STF

Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown...Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)

Posted Nov. 18, 2022, 11:42 a.m. by Lieutenant Commander Dagen Thor (CE) (Gene Gibbs)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Dagen Thor (CE) in Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown…Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Reia Shandy (C Intelligence -Comm Officer) in Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown…Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Dagen Thor (CE) in Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown…Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
Vanessa stood back and looked at the space. “Well second time is a charm right,” she said panning her personal communicator around the space for her mom and grandmothers to take in the view. The flyers she had put up were simple.

Hoedown in the holodeck
Come for the fun stay for the beer
Wear a costume. Snacks will be provided
Saturday the 12th from 8 to ?

She had no idea who was going to come but she hoped it was more than the clam bake. The holodeck was currently running a program turning the gray walls and floors into a large open field with a giant bonfire crackling in the middle. Surrounding the space on the west side were tall trees as if the spot was in the middle of a forest clearing. Along the east was a huge cornfield with half-dried husks clinging to the stalks appearing as noose-like shadows. To the north was a small path between a row of trees that led to a lake. Only the small dock and a hint of inky black water could be seen from where Vanessa was standing. To the south, a large mountain range with craggy peaks so high, the tips could only be seen slicing through the gray clouds that drifted in the night. Night sounds punctuated the silence between when Vanessa and her family spoke giving the space an eerie feel.

“The place looks amazing honey. Youh fathah and I almawst thought about pawpping in and saying hi but the chuhch bazaah is making us crazy,” Valerie Slade took a sip of her coffee looking at the event her daughter had planned. Now she was regretting not telling the St. Anthony’s Womens League to stuff it for a weekend.

“Oh that is so sweet but like I said it is best if you call so that you don’t get here and I am out on an away team mission.” Vanessa needed to keep her mom under control. If she and Doug showed up on Vulcan only to find her daughter was halfway across the galaxy on the Genesis, Vanessa would be requiring last rites.

“Hey, Ness wheeuh ah the apples mah sent you? You did get them on vulc’n didn’t you?” The voice of Dylan Slade came over the comm before she saw his smug expression. Dylan was one of the few Slades that knew his sister had basically slipped out the bedroom window. The darkened setting helped to hide her scowl to her brother.

“Yep they are on the table,” Vanessa’s tone was crisp and slightly irritated. Ever since Dylan found out she was not on Vulcan, he continually threw out vague nuggets placing Vanessa in sticky spots.

“Mah and Grandmah Cawnnie and Grandmah Gaht spent like a whole weekend making them and sending them to you. Is that them ovah theyah? Pan the camera.” Dylan could barely contain his joy knowing he was setting up Vanessa right now.

“Have I told you how insanely supportive and helpful you are,” Vanessa stared at him behind her mother and Grandmothers.

“Yep, I try to be,” Dylan winked a the camera with a smug grin.

It was them the senior Slades got a glimpse of Vanessa’s costume. “Nessa, ah you going as a hookah?” The disproval in her mother’s voice as clear and instantly made Vanessa feel like she was 13 instead of 30.

“No,” Vanessa squealed pulling up the top of her costume more. The guffawing by Dylan felt like it was almost echoing in the space. The soft pswshhhh of the pneumatic doors opening gave her the perfect reason to end the call. “Mah…Mah I gottah go. Love you,” she blew several kisses at the screen and stuffed the comm in her pocket. Talking to her family was the norm but it was time to socialize with real crew.

Vanessa Slade CNS

It had taken Reia hours to figure out what type of costume to wear and even longer to convince Dagen to take a break from whatever refit he was running to come see her in it. She could have made 90% of it holographic but there was just something about having a physical costume that Reia enjoyed.

Stepping in carefully, she glanced back over her shoulder one last time before deciding the edge of ehr delicate wings would not be crushed by the door. Reia had no idea if this particular butterfly, with it’s purple, gold, and silver wings could actually exist on any world but, the design had struck her and she went with it, braiding and placing her hair carefully, she had even managed two bejeweled antennae. The body of the outfit was black, sheer, and very close fitting.

Seeing Vanessa, she walked towards her and smiled. Bowing slightly, she had learned to dip the wings in a manner of greeting.

“Oh my god you look amazing,” Vanessa said looking back at Reia and feeling a warm rush knowing not only did Reia show up but also dressed up. Not only did she dress up but her costume was exquisite. Now Vanessa began to doubt if she should not have gone with something more elaborate. Since Vanessa was newer to the crew, she had decided to go with more ship spirit than an actual costume. The cheerleader costume she had chosen was cut in a fashion reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader outfit that put American football on the global map of 1980’s earth. The bra-like top and boy short bottoms were not blue and white but red and white giving a nod to her favorite football team back home. Over the red bra-cut flowing sleeves of the top was a white vest with USS down one side and GENESIS down the other in blue lettering. The white shorts and white calf-high boots had blue stars along the tops of both.

“Oh wow! I love what you’ve done with the place.”

  • Reia

“Thanks,” Vanessa hooked an arm for Reia to follow her. “It is so much easier to do this via holodeck than a real park. Back home I used to throw these things all the time for the Veterans. The only difference was the invitation said come for the beer and stay for the beer.” Laughing she opened a cooler and showed Reia the selection that ranged from beers, ales, and various canned alcoholic drinks. Reaching for her traditional Sam Adams she waited for Reia to make a selection.

“If you would prefer the witch’s brew,” she nodded over to the bubbling cauldron on the table, it is a mulled apple cider wine but deadly. Use caution because it is strong enough to make you metamorphose from a delicate butterfly to Mothra the party monster. I have seen it happen. Is Dagen coming?”

As if to punctuate the point a crewman moved between them getting another drink before stopping to look Reia up and down. “How you doin’,” he gave Reia a flirty smile before pulling out two drinks and with a wink moved back to his group over at the fire.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Reia looked over the cooler and reached in finding some dark beer that struck her fancy at the moment.

“Oh I’m sure he’ll be here and, if not, I’ll drag him in in chains in about an hour.” she said smiling at Vanessa and the new comer that had looked her over.

Marius thought about what he was going to wear. He wouldn’t have chosen this topic, but he had a couple of ideas, ‘Blackula,’ he chuckled to himself, but he suspected he was the only one who would know that reference. He actually went with an old school ghost, putting a huge sheet over him. Nobody would know who he was, at least nobody who didn’t recognize his over six foot height and 220 pound bulk.

Calvin approached the duo, this would be the first test of the costume. Pitching his voice up. “Ladies, ladies, ladies,” he said in a tone that resembled a stoner in front of corner Quik-e-mart.

the Ghost

She looked the XO up and down.

“I don’t think I can pronounce the name of this holiday in your native tongue. I’m sorry sir.” She said beginning to giggle, “Love both of your costumes.”

  • Reia

“Thank you,” Vanessa brought her beer to her chest and then raised it over her head, speaking in the same sing-song tone most cheerleaders tended to use. “I was on the fence about what I was going to be and then I remembered this was a Starfleet function and not Waples bar back home. I figured I needed a bit more clothes than I wore last year.” The fact her tops and bottoms were barely hiding her tricks and treats gave a hint that Lt. Slade was far different than Vanessa Slade. While she had been on the ship for six months, Vanessa had kept her wild child safely locked in the closet like a skeleton.

Calvin continued to pitch his voice up. “I was about to say the replicator had missed part of your costume, it didn’t occur to me that you’d wear less. That being said, its appreciated.” He couldn’t sound to daddish… they would identify him as the Captain in a moment.

“Then you would have loved my Lelu costume. I drank free all night,” Vanessa gave him a knowing wink. I did not win first, however in the costume contest. Some chick went at Tritney Slears in the nude and rhinestone costume but conveniently forgot the necessary under costume accouterments. Oh the days back at Waples Bar.” Vanessa felt a slight tug of homesickness gnawing at her. It had been almost six months since she had physically seen her family which to her felt like a lifetime.

“Now as to you big guy,” she looked at the apparition costume standing before her. “I am not sure you are the old man’s plucky side kick.” If it was Magnus, Vanessa could not help but wait to hear how he reacted to being called a plucky sidekick. Not getting an immediate response, she changed her tactics.

“Who are you? Who who…who who,” she sang the first few bars of the classic band by the same name.

It didn’t occur to him that he would be confused as Magnus. In fact he didn’t think the costume would hid his identity from anyone who actually tried to figure it out but he leaned into the confusion. But now he regretted not wearing gloves or something of the sort over his hands, his skin coloration would give him away in a heart beat. He puzzled that for a moment and just lifted the hem of his costume over a table pulling a beer and a snack into the sheet without revealing his hands.

He couldn’t order a whiskey, that would give him away too.

Vanessa wasn’t sure it was the XO but with only the size 13’s poking out from below the edge of the sheet she could not be sure. Taking a long swig of her beer, Vanessa began to run the options through her head. There was not a lot of crew with the height and mass of the person in front of them but it was not like there were only two that fit the bill. “Spin,” she said twirling a finger as if it were an inspection.

“Do I look like a ballerina?”

“No, but I am looking for a tail,” she leaned around his costume looking at the back. “Tends to give Caitans away in most costumes.”

“Okay, no tail so you aren’t Kailston,” Vanessa commented noting there was not the typical Caitain tail poking out the back. “No brow ridge so you aren’t Lt. Peebles from maintenance.” Biting her lip a wrinkle formed between her eyes showing Vanessa Slade was pondering something. Reaching out she pinched a piece of the sheet between her fingers and slowly raised it so she could see his shoes. The webbed feet of Ensign Parker’s race prevented them from wearing shoes. Seeing the regulation boots issued to every security and work crew on the ship ruling out Parker from the about two dozen people it could be. Vanessa stopped raising the sheet past what would be the ghost’s ankles. She didn’t want to completely ruin the challenge. Letting it go she smiled up at the costumed individual. “I would go further but HR would have me in their office for inspecting you past the 1880s strip poker statue.”

Turning her attention back to Reia, Vanessa gave the newcomer a side-eye glance. “While I am not Sherlock Holmes, I think our ghost is one of the M-Team, MacGregor, T’Saul, Partel, Jaelin, Murphy, Bentra, or that new science guy what’s his name,” Vanessa rapidly snapped her fingers as if this would activate her memory.

Give me a ......V…A…N..E....double S…A Slade (just keeping it in character)

Reia had been eyeing up the apparition as well and smiling and laughing with Vanessa.

“Now wait a minute, I thought you were part of HR. Can you call yourself on yourself? Wouldn’t you have to recuse yourself?”

“Technically yes,” Vanessa waggled her head a bit as if thinking, “but my last presentation Conversations Unraveling?…Tuck Sheet Bend them to the chair went way over the heads of the moral high grounders. They thought it was some weird sex thing but a Tuck Sheet Bend knot is a boating knot used when joining ropes that might be hauled over an object or edge so it does not unravel. I personally thought the analogy was quite clever. I mean Boston is a city on the water. Boating and fishing are a way of life. The metaphor for the title was when communication is coming apart ie unraveling, tie the ends off so you can drag it over rough patches and nothing goes adrift ie the chair being a boat drifting away. It was the largest attendance by the veterans to the center,” she said with a hint of pride to her voice, “and the last one I was given permission to host. HR doesn’t keep me in the loop much after that. I am like their red-headed stepchild.” Vanessa could not help but let a snicker leave her lips. In retrospect, she probably could have come up with a better title but what was in the past was in the past.

“Any way that Ensign’s name,” she let her voice trail off as she looked at the ghost beside her.

“And that new Ensign? I can’t pronounce his name, too many ‘Q’s.”

Vanessa hoped that Ensign Q was not under the sheet or if he was, he would just blurt out his name.

“Quaquretelz.” Marius said quickly. He actually thought the name was fun and had learned it correctly. It would add to the confusion.

“Yes,” she snapped her fingers. “Quartertelletlz,” she flubbed up the name. She had been struggling to pronounce it since she saw it on her intake forms.

About this point the ‘gang’ came in, proving the adage that one doesn’t leave a bunch of engineers alone to work on costumes. Dagen led the way, evidently taking advantage of his pale features contrasted against the glistening, long, black cape over an equally dark suit. A raised, straight cowl circled the back of his neck, his head topped with a top hat. Smiling broadly, his teeth displayed rather elongated incisors.

The pneumatic swish and burst of bright light in the dim night setting drew Vanessa’s attention to the door of the holodeck. “Oh my god oh my god,” she fisted part of the ghost’s sheet bouncing up and down like a groupie at a rock concert seeing the main act entering the room. “Someone actually read the memo I sent out. ” Turning to Reia and the ghost she let out a small sigh. “The yahoo’s at the bonfire heard free beer so I had to replicate something fast which is why they look like a bad imitation of the Village People. These guys like planned it out.”

The Bolian, Bat, his blue, bald head jutting up from a thick, coarse, brown monk’s smock, a large silver cross dangling from a chain was partially obscured by what he held, that being a wooden stake and mallet. Over one shoulder was a soft leather satchel and a loop around the rope belt about his waist was, likely, to hold the mallet. Leather sandals on his feet completed his outfit. He was saying to the Vulcan, Angel (Or Seraph being her Vulcan name), “… just don’t know what’s at stake here.” He paused and looked at her. “You get it? Stake?” and waved the wooden stake. Angel, longsuffering in this, was rather surprisingly dressed in a dark, spidery, low cut outfit, her hair tinted with a deep red, and her hair pouffy. The closest approximation to her outfit would be a very old Terran ‘horror hostess’ Elvira.

Behind them, Deeg came in, his uniform tattered and looking very aged, not to mention dirty. His gait was in ‘form’ with a shuffling limp. His fingers ended in claw like hooks, nails black and dusty. His face was highly made up, hair askew, eye sockets appearing recessed and dark - the classic zombie. Beside him was the short Sebastian, perhaps not precisely looking that much different from his normal appearance but only made more real in the guise and garb of a mad scientist - stained lab coat, glasses highly made up to be a mockery of science with ‘add ons’ that made it look almost sequined. His hair was an utter mess, even more than Deeg and in contrast to immaculate Dagen. He carried what looked to be a century old medical scanner attached to the end of a modified tricorder again from a century past, its lights blinking, the scanner twirling and his face looking like a kids who just got told he could go out and play.

Dagen and Company

Reia turned and was what the Engineering department had done to themselves and started laughing and clapping in approval. This made her wings flutter.

Dagen made an aristocratic bow; it seemed to fit the role there but kept his eyes on Reia’s, er, wings. Sebastian made an exaggerated ‘scanning’ gesture all about while Deeg plucked at Sebastian’s wild hair, whispering ‘brains …’ Angel gave a glance to Deeg with a flat expression as though to say, ‘I’m quite certain we won’t find any here.’ She did eye up Vanessa and Reia’s costumes as though to perhaps compare whether she wore the appropriate garb.

“See,” Vanessa flopped her hand about pointing to the engineers. “That is what I am talking about. Spirit and fun. Granted I feel like those are not two words associated typically with engineers. Still, I have only been around the cantankerous Scot’s or Irish that are always bemoaning about people breaking something. You guys are so much fun and look great.”

Bat grinned widely. “You should have been in the committee meeting to decide on costumes. I haven’t got to do something like this since my Academy days.”

“Oh wow, that’s amazing. And here I thought I’d have to drag you here in chains.”

  • Reia

“No, that’s later,” Dagen said with a wink.

Vanessa looked at Dagen and Reia and felt that tiny rush of aww fill her. They made an adorable couple. One day she would have what they did and like them, she would appreciate every moment of it. She loved the easy banter between them and while the comment was playful, it showed a the deep bond between them.

Vanessa also knew that engineers were the heart of a ship allowing everything to run smoothly and efficiently. Seeing the bulk of the engineering staff down here was a visual reminder that everything on the Genny was purring like a kitten.

“So you aren’t our resident Bolian, Casper,” Vanessa whispered out of the side of her mouth at the ghost next to her. Upon the arrival of the engineers, it seemed any chance of her guessing who was under the sheet by their drink choice evaporated like Casper’s spectral kin as they had pulled something from the cooler when she was not looking. The bulge of the material shaped like a bottle showed Casper was both enjoying his drink and his anonymity.

The ghost just shrugged its shoulders. Not that, that was particularly clear, what she could notice was that the ghost was bringing the beer to its lips and taking a sip under its sheet.

Vanessa stared at the round cylinder poking out from the edge of the sheet. “Is that a beer or are you just happy to be here,” she let out a laugh. The shape of the container indicated it was some sort of pre-packaged alcohol and not one of the goblets she had set out for mixed drinks.

“Well you aren’t the big dog,” she took a sip of her drink. “Ol’ Marius is a booze snob which if I am gonna be honest…all whiskey burns like hell going down. I don’t care what the snobby Sommelier says beer is best.” Lifting her bottle she air-toasted the ghost.

Looking at the people entering the room Vanessa could not help but be impressed.

“Okay, you guys look amazing,” she commented. “I just have one question where were you all when I threw the clam bake,” Vanessa waved the bottle at them. “I am going to completely expect this level of participation at the Christmas party.”

Eyes looked from one to the other in an uncertain guilty fashion, well, all but for Angel, who said with a raised brow, “One bakes clams?” Bat interjected with asking,

“Yeah you dig them up from the sand, build a huge fire and then steam them with potatoes, corn and if you wanna get all fancy dancy you can lob in a few lobsters for color. Don’t worry,” she waved it off. “I will have another one.”

“Do we dress up for that too? I make a mean Santa.” Angel pointed toward his portly belly. “A logical choice,” she said. Bat mocked a shocked look and tried to make the sign of the cross at her but it came out backwards.

“No, I promise no costumes unless you count the jerseys for the baseball game. You just come in and drink and eat a lot.” Vanessa hoped that the idea of beer and food would convince them to come in mass next time. There was a clincher though.

“And don’t worry. I promise with this or any other event I am not going to look at you, hand you a beer and say wow let’s make an appointment and work on some of those repressed mommy issues when you start talking because anyone that has met me for ten minutes knows my mommy issues are not repressed but have a hotline to me and calls twice a day.” Vanessa had always found making light of the image most people had about therapists put them at ease. Taking a swig of her beer she hoped a good dirty joke would give them some insight into the non-duty Vanessa. “Okay, so a man walks into a therapist’s office wearing only Saran Wrap so the therapist says.....” The punch line of the joke was immediately silenced not out of PG thirteen ratings but due to the holodeck

A loud crackle of thunder erupted in the inky blackness followed by a ripple of lightning that was almost blinding. The sound seemed to echo for several seconds in everyone’s ears as if they were in a rock concert with an overzealous drummer. Vanessa jumped slightly and fisted Casper’s sheeted arm before letting out a laugh that made her double over. “Maybe I should have one of you guys look at the systems controls or we will all be wearing hearing aids before the night is over. I told Dane I wanted it realistic but this is deafening.”

The ghost made no effort to remove Vanessa’s arm. “If I could fix it wouldn’t that be a clue?”

“It would label you late for the engineering costume decision-making committee,” she laughed at his reference to engineering fixing the cliche. Her hands drifted over the fabric on the ghost’s arm and she let it run through her fingers for a second. “Okay those are the softest sheets I,” her voice drifted off as she looked up at the ghost. “Are these Frette’s?” Frette sheets were galactically known as the industry standard for luxury and comfort. They typically were five-star resort exclusive and the type of sheets that once one slept on them, it was forever marked as the standard of best sheets ever.

Her face wore a shocked expression for a second as her voice caught in her throat and she got a slight deer-in-the-headlights look. Opening her mouth, Vanessa wondered if she should start apologizing for the verbal confirmation that she started the Big Dog joke or that she had just called him a hoyt toyt booze snob. Luckily Angel spoke preventing Vanessa from digging a hole larger and joining Calvin in he ranks of the undead when he killed her.

“One hundred and thirty six decibels,” Angel said. Sebastian shook and gave his mechanism a smack and looked at it. “How did you do that?” he asked.

“I can’t do crap. I’m a therapist, not a bloody engineer,” she tried her best to imitate the characteristic grumpy Scottish engineer with a grin. In truth, she had no idea where that came from. “Is there like a volume control on the holodeck?”

A distant rumble in the holographic sky indicated there would be more meteorological light shows coming. As one looked up however a thick black cloud seemed to be drifting and blotting out the moon casting a shadow on the moors and hills of the far landscape like a shroud from the moonlight.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Marius
Dagen and Company

Reia had been smiling and laughing throughout the whole scene. The clap of thunder had made her jump a bit but she’d rather enjoyed tempestuous weather.

“Oh this is going to be a lovely mystic night. Can somebody replicate me a small drum?” she asked grabbing Dagen’s hand and attempting to make her way towards the bon fire.

“A drum?” Dagen asked, wondering what was up there. There were a lot of different kinds of drums .. or was that some kind of code expression for a drink in something? He sent her a quizzical look. “Might be easier to just bite your neck,” he said, thinking that the pace they were walking wasn’t seemingly dignified for an aristocratic vampire, but Reia was on course for something, his own course trying to keep up with her lest he find himself messing with her wings that bounced about almost as much as her … ah, hair.

“Well next time you hold a committee meeting for costumes, in Engineering, please let me know, my vote is for Bat as Santa or, perhaps, our dear Captain. He is showing up tonight right?” she asked glancing back at Vanessa.

  • Reia

“Dunno,” she shrugged. “That man is usually either inhabiting the gym or the command seat…bridge throne,” she coughed the quip out behind her hand letting out a small chuckle.

Turning her attention to the ensemble of engineers still standing there, Vanessa looked at each of them. “All jokes aside I am going to join your costume selection party next year.”

“We’ll dub you as an ceremonial engineer for that,” he said. “Bat would fit,” he said, not really realizing that he had made some form of pun.
- Dagen

As Dagen and Reia approached the bonfire it was clear the shadow was not a single silhouette of a passing cloud but what appeared to be hundreds of individual flapping bodies filling the night sky. Another deafening boom of thunder followed by a spot-inducing flash of lightning would have temporarily blurred anyone’s vision not blinking at the moment it occurred.

As the room seemed to settle back down a single individual began to emerge from the edge of the forest bordering the landscape. He moved with a slow gait that was almost too fluid to be a pace. It appeared as if he were floating. As he approached closer one could see he was dressed in a long black robe holding a large wooden cross in one hand and clutching a tattered black book in the other. The robe was long enough to puddle slightly on the ground obscuring his feet. “Don’t fear the reaper those of you that are just and moral for he is only looking for one of you.” The man’s voice felt ominous as if a foreboding sense of malice and evil was ringing his words. “Is it you,” he pointed the cross out and began to slowly show it to the crowd as if it were a tricorder scanning them.

Vanessa “There are never coming to one of my events again” Slade CNS

“Ominous,” T’Lora commented, appearing somewhat spontaneously. She had gone with the lazy costume, a generic elf that had taken little effort. She nodded politely to Reia and Dagen, and waved at Vanessa. “Somewhat outdated as well, but in the spirit of the holiday.” She shrugged, knowing she would likely enjoy the party either way.
-T’Lora, CMO

“Fortunately, I’m already dead.” Calvin offered.

“Can I keep you then,” Vanessa looked up at the ghost with a smile? For a second the room seemed to empty and it was just them.

She waited until the moment dragged on a second longer than it probably should have before speaking again. “It’s from the movie Casper…Casper the Friendly ghost. It was that scene where Casper whispers to Kat that he always wants to keep her as a friend.” No matter how she was trying to spin this, it was not coming off as something she would just say to anyone. Her cheeks flushed slightly and she pulled the beer to her lips trying to hide her face like she always did when she did not know what to say.

By this time, Reia ahd a small clay drum in one arm and Dagen’s arm in her other hand as she attempted to walk while not tripping over her cape, over his cape, and her wings.

Dagen was curious about this ‘drum’, while keeping watch over Reia. How did she attach those wings? He was careful to keep from messing with them while still remaining close. His cape was not too inhibiting but it was still an extra layer and meant an extra action to free one arm or the other from it to do whatever. In this case doing whatever was a hand at the small of Reia’s back as he looked over her shoulder at this drum. Was there something in it? Was it like a Halloween piñata? “What’s that for?” he asked, feeling his new incisors and wondering if she would feel it were he to nibble his wife’s neck. That thought was interrupted by her outburst.

“Oh this is brilliant! ” she whispered.

“Wait, what?” he asked, unsure of what she was referring to.

Turning to the figure with the cross, she attempted to study for more details. Vanessa had really outdone herself.

“Did you bring the marshmallows?”

  • Reia

“Do not mock me,” the voice thundered as he held out a bony finger pointing it at Reia. “You think death is a joke? That you are moral enough to ascend to the righteous plains of heaven and not descend into the fiery pits of hell?” The man’s tone showed a slight rise in intonation indicating it was a question however the vocal quality had a chilling feel that would cause skin to pucker into gooseflesh. “You shall die tonight and see what the wheel of fate has selected for you.”

Dagen was puzzled. What did Reia say? The bony finger, however, was a nice touch. Voice evidently was mechanically assisted. Nobody real sounded that sinister outside of a holo. Oh wait, they were in one.

ghost

Bat looked at the ghost and then to the Zombie Deeg and shrugged himself. “Apparently there are degrees of dead.”

Extending the cross, the hooded figure pointed it at Bat, singling him out. “Pray for his soul for he does not know of the blasphemy to which he has exiled it. Pray that as he journey’s into the seven layers of death,” the figure droned on as the party guests continued their banter as if nothing was out of place as lightning crackled across the sky and a deep rumble of thunder occurred out in the distance.

Bat marveled at the costuming and nearly missed what was said thanks to the lightning and thunder. “Sorry, wait, he? What he? Do dead people have genders or they an it?”

Elvira Angel raise a brow and crossed her arms causing her bosoms to shift in a way that her uniform never would have and which didn’t go unnoticed by the three boys about her - Deeg, Bat and Sebastian. “Dead is dead. Logically there cannot be degrees of that. Even for those one classes as ‘undead’. Clearly we are supposing a distinct class of life form.”

“Brains,” Deeg said, but was still glancing to her bosoms. Bat thumped him with his wooden cross.

Dagen et al

Reia turned back to Dagen and instantly realized how fetching her husband looked as a vampire. She would have to get him alone in that corn maze sometime tonight.

“Where I come from, on Earth, Halloween is a festival held in the spring time. There are lots of bon fires, dancing, and story telling. We basically get our pagan feast on. I’m no musical prodigy but I was pretty good with a drum in my day so I would keep time for the dancers and start the stories. I just need to find a good place by the fire.” she explained.

  • Reia

“I’d thought that pagan feasts had better organization to it. A bit more, what do you call it, homogenous quality for a mythology to follow. You know, ritual stuff? We’re kind of a free for all here.

Instantly the black shadow that had slowly been encroaching on the space from the distance descended. A myriad of rubber wings and sharply pitched squeaks engulfed everyone in the space. They dipped and flew into the space with some attaching themselves to arms, legs, costumes, and lodging into the hair of several crew.

As a set of rubbery wings attached to Vanessa’s leg and began to move up her thigh, she no longer cared about rank and file. Grabbing the edge of Calvin’s costume, Vanessa dove under it as she grabbed the edge of her cheerleading skirt and held it tightly against her quads. Being under the sheet kept more of the flying mammals off her body except for the one scaling the slope of Mount Slade. “Get it off. Get it off,” she screamed at Calvin as she jumped up and down raising her knees as if she was going through tires in PT.

Elvira felt one smack into the blossom that her three amigos were just admiring. The small claws did not scratch her chest but felt like fingernails tickling her skin. Small beady eyes glanced up glowing yellow as its small mouth opened revealing tiny but sharp incisors.

Angel looked down at the tiny creature and a brow rose as she contemplated it. “If you are thinking what I think you are thinking you may find a bad taste in your mouth.”

Several swirled about Bat as if they were balls thrown at him by a pitcher in a softball game.

Bat danced about faster than one might normally think his bulk would move, swinging the wooden cross like a baseball bat and aiming without much aim at the flying dark dots.

A large swarm of the creatures swooped hard and fast between the small space between Dagan and Reia.

“Hey, great!” Dagen said. The forests around his home growing up had bats, or at least bat like creatures, as Terrans would describe them. He tried to lock onto one with his eyes to see them but they were quick and, for the moment separated him from Reia, wondering still what she was thinking of doing with the drum that would be heard over the thunder.

A flock moved to T’Lora’s arms attaching and appearing to try and lift her off the ground.

A stray bat flapped full speed toward Deeg’s mouth as if ready to satiate the zombie’s need for brains.

Deeg stared wide eyed and with mouth open in surprise at this development and seeing the chaos about him. Sebastian, nearby just marveled at the addition. “There just ‘has to be’ a dark ruined castle on a hill somewhere close by,” he said.

“All hail the spirits of those that come before us and the spirits that will be our souls after we turn to dust,” the figure spoke raising his hands to the sky unaffected by the bats swirling and dipping towards the participants of the party.

A large group of partygoers began to run to the holodeck door desperate to open the controls and leave this little party. No matter how they punched or jabbed at the console, the doors appeared to be locked and sealed shut.

In the confusion, more figures began to spill from the shadows of the woods. They all moved with different gaits and strides. Some appeared to clear the distance with a speed not human. Others moved in slow, shambling steps. Amongst them all, a large horse emerged through the trees with a rider on its back. Galloping straight at Reia, the figure on the horse leaned down scooping the butterfly up with one arm as his black cape seemed to engulf her frame. Lifting her up to the edge of the horse’s back, Reia would see a vacuous black hole where a head should be.

Dagen was in no small way surprised at this but he recovered fast. This was all a game. Humorously he thought to himself, ‘Well, on the one hand he won’t be trying to kiss Reia’, and, ‘He had so better not get between her and any food or he’ll lose more than his head.’

Rearing the horse into a two-legged stance, the figure laid her over the horse’s back. Lightening and thunder echoed in the night dulling the screams of those in the room.

“There are other forms of death,” the hooded figure spoke and nodded at the man on horseback as if signaling him. Dropping the horse to all fours, the horse, the man, and Reia took off for the woods.

Slade.

Everything had happened so fast now Reia found herself laid out over a horse of all things. Looking up into what? Something that had once been human and maybe had a head at one time? She had stopped wiggling because her costume and wings, along with the position she was in, only served to constrict her movement.

  • Reia

    Dagen absently scratched at his neck; the collar on this costume was tight and he wasn’t used to that. Watching the figure disappear with his wife he thought again, ‘Mind your manners my headless friend .. Reia is part Orion after all.’ Turning he looked back to the others and slowly made his way toward them while trying to ascertain whether Bat was winning or losing in his battle with the bats.

    Dagen

    OOC: Okay I set up the possibility for more threads. If you all want to break up for a bit you have your choice of chasing after Reia, being chased by the four-legged creatures, or fast walking from the stumbling creatures. We can also scooby doo it and go together in the Mystery machine lol. I can write it any way anyone wants.

    If anyone else has wanted to join just jump it. ~ Kate

OOC: Waiting to see what happens with the bats and if they settle down before putting together a posse.
IC:

Dagen looked back at the departing figure. It was hard to tell entirely what path the horseman was taking. Dark on dark was not a good mix for tracking anything with one’s eyes. He frowned. This must have been planned to some degree else Reia would have been screaming like a banshee and the headless one would have black eyes where he didn’t realize he had any. However a holodeck program didn’t last forever and they needed to get on with the quest to rescue Reia, providing the bats left them alone. How did one overcome a person with no head? How did he think without a head?

He looked again at their compatriots. A ghost. A cheerleader. A gaggle of engineers.
- Dagen

OOC: Bump? Or are we on to Santa? :) .. Gene


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