Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Melysande

It had taken her some time to decorate the library. As it was her first year, she was sure she had done a rather poor job of it. All the same, Melysande was rather proud of the work. Simply because she had tried.

She had convinced the wizards-in-training to assist in her endeavor, and they had delivered... well, not marvelously. They had attempted, but the two fine gentlemen who agreed to help her were brand new to the craft and, worse, had no imagination. Still, they had provided some service at least - using their magic to float the elaborately carved pumpkins into the air. They glowed softly with candlelight just below the front windows. The windows were stained with red mineral pigments, a rather poor attempt on her part to make it appear as if blood dripped from the decorative detailing. Ghouls and other frightening looking symbols, poorly drawn on parchment from ruined tomes she could not save, were pinned to the door and along the exterior walls.

Honestly, why did she bother to draw anything? She had no skill for such things.

Melysande had moved a small table and a cushioned seat right before the entrance, and there she waited. On the table, a small bowl, filled with tiny confections from the chocolatier, sat next to a small pile of rolled of parchment. Each tiny scroll was rolled loosely and tied with a thin red ribbon. She was rather happy with the idea. It seemed only right to give away a tale on a night of such fun.

Fiona, looking exactly like the foreign scholar that she was - in fact, overdoing that impression was what constituted her costume - carefully approached one of the few houses that didn't have a bunch of trick-and-treaters at the door but that, at the same time, looked like it was open to trick-and-treating.

The woman with the candy and scrolls sitting at the front door was a pretty clear sign of the latter. Fiona kept looking from Melysande to the house and then back at Melysande as she approached.

Once she had gotten pretty close, she stopped. Smiled, shyly. "Hello." Then she remembered this wasn't what she was supposed to be saying and cleared her throat. "Erm. Trick or treat?" After a small pause, she added, "That's what I'm supposed to be saying... Right?"

Ryu wandered up to the library curious about the muttering that Melysande had gone on about wanting to decorate and adorn the library for the Holiday. He himself being a fuddy-dud didn't understand but let her go about as she so desired.

Still he wanted to be supportive so he showed up not too long after Fiona. Someone he had never seen in town before but he was always welcome to a new face. He would stop just behind her as she approached Mely and her bowl of treats. Why did these people insist on doing this tradition every year? It was beyond him. Still amusing to watch.

The sound of someone clearing her throat had her glancing up from the tome that she had been reading. Melysande smiled brightly. Ah! Her first treat-er. At least she hoped so. It'd be rather sad to meet a trickster on her first celebration of the holiday. Her palm rested on the aged parchment to save her place and she looked at the woman warmly. "A good Hallow's Eve to you," she greeted then laughing softly at the question, "I believe you are correct, but I am perhaps the worst person to ask... As this is my first attempt to celebrate the holiday."

She reached for the bowl, lifting it and offering to the woman. "Please help yourself to one," she offered. Vibrant eyes drifted into the bowl. Though small, the confections were handcrafted - sculpted and painted into chocolate creatures that were symbolic of the holiday. Bats, mice, insects of various kinds, broomsticks, et cetera. She had no idea what the chocolatier had provided, only that he promised them to be delightful.

The librarian then reached for one of the scrolls from the pile and offered it to Fiona. "It's not much, but it seemed only right to offer a tale on a night such as this," she explained. There was no way for her to know which tale Fiona was given until the woman unrolled the scroll.

Melysande was going to engage the woman further when she caught sight of Ryu wandering down the road towards the library. As always, her smile only brightened at seeing him. She stood, placing the bowl back on the table and taking just a step forward so she could meet him. She said nothing, but her brow quirked slightly, a slightly bemused curl to her bright smile, as she waited for the traditional greeting.

Fiona's eyes behind her thick fake glasses shone warmly at Melysande. "Oh, thank goodness. It felt like everyone else knew exactly what they were doing." Feeling less awkward the whole 'Halloween' thing, she smiled and said "Thank you" when offered the candy. Then she reached for one, careful not accidentally touch others - and ended up with a mouse.

She actually smiled at it - it looked cute. Unexpectedly, she also got offered a scroll along with an explanation. So she smiled at Melysande. "That is thoughtful. Thank you." As it seemed that her hostess's attention was being redirected away from her, she stepped aside, popped the chocolate mouse into her mouth, wiped it clean using a handkerchief, pushed her fake glasses up until they rested on her forehead, and then she unrolled the scroll, curious about the tale.

He gave a nod of hello to Melysande "Already in the spirit of things I see" He turned his attention to Fiona "And who is this? Ah a scholarly sort" he said taking a moment to scan over Fiona and her attire. He too was curious about the tale that was attached to the treat "Is it any good?" He asked referring to either the treat or tale, it was hard to determine that was certain.

Melysande looked back at Fiona and chuckled. "I understand completely," came the comforting reply, "I wasn't sure what to expect and thought perhaps I would be the laughing stock of the town." Her eyes drifted over the decorations and she wrinkled her nose at the poorly drawn ghouls and things. Yes. Definitely worth a laugh or two.

The scroll which Fiona unrolled was neatly torn from a tome. In fact, all the scrolls on her table were from a particular tome of tales in the library. The tome itself had been ruined beyond repair -with several pages shredded and the spine in poor condition - and there was several other copies of it on the shelves. It seemed a shame to let the legible loose pages go to waste, so Melysande had taken the time to trim the pages and roll the tales to give away.

So when Fiona unrolled her scroll, the ink of the handwritten text was faded, as was the single image that graced the top of the page. In ornate letters, the title was drawn out: The Heron.

Melysande chuckled lightly at Ryu, her head shaking a little. "That is not the custom greeting," she lectured teasingly. Her head turned back to Fiona, rather curious with her reaction. It had been a whim to give out tales, and the librarian wasn't sure if it would be well-received.

Fiona hurried to reassure when Melysande mentioned potentially being the town's laughing stock. She looked around, taking in the decorations better, and shook her head, smiling. "I'm hardly an expert, but those pumpkins are absolutely lovely and those drawings look no worse than at any house with children." Not realizing she might have offended, she went on. "And the candy looks absolutely lovely."

She smiled at Ryu when he recognised her as a scholarly type. "And you look like a warrior?" She nodded to indicate it - the mouse - was, indeed, good. "Will you eat one too?"

And then she read the short story - it barely took her half a minute. She wasn't aware that this wasn't a normal part of Halloween, so while she wasn't enthused about it, she did the polite thing and looked up and smiled at Melysande after she was done. Noticing the man seemed interested in the little tale, she offered it to him, with a smile and slightly raised eyebrows - was he interested in taking it?

If he took it, she gave one last smile to Melysande before leaving. "Thank you so much. You made me feel much better about this... holiday. I hope you have a lovely night." And off she went!

Melysande smile dipped only slightly at the unintended insult, but she said nothing. Fiona had not been wrong. Though, the librarian was sure a child certainly would have drawn far better. She watched the two interact then waved her good-bye to the woman as she moved forward to her next destination.