take notes without anyone bothering her. She was wondering if she could use this spot to further her research into the Philosopher's Stone. Could she, perhaps, use a crack like this to help her achieve her goals? Could a leyline like this aid her the way a furnace aided a blacksmith? That was what she was interested in knowing. 

She began to walk and held out her hand. She let the vapors of reiatsu tickle her fingers like she was running a hand under a running tap. She closed her eyes and tried to feel out the flow of it when she felt a sudden rush. Something was coming at her and she opened her eyes, only to see a large body with a hockey mask and a knife jumping through the steam like reiatsu. 

"Booo-ouuugh!" 

Before the thing even touched the ground and could attack her, her staff was buried in its gut and it crashed to the ground, groaning. "Ouughh! Ooowwwww! What the helll!" The voice, wavering between high and low pitched, was not the grumble of a Hollow or some other foul beast. It sounded more like the groan of a child in the middle of puberty and the clodding pairs of feet that scampered up towards Lula from behind were filled with boys of similar dress and age. 

"Dude! She doesn't even have a sack of candy! She's not even a kid! She's got- Ouuuughh!" Lula whipped around and jammed her staff in the second kids gut, who doubled over and threw his hands up in surrender. 

"That's right. I'm not a child. Unlike you lot! Trying to steal candy from children!?" Lula narrowed her eyes and Dalet began to glow. "Upsetting a witch on Halloween? You're lucky I can't turn you into a mouse!" There was clear fear in the boy's eyes along with regret and the sudden urge to back away as fast as possible. "Oh, wait, I can do that!" Lulatrix's eyes lit up as she pointed her staff at the trembling fleeing boy. "Whimsy!" Lulatrix held out her staff and in quick, rapid succession, two volleys of five arrows each slammed into the boy, knocking him to the ground. As he fell, there was a small puff of smoke and what was left was a mouse, crawling out of a pile of clothes next to pillow sack half full of candy. 

"Ahahahaha!" Lulatrix cackled as she reveled in her own abilities. She then turned and looked at the other boy, who had been slowly getting up and backing away at the same time. "How about I turn you into a cat? Then you might know what it's like to be a real  predator. There's a teeny, tiny mouse over there you can catch and eat too!" Lulatrix encouraged with a sadistic smile. She held up Dalet and pointed it at the boy when, suddenly, her body tingled again. Out from the font, once again, another large body appeared. 

"More friends?" She hissed with an annoyed face. However, this "boy" was different. It didn't say boo and it didn't wait for Lulatrix to react as it slammed its hooked hands down into the boy and opened its massive maw and gnashed down with a horrid cracking sound. Lulatrix's eyes widened as blood splattered on her black dress and she watched, almost stupefied as the creature then raised a claw from what was left of the boy and held the kid's shrieking soul in its murderous hooked hands. The soul was screaming, but, now, the humans seemed to be subconsciously avoiding the middle of the street, as if something was shielding them from the scene. Lulatrix watched as the monster, definitely a hollow since it was masked from the nose up, eat the soul completely whole. 


It then began to grow and change and Lulatrix shook her head. "Did you come from there." Lulatrix asked, almost casually, as she used  her staff to point at the crack in the ground.  

"Yes... we did..." The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, echoing through the large, flat grinding teeth like wind chimes. "We just knew if we put out the bait, we'd get something juicy to show up eventually. Especially on this day! We were expecting more Hollows, but a spiritually-" Lulatrix reached out and with a quick flick of her wrist tapped her staff against the mask of the Hollow in a particular pattern of strokes. Since she had done no harm, it tilted its head and looked at her. "What was that  supposed to do!?" It bellowed. 

Lulatrix narrowed her eyes and a sigil began to glow where she had drawn. "Kill you." She hissed. Then, suddenly out of the back of its head, arrows fired like a shotgun and the hollow fell over and began to dissipate. Even as it did, it cackled. Lulatrix gave it a sparing glance before she took a step forward and looked at the leyline. She watched as it began to distort. There was still energy coming from it. It was still a leyline, but it was also something else. The crack started to take a familiar shape like a mouth and open wider. When the realization hit her, her eyes widened. It was also a garganta. 

Lulatrix immediately took a step back and held out her staff. Emerging from the open maw was a hand that was twice as tall as her and about four times as wide. Whether the thing she killed was a part  of this beast or just a henchmen was hard to say, but it didn't matter. The sheer size of it was enough to give Lulatrix flashbacks to Leviathan. The beast was so massive. These kinds of things still roamed around in Hueco Mundo? She was certain that however big this thing was, that it could barely fit an arm through this gargantua, let alone it's whole body. That's when she realized something else that was terrifying. 

Lulatrix wasn't just a run of the mill spiritual being. She wasn't just powerful. She was different. His Majesty had not just selected Lulatrix for her ties to the occult or her knowledge of magik and witchcraft, but also because she, herself, was a living font of reiatsu. She had so much pouring out of her that it was almost hard to contain. She had to actively supress it to keep it from vaporizing lower level spirits and even fresh faced Vandenreich recruits. She could crush them just by expelling her reiatsu outward. Something like this, might have been waiting for something specifically like her. 

She hopped away ad the hand slammed down in front of her. Lulatrix looked around and, still, no one seemed to be paying her any mind anymore. She watched as the hand began to glow and some of the nearby pluses were suddenly pulled towards it. Screeching, they were sucked intot he gargantua like it was a vacuum and then the hand disappeared into it and it closed. Lulatrix shivered and looked around. No one noticed, but everything felt different. There was a acrid ozone scent in the air and almost all of the white noise that wasn't being made by humans was gone. No birds, no insects, no wind. Other than the soft hum of the reiatsu pouring out from the leyline in front of her. The remains of the kid the Hollow had devoured weren't even there anymore. 

Lulatrix held her Dalet against her body, hugging it with both hands as she waited. She didn't have to wait long. There was a loud ripping noise, unmistakable as the sound of an opening gargantua and it did open. Wider than before and an entire arm just into the air. It was stories high and Lulatrix watched in awe. The hand began to glow and more plus and even the stray Hollows that began to get sucked upward. Lulatrix saw the mouth on its palm where everything was ingested. Each bit of spiritual energy seemed to crack open the gargantua a bit more and Lula hopped back even more. When she hit the ground, she watched, even as her own reiatsu was funneling upwards towards the beast. 

"This thing is ancient." Lulatrix muttered. She felt the sapping power of it and she knew, more than anything, she couldn't let it touch her. She held out Dalet and suddenly unleashed her Willpower. She sent a ripple through the street and now, people paid attention. The turned and looked at her in awe, and fear and slowly began to back away and form groups along the lawn and sidewalk. Lulatrix could see weaker pluses and menos get crushed beneath her own aura, but what she  was giving off seemed to still feed it.
 
"Damn you! If you want to eat something, eat this!" Lulatrix barked. She ran forward, shutting off Willpower and began to draw sigils where the leyline was. one on each end and three in the middle. She then leaped away and focused all of her energy into firing arrows into the sky. She focused on channeling the energy of the leyline and began to sweat as volley after volley filled the sky, shooting streaking arrows into the sky. It wasn't enough. "Spinnenseide!" The witch barked and soon the sigils began firing her spider silk into the air. It cut the beasts arm, weakining it, but it seemed to mostly absorb whatever Lula was firing, causing the normally nigh invisible spider silk to light up and explode before getting sucked into the beast. 

She held out dalet and kept it up. She could feel her reiatsu draining faster than she was able to recharge it, but she could see the monster growing and the gargantua was growing with it. Even as sweat poured off of the panting Lulatrix and she dropped to one knee, she watched the beasts hand push up and twist unnaturally. The mouth seemed to "see" Lulatrix and the beast bent its arm and dropped the plam down like it would splat Lulatrix against the street. "Bastard!" Lulatrix hissed. "You want to be a big boy? Well, have this!" 

Lulatrix tapped her staff against the street and as the hand came down, she shot an orb at it's base. Suddenly the arm ballowned and the large, but correctly proportioned arm was stuck in the air. The arm was now four time bigger than it had been. That might have been a problem for Lulatrix, but, thankfully for her, the gargantua that the beast was partially sticking out of had not grown at all. Lula staggered towards the arm, nearly out of energy and panted and pushed Dalet against the base at the shoulder. "Spinnenseide!" She hissed and shot web after web after web until it wrapped around the entire, gigantic atm. With nothing left ot absorb, as Lulatrix was nearly out of reiatsu, and with the leyline as well nearly used up, the gargantua began to shrink and the webbing began to slice throught he arm like a hot knife through butter. 

Lulatrix could hear a bitter shriek on the other side of the portal and it sounded like booming echoes in the human world. There was, finally a point where the gargantua snapped shut and in a spray of blood the massive arm began to tumble to the street. Lulattrix waved away Dalet and the orb returned to her. The arm began to shrink and even shrivel up to the size of a very large arm that plopped next to her. She looked at it and sighed. She took off her hand and waved it at herself to cool her body, which felt like it was on fire, even on this cold night. That's when she heard something surprising. There was... clapping. 

She looked around and saw the whole street clapping for Lulatrix. She blinked in bewilderment as a man never stood forward. "Well, I've never heard of Halloween fireworks before, but that was some kind of display." She saw the man looking around. "Where's your rig at?" 

"My what? Halloween what?" Lulatrix panted. 

"Up in the sky? You were shootign fireworks off, right? They hissed and whistled and exploded? It was... really cool." 

"Huh?" Lulatrix said again. "Oh? Well, yes." She added and put her hat back on. "I'm part of a company. We're going around testing some things. This street was the perfect choice for it. I.. hope you enjoyed the show. If everything goes well, maybe it could be a regular occurrence." She added. "For now, though..." She paused and picked up the hand of the Hollow, which was now shriveled up enough for her to put into a pocket after a small bit of preserving it.


"Consider it a Halloween treat... on behalf of the Vandenreich." 

[Colina Conejita]

Colina began hopping around the sands of Hueco Mundo, taking her time as she went from bounding between one pit of sand to another. She focused on finding all the little hollows that were wandering about, suppressing her power as she did in her white frilly dress. Colina even decided to adorn herself in pink flip flops for a very princess look as she found the little ones running around in the sands of pearly white. With each cloud of sand that was kicked up, Colina also brought a little surprise with her. Strapped on Colina's back was a wool bag packed to the brim with shiny little treats that glimmered in the pale moonlight whenever it caught the shine.

For each little hollow that Colina found, she reached into a little bag and gripped tight of her treats. Each hollow was presented with a singular red apple, much smaller than those from the human world, and much harder than the average kind. But these little treats were very special, as they also had some spiritual energy packed inside, another of Colina’s hidden little treats from her hidden garden in Las Noches. They came from bushes that Colina had planted after finding one little treat at one point and took a long time to grow. She had been working all year on these bushes after finding out how delicious the treats were and had decided that the night of the dead was a perfect time to unveil them to the masses.

The apples were about the size of a bottle cap and if bitten into, the biter would find that these treats had such a hardness that they might as well have been a hard candy. But, upon suckling the treat the consumer might find that these apples turned gooey like gummy worms and had the taste of apple cider leaking from within. Inside the treat would be a singular seed in each treat, brimming green and almost vibrant with spiritual energy, ready to be planted and create the little bushel that it came from.

Colina was very proud of this creation and, in the spirit of the season, had decided it would be good to give a treat to the masses of Hueco Mundo. She stopped by sand crawling wigglers, sand worms that bore through sand, and even the flying birdy hollows that flew through the sky. Her toughest customers were the Adjuchas that didn’t trust her upon her approach, but Colina’s sweet smile endeared them enough to atleast try it, one group of them at a time. One adjuchas even took to calling Colina the Santa of Hueco Mundo, which made her give up a puzzled look in response. This group in particular had been galavanting around and seemed not to know whom they were currently dealing with.

“Santa isn’t for Halloween silly. Besides, you calling me fat or something?” Colina growled out as she reached towards her back to grab for her trusty Chakram. The Adjuchas, obviously having offended Colina backed away slowly while shaking his shark like head and chewing on the treat. And with that, Colina gave him a trick by grinning and making a small jump forward. The Shark headed Adjuchas screamed and fell backwards, allowing Colina to have a nice hearty laugh in response before turning away from the group and heading off, further and further into the Menos Forest. She needed to atleast catch one customer before moving on to other prospects.

Colina met her final few customers of Hueco Mundo gathering around a few of the weakest hollows in the Menos Forest, ready to gobble up their prey with ease. That was when she leapt between them all, the forty-foot-tall black robes with white masks and a ring of spikes around the neck and counted them out in her mind. Ten of them in total, all staring greedily down at the little hollows that looked like silver fish and trembled before their gaze while Colina stood in front of them. Her grin was plastered all over her face as she looked up at the Menos Grande, her tongue slightly stuck out in a mischievous manner. As she looked up at them, they began to growl and roar, their maws opening wide to take in what they thought would be the hollows and maybe even Colina herself.

With dazzling speed, Colina’s body flew into the air to meet eye to eye with these Menos Grande after launching off of the ground with her powerful legs. Her physical might carried her far up and as she came close, her arm tucked deep into her bag of treats, burying and rummaging through the goodies inside. When it emerged, Colina spun about in the air in a circle and released ten tiny little morsels, letting inertia carry them into the open maws of the lumbering beasts around her. Each one plopped easily into the mouths of the giant fools and each clamped down with efficient speed. As the Menos Grande closed their mouths around the very tiny morsels given to them, each seemed to grow disinterested in the hollows below and turned from their hunt, satisfied by the tiny treats.

Falling through the air, Colina gave a smile at her satisfied customers while landing between the tiny hollows around her. They looked graciously on at their savior, but Colina didn’t much care for being a savior. It was merely a treat that came from her tricks. And so, Colina dispensed a few more of her treats on the ground for the hollows as a Garganta ripped open behind her and tore through space and time, a deep sigh being released as the empty void moved to greet her. Colina wasn’t just working for Hueco Mundo, but she planned to dispense her treats to the Humans as well. Colina’s body turned and she proceeded into the deep black, the way being familiar and easy for her to follow.

---

When Colina emerged from the black, the sky tore open like a set of squared teeth, a release of a powerful sigh following as smoke and mist gave out to the world below. The night sky dazzled with stars around Colina as she walked onto the air before her and down below lights glimmered as well. She had decided on her destination specifically, landing on the town of Salem, Massachusetts knowing it’s significance to the world below her. The witches and goblins danced around the streets as the sun had waned and the festivities continued going beyond the safety of the light. The dead had come walking as the holiday had promised and it came with treats to bear to the world of the living.

Colina leapt through the air onto several platforms created by spiritual energy as she descended, looking down at the pretty lights of both pumpkins and street lamps along the roads. She saw the masses of children walking along, like little ant lines that continued flowing to and fro the homes. She always loved this time of year when she was alive, dressing up in all kinds of odd little costumes. But Colina was never able to dress up like a pretty pink princess, which is why she had chosen her current get up, the costume of her dreams from childhood. The frills of her dress danced in the wind as she fell to the earth below, letting herself carefully descend between the air platforms as her pink flip flops went. She had to wear these instead of ballerina slippers due to her toe nails being more claw like in nature, making her internally sigh every time she looked down at them.

When Colina finally touched ground, she took notice of the crowds growing a bit thinner in the dark and the kids turning out to be more like teenagers. However, Colina spied a few teenagers walking about with a singular child being dragged behind them. Colina, not currently wearing a gigai, decided to come up behind them and try and make eye contact with someone in the group. While approaching, Colina reached out with her mind and tried to sense if anyone around might have a higher than usual spiritual energy signature. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the child in the group was highly attuned to spiritual energy and had a bit inside her.

Colina came up behind the child and overheard the conversation. “Look, we’ve been out all night, you need to just come home with us. You’ve got plenty of treats.”

“But I want more candy! C’mon Bradley.” As the little girl said this, a lot of oohs were exclaimed by the other teenagers and the older boy seemed to grow red in the face. Colina tilted her head at this behavior as it was probably just his name. “I told you to call me Brad.” Ah, Colina thought to herself as she finally understood what was going on. Quite odd to be so uptight about a name but that was a human thing. Colina was beyond that now, but she wasn’t beyond a few tricks and treats.

Colina rushed up behind the little girl and hit the boy’s hand from his sister’s wrist. He yelped in surprise and, while looking around, failed to notice what Colina did next. She began lifting the young child into the air and above her head, making her look to the average human as if the girl was simply levitating. Bradley shouted and fell back when he finally turned and saw what was happening, his knees buckling under him from the shock. The girl blinked in surprise but seemed to be rather calm as she noticed Colina beneath her and smiled before turning to her brother.

“FEAR ME AND HARKEN! I AM THE LORDESS OF THE NIGHT AND YOU SHALL GIVE ME CANDY!” The little girl exclaimed loudly and all of the teenagers, her brother included, shouted out in fear before dropping their own bags and scattering. A few other teenagers saw this and decided to take an alternate street and the road became quite vacant rather quickly. When it was fully vacated, Colina chuckled and gently set the girl back down onto the ground. “That was well thought out. Had many fantasies about doing that?” Colina tussled the girl’s hair as she spoke to her, which the girl giggled at and waved a hand at her to get her to stop. “Only a few times.”

Colina smiled warmly at this and reached into her burlap sack to produce two of her treats before holding them out to the girl. “Well, you got some spiritual sense to ya. I’ll tell you a secret... I’m a ghost. And these little treats have some power in them. If you eat them, ya just might get strong enough to pick fights with other ghosties. Got it?” The girl’s eyes lit up at this information and quickly took the treats, depositing them into her bag of candy and treats already collected. As the girl had started to deposit the treats, Colina quickly and silently leapt into the air, vanishing from the little girl’s sight and running on the air as she howled with laughter through the night air. Colina had no idea if what she said was true, but it would sure get a kick out of the town when the girl ate those treats later.

Colina began running along the tops of houses, tossing her treats from her bag by the handfuls as she did. These treats would either be picked up by kids throughout the night or possibly be lost to the ground itself. Perhaps some might even find them in the morning, but more than likely spiritual bushes would begin sprouting up if they weren’t picked up from the ground. Colina even began to wonder if spiritual beings would be born from these apples of discord, but it would sure be fun if they were. When she finished, Colina would focus for a moment and cause a Garganta to open up in front of her before leaping through and into the black.

---

Her final stop was the third of the three worlds, the Soul Society. More specifically, Colina went to the Rukongai district where she saw that there weren’t many celebrating the festivities in the poorer districts. Colina frowned as she saw this and gave a sigh. She needed everyone to be enjoying themselves if she was going to have any fun for herself. She began to think and ponder while she sat on a wooden roof, her legs dangling over the edge and lightly kicking at the air while thumbing it over in her head. Her hair dangled from her head as well while she thought, the black strands parting around her Hollow mask bunny ears coming from her forehead.

That was when a little boy came out from inside the house and, upon noticing Colina’s legs dangling, looked up and began pointing at her while shouting, “What are you doing up there!?” Colina yelped and shot up from her seat, visibly shaken by the shouting out of nowhere. She even fell to the left and began rolling, tumbling off of the wooden edge of the rooftop she had been sitting on. When she hit the ground, she gave a deep grunt and grumbled while sitting up and dusting herself off. She looked over to the little boy who had startled her, noticing the way he was now running at her. She also noticed the hammer in his hand raised above his head.

Colina shot up from the ground and onto her feet as she watched the boy approaching swiftly with the hammer raised above his head, her eyes tracking him as he did. The threat meant absolutely nothing to her, an piece of dirt attempting to threaten a boot but something made her exceptionally merciful for the season. Colina lifted up a hand and allowed her spiritual energy to be unmasked for a moment. This caused the boy to immediately fall back from the blast of wind caused by the exertion of her spiritual pressure. Colina however quickly bottled it back up with a sigh as she knew that she might get noticed by a wandering Shinigami if she wasn’t too careful. Her feet led her forward as she walked over to the little boy who now trembled on the ground in fear of her. But she wasn’t going to hurt him.

Instead, Colina knelt to the ground and gently reached into her bag, plucking out a singular apple from within. She then handed it over to the little brat and took the hammer from his hand with gentle ease. She didn’t want to terrify him, but instead leave him with a gift. When she settled the little treat into his palm, the boy looked up at her with a confused gaze and Colina pointed to his mouth, then to the treat, and finally back to his mouth. The boy hesitantly placed the apple to his lips before placing it on his tongue. The look on his face showed the satisfaction of the sweet taste, making Colina giggle before standing back up.

Colina then, with a mischievous grin upon her lips, leapt into the air and to an awaiting Garganta as it split open in the night air. She would now return to Las Noches, having spread some of her tricks and some of her treats to those of all three worlds. But she hoped that soon, chaos would come from both sides of this little coin she flipped on this night.

[Kitai Yoru]

Hoshi
Claramond Althaus
Akio Naito
Hanako Nozawa
Evelyn Diamond
Nakajima Kimiko
Odalis Delgado
Lulatrix Lapis Lazuli
Colina Conejita

You all receive 1,000 TP, and 10,000 ryo! This is an early grading, but not the final grading! This thread will close at the end of the 31st, so if you haven't done your posts or posts, you have until then! Happy Halloween!

[Aura Kyuketsuki]

<sub>How long had it been since she went out and about with the Humans? Groups wandering about in celebration to the days in which they dress themselves, pretending to inherit the power and myth of those that they proclaim themselves to be. Aura found herself wandering about just as much as any of the other Humans were committed to during this evening. With the Sun setting over the distant mountains she gazed up at the lights that decorated the light posts above her, narrowing her sights to adjust to their illuminating presence.

It was only but an hour ago did she keep herself warm in the limousine, passing through the city from a recent deal that was made. The Syndicate needed the Bount's presence to see to a shipment was being processed. Paperwork and the liking, put through the system along with its forgery to bypass customs and to be shipped out into the open seas. It was her name, her face that allowed for the shipment to pass through unhalted, seeing her goods being sent to their client on time. Days like these were normal beyond the borders of the Covenant's walls. So, it would be time to return and see to her roles back at the Citadel. That was the plan after all.

Yet, what stood her up was not disruptive or an action of a rivaled group. There was no acts of violence that tugged at her attention, or blockage on the road to deter her away from her destination. What Aura saw outside of her window was purely nostalga. A group of Human girls that chattered and laughed amongst themselves. Faces that Aura carefully examined whilst waiting for the light to change, and be on her merry way. Faces that drew her mind back into the past, and into the bright Sun that panned through the glass of the third story window. An annoying reflective shine that caused the Bount to stir in her sleep as she hid behind a standing book, blocking her view of the black board at the front.

The sounds of laughter beside her, poking fun in humorous banter from those that were with Aura during those days. "Stop the car." Aura exclaimed, leaning on the edge of her seat as her gaze was locked onto the group. "Driver. I will walk the rest of the way from here." the Bount commented, rising up from her seat to dismount the vehicle. Her driver protested, stating the fact that the woman would require an escort, or someone to tend to her until she was within Bount territory. Aura raised her hand to silence the man. "Do not worry. I will be fine. I will contact someone should I require assistance." Aura added before exiting the vehicle. In Karakura, Aura was never far away from contacting the Covenant, or its assets. For now, she just wanted to immerse herself.

Black edges of the dress folded inward before blooming outwards once again. Black hair brightened with new vigor to match a brighter, more lively brown. Shades of orange ran through the layers of hair, painting it with a unique hue with eyes transitioning from red to amber. Much of Aura's appearance had shifted, taking on, reeling back to the time before the curse was removed. A time that Aura knew nothing about a Covenant, before those ambitions were even a thought to her. A jacket long forgotten took hold around the woman's torso, with a white tank top with designer ripped jeans. The soft squish of the sneakers on her feet were greeted to the pavement of the sidewalk when they came into contact with one another. From the subtle warmth of the car's interior to the brisk air of the casting night, Aura entered the realm of Humans once more with a long forgotten face.

Subtle strides were taken casually when the Bount brushed through crowd. Slipping from side to side with little to no effort, Aura's own physical strength casually pushed the Humans to the side without a notice to her. Was she shifting side to side out of habit? There wasn't a need to do so due to her physical strength, almost as if repeating a memory of the past. Aura waltzed through the crowd until seeing a small clearing of the group again. They were there. Kimmy. Jackie. And Yua. Three girls that Aura knew of her days at Karakura Highschool. A year spent in the Human Academy when Aura first arrived in the World of the Living. To establish herself as a resident who had been transferring from school to school due to working parents, Aura attended the Academy to transition her life from the spiritual realm to the days of normacy.

The days that Aura could recall with the three girls. Time spent going to the arcades. When the days grew unbareably hot they ventured to the Convenience Store for Frozen Fruit Pops. Evenings when Kimmy would simply get lazy from their walks going up hill and the girls had to carry her together. The laughs that were had and foolish arguments now all seemed like a dream. A dream of a forgotten person that never once tried to reach out to them. Aura could recall all that happened once she went to work for the Mod Soul, Zaluu. New plans had to be made. A new time schedule to try to make school and work possible. All the while keeping her curse under control. And even when the curse was gone did Aura not once returned their calls, or establish contact with them again. So much happened that the memories of them began to fade away.

"I forgot them. Aura forgot them. Even now, all of them are just memories now." Her heart felt lifted by the memories that flashed before her eyes, almost as if she was there to meet them for a gathering like before. Friends that would come together to spend a holiday, especially when they had complained about not having boyfriends or a love interest. How the complaints were numerous, with constant badgering and empty promises for change for the next coming year. Aura laughed, finding herself a bit astonished that she would even do such a thing. Why did she laugh? Was it because of the memory or the thought of having done such things? That Aura was gone. She died three years ago when she had decided to let the past go, burying it with all the hopes and dreams that she once had as a Human. So why would she come all this way to interact with the three Human girls?

Aura didn't know why she committed herself to this. Why did the sudden impulse come and lure her to this spot with the three girls? Was there a part of herself that wanted to live? For such hopes to resurface and claim some part of herself, to fill the void beyond the Covenant? She turned around. Aura didn't want to feed this sensation that would only cause her to doubt herself, and the decisions that she made. She didn't want to be confused about what she- "Aura?" The Bount stopped. Frozen in place as a voice called out in a soft muttering tone. It was low, soft, but clear. "Aura, is that you?" The Bount's heart skipped a beat, glancing over her shoulder to spot the three girls staring right at her. One inched closer as the other two remained in place switching glances between their friend and the Bount. They were in disbelief.

"Aura. That is you, right? Tell me I'm not dreamin' girl?" said the girl inching closer. Aura's eyes remained widen. In actual shock that even her heart skipped a beat, as if she was caught in the act of doing something terrible. The Bount didn't respond immediately, taking the few moments to try and recompose herself. "I-I am sorry. But I believe that you are m-mistaking me for someone el-" Immediately the girl leaped, wrapping herself around the Bount in utter disbelief, feeling her shirt being drenched underneath. Aura noticed the cold sensation. The Human girl, Kimmy, was crying. "It is you. What..Why...How...Where did you go? Where have you been all this time?" her face emerged from nuzzling the Bount's chest, looking up at Aura with teary eyes.

Aura didn't say anything. What could she say? The girl wasn't strong at all that just by pulling herself away could Aura escape easily. There was no resistance to be had. Not with her strength. Yet, the Bount couldn't find it in herself to do that. The Human girl, Kimmy, made it so Aura felt weak, and unable to find the desire to do that to her. Aura felt disturbed in a manner that made her unable to bring harm onto the crying girl. Both of her friends were in shock, looking to each other before looking back to Aura. The Bount's appearance was of that before she disappeared. Not a day older than how she was remembered. Soon, the two girls behind ran up to the Bount in shared embrace. One came to hug Aura in a less intimate manner unlike Kimmy. Holding onto the Bount's shoulers as if to examine her closely in detail. As for Yua, remaining close as she eyed the Bount from head to toe. Both nearly brought to tears at the meeting.

The group of girls were sobbing in embrace, being back together after nearly five years apart. Five years. That was the last time that Aura could recall being away from the trio. A time that Aura had so much happening that she vanished. She stopped attending Karakura Academy altogether. The trip to Zaluu's club to the school was taxing, with the fear of her curse activating before returning back to her nightly cell. Once she was cured, Aura continued to remain apart from the girls despite their attempts to call and text her. Aura didn't know how to respond back as the days went on in fear and regret. She had turned her back on her friends that were worried about her, and wanted to know if she was alright. Aura didn't give them an inch. Aura didn't respond to anything from them.

So, seeing their friend after years of worrying, of growing concern, and fear did they reunite. Kimmy continued to cry. Yua scolded Aura for not returning their phone calls or messages. This left Jackie in continued disbelief of what she was truly seeing in front of her. Although, even with the difference in tones and shock, what Aura saw on their faces was of concern and reassurance that their friend was back. And for a few moments even the Bount could not hold back her tears.

It was as if someone else had taken hold over the Bount. Someone forced the Leader of the Covenant into the passanger seat in order for this person to take the steering wheel. Aura cried in both relief and pain for what she had done. Taking back the years that she was away from them in mere moments did the Bount embrace the group into her own arms, forebading the Dolls from speaking from within. "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't get back to you guys sooner. I'm.....sorry." Aura cried in a bit of disbelief herself that she wasn't forgotten by the girls. A part of herself finding comfort in the three Human girls as she didn't see them as strangers or lesser individuals; they were her friends.

Aura immediately came up with a story. A story of having to move away as her parents had to go to a different city for work, and wanted Aura to remain close to them. So a notice to the school would be sent to dismiss Aura entirely from their system as she would be transferred. Of course, no other school was ever appointed as the Bount would fall into an abyss of utter mystery. Yua explained that the three went ahead to look into the matter. There no were reports of a transfer. Her home address was abandoned with someone else living there. And any other remaining traces of where they believed Aura may have gone to had no information. It was as though Aura didn't exist. But truth be told that Aura didn't really exist in Karakura up until her arrival in the World of the Living.

What information that resided in Karakura was all due to Doctor Erika's efforts to have the Bount appear to be a resident. Falsified documents such as birth certificate and family were all put in place to forge a make believe story of there being a girl named Aura. All such paperwork remained, yet unknowingly put to use up until three years ago when the Bunker was placed under Aura's name. So, there was a lot of inconsistencies that caused the girls to wonder as they were looking for a young girl, and not a fully grown woman with a business under her name. Inside of a local Wac'donalds, the group of friends were catching up as they were now residing in Karakura University. Despite the years Aura appeared as when she disappeared, with the story of studying in Tokyo with her parents moving around during the passing year, and now coming to Karakura for nostalga. The idea was put out there that Aura didn't suspect to see any of the girls again, nor if they would even remember the Bount.

The group laughed with still some lingering tears in Kimmy, as both Yua and Jackie shared aloud the grueling times spent dragging an trantruming Kimmy uphill. The times when they needed to calm her down with sweets, with Yua's daring ventures into the boy's lockeroom, and with Jackie's failed attempt at romance. All the memories being brought back up to the surface that Aura had left buried were being painted in front of her eyes. The bumbling bunch of idiots that had no concern over what tomorrow brought as they went ahead to pass out candy during their time together. The girls went ahead to stop by the convenience store nearby to pass out treats to passing children. Something that Aura didn't believe she would be doing.

"Aura, how long are you going to be staying in Karakura?" Yua questioned. Aura didn't answer immediately, pondering about a answer that would be appropriate. "C'mon. You have to stay at least until Halloween is over. A few days, please." Kimmy added in. "If you are only here to visit then a few days wouldn't hurt, right?" Aura didn't know how to respond now. There was a lot to do. Aside from the Syndicate's operations, for Aura to not return to the Covenant to assume her duties would cause an uproar. Not only with Eris but with a lack of direction from Aura the organization would grow concern. Aura had a lot on her plate to simply spend some time with the Humans. Aura felt conflicted as a part of her wanted this time with them.

Aura handed another treat to a little girl, smiling up at the Bount with Aura merely blinking at her. The Bount felt conflicted about the entire situation which she shouldn't be. It made Aura wonder about her commitments, and to what she wanted to do. Her friends looked over at each other before returning their gaze back to Aura. "You can't, can you." Yua answered in Aura's place. "We don't want to pressure you into this. It's just been so long since we last saw you. So, we thought that you didn't want anything to do with us. That maybe we were bothering you or holding you back from something. Maybe, there was something you couldn't say, or afraid to say." Aura still didn't answer, looking troubled by the woman's words.

"Aura, we just wanted to let you know that whatever it is that you are going through, that we are here, and will always be here. You are still our friend, and no matter what happens that we will never forget you, girl." Aura remained silent as she continued to pass out the pieces of candy. It was not as if Aura didn't want to answer, but just didn't know how to. Her eyes bounced from side to side, obviously contemplating as to what was being said. Aura wasn't ignoring them. She was thinking about what to say. Then, it came to her. "Thank you, guys." she said in complete gratitude. "I do..have a lot on my plate right now. But, regardless of that I want to spend more time with you all again. So, if you want... we can stay together tonight..until the sun comes up."

The girls glanced at each other. Then, smiled. They nodded in agreement in utter joy with tears swelling up. Kimmy couldn't help herself while the other two remained composed. Aura wanted to spend this time with them, along with future days when she can get away from her duties for time for herself. Providing the group with her phone number, the group was back together again. Drinks would come soon after, with mouth full of sweets, further badgering, and again the painful walk up the hill with a drunken idiot in tow. But, Aura didn't find this as annoying or painful. This was happiness for the Bount. This was part of her reasoning from long ago, as to why she wanted to take over Karakura. It was for a man. It was for the future of her people. But most importantly it was for those that she shared these memories with.

And it was the sweetest of them all.</sub>

[Scarlet]

Tonight was definitely going to be something different. Scarlet had taken the time to come to Tokyo to celebrate Halloween, it was one of her favorite times of year. She normally wasn’t the sort of female that got dressed up or focused all that much on her appearance. Scarlet hardly owned any makeup at all and viewed it for the most part as just a waste of money. When it came to costumes though that was something different, she always loved picking something out then giving it everything she had to look the most amazing. This year though she wasn’t sure, would everything she went through now as a Fullbringer dim the experience of Halloween.

How scary would people in costumes or tricky gadgets be when she’d gone up against demons and hollows. Staring down a Hollow without a weapon had been the most terrifying thing she could ever remember, all the same though she’d done that. So now as she sat on the train awaiting her arrival in Tokyo, Scarlet wasn’t sure if she was going to have the best experience, but hoped despite everything that it would still be nothing other than fun.

That was a hope that didn’t last long, she didn’t have a Hollow or Demon to thank for ruining the calm nerves that filled her body, no she had a group of scumbags that saw a beautiful woman dressed in a skimpy costume. Scarlet from her position down further in the train car wasn’t able to really make out what she was dressed as, but she had horns and was in red and black so she assumed it was some sort of demon or devil costume. Either way though the group of four men around her age would soon find out they were crossing a line.

She wasn’t that far away from them all things considered and her eyes and mind had been trained over the last year from the many battles that she’d undertaken. It was due to this that Scarlet could easily notice how the men were surrounding her and getting her closer to one of the walls. Secluding her from the rest of the train while obscuring the view of other passengers. If they couldn’t see her then how would they see anything done to her. Scarlet couldn’t stand to sit down and wait to know, as far as she was concerned this was already an absolute.

Getting up out of her seat Scarlet didn’t even bother to draw in an extra mouthful of breath . Dealing with four or five men around her age was nothing now. A year ago it would have been a struggle even with her experience in Karate. At the moment despite being outnumbered there was basically no chance of this ending badly for either female. Scarlet made the first move yet the moment before she did she heard the sound of the victim beginning to cry.

That was all it would have taken in the first place to get Scarlet in action, now that she was there she felt her anger surge. A low punch with her right fist to the man that was obviously starting to directly take advantage of the devil woman. A punch with enough strength that Scarlet could feel the ribs of this scumbag breaking against her fist. She didn’t give him a moment to even scream as she brought her left hand forward immediately afterwards, striking his left arm just above his elbow, hard enough to break it as well.

The man started to shout and react although Scarlet was so inside her own head now with rage that anything they said didn’t reach her. Scarlet instead just started swinging, hitting one assailant after the other Until all except one of them were on the floor of the train car groaning and holding themselves in pain. She had to be as careful as could be knowing full well that if she hit them with her full strength she’d likely kill. Although these bastards didn’t deserve to keep living in her opinion.

“Hey everything’s alright now.”

Scarlet made sure to tell the devil who just shook her head yes and then ran past her. Scarlet was aware she had to be in a state of either shock or just plain adrenaline fueled motion. Either way her getting far away from these assholes was best. As for them, they hadn’t suffered enough yet. One of them hadn’t even been hit. He’d been the furthest away on the other side of the woman. Now though Scarlet was staring at him letting him know for certain he was next.

“You stupid bitch.”

“It’s no issue Xio. She’ll simply replace her.”

“How’d she hit so hard though.”

“Doesn’t matter now that we’ve got her.”

The voices of the men that Scarlet had already knocked to the ground fell off as her left thigh didn’t just start burning, but felt like it was on fire. She didn’t have to look down though as after that first national moment she realized what had happened. She’d been too occupied with the last guy to keep her attention spread all around. She’d narrowed her awareness too much and the result was a knife in her left thigh from behind. A painful wound that was going to cause quite a few problems. As these guys would soon find out though it wouldn’t be enough to save them.

Turning with her full speed Scarlet didn’t just have time to spot that one of the first she’d punched in the torso was getting up, but his arm was extended with the knife he must have been hiding in her thigh. The idiot hadn’t pulled the knife out or let go. A back hand fist with her left arm would collide against his face, enough strength that the man’s jaw shattered and multiple teeth went soaring from his mouth. It would have been better to assume he’d caught a metal baseball to the face than a fist.

Turning again now the other four men were getting up, all of them very hurt, but it seemed that Scarlet had held back against scum too much. Now she’d have to be even more careful though, they all pulled knives out just like the idiot behind her. She couldn’t release her Fullbring nor even bring out its form, she’d left all of her weapons at home. Even so she simply smiled at them while sweat began to break out across her brow from the wound.

“Hope you all enjoy hospital food and male company.”

Limping wasn’t going to work so while she thought about leaping off her right leg and just rushing them, getting potentially stabbed half a dozen more times wasn’t an experience she wanted to try. She’d been stabbed multiple times with a Hollows sharp fingers. That had been worse than the knife in her thigh but she’d be willing to bet a few more would change that opinion. Taunting them all with a wave of her hands and that was all it took to get rushed by three of them. Thankfully though they were basic with no creativity in their attack.

Jab, jab, jab. She wasn’t a boxer yet when it came to striking, Scarlet had more than enough experience to handle four idiots that, compared to the people and things she had gotten used to fighting, were slower than a turtle. She’d been caught by surprise and although she couldn’t employ her legs to fight now, her arms were more than enough. One strike to the face was enough to stagger then a shift forward with a follow up punch straight to the sternum. Even if they didn’t die they’d suffer more pain then they’d likely ever want to remember.

“You idiots can’t handle a simple five on one.”

Scarlet now with all five men around her feet on the floor of the train car heard the voice from over ten feet behind her. Turning wasn’t something that she could do at the moment without a pretty decent amount of pain. Gritting her teeth though Scarlet moved her right leg around and spun on her left heel. Standing there in the middle of the car was a man in a nice suit with slicked back hair. His right hand was already inside the interior of his coat and just like that she knew he was serious. A wakashi putting right out and his gaze steady.

Thankfully at this point almost all of the civilians that had been on this train car including the woman that had been attacked were now off. There were only one or two other people that were about to get off. That meant that Scarlet didn’t have to worry about hitting someone that didn’t deserve it. This guy was obviously based on what he just said in charge. That meant he was even bigger scum than the assholes on the floor of the train. Scarlet didn’t care what sort of weapon he had, he was going to regret his choices from this moment on.

Rushing in at her with surprising speed for a normal human Scarlet brings her right arm close towards her head in order to block the swing that was coming her way. It looked like he was going to slash sideways towards her face, a simple step forward and she was inside his guard. His forearm would hit her arm and the wakashi would be turned into a useless piece of metal. Everything went like she expected up to the moment that he dropped the blade and his right hand darted forward to catch it in mid fall. From that moment all he had to do was push it forward.

Scarlet managed to step back in time, her superior instincts along with physical speed was enough to save her from the exchange. This guy, whatever he was, happened to have more combat experience than she ever expected. This just muddied the waters of understanding even more. Why someone with this level of skill chose a life of scum and bothered to look over basic idiots like the others. Those choices didn’t make any sense to Scarlet. The walashi had managed to stab into her side, only getting about half an inch though.

It was a wound all the same and Scarlet could tell she was bleeding quite a bit right away. “If only I could cleave him apart.” Scarlet thought to herself wishing that she could manifest the form of her Fullbring. She wasn’t facing off against anything spiritual though. Whether that meant she would be falling into some sort of dishonorable situation didn’t matter to her. It was the simple fact that this train car likely had cameras. She had to handle this using what she had available which sadly didn’t include her hatchets.

she couldn’t suffer much more without her ability to move diminishing so she had to handle this guy now. Rushing in on him this time Scarlet moves with her full speed which would cause her to become little more than a blur to this scum. A standing straight punch with her right hand directed right for the sternum. A move that this man somehow managed to block with his arm, yet it didn’t matter. She felt the bones in his forearm shatter and her punch push right through knocking him off his feet onto the ground.

Bleeding and tired already Scarlet couldn’t believe the difference that just a few weapons had made, was she really still so weak that average humans could hurt her this badly. “Tomorrow I’ll start training even harder.” She spoke to herself while holding the wound on her torso. All six men were on the floor of the train car with at least one broken bone each. The pan was safe and Scarlet once the police were made aware at the next station would be on her way to see what sort of party Hoshi was talking about.