#insane to me that they did this on a xianzhou patch | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

singularity-sam · 1 month ago

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Insane Stories From Belobog's Trash Cans - Special Pumpkin Patch Volume: A Vacation Turned Horror

For the Stellaron Hvnters Halloween Pumpkin Patch Event, with the rent-a-cabin maxima prompt chosen, featuring Huohuo and Tail as the protagonists!

(Disclaimer: This story contains depictions of terror, horror tropes, social anxiety, bullying, mentions of hardship, and unfunny cringe attempts at humor throughout).

“It’s a nice place, isn’t it?”, Guinaifen said while gesturing to the log cabin nestled in the middle of the woods in front of her, “This is where we’ll be staying for the next few days as part of our well-earned vacation!” As she finished her introduction of the setting, Sushang walked up beside her and stopped, replying with: “Yeah, it is. Thank goodness we can finally relax here and not have to worry about any trouble…” Another pair of footsteps sounded from behind them, followed by a quiet yet nervous-sounding voice speaking, “T-That would be nice… I hope nobody… tries to bother us while we’re here… B-Being on this foreign planet is already bad for my nerves…”, while stuttering with much anxiety within.

This comment then led to Huohuo’s companion, Tail, to awaken and separate himself from her while gazing at the site. “A log cabin? Yuck! How cliche!”, he said angrily (his usual tone). One last person finished walking up to the rest of the group. “If it is cliche, then would that mean it’s like a horror movie?”, Stelle asked, “Would it be haunted? Maybe some monster or creep stalks around at night? It’d be fitting, considering this is a Halloween-themed vacation…” Huohuo shook anxiously at that thought while yelling: “Ahh! D-Don’t say that…! V-Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. No scary stuff!” Tail felt annoyed at this, so he said, “Ugh, cut it out! This brat gets scared easily, and it grates my ears!”, while rolling his eyes.

“Speaking of which, isn’t this Halloween holiday something celebrated in certain foreign worlds? Aren’t you and Stelle familiar with it, Little Gui?”, Sushang wondered aloud, “Doesn’t it involve spooky costumes and candy? I remember you talking about it before. It reminds me of some of the Xianzhou ships’ holidays, but scarier.” Guinaifen twirled around and answered her best friend’s questions with: “That’s right, Shangshang! And it’s a lotta fun! Since you and Huohuo never experienced it, I thought inviting you all out here on this remote planet would be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday and our ghost-hunting efforts.” This perked Stelle up, who excitedly interjected with, “Yeah, Halloween’s the best! And we deserve to celebrate because we’re the Ghost-Hunting Squad, and nothing can stop us from being amazing sigmas!”, while having a manic grin and playful tone.

The other four members just looked on with stunned and confused stares, being put off by Stelle’s usual unhinged brainrot. “Um… Anyway, there’s a lot of fun activities to do around here in coordination with Halloween! We can carve and paint pumpkins at the nearby pumpkin patch, swim and play in the creek behind the cabin, and watch scary movies at night. Trust me, it’ll be loads of epicness, fam!”, Guinaifen said. “...I-I’m not keen on all the scary stuff…”, Huohuo piped up frightfully, “B-But the rest of the activities sound fun. I… never get much of a chance to go out like this, being in the Ten-Lords Commission and all.”

Guinaifen winked at her and reassured her with: “Then we’ll make the most of it! Don’t worry, we won’t do anything TOO scary. Now, let’s go inside and unpack our stuff, then the fun begins!” She gestured for the others to follow her towards the cabin’s wooden porch, which they did, though Huohuo and Tail lagged behind slightly. Tail, seeing that his companion was as cautious as ever, just sighed and said, “Sigh… This is gonna be exhausting. And I can’t even look away from this little brat for more than five seconds! I guess I just have to suck it up and try to do this, for her sake, but mostly mine.”, to himself in a bemoaned way. She felt slightly hurt at his remark, but knew deep down that he didn’t mean it, so she continued walking with the others, hoping for the best to come of this little vacation.

The Ghost-Hunting Squad came to this remote farming planet in order to experience Halloween together for the first time, and to relax after their recent victory at resolving the Fyxestroll Garden incidents. Guinaifen used her social media clout and fundings to rent the cabin they would be staying in and pay for the travel expenses. And everyone’s off time lined up, creating this perfect opportunity. It was intended to be relaxing and filled with entertainment and tons of festivities. And for their planned three day mini vacation, they hoped that nothing would get in their way and disrupt them from having a good time. Though they should know by now that trouble always seemed to follow them…

…

Later that evening, all of the squad members finished unpacking their luggage and the sun was beginning to set. As a first event, Guinaifen (who seemed to be the planner of all of the trip’s activities) decided that watching a horror movie together with all of her friends would be a good start. She and the others picked out a PG rated one (for Huohuo, so she wouldn't get too scared) and began to view it on the ancient cable TV that was in the cabin’s living room area. Only Guinaifen knew how to work it, due to her being used to older technology while growing up. All five of them, including Tail, sat on a very long sofa and watched intently.

“Wow, this movie’s kinda intense and ominous for being a kid’s flick… You holding up OK, Huohuo?”, Sushang asked after a while. Huohuo, who was visibly shaking and wide-eyed, nodded and hesitantly said: “Y-Yeah… This isn’t so bad, actually… This is the farthest I’ve ever gotten into a scary movie, so m-maybe I can do this!” This answer seemed to satisfy Sushang, who smiled and went back to watching the screen. Tail, meanwhile, scoffed at Huohuo’s attempt at being brave and wryly said, “Ha! THIS is scary? It’s so wimpy and basic. I’ve seen little kids that are scarier than this! If you can’t get through this, you won’t get through anything!”, in a crude yet subtly sympathetic manner.

The silence of being enveloped in the movie’s grasp continued on for twenty more minutes and all of them remained entranced by it, despite their previous comments. And right as the climax neared and the main character was about to enter an abandoned, creepy mine, the power in the cabin went out. The already dark room was then plunged into pitch black, with no visible light at first (except for Tail, whose flaming body acted as a makeshift night light). “Aahh…!!”, Huohuo screamed in reaction, “No, no!! I don’t like the dark!” Caught off guard by her loud and emotional reaction, Guinaifen said, “Hey, it’s all right! We’re out in the middle of the country, so the electricity can be kinda faulty sometimes. It’ll be fine! I doubt the power’s gonna be out for too long.”, in an attempt to console her. For some reason, this compelled Stelle to answer with: “Maybe it’s a ghost? I mean, why else would the power go out at that exact moment during the movie? A shame, I was really enjoying it…” Of course, this caused Huohuo to freak out a little more and start to breathe heavier.

As everyone’s eyesight started to adjust to the darkness better after a little while (save for Tail, since heliobi don’t need traditional eyesight), Sushang clumsily stood up off the couch and shook her head (even though no one could see it). “N-Nevermind that… I don’t think there’s much we can do about this now.”, she said. A hint of fear was in her voice, since she also gets unnerved by the unexplainable. “How about we go to bed?”, she suggested, “It’s late and it’s not like we have anything else to do right now, anyway.” Tail’s flames surged slightly with annoyance as he replied with: “Sure, fine by me. I was getting sick of being near you wussies to begin with! At least now I can get some peace and quiet around here…” With that, Tail sort of led the other four friends upstairs to their bedrooms using his luminance as a beacon in the darkness. Sushang nearly tripped and fell on the wooden floor on the way there, so Guinaifen also proceeded to use her smartphone’s flashlight to help as well. Stelle also tried to crack an unfunny meme joke about the situation, but of course, no one laughed (except her).

Even after guiding everyone else to their rooms, Tail and Huohuo made sure they got in safely and were comfortable/not confused. Tail pretended he was angry the entire time, but his actions juxtaposed his feelings. And Huohuo still worried about her friends, regardless of her intense fear about what was going on. Once that was done, both of them went into their room and went to sleep. Huohuo slept cautiously but was put a little at ease from the warm radiance of Tail’s spiritual flames nestled on a cot in the corner of the room, bathing it in a comforting green hue. This made her fear of the darkness from the blackout more manageable, as her companion/body part buddy maintained a sense of familiarity in her vicinity.

A few hours passed before Huohuo was awakened by something, a sound coming from outside her window on the ground near the forest’s trees. It sounded like footsteps, and they had a two-step pace to them, like a human’s. The power was still out, making the cause seem like it was intentional from someone else’s actions… She felt her heart rate beginning to accelerate, but she didn’t want to make a fuss just yet, since she wanted to figure out what was going on. So, she silenced her breathing and her Foxian ears listened closer to the outside perimeter. Whoever’s pair of feet were crunching on the fallen autumn leaves sounded like they wanted to be heard by other people. The steps were light yet very deliberate, as if they belonged to a typically unassuming person trying their best to be threatening.

Extremely unnerved at the realization of all of these minute details, Huohuo could no longer go back to sleep. She quietly got out of the bed and walked over to the window to get a better view at any possible trespasser. The darkness outside made it hard to see, so she bent down and squinted farther. While she still didn’t see anything, the footsteps stopped cold for a few seconds before they seemed to burst into a sprint that ran deeper into the woods. The pace was fast and loud, as if the person could somehow detect that Huohuo was listening in on them. This sudden change in atmosphere made her freak out and want to inform the others. “...W-W-Wake up…! T-There’s somebody outside in the forest…!!”, she screamed frightfully, “...Mr. Tail! Everyone, please!! There could be danger…!”

Her loud pleading roused Tail, who groaned and rolled his eyes. “What is it this time? I’m trying to sleep here, you little brat!”, he complained groggily. She tried to answer with what she saw once more, but only gasps and sobs came out. Luckily, her commotion awakened the rest of the Ghost-Hunting Squad, who waded their way through the dark hallway and into the room.

After spending a minute calming her down, Huohuo explained her findings again. Sushang nodded and smiled while saying, “Don’t worry, we believe you! How about me and Stelle go out there to look? We’re both fighters, and nobody’ll mess with us.”, upon understanding what happened. Stelle pumped her fist excitedly in response and said: “That’s right! Any stalker will regret crossing paths with the Galactic Baseballer!” Huohuo nodded slightly, liking the suggestion, since she thought deep down that it was only her imagination acting up from her being half-asleep. And with that, the two bodyguards left without another word.

Stelle and Sushang rushed downstairs and busted open the door action-movie style (or rather, only Stelle did, for some reason), and headed outside. Huohuo, Tail, and Guinaifen followed behind at a distance, curious about everything. The group rounded the cabin’s corner and went to where Huohuo heard the footsteps. It was hard to see, but Tail provided some lantern-like light once again. The two fighters pulled out their signature weapons as a warning tactic, Stelle’s baseball bat and Sushang’s greatsword respectively. They stared into the barely-lit treeline for a few moments, not seeing/hearing anything at all.

The looming tension in the air seemed to be put to rest once everyone heard a loud crackle of electricity and the cabin’s power finally came back on, bathing the immediate surroundings in bright light. Still, no one could be seen anywhere in the forests around them. Stelle and Sushang put away their weapons, being convinced that there was no threat anymore. “I don’t see anybody here, guess that means we’re in the clear.”, Sushang said. Stelle turned around to face her, and asked, “Still, what happened? And why did the power suddenly come back on?”, while being serious for once. Guinaifen stretched in exhaustion and stepped closer to them. “I dunno. Maybe it was the property owner working on the nearby generator or something.”, she said while yawning, “But man, I’m tired… It doesn’t look like anybody’s out here, so let’s go back to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow! Let’s go back inside. I thought you were the sleepy one, Shangshang, not me.” As she started to walk back to the front door, Sushang began to chase after her while retorting: “Hey, that’s low! And I only fall asleep when I have to do academic stuff, OK?”

Stelle proceeded to follow them as well, with Huohuo and Tail trailing behind sadly. She felt disappointed that they didn’t find anyone, as odd as that may seem. She was afraid of the unknown and didn’t like that it seemed to get brushed off by the others so easily, or so she thought. Hanging her head down low, she commented, “I-I know I heard some footsteps out here… And I know I didn’t imagine it. R-Right, Mr. Tail…?”, with a despondent tone. Tail, who was too tired to pay full attention, just stayed silent and only answered after a few seconds of awkwardness crept up on him. “Huh…? Oh, yeah, I guess. I’m not too sure, honestly. I was peacefully asleep until SOMEBODY woke me up with her whining!”, he said. Despite the sarcasm and slightly rude remarks, Huohuo could tell he was not too serious about it, since she had been around him long enough to understand his feelings and little oddities.

All of them went back to their rooms and went back to sleep. It was difficult for Huohuo (easier for Tail, obviously), but the electricity being back on and her friends’ silly natures helped quite a bit. The uneasiness was still there, but things such as the dim lamp being powered on the nightstand next to her bed also alleviated it somewhat. And with great effort and a little bit of time, she was able to go back into a peaceful sleep. One of the last thoughts on her mind was that perhaps this vacation could be fun and not so bad after all. There were still two days left to enjoy and the first bad night couldn’t tarnish what’s yet to come. Hopefully, it would get better… However, things such as Halloween are never fully predictable…

…

On a more positive note, the next day started off much more fun than the previous one. Just as Guinaifen said, the whole group decided to swim in the freshwater creek behind the cabin for the day’s activity. It was located about 300 feet away from the back of the cabin and through a little wooded path area. It was a large stream, with crystal clear water and a moderately fast current that made it perfect for relaxing in. There were all sorts of stones in and around the water, some clear and smooth, and others dry and rough. While it wasn’t as exciting as a full-on beach or amusement park, it had a nice, earthly charm to it that allowed people to appreciate nature and all its natural beauty.

The entire Ghost-Hunting Squad put on their swimsuits and did various fun activities while being near the creek. Stelle splashed around and generally swam the most in the water out of everyone, having the energy of a little kid the whole time. Sushang and Guinaifen played tag while skipping stones across the stream, having fun while enjoying each other’s company. Even Huohuo, who doesn’t always like high energy physical activities, was having a good time. She was simply dipping her feet in the creek’s water while sitting on the bedrock’s edge, not wanting to get too wet from the cold liquid. And Tail sat right beside her, content with just watching the others and not wanting to get wet either. He did get shoved into the water by Stelle earlier as a “prank” (in her words), leading to him shouting: “HEY!!! It’s very offensive to splash a heliobus with water!! It may not affect my spiritual flames, but it’s still so annoying to get the wet feeling off! Do it again, and it’s custom for my kind to possess you to return the favor!” Regardless of that incident, he still was able to move past it and enjoy himself, somewhat (as much as a rude, grumpy spirit can do).

For once, Huohuo smiled brightly and was looking at the treelines across the other side of the shore while playfully kicking her feet that were soaking in the currents. That’s when she saw… something odd in the distance. It was faint and extremely difficult to see, but it appeared to be a thin person peering out from behind a tree, staring at her. The person’s face was the only notable part, being that it kind of looked like some sort of mask was covering their entire head, leaving no part revealed. However, it was too far away to determine what kind of mask it was. The figure stared at Huohuo for a full ten seconds, neither of them reacted or broke eye contact (a rare feat for her).

Finally feeling the fear and weight from the figure and keeping her eyes open for so long, she blinked and the person was gone, like they were never there to begin with… Wracked with fear, she looked over at everyone else, but they didn’t seem to have seen what she saw, even Tail, who was still minding his own business just like he’s been doing. Due to these unusual circumstances, Huohuo decided not to tell anyone about it. She didn’t want to cause another commotion like the one from last night and cause everyone trouble/frustration at another false alarm, so she kept it to herself. And so, for the rest of the day, she tried her best to forget about it and have fun. It was hard and it still lingered in the back of her mind, but she was eventually able to go back to relaxing.

She didn’t see the person again for the remainder of the day, and she managed to enjoy some quality time spent with her friends on this fun vacation. They all played in the creek until sundown, where they then went back to the cabin and slept early in the night, too tired from all the physical activity to do anything else. And with that, they eagerly awaited the next day…

…

The next day turned out to be the most busy one of the entire trip. Wanting to make the most out of their final full day there, Guinaifen decided to save the best planned activity for last: carving and painting pumpkins! Waking up early in the morning, she led the others to the pumpkin patch. It was located a good fifteen minutes from their cabin, and through a wooded trail that concealed its location. Surprisingly, no one really talked on the trip there, since the beauty of the nature surrounding them spoke more than any words. All the while, Huohuo anxiously looked all around her, looking near the trees for the figure she saw the previous day, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She tried her best to not focus on it, wanting to have the same fun she had previously.

When they all arrived at the pumpkin patch, they spent a minute observing the nice scenery that accompanied it. It was a large, open field located in a clearing in the forest, with grass spreading as far as the eye could see. Dozens and dozens of pumpkins lined the field, some big and some small, some young and some old, and some fresh and some rotten. There weren’t many other notable features in the clearing, only a small, old barn and a very long plastic table with various carving/painting tools on it. A farmer stood behind the table, waiting to assist anyone who needed it, though no one else was there except them.

“Woah, it’s so cozy!”, Guinaifen exclaimed, “It’s even better than I imagined!” Sushang put her arm around her best friend excitedly, before letting go and getting ready to dive into the fun. “You said it, Little Gui! I can’t wait to see more of this fun-sounding Halloween activity. Let’s go, I’ve been itching to try this the whole time I’ve been here!”, she said. Nodding, Guinaifen smiled mischievously and challenged her by saying: “Race ya there!” She burst into a quite fast sprint before her friend could even react, her graceful running skills owing to her street-performer talents. A second of surprise overtook Sushang, then shifting to excitement as she proceeded to run after her, wanting to get there first.

Stelle saw this and with her trademark blank face, declared, “I know what I’m going to paint on my pumpkin’s gyatt!”, in a cringey way while clapping her hands together with determination in her body language. She also sprinted towards the pumpkins, fantasizing about who-knows-what in terms of what she was going to do (it likely involved memes or trash cans in some way). Seeing all this, Huohuo smiled weakly, feeling better about her paranoia after seeing her fellow squad members so joyful. “E-Everyone is having such a good time… I would also like to as well. Should we join them, Mr. Tail?”, she wondered. Tail, who was back to posing as her flaming tail (in order to not scare off unknowing people), just gave off an ambivalent: “Hmph…” She took that as a yes (since an “I don’t care” type of response from Tail was a positive sign), so she slowly proceeded to walk towards the center of the patch, wanting to take it slow so she could manage her anxiety better.

Everyone got to work on finding and beginning to customize their ideal pumpkins. Guinaifen and Sushang both picked out twin pumpkins that were identical in every way, from shape to size to ripeness. They both carved them into Jack-O’-Lanterns and painted different designs on them, with Guinaifen painting a Diting on hers and Sushang painting a giant “phoenix” on hers (which looked more like a round chicken instead). They also enjoyed some candy on the side while Guinaifen taught her how to carve and dispose of the goo properly, which Sushang was VERY grateful for (she didn’t like slimy stuff very much). Stelle, meanwhile, picked out the largest, most rotten pumpkin in the entire patch and painted an ugly-looking trash can on it (because of course she did). Despite the paint job being crude, warped, and smelling bad, she started to salivate at her self-proclaimed “masterpiece”, euphoric that the brown, rotten pumpkin portrayed her love of trash perfectly.

However, while everyone else had spent at least half-an-hour already picking out their pumpkins and painting them, Huohuo had only just selected one, wracked with indecisiveness. She chose a medium-sized pumpkin that was not too young and not too old, and not too ripe and not too rotten. It was perfectly average yet just right. She didn’t have Tail to help her, who was sleeping while acting as a tail, so it was difficult to do things on her own, since she wasn’t used to it.

But now, she had to do what she was dreading the most: going up to the farmer and asking for paint (she didn’t want to risk messing up the carving process). This required her to talk to a complete stranger, something her social anxiety made quite difficult for her. Still, while she was terrified of this, she had to do it and not rely on Tail so much. Plus, she went through way worse before (quite recently, too), which is how she eventually worked up the courage to pick up her pumpkin (which was heavy to her) and nervously walk over to the farmer’s table, where her friends were on the far end on either side (which helped somewhat).

Placing her pumpkin on the table with a soft thud, Huohuo begrudgingly looked up at the farmer, forcing herself to smile at them. The farmer beamed happily at her and said, “Howdy, there! What can I do for you?”, in a very friendly tone. Her legs were shaking at this point and she tried her best to take a deep breath and reply to them. “...C-C-Could I… h-have some paint…”, she stuttered out, “...for m-my… pumpkin, p-please…?” While there was a very faint hint of confusion and pity in the farmer’s eyes, they chose to continue expressing their welcoming attitude to ease the awkwardness. “Sure, comin’ right up! What kinda colors do ya need?”, they asked. This threw her for a loop, since she didn’t consider what she was going to paint before asking for it. She internally cursed herself for not thinking ahead (when she usually did).

She thought for a moment before coming up with her answer in her thoughts, which she recited in her head before saying to the farmer: “...A-All of… y-your options, please…!” Thankfully, this satisfied the farmer, who pulled out a plastic bin of paint tubes from under the table and responded with, “Got it, missy! Use ‘em wisely now, you hear?”, while still wearing that same smile from right before. With the exchange now coming to a close, Huohuo started to relax ever so slightly. She nodded weakly and picked up the bin and her pumpkin and walked off with it, not wanting to be there longer with the stranger than she had to. She wanted to say some sort of gratitude or closing remark, but she couldn’t find any words and she was still overwhelmed by the social pressure, so she hoped the farmer could understand that she wasn’t being rude. Nevertheless, she was very pleased with herself for once, as she handled that situation better than she had before. She finally felt like she could be somewhat independent, and that finally made her let go of her worries for the time being.

Once she found a free spot at the table, she got to work on painting her pumpkin. She took the paints and mixed them masterfully, before painting the colors she wanted. Over the course of the next hour, she took painstaking efforts to make sure the subject of her artwork was captured accurately. Her decision was simple yet so obvious: Tail, since he was easy to draw and would look nice on a pumpkin, Huohuo thought. Her experience as a judge-in-training at the Ten-Lords Commission definitely helped. Tail slept through all of this, which she thought was a good thing (she had a feeling he wouldn’t like to see himself get complimented). And upon finishing the painting, she smiled and felt… proud of something that she did for once. She couldn’t wait to show the others, since she worked so hard and achieved so many things for herself that day.

Unfortunately, all of that was interrupted by an odd sound. It sounded like… a whole flock of birds cawing loudly, mainly crows. Huohuo looked up at the late afternoon sky, which contained a flock of about two dozen crows that were flying erratically, like they were disturbed by something… As if they somehow noticed she was staring at them, the flock redirected their flight and began to barrel right down towards the ground, straight at her!

Of course, right on cue, she screamed loudly and began to run away from them, like a scene out of a cheesy horror movie. “Aahh…!! No, no!!”, she screamed loudly, “W-Why are you chasing me…!? Can’t I ever catch a break!?” This commotion woke Tail up, who detached from her and went on the defensive. “Ugh, this brat is so loud! I really can’t leave her alone for more than five seconds… Oh, that’s it! NOBODY INTERRUPTS MY SLEEP…!”, he commanded with ferocity in his eyes. In an instant, he shapeshifted from his usual form into his true, wolf-like one. The canine spirit grinned maliciously before letting out a fearsome roar that rivaled even Ignamar The Great’s power. This dispelled the flock of rabid crows extremely effectively and they all flew off in different directions, no longer interested in taunting anyone. And then, Tail morphed back into his regular appearance. He let out a loud breath and a little laugh while snarkingly remarking: “Ha! That should teach them! Seriously, what were they thinking, messing with ME like that!?”

Huohuo, who was still hyperventilating, was frozen in shock. Tail looked at her and asked, “Hm? What’s the matter with you, pipsqueak? Did my true form scare you too much? Nah, that can’t be it, you’ve seen it before! So, why are you looking at me like that?”, repeatedly in a very subtle concerned tone. This seemed to snap her out of her trance, and she ran up to him and embraced him briefly, holding him like a treasured cat or something. Tail was caught completely by surprise from this, gasping from the sudden display of gratitude.

When she let him go, Huohuo took a few deep breaths and addressed his kind-hearted actions. “T-Thank you, Mr. Tail…! I d-didn’t know what to do…”, she said thankfully, “But you proved once again that you’re as reliable as ever. I know it’s weird to say now, but I’m glad I met you!” This sweet comment led to a rare instance of Tail looking surprised, but naturally, it was replaced with fake disgust and sarcasm. He bounced up in a mixture of passion and anger and said: “Yeesh, stop it with the positivity, it’s making me sick! And I’m only reliable because I’m stuck here with you as your dumb tail! Leave all that mushy stuff behind from now on, okay? I just did what I had to, but mostly it was because I woke up in a bad mood, that’s all!” She giggled at his (possible) attempt to cheer her up and stroke his own ego at the same time, her fear disappearing.

Afterwards, the rest of the group (including the farmer) caught each other up to speed on what occurred. All misunderstandings were cleared up, and everyone got back together, getting ready to go back to the cabin for the final night there. They grabbed their pumpkins and complimented each other kindly on each of their pumpkins’ artworks (even for Stelle’s, though that one was kind of an obligation to be nice). Tail pretended not to like Huohuo’s, but he was still smiling and impressed by how much it captured his sense of self. And as they left, the sun was beginning to set and everybody was in such a good mood, the best on the trip so far; it had been a great final day to spend there.

Though as they neared the cabin once more, Huohuo still couldn’t help but wonder if all the weird paranormal-like stuff that had been happening had really been all in her head as part of her anxiety. Only she seemed to notice any of it, so was it really all just a coincidence? It didn’t matter to her, as there was only one night left, and nothing more strange than the flock of crows trying to attack her could possibly happen, right…?

…

It was finally nighttime once all five of them got back to the cabin. Nonetheless, it wasn’t late enough for all of them to want to go to bed right away. Huohuo, who was feeling good from her reconciliation with Tail earlier, actually was the one to suggest a final activity for them to do together. She wanted to watch another horror movie, a PG-13 rated one this time, since she felt like she could handle something slightly more intense at that point. The others were impressed by her bravery, so they indulged in it for her.

A little while later, as she was about to make a decision on what movie to watch as she scrolled through the cable TV’s guide, something ominous began to happen… The video feedback turned to complete static, complete with hissing and everything. As she covered her ears, she looked back at the screen and saw what appeared to be a ghostly face pressed up against the glass on the OTHER side of the screen, a large eye watching down on it as well. Being utterly shocked by this, Huohuo dropped the remote and kept pointing to the screen while gasping, not being able to say anything out of fear. This time, unlike the other incidents, everyone else seemed to notice it. “W-What in the Reignbow Arbiter’s name is THAT!? This can’t be real!”, Sushang stated, her voice having a slight quivering fear in it. Stelle, using her small brain, explained with, “Maybe the cabin’s being possessed by a poltergeist?”, as if that helped anyone feel more calm about the creepy situation. Huohuo shook in fear even more from this suggestion.

Their mass confusion was further interrupted by the old-fashioned landline phone in the kitchen ringing, making a loud beeping noise in the process. Everyone froze from this not-very-likely coincidence, making it seem all like it was planned out by whatever was causing all this. Feeling the least amount of fear out of everyone there (except Tail, who seemed more suspicious than anything else), Guinaifen said: “I’ll get it. We’re stars on Ghostly Grove, we should be used to this by now!” This unnerved Sushang more and made her audibly more worried than before. “Hey, Little Gui? Maybe that isn’t such a good idea…”, she said, “What if something bad happens? This is too risky…” But she already made up her mind, and there was no stopping her once she did that.

With great confidence, Guinaifen picked up the receiver and said, “Hello, who is this? This is Little Gui speaking.”, like it was no big deal. “Seven days…”, a professional yet odd-sounding voice stated in an almost whisper-like tone. She gave a bewildered look of uneasiness before following up with: “What do you mean by “seven days”? You’re not making any sense!” The voice made a throat-clearing sound before explaining further. “Seven days…”, they elaborated, “Until your car insurance expires. With our affordable plans, you save up to 15% on car insur-!” She put the receiver back in its holder and ended the call before the salesperson could even finish. Feeling the need to clarify the weird coincidence, she groaned, “It was just insurance spam, nothing scary at all… What a waste!”, while feeling disappointed that she got scared for nothing. Seizing the opportunity, Stelle tried to (unsuccessfully) lighten the mood. “I don’t know, insurance offers are still pretty scary.”, she joked.

Not feeling quite out of the woods just yet, Tail spoke at last about his gut feelings (even though he’s just a spirit and doesn't have any) regarding the situation. “You’re telling me… That strange ghost is still on the screen, so something’s going on!”, he stated, “Regardless of that idiotic phone call, someone is trying to scare us for sure! And my intuition tells me that something bad is about to happen…” He was spot on, as the moment he finished that sentence, the power went out throughout the whole cabin yet again.

As the whole room plunged into darkness, with only Tail providing light, Huohuo screamed and had a realization that the others hadn't considered at that second. Standing up and breathing slower to make her words clearer, she courageously hinted: “...W-W-Whatever caused the power to… g-go out must also be… r-responsible for it going out the other night! This must all b-be connected, and it wants to be known, w-whatever it is… We m-must find it!” That’s when it clicked for everyone else, and they realized just how keen her observation truly was. Sushang took a step closer, now that her eyes adjusted to the dark somewhat, and eagerly replied with, “Y-Yeah, we can’t let this ghost get away with this! If we truly are the Ghost-Hunting Squad, then we must get rid of any bad ghosts. They won’t wanna mess with us!”, while trying her best to banish her fears away. Deep down, Huohuo had some doubt that a ghost was behind this, since some things didn’t add up. Still, some things seemed paranormal, so she didn’t say anything further.

“Well said, Shangshang! We gotta make sure this troll knows what hits ‘em!”, Guinaifen said while getting out her phone in preparation for something, “That’s why I must stream this live to our audience! It’ll help us find the ghost easier and make for a fun, creepy experience, like those cheesy found-footage horror movies! Cameras can definitely detect spirits better than our measly eyes can! Besides, we can use my phone’s flashlight to see better! I’m so smart!” This swift change in tone from her friend caused Sushang to question her motives. “Really, that’s your plan? That stuff only works in movies! I’m a Cloud Knight, not a Clout Knight! We should really be taking this more seriously, Little Gui…”, she complained. It was too late to change her mind once again, and she was convinced it would work. She opened Ghostly Grove and began to stream through there on her phone’s camera with the flashlight turned on, illuminating the footage.

[Transcription of Ghostly Grove User LilGuiGuinevere’s “Vacation Ghost” Livestream Video, Starting at the Timestamp: 0:00:

*A near pitch black living room is seen. The flashlight illuminates a powered off ancient cable TV set, no one else appears in frame.*

Guinaifen: “There! We’re now live! Hey, everybody! Little Gui here!”

*The camera moves to the left and Tail is seen, looking annoyed.*

Tail: “You’re actually doing this… I can’t believe it! This is such a waste of time!”

Guinaifen: “Don’t be such a bummer! This just might work out!”

*The camera then moves to the right and Stelle is seen, wearing a deadpan expression. She waves her hands excitedly at the camera, greeting it.*

Stelle: “Skibidi toilet has all the rizz!”

Sushang: “Would somebody please just take this seriously! Any of you?”

*The camera moves even further to the left than before, where Huohuo is shaking nervously, not reacting to the camera’s presence.*

Huohuo: “I can do this, I can do this…”

*The camera then flips to mirror mode, where Guinaifen’s face is briefly seen.*

Guinaifen: “It’s time to start looking for clues! First, we’ll start by investigating the TV, where some spectral activities happened a little earlier.”

*The camera flips back to the regular mode and it slowly starts to inch towards the TV set. The focus never shifts or loses its subject matter.*

Guinaifen: “I don’t see anything off about it… Since the power’s cut, the ghost probably moved elsewhere… So, let’s try that ourselves!”

*The camera spins a full 180 degrees to the left, sweeping over Tail and then Huohuo. A wooden staircase is seen and the stairs going upward lead into further darkness.*

Guinaifen: “That’s where we’ll be going next! The only other place down here is the kitchen area, and there’s no way the ghost can hide anywhere there. Up there, we’ll check the bedrooms!”

*At this point, three users join the livestream and continue watching for the rest of the video, and no else joins or leaves afterwards. The camera slowly inches towards the first step. Many loud footsteps echo throughout the cabin, the other four following Guinaifen from close behind.*

Huohuo: “...I-I’m scared…!”

Tail: “Then stay down here, then! No one is forcing you to participate in this pointless, trendsetting social media garbage!”

Huohuo: “N-No! I don’t want to be alone in this dark place!”

Tail: “Fine, be that way! Don’t come crying to me if you get scared, though…”

*Every few seconds, the recorder goes up a single step, a loud creaking sound is heard each time. The camera bounces slightly when this happens. This process is repeated about fifteen times total.*

TileGamer4ever: (Wow, this is way more fun than working! I’m sure my boss won’t mind, since this is sorta educational, ig.)

Sushang: “Will we really find anything up here, Little Gui? I feel like a ghost wouldn't be this obvious…”

Guinaifen: “Sure we will, fam! There’s not many more places it could hide!”

*The camera reaches the top of the staircase and four doors can be seen in a small hallway with a window outside on the very end, likely three bedrooms and one bathroom. The camera goes to the leftmost one first after stopping for a few seconds.*

Guinaifen: “Let’s check me and Shangshang’s room first. It’s the closest one to the stairs.”

Say~Cheese~: (Oh! This is gonna start getting good right about now!)

*The camera gets right in front of the wooden door and a hand is seen turning the knob and opening it. The light shines into the room, which consists of a closet and a giant king-sized bed. There’s nothing else that seems out of the ordinary. The recorder goes inside, glancing all over the bed and walls, but finds nothing.*

Stelle: “Where are you, ghostie? Come out and play catch with me. I’ll show you the true might of the Galactic Baseballer once my bat meets your ectoplasmic face! Don’t make me get serious and pull out the lance. I swear, I WILL do it!”

Sushang: “How do you always have so much fearless energy? It must be a requirement for being a Trailblazer…”

Sigma_Wolf: (this corny narration is rlly killing the vibe & tension for me. imo)

Say~Cheese~: (Wait… Why is Stelle in this video!? I thought she was supposed to be on vacation! What kinda trouble did she cause now?)

*The camera moves towards the closet, the only place that they haven’t checked yet. Guinaifen’s hand hesitates for a second before swiftly yanking the doors open, revealing nothing inside.*

Guinaifen: “Looks like this room is all clear. Let’s head to Huohuo’s next!”

Huohuo: “I-I got a bad feeling about this…”

*The camera turns around and retraces its previous path. It moves past the other four, with Huohuo and Sushang looking nervous, Tail looking bored, and Stelle looking stoic. Exiting out into the hallway, it moves towards the door directly across from it. This time, the door is opened quicker and the search begins to go faster, with the bed being sweeped in only about fifteen seconds.*

Stelle: “Could it be in here?”

TileGamer4ever: (I’m so on edge right now. The mystery is killing me! Like not knowing if you’re gonna win a round of Celestial Jade or not.)

Sigma_Wolf: (its in the closet, isnt it?)

*The camera turns and lingers on the closet doors for a few seconds and no sounds are heard. Then, a chain-like sound of something being pulled repeatedly is heard, like an old tool/machine. This continues for a couple more seconds, before the whirring of a chainsaw is heard ringing loudly. A thin person wearing overalls and a full-head hockey mask proceeds to burst from out the closet, wielding a fully-functional and real chainsaw. The masked intruder gazes at the camera, unnatural gray eyes peering behind the eye holes that shine in the flashlight’s glare. In an instant, they rush towards the recorder, which leads to her dropping the phone.*

Guinaifen: “Run!!”

Sushang: “What the hell!? This can’t be happening!”

Huohuo: “Aaahhh…!!! HELP…!!!”

*A few more brief seconds of screaming, yelling, and running footsteps are heard. The chainsaw’s motor roars and grows slightly quieter as the masked person is heard chasing after the rest of them. Only blackness is seen the entire time this happens, and the stream ends the shortly after the phone hits the floor, ending the video at the timestamp: 4:45*]

The entire Ghost-Hunting Squad practically flew out of the bedroom and tripped over each other to get down the stairs, away from their psychotic pursuer. As they reached the bottom, they could hear the chainsaw right behind them. Sushang was worried that the intruder would keep chasing after all of them until they all got tired, which would mean certain danger. So, she quickly formulated a plan and desperately shouted: “Everybody, split up!! Quick!” Nobody said anything back, but they all knew it was the only chance they had at disorienting the intruder enough so where they could stop them.

The moment everyone got off the staircase, they all ran off in different directions. Guinaifen and Sushang ran towards the living room, Stelle and Tail ran towards the kitchen, and Huohuo ran towards the door that led outside. However, in what seemed to be a cruel twist of fate, the intruder seemed to change their course drastically by shifting away from everyone else and doubling down on barreling after Huohuo, as if she was the pursuer's target the entire time. She let out a bloodcurdling scream upon realizing this and she sped up her small legs to move twice as fast as before.

She flung the door open and almost ripped it off its hinges once she reached it. And in a half thought out plan to fight back somehow, she grabbed her pumpkin she painted earlier that day as she stepped off the porch, hoping that it would help her. The intruder crossed the threshold after her just a couple of seconds later, signifying that they were outside with her now. At that moment, Huohuo had to make a choice on where to run towards. She was outside, which meant that she was at a huge disadvantage, since there was nowhere to hide and she would eventually tire out after running so much… She cursed herself for not thinking this decision through, but she had no time to think too hard about it. So, she nearly instantly decided to run towards the creek, hoping that the water would slow them down and that it would also help her friends catch up to them and stop them.

She rounded the corner of the cabin, almost slipping from the pumpkin’s weight and her labored running. It was hard to see, but some sort of instinct and memory sense guided her forward. All the while, she could hear the intense yet fast crunching of the leaves behind her, and they were gradually getting closer… Her paranoia hit a fever pitch and she couldn't shake the feeling that whoever this intruder was, they had something against her specifically. That, and something bigger was behind every last bit of all the strange events that had plagued her vacation. She knew that the figure she saw at the creek yesterday and the person who shut off the power (both times) were undoubtedly her pursuer. Whatever the case was, she had no time to think about it right that second, her survival took much higher priority.

A full moon illuminated the dimly lit night sky and the sounds of crows cawing ominously were what met Huohuo as she got near the creek after what felt like hours of running (even though it’s only 300 feet away from the cabin). By that point, she felt exhausted from running so much while carrying her pumpkin. Once more, she didn’t think that decision through enough and it only tired her out faster and weighed her down. With her speed slowing, she knew she wouldn’t outrun the pursuer, as she was out of breath while they didn’t seem to be phased, even with carrying a heavy chainsaw. So, as a last ditch effort, she decided to stop and turn around to face them, winding up her arms and using her pumpkin as an aiming marker. She quickly looked up and saw that they were only about five seconds away from reaching her, the chainsaw growing unbearably loud as it got closer. Interestingly, she also noticed how they seemed to stumble and struggle to hold the chainsaw properly, something that she hadn't noticed before. It’s like they were a frail person that wasn’t typically used to this much intense physical activity, and something felt familiar about them…

When the pursuer got within a few steps from Huohuo, she screamed and got ready to chuck the pumpkin at them. But then, a loud and aggravated-sounding voice yelled, “Hey!! Look over here, you psycho!! I’m here to pay you back for ruining my sleep and messing with my host!”, with such ferocity. The intruder stopped dead in their tracks and whipped around to see Tail zooming right for them at an extremely fast speed with a manic expression on his face. Before they could even raise their chainsaw to attack him, the angry heliobus attempted to go straight into their head, so he could possess them and stop them from being hostile. But for some unknown reason, the moment he tried to go into their mind, he got immediately pushed back out, as if something was already in there… “Huh…? Why can’t I possess this guy?”, he said in frustration, “There aren't many things that can stop a heliobus from doing this! Maybe something’s going on internally…”

His pondering was interrupted by more footsteps coming from behind him, multiple other pairs of them this time. They belonged to Stelle, Guinaifen, and Sushang. All three of them stopped and proceeded to fiercely draw out their weapons. Stelle had her usual baseball bat and Sushang had her greatsword, while Guinaifen surprisingly had out some firecrackers that were leftover from New Year’s. The masked person seemed to snap out of their daze after seeing this, and they pointed their chainsaw at the warriors, ready to rush them (even though they’re at a small disadvantage, being outnumbered and all).

This caused a flaw to be put into the pursuer's rampage, since they were turned away from Huohuo and severely distracted. Using this chance, she aimed her pumpkin at their masked head once again. Her frail arms gathered the strength to wind up and shift the pumpkin’s weight into a throwing position. “I-I will not be the final girl…!! I will sacrifice my cute pumpkin to stop you!! Here, have it!”, she yelled. Her Tail-painted pumpkin flew out of her hands, smashing against the back of the intruder’s head and splattering goo/pieces everywhere.

Sadly, the now-annihilated pumpkin didn’t seem to do much to stop them. They shook angrily for a second, then turning to face Huohuo. A piercing gaze could be felt from under the mask, and they revved up the chainsaw’s motor, spinning the blades faster with intimidation. She screamed bloody murder once again, her fear becoming very apparent. Luckily, the pumpkin assault provided enough of an opening for a voice to yell, “Batter up!”, in a heroic manner. Stelle’s baseball bat met the back of the intruder’s head, making a loud bang in the process. They instantly fell on their knees, dropping the chainsaw (which switched off upon landing on the ground) and clutching their head in pain. This second distraction gave enough time for Guinaifen and Sushang to grab both of the pursuer's arms tightly, restraining them from moving or getting up. Guinaifen looked over at Huohuo, who was just starting to look over and calm down at the situation being handled effectively, and reassuringly said: “Got ‘em! It’s okay now, they can’t hurt us anymore!” She nodded and stepped closer to the masked stalker, feeling more calm that she contributed to their downfall.

“It’s time to reveal who you really are!”, Stelle proclaimed. She then walked over to the crouched person and removed their hockey mask in classic murder mystery style. Once she saw whose face was under that mask, she gasped loudly and dropped it out of shock. The ugly visage and annoying-looking person turned out to be… Skott! “Wait, Skott!? That can’t be!”, Sushang asked in extreme confusion, “What is he even doing here!? This doesn't make any sense!” Skott shook his head slightly and groaned in pain while saying, “Owww… Did you have to hit me that hard? Using this body was already difficult enough…”, in his toxic and know-it-all voice. Something was off about his voice, however. It sounded echoey and didn’t resemble his usual rude speech patterns. While everyone seemed to notice this, Tail’s suspicions were finally proven correct when he suddenly said: “So that’s why I couldn’t possess you… You already were possessed by another heliobus! I’ve had enough of this crap! Come on out and face us, Cirrus!”

A stunned silence enveloped the group as Skott’s body writhed and glowed for a second before Cirrus emerged, their punchable eye hovering above his body. “Here I am. You happy now?”, Cirrus said in an annoyed tone, “You finally caught on that it was me doing this. No wonder you were capable enough to defeat me back on the Luofu…” Once everybody else’s disbelief subsided, Huohuo finally spoke up again, her fears almost being completely gone. “...I-I don’t understand… Why are you here? Y-You should be imprisoned at Fyxestroll Garden. You gave me such a bad scare!”, she said. Cirrus squinted their eye and replied, “Oh, I definitely did! That was my goal, to scare all of you for what you did to me. Especially you, judge! And it looks like I succeeded greatly! It was worth possessing this loser’s body to do it.”, while gazing at her with malice.

Skott then began to regain consciousness after Cirrus’s insults. He thrashed around for a bit before Guinaifen and Sushang let him go, no longer seeing him as a threat (not that he ever was on his own). He pulled out his pair of stupid shades from his overalls and put them on, which made him look even more pathetic. As he dusted off himself, he said: “I can’t believe I got possessed for this long. Me, a VIP IPC employee, I deserve better than this! You were supposed to leave my body the moment I snuck you out of Fyxestroll Garden, not make me wear these old farmer clothes and use a dangerous tool to chase children! I’ll have you sued into the ground for this!”

“Hold on a sec, so you’re saying that you wanted to join forces with Cirrus just so you could both get back at us for humiliating you?”, Guinaifen interrogated, “And you put your reputation and career in danger, all to ruin our vacation? That’s pretty lame, even for a bully like you…” Of course, Skott played the victim and acted all offended, as if he didn’t do anything wrong. “Hmph! I’m not a bully, I was the one whose body was used like a tool to torment you, not me. Sure, I wanted to get back at you, but that’s only because your stupid little friend made me bark like a dog at Aurum Alley, humiliating me in front of everyone! I deserve compensation!”, he said. Instead of being offended by Skott’s jab at her (if she even noticed), Stelle said, “Why are your eyes still gray and weird-looking? Are you still possessed?”, as the first thing that popped in her head. Skott clenched his fists in annoyance and retorted with: “NO! My eyes naturally look like this! That’s why I wear these cool shades. People have always mocked me for them, even as a kid…” This seemed to satisfy Stelle’s childlike curiosity.

Things were starting to get really off topic, so Cirrus wanted to steal the spotlight and brag about their accomplishments once more in a narcissistic fashion. “Yes, it was all me. This stupid human was just my vessel to scare you all! I followed you here for maximum effect.”, they gloated, “I was behind it all: the blackouts, the footsteps, the figure watching you from the forest, the crows being all frightened, the TV interference, and the chase! Well, except the phone call… but that was still fun to see. I enjoyed seeing you all suffer and scream, and it made this revenge all the more worth it! Ha ha ha!”

Tail, who had enough at this point, floated closer to Huohuo and began to think of a rude, snarky remark to say to them. “Ugh, will you just SHUT UP already!? We all know it was you and your idiotic accomplice! You think your petty revenge was clever? Pfft… It was more inconvenient and immature, honestly! And you’re pretty screwed up to think this is all fun. Anyway, I'm tired of you already. Dealing with you in the past was enough for my entire existence to handle! You should just give up already and knock it off, and we’ll help you do just that… Huohuo, if you would.”, he said. Understanding what he was implying at the end of his monologue, Huohuo prepared a spiritual talisman designed for sealing heliobi for a few days, taking it out of her pocket and getting ready to use it to lock Cirrus away.

This was interrupted by them saying: “Hold on! Skott is such a dumb coward, so I know the perfect way to show that to you. And so I can do one last fun thing with you all!” They immediately went back into Skott’s body and possessed him once more before anyone could object. That’s when Skott got up on all fours and started to eat the grass/leaves on the ground. “Moo. Moo! MOO…!”, he went. He just kept on saying “moo” like a cow over and over again for a few minutes, to everyone’s shock. Eventually, Cirrus stopped and left his body. He coughed up dirt and other plants for a good while, trying to get the awful taste out of his mouth and being too embarrassed to say anything. “Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, I’m done!”, they explained, “You can go back to using the talisman now. I just HAD to get that out of my system, or else it would’ve haunted me for the rest of my days!” No one knew what to say to that, so they just remained silent about all the absurdity. Huohuo shook it off and went back to readying the talisman for use near them.

Unexpectedly, Cirrus was not disturbed by the talisman. Instead, they were indifferent towards it. Their eye blinked slowly as they said, “Go ahead, seal me back to where I came from, I don’t mind. I got what I wanted. I’ll stay put, until I get bored again… Let’s do this again sometime!”, in a mocking way. Huohuo shook her head and answered with: “N-N-No thanks…” In an instant, she placed the talisman on them and they vanished in a flash of bright light. The light faded from view and seemed to travel inside the object, out of sight with no trace left behind. It glowed for a few seconds before going quiet, and peace returned.

She put the talisman back in her pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew… Glad that’s over with!”, Sushang said while wiping the sweat off her brow, “That dumb heliobus just never leaves us alone, do they? At least the problem is solved now!” “Looks like another case has been solved by the Ghost-Hunting Squad!”, Stelle said with excitement. Guinaifen stretched in relaxation before asking: “What do we do with Skott, though? Plus, that talisman won’t hold Cirrus forever… Should we call for someone on the Luofu?” Huohuo nodded and replied with, “I-I’ll use my phone to contact the Ten-Lords Commission. Someone should be here to fetch the talisman tomorrow morning, around the time we have to leave. As for Mr. Skott… He’ll be transferred to the Shackling Prison for his crimes, and we will have to keep him detained until they pick him up tomorrow at the same time…”, in a tired demeanor. She was exhausted from everything and finally felt safe enough to go to sleep.

“Oh, this is just splendid! First I get humiliated AGAIN, then I have to face criminal charges and possibly lose my job! This sucks, someone as great as me deserves better!”, Skott whined. Tail rolled his eyes and remarked: “Ugh… Quit your whining! It’s your own fault for agreeing to help someone like Cirrus to escape. Your grudge is also so pathetic that you don’t deserve any sympathy, and it’s what got us into this situation! So I don’t wish to hear it, brat! And I’ve got my eye on you if you try to escape in the middle of the night…” Skott scoffed at the insult, but fell quiet, realizing that it was futile to resist. “Great job, everyone! I knew we could do it, since we’re such a nice team!”, Guinaifen stated, “Now let’s head back to the cabin, fam! We gotta leave tomorrow and we have a lotta preparations to do, then we can get a good night’s rest. We deserve it! While our vacation may’ve gotten derailed, I still had fun and this became more memorable than I expected!” Sushang put her arm around her best friend playfully and followed up with, “Yeah… I still enjoyed the trip and learned a lot about Halloween, minus the scary stuff… Ha ha!”, in a cautiously optimistic tone.

Then, the entire group (with Skott in tow) laughed and reminisced about their adventures as they walked back to the cabin. Huohuo contacted the Ten-Lords Commission and they all prepared to leave the next morning. Finally, they got a peaceful sleep, while Tail watched Skott to make sure he didn’t try anything funny (he was too scared by Tail to do much, so he just shook the whole time in fear). And with that, their final night of their vacation drew to a close…

…

The next morning, after settling everything, the Ghost-Hunting Squad left their cabin and started to leave. Then, they met up with their contacts who would take the talisman containing Cirrus and also take Skott away, Xueyi and Hanya from the Ten-Lords Commission. Due to a preestablished familiarity, they all talked to each other for a few minutes, wanting to catch up on what they missed and explain any further details about the incidents they hadn’t already before.

“I have to thank you once again for all of your hard work in catching this spirit. We only noticed they were missing from Fyxestroll Garden a little while before you contacted us. We might have not found them if it wasn’t for you. We will strengthen the security surrounding their prison from now on. Once again, thank you very much.”, Hanya said. Xueyi nodded at her younger sister’s comments, saying: “Indeed. Especially to you, Ms. Huohuo. I can tell you’ve grown considerably in mind and body since coming here. Your bravery has yielded great results, and I’m proud I get to see that. You shall become an adequate judge if you keep going at this pace…”

Huohuo didn’t feel the same way, and in her usual self-deprecating attitude, she deflected the compliments. “N-No, that’s not true… I just try my best, that’s all…”, she said, “I messed up a lot on this vacation, but I managed to get through it. Even though I don’t deserve it, thanks for seeing my efforts! That means a lot…” It wasn’t much, but she had finally started to give herself more credit. While Xueyi’s face remained blank, Hanya’s contorted into a small smile of understanding, awakening her repressed emotions slightly. Her blank stare returned once her mind thought about the work she had to do, and she said, “Now that the accomplice, that Mr. Skott, is on the ship and detained already, I guess it’s time for us to leave and prepare the legal procedures on how to move forward. There’s not much rest for the busy puppets like us… Vacations are a rare sight…”, to keep herself focused.

Feeling her and her sister’s fatigue/longing for some time off, Stelle felt her Trailblazing spirit rising up from within and suggested: “How about you and your sister stay here and relax for the day? The rest of the Ghost-Hunting Squad and I will take care of the Luofu matters. You deserve it and it wouldn't be fair for either of you to not have a vacation when we just finished one in the same location you're in right now. It would make you feel better and you can just take a ship back later in the day… Trust me, the Galactic Baseballer knows what’s best for you two right now!”

Both of them seemed to give off a radiance of surprise yet relief to the suggestion. “Are you certain? Will all of you truly be able to handle such an important responsibility? It’s difficult, but you are all experienced in these sorts of matters by now… I… suppose our superiors won’t mind this…”, Xueyi asked. “Of course, you should know that we got this by now!”, Guinaifen said enthusiastically, “Regardless of our occasional failures, we always come out on top in the end. That’s what makes us so successful to our followers on Ghostly Grove!” Sushang gave a thumbs up to her friend’s comments and said, “Excusing the social media references, it’ll be fine! Everything will be in a secure location and we know how to handle all this stuff. Our little vacation got trampled on by those pranksters, so I feel that it’s our responsibility to make sure they won’t do it again. We’ll get everything back in order, I swear! Cloud Knight’s honor!”, in an encouraging voice.

There was still some doubt among the sisters, so Hanya looked at Tail for some sign of approval, since he was the only one who had yet to say anything. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go enjoy your lives.”, he said after a while, “I got this, I’m the one who stopped Cirrus in the first place! If they try anything funny, I’ll give them a beatdown they’ll never forget!” His rude yet determined statement finally broke down the walls between the sisters and they relaxed a little. “Then, we shall do so. Thank you so much for taking some of our harder work off our shoulders and offering us this fine day of rest…”, Hanya said. Xueyi raised her hand up in gratitude while saying, “You’ve come a long way, Mr. Tail… Sure, I will spend some quality time with my younger sister. I thank you for giving us this rare opportunity, and I will be sure to return the favor someday…”, in a neutral yet very subtly grateful demeanor.

With that all done, the Ghost-Hunting Squad began to get on the ship that would take them back to the Xianzhou Luofu, in which Cirrus and Skott were also on board. Tail secretly liked being called “Mr. Tail” by someone else other than Huohuo, but he acted like he couldn't stand it, like usual. The rest of the friend group posted their experiences on Ghostly Grove (Guinaifen’s video that showed the masked Skott at the end became viral, much to his dismay) and chatted the whole way back, and they surprisingly had no regrets, despite the hardships they faced. In the end, their trials that they faced together was what helped them succeed and have fun…

After they all left, Xueyi and Hanya proceeded to hold each other's hands and wander off to find something to do together. Hanya gripped her older sister’s hand tighter as she smiled brighter for the first time in a long while and suggested: “Xueyi, how about we go to the pumpkin patch? I hear it’s a pleasant experience and we can gaze at nature together, just like we did as children such a long time ago…” The other sister smiled slightly as well, looking similar despite the puppets’ body designs being completely different. Without another word, both of them headed off into the woods to enjoy their mini vacation, this one being completely free from horror and full of nostalgic memories.

[Writer’s Commentary: This overly long idea for a prompt was maybe a little too ambitious. I spent way too much time on the small details and fluffy ideas, but I think they add to the nostalgic quality of this story. The video transcript formatting was something I never tried before and was improvised, but I loved doing it! I might use it more in the future. I based some of these activities and events off of things I experienced in my own childhood, which was a nice touch I loved putting in. The two villain twist was something I came up with while writing this. I planned for Cirrus to be the main villain the whole time, but the Skott idea came out of nowhere, so I had to try it! Maybe it doesn't work, but I like the idea anyway. And the ending was some sweet idea I thought of in order to tie the whole vacation theme into the ending. It's not perfect, but I think it’s beautiful to imagine. Overall, I love the Ghost-Hunting Squad and I’m glad I got to write a good fic about them just in time for Halloween! I hope you enjoyed this (assuming you got this far, that is) and you have a good day!]

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