Carver got up to follow her. "I was thinking more along the lines of acting like you don't care, but sure. That's your dynamic, might as well run with it."

She snorted. "Or see if the witches can brew something up that will prevent him from feeling whatever she puts him through. Drug his food, make him bend to your will or else never get his rocks off again..." Her mouth curled up into a slightly more malicious grin than usual.

The pumpkin creature unwove the vines at the front of her chest to give her access to the cage door. The mouse practically leaped into her green, twisted fingers the second it thought it had a chance to escape. It squeaked furiously as the vines snapped closed around it. Carver casually tossed the mouse where the serpent could catch it, then dropped down from the gazebo and moved out of its range before it finished its second snack.

She tilted her head back to look up in Shock's direction. "Nobody ever could. You remind us too often."

"They wouldn't do it," Shock pointed out. "Potions that affect others like that are highly regulated, and we're not on the clearance list."

She smirked.

"Wonder why."

Shock watched the serpent snack on the mouse, then headed back in the direction of the tree house.

"Besides," she said, "as much as he deserves it sometimes, there are lines we don't cross with each other. Fucking with his relationship like that is a line."

A devious look crossed her face.

"That said, there are other ways to mess with the love-bats. Garlic flowers would make that fancy tomb even more romantic, don't you think?"

"You may not be cleared, but I'm pretty sure my dear, older sister is." If Carver had eyelashes, she would have batted them innocently. "And I wouldn't ever ask her to get me something I planned to use for nefarious purposes..."

She shrugged. "If that's your line, then whatever. But if we're trying to get back at Lock, why would we do something that would only directly effect his girlfriend?"

"Because he's the one who's got to clear it out, dispose of them, take a bath after, and by then, she's no longer in the mood."

Shock's stride picked up, indicative of her improving disposition.

"Sure, they could go somewhere else, but few places in town are that private. Or that roomy. And they're all pretty spread out."

She pushed open the gate that lead back into the square.

"Any way you slice it, it'll disrupt him too, without me having to coerce him to obey."

"Hmmm... Maybe flower petals and old lady perfume, then. That way it bothers her enough to not do things, but isn't strong enough to hurt her. And bonus, your brother smells like roses for the rest of the night."

Carver smirked. "Maybe spray his neck and wrists with it while he's sleeping for the next few days, too."

Her smirk widened.

"I think we're onto something. It needs more, but I'll think on it after dinner."

It wouldn't take much longer to reach the tree house. Shock could already smell the ghoul-lash as she made her way down the rope ladder. It wasn't her favorite meal, but Barrel usually added extra eyeballs, so she couldn't really complain as she slid in through the window and down into the lair.

Lock might have taken over the casino as a sound stage, but one thing Oogie had in his living chambers just beyond it was a proper kitchen, which Barrel kept well-stocked and maintained. The small living area next to it had since been converted into a dining room, enough to seat up to six. It was extremely rare, but sometimes Carmilla and Lillith joined them after practice, or they had one of the other Halloween Town kids their age over.

Barrel was already on a third helping by the time they got up.

"Hey, just in time!" he said, as he pointed to the kitchen. "The cauldron's still about halfway full."

"Not that hungry tonight?" Shock asked, with a distinct look to Barrel's gut.

"I was trying to save some for you, but if you're not hungry..."

Shock rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen. Barrel slurped down the rest of his meal and let out a long, loud burp.

"That hit the spot," he said with a grin. "I'm off."

Shock returned with a bowl.

"Where are you going?"

"To the Witch's Shop," Barrel replied. "They should be restocked on spider legs. Plus, I think they remodeled recently. Can't find anything."

Shock smiled as she picked up on her younger brother's hint.

"And it'd be such a shame if something got misplaced--"

"--Only to be found months later--" Barrel continued.

"--By an unsuspecting patron," Shock finished.

She took her favorite spot at the table.

"Have fun."

"You know I will."

Barrel then turned to Carver.

"Don't tell Lock, but I like what you played better." He grinned. "Just thought you should know before he decides he likes it better and pretends it was all his idea."

Carver followed Shock down the ladder and into the dining room and plopped down into the chair next to Barrel. Aside from a periodic fertilizer bath, she didn't require much in the way of nutrition, and ghoul-lash wasn't something she could easily stash for later use.

"I'd say it smells good, but I don't have a nose. I'd wager you're a better cook than Sally though, just based on how much of your own food you eat."

She snorted at the banter about the Witch's Shop and what sort of mischief that Barrel would likely get up to, there. "Just make sure Agatha doesn't catch you. The oldies are almost as blind as worms, but she'll be staring at you pretty hard the whole time you're there."

Carver smirked when he commented about her improvisations. "Oh, he won't get the chance to take credit for it. The second his tries, he's gonna have pumpkin guts all up in his precious, carefully styled hair."

Barrel stuck his tongue out at Carver.

"Hey, if I have to cook, I'm gonna enjoy what I make."

He grinned, but then gave Carver a confused look.

"Why would she...?"

Shock just took a bite of her ghoul-lash and motioned for Carver not to say anything. It'd be funnier in the long run...which hardly mattered as the conversation turned to pumpkin guts. Shock nearly choked from laughter at the thought of Lock trying to get that muck out of his hair, and after a moment, managed to properly swallow.

Barrel just waved and headed out to the soundstage. Once he was out of earshot, Shock turned to Carver.

"Sometimes, I don't know which one of them is dumber," she said. "I'm not even into that kind of thing, and I noticed."

~~~

Barrel happily made his way into Halloween Town. The Witch's Shop was in a small courtyard adjoining the square, where the stocks and a large cat-shaped building also stood. The shop itself looked properly foreboding, and its second story looked very much like a cackling witch, with window eyes, the hat forming a tower with railing on the brim, and the bricks shaped into a sinister snarl. How perfectly....wicked.

A small bell rang as he entered. Aggie, the taller of the two head witches, was nowhere to be seen. Agnes, the smaller witch, was standing on her broom, restocking shelves. And at the counter was their niece, Agatha. Barrel wasn't quite sure where she came from - people in Halloween Town seemed to come and go without rhyme or reason - but he didn't mind her. Agatha was a little taller than Aggie, and unlike her aunts, usually kept her frizzy hair in a bun. Her large nose sported a lovely wart at the left nostril, and her black clothes were always neat and pressed.

"Hi, Barrel," Agnes said without looking up. "Need anything today?"

"Spider legs," Barrel said. "Maybe something else. Not sure yet."

"Well, feel free to look around," Agnes replied. "The spider legs aren't far from where we used to stock them."

She shifted some bottles around.

"And if you want to help and earn those spider legs, well, we can use it right now!"

Carver lifted a part of the ridge that functioned as her eyebrows. She wasn't planning on explaining why Agatha wouldn't take her eyes off Barrel, anyway. But the image of him getting slightly paranoid every time he turned a corner and she was just there... was entertaining. And that wouldn't happen if he didn't notice.

...The image of Agatha noticing him getting dodgy around her was also entertaining. Carver wasn't sure which she found more amusing, but it didn't really matter. Either way, it would be funny. And she was kind of disappointed that Shock thought she'd ruin the fun.

"Barrel's oblivious about a few specific things, but he's not stupid. Most of his absent-mindedness is an act, anyway. Lock, on the other hand... Sometimes I wonder how he learned to tie his own boots."

---

"Barrel! HI!" Agatha waved excitedly when he entered, then suddenly looked nervous for a split second before clearing her throat and taking on a deliberate air of calm. She carefully smoothed her skirt. "I mean, hello. Welcome to the Witch's Shop."

Agnes motioned for Agatha to open the short gate leading past the counter and into the stock room. "One of the monkey hands escaped while we were rearranging the store, and crawled behind one of the shelves. I'm afraid I knocked the whole thing over trying to catch it. We managed to get most of mess cleaned up, but that's a solid piece of african blackwood, and a bit beyond our strength. Be a dear, and help us get it back in place?"

Agatha nodded. "I could probably get you a discount on the spider legs. In exchange for the help, I mean."

Shock smirked at Carver's analysis of her brothers.

"There's a reason he has buckles on them," she said in agreement.

~~~

Barrel gave a small wave back to Agatha. He quirked a brow at her sudden awkwardness, but paid it no further mind. He then gave a small nod to Agnes.

"Sure thing," he said.

It would give him a chance to take a look at the back room's new layout, after all. Barrel made his way to the counter and glanced to Agatha. Carver's words rang in his mind, that she would be watching him. He gave her a small smile.

"Sounds good," he said. "And I can see if there's anything else I need."

Carver opened her vines to access the cage and pulled out a cylindrical container made from two cups screwed together. It rattled as she shook it temptingly. "Dead Man's Dice? Winner gets to pick our next big project."

---

Agatha nodded and led him back to where the cabinet had fallen. She stood very close by at first, but finally backed up a little bit when it became clear he'd need more room to right the shelf.

"So, Barrel... What have you been up to, lately? Umm, not causing too much trouble with your siblings, are you? I mean, have you?" she corrected herself quickly.

She fidgeted with her dress, pretending to adjust it to sit more comfortably and 'accidentally' lifted it up just enough to see her knobby knees for a moment.

"After dinner," Shock said, "then you're on!"

~~~

He took a quick glance around the room, mostly to notate where things had shifted. Barrel knew he wouldn't get more than a cursory glance or two, but he'd gotten good at picking up on where things were quickly. Rat tails, alligator eyes - actually, he should probably pick more up; Shock sometimes went through them like candy - worm's wart...the usual Halloween Town favorite ingredients. On another shelf he noticed potion bottles, then talismans and likely cursed objects. Boxes and barrels of unknown objects were awkwardly stacked around, some of which Barrel suspected would go onto the fallen shelf once it was back in place.

It had only taken but a few seconds to mentally place where things were before Agatha showed him the shelf. Barrel calculated the best spot to get some leverage and moved to the front...only to find Agatha pretty close by. He awkwardly glanced at her, until she moved on her own, before he crouched down to get a good grip.

Carver was right. She was keeping a close eye on him.

Barrel braced himself, then pulled the shelf up from the floor, then carefully pushed it back against the wall.

"How'd you guys knock this down to begin with?" he asked.

He turned to Agatha when she spoke to him.

"Oh, you know," he said with a shrug. "Band, cooking. Nothing too much, really."

Barrel smiled a little as thoughts of earlier came to mind.

"What, me?" he asked, with mock innocence, though he knew no one in town ever believed him or his siblings, at least at first. "Nah. At least, not tonight."

He was quiet for a moment as he looked her over. Was she keeping an eye on him? Or was she just being polite? It was difficult to tell. If Barrel noticed her shifting, he didn't indicate such, or at least, he tried not to.

She might think I'm up to something, he thought. Why else would she ask about what kind of trouble I've been up to?

He quickly spoke again to break the silence.

"Lock got on Shock's nerves earlier, but that's always fun to watch."

Carver waited patiently while Shock ate, double-checking that none of her dice were unbalanced and that the inside of the cups were clean. Boogie's Boys had picked up a few things from their former master, in particular a willingness to cheat with a simultaneous refusal to tolerate cheating from others. Rather than trying to beat them in a game of Who Can Cheat Better, she figured it was better to just make sure that it was never possible for anyone in the game to cheat at all.

Not that the preparation made a difference, because Shock was almost as good at sleight of hand as Barrel was, and had learned to prepare her own counters to this ahead of time. When she returned to the kitchen to put the dishes away, she retrieved her secret stash of loaded dice from under the sink. And when Carver passed Shock a cup with five dice in it, the trickster palmed the fair dice and swapped in her own.

The pumpkin head had the advantage of providing a superb poker face, which gave Shock a run for her money, but in the end she won anyway. She did another switch of the dice when handing the cup back to her friend.

Carver shrugged, closing the container and putting it away again. "So, what's the plan, then?"

---

"Aunt Agnes was chasing a monkey's hand on her broom and crashed into the shelf when the hand dove behind it," Agatha replied.

She squinted at him in what she hoped was a playful expression, and tilted her head a bit to make her nose wart just a little more visible. "'Not tonight'?" the young witch asked. "Does that mean you're planning something for later, then?"

She shook her head at his last comment. "I don't understand how you three can fight each other so much, but still be so close..." She trailed off as a thought came into her head. Maybe.......

Shock pondered for a few minutes, before a smirk crossed her lips.

"...It's been a while since we've done something as a family," she said, primarily meaning her and her brothers, but with the implication that Carver was free to join in too. "And Halloween Town's been a little too quiet lately."

She stood up from the table and headed back for the soundstage.

"Let's go see what toys we haven't played with in a while."

The exterior of the tree house hadn't changed much over the years. The interior, which had been perfect for them as kids, had to be adjusted to accommodate their growth. The small kitchen area was gone, since Barrel took over the one downstairs, and there was no need for it. Many of their bigger weapons had been moved around or gotten rid of entirely, ironically because they'd been outgrown - what good was a catapult they could no longer launch each other off of, and was difficult to bring into Halloween Town proper? Their walking bathtub remained in its usual corner, still in use for both hygiene and transport, though with less emphasis on the latter when it was difficult for the three - or four, when Carver joined in - of them to ride in. It still carried whatever tools and equipment they needed, however, and just the sight of it in town made citizens nervous about what they could be up to.

The old Oogie shrine no longer existed, long since taken down to be replaced with the slide entrance. A few mocking signs that said things like, "Beware!" and "Watch Your Head!" hung around it, punctuated by the tricksters' creepy artwork on the walls. The rest of the main area was covered in scattered blankets and pillows that generally got kicked to the side when not in use to create a path between the main entrance and the slide, revealing the tree house's main purpose now. A few shelves had been attached to the walls to hold some of the trio's more personal items. A lot of their childhood artwork still decorated the walls, and had been added to over the years. Chalk and crayon since gave way to permanent marker and spray paint, with a mix of other mediums as they felt like it.

But it was the armory Shock headed for, with all their weapons, firecrackers, potions, poisons, and other items of mischief, all of it far more organized now than when they had been kids. Their "toys," as they liked to refer to them. It was the room that had changed the least, aside from an expansion to hold a bit more.

"So much good stuff," Shock said, as she surveyed the room, "so little time."

~~~

Barrel tried to imagine the smaller witch doing such a thing, and giggled at the thought that the old woman who was barely taller than he was as a child actually hit it with that much force. He quickly composed himself, especially when she tilted her head to better look at him.

Well, there went his plan of more thoroughly looking through the back room.

Unless...

"Well..." Barrel said, as he nervously reached for the back of his neck, "not me, anyway. That's usually Shock's expertise. I was just looking to stock the cupboard."

He patted his gut to make his point.

"L-like I said," he continued, trying not to sound suspicious. "I'm mostly here for spider legs. And alligator eyes, now that I think of it, and...well, not sure yet. I was hoping to get a look around. See if there's anything new to try."

That was a good enough reason for him to examine things under her wonderfully large nose, right? Barrel shrugged at her last statement.

"Nothing says, 'I love you' like being able to smack some sense into your siblings when they're being stupid," he said. "Plus, it's never a dull moment. Hell, if we don't fight sometimes, then something's wrong. Besides--"

He proudly puffed out his chest. While Barrel tended to be round like his name implied, he wasn't overweight, either.

"--Gotta keep in shape somehow."

Carver looked around the armory. "Obviously the final decision is yours, but I do have a few suggestions if you'd like."

She pointed to some Godzilla Glue with a twisted spreading grin. "I can think of a few good uses for that, for example."

---

"Well, we did just get a new shipment of salamander tongues and camel toe clippings," she suggested, turning to point to another shelf. "I haven't tried them yet; they can be used for cooking, but the only actual recipe I know is a potion that... causes specific physical effects."

She raised her unibrow suggestively. "And I want to be sure about the person I test it on, you know?"

Shock glanced at the glue bottle.

"Did you ever get around to using that on the doctor's skull?" she asked.

But that seemed trite, old school. She was pretty sure they'd glued every surface of Halloween Town at some point, especially Clown's face, the doors to the Mayor's hearse, the vampire's coffins, and Jack's chair. She needed to think bigger. Something that would put the entire town on their toes. Shock looked over the other items on the shelf: slime mold, monster flytrap seeds, fog juice, her scorpion box to keep the most viscous ones contained, a few cans of instant spider web...nothing seemed to catch her eye at first as she started to rummage through a box of firecrackers, before a wicked thought came to mind. Shock went back to the shelf and grabbed the bottle of fog juice. She shook it to get an idea of how much was left and frowned.

"Damn. Shame I didn't think of this before Barrel went to the shop, but that's fine. This one's gonna take some time to set up, anyway."

Shock examined the shelf and confirmed what else she needed wasn't there. Well, the graveyard often had plenty of herbs and flowers. She was pretty sure she could acquire it easily; it'd just take time to dry them out.

"...Powdered petals of forget-me-lots have a temporary memory loss effect if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, correct?"

~~~

Barrel went over to the shelf at her suggestion.

"Oooo, salamander tongues sound delicious! They'd probably be great in stuffed toadstools."

He turned back to Agatha, his mouth stretched into a grin, though he caught himself before he could look too gleeful at the hint. Was she suggesting what he thought she was suggesting...?

"Sounds unpleasant," he said.

Even more so for the unlucky bastard who drank it, if he had to make a guess.

Carver shook her head.

"Nah, I changed my mind at the last minute. He doesn't really need access to his brain that often, so it wasn't really worthwhile. I glued his lips shut, instead. That was the week he replaced his mouth with a mentally controlled bullhorn, remember? Couldn't bring himself to publicly admit one of his creations had pulled one over on him, so he pretended it was to enhance his wailing."

Her grin turned into a vicious smirk. "Now that was worth getting chained to the table for a few days."

At the question about forget-me-lots, she nodded. "Needs an activator agent, though. Moonshine is best, but you can probably make due with sundew sap." She tilted her head curiously. "Why?"

---

Agatha brightened up at his smile, taking it as a positive response. Carver was right! Hinting vaguely was the way to go!

They're not sophisticated in the same way vampires are, but they have to be complex and ambiguous for any of their pranks to work. As such, he appreciates nuance more than flat bold statements. You have to entice him with subtle insinuations.

"Well, it can be, if it's not dosed properly. The effects can last... a frustratingly long time, if the subject doesn't have someone to give him a release."

She winked at him slyly.

"But it doesn't really matter, if I can't find somebody that really earns it..."

She leaned against a shelf in an attempt to do a subtly inviting pose, then tugged at the brim of her hat to peak out from under it and watched him intently.

"Right," Shock said, a devious smirk on her lips. "He also created that new agent to dissolve it faster because of it. Which is useful when we spill it on ourselves, but not so much for trouble."

A pause.

"...Unless we're making something come undone."

Shock put the fog juice bottle back and gestured for Carver to follow her back into the main room. She then pointed to a calendar on the wall and concentrated for a few seconds. The pages lifted from September and October to show November.

"Because we're going to make the whole town skip Halloween," she said, "or at least, we're going to make them think they missed it."

Shock moved her hand and the calendar pages fell back down to reveal September again. She flexed her hand, knowing she'd need to concentrate more to truly make this work, at least enough to hold the fog juice bottle up for a minute. Every part of this plan would take some time and effort, but the pay-off would be more than worth it.

"We'll get the fog juice later," she said as she headed for the front entrance. "We're going to need a lot of forget-me-lots to make this work."

~~~

That sent him into a fit of giggles.

"We could torment him for days!"

Barrel didn't catch her wink, but he was already thinking about who they could give such a potion to. Clown? The Mayor? Wolfman? One of the vampires? He looked back at Agatha, and noticed her eyeing him again. She really wasn't going to let him out of her sight for a minute, was she? Barrel shoved his hands in his hoodie pocket and leaned against the other end of the shelf. His hands were accounted for, and he wasn't going anywhere, so maybe he could get her to lower her guard. He raised a brow in interest, and smiled again.

"It sounds like you've already got someone in mind," he said.

Carver lifted one side of her brow ridge. "You're not usually one to make off-handed displays of your magic, so I'm guessing you're planning on using that in a surreptitious manner during said prank? How do you plan on tricking the whole town into thinking they've missed -- Ooooh! You're planning to mix it in with the spooky fog on Halloween, so nobody remembers the event?"

She widened her mouth as far as it could go, twisting the ends almost two times over to make it fit. "I'm so in!"

---

'We'? 'Him'?

"Well... I meant to do it myself..." she said slowly, wondering if perhaps she'd said something wrong. Maybe he was trying to let her down easy? But he seemed so excited... Was he trying to suggest a threesome? No wait, he didn't seem like that type.

Barrel leaned up against the wall, the picture of a high school boy trying to be casual while flirting with a girl. He was definitely interested. So probably just teasing her then, or playing hard to get. She just had to double-down.

"Well, I was thinking of a particular customer who, despite having a rather poor reputation, has... found himself with certain privileges that his siblings don't have."

"Not on Halloween," Shock said. "We'll do it before, halfway through preparations so it looks like the afterparty."

She grinned.

"A prank's no fun if it doesn't disrupt them in some way."

And getting in the way of preparations definitely made it more exciting. Shock climbed down the rope ladder.

"I'll check the graveyard," she said. "You find what you can in the Hinterlands."

~~~

"Oh."

He tried not to sound too disappointed. And to think, Agatha, the picture perfect, well-behaved witch, wanted to cause trouble! His shoulders slumped a bit, but he perked when she spoke again. She was definitely up to something. Maybe it was a first solo venture, and she just needed advice on how to get there?

"And you need a way to get to him?" he asked, deciding to just go for it. "I can assist."