Barrel poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Already on it," he said. "It's popping now."

With the other smells coming from the kitchen, though, the popcorn was subtle in comparison, not that Carver would be able to tell.

Lock ran back and forth from the kitchen to drop off any snacks Barrel finished making - and swiping one here and there between trips. Tentacle surprise bites were [i]always[/i] better fresh. For once, he didn't bother wearing his boots, which did put him at his natural height. Not only was this a casual gathering, Lock admittedly liked the texture of the stone floor and giant roulette wheel under his bare feet. Plus, if anyone said anything about it, he'd punch their lights out, damn whoever it was.

Some static crackling could be heard echoing from the slide. Shock came out a moment later, having had to go into the ravine and into the hidden cavern where the more sensitive wiring was hidden in order to fix some of the more annoying wiring that hadn't been used in a while. Her hair looked more wild than usual, and an occasional blue electric charge glowed under her pale yellow skin. Like Lock, she wasn't wearing any shoes either, and decided the outfit she wore when they wrecked the Finklestein lab was perfect for celebrating said wreckage, as it provided the reason they were celebrating: getting Carver's body back. Lock smirked as he looked her over, particularly her hair and the blue charges that shifted under her skin.

"Wrong wiring?" he asked.

"[i]Old[/i] wiring," Shock said, "and a refresh."

She shook her head to show off the strands of hair that now better resembled lightning bolts.

"Just in time for the party, too." Shock looked up at the window that served as the main entrance. "And a little [i]door prize[/i] for one of our guests."

She and Lock cackled at that. If she was careful not to touch anything that would conduct the charge, Shock could pick an unwitting victim to release the rest of the charge on. Lock picked up one of the smaller cups from the table and poured a small sip from each of the two kegs they had, both to make sure they functioned properly, and to taste their wares. Behemoth's pumpkin lager was top notch, as usual - did he detect a hint of crushed vanilla beetle? - and the rotten apple cider was certainly the best in Halloween Town. He didn't have any more than that, as he needed to watch his limit for later.

The tests accomplished, Lock set the cup down on a nearby cement block with an imprisoned skeleton sticking out of it. They didn't bother with other surfaces to set things on; many of Oogie's old torture devices were flat enough. He flicked his tail and checked the time. They hadn't specified anything, but "night" in Halloween Town was often understood as "anytime after sundown." And as the sun was about gone, he expected the always-prompt vampire twins to arrive soon.