/Skin Deep/
"Ok! Witch costume?" "Check." "Fake Blood?" "Check." "Pentagrams?" "Check." Tessa went through their materials while J checked each item mentioned one by one on her clipboard. Tessa jumped up and down, squealing and clapping her hands excitedly.
"Tombstones?" "Check." "Horse Skull?"... "Uhhh… Boss?" Tessa looked up from her stash of illegitimately gained decor. J was tapping her foot, a sign of anxiety she rarely showed, looking around the pile. All the stuff hidden inside a hidden crawl space in the corner of her room, boards pulled up so they could get a good view of it.
A good view of everything but the horse skull. "Did… Did the package not come through?!" Tessa looked around in a panic, pulling at her hair a little bit when she found nothing. Sure, there were plenty of human skulls, just no horse skulls. Or bovine skulls. Or deer skulls. There were deer skulls in the house, her father thought himself as quite the hunter. But those were locked in his bedroom. Nothing in his hunting trophy hall was quite similar enough for her purposes.
"I mean… we don't have to use a-" J started to suggest, but sat down in a disappointed heap. Cutting off any hint of an alternative.
She was clearly quite invested. J sighed, "Why that one anyways? Last year you wanted a gorgon." J raised an eyebrow, looking at the green dyed wig in the corner paired with a greek toga. "Cause toga parties are lame, mum and dad ruined Greek mythology for me."
Tessa crossed her arms, shuddering. Her parent's attempt to revisit their college days had given her more than a few new ick's for her. That and they didn't let her keep the snakes she had been catching.
"But… Why this thing? It's not even a costume… And you aren't Scottish?" J tried, hoping to maybe convince Tessa of doing anything else, and maybe salvaging her efforts… and her hopes for a fun Halloween night.
Tessa stood dramatically, pointing down at Tessa, "Because! It's like Satan for horse girls! I got the fake horse, the crash test dummy, and it's all painted to perfection! It just needs the final piece!" Tessa crowed in anticipation, lightning flashing in the windows behind her. "And it's not like we are Greek either! My family's rich! We can appropriate things!"
J raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure that's how that-" But she didn't finish as Tessa grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her room towards the library. With J not being able to help but give a soft smile at her enthusiasm, she followed along without struggle. Waving stoically at C and the A triplets as they did their work dusting and organizing the library. They strode purposefully over to the computer, where Tessa logged on. Quickly logging into her mother's account using her abysmal password. To get around any parental controls or spyware they installed to keep her down.
Clicking through her 'Bamazon' orders, Tessa looked at her order for the 'plastic horse skull'. "W-what! Delivery attempted? Did they even bother coming up the driveway???" Tessa gave a frustrated groan, forehead planting into the keyboard. She sat there for a minute or two, while J took the chance to pat her shoulder comfortingly when the other drones weren't looking.
"Sorry boss, you know those drivers hate this swamp… It may not be the real thing, but maybe we can use your father's giraffe skull?" J suggests quietly, still comforting her. But quickly backed away as Tessa's head suddenly sprouted from where it was planted on the desk.
"Wait… the real thing… The real thing!" She began furiously typing. "What was it that Mum always bragged about? River's Roundup! She bought it, said she used to ride there all the time!" Clicking through 'Boogle' maps, she searched up the location. Displaying '3 Miles'.
"It's on the other side of the swamp! We can walk there, and then…" Tessa giggled, taking a carefully hidden shove from behind a bookcase. "We burgle ourselves a horse!" She grinned behind the shadows of J's human censor. J smiled back, reading through it due to the sudden widening of her shadow.
"How are we going to get a live horseback through the swamp though?" J asked, leaning on the computer desk. "And won't your parents notice us missing?" There was no doubt in J's mind, she was coming with her. She made sure she always went on one of Tessa's outings. She just couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt. She already had enough of that at home.
Tessa began giggling menacingly, before standing proudly with the shovel in hand. Taping the point into the well polished floors dramatically, scratching it.
"Who said it would be alive!?" She declared, before spotting one of the A triplets watching. A2 giving her an awkward wave, before wincing at the damage to the floor. J gave him a glare for his eavesdropping, but declined to comment.
She turned to Tessa, "So one of THOSE trips?" She asked, knowing that Tessa would never kill a horse. Leaving only one possibility. One which she turned to surprisingly often to get what she wanted.
"Horse yard! Grave horse? Maybe a pet cemetery! They got to put the old ones SOMEWHERE when they die!" Tessa declared, giving J a shrug.
To J it seemed like a solid plan, not that she knew better. Humans did all sorts of weird things with their pets, drones included. Thankfully Tessa didn't consider her… didn't consider THEM her pets. But much more.
"Ok Tessa, lemme get your boots and raincoat." She gave her a thumbs up before Tessa grabbed her shoulder suddenly, stopping her in her tracks. "Wait J, Mum and Dad aren't leaving until Halloween morning! How are we going to keep them from finding out we aren't… here…"
J watched Tessa staring past her, to the library entrance. Beside A2, in their little serving outfits, were N and V. N giggling and showing V ANOTHER book on dog breeds. It was annoying when they slacked off, it almost made her gag. Thankfully despite being rebuilt she still had PROPER programming.
"Oh… I love it when a plan comes together." Tessa said ominously, marching up to the duo. Taking them by the arms, "Ello you two! I got an important task for you two!" She declared, dragging them back to her room as J fell behind. The door to Tessa's room slamming, J stopped by A2. HUD eyes narrowing at him, the more responsible of the triplets.
"You, make sure 'dumbling duo' has all their chores done. They are going to be busy tonight." She commanded, with A2 quickly nodding in agreement. The quad of drones were usually quiet, taking solace in their work. It was refreshing, and she knew she could count on them for chores at least while she was away. That way no one got in trouble with Tessa's parents. That way, no one got thrown out.
Afterwards, she quickly moved to sneak Tessa's gravedigging clothes from the backyard shed to their usual hiding spot. To wait and meet her on another outing… Honestly, she couldn't wait. It would be nice to have Tessa to herself for once.
—
A2 watched J walk away with purpose. 'Ok, more chores. We can handle it though.' He thought, looking at his clean up crew. C was helping A1 reach some books on the top shelf. A3 was mopping the floor. Cyn was-
"Ah!" A2 yelped, jumping back away from Cyn. Who had seemingly snuck up beside him, causing him to spill his cleaning supplies. "Oh no!" A2 whined slightly, trying to wipe up some spilled chemicals as Cyn ignored him. Slowly doing her little stagger towards the computer, hands limp, as she peeked up at the computer screen.
"...........He he… Something. Real. Huh?" Cyn haltingly ground out in her usual stilted speech pattern. Eying the GPS location for River's Roundup. While A2's sight left her form out of the corner of his visual receptors, eyeing the mess in front of him.
"C-Cyn, could you please-" A2 began, looking back towards the computer. Only to see… no one there.
"..." A2 sighed. Another mess. Another spooky disappearance. Another Cyn-cident to add to the tally.
"She's so creepy…"
—
J led the way through the swamp with Tessa, hand in hand. Small lantern flashlight hung from her hands as she slowly led her from island to island. Staying out of the water while heading in the direction of 'River's Roundup'.
"Thanks J!" Tessa cheerfully chirped, even amongst the muck, water, and insects. Even if the environment was less than stellar, these were the moments J lived for. As she rarely got any time around Tessa to herself anymore. Not like the old days when she first started her hobby of repairing drones… Now instead of just the two of them, there were always several others warring for her attention.
"So… What did you have V and N do?" J asked hesitantly, wanting to cover her bases before fully relaxing.
"Oh you know, helped them set up the distraction. For when Mum and Dad head out to their party." J could hear the grin on Tessa's face as she said that, watching as she swung from one branch to the next. Before giving a screech as one snapped and she fell straight into a puddle.
"Well… I hope they can handle it." J said, doubt lacing her vocalizer, as she helped Tessa out of the puddle.
—
Music thundered throughout the library as the A triplets and C huddled in the corner of it, trying to get their additional chores done. The music, Gangsta's Paradise on the church organ, shook the foundations of Tessa's part of the house. A2 had to admit that it provided good cover for them, but it also drew attention to Tessa's room. Which he THOUGHT she didn't want, but he wasn't exactly in the loop on what was going on either.
He didn't hear it at first, with the music going. But his eyes hollowed at a very recognizable sound, one every drone in the household dedicated to the highest priority in their memory banks. High heels. Or more specifically, Louisa's high heels. Scrambling to drag his quartet out of sight, they all peeked around the corner as Louisa marched outside her daughter's room.
"Tessa James Elliot! As much as I appreciate a good church organ, I will not have one playing rabble like that while SHAKING MY HOUSE!" She yelled while banging on the door, eyeing the tinted windows revealing only a shadow of what was inside. A2 remembered that they had threatened to uninstall her doorway, and wondered if tonight was the night that would happen.
The music in the room suddenly silenced, and a short shadow with distinctive downward hanging twin tails quickly shuffled towards the door past the tinted windows. When it had reached the door's proximity, A2 heard Tessa's voice speak up from inside. 'Wait, didn't she leave? Did she climb back in through the window?'
"Y-yes mother! Sorry! I'll go to bed too if you want." He heard Tessa's voice meekly promise from the other side.
"You better!" Louisa proclaimed, hands balled into fists resting on her hips.
"If we catch you up and about playing with trash again before 11PM you will be in a world of trouble!" There was a pause, as the shadow seemed to fidget on the other side of the tinted glass. Another shadow with J's distinctive high twin pigtails approaching too.
"Yes, of course mother!" Tessa said enthusiastically from the other side. Before Lousia gave a mighty harumph, arms crossed, before she stormed off to likely join her husband,
There were a few moments of silence, and something perplexed A2. Why did Tessa seem strangely happy in that last answer?
The door to Tessa's room slowly unlocked… And there stood N. In a wig, made of the end of a mope. Braided to look like Tessa's hairstyle. While behind him stood V, having much of the same made of rope, in J's hairstyle. N quickly spotted A2 peeking, giving him a thumbs up.
"Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh" A2 groaned, recalculating the intelligence of the older Elliots as N and V passed several tape recorders between themselves.
—
"So J, do you think a Aboriginal swamp would be more or less haunted than an American Indian burial ground?" Tessa asked nervously, while putting on a brave facade. J could tell from all her time spent with Tess. Wouldn't be her personal attendant if she couldn't after all… Her personal friend. Her best friend even. 'Other than maybe N…' J glowered in the recesses of her headcase, before throwing off the jealousy. After all, she had all the time in the world with her now.
"Don't be insensitive boss, but if there ARE mad ghosts from the Climate Collapse, I'll protect you." J smiled happily, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"No, I… I mean I could have sworn I saw something glowing yellow…" Tessa started, before shaking her head.
"Yea, likely just fireflies Tess, don't get cold feet now… It's just a little water." J encouraged her along, continuing to walk in silence… They had almost reached the edge of the swamp, and soon they would have to be quieter. It wouldn't do to be caught trespassing…
But a stray thought caught J's OS as they approached the edge of the swamp. Seeing a stretch of road that seemingly went on forever into the Aussie countryside. "...Boss… Tessa… H-have you ever just… thought of running away?" J asked, taking the leap into the unknown. Trusting Tessa to catch her, no matter her answer.
Tessa was silent for a good long minute, following J's gaze.
"Yea… I have. It would be a right adventure wouldn't it. You and me, against the world." Tessa admitted quietly, taking J's hand in her own.
J was quiet, and she could just feel what she would say next. She was a good friend after all…
"But…" J began her next sentence, looking at her expectedly.
"But… We got to look after the others now too. And we can't all go running into the dark can we." Tessa said, taking J's other hand in hers and holding it up while she smiled sadly into her HUD. There was quiet for a moment as they just held hands, enjoying each other's company.
"Well, that and Mum would buy a leash when she found u-" Tessa began, before abruptly falling silent. Gazing at something in a section of swamp behind J. J frowned, raising an eyebrow on her HUD as she turned around…
It just stood there… Menacingly… A humanoid figure in the darkness, stripes of white on it. With glowing yellow eyes and spiky protrusions silhouette in the darkness. It felt like hours passed as the pair stared at the figure… Before more pairs of eyes appeared… All along the line of trees.
"..." The swamp was quiet. Not a single insect was even making noise. As if it sensed true danger.
Both J and Tess started screaming when suddenly, as if yanked into the swamp, all the eyes and figures rapidly retreated. A surge of cracking wood heard in the distance as the shadows became a fast moving blur.
J suddenly came to herself, and began pulling Tessa along with her. "Nope, nope, nope!" She started saying, Tessa repeating the mantra along with her as she began running past and pulling J alongside her. Back towards their house.
They didn't notice in the distance, lights suddenly coming on at River's Roundup's stables. Motion detectors all across the facility turning on as something MOVED through it…
—
Silver was a wonderful pony. Well fed, groomed, happy. And currently enjoying a midnight snack. Life was looking up after a long day of giving rides to fancy gentlemen and ladies in strapping horse riding gear. He had even gotten some sugar cubes.
Not much went on between the horses' head, for while beautiful, they weren't the smartest of the lot. But even they had enough instinct to flinch back when they saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Staring at them above the feeding trough.
"Hm. [Ponders]. Yes. You will… Do." The voice declared in a way the beast had never heard a human speak before. Feeling a cold chill run down its mane, it began a terrified whinny, before suddenly going silent. A flop of meat and liquid sounding out throughout the stable, before the terrified horses all erupted into chaos, waking up the caretakers.
All while a shadow giggled, rapidly snaking back through the swamp.
—
Tessa was out of breath, J was getting strain warnings in her legs. Both collapsed exhausted through the mansion window. Having run the whole way back, with J carrying Tessa part of the way too.
"*Gasp.* J. Do we live in a haunted swamp?" Tessa asked between breaths, as J collapsed onto her back.
"I refuse to say yes." J declared, eyes hollowed, denying any supernatural conclusions no matter how many times she played the memory back.
"We should TOTALLY do a séance!" Tessa practically squealed, before coughing, practically hacking up a lung.
They both flinched as suddenly the window slammed closed from a gust of wind.
"Can we, for the sake of all our employment contracts, NOT antagonize ghosts or the Aboriginals living in the swamp." J stressed, knowing that likely neither group would appreciate rich girls disrespecting their cultural sites.
"We'll put a pin in it!" Tessa declared, slowly catching her breath. Hunching over and regaining breath.
As J checked her mud smeared legs, Tessa suddenly groaned. "Oh no… We never even got a chance to SEARCH for a horse cemetery. Where are we going-" Tessa began to lament, before shrieking loudly and jumping back towards the window.
There was Cyn, standing there. A pile of towels in her hands, clumsily extended towards the pair. 'How did she get there?' J thought, eyes narrowing at Cyn unpleasantly despite the obvious offer to help.
"[Head Tilt]. Hello. I heard you needed… Help?" Cyn smiled brightly while emoting. J noticing she had… surprisingly sharp teeth in the back of her mouth… had they always been like that?
"O-oh. I need to put a bell on you." Tessa muttered, before taking the towels. "Thank you Cyn! How thoughtful of you." Tessa thanked the little creep cheerfully, giving her a pat on the head.
"Oh. Not the towels. I meant the decorations for. Spooky Season. [Smile]." Cyn corrected. J knew they never told the little mess about their plans, which annoyed her. She would have to berate N later for spreading their plans to the whole household.
She carefully shuffled around in a circle after Tessa took the remaining towels, using them to clean off J's waterlogged legs. Leading them off towards her Father's study. Entering carefully, they beheld it. A small ladder pulled down to one of the attic spaces where Father kept his things. And beside it… a nearly pristine horse skull. With smudges of red covering various parts of it.
"I even covered it with the. Fake. Blood!" Cyn said cheerfully, despite her monotone voice. Sending a shiver through J's circuits. "It was discarded. In your father's trophies.~"
Tessa stared for a moment, taking in the whole scene. Before seemingly dismissing any reservations she had in favor of excitement for what was to come.
Squealing excitedly, she picked Cyn up in a hug, twirling her around. "Oh my robot god Cyn! Thank you so much!" Tessa said, proudly, much to J's chagrin and jealousy.
But that all passed quickly as J saw beneath the shadows of the censor, Tessa's face widened in a smile.
"It's go time!" She proclaimed, pointing in the air dramatically.
—
Most of the drones hung out near the front of the house, watching Tessa and J put together the decorations. Readying for when the few kids that did come this way would brave their swampy front lawn. Its front gate was left wide open by Tessa.
Tessa looked up at her handy work. Dressed in her old gorgon costume, minus the snakes. She stood before the centerpiece of her horror extravaganza. The scene is a mess of pentagrams, graves, and fake blood. But nothing compared to the centerpiece.
In the center stood, made of metal drone bits and bones, was a horse. Fused to its midsection a humanoid figure with extremely stretched arms reaching the ground slouched, connected to it. Painted red with black shadows resembling a skinless exterior, muscle bound and life like. Its humanoid face ghoulish with discarded teeth. And the horse's head has an actual painted skull, with strange flecks of dried brown in the corners of the bone.
A Nuckelavee, Tessa's most recent mythological obsession, second now only to her fake spell books and grimoires. A skinless horror.
"With this! We shall be. Popular!" Tessa declared to the audience of drones, with encouraging claps from the lot. Before she turned around towards the gate of her soon to arrive adoring fans-
"Tessa! James! Elliot!"
—
Eldritch Boogaloo: Happy Halloween! This little short just appeared in my head today, so I figured I would post it. Its cannon. Hope you guys are enjoying yourselves, and have all the fun tomorrow on the 31st! It was fun writing this little prequel, and expect more on the way eventually. ^_^
