Twisted Wonderland 2

Nice and Spooky

You stand in the botanical gardens with the boys and admire what Heartslabyul has done with the place. They turned the garden into a spooky graveyard. Scattered throughout the graveyard are numerous carved pumpkins with glowing, jack-o'-lantern faces. Tombstones of various shapes and sizes are positioned around a central stone mausoleum, which also has pumpkins placed on and around it. You and the boys wait for Cater and Deuce who have left to change into their costumes.

You glance towards Malleus and look over his costume, having a chance to admire the way the outfit looks on him. Malleus looks over and catches you staring. You immediately look away and hold your arm bashfully. Malleus softly smiles, finding your flustered form so cute.

"Hello, everybody."

Turning around, you see Riddle, Trey, and Ace approaching.

Riddle nods his head in greeting. "It's nice to have you."

"Step into our chilling conservatory." Trey says.

Ace gestures to the decorations with a hand. "For Heartslabyul, we decided to go with graveyard decor."

"And for the costumes," Cater walks over. "Check THIS out. Skelebones!"

Cater wears a black, tall top hat with a white skull ornament at the center and dark feathers surrounding it. A translucent, tattered veil hangs from the hat, covering his face. Cater also wears a fitted, black long-sleeved jacket with silver detailing. The jacket is laced in the front with white ribbon, crossing over a red vest underneath. Silver accents extend from the shoulders with more white ribbon that hangs from his arms. He has black gloves, and a large, ornate silver belt with floral patterns with lacing beneath. The jacket flows down in tattered, ragged edges like the veil. Black, form-fitting pants with white vertical stripes ending in high boots. The boots are detailed with silver, heart-shaped buckles and floral patterns.

Deuce joins beside Cater in the same outfit. "Ghosts risen from the grave through sheer willpower!"

Malleus tilts his head. "Skele-what? Oh. You mean skeletons. Those aren't bones on your costume, though."

"No, sir." Deuce says. "They're white ribbons designed to LOOK like bones. We agreed to decorate the garden like a graveyard and dress up as skeletons, but we had a hard time designing something that was realistic, while also fun for Halloween."

"Deuce's idea was hilaribad, lemme tell you." Ace snickers. "He said skeletons should look dirty and grimy! And sure, that might've made it more convincing, but YOU try convincing anyone to dress like that."

Deuce glowers at Ace. "Your suggestion was just as bad, for the record!"

Riddle clears his throat, folding his arms and quirking an eye at the two.

Deuce rubs the back of his neck. "A-anyway, Cater stepped up and shared some great insights."

"I'm always mashing that like button on cool displays I see on Magicam." Cater grins. "It's great hashtag #inspo for the dorm's tea parties. Ribbons and lace are, like, a staple of picturesque decor, right? Just because we're going with skeletons as a theme, why ruin a perfectly good Halloween by making everyone roll around in the dirt or whatever? See this? Isn't it cute how you can see the heart made of roses underneath the RIB-bons?" He laughs. "That was another bone pun. Please clap."

You're the only one who laughs at the pun but Cater seems satisfied to have made you smile.

"You guys certainly look like spooky scary skeletons." You say.

Cater grins. "Don't they just send shivers down your spine?"

Riddle smiles appreciatively to Cater. "We couldn't have pulled it off convincingly and with respect for everyone's opinions if not for Cater's skills and know-how. I'm satisfied that our costumes are both refined and fearsome, a perfect fit for a dorm embodying the spirit of strictness."