sam nichols (januaryembers) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-05-31 15:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, liam, liam x sam, sam |
Who: Sam and Liam
When: Early evening, Wednesday, October 25
Where: Spooktacular
Status: Complete
Sam was excited. Probably more excited than she should be, considering, but… she hadn’t been to a party before. Or crashed a party, which felt decidedly more dangerous even though she knew no one would probably even notice her or Ruth. Assuming Ruth still wanted to go. Sam hoped she did, because she did. Mal had agreed to let her attend as long as she steered clear of the alcohol and the occult, and he had even given her money to actually buy a costume. That was more exciting than anything else, because Sam had sort of been dreading having to find things at home to create into something homemade.
So after her schoolwork was finished, Sam had gone into town and found herself inside Spooktactular. The place looked so small on the outside, but she had been a bit overwhelmed as soon as she stepped indoors. There was just so much to look at and choose from. Her cheeks turned hot and red whenever she came into view of a sexy costume, and she blushed furiously until she walked by to find something a bit more appropriate. She was thinking a cat or something simple would be good enough, but occasionally she was drawn to costumes that were maybe a bit more fun. Wonder Woman? A fairy? There was glitter and wings and fake swords. Sam pulled off her jacket and then slipped on a pair of feathery angel wings and studied herself in one of the full length mirrors, a tiny grin playing at her lips. Mal would probably like these. Maybe. Or maybe they were blasphemous. Her smile fading, Sam took the wings off quickly and replaced them.
She wandered further into the store then, listening to some upbeat pop song playing over the speakers above. She came to a few sparkly crowns, decked out in rubies and different colored gems. Some silky ribbons hung from a few of them and Sam picked up one to place on her head in front of another mirror, liking the way the red ribbon looked against her dark hair.
Liam knew exactly what he wanted when he walked into Spooktacular, but as soon as he stepped into the store he felt like he had to check out everything. There were so many costumes to choose from, all way better quality than he’d expected. And there were still plenty left, which was just incredible this close to Halloween. Usually everything was picked through when he waited this long. He was hoping that they had what he wanted, but even if they didn’t have it exactly it wouldn’t be too hard to make. It would just take time. He’d just end up buying one of the burlap table cloths instead.
He let his hand reach out and touch the costumes as he passed, eyes taking it all in. It would’ve been fun to have a sword, but that wouldn’t go with his costume. He needed a pumpkin lollipop, which they had to have somewhere. Or maybe at one of the sweet shops on Main Street. That would be his next stop. Liam turned the corner and stopped when he saw a girl there, trying on a crown. “Nice,” he smiled. “I like your crown-tiara-hat-thing. Princess hat. Or, you know.”
It took Sam a second too long to realize the boy was talking to her. She turned away from the mirror quickly and stared at him. It occurred to her that she was probably slip sliding quickly into 'weird girl' territory, so she parted her lips to speak, only a nervous sort of laugh escaped her before she reached up to touch the crown she had placed in her hair. "A princess hat," she repeated, her finger pressing against one of the fake jewels. "I've never heard a crown called that before. But thanks. I'm just... trying them on. I can't decide what to buy." Lame. Sam moved to carefully take the crown off of her head. "Princess seems kind of unoriginal."
Lucky for Sam, Liam’s weird tolerance was incredibly high, mostly because his own levels were off the charts. He totally expected her to roll her eyes at him and move on, so a response felt like an invitation to chat, something he rarely passed up. “I mean, that’s what it is, technically. A hat that princesses wear,” he smiled. “Doesn’t matter if it’s unoriginal if it makes you happy. Like, who are you trying to impress?” That was probably a loaded question. Most people, he knew, were trying to impress someone. Or everyone.
Sam supposed technically he was right. Crowns were hats. Sort of. They went on someone's head, anyway. She replaced it carefully on the hook, hoping that the guy was right. Because she was probably going to end up being a cat or something like that, which was super unoriginal, but it would be an easy, cheap costume. His question prompted Sam to glance at him, a small smile playing at her lips. "Myself, mostly. I don't really know anyone else who will be there." Except Ruth, if she decided to still go, but even then Sam didn't feel the need to impress her friend. Was she supposed to wear something to impress people? "What are you going to be?" Sam asked him, since her mind was racing with all kinds of possibilities and decisions now. He looked young enough to be in high school, and he was in this shop, so maybe he was going to the same party that Sam was going to go to.
“Are you going to a party?” Liam asked, since that’s what it sounded like, based on her statement. And he was nosy. He hadn’t actually convinced anyone to go with him either, but he’d figure that out soon enough. And if he could score the mask for Jen, she was supposed to go. “I really want to be Sam from Trick ‘R Treat, but I’m not sure if they have it and I kind of got distracted by all the options. Like, maybe this is my one chance to be an Avenger or a character from Game of Thrones. But then I’m kind of set on Sam, unless they don’t have him, then ugh, I’ll have to find something else.”
Sam's face felt flushed and hot all of the sudden, because if she told him about the party she had overheard some teens talking about, maybe he knew those kids. Maybe he would tell her she wasn't allowed to go, or he would tell the girl throwing the party that some stranger was going to shut up. "I... heard about one." Sam stammered for a moment and nearly reached out to grab a nearby hockey mask to place over her face. But that would just be ridiculous. "I just... I've never been to a costume party before. I thought it might be fun. I don't know who Sam is though. Except... me. I mean, I'm Sam. Not the Trick 'R Treat Sam, but just... Sam." Okay, so when was the last time she talked to another teenager who wasn't Ruth? Seriously, why was she so socially inept. "Do you have a picture of that Sam? I could try to help you find the costume if you want."
“Yeah?” Liam grinned. “Me too. It’s kind of the weekend for it.” He was sure there were parties other than Victoria’s, but the Overlook parties were always the best. It was like those kids were trying to one up each other. He had no idea how they afforded all the booze. “Seriously? You’ve gotta go then! I love costume parties, especially Halloween,” he grinned, bouncing a little, his hands sliding into his hoodie pockets. “Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Liam. And yeah, I bet I can find a picture.” He pulled out his phone, quickly doing a little search before showing her. “I’m also going to get some face paint, since I know I won’t last all night in that mask.” He wouldn’t be able to drink with it on, which he considered an issue.
Liam. She would remember that. Part of the reason she wanted to go to this party was to meet some new people. People closer to her age who she could maybe hang out with when she wasn't doing school work or spending time with Mal. Sam leaned in to get a better look at the costume Liam wanted, and she found it a bit strange, but wasn't that what Halloween was? Sam exhaled and smiled faintly. "That's... creepy. But I mean, if it's popular, it should be here somewhere, right?" She would help him look and still keep an eye out for anything that she might want for herself. "If they don't have it, it looks like something you could probably make yourself if you wanted to. Is it a very scary movie? He was in a movie, right?"
“Yeah, it’s supposed to be creepy,” Liam grinned. “It’s not super popular, but I don’t really care. It’s kind of a cult classic, except too new to be a classic? I’m hoping they have it, otherwise yeah, I’m gonna have to make it and I seriously can’t sew.” He could maybe talk his mom into helping him, but he didn’t think she’d be impressed with his request for a rush job costume for a party in Overlook. He was actually hoping that she wouldn’t ask too many questions in that regard, so maybe best not to highlight that he needed it for a party. “It’s a pretty scary movie, but more B movie scary, if that makes sense. Like, pretty well done, but still not the highest quality, but good scares. It’s a series of horror vignettes about Halloween and this character kind of ties them all together,” he explained, taking a moment to start looking through the costumes. “So, if not a princess, what’re you thinking?”
Sam nodded along, even though she had never really watched any cult classics. She wasn't terribly fond of being scared, or seeing horrible things happen to people, even if they were fictional. Sam even cringed during some darker moments in the books she tended to read. Sam wondered if people would know who Liam was if the movie wasn't very popular. Not that it mattered, really. He should be whatever he wanted to be for Halloween, and she figured he might enjoy explaining the costume to people. "Oh, well, I had thought about just being a cat," Sam explained. "But then I came inside and there's so much to look at that I'm not sure yet. I don't really want to be anything scary, or too complicated. I keep hoping something will just catch my eye and I'll make a decision, you know?"
Liam didn’t want to tell her that a cat was lame, but it was sooooo boring in his opinion. At least when there were so many other things to choose from. He totally got that she didn’t want to do scary, not many girls did, but that wasn’t even limiting in a shop like this. “So we're you thinking black cat? Or Cheshire Cat? Or do you just want to be an animal? Or just something easy? ‘Cause there’s so many options. You could be a peacock or-- or a unicorn! Those are fun, especially if you do a rainbow wig. But there’s also fairies and princesses and fairy princesses and really, you could be anything.” Sometimes that made it harder to make a decision, but Liam liked all the options.
Sam released a slightly nervous laugh again as she glanced around the shop. "I'm not set on being an animal. But when I would go into department stores, it seemed like all they had during Halloween were animal costumes. Or...food costumes, like hot dogs and stuff." This place was different. There were costumes of characters she had never even heard of before. "I don't know... maybe... I wonder if they have Alice from Alice in Wonderland," she mused. "I just read that last year. I liked it. Do you think that's boring?" Why she cared what he thought, Sam had no idea. But he probably went to public school and would know what would get her ridiculed. Sam wanted to make friends, not put them off.
“Yeah, don’t be a hot dog,” Liam said. That seemed more like something used in a sales pitch than a Halloween costume. Unless it was a couples costume, where one person was mustard and the other ketchup. “Alice? No, she’s not boring,” he smiled. “That’s a good classic costume. She’s recognizable, so you won’t have people asking what who you are, and it wouldn’t require crazy makeup. And might be comfortable? I dunno. I’ve never worn a dress.” He laughed, realizing that was probably unnecessary to tell her. That was always happening to him, where he said so much more than he needed to.
Sam grinned, feeling her cheeks warm with the excitement that maybe she had chosen a decent, non-lame costume. "I'm sure you would look fine, even if you decide to try it someday," she joked, even though her cheeks felt hotter then because it was a pretty dumb joke, but whatever. "I bet they've got that here. But I'll still help you look for yours. I mean, the head of the costume seemed pretty..." She made a large circle with her hands. "... big. It would probably stick out on whatever rack it's on. There's an awesome fabric store on Main Street too, if you can't find it here and need the material to make your own. I can sew, if you need help..." Sam trailed off, not wanting to be too intrusive. "But I bet they've got the costume here somewhere. They seem to have everything."
“In a dress?” Liam asked, both brows shooting up because he had no idea how to take that complement. He supposed it was nice to know, that he would look okay, but it so wasn’t his thing. “Yeah, the head should totally stand out if they have it,” he said with a little laugh. It would look like a beach ball. He was either going to look awesome or like an idiot. “You sew?” he asked, appreciating the offer, even if he felt like that was a huge thing, to make the costume, especially with so little time. And they’d only just met. But it was super sweet of her. “Let’s look. We’ll probably find Alice, too.”
It was more of a joke than a compliment, but Sam assumed he knew that. She wasn't necessarily thinking of time restraints or anything, just that it felt right to offer. Mal had taught her the importance of helping others, and she assumed that applied to everything, even Halloween costumes. "I sew," Sam said with a small nod. "It's cheaper than having to buy new clothes if something rips or if buttons fall off, you know?" Sam began to walk with him, though she was looking around, now that she knew what to look for. "Do you have a back up plan if this one doesn't work out?"
“That makes sense,” Liam nodded, though he thought there was a difference between sewing on a button and making a costume from scratch. At least, he thought he could do one and not the other. “I dunno. I think Pennywise would be fun, but I think everyone’s gonna be him this year, with the movie just coming out. I’ll look for something else, just in case.” He didn’t have a back up plan, but realized that he probably should. At least there was a huge selection to choose from, he just had to narrow it down.
Sam did know who Pennywise was, only because she had started reading IT a year ago and had given up after awhile. The content of the book was a bit questionable and she didn't like how uncomfortable it had made her. Sam loved to read, but she had never been someone who felt the urge to finish every book she started. If it bored her, or felt wrong in her bones to finish, she would just quit. "So you really want to be something scary," Sam said with a grin as she continued to look through some of the racks. "Do you like horror movies that much? Or is it just because it's Halloween and you want to scare people?"
“I like everything, horror movies included,” Liam said, but had to think about it beyond that point. “I think it’s that… That’s the point of Halloween. The tradition of dressing up dates back to when people believed it was the night that spirits of the dead could walk the earth. People put on masks so that the dead wouldn’t recognize them. The whole thing has this spooky origin and I like taking part in that, even if I don’t plan on scaring anyone.” He was pretty sure he couldn’t scare anyone any other time if he tried.
In Sam's mind, it was a Pagan holiday, and she probably shouldn't have been celebrating it, but Mal hadn't seemed to mind Sam's desire to get a costume and go to a party, so she wasn't going to question it too much. Sam wanted to serve God and serve Mal, but she was also fifteen and feeling a tiny bit selfish. "But maybe you will scare someone, if you find the costume you want. If I saw you on the street wearing that, I would be scared," she admitted with a small laugh. "At least until you talked. Your costume could be pretty terrifying if you were there and just kept silent."
“Yeah, but I’ve never been any good at staying quiet,” Liam laughed. “I’m gonna get face paint too, so I can take the mask off, but then I really won’t be scary.” He wasn’t sure what he’d do with his hair, but his fluffy blonde poof? Not the least bit terrifying. “That’s good to know, though. If I stand in the corner by myself and start to wonder why no one wants to talk to me, then at least I know why.” It would be a good excuse if he totally failed at a high school party-- his costume was too scary to hang.
Sam laughed a little and nodded. He probably had plenty of friends to talk to at the party, mask or no mask, so Sam doubted he was really worried about it. She thought briefly of finding a costume with a mask so she wouldn't necessarily have to talk to people, but at the moment she was pretty set on Alice, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "Well, if I see you standing alone in the corner, I'll come say hi," Sam promised. "Then we can be two people standing in the corner alone, watching people. Sometimes that's more fun than actually socializing anyway." She shrugged and caught sight of a blue dress with a white apron. Alice. She wandered over to take it off the rack. "Well, that was kind of easy to find... have you spotted yours anywhere?"
“Oh yeah, parties are the best place to people watch,” Liam smiled. He’d never been to one this big before, but he expected it to be epic. The hard part was tempering his expectations. “Yeah, I think I see the big round head over there with the masks,” he said with a little laugh, pointing towards the other end of the store. “I’m gonna go check it out. Maybe I’ll see you around? I’ll look for Alice at the party.” He wasn’t a hundred percent sure they were going to the same party, but he’d look for her anyways. It was always nice to have another person so say hi to.
"Yeah, I'll see you," Sam said, already eying the size of the outfit. She should probably try it on, just in case, but it seemed like the perfect fit already. She would just need to find some hair ribbon and maybe a stuffed white rabbit. Pleased, Sam smiled at Liam as she headed for the dressing rooms. "Good luck, Liam!" Hopefully he would find exactly what he was looking for, and at least she knew what to look for at the party, if she wanted to say hello.