Nightmare on Zoo Street. [Halloween Event: Nekros & Calliope.]

Calliope had never been to a zoo before, let alone a zoo during Halloween! She had always wanted to go to one, but unfortunately her life up until very recently had made it difficult to be in complete control of where she was at any given time. And while there was certainly still a lot going on and much processing to do, her life was arguably in a much better place now. Besides, what better excuse did she have to finally go to one than her daughter? Though the child was only a few months old, she was old enough to hold up her head and actually take in the world around her, so truthfully she was the perfect age for something like a petting zoo, or even just staring in fascination at the large beasts the zoo grounds housed.

But with there also being a holiday going on, there was double the excitement! All available excess space around the property had been filled with various stalls hosting games and drinks, and all sorts of Halloween and fall themed activities. As always, Calliope was more than happy to simply wander and enjoy the sights, watching as various families enjoyed themselves with candy and prizes. Most of them were dressed up in some way, befitting of the holiday, and she hadn’t hesitated to join them! She’d found an adorable harlequin style dress that sported various black and pink panels, and had a big poofy skirt and sleeves. One leg had a pink and white striped stocking while the other was black and white, and her shoes and gloves were a mismatched pink and black as well. Even her eyes and hair were mismatched, though they were always like that, the pink and brunette locks tied up in loose, messy pigtails on either side of her head.

Her daughter was fastened into a pouch on her chest that was designed to let Calliope carry her while also being able to have her hands free. The little girl was dressed up in a costume of her own made to look like a little witch, with short blonde hair and bright pink eyes that soaked in the atmosphere around them with interest as she babbled away.

A small crowd caught her attention. Curious, she made her way over and managed to worm her way up to a front spot to see what all the fuss was about. Everyone was watching a young man – half of whose body was done up like it had been mutated into some kind of alien figure – playing some kind of shell game that had been gussied up in Halloween fashion with little coffins for the cups. The man was attempting to keep up with the movement of the coffins as they sped around back and forth. When they finally stopped he was asked to choose one of them, pointing at the left most coffin. The attendant running the game stood and dramatically flipped over the coffin to reveal it to be empty!

The crowd around her let out a collective noise of disappointment. Meanwhile, the man in charge of the game was already looking for his next player. His eyes fell on Calliope, beckoning her forward. “You, there! The young woman with the adorable little witch. You look like you’d like to give this game a try! Maybe you’ll have more luck than the gentleman here!”

She was a little surprised to be singled out, but with the encouragement of the crowd Calliope slowly approached the table with a shy smile. “So… what do I do?” she asked, looking back and forth between the game master and the man that had just played.

“I’m going to put a piece of candy under one of these three coffins, and they’re going to shuffle around. When they stop moving, you just have to guess which one you think the candy is under. Find the candy, and you win!”

“Well… I do like candy. I’ll give it a try!” She watched as he hid the candy beneath one of the coffins, and soon enough they were shuffling so quickly that Calliope earnestly had no idea where the prize had gone. Honestly, even if she still had her magic she wasn’t sure she’d been able to keep up with it! When they finally stopped moving, the perplexed look on her face would be more than enough to tell anyone watching that she had absolutely zero idea where the candy was. “Oh boy.. Um… I guess, maybe that one?” She pointed at the one on the far right. The man lifted up the coffin…

And it was empty. Another round of disappointed “awwws” sounded around the crowd. With a rueful shrug, the short woman looked up to Jaeger with a somewhat sheepish expression. “This game is certainly a lot harder than it looks, isn’t it?”

Well, this man was quite suspicious that the game master had rigged the system, immediately electing to put the attendant on the spot by going another round. Calliope watched with vested interest as the coffins once more were shuffled about, the blonde haired man practically slamming his fist down with enthusiasm to pick again… only for the coffin to once again be empty. “Aw, darn..”

He lamented losing a second time with a comment on the game host being perhaps a bit too good at his job. However, he wasn’t to stay down long as he launched into a small welcoming speech to Calliope about the zoo grounds, which he referred to as the Exotic Emporium. She watched him with eager eyes as he described various experiences that awaited her there, including dancing, drinking potions, and even a petting zoo. Both of their attentions briefly waned at a slight cheer of the crowd, and they turned to see that someone, somehow, had miraculously won the shell game! Calliope clapped a little to add her congratulations to the crowd’s before returning her mismatched gaze to the man, who asked how she had been enjoying the zoo so far.

“Oh, it’s wonderful! I’ve never been to a zoo before. Are you the owner?” she could only assume that he was, or at least a member of the management, with the way that he was greeting her. With a bright smile, she offered her hand to him to shake. “My name is Calliope. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for hosting this festival, it really is exciting! I honestly don’t know where to even start! Though I do want to find the petting zoo eventually.” With a smile, she looked down at the child strapped to her chest. “I’m sure my little Meika here will love it!”

“I don’t suppose you could show me where one of the potion stations are? I’d love to try one!” Presuming he was amenable to leading her to the location she’d mentioned, soon Calliope would find herself standing at a kiosk where a woman was dressed like a witch, cackling madly while stirring a color changing liquid in a large cauldron. The Luminous Rose mage was practically dancing on her toes in excitement, the sensation only growing as she saw people ahead of her in line having all sorts of fun and silly enchantments cast on them from imbibing the drink – enchantments she presumed were temporary. “Would you like to join me?” she asked her host, offering to get him a drink as well.

If he wanted one, she would be sure to order two when she got to the front, making sure to hand it to him before taking her own. With a giddy wiggle, she took a big sip, letting the delicious punch quench her thirst as she smacked her lips in pleasure. “Ooooh, that’s delicious…”

Then, before both of their eyes, her body began to morph. Her incredibly short body grew a few inches taller, her chest shrinking until it was flat under her dress and her hair becoming much shorter until she had been fully transformed into a young man, though still sporting the dress. “That’s a neat enchantment,” he said with a smile as he looked himself over. It was a little bit of a bummer, as Calliope could have transformed herself like this on her own anyway, but still – the man was doing his best to be a good host and she didn’t want him to feel disappointed!

The young mother audibly gasped out loud as a large animal unlike anything she’d ever seen before came rushing to Jaeger at his call. Her eyes went absolutely wide at the sight of the bear like creature, and there were practically stars in her irises. “Oh my gosh! He’s so cute!! Can I pet him??”

Presuming Jaeger would indicate that it was okay to do so, Calliope wasted zero time in approaching the red panda, letting it sniff her hands to get a feel for her scent before running her fingers through his thick, currently dyed green, fur with all the excitement of a child. “Wow, he’s so soft..! I wish I could have a companion like this.” She’d never had a pet before, mostly because she’d never been able to settle down long enough to do so. Up until recently, she’d spent nearly her entire life experiencing regular periods of frightening blackouts and waking up in brand new places with no idea how she’d gotten there. As such, she’d never really had the stability of a home nor any of the comforts that could come with one. But perhaps now she could finally get one? It was something she hadn’t stopped to consider, but now she was giving it some serious thought!

She happily accepted Jaeger’s help getting up onto Nava’s back, wiggling in her seat and squealing quietly in delight as the large beast began its trek through the crowd toward the nearest potion stand. The smile on her face was without reservation as she eagerly took in the sights of the festival grounds while they made their way through, as though she were in some kind of backward parade where the people on the sides of the road were the attractions to see, and she in the “vehicle” was the observer. The panda even ducked through a corn maze of some kind that was filled with fog and all sorts of creepy and fun decorations. Calliope had to be mindful not to fall off the back of the beast as she leaned forward with excessive curiosity to watch the maze game as they passed through it.

Before long, they were at the drink stand and he was agreeing to her offer to join her in consuming a potion. Even as her body began to morph into that of a man’s, Jaeger’s began to get dark and hardened into some kind of crystalline form. Blinking, Calliope peered at him. “Mister Jaeger? Are you okay..?” She would give him a small poke. Then, she would stare in wonder as a wayward strobe light hit his body, reflecting the light in the full spectrum of the rainbow. “Ooo, pretty!”

A moment later, after a small crowd had gathered to witness the spectacle, the form dropped and he return to normal. With a wide smile, Calliope clapped as eagerly as she had been all night, genuinely pleased with the trick. Then, he played up the theatrics more about her gender change. She giggled merrily, an odd sound with her more boyish voice. “It’s quite alright. I’m having plenty of fun! Besides, I am quite used to being able to change my body.” Before his eyes, she used what little she had left of her magic to morph her body once more, growing a long elephant’s trunk from her nose and giving a small trumpet to Meika, the little girl babbling and giggling as she touched the animalistic appendage.

With another laugh, Calliope reverted back to her base form, a woman once more. The music caught her attention and she turned her head to look at the nearby area where a small space had been cleared out for people to mingle and relax while listening to various halloween songs. There was even a small space for dancing. “Ooo, do you want to dance?” Clearly she was a woman that was extremely comfortable around strangers, with an innocent disposition that viewed everyone she didn’t know very well as nothing less than a friend she simply hadn’t made yet. Calliope took him eagerly by the hand and gently led him to the dance floor where she would casually move around to the beat of the music, holding Meika’s hands and helping the little girl “dance” with them in the sling.