Scarie LeVeau Presents: New Goreleans

[Ronan Aalto]

Ronan seemed oblivious to Marceline's annoyance as he took out his phone and started to message Dashner.

"Uh.. so where are we?" He asked, glancing up.

"New Goreleans." Maman Brigette replied flatly.

the selkie boo nodded and went back to typing.

"I wonder if there's any way to divert unwanted summoning demands." He thought aloud. "i'll tell Dashner to stop."

Dashner Hawke

 

[Marceline LaGhede]

Marceline fidgeted with her phone, very obviously avoiding talking to Ronan... it wasn't that she didn't like the selkie; something about his personality rubbed her the wrong way, however. And spending a hearse ride with him when it should be with her boofriend kind of made it worse.

"Alright, he's had five minutes. I'm summonin' him back." She leaned forward into the front seat to focus on the rearview mirror, only to have Maman Brigitte hit the breaks and fling her back.

"Now, I know I didn't raise you to ghoullivant in the backseat of this hearse without a seatbelt on. And I know I bought you a mirror for your purse!" She growled, beginning to get fed up with the nonsense happening in her backseat. Marceline slumped back into her seat and clicked her seatbelt.

"Yes, Maman." She murmured as she fished out her mirror again. "Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth..."  

[Ronan Aalto]

"Dashner insists it is not him doing the summoning." Ronan frowned, clearly oblivious to how uncomfortable Marceline was with his uninvited presence.
"Does this happen a lot?"

He very nearly hit his face on the seat in front as Maman stamped on the brakes.

He winced a little and turned to Marceline.

"Do you think he would agree to return me to my dorm? I'm not certain how else i'd get home." Unless he hitched a ride, but he wasn't convinced he really wanted to try to make his way home from new goreleans alone.  

[Rorrim Rory Bludworth]

Back at the Open-scare market....

Rory hiccuped twice more, and then was nearly run over from behind by Nero.

"Oops! Sorry, Bro-ry." Nero apologized, dusting off his gold-and-black vest. Rory did a quick check, noticed he had no new fractures, and nodded.

"It's all right-wait...didn't you *hic!* run off in that direction?" Rory pointed in front of himself. "How did you end *hic!* up BEHIND me?"

"Iunno." Nero shrugged. "Sometimes I just pick a direction and keep going till it takes me somewhere. Usually Little Zombietown. All roads lead to Little Zombietown...eventually. I didn't find Glen, but I didn't see any Murks either. Where's Kai?"

"He ran off *hic!* after you." Rory replied. Now, maybe was his chance to start hexplaining things. "But there are no Murks. Glen's ba-*hic!*-ck in New Salem because of *hic!* Dashner and Ronan is with *hic!* Marceline!"

"No Murks?" Nero replied, the realization dawning on him. "Word! That's great news! But we still gotta get minibro back. I saw a table chock full of those cards he loves."

"Really? Where?" Rory asked. Nero paused. He pointed left...shook his head, and then pointed right.

"Wait...maybe it was back there...Hangon, I need to reorient myself. You say I ran off in this direction, right?" Nero stepped behind Rory, putting his claws on Rory's shoulders to point himself in the right direction.

"Yeah, you went running straight ahead." Rory replied. Nero crouched down to about Rory-height and squinted.

"Okay, so North is that way....or maybe that way....and judging from the Sun I guess East is over there...or maybe over there...so, I guess the spellbound table is right about....-" And then Nero and Rory blinked out of hexistance.  

[Ronan Aalto]

It was getting clawfully crowded in this backseat now.
Ronan protested weakly as Rory blipped back into existance next to marceline, and Nero ended up on top of the poor Selkie.

"Get.. of... heavy." He managed, gasping for air as he shoved Nero into his own seat.
Good thing this hearse had ample space in the back seat.

Maman Brigette was clearly getting fed up of these shenanagins and began to pull the car over.  

[Rorrim Rory Bludworth]

"Oh man..." Nero moaned, clearly not quite braced for the teleportation travel. "Where are we?"

"About half a mile to the apple gorechard." Maman Brigitte replied, turning on the four-ways on the hearse. "Which means seatbelts for you all!"

Her authoratative voice snapped Nero to attention, and he slid off of Ronan and clicked on a seatbelt immediately.

Rory, who had found himself sprawled across Marceline, grinned up at her sheepishly.

"Er...hexcuse me...sorry!" He scrambled off of her, hiccuping a few times for good measure. Marceline sighed, but there was an amused smile playing across her lips.

"You're havin' a rough day of it, aren't you, Ror?" She patted his leg comfortingly as he clicked on his own seatbelt. He nodded vigorously.

"I just know *hic!* I'm going to wind up with new stress frac-*hic!*-tures." Marceline laced her hand in Rory's, giving it a gentle but reassuring squeeze.

"Is anymonster else going to be joining us?" Maman asked, an eyebrow raised high as she looked into the rear view mirror at the rapidly-filling backseat.

"I *hic!* hope not." Rory replied.  

[Marceline LaGhede]

Marceline found herself squeezed against the backdoor of the hearse, and while she enjoyed sitting next to her boofriend... it was just about too crowded at this point. There was a tightness beginning to grow in her chest, and she was beginning to feel claw-strophobic. She cleared her throat.

"Okay, b'fore we start up again, we have to re-gorient." She stammered somewhat, not feeling comfortable with having any attention directed at her even if she did call for it. "This backseat is best suited for three monsters, so one'a us has to go to the front. And Nero, since you're the tallest, I think it should be you."

"With pleasure!" Nero clambered over Ronan, who cringed into the seat, and headed out the door and to the front seat. He popped his collar and adjusted his shades before crossing his seatbelt over his chest, shooting a grin at Maman Brigitte. She rolled her eyes and clicked off the four-ways.

"Are we all settled in, then?" She pursed her lips.

"Yes Ma'am!" Came a choir of monsters from the backseat.  

[Ronan Aalto]

"j.. just to be clear. What are we doing?"

He was a little unsure about where they were headed, something about an apple gorechard? Did that mean they were going apple picking? Well it beat the crowds of the maul, but even so, Ronan found himself increasingly uncomfortable with the way Maman Brigette kept glaring back at them from the rear view mirror.

"Do you need some water?" He asked Rory, who was still hiccuping terribly.  

[Marceline LaGhede]

"Well, we're goin' apple-pickin' at the local gorechard... It was supposed to be a date." Marceline couldn't hide her disapproval of having to share her day with two other monsters. "But I s'pose I'm happy just bein' with you anyway, Rory."

She gave Rory's hand another squeeze as they blinked out of the car.  

[Kai Merha]

Marceline and Rory reappeared in New Goreleans....but it was at the Open-Scare Market, not at the Apple Gorechard like they'd expected. Marceline let out a very annoyed sigh as a relieved Kai turned away from an antique mirror to greet Rory.

"Thank goodness I finally-oh, woah. Uh, hey, Marceline." Kai rubbed the back of his head. What the heck was going on?!

"No...more...summons...*hic!*" Rory moaned. "Please...."

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Kai held up his claws in apology. "It's just that I've circled the market like six times now, and couldn't find you, or Glen, or Nero, and no one texted me, so I couldn't think of any other way to find anyone."

"I guess that'd make me a bit scared, too." Marceline agreed, reluctantly.

"So, uh...where are Glen and Nero? Do you guys know?" Kai asked, holding up a paper sack. "There's one table here with the BEAST deals on Spellbound stuff. I just picked up like a dozen rare cards super cheap! I thought Glen would be there, but I haven't seen green hide nor hair of him."

"He's at the Maul...in Salem." Rory replied, remembering to clarify. "He's fine, he's with Dashner."

"Who better not be sayin' Rory's name f'r the rest of the weekend..." Marceline grumbled.

"And Nero's in the *hic!* hearse with Marceline's Maman going *hic!* to the Gorechard. Oh! And Ronan's there, too." Rory informed Kai, who grinned incredulously.

"Hah! Ronan got caught up in this too? Poor boo. Well." He shrugged. "I'm done here. Is there room for one more at the Gorechard?"

"I think we can manage that." Marceline replied, happy that this was finally seeming to reach a conclusion. "Just take Rory's other hand there, and wait. When they arrive, Ronan's gonna summon us."

"Gnarly!" Kai replied and took the offered hand.

"*hiccup!*" Rory replied.  

[Rorrim Rory Bludworth]

Rory vanished again.

"Oh, for the love'a-" Marceline threw her bony hands up in the scare. "When I get back t' Salem, I'm gonna skin Dashner n' make myself a falcon-colored parasol!"

"Marceline, believe me, compared to yesterday, this is a stalk in the park." Kai patted her on the back, reassuringly. Marceline sighed. She turned to the nearest vendor who had a mirror for trying on sunglasses and started chanting.

"Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim Bludworth, Rorrim freakin' Bludworth!"

Rory blinked back into hexistance behind her....with Gryff in tow.

"Bleargh!" Gryff stuck out his tongue, grabbed his stomach and tried to look dignified as the nausea abated. "That trip was clawful. Zero out of five scars."

"Gryff?!" Kai raised an eyebrow.

"YOU summoned Rory?" Marceline looked at the pair unamused.

"It was a favor. For you." Gryff replied, straightening up and trying very hard not to look queezy. "I happen to be a foremost hexpert on goreganic apple picking."

"Don't mind him." Kai whispered to Marceline. "I'll take responsibility."

"You better, I am SO not in the mood for this." She replied, and then busied herself patting Rory on the back as a hiccup attack redoubled itself on him.

"So...." Gryff put one hand over his eyes and looked all around the open-scare market. "Just WHERE are we?"

"New Goreleans!" Kai put an arm around Gryff's shoulder. "And in about a minute here, we'll be at the gorechard. Just you, me....and Nero."

"Wait.....what?! NO!" Gryff responded, about to unleash a whithering amount of scorn towards having to spend any time in Nero's vicinity, but just as he was inhaling, Rory felt the twinge of summoning again. He reached out, pulled Marceline, Kai and Gryff in.

"This is *hic!* it!" He informed them. "Time to go to the Gorechard!"

And the four of them all vanished.  

[Ronan Aalto]

Ronan looked away from the car's door mirror and tilted his head at the sudden entourage Rory had aquired.

"This is becoming rather a crowded date." He remarked.
Marceline shot him a glare, which only served to confuse him rather than intimidate.

"Have you considered asking monsters to text you before they summon you?"

"Marceline already -hic- suggested that"

"oh..." Ronan shrugged. "I DID tell Dashner not to." Not that he could really feel particularly sore about this unplanned detour. It beat the maul.

He looked around the gorechard and smiled softly. "I do not believe I have ever been apple picking." He looked to Gryff. "Your expertise should prove extremely helpful."
 

[Marceline LaGhede]

"Finally." Marceline murmured as they entered the gorechard. There was a warm scent of cinna-moan and butter wafting through the air, coming from the gorechard store at the front where apples were baked for patrons; Marceline breathed it in and felt a bit calmer. She grabbed two baskets and handed one to Rory.

"C'mon, Ror; let me show you around!" She took his hand and stole him away from the group.  

[Rorrim Rory Bludworth]

"My whole family loves comin' to the gorechard in th' fall every fear!" Marceline happily informed Rory, gripping his hand and weaving him to and fro between the trees. "The rest of the group are probably gonna fang near the front of the gorechard, because that's where the biggest and showiest apples are. But I know that back here, in the darker corners are the trees with my favorite types. There's this one tree that has these tiny dark, sweet crabapples, sweetieshine, that are just going to blow your socks off!"

Marceline glanced back at Rory, who had gone silent since they'd moved away from the group. Not even an errant hiccup seemed to be coming from him. Marceline put on the brakes.

"Rory? Everythin' all right?"

She dropped his hand and it fell limply to his side. His head turned, slowly, to face her. Instead of his normal, lopsided look, his eyes were blank, staring straight ahead at her.

"Rory?"

A creeping glow seemed to seep through the cracks on his skin, illuminating a look of confusion on Marceline's face. Rory's mouth opened, and he spoke, but his voice wasn't the meek, cracking voice she was used to.

"Broken bauble, gift intended
still may cause the world to be rended

Innocent eyes, experience want
a brand new universe to haunt

Your name to curse or your name to thank
possibilities, beyonde blank."

Marceline took a step back.

"Wh-what? What is that supposed to mean?"

Rory blinked, and straightened up.

"What is what supposed to mean?" He asked, sounding just like his old self again.

"That stuff about haunting and curses and....oh, how did it go..."

Rory shrugged.

"I didn't say anything. Maybe you heard the wind in the trees?" He suggested, trying to be helpful. Marceline paused....then sighed. There was nothing to be helped about it; she'd just been Prophisized at.

"It's nothin'." She answered. Rory smiled at her, trying to reassure her, but she felt a twinge of fangxiety in the pit of her ribcage. Just what the heck did all of that spiel mean? She decided to try to forget it for now, and change the subject. "Hey, at least your hiccups are gone!"

"What hiccups?" Rory asked.  

[Kai Merha]

Kai, Nero, Ronan and Gryff made kind of a strange crew for an apple-picking hacktivity. Heck, Gryff and Nero made a strange crew for ANY sort of hacktivities together. Kai wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason, Gryff detested Nero.

"Woah, bro! How about this tree?" Nero suggested as the four of them stopped behind a pretty lush Molden Delicious tree that was rife with yellow apples with a greenish blush on them. Kai detected Gryff cringing a bit whenever Nero said the word 'bro.'

"Looks good to me." Kai set down his basket. Ronan did the same. Gryff rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, I su-PPOSE, if you're all about GMOs and how unhealthy they are for the grimvironment. That's genetically moanified organisms, for those of you who don't know." Gryff shook his head and crossed his arms. Ronan picked his basket back up.

"He is the apple hexpert, so we should take his advice, yes?" Ronan asked Kai. Kai supressed a little bit of a laugh.

"Sure, why not? C'mon, Gryff, guide us to the beast apple tree in the gorechard. And, for the record...I feel pretty good about GMOs, you know, being one myself."