The New Salem Maul

[Atomica Servo]

"Yes, we are going along on the date." Atomica explained half-distractedly to Harry, completely misunderstanding what he was saying. He was currently acting as her meat shield to prevent Cassie and Gryff - OH MY GHOUL THEY WERE HOLDING HANDS - from seeing her.

"Lin! Liiiiinnnn!" Atomica hissed at the gremlin, who was well-hidden by one of the Maul's many potted plastic plants. "They're going into Maulmark! He's going to buy her some romantic gift!"

Or maybe Cassie was going to buy him a romantic gift? It really could have gone either way. What was more uhh-mazing than receiving a gift of a Push-eek plushie? Even Atomica adored that ghostly plush squish-cat. Though she didn't have any Push-eek plushies of her own, she had always wanted the one with the suction cup so you could stick it to any smooth surface and always have a ghostly squish-cat hanging in front of-

"NO! No distractions!" Atomica shook her head. This date had to be destroyed. Gryff and Cassie were so close to a giant display of roses, black and red and bundled into thorny dozens. If one of them bought the other a bundle of those flowers, it would be TOO romantic, and everything would be doomed! "Lin! The roses! DELETE! DELETE!"

Atomica pointed at the potentially disastrous display of affection. Lin nodded. He knew what to do.  

[Lin McGearloch]

"Quick! I'm going to need a very important piece of equipment!"

Cue a few moments later in the ghouls bathroom, Clawdeen and Draculara were washing their hands and went to dry them when they noticed something missing.

Clawdeen asked, "Erm, where's the hand dryer?"

The very same one that was obviously torn from the bathroom wall?

Oh THAT was currently in front of Lin on the maul floor, being tinkered with as fast as the little gremlin was able.

"Hurry Lin! HURRY!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Well it's not fast enough! Oh. My. GHOUL! They're standing in the doorway! TOGETHER! Go FASTER!"

"Well we could have went with you but I think this has more direct hot air!"

"Hexcuse me?"

"I said nothing! ... There!"

Lin stepped back hexcitedly and motioned toward the hand dryer, now obviously souped up to four times its natural size. By now other maul patrons were slowing down and pausing in their confusion at whatever the automaton and gremlin were doing.

"Pick it up! Pick it up!"

Atomica did so and Lin climbed up on the bench beside her and STILL had to reach up to press the switch on the front. A regular torrent of warm air started to blow forth from the tube ... but then it grew harder in intensity! And still harder!

In mere seconds the patrons of the maul were struggling to walk forward or through the path of this mechanically inclined hurricane! Shopping bags were whipped out of claws! Bodies went tumbling like, well -- tumbleweeds! Benches were uprooted and thrown over! Small children went sailing! It was a good thing Lin was standing beside Atomica on the bench rather than even an inch forward or his diminutive body would have been uprooted into the vortex!

And the roses! Even the high duty case that entombed the roses weren't safe! They were tore free from their bundles and sent flying up into the winds!

Lin hopped up and down, pumping his claws, "We did it! We did it!" And he slapped a claw up and onto the button to allow the dryer to slowly shut down.

But in the hexcitement and natural force of the unnatural gale, the petals of all those dozens of roses were torn from the stems and in the dying winds, they drifted from high above the heads of all the maul patrons -- and flittered by the thousands down onto the heads and disembodies of all below in the skulltimate display of goremance.

"AWWWWWWW!!!!"  

[Cassandra MH]

Oh my ghoul how sweet!" Cassie looked around at the petals falling down.

"D'ya think someone's getting married?" She asked gryff with a smile.

Of course it was somewhat hard to hear cas with all the commotion of the maul attendees unless you were standing close to her.

Cassie had a hard time choosing which pusheek plush she wanted. They were all so kawaii! In the end she picked the one that looked like a pastel unicorn.

"It fits my aesthetic." She beamed."he's fat and cute and I love him!" She squealed  

[Harry Herne]

Lin McGearloch

Atomica Servo

Harry blinked as the rose petals fluttered all about. How had the little gremlin not seen him and done the polite thing by going away? Atomica clearly saw him and Lin hadn't. Come to think of it....no one had stared at Atomica as she lugged Harry around on her shoulders. And there was a weird tingling in the prince's head. Was this...was this glamour? It must have kicked in automatically when he collapsed in those awful fake plants! He had never been able to use it before aaaaaaaaaaaand it was gone.

As soon as Harry realized what was going on, the tingling stopped and monsters started giving Atomica odd looks. Looks that said "Dudette, there's totally a boo on your back." Well, at least he and Atomica could enjoy their date now!

"Little Dude, thanks for the goremantic flower shower but I need you to stop bogarting my date."  

[Gryff N]

Cassandra MH

"D'ya think someone's getting married?" She asked gryff with a smile.

Gryff rolled his eyes.

"Figures that if someone were going to participate in the ridiculous patriarchal ritual of marriage they'd get even tackier and do it at the maul. Just have it at Grave Land with a Hellvis impersonator.."

He shook his hair, a few rose petals fluttering out onto his shoulders. The air was filled with the heady scent of roses and other miscellaneous flowers trapped in the artificial breeze.

"Is it suddenly warmer in here?" he asked, undoing the top few buttons of his henley, "do these monsters think it they make it warm the maul will become the Corpsacabana? Pathetic."

He grabbed the push-eek he'd been looking at, silvery and glittery and with little suction cups.

"Come on, I'll pay for yours too, anything so we don't have to stay in line any longer than we absolutely HAVE to. We can go to the pet store after."  

[Cassandra MH]

Gryff N

Is it suddenly warmer in here? Do these monsters think it they make it warm the maul will become the Corpsacabana? Pathetic."

Cas blushed as he unbuttoned, "uhm, yeah yeah you're lik- I mean its..totes hot in here." she fanned herself but not because of the heat.

Gryff N

"Come on, I'll pay for yours too, anything so we don't have to stay in line any longer than we absolutely HAVE to. We can go to the pet store after."

She snapped out of her fawning and took off her jacket to emphasize the heat.

"Okay, thanks."

She hid behind him staying close when they got in the line, relieved he was the one doing the paying as they got closer to the sales lurk. she put in headphones quickly but wasn't listening to anything to say she didn't want to be spoken to to anyone in the line behind or in front...she fiddled with one of gryff's bracelet trying to keep calm. she wondered if there was some sort of story behind it. what it was made of, faux leather? Did he buy it distressed or did he wear it out to perfection? she barely noticed they moved in line and got to the check out, until he took his arm away to pay for the plushies.  

[Kai Merha]

"Woah." Rose petals were wafting into Grave & Boosters, an uhh-mazing artistic display. Kai grabbed a napkin and one of the pencils out of his front pocket and started sketching. It wasn't every day that there was a petalshower indoors, after all.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Wait, isn't this a little early for Valentine's Day?" He assumed it was a promotion from the gift card shop. "It is, right? Because I haven't even started shopping yet!!!!"

Kai was in a sudden near panic because Valentine's Day was not only the most goremantic day of the year for other monsters, it also happened to be his ghoulsfriend's birthday. Was he already behind on shopping?!!!  

[Atomica Servo]

"Freaky FAIL!" Atomica threw up her arms, sending rose petals fluttering all around her and Harry to his feet on the ground. This was not good. It was the OPPOSITE of good. Atomica snarled at Lin.

"You made it MORE goremantic, not less! Look at them!" Atomica's infradead vision focused in on Cassie and Gryff as they hexited Maulmark.

Before Lin could argue back, Atomica shoved him (and, consequently, Harry) around another corner.

"The Pet Store...They're going to the pet store! UUUGGGGH. He's going to buy her some sort of uhh-dorable animal companion to seal their love!" Atomica grabbed Harry's collar and shook him in frustration. "PET COMPANIONS ARE THE ABSOLUTE SWEETEST GIFT POSSIBLE!"

Without bothering to give Harry any additional context, she grabbed Lin AND Harry and they started trailing Gryff and Cass at a distance. An idea struck her.

"There! Look! They're going to walk right past Orange Boolius! Here's another chance to ruin their date!"

"How-" Lin started to ask, but Atomica cut him off.

"Remember before Cryptmas when Cassie crashed into Gryff when they were handing out drink samples at the food court?"

"Yeah, the energy drink totally ruined Gryff's hand-screened tee shirt. I had to burn it along with several records that had become too popular-" Lin mused. Suddenly, he understood. "Ooohhhhh....the soft drink dispenser!"

"Hexactly!" Atomica nodded. The only problem was....they needed to get ahead of Gryff and Cassie without them noticing. Fortunately, Atomica had the perfect distraction handy.

"Harry!" Atomica turned him and pointed his head so he was looking right at Gryff and Cassie. "Remember Gryff? Why don't you go say hi?!"  

[Demona MH]

Kai Merha

"Wait, isn't this a little early for Valentine's Day? It is, right? Because I haven't even started shopping yet!!!!"

"Yeah it is"
Demona was only half listening, she had coaxed a stranger into taking photo for her instagrim.
"Kai come in here and calm down, its fine it's probably just a promo blah blah is doing to get people to buy more blah blah blah's"

She rolled her eyes then pulled Kai into the flower shower.

"And besides, you don't have to get me anything for my birthday or valentines day. I just want to spend time with you" She purred holding onto his arm as the stranger took his last picture.

"thank you!" She took her phone back and watched as Kai immediately return to sketching on his napkin. she laughed softly at his determination to finish before all of the flower petals stopped falling.  

[Lin McGearloch]

Atomica Servo

Harry Herne

As Harry was ushered away by Atomica's hand digits, fingers/claws for all you neranderthals, Lin looked up at his beastie aka sister and saluted her, "Right! Now I need you to distract the rusalki ghoul behind the stand!"

"Like, too easy!"

Atomica threw her hair wires back over her shoulder and descended her SKRM skates automatically from her boots and hurried over to do just that. Lin watched after her, pulling his 'Li'l Gremlin Tool Kit' -- he never goes anywhere without it -- from his coveralls and made ready...

"Hexcuuuuse me..." Atomica beamed with the brightest smile -- literally! As in it blinded the rusalki behind the Orange Boolius stand... right before the automaton ghoul grabbed her and YOINK....!

Lin gave her the thumbs up and hurried over to the Orange Boolius stand's soda fountain dispenser, ducking and weaving between the many legs of the many shoppers in the maul, until he arrived at his destination!

He popped open his tool kit and fit his goggles over his peepers -- safety first! He then spilled the contents of his tool kit out onto the floor and set to work! He wished Cassie were here! She could help by handing him his tools as he needed them but NOOOO! She had to be on some corny goremantic date with Gryff! It wasn't like it was something that had a chance to go anywhere, like when he dated Draconia! THIS could spell the end for monster friendships the world over!

It was like watching a blur for anyone who passed by and took notice... Lin whipping behind the panel of the soda fountain ... back to a tool ... back behind the fountain with a power drill ... then a wrench ... then a blow torch -- wait... A BLOW TORCH!?

Meh. That was Lin!

"How's it going!?" Atomica asked urgently as she reappeared, grabbing at tools automatically and shoving them at Lin to both help and help him hurry. "Aren't you done!? Like, OHMYGERD! Hurry up!!!"

"I am hurrying! I'm hurrying!" Lin protested as he snatched tools from her hands and kept working... fusing wires together ... attaching hoses end to end and reinserting them... welding something or other... "This isn't rocket mad science, lass! We're sabotaging a soda fountain! You can't rush these things! ... say what'd you do with the rusalki ghoul?"

"Oh her? Oh I sent her on break ... she's tied up somewhere..."

Lin paused and looked at Atomica, then shrugged and got back to work! A few more twists and turns and finally...

"Finished! Now all you need to do is deposit the fifty cents!"

"Fifty cents!?"

"Well these machines don't work for FREE!"

Atomica initiated ocular sensor roll, then fished the appropriate coins from her fashionably small mini purse, and deposited them into the slot of the machine. Lin hurried around and pushed a random flavor and they waited ... and waited ...

"WELL!?"

Huffing, Lin gave the tried and true method used by any wise gremlin to fix something -- he kicked it. The Orange Boolius soda fountain machine started to run ... and shake ... and shake even harder! Lin backed up a step, his ears alert and eyes wide.

"Oops, I think I gave it too much juice!" Lin's ears flickered and he looked up at Atomica with a lazy grin. "Get it? Juice? I made a..."

BOOM! -- Atomica and Lin ducked by sheer instinct!

The soda dispensers of the fountain -- ALL OF THEM -- erupted at once! At the same exact time and in the same exact direction ... UP! Each and every color ... forming a perfect rainbow over the entire length of the maul! The sunlight coming in from the skylights caused a dazzling and utterly goremantic effect on those below!

And what came up?

"Say, what's all the fuss now?" Kai said as he took a curious step outside of Grave & Boosters -- and right into the oncoming path of an Orange Boolius tidal wave!

WOOSH!  

[Marianna Trench]

She was like a shark in the water! An unyielding predictor hunting for it's prey. She would stop at nothing until Harry was safe and sound!

"Harry? Harry!! Where are you?" She called out into the Maul.

And that's when rose petals surrounded her and a rainbow of juicy colors suddenly sprinkles down large droplets at her.

"Ew! It's sticking to my scales!" The juice was causing an allergic reaction to the sleekness of her scales, something meant to keep her form drying out on land, now suddenly was doing the opposite!

"Oh my ghoul! Dry scales are the worst!"  

[Demona MH]

Demona gasped stepping away from Kai looking at the puddle around him

"Oh my ghoul! Is that Soda!?" She asked looking around for napkins or something to dry him off

"Okay babe, don't take this hard but don't touch me til you're cleaned off i really hate sticky things. oh ghouls you're so gross."

She gave him napkins "oh how did this all happen? you look like a sad wet gross sticky puppy. Oh you're gonna need clothes you're gonna be so miserable oh dear."

She tried to dry him off without getting anything on her shoes or without getting sticky at all but it didn't really work that well  

[Melody Nocturna]

Melody ran after Marianna in a hurry and caught her in a sticky situation.

She quickly tried to pick the slick and sticky pedals off of Marianna, "These are always so troublesome with scales."

She was used to slime and stickiness but she had never dealt with something so...weird.

Melody then took some moisturizer out of her pocket and offered it to her new friend, "These will make them good as new."  

[NeoSylum]

"....screeeeAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

A familiar alicorn suddenly drops from a portal from above and lands on her wings just inches from Melody and Marianna. Astrid makes a painful whimper, rubbing the back of her neck as it feels like her astral wings had just been crushed. "Ow..." she cries, "Oh my ghoul, mom, I get it I'm sorry I didn't call you when I said I was going to be attending this earth school..." she murmurs angrily under her breath. "Didn't have to literally cage me like a bird though..."

Astrid gets herself up on her feet and raises her fist to the air "And NO I'm NOT transferring to that booring ghouls academy, MAKE ME."

The ghoul flips her hair and turns to Melody, "Hey, I'm back-"

She slowly pulls her hand away, her hair sticking to her fingers... Her clothes sticking to themselves and her feathers sticky as well. "Is this... soda...?" she complains then thinks to herself, "Worst... Day... Ever."  

[Harry Herne]

Atomica Servo

"Harry!" Atomica turned him and pointed his head so he was looking right at Gryff and Cassie. "Remember Gryff? Why don't you go say hi?!"

"Why? He's not cruel! I think he's at beast a unwitting tool of the Monster. At worst, he's a full on co-conspiritor! That's my thoughts on him..."

But Atomica wasn't really listening. She shooed Harry towards Gryff.

"Yes, yes. Spew your meaty thoughts all over him.

Hmm..maybe he would! Harry started stomping his way towards Gryff and Cassie when he heard a plea for help.

"Ew! It's sticking to my scales. Oh my ghoul! Dry scales are the worst!"

Harry's looked towards Marianna. Marianna, who was sparkling and glittering. A sparkly, glittery, rainbowiey ghoul who need help. HE COULD HELP!

"Oooo...shiny..."

Forgetting Gryff(and Atomica temporarily), Harry ran towards Marianna and threw her over his shoulder. Her weight and height meant nothing to him since he inherited his father's height and strength. Spinning around in a circle(making Astrid and Melody duck the leviathan's kicking legs), Harry searched for water. A FOUNTAIN!

"I'll save you, Marinara!"

That was her name, right? Sure it was. Harry took off towards the large fountain he spied in the distance. Surely this would save the aquatic ghoul from the horrors of dryness.