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Jack opened the door, the early evening air forced its way in on a breeze, carrying the smell of autumn with it. He found himself beset by a vampire, an animatronic bear, and a nervous looking Spongebob with mom and dad heading up the rear, providing emotional support. All eyes were on him with bags held out in front. "Trick or…" The little demons looked down and almost dropped their candy while mom and dad's jaws did the same.

“Wow! What is that, a monster?"

“It's a kobold!"

“Is it real?"

“What's your name?"

Lys came up with the idea of Jack answering the door while she came up behind with the candy bowl to pass out the goodies; a one two punch that had left every kid and most of the parents speechless. The kids crowded around with smiles, questions, and even a few curious hands just wanting to know what she felt like. The reactions from parents had been mixed, from looks of surprised amusement to straight-lipped perplexment, but the fast nature of trick-or-treating meant there was little time to dwell. Even the rowdiest and hyperactive of children became well behaved in the presence of a clawed kobold passing out treats with a toothy smile. Spongebob needed a little more convincing that Lys wasn't about to do something to him so she gave him a wink with her big, yellow eyes and tossed him an extra fun-sized Snickers.

“Thanks!"

“Thank you."

“Are you real?"

She nodded and waved as the Halloweeners moved on to their next stop. Jack closed the door, pleased with making someone's Halloween night memorable. Lys set the bowl aside, filching a peanut butter cup for herself. The green kobold practically glowed with amusement. “This is fun. Almost makes me wish I had a costume." She popped it into her maw and started reaching for another.

“Hey, save it for the kids, I'm sure there'll be leftovers, there always is." He sat back down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. House on Haunted Hill sat paused on the TV, waiting for the two of them to resume watching. The crinkling of plastic wrappers continued and he was forced to look over and glare at her severely.

“What?" Lys said with a mouth full of chocolate and peanut butter.

“Toss me one."

“Hmmph." She reached in and threw a Snickers at him.

The candy went over his head and landed in the creases of the couch. The moment he reached over to pluck it from the cushions it fell deeper in. “Typical." He shoved his arm all the way in, groping around in places left best to the imagination. “Some day I need to clean this stupid thing inside out, but not today." His fingers slipped past a plastic wrapper and started to draw it up only to find it was something else. Grunting and groaning, it looked as if the couch had got hold of his arm and was trying to pull him the rest of the way in. He pulled his hand back out only for it to be an old receipt, pizza bites and two cans of Four Loko, man did he have a headache after that one.

Lys snickered at him. “Let me get you another."

“No," he said, sweeping his hand free around awkwardly in her direction. “It's the principle of the thing, this stupid couch stole my candy and I'm getting it back. Besides, you don't need any more."

“Who said I'd get more candy? Don't you trust me?"

“No." Jack did his best to ignore her smirk. Tossing aside the cushions, he shoved his arm in hard enough to make the wood creak and came back out with the candy and his arm still intact. “Ha!"

“Very good, now can we go back to watching this thing?"

With a self-satisfied smile he peeled away the wrapper and popped the chewy nougat morsel into his mouth. Vincent Price looked on at him from the TV in all his freeze-frame glory as if he were waiting for a response as much as Lys. He snatched up the remote and unpaused the film while Lys took her place next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Meanwhile Mr.Price began offering handguns to his guests in cute, little coffins.

“So, what would you wear?"

“Hmm?"

“You said you wanted a costume."

“Oh, yeah." Lys gave his arm a slight squeeze as she watched the guests go upstairs to try and find a severed head. “I'm not sure."

Jack grinned and nudged her. “How about your 'slave kobold' costume?"

“Very funny, that's only for you and you still owe me." She waved her claw at the TV. “I don't get this."

“What do you mean?"

“Well, what I mean is I'm not sure I understand these kinds of movies. Do people really get scared of this stuff?

“Why? Are you scared?"

“No." She gripped his arm tight for a moment while Carolyn Craig screamed at everyone to get out of her room. Jack tensed up as the tips of her claws poked into his flesh and he decided right then and there that there would be no truly scary movies in this house at least not unless he was sitting six feet away from her. Thinking fast, he patted her on the head until she swatted at him. “Knock it off, I was startled. It's really not scary, it's dumb." She'd been giving him off-hand comments all evening on his choice of spooky movies.

“Hey, take that back! This is great stuff." Worse still, she had no interest in the classics. Earlier in the day they'd watched a few newer things, Freddy, Jason, and the like. She got a rise out of watching oblivious victims bungling their way to a karmic death at the hands (and claws) of vicious killers. Now he liked a slasher as well as anyone, but his heart belonged to the likes of Castle and Romero. He took his joy from the slower movement, the black and white, and liberal usage of the theremin.

Lys started to get up to go raid the candy bowl again, but an accusing look from Jack made her sit back down. A woman screamed on the TV and she turned to watch wide eyed until they revealed the source. The kobold rolled her eyes and pointed at the screen. “This is dumb, how did that woman hang herself up there?"

“It was the ghosts," Jack said through his teeth. “Why don't you stop questioning everything that happens and just enjoy the movie?"

“Because it's stupid. I liked the one we saw earlier with the guy with the mask and the knife."

Carbonated corn syrup called out to him from the fridge and it gave him a chance to get away from his quarrelsome beloved. These movies were part of his childhood and he often dreamed of sharing them with someone special on days like these. The two of them sitting together cuddling as they pretended to be scared of corny movie props and lame special effects. Of course, his vision had changed a bit since his love turned out to be under three feet and scaly, but the basic theme remained the same. The can hissed in his hand.

“Can you get me one too?"

“Yeah, sure." Jack started to reach in for a can when there came a rapping at the door. The sound of it brought a smile to his bothered face, some more kids about to get the shock of their lives. Lys was already up off the couch grabbing the bowl. Jack set aside the drinks and went over. Gripping the doorknob tight, he swung it open and looked down to see a kobold; not a costume, a real one. The shock wore off quickly when he realized he knew this particular one.

Lys peered out from behind Jack. “Rodil?"

“Uhh, treats and tricks," the yellow kobold said. He looked about for a moment and then gave them both a pleading look. “Can Rodil come in?"

Before Jack could protest, Lys set down the bowl on the floor and gestured for him to enter. “Sure, sure. Come on in. God and elders, I'm glad to see you." His lip twitched, but he remembered that they'd agreed that Rodil could come over when he wanted, or at least that was how he remembered it. Absentminded, he closed the door while watching the two of them embrace both in arms and tails. “But what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Rodil took his time letting go of her, but he shook his head. “No, no wrong, but been wanting to see Lys for a while and today looked like an easy day to go out without being stopped. Lots of little people running around begging for candy, easy for Rodil to go unnoticed, so long as he doesn't try it himself." The yellow kobold winced at a memory and the mental image of him leaping off into the darkness came to Jack's mind, forcing him to suppress a grin. “Things going good for Rodil, really." Jack noted that he certainly looked better than last time; healthier and better dressed. Someone had taken the time to fit a shirt and jacket for him and his pants-turned-shorts had no frays. He sounded happier too and the one thing he lacked was the distinct odor of kobold grime that he'd brought with him last time. “What has Lys been doing?"

“Jack and I were just sitting here watching bad movies and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, you want to join us? You can tell me what's been going on."

“They are not bad movies, damn it. You just have bad taste."

She rolled her eyes and gestured towards Jack with her thumb. “They're bad. That nightmare movie was better, I liked that one."

Jack pushed his way past the two of them and grabbed the soda, passing off the other one to Lys as he went back to the couch. “I think you just like watching humans get killed, some kind of suppressed anger issues."

“I do not have 'suppressed anger issues' whatever that means. Watching people run from a crazy guy with a big claw is a lot more fun than seeing people sit and talk and talk and then a woman is hanging up out of nowhere."

“One of these days I'm just not going to wake up. Got it in for me."

“I'm going to get you alright. Also, where's the color?" She flicked her tail towards the TV.

“Movies used to be filmed in black and white, it adds to the charm."

“Is that what you call it?"

“I'm gonna call you something in a minute."

The yellow kobold kept glancing between them, bouncing back and forth with each exchange looking more nervous all the time. He toyed with his claws and took a step back. “Did Rodil come at the wrong time?" The yellow kobold looked at the front door and cocked his head while he slipped closer to the wall.

Jack looked at the nervous kobold with pity in his eyes. “Nah, you're good. We were just talking, right?" He raised an eyebrow at Lys.

She giggled and patted Rodil on the shoulder. “We're just fooling, mostly. Hey, this is nice, where did you get it?" Lys started rubbing at his jacket sleeve.

“This? The old lady Rodil works for gave it. Fits good too." The yellow kobold started showing it off, a dark blue thing with a few pockets in the front and a zipper. The fabric looked warm, ideal for mild winter weather and Jack saw a pair of ties at the neck for a hood, making him wonder if he'd added any holes for his horns. “Very comfortable, better than anything Rodil has ever had." He did a turn with his claws holding onto the front like a model for a catalog.

Lys nodded at him in approval. “It looks good on you. Now come and sit down so you can see how bad these movies really are." The green kobold sat down beside her mate, but Rodil still looked hesitant, eying the vacant spot next to her and looking to the two of them for approval.

Jack beckoned with the remote in his hand. “Come on, take your jacket off and have a seat. Maybe you have better taste than Lys." She elbowed him in the stomach. Jack started to tickle her and something about her musical laughter seemed to put Rodil at ease. He undid his jacket and sat down.

“Rodil has seen TV before, but never a movie. At least not all of one."

“Well, that changes tonight," Lys said. “Of course, you might not want it to…"

“Alright, alright, everyone's a critic." Not wanting Rodil to be left in the dark (and asking even more questions than he was probably going to) Jack restarted the movie, ignoring Lys's exaggerated groans. He looked at the sight of them, two kobolds sitting on his couch. He could probably fit two or three more if need be; the thought made him nervous. “You two don't have anymore friends stalking you around that I need to know about do I?"

“Huh?"

“What?"

The both of them cocked their heads in confusion.

Jack shook his head. “Forget it."

The movie began anew with the guests coming up to the eponymous house in stylish hearses, each one in for the night of their lives. Lys made faces at each of the guests and sneered at Vincent Price's narration. “No such thing as ghosts," she said.

“There's no such thing as a guy who invades people's dreams with a claw either, but you ate that up."

The green kobold fidgeted and huffed but Rodil drank it all in, hanging on every word.“Is ten thousand dollars a lot of money?" he asked.

“Used to be," Jack said.

“Rodil doesn't think he'd stay there for that much."

“Should be paying me that much to watch this," Lys said.

So it went, ghosts, blood, a husband and wife at odds with each other in a haunted house. Rodil stayed transfixed to the action on the screen. Rodil's reactions proved to be as entertaining for Jack as the film. His eyes grew wide at the descriptions of the ghastly murders that occurred in the past and shrunk back when he saw blood drip from the ceiling.

“Ahh!"

It took a moment to realize that Carolyn Craig wasn't the only one who'd screamed. Jack looked over to see Rodil gripping the couch cushion. Lys looked at the yellow kobold with a smirk. “Don't tell me you're actually scared you hatchling."

“N-no, yes. Ugly woman came out of nowhere and the other one screamed. Of course it scared Rodil. Isn't Lys scared?"

She sniffed loudly at the screen. “No, this stuff is dumb."

“It isn't dumb!" Rodil and Jack both said in unison. The two of them looked at each other. Jack with a half-smile and Rodil tapping his horns a few times unsure what to think. However, when Jack looked over at his mate though he didn't like what he saw. Her scaly, green countenance had changed from boredom to irritation and she kept looking at the two of them like they were bad boys staying up too late. Rodil paid it no mind and went back to watching the show, but Jack sat ill-at-ease from then on.

“So how have things been going Roddy? Roddy?! Hey!" Lys waved her claw in front of his snout.

He shook his head and fell backwards, poking his horns into the couch. “Don't! Did Lys say something?"

An audible growl rumbled up her throat. “How. Are. Things. Going. Roddy?"

“Lys, he's trying to watch the show," Jack protested.

“But I want to know what's going on with my best and only friend. It's not like I get to see him often."

“Good, pretty very good…" his voice trailed off and he started gazing into the glow of the TV once more, wringing his claws together at the action on the screen, they'd just gotten to the part of the hanging woman again. He sat so close to the edge he looked ready to topple off.

“How good? Rod—you aren't paying any attention!" Lys tapped him on the shoulder. With a loud yelp he fell claws first onto the floor. Rodil did an impressive tumble, turning himself upward, ready for whatever ghost was trying to eat him, but all he saw was Lys standing over him offering her claw. Jack wasn't sure whether to laugh or act shocked.

The yellow kobold swatted her claw away and picked himself up. “Good. Rodil took Jack's advice and asked for more work. Old lady said she'd think about it and then said yes about an hour later. Told Rodil he could help take care of more things and if he did well he could sleep inside. Was weird , being inside someone's home and not being told to get out, but Rodil worked very hard. Old lady was pretty very happy" He raised a claw to his cheek and started to smile. “Said she liked having a strong man around the house again."

Lys rolled her eyes. “Elders, spare my horns."

He glared. “Hey, Rodil may not be a man, a human man, but he's strong. Can lift all kinds of things she can't anymore, just have trouble with getting to high places is all. Rodil feels good about it, nice to help someone. Being able to sleep in a real bed is nice too and so is being fed."

“I'm glad things are working out for you," Jack said.

“Thanks. Jack was help in telling Rodil to ask for more work."

“Can we get back to watching the movie now?" Lys sniped. “Come on you guys, let's watch that Texas Chainsaw one."

Jack waved her off. “Forget her, she's into slasher flicks and gore."

“Slasher…flicks?" Rodil asked.

“I'll explain later." Someone began knocking at the front door at a fairly low angle of attack. “Showtime." The knocking continued. Jack paused the movie and the three of them got up. Lys bounded for the candy bowl with a bright smile on her face while Jack headed for the door, but he noticed Rodil looking around as if trying to hide. “Hey, you're fine, nothing is going to happen, they're just kids."

Rodil didn't look so sure. “Kids can be very mean."

Jack looked over at Lys who's beaming smile had turned to a sad frown, but she perked up again in a way that made him nervous. “Roddy, come here."

He figured out what she wanted to do. “Lys...don't force him…"

Rodil approached her, nervous and looking confused. She shoved the candy bowl into his claws and his maw dropped open. “W-what do you want Rodil to do?"

“You're going to pass out the candy, it'll be fun."

A few pieces fell onto the floor as Roddy tried to hand it back to Lys. Jack was about to tell Lys to quit when the knocking started up again. He turned the knob and looked out into the dark. Four of them in all with Deadpool leading the pack backed by two more animatronic monsters and a pint-sized Frankenstein trying to push forward. The parents stood further back, keeping a watchful eye.

“Trick or…"

Jack took a deep breath and looked to his side. Lys was busy pushing Roddy forward with the candy, she whispered something to him Jack couldn't hear.

“Woah, what is that?"

“It's a kobold, stupid."

“Roger, don't call your brother stupid."

“Cool!"

“Let me see, I want to see."

Roddy stood there, claws shaking with the bowl outstretched. His eyes darted all around as the gaggle of ghouls pushed closer. Jack held his breath.

“Hey, there's two of them."

“Do you talk? Say something."

“H-h-hello,' Rodil stammered. Lys said hi as well and kept a firm arm on her friend's shoulder.

“This is really neat!"

Lys peeled one of Roddy's claws away and dipped it into the bowl, closing his hand around a few pieces. She whispered something else to him and he nodded, dropping the pieces into their open bags. He got a polite smile back from mom and an amused look from dad, a look that followed its way back to Jack with a raised eyebrow. “You never know what you'll see on Halloween," Jack said, smiling back at them.

“Do you eat people?"

“Joey, that isn't nice."

“That was really neat."

Their voices trailed off, still excited. Jack closed the door and assessed the damage. “You alright?"

Rodil blinked a few times. “They…liked Rodil?"

“Sure they did, they'll be talking about this to their friends all month."

Lys took the bowl out of Roddy's shaky claws and put it on the table, picking out a few pieces for herself. “See? I told you it was fun."

The yellow kobold cocked his head. “But why? All Rodil did was hold a bowl and hand out candy. Humans never acted this way before."

“It's Halloween. Humans act kind of strange on Halloween."

“Humans act strange every day, but they all smiled and laughed. Did they really like Rodil?" he asked again, starting to smile at himself. “Can Rodil do it again?"

“Sure if we get anymore kids, but it's getting kind of late. Hey, your old lady isn't going to miss you is she?"

Rodil looked confused. “Old lady? Oh the old lady. No, Rodil told her he'd be going out to talk to a friend and might be gone a long time."

“Does she have a name?" Lys asked.

“Rodil never thought to ask." She watched Lys eat a few pieces of candy with a wanting look on his face.

“Help yourself," Jack said and took a roll of Smarties.

Roddy dug in, grabbing a handful of goodies. His claws made quick work of the wrappers and he sampled indiscriminately. Each piece brought out a trill or a thrum from the yellow kobold and he smiled horn to horn, raising his head to the heavens in sweet ecstasy. Jack figured that everyone liked sugar, but for someone who never had steady access to it -like a kobold- it became an out of body experience. He nudged the kobold before he could ascend to a higher plane of existence.

“So, you like the movie so far?"

Rodil snapped back to reality, licking a bit of chocolate off his lips. “Hmm? Yes, it's great. Are all movies like this?"

“Unfortunately, no, but at least we have loads of classic horror."

The yellow kobold looked nervous. “Horror? It's scary, but Rodil wouldn't call it horror."

“It's horror alright, horribly boring," Lys chimed in.

Rodil turned to sneer at her before looking back up at Jack. “Do you have more horror then?"

Grinning wide, Jack went over to the cabinet under the TV. Dusty cases rested inside, long forgotten until now. He reached in and pulled out a few. Classics, B-movies, and everything in between from Dracula to The Crawling Eye. “Oh yeah, I've got loads of horror."

Rodil eyed the collections in his hands like they were gems. “And Rodil can watch all of these?"

“Well, maybe not all of these tonight."

Lys threw her hands up. “I don't believe this. I thought you had better taste than this Roddy."

“What? This is fun, being scared can be fun."

She folded her arms in a huff, glaring at the both of them. “You both have awful taste in movies."

Roddy frowned at her. “This is Rodil's first movie."

“Yeah, lay off 'movie police'. Why are you getting so worked up anyway?"

Lys squinted at the both of them, her lip curled up enough to show some of her teeth. “I'm not. I just want to watch something fun for Halloween with my friend."

“Rodil is having fun," Roddy said.

Jack shrugged. “We watched people die horribly earlier, sweet. I'm not sure Roddy here wants to see that kind of stuff, at least not yet. Let him get the training wheels off first."

“Training wheels?" he asked, though his question went unanswered.

“Oh, whatever." Lys flung herself back onto the couch and tapped her tail impatiently. Jack let it rest, there'd be no talking to her like this though he still couldn't figure out what crawled up her tailhole. Meanwhile, Jack showed Rodil the world of classic horror. Lugosi, Cushing, and Lee. The yellow scaly watched in awe, twitching at each scare and then smiling afterwards. His questions turned out to be a joy to answer; he wanted to know everything about anything, how movies worked, who all the actors were and when oh when could he come back to see more horror. “I guess it's not that bad, but next time I want to pick the movie," she muttered.