sailedfirst | IV. [Event: Halloween]

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IV. [Event: Halloween]

[ACTION -- Oct 31]
[It's generally agreed by the residents of CH3, Room 40 that this month? is a very, very bad month. The sooner it ends, the better everyone will feel. Probably. But on the last day of said month, it's Sabo's turn to experience its ugliness firsthand.

All day long, right from the moment he wakes up, he's going to be surrounded by a ghostly entourage of a classic noble household, comprising of a butler, a housemaid, a valet, a cook and a chauffeur, all intent on calling him their "Young Master" and attending to his each and every need or whim.

Whether Sabo wants them or not. And Sabo sure as hell doesn't want them.

From dressing up (which involves a lot of fancy aristocratic clothes, "GAH! What the hell, these aren't mine!") ...To snacks ("No, I don't want your stupid Earl Gray tea and lemon chiffon cakes! Leave me alone!") From staying indoors ("Dammit, what have you done with my room?! Quit cleaning and go away! ...AND STOP CALLING ME THAT! I'm not your master!") ...To escaping outside ("...Really? You guys even brought a damn carriage with you? ...That's it, I'm done with you stupid ghosts. ... STOP FOLLOWING ME!")

So yes, Sabo can be seen around the village plagued by his ghostly servants, growing more and more irritable with each call of "Young Master!". To strangers, this might seem all well and good, as the ghosts really do make a good job of their services. But to a noble-born kid who doesn't want to be treated or known as such? This is one highly successful prank.

All this because he'd shut the door to the faces of some trick or treating ghosts last night.

Finally, he gives up and turns to the journal for help.]

[Voice]

Do you guys have any idea how to drive the damn ghosts away? I... I could use some help here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Don't encourage them, geez! They won't go away even if you give 'em candy. I already tried, okay?!

[Glaring at the housemaid who seemed intent on re-decorating their apartment into a stately mansion by putting up intricately patterned-draperies everywhere.] You, stop that! You're turning this place more fire-hazard than it already is!

I think they have just a ghastly sense of decor.

[GET IT?! GET IT?!?!]

[No, Marco will never stop. He likes this too much.]

[Really, Marco? Really?

Sabo's too overwhelmed by your creativity to form words and just going to give you the flattest stare he can manage.]

[Chuckles.]

[Isn't he awful to be around now that his girlfriend's back? Not that you'd know that that is why yet, but whatever. It is why.]

How much is this really bugging you, eh? [Serious question despite the flippant deadpan.]

[His valet is offering him several alternative coats, all of which are ridiculous in their extravagance, while his butler is steadily reciting all "the activities the Young Master is to partake today" in the background.

Sabo just sighs and rubs his temples. The ghosts' actions are greatly exaggerated, yes, but they still remind him of his past, and that is never good.]

...If I say 'a lot', you're just gonna laugh and be more annoying. So, not much. I'll live through it.

[Small grin.]

Now you're catching on. So long as you're entertaining them, they'll keep at it. Make it boring, and they'll do something more funny.

[Plopping down on the sofa wearily.] I don't want them to do anything funny. I don't want 'em to do anything! Well, except to leave me alone which, obviously they're not gonna do.

[Props an arm on the back of the couch behind Sabo's shoulders as he grabs a seat next to him.] Aye, that, they probably won't. Since you said giving them candy doesn't do anything.

Just try going along with their game for a little bit and see if they get bored of it?

[Very firmly shaking his head.] No, no way. Nothing's gonna make me answer to this kind of treatment. [with no brothers' lives at stake, he means.]

[Quietly thinking they found a live one in Sabo all right.]

Can you think of anything you hate more? [Lightly pokes in the ribs. Come on Sabo, catch on.]

[He can't see where you're going with this, bro.] Uh... not being free?

[Which, given his ghostly servants doing everything for him, is a close one.]

Gee. Good thing they haven't thought to tie you up and leave you somewhere then, eh?

[It's okay Sabo, Marco just apparently is helping them torture you. Oops. No big deal.]

I mean sure, you'd be all tied up, but then they would probably leave you alone because they wouldn't have to keep you bugging you, you'd already be tied up and left. [Nod. Don't worry Sabo, if they do tie you up, Marco will come set you free, promise. It's probably disturbing that he says all this perfectly in deadpan however.]

[Ugh, you're terrible, Marco. Because while he he didn't experience being tied up somewhere, he did experience being locked away in his room and in a cellar and then left alone, too many times for his own good.

So there's a noticeable flinch before he looks away.] ...Good thing, huh.

[Damn. So that really would be a lot worse huh. Marco frowns and quickly moves to squeeze Sabo's shoulders in a hug and gets very serious toned.]

Okay I won't let happen, no matter what.

[He doesn't know if it's as bad as Ace's fears about being locked up thanks to Impel Down, but he's not going to take chances with his brother's mental health.]

Are you sure you don't have any other worse fears or something you hate even more? Like I sure know I'd hate for them to bring me real tea, only to have them spike it with pineapple juice, eh? That'd be like, so insulting. I'd be damn humiliated.

[To a much lesser degree than Ace's, maybe? At least Sabo wasn't physically tortured. Still, being trapped in any form would be horrible to him.

Sabo gives Marco a quick look, noting the change in tone, but simply nods. You're a terrible trolling bro, but he trusts you.

At the next lines however, he frowns, trying to make sense out of it.] ...Are you telling me to order them to get you stuff?

[Laughs!] Of course not! We can't really order them around, can we?

I'm just saying, if someone wanted to prank me, gee that'd sure be the way to do it. [Wink.]

[Snickering, before his self-preservation instincts could stop him.] Oh? Is that why the pineapples on your birthday worked?!

[Huff!]

Yes.

Want to get tickled again?

[Lightly smooshes Sabo's cheeks.]

[Immediately curls into a tiny, defensive Sabo ball.]

N-no?

[That one time is enough. ;;]

[asldkjalsdkjaskld a-awwww. God damn cutest little brothers, his old pirate heart can't take it. Don't look at him with that face, he's not worthy!!! ;;]

Thought so.

No, I think your worst prank ever, something you'd never be able to fix... would be being made to write all alone for hours today, eh? I know how you hate it. Don't worry Sabo, your secret is safe with me.

[FFF why are you finding his terrified faces cute?! ;;

Mulling this over, and still very much confused. Sorry bro, his mental smarts are down today.] So, you're saying... these guys could've done worse things to me?

[Gosh, Marco, just give it to him straight already!]

[Worst big brother ever? It just pings all of Marco's protective instincts hard.]

Not exactly.

[Hm. If Sabo can't crack his verbal code... but if he whispers it the ghosts still might hear and catch on.] Here, I'm gonna write something out you should be able to get. Because you're more clever than them, eh?

It's a basic code, but you should be able to crack it.

[Writes out:]

Let's play reverse day!

Evah uoy reve dreah fo esrever ygolohcysp?
["Have you ever heard of reverse psychology?" But backwards.]

Write back.

[Staring hard at the paper. He's not very familiar with a lot of puzzles and codes, not having much chance to look at them while sneaking around in the Town Center's bookstores and libraries. And here in Luceti, his restlessness keeps him from staying still long enough to study them.

But Marco's right. This is pretty basic; common sense's enough to crack it.

So Sabo writes reverse psychology (?) before frowning at it. The term doesn't ring a bell, but taken one word at a time... wouldn't it mean "opposite thinking"?

But... opposite to which thought, exactly?

At this point, Sabo's just going to look at Marco, more confused than ever.]

[Marco holds up a finger and goes to grab a storybook from his room. Brer Rabbit Meets a Tar Baby.]

S'ti a epyt fo part. Ecnivnoc meht taht eht tsrow gniht d'uoy etah eht tsom si yllautca gnihtemos taht spleh uoy. Yeht teg yawa gnikniht yeth now, dna uoy teg yawa htiw ruoy modeerf.
[It's a type of trap. Convince them that the worst thing you'd hate the most is actually something that helps you. They get away thinking they won, and you get away with your freedom.]

[Ooh, a book. Brb, latching on it happily! *u* He's quiet, once he's done, trying to apply the story in his situation. Marco's new information helped a lot, but Sabo's not exactly liking the conclusion he's arriving to.

Also, there must be a reason Marco's using codes, so Sabo decides to follow the example.]

Ndluow't taht naem I evah ot yalp gnola htiw meht? Llet meht I ekil gnivah meht dnuora os hcum yeht'er ton dewolla ot evael reverof ro gnihtemos?
[Wouldn't that mean I have to play along with them? Tell them I like having them around so much they're not allowed to leave forever or something?]

IV. [Event: Halloween]

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