Barrel stuck his tongue out at Carver.

"Better late than never."

The trio walked alongside Jack to the pumpkin patch, still giggling from the results of their trouble. Even Jack couldn't hide his smile, at least until they got to the front door, where he noticeably put more effort into regaining his poise. Shock picked up the battering ram on the way out and slung it over her shoulder.

"Gotta give this back to Agatha," she said with a grin.

"[i]Agatha[/i] let you borrow it?" Jack asked.

The two young witches weren't exactly known to get along, and usually at best tolerated each other.

"She saw a monster in need and offered assistance," Shock said sweetly. "Isn't that what we're [i]supposed[/i] to do?"

Jack sighed and shook his head. Shock ran ahead of the group to get to the witches' shop, where Agatha currently ran the counter. After a quick verification that the shop witch got her toy back in the same condition that she lent it, and that they'd settle the debt on the next scorpion exchange, Shock raced to the pumpkin patch to meet up with her brothers. Lock and Barrel kept pace with Jack, mostly so the Pumpkin King would have no reason to give chase and potentially set off the nitroglycerin if he accidentally jostled Carver's cage.

Once they reached the gate to the pumpkin patch, Shock caught up and expectantly held out her hands to take Carver. Jack carefully handed him over. Unfortunately for Carver, he hadn't forgotten what he said earlier.

"Find a head, carve it, then bring him back to my house," Jack said. He glanced up at the sky. "It looks like you'll have [i]plenty[/i] of time to do it before sundown."

Shock gingerly adjusted Carver's cage in her arms. She barely bit back a grimace, but Jack not only let them get away with battering the door down, he intentionally let them cause trouble [i]and[/i] got Carver away from Finklestein. All things considered, it wasn't worth arguing with him when they were on the Pumpkin King's good side.

"...Okay, Jack," the trio said.

They turned to head into the pumpkin patch.

"See you--" Shock called over her shoulder.

"--Later--" Lock said as he waved to Jack, then followed his sister.

"--Jack!" Barrel said with a grin.

"[i]Before sundown[/i]," Jack said firmly.

He watched the tricksters disappear among the pumpkin piles, then headed home to set up a space for Carver.

~~~

Jack did a round around town a bit before sunrise to ensure the pumpkin creature's arrival. He then sat down with Carver and made a list of anything else they needed to retrieve from the Finklestein home, anything else he needed from the Finklesteins themselves, and times the two of them agreed upon for Carver to check in with him before going off with the trio. Jack was aware that Carver at times went off for days at a time with the tricksters, and therefore didn't require it every day, but he wanted it to be at least often enough for the two of them to touch base and ensure Carver was getting what he needed.

Jack accompanied Carver the following morning to the Finklestein residence to retrieve some personal possessions and drop off some specifications for the new endoskeleton. Jewel and Igor had gotten the lab back into a manageable enough condition that a temporary one could be ready that afternoon.

For their part, Lock, Shock, and Barrel didn't put up much of an argument about Carver's living situation. Shock had taken the nitroglycerin back once Jack had been out of sight yesterday, and she and her brothers let Carver pick a pumpkin, that the three of them then worked on with input from the tapping code.

The three eyes were non-negotiable. They had their wicked hearts set on it, and each of the trio carved their own design to better personalize the pumpkin.

Today, as Carver was getting a new, [i]proper[/i] body, the trickster siblings had other things to do.

Like celebrate their victory and yesterday's trouble [i]properly[/i]. Lock and Shock went to procure refreshments - Lock to the sewers to barter with some of Halloween Town's better brewers for a good hard cider, and Shock to the pumpkin patch to bargain with Behemoth for some of his best pumpkin lager - and in the meantime, left Barrel to get their friends together.

His task, he felt, was the easiest: find their friends, invite them, go home and start making snacks. No way he could mess [i]that[/i] up!

Probably best to start with Agatha. She [i]did[/i] loan them the battering ram, after all. Barrel strolled into the witches' shop. After the familiar greeting - and brief pause that often came when one of the trio entered - Barrel got straight to business.

"Is Agatha in?" he asked.