video; after new arrivals

[sos_pilot]

Hey hey, party people! For all you new cats and kittens, the name's Della Duck! And... someday I will think of a less embarrassing way to introduce myself. Not today.

Anyway! I know time's on a big pause button or whatever back home, but if it wasn't, you know what my world would be celebrating later this month? Only the best holiday ever made - Halloween! Dressing up in costumes, free candy, and scaring the pants off everyone! If you wear pants, anyway.

I know world-hopping and all those kinda shenanigans make celebrating holidays harder, but... it's Halloween. We gotta at least try. It'll be on the last day of the month, so, plenty of time to prepare if you wanna chip in! We need to use one of the big carriage, gotta make a lot of sweets, and go to town on stitching up costumes.

Now, for those of you who have no idea what Halloween is... you've got my sympathies, I'm so sorry. But here are some highlights!

One -  Haunted Houses. Again, can't go the extra mile 'cause... train. BUT I'm sure we can come pretty close! Things popping out at you, spooky noises, fear pumping through your veins!

Two - Trick or Treating. Usually this is for the little kids. They go from house to house, knock and say "Trick or Treat!" and then get candy. Still no houses, but I say who needs 'em! If a kid says it on that special day, we should have plenty of candy to go around for the tykes... or for the tykes at heart.

Three - COSTUMES! Be someone or something you're not! The sky's the limit! This year I had planned to go on "matching opposites" costumes with my twin brother, like we did when we were younger - I'd be a devil, he'd be an angel - but since he's not around, what will I be? That's a surprise. Cause I haven't thought of it yet.

If you've got any questions, or suggestions, lemme know! Let's make this the best Halloween the train's ever had!

Comments

video;

[irrationally]

I am entirely unsurprised you are so fond of this.

[ If there's anything Alice knows about Della, it's that she likes dangerous things way too much. So of course she'd like being scared too. It's pretty much predictable.

Also, is she just opting to ignore the last time they spoke and how that went? Yes, yes, she is. Deal with it. ]

Are you sure it's such a great idea to scare people on the train though?

video;

[sos_pilot]

[ Della hasn't forgotten that 'last time', and is just waiting for the right time to bring it up again... ]

What's wrong with a little fear? It's healthy!

[irrationally]

The screams, for one.

[ It's not like Alice is really worried about getting scared herself. She doubts anything could still scare her. Or, well, at least not anything conventionally scary, anyway. ]

I don't even want to know how big of a headache I would get if I had to endure the constant terrified screams of some of the people on this train.

[sos_pilot]

It won't be constant screaming. I'll keep the Haunted House separated from the candy, promise.

[irrationally]

Who said I wanted to eat the candy? [ (She definitely wants to eat the candy.) ]

.. But I'm keeping you to that promise, you know. If I end up hearing prolonged screams, I will make sure to give them something to truly be scared about.

[ That threat would probably sound a lot more convincing if she wasn't half-pouty right now.. ]

[sos_pilot]

Yessss, excellent!

...

I mean, nooo, that would be awful.

[irrationally]

[ Alice is quiet for a moment.

When she speaks up again, her tone is very dry. ]

Please tell me you are not planning to use me as a prop in your.. 'haunted house'.

[sos_pilot]

... I wasn't thinking of it before.

[ But she sure is NOW. ]

[irrationally]

[ DELLA.

PLEASE. ]

I don't like the sound of that 'before'.

[sos_pilot]

Whaaaat, don't you trust me?

[irrationally]

Do you want an honest or a nice answer to that question?

[sos_pilot]

... Honesty is the best policy?

[irrationally]

I don't.

[ THANKS, ALICE.

Although she doesn't necessarily sound 100% angry or rude about it. If anything, there's a weird near-flustered underside to the tone she's using right now.. ]

I could definitely see you somehow trying to force me into it.

[sos_pilot]

C'mon, Alice, I would never force you to do anything you didn't wanna do!

Bribe, maybe. Guilt, if I knew how. But force? For shame.

[irrationally]

I'm fairly sure that there's very little difference between guilting and forcing someone. [ Dryly. Don't you dare try, Della! ]

And there is nothing you could use to bribe me, so perhaps you should just consider this a lost cause from the start.

[sos_pilot]

I might put the idea on hold for now, but don't count me out on giving up entirely.

[irrationally]

Do you really think there’s a better chance of fooling me sometime later down the road?

I’m not going to let down my guard, you know.

[sos_pilot]

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss me. I know one of your weaknesses.

[irrationally]

[ DELLA.

Thankfully there's no knife this time - yet?? - but after briefly looking startled, Alice's look darkens. ]

And what do you plan on doing with it?

[sos_pilot]

That's for me to know and you to find out.

[ She has no idea how to use that knowledge TBH. But Alice doesn't need to know that. ]