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[color=gray][i]Halloween Festival[/i][/color]
[sub][b]Interactions:[/b] [@Punished GN], [@AtomicEmperor], [@FernStone][/sub]

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Being told to ‘buzz buzz’ only put a sour look on Layla's face.

[quote=Sabrina]"Hi, Ms. Nour, I'm Sabrina [b][i]VANBUREN[/i][/b],"[/quote]

Layla blinked as she held onto Britney's sleeve. Did ‘Vanburen’ mean something? Did… Sabrina have ties to the scum of the world that was the 8th Street Coven?

Then her eyes darted to the black cloth growing in Sabrina's hands. Her intrigued was piqued as she considered Sabrina's abstraction having more than one application…

Of course, a lot happened in that one moment. By the time she looked back, Linqian was freezing Vashti, and Vashti… Vashti was about to take a shot at Linqian!

Layla took an audible gasp, sucking in snow and rain as her eyes widened.

[quote=Vashti][color=darkcyan]“No need, Ms. Vanburen, no need! We're just fooling around,”[/color][/quote]

And just like that, the situation de-escalated. Or so it appeared. But with the crocodile who appeared high off her rocker, and who ran with the packed dynamite that was Emily, it was hard to tell.

[quote=Vashti][color=darkcyan]“Which reminds me, if you see Sloane tell her to drop by the manor again tomorrow.”[/color][/quote]

That caused a small spike in Layla's blood pressure. [color=7ABBFF][b]”What?”[/b][/color]

Was Sloane fraternizing with another coven? Layla hoped that Vashti was just trying to sow doubt between members, and Sloane in fact hadn't done so. 

But… why did it matter to Layla?

Layla swallowed painfully.

If Sloane’s ties did in fact lie elsewhere, this was a risk that needed to be looked into at some point.

[quote=Vashti][color=darkcyan]“Love your costumes by the way. Very cool. Very, very recognizable. Real easy to spot even in this weather.”[/color][/quote]

The thinly veiled threat increased the pained grimace on Layla’s face. She watched carefully, with the wide eyes of a stunned deer, as Vashti slowly took her bear and shambled off.

Her eyes glanced to Britney, then passed across the group to Linqian and Edict. Before she noticed Linqian stand on her tippy toes to lean into Edict's ear.

[i]Why do they look cute together?[/i]

Layla stared for a moment longer, before shaking her head and looking away. Linqian had given her a [i]look[/i]. The kind of look that was a mix of contempt and smugness.

[i]Does she know?[/i]

Layla suddenly felt sick to her stomach, arms crossing over her body. She felt so powerless… So. So… [i]empty[/i].

[i]Fuck.[/i]

Her anger bubbled up briefly. She felt sick of feeling so powerless. Just because she didn't have hands. Just because she didn't have her companion to protect her. Is this really what she had reduced herself to? A sniveling, shambling girl?

Her lip curled into an unconscious snarl as she glared at the wet ground.

No. She was better than this. She had to be.

Perhaps a talk with Miss Vorpal was in order. Perhaps another talk with [i]them[/i] was also in order. She needed some semblance of control. Some semblance of [i]power[/i]. Some semblance of… Of… Of… well, it was her quiet secret. But perhaps… she would find herself quite busy after one little night of fun. She'd hang around a bit, and call it a day.

The devil waited for no one, after all.

[quote=Linqian][color=CD5C5C]”Though going to a haunted house at our age is fucking lame without getting absolutely wasted first.”[/color][/quote]

Layla swallowed for a moment, breaking out of her thoughts before she offered a sheepish smile.

[color=7ABBFF][b]“I don't know if I feel comfortable getting drunk in the open. Not with… Everything going on.”[/b][/color]

Yeah, [i]everything[/i]. No need to elaborate on that.

[color=7ABBFF][b]“You all can get drinks, I'll wait. Then we can go see some spooky ghosts? Try to forget some… not so great people are here too?”[/b][/color]