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[h2]The Pumpkin Man[/h2]
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Having knocked frantically for the past few minutes, the Pumpkin Man was completely drenched in water. One could imagine his facial expression of being slammed into the wall of a citadel, not a very happy one for sure. Steam rose off his head as his annoyance grew, two great plums rose from his eye holes, making his appearance all the more hilarious to anyone who had been watching him. Though, the Pumpkin Man was certainly not in his (sadistically) happy mood.

Mater Lei, however, was.

She didn't know who was knocking, and given the circumstances, she wouldn't have opened for anyone anyway, except maybe Promus, or a desperate maiden of the soaked variety. When her pocket-watch had ticked thirty seconds, she made it rain. When the watch ticked ninety, she snapped it shut and waltzed slowly to the citadel door, swinging her cane.

[colour=thistle]"Lovely weather we've been ha-"[/colour]

Lei stopped dead, then screamed. Within well under a second, the Pumpkin Man was the unfortunate victim of a powerful long-armed grip, raising him up like a proud son and shaking him like a doll.

[colour=thistle]"I LOVE YOU, KIKO!"[/colour] she screamed down the nearest tunnel, gripping him tightly to her chest and drying him instantly.

The Pumpkin Man was quite literally being crushed, even with his divinely enhanced body was straining against the absolute bear hug that had been bestowed upon him. Thankfully, he didn’t have lungs so the air he didn’t need to use to breathe wasn‘t being forced out of him. However he did let out a sound of pain, attempting to break free from this psychopath of a god.

[color=f7976a]”Miss, if you could please let go. I’d prefer not to die after just being born,”[/color] the Pumpkin Man said in a pained voice, simply wanting to be free of the grip.

[colour=thistle]"If you die from this~ you are weak~ and did not deserve to live~"[/colour] reminded Mater Lei.

Granted, he wasnt actually taking damage from Lei’s hug, he just really disliked hugs. He disliked them so much, it caused him actual physical pain.

[color=f7976a]”Please stop...,”[/color] the Pumpkin Man pleaded.

Lei stopped, held him at arm's length. [colour=thistle]"You [i]really[/i] aren't familiar with chaos gods, are you?"[/colour]

[color=f7976a]”Considering I was born and immediately put to work with no explanation, no. But if they all hug then I wish I had stayed a simple pumpkin,”[/color] he said, his face making a motion as if he were rolling the eyes he didn’t have.

[colour=thistle]"They do,"[/colour] she confirmed. [colour=thistle]"Of all the gods that walk this earth, I am the least prone to embrace. You have to stay here forever now."[/colour] Lei put him down and twirled her cane, leaning back on it. [colour=thistle]"If it helps, I much prefer you as an impeccably dressed pumpkin. Simple doesn't suit you, darling."[/colour]

[color=f7976a]”I thank you for your compliments,”[/color] The Pumpkin Man said with an elaborate bow. [color=f7976a]”As for staying here forever, I don’t think my lady Kikoquatl would very much like that. Especially with the important task she sent me here for,”[/color] he pulled a single card from the inside of his suit. It was all black, save for the orange pumpkin with yellow eyes and the sadistic smile on it. [color=f7976a]“My card,”[/color] he explained, offering it to Lei as he held it between his index and middle finger, [color=f7976a]”My creator sent me here to invite you to a gala that she will be holding, she also wants me to organize everything that doesnt pertain to food.”[/color]

Mater Lei froze for a second, then disappeared. Scraps of fabric and smoke drifted slowly down the air.

It was then that a rotten odor wafted through the doorway, quickly followed by yellow slime mold that spider webbed across the floor. From the mold rose a familiar, rounded form that manifested just behind the pumpkin man. The Lord of Rot leaned down to inspect the orange creature with a curious tilt to his empty hood.
[color=598527]”What an interesting creature,”[/color] he murmured.

The Pumpkin Man jumped, not expecting something to show up behind him. What he saw was something revolting to the sight and even worse for his sense of smell, luckily he had enough resolve to at least survive the encounter. [color=f7976a]”Hello there, didn’t notice you sneaking up on me like some kind of creep. Not that I would peg you for one, rotting corpse man. I don’t mean any offense of course,”[/color] he said with a smile.

[color=598527]”Apologizes if I frightened you, but I do not sneak. I materialized here.”[/color] The correction was not made with any sort of hostility. It was more a statement of fact to Pelegath. [color=598527]”Do you know where Mater Lei is? I have urgent matters to discuss with her.”[/color]

There was a small 'bang'. Lei turned up with two coat-hangers on each hand and a dress on each of them, wearing a [url=https://78.media.tumblr.com/6037b10978a6fb344944599b44594a61/tumblr_p0nnmzXuKw1rrzmi2o3_540.jpg]lacy black gown[/url] and a [url=https://originalveniceshop.com/en/venetian-masks/675-candia/]new mask[/url]. [colour=thistle]"I,"[/colour] she announced, [colour=thistle]"am ready. To the ball!"[/colour]

Then, after a few seconds, [colour=thistle]"Oh. Hello, Pelegath."[/colour]

He looked her up and down for a brief moment and had he any eyebrows, one would be raised.
[color=598527]”Hello. You seem busy so I will try to be brief. I assume you are aware of my brother, Larwen’s ideals concerning “perfection”, yes?”[/color]

[colour=thistle]"Mmm, distantly aware, yes,"[/colour] offered Lei. [colour=thistle]"He hasn't exactly perfected anything yet, has he? Just forged a few monsters."[/colour]

[color=598527]”Nothing more than a swath of now leveled swamp, but I fear the day when his plans come to fruition. Something needs to be done proactively before he causes irreversible damage to creation.”[/color]

[colour=thistle]"Oh, is that so."[/colour] Mater Lei glanced round, and finding no nearby handmaidens to carry her accoutrements, palmed them off on the Pumpkin Man. She dusted her hands (which weren't dusty) and opened a small portal to the western plateau. [colour=thistle]"Our friend is currently... Nowhere to be seen. Some small titans are wandering around his Pervanon like lost and frightened children."[/colour] She snapped the portal shut and shrugged. [colour=thistle]"What seems to be the problem, again?"[/colour]

[color=598527]”The problem is not imminent, but looming. I am not suggesting we destroy or otherwise imprison my brother if that is what you are thinking, but his power needs to be kept in check before something catastrophic happens.”[/color]

Mater Lei pulled out her pocketwatch and stared at it. [colour=thistle]"[i]Before... something... catastrophic... happens.[/i] Alright,"[/colour] she said, closing the watch, adjusting her already impeccably bunned hair. [colour=thistle]"Who's 'we'?"[/colour]

Pelegath shifted uncomfortably at the shift in her tone, but retained his composure for the most part.
[color=598527]”We is myself and anyone willing to help.”[/color] He purposely neglected to mention his sister for fear of her taking any sort of punishment for his idea. [color=598527]” The balance of creation is the concern of everyone, and so I humbly request access to an artifact from the vault that would limit my brother’s power without harming or imprisoning him.”[/color]

[colour=thistle]"Denied."[/colour] Lei faced him, hands settled on her cane. [colour=thistle]"What kind of coward are you, Pelegath? Have you [i]seen[/i] the rest of the pantheon? This family is infested with order and law. If you and your siblings cannot quiet down a rogue brother without my help, you certainly don't deserve to have it granted. And if Larwen rises to dominance in spite of all of you, he is worthy of that throne."[/colour] Lei tapped her cane. [colour=thistle]"I hope that wasn't all."[/colour]

Pelegath sighed quietly, the putrid air of his breath stirring the edges of his hood. She had made it abundantly clear to him that she would be of no help.
[color=598527]”Unfortunately, it was. Apologies for delaying you.”[/color]
Without another word, the death god crumbled into dust that rotted away to the point where they seemed to disappear from existence and he was gone. [colour=thistle]"Ta ta, boy, better luck next time,"[/colour] she chirped, waving him off.

Lei turned back to the Pumpkin Man. [colour=thistle]"Now about that gala."[/colour]

The Pumpkin Man, still holding the clothes that Lei had pawned off to him. His sadistic smile was clear as day after watching the god get turned down in such a manner. [color=f7976a]”I love the smell of crushed hopes,”[/color] he chimed before getting to the topic at hand, [color=f7976a]”Anyways, the gala isn’t quite ready yet. Kikoquatl is probably making enough food to feed several pantheons and I have yet to put up decorations. Or get something to provide music. Or get anything in fact.”[/color]

Lei shrugged. [colour=thistle]"I think Orfai ran off with my record player."[/colour]

He let a slight sigh of frustration before looking back to the spot where Pelegath had disappeared. [color=f7976a]”If you wouldn’t mind me asking, do you know of anything else that could help me in my task? I’d ask you, yourself, but such a refined woman shouldn’t have to do any work. At the same time I’d rather not get on the bad side of the pantheon for not providing the adequate care for such an occasion.”[/color] Lei marinaded in the validation, then wound back her hands and formed an orb of energy between them.

[colour=thistle]"I don't know, Pumpkin Man-"[/colour] Her mask was grinning. [colour=thistle][i]"-Do I?"[/i][/colour]

She hurled the orb, and it struck a wall of the citadel, exploding into paper and fire. From the wreckage and burnt pine needles, Mater Lei retrieved a large book. It was weighty and filled with annotations. [colour=thistle]"Let's see. Pumpkin... Soup. With cream."[/colour]

Lei selected a page and tapped it with a heavy finger. Dust flowed from her and into the book, and she folded the page and glided it off into the woods, where it sparked, fizzed and blurred into a steamy cauldron of the same. She palmed off the tome to the Pumpkin Man without taking back her dresses.

[colour=thistle]"True to recipe,"[/colour] she explained, dipping her finger in the soup and touching it to the lips of her mask. [colour=thistle]"It's almost every dish I know. You may have to recharge it after the first few uses."[/colour] She sat down on the edge of the cauldron.

[colour=thistle]"Send Kiko my regards,"[/colour] said Mater Lei, blowing a kiss before leaning back and disappearing into the soup.

The Pumpkin Man watched the soup for a few moments before letting out a sigh. Now that he had four new dresses and a cook book, he supposed it was time to go and report back to Kikoquatl. That would be fun.

[Hider=Summary]
Pumpkin Man visits a goddess and introduces himself.

He tells her of the gala Kiko wants to hold, she has a minor panic attack out of joy.

Pelegath comes up and spooks Pumpkin Man. Then gets denied on his proposition of stopping Larwen by Lei before departing

Pumpkin Man asks for help. He gets a cookbook that actually makes food. [b]1 Miracle from Lei to charge her recipe book with enough energy for a feast. Maybe not a Kikoquatl-sized feast, but a feast.[/b]

Time to do butler things.

[+2 Prestige for Pumpkin Man]

[b]
Mater Lei
5 Might
2 Miracles
Level Four
7.5/8 Acts of Creation
[/b][/hider]