The New Salem Maul

[Kai Merha]

The Last Day of Winter Break.

Afternoon.

Kai, Demona, Marianna and Melody arrived at the maul amidst the bluster of last-minute back-to-school choppers. It was mostly clumps of Zombies finishing up their chopping lists, and a few teenagers enjoying the last hours of freedom before the Spring Scaremester officially started.

"Mmmm, smell that?'" Kai asked Demona as a whiff of schreechza from Grave & Boosters slid by them. Yes, he'd just eaten, but he was a teenaged boo. He was always ready to eat! "We could go over and play some games-"

Kai looked at Demona. She was still concerned about Marianna and Melody getting along. Kai was sure that playing Prance Prance Deadvolution would solve any problems the two of them had, but Demona wasn't so sure.

"Or we could check out the Cryptmas clearance at Forever 2100?" Kai offered. "Or we could go see Mr. Deathknell at the Arrght House and see what's new...or we could go check out what's going on over at the Coffin Bean. Or there's the Back to School supplies at Gored-mans....or...or..."  

[Demona MH]

Kai Merha

"....or...or..."

Demona smiled softly
"Those are all wonderful ideas, lets just... go play games and hope for the beast. "

she rubbed his shoulder to make sure he knew she was okay

"are you still hungry? she laughed "You're starting to sound like Damon" She snickered at her own little joke, then turned to Marianna.
'

Marianna Trench

"Damon is my big brother, he eats a lot of food. and i mean a lot"  

[Kai Merha]

"Makes good food, too." Kai chimed in. After the big dinner before the Howliday Ball, his relationship with Damon had improved. Well...a bit, at least. There was a much lower chance Damon was going to eat him whole. Still, Kai was glad he wasn't taking Home Ick this Scaremester, even if it meant he was taking Mad Science instead.

"Here we go!"

They arrived at Grave & Boosters, the noisy arcade at the center of the Maul. Inside of its glass walls were all kinds of creepy cool games, and you could creeple-watch the maulwalkers going around outside while you played.

His and Demona's favorite game was Skree-ball - the old classic. They always competed to see who could get the highest score and the most tickets. Demona had a deadly hook-shot with the little round skulls that beat Kai almost every time, but he'd been practicing.

Kai held up a fistful of quarters.

"Shall we?!"  

[Demona MH]

Kai Merha

"Shall we?!"

"Prepare to lose like always" she smirked "Alexander Fang loves playing Skree-ball after his runway shows." She looked at Marianna and Melody

"he's a designer," she told Kai, just in case he didnt know who that was...since kai is...well, a guy
"Anyway lets play loser gets to buy the winner food!" She smiled giving Kai more of a reason to win
"that is, if you think you can win"  

[Melody Nocturna]

"I'm determined to get that stuffed cephalopod!" She exclaimed pointing to the prize counter with fire in her eyes, "He's got my name written all over him!"

She clenched her fists in determination, not only to earn a new stuffed octopus but to show Marianna that she could do just as well as she could.

"I know I can do it!" She yelled as her eyes dulled from an expressive green to a dull competitive red.  

[Harry Herne]

I traveled the world on a mule
And there's every type of ghoul
But your glowing eyes seem to pass me by
And leave me dancing with myself.

So let's lurk in the murk
And on my lines I can work
So I have a chance to ask the ghouls to dance
And I'll be dancing with myself

Oh, oh, dancing with myself,
Oh, oh, dancing with myself

Loud music blared out of the Rot Topic that the Goblin Garment Group was trying to force Harry to enter. The young Fae Prince was hanging on to the lip of a fountain while six goblins heaved on his legs.

"You have to get new clothes, Young Master."

"NEVAH! That place is so not zen!"  

[Tori Underbridge]

Harry Herne

"Oh C'mon, Harry.... Its really not that bad... " Tori said to him trying not to giggle at the Prince.

"Yeah, I shop here all the time!" Venus interjected, having joined Tori and Harry on their shopping trip. As niether of them really liekd the mall, more so wanting to create their own clothes themselves. Something Venus appreciated.

"You can't wear the clothes same clothes all the time. Lets help you find something..." Tori tried to give him a pat on the back, to reassure him it would be alright.  

[Marianna Trench]

the stuffed toy didn't really interest Marianna... But seeing the determination on Melody's eyes made her sudden'y want that very same item... when earlier she wanted spy's secrete decoder ring.

"Oh I'm game! and I'm going for an old Classic. Whack-a-Bat." Excitedly she puts her coins in and the game lights up! Her aggressive nature finally had an outlet and she takes the mallot and bats down the the bats that pop up at random!

It was kinda fun!! And she was having a great time trying to figure out where the next bat would appear!!  

[Kai Merha]

*bing! Bingbingbing!*

Kai's score was racking up as the Skree-ball machine started spitting out tickets. 400 points! 450! Kai put some backspin on the last ball from this round, and it neatly bounced up the side to land in the 100 point ring. 550 points!

"Hah! Take tha-" Kai looked over at Demona's 675 point game. Fine, no time to gloat. He tossed another quarter in to start a new game, and the skull-shaped balls rolled down the chute.

"See? Looks like Marianna and Melody are starting to hit it off." Kai pointed out Marianna smacking the heck out of the plush bats on the Whack-a-Bat machine next to Melody. "Get it? Hit it off? Because they've got bats and they're hitting bats!"

Kai had to duck a skull-shaped ball coming towards his head.  

[Demona MH]

"lame!"

she laughed then looked over to see Melody and Marianna

"yeah, I think everything is going to be okay"

She smiled brightly

"well it wont be for you if you keep throwing like that!"

she joked then moved to push him a little to mess up his throwing.

"what why are you messing up?"
she kept playfully messing with him, "I thought you had it in the bag. It just doesn't make sense"  

[Melody Nocturna]

Melody wandered over to the Street Racer driving game with excitement, she always loved this game, even if she didn't know how to drive herself.

The game was simple, two players would compete in a street car race set in different locations and the monster who won the race got the tickets.

She paired up with a purple skinned cyclops with the same winning determination and inserted her coins, there was no way she was wanting to lose.

She glanced at her opponent and revved the gas, "Cephalopod here I come!"  

[Marianna Trench]

She snatches the tickets out of the game with gleeful delight! whee And there where so many more games to play! What game would she play next?

Speed of Fright?
Cupid's Crush?
Fishbowl Friends-y
Ferocious Falcons

And so many more! but her eyes where drawn to the same game that Melody was playing, Curse Hearse Racer looked like fun! Even better Melody looked to be winning. She was in the lead and only seconds remaining!! Marianna cheered when when Melody crossed the finish line! Maybe they had a competitive nature in common? What else did they share...

Thankfully her cheers were drowned out the loud game's sirens and lights and it's pouring out of tickets! eek Tickets!!

"Melody. I like your swim for the win." She tried to be cool about it. And tried not to be jealous that Meldoy had way more tickets then her. "How about a more challenging game like Dance Dance De-evolution?" She was figuring out 2-Partner games, had more tickets then single games, and if she could beat her in a game, Demona would be her beast ghoul friend forever!  

[Harry Herne]

Tori Underbridge

"Oh C'mon, Harry.... Its really not that bad... " Tori said to him trying not to giggle at the Prince.

"Yeah, I shop here all the time!" Venus interjected, having joined Tori and Harry on their shopping trip. As niether of them really liekd the mall, more so wanting to create their own clothes themselves. Something Venus appreciated.

"You can't wear the clothes same clothes all the time. Lets help you find something..." Tori tried to give him a pat on the back, to reassure him it would be alright.

"Anywhere else! ANYWHERE!"

As Harry's stress levels increased, Wild Hunt dogs started popping into existence around the fountains. Smelling food, the pups in tutus charged towards the food court.  

[Melody Nocturna]

Melody took a sigh of relief from the game, it was so close, but she had managed to squeeze to first place right before the finish line. She glanced at the over flow of tickets with gold eyes of greed, and snatched them up, putting them in her pockets, "One step closer to you, Octi," she smiled glancing back at the stuffed octopus toy.

Marianna Trench

"How about a more challenging game like Dance Dance De-evolution?"

She glanced back to Marianna, "Challenging, you say?" She thought for a second, "If you believe so, sure, I can challenge you to a round," she grinned adjusting her glasses.

As they wandered to the machine and inserted their quarters, Melody took off her jacket so she could cool off, "Let's see who has two left fins, shall we?"  

[Marianna Trench]

Melody Nocturna

That minuscule amount for joy she felt for Melody's win immediately deflated and withered away into dust, she glared at her, then moved over to the game inserting her own quarters for her side.

"HUH!" She huffed! Her temper was starting to soon erupt like a oceanic volcano, Marianna didn't like Melody twisting her words, what was she like some kinda Mermaid? Tricky little Fishsticks! She decided it best not to talk to her.

Choosing the Boosic for the first round she left "Battlefield" was appropriate. An oldie yet a goodie. The Boosic started and Marianna stomped away to it, gaining the lead.