jess-suvari

[jess-suvari]

"Nah, just feeling a bit generous. Can't have anyone thinking i'm an awful gift giver." In her case she was teasing him, mostly because she didn't wanna accept that what he was saying was probably true. But given that the last Christmas they had spent together had been the moment she gave him the spare key to her place her track record wasn't doing favors as far as her hard ass reputation was concerned. The thing with Jess was that loving others didn't come easy for her but once she decided she loved someone she went out of her way to show it, even if only in small gestures like being more open or softer with them. "And you say this based on what exactly? You haven't introduced them to some other girl you were seeing before have you? You're only saying that cause you like me. At least hype me up a little before to be on the safe side. Throw in that i'm gonna be a lawyer to get me some points." She smiled before gently bumping her forehead to his.

She was quick to notice but not so quick to point out that he had called this place home. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. But the fact that he felt comfortable enough to consider the place they shared together some type of safe haven brought a warmth from her heart to the pit of her stomach as her nerves were thrown off guard. So much so that she was putty in his hands as he trailed his hands up her body. "As if three seconds is enough time to convince your stubborn ass of anything. Who's playing dirty now?" Her lips were on his before he could even finish his countdown, finding this was the best way to communicate all the in between things she had a hard time of bringing herself to say of just how much she wanted him and needed him. No matter how close they were, both physically and emotionally, it was almost never close enough. "Did that change your mind?"

"Christmas makes you soft, huh?" it might have seemed like it at first but he wasn't actually teasing her this time, rather he was noticing a more tender side of her than he was used to. He didn't talk about it but being without his parents since his teens had been hard. It wasn't like he could just pop over to Japan whenever he wanted to and even then he wasn't sure he would if he could. He wouldn't want to embarrass his parents by showing up the same deadbeat they'd always begged him not to become. So to have Jess showing enough faith in him to spend time with her mom felt like maybe he was doing something right. "If this is where we're at... maybe next time I call my parents you could say hi too. Likewise, y'know, they're gonna love you."

In all fairness he'd been trying not to be a distraction but he also wasn't going to turn her away when she set herself on his lap. "You gonna blame me just for walkin' in the door? This feels like a setup," he laughed, leaning up to kiss her jaw. "When a guy comes home to you lookin' like this it's gotta be naughty all the way. If you want help, I'll help but you got three seconds before I change my mind," he slid his hands further up her thighs, his touch becoming more intentional as his lips came dangerously close to hers, "One... Two..."

[jess-suvari]

A large breath of air, one Jess hadn't even realized she was holding in, was released when he ran his fingers down her spine as she found herself relaxing at his touch. Even if things had escalated to a fight she knew it would be resolved by bedtime, both because neither of them would allow things to simmer for too long without making their irritation known and because they enjoyed the making up part too much to let it last that long. But it did feel like a relief that they were figuring out how to communicate without shutting each other out, like an actual functional relationship. "It's only important to me because you're both my favorite people. And because even though I know you have plenty of people who have your back, I want more people in your corner. If it doesn't work out at least we can say you tried. That's all that matters to me." She reached back to nudge his shoulder. "Keep in mind this is the same lady that put up with my dad. I don't think you have to worry too much about making a good impression."

Jess groaned when Polo kissed her shoulder, knowing she wasn't gonna get anymore wrapping done now that he had completely taken her attention to himself. She moved to make her way onto his lap, her legs on either side of him as she made herself comfortable. "I mean, I was kinda in the middle of something here before you distracted me. Now I gotta rethink if you get your present or not. Are you gonna be naughty or nice tonight?"

Polo hadn't meant to upset her but clearly had so he clenched his jaw shut before he said something else to put his foot in it. That was growth in itself, not immediately running to throw fuel on the fire. Still, it was nice to know she had faith in him and hearing her double down made an easy smile grow on his face as he sat down next to her with his back resting on the couch, not unlike a cat that would sit nearby just to be close. "Because it's important to you," he said after a moment of silence. "Guess I think about it a lot. Not wanting to let you down." He reached out, fingertips brushing her spine, "It's not a big deal, swear. If I got your hard ass on side your mom's gonna be a piece of cake." Nervous wasn't the right word, but he was perhaps apprehensive. He knew he could be as charming as the best of them but he supposed that was a side effect of really wanting something to work out. He'd never cared so much about anyone before. "Sorry," he leaned over to press his lips to her shoulder, not quite able to reach his favourite spot on her neck without moving, "is that all that's stressing you out? You're tense as hell."

[jess-suvari]

"That's cool, I guess, if you're looking to be single by the end of the year." Her threat both a bit of a joke but also to serve as reminder that at her core that she still liked to be in control. It came to no surprise that he wouldn't make anything easy for her but this was one of the few instances where she wouldn't actually fight him to get what she wanted. Because the last thing she wanted to do was have him resent her for forcing him into situations that made him uncomfortable. "I'm never gonna make you do anything you don't wanna do, Polo. You should know that by now. But it is something important to me. So I guess just weigh out your options." She shrugged, quickly turning her attention back to the gifts before he could get a read on her to make his decision. "Depends on how bad you fuck it up." Jess huffed, almost immediately dropping the nonchalant act when she felt like he was throwing in the towel before he had even tried. It was one thing for him to not want to do it because it made him uncomfortable but she couldn't stand the idea that he was already counting himself out. "Why do you automatically assume you're just gonna fuck it up anyways? You're so good at charming random people the moment you walk into any room. What's so different about this?"

"I don't go anywhere I don't want to," Polo shrugged simply, throwing his jacket over the back of the couch as he came home from running errands with Ace and the boys. It still made him pause for a moment, seeing Jess doing something so mundane as wrapping gifts and realising that this was his life now. "Is this one of those things I have to do?" he asked, picking up one of the gifts she'd wrapped and giving it a shake as if to try and figure out what was inside. "And are you gonna be mad if I fuck it up? I mean, I'll do it if you want but we both know how well I handle being backed into a corner."

[jess-suvari]

"Don't know how you've managed to avoid it so far but my mom is asking, more like demanding, your presence at her place on Christmas." Jess relayed her mom's message from her spot on the floor of her apartment where she spent the last few hours furiously wrapping presents, a very last minute endeavor, since it had been the first time in the last few weeks she had time to herself. "Since we're all official she wants to have a proper sit down with you or whatever. Not gonna lie, she probably wants to grill you. I guess she thinks you're gonna be around for the long haul. No clue where she got that idea."

@polomikami

[jess-suvari]

"You don't. But you're just gonna let the disrespect stand? You're just gonna let me talk shit and not put me in my place? Damn. At least fight for your honor." Tara prodded at him because she didn't like when he just conceded. Yes, she enjoyed knowing that she got under his skin but whatever weird win she got out of it didn't feel satisfying if he just let her have it. "You're alright, despite having the personality of a middle aged man going through a midlife crisis. Improvements can always be made though." She teased, though her insults didn't carry the same vitriol they usually did, it was more lighthearted and playful. Internally she had decided that at least for tonight she could let her walls down if he was willing to do the same. It didn't mean that things wouldn't go back to the same old routine the next time they were together. But for the moment it felt good to not have to put up a front with him, to be able to play around and talk like they were normal, well adjusted people. What it could have been like everyday if things had played out different. It was nice to be so close to him, to hold him, to be enveloped in his warmth, and to appreciate how nice he smelled without the voice in the back of her mind reminding her to not let him become a weakness.

She didn't even realize she had let out a soft sigh of disappointment when he set her down to go back inside the house. "Whatever. You love it." She taunted him, mirroring his same words from earlier. She nodded as she slowly stepped ahead of him up the stairs back to his room. "Yeah, I probably should. You wanna come with so you can make sure i'm warmed up enough?"

It was becoming clearer to him as time went on that as easy as he'd found it to shut himself off and live on autopilot while around his father, that was never going to be the case when he'd come home. He hadn't said it out loud but it was true, Rosewood was home, and his defence mechanisms were slowly but surely starting to falter.

"I don't need to prove anything to anyone," Chan huffed, clearly not planning on facing any fears especially if it gave Tara another opening to bother him. "I was gonna say that maybe I am boring now, but you know that's not entirely true..." Despite trying to taunt her back he couldn't hold a serious expression to save himself. At that point he was a puppet and she was in control of the strings because even her poor attempt at reverse psychology still had him playing along. He adjusted the way he was holding her to keep her more secure as he walked, spine tingling at the warmth of her breath on his neck. Quietly, he was a little disappointed when he made the turn up the drive of his house and had to let her down to be able to open the gate to sneak around the back. "Get off, spider monkey. Again with the nails," he rubbed at his back, a weak excuse just to sound like he'd hated the whole thing. "You should have a shower, warm up. I've seen you sick, I don't want your snot on my pillows."

[jess-suvari]

"Not gonna buy that until I see it with my own eyes. Until then you're nothing but talk. But what else is new?" She pursed her lips in order to hold back a smirk from creeping out as she pushed back at his defense with the same energy. For once she actually wasn't interested in winning said discussion though. She found herself more enthralled by how excitable and much less rigid he had become when they began reminiscing. Almost like getting a glimpse of who he had been before he had left, the one who Tara liked being around and grieved the loss of, who he had suppressed for whatever reason. "That's excuses boring people make. If everyone stuck to only what they're meant to do then there would have been no discoveries ever. All i'm getting from this is that we need a redo. You know, to prove that you're a big boy who can face his fears."

Tara yelped quickly when he easily swept her up off her feet, a bit surprised for him to make such a bold move, which quickly turned into another wave of laughter once she relaxed in his hold, letting her arms rest around his neck. "Okay, wait. Maybe I don't mind this as a mode of transportation. I mean-" She cut herself off mid sentence. "Oh this is terrible. It would be so awful if you carried me all the way back." She hid her face in the crook of his neck to hide a smile. Her dispute with her current position was very obviously disingenuous but she had to put up a fight for her own ego, plus she was starting to catch on to how the whole reverse psychology thing worked on him and knew he liked to do what she didn't enjoy.

There was no way Tara didn't know exactly what she was doing, or that it worked on him every time. He felt like a damn Arthur meme standing there with his fist clenched at his side when he saw her pout. He was wishy-washy on how he would react depending on how much he felt like he shouldn't inflict himself upon her when she was already messed up by... whatever it was that had changed her.

"I would have had a fire going any second if we hadn't been found. I'll die on that hill," he didn't realise it but he was becoming more animated than usual as they started reminiscing. Thinking about their visit to the amusement park had him gesturing wildly as he defended himself, "You do remember those death traps, right? People weren't meant to get thrown around like that! Spent the whole time not sure if I needed to be more worried about your tiny ass flying out of the chairs, my glasses flying off, or the eight hundred pounds of cotton candy coming back up all over my new shirt. For real, I'm traumatised, I haven't even been on a ferris wheel since. It's feet firmly on the ground for me. Don't tell me you're still a daredevil? I mean, I know you get thrown around for a living but..." Chan gripped her around the waist and lifted her off her feet for a few steps, allowing himself to enjoy the moment for what it was if only briefly.

[jess-suvari]

"If it helps your ego a little i'll let that comment slide. At least there's been people after. Remind me when the last time you were in a relationship was?" Harper prodded, not letting him drop the topic since now she was genuinely curious. "I just think it means the people who have actually matured past all the Rosewood drama are smart enough to have actually moved out of here." She narrowed her eyes and nodded her head. "My suggestion is getting a tattoo that's not gonna get your jumped actually. I could write up something for you in Japanese if you want." She said with a devious smirk, making it too obvious she would make it something embarrassing.

"Oh I know. I've seen your taste in men after me so clearly looks aren't an issue for you." He waved his hand dismissively. "The fact that me and you rank so high on the maturity scale means Rosewood really failed literally everyone else we know. Who would've though that someone would refer to us as responsible. I was leaning towards a tear now that I'm in touch with my emotional side but I'm open to suggestions."

[jess-suvari]

Maybe it was for the best that Chan couldn't give her an answer to her question. Anyone who knew them or their history would probably tell them it was a bad arrangement from the beginning and to let things go as far as they had was already making it complicated enough. It wouldn't serve as much of a distraction for either of them if started putting thought behind their actions. "It's not all about you. Maybe i'm the one who doesn't wanna be pissed off first thing in the morning. I'm not above trying to smother you with your own pillow. Especially if you still snore." She sneered, lightly pushing their joined hands to his abdomen in playful punches, enjoying these kinds of moments when they felt free to goof off with each other again before their egos got in the way.

If there was one thing she wouldn't stand for though it was someone telling her to do what she was told. "Make me." Tara challenged him, her bottom lip out in a pout when he started backing away, waiting for him to get assertive with her. Mostly she was being a brat to give him a hard time in return and because she thought it was hot when someone was dominant with her. But she had taken note of how he never really seemed set on anything since he had returned. If he wanted something, not just from her, she wanted him to be more firm about it. She scoffed, yet was unable to hold a smile back when he brought up the memory she had long forgotten about until then. "Of course I cried. I didn't even wanna go in the first place. And I vaguely remember watching you try to make a fire by hand with a couple of branches for a whole hour. I wrote a whole goodbye note for our parents and everything." She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Still not as traumatizing as the time we went off on our own to ride the big rides at the amusement park for the first time and you got really bad motion sickness. You looked like your soul actually left your body. Pretty sure they wanted to haul you to the ER."

There were ways he could explain the way she'd described her feelings but he wasn't willing to put it into the universe. Instead, he shrugged as if he had no idea. Playing dumb was his safest bet since letting his ego get ahead of him tended to sink him in pretty hot water with anyone and everyone, especially her. "Mornings aren't special, you pissing me off any time of the day isn't gonna change. Wouldn't be here right now if you didn't forget your coat anyways so can you just do what you're told one time?" He was being petty at that point, poking the bear even when he knew he shouldn't. That was their shared problem though, they never knew where to draw the line. It wasn't so much out of malice or fear of rejection though, not with the way her laughter slowly brought an amused sound out of him as well. This, he thought to himself as they goofed around, was the person he'd missed so dearly.

"You say, as if it's not the risk that turns you on," he scoffed, referencing all the times they'd cut it close to being caught, and stepped backward to start walking before he could give in to the rising urge to kiss her. "Come on, I'm freezing. Ran out after you so fast I didn't even put socks on. Mom's definitely gonna know something's up if we both get sick." It made him smile to himself, the whole situation, like they were kids again on some sneaky little adventure. "Remember that time we got lost in the woods? You cried because I said you could eat me if I died first. Stupid, right? We weren't even that far off the trail..."

[jess-suvari]

"Hate is a less complicated way of describing it. Most of the time you drive me so crazy I lose all rational thought. How else would you explain that?" Tara pursed her lips as she pondered his response. It wasn't until that moment that she realized she hadn't really stopped to think about what he could have wanted outside of fulfilling each others sexual desires. Any other wants or needs outside of her own hadn't really crossed her mind. And she considered for a moment just how selfish she had become as of late. "I didn't think that was something you wanted. To have to deal with each other first thing in the morning knowing it'll probably end up in some kind of argument. Doesn't sound too enjoyable does it?" She couldn't help but laugh, a genuine laugh, when he tried to ward off her hand, oddly enough feeling more at ease with him in this moment than even when they had been hooking up. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that moments like this were rarer between them, small instances when they let themselves just be dumb and childish. She scrunched her nose when he leaned in since the softness in his actions wasn't something she was used to. "Until you try to sneak me out without your mom finding out i'm there? Sure. Still sort of feels like a trap. But sounds like fun."

For someone who liked to think he was pretty switched on it was oddly surprising to hear Tara basically admit she'd wanted him to keep her from leaving. Perhaps he was so clouded by his own self loathing that he hadn't considered it as an option. "I thought you hated me... I'm not trying to hold you hostage just to wake up in an empty bed anyway." When she turned to face him he gave her a limp shrug, soggy and cold but it was secondary to him, "Nah, you can't turn this around on me– hey, stop–" he grumbled, trying to stop her from touching his hair with a few swats of his hand until he caught her wrist. "Stupidity isn't mutually exclusive, dummy." Noticing her hand was cold he grabbed her other one as well, pulling them into the pocket of his hoodie to warm up. Again they were nose to nose so he dropped his forehead to rest against hers, tired and maybe even a little nervous. "Let me get it right this time. Come with me. No games, just stay."

[jess-suvari]

She waited. Only for a minute or two, sure, but she waited just long enough to for it to sink in that he probably didn't care how she felt or where she went. If he did he would have fought her harder wouldn't he? Maybe she wasn't great at understanding feelings but that seemed like the logical conclusion. They had fought longer over even stupider reasons. So it seemed like a wake up call that this wasn't one of those fights worth dragging out. They would get over it in a few days and just act like nothing happened again in a few days anyways. And with that thought in mind she left without looking back, for her own pride.

"You didn't try to stop me." She remarked as coldly as she could, though it was hard to hold back the hint of disappointment she was feeling. "I'm not gonna stay where i'm not wanted. And i'm not gonna wait around pathetically for anyone to ask me to stay out of pity either. What does it matter? I don't ever stay" Only when he draped her coat over her was when she finally stopped walking. The realization of just how cold and tired she was barely hitting her in contrast to the warmth she felt. Not just because of the coat but the idea that he actually went out looking for her. When she finally stopped to look back at him is when she finally got a look at just how disheveled he actually was. Now why the hell would put his own preservation on the line to come get her? "Did you seriously come out here with wet hair? And i'm the idiot?" She reached up to ruffle his hair, as if that would actually help dry it off any faster. "You're gonna get sick. Dummy. Go home."

"Above you? Seriously?" he snapped back reflexively, not sure where that idea had come from though he was hardly about to admit he'd come home with his tail between his legs and his aloofness had been a cover for it. They were hardly about to have any real type of conversation about it so he didn't linger on it nor did he let her. The last thing he wanted was to have to admit that he couldn't find any worth in himself and indulging in her was the most he'd managed to feel about anything in a long time. "Exactly what you want. A distraction," he half shrugged, sure she'd clock him for exactly the same reason. It was genuinely a struggle not to kiss her but he didn't want to stop and think about why that was– he definitely needed that shower, and fast. Her shove made him stumble half a step but he didn't turn, letting her have her dramatic storm out. If only he could figure out how to speak. It wasn't until he came back out of the shower that he noticed her coat still draped over his desk chair and cursed under his breath.

"Tara! Tara, wait!" Chan felt like he'd been doing laps of the neighbourhood trying to figure out which way she'd taken home, so when he finally spotted her he was beyond relieved. "Why didn't you come back?" he hissed, throwing her coat around her shoulders. "Hate me all you want but don't let your pride turn you into an idiot. It's freezing out here."

[jess-suvari]

"Why's that? Because you would have to admit that you might like being around me? Or because you might have to accept that you're not above me?" Tara asked with contempt, feeling a bit of a sting at his answer. If someone didn't know better she probably gave off the vibe that she was some ice cold bitch who had no feelings, but that was purposeful, simply a front to keep her actual feelings from being hurt. And he had already hurt her feelings enough when he left. Even though they were so much younger and even though they had fought more than they ever got along, he had still been one of the closest people to her. Having yet another key figure dip out on her after her dad had left her more jaded than she cared to admit. "I had that." She grumbled in defeat, a feeble argument to conceal her nerves when he made his way closer, though she didn't try to push him away either. "Right. And what exactly would I even get out of staying?" Her eyes closed and breath hitched when he pulled her in, fully expecting him to kiss her, even if only to get some upperhand on her. She instantly got flustered when he walked away, catching up to him to shove at his back, to feel like less of an idiot. "I hate you." She huffed, which she didn't mean, but it made her feel better to say before she started making her way out, even forgetting her coat in her haste.

"I don't want anyone asking questions either," he bit back dryly. Part of it was true, he didn't want anyone prying into his personal life, but it was also a test of her reaction. Granted, he'd been away a long time and people changed but there was something about Tara that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Either something was going on or she was just plain sadistic for the way she treated him. He skidded a little when she tried to kick him, which only served to bring out the childishness she was so good at awakening. "Leave it," he huffed, grabbing onto the tie of her blouse to stop her from messing with it. Deft fingers tied it for her, but lingered despite his apparent haste to get her out of there. He couldn't have even begun to explain his feelings about anything and autopilot was so much easier than trying to figure it out. "Thought you'd do anything to inconvenience me. Or are you just worried you won't want to leave?" he taunted, pulling her in by the bow until their noses touched, then let go and turned on his heel to head for his bathroom. "You know where the door is."

[jess-suvari]

"It's fine that you're aging like milk. Beauty's not everything. At least you've got a good personality." Harper joked, feeling comfortable enough to tease him like that given how long they had known each other by now. "You say that but do you know how many people have kids without even knowing how to take care of themselves properly? You're self aware of what you bring to the table. That already makes you more mature than half the people our age." She said with a shrug. "Hmmm. Depends. What kind of a face tattoo are we talking here?"

"You still look 12. Congratulations." Des raised his hands to clap mockingly. "Get real. He doesn't even ask me to check on the plants when he goes out of town." Des shook his head, though he wasn't necessarily against the idea of getting married or having kids. He wasn't vying for it the way some people seemed to but he'd always thought it would be sort of fun to be a dad. "It might not be so bad. I bet I'd look hot with a face tattoo."

[jess-suvari]

"Oh no, you won't get to go shirtless in public for a few days? What are you gonna do without the attention you so desperately need? Disappear like Tinkerbell?" Tara rolled her eyes but stopped in her tracks to silently admire her work. If she had let her intrusive thoughts win she would have made her way over to press a kiss to his back to soothe the wounds. Instead she chose to shrug and snicker in amusement, keeping in mind to maybe be more gentle with him next time. But in those moments all bets were off considering how things always turned into a battle of dominance with them and venting their frustrations out on each other. "Wear your battle scars with pride. At the very least you don't have to lie about getting laid anymore." She went back to fumbling around with the front tie of her blouse, choosing to show her irritation over the fact that she couldn't tie it the way she wanted and not that he was successfully getting under her skin. Fact of the matter was that now that they were hooking up he was honing in more on what she liked and didn't like, and worse, the things that made her tick. She kicked her foot out in an attempt to kick his shin in retaliation to pulling her hair. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't really make sense for you to leave your place just to get me back home."

Chan had been minding his business, sitting on the edge of his bed trying to remember where it was that his shirt had ended up, when Tara's hand connected with the back of his head. It had been nice, up until that point, the silence in his mind, but of course she had to go and ruin it. "You say, as if I don't look like I went one on one with a big cat," he rubbed at the back of his head and jerked his thumb at the scratches he could feel on his shoulder blades. "Nah, you love it," he smirked, always aiming to get a rise out of her one way or another. If anything she'd just guaranteed that he'd do it again and he didn't care if he fell for the reverse psychology trap or not. "It's late. I'll drive you home," he told her as he found his shirt crumpled on the floor. It was a lost cause in his eyes so he tossed it into the laundry hamper and went to find a fresh one, making sure to go out of his way to tug at her hair in passing.

[jess-suvari]

"Who's we? Speak for yourself. I still get carded when I go to bars that aren't Coyote Ugly." Harper responded with a smug smirk. "You know, I bet it was some big test to find out how responsible you are now. And now that you passed he's gonna expect you to get married and start popping out kids." She shuddered at the thought. "Good luck. I would invite you to hide out at my family's but they're all still walking on eggshells around each other. And once my dad and his friends start drinking they might try to initiate you into a gang."

"We've officially hit the age where my dad asked me what side I wanted to bring to Thanksgiving this year. Me. I know I said I wanted to move on from the kid table but I might actually need a time machine now. I got away with bringing one of the giant pies from Costco this time around, but there's no way that's going to fly in December, and I'm not prepared to do anything other than show up and let my nana pinch my cheeks for a few hours." @jess-suvari

[jess-suvari]

"Asshole." Tara scolded Chan, reaching over his bed to slap the side of his head, mostly to cut through the tension and awkward silence left in the air as she fixed her clothes. It made leaving their trysts feel less like a walk of shame if she acted like nothing was different between them. It wasn't like she was using him as a booty call to work through some deep unresolved emotional connection or anything, so they didn't need to make it a thing, but if they were gonna be continuously pushed together she figured they might as well have some sort of fun with it. The chemistry worked and he made her feel good in the moment, that was enough to convince her it wasn't such a crazy arrangement. At the very least it was a good distraction from the feeling that she was losing control of her own life little by little. "If this becomes a mark i'm coming back to shave your brows off." She pointed to a reddening spot on her chest. "You gotta chill on hair pulling too. Or i'm gonna have a bald spot by Christmas."

@willow-balcoin

[jess-suvari]

"No, see, they better cool it. Cause the moment someone runs up on me in one of those weirdass Terrifier costumes i'm throwing hands." Jess narrowed her eyes, on the defense in case anyone else tried to jumpscare them. "That seems like enough grounds to claim self defense, don't you think?"

"Oh my god," Mariela exclaimed as someone ran past her in a Ghostface costume, screaming. The local costume shop definitely being the place to be on that afternoon. All around her, people were certainly getting into the holiday mood. "it's quite literally insane in here."