The pair made their way one house over to Bart's front door. Before knocking Houston got a serious look on his face.



"Wait...You have stuffed animals that can ride horses? Are they, like, totally battery powered?"

The blond shook her head as she followed along in step with Houston. Her hands in her jacket pockets "No No." she laughed "They sit on the rocking horse kinda propped up there, its turned longways and sits under my window, so the stuffed animals sit on it, and are propped up by, you know, the wall." she said earnestly. "It would be really neat to see ones that could ride a rocking horse." she admitted. "I saw some that were like that once at a Santa's Workshop they had the little puppets who's hands raise and fall like working on toys." it was back when her father was around. When they had lived elsewhere. "Big cities always have these over the top things."

She leaned to push the doorbell or knock, which ever was available.

The door opened, and Bart appeared.




"Dude" He said looking at Houston

"Dude-ette" he said, looking at Annalise.

"Tomorrow is totally Halloween!!!" He announced with the inner joy of a kid that was excited to get candy and also someone who was looking forward to a celebration.

"I know isn't it totally exciting ?" she chirped happily. "So, like what are you going as, Houston hasn't gotta costume yet." she stated "We were going to go look at thrift stores for something decent...because its tommorrow and he still doesn't know what to be yet, I totally forgot to ask what my favorite people were doing." she shook her head. "Imma be a raven fairy, my mum has already picked out the whole outfit, but it looks good."

"That sounds so far out" Bart agreed.

"Has your mom, like, said anything about the whole 'disappearing kid thing?'" he said, looking at Annalise a bit worried.

Bart's comment seemed to animate Houston



"There's a show about disappearing kids? Is it on ABC or like, CBS after school?"

Bart came outside and closed the door, leaning in conspiratorially as if he didn't want anyone to overhear the conversation.


"Its like. Kids have been disappearing. And it isn't like, a show Dude." Bart said.

"Has your mom, like, said anything about it? Because I barely got my Mom to agree that I could go trick or treating. he said, looking at Annalise.

Annalise gave a little shrug and winced a little bit. "I know about it, I saw some stuff on it, and everyone talks about it totally hushed at school." she said "My mother is in denial land, she acts like I can't read or see, or I don't even know." she didn't mean to emote on her two besties but damn. "She has drilled me on where to go, how to trick or treat properly, not going to ANY unlit houses." she ran a hand back through her pale hair. "I am responsible, I always have been I have known these things since I was a little kid." she tugged her red jacket closer to her. "Still its kinda scary isn't it ?" she asked.

"Denial land sounds strange. And scary." Houston agreed shuffling his feet and looking downward. "My Mom's hit me with a spoon, but never used a drill on me." He admitted.

Bart was more direct:

"It is scary. But what's even more scary is if we let it stop us from going out on Halloween. It only comes once a year Dude! Here's, like, a good plan: After school tomorrow, we need to meet here to go trick or treating. Parents are on the look out." Bart elaborated on what was quickly becoming a Halloween conspiracy.

"All of us should get here before dusk. he said, looking at Annalise to see if she agreed. "Say, five o'clock. It's getting darker. If no one is here at 5 or if I'm not standing here or whatever, it means:...Dude, Bummer, parents stopped us. And the rest of us have to go on and save some candy for anyone who missed out."

She nodded her agreement at that. "Or we can all tell our parents we are meeting up together to study at your house Bart, not a lie we do , do that." she pointed out. "We can go over I don't even care...homework or something..." she plotted out. "Then go out together, you know totally stick in a group, my dad said that a group is safer then a single person, because numbers."  she nodded seriously then she faintly smiled.

"So do you want to help dress up Houston for Halloween he hasn't got a costume yet." she explained quickly.  "I wasn't sure what you were going to be going as, and he didn't know what he wants so I will take it into my capable --eh--semi capable hands and all help would so be welcome."

Bart was more direct:

"Good idea!" Bart said. <Blue>"That's what we'll say. Come on inside! I think I have some old clothes and maybe old costume stuff in the basement. Maybe we can find something for Houston there!"

She gave a nod and motioned for Houston to head in and quickly followed behind him so they could close the door. She was in fact not raised in a barn and did not want the door left open. "That would be awesome." she stated with a nod. "I still think we could do with prowling a thrift store, but I am sure we can come up with something." the usually up beat girl stated. "Are your parents home ?" she inquired.

"My Mom went like, out to go like, window shopping." Bart replied. "And my Dad is like, totally working even though its the weekend. He usually works a lot. He works in LA and stuff." Bart explained, seemingly disappointed by his Dad's absence.

"So, no one's home. And you know what that means?" Bart asked. "It means we can go into the basement and go through the old clothes to see if we can get Houston a totally, tubular costume!" Bart responded, not waiting for Annalise to answer his question. Or Houston for that matter.

"It doesn't look like you need new windows." Houston observed, touching one of the front windows of the house with his index finger, a puzzled look on his face.

She smiled warmly at Houston "no no, window shopping is a mom thing, its where they go have a look at things in the windows, like clothes, and jewelry and..accessories and things like that." she informed him as she tugged him along into the house. Bart was set on this idea she could tell and she had no objections. His response to missing his dad echoed in her and she patted his back. She missed her dad too, only he wasn't coming home again but she shook herself out of her mood. "Hey you guys want me to spring for a Pizza ?" she asked tucking blond hair behind her ears.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Sat 01 Aug 2020.

"Oh." Houston said, nodding his head along, though there was no indication that he really understood what Annalise was saying.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:02, Mon 03 Aug 2020.

"Totally! Pizza rocks!" Bart agreed. "But first, let's go down into the basement and check out those old clothes. I think my Dad used to have an old costume or two." Bart said, opening the basement door and disappearing down the stairs, footfalls and creaking boards groaning as he descended.

 She just patted Houston on the shoulder "Let's go." she said and followed into the house. Annalise kept close to Bart, but she hesitated to go down into the basement still she took a breath and headed down behind Bart, she was safe with the boys.

"My Dad hired some guys that talk funny to fix our basement." Houston said to Annalise. "They didn't speak American. They looked like they were wrestlers. You know, from WWF. Like, Hulk Hogan."

"He did ?" Annalise's eyes were wide they didn't speak english ? "What happened to your basement ?" she now wondered if there was a WWE ring in the basement, maybe Vince McMann showing up to advertise a match--she didn't think that would happen but it was a thought.

The kids made it downstairs and the basement was completely organized. Each cardboard box had a large label on it written with a black magic marker. And each box bore the name of the contents inside. Rows of boxes were lined up along carefully delinated stacks of shelving bolted against the walls of Bart's basement. Overhead, florescent lights cast down the perfect illumination to see everything.



"I dunno. My Dad said they were Sov-ics. Sovits. You know, Russians. The bad people." Houston explained. "That's why they didn't do a good job."

"Here it is!" Bart interrupted, pointing at a box labeled "costumes and clothes" that was too high to reach.

"Come on, help me get it down!" He looked around for a ladder or chair.

She murmured a prayer of thanks for the lights that came on. Hurrying to follow Bart she wasn't sure what to make of Soviet's though, weren't those the bad guys in movies, her dad hadn't liked them much but...nope the memory wasn't there anymore. "That's totally weird Houston." she agreed.

She looked up. "Hmmm, you two think you can boost me up there to grab it ?" she asked looking between them. "I mean I can pull it and maybe we can have it fall to the floor ?" though she was certainly scanning for how the box was put up there, a chair, a stepping stool, a ladder anything useful.

"Good idea!" Bart said. He got down on one knee and Houston was on all fours, the idea being that Bart would provide the boost and Houston would be the stepping stool that Annalise would climb onto to reach the box.

OOC: Annalise Rolls Strength + Wits