[ILLUSTRATED] Step 1: The Love Hallobean

It was his favourite time of year: Halloween. As Tobias crawled through the bushes, coiling his long claws into the dirt below, he heard Bagbeans celebrating close by. Pumpkins lay among the leaf litter, lighting paths all throughout the streets of the magnificent PeaGarden City. Murmurs of excitement echoed from young Sprouts, running around in their already half-torn costumes. The moon hung high in the recently sunset sky. But these things were not what Tobias was most excited for.

What Tobias longed for most… was the scares. The shrieks of Beans caught unaware, the cries and wails of his pranking victims… That’s right. Halloween was the one time of year when Tobias was allowed to be himself: Scary.

He’d already startled a number of passer-by’s in the past hour, pouncing out at them with his claws extended and his fierce eyes glowering, his voice pounding out of his chest like the loud roaring animal he had come to respect: the wolverine. And today, Tobias was going to be the best werewolf he could be, just by being himself.

Through the legs of a decoration-wagon he spotted a couple of Fluffian Soulmates, giggling as they tossed candy to eachother with their arcane Kryptox magic. It looked like they had plenty to spare… If the scare wouldn’t chase them off of their loot, maybe they’d be kind enough to gift some. There was only one way to found out.

One claw after the other, Tobias crept closer and closer from the greenery… He clambered until he was ahead of them, pulling himself up close behind a bush alongside the path. Any moment, the couple would stray past him, and then…

“RRRUUUOOOOAAAAAAGGGHHHRRR!!!!”

As if out of nowhere, he ripped his way through the bush with excellent power, bellowing with the strength of an ox. He reeled up, spreading his clawed arms wide, neckfur bristling. The two Kryptoxes stood bewildered, eyes wide and bulging, before one flung a candy in self-defence. It hit Tobias on the forehead, breaking his aggressive demeanor.

“Ow!!”

“Oh, oh my gosh!” the guilty Kryptox stammered, “a-are you okay? I thought you were a beast!”

Tobias brushed himself off before giving a friendly, gruff (although undeniably nervous) laugh, letting the two know he meant no harm. The two and surrounding crowd breathed out a little, falling into a slight laughter themselves.

“Hahaha, I got you good, didn’t I?”

Once their mood had settled, the second Kryptox perked up a little worriedly, “But you never asked us ‘trick or treat’ first…”

“That’s my job!” roared Tobias, deep satisfaction in his tone, “I’m the one who picks up after all the empty threats! To the kids who get no treat, I am the trick!” He laughed in the deepest voice he could manage, hoping to impress onlookers.

Some crowd-members smiled and applauded, some stared on awkwardly. As for the Kryptox couple, they smiled through their visible sweat. “H-here, if we give you candy, will you leave us alone?” They held out a handful of the sweets they had been tossing back and forth… Tobias delivered them a disappointing scowl.

“M-more! We’ll give you more!” They dug out their scarf-pouches, passing a number of handfuls in Tobias’s direction. He grinned, gleefully, “I think that’ll do, sure!”

Another exchange complete, another victim to find. Not all victims acted so fervently, mind you – sometimes they wouldn’t hand anything over, screaming and fleeing or scolding Tobias for his actions. Other times, they would laugh genuinely and hand over a clump of delicious treats. Tobias appreciated those ones the most, even if the bounty wasn’t as great. And one time, Tobias thought as began prowling the undergrowth once more, a Bagbean he had scared simply started laughing, turned around and walked away, as if they’d gone mad. ‘Oh well, it’s all in the Halloween spirit,’ Tobias laughed to himself.

Tobias’s candybag was growing, swelling from all the sweets he’d collected, but we wasn’t done yet. ‘A few more victims, and I’ll go home for the night. Sounds good…’

Around a corner he slunk, peering over the hedges like a wild cat. “Who’s next…” he muttered. Three steps forward, and his foot caught on something unseen. He tipped forward, slamming into the floor ungracefully.

“AAUGH!!!”

Pulling himself up quickly, his head whipped around in fury, and met another, more startled face.

“Wh… Louis?!”

The red-hooded Bean’s face turned from stunned very quickly into excitement.

“Toby!!! Hey, what are you doing out here in the bushes, buddy?”

Tobias was furious. “What are you doing out in the bushes?! You tripped me!” He tried to hide his voice crack with a cough.

“Haha, sorry Toby… Well, what do you think we’re up to? We’re pranking!”

Languedoc, Louis’s Fornlee soulmate, shuffled up to join him behind the bushes, muttering under his heavy breath. “Louis, I don’t think crawling on hands and knees… Is uh… That progressive, don’t you think?”

“Oh, you’ll get used to it, Land. It’s an essential part of Halloween pranks – getting muddy. How about we get a hot bath when we’re back?”

Languedoc sighed, “Alright…” He looked defeated, but happy despite the fact.

“I’m pranking too, actually…” Tobias mumbled into the conversation. Louis reeled back in shock, “What?! I though you didn’t like pranks!”

“Halloween is different…”

Louis studied him for a moment, then gave a lighthearted chuckle, “hey, well, call me next time could you? I’d love to join in, haha!” He and Languedoc began to shuffle in the other direction, before Louis stopped and called back once more, “Hey, and stop by the Grandma’s House for a bite sometime soon, hey?”

Trapped between a Fornlee and a sharp-toothed prankster with strange house invites, Tobias began to forget who exactly the ‘wolf’ was in this conversation. He muttered a quick “uhm, okay, sure, seeya…” and shuffled away in the other direction. It was only after a few minutes of separation had passed that it occurred to him he never asked them for candy.

“Darn it!” He pushed his hand to his head. ‘Ugh, they wouldn’t have given me some, anyway. They’re too busy…’ He began to move forwards at a steady pace, up on his legs again, to stop the thoughts lingering. ‘Just one more prank, and I’ll be done for the night.’

“Tobias!!!”

‘Oh, god damn it.’

The Bean who’d called him out was none other than… ‘groooaaan… Maze…’

“I knew I saw a face in the bushes! It is you!” they said in their perky, obnoxious voice. They hopped over excitedly, a number of costumes stashed under one arm and a bag of handing-out candy stashed in the other. “What on earth are you doing in there, anyway?”

Tobias barely mumbled his response. He really hadn’t hoped he’d end up finding Maze here. Maze was the clingiest and noisiest Bean he knew, constantly asking him questions he didn’t know the answer to and talking about things he didn’t care about. Tobias tried to divert the conversation away from himself.

“So… what are you doing here, anyway?”

Maze looked dumbfounded. “W… Well, celebrating, of course!”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” Tobias had to take a deep breath to stop himself growling his words out, “I meant, you-you. What is this version of you doing here? Shouldn’t you be costuming and taking on other personalities or something?” When Maze was someone else, they were unlikely to disturb Tobias, and so he tended to like them better. It did baffle him a little though just how easily Maze forgot who he was, and Tobias never quite knew if it was an act or if Maze was actually someone else… Maze was always stressful like that, especially during interactions.

“Well, I… err…” Maze began to sweat. They tensed up, looking behind and around themself quickly and quietly, before leaning in to whisper.

“A-actually, that’s the problem. I don’t know who to be. I’m, I’m so… stuck for choice! I mean, it’s no wonder I’m like this today, feeling so indecisive, don’t you think?”

“Right, right, thaaaat’s great, Maze…” Tobias backed out of Maze’s candied breath, feeling irritation welling up in his throat in the forms of vulgar words he wished he could spit. Maze unfortunately scared him a little, so he never truly acted upon those actions. Who knew how Maze would react… “Look, could, uhm… Maybe if you pointed me in the direction of a good crowd, I could give you an idea of what to dress as?”

Maze beamed at the idea, “r-really?! Oh, this is why I always go to you, Tobias! You’re the best at this stuff!” they couldn’t have lied harder. The only reason Maze hung around Tobias when they were indecisive was because they had associated him with that feeling, not because Tobias was good at making decisions. Before Maze got too giddy, Tobias spat out his suggestion through Maze’s excited shoutings.

“Well, if uh, what if you dressed as a werewolf?”

“A werewolf?!”

“Yeah, a brown one, with a cream belly, and blue highlights.”

Maze looked him up and down. “That’s… sort of like you, isn’t it?”

“That’s besides the point,” Tobias continued, quickly, “then you should go in that direction,” he pointed down the path he'd came from, “and if you see any Kryptoxes, scream at them. The response will be terrific.”

Maze stared in the path’s direction, then looked back to Tobias with gleaming eyes. “Why, that’s an EXCELLENT idea! I’ll try it, right away!” He began to rush down the path, only stopping when Tobias called back for a direction of his own. Maze pointed up towards the fountains, “There’s a good crowd up there, I promise! I passed through them a couple minutes ago!”

‘Thank goodness they’re out of the way,’ Tobias sighed. He continued up, following the pathways now that he was already on them. A minute later, he realised he hadn’t asked for candy from Maze, either. ‘Augh, you know what? He can keep it. I’ll get all that I need from here, instead!’

Maze wasn’t kidding. The crowd at the fountains was massive and bustling, like an ant’s nest. As Tobias was pushed back and forth, ducking beneath taller Beans, he realised how much he missed the forest in this time. The place where no one would disturb him or make so much reckless noise, for no reason. ‘Ugh, I better find a victim and get this over with.’

In the centre of the crowd, he found one Bean who stood a little separated from the rest. It was as if they had a forcefield, pushing the other griffians aside and leaving them plenty of breathing room. Voices clamoured like the buzzing of a wasps nest in Tobias’s ears. ‘Gagh, that’s it. This one will have to do! They’re the easiest to get to. Then I can leave!’

Readying himself, Tobias ducked down low amongst the feet of his fellow griffians, disguising himself amongst them as if they were bushes themselves. Like stalking a prey in the wild, Tobias encircled his victim, drawing his claws out wider and ready. He stayed silent and undetected amongst the crowd, and as he paced himself he began to worry whether his roar would be drowned out by the noise. ‘No, Tobias,’ he assured himself, ‘your roar will be so great, it’ll send all these griffians away in a great wave!’ This thought gave him confidence, which rose and bubbled at the surface as he spotted a gap in the crowd. His chance!

In an instant, he slipped through the gap like a viper, leaping into the open space. Chest to the sky, arms braced and wide, he roared with as much force and fury he could possibly muster. The excitement filled his muscles 'til they felt like bursting, his head tilted to the sky, the griffians around him shrieked and fled in desperation. ‘That’s right! Fear me! Fear me!!!’ He kept bellowing until his lungs could take it no longer, and he huffed out in a heavy, voiceless laugh, letting his shoulders relax again.

When he looked back up at his victim, they were still stood, exactly where he’d found them. In fact, they were smiling. The crowd around went tense with silence as the Bean lifted an arm, signalling them to stop. She looked over to him, blue eyes curled into a smile, white locks shadowing her face, crown tipped elegantly atop her head. Then it hit him.

He’d just tried to scare Queen Pisum herself.

He stood up rigid, shocked. ‘Oh no, oh no no no-‘ He didn’t know what would come next. Would she call her guards on him, have him imprisoned, take his head off where he stood? He’d never encountered the Queen before, never never never, and as these thoughts whirled in his head, she took her first steps towards him, slowly and full of solidity, heavy to the earth. Each footstep shuddered through Tobias’s body like an earthquake. He felt that surely, any second now, he would collapse.

“What is your name, fine prankster?”

‘Wh… What… she’s talking to me?’ Tobias’s brain staggered a little, unsure how to respond. He blurted out his answer.

“T-TobIAS, miSs, m, M-madam?”

The crowd murmured words of disbelief and disapproval to eachother. He was being watched from all angles. All those eyes, all of them pointed at him… But none of them held him so rigid as Queen Pisum’s eyes. He felt himself being pulled back to the ancient earth forest, the first time he encountered a Wolverine, those deep threatening eyes as it had taken a chunk from his arm with its claws. He struggled to find more words, but only air came up.

She laughed, quietly, cheerfully.

“Just call me Pisum. Is that easy enough?”

“P… P… Pisum…”

She chuckled again. She held out a hand, which Tobias took nervously, and he felt himself being pulled up to his feet by some immeasurable but gentle strength. He looked at her hand, which had so easily taken his with no fear of being scratched by his long claws. She let go once he was balanced again on the ground, and addressed him once again.

“Is this an activity you enjoy doing, Tobias?”

“I, e-er, I mean, o-only on Halloween, i-it’s…”

“An excellent season for it, isn’t it?”

Tobias’s legs were so weak he didn’t know how he was still standing upright.

Pisum continued. “In all my years of Halloween festivals, I’ve never had someone jump out at me with such immeasurable confidence before, you know?”

Tobias’s heart shrunk with shame. “I-I, I’m sor-“

“And in all my years, I don’t think I’ve felt such a sudden rush, right when I’m caught off guard. That was truly impressive!” She gave another laugh, her voice the excited whine of a child mixed with the deep calmness of an ocean.

“I-I-I, I only d-did it b-because I’m trick-or-t-treating, Madam, I er, Pisum, I won’t do it again, I promise!”

“No no, don’t you panic. It may have come a little suddenly, but… I think you’re someone who has the true spirit of the season in mind. Don’t you?”

Tobias flushed with red. He wasn’t sure whether it was a genuine compliment, or whether she was angry. The smile on her face told a story of sudden joy, but deep knowledge and strength. A moment later, she called back to one of her guards.

They came forward. Tobias was sure they would cuff him, but instead, Pisum took something from the bag they held out. Gently she held it, hidden between her palms.

“You’re trick-or-treating, no?”

“Y-yes Pisum, I am, I mean, I w-was…”

“I think you’ll appreciate this, then.”

Gesturing for his candy-bag, he held it out, and she placed the small bounty inside, delicately closing the bag over it.

“Take care as while you get it home, won’t you? You don’t want to drop any sweets, haha!”

Tobias looked at her with scared uncertainty.

“Don’t worry, Tobias. It’s nothing dangerous. It’s a special kind of candy. I’m sure you’ll find out what, soon.”

<> 

By the time Tobias got back to his den, he was aching. His legs were cold and still wobbling after the experience earlier, his heart pounded from the run back to the forest, and his sweat-caked head was whirling with questions.

He made his bed, neatening out the pelt on the floor and making sure the roofing fabrics were intact. As he knelt to start a campfire in the doorway, he scowled at the condition of the place, so hastily put together. It was only recently he’d set up camp in the Forest of Light. He came down here during the winter months when it was coldest, and back up to the Tempeawoods and Borealins Forest during the summer.

He realised that other Beans might see him as odd or perhaps mad for living so primitively… But after his experience on Earth, he had never wanted to go back to his old life. This was how he was, a Bean by the wild – someone who got the most enjoyment out of living and surviving with his wit alone, only occasionally coming into the social world for interaction. He didn’t need much of that. He was happy to live by himself. The forest provided everything he needed – tools, food, company. He could live wherever he wanted, and do whatever he wanted.

Halloween though, of course, was different. He thought this to himself as he lay down his goody-bag, pouring the contents over the skinhide and examining them. Halloween was the one time of year he felt okay to let loose, and experience a little bit more of the modern world. A fallback of sorts. These candies were expendable treats to some, but to him, they were things he would store and eat throughout the winter – something to keep him going during the harsh months.

“Pear drops… Candy Canes… Gummy eyeballs… Sour worms…” The additions kept coming. The haul this year was great. He would make sure, too, to come back the next day and pick up leftovers and dropped wrapper sweets. Someone had to do it, and he wasn’t going to miss out.

Then, as he sorted, something odd caught his attention. “A jelly bean?” He reached out and pulled out a bean the size of his palm, massive and solid. He sniffed it. It didn’t smell of candy… As he turned to examine it, his spine froze up in horror.

On the side of the bean lay a little white heart marking. A Lovebean.

Tobias stared at the bean. It was orange, so that meant… A Nomnom Lovebean? He laughed out loud, fear tinging his voice.

“Haha, a Nomnom Lovebean, of course! It’s just a candy shaped like one, thematically! Why else would they chose a Nomnom, right? Haha, ha, ahh….”

He examined it, trying to keep his smile pulled. ‘A Nomnom Lovebean candy. Who would make a candy with such a sick implication? I guess it is Halloween…’

As the minutes passed, his smile slowly fell away. Despite his longing to trick himself into believing it was some kind of prank, he still held it with utmost care in his palms only, fearful of scraping it with his claws. When he knew he was unsure, he took it over to the fire.

As gently as he could with the pads of his fingers, he held the bean up in front of the firelight, and peered through. His eyes began to adjust… And there it was. The foetus of a small Sprout, just showing through the lit-up skin. It was a real Lovebean. Tobias flashed back to the moment Queen Pisum placed the hidden candy in his bag. It couldn’t have been… Why would she ever give him…

It was nonsense. Utter nonsense. Tobias couldn’t take care of a Sprout! He’d only matured a few years ago, he was barely settling into living by himself anyway! Raising a Sprout in the wild… It seemed unheard of. All the dangers, the wild creatures, the times he’d have to leave the Sprout alone to go forage and hunt. It would be impossible, surely, there must have been a mistake!

He stared at the Lovebean long and hard. It made him think about all the times he accidentally hurt others when he was a kid, slashing with his claws, and even as an adult, hiding away from his peers for fear of hurting them too. He couldn’t take care of a Sprout. He’d only hurt it. But as he sat there, he knew Pisum must have chosen him for a reason. Maybe it was the confidence of his approach, the strength in his roar, the humbleness after he’d realised his mistake. Maybe she’d been handing out Lovebeans at the event and he hadn’t known about it at all, and accidentally got caught up in the incident. He had no idea.

He stared at the phoetus inside. He pictured it sprouting from the bean, watched it growing in his mind, following his footsteps, trying to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow or listen to its dad tell it what plants were good and which were dangerous. Tobias wasn’t sure if these feelings were enough. He felt his eyes watering a little.

Hastily, he forced his haul back into its bag, burying it under a mound of supplies and some gathered leaf litter and moss, to stop anything stealing it. He let the fire burn as rain began to fall, and his mind whirred. He lay his sleeping bag out on the skinhide, starting to feel dizzy. Then carefully, he cupped the Lovebean in his hands and placed it by his pillow. He made no attempt to cover the bean the same way he had the candy, but he placed it close enough to watch as the night passed. If it got stolen, it got stolen. But Tobias was too dizzy with thought to care. He almost hoped it would be taken, away from him, away from his troubled mind. He snuggled down into his sleeping bag and lay, watching it, watching the fire sizzle out as the rain battered it from the doorway, watching the world fall away to a whirlpool of stressful dreams.