1Elisa likes Halloween. She remembers when trick-or-treating became a widespread practice back in her childhood at the orphanage; costumes began seeing mass-production then, but she honestly prefers the homemade masks made from scratch over the frankly unnerving plastic ones sold in drug stores.
Elisa vaguely recalls her dreams around this time of year are more fanciful than usual, full of outlandish beings and visions of the aos sí, and maybe one or two stars from a creature feature. Fitting, since spirits and the like are supposed to be more active around this time.
Elisa sighs wistfully at the bus window, watching the sun rise. It's a shame the creature has to leave before experiencing Halloween. She isn't really one for crowded, festive events but can't help but imagine going to a costume party with her very own Universal movie monster. He'd fit right in.
That mental image conjures a new daydream; if he exists, what other creatures are hiding in the world? What if they didn't have to hide? She can see it now – spirits of the departed visiting their families, a Frankenstein's monster helming the bus, Giles going for pie (real honest-to-goodness pie) with a dapper wolfman, a vampire and his companion seeing a movie at the Orpheum…
Elisa and her creature, openly together for all the world to see. Going on dates, grocery shopping, getting married.
Charlie Esposito. She still smiles at Giles' nickname for him, and rolls the imaginary name in her head a few times, finding she likes it. Ah, if only.
By the time the bus slows to her stop with a hiss, thoughts of Halloween return to her, nudging like a child nudges its mother. There's no reason she can't show him special treats that Zelda taught her to make, such as caramel apples and popcorn balls, or hot mulled cider and spiced milk.
She wonders if the market is selling pumpkins by now; they could carve a pumpkin together! And though it's much too early in the month for guising, she can introduce him to the concept and they can create their own costumes for the day.
Elisa returns to the Orpheum with plans for the day in mind, checks in on Giles before entering her apartment, and sees her old friend sketching a charcoal image of the amphibian man crouched before the television talking about the monster flick shown onscreen. She can't tell what it is, her undivided attention on the creature.
He turns hearing the door open and chirps delightedly at the sight of her, rising in one fluid motion to greet her. His hands sign out, Welcome home! and Elisa's heart melts. Giles turns as well and chuckles wryly.
"One might say you've cast a spell on him," Giles quips, playfully pointing his charcoal in faux-accusation at her. "Here I am, educating our boy on the intricacies of the silver screen, and then you come in and bewitch poor Charlie."
Toil and trouble, Elisa retorts with a smirk. The creature comes up and embraces her, nuzzles into her hair and purrs contentedly. Elisa returns the embrace and that domestic fantasy from earlier hits her again, makes her hold him tighter. He's all too happy to squeeze her back, and bends down for a kiss that Elisa melts into. It's likely they would have stayed locked together until Giles breaks them up.
"All right, you two, you've got a whole apartment to yourselves for that. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Elisa and the creature bid him good morning and head enter their own home. She smiles and signs, I want to show you something.
The creature tilts his head. Guiding him to the little calendar Elisa flips the little papers up until they hit the 31st.
Special day, she signs and he moans curiously. Elisa gives him a basic rundown of the Halloween ritual; dressing up, going door-to-door, food, spirits. He seems to understand the last few ideas but puzzles over the costume aspect, so Elisa walks him over to her seldom-used bedroom to give a proper demonstration.
She digs through her closets in search of a specific item. The creature watches, not quite comprehending but under the impression that Elisa has a special lesson in mind, so he waits patiently.
After a moment Elisa huffs in triumph and pulls her prize out of the closet to hold it up. It's a wide-brimmed witch's hat she'd bought a few years ago. She thinks it was a retaliatory buy in response to Yolanda snarking about Elisa having a witch's nose. Suffice to say that particular insult backfired at a small Halloween get-together between the Occam graveyard workers. Plain as she looks, Elisa knows she makes a damned good witch.
She brushes and blows off dust from the hat before donning it with a flourish. The creature croons fascinatedly and Elisa raises her hands to point at the hat, signs witch. She wonders if he knows what that is, follows up with magic woman. This time he makes a sort of "Ah!" sound and nods.
Elisa magic woman, he signs.
Elisa lowers the brim down to hide the growing blush in her cheeks, spins around to regard her closet. She decides to make this a couple's project and starts pulling out various articles and laying them in a pile on the bed, explaining that they should find something to match the hat. As an example she takes one dress and holds it against herself for him to see. He eyes the dress, glances at the hat, and quirks the corner of his lip. Taking that as a no, Elisa places the dress separate from the first pile.
They take turns examining what combinations would work. This is surprisingly fun, Elisa thinks. The creature has a different perspective on things, and it gives what would normally be a tedious activity a breath of fresh air. But once he finally finds something the closet that he likes Elisa notices the telltale whistles of his breathing, signaling he needs to soak in the tub. She halts their project for now, and though he whines a little in protest he doesn't argue, leaving his finding on the bed.
Once the bath has been drained, refilled and salted, the creature settling in with a rasping sigh, Elisa returns to the bed and spies what the creature found. Her eyebrows shoot up.
She doesn't remember having this; it's a short black piece with a lacey heart-shaped bodice, a modest but enticing dip at the back, and just enough skirt to show off the legs and still cover up what's between them. Give it a translucent train at the back and this could be worn by a dancer on stage, performing for an entranced audience.
It's like a lightbulb goes off in Elisa's head.
The corner of her mouth breaks into a sly grin and she hangs the rejected clothes back into the closet, then she hunts for stockings – the creature does so like it when she wears them. Next she rifles through the drawers and produces a pair of long dark gloves, with matching lace. The last part is easy, giving a polish to black heels. She doesn't have a train for the back but thinks this will do nicely.
He ducks his head below the surface, dozing a little until Elisa is ready to continue. He practices the latest signs she taught him. Witch. Magic woman. Yes, Elisa does have magic, though she may not know it yet. He will teach her in time, just as she has taught him.
Sound echoes above the surface, reverberates beneath it, and he perks up. Elisa! He sits up and watches the doorway for Elisa to come.
When she enters his gills flare and something in his face grows warm. She is wearing the midnight skin he picked out, and her legs – oh – her legs are covered in those translucent dark skins again. Her smiling face is framed in shadow under the wide-brimmed crown atop her head. This feels familiar, like the first time they came together and mated in the tiny pond. But she does not shed her dark skins this time. Elisa is no doubt continuing her lesson, and so he will be a good pupil.
Magic woman, he repeats and Elisa nods.
She sits on the edge of the pond, skin and shadows peeking from the edge of that black skin, legs angled nicely and… oh, that is very distracting. It takes more effort than expected to look up at her face, and he feels a bit sheepish at how Elisa gives him that knowing look, her eyebrows quirking up. He croaks, flustered, imitates her brow motion.
He wills himself to focus, though that is slowly becoming more difficult.
There is a purpose to this, yes. Elisa is teaching him about a special day with guising and food. Something else as well…? Oh yes, spirits! He dimly recalls the River People of his home revering spirits, remembers glimpses of colorful familiars only at certain seasons. Does this guising perform a similar ritual? He hazards a glance downward again and finds his head empties itself.
A huff of laughter snaps him back and Elisa is smiling hugely at him. Again his face feels warm and he averts his gaze.
He circles a fist over his chest, embarrassed by his distraction. Sorry.
Fingers hook under his chin and turn his head to face Elisa. Something about that commanding action forms a globe in his throat and he swallows – hard.
Do you like it? Elisa asks. She knows the answer but wants him to say it. He is helpless.
Yes.
Her fingers continue to hold his chin. A thumb caresses his lips – distracting – and he gives it a gentle, feather-soft nip. Elisa takes her bottom lip between her teeth. Oh, he knows that gesture…
Do I distract you?
His mouth feels dry.
Yes.
Slowly Elisa moves one leg and crosses it over the other. Head still bound by her hand his eyes shoot from Elisa's face to her legs and back. Now her fingers move, trailing down his jaw and running along the line where his neck and gills meet. They flutter and he groans low in his throat. They dance along his clavicle, to his shoulder, and his lights flare to life.
The blue reflects off of Elisa's gray-green eyes and he is enthralled.
They are close together, so close, he aches to taste her. He leans in to kiss her but Elisa pulls away with a silent chuckle. Oh no, her hand is pulling away and she's standing up, he rises too and steps out—
A single finger is pressed to his lips.
Wait here, Elisa commands. The blue light dances in her eyes, full of lusty promises.
He obeys.
Elisa leaves the small cave with a sway in her hips. Legs buckling, he lowers himself to his knees and leans against the cool pond, anticipation fluttering inside him.