SystemofEleven

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver waited til they were well past the door to speak, not bothering to whisper. "Corpse flowers. I thought it might be useful to have them out of my hair for a few days."

She shrugged. "Also gave me an easy excuse to borrow Sally's basket. She used to just drug Dad into unconsciousness whenever she wanted to leave the lab, so I figured I wouldn't have to explain further."

One they got to her bedroom, she closed the door behind them and opened the window. It wouldn't clear out the smell from the rest of the building, but the air in the would be slightly fresher. Once that was done, she reached to pull something out from behind the bookshelf Sally had left behind. The shelves didn't have books anymore, and instead held wooden, fist-sized models of the various heads Carver had worn over the years.

What she pulled out was a round, bulky television monitor and a small device used for making recordings of incoming broadcasts. Specific broadcasts, that is: Carver had bugged a number of buildings and public areas in Halloween Town, and the feeds all led back to here.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver shrugged. "So long as we don't make too much noise, I doubt they'd notice us either way. Still probably better stay in my room as much as possible, though. Never know when Jewel might get up to get them a snack."

She led the way to the Finkelstein laboratory, which also functioned as a home in a very secondary manner. The "kitchen" was mostly just a couple of cabinets and a fire stove shoved off to one side of the entryway, though the cookware had been expanded a bit since Sally's time a the Doctor's caretaker. Jewel at least didn't have to use beakers to make coffee.

Carver poked her head in to make sure no one was in the central ramp area, then waved for Shock to come in. True to her earlier comment, she didn't put in any real effort to be sneaky or silent, just watched her step to make sure she didn't bump into anything. She had been given Sally's old room in part of the lower half of the sphere. The sphere levels held the largest space for the Finkelstein's experiments and would usually hold the most risk of encountering one of her parents, but given Carver's recent machinations, she didn't expect them to leave their small bedroom in the ramp tower. That was the door she was most careful walking past.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"You say as if I'm not already partway up the ladder," Carver snerked at Shock. She turned her head backward and wove a vine into her cage, up through her throat hole, and out her mouth. She had figured out lots of ways to make rude and childish gestures over the years, despite not having fingers or a tongue.

"Barrel, you are going to owe me so much. Frogs are a bitch to catch."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver curled her vines into a facsimile of a thumbs up and started heading for the ladder. "Do we need anything else while we're out? Jewel and the Doctor are gonna be distracted for a few days, so now's the best time to get stuff from my place or just generally make use of my versatility."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver stood up. "While you boys are getting your parts worked on, Shock and I can go... retrieve some of my dad's chemistry equipment. Plus, there's something in my room I'd like to show you," she gave Shock a meaningful look.

She tilted her head. "We'll probably also have to cut own the wedding broom's handle to make it pass better. I doubt I have to grab a saw though; if you don't have at least three kinds here already, I'll eat one of Jewel's boots."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver perked up. "What if we brought another broom and glued it in a place where only the bristles would be visible? That way, they'd think they knew where all three were and wouldn't even have to assume the missing one is glued somewhere."

She shook her head. "They may not expect me to be the one who thought it up, but they'll definitely know I had a part in it. Not that I care; I don't hang around with you guys for nothing."

Carver turned to Barrel. "You could probably get most or all of the witches focused on you if you tell them your interest in cooking has gotten you interested in potion brewing, as well, and you could use some 'professional guidance'. You'll have to do some background research so you know what you're talking about, though."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver shrugged to Barrel. "Maybe she suspects your nice guy bit is an act? You might just have to up the charm a bit to make it... beyond question."

She turned back to Lock and Shock. "I can do that, but they'll probably notice if you all evacuate the store and I don't... Hmm, maybe a lame duck routine? I pretend to bump into something corrosive, and Lock has to play the hero to come 'help' me walk? Act like it's taking us a while to make it out of the smoke, but really we're running about getting stuff done?"

She was not confident about this plan, but hey, that's what pre-mischief brainstorm sessions were for.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver nodded, listening along. "There are three witches, though. If any of them see you flying, they're likely to come after you. And if you 'borrow' all of them, they'll figure something's up and tell Jack before you have a chance to set it off."

She grinned. "On the other hand, if two of their brooms mysteriously end up glued to random walls in the shop, they're more likely to assume that the third one is glued to something somewhere as well, and that that was the extent of the prank. Make them a bit annoyed at you, but less suspicious that there might be other things we're up to."

She rubbed her hands gleefully. "If Barrel can 'relieve' the witches of their stock of glue dissolvent, I can get an early batch of Eternal Glory Juice into the the Doctor's brain compartment, to make sure he can't make any more."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver had stacked up eight pancakes and was using the blades attached to her arms to carve out a model of the town square. She grinned and nodded. "If I don't get grounded for an entire year, we didn't do it right. I think the mayor's head might actually twist off!"

She motioned to her model. "We still need to figure out a way to deliver the package to the fountain without being effected. Gas masks would probably stand out too much and draw attention, but I'd rather not risk hoping we can just drop it in and run away fast enough before it goes off."

The pumpkin creature didn't explain what the "package" was, just yet. She wanted to see what he could come up with given only the barest of details.

She also had something to show Lock and Shock, but she didn't want to bring it up while Barrel was there.

"Any ideas?" she asked Lock. "Since you're not busy anymore, it's your turn to contribute."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Lillith growled and lifted herself up enough to stare at him. "Did I not hurt you enough last night? If you don't let me sleep, I'm not going to go easy on you."