Halloween arts and crafts

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan cut one last section of gold foil from the roll, then wrapped it around one leg of the three-legged stool and taped it in place. As Halloween costumes went, it was a bit rushed, but it would serve its purpose.

The still-nameless Roomba whirred between the legs of the desk Allan was working on; it beeped when Allan picked it up and set him on the desktop.

"Hold still," Allan said, picking up one of the Styrofoam pieces that would keep the stool's legs from scratching the Roomba when it was in place. "This won't hurt a bit." Gently he taped the Styrofoam onto the Roomba's sides, then eased the stool down so that the Roomba was wedged snugly between it legs, with enough space for its wheels to still touch the floor.

Allan tilted his head -- not bad, not bad at all. He set the Roomba carefully back on the floor, watching as it reoriented itself. Yes, this would be a perfect complement to his Halloween costume.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie heard crinkling and whirring from the door of an unused classroom. It wasn't uncommon for her to stumble upon students using the empty rooms to study (sometimes finding a quiet place in the castle was difficult,) but these were not noises created by turning pages and shuffling papers. Curious, Ellie eased up to the door in question and peered into the window.

She didn't know what she expected to see, but a Allan smiling down at a little robot with a stool stuck on was certainly not it.

Feeling a grin curling across her face, Ellie tapped her fingernails lightly on the window and gave the small automation a questioning look.

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan glanced up at a tapping on the window, and grinned at the sight of Ellie waving. "Hello!" He waved back as an invitation for her to enter. "Meet my new pet Roomba."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie stepped into the room and gave Allan a smile as she closed the door behind her.

"A Roomba in Lakeshore? I thought technology was unreliable here." She knelt to take a closer look at the little bot and chuckled.

"Are you preparing for Halloween, or did you decide to modify your new friend?"

[Allan Warbeck]

"So did I. I'm inclined to think he might run partly on magic, but I haven't found a way to test it yet. And yes, this is for Halloween. I'm dressing up as Hephaestus, so I thought why not bring along a little automaton?" He chuckled. "I think it worked out pretty well."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie looked up to Allan and smirked. "That's genius!" She stood and crossed her arms. "I haven't given much thought to my costume this year. Last time I wasn't able to prepare much, so Kemekin painted me up like a scarecrow."

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan nodded. "I remember that." He looked at her thoughtfully. "If you're thinking in the same direction I am, costume-wise, I think you'd make a lovely Persephone, or maybe Demeter."

[Elliestraaeln]

"Hmm..."

Persephone definitely appealed to Ellie-- flowers and fertility, but also the queen of the underworld. That was an aesthetic she appreciated. However.

A new smile curled her lips. "I could always be the Aphrodite to your Hephaestus, if you like. It's always fun to do couple costumes with friends."

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan nodded, smiling back. "It is. I'd like that. I probably won't be doing much dancing, but don't let that stop you from having fun."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie shrugged. "I don't do much dancing myself unless I'm asked to. I can always help Rhythan at the refreshment table."

She knelt again to brush her fingertips along the little robot's casing. "How did you find the little one?"

[Allan Warbeck]

"He was up in the west wing, of all places. It was either Dom's or Bolin's idea to go up there. There'd been strange noises coming from up there for about a year now, and apparently people thought it might be a ghost." He looked back at the Roomba and patted it. "Not exactly. But he seems to like me, so I more or less adopted him. But I still need to pick out a name for him."

The Roomba whirred softly as it was stroked and patted, and rubbed gently against Ellie's legs.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie made a little cooing sound and continued petting the little bot. "Have you thought of any possible names? I feel like it should be something..."

She tipped her head. "...Dapper. Like Watson or Reiner or Francois."

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan nodded, chuckling at 'Watson'. "Hmm. Francois has a nice ring to it. What do you think?" he asked the Roomba.

The Roomba whirred a little louder and beeped once.

Allan laughed. "I'll take that as a yes! Francois it is. Thanks, Ellie."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie watched the roomba react and giggled.

"Clever little thing, eh? Wonder how you got to the castle..."

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan shook his head. "Beats me. I can't see him climbing up all those stairs by himself. Possibly he's someone's magi-tech experiment, though I have no idea whose it could be." He frowned, looking from Francois to Ellie and back. "Or maybe the ghost is inside him. I wonder if Fable can tell us anything..."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie's eyebrows raised. "If a ghost was strong enough to be corporal but weak enough to be sucked up by a vaccuum, I'm sure it may have integrated with Francois just to have a body. It would certainly explain why a roomba can respond intelligently."

The librarian certainly seemed to be their best bet for any of the lore surrounding the castle. Or anything else, for that matter. How Fable managed to recall so much without going crazy was beyond Ellie.

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan nodded. "That was my thought, some sort of possession. This is going to be fascinating to look into." He turned to gather up his foil, scissors and tape.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie stood and helped Allan pick up his supplies. "We might have to wait until after Halloween to go to Fable, though. You know how irritable he gets around All-Hallows."

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan smiled and accepted her help. "Good point. Well, that gives us some time to try and draw our own conclusions, if nothing else." He headed out of the room, turning to head back to the art room. Francois beeped and followed at his heels.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie smiled as she watched her friend leave. Then she furrowed her brow, wondering how to go about making a suitable Aphrodite costume. Perhaps she should go to a fabric store and buy some satin for a robe.

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