“Tom, dear, how is the invitation coming along?” Blanche asked to Tom, who was editing something at the computer.
“‘s nearly done, Blanche. Just doing some last-minute touches.” Tom moved a few things around on the screen before finally leaning back and admiring his handiwork. “…aaaaaaand done! What do you think?” Blanche looked down at the invite; it was quite cute. Stock clipart of haunted houses and pumpkins were all over the very nicely decorated invite.
“Wonderful, Tom. Thank you for making this.”
“My plea- woah! Is that a witch costume?” Tom asked, surprised. Blanche resembled The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz; her face was painted green, her typical dress was replaced with a black one, and she sported a pointy hat on her head. She even wore a black wig over her normally blonde hair. Tom knew she was dressing up, but was surprised to see that she went full send.
“Do you like it, dear? I’ve spent all week decorating the Archive, and I assumed my regular attire would feel a bit out of place with all of these decorations. What did you say this holiday was called again?”
“Halloween; looks like you’ve got the spirit part of it down. You really went all out, wow.” Tom admired her costume for a second, surprised at the incredible detail of it.
“Well, I’m expecting hundreds of guests. Of course I went all out! What kind party hostess would I be if I didn’t take the time to decorate?” Blanche chuckled. Tom look a final look around the Archive to admire Blanche’s decorations. Tables full of Halloween themed games, food, and things such as plastic spiders and skeleton heads all hung up around the shelves. Some of the lightbulbs in the chandeliers were replaced with orange lightbulbs, and large speakers were almost everywhere around the place. Tom grinned, extremely optimistic about how the party would go.
“Looks really good. Man, I cannot wait! This is gonna be a rager.”
“Well, now, we won’t let it get too chaotic. I know how you get sometimes with some of your friends,” Blanche raised her eyebrow.
“Oh, c’mon, that was one time in Onslaught Station.”
“Whatever you say, dear. Just don’t get too rowdy. Now then, we should probably get to printing out these invites, shouldn’t we?”
“Right on. I wish I could take pictures here, I’d love to get a few shots of the party.” Tom sighed.
“I may have an idea,” Blanche replied. She moved her hand and caused a very old, dusty camera to appear. It was one of the old ones where the operator had to go under a small blanket and squeeze a small button to cause enough of a flash to take the picture. Tom had never seen such an archaic device outside of old pictures or possibly even museums.
“How is this gonna work?” Tom asked, inspecting the ancient device.
“I’m going to artificially produce the picture you would take from it manually, that way you have what would appear if this place were actually real. Try it on one of the invites.” Tom crouched down to the camera, standing up on its 3 legs. He was extremely unsure how exactly he was supposed to work the thing. He put the tarp over himself and held the invite in front of the lens. He tentatively squeezed the ball which caused a large flash, and an old, paper photo printed out from the side. Blanche pulled it out and caused the artificial image to appear on the paper, handing it to Tom.
“Perfect. Now I can get proof that you know how to throw a party,” Tom smiled, satisfied that he was able to decipher the old camera.
“Tom! I know how to have fun!” Blanche chuckled, somewhat offended.
“Only ‘cuz you met me. My first few months here were booooorrrrring.”
“Tom!” Blanche raised her brow, a tone of warning laced beneath her laughter.
“Sorry, but you know what I mean.”
“Alright, you win this one. I will admit you have taught me to ‘loosen up a little’, as you call it.” Tom smiled smugly in reply as he grabbed the pile of invites and threw them into his backpack, zipping it up and swinging it back behind it.
“Wait, before I go, I need to see Berry’s costume. Is it finished?”
“Berry, dear, come here!” Blanche whistled a few times before the black cat scurried out from behind a bookshelf. Blanche picked up the cat and held him up to Tom.
“His eye thing doesn’t work here right?” Tom asked cautiously.
“Correct. Plus, for extra reassurance for the guests, I gave him contacts to make his eyes safe to look at, even if his powers did work here in the Archive.” Tom lowered his hand and carefully glanced at the cat. He snickered and began laughing at the costume.
"Oh my gosh, Blanche, that poor cat!" Tom cries out, cackling as tears dotted his eyes. He held onto his stomach, looking up at the unamused feline. He wheezed as he attempted to catch his breath.
“What? He looks adorable!” Blanche exclaimed, laughing along with him.
“The claws are killing me. He looks like he’s been flash-banged.” Tom looked at the cat through his tears. Berry had bat wings on his back that were cheaply attached, along with red contacts and red painted claws.
“Well, he still looks adorable, you must admit.” She gently shook him up and down; Berry was not amused.
“As always.” Tom patted the cat’s head a few times. “Well then, I’d best get going. I have a lot of people to see in a short amount of time. See you tonight, m’lady!”
“Be safe, please!” Blanche called.
“No promises!”
Tom landed in Level 2 in a hallway full of doors. He dusted himself off and proceeded to knock on one of them, leaning against the wall.
“Yo, Uncle J! Open up!” Tom called out, lightly tapping his knuckle. The door he was knocking on opened, and a tall, bald man with a grizzly beard and pointy ears peaked out.
“Tom! How great to see you, young man! Come here, now, the tunnel of pipes is not safe. Let’s chat in a calmer area.” Janus chuckled. Tom nodded and walked through the door. Janus closed it behind them and reopened it into Level 10. They began walking down the dirt road in the field of wheat, admiring the sunlight.
“Ah, the field of wheat. Definitely beats the pipe tunnel.” Tom took a nice, deep breath, happy to see Janus again.
“So, what can I do for you today, Tom?” Janus asked, inquisitively.
“Well, I wanted to invite you to a Halloween party that me and Blanche are running tonight.” Tom pulled out an invite from his bag and handed it to Janus. Janus adjusted his glasses and squinted at the paper.
“A party! That Madame Blanche is running? Did you put her up to this?” Janus chuckled doubtfully.
“Sorta. Trust me, it’ll be fun. I’ll make sure Blanche doesn’t make it a civilized tea party or something where we all sit at a table in suits with our pinkies out. Nah, this is gonna be a super radical party. You better be there, Unc’.”
“I suppose I can be there. It’s not like I have anything better to do, anyways. Actually, now that you mention it…” Janus twinkled his open eye, looking into the distance for a moment. He began to smile as he looked into the future and saw the party. “Looks like fun!”
“Oh, did ya gaze into the future to check it out?” Tom asked inquisitively.
“Yes, it seems quite enjoyable. You guys will do a great job, I assure you. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Epic. Here’s a book with Blanche’s signature on it. At 6 pm, just rub your finger across the signature on the first page, and you’ll be there.”
“Splendid!”
“Well, I’d love to talk more, but I gotta run. Hey, can you do me a solid and send me to Hotel Vymir?”
“Of course, young man. I’ll see you tonight!” Janus lifted his hand, causing the wheat to move into the shape of a door. Tom thanked Janus and walked through the wheat, and within seconds found himself within Level 401.
Tom walked through the modest looking hotel, attempting to scour out a colony of ants. He wasn’t very fond of the place, but he knew it would be worth it for the person he was going to see. He shined his flashlight around, watching his step as to not break through the poorly made floor. He sneezed a few times from the dusty atmosphere. After about 10 minutes, he finally found a group of ants running around in a corner.
“Hey guys, how are you doing?” Tom asked the fuzzy creatures. He opened his palm, which started to glow a warm light. He held a few ants in his hand, who throughly enjoyed the delicious light. “Yeah, isn’t that tasty? Hey, do you think you guys could take me to your friend, Colias? Sometimes they can be very tricky to find.” The ants jumped up and down in excitement, and Tom smiled at this. The fuzzy blobs scurried through the cheap, dusty hotel while he followed close behind. After a few minutes, the ants stopped in a dark room, seemingly urging Tom to go inside.
“What’s all this about?” A high-pitched voice asked from the darkness. An extremely pale child with long, white hair walked out, covered from head to toe in swarms of ants. The child turned to Tom’s direction.
“Sup, kid.”
"Yo! Tom!" they exclaimed excitedly, hugging Tom tightly. Tom awkwardly hugged back, trying not to cringe at the feel of hundreds of ants touching him.
“Nice to see ya too. How have you and your friends been?”
“We’ve been great! How did you know to find me here?” Colias asked, a hint of noticeable confusion under their excitement.
“I know you’ve got a thing for this dusty hotel and its large amount of ants. I figured even if ya weren’t here, these fuzzy guys could lead me to you. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to get out of the dark for a bit and come to a party Blanche and I are running.” Tom handed Colias an invite; various ants scurried onto their shoulders to inspect it.
“Woah! This looks fun… but… I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“Don’t worry. The Overseers are busy doing their own crap in the City, I think. If any M.E.G. operatives end up showing up, Blanche will prevent any rowdy behavior. This is just a fun Halloween party for us all to have some food, games, and laughs. Blanche will send everyone to whatever level they want when they leave, anyway, so you won’t have to worry about anyone following you.” Colias looked skeptic, once again scanning the piece of paper.
“I-I don’t really know. Some people get kinda freaked out by my ant friends.”
“Don’t worry. My next stop is actually a giant leech, so it’s not like you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.” Colias thought for a second.
“Maybe… Can I, uh, bring my friends?” Colias asked, gesturing to the group of ants around them.
“Heck yeah, kid. This party ain’t human-exclusive or some bull. The more the merrier! Though, it’s gonna be pretty crowded, so make sure to not bring too many. Don’t want any of these little guys getting trampled.”
“Alright then, sounds like a plan! I’ll be sure to be there then. Looking forward to it!”
“Right on, kid. Come 6, rub your hand over the signature on the first page and you’ll be there. See ya around.” Colias high-fived Tom with their ant-covered hand and receded back into the dark hallway. Tom ran down one of the staircases to the ground floor, and the staff assisted him in traveling to The Swamp in order to invite the next guest.
Tom wandered Level 66 for a few minutes, constantly checking his pocket watch. The ground made squelching sounds as he trampled through the moist, muddy swamp. Man, some of these guys are really good at hiding, he thought. He pulled out a bottle of blood Blanche had conjured for him earlier.
“Yo! Leeon! I’ve got some juice for ya!” Tom screamed at the top of his lungs, having zero concern for the various hostile entities roaming the level.
“Juishe?!” a distant voice exclaimed from the distance inside of the trees. Shuffling could be heard getting closer and closer to Tom, before a horrifying, giant leech wearing a top hat and tie leapt out from the forest, and body slammed onto the ground. Tom almost lost his balance from the minuscule earthquake the leech had just caused.
“Oh good, I guessed right, then. How’s it goin’, Leeon?” Tom chuckled.
“Tom!” Leeon exclaimed. “Are you looking to buy some waresh?” Leeon asked, excitedly. He pulled his briefcase out from under his slimy apparatus and opened it. Inside was a bag of chips from The Terror Hotel Casino, a pile of brown candy corn, a small jack-o-lantern necklace, and what appeared to be a very realistic human skull.
“Nah, I’m Gucci. Here, it’s on the house.” Tom tossed the bottle of blood to Leeon, who caught it and chugged it immediately. “I was actually wondering if you were interested in coming to a Halloween Party Blanche and I are running.” Tom gave him an invite, watching as Leeon placed his briefcase back under him to take and inspect it.
“Looksh fu- looksh fun! Do you- do you think I'll be able- be able to make some shales?" Leeon replied excitedly, his stutters causing him to stop speaking for a moment.
“May be best to avoid business tonight. Some people may get freaked out. Plus, it’s a party! No need to work on your off day. Everyone needs a vacation here and there.”
“Good point. I will definitely be there! I will alsho look for my shpeshal Halloween tie!”
“Radical! Looking forward to it. Well, I would chat longer, but I gotta go to Level 11 to invite the next guest. Here’s a book from Blanche. Just rub your, uh, appendage across the signature and you’ll be there. I’ll see you tonight!” Tom waved.
“Shee ya!” Leeon waved back.
“Oh, hey, actually… can I ask a favor?”
“Shure!” Leeon exclaimed.
“Can I get a ride down that long dirt road to get to 11 faster? I’m kinda getting sick of all this walking, and I’m on a pretty tight schedule,” Tom asked, once again glancing at his pocket-watch. Leeon smiled.
“I thought you’d never ashk. Hop on!” Leeon flipped over onto his belly and Tom climbed up onto his slimy back. “Hold on!” Tom gripped onto the back of Leeon’s tie as the giant leech slithered down the long dirt road at incredible speeds. Tom woo’d in excitement as they zoomed down the road, trees and entities passing by as they did so. Clouds of the dirt flew into the air behind them as Leeon moved. Suddenly, the trees began to morph into buildings, the dirt began to morph into asphalt road, and before they knew it, they were in the City
“Thanks man, that was wild!” Tom high-fived the leech.
“Any thime! See you thonight!”
Tom admired the city, decorated to the nines with jack-o-lanterns. He was quite confused to see Christmas decorations up as well, but didn’t think about it for too long. The M.E.G. is always all over the place, anyways. He walked around until he found the building with the Kalag Institute flower on it, which was not too far from Base Beta. The building was only accessible if you followed a very specific path down the road to get to it. Many regular citizens of Level 11 didn’t even know it existed, much less how to get to it. Thankfully, Daga taught him where the building was — and how to enter secretly.
He knew he wasn’t getting into the Senior Archivist’s office by walking in the front door, so he would have to use Daga’s secret back entrance. He crawled through a small opening behind the dumpster and in the direction of the top office. Eventually, he looked down to see a lean and tall Filipino with black hair and a cone-shaped salakot hat hanging from their chair, sitting at a computer. Tom chuckled under his breath. He quietly opened the vent and hung down from the roof upside-down, letting his long hair hang.
“Boo,” Tom boomed. The person gasped in shock, knocking over their tea and spilling it all over a pile of papers.
“Ay tangina, Tom! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Gani wiped their desk with a paper towel while Tom cackled at their reaction. He jumped down from the roof.
“How’s it going, Gani?”
“Well, other then my ruined pile of important documents, I’d say it’s going decent. How did you get in here, anyways?”
“Found a shortcut.”
“You are something else,” Gani laughed, picking up the hat that had fallen to the ground. “Musta naman, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Magaling ako,” Tom replied, trying his best to mimic Gani’s accent and pronunciation. Gani smiled, happy to see him slowly learning Tagalog. “I was hoping you could step away from the work for a few hours and join me and Blanche for a party.”
“I’m listening,” Gani replied, raising their eyebrows in intrigue as Tom hands them an invite.
“We’re having a massive party at the Cygnus Archive. I’m inviting basically everyone. Plus, you could use a break from work. Looks like you’ve got a lot going on.”
“Well, I will try my best. I’m not even sure I have a costume to wear…”
“No worries. Only requirement is that you pet the greeting cat before coming in.”
“Hm… I haven’t been to Blanche’s library in a while. I suppose I could spare a few hours to check out any new additions you guys may have.”
“Awesome! Ooo, this is gonna be fun. Here’s a book. Come 6 pm, rub your finger across the signature on the front cover, and you’ll be there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Alright, I have to go back to Blanche, then. See you in a bit!”
“Kita kita nalang mamaya!” Gani replied, waving goodbye. Tom climbed back into the vent and crawled back out of the building back onto the streets.
Tom crawled back onto the sidewalk and pulled out a book from his backpack. It was about 5:54 p.m., so he needed to be back quick. He was about to rub his finger across the signature, before he heard walking behind him. He turned around to see a slouched, robotic-like creature walk up behind him. It was unable to talk, and began to use sign language.
“Tom?” she signed.
“Cindy?! Holy- I didn’t think I’d ever be able to find you! This is perfect!” Thankfully, Tom had learned sign language not long after meeting Cindy, and now was able to understand her since she was unable to speak.
“I heard about the party, and — not to be rude — but I was kind of hoping I could tag along? It sounded quite fun when I heard about it, and I would love to be a part of it, but I don’t want to invite myself…” she signed slowly and timidly.
“Are you kidding? Of course! I wanted to invite you, but you're a pain in the butt to find — no offense — so I was hoping the poorly made, handwritten posters I put up in the Empty Office and the Snackrooms would work. Come on, the party is actually about to start in a few minutes. People will probably be arriving any time now.” Tom exclaimed back, signing as he spoke. Cindy limped over to Tom and grabbed onto his arm. He rubbed his finger across the signature.
The city suddenly began to fold and bend into itself, the building and landscapes morphing into a place akin to that of the medieval era. The cacophony of 11’s citizens talking, people listening to music in their houses, and make-shift cars zooming by all began to diminish. The buildings became bookshelves, roads became carpets, dumpsters became busts, and the sky became a chandelier hanging over the library. They were back at the Cygnus Archive.
“Tom! Glad to see you’re not hurt.” Blanche exclaimed, walking out from behind a bookshelf. “Oh, who’s this?”
“Our first guest, Cindy! I didn’t even think she’d be able to come!” Cindy waved awkwardly at Blanche.
“Well, looks like the show’s beginning! Would you like some tea, dear?”
“M’lady, this is a party. We have much better drinks than that,” Tom replied, respectfully. He opened a cooler and popped open a bottle of wine against the table, which began to foam out like a fountain.
“Tomás! How did you find that?! You’re only 16! You should not be drinking alcohol!” Blanche cried out, brows furrowing and a small frown appearing in surprise and slight disgust.
“Aw, c’mon, but it’s a party. I picked it up in 6.1 at Liquorette. You want some Cindy?” Tom asked, pouring himself a glass.
“I’m okay. Thanks,” Cindy signed.
“Well then, don’t forget to pet the cat!” Blanche replied. Cindy stroked the sleeping Berry, who turned for a second before going back to his dormant state. Cindy walked into the library to admire the decorations. Tom attempted to follow, but Blanche pulled him back by his backpack.
“Yes?” he asked.
“You and I are having a long talk about this behavior later,” Blanche scolded.
“Oh boy,” Tom replied. Blanche shot him a stern look, but was immediately distracted by more arriving guests. Tom ran off to slip into his vampire costume while Blanche greeted the guests, taking her books back. He walked back out with a black and red cape, fake blood on his face, and a red and black suit resembling Dracula’s.
Blanche greeted each guest one by one as creatures of all shapes and sizes walked in. As Blanche handed each of them a goody bag and party hat, they all took turns petting the napping feline. Tom was surprised that Berry was alright from being touched so much. Tom managed to find a Halloween playlist saved on his cellphone which had a number of Halloween songs only recently published by a small number of artists within the Backrooms. Everyone danced to songs similar to that of "Thriller", "Spooky Scary Skeletons", and "Monster Mash". Blanche conjured up a few party games for them to play, such as corn-hole, bobbing for apples, pin the tail on the donkey, and other similar party games. Tom took care of the snack table and served guests a number of food and drinks, such as Blanche's homemade cookies, chips, pizza, sodas, and more.
After most of the guests had been served, Tom kicked back and admired the party. It had been a while since he’d been in a group of people this big, and it was quite nice. He talked with some of his friends near the snack table until he recognized a familiar presence.
“Tom?” a female voice approached. Tom looked up from his bag of cheesy toes, a clear rip-off of the “Cheetos” brand, and saw a good friend of his.
“Evie!” he exclaimed. A woman dressed in an elaborate, red and orange dress, with silk wings similar to that of Phoenix, walked up to Tom as she adjusted the burgundy theatre mask that rested on her face. He ran over and hugged her tightly. “Well, my night just got even better! I wasn’t expecting to see you — how are you doing?”
“I’m quite wonderful, actually. One of the Maidens told me about the flyer for the party on 6.1 and I knew I just had to come — I hope that was alright. I was hesitant at first due to it being open to all, but once I heard most of The M.E.G. would be busy doing some sort of Halloween-Christmas hybrid on 11, I figured I would be safe from any conflict — especially under Blanche’s watch.”
“Are you kidding? Of course! I would’ve invited you personally, but I didn’t have the time to take my chances in the hallway of numbered doors or get lost in the mono-yellow maze to get to Level 294. I would’ve asked Blanche, but she’s never been fond of me going there due to the fire. And yeah, she told me I could invite whoever I want and that any possible conflicts would be immediately stopped by her. Don’t want anyone getting captured or murdered at a Halloween Party,” Evie chuckled in reply.
“That reminds me! I haven’t seen you in a bit, so I wanted to give you a gift.” Tom’s eyes widened with glee. Evie pulled out a small gift bag and handed it to him, which he quickly tore open. It was a small, golden necklace with a heart shaped pendant. Tom opened the pendant to see a small photo of himself and Evie in Level 797. Tom’s heart melted at the gesture.
“I love it! Thank you so much.” He put the necklace on before hugging Evie once more, who hugged him back happily.
“I’m quite glad you like it. Once I found it I just knew it was perfect for you.”
“I’ll have to show Blanche after the party, I’m sure she’ll love it.” Tom opened the pendant again to admire the photo. It was one of his favorites of him and Evie.
“Delightful. Now then, did you spike the punch already or do I have to do it myself?” Evie jested. Tom cackled in reply as they walked off.
Meanwhile, Blanche mingled with all of the guests, keeping the mood alive. She spent a while giving Gani a tour through the science section of the library — particularly, books about death and the afterlife. She also convinced Cindy to join in on the dancing, urging her from her hiding spot within Blanche's Tea Room. On a different part of the library, Leeon joined Gani in a small reading corner, deciding to read a book about "The Secrets of Business". Many guests walked by to admire his light-up Jack-o-lantern tie.
Colias and their ants were really getting their dancing game on, especially when a song sounding similar to “Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo began playing. They were dressed as an ant, with fake antennas and fur plastered over their cloak. Janus decided to give people psychic readings if they beat him in corn-hole, which caused a long line to wrap around the shelves. Eventually, he pulled out a psychic’s costume from one of the doors and put it on to embrace the role. Blanche was thoroughly satisfied with how the party was going.
After hours of partying, eating, gaming, and reunions between friends, most of the party had died down to casual conversations. Blanche began waving goodbye to all of the guests, sending them to any level of their desire on their way out. Tom said his goodbyes to his close friends as they each were sent home one by one by Blanche.
“Heck, I haven’t had this much fun in ages,” Tom sighed, content.
“Well, you certainly know how to have fun as well. You did most of the planning, after all,” Blanche held her witch hat to her chest and smiled.
“Is that everyone, or-”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t hear that the party was over,” a timid voice whispered behind them. Tom and Blanche turned around to see an Asian woman with short, pink hair holding her goody bag to her stomach. She wasn’t dressed in a full costume, save for her wearing more flowers than usual and her typical, traditional Asian attire.
“Eden! No worries, dear. Did you enjoy the party?” Blanche asked, inquisitively.
“Oh, of course! I'm not much of a party person, so I spent most of it reading with Gani and Leeon. Speaking of, Leeon was quite fun to talk to; his flamboyant personality was quite interesting to witness. Anyways, everlasting thanks for throwing this party. I was going to join Kat, but when I heard you guys were having a party, I just had to come check it out. Aelita wanted to come as well, but ze was also busy with work, unfortunately. Ze’s been really obsessed with 404 lately.”
“Send hir my regards, please. Man, which I could’ve hung out with you, E. I’m sure you would’ve loved to meet my friend, Evie.”
“Evangeline Holmes? The wanted murderer?! She was here?!” Eden gawked. Her breathing became unsteady for a moment, as she wasn’t prepared to hear that. She couldn’t believe that Tom had invited someone who had committed such crimes.
Tom rolled his eyes lightheartedly. “Forgot you were friends with the Overseers, heh. Trust me, her reputation is not a good reflection of her.”
“Whatever you say, but I’m still quite flabbergasted I may have just been in the same room as a serial killer. Your friend group is definitely pretty unique, Tom.” Tom snickered at her statement. “Well then, I must be going back to 11. I have to prepare a presentation for a meeting in a few days. I love being Head Field Researcher, but I always get nervous with these presentations. Well then, see you around!”
“Peace out! Oh, and stay hydrated!” Eden began to dematerialize as Blanche sent her away to Level 11.
“Oh! You said you were taking pictures, right, dear?”
“Yeah?”
“I would like to see them.”
“Of course. Lemme just pull ‘em out.” Tom pulled the pile of photos out of his bag and held the photos between them.
“There’s a picture of the invite,” Tom explained.
“Oh! Is that Berry?” Blanche asked.
“Yep. Still losing it over the nails.”
“He looks wonderful with them!” Blanche exclaimed.
“Here’s a picture I got of some of the guests,” Tom replied.
“Oh, how adorable,” Blanche smiled.
“What did you call this game, ‘Boo Bowling’ or something?” Tom teased.
“Well, the guests clearly enjoyed it.”
“I knew you could bake, but wow, those cookies were delicious,” Tom smiled, drooling at the thought of eating one again.
“Oh, I do try.”
“Well, that’s it. Thanks for letting me throw this party, it was so nice,”
"Of course, Tom. I couldn't be prouder of how you planned out this party. It's as if it was mere moments since I first took you in as a child, and now look at you, already so far in life. I feel like a sentimental mother!" Blanche laughs, though there was a hint of pain in her voice. Tom embraced Blanche, laughing with her as he wiped his eyes. As the moment faded away, Blanche pulled away, a stern expression on her face. "Now then, about the alcohol you managed to smuggle in here…”
“Oh no, here we go,” Tom sighed.