[IC] Banding Together in Halloween Town

[LePouvantail]

Lock simply smirked and blew her a kiss, then climbed back down to the lair. He went to retrieve his guitar and waited for Carver and Lillith to get situated so he could start the singing warm-ups. He made sure to let Carmilla have a bit of time to shine before they brought their instruments into the mix. Shock probably wouldn't be happy about it, but as she wasn't joining in this week, he really didn't care what she thought. Best to let Carmilla get it out of her system while she had the chance.

Barrel, having taken Lillith's agreement to walk Carver home as a sign they had no time limit, decided to screw with Lock for a little bit before doing the drum set correctly. Over on the couch, Shock shifted onto her stomach to continue to read, but the little bit of trouble from her youngest brother brought a small smile to her lips. She gently kicked her feet behind her as she looked at pictures of different morning stars and read about the distinct differences between each. Loki perked once at his owner's change in mood, then settled back in.

Lock, having been trying to take Lillith's advice to not let his little brother get under his skin, did his best to ignore Barrel and just get through the warm-ups.

[SystemofEleven]

Since Lock decided to spend the first part of practice focusing on the singing, Carver took a moment to tap each key on the xylophone with a finger to ensure the instrument was still in tune, then wandered over to Shock. He gently but unceremoniously flopped on top of her, rested his chin on her shoulder, and proceeded to quietly read along with her until the warm-ups and voice solos were over.

Carmilla maintained her grumpy countenance just long enough to be sure she wasn't going to lose her chance to sing solo this time around. Her mood immediately improved the minute warm-ups began. She took a bit of time expanding her warm up pattern to show off her full range, but otherwise didn't nettle at Shock. There was no way the vampiress was going to risk the oldest trickster re-joining practice just to spite her. Besides, she didn't want to waste such a rare and precious moment thinking about the purple bitch; she wanted to enjoy this as much as possible for as long as possible.

[LePouvantail]

Shock initially ignored Carver. Having been trapped under Barrel numerous times, even the heavier weight of the pumpkin creature's new metal body was light as a witch's broom in comparison. She felt the new curves on Carver's chest plate dig into her back. After a moment or two, they annoyed her. Shock shifted her body to move Carver a little higher, where they could properly dig into her ribcage, like her favorite floorboard and the uneven springs on Oogie's bed. She settled in again to start the next chapter on swords.

Once the vocals were done and Barrel did a few proper sets, Lock looked over at Shock and Carver.

"Yo, Carver," he said. "Get your ass back over here. We're starting."

[SystemofEleven]

Carver stuck a vine out of his mouth at Lock before rolling off of Shock's back. He made his way back to his xylophone and picked up his mallets.

Lock got the rhythm going and the music started up -- mostly. It came to a cacophonous halt a few moments later as Lock stopped playing to demand why Carver wasn't playing his instrument.

"I can't."

"What?" Lillith asked, lowering her hands as she turned to look at the pumpkin creature in confusion.

Carver stood in his place, three mallets in each hand, vibrating with barely contained rage. "I. Can't. Play!"

Suddenly, he threw the mallets against the wall as hard as he could and slammed his knee into the underside of the xylophone, flipping the the bulky instrument forward and sending it crashing to the ground.

"I can't soak my vines in nutrient muck, can't jump, can't access my cage for storage, can't eat popcorn with Barrel when something funny is happening, and now I can't even play my FATHERSMASHING XYLOPHONE!" he screamed.

[LePouvantail]

Shock finally looked up from her book when the music stopped. She sensed trouble, and watched with keen interest as Carver shook with rage. Barrel looked over from his drums as Lock watched Carver, one hand holding up his guitar at the neck, the other at his waist in irritation. Both of them quickly sobered when Carver threw the mallets. Lock ran over when Carver flipped the xylophone, his guitar flying behind him on its shoulder strap.

"Hey! You'll break it!"

He went to straighten it as Carver started his tantrum, though by the time he got the xylophone back up, the look on his face said enough he was less concerned for the instrument and more for his friend.

Barrel, on the other hand, had dropped his drumsticks and was sitting in a small state of shock as he tried to remember...when had he and Carver last shared popcorn? Certainly not yesterday, when Shock - wait, was that why he was so furious? He'd been laughing too hard to notice at the time, but that would have been the perfect time to share! As he thought about it...he couldn't really remember, but it was definitely sometime before Carver got his new body.

"No...no popcorn?" he asked, quietly.

Shock's hands tightened around her book. Loki sensed her tension and gave her a small nibble.

[SystemofEleven]

Lillith stood up from her stool and lifted her hands. "Carver, calm down. We can... find a way to work around this. The xylophone parts don't have to require six mallets. Music can be re-written. I know everything else is... bothersome, as well, but we can probably find a way to work around those things, too."

"What, you think all my new, unwanted, unnecessary limitations should be nothing more than inconveniences, too?" Carver snarled, turning on the vampiress. "You sound like my dad!"

He lunged to throw a punch at Lillith, but Carmilla used her vampiric speed and strength to grab him by the wrist and shove him away.

"Don't you dare hit my sister!" she hissed, baring her fangs.

Carver screeched and launched himself at her. At this point, it didn't matter who his target was; he needed someone to take his anger and frustration out on, and Carmilla had just volunteered for the job.

[LePouvantail]

"...Music can be re-written..."

Any decorum Lock had left immediately drained as he realized just how much work he'd have to do to fix it.

"Re-written? Re-written?" he screamed. "You think I can just throw out a few notes and it'll be fine?"

Lock kicked the xylophone over again. He ignored Carver and Carmilla tussling nearby.

"I'll have to change the accompaniments too!" he screamed. "Everything's a piece of everything else, and---"

He kicked the xylophone away from him, now too angry for words. Barrel just muttered and whined.

Just as the cacophony reached its peak, a loud RIIIIIIIIIIIP! echoed across the room.

Shock remained on the couch, her book torn in half, the pieces clutched tightly in her hands. Her body was completely still as she stared ahead in frustration. Lock and Barrel both quieted immediately. Carver and Carmilla froze mid-punch. Lillith went silent as well. Loki froze in terror.

"...That's it," Shock said.

She threw the book pieces down and leaped off the couch.

"We're fixing this. Now."

She stormed over to the rope ladder leading up to the window. Lock and Barrel both perked. They grinned at each other, then ran to follow their sister. Shock got to the top of the ladder and looked back at the twins.

"You two can either come with or get the fuck out. Either way, practice is over."

[SystemofEleven]

Carver broke the stillness between himself and the vampires first. He pushed Carmilla off of him and scrambled up the ladder, right on Lock's tail. He didn't know what Shock could do to force Finkelstein to change his mind, but whatever she was going to try, the Doctor definitely deserved it, and Carver was not going to miss the chance to watch. If nothing else, he'd get a chance to feed on the evil scientist's suffering.

"Hey!" Carmilla rose to her feet, graceful as ever despite her current state of discomposure. "Where are you going? You can't just cancel practice like that! We can keep going without the xylophone, just this once! I can-- We can still sing, and play the other instruments!"

Lillith calmly moved past her sister and followed the others toward the exit.

"Lillith! You're going with them?"

"I wanted him to calm down, not to sit down and shut up. He's right; he wasn't given a choice, and it's not fair." She smiled blithely at her sister. "Besides, I did make a promise in the name of the Pumpkin King to accompany Carver back to the lab after practice is over. It wouldn't do to go back on my word, after all."

With that, the older twin shifted into a bat and flew out the window to meet up with the others above ground. Carmilla made a show of grumbling about it all, but followed suit. If anybody asked, she could easily enough rationalize to them that it Finkelstein's fault that she'd lost her chance to sing lead for an entire session for once.

[LePouvantail]

Shock either didn't hear Carmilla, or blatantly ignored her. Either way, the oldest trickster was up the second rope ladder and on the bridge before Carmilla could finish speaking. She ran towards Halloween Town. She ignored the dirt and uneven path under her stockinged feet as she put her focus into what she was going to do to Finkelstein when she got there.

Knock the old man out of his wheelchair, for one. Make use of his own tools, for another. He had volatile and explosive chemicals; those alone sounded fun in her devious mind. Jewel had better not get in her way, either - she had no qualms with taking her out too. Lock and Barrel ran behind her, eager to assist their older sister in whatever trouble she was cooking up.

Lock shot Carver a grin. Whatever Shock was planning, he knew the pumpkin creature would get his chance to assist. He and Barrel might just be back-up, but the fact that they'd all get to play was already making up for their cancelled band session. He saw Lillith fly nearby and grinned wider.

Right. She did make a promise. More than that, he knew she could be just as devious when she wanted to be. When Lillith reformed beside him, Lock set his focus back on the mission. His grin faded into determination for justice.

Barrel giggled as he ran and playfully nudged Carver.

"We'll get our popcorn after this," he said cheerfully.

He caught another bat catching up. It looked like Carmilla was joining the fun too. Hey, the more the merrier! Like Lock, his amusement better faded to anger the closer they got to Halloween Town. Trouble was fun, but Shock's fury quickly spread to her brothers.

The main gate opened to let the horde of angry teenagers into Halloween Town. Once she entered the square, Shock stopped for a moment to make sure Carver, at least, had caught up, as the pumpkin creature's heavier body meant a slower speed. As angry as she was, she wasn't about to deny her friend his rightfully-earned front row seat to the chaos bubbling in her mind.

A few monsters came and went, as some of them did in the day. A mummified teen with a crocodile skull was talking and laughing with what appeared to be a human in a Letterman jacket near the fountain. Mr. Hyde walked out of the courtyard where the witch's shop sat. Clown and Behemoth passed by. Clown noticed the trio and peddled faster on his unicycle to get away from them. Shock looked furious, and he was not about to get in her way and be pushed off his unicycle again. Sadbh the banshee flew by with a quick glance to the group, and like Clown, made haste to get away from them.

[SystemofEleven]

Agatha was making her way back toward the shop after running some deliveries to the [[insert appropriate grave-dwelling monsters here]] when she heard three sets of heavy footsteps and a fourth set of heavy metallic thumping footsteps approaching from behind her. She turned to look, and upon seeing Shock's obvious threatening intent walking toward her, let out a rather undignified yelp.

The youngest witch stumbled backward a few steps, trying to figure out how the trickster knew she was responsible for the messed up prank the day before. Shock's siblings were close behind, as was-- Wait, Corvin? -- all with varying levels of the same rage. He and Barrel were angry, too? But her boyfriend was the one who asked her to do it in the first place!

It took a few seconds for it to click that the trick-or-treaters weren't alone. Lillith and Carmilla were trailing at the back of the back -- the younger twin looking almost as enraged as the trio, and the elder looking... relaxed, but resolved. This helped quiet Agatha's fear. Carmilla in particular had enjoyed the backfire, and Lillith was known to generally try to keep the peace between the teens and the rest of Halloween Town. That she wasn't trying to stop the group made it clear that, whatever they were all so angry about, it almost certainly wasn't directed at her, and was definitely a valid complaint not to be taken lightly.

Agatha patted down her skirt to help ease the last bit of adrenaline, then slowly approached them. "Hey, guys. Umm... What's going on?"

[LePouvantail]

Shock simply assumed Agatha was getting the hell out of her way like the monsters at the main gate. She and her brothers stopped at Agatha's question.

"Finklestein's--" Shock started.

"--Gone--" Barrel continued.

"--Too far this time!" Lock finished.

From the fountain, the crocodile-headed teen and his friend headed over to see what all the ruckus was about. The mummy - Sobki - sensed, much like Agatha, that something was amiss when he saw the tricksters and the vampires in solidarity.

"...Gone too far?" he dared to ask.

Lock gestured to Carver.

"He put Carver in a new body he didn't ask for!"

Shock crossed her arms.

"So we're gonna break the damn door down--"

"--And make him change him back!" Barrel finished.

[SystemofEleven]

Agatha had several dawning realizations when Lock referred to "Corvin" as Carver and mentioned a new body. Not the least of which being that she was pretty certain she knew how an invisibility potion had gone missing from inventory. Luckily, before she had a chance to reflexively call the tricksters out on it and risk temporarily redirecting Shock's wrath, Sobki's human friend excitedly joined the conversation.

"Housebreaking party? AWESOME! Count me IN!" The new guy pumped his fist then pulled a beer can out of a pocket to start chugging.

Agatha and the vampires blinked a bit in confusion and surprise before turning to the Egyptian monster questioningly.

He just shrugged. "This is Chad. He just kinda... shows up, roundabout once a month. For some reason, the first place he usually goes to is my place, so we've started hanging out."

"That doesn't really really explain... any of that." Carmilla gestured toward Chad's... everything. Jacket, backward baseball cap, faded blue jeans, awkwardly half-brushed blond curls, can of low quality beer, dopey grin, the works.

Sobki shrugged again. "Don't ask me. That's just... Chad."

Agatha cleared her throat. "In any case... Do you guys need something to break down the Finkelstein's door with? It's only made of wood, but it's like nine inches thick," she reminded them, "and the stairs don't really leave a lot of room to balance while kicking it with one foot."

[LePouvantail]

Lock, Shock, and Barrel also turned to new guy. Lock looked properly perplexed, Shock crossed her arms and glared, as nothing could break her from her current fury, Loki tilted his head at this strange "new monster", and Barrel just slowly cocked his head in confusion.

All of the trio relaxed when the new guy offered to join in. Shock even smirked at the thought of potential trouble.

"The more--" she started.

"--The merrier!" Barrel finished with a grin.

He offered a high-five to Chad. The new guy now added to their group, they turned to Agatha. Lock and Shock proudly gestured to Barrel, who took a bow.

"His thick skull is good for something," Lock said.

He patted his little brother's head before Barrel stood straight again. The youngest trickster shrugged.

"It's true," Barrel agreed.

Shock stepped towards Agatha.

"Why?" she asked. "What's in it for you?"

She wasn't about to turn down additional help, but she also knew the witches were pretty loyal to Jack and always out for a bargain. Unlike the vampires, who she knew joined them on the technicality that they were helping a fellow citizen, and thus were being lawful, Agatha had no such caveat to keep her from defecting.

[SystemofEleven]

"Aww, yeah!" Chad smacked Barrel's palm with his own then bounced toward the larger teen, chest puffed out and arms extended sideways. Unfortunately, that was right as the youngest trickster took a bow. Instead of their torsos colliding, the human gave himself an unintentional butt to the stomach with Barrel's head. He promptly doubled over and backed away a couple steps. Beer came pouring out of his dropped can in a series of quick glugs. "Nooo! My booze!" He fells to his knees dramatically.

Agatha flinched in sympathy, but quickly refocused as Chad was clearly fine enough to mourn his spilled alcohol. She did use that... situation to disguise her expression of pity and to hide the looming defensiveness swelling in her chest. How dare her boyfriend's siblings use him like that! And of course, he was congenially going along with it… As much as she loved how much of a gentleman Barrel was, he really needed to learn to establish some boundaries and stand up for himself.

The teen witch cleared her throat. “As… interesting as it might be to watch you try that, I should like to remind you that the front stoop likely doesn’t have enough room to swing something as long and… meaty as Barrel.” She hid a blush, remembering the muscles flexing in his chest and arms when he had shown off his strength to her in front of the Crypt Cafe. She continued, “I have a portable battering ram I can rent you, which I think would serve quite well in your current endeavor.”

“Battering ram?” Chad jumped to his feet. “Badass! Can I take a swing with it?” He produces another can from his pocket and cracked it open.

[LePouvantail]

Chad's misfortune got the trio to laugh. What a loser! Sobki quickly stepped forward to help his friend, and mentally noted that he was going to have to give Chad a rundown on the trickster siblings later, as well as attempt to educate them on Chad's...odd mannerisms.

Emphasis on attempt.

Shock got a hold of herself long enough to take in Agatha's offer.

There it was. The youngest witch couldn't stop them, so she was going to profit instead. She felt for her shorts pockets, but obviously, none of them had anything to trade with, given how quickly they left the lair. Still, Shock had to admit Agatha had a point. The path to the doctor's home was pretty narrow, especially that small fence around the main tower, with only a wide enough gap to get to the front door. She crossed her arms, unhappy with the delay, but willing to take the offer.

"Fine. Put it on my tab so we can get this overwith."

Shock smirked at Chad.

"You can take the back with Barrel."

She and Lock would take the front so Chad and Barrel's combined brute force would put more power into the overall ramming.

[SystemofEleven]

"Woo! Let's g-- Wait, which one of you is Barrel?" Through the mystical power of deduction, Chad was able to narrow down the potential list to... everyone except the metal guy with boobs and the two chicks in hats. He looked around at the rest of the group. Barrel didn't sound like a girl's name, but it also didn't sound like a boy's name -- honestly, it didn't sound like a name at all. Maybe a nickname? He squinted thoughtfully at the big-chested twins. "Is one of you Barrel and the other one Jugs?"

Lillith and Carmilla looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and then simultaneously slapped him on opposite cheeks. Lillith's strike was a bit more casual and restrained, so the comparative force of Carmilla's sent him stumbling to that side.

"What was that for? I was just asking a question!"

"No, you asked a question, then you made a lewd reference to someone else's body parts," Lillith told him.

"If we hear something like that again, somebody's going to get eaten," Carmilla added.

"Kinky!"

Before the twins could slap him again, Carver jumped in the middle and held up a finger. "Nobody tell him who Barrel is! I wanna watch him keep trying to figure it out."

Agatha cackled. "Shall we make a short detour to my place, then? The ram is up in my room, not the shop, but it won't take me long to grab it." She beamed; she'd protected her boyfriend from some of his siblings' abuse, and she was getting paid for it. Tonight was looking to be a great night, indeed!

[LePouvantail]

Lock doubled over laughing when the twins smacked Chad. Barrel sniggered. Shock would have joined her brothers if she wasn't currently focused on getting the battering ram and tormenting Finklestein.

"Yeah," she said, with a note in her tone urging Agatha to move it. "Let's go."

Lock composed himself, got up, and sidled up to Lillith. He nuzzled her waist, then turned to Chad.

"Kinky for everyone but you," Lock assured Chad. "Unless you mind losing a few fingers."

He grinned to show his pointed teeth, then walked with his girlfriend towards the witch's shop. He snerked at Carver's suggestion and otherwise quieted to not give away the trick. Barrel laughed at it too.

"Okay, I won't tell," he said, then followed his siblings.

Sobki went up to Chad.

"Bro," he said. "That's...not how we address ghouls in Halloween Town."

He waited for Shock to get ahead far enough that she'd be out of earshot. Even so, he lowered his voice.

"Be grateful you learned from the twins and not her. She'd have your head, and I mean the one on your shoulders."

[SystemofEleven]

Carver stuck behind with Sobki and Chad just long enough to add, "Seriously. The ghouls here will destroy you if you piss them off, and Shock in particular would put you through hell before maybe letting you taste the sweet release of death." He didn't stick around to make sure the point had been properly made; he rushed off to catch up with Shock and Agatha. The faster the trio got their hands on that battering ram, the faster they could completely wreck Finkelstein's lab and ruin his day. And Carver was not going to miss out on the front row seat.

Chad nodded. "Noted then, thanks dudes!" The crazy chick sounded like an absolutely wild ride! He just had to be prepared for said ride, otherwise she might use him as a bettering ram. Well, she might anyway, but that would probably be worth it if he got to have some crazy fun with her beforehand...

Agatha jogged toward the shop. She might have run, to stay completely on Shock's good side and not give the trickster the time to change her mind, but she didn't want her skirt to look unflattering with Barrel behind her. She paused when she got to the shop door. "You guys can wait outside, I'll be right back. Don't want you to get held up by my aunts asking what you're all doing in the shop together, after all!" She ducked inside and rushed toward the back room.

"Welcome to the-- What's the hurry, dearie?" Aggie asked.

"It's your turn to man the counter in a moment, anyway," Agnes added.

"Not yet," Agatha replied as she grabbed her broom and flew for the hole in the ceiling. She raised her voice as she made her way through the living quarters. "I have one more delivery to make!"

"To who?" Agnes called back. "We haven't gotten any new orders since you left!"

"I'm renting Shock my battering ram." Agatha flew back down the hole and skidded to a stop by the counter. "Can you pass me the ledger?"

Aggie raised an eyebrow and did as asked. "How much did you rent if for?"

Agatha smirked. "I haven't decided yet. She just said to put it on her tab; didn't ask about the price." She quickly scribbled a note in the margins for later, to figure that out and mark it down properly.

Both of her aunts cackled.

"Well, whatever you charge--" Aggie started.

"--You're the one dealing with her when it's time for her to pay!" Agnes finished.

Agatha almost stopped writing. Was Shock's potential wrath later definitely worth this? ...Yes. Yes it was. Besides, so long as she didn't charge anything too horrific, the customer couldn't really complain about a price they didn't confirm before agreeing to pay it.

Probably.

With that done, Agatha dropped the ledger on the counter, hopped off her broom, and skittered back outside. She presented the small, metal-riveted wooden log to the tricksters. "Two handles, small enough for one person to use without too much difficulty, long enough for up to four if the door is just that stubborn."

[LePouvantail]

Shock grumbled, but agreed to wait outside. Loki gently pinched her ear while they waited. She reached up and stroked his shell with one finger. Barrel patiently stood beside her, while Lock remained with Lillith for the moment. Normally, he'd love to climb on her hips and hold her, but they were on a trouble mission. The second Agatha brought down that battering ram, he needed to be ready.

And she was back, quick as a black cat finding shelter from a rainstorm. Lock, Shock, and Barrel all looked at the battering ram with devious gleams in their eyes. Shock snatched it from Agatha's hands and looked it over. It was about a foot shorter than Lock, but pretty thick.

"Solid graveyard oak, too," she said. "This will do nicely."

She swung it over her shoulder, then turned to Lock.

"All right, you little devil," she said, choosing her words with care to keep Chad from figuring out which one was Barrel. "You're gonna be up front with me."

Lock's tail twitched up a storm behind him as he looked at the battering ram. He was already eager to use it.

"Finklestein won't know what hit him!"

"That's the point," Shock said. She turned to Barrel. "You're gonna be behind me when we use it."

Barrel grinned, then happily followed his sister. The trio ran towards Finklestein's house at a pace that would allow Carver to follow, but also wouldn't mask their excitement.

Unbeknownst to them, Jack was already heading that way. He had promised Carver to check in, and finally had a moment to do just that. As the witch's shop was in the little courtyard, he hadn't initially seen the group as he crossed the square and reached Finklestein's front gate. He barely got it open when in the corner of his eye socket, he saw a blur of color running his way. Jack turned just in time to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel run up with a lot of Halloween Town's teens behind them. Shock held a battering ram, and before he could even begin to think of what she planned to do with it, the trio realized who was in their path.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Whatever they were doing, Jack caught their determination, but in that second, the tricksters, at least, seemed to be having second thoughts of whatever it was they were up to this time.

[SystemofEleven]

Carver let the trio lead the stampede as they stormed toward the lab, but was as close behind as he could manage without his clunky legs getting in their way. Chad was next. He alternated between excited laughter and taking sips from his beer. Carmilla followed after Chad, arms crossed in an attempt to maintain the appearance of being dragged along with the crowd. Lillith calmly glided along several paces behind her sister.

Sobki hesitated for a long moment before shaking his head and trailing after the group at a much more sluggish pace. Had the destination been much farther, he would have gotten left behind altogether within the span of a few minutes, but as it was he was only a few dozen yards back when the leaders of the pack caught sight of the skellington.

They didn't all come skidding to a stop, of course. As the awareness slowly began to fully sink in, they went from a run, to a jog, to a walk, and finally came to an awkward stop a short distance past the Finkelstein's open gate.

"Oh, yeah," Carver blinked. "Jack... exists."

Lillith pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh. "You four didn't even try asking the Pumpkin King for help, first?"

Sobki matched hers with a sigh of relief as he caught back up to the group.

Chad deflated. "Awww, does this mean no housebreaking party?"