LePouvantail

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Jack did a double take at the group.

"Housebreaking--?"

Shock broke out of her stupor first.

"Too late!" she cried. "This is a lot more fun!"

With that, she bolted up the path, with Loki skreeing in excitement and her brothers on her tail. Chad chugged the rest of his beer and crushed the can on his forehead.

"WOOOOOO!" he cried as he ran after them. "Let's go wreck stuff!"

Jack quickly followed.

"Hey - get back here!"

Lock, Shock, and Barrel cackled as they ran up the path. Shock brought the battering ram down to properly grip it as she cleared the first set of three steps. In sync with her, Barrel grabbed the back handle, while Lock helped her grip the front. It took Chad a second or two to catch up and assist Barrel, but by then, they got past the second small set of steps and were on their way to the front door.

Jack's long legs barely kept him right behind the group. Their youth and current adrenaline rush gave them a slight advantage. All four of the battering ram holders cried out in fury and excitement. It only took one shot to knock Finklestein's door down clean off its hinges. From upstairs, a small explosion was heard, followed by Jewel's cursing. Shock knew breaking the door down and whatever experiment they just ruined was enough to get the doctor's attention. She still yelled up the tower.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Finklestein!" she screamed.

"As do you three," Jack said, as he stepped into the now-open entryway. "What in the name of Halloween is going on?"

The trio unceremoniously dropped the battering ram. Chad followed suit when he realized the ram was too heavy to hold up by himself. Shock glared at Jack, but realized she had an opportunity. She crossed her arms.

"He forced Carver into a new body," she said simply.

"Carver tried it," Lock added. "Didn't like it."

"And now he won't change it back!" Barrel said.

"That new body is hurting him," Shock continued. "Not only that, it's affecting our balance too."

Jack listened, and noticed that the jovial attitude the trio exhibited right before they ran up the path was gone now. All of them spoke with frustration and seriousness. Shock in particular, he noticed didn't attempt her usual feigning of innocence. Even more, he knew the trio disliked their sync being thrown off.

"...I see," he said quietly, as he looked up the ramp where Jewel finally found the door to the lab to let the smoke out.

Chad, thinking the skeleton bro didn't quite get the seriousness of the matter, piped up with another observation.

"And he gave Carver boobs!"

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Shock grumbled, but agreed to wait outside. Loki gently pinched her ear while they waited. She reached up and stroked his shell with one finger. Barrel patiently stood beside her, while Lock remained with Lillith for the moment. Normally, he'd love to climb on her hips and hold her, but they were on a trouble mission. The second Agatha brought down that battering ram, he needed to be ready.

And she was back, quick as a black cat finding shelter from a rainstorm. Lock, Shock, and Barrel all looked at the battering ram with devious gleams in their eyes. Shock snatched it from Agatha's hands and looked it over. It was about a foot shorter than Lock, but pretty thick.

"Solid graveyard oak, too," she said. "This will do nicely."

She swung it over her shoulder, then turned to Lock.

"All right, you little devil," she said, choosing her words with care to keep Chad from figuring out which one was Barrel. "You're gonna be up front with me."

Lock's tail twitched up a storm behind him as he looked at the battering ram. He was already eager to use it.

"Finklestein won't know what hit him!"

"That's the point," Shock said. She turned to Barrel. "You're gonna be behind me when we use it."

Barrel grinned, then happily followed his sister. The trio ran towards Finklestein's house at a pace that would allow Carver to follow, but also wouldn't mask their excitement.

Unbeknownst to them, Jack was already heading that way. He had promised Carver to check in, and finally had a moment to do just that. As the witch's shop was in the little courtyard, he hadn't initially seen the group as he crossed the square and reached Finklestein's front gate. He barely got it open when in the corner of his eye socket, he saw a blur of color running his way. Jack turned just in time to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel run up with a lot of Halloween Town's teens behind them. Shock held a battering ram, and before he could even begin to think of what she planned to do with it, the trio realized who was in their path.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Whatever they were doing, Jack caught their determination, but in that second, the tricksters, at least, seemed to be having second thoughts of whatever it was they were up to this time.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Lock doubled over laughing when the twins smacked Chad. Barrel sniggered. Shock would have joined her brothers if she wasn't currently focused on getting the battering ram and tormenting Finklestein.

"Yeah," she said, with a note in her tone urging Agatha to move it. "Let's go."

Lock composed himself, got up, and sidled up to Lillith. He nuzzled her waist, then turned to Chad.

"Kinky for everyone but you," Lock assured Chad. "Unless you mind losing a few fingers."

He grinned to show his pointed teeth, then walked with his girlfriend towards the witch's shop. He snerked at Carver's suggestion and otherwise quieted to not give away the trick. Barrel laughed at it too.

"Okay, I won't tell," he said, then followed his siblings.

Sobki went up to Chad.

"Bro," he said. "That's...not how we address ghouls in Halloween Town."

He waited for Shock to get ahead far enough that she'd be out of earshot. Even so, he lowered his voice.

"Be grateful you learned from the twins and not her. She'd have your head, and I mean the one on your shoulders."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Chad's misfortune got the trio to laugh. What a loser! Sobki quickly stepped forward to help his friend, and mentally noted that he was going to have to give Chad a rundown on the trickster siblings later, as well as attempt to educate them on Chad's...odd mannerisms.

Emphasis on attempt.

Shock got a hold of herself long enough to take in Agatha's offer.

There it was. The youngest witch couldn't stop them, so she was going to profit instead. She felt for her shorts pockets, but obviously, none of them had anything to trade with, given how quickly they left the lair. Still, Shock had to admit Agatha had a point. The path to the doctor's home was pretty narrow, especially that small fence around the main tower, with only a wide enough gap to get to the front door. She crossed her arms, unhappy with the delay, but willing to take the offer.

"Fine. Put it on my tab so we can get this overwith."

Shock smirked at Chad.

"You can take the back with Barrel."

She and Lock would take the front so Chad and Barrel's combined brute force would put more power into the overall ramming.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Lock, Shock, and Barrel also turned to new guy. Lock looked properly perplexed, Shock crossed her arms and glared, as nothing could break her from her current fury, Loki tilted his head at this strange "new monster", and Barrel just slowly cocked his head in confusion.

All of the trio relaxed when the new guy offered to join in. Shock even smirked at the thought of potential trouble.

"The more--" she started.

"--The merrier!" Barrel finished with a grin.

He offered a high-five to Chad. The new guy now added to their group, they turned to Agatha. Lock and Shock proudly gestured to Barrel, who took a bow.

"His thick skull is good for something," Lock said.

He patted his little brother's head before Barrel stood straight again. The youngest trickster shrugged.

"It's true," Barrel agreed.

Shock stepped towards Agatha.

"Why?" she asked. "What's in it for you?"

She wasn't about to turn down additional help, but she also knew the witches were pretty loyal to Jack and always out for a bargain. Unlike the vampires, who she knew joined them on the technicality that they were helping a fellow citizen, and thus were being lawful, Agatha had no such caveat to keep her from defecting.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Shock simply assumed Agatha was getting the hell out of her way like the monsters at the main gate. She and her brothers stopped at Agatha's question.

"Finklestein's--" Shock started.

"--Gone--" Barrel continued.

"--Too far this time!" Lock finished.

From the fountain, the crocodile-headed teen and his friend headed over to see what all the ruckus was about. The mummy - Sobki - sensed, much like Agatha, that something was amiss when he saw the tricksters and the vampires in solidarity.

"...Gone too far?" he dared to ask.

Lock gestured to Carver.

"He put Carver in a new body he didn't ask for!"

Shock crossed her arms.

"So we're gonna break the damn door down--"

"--And make him change him back!" Barrel finished.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Shock either didn't hear Carmilla, or blatantly ignored her. Either way, the oldest trickster was up the second rope ladder and on the bridge before Carmilla could finish speaking. She ran towards Halloween Town. She ignored the dirt and uneven path under her stockinged feet as she put her focus into what she was going to do to Finkelstein when she got there.

Knock the old man out of his wheelchair, for one. Make use of his own tools, for another. He had volatile and explosive chemicals; those alone sounded fun in her devious mind. Jewel had better not get in her way, either - she had no qualms with taking her out too. Lock and Barrel ran behind her, eager to assist their older sister in whatever trouble she was cooking up.

Lock shot Carver a grin. Whatever Shock was planning, he knew the pumpkin creature would get his chance to assist. He and Barrel might just be back-up, but the fact that they'd all get to play was already making up for their cancelled band session. He saw Lillith fly nearby and grinned wider.

Right. She did make a promise. More than that, he knew she could be just as devious when she wanted to be. When Lillith reformed beside him, Lock set his focus back on the mission. His grin faded into determination for justice.

Barrel giggled as he ran and playfully nudged Carver.

"We'll get our popcorn after this," he said cheerfully.

He caught another bat catching up. It looked like Carmilla was joining the fun too. Hey, the more the merrier! Like Lock, his amusement better faded to anger the closer they got to Halloween Town. Trouble was fun, but Shock's fury quickly spread to her brothers.

The main gate opened to let the horde of angry teenagers into Halloween Town. Once she entered the square, Shock stopped for a moment to make sure Carver, at least, had caught up, as the pumpkin creature's heavier body meant a slower speed. As angry as she was, she wasn't about to deny her friend his rightfully-earned front row seat to the chaos bubbling in her mind.

A few monsters came and went, as some of them did in the day. A mummified teen with a crocodile skull was talking and laughing with what appeared to be a human in a Letterman jacket near the fountain. Mr. Hyde walked out of the courtyard where the witch's shop sat. Clown and Behemoth passed by. Clown noticed the trio and peddled faster on his unicycle to get away from them. Shock looked furious, and he was not about to get in her way and be pushed off his unicycle again. Sadbh the banshee flew by with a quick glance to the group, and like Clown, made haste to get away from them.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

"...Music can be re-written..."

Any decorum Lock had left immediately drained as he realized just how much work he'd have to do to fix it.

"Re-written? Re-written?" he screamed. "You think I can just throw out a few notes and it'll be fine?"

Lock kicked the xylophone over again. He ignored Carver and Carmilla tussling nearby.

"I'll have to change the accompaniments too!" he screamed. "Everything's a piece of everything else, and---"

He kicked the xylophone away from him, now too angry for words. Barrel just muttered and whined.

Just as the cacophony reached its peak, a loud RIIIIIIIIIIIP! echoed across the room.

Shock remained on the couch, her book torn in half, the pieces clutched tightly in her hands. Her body was completely still as she stared ahead in frustration. Lock and Barrel both quieted immediately. Carver and Carmilla froze mid-punch. Lillith went silent as well. Loki froze in terror.

"...That's it," Shock said.

She threw the book pieces down and leaped off the couch.

"We're fixing this. Now."

She stormed over to the rope ladder leading up to the window. Lock and Barrel both perked. They grinned at each other, then ran to follow their sister. Shock got to the top of the ladder and looked back at the twins.

"You two can either come with or get the fuck out. Either way, practice is over."

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Shock finally looked up from her book when the music stopped. She sensed trouble, and watched with keen interest as Carver shook with rage. Barrel looked over from his drums as Lock watched Carver, one hand holding up his guitar at the neck, the other at his waist in irritation. Both of them quickly sobered when Carver threw the mallets. Lock ran over when Carver flipped the xylophone, his guitar flying behind him on its shoulder strap.

"Hey! You'll break it!"

He went to straighten it as Carver started his tantrum, though by the time he got the xylophone back up, the look on his face said enough he was less concerned for the instrument and more for his friend.

Barrel, on the other hand, had dropped his drumsticks and was sitting in a small state of shock as he tried to remember...when had he and Carver last shared popcorn? Certainly not yesterday, when Shock - wait, was that why he was so furious? He'd been laughing too hard to notice at the time, but that would have been the perfect time to share! As he thought about it...he couldn't really remember, but it was definitely sometime before Carver got his new body.

"No...no popcorn?" he asked, quietly.

Shock's hands tightened around her book. Loki sensed her tension and gave her a small nibble.

Banding Together in Halloween Town

Shock initially ignored Carver. Having been trapped under Barrel numerous times, even the heavier weight of the pumpkin creature's new metal body was light as a witch's broom in comparison. She felt the new curves on Carver's chest plate dig into her back. After a moment or two, they annoyed her. Shock shifted her body to move Carver a little higher, where they could properly dig into her ribcage, like her favorite floorboard and the uneven springs on Oogie's bed. She settled in again to start the next chapter on swords.

Once the vocals were done and Barrel did a few proper sets, Lock looked over at Shock and Carver.

"Yo, Carver," he said. "Get your ass back over here. We're starting."