The sudden torchlight made the bathtub scamper for the nearest shadow, though not nearly quickly enough for them to not be seen. Lock, Shock and Barrel all leaned over the edge of the tub to glance at newcomers through their masks.

[quote=Loud, annoying parrot][color=red]"I see what ya mean, Cassim. Clearly these people have a lot to be afraid of what with the whole GIANT SKELETONS WALKING AROUND! I'M OUTTA HERE!"[/color][/quote]

"Uh-oh," they said together.

The stranger approached them. Lock, Shock, and Barrel watched him closely, and more than that, the red bird with him. They grinned under their masks as the stranger caught his tailfeathers to keep him from flying away.

[quote=Mysterious Stranger][color=035096]"I do hope you're not absconding with these children, skeleton-creature. It would be a pity to dirty my cloak in a fight after such a nice day of riding."[/color]
[/quote]

"...'Absconding'?" Lock repeated.

"Is that bad?" Barrel asked.

All of them perked up at the mention of a fight. [i]That[/i] sounded like fun, but before they could say or do anything else, Jack greeted the stranger.

[quote=Jack][color=orange]"No sir, we're just a bunch of travelers, far from our home. Though, we normally make our appearance around the end of October, a shadow took us here and stole away someone dear to us."[/color][/quote]

The trickster trio nodded.

"We almost had it, too!" Barrel whined.

Shock grabbed her brothers' collars and knocked their heads together.

"We lost it thanks to [i]these[/i] dummies."

Lock pushed her away. Before he could start another fight, Jack started the introductions.

[quote=Jack][color=orange]"Jack Skellington, the one and only Pumpkin King, and the Spirit of Halloween! These are Lock, Shock, and Barrel, the truly troublesome troupe of terrifying tricksters, and this is Zero!"[/color]
[/quote]

That got the trio to settle down for a moment and turn back to the newcomer. As Jack said their names, they respectively pulled off their masks to reveal that their faces were not only similar to the masks they wore, but [i]scarier[/i] than the simple designs they hid behind. Their grins got even bigger as Jack delved into their abilities.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel kept their eyes on the red bird. It was nothing like anything they'd seen in Halloween Town, where the birds were all either skeletal, or simply ravens and crows. And none of them could talk. The siblings leaned over the edge of the tub to get a closer look.

"What kind of bird is [i]that[/i]?" Lock asked, his tail twitching with curiousity.

"He's not very scary," Shock observed, a note of disappointment in her voice.

"But he talks!" Barrel said. "That's something."

Shock nodded in agreement.

"But what's he good for?"

"Does he bite?" Lock asked.

Barrel climbed onto the edge of the bathtub to get a little closer to the bird.

"Does he like candy?"