etrayalogs | OCTOBER MINGLE

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OCTOBER MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: October 25th - Early November
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, and some holiday fun!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Supernatural elements, temporary physical alterations, mild horror and jump scares, spooky scary skeleton robots, mild suggestion of compulsion or loss of control, mild body horror.

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya! Everything is fine now. 😊

Arrival goes expected - or it does for the most part. Aurora greets newcomers in the hospital as they awaken, offers a brief explanation and gives them their earpiece so they can communicate with one another.

Around the hospital and outside of it, Companion Bots are hard at work decorating the city for Halloween—complete with festive touches like pumpkins, cobwebs, and glowing ghost decorations. The atmosphere is fun, light-hearted, and maybe just a little spooky. 🎃👻

Some carry buckets of candy, and offer those they come across a trick or treat. Except both options are, in fact, treats. 🍬 Tricks are treats specifically wrapped in a green wrapper that very clearly declares that they are tricks. Treats are wrapped in orange, and labeled with treat! Companion bots will recommend that those who do want to take a trick take them when they're beside their friends. There won't be any permanent effects from these, nor will they be terrible tricks - just fun ones! All effects last roughly 24 hours.

Giggle Drops cause uncontrollable giggling that bubbles up randomly, even during serious conversations.
Beasty Bites cause characters to grow small fangs, and they will begin craving red foods - apples, cherries, etc.
Bat Gummies cause small, bat-like shadows to follow characters around wherever they wander. These shadows are harmless, and super cute.
Pumpkin Puff is a cotton-candy-like treat, that causes their voices to change dramatically. Either becoming significantly deeper or perhaps very high-pitched, as if they've recently inhaled helium.
Floating Fudge gives characters the ability to float in the air! Just a few feet off the ground, but it's still fun. Right?

⏵ getting spooky! ⏴
Etraya is embracing the season - and maybe even going a little overboard.

Around the hospital, a few small pop-up shops are manned by festively dressed companion bots. They offer samples to everyone - although sampling isn't really necessary. After all, everything here is free!

Candy Shops: Perfect for stocking up on sweets and treats for the upcoming trick-or-treating event. These will not stock the tricks the companion bots offer around Etraya, but instead only carry harmless sweets. They do take custom requests, too, and are happy to create the treats others want!

Costume Shops: Find the perfect costume for Halloween! But beware... rumor has it, if you wear a costume, you might become whatever you dressed up as for a few hours. Those who put on vampire costumes may find themselves suddenly craving blood and growing fangs - those with werewolf costumes may find themselves feeling a little wolfish. These effects may last a few hours, up to a few days.

⏵ masquerade ⏴

In the spirit of mystery, Etraya will be hosting a Masquerade Ball outside the hospital through the nights of October 26th and 27th. Dance anonymously with other attendees and make new friends under the cover of your disguise. Everyone receives a single rose they can exchange with someone else throughout the evening. At the stroke of midnight, the roses will reveal the true identities of your masked dance partners. 🌹

⏵ all hallow's eve ⏴

On October 31st, multiple companion bots set up shop along one of the walkways through the larger island towards the center. With chairs and small booths set up, they offer candies out to trick-or-treaters who wander around through the first part of the night. Some of them will request trick-or-treaters to do a trick for them, to earn a bigger treat! They may ask characters to dance, sing, or show a talent unique to them. Can your character bend themselves into a pretzel? They want to see it, and will offer them a nice bracelet in exchange! Can they whistle super loud? Maybe they'll get a nice piece of kevlar armor after showing off. This can be anything within reason - bike parts, small weaponry, armor pieces, toys, canvases for painting. Please request these items HERE.

Not everything is as light-hearted as it seems, however. Aurora issues a warning to the citizens of Etraya: Do not stay outside after midnight. Strange happenings have been reported, and those who disobey may start seeing visions of past loved ones. The visions are compelling—guiding people away from the safety of the buildings and into the mysterious mist surrounding the outskirts.

But be careful, these spirits may not be as friendly as they seem.

If you come into contact with these ghosts, you’ll feel a chilling cold, leading to hypothermia-like symptoms. The longer you’re exposed, the worse it gets. Treatment? You’ll need to be warmed up quickly.

⏵ skellys! ⏴

The Companion Bots wanted to join in on the fun, so they painted themselves with glow-in-the-dark paint to look like skeletons. But in the dead of night, for those already suffering from the chilling touch of the ghosts, seeing glowing skeletons approach from the darkness might not be the most comforting sight. 🤖💀

Stay safe, warm up, and enjoy the festivities!

⏵ NOTES ⏴

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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arrival

[the motions that put her feet to the floor and eventually take her outside of the hospital are numb. they're numb in a way they've been countless times, in a way that it seems they'll always be; not even bringing down an entire mountain had done anything to change that.

still, though, they — and she — keep going.

but one flicker of something lighter manages to get through: a glimpse of the companion bots attempting halloween decorations. they're working furiously with sincere effort that mostly pays off; they manage to hang cobwebs and pumpkins in mostly appropriate places, and the glowing ghost decorations that accompany them add to the overall atmosphere, even if the lights start to sputter a little.

with some help, she thinks, this could all be even better.

her approach is quiet and her voice isn't insistent when she asks,]

May I?

[after getting what she assumes is an assenting response from the bots, wanda flicks her wrist, the red glow from her fingers straightening some of the cobwebs and turning the pumpkins so they face the correct way. the ghosts, too, now no longer flicker, instead shining a low, soothing, and consistent light on their immediate surroundings.]

masquerade

[if she's going to be here, representing a universe that she owes, the least that she can do, wanda figures, is try. even if the party is the last thing that she feels like attending, she transmutes her clothes into a dress that would be appropriate for an occasion like this, and walks over to join the festivities, accepting the mask and rose that she's given.

from there, though, it's difficult to drum up the will to leave a spot that she's found by the wall. difficult to do anything other than simply watch the proceedings, and, as she does, feel like she's out of step from everyone else, isolated, alone.

when someone approaches, she flashes an attempt at a small, awkward smile that never quite fully forms. says,]

I'm not much for dancing.

[maybe that wouldn't have been true once, but it is now — and that's the only truth that matters.]

all hallow's eve

[when the companion bots ask — politely — for a trick, wanda indulges; like small children, they're hard to say no to. with one flick of a wrist, she conjures some balloons, and while twisting her fingers, she forms them into festive shapes, such as cats and pumpkins, before turning on her heel. they can keep them if they'd like, she tells them, smiling lightly, and she doesn't need anything in return.

no smile of hers is hardly ever more than short-lived now, but when darkness comes, when midnight falls, they couldn't be more distant.

there's a feeling first, cold and unsettling; it moves through her, nearly sending a shiver down her spine before disappearing. she turns her head, and her eyes glimpse a figure moving down the street. the way the figure moves, fast, is as familiar as a flash of white-blonde hair.

it's not real, wanda tells herself as she scrunches her eyes shut; it can't be real. whatever this is, she can't trust it.

she follows the figure into the mist, her magic not doing much to illuminate the way in front of her. when she gets another glimpse, a closer one, she stops, squaring her stance, and gathers more power into her hands, as she calls out:]

Leave this city.

[but that doesn't come as forcefully as she wants; something makes contact with her, then, and the chill that comes doesn't leave this time. her teeth chatter, and her fingers begin to feel numb. the magic begins to flicker and fade.]

wildcard

[have something in mind that these prompts don't cover? would you like a plotted scenario and a custom starter? feel free to hit me up! i'm available via

lensflares or pm for anything we'd like to hash out]

[It's too cold to be sleeping outside. The quilted gambeson she wears beneath her armour is keeping her warm enough now, but this is the sort of cold that all too easily could get into one's bones, and as much as Shadowheart prefers sleeping beneath the sky to sleeping beneath a roof, she has enough common sense to know when doing so would be unwise. She's headed back towards the buildings when she sees it.

A red glow, and a silhouette attached to it. As she comes closer, she hears the silhouette speak.]

Point the way back to my world, and I'd be delighted to.

[She responds despite the feeling that this person isn't talking to her. She hasn't seen anything out here, in the mist. Not yet, at least. But there's something to it that feels ever so slightly... unsettling. Who can say what sort of horrors could be lurking out here that her new acquaintance might be talking to.

The large white dog by her side woofs softly. He's unsettled too.]

[in time, all that's in front of wanda is the mist. still, even though she's shivering, and even if she's wavering, she keeps her eyes focused forward, waiting for something to come back; whatever it is, what she knows hadn't been any actual form of pietro, could threaten the people who live here — and how many of them would have the ability to stop it? her job is to stay in the cold and keep watch.

she startles when a voice sounds from nearby; the force of it levitates her a few inches from the ground before she lands back onto it again. before she turns, her own waning light illuminating the forms of what appear to be a woman and a large dog.]

Sorry. I — [the apology is rushed, automatic, and she has to take a moment to stop shivering before she can finish her thought.] I thought I saw something, but it's gone now.

[the dog makes a noise, and wanda glances out into the distance again, where nothing's changed. a possibility occurs to her, then.]

Or maybe it was never here in the first place.

[Shadowheart hadn't meant to startle the stranger so badly she started levitating. That is... new.]

One can never be too sure, in this place. There are all sorts of things here that go bump in the night. [Her tone is lightly teasing, but she means what she says.

A glance around reveals nothing that strikes her as dangerous or especially out of the ordinary. Still, while she might be able to see through darkness, she has no particular ability to see through mist, and it's so thick in spots that she can't make out anything at all.]

What did you see?

[though her feet are firmly back on the ground, the tension in her hasn't eased. it's quiet around them, in the way that's much more unsettling than reassuring, and what the woman says confirms as much. one can never be too sure.

closing her eyes for a moment to concentrate before opening them again, she sends more power to the hand she's still holding up, the red light emanating from it turning brighter. but this, too, barely makes a dent in the mist.

wanda exhales a long breath.]

A ghost, I think. A — [she does find herself tripping up on her attempt at the word vision, for all its many and varied implications, so she abandons that attempt, swallowing and quietly clearing her throat instead. after a beat:] It took the form of someone who died years ago.

[The dead of Shadowheart's world have a nasty habit of persisting beyond their natural end, and necromancy is hardly a difficult skill to learn. She's well familiar with ghosts, and well equipped to fend them off. But the way this woman speaks, the pause as she stumbles over her words, makes Shadowheart wonder whether ghosts in other worlds might be a less common and more dangerous matter. She glances around through the fog, searching for signs of movement, and sees only the stranger's red magic reflected back.

Scratch whines, sniffing the air before pressing his nose to the ground and snuffling around the woman's feet, ears pressed back against the top of his head as he searches for the source of everyone's unease.]

Ghosts often look like the person they were in life. Know any spirits with unfinished business who might be bound to you?

[Dazai, himself, has been keeping to the edges; it's easier to people-watch that way, get a read on the sorts of people who have been brought in as representatives of their universe. So of course the woman keeping to herself in a corner catches his eye.]

Ah, no? That's a shame. But I suppose the most beautiful things are kept tucked away for a reason.

[This shameless flirting...]

Have you had a pleasant evening, otherwise?

[shameless flirting, to be sure. a thought that crosses wanda's mind, then, that she's sure a similar line had left pietro's mouth at one point or another; something halfway to a breath of a laugh is there before it isn't, fading into the wave of sadness that feels like it will always follow her.

but that isn't for a stranger who's been kind enough to approach. so she tries for a smile again, for something friendly.]

It's a nice party. [the smile, in the end, is small, but pleasant.] They've put in effort, and they've done well with it. There are much worse ways to spend an evening.

[idly, she twirls the rose that she's been given between her fingers, careful to avoid contact between its thorns and her skin.]

Do you think they always throw something like this, or are we just special?

(the mask is a little joke that goes with his last name - even if that l in the middle of lucilfer makes it a little different. long horns adorned by jewels, glistening gold, and he has a nice fitted tuxedo to go with it.

recon is the most important thing, and with his face hidden, it feels even easier to slide across the crowd until he approaches her. "not much for dancing", huh? his hand is offered even so, a charming smile all that can be seen on his face aside from his grey eyes.)

Would you allow me to change your mind?

[the mask is interesting, curious, much more elaborate than the simple red of her own. it draws wanda's eye — and keeps it there, after a flicker of a glance down to the hand that he's offering her.

she still feels out of place here, and she knows where she'd rather stay, but she knows what this is for, knows what will make her look better as a representative. so she tries to force the awkward half-smile into something less so, as she takes his hand, accepting the offer.]

I'm willing to see if you make a convincing case.

[with a brief flash of red, the rose in her other hand transforms into something like a corsage, now wrapped around her wrist.]

(unexpected, isn't it? the way powers just manifest, and how exactly did she do that -- that's not... it's nen? no, he has to stop thinking like the rules of his world applies. chrollo finds it more than exciting, to learn different systems, different ways of being, and yet, he finds himself falling onto what he knows. might not be so different, if he's able to translate terms?

things he will inquire at length about later, see if it's worth stealing, but color him very interested, his eyes fixated on the corsage before he looks at her, back to her wrist, back to her face with wonder coloring his expression.)

... Woah! That was so cool! I wasn't expecting you to be... Well, I suppose magic? I'm unsure what terms to use.

(it's what he blabs, as he slowly takes her to the dance floor, respectfully wrapping an arm around her waist and putting himself on the leading stance.)

[the transmutation, completed in a blink, had barely even been a thought on her part; it's been years since something so small has been so conscious. but here, now, when the stranger's attention, his overt interest, is drawn to it — that strikes her.

because that kind of interest is instantly reminiscent of another: agatha harkness.

her eyes follow his, down to where they linger on her wrist for a moment before lifting again. there's a shift in her expression, into something tighter.

but she wills another smile onto her mouth, even if it's a shade more strained than before, as he takes her to the dance floor.]

Magic is the term. [as her steps follow his lead, her eyes remain fixed on his masked face.] I'm a witch.

(he can dance, and he can lead. that part is hardly a concern, unlike the expression she gives to his excitement and interest - did he overdo it? the enthusiasm doesn't die, but instead of calling attention to her, he turns it towards himself through the steps of a shared dance.)

... I've never heard of such a thing... I'm sorry, it's all just very new, so I'm learning a lot--

(not a lie, but he sounds awfully embarrassed about it.)

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wundagores - 2024-11-05 01:19 (UTC) - Expand

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bookofpowers - 2024-11-05 13:47 (UTC) - Expand

[Halloween isn’t a holiday Loki is familiar with. At least not how it seems the humans are used to. Parts of it seem similar to some festivals held on Asgard, but the idea of scaring children and giving them candy is a new experience for him. Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a slightly confused way.

He’s out on one of his many walks when he notices someone familiar helping out the companion bots with decorations. Loki never had the pleasure of meeting Wanda in person, but he is aware of who she is and given his new position (or old one? Considering he’s not currently performing his duties) as God of Time, he’s all too familiar with what she’s capable of.

At very least, from a distance she doesn’t seem to be the Scarlet Witch currently. Good, he doesn’t really feel up to a battle right now. He wouldn’t really want to fight her if he was considering he feels like he understands her to an extent.

But none of that matters currently. Other than she clearly has her magic, he really has no idea what point in time, or which timeline she’s from.]

It really is so much easier to decorate that way, don’t you think? I sometimes think I wouldn’t decorate at all if I had to do it by hand. Though that would be rather boring.

[His approach is casual. He’s not trying to sneak up on her or anything, but he doesn’t make a show of himself either.]

[he doesn't sneak up on her. there's enough warning, with both steps and presence, that wanda doesn't startle. when she turns toward that comes from nearby, the cobweb she's currently holding up with magic remains mostly still, apart from a gentle flutter in the breeze.

her expression is curious, assessing, rather than wary; for now, he's given her no reason for the latter. when she says —]

It'd certainly take a lot longer to do it that way. [— her voice is also conversational. calm.

in a beat, she twists her fingers just slightly, tucking the end of the cobweb decoration into the edge of a brick so it can hold itself up, and then turns, fully, to face him.]

Are you a pumpkin fan, or do you prefer the ghosts?

[It’s actually a bit of a relief that she does not seem wary of him, though he’s not exactly sure if she knows who he is. He supposes he’ll find out soon enough, though.]

Yes, indeed. I wonder if there is a market for it? Putting up decorations magically for those who are not able? Or perhaps some might enjoy the long and boring route. To each their own, and all that.

[He offers her a tentative smile as she turns to face him directly. It’s nice, he thinks, running into another mage. He wonders if she’d ever be up to talking about magic, or even testing out new spells. It’s just a bit rare to run into someone of her power level.]

I think ghosts. I do not understand why people are frightened of a vegetable.

[she meets his tentative smile with something a little less so. not much less tentative — smiles, now, are uncertain steps, and it feels like it's been years since they haven't been — but this can be a beginning of something.]

You'd be surprised. Depending on the movie, a jack-o'-lantern can be quite terrifying.

[a shrug, the lightest breath of a laugh.]

I think there's appeal for some in the long way, though. Tradition. A way for families to spend time together.

[there's a moment, brief, when her voice falters. she swallows, quietly clears her throat against that, with:]

But you could still find a market, I'm sure.

Is that so? I can’t say I’m all that well acquainted with the films of Midgard. Perhaps I should correct that. Do you have any recommendations?

[It might be a small laugh, but it’s there and Loki can’t help but be proud he had something to do with it. He’s found he enjoys making people laugh.]

Hmm, I don’t believe I have ever considered that before. Perhaps that is why Thor enjoyed the feasts on Asgard so much. [That was the closest thing to tradition Loki could think of himself. And it was definitely a time when they would all spend time together as a family and their 500 closest friends.

He frowns slightly at the small hitch in her voice, but doesn’t press.]

I suppose it is at least something to look into. Not everyone has family. Or has family they are able to see.

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wundagores - 2024-11-04 01:24 (UTC) - Expand

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abit_ofboth - 2024-11-06 20:18 (UTC) - Expand

[ It's gotten misty, and not so nice. Gorgug hasn't been paying as close attention to his earpiece as he should be, to the warnings that come through--he's been listening to music most of the day on a different device, and there's no point for a communicator when you're not talking to many people.

The (admittedly late) trip back to the apartments should be easy, except--it isn't. There's something disorienting, and Gorgug doesn't know if it's Etraya or if it's him; but he's fine with believing in the latter, so ignoring it so be fine, right? Put down his head, try to ignore.

He thinks he hears whispers, but he ignores it--not again, not again. Except there comes a light, red, a figure in the distance. Does it talk to him, or someone else? Except that demand, fearful, sounds like something that perhaps he should hear, and--Gorgug stops. He stalls. ]

I'm-- I'm not doing anything anymore. I swear. I didn't mean to do anything.

[ The mist makes it hard for either of them to see anything, even with Gorgug's darkvision; well, of course that won't help. But he thinks that maybe he should listen to the warning, the command. Oh, geez.

(And for Wanda, what she hears will be a male voice--someone young, in their teens, though the figure it belongs to is green, and rather tall at 6'6".

And possibly not to whoever it was she was seeing.) ]

[the voice that filters through the mist sounds young — almost as young as her boys. it's a realization that's just a spark at first, barely flickering among all that's still unsettling in the air, but when it truly hits her, it's a blow; there's an ache in her chest and a tightness in her throat, and her magic falters alongside her posture.

in the silence, one shaky intake of breath is audible as she turns on her heel, toward the direction of the voice; on the next, the red glow has returned, though dimmer than before.

it takes craning her neck to meet the eyes of the much taller figure standing nearby, but through the light she's able to provide, she makes sure to do so.]

You haven't. [wanda shakes her head, fiercely, the gesture as emphatic as what she tries to inject into her tone.] You haven't done anything wrong.

[but that, too, falters, and by the time she speaks again, her voice is soft.]

Are you lost? I can help you find your way back.

[ He doesn't move. He wants to with the light, but he's sticking in place, telling himself not to be a coward. If anything happens, then maybe he deserves it; he's had a voice lately telling him that, without the outside world to influence it. Even if it started because of its influence.

But a woman emerges--human, maybe, or human-shaped. Gorgug keeps where he is, hands in front of himself, doing nothing but showing they're up to nothing. He doesn't recognise her, but that doesn't mean anything. But, her face does, once he can make out her features. The sound of her voice, she sounds--frazzled, really. Put through more than she deserves.

And it's not because of him, he thinks. He tips his chin to look at her, wants to take comfort in her misplaced reassurance, though this isn't the time to focus on it; he looks around instead, realising... ]

...I was supposed to go back to the apartments. Uh. [ He thinks about that, but worries more about this, what's going on. Total mist is a thing that's new, but it doesn't make Gorgug feel any less wary as he looks black at her, his worry visible even with black sclera against white pupils. ]

We should both get out of here-- the last time things got spooky, everyone got, everything went bad. There was something out there--it wants to hurt everyone. Do you know what I mean? It can get inside you. It changes you.

[from what she can tell through the little illumination from her own fraying grip on her magic, he looks as unsure as he sounds. and he shouldn't, wanda thinks — because he makes perfect sense.]

I felt it. That's what's out here now. [trying her best to maintain what eye contact she can, she nods, seriously. she tries, too, to keep that in her voice.] Whatever it is, it isn't friendly.

[as if for emphasis, the form becomes visible in the mist again, and, for a flash, the profile is even more familiar than it'd been before. wanda shakes — and whether it's the sight, or the effects of what's still moving through her, she doesn't know.

she scrunches her eyes shut, inhaling a long, slow breath, and taking even more time to let it out. as she does, the red glow from her hands begins to brighten and expand, solid even if she's still shivering.]

I'll take you back, and then I'm going to make it leave. [doesn't she sound oh so sure?] Follow me.

[she pivots on her heel and takes a step in the direction that she believes to be the one she'd come from, casting a glance over her shoulder to be sure that he does as she says.]

(no subject)

tinflower - 2024-11-05 13:48 (UTC) - Expand

[ Considering the past few months he's had, Fabian should probably be getting a little bit better at heeding warnings.

But let's be real - it's not something Fabian has ever been good at it in his life, and it's not about to start now. He knows something bad is about to happen out here, and he doesn't want even a single person more falling victim to this place because they may have missed the warning.

So when he witnesses Wanda slipping into the mist, he follows. Even when she says those words almost ominiously - are they aimed at him, at first Fabian can't even tell - he keeps following her, and when he spots her suddenly starting to shiver in front of him, he reaches out to latch onto her wrist. Maybe not really thinking about the jumpscare that may give her, but-- look, it's an emergency, okay!! ]

Hey, you can't be out here right now!

[the chill that moves over her, spreading from her numbing fingers to the rest of any exposed skin, has wanda slow to react; it takes a moment for the voice to register over the sound of her own chattering teeth, and the grip on her wrist barely feels like more than a tap at first. it takes a moment, but there's a sharp intake of breath, and an attempt to jerk her arm away, an attempt at magic sputtering from her palms.

none of it gets far.

darkness falls over them as what remains of the red glow falters completely. she folds her arms across her chest, but, still, the shivering continues.]

I can stop this.

[it's said through teeth that begin to chatter again — and therefore with not nearly the force she intends.]

[ Fabian does let go the moment she tries to jerk her arm away. His intent was mostly to grab her attention, after all - and it seems that he's managed to do that, even if the presence of another person hasn't seemed to change Wanda's mind just yet. ]

No one can stop this. [ He says, only realizing what it might sound like - especially to a stranger, who might not realize his intention behind those words - a moment later. Fabian's facial expression grows a little less hard at that, something more sympathetic flowing into both his facial features and his voice as he adds: ] It has nothing to do with power.

[ Because he doesn't want her to think this is just him underestimating her. ]

This place is far stronger than any of us. Whatever is going on here-- We can't stop it. And they are trying to use it to hurt you.

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OCTOBER MINGLE

wanda maximoff | mcu

all hallow's eve

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masquerade

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Arrival

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all hallow's eve

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all hallow's eve

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