SystemofEleven

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Agatha kept grinning as they pulled apart. He'd touched her! And more than that, he actually knew that the flowers would be excellent potions ingredients once they were a bit too dry to display. He'd done his research, and gotten her something that specifically touched on her interests!

She quickly contained herself, smoothing out her features to an expression of professional politeness. She took the list from him and looked it over.

"Mmm, yes, we do have that in stock," she told him. "If she goes through them that fast, perhaps even two jars would be a good idea. Now the rest of these things... Are you sure they're not going to be used for any trouble? I'd hate for you to get banned from the shop again so soon after things have gotten... interesting." She winked at him.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"Welcome to the Witches Sh-- Barrel!" Agatha grinned and bounced across the store to hug him. Obviously, kissing in public would be a bit too far for his aloof preferences, but hugging wouldn't be too bad, right? She'd seen him give Carver a bear hug once, at least.

"Thank you so much for the flow-- Ahhh, I mean..." She coughed and reeled herself in a bit. "Thank you for the gift. It was... quite exquisite, and much appreciated."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Agatha hummed a death march cheerfully to herself as she dusted the shelves in the shop. Barrel hadn't come in to talk to her since their date, but she'd found a small bouquet of flowers outside their door one evening with a card attached to it, written in his handwriting. She wondered how much time he had spent learning her schedule so that he could deliver the gift unseen. Of course, handing it to her himself would be too cliche for him; going the subtle and mysterious route was much more his thing. She was touched by how personal the gesture was.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver cackled, "I'll do it!"

He crossed his arms casually behind his head and dove down the slide on his back, head-first. He'd always wanted to try it, but had to be careful with his normal noggin. Upon entering the lair, he strode over to the boys and crouched down by Barrel's legs. Lock had managed to squirm most of his way out from under his brother; just another couple of seconds--

"Hey, Lock. When Barrel wakes up, let him know Shock and I are going out shopping in the mortal world."

Before Lock could answer, Carver balled up his fist and gave Barrel's leg a solid punch.

"By the way, your pajama bottoms should really go in the laundry."

With that, he waved and got up to leave.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver shook his head. "Portland. Generally more pleasantly dingy, and way fewer idiots per square mile. I think we'd get in trouble for giving another Handsy McGee our personal attention outside the season, and now we both have... well, what looks like boobs, anyway."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Carver rolled his eyes -- a feature he would probably never stop enjoying -- and said, "They don't have shark teeth or jaundice yellow skin, either, but you manage just fine. Humans will believe almost any excuse you give them. I once told a guy in a robotic voice that I was a prototype patrol scarecrow, and he believed me."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Though, if we go to Portland, nobody would even expect an excuse, anyway..."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"Eh, I don't really care either way. They don't bother me, they just look weird. Not used to them, and all that. Honestly, they're made of metal; I could probably still get away with going around shirtless half the time. Still, though... Think we could get away with a mortal world trip to go shopping some time?"

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"Sure, sounds good. Thanks."

Carver bent down to give Lock a gentle pat -- making sure to retract his hand just quickly enough not to get swatted with the tail -- and followed Shock out of the lair.

A few minutes later, he twisted and turned, trying to get a good look at himself in his temporary outfit. He made a note to get a new pair of pants, as his new legs were a good foot shorter than the old ones; Finkelstein hadn't shortened the body a lot overall, but he had definitely messed with the proportions of the torso and legs.

"I dunno..." he said thoughtfully, tugging at the bottom of the tank a bit. "Do you think the shirt makes the boobs stand out more? Or is it just the contrast of the purple and orange?"

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Luckily for Carver, Barrel's nap tossing shifted him into a position that freed him first, giving Shock and Lock each a chance to have their airways cut off as he rolled further onto them. Once the pumpkin creature was free, he gave the big oaf a good kick in the head before helping pull Shock up.

"Stupid external plating," he mumbled. "I could have reached out with my vines to grab that skull drill and cracked him with it..."

He moved over to Lock next, but just stood there for several minutes with a smirk, waiting for the devil to actually ask for help. Or beg. Or grovel. Or bribe. Or some combination thereof.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"Mmmmmmph! Gnnngt WFFMRR!" Carver helplessly squirmed under Barrel's weight, his cries of indignation muffled by the biggest trickster's chubby chest. He did what he could to punch anybody he could reach, but lacked the leverage or space to do anything more noticeable than be a mild annoyance.