A Twisted Halloween: Terror is Trending

Chapter 6: Weeping with Joy

After the meeting the Halloween management committee arrived in front of the Ramshackle Dorm. There, they meet Silver and Sebek in front of the form while Malleus and Lilia put on their costumes.

"Thank you for your patience. Please give Malleus and the others a little more time to get changed," Silver says.

"HAH! HAH! HAH!" Sebek laughs, "Welcome, humans! Our housewarden himself spearheaded our dorm's Halloween efforts. You do well to pay your respect personally."

"Sebek's always, so um... energetic," Epel replies.

"Has Malleus simply neglected to teach this cucumber any manners?" Vil questions.

Then Silver says, "My apologies. He's even more overexcited than usual around this time of year."

"I am NOT over excited. I merely state a hard face!" Sebek says, not very pleased by the comment.

Then says, "When you lay eyes upon Malleus and Lilia in costume, you will be awestruck at their splendor!"

Just then, Malleus speaks up, "Sebek, don't put our guests on the spot. When you state the obvious, you make it harder for them to say anything in response."

Sebek turns around and salutes, "Ah, sir! Are you finished changing?"

He turns to the others and announces, "Ahem. BEHOLD! THIS is the Halloween Costume..."

Then bellows, "... that Malleus Draconia, leader of Diasomnia, so brilliantly conceived!"

Soon, Malleus and Lilia arrive to show everyone their costumes. They're both wearing what appears to be traditional Chinese attire. Their clothes are darkish blue with some red, gold, and white, along with bead necklaces around their necks. Their Chinese hats are also the same color scheme with a strain of a peacock feather. Only difference is that Lilia has fake horns on it, while Malleus' own horns are sticking out.

Malleus says, "Our theme this year is the long."

"Well? Are we not, as the kids say, rocking it?" Lilia replies.

"Last year, the dorm went with a more traditional ghost theme... But since I became a committee member for the first time this year, I thought it might be nice to mix it up a bit. I like to think we've crafted colorful, eye-catching costumes with an element of surprise," Malleus explains.

"Yes! YES! And I, for one, think you look stunning," Sebek complements. "I've no doubt that the Eastern dragons themselves must be weeping with joy at having you imitate them!" and is practically weeping with joy.

Epel notices, "I only see one figure weeping here, and that's Sebek..."

"Thank you, Sekeb," Malleus replies.

Then turns to Vil, "Actually, I should also thank you for your advice, Schoenheit."

"At first, I was skeptical. I thought that since you are a dragon already, dressing up as one would be superfluous. But you wore me down QUITE thoroughly with that hour-long impassioned speech about how longs are entirely distinct from dragons as we know them," Vil says.

"They are, though. Long dwell in the East. They have some similarities to dragons, like their horns, tails, and skin..." Malleus explains, "But they're a completely different species. The wings are one giveaway, but even their skeletal structure is widely different. And technically speaking, longs wouldn't be categorized as fae-"

But Vil quickly interrupts him, "I got it the first time, thank you very much!"

"Sorry about this. Malleus can be obsessive about these things," Lilia says.

"It reminds me of how animated Idia can get sometimes, "Kalim replies with a grin.

"'Geeking out.' That's the phrase you're looking for," Idia says.

"Why? Why call it that? I think it's nice!" There's nothing geeky about sharing things you enjoy!" Kalim says.

"The worst part is that I know you sincerely believe that..." Idia says.

Meanwhile, Jack questions, "It's pretty cool, sure. But do you really want to steer this hard way from the spectral theme? Isn't the point of this to pass yourself off as a ghost that scares off real ghosts?"

"You seem to be laboring under a misunderstanding. This costume represents the ghost of a long," Malleus says.

"It... does?" Jack asks, confused.

Crowley places his hand under his chin, "When we first started the stamp tour, students contented themselves with tossing bed sheets over themselves to look like ghosts... But some students began doing more with it. Others wanted in. The dorms started competing and the affair grew fancier year by year. Now it's not uncommon to see 'ghosts of monsters' as costumes."

Then Vil says, "Meeting visitor expectations is essential in maintaining a long-running show. Friendly rivalries among students have given Halloween Week that much more polish."

"Essentially, it's a competition," Azul says.

"I get you. That sounds par for the course on this campus, that's for sure," Jack replies.

Then Silver says, "The Ramshackle Dorm decorations are a motif based on a country that Fa-" But quickly corrects himself, "ah, that Lilia once visited."

"Mm-hm," Lilia replies with a nod, "I've traveled far and wide in my time... But one particular Eastern country I visited was full of legends about longs. In fact, one such long became a family's guardian spirit. When Malleus brought up wanting a long costume, I remembered a tale and went from there."

Epel looks to see the dragon and says in amazement, "It's so cool and red and flashy!"

Lilia chuckles, "Khee hee hee. Isn't it, though? The lanterns, clouds, and the long are all kept magically levitating. We'll be lighting the fire in the lanterns with magic as well. It's more striking to have them bobbing up and down, wouldn't you say? It adds to the realism."

"You have quite a few of those lanterns, don't you?" Vil questions.

Then points out, "You'll be keeping them aflame and afloat for an entire week... Frankly, no other dorm would have the magical power to sustain that. It's certainly a theme befitting a dorm with so many students specializing in practical spells."

"How wise of you boys to put your textbook learning in such skillful application," Crowley says.

Then happily says, "Bravo, Diasomnia! You perfectly embody what arcane academies are all about. Now, let's move on, shall we? I believe the next-closest destination would be the botanical garden that Heartslabyul chose."