[Night]

When Nyx turned back to glare at her, Jett thought for just a moment that her friend might just spit in her face. It wasn't a reaction that she would normally expect from the mild-natured kuhna, but then, neither was yelling, and the carol had been more than ready to do that much only a few moment before. Jett at least had the sense to look down at her feet, clearly displaying her guilt.

"I'm sorry. That was mean." She was eager to admit to her mistake if it meant that Nyx wasn't going to be mad at her. "I really didn't think it would scare you that badly."

Nyx looked her over, considering the apology and finding that she wasn't entirely sure she believed it. Jett had known that this place freaked her out - had known that it would, even before they arrived. It was no secret that the timid carol kuhna had very little tolerance for scary sights. She could, however, see that the common hadn't actually meant harm. She was just looking for a bit of fun - a thrill, just as she always was. Nyx let a deep, put upon sigh escape from her, glancing away.

"Let's just go. This place is terrible." She bit out finally, finding it somewhere within her to not just shove the apology wherever Jett could stick it and leave. It was Jett's turn to look as though she were caught between a rock and a hard place. The common bit her lip, trying to roll her options around in her mind.

Orange Zone - 14
Grey Zone - 10
Red Zone (B) - 10
Total Posts - 31

[Night]

Nyx didn't appear to be budging on her decision to leave, and Jett... well. While she was more than willing to concede to her friend's demands when she got stubborn on them, she found that she was enjoying herself far too much to want to go home. Halloween only rolled around once a year - was it so much of a crime to want to get the most out of it while they were young? She felt as though their youth was slipping out from underneath them. Next year they would be graduating, heading off to school in some far away place. This could be her last chance to get a few kicks in with the friend that she had known her whole life. It kind of sucked that Nyx didn't find it as entertaining and thrilling as she herself did, but surely she was enjoying herself at least a little bit?

The common relayed all of this the best way she could manage, her eyes planted firmly on her paws. Wow, the floor was suddenly so interesting!

Nyx pinned her with the hardest stare that she had ever seen on the carol's face, eyes unblinking as she absorbed the information. She hadn't really considered what this might all really mean to Jett. She had known that the other kuhna was ridiculously keen on dragging her along to this horrid establishment, but the actual details regarding why had slipped somewhere through the cracks. Well then.

Orange Zone - 14
Grey Zone - 10
Red Zone (B) - 11
Total Posts - 32

[Night]

For perhaps the first time in her life, Nyx wasn't sure where to go from here. Every aspect of her being demanded that they leave, but a small corner of her mind began to lay the tracks for the guilt train. She felt herself beginning to give. The silence stretched on between them, almost of a palpable quality, before it was broken by Nyx letting out a long breath. "Okay. Just... one more room." She felt her resolve crumble beneath her, leaving her to face the wreckage of this hurricane that was Jett's hopeful little smile. Why couldn't their friendship ever be easy?

Jett let out the most ridiculously gleeful noise that Nyx had ever been privy to hear, practically pouncing on top of her as she wrapped herself squid-like over the outside of Nyx's stuffy winter coat. She was squealing. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jett was bubbling over with glee, clearly overjoyed. They both knew that one more room really translated to 'let's just get this over with,' because there was no way that Nyx would back out after just the next little area. She was a bit too much of a pushover, perhaps, but it was worth it to see Jett as happy as she was. Despite her somewhat anxious and generally timid disposition, she did actually cherish their good times.

She just. Wasn't sure how convinced she was that this was considered one of them.

Orange Zone - 14
Grey Zone - 10
Red Zone (B) - 12
Total Posts - 33

[Night]

They spent a few more long minutes skulking about in the kitchen. Jett pulled open the pantry, equally as disappointed with it as she had been with the freezer. Her efforts to figure out precisely what was inside the pot proved rather fruitless, and she grew bored of trying to unravel this great mystery when the steam came up and she caught a good whiff of whatever it was. It smelled absolutely wretched, making her recoil in disgust. If her fur wasn't covering it quite as well as it was, she would be absolutely green in the cheeks.

Nyx, more just an escort now than she was actively taking part in the exploration, sat back against the door frame and stared resolutely at a spot on the wall that was the least blood-flecked. There was nothing here that she wanted to follow her into her dreams tonight, thanks. Jett didn't seem put off whatsoever by her lack of active involvement, keeping a steady stream of commentary rolling as she poked through the drawers and even dared to touch one of the horrible masses on the counter.

"What do you think all of this stuff is made out of?" She was asking now, watching as a maggot burrowed its way out of her direct line of site. Those, if nothing else, appeared to be rather on the real side. It made her question if she had been wrong in her initial assessment over whether it was actually fake.

Orange Zone - 14
Grey Zone - 10
Red Zone (B and D) - 13
Total Posts - 34

[Kittyms]

Edward eyed the cardboard cutouts in the mansion's yard with distaste as he stepped through the gate. So tacky. He cast a critical eye over the mansion. The house itself was impressive enough from the exterior, but the decorations were not remotely frightening. Looking around, he realized he had lost track of his Palowockee companion. Typical. The Chaos Slynx heaved a sigh and then weaved his way through the gathering crowd, trying to avoid any physical contact.

Jak, meanwhile, was already standing in front of the door to the mansion. The moment he opened the gate, he had slipped into the shadows and darted around other pets until he made it to the door. He had one paw on the door, ready to push it open when he remembered that he had a companion. Jak twisted his head around to see where Edward was. "Come on, slowpoke," he said in an airy voice, seeing that Edward was moving very slowly up the stairs.

{Orange Zone(A): 2}

[Rainbowfox Ari]

[Human Form]

Since Jason was already a vampire, he scoffed a bit when his mentor told him about the place. When said mentor had dared him to go inside, however, he had jumped at the chance. The boy wasn't frightened easily, so he looked upon this dare as a challenge of sorts. Both to those who would scare him, and to himself in the face of spooky adversity. This time, he didn't bother with a candy bucket, and instead had taken a (fake) chainsaw, and strapped it to his back. Might as well look the part. Sarte was going to get a kick out of it, when he came back from the house unscathed. That is... if he even saw Jason return. Or he even cared. Sometimes, having Sarte as a mentor was downright infuriating.

As he approached, he relaxed by degrees. The front yard was nothing to sing about, surely. He was an observant lad, especially with his enhanced night-sight, and he could pick up the mechanisms for the jump-scares in the bushes, and see the cords where ghosts were hung up from tree to tree. He also spotted a whole bundle of cords running along the side of the gate, and headed toward the porch on the house. Everything was automated, apparently, and that made it much easier to avoid. He stepped over the buried panels instead of on them, and was feeling pretty good about himself.

With a relaxed gait, he strode about the yard, picking and choosing his path around dead bushes, fake grave-markers, 'scary' dead trees, and jumpscares in the form of cardboard cutouts attached to launcher mechanisms. He did paused for a while to linger on the mechanisms - just to see what they were, and how they worked. Jason did like to get the details of these things. He loved the bits and bobs that made the 'scares' possible, and it simply intrigued him to find out how they worked.

Orange Zone
(A) Front Yard {1}

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Making his way toward the front porch was something of a chore, once he realized there were step-pads all over the place. It was a little like playing a game of hopscotch. Foot goes there, step-pad is just two feet away, hop over to the next stone, and continue on. It would have been just as easy to step on them all, but Jason didn't exactly want to get jumpscared. Even if the little figures drawn on the cardboard were anything BUT scary. Some of the mechanisms were motion-activated, so jumping over the little laser was also something that had to be done.

He was certainly getting a workout here. Turning it into a bit of a game, he used his vampire-eyes to spot and avoid all of the triggers for the things. It was easy out here in the moonlight, because while his sight may have been ENHANCED, it was certainly not perfect. Low-light didn't mean no light, so navigating inside the house would be an even greater task. Eventually, he reached the porch, pausing to catch his breath, and looking around at the decorations that were strewn around. Still not... uber scary. That was fine. Jason was in no mood to get jumpscared just now.

... Which made it even more funny when he backed up into a step-pad for a cute little animatronic cat, that started yowling and made a hissing noise while arching its very fake back, and batting a fake paw at the boy. He almost jumped out of his skin, and made a hiss of his own as he made as if to turn around and attack the animal. Seeing that it was fake, he just laughed and started to calm down again, catching his breath before he looked up at the sign above the doorway.

Orange Zone
(A) Front Yard {1}
(B) Porch {1}

[[ Total: 2 ]]

[Night]

Nyx didn't dare reply, because she could imagine what it was made of and the answer didn't make her feel any better about the entire situation. She remained silent, leaning back against the door frame and trying to look as small as possible. Just on the off event that it hadn't just been a story, she did not want to be the primary target of any ghoul's rage. Jett finally grew bored enough of the kitchen that she was willing to move on, something for which the queasy feeling in Nyx's gut would be surely thankful for. The pair made their way through the pantry, down the hallway and out into the gardens. They both took in the fresh air with not a small bit of fervor, not having realized the unadulterated awfulness of the smell in the kitchen until they were stepping once more into the cool autumn breeze.

The gardens really didn't seem so bad, actually, and Nyx found herself relaxing despite herself. There was nothing remotely gorey and horrible in site. Only the tall hedges and the tranquil pond. This must just be a little rest area between the other areas of the house.

Jett didn't quell her disappointed noise. "I thought the whole house was supposed to be scary!" She whined, shooting Nyx the most pitiful face that the carol had ever seen adorn anyone's face.

"Well, we aren't in the house." She reasoned, quirking an eyebrow at her friend. "We're outside."

Orange Zone - 14
Grey Zone - 10
Red Zone (D and E) - 14
Moving To Green Zone
Green Zone - 1
Total Posts - 35

[Night]

This little bit of logic didn't appear to appease Jett in the lightest. She grumbled beneath her breath, and Nyx caught something that sounded like 'at least' and 'cobwebs'. It was enough to tell her that Jett was clearly displeased with the lack of festive decoration. "I can't believe we paid for a haunted house that wasn't even haunted all the way through." She was ranting now, sat back on her haunches and throwing her forepaws around to illustrate her point. Nyx decided to just stop her there, making an exasperated sound and rolling her eyes.

"We didn't pay. It's a free attraction." She stuck her tongue out, curling her tails around her paws as she sat down. The cool grass wasn't an entirely pleasant feeling against her fur, but she was already tired just from their short trek through the kitchen. Or perhaps Jett just wore her out.

The common was ignoring her, traipsing off to inspect the pond with a bored expression. She seemed unimpressed at best. Nyx didn't follow, using the chance to rest now before the other kuhna hauled her off to who knew where within the rest of the mansion. They remained silent for a few minutes, and Nyx was half tempted to close her eyes. She yawned broadly, the day's events and late time threatening to wash her under. Then Jett was yelling something to her. She glanced around, finding the small form of her friend silhouetted against the hedges somewhere off to her left.

Orange Zone - 14
Grey Zone - 10
Red Zone - 14
Green Zone - 2
Total Posts - 36

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Jason was a bit hesitant to open the door leading into the first room, but he did open it, and was assailed with the stench of rotting meat. While not, by far, the most horrid thing he'd smelled, it certainly ranked right up there among the few. He gagged a bit, and leaned on the door-frame to gather his bearings, and get used to the smell, before he started walking into the house. Blood caked the furniture here, the walls, the floor. He wasn't entirely sure what it was made of, but it certainly looked real enough. Taking a small sniff toward one of the goblets, he was surprised to actually scent a real coppery tang. Either this 'fake' blood was made with bits and flecks of metal inside, or it was REAL blood. That last chance made his mouth start to water a bit. How long had it been since he'd last fed? Not too long ago - Sarte kept him on a regular schedule - but still... Trying not to drool, he turned his gaze toward the rest of the room.

Blood and guts were strewn all over the table, as though cannibals had left mid-meal, and forgotten to clean up... or an extremely messy party of vampires had been playing around with their food. Not that Jason would eat any of this, even if it WAS real. Maggots and flies surrounded all the rotting meat, which the boy vampire was pretty sure at least half of was real. Gagging again, and attempting to get his queasy stomach to settle, he started to explore other parts of the room. He had to get himself under control again, or risk losing what little he'd managed to eat lately. Willing victims, after all, were kind of rare. He found his gaze traveling into the kitchen more often than not, and his curiosity was definitely piqued.

Examining a rug more closely before he moved on, he noticed some definitely stained threads in the weave. Whatever this stuff was, it had the consistency of real blood. So did the stuff in the glasses. Either real, or a very, very good fake. Either way, it was enough to make him slightly on the hungry side. With the prevailing smell, however, eating just did not seem to be a pleasant course of action, so there was a tug-of-war going on between his stomach and mind. It made him extremely queasy. Thankfully, vampires didn't really throw up, as their nerves generally dulled after a time. Even so... it wasn't a 'good' feeling.

Orange Zone {2}
Red Zone
(A) Dining Room {1}

[[ Total: 3 ]]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

The young vampire's interests kept drawing him back toward the kitchen, no matter how hard he tried to contain it. More of the same awaited him as he inched through the door, where a sickly-green light was streaming. Green and red. Although not in the cheerful way. The smell was even worse in here, and it took a while to get used to it, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, and his eyes down toward the stereotypical linoleum flooring. The black and white patterning was covered over by a sickly green tint from the overhead lighting, and there were tracks of mud and fake-blood all throughout. This stuff was definitely fake, there was no coppery tinge to the smell - just the bitter tang of chemicals. Even so, the scene was pretty grisly.

As he walked further into the room, his stomach roiled at the sight on the stove. There was a massive pot there, bubbling and steaming, filled with something greenish-brown and oily-looking. Since he was too short to come up to the pot to see, he used a very little bit of his power, and hovered up to take a look. Whatever was 'cooking' was far from appetizing, and... was that an eyeball? The sickening feeling intensified. He didn't know what was in the pot, as the smell was too overpowering to separate, but he did know it should not be intended for consumption by... ANYONE. Backing up, he landed on the floor again, and perused the corners of things.

The entire kitchen was rife with wires and step-pads to his preternatural vision. Granted, he did step on one of these, and nothing happened, so there might have been some flaws in the system. The wires led to different areas of the house, so it was not too much of a stretch to say that the step-pads were for other rooms. He'd just scared the bejeebus out of someone else. He explored the tops of the counters as best he could, by floating up and inspecting. Nothing on the counters seemed even remotely safe to touch - real or not - so he kept his hands to himself. This was his first time in the house, after all, and he wanted to make sure not to break or ruin anything for anyone else. He knew of at least six other people coming through, and he wanted to be sure they'd have a fun time, too.

The next area was an interesting one that he wanted to check out. A freezer. Now, usually... Vampires + Cold =/= Good things, but Jason was nothing if not resilient, and he wanted to check this place out fully, explore every nook and cranny that he was allowed in, and - if possible - see how stuff worked, too.

Orange Zone {2}
Red Zone
(A) Dining Room {1}
(A) Kitchen {1}

[[ Total: 4 ]]

[Nyxia]

As the pair slowly made their way out of the foyer, Kazu looked back once at the door. His mind was already making it's own map to get them back out of here, because while Kami might not have feared this place he his instinct told him something was wrong about this place. That feeling was further affirmed when his glowing gold eyes took in the next room, and he found his eyes locked on this strange doll sitting in one of the chairs. This alone forced a slightly startled growl, causing Kami to jump slightly beside him. Her eyes found what had upset him, and at first Kami laughed very softly. "It's a doll, Kazu." With careful steps in the moonlit room, Kami reached the chair the doll sat in. While she didn't find the doll all that creepy, it was unnerving to see one here in a reading room. Still in Kami's mind, this whole place was set up to scare so it was probably a prop.

They passed by the chair, and further into the room. The reading room appeared cozy, considering it was in a "haunted" house. Kami never saw the doll's eyes shift to follow them, nor did she notice the other two sitting quietly in other chairs. If she had, she might have considered the possibility that something was truely wrong with this house. Kazu on the other hand sensed something wrong, his fur standing on end as they slowly moved through the reading room. "Wow, they really went all out." Kami smiled slightly, amused that someone when to such lengths in order to frighten those who entered.

Orange Zone: 3
Grey Zone: 1

[Nyxia]

While they moved on, Kazu's head was on a swivel. He tried to gently urge Kami on, his eyes constantly finding their way back to the first doll they'd encountered. Kami however it seemed had other ideas, as she made her way over to one of the small tables between two of the over stuffed, dust covered chairs. It sat open to a page with an elaborate diagram that she didn't recognize in the least, which prompted Kami to pick up the dusty book in order to examine it further. As she did, Kazu growled softly in warning. With the feeling he was picking up, she really shouldn't have been touching anything here. It was then that he heard the faint sounds of movement, something Kami wouldn't have heard at all with her mundane hearing.

His eyes tracked the moonlit room until they landed on yet another doll, this one sitting on a table. The doll hadn't been there a moment ago, yet he caught no other scent but their own and faintly a few others who'd passed through. The nearly foot tall doll wore a fancy dress of ribbons with a victorian era look, though being color blind in his current form he couldn't make out much more. It's creepy little arms sat held out, like a child wishing to be picked up. At first Kazu meant to ignore the horrid little thing, until as he turned his head back from it, the head of the doll turned towards him in his peripheral vision. This caused Kazu to issue a deeper warning growl at it, before turning back to Kami who was flipping the pages of the book, oblivious to what had happened. Whatever was going on here, Kazu wasn't waiting in such a small room to find out. He pushed Kami hard with his bone covered head, shoving her with book in hand towards the door that lead to the library area.

Orange Zone: 3
Grey Zone: 2

[Nyxia]

She was a bit startled when Kazu began to shove her, growling in a manner that was threatening. His larger form easily shoved her forward, bone spikes of his skull digging into her hip area and side. "Hey. Hey! What has gotten into you?" She couldn't figure out what set him off in the least, one second he was perfectly fine the next this. The bulk of his large black furred form shoving chairs out of the way, while knocking a couple of the tables over during the mad rush he was making. "Kazu! What is it? Your making a huge mess, and I'm sure the people who set this up won't appreciate it at all." He didn't seem to be listening, only stopping for a moment to glance behind them. He whined softly at her, then gave her another shove.

Putting her hands up in the air, Kami sighed knowing he wasn't going to stop. "Okay, okay. I can walk on my own." In response he only growled low in his throat, turning his massive head back again. As he did so, Kami caught sight of the doll sitting on the table, looking their direction of all things. "Kazu...that doll." She shivered slightly realizing finally what had him so upset. "It wasn't there when we came in, was it." His head shook in the negative, his skull hitting one of the small end tables beside him and cracking the wood. His glowing red eyes turned on her with a look telling her what he wanted, and she couldn't find a reason to argue. Nodding Kami closed the book in her hands and started for the library doorway, not knowing what room she was headed for. "Could someone have put it there? Like one of the people who works here, maybe creeping around in the shadows?" She was hopeful to find a reasonable explanation to what happened, anything but the dolls moving on their own.

Orange Zone: 3
Grey Zone: 3
Total Posts: 6

[Freezair]

"Are we going to a haunted house? YAY, haunted house!" Nectarine cheered. The young Werecain man, knowing it was Halloween soon, had decided to go out in his most convincing costume: That of a human. He and the young Lucain man trying to keep up with him bore a striking resemblance--both had tousled blond hair, fair skin, and both wore teal sweater vests over white dress shirts and khakis. But Nectarine's clothes had a more tattered look and his curly hair was in more tangles, as if he'd torn through every bush in the neighborhood on his way there.

Judging by the exasperation on his companion's face, he probably had.

"Yes, yes. Haunted house, very good," Peaches replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "We can look around a little bit. But we can't stay very long, OK? I have homework to do for my online classes," he said.

Nectarine suddenly spun around and threw his arms around Peaches, making him gasp. "I am so very, very glad Auntie Rosie made you take me here!" he squealed. "Even if we're not here long, this is super, duper fun!"

"...Yay," Peaches grumbled.

[Orange Zone: 1]