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The only issue…because the center part was only skin tight fabric, it showed the plains of his stomach.
While he couldn’t say he hated what he saw, it was a bit startling how thin he had become. Theo was so used to being toned, not big and bulky per say. He had never been as big as Cormac…but part of him felt the person he saw in the mirror was a stranger.
And it wasn’t just his body…the eyes he saw staring back at him weren’t the same. It was like they had become empty, hollow, soulless… Thoughts of what they used to look like, the joy there…tried to bring back memories he didn’t want to think about.
Taking a deep breath, he shoved the darkness aside.
“I will have fun tonight. I will not panic. I will not think of things I shouldn’t think of,” Theo told himself firmly, before softly adding, “But…I still wish I didn’t have to see…”
There would be way too many people there tonight for him to safely get around without his vision. Not to mention, he just didn’t know all these rooms that well. Especially those in Scarlett’s home. It wouldn’t be safe for him. Not unless he had Cormac or someone to guide him around. He usually didn’t do horrible in crowds, his other senses kicked into high gear and helped him avoid running into people, but there would be hundreds there tonight. And Theo was nervous. There would be too many, too close.
So, seeing would be a must if he was on his own tonight. But it wasn’t a big deal. The deterioration of his vision in his youth, which was about a hundred or so years ago, meant he had plenty of time to learn how to bring his werewolf eyes out and not accidently change other things. He could even keep at it for hours now without so much as even a twinge of pain or exhaustion.
However, even being able to do so…he preferred his darkness. It was interesting. He had zero light perception left. He had heard that others dealing with something similar had constant flashes as their mind tried to create something. Or sometimes it was like static…but Theo… Theo saw nothing—no flashes, nothing. He often wondered if it was because he could see if he wanted to. That his mind didn’t try to replace the darkness with something else, because there were times when he didn’t have to. Either way…he was grateful for it. Because he found the nothingness calming.
He supposed many wouldn’t understand why he chose blindness over being able to see. But it was his normal, his safe place…
For Theo, these moments of darkness let him experience so much, yet do it safely. He found vision overstimulating. Theo was like this even before everything that happened. He couldn’t remember when sight had become too much, but it had at one point in his life.
And now he was used to being blind, and could get around well on his own. Except when he went alone into an unknown, or drastically changed location with a shit ton of people. Like two houses being overly decorated and altered for an insane Halloween party.
So tonight, sight it was.
Meow.
Theo smiled and looked down. Sprinkle was by his feet pawing at him, staring up with her wide ocean-blue eyes. “What? Do you think I look good?” he asked.
She meowed again with even more enthusiasm.
Theo chuckled. Bending down, he scooped her up. “Come here, my little baby dragon. It’s time to put your scales on.”
Turney stood there and couldn’t help but be in awe at all the elaborate costumes the people around him were wearing. He would bet that not a single one was off the rack.
Not to mention…there were a lot of people who he was pretty sure were letting their paranormal uniqueness shine through. Well, Turney’s costume wasn’t exactly off the rack either. On top of his stone-like outfit, his entire body had been painted that same speckled gray color. Even his hair had been thoroughly sprayed to match. He was basically a statue.
The room was decorated in black, orange, and purples, with cobwebs and shining black chandeliers above. There was a wide grand staircase at one end of the room with a deep purple carpet running down it. Fake ghosts flew above them, dancing on the high vaulted ceilings, looking as if they were having their own party up there.
To the left side were tables upon tables of food that looked disgusting, yet smelled amazing. It looked like eyeballs, brains, body parts, worms, bones, and all sorts of other questionable things were on the menu tonight. And unlike most Halloween foods trying to imitate gross things, it didn’t look like all of that stuff in the fun, kid sort of way. It all looked super realistic. The drinks table was much the same; bowls of vomit, blood, and…well, there was also a fun, pretty normal looking, smoking punch bowl. Nearby the tables, was a giant pumpkin shaped candy bowl on a pedestal.
Opposite the grand staircase, on the other side of the room, was a large hill that had grass at the bottom but turned into a good length of sandy beach at the top, which had a shoreline that ended in a pool of water. The pool looked like it had an oddly deep shoreline. The water rippled like there were gentle waves, but was definitely just a small pool of water, even if it was only a little smaller than the ‘beach’.
Turney honestly would have liked to walk around and just take everyone and everything in…but he was currently standing at the bottom of the stairs on a stage marking. The exact spot where he’d been instructed to stand.
So, standing there he was…not that he was sure he had the courage to wonder around much. Turney had never been much of a fan of horror or parties, and he knew some of the shit Octavius had planned would probably give his poor heart plenty of stress. There was also the fact that the house was packed. He wasn’t sure how many people were there, but well over a hundred, and…he smelled humans.
Turney didn’t know where they were, but he knew they were there somewhere. And that there was more than one. Which was a whole other category of concern. He had eaten some brain burgers before this…and he was pretty sure some of the grilled and fried looking brains on the food table were actual brains. Because walking past them had made his mouth water, and had sent a slight hunger throb in his head. So, he supposed if he got too worried, he could rush and eat some more. Still, new zombies and humans didn’t mix well.
Turney eyed those directly on either side of him. His coworkers…well, he supposed now they were more than that… Scarlett definitely was more than that. Either way, everyone from the agency was there, just not all right next to him. Currently, the ones near were Scarlett, Min-ji, Theo, and Sprinkle. Sprinkle wasn’t a coworker, but she was there.
Cormac and Henry were at the party too, just not next to him—not that Henry was a coworker. Anyway, Cormac’s costume…well, he was a mermaid—tail, wig and all. The wolf was currently sitting on a large ass shell, in what looked like a movable grotto right next to the pool of water. Henry, dressed as a pirate, was by his side.
Having walked past the ‘hill’ as he squeezed through the crowd to get to this spot, he knew that while the incline of the hill was solid, the side of the pool was see-through.
He wasn’t sure how Octavius had gotten Cormac to agree to that outfit, but he feared it had something to do with Henry. And the suspicious grotto on wheels with a push handle had him thinking poor Henry had gotten roped into one of Octavius’ schemes.
Speaking of Octavius, he wasn’t there. Turney wasn’t sure where he was. He was the person everyone at the party was waiting for.
Turney eyed Scarlett. His sire was dressed in a red puffy dress with cream accents that looked like one you’d see in the 1700s. She was currently fanning herself with a red fan, looking grumpy as all fuck. He wasn’t feeling anything from her, so he guessed she was blocking him, but it told him she was just irritated rather than mad. Mad usually meant he’d feel something. Min-ji stood next to her looking amused, dressed in a…he wasn’t sure what to call it, but the jacket was frilly, and she did match with Scarlett.
