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ROUND AND ROUND WE GO~

Surrounding the midway, furthest from all the dancing and catering, were the rides. Their presence was noted, not only for looming over the rest of the festivities, but also providing the background ambience that so many loved; the cheers, the screaming, everything a real carnival should have sounded like.

Pay no attention to that hidden stereo..

The Fearris Wheel
It loomed above almost everything else, taking its riders above the majority of the noise and distractions to make way for the cool, romantic view of the landscape at night under the shining moon and sparkling stars. It is operated by an overly friendly mermaid, who gives you a knowing wink should you go on the ride as a pair, and if you're friendly enough, may offer to - ahem - accidentally stop the ride when you get to the top. For a price.

The Scarousel
Strangely happy, but definitely twisted music radiates from this ride. The striped orange, white and black ride moves in steady circles, parading an endless line of various distorted circus animals, zombie horses, werebears, giant tarantulas and the occasional screaming toad. This ride is operated by...actually, there really isn't an operator nearby. The ride seems to plod along at its own pace, never actually stopping to take on passengers. Looks like if you want to ride this one, you have to scramble up as it moves!

The Growler Coaster
The last ride in the area is one that is out to make your stomach churn - a roller coaster. Not just any coaster, though. The Behemoth. It has twists, it has turns, it has drops on such an angle that you're staring right at the ground! Don't worry though, it's completely safe - and managed by a very dedicated, very attentive attendant. Nobody should die or get hurt on this ride. Hopefully. Maybe.

[Enter]

Erebus had been so fascinated by the rides that he hadn't realized that the ride he had chosen wasn't stopping. At. All. "Um..." He said, looking down at Tomoko with a befuddled expression. "Is it broken? Should we go on another ride or something...?" Maybe they could ask that mermaid over there about why this ride wasn't working...

"We probably could." After all, it wasn't going that fast. "I could help you get on first? Which one do you want to sit on?" Erebus himself didn't really have a preference.

Having made new friends, danced with said new friends, played lots of fun games, won a fistful of tickets and then tried the funhouse only to break a mirror, Belladonna was quite thoroughly enjoying herself this evening. (Minus that whole breaking a mirror fiasco...) Not entirely, however, despite her most dedicated efforts as there was just one key component missing for the night. For a few weeks now the witch had worked to prepare herself for just such an instance of solitude, for she had been well aware of the fact that she would spend, at least a moderate portion, of the night alone. But it was one thing to expect it and another thing for it to actually happen. That is not to say the witch was by any means melancholy. She was excited and happy that everything was going well, that she and her friends had been having such fun. It was only that, well... She did miss one particular zombie.
And she had not even gotten to see his costume yet, or show her own off! That was the real tragedy of the evening, but she did not even know what to be looking for.

Belladonna did allow a sigh to fall from her lips as she wandered her way over toward the rides, drawn in by the brightly lit up Fearris Wheel, wondering if riding it alone would be too melodramatic. Since it took a considerable amount of willpower not to just break down and text the zombie, she figured the only way to find him was to just mosey along the whole of prom until either he found her, or she found him, or she went crying back to Hel. Most likely the latter would happen anyways, but that did not stop the ghoul from letting her eyes dreamily float over to the Growler Coaster. Her nose crinkled at that, for it would ruin her hair and probably knock her little crown off and in no way be nearly as exciting as broom flight was.
No, the witch would just stand in this one spot a little off the path and watch the crowd for a moment. Maybe once she felt satisfied with standing she would go hop onto the Scarousel, for a particularly ornate zombie horse seemed empty so far and she did so love pretty things. But for the moment, she was content to watch and contemplate and idly twirl her parasol over one shoulder.

Too focused on daydreaming (or, evening mind wandering, as it honestly were), the witch noticed no one approach her. After the loud noise of the main tent, it was nice to listen to a different kind of cacophony, to hear new voices and cheers and shouts. Becoming a little lost in the idea of just idly drifting, Belladonna blinked when a very close voice pulled her from her carnival reverie.
"Oh, thank you, that is so kind--" She began in a lilting voice as she began to swing around to face the mysterious speaker, for a compliment was always appreciated, even from strangers. But instead of completing the sentence, it instead broke off into a squawk and a gasp. The witch's eyes widened and she hopped back a step when she realized who exactly it was that was complimenting her, which naturally only necessitated that she dart forward two more steps to be closer to the speaker.
"You startled me!" She chided with a wide grin, hardly the scold she had intended for it to be. It suddenly felt very hard to breath when she saw Mort's grin, especially when half of it was hidden by his hood.

"Hecate, look at you! You look--" A hand fluttered and she managed not to say hot out loud, "--Absolutely fantastic! Stupendous! Extremely handsome!" Now she began to bounce, moving to either side to inspect his costume. Pink eyes darted over the exposure of his collar bone and further down, her cheeks flushing just the tiniest bit at that. Green, indeed!
"Where are your dolls? I saw them, they are darling. But they have not spoken to me all night, I am almost hurt save for the fact they seemed to be enjoying themselves so much. But how are you doing it?" The pattern on his hood gave her a pretty large clue, but she was not willing to take such a leap in logic.
But she could not help herself as one hand reached out to touch his arm as she reached up on tip toe to kiss the cheek she could see. A bright smile blossomed for him as she lowered back to flat feet and realized just how very much taller he was when she was not wearing heels, her chin tipped up a little more than usual to beam at him.

Mort didn't answer quite yet, first choosing to beam down at her in return. He knew Bells would not disappoint when it came to fashion, but to see her in her costume at last was breathtaking...She looked more than just like a dancer, or a high wire woman--she looked like a princess or a queen come to greet him, beautiful and radiant like she ought to be treated as any and every day--not the pale version he had witnessed on his worst days.

There was a lump in his throat that was hard to get out.

A few skeletal fingers slid under her chin as he leaned down. "Magician doesn't reveal secrets," he murmured with a conspiring grin, giving her cheek a kiss before letting her face go. "But m'glad you like them. Can be distracted little things...Told them to watch for you, but guess music n' dancing was more important."

Mort offered her his arm. "How's night been?" he asked, wanting to know what she thought of their set up. "Not drama-y m'hoping."

Unaware of the idea that she was a princess or a queen (but certainly an idea she favored quite heavily, if only she were privy to such), the witch only stood there smiling up at him, perfect content to let him have this moment of thought while she shined brightly. After all, while he looked her over she had to return the favor, curiously expecting, if from her careful distance, his buckles and shoes and nearly giggling to herself over the number of belts he'd seemed to find for himself. Typical of Mort, to imitate a game character in his costume. But honestly Belladonna loved it, her smile widening all the more.
At least until chill bone pushed under her chin, whereupon her smile turned into a small "oh" of surprise. If it had been hard to breath before, it was impossible when he spoke to her and grinned so wickedly. For a moment everything closed in, faded away as his hood was large enough to block her view of at least some of her surroundings, so that the witch blinked up at him as he moved closer. There was no time to play this as dramatically as she wanted, for when he kissed her, Belladonna's eyes remained wide open and her face flushed warmly in hopes of lending some heat to the fingers under her chin.
With a gasp and a sudden realization that her parasol was slipping from her hands, the witch made a tiny squeak of a noise and squeezed her fingers around the handle, too late to really react much better than being terribly flustered.

"Th-they dance very well! S-s-spinny little things!" She chirped almost too loudly, one hand rising to brush against her cheek where he had kissed her. Robbed of keeping the sensation thanks to her gloves, things were salvaged when his arm poked out at her.
"Oh its been wonderful!" The smile came back though the blush remained while the arm was happily taken, parasol switched to the opposite shoulder so it would not accidentally bump the zombie.
"Everything is beyond amazing, you all have truly out done yourselves! I am so vastly proud I cannot even begin to properly put it into words! And your costume is absolutely stunning, I am quite pleased." All her cool quips had seemingly been spent earlier so that now she was actually with Mort she was a bouncing bunch of blushing beauty.

"No drama so far. And yourself? No drama? Enjoying everything?" If someone was causing drama for her darkling she would beat them with her parasol! Not on Mort's special night!

Taking her own top hat, she puts it on before she shakes her head, looking herself over "A gnome from the fun house. It dumped glitter all over me." she couldn't help but laugh before she took a step forward. She didn't say a word, she just wraps her arms around his waist as she hugs him. Her head resting on his chest for a moment as she tries to hide the fact that she was surprised from his own apology.

Pulling back, she looks down at her own hat then up at the Ferris wheel before shaking her head "I don't think it would be a good idea. Maybe we can leave them just inside the fence?" it was like they never fought, and yet she knew something was different at the moment between them. He was acting different, but she couldn't grasp what had changed.

Turning her back to him, she nods as she chuckles "Yea, I don't mind wearing your coat for you. Although, I think it might clash with my dress." she was teasing him as she glance over her shoulder "Um....did you still want to dance? I haven't actually done any dancing, as I was saving my first for you..." looking away, she closes her eyes as she plays with the ribbon on her glove.