xp_logs | Kurt & Alani | Getting in the Halloween Spirit

xp_loa posting in

Kurt and Alani decide to decorate the entryway before Halloween and maybe make plans for the next. (backdated)

"So I found bats!” Alani was almost gleeful as she appeared with a large box marked ‘Halloween.’ “Also boxes of decorations, this one has fake bats and some other assorted goodies that I thought might get the place in more of a Halloween-y mood. I think the live bats are new and just trying to find a place out of the cold.”

“I’ll call about them tomorrow,” she added after a moment. “What do ya think?”

Kurt blinked at her, but he was smiling. "You found live bats? In the attic, I suppose?"

"Mhm, they're only little and squeaky, so I thought it could wait..." Alani allowed herself to trail off as her brain turned. The box went to the ground with a thunk. "Do you think I should call now? I would just bring them outside, but I'm a little afraid they'd just come back or get into the chimney and die."

"I think tomorrow would be fine!" he assured her. "It would probably be best to let the experts handle it, in case they may be endangered."

"Oh thank god, okay." She nodded a little before sighing in relief. "I am not a bat expert. We got ʻōpeʻapeʻa in Hawai'i but they do their own thing and don't come inside, ya know? But -- okay, sorry, decorations, Halloween, orange. What're you feelin'?"

Kurt turned his attention to the box's contents. "I think we most likely have room for all of these, and I do not see anything I very much dislike here."

“Oh we could definitely put them all up!” Alani picked through to pull out a string of smiling ghost lights. “Spooky they are not be, but we could make the place look like a bad school dance.”

He laughed. "Perhaps we can have spooky in some places and silly in others."

Alani hummed in thought before flashing a quick grin. "You make a fair point, sir. I'm sure we can find something spooky in this box o' stuff. Or... like are decorations expensive?"

"Not usually, although I suppose it depends where you buy them from. But shall we see what we have in the box first?"

"Oh, yes, yes we should," she snorted a laugh. "I am definitely getting ahead of myself, so I apologize for that. Let's start with tacky-ing up the main hall? I think there's a ball of fake spider web in here somewhere..."

"Almost certainly", he agreed. "And is that a plastic pumpkin I see?"

"Ohh, very keen eye, Mr. Sefton. So it is. If we find more, we could make a very plastic pumpkin patch."

"Indeed we could", he said cheerfully. "Where do you think it should go?"

"Gut reaction was 'right next to the staircase,' but... I feel like that's a bad idea," Alani tried to untangle web as she thought. "Under a table could be cute, or on the table, I guess if we just move stuff around. Or we just ruin everyone's day and make a tripping hazard, which is not good."

"We should avoid the tripping hazards", Kurt agreed. "Perhaps to the sides of the staircase instead?"

"Yeah, that seems a lot better than making unsuspecting people eat floor." Alani hummed lightly. "Sides would be very cute. I like your design plans, Kurt."

“They are a shared effort”, he said easily. “Is there anything you would particularly like to see?”

"Aw, you're kind, but, hm, I’m not aiming for anything1 particular. After everything that’s happened this month I just thought it might be nice to spruce the place up.” After a moment of silence, she perked up. “Oh wait, no! Is there one of those funny skeletons that you put on doors? I’d love to stick that up, actually.”

"Funny skeletons.. are you thinking of the ones that move, the ones that glow in the dark, or both?"

"I think the ones that move? Like, they have... joints, right? I always wanted to be that house that had one on the front door." Alani laugh a little, then. "Oh, no, I've always been tacky, this is little Alani's dream."

"Little children often like what we might think of as tacky. I should think we can find one with joints in here." He leaned over to do another dive into the box.

"Okay, yeah, yes, that is very true. Kids have great taste, also no shame which, kinda a blessing?” She stood, craning her neck to look over his shoulder as if that would in any way help. “Any fun plans for the rest of the month?”

"Only whatever may be happening here, really", Kurt said with a quick shrug. "Those of my family who are not in the mansion, are on a different continent."

"That's fair. Sorry, I hope that didn’t come off as ‘oh you have to have plans’ — I’m a nosy bitch, is the truth. The knowledge does nothing but I hoard it all the same.” Alani sat back on the floor, trying to disentangle a fake spider from a corner of fake web. “This is the first year I’ve kinda planned to be here, at the mansion for Halloween. Year three, baby, but we did it.”

"Has it been three years already?" he asked, surprised. "How the time does fly."

"You're telling me," Alani laughed. "I thought I'd at least have a cooler haircut by now. Or know what I'm doing. But, I can plan a child's Halloween party, if you ever need one."

"I will keep that in mind. You never know when we may have children around here again."

"Ohhh, yeah. That would be nice.” She paused, trying to decide her next words. “If you ever want to help out with non-passing kids and Halloween, I’m thinking I’ll probably work with the parents and planning next year again. But no pressure.”

"I think I would like that very much", he said without a moment's hesitation. "And perhaps it might be of some help to the children, in particular."

“I think so, and I they’d really like it, honestly! It’s not like we can introduce little kidlets to too many visible mutants,” she laughed, very pleased with his response. “And if ya have any inputs or thoughts, feel free to let me know. I am a benevolent overlord of planning things, promise.”

"When I was a child, my parents hid me away", he told her. "They meant only to protect me, and things were different then, but children now should not have to live that way. If I can show them they do not always need to..."

"I've found that love sometimes goes hand-in-hand with the ability to inflict unfathomable hurt... or teach shame," she smiled sadly. "Avoiding that isn't always possible still, so many things go into a child's world, but if we as an older generation can help to show them that it's nothing to be ashamed of or fear, maybe -- well that's the goal. A better world for those who come next."

"That was always the Dream", Kurt agreed. "At least, as I understood it. The more we are seen and understood, also, the less we will be feared. At least by some, and more will follow."