"Do you want to come to Pie-fest this year?"
Yllana grimaced. Bernice's family, every Fall, had what they called Pie-fest. An overload of various flavors of baked pie, from pecan to caramel apple, and supposedly no one could stomach a slice from each selection.
"I dunno," Yllana looked off towards the woods that could be seen past the neighborhood street. "The moon isn't right."
Bernice furrowed her brow. "Don't you mean the stars aren't right?"
That was the phrasing Yllana should probably be using, yes. Although she tried and tried it was hard to recognize constellations in the night sky, even when she had her star guide for reference. Phases of the moon, waxing or waning, were much easier for her to track.
The two girls were already in costume. Yllana's hair was woven with flowers and green twigs, with some splotches of green makeup across her face. Her costume was brown with a tree bark texture to match a wood nymph. Bernice had a far simpler costume, as her long hair was bound with linens, the same linens circling her sweat clothes in a mummy costume.
After rewrapping one of her trailing arm bandages for the umpteenth time, Bernice tried again to invite her friend. "Well, Rupert and Emerson will be there!"
Yllana was confused. "How will Rupert be there? When he was at 'Pie-fest Lite' he didn't eat a thing."
"So I haven't asked them yet," Bernice admitted, scratching the bandages tied around her stomach. "There's one pie Rupert can have. Custard, right?"
Yllana shook her head. "I don't think it's custard. Raspberry."
"No, I don't think he can handle the seeds."
"Hey 'Llana! Bernie! Over here!"
Turning from where they were pondering what pie Rupert could actually digest, the girls noticed Emerson waved towards them at their meeting place. It would really be hard to miss Emerson given how much he sparkled.
"Wasn't disco supposed to have died?" Yllana asked and she and Bernice joined the two boys.
"Naw," Emerson smiled, his suit lined with sparkly silver and gold sequins, refracting even the faintest of lights like a runaway disco ball. "Besides, I've always wanted to have a bigger 'fro than may cousin for once." Hair that big was obviously a wig, although Emerson teased it into place with a purple comb.
"I didn't think you'd choose that for Halloween this year," Rupert said. "Nothing scary? Not even your elf paladin character?"
"Hey, I've got the moves!" Emerson said, beginning to spin in place.
"Ugh, I'd get sick watching you spin," Rupert said, tipping his fedora.
"What are you supposed to be?" Bernice asked. "It looks like you're in your sunday best."
"Come on, can't you tell?" Rupert asked, gesturing to the full effect of his costume. He had a dark maroon suit, a scarf, gloves, and a hat with a white band. For some reason he was carrying his violin case.
"A misplaced blues fiddler?" Yllana guessed. Emerson laughed.
"Bubgsy Malark!" Rupert exclaimed, disappointed his friends didn't catch the reference. "The gangster! From my favorite gangster movie I showed you last month?"
"Ok, so why the violin case?" Bernice asked.
"This is what they would hide their guns in, see?" Rupert clicked open his case and with one fluid motion drew his tommy-gun.
"Whoa!" Bernice said, startled, and before she could react Rupert pulled the trigger. A large flag embossed with the word "BANG!" poked out of the barrel.
"Gees, man!" Emerson said. "That thing looks real!"
"It's a prop," Rupert replied, repacking the toy gun.
"Alright, alright," Bernice said, regaining her composure. "We're here now, so let's get going!"
What event has them going out in costume?
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