Damien's interest grew, his eyes sparkling.  "A cleaver, you say? A real one? My, my…" His chuckle had a hint of something unsettling. "Now I really can't wait to see her. I wonder what she's dressed as. Maybe we'll match! A cleaver-wielding maniac and Jason Voorhees. Sounds like the perfect pair for Halloween, don't you think?"

Fiona trembled slightly, crossing her arms protectively. "Could you please maybe not do that?" she asked. "We all know you and Evie both have… that 'vibe', but can you not encourage it?"

Richard raised a hand. "Yeah, seriously. You two in matching murderer costumes would probably be the end of this school. Spare us the nightmares, Damien."

Damien playfully acted offended, placing his palm over his heart. "Nightmares, Richard? it's Halloween! That's like being afraid of the dark during a blackout."

"No!" exclaimed Fiona and Richard together, their tones matching in urgency.

Damien chuckled again, clearly enjoying their reactions. "Alright, alright. I'll keep it civil… for now. But I have to admit, seeing Evie in a murderous mood might just be the highlight of my night."

Fiona sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're impossible, Damien." she said.

Richard looked at Damien with a mix of confusion and shakes his head. "I'm not sure if you actually like her or if you just enjoy the back-and-forth," he commented.

"Her glare always hits me like a 'I will kill you!' shot. It gets under my skin, keeps me feeling alive. That's what I'm here for." Damien said with a cheeky wink, his smile sticking around like an old friend.

Richard and Fiona took a step back, saying in unison, "Wow, you're crazier than Evie."

Ethan finally strolled up to the group, his grin wide and smug as ever. "Well, well, well," he said with a dramatic flair, running a hand through his hair. "I'm looking more like a bad boy here, aren't I?"

Fiona and Richard exhaled in sync, as if on cue. "Come on, let's just ignore him, okay?" they both suggested, hoping to steer clear of whatever drama was unfolding.

Damien chuckled at their exasperated expressions and gave each of them a playful pat on the back. "Ah, the joys of Halloween. Everyone's got their roles to play, right?"

As they approached the stalls, Ethan's eyes lit up as he glanced at his phone. He held it up with excitement. "What the? Hey! I got some of their phone numbers!"

Fiona just had to roll her eyes. "Ethan," she said, her voice filled with the kind of patience you get when you're dealing with a five-year-old who forgot how to tie their shoes. "Don't you have the group chat where we all share our numbers?  It's not exactly a secret. We all have their numbers pal."

Ethan paused, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to process the information. "What? You're saying this isn't as impressive as I thought?" He took a quick look at his phone, his enthusiasm visibly waning. "That's disappointing."

Richard snorted and shook his head. "It's just a group chat, Ethan. Nothing to brag about."

"Okay, okay," Ethan muttered, catching up to the group. "Sorry, buddy. I left you with Dora the Explorer over here." Richard pouted, crossing his arms. "Yeah, right. Now I'm stuck with Dora."

Fiona gave Richard a playful shove. "Hey, don't knock the explorer! You can't find your way out of a paper bag, so I'm doing us both a favor."

Richard shot her a half-hearted glare. "I've got bandages on, Fiona. I can't move as quickly as you can."

Damien, still chuckling to himself, clapped Richard on the back. "You should be thankful, Richie. At least you're not stuck with Ethan and his 'bad boy' act."

Ethan playfully acted offended. "What? I'm a tough guy!" He exclaimed, pointing at his cape with a smirk. Then he spun around in a dramatic flourish that only made the whole thing seem more absurd.

"Sure, sure, Ethan," Fiona said with a sarcastic tone. "You're the epitome of bad boy. The Bratz dolls are probably trembling in fear."

Ethan shot her a sideways glance, clearly not getting the sarcasm. "Exactly!" he said proudly, as if he'd just been given the highest compliment.

Damien raised an eyebrow. "At least you two are entertaining," he said, his smile wicked. "But enough distractions. Let's hit the stalls before someone gets lost in their costume... or their own ego."

Richard gave a half-smile, relieved to finally be moving on. "Well, let's go then. But if I get stuck with Dora again, I swear…"

Fiona flashed him a grin. "You're lucky I'm such a great guide, Richie. Without me, you'd be lost."

The group strolled through the bustling Halloween fair, the atmosphere alive with the murmur of conversations and the tantalizing aroma of grilled treats. Ethan took a bite from his food skewer and looked around.  "Hey, Dora," he said with his mouth full, "where's Miss Creep? I see Jason here with us, stuck like shadows."

Fiona let out a sigh and took a mouthful of her food. "I'm guessing Evie might have gone with the murderer look after all?"

Richard immediately shot her a concerned look. "Oh no, no! Please, please don't let her wear a murderer costume! God, if you hear me, please don't let her wear a murderer costume!" He crossed his fingers as if praying to the Halloween gods.

Damien lifted an eyebrow, finding the idea entertaining. "Why not?" he asked with a smirk. "A partner in crime would be handy. Think about it, the two of us together. You know, a pair of murderers." He grinned, clearly enjoying the reactions.

Ethan, with a mouthful of food from his skewer, began tomockingly imitating Evie's typical monotone tone playfully. "Well, no matter what, Miss Creep is always..."

Before he had the chance to complete his sentence, a piercing, icy gust of wind whoosh cut through the atmosphere, accompanied by an eerie voice that echoed, "What nonsense do you say behind my back?"

Ethan's body stiffened, his eyes going wide with dread as the scythe blade whistled past his neck, its gleaming edge casting a sinister glow.

In a synchronized motion, everyone's gaze shifted to find Evie, a twisted vision of Red Riding Hood standing behind Ethan. She had a blood-drenched scythe casually slung over her shoulder, a grin playing on her lips that was as mischievous as it was chilling. The crimson hood framing her face made her eyes dance with a devilish glint, while the weapon in her grip looked unnervingly authentic. Her scarlet cloak was stark against the ghastly white makeup that painted her features, and she held the scythe with the ease of someone born to wield it.

Fiona dashed over to Evie, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh my gosh, you're shooo cuute!" she squealed, enveloping her in a tight embrace. Her voice was a delightful mix of high-pitched enthusiasm and affection.

With a nonchalant pat on the back, Evie met Fiona's gaze and offered a half-hearted smile that seemed to say, "Here we go again." She hugged her back, her voice monotonous as ever. "Yeah, yeah, I'm adorable." A hint of sarcasm colored her words as she added, "But I'm warning you, no more making me waving this prop around. I only jazzed up my costume for dramatic effect. Didn't count on an audience today." Then she flashed a mock-menacing grin at Ethan.

With a sigh of relief, Richard's shoulders dropped. "Thank you, God. She's not a murderer. I thought you were going full slasher flick on us. At least, not today."

Ethan gasped for air, his heart racing as the scythe blade narrowly missed him. Damien, ever the showman, gave him a playful pat on the back, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "There, there, Ethan. Red Riding Hood almost killed you, huh?" Damien chuckled, keeping the mood light despite the close call. Ethan's face was a mix of shock and relief as he managed to eke out a smile in response, his breath gradually returning to normal.

Ethan shot him an exaggerated glare. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Damien. You're not the one nearly losing your head."  He let out a relieved breath, "I'm never making fun of Miss Creep again."

With a glance that swept over the assembly, her features obscured by the crimson hood, Evie spoke, ""Don't worry, Ethan, if I really wanted to scare you, I'd have done something more dramatic than a mere swing of this scythe you know.  I heard you were talking about me. What's this about murderers and shadows?"

Richard quickly held up his hands. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Just, you know, casual Halloween talk."

Damien leaned closer to Ethan, his voice full of mock sympathy. "See, Ethan? It's not about the costume. It's about the drama."

Ethan grumbled almost inaudibly, a facade of toughness barely masking his unsettled state. "At least I'm not the first victim of Red Riding Hood tonight."

Evie narrowed her eyes at them for a second before a sly smile appeared on her lips. "Good. Because I'm only here for the candy and to make sure you all don't die from stupidity."

The group continued walking through the stalls, now with a much more interesting dynamic: Red Riding Hood with a scythe, a Jason Voorhees, a mummy, a vampire and an explorer. It was shaping up to be an unforgettable Halloween.