Welcome to Gaia! ::

Why did she always find herself in front of bodies of water?

Alania lay on a long towel, soaking up the last rays of an afternoon sun. It was getting chilly, and soon she wouldn't be able to do this, but for now she lay there in jeans and a sleeveless shirt, with sunglasses hiding her eyes from the sun's blinding rays.

In front of her, a bubbly youth walked the edge of the lake, looking for the safest place to enter. He had to make sure this next lesson with Joce would leave her feeling safe and comfortable, and not at all frightened at the water.

He would have brought her back to the pool, but Alania had closed it up for the winter already! He was outraged at this, but grateful that the days were still warm enough to head into the lake for now. He would take advantage of them while he can.

He found a particularly safe looking spot, and smiled. Yes, this would do fine! Now if only Joce would arrive.. it had been so long since he'd seen the girl he still considered his best friend.

Fall was most definately falling away and the beginnings of winter could be felt nipping at its heels. At least it wasn't snowing yet - Lucifel, how she hated the snow. But for now she would grit her teeth and bare the chill, even though it was barely there. Sukkubus was paranoid.

Jocelyn walked at her side, arms hidden under the folded towel she carried. The she-devil had finally given her money to buy her own swimsuit, something that fit, though it was hidden beneath the giant T she wore and the jeans concealing her legs. The clothing fit awkwardly, and jeans were a change from the norm, but it wasn't bad. She still preferred her skirt if anything...

Seeing a splash of color against the dark of the lake caused the young girl to brighten, though as always, she hid her happiness. She had missed Asra so much! How long had it been? She suddenly forgot the anxiety that had plagued her for the past few days and unintentionally quickened her pace. Growing up couldn't be so bad when you had a friend by your side, right?

She lengthened her step, leaving her caretaker behind, and raised her hand and called an incoherant greeting to the boy; she was much too excited to really form her words properly. Her pace suddenly slowed...

Why was Asrafel's shape growing bigger when she came closer? Granted, distance made a person look smaller, but this...he was getting too big. She stopped, took a hesitant step forward...

And took two steps back.

What...?

Asrafel swivelled when he heard Joce calling out, and let out a greeting of his own. "Joce!" He cried, and lifted into the air, fluttering toward her when she'd stopped moving. He didn't notice the look that was crossing her features just yet, he was just too happy to see her.

However long it had been for her, it had been triply long for him. It felt like years!

He stopped a few feet away, and looked up to smile politely at Sukkubus before touching down onto his feet and grinning at Joce. "How have you been? What have you been doing while I was gone? Did you get to swim without me? I found a perfect spot for us here on the lake, it looks really safe so you won't have to worry a bit. Soo.. tell me everything!"

He reached out his hands, but hesitated. She looked.. well, not happy, and he didn't want to intrude on her just yet if something was wrong. Maybe she was sick?

Sukku rose a silent hand in greeting, barely noticing the size change in the boy. Hell, kids grew every day, right? Just goes to show you who ate their vegetables and wheaties and who didn't.

She just stood there. And stared. And stared, and stared, and stared.

It looked like Asra. It sounded like Asra...sort of. But...but. It...it couldn't be him, could it? Her arms tightened their hold upon the towel, her willowy form bending backwards awkwardly. As if the slight wind that had ruffled her hair momentarily had managed to push her over as well. Her eyes traversed his feet and moved up, scrutinizing every bit of the young man before her, settling upon his face in the end.

Dark skin, bright ribbons, wings, pink hair, blue eyes...He had answered to her friend's name, but. But.

It just couldn't be him. It didn't make sense.

"I'm fine," she answered, lacking tone. She proceeded to answer the questions one by one, eyes never moving from his face. "Nothing. No. That's...good."

She knew. She knew, but the cold hole that had dug into her stomach and swallowed up all reason...left only her stubborn refusal to believe.

Jocelyn swallowed with much difficulty. "Who...are you?"

Oh, how she knew.

He should have expected that last question to be answered with another question, but he just.. sort of forgot that he'd grown. Well, everyone else had recognized him, so it was easy to simply assume Joce would, too. The fact that she didn't struck a stinging pain in his heart, and his bright smile faded. The violet wings behind him drooped down as it to mirror his thoughts, and he took a step forward, stopping just in front of her and bending down to one knee.

"Joce, you really don't know?" He whispered, half in wonder and half in sadness. He bent his head up and tried to catch her eyes with his own, his head tilted slightly. His voice remained a whisper as he spoke. "It's me.. Asra."

He bent his arm up and scritched his hair, confused as to how to prove to her that he was really who he said he was. "I haven't changed that much, have I? I mean, I just grew a little." That was the understatement of the year. "You don't.. you're not, I mean.. you don't not like me just 'cause I'm bigger, do you?"

Taken from a strangers perspective, the scene was comical at best; The boy turned man prostrated on his knees in front of a young girl, looking like a hurt puppy.

Reality picks the worst times to rear its ugly head. And it went as far as to send a blow to her stomach when he had to kneel to be more or less at her height. Her arms squeezed the towel in her arms and had it been solid, it surely would have been crushed. Since when had he had to bend down to look her in the eye?

Why did it hurt so much? Why did she feel betrayed? Shouldn't she be happy for him? It's every child's dream to grow up, isn't it?

No...not mine. How can someone face the realities of adulthood when they had never even had the chance to face the fantasies of childhood? And then there was that other fact - the other little selfish want that steadily grew in her chest like a cancer. Because Asrafel had been her only friend.

And he had grown. Without her.

Jocelyn's knees bent, her feet itching to step back away from him. She could barely even look at Asrafel, feeling so hurt, so small in comparison to him. And she indeed looked smaller, how she drew her head in like a turtle escaping into its shell, how she turned her face away and focused instead on the leaves scattered upon the ground.

Every time she got ahead, she was always left behind.

"I know," she mumbled quietly. "I know." She dug her nails into her arm, scratching relentlessly at an itch that wasn't even there. But now we can't play anymore because you'll be too busy. Grown-ups are always busy. And they don't like to play... Red bloomed across her nose and spread through her cheeks, her eyes swam...she was getting mad.

"How..." It sounded as if she were asking how it happened, but when she continued, she clearly didn't care. "How come?"

It didn't matter to her how he had grown, all that mattered was why he had done it.

Asrafel received his answer before she even spoke. When she turned away, his heart turned to stone and fell to his stomach, shattering. It was horrible! Joce didn't like him because he was bigger! He disliked Halexei even more right now, if it meant that he had just lost his best friend as a sacrifice in order to grow up!

If that's what growing up meant, he didn't want to be a grown up anymore!

'How come?' She asked him. His brow furrowed deeply, trying to think of a valid answer to that. He wished he knew. "Joce, it's gonna happen to all of us eventually. I didn't choose to grow up. And if I could have chosen, I would have said no if it meant that you wouldn't like me anymore!"

He felt a little absurd, getting so emotional in front of Joce's mother. He sounded like a little kid.

And deep down inside at that very moment, he still felt like one, too.

He pouted deeply, and sat back on his haunches rather harshly. "It shouldn't change things, you know. It shouldn't." His voice took on a higher pitched tone, almost desperate, almost stubborn. He just couldn't understand why this was happening, nor did he know what he could do to stop it.

"Joce, please don't be mad."

Her nose prickled, an odd and foreign sensation. It itched, but she refused to lift a hand to alleviate it; she couldn't anyway...the itch was under her skin, below her eyes, in her eyes. Her head twitched, minute movements from side to side as he spoke, answering her near rhetorical question with logic. She felt like her breath was being squeezed into her chest, choking her. It hurt. It all hurt.

"It shouldn't. It shouldn't...but it will." Her voice was strained with the pressure of trying to hide her pain. She didn't know how to express herself, and her anger and sadness continued to build, becoming interchangeable, undefinable.

Words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them.

"I'm not gonna grow up. Not now, not ever! I don't want to change...I don't want to. You just forget your friends! Things change...things happen. I-I'm confused enough as it is!"

She gave her head a vehement shake, "Grown-ups forget how to play...everything becomes so serious! I don't want to grow up! I..."

Jocelyn knew she wouldn't know how to handle it...she'd be lost, it'd be too much. She'd be left to fend for herself, and she didn't want that. She hated being left to her own devices, as independent as people thought she was. But she wasn't.

She was a child.

Lifting her hands and dropping the towel, she clamped her hands over her ears, eyes pressing shut.

"I didn't want to grow up on my own, Asrafel," she began, voice breaking mid-sentence. "I didn't want to be alone. But now I'm gonna be...because you grew up without me."

Something warm slid down her face, but she refused to acknowledge that it came from her eye.

Asrafel's pout disappeared as he listened to her. He blinked, opening his mouth to dispute her claim, but she just kept going. He pursed his lips tightly, his brows furrowing in stubbornness.

"Did I forget you, Joce? You haven't even given me a chance! Why would you think I don't want to play, if you haven't even tried? You're making harsh judgements and it's not fair!"

He shifted closer and picked up the dropped towel, flinging it over his shoulder and bending to look up close into Joce's face.

"You're wrong. You're never going to be alone, as long as I'm alive. And you're going to grow up too, and I'll be here the whole time, if you'll just let me. You're still my best friend, Joce. You always will be. Please don't take that away from me just because I'm taller than you. I'm still the same Asrafel on the inside."

He reached out and plucked her hand from one of her ears, pulling it to him and holding it against his heart, which ached curiously. Asrafel had never experienced heartache before this.

"I-if I give you a chance, you will! You will...because...because..."

She had no reason and logic chose to fail her. Everything that was coming from her mouth sounded insane, sounded selfish. But she couldn't help it, this was her at her worst. How was she to tell him her fears? She didn't want to grow because she didn't think she could. She was afraid that everyone was going to get ahead and that she would stay the same for...for, well, forever. After all, she hadn't a childhood, so she figured she'd never grow any older than this. And if she denied wanting to grow now...maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad when she didn't.

Jocelyn's fingers curled against the warmth of his skin. She ducked her head and raised her free arm to her eyes, hiding her face as she sobbed.

"What if I don't?" she suddenly said, hiccuping. "What if I don't grow up? Even if I want to. Will you still stay and wait? Even if nothing happens?"

She sounded so crazy, borderline hysterical. She didn't want to lose Asrafel, even if she was pushing him away right now. She didn't want to lose her best friend.

Asrafel let out a little motherly sigh and pulled her with the hand he held, so that she turned to the side and he gathered her up in his arms, cradling her gently.

"Joce, you will.. you will. But don't be in such a rush for it, it's nothing special. I can promise you though, I can't explain how I know but you've got to trust me. You will grow up. And even if you didn't, you will always be my best friend. Nothing can never change that." He knew better than to even think for one second she wouldn't have to grow like the rest of them, but for the sake of comforting her he promised what she asked for. "Even if nothing happens."

His free hand brushed the top of her hair softly, repeatedly, and he rested his cheek against the platinum lengths.

Joce's hysterics finally caught Alania's attention, and she snapped back from the half-nap she'd been dozing off in on her blanket, and took off her sunglasses to look over at the group. She cocked her head, watching Asrafel comfort the girl, and pursed her lips.

"Breaking hearts already. So typical of a man."

She slipped her sunglasses back on and returned to reclining.

"It's gotta be special, though..." she said quietly, her sniffling causing her chest to constrict painfully. She pawed at her eyes with her knuckles, some semblance of security returning even though she felt awkward being held by Asrafel. Not because it was him, but because he was bigger now and it just felt overwhelming; she didn't protest.

"It's gotta be...'cause you grew, didn't you?"

She rubbed the corners of her eyes with her palms, pushing so hard that she began to see small lights dance in front of her. Maybe she would grow...but she was in no rush for it. She wasn't going to count on anything, even if her friend's assurance was enough to convince her.

She had long since stopped watching Jocelyn and Asrafel, but listening...that was an entirely different story. She couldn't help it if her ears could damn near hear a pin drop seven miles away. As much as Sukkubus had tried to block out their voices from the small distance where she stood, she found herself rooted to the spot, eyes lowered as she listened to the girl's voice.

So that was what had been eating at her...how come she hadn't seen it? How could Jocelyn never told her? Her brows furrowed in worry and frustration; she needed to pay more attention. But first...she needed to do something about the child's anxiety.

Asrafel was glad Joce wasn't pushing him away. It was really all he could hope for, for now.

"No, it really isn't, Joce. I had to grow up, we all have to. It's not something I asked for, or chose. It's neither good nor bad, it's just how things are, you know? I don't mind being bigger.. but I will mind it if it means I'd lose you. So.. what do you say?"

These last words he said a bit quieter, as he tilted his head far enough to get a good look at her, while pouting gently.

"Please don't trade me in for someone shorter?"

He reached out with both of his hands to pull both of hers away from her eyes and hold them, while waiting for her verdict. His eyes were earnest and his pout heavy, and it was clear he had no idea just how ridiculous his request sounded, or how cute.

It was hard to look at him, not because it hurt, but because the Asrafel she remembered constantly overlapped with this new one. He wasn't a different person, this much was clear, but...it was still hard to grasp, and it would continue to be for some time. She would get used to it eventually, or so she hoped.

Maybe one day the only thing she would miss would be how she had once outsized him.

She stared down at their hands, how much larger his were in comparison to hers, how much darker. Her fingers twitched, twisting in his grasp as if to pull free, when they only turned to lay flat against his. She coaxed his straight and studied them, thoughtful. Hers were round and nail-bitten, holding the adolescence, the traces, of childhood. His were long, slender hands. Pretty, pretty hands.

Her head didn't lift, but she stared at Asrafel through her lashes, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She sniffed, before her face broke into a watery smile. She was still a little sad, but she would live. She would accept it for his sake.

"Trading you in wouldn't be any fun, 'cause now you can to give me piggy-back rides." She sounded serious. Hell, she was serious.

A spark of mischief darted through her clearing green eyes, the corner of her smiling lips hardening to transform it into the ghost of a smirk.

They would overlap. And then she would be able to see this Asrafel clearly.

Her words elicited a broad, giddy grin that plastered his fact in response. He giggled softly, and hugged her tighter, before letting her go. At least, it seemed that was what he was doing.

"If that's what it takes, gladly!" He chirped happily, and reached around her middle to sling her around to his back, hitching him up on it before standing up with his arms under her legs. "I'll carry you anywhere you want, Joce!"

Of course, he hadn't forgotten what they were doing there in the first place, and his bouncy piggy back ride would lead her straight to the spot he'd found near the edge of the lake, where he set her down and plopped against a rock.

He splayed out and looked up at the sky, sighing deeply. Everything felt like it was slowly sliding back into place. Slowly.

"So! Are you ready for your next lesson?"

It was inevitable. The giddiness that Asrafel felt seemed to permeate the air, seeping into Jocelyn and taking over like a drug. She had barely enough time to smile again, a more accepting one to her last, when she was swept upwards; the sudden action caught her offguard, thus owing to the cry that split from her mouth.

She blushed immediately afterward, hating the fact that she allowed herself to feel an ounce panicked at all.

She laced her arms around his neck, face lying against her own wiry bicep and his neck, feeling both glad and at ease. He'd always be her best friend, no matter the circumstance. Even if somehow they became cat and mouse, they'd be the only two to get along in all of Gaia; a plain smile lifted her lips again at the thought.

Too early did the ride end, and Jocelyn found herself making up later excuses to bum more off of him. She rubbed her head and gave him a deadpanned stare, wondering what he was -- oh!

"Swimming?" she finally voiced, and dumbly at that. She shook her head and grumbled. "'Course I'm ready."

...Sort of.

Asrafel let out a chuckle. "No you're not! We're not going swimming in your clothes!"

Asrafel already had his trunks on, though his ribbons had remained circling lazily around his arms and legs regardless. He looked up at the sun, which had waned considerably since they'd gotten there, and frowned. They'd wasted so much time talking that now they'd have so little time to practice, and soon Alania would pull them out of the water before it turned too cold again. Drats! He felt that fate was forcing him to wait until next summer to teach his best friend how to swim.

Well, all he could do was use what little time he had left to the best of his ability! He stuck his toe in the water, feeling it's temperature, and shivered. Okay, so it was a little colder than he'd have liked.. but there was no turning back! He hopped up on the rock that led into the spot he chose, and took a deep breath, before hopping in the water. It went up to his knees, but that was enough to make him squeal.

"I don't want to be here," was Joce's only soft complaint, pink lips pulled into a taut line across her face. She glared daggers at the woman who had brought her, looking both tremendously hurt and angry at the decision that had been made for her.

Sukkubus merely reached up with the paper fan clasped in one hand and rubbed an itch beneath her horn. The young girl had been fine up until now, what was the problem? Had she asked, she wouldn't be told...but damn, the she-devil hated being left in the dark. Her orange gaze flicked to Elliott, who had been persuaded to join her 'search party' on this little jaunt, eyes pleading.

"Well, Diego and Dante went off on their own, and Ritsu is off at the compound. You said yourself that you were getting tired and this was the closest place around." A faltering smile came to her lips, "'Sides, these kids still want candy."

She jabbed a clothed finger in Ruka's direction, who was currently blaring his horn into Emma and Nathaniel's ears. That's what happens when you allow a kid to be a satyr instead of something less noisy...like a mime.

Jocelyn lifted the kitchen knife she had taken to carrying around and waved it menacingly at Sukkubus; she painted a morbid picture of Alice, dressed in powder blue and a stained white apron - stained with the juice she had drinken earlier. Red. Well placed, no?

Walt was no doubt rolling in his grave.

"I'll look after her, Sukkubus. You go on," Elliott coaxed, smiling gently even as Jocelyn turned on her heel and marched into the building. She she-devil, however, hesitated.

"I dunno..."

"We'll be fine. Go get more candy, alright?"

He touched the back of her hand gently and turned himself, walking in after the angry young Shattered.

Of course, the faux nun he nearly ran into made him take several steps back, and he unconciously repeated a holy prayer. He should have dressed out today...no one would really believe he was a priest. Not on Halloween.

"Ah...E-excuse me..."

(( http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v23/Sleepy_Aeris/jocealice.jpg

Sukku is dressed as a Sanzo priest. o_o To mock Elliott. ))

"There's more to life than just smoking, alcohol and sex, Rhia." Hannah commented softly, though she had a feeling the demoness was currently in one of her 'moods', so she wasn't surprised when she was merely laughed at. The tigress turned sideways so a blonde that stalked past didn't run into one of her wings, then took a few steps away from the door so she wasn't blocking traffic.

"That's because you haven't figured that part of life out yet, Hannah dear." Rhia placed her free hand on her waist and cocked her hip out to the side, the short skirt of her leather dress riding even higher up on her smooth, muscled thighs. Her wings fidgeted and she gave the man who had nearly run into her a disdainful glance, then did a double take as she noted he was dressed as a priest. She gazed down at him through her black lenses and tilted her horned head in a mock bow.

"No harm done, Father. You can run that cute little a** of yours into me anytime you like. Not to mention any other body part that's looking for some attention." She gave him a rather impious grin, displaying her large fangs, before taking a drag from her cigarette and turning her attention back to the area around her stocking clad legs... only to find that the three children had vanished. "Ah, s**t, where the hell did they go?"

'They' were on their way to the table that was lined with food and - what they all hoped - more candy. Chey and Lin remained side-by-side, their line of sight reaching just above the table itself as they proceeded to search through the contents and pick out things that looked good enough to eat right then or that they could store within their bulging sacks of candy for later. Ophi, however, drifted away from them to search on his own; the top of his hooded, scale-mottled head falling an inch or two short of the corner of the table.

This didn't seem daunting to the child, as he was rather tall for his age and he knew this, the table posed to be a small obstacle. But first things first, and this had been bothering him all night long. He set his bag of candy down in between his feet for a moment, small hands hooking under the mask he wore and yanking it from his head. Now that the mask was off, he expelled a loud burst of air and dropped it to the ground near his feet; palms scrubbing along his skin at the yucky feeling the latex had left behind.

Picking up the bag of candy and slipping both handles of it over one arm, he reached up with his free arm and felt around the tabletop with his fingers until they came into contact with a bowl. Stretching his arm out and rising to his tiptoes, he hooked his fingers on the edge of the bowl and tilted it towards him; golden eyes peering over the edge of the table to see the contents. He was hoping to see a pile of chocolate (he was partial to Tootsie Rolls and KitKats), or at the very least some sort of candy he could add to his bag along with the others.

Unfortunately for the serpent child, the bowl was filled with no such treats.

Ophi let out a loud hiss as ice cold punch sloshed over the edge of the bowl and into his face; expression contorting and eyes squeezing shut. He released the edge of the bowl and covered his eyes with his hand, the large hood that hugged his head shooting outwards in surprise. Slowly wiping the droplets from his skin, he licked his lips with his forked tongue and sucked in a huge, hitching breath of air, small wings quivering as he stared numbly at the tablecloth in front of him; slitted eyes wide and filling with tears against the stinging cold that now gripped his face. His bag of candy now lay forgotten at his feet, the opening tilted sideways and a few pieces spilling out onto the floor. The boy blinked a few times and a soft, distressed hum sounded in the back of his throat as he turned his wet face away from the table and found that he had wandered to a spot where he could see none of the people he had come here with, most importantly Mama.

(( The number of T's in Elliot's name changes ALL THE TIME. I think there's only one...I really do. ))

He had really meant to pass by without making anymore contact with the woman, but upon being addressed, he turned and gave her a quizzical stare. And blanched at her words, wishing more than ever that it had been he who had gone with Ruka and Sukkubus in his place; though he knew he was being very selfish. But what was he supposed to do? He'd never seen anyone wear less! Not counting the day he met Sukkubus, of course, but...that had been ages ago.

Was this why he became a priest? So he wouldn't have to deal with the peculiarities of the world?

He pasted a smile - albeit an awkward one - onto his face, "Ah, no miss. I'm not seeking any attention at the moment" - his eyes darted towards the others in the room - "But I am looking for a young girl who just entered..."

She didn't even want to be here! In a room full of people she barely knew and already disliked. She was doing a lot of that lately - disliking others. Being too judgemental. Or as Emma had put it 'crabby'. If she felt guilty for any one thing, it was leaving Father James back at the entrance. He had been kind to her, even if she herself had been rude.

Jocelyn heaved another sigh and thrust her blade under the tie of her apron, slinging the white rabbit backpack that held her candy onto her back. He'll be fine; he was grown, after all...

A quick movement caught her eye, and she turned her head sharply just in time to watch as Ophi's hood shot out. Her pale brows rose; what the hell was that kid? Curiosity grabbing hold the better of her - even though she had vowed to stay away from EVERYONE - she made her way over to the young boy and cocked her head, skipping over formalities and reaching a hand out to brush it over the top of his head.

It felt funny. Even with a glove on.

Rhia couldn't help but chuckle softly as the man's face drained of color, spade-tipped tail coiling in the air as she was slightly pleased with herself. She loved getting that kind of reaction from people, and now that she wasn't full of demon spawn (in the literal sense of the words), she could more easily pull it off.

It seemed that they both had their reasons for choosing the costumes that they had, albeit very different reasons.

"You mean the angry Alice?" She gave him the same grin as she flicked another layer of ashes from her nearly spent cigarette. "I wasn't paying attention, so I can't help you there. I need to go find my own kids before they maim someone though, so if you'll excuse me..." She nodded her head in his direction once more before turning to Hannah, pulling her huge wings in towards her half-naked body as best she could. "Stick around here, if you see any of them for the love of the gods don't let them go! Just wait here for me to come back."

Hannah nodded and rocked back on her heels, rounded ears swiveling back and forth as Rhia sauntered off, curvy hips sashaying as she went. The tigress didn't seem too worried about the children getting into trouble, even if they were known for it, they had only been gone... what? Five minutes at the most, what kind of trouble could they possibly get into in that short amount of time? She gave the man Rhia had exchanged words with a small smile before returning to scanning the room for the children.

Ophi had inched towards the end of the table in his searching for something sweet, thus he was out of Rhia's immediate line of sight. He watched with golden, cat-like eyes as a young girl walked up to him and proceeded to brush her hand across the top of his head. His hood relaxed and smoothed back out along the sides of his head and neck, and his tail swayed curiously, small hands rubbing against the fabric of his collar that was wet from the punch.

He could vaguely recall people telling him not to talk to strangers, and he realized that they didn't even need to tell him not to; he didn't want to in the first place. He smacked his lips together softly, traces of the sugary beverage still being tasted, and he slowly ducked his head away from her hand and picked up his bag of candy. Casting a sideways glance towards the table, he remembered why he was here in the first place and slowly, his love for candy outweighed his uneasiness. He had no more chocolate left in his bag, and though any candy would do, he really did prefer chocolate over everything else.

Smooth brow furrowing slightly, he looked up at the blonde girl for a moment, small hand coming up to grasp the edge of the table so he could balance on his tiptoes. He looked over at the bowls and plates, then back up at the girl before speaking very softly, "No doh-doht?"

Angry Alice? Oh, yes!

Elliot nodded, thought whatever flicker of hope he felt was dashed when she said she didn't know. Suppose he lost her now? Jocelyn had already said she hadn't wanted to be here, and though he met her just today, he knew she was a clever girl. Suppose she somehow managed to slip past him again and got outside? It was Halloween...all the strange ones came out on Halloween.

The priest lifted a hand and pushed up his glasses, fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose.

He briefly watched Rhiannon as she left, before turning to Hannah and smiling kindly, "Well, if you'll please excuse me...I have an Alice to recapture." He nodded towards her and turned, heading farther into the room. The white rabbit in search of Alice for the Queen of Hearts. He smiled inwardly. Thank God Sukkubus didn't have a penchant for beheadings.

When Jocelyn pulled her hand back, her white glove was somewhat damp. She pealed it off and stuck it into her dress, patting the front flat once it fell. The platinum haired girl continued to watch him even as he drifted away, eyes unblinking.

The child looked like a snake. A cobra, hood and all. What she had first thought to be a costume was no doubt what he really was. Should she have been surprised? After all, she had been around catgirls, dogboys, devils, the works...what's one green kid?

Still...a snake.

Snakes were associated with bad things. There had been a snake in the garden of Eden, hadn't there? She had been reading too much, reading a book her guardian didn't want her to read. Yeah, Jocelyn had taken to reading her journal. Or rather, the Bible.

She broke away from her reverie at the sound of the child's voice, and purposely moved closer, head craning downwards to catch the end of his words.

"Dodote?" she questioned; she didn't have a degree in baby talk, after all. She leaned over the table herself and looked into all the bowls, noting all the candy they contained. She was quite the fan of chocolate herself, and glancing down at Ophi, she figured only one thing.

He was on the quest for candy!

She might as well help him, she had nothing else to do.

She played inny minny with the bowls before picking up the one with the most candy and kneeling down. Using her feet, she propelled herself past the tablecloth and disappeared beneath the table itself. After a second, she poked her head out and beckoned the child with a disarming smile.

"C'mon. We can share this, 'kay? I'll split the chocolate. That's my favorite."

(( Lmfao, I didn't even make the connection with Ophi and the snake in the Bible until now. xD ))


"What about this?"

"No."

"I don't want it either... what about this?"

"You can have it if you want."

"Well, it's gross! How about... this one?"

"I want that."

"What!?" Chey's slitted eyes flashed angrily in her pretty face, tri-colored bangs arching away from her forehead as part of an elaborate hairstyle. "You can't have this, it's mine! I gave you those other ones."

Lin narrowed his own eyes at his sister, only one being seen as half his face was hidden behind a curtain of crimson hair; a single, golden streak sticking out like a sore thumb right in the middle of the bangs. "You only gave them to me so you'd get what you wanted."

Chey hissed loudly and bared her fangs, and Lin hissed right back, lips peeling back from his own fangs, causing his slightly shorter sister to duck past him - piece of candy in hand - and slam right into long legs hugged by white stockings. The girl stumbled backwards into her brother, who only caught her long enough to snatch the Reese's peanut butter cup from her grasp before dropping her like a bad habit. With a loud shriek she fell onto her backside, wings fluttering angrily as she twisted around to slap her brother. "Why you-"

"There you nuisances are." Rhia bent down and gently clamped a hand around Chey's wrist before she could sock her brother, pulling her daughter to her feet and keeping a hold of her while she nabbed one of Lin's ebony wings and tugged him over to her other side. "Where's Ophi?"

"With you." Lin stated, turning his golden gaze up to his annoyed mother.

"Very funny, but try again."

"Not with you?" Chey ventured, arm going limp once she realized her mother was not about to let her go anytime soon.

"Bingo." Rhia released Lin's wing to take a hold of his free hand and she straightened up. "Now, those smart asses of yours are coming with me to find him, and then we're getting the hell out of here."

"Are you okay, Ma'man?" Lin asked after a moment of studying the demoness, the intensity in his cattish eyes surpassing that of his age.

"I'm fine, hun, I just realized how much I've come to hate parties."

Ophi watched the girl's movements closely, tail seeming to sway back and forth every time she changed positions. When she moved in closer, the hood around his head opened up slightly and he leaned back to widen the gap between them; golden eyes widening a margin. He did, however, scrunch up his nose lightly at the word she mimicked back at him, his expression looking like she was the dumbest person in the world.

He blinked again as she looked over the table, bi-colored wings fidgeting before he turned his attention from her to the small portion of things he could see, wondering what up there was so interesting. He took a step back when she knelt down, bowl in hand, but closed the gap he had just made as he stepped forward again and looked into the bowl full of candy.

The serpentine boy gave her a questioning look as she scurried under the table, tail curling slightly when she stuck her head out and invited him under. Again, he remembered Mama saying something about not going with strangers, and he also remembered Chey and Lin telling him to bite someone if they tried to take him anyway. Bite them hard, but Mama had quickly protested that and told him no, don't bite them. This girl seemed nice though, and it was just under a table. In a room with lots of other people. And a bowl full of candy. Full of chocolate even.

He squatted down near the table and lifted up the tablecloth with two fingers, like it was filthy and he didn't want to touch it anymore than he had to. Peering underneath the table, he found that it was actually kind of neat; a small, dark space where he could be almost all by himself. He liked dark, small places, especially if they were slightly humid and he could be alone. He slipped underneath the table, dragging his bag of candy with him, and plopped down onto the floor; golden eyes shining dully as he turned them to his new friend.

If she was willing to share her candy, he felt it was okay to share his too. Digging in his bag, he pulled out a lollipop with little brown barrels on the wrapper. He couldn't read, and so he didn't know that the flavor was root beer; all he knew was that it was almost as good as chocolate. Not quite that good, but it was close. He puckered up his lips for a moment, the drying punch on his face and neck starting to leave a sticky residue, almost like a second skin, and he held out the lollipop for her to take, finally grinning wide enough to reveal a set of sharp, needle-like fangs. "Lollipot."

Rather than being annoyed by the party, Elliot was heartened by it. It had been so long since he'd seen so many children having fun, Sukku's own not included. He hadn't attended a Halloween celebration for nearly three years, so this was a reprieve to the usually lack-luster nights he spent on the thirty-first. Sukkubus had always loved the hocus-pocus stuff, and it hadn't changed through her absence.

He was glad she had invited him with her this year.

But he wasn't glad he had lost sight of Jocelyn.

He figured he would have better luck asking another child if they had seen the girl, since adults had a tendency to group them all together. Spotting someone rather small and hoping to God it was a child - would a grown-up have dressed like the tin man? - he moved forward and touched their shoulder, looking all the part apologetic.

"Ah...excuse me?"

First thing she realized were his fangs.

Second thing she realized, she liked his grin.

Jocelyn reached out and took the lollipop from Ophi's hand, putting it up to her eyes and twirling it to get a better look. Root beer? She had never heard of that before...but wasn't beer that drink that made you kind of crazy? Lowering the pop, she looked at the child curiously. What was he doing with something made of beer? Raising it again, she took a sniff, before unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth.

Well...gee. Whatever beer was, it couldn't taste that bad, right? Not like people made icky things into candy, right?

Using her tongue, she poked the lollipop to the side of her mouth and bent over, digging through the bowl for some of the good candy. 'Cause you know, people overloaded on the cheap kind...you really had to look for the tasty ones. Grown-ups had no taste, really. She began the meticulous process of pawing through the batch, before losing patience and dumping the entire bowl between herself and the snake child.

"Bingo."

They would put the chocolate at the bottom.

"Oh yeah...hey, um...do you like Reeses?" she questioned, reaching back and pulling her rabbit backpack forward before he could answer. She unzipped it and dug through her own candy, pulling out small orange square and handing it towards Ophi. "I kinda realized that people are always out of Reeses, ya know? But Blondie gave me some before we left the house."

For the first time in several days, the corners of her lips twitched upwards into a smile. A true smile. Sure, it was faint, but it was a smile nonetheless, wasn't it?

"I'm Jocelyn, by the way. 'Case you wanted to know..."

This Halloween party was going extremely well. Chuu was overjoyed to be talking to Asrafel again, as well as being thrilled that she got to introduce her adopted brother to the now-teenage friend. The gentle murmuring of conversation and laughter, as well as the squeaks of trick-or-treating children outside, could be heard wherever one turned. These "party" things were so great- Chuu took a mental note to attend more of them!

Such thoughts slowed down to a bit as a gentle ting sounded as someone tapped on the treeborn's shoulder. Someone else to meet? What an exciting day! Chuu turned around to see who it was, and came face-to- err... stomach with a man dressed up in a very convincing priest costume.

"Oh, hello there! Do you like the party? I hope you're having a good time~!" she said, even though she wasn't the host of the shindig. Then she noticed a look of apologeticness and concern on the man's face. "Oh, is there something I can help you with?"

Meanwhile, a sound pierced through the fog that was Mirorim's mind- the sound of wrapped candy being dumped from a bowl and rustling to the floor. The mirrorchild, usually blank and always reflecting other people's actions instead of doing his own, suddenly found himself walking toward the source of the sound. When he wasn't reflecting, though, walking was very difficult... he stumbled around awkwardly like a marionette being controlled by an inexperienced puppeteer.

At last he reached the treat table, and, following clues in the form of pieces of candy that had fallen out from under the tablecloth, walked right under it. His head just barely grazed the table's bottom as he breached the near-impenetrable tablecloth defense system and came into contact with two beings. One had long, platinum-blonde hair, and the other one had wings and snakelike features.

Okay. He had to speak... but what to say? Mirorim fingered his cat's cradle in what could be considered deep thought, and touched the one rust-colored bead on the magenta string. It brought him to say "Chakit?" in a voice that clearly wasn't his.

"Mama, why do we have to help? I want more candy." Chey frowned, the expression more of a pout than anything as her long, elven ears drooped. Her crimson eyes flicked towards a few others in the room, but she wasn't fond of people so she simply glared at them before turning her attention back to her mother.

"You have to help me because he's part of the family," Rhia explained patiently, "And he was following you. He's just a kid, a very young kid, you're older and are therefore the responsible one."

"Yeah, Chey." Lin chided to his sister, golden eyes narrowing as he grinned at her.

"You too, Lin." Rhia frowned, letting Lin go for a moment to crouch down and retrieve a blue, latex mask. "
Because she now remembered just how much kids were a pain in the a**.

Ophi took the peanut butter cup with some hesitancy, but he seemed to recognize the packaging as his golden eyes flashed in the gloom. He held it up to his nose and sniffed it, forked tongue slipping out from between his scaly lips to allow the tips to brush over the packaging ever so softly.

Blowing air out his nose, he hitched his upper lip and punctured the bright orange wrapping with one, slender fang. Slicing it open diagonally, he lowered it and stuck a finger in, hooking it around the piece of candy and extracting it through the slit he had made.

Discarding the empty wrapper by tossing it over his shoulder, he concentrated on breaking the peanut butter cup in half and proceeded to scoop out the insides with one finger; sticking it in his mouth and sucking it clean. He did this with both halves, leaving the chocolate hollowed out, before he popped both pieces into his mouth.

Cheeks full of chocolate, he turned his attention back up to the girl that sat across from him and arched his smooth brows, hands toying with the opening of his bag. Swallowing the two halves before they had barely started to melt, he flicked his tongue across his lips and pointed a finger at her, "Dawson?"

He didn't seem to care if she knew that he had just stated her name or not, he dipped his head and gazed down into his bag at the candy he had procured from the houses he and the others had visited. At the image of Mama and the twins, his head shot up; slitted eyes widening slightly as he turned to look over at the tablecloth. She was probably out there wondering where he was, seeing as she didn't seem to like him going off by himself. Which was strange to him; he liked being by himself, she should want him to be happy.

"Hn, Mama..." He paused and scrunched up his face for a moment, wings fidgeting as he tried to figure out how to say it. He only knew so many real words, after all, it was sometimes hard for him to get his meaning across. Had he been able to comprehend things a little better, he would now know what Mama meant when she said that the serpent child was sometimes too smart for his own good. "Mama look... go walk... bye-bye?"

He seemed to wait a moment to see if she had understood, but a split second later lost interest in whether or not she had figured it out. He looked back down at his bag and rubbed at his slightly sticky face before searching through it again, thick tail coiling in the air behind him. He had to search again, because you know, there was always a chance he had missed a piece of chocolate.

A second later Ophi's head snapped up from his search through his bag at the intrusion of another child, one he hadn't noticed on his way over to the table before he had run into Jocelyn. His slitted eyes flashed in the gloom as they swept over the other boy, evaluating him; the cobra hood unconsciously stretching out a little further and his wings opening up slightly. He was obviously wary, as he had been with Jocelyn, but the hand that had fallen still in the bag of candy came to life again and started searching through the darkness for the chocolate he so desired.

He could still be comfortable with two instead of one, but that didn't mean he had to talk to the other child. And if any others decided to crawl into the small, enclosed space beneath the table, he was out of there. Lowering his gaze to the bag once more, his tail slithered across the floor behind him as he pushed aside some sort of purple candy, but he did keep his attention focused on Jocelyn and the boy. Yes, he was a little paranoid and untrusting; blame his guardian for that.

The smile that came to his face was automatic, but not fake; the little girl had inadvertantly pulled it from him before he could respond! She was so bright and polite, and were it not for the funnel on her head, he would have ruffled her hair in affection.

He folded his hand behind his back and canted his head, a smile unwavering as he gave a small nod, "Ah, yes. The party is wonderful. But...ah, it'd be a lot more enjoyable if I could find the person I'm looking for."

His gentle smile became a sheepish grin, one hand lifting to rub the back of his neck. "You see, I'm looking for a little girl about ye high" - he lifted his hand to held it just below his ribs - "with platinum blonde hair and green eyes. Ah...she was wearing an Alice costume and the most disgruntled look you'd ever seen..."

"No, it's Jocelyn," she muttered, staring at Ophi as if he'd grown a second head. That was the strangest - but coolest - way she'd ever seen someone open a candy before. No doubt she'd try it later on in the confines of her room though she already knew the outcome. Maybe she was psychic? Because she knew she'd be wearing the chocolate rather than enjoying it.

"Oh well...I guess you can call me Dawson." She gave a listless shrug and began picking all the chocolate Tootsiepops she saw in the pile, stashing them into her bag. "Oh, do you want any of these?" She held out three, sticks first.

Mama. Why did Sukkubus come to mind when he had said that? The little girl lifted a hand and knuckled her forehead, lower lip jutting out. Blondie was not her mother...she just took care of her. That was all.

So why did she feel jealous of Ophi?

She hadn't time to deliberate upon her sudden envy when Mirorim's voice - uh... - yanked her from her reverie. She started and turned to stare at the child, her eyes as wide as saucers. Why was she always being startled like that?! The glare she gave him died the minute she figured out his baby tongue.

Jocelyn was gonna be a pro at this.

"You...want chocolate too, huh?" she asked, wishing she could crouch over the pile of candy and scuttle away with it. But she didn't and opted for scooting over, actually inviting the child to sit next to her. Amazing.

"Well...I have some. There should still be some in the pile...if Snake-boy didn't take it all."

"Oh, you're looking for someone? I hope I can help!" Chuu said earnestly, ears managing to wiggle a bit under the weight of the funnel. The priest's description seemed very familiar... "Oh, I know someone who looks like that! Her name is Jocelyn! Could she be the one you're looking for?" The treeborn forgot to mention that she had no idea who this Alice character was, but that was of little importance anyway. As long as Jocelyn still had blonde hair and green eyes, she could be found!

As it would, the girl that the priest was looking for was glaring at Chuu's adopted brother. And the mirrorchild was... well, doing what he does best. Mimicking the glare as best he could with his facial features. The rest of his body copied the shifting motions that the snake child did in his wariness.

One of the beads on his cat's cradle turned envy green as Mirorim spoke in Jocelyn's voice: "You... want chocolate too, huh?" He then took the spot that Jocelyn had offered him, looking with muted interest at the candy. What were you supposed to do with this stuff?

Ophi glanced at Jocelyn every now and then as she spoke, golden eyes sparkling curiously, but he listened to her with only half an ear as his attention was fastened somewhere within the black depths of the bag that held his candy. He was fairly certain by this time he had extracted and eaten all the chocolate that was in there, but there was still quite a bit of other treats, so... who was to say there wasn't a Hershey's bar or a KitKat hiding somewhere, trying to escape a fate that included a child's stomach?

His gaze rose for a moment as Jocelyn fell silent, catching the pout she placed on her face as she pulled within herself to contemplate things. His eyes dropped slightly and noted the candy she offered him, thick tail coming to life behind him. He recalled having a few of those in his bag, which he had promptly eaten upon finding out what they tasted like, and finding that she was willing to share such delicious candy was a mystery to him.

He would be hard pressed to share something like that.

He turned his narrowed, slitted gaze to the child that had shown up moments before as he sat down next to Jocelyn; Ophi's wings opening slightly and he leaned back a little. Thinking that perhaps the blonde girl had offered him the Tootsiepops by mistake, not realizing what they were, he reached out and snatched them from her hand before she could change her mind. His arm was shockingly fast, shooting out and then snapping back once his fingers had curled around the Tootsiepop sticks; the chocolaty lollipops dropping into his bag a few seconds after they had been enveloped in Jocelyn's hand.

He eyed the other boy as he mimicked Jocelyn's voice, and then shot her a rather vehement look when she called him Snake-boy. His lips parted for a moment, the muscles attached to the fangs stretching as his mouth opened wide in a yawn, more out of boredom than actual weariness. Wings arching outwards underneath the confines of the tablecloth, he glanced over to the area he had crawled in from; picking out three familiar voices and narrowing his eyes as he tried to hear what they were saying.

After a moment he looked back to Jocelyn and the boy whose name he didn't yet know, debating on going out to Mama and the others or staying here. In the end, the prospect of perhaps getting more candy kept him rooted to the floor and he set his hands in his lap; golden eyes flashing dully in the gloom as he silently studied the other two.