The Inferno 1 - The Costumes

"Why do I feel like you put more effort into that one?" asks Zoey, looking down at you as you meticulously draw a wound across her stomach. It's the finishing touch on her zombie costume for the halloween party tonight.

"Naaah, you're clearly mistaken." you grin more to yourself than her. You did draw a few other wounds and lacerations onto visible parts of her body and yes, you did spend more time on this one. It's totally about making it look the best it can and not about keeping your hands on her abs as long as possible. "You know, the club's not gonna wait for us. So if you plan on taking much longer..." Zoey notes, tapping a rhythm onto the floor with her sneaker.

"You sure do a lot of talking for someone who contributed nothing to both of our costumes." you tease her but do take your hands off her stomach. You make a completely valid point because you did not just plan but also prepare costumes for both you and her! To be fair, Zoey's zombie look isn't all that extravagant. You took old baggy jeans of hers and ripped them a good bit. She also had an old white shirt of which you ripped the lower half off entirely, leaving just enough to create a crop top that perfectly shows off her impressive abs - not that that's particularly zombie-style. That's just for you. The wounds you painted on her stretch over her neck and parts of her lower face as well as - now - her lower torso. Zoey's shoulder-long brunette hair is fittingly disheveled but she wears her cap again anyway- backwards as usual. Add some messy makeup and there she is. The hottest undead in town.

You're more proud of your own costume though - the burnt witch. That took more crafting, especially on the charred and tattered edges of your white dress. It actually ended up not significantly shorter than intended due to that. The makeup is also more fiddly but absolutely worth it! Soot on your face and arms, dark circles around your eyes and a pale base. The cherry on top of your masterpiece is the hat, though. A simple, black witch's hat is fine and all, but a singed, warped witch's hat that makes you look like you just narrowly escaped being burned at the stake completes the look. You love halloween for getting to go all-out. Why you went for zombie and a witch? Well, Zoey makes for a hot zombie and you - well, you're a bloody redhead. It's effectively destiny, really.

"Hey, I wouldn't wanna stand between you and your passion, is all." Zoey defends herself with a smirk, raising her arms in a mock gesture of surrender. "But for real, the party's halfway over once we're there." she reminds you and she does have a point. "Alright, alright, it's done." you give in after giving the stomach-wound another once over. "I hope this club is as good as your friend said." you add, walking over to the mirror to have a final look at yourself.

"It better be. I mean, he insisted on giving basically no detail whatsoever about it. And as I always say with mysteries - the payoff better be good or it's just a giant waste of time." she claims, though you don't recall a single time she's ever said that. Still, you let it slide since it's true. *The Inferno* - not even Google had much more than the name and location to offer. This is either going to be phenomenal or complete ass. You and Zoey don't attend too many parties but for you, Halloween has always been an excuse to step out a bit. Zoey's been to more parties and events but since you two became a thing, she hasn't been out much without you - by her own volition, mind you. It's like with her promiscuity: you don't hold her back actively; she just prefers to do stuff with you.

"By the way, can I touch the paint?" Zoey asks as the stands up from the bed and as you turn her way, you see her already scratching an apparent itch right on the wound on her neck. "Fuck, no! Stop that." you hiss and run over to swat her hand away. "And why do you even ask if you're gonna do it anyway??" you scold her.

"... you know what, I didn't think of that." she replies with an honest shrug. You blink twice at her without saying a word and Zoey simply laughs at your confused silence. "Alright, ready?" she declares and grabs her leather jacket from the coat hook near the apartment's door. Yeah, zombie was an excellent choice. Zombies are stupid. And Zoey's for sure similarly brainless at times. Whatever, time to get your jacket and your bags for both of yours and Zoey's stuff and get going. Inferno awaits.