Trick or Treat (Persona: WTWM)
Trick or Treat (Persona: WTWM) | |
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Date of Cutscene: | 31 October 2016 |
Location: | Alberichstadt, Germany |
Synopsis: | A woman makes a difficult decision, and a boy's first Halloween alone goes wrong. |
Cast of Characters: | {{{Cast of Characters}}} |
Tinyplot: | Persona: Were The World Mine |
OCTOBER 31ST, 2016
ALBERICHSTADT, GERMANY
BEFORE EVERYTHING GOES WRONG
In the streets of a small Alberichstadt neighborhood, children and teens make merry, creating tricks and getting treats. For some children, however, a night of joy is a night of sadness. And for others, the tricks they create are unlike any other. A young woman stands on the corner of the street, smoking a cigarette. A black leather jacket, short bleach blonde hair, and a single fingerless leather glove, along with a pair of military boots. Her blue jeans have holes in them, and her entire outfit is covered with dark stains, likely from a lack of washing. Most prominent, fitting the night, is the mask of a dog, some sort of shepherd, that she is wearing, covering her eyes and nose. She waits, watching kids and teens pass by, groups too large, or people too smart. Or adults. Adults would work, but she didn't want to deal with them. She bit her lip, removing her cigarette briefly into her fingers, smell of cheap tobacco waffling around her. She had very specific orders: lure as many people as you can.
And then, he came. The boy looked only eleven or twelve, and was all alone. Easy to convince, though he was only one. Not enough...but it was worth a shot. The woman approached him, taking a moment to eye his costume. His costume looked handmade, a white bodysuit, with a blue jester-like collar with golden bells attached to it. A pair of Vans painted blue except for the tops, which were gold, and an old cap, fastened around his ears, blue felt with a golden smiley face in the middle and a pair of long horn-like ears sewn on the tops. There were holes in the eyes for sight. The boy looked as if he had been crying, teardrops staining the mask, which led the woman to stop for a moment. But, she pursued.
"Hey, kid. Why are you all alone?" The dog-masked woman asked, taking another drag of her cigarette, leaning back against the lampost across the street from him. The boy turned to the woman, who casually glanced at him. "My friends abandoned me..." The woman pondered this. "How come?" "They said my costume was 'too lame' to trick or treat with them. That I didn't fit in."
The woman's face formed a frown, no, a scowl. Anger filled her as she recollected, as she thought to why she was doing this. "Who are you dressed as?" The kid moved closer to her, to give her a better look of the costume. "Jack Frost, from the Jack Brothers! My mom made it for me." The dog-masked woman chuckled, as she glanced up and down at his costume. "It's a good costume. Hey, listen. Those guys? They weren't your friends, they were assholes. I know how it feels to be abandoned, it hurts. But eventually, you'll find a group of people you can trust, who'll fight for you. And people who don't care what you're really like, who'll help you out. And then, you'll be able to find your happiness in life. Got that?"
"Yeah...thanks, miss. You're nice." The kid still seemed a bit upset, but had noticeably cheered up. And then the woman bit her lip. Was it worth it...? No, it was. Because she had to find her happiness in life, too. Moving away from the pole, she glanced around the corner, into the bushes, and turned to the kid. "Hey, what's your name?" "My name's...Lars." "Lars, you want to see something cool?" "I guess..."
And she lured the kid over into the bush, where the mirror was set up, against the tree. Even as Lars stared in confusion, the dog-masked woman approached the mirror, and calmly put her hand on it. And it rippled. And it opened, showing dark trees, a forest beyond. "Come on. Follow me." And she stepped into the Forest, waiting for Lars to slowly, carefully approach. And then he stepped into the Forest, and she stepped out, flicking her cigarette behind her, closing the portal before he could even react. One down...how many more could she find tonight? She had to keep going...no matter what she had to do.