(Ellie's pretty all right with the costumes, actually. Chanda's adorable when she gets excited. Ellie was just giving her a hard time because she's also adorable when she's being teased.)

Really, the hardest part of getting dressed was doing the line of buns Rey's hair has. Ellie's not so much looking forward to the party qua party, but she'll make a good-faith effort. And Chanda swears the host always has really good food, so there's that.

The party contains:

One, meticulous decorations, in a full blown black-cats-and-necromancers theme. Just in the front yard, there's skeletons climbing from graves in the front yard, and bloody handprints on the windows, and a cauldron probably containing some dry ice going by the cold fog pouring out of it. The inside is a cozy and spooky witch's cottage, with black and orange textiles everywhere, and mason jars with Spooky Things in them on shelves, and an open grimoire...

Two, quiet, somber music. No words, so it doesn't distract from conversation. 

Three, a lot of small rooms, so people aren't too crowded and can split off or retreat easily, and the numerous textiles dampen sound. 

Four, excellent food, all meticulously Halloween themed. The expected pumpkin/ ghost/ tombstone/ witch hat/ cauldron cookies, of course, but also a large gummy brain with gummy blood trailing off it (there's a knife for cutting off slices) and a red velvet cake anatomically accurate heart, and a green pudding labeled 'ghost goo,' and a savory nutty soup served in bowls made of small pumpkins, and apples, and a bowl with Halloween candy, and pumpkin seeds... And, of course, drinks, including 'Vampire's Punch' which is dark red and faintly spicy and definitely very alcoholic. (There's non-alcoholic drinks, too, including plain apple cider.)

Five, a girl dressed up as... Sexy catgirl Darth Vader? She's got fishnet pantyhose instead of pants, and heeled black boots that go above the knee, and an overbust corset with a pattern reminescent of Vader's suit, and a fishnet shirt paired with long black gloves, and a helmet (with a removable faceplate, which she has off right now) with plastic cat ears and a little red bow afixed to it, and possibly a black tail somewhere under her dramatic cape. She's putting a dish containing eyeball cookies on the table, and then checking the stocks of plates, cutlery, cups, and napkins.

Whoooo baby. Now that is style.

"Ahem."

"Aw, come on. Let's go say hi, at least. You know you're still the hottest Sith babe at the party still."

Siiiiiggghhhhh.

Hip bump.

"Yeah, okay, I could use something to drink anyway."

Chanda leads the way, skipping happily.

She turns when they approach, raising an eyebrow. "Dark and Light Rey?"

"Yeah!"

"Catgirl Vader?"

"Of course." She does a little twirl. "Catgirls are the best girls."

"You are so right. Can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Hmmm... I've got a cat ear headband for if i feel like taking the helmet off... You could borrow it."

"But then I wouldn't match with my dark twin anymore!"

(Given the almost ten inch height differential between Chanda and Ellie, any kind of twinship is already purely notional.)

"She could wear it - it's a Sith color scheme anyways - but that'd just be the same problem in reverse..."

"Maybe we can mark the idea down for next time and leave the catgirling to the professional for now."

"Fair enough." She strikes a very catgirl-ish pose.

...Though the effect is changed a bit by her frankly ridiculous heels that combine with her natural height to make her at least six feet tall.

"I'm Ellie, by the way. This is Chanda."

"I'm Anathema."

"Pleased to meet you. Did you make any of these?" she asks, gesturing at the food.

"Yeah!!!" That sounds like an invitation to excitedly ramble about Fancy Decorative Cooking to her! (She didn't make everything, but she made a lot, especially anything complicated or weird. Ellie and Chanda should try the soup! And the eyeball cookies, and the heart cake...)

Sounds like she's got a passion for it.

How'd she tell?

Call it intuition.

Ellie's smart like that.

She can see. 

"Cooking for people's one of my favorite things, honestly."

"What a coincidence. Eating delicious food is one of my favorite things."

"We're a good match." And to Chanda: "What about you?"

"I enjoy all kinds of experiences."

"Including good food?"

"Of course."

"Any favorites?"

"Foods or other experiences?"

"Let's say both."

"Well, I do like a nice rich cake... and in keeping with the season, it's fun to get a good scare in now and then."

"So you like scary things?"

"Adrenaline gets the blood pumping."

"This isn't a haunted house... But I'll see what I can do."

"I dunno... The music's kinda spooky."

"A real haunting would be much scarier."

"I guess!"

"Want a taste?"

"Hit me."

"Perhaps not at the food table. We wouldn't want to monopolize the space."

"Want to load up a couple plates to go, then?"

"Sounds good!" She can carry a lot of plates at once, apparently. 

Good, because Ellie has her sights set on trying a little bit of everything.

And Chanda will be in charge of tasting the drinks!

Somebody else might need to balance most of the cups.

She can put the cups on a plate!

Runs a higher risk of them falling than just carrying them, though. 

It's too early in the evening for Anathema to be this sensible.

She's pretty sure sensibility is supposed to fade as the evening goes on and more delicious punch ends up in your system.

Well, Ellie doesn't drink, see, so as the night goes on the gap in sensibility gets more and more obvious.

You need to start with a bit of sensibility to really get a good arc going, though. 

It's generally quicker to let her learn from her own mistakes.

Fair enough. 

Well then, where's a good spot to retreat to?

There's some nice rooms upstairs... (It's a three story house with a large loft/ converted attic space.)

Sounds like a plan.

Chanda will let Ellie claim a seat, then plop down in her lap.

Anathema pulls up a coffee table and plops down right next to Ellie.

"So, uh, what were we talking about?"

"Anathema was going to give you a taste of fear."

"If your girlfriend will let me."

"I think it'll be fine. I'm right here to supervise, after all."

Wiggle wiggle!

What excellent wiggles. 

How does Chanda react to Anathema leaning over and grabbing the back of her head, fingers holding tightly to her hair? 

Eep!

Kiss! Very rough, forceful kiss. With teeth. 

Oh well that escalated quickly.

Some scary things do. 

'Fear' isn't really what she's feeling right now, though...

Maybe Anathema needs to try harder. 

Maybe Ellie needs to launch a tickle attack.

Yeeek!

She bites Chanda's neck. 

Ouch!

Still not getting to 'scared', though.

Not even if Anathema grabs her wrists in one hand, painfully tightly?

Her heart's definitely beating faster, anyway.

Progress, but Anathema thinks she isn't scared enough. 

Perhaps Ellie's close presence is giving her too great a feeling of security. How would Anathema feel about having a lapful of Chanda instead?

Positively! 

Uh oh...

Feeling more nervous? 

Little bit...

Only partly because Ellie's definitely going to make up for this later, no matter that it was her idea to begin with.

And what does she feel about Anathema sliding up Chanda's shirt?

This is getting dangerous for sure.

But is she scared yet? 

Definitely edging over nervous!

Seems like Anathema still has more work to do...

Oh noooooo.

Chanda might have to let go of her for Anathema to get her shirt off properly, of course...

But Anathema's so very huggable...

A real tragedy.

Ellie will go ahead and close the door.

An important step, so they don't scare any passerby.

Uh oh!!

Realizing she's in proper trouble? 

Just a bit.

All the most fun things happen behind closed doors.

And the scariest! 

Chanda's feeling it.

Fun all around.

(And luckily most of the food is designed to be served room temperature.)

Good, Chanda could use some refreshment.

"Regret the party yet?"

Giggle. "Nope."

"I'm happy you came."

Heeeee.

Giggle!

Ellie pulls Chanda back into her lap for snuggles.

She stretches out and leans into Ellie.

"I hope we're not overly monopolizing your time at this party."

"You're worthy of every moment."

"Good to hear."

"And this is a good break." Snug.

"Were you busy preparing?"

"Cooking is hard work!"

"Oh, I know. But your efforts are appreciated."

"They're very good efforts."

"Among the best."

"Which one's your favorite?"

"So far? The cake."

(That'd be the one she shaped like an anatomically accurate heart - red velvet with a dark raspberry jam as 'blood.')

"You like to go straight for the heart, then?" she teases.

"Why waste time, when the goal is right there?"

"There's something about the buildup, though..."

"Circling around and finding the right angle to strike?"

"Building the anticipation for what's to come."

"I suppose there's something to be said for that."

"Though your style has its advantages."

"Maybe we should combine our powers."

"Trap our victims between us?"

"Pin them with no hope of escape."

"Fire before and ice behind."

"Sounds like fun."

"For us, at least."

"Isn't that the important bit?"

"Most of what matters, true."

"Such a thoughtful girl." Ellie kisses the top of Chanda's head.

"Deserves a reward."

"Maybe after the party."

"Wouldn't do to miss the entire thing."

"You do have a very nice costume to show off."

"Deserves to be admired."

"Are we gonna go mingle, then?"

"I'd like to."

"Okay!" Hup!

Hup!

And out into the hallway? 

Time to party!

Yeah! 

...Except the hallway they emerge into is subtly different from the one they left. 

It's longer, for one, and looks far more thoroughly - and professionally - decorated for Halloween, with rusty splatter-stains on the walls, the pictures hanging in scattered frames all gone black, very convincing decals of paint chipped away to reveal rotting wood, which softly glowing eyes flicker in the darkness beyond...

"I thought you said this wasn't a haunted house."

"It wasn't supposed to be!"

"...Surprise change of plans?"

"We weren't distracted for that long."

"And I would've heard all this."

"Okay, so... what happened?"

"...Dunno. Let's go find someone to ask."

Do the stairs still exist?

Seem to! Though the hallway stretches on, much longer than it should, and the floorboards moan and creak under them. 

Very spooky. Chanda is going to stick close to Ellie.

Anathema can take the lead, if Ellie and Chanda want to follow close behind her.

Best not to split up, according to all the literature.

Though the hallway isn't wide enough for them to all walk abreast - but they can all hold hands.

Sounds like a very good idea.

She'll take Chanda's other side. "We'll keep you safe."

"I appreciate that."

Onwards together then?

Yep.

The house moans as they walk, the floorboards cracking like bones under their feet, sounds echoing more than they should, almost like other pairs of footsteps walking alongside them... But they see only shadows when they turn to look. 

Pretty weighty shadows, though. Ones that the few lights don't seem to bother. 

This is fucked up, this is fucked up, this is so fucked up.

- There's something behind her, breathing down her neck -

Eeeek!

Anathema spins, ready to fight - 

And it's a shadowy thing, looming over them -

Then gone.

What's not gone is the metal hilt in Ellie's hand. She doesn't know why she grabbed it, it's not like three feet of plastic would do much against- anything, really, but now that she's holding it...

The weight's wrong. And it is definitely metal, not silver-painted injection-molded plastic.

She thumbs the switch.

A glowing red blade pierces the darkness.

" - Woah!!!"

What the fuck.

"What is going on...?"

- She raises her own lightsaber.

It flicks on, too, a deep bloody red.

"Ooo-kay. Don't think you sourced yours from the same place as ours. So."

"...Is anything else different?"

"Apart from the spooky hallway?" Chanda giggles nervously.

"...Does your lightsaber work too?"

Well, let's see.

She only flinches slightly when the sky-blue beam of plasma appears.

"Careful with that, huh?"

"-Sorry."

"Are they like, real now?"

"Seems to be. Want to try slashing up the walls?"

"Seems anti-social. And maybe risky."

"Yeah, so there's not much else around here I'd want to try cutting with an actual lightsaber. Which are physical impossibilities, by the way."

"So then this is some sort of magic?"

Shrug. "I mean, either that or a group hallucination."

"I don't feel like I'm hallucinating."

"Yeah, if that's happening there's not very much we can... do... about it."

"Ellie just likes to be complete."

"The things we should do would be different if we're hallucinating... Though given we all agree, either only I'm hallucinating - and I'm hallucinating your agreement - or this is real."

"No good way to tell the possibilities apart, is what I meant."

"On the bright side, if this is a very immersive hallucination, we're only armed with cheap plastic and can't do much damage."

"But if the lightsabers are real, I wonder if we get Force powers too."

"How do we tell?"

"Uh. Try to do something Force-y? Levitate something?"

Not a lot of good candidates in the spooky hallway... Though they can go ahead and test if their lightsabers work. 

Slash!

Her sword slices through the wall with zero resistance. 

Cooooooooool!

"Seems like they work."

"One good thing about all this." She agrees with Chanda on lightsabers being very cool.

"As far as that goes, sure."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and get to keep the powers after we get out of here."

"That might almost be worth it."

"Depends on what interpretation of canon we're using."

"A nonstandard one, if Darth Vader is a catgirl."

"That would have been a very different movie."

"A better movie."

Chanda drops her voice as low as it will go. "Luke, I am your father, nya!"

Giggles!!!

"Do they do the little cat paw pose too?"

She does one to show off the concept. 

"Adorable."

"Definitely better than canon."

"For sure."

"Though I don't know if it'd change the plot at all..."

"Depends if anyone else is a catgirl too."

"Luke and Leia should be catgirls too, of course."

"Maybe all the Jedi are catgirls. I'd love to see what purple-lightsaber guy looks like with cat ears."

Thoughtful hum. 

(And low, deep creak from the floor under them...)

"Uh. Maybe we should keep moving, though."

"...Yeah let's."

Mm. See if this hallway winds up going anywhere...

It lets them reach the door onto the stairs suddenly - the handle is icy cold, and the wood of the door has dark stains on it. 

"Is that... blood?"

"...Maybe?!"

"Kinda don't want to touch that."

"I can take one for the team."

"If you die horribly I promise to avenge your death. But please don't."

"I'll try my hardest."

"Good."

The door doesn't do anything immediately spooky when touched, though an inexplicable shiver does run up Anathema's spine.

And when she opens it, the stairwell beyond is impenetrably dark. 

Does sticking a lightsaber into the darkness, uh, light it up anyway?

Not as much as it should, but it's better than nothing. 

"Shall we give it a go, then?"

"Holding on to each other will be more awkward on the stairs..."

"Yeah, but the alternative is staying up here forever."

"Hands on shoulders, and I'll take the lead?"

"Sounds like a plan. After you."

Is Ellie going to be in back? 

Bringing up the rear, yeah.

The darkness presses around them, even with Anathema's lightsaber lit and held in front of her. It's almost a palpable thing - 

And then Ellie feels hands on her shoulders. 

Backwards-stabbing lightsaber!

- The hands vanish like they were never there, and a strong wind races down the stairwell from behind her. 

...Creepy.

Chanda shivers.

"What was that?"

"I may have stabbed something."

"Do you know what?" Also should they look behind Ellie for a body. 

"Nope."

Anathema's going to keep a hold on Chandra's hand while she twists, but - there's nothing behind Ellie, in the light of either of their sabers. 

Literally nothing; the stairs cut out into an all consuming darkness one step behind her. 

"...Let's keep going."

"Hopefully there's still something to get to."

"Keeping up a good attitude might help."

"I'll leave that to the professionals."

"C'mon. All three of us together? We're definitely getting out of this."

"That's the spirit! We're the coolest, sexiest Force users around."

"Ain't no ghosts or goblins that can stop us."

Giggle! 

(The laughter does, actually, seem to help make the darkness less oppressive.)

Uuuuugggghhhhh she hates that trope.

Chanda and Anathema can make it up to her later. 

At least she has that to keep her going.

Carry her through the dark night. 

It's teamwork!

Exactly! 

Ellie has a thing for irrepressible optimists, apparently.

Because she has good taste! 

Well. That's true.

Sadly not something they can celebrate until they're out, though...

More motivation, then.

A good one. 

And enough to get her to turn back to head down the stairs - once Chanda and Ellie are firmly in contact. 

Bravely, they forge onwards.