XIII. A Halloween Night.

On the second floor, Cookie's room was decorated with paper walls and pink everywhere it could be looked at. From the bed to the wardrobe, passing through the dolls and plushes on the shelves, everything was stained with feminine colors. Vanilla felt overwhelmed by the excess of details compared to her simplistic, wooden room.

"Let's get ready! It's Halloween!" Cookie reached her wardrobe and put out two costumes of festive colors, thematic of the same night.

Vanilla looked at them. They were a set of short skirts with webbed stockings. "Oh no. I'm not wearing that!"

"Yes, you are," Cookie smirked. "You can't go out with that mauled dress. So pick one and don't say no."

Vanilla looked at herself; she looked like a hobo addicted to glue and gasoline. Besides, that elegant attire was not something she would wear every day. What damage would it do to put on something fir for the occasion?

"Alright. I'm putting it on," She announced her decision, looking down and flushing.

Cookie did small claps in awe and turned around to let Vanilla put it on. She looked at herself in the mirror; It was a set of black boots, orange stockings with golden stars, a purple robe with golden buttons, and a witch hat in color black. Cookie put hers too. It was an identical cut, except that its colors were inverted. Her stockings were purple and her robe orange.

"T-this is not fun!" Vanilla frowned. Her face boiled.

"Hehe, you look so cute Vanilla!" Cookie happily said, only making it worse for her.

Vanilla pouted and looked down, hoping that those embarrassing feelings would fade away. But deep inside, she could not help but like the childish costume. She would have been more confident about it if Cookie was not there.

"Hehe, we match! let's call us: 'The Striking Witches'!" Cookie exclaimed.

"Oh no. Don't begin with silly names!"

"You're such a killjoy, Vanilla." Cookie swirled her eyes.

"Rowie said the same. We need to go now."

"If you say so. I'll take Bumbly once again with me." She saved the bee inside her orange purse.

Vanilla put the Sky Empress and took a deep breath. Cookie already knew what it took to use a plush. "Use a pillow to cover your scream," she said, taking one of the heart-shaped cushions and handing it to her.

•••

Mrs. King went upstairs to check on her beloved Cookie and Vanilla. Quite a joy it was that she made a friend in that desolated countryside. The girl often got bored, and neither she nor her husband could always spend time with her, so she was forced to spend long periods of time alone.

She unlocked Cookie's room. The lightbulb located outside infiltrated as a strip of light, illuminating the pink bed. Both girls were already sleeping, covered by the blankets. Their contrasting hair colors were the only things visible.

"Aw, how cute, they are already sleeping," Mrs. King whispered and gently closed the door. They were expecting her downstairs back at the party.

•••

"Hehe, do you think those pilled-up pillows and wigs are going to work?" Cookie asked. They continued to elevate. They had just picked up Rowie from the porch of the manor.

"I have no idea!" Vanilla responded, with the wind making her hair below the witch hat wave.

Both girls rode the back of Custos Aquilae, the spirit inside the Sky Empress. She was a bald eagle as big as a horse that had no trouble carrying the petite humans through the skies. They gained altitude at tremendous speeds, getting refreshed by the howling and chilling wind.

They bypassed the cotton clouds. The full moon, shining in pure white dazzled their puffy surface. Endless clusters of stars and other Astros greeted Earth from the outer, limitless worlds that the cosmos possessed, up and beyond where the naked eye could see.

Sirius, Betelgeuse, Canopies, Arcturus, Vega, Castor, Procyon, Antares, Spica... Every single one of them twinkled in their constellations. The intrepid Orion, the avid Lepus, the vigorous Ursa's... It was a total symphony in the name of the universe and movement.

"It's... It's beautiful!" Cookie exhaled vapor, too astonished to realize her body was trembling like a washing machine.

"Not even the views from my telescope compare to this!" Vanilla exclaimed. Her dark eye reflected the white of the moon.

"Vanilla, the moon is full..." Rowie spoke, hanging in her back inside a bag that Cookie lent to her.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Cookie asked, not lowering her neck a little bit off the starry sky.

"You're right Rowie," Vanilla nodded. It was full two weeks ago. This doesn't make sense."

Didn't those harpies mention some goddess of the night that would not extinguish her maximum force? If whatever that was had the capabilities of changing the course of Earth's natural satellite, or creating the illusion of it, then they weren't dealing with anything to take lightly. 

Custos Aquilae kept gliding above the white valley of clouds. The girls kept unaware of their trembling and aware of their diminutive existence.

"Look! A shooting star!" Cookie signaled. "Make a wish!"

"I wish something delicious!" Rowie wagged his tail.

"I wish... 10 wishes!" The blonde girl said.

"Cookie, that's not how it works," Rowie complained.

"Aww... what will you wish for, Vanilla?"

"Hmm... I think I will keep that as a secret."

Truth was that she could not wish for anything else inside that engulfing moment. Life had limitless possibilities. Something that the night sky above reminded her of whenever she looked at it. Something so immense like the Universe made her problems and worries feel insignificant. She didn't have to worry about anything. But she made her wish. A wish that she preferred to keep intimate forever...

"Hey," Rowie spoke. "It's Merry Oaths! Look!"

The cloud cover ended, and the tiny lights that were recently installed on the streets of the town twinkled down. Vanilla returned to reality. They still had their mission to stop those horrid harpies. "Downwards, Empress!" She ordered. The eagle screamed and glided downwards, making the wind whistle in frost.

"Hey, what's that?" Cookie asked with concern. Gargling screeches rumbled near. Various clouds in dark grey appeared. First one, then two, and finally four of the hybrid aberrations appeared them, surrounding them as destroyers would do against a battleship.

Vanilla put out Avrevm Bacvlvm from her belt and aimed it back. "Gwaaggh!" One of the harpies screamed and spread her claws. She glided to them, but Vanilla's thumb was faster. She pressed the garnet and rewarded her with a stream of charring electricity. The hybrid screeched in pail and plummeted to her doom. 

"They are trying to attacking us!" Cookie cried.

"Dare getting closer, you bastards!" Vanilla growled and pressed lightly the garnet. Aurevm Bacvlvm's tip spilled sparks. The harpies broke their formation flew away from them. Did that really scare them?

"They lef— Kyaaaaaaaah!" Heavy winging rumbled after them. Cookie got pushed out of the eagle.

"Cookie!" Rowie yelled. Vanilla reactioned and tried to extend her hand to pick her up, but she was not fast enough. The girl was quickly gravitating down.

Vanilla bit her own teeth. The harpies began to surround her, negating her visibility in a cloud of feathers. She raised Avrevm Bacvlvm and shot again. They spread away, and another harpy shrieked mid-air as she got struck by a peal of thunder.

She looked down; Cookie was now a small orange doll plunging into a dark abyss. "Go down, Empress! For her!" Custos Aquilae screamed and abruptly made a ninety-degree movement downwards.

"Noooooo! I'm too young and beautiful to die!" Cookie hollered as she tried to grab herself from the air around.

Custos Aquilae descended faster; she got on the girl's momentum and served as a safety bed. Cookie bounced on her feathery back and laid on it for a second after opening her eyes. She was safe once again.

"Y-you saved me!" She cherished. Rowie wagged his tail.

Vanilla ignored her. "Empress! Leave us at the top of the Church!"

But the aberrations returned. They tried to attack again, but their hybrid speed was no match for the one of a true avian. Empress lost them as she flew down to the shiny center of the town. She closened with Saint Gabriel church, the highest construction surrounding the park and plaza in the middle of the four streets.

"Now, Jump!" Vanilla yelled. She held Rowie tight. She and Cookie leaped to the trapezoid roof of gothic finishes.

They hit the tiles and tumbled down. Vanilla rolled down the vertical roof that led to the forecourt inside the church. It was a fall of about thirty feet. She was about to plummet, but Cookie reached for the edge and grabbed her hand.

"Hehe, now I saved you!" She smiled. She adjusted her hair and helped her to climb up to safety.

They then moved up to the horizontal part of the roof; a cornice that still had more floors and towers above, and advanced ahead to a tower with a giant bell. Pigeons flew away. Custos Aquilae now was the one giving hunt their former attackers in the sky.

"We arrived safely..." Rowie murmured.

"Haha... hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Vanilla could not hold it. She leaned on the tower and held her stomach hard.

"Hahahahaha! hahahahahahaha!" Cookie burst into laughter too.

"What's so fun, girls?" Rowie asked, smiling in confusion and tilting his head.

"Rowie," Vanilla spoke between laughter. "How many times do you fly a supernatural gigantic eagle and fight half-woman half-bird hybrids with a stick that shoots electric discharges?!"

"Well, never. Hehehe!" The pup happily responded, getting infected by the girl's euphoric attack.

They recovered after some minutes and gazed at the world below. Merry Oaths looked more alive than ever. Paper figures decorated the walls and trees at the park and its surrounding gothic buildings. Carved Jack-o'-lanterns illuminated everywhere, and children in colored costumes passed by cackling and playing with each other. Some police officers guarded each corner.

"Well, we need to continue," Vanilla said. "Custos Aquilae can only do so much. More of those harpies will come."

"Where is she?" Cookie looked at the sky, trying to discern the giant spirit in the dark sky.

"Let her roam around and scare away some of those beasts," Vanilla said. "But there are still too many of them. Let's take care once down."

With no more harpies harassing them, the girls descended the gothic church of St. Gabriel with the help of Custos Apes' carrier effect. To hide Cookie's scream, Vanilla utilized the amethyst had an idea involving the Emerald and the Amethyst on Avrevm Bacvlvm.

First, she shot the giant belt with the emerald to make it shake and rumble. Cook advantage of the noise to use her plush, and when she was done, Vanilla shot the bell again with the amethyst. The noise calmed down, although they had attracted some attention below. Vanilla wondered how useful the dynamic of enchant-disenchant of both gemstones could be in the future. 

"Cookie! Wait!" She moaned. The girl walked too fast, and she could not keep up with her.

"Look, Vanilla! They all look gorgeous!" Cookie signaled. Her enormous blue eyes could not lose their glow as she looked at the candies of skeleton, pumpkin, bat, spider, and other shapes distributed on the stands that filled the central plaza of Merry Oaths.

"This one looks delicious! Look!" She signaled a pumpkin.

"Cookie... you really love food," Vanilla said.

"Love it? No. I adore it!" She smiled and raised her eyebrows.

Vanilla swirled her eyes with a grin. The caramels marched in rows on the wooden stand of papercraft and jack-o-lanterns. Cookie pilled a dozen of them inside a paper bag and paid the woman selling them.

"Take, eat one!" She put one on Vanilla's hand. It was a black cat made of sugarcoated marshmallows.

"How... cute." She said, bitting a little bit.

"It is, right?" Cookie munched her pumpkin caramel.

"I'm not talking about the candy," Vanilla said, looking in awe around. "This place. It's just... Merry Oaths is usually such a grey and cold place. But these... Colors, laughter everywhere. Halloween does make it feel like a different place."

"Hehe. I told you it would be fun!" 

They continued advancing between the themed stands of food, candy, and souvenirs of the same autumnal day. The towering crowd of people of all ages could not put their eyes apart from the costume-fitting duo.

Vanilla felt uncomfortable, but Cookie could not get more of a satisfying feeling. Some children even approached them and petted Rowie.

"About the harpies..." Vanilla spoke with her soft and raspy voice.

"Yeah? What's our next step?" Cookie's louder voice contrasted.

"...Merry Oaths' elementary school. It hosts Halloween festivals every year. It's also relatively insolated. A perfect place for those things to kidnap kids."

"Hmmm... Did you attend it?"

"Yes. Unfortunately." Vanilla raised squeezed her lips and slowly nodded. Her time in elementary school was one that she preferred to not think about.

"Look, Vanilla! An itinerant photographer!" Cookie signaled. A man in a black beret and a tripod camera stood at the corner between St. Beatrice of Silva and St. Catherine of Vadstena streets. She ran towards him.

"Cookie!" Sigh. Vanilla followed after.

"Oh, hello, little witches!" The man spoke with a french accent. "Your costumes are the most impressive around! Want me to take you a picture?"

"Yes!" Cookie said. "Pose for the camera, Vanilla!"

"W-Wait!" 

Cookie crossed her arm on Vanilla's shoulder and smiled. Without any options, Vanilla put Rowie out of her backpack and hugged him, fronting the camera. The man got inside the camera's blanket and flashed the device. He gave two printed copies to the girls.

"Look Vanilla, these things are amazing! Now this moment will be recorded forever." 

The monochromatic photos had the girls in matching outfits with the white pup, the black sky, and the shiny, oversaturated stands behind.

"I guess so... Guess I like it," Vanilla said. She saved it in her pocket. Her awkwardness was not stronger than her feeling of attachment for her few yet good memories.

"Goodbye girls! Have fun tonight!" The man said after Cookie paid him. They continued strolling in the vertical St. Catherine of Vadstena street, amidst more stands and sauntering townsfolk.

"Be more animated Vanilla, it's Halloween!" Cookie said. Vanilla had kept herself particularly silent. 

But Vanilla didn't respond. She spotted a separated stand in the corner with the perpendicular street of St. Andrew Avellino. The person behind it glittered in pink fuchsia and emerald green...

"Cookie, wait here," She said, passing the puppy to her. "Take Rowie. I must do something."

"What's the matter, Vanilla?" Cookie looked in confusion.

"I'll be back." She responded as she left. Cookie frowned and let her mouth mildly open, but obeyed.

Vanilla reached the lonely stand. The Asian man behind it looked at her and grinned. "Oh, What a surprise to see you right here, honey!" He waved his hand. He then continued to order skulls, feathers, candles, dream catchers, and other witchery objects on it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Wanna buy voodoo decorations?" He showed her a hand-sewed doll of cross-eyes.

Vanilla didn't say anything. He made strong contact. "What's it, baby? You look really pretty with that. Just like your acquaintance! She is so cute I could kiss her to death."

"Acquaintance? Are you talking about Cookie? How did you know about her?"

"Perhaps because she's right behind you?" He raised one eyebrow.

Vanilla turned her head around. The blonde girl wearing orange and purple stood behind her, holding the puppy. "Cookie! I told you to wait."

"I'm sorry Vanilla! Hehe!" She scratched the back of her head. 

"Oh, look, It's Rowie!" The contracted said. "Only for you, my friend, I have a special gift." He crossed his stand and approached them. He then leaned and put a tiny, conical cyan hat on his head, tying it with fine lace.

"You're a wizard, Rowie!"

"He looks so cute. Say thanks to the flamboyant Chinese man!" Cookie grabbed Rowie's paw and waved it. He just briefly opened his mouth in annoyance.

"'Flamboyant? Is that really how I come off like?" He put his hand on his waist. "And Chinese? Really? you westerners can't just differentiate!"

'You're a wizard', that sounded strangely familiar for some reason...

"Cookie, could you leave us alone for a moment?" Vanilla asked. 

"No, It's fine honey," The Contractor interrupted. "I'm just here selling cheap bargains." He adjusted his green homburg and the rings on his hands.

"Really? Don't you..." She stopped herself, thinking about how to put their affairs without revealing anything to Cookie. "Don't you have anything for me?"

"You mean a contract?" He asked.

"Not in front of–" Vanilla frowned.

"Don't worry. Your friend is already obsessed right there. Look." He raised his finger.

Cookie was already gone, focused on the stands behind and checking out something with childish enthusiasm that made her unaware of whatever shady business Vanilla and the Contractor shared.

"She is like so, incredibly cute," He remarked. "Almost as cute as you. Wish you were as energetic, though."

Cute... was that a compliment or more of his condescension? Truth was that very few had called her that before. But she didn't lower her guard. "Awww. Now you're blushing," He playfully grinned. "But no. Your next contract will arrive at you when the night's over. I wish you good luck with that."

"Good luck with what?" Vanilla asked. How did he know what she and Cookie were doing? She didn't remember signing any contracts with him. 

"Unless you do something it's gonna be a long night." He returned to his place behind his stand.

"What do you mean?" She asked. "I don't follow you. Do you know about the harpies? How so?"

"Who mentioned harpies? Oh, wait. Once I attended a tea party with some of them. They tried to seduce me. Eww."

Vanilla swirled her eyes. "You aren't the only one here who's been tried to be seduced by a supernatural being that kills people. Trust me."

"Hehehe, sweetheart." He opened a green bottle and served himself wine. "It's going to be a helluva night, for you and me."

"You and your..." She sighed, not having words for his annoying vagueness. She looked around to keep an eye on Cookie and Rowie. When she moved her head back, The Contractor's stand had disappeared from its dismal corner.

"W-Wait!" She yelled, but she didn't feel surprised. Something so typical of him...

"Vanilla!" Cookie returned. "Oh, your friend's gone. Well, I was going to ask if he had more accessories for Rowie, look!"

She had dressed the pup in a neat cloak of yellow stars, a fake aquamarine collar, and small, leather boots on his four paws. Rowie looked both happy and annoyed. It fitted with his hat, though.

"Cookie, did you really spend your money on that?" Vanilla said.

"Why do you say it?" She moved her shoulders. "Mommy and daddy are rich. Yours too." She licked a lollipop.

Vanilla looked at the streets. The transitioning crowd kept giving them stares of admiration. Vanilla felt overwhelmed by it, but Cookie smiled and waved her hand at them.

"Well, we have work to do. Let's go to that school to see if we see something." 

"Nothing will beat the striking witches, woohoo!" Cookie raised her fist. Her hat bounced on her head.

"Oh, don't embarrass us right here. Let's go. We might not have much time..."

'Unless you do something, it's gonna be quite a long night.' What was the true meaning of those words? That man —if he was truly a man— loved vague language and wordplay. Vanilla had learned that it was better to take with a grain of salt what he used to talk about. Just when you were sure about something, he changed meanings for you.