Birch placed her dinner on the desk before joining Shaliver at the bedside.

"Wish I could say it is good to see you're okay. That would be lying if I did." She pulled her ponytail off and began to distract her hands with it.

"But better alive then not. So Hans is working on a cure for everyone so there's that. The only problem is how to get it to everyone. Some progress is better than none!"

Shaliver's scowl had not fallen yet. "And the video?"

Her positive expression faltered, "He knows. The video and us sneaking in to do it. Thankfully he didn't mention Hans so hopefully he won't try anything with him."

Suddenly a calendar falls onto her lap, the one she had right above her laptop. Shaliver pointed to October 29, the day she originally planned to visit the haunted houses with her friends.

"This is when their next meeting is, as for where I can take you there. It's in Old Fate so you might want to take your bike."

"Is that why you left earlier?"

She practically saw the smoke come out his quivering ears, "The sooner the man is dealt with the better. Whatever is in those things have made me nauseous since that first encounter. Nothing stays down and it is pissing me off. The smell is everywhere now which makes spying on them even more painful. But it will be worth it once that man begs for mercy."

Now that she thought about it, the smell never went away for her either. Though it was more like an annoying presence. She attributed it to his enhanced smell, ironic again for the fact he had no visible nose.

"Want me to light some scented candles? Any preferred choices?"

He shook his head, "Actually that is not necessary. It would seem your house is absent of that wretched stench. Good for you. Would be nice to light some though, maybe those apple cinnamon ones?"

Birch patted his head while fetching them from downstairs, along with a soft blanket. He didn't fight as she wrapped him in the pleasant fabric. With how little energy he had, having the extra help for warmth was nice.

"We're going to need to do something about him before we distribute the cure." She said as she lit the rose red candles.

"Kill him."

"Absolutely not."

"Why? He is the root of the problem."

"Without him we can't gather them all in one place, besides murder should be the last resort. If we want to make him pay then maybe we can shave his head. Eyebrows included." Shaliver snickered at the idea.

"So then how do we stop it then?"

"If you spied on him did he use the whistle then too?"

He thought for a moment before answering, "Yes. In fact those people snapped up like those stupid dol-"

"Collectible figures."

"-Figures when he used it. They were moving as one."

Birch clapped her hands, "So my theory is if we can get our hands on it then we can use it against him. Then help get the antidote to everyone with it. Maybe even mess his face up a bit for ruining this month for us both."

An elongated grin formed on his malicious face at the thought. "Hehe. I like it."

"Then Operation Pretty Ugly is a go!"

Shaliver paused. Slowly turned to her. And just shook his head.

"That is a stupid name for it."

"Too bad I already said it!"

With the full moon approaching they went about gathering the necessary supplies for this mission. This included a second bandana to cover where his mouth and nose are supposed to be. She got the ones with fake blood patterns for the spooky theme. Plus, Shaliver really liked it. Then there was the weaponry. Obviously this was only if they were found out but lethality was not an option. The only thing that came to mind was a sock with a bunch of stress balls in it. Heavy enough to push people off while soft enough not to do serious damage. That was if they didn't explode inside the sock after the first hit. That would be an idea to work on later.

There were two final items needed for this. First is going to the desolate hobby shop to grab some extra protection stickers. Hans handed them over but not before asking her to be absolutely careful. Birch was quick to assure him of her safe return before skipping off with Shaliver close behind. What would be a bit more difficult is finding actual gas masks that would fit Shaliver's pet sized face.

But local oddities come in yet again to save the day. Fatemore Quality Pet Care had just got some masks that would fit him just perfectly. The two spent some time before landing on the ones that, according to Shaliver, kept the smell out the most. Best part of all? They were on discount for 30% off since they overstocked them.

Even the man handing her one of the Bitty Bars outside didn't bring her down. She stashed it in her hoodie pocket to burn later.

As the two walked back home she spotted a horrendous sight. Like everyone else her two friends were munching ravenously at the bars. Except even when they chewed the corners of their lips never lowered. From across the street their straining expressions were clear as day. All she wanted was to run over and try to get them to stop, but that would do nothing.

Shaliver brushed her leg, snapping her attention away from the distressing sight. Even with the two bandana's covering his eyes they spoke for him. "We'll help them soon." Once this is over she is going to make sure he gets some Mystery Meat soup for him.

Both her parents were laser focused on Birch as she meekly ate away at her cheesy potatoes. Her father was not even eating his dinner which put Birch immediately on edge. But knowing her mom's insistence hopefully it wasn't for the reason she was thinking. After a tense five minutes she finally spoke up, "Did I do something?"

Her mother was the first to speak, "You are not in any trouble. We actually have some exciting news." From her purse she puts a piece of paper on the table. Graphics of black cats, witches and jack-o-lanterns were all over. On top was the Fatemore Supermarket logo, mentioning a special appearance from Unhinged.

"We're hosting a Halloween Event at the store and everyone's invited! There is apple bobbing, candy prizes and baked treats. All of it locally bought and proceeds from raffle tickets going to local stores."

Her father finally jumped up from his seat, "And the bands going to do a live performance! Those band mates of mine were still in town so they offered to help out! Nothing like a little Punk Rock to liven a party."

He finally settled in his seat as his wife spoke once again, "You can invite your friends and Shaliver to come if he's feeling better."

The two parents watched as their daughters' eyes practically glowed, slamming her hands on the table. "YES!!! Thank you! This is perfect! I'll let everyone know!" She spent the rest of dinner asking for every detail of the event. Along with making a few more retro song requests for her father's band. She mentioned punch and her mother assured her it would be locally sourced too. Her heart pitter pattered with joy.

That's how we'll do it.