Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Mixie's Haunted Manor (CLOSED)

Walking delicately up the path to the haunted manor, Sentinel's needle-sharp smile only grew wider. He chuckled a little, saying, "Reminds me of my escapades back in the Land of Souls. Dark, dreary forests ridden with those who were wronged in life; I believe that is the best place for stories I've ever been. Now that I think of it, I should return there sometime." In his hands, he had his cane, tucked under his arm, and a pumpkin that glowed from the inside, though no flame was pleasant. He raised the pumpkin up and said, "Thanks for the favor, Stingy Jack. I owe you one." The pumpkin, smiling back with an evil, snaggled grin, spoke in a thick Irish accent, "Why doncha get me a pint when we get back to the old pub in town?" Sentinel chuckled, saying, "I know you love your Guinness."

As he walked up to Mixie's manor, both he and Jack smiled. Sentinel reached out with his cane, knocking on the door, saying, "Trick or treat, my fellow!"

(I choose trick!)

For a moment, there was no answer. Rest assured, however, Sentinel's knocking did not go unnoticed.

Peering inside, just down the hallway was a roaring fireplace, serving as the only source of light. Everything outside of the hallway was cloaked by gloomy shadows, where a sharp, piercing gaze seemed to be coming from.

The balcony above the hallway, where those shambled stairs supposedly led to, began to creak and moan with every footstep the resident took. The sounds of low, snakelike hissing emerged as glinting red eyes looked down on the visitor below.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here?"

Whatever was on the balcony jumped, crashing down on the dusty floor below. It stayed hunched up in a little ball, suggesting it may have been injured from the landing, but that was not the case. It was... changing.
From its back, a multitude of tongue-like tentacles snaked their way out, wriggling and writing as Mixie stood herself up, slowly. There were eyes in places they simply shouldn't be, as well as a tad too many sets of razorlike fangs. protruding from the back, chest, and face.

Finally, the eldritch mess reared her ugly head, letting loose a bellowing roar that rattled the broken windows near the entrance.

And despite Mixie's general attempt at intimidation, the lovecraftian lass did not charge forth or show any means of wanting to attack... She stood firmly in place, like she was doing nothing more than putting on a show.

Sentinel's smile dominated his face as he said, "Ohoho! A fellow shifter? Let me see..." His back arched as tentacles erupted from his skin, piercing through his three-piece and emitting a chokingly thick black fog. His face shifted even closer to that of a spider as his chest split apart into a writhing mass of forked tongues and scarily human teeth as deep, unsettling gurgling sounded. Spindly, thin legs reached around from his back, hoisting him up. His ragged, human form was held in front of a massive, horrifying eldritch creature. The massive mouth of human teeth and tongues let out a gurgling, blood-curdling screech that could make a human's flesh melt off their bones before it said, in a voice darker than the grave, "What do you think? Most people whimper and run in fear at this point." The changes slowly began to revert as his suit seemed to magically mend, before he was back to his normal form. He straightened his tie and sleeves before saying, "Mighty fine show, old chap, it's been a while since I've gotten to do a show."

The roaring seemed to come to a grinding halt as those many eyes observed a just-as-terrifying display of eldritch horror. If Mixie was here back before her demon days, she certainly would have run away screaming.

But! That wasn't the case. Instead, she seemed to view Sentinel's horrific display with a newfound appreciation.

A couple of gurgles, squelches and cracks later, and Mixie's shape had resolved back to its default state. While her silhouette was still somewhat uncanny for a humanoid, it wasn't nearly as grotesque as what she had made herself into just seconds prior.

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Mixie's many hands put on a round of applause. "HaHAH! Bravo! Encore, encore!" The little devil cackled like mad. "Ohh, that was fantastic! You've got a nice skillset, doll. Nice of you to join in on my little scareshow."

Turning on her malformed heels, Mixie darted back into the shadows of the farmhouse, rummaging for something all the while. She later reemerged, with a bowl of king-sized candybars in her lower hands.

"On that note!" She presented the bowl to Sentinel. "I think you've more than earned your treat tonight. Go ahead and take a few, hmmmm?"

Sentinel smiled like a little kid as his arm reached out, stretching to an uncanny length to grab only a couple of candy bars. He wanted to leave plenty for those who also pass this trial of terror. He said, "I believe I should be the one applauding you, my friend! Such a sinister show deserves a proper award!" He held a hand out, his hand shifting into a statuette of a mass of tentacles, formed into the general shape of Mixie. He used his other hand and removed the statue as his hand grew back, handing it to Mixie. It felt heavy, like the iron formed in the center of a star. Sentinel said, "I give this award only to the greatest showfolk I have ever seen; and, as it stands, you are the second person to receive this! Right after my brother, of course." He also pulled a small rune token from his pocket and said, "This is a key to my realm. Place it on any object and say, "Rannak Tuthen Sentinel" and it will open a portal to my realm. Come visit sometime."

The fiend wasn't quite anticipating how heavy it'd be, but nonetheless she held it in front of her face with wonder and glee. "Christ! Now that's impressive! I'm honoured!"

And as she examined the statue and its glory, Mixie took note of the rune token. With a grin, her tail wormed towards Sentinel's hand. A small mouth emerged at the tip of the tail with a wet crack, delicately enveloping the rune before retreating.

"I'd be happy to visit ya sometime! Sounds like it'd be a blast and a half," Mixie bowed graciously. "I'll find a good spot in my room to keep it in the meantime."

She began to back away. "Thanks for stoppin' by! Until we meet again- Oh, and Happy Halloween."

With a maniacal laugh, Mixie bolted up the stairs, the shadows from above concealing her entirely. She did not come back out from her hiding place...

Sentinel waved, and said, "Feel free to drop by whenever! I'm always open! And happy Halloween to you too, my friend!" After Mixie left he turned on his heel as Stingy Jack laughed, saying, "You just gravitate to other freaks, don't you?" Sentinel tossed Jack into the air and said, "That's rich, coming from a PUMPKIN!" and punted him high up, before catching the now terrified and shaking Jack in his hands. "Call either of us freaks again and I will make sure you don't see the ground again." He continued walking away from the mansion, his moods skyrocketing from the previous encounter.

Ivy walked towards the farmhouse at a jaunty pace. If a place was rumoured to have paranormal activity, Ivy was sure to be somewhere nearby, or at least making her way towards it. What she didn't expect was to see people walking away with candy! Was this a Trick-or-Treating spot? If Ivy was being honest, she would much prefer paranormal activity over candy. Both were great, of course, but if all of the rumours about demons and evil spirits and other monsters were just false advertising... Well, she was going to be highly disappointed.
On the bright side, although Ivy hadn't expected to be Trick-or-Treating right now, she was already in costume. On Halloween, Ivy was known to put her costume on first thing in the morning, and walk around with it all day... just in case. This year, she had dressed up as Velma from Scooby Doo, and she had sewn a little matching costume to fit Kass' plushie form; they were dressed as the Scoob himself. In lieu of a trick-or-treat bag, Ivy carried her usual worn-out backpack, as she always did while out 'Spookhunting'. It didn't exactly match her costume, but she wouldn't leave it behind for the world.
Now Ivy approached the front of the house, glancing around to see if there was anyone in sight.
"It's very spooky." Kass supplied telepathically. They were currently tucked under Ivy's right arm, watching the world with their bright button eyes. "Are you going to knock, or walk in like the juvenile delinquents we both are?"
"I can't figure out if we're Trick-or-Treating or Spookhunting," Ivy said, keeping her voice low so that only Kass was likely to hear.
"Maybe both. Both sounds like the best outcome."
Nodding, and with a sigh, Ivy began to knock on the shabby old door. She really had no idea what to expect, but was hoping for the best.
((Permission to trick, GRANTED.))

With a creak of protest... The doors opened. Nobody was there. At least, not in plain sight.

The flame of the fireplace was quite healthy, suggesting someone was home... But again, no answer. And no candy in sight, either. A hint of dread crept into the air, hinting that not all was right with this place.

Cracking, squelching, popping... A disgusting choir of noise arose from the balcony, which was veiled by a heavy shadow. Something was lurking up there... watching.

"What are you waitin' for?" It hissed. "Please, come in..."

It sounded human... But judging by the other noises coming from above, perhaps it would be unwise to assume it was human. If the rumours were true, then maybe-

CRASH! It jumped off the staircase without warning, and slid into the golden glow of the hallway. A multitude of tongues emerged from the mouths in the utmost strangest of places. Wriggling, writhing, like hyperactive worms exploding from the devil's fair skin. Just one too many eyes occupied the entirety of Mixie's own face, her nose and mouth entirely absent. As she rose to her feet, her abdomen looked as if it had been split in half, occupied by a giant mouth, filled to the brim with gleaming fangs. Beyond those fangs? Nothing. It was like staring into an endless void.

From that void? Another one of those house-rattling roars. The otherworldly screeches of tortured souls and beasts filled with rage.

...Safe to say, the Spookhunters had found what they were looking for.

For better, or for worse.

"Hmm..." Ivy got THAT look on her face, the one that meant she was pretty sure something spooky was afoot and she was absolutely going to find it. She had taken a few slow, deliberate steps forward, eager to investigate... Before the chaos ensued.
Not unsurprisingly, Ivy was terrified. But she was thrilled, too! She had never seen something like this before, and couldn't tear her gaze away from the many-mouthed, roaring monstrosity.
Kass couldn't tear their gaze away either, but that was more literal. They did not want to be seeing or hearing any of this, but there was no easy way for them to get away. Oh, not that they were scared... No, definitely not... Ghosts aren't afraid of anything, that's silly! ... Okay, so they were scared, but they weren't admitting that. Remaining stoic was extremely easy when their face was an eternally smiling teddy bear, and considering they could only communicate telepathically, it wasn't as if they could scream involuntarily.
Ivy DID scream, but mixed with the terror in her eyes, there was a big grin on her face. Ivy LIKED to be scared, and she also liked seeing new things. This definitely hit both marks perfectly. Best of all, any worries that the "HAUNTED HOUSE! REAL! NOT CLICKBAIT!" posts she had seen were indeed real and not clickbait.
"HOLY CRAP!" Ivy gasped, fear and exhilaration in her voice. "THAT WAS— OH MY GOSH— WHAT WAS THAT??"
"I hated it, personally," Kass quipped in the back of Ivy's head.
"...My friend hated it, but I thought it was epic!"
"You weren't supposed to say that out loud."
"Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud."
"IVY."
Ah, the usual chaotic banter for these two.

Just as hastily, the writhing mess of a demon began to twist and contort back into her normal silhouette. Even for her normal look, it was apparent she wasn't human. She let out a hearty laugh. "Ohh, you shoulda seen the look on your face. Priceless, I tell ya!"

She sauntered forward, minding her distance. "But! I'm glad you enjoyed the show! Even if, ahem-" Mixie shot a glance at the stuffed animal, unsure if that's who Ivy was referring to. "Your friend didn't. Though I'm not offended! No no! When I do that outside of Halloween hours, I don't expect anyone to like it, y'know. If you don't like it here, that's fine too!"

With a smug grin, Mixie darted back into the shadows, coming back out with a bowl of those king-sized chocolate bars. "Anyhow, I think there's a couple of these with your name on 'em, doll! Help yourself."

She held out the bowl for Ivy to take her pick.

Gosh, these sorts of things always gave her the worst nerves. She always had the sneaking suspicion that when her master sent her out on these sorts of... errands... that he found it equal parts amusing and somehow beneficial for her to go out and about and do things, but she disliked it immensely.

Tonight, too busy to accompany her or to go himself, he instructed her to venture out and collect candy for him. She was well-aware that she herself was made of candy, so she was quite confused as to why he needed it specifically and it lead her to the conclusion that he just wanted her to get out and go trick-or-treating, which... was nice of him, she'd decided. A day off.

She felt out of place and strange not cleaning or tidying something, but the night air felt lovely and she was very fond of her costume; she'd made little black kitty ears for herself and stuck them to her pumpkin, and pinned a long black tail to her dress.

If she was going out to do an errand, by goodness she was going to do a good job. And so, she scalped and hunted for houses with dogged determination that had full-sized candy bars. After an hour of searching, she located some other candy hunters and received their input.

The place to go was Mixie's place.

So she went.

Walking with great speed, she made her way there, only to find that it was immediately scary and strange. She stopped in her tracks, frightened, clutching her little candy pail (strikingly similar to her own head in a near-comical way), knees knocking together.

"Oh d-d-d-dear..." The cars, the darkness, the general ambience... just what had happened here?

But. Nothing had happened. Nothing, of course, had happened! These were just decorations! She felt silly. Steeling her nerves and standing up straight, her candle burning a bit hotter and brighter, she started off at a confident stride to the front door. Once there, she raps three times very firmly on the wood.

(trick! please!! )

"Thanks!" Ivy grinned, looking through the chocolate bars for a moment as she decided which ones to take. She picked out a coffee crisp (her own favourite), and a kitkat (Kass' favourite), and placed both into her backpack. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?" There was no judgment in her voice, only curiosity.
And actually, the more Kass thought about it... "Maybe that was a little harsh. I didn't HATE it... Ivy, please tell the person I didn't hate it. It was scary, in a cool way." That was true. Kass had found the display terrifying and upsetting, and they couldn't honestly say they ENJOYED it... But it WAS cool. Especially since it had ended not with bloodshed, but with candy.
"Oh, um, also, my friend changed their mind. They didn't actually hate your show, they think it was, and I quote, 'scary, in a cool way'."

"Heh, thanks. I'm glad you could stop by. Happy Halloween, morsels!"

And just as Ivy and Kass had left the premises, the sounds of knocking caught Mixie off-guard. Already?

Mildly unprepared, Mixie was quick to retreat to the shadows, putting the candy away for the time being.

---

For a few seconds, the door remained closed. Just when there may have been no response, the doorknob twisted on its own, slowly creaking open to reveal a whole lot of nobody.

Sudden silence. All that could be heard as of now was the crackle of the fire.

"And what's this, hmmmmm?" The resident of the household hissed. It was coming from the shadows to Tally's left, rather than the balcony above. "Do I smell... candy?"

It apparently did not go unnoticed that Tally's body was made out of sour candy. The scent was just enough to tempt that monster out of hiding, as she chuckled all the while.

"How.... delicious."

And with a blur of motion, and a heavy amount of drool dripping onto the floor, the eldritch horror revealed herself once more. The squirming appearance of tongues were glistening more than that had been before... All the more cause for alarm. More eyes along the arms and neck rolled around in their bulging sockets, and a wider-than-usual smile were brimming with a few extra rows of terrible teeth.

Instead of a bellowing roar, the smell of things to devour were making the demon cackle like the maniac she was.

It took so much power to resist the urge to charge forth... and fortunately for Tally, the fiend stood back.

Ivy was maybe a little disappointed that her question hadn't been answered. Still, she was grateful for the candy and the scare, and someone else had just arrived, so she didn't want to overstay her welcome. And so, with chocolate in her backpack and Kass in her arms, she scampered away, waving to the pumpkin-headed person as she departed.

He gave the door three abrupt knocks, in his sci-fi cowboy costume, he struck a pose and smiled widely

Tally had seen monsters before. Monsters that her master summoned in the deepest dungeons of their home to commune with, that he was friends with.

But she had never seen anything quite like that.

Tally does not make a move to run away. She is frozen in terror, handmade heart thumping a horselike gallop in her chest that makes her instantly feel sick and like she's about to horf up the little bits of candy she nibbled on the way here.

"Y-y... you..." She can't even speak enough to say 'youwouldn'tlikethecandyi'mmadeofhahait'sgross'. Can't even move. Her knees knock together, her hands shake, and suddenly

she just falls over. Her head hits the ground and rolls away into some dark corner and the candle is extinguished in all the kerfuffle. Her little Jolly Ranchers and Kisses go rolling all over the floor as her bucket rolls, and rolls, right over to Mixie's feet where it connects with a little hollow bonk.

She fainted.

Okay, on the one hand, Mixie thought that was the best reaction yet and found it absolutely hilarious.

On the other hand... she may have overdone it by just a little. "Ehh... Whoops."

That shred of humanity left in Mixie's twisted brain figured it was time to take it easy now. Contorting back to her normal shape, Mixie went to go retrieve Tally's head and reunite it with the body. As much as she'd have loved to eat the candy Tally had amassed by now, she showed an impressive amount of restraint. Placing it all back in the bucket, her many arms went to work in scooping up the fainted familiar and seating her in the corner of the room.

She wasn't gonna do anymore scaring with that one. Besides, just showing up was a brave feat, and Mixie had felt that Tally had earned her treats.

When the pumpkin-headed homunculus woke up, she would find a bunch of different king-sized chocolate bars sticking out of her little pail.

---

As Mixie busied herself with getting Tally out of the way, Ryan's knocking was initially met with a cold, hard silence.

Eventually, Mixie opened the door, still cloaked in shadow. She took a moment to evaluate this one more closely. "Hmmmm... Look at you. So sweet and innocent..."

The growling resolved to chuckling. "Would be a shame if I ruined it tonight."

From the shadows, Mixie bolted out.... in her normal state, holding a bowl of your average, bite-sized candies. No Tricks this time. But still plenty of Treats!

"But! I'm not gonna. Not this time, anyway," The fiend quickly grabbed a handful of the small candies and handed it over to Ryan. "Happy Halloween, morsel!"

Mixie retreated back to the shadows for the time being. "NOW, BEGONE!"

Tally is none the wiser that someone is moving her, only awaking a few minutes later when she hears a rather loud noise (Mixie's shout). Bleary-brained and unable to decipher what it was, she instead tries to get her bearings.

She is holding her bucket in her lap. Thank goodness she didn't lose it... What happened, anyway?

She looks up and around, rubbing idly at one of her eyeholes, when she remembers everything all at once.

"Oh no. I've got to get out of here, before that.. that.. thing comes back." She shudders all over and stands on shaky legs. All of the king-sized candy bars are not lost on her and she considers it a win! Those will be great for her master and her to share, watching a scary movie together... She flushes a little thinking about it.

Can't let that thing get her candy, though. She makes sure her head's on straight (pun intended) and sets off in search of the door. It's rather dark, but with a little focusing she makes the candles in her head glow hotter and brighter so that her eyes cast what are most akin to headlights across the floor. She sees the door then and makes her way over. She sees Mixie, then, scuttling into the shadows, and runs over.

"Hey! Hey! You've got to get out of here," Tally says, obliviously, her heart hammering once again. "There's a monster in this house!" She squeaks, giving Mixie a little yank of urgency. Before Mixie can answer or follow along, she takes off out of the door, sprinting past Ryan and up the path, disappearing from sight.

[ thank you so much for the RP! and wonderful job scaring everyone mixie >8) ]