LePouvantail

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Lock gave his little brother a smirk. He didn't mind his bonds, as they were quite comfortable. The jingling key simply reminded him he couldn't hold or touch Lillith the way he wanted to at the moment.

"I'm being punished," he said, with an edge to his smile and a wicked note in his tone.

Barrel didn't bat an eye.

"What for?"

"I might have misled Lillith about our plans for Halloween," Lock said with a shrug.

He would have flicked his tail if he could. Instead, Lock sidled up to Lillith and rested his head on her hip for a quick nuzzle.

"So I'm making it up to her."

Upon hearing Agatha's use of, "dear," Lock started snickering, only to stop when Lillith tugged the chain. Barrel stuck out his tongue at Lock, then turned to Agatha.

"I had to finish my shopping anyway," he said with a shrug.

"We're out of bat milk," Lock reminded him.

"It's on the list," Barrel shot back.

He watched as Lillith pulled Lock to the counter. And on her command, the little devil crouched down and carefully shifted his feet until he sat cross-legged beside her. The chain tightened at his throat, just enough to go taut. So long as he sat beside Lillith, even the displays by the counter were out of his reach.

The prior conversation was quickly forgotten as Barrel laughed at Lock's unquestioning obedience. Lock shifted his hands enough to show Barrel he was flipping him off, then calmly rested his head against Lillith's knee.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Lock followed in behind her. The choke chain tightened at his neck, but it hardly bothered him as he went where Lillith wanted him to go. Barrel noticed his older brother's hands were behind his back, though he was unable to see the modified wrought iron shackles that not only kept his wrists bound, but had a special custom shackle between them to shackle his tail at the base of its spade. The shackle was tight enough that the little devil wouldn't be able to slide it out to use.

Something jingled at Lock's throat. It wouldn't be the first time he was seen in town with a collar, or the, "Lillith's pet" tag hanging from it. But it would be the first time a key hung with it.

Barrel giggled, not because of Lillith pulling his older brother around on a leash, but because he caught a few tells of Lock's frustration, particularly whenever the key chimed against the tag.

"A bit locked up there, bro?"

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Barrel watched her carefully. He knew enough about the witches to know their cackling didn't always mean something was funny. They often used it as the sign of a fantastic bargain being made. Barrel readied himself to get the scarab, when she spoke again.

"O...kay?"

But his relieved smile said enough that he wouldn't have to trade the scarab or deal with Shock.

"Thanks. I owe you one."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Bones. She knew. Barrel swallowed hard. How did he keep getting himself into these messes?

"R-right," he said quietly.

He quickly racked his brain for something to trade with. He couldn't give her anything else in the basket, as he needed them to get the rest of his groceries when he was done here. And he didn't have anything else on his person except his slingshot, two rocks for ammo, and plenty of candy. There had to be something in the lair he could--

Wait. There was something he could give her. There was a death scarab on his shelf. They weren't worth nearly as much as scorpion venom, but they were hard to come by, and highly prized by many Halloween Town citizens. Barrel grimaced. He'd been saving it for something special.

On the other hand...his other option was to let Shock pick up the tab. And she'd want to know why he cost her her wares. Again. And he knew better than to lie to her, because she had a way of wringing the truth out of him.

Barrel let out a small sigh.

"...All right," he said. "I have a scarab beetle I can give you, but I have to go home to get it."

He lowered his voice.

"To keep Shock happy."

He met her gaze and grinned, but there was a glint in his eyes and a tight edge to his smile more reminiscent of Lock and Shock's deviousness. It was often easy to assume Barrel was the odd one out in the group, with his more lax demeanor, rotound figure and round face compared to Lock and Shock's spiky thinness, and being the least troublesome on his own, but once in a while, his relationship to his older siblings shone through clearly.

Like when he knew it was a time to not be messed with any further. Especially when he had his older sister's wrath on the line.

"And nothing makes her happier than a perfect trick. Which I didn't mess up."

Barrel's face and demeanor seemed to soften. He actually giggled.

"It'd probably be funny if someone else did, though."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"Six knucklebones...?"

Barrel stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment.

"How am I short?"

Still, he checked his pockets for something besides candy to trade with. At the mention of putting it on the tab, he panicked again. That's what got him in trouble with Shock to begin with.

"N-no need," he said. "I'm sure I got something..."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Good, Barrel thought. She didn't notice.

He mentally kicked himself for nearly ruining Shock's trick. Scorpion care wouldn't be nearly enough to curb her wrath if Jack found out what she was up to. Barrel was so relieved, he didn't even notice Agatha bumped up the price a bit.

"Right," he said distractedly, his mind more on Shock's narrowly-avoided wrath than the alligator eyes. Barrel reached into the basket and set down a few jars of lake moss as an equivalent trade. "Gotta keep her happy. I'm already doing scorpion care for messing up one of her tricks. I don't even want to know what she'd do if I screw up another one."

Barrel flexed his hand once he set the jars down. The stings had dulled down, but still hurt. The scorpions went out of their way to pinch and sting - something Shock encouraged not only for her own amusement, but to make any would-be thieves think twice before she got their hands on them. It was a big reason why he and Lock disliked handling them unless absolutely necesssary.

"But thanks. Getting another jar will probably help!"

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"Yeah, you're right," Barrel said. "Might be a good idea to keep a second one in the pantry for when the first one gets low. Good idea, thanks!"

Barrel let her take the list.

"Nah, I'm just stocking the cupboards," he said. "Shock's already got everything she needs for Jack's hou--"

Bones. Bones, bones, bones, bones, BONES!

"--ow much are two jars?" he asked quickly.

Maybe Agatha didn't hear that. Oh please let this be one time she thinks he's bumbling!

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Barrel didn't expect the hug. Dinner must have gone better than he thought! He awkwardly returned it with a gentle pat on her back.

"Hey. Glad you liked them. I'm sure they'll come in handy."

He'd have to thank Carver for his assistance later. The fact that Agatha didn't immediately kick him out said enough. Barrel pulled out a scrap of paper that contained his list.

"Anyway, I only needed a few things. Do you have any of those extra large jars of alligator eyes? I swear Shock goes through them like candy."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Barrel arrived soon enough. Carver had him write a follow-up card as an "assurance" to be delivered with some potion ingredients. That was far from his mind as he was more concerned with getting garlic, unripe tomatoes, and a few other things before heading to the market for less specialty ingredients. They were definitely running low on alligator eyes.

"Hi, Agatha!" he said cheerfully, as he entered with a basket under his arm not only for carrying things back, but holding a few items to trade.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Shock watched him disappear down the slide, then went to the armory for her bag of tricks. She never knew what to expect from mortals, and liked to be prepared for any troublemaking opportunities. She then headed for the graveyard to wait for Carver.

Down below, Lock had only his calves pinned under Barrel. One more heave--

And then he saw Carver.

"Sure, whatev--"

But Carver had already punched Barrel. The big oaf kicked at Carver in response, and in the process, rolled over. Lock found himself pinned from the waist down under Barrel's weight.

"CARVER!"

Lock clawed at the ground and tried to wedge himself back out. Barrel snorted, but relaxed again.

"I'm gonna tighten your bolts!" Lock screamed as Carver climbed up the ladder and out of the lair.

~~~

Over the next few days, Shock spent some time planning out trouble. The Halloween high had worn off, and while Portland was fun, she didn't want to stay longer than needed. She was also still a bit bitter about Jack shaming her in front of her brothers, so she spent time crafting some vengeance against him that wouldn't go too far. Plus, Halloween Town needed a reminder here and there that even the Pumpkin King wasn't immune to her troublemaking whims. It helped keep the town on their toes and think twice about crossing her and her brothers.

Lock and Barrel knew she was up to something, but as she didn't want their help, they figured this was a trick she wanted to pull on her own. They got further confirmation with the occasionally overheard muttering of, "that Pumpkin Puss" and "show him some real trouble." Both of them knew that she was keeping them out of it in case something went wrong. Much like the rule of the lair, tricks against Jack had to be agreed upon together. No agreement meant those not involved with it were relieved of responsibility. And Lock and Barrel were happy to let Shock take a solo gamble if she felt the trick was worth it. Even Jack understood the unspoken rule not to blame them if they testified against her - something the trio rarely did to one another.

Of course, they weren't going to warn Jack of the trick ahead of time, either. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, after all, and their loyalty to each other came first and foremost.

Barrel got a glimpse of her plans when he went to tend to the scorpions. Shock sometimes used her scorpion room as a sort of office when she wanted time alone. He glanced through some of her papers on the table, then giggled when he saw some of the things she had planned. Barrel then went back to his chores. He was certain Shock would let him and Lock know when she was ready to enact her plans so they could witness it firsthand.

Once the tanks were done, he went to the kitchen to make a final check of things they needed, then it was off to the Witches Shop to replenish some supplies. Shock's plans quickly took a back seat as he thought of the rotten fish stew and oyster shell crackers he was going to make for dinner tonight. A brief thought of maybe having Agatha over crossed his mind, but he quickly pushed it back.

Best not to invite anyone over while his sister was involved in mayhem against the Pumpkin King. His stinging hands from stabbing and clawing scorpions was enough of a reminder of his older sister's potential vengeance.