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[[Junk Shack = > Pools of Doom / Entrance (Through the Wall!) ]]

Isi let another weak and forced chucked escape from his lips. Even though she couldn't possibly understand where he was coming from, the black cat woman was right. He needed to be a child for once, especially since it was Halloween. There was a part of him that refused to act the age that he really was though, a part of him that had been made and used for the sole purpose of supporting himself. He needed to stay away from being a child if he wanted to be strong. Isikoro wanted to be a child, but he saw the task as being something hard to accomplish. It was an internal battle that he didn't have the strategy guide to.

"Alright! Alright!" Isi exclaimed with the scrunch of his painted white face. He started away from the Junk Shack and gave Ebony a small nod of his head, and he teased, "I know when I'm not wanted. I'll see you around."

So then he moved to the Pools of Doom, his meandering pointless and his gaze searching for someone he didn't know he was searching for.

And then...

There was Eirdirsceol.

With a grand well-practiced entrance, Eiry floated through the walls, his red tattering robe fluttering behind him. His worn hood was pulled low over a guise of a withered face, the face of a corpse, and wraps were worn around his hands and arms. Before he had gone out from the safety of the upper floors, Eiry made sure that his mask of the Red Death was properly placed over his face. His inspiration for his first Halloween costume came from, not surprisingly, Edgar Allen Poe. The Red Death wasn't particularly his favorite story, but it fit well with the party! It would be just like the story, Eiry told himself excitedly.

There was already a swarm of people, but not like the swarm depicted in the book. In the story it was a masquerade and everyone had masks so he couldn't tell who was who or which was which. At this party there were people who were here that didn't cover their faces. Eiry had to admit he was a little disappointed, but at least everyone had a costume.

So, with the clearing of his throat, Eiry forced his voice down low and began his haunting installment of Poe's classic tale:

"...And before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk ino silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before..."

((Shadow Chateau))

"Oh! They're a rock band called 'Lunar Shadow'! Wait, are you serious?!! A Lara Croft! Excellent!" Tossing her head back, she did her best impersonation of Yuffie's "nyuk" laugh. This couldn't get any better! Slinging her arm around Alex's shoulder, she brought her ear close to her mouth and whispered the plan into her ear.

"It's only a trap for the guys~" pulling out her phone, she showed her a pic of Jun and her brother. "We, are showing them, what they're missing." She continuted to give her the details. It was actually very simple, and inspired by one of Alex's comments. They would make a quick video of the girl themselves being flirty, and send it to the boys! Oh, the ingenuity of it all!

((Junk Shack))

”I’ll see ya later then.” Ebony waved a tan paw after the white clown. She felt much better about being there now that she knew Isi wasn’t exactly pissed at her presence. Although he was probably still a little down, she hoped she’d helped alleviate some of it. So, one brother down, one to go. But she wasn’t sure where Aphismet had gotten to then and decided not to bother him just now. He defiantly needed and deserved some space.

Ebony’s steel cool eyes looked around the kitchen, searching for the cute ‘gangster’ that had nearly bumped into her earlier, but it seemed he’d disappeared as well. No matter, there were plenty more fish in the sea for this prowling catwoman. It was then that her eyes meet the most mouth watering of sights. No not another guy, but caramel apples. Removing her gloves so they wouldn’t get all sticky, Ebony stuck them on her belt which was now serving a dual purpose as it also had her tail attached to it. A sigh escaped her before she bit into the sugary, juicy delight as she noted she’d be having to do an extra set of shrimping the next morning because of tonight.

(Pools of Doom)

That...had a certain amount of logic to it. Alastair may be uncouth, but at least he was trying to make amends to a lady. That at least was an honorable aspiration. Very well then, if that was to be the case.

He trailed behind his neighbor, not wanting to interfere in this conversation unless things became too...well...explosive. It may come in handy to have someone close by who was familiar with the rules of etiquette, goodness knows Alastair needed it.

"Games?" Bauta looked at the woman, confused. "I do not think we brought any games with us."

[[Pools of Doom]]

Now drowning in the simplicity of the crisp night air, Isi felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. It felt good to weasel himself out of the crowd inside the house and into an area that was open and free. People could move out here, unlike what was inside his very own home. Glancing about, Isi caught the wave of a hand from Natsuki. She was inviting him to join her near the tanks where the Doctors were soon to be dumped in. Isi, hopeful for being wanted by someone he knew, hobbled over. Just as he came close to her, Isi turned and discovered a pair of men coming out of the house. One looked apologetic and the other looked exasperated.

The young crippled boy, looking far younger than he was and, even more so, how he acted, screwed his mouth into a frown. With his face painted as the face of a vintage clowns, the lines of worry and the dark bags of restless sleepless nights were cleverly hidden. He didn't know what these two men wanted, but he could easily read the sparks of tension betwixt Natsuki and them.

"Natsuki?" Isi ventured to ask, looking confused. He didn't want to be there to be a distraction or a burden, but then again, he knew that he could be used as an excuse for Natsuki to turn her attention away from the other men, if she so wished, "Um...Should I leave...?"

Confused, Isi didn't know whether or not he wanted to be involved in the situation. Oh well, he was a host, the owner of the home and surrounding land so it was only polite that he returned the greeting. It was then when the feathered man reached out and spoke in Italian did Isi turn his saddened white face to him. It was also at that moment that he blessed his Italian language teaching book. So that damned knowledge would come in handy after all! Isi thought that he would only use it to understand his favorite Italian operas, but no, here was another individual who spoke Italian.

With a smile that seemed out of place for the clown's sad countenance, Isi let his forearm crutch slip into the nook of his arm as he leaned his weight on the other and took Bauta's hand in greeting, "L'opera è uno del mio favorites. Non capisco perché non molte persone sanno di esso adesso. È un classico ed i pagliacci è un'arte persa che i bisogni essere ritirati nella luce. Un piacere incontrarla, anche, sono Isikoro Etul Delaran."

[[EDIT: English Translation - The opera is one of my favorites. I don't understand why not many people know about it now. It's a classic and the clowns is a lost art that needs to be taken back into the light. A pleasure to meet you, too, I am Isikoro Etul Delaran.]]

((Pools of Doom))

It took a great deal of strength for Natsuki not to cackle like a witch when Harpy man replied with a rather confusing look and honest reply. Her stone cold expression softened, lightly, in part to Mitya's purring and furry legs tickling her.

"A rookie, huh? Well, that makes a bit more sense," Natsuki concluded, crossing her arms and nodding in thought. She remembered the advice her own manager gave her shortly before Cafe Jubilee officially became hers: 'The first year is essential, it can either make you or break you...you'll often do things you don't intend to, or have to in order to succeed...' The appeal to her good nature and comment that it was in the spirit of the season, weighed heavily upon her mind. Making fun and merriment with the Lab community was the reason she signed up to volunteer in Kyou's lab in the first place. "I do understand what you are saying, but don't think for a moment you will be receiving an apology out of me. Consider this part of your store operations training, too. If you need advice, call me," Natsuki finished, taking out a linen and engraved business card from her belt case, flicking up between her index and pointer finger. If Alastair had any sort of business sense at all, he'd take her advice. There is a reason she's the best at what she did, as many of her clients could attest to.

With Isi's arrival, a wave of relief and concern swept over her. The last thing she needed her friend to see was her pitching a fit in his house. She switched gears instaneously, resuming her normal, cheeful demeanor as if nothing happened. "No way, Isi! Come on and have a seat right here," Natsuki said, patting the vacant spot beside her on the bench. She didn't want the younger of the two party hosts to feel rejected in his own backyard. That was simply uncalled for! "I wouldn't have called you over just to send you away again. That would be mean."

Turning her attention to the Candy Man, her eyebrows furled in an irritated fashion as Isi and the Harpy Man chose to start bantering on in Italian. Well, at least they were enjoying their conversation, though she couldn't comprehend a lick of it. Shrugging her brow and shoulders in unison, she gave an exascerbated sigh, shaking off any last remnants of annoyance by the situation. "Since you guys went through all the hassle of coming up here, I don't see why you should go empty handed," Natsuki said, giving an in different shrug, trying not to squirm from the chimera hanging from her neck. Giving a light wave in the direction of the house, Natsuki's kind gesture could also be read as a hint to give her little room for the time being, as she most likely needed some space to cool off, again. "Might as well enjoy the party, right? There's plenty of things to do, but most of them are inside the house. "