It was bright and early, fog still clinging to the tall buildings in the square as Danielle browsed the local shops, scanning for anything interesting that might catch her eye. She’d been so many things over the years; the typical stereotypes, and she was tired of the cut and paste designs she’d been finding all over the internet.

One of these days, she was going to make a costume from scratch, she swore it. Maybe she’d make it entirely out of flowers. Maybe a living rose float? But it would be so expensive.

Shaking her head, Dani refocused on the task at hand, the steady beat of her boots on the ground a familiar rhythm that let her relax. With all the chaos, Danielle hadn’t even considered what costume she wanted to wear, or if she wanted to wear one at all. She’d had some strange experiences lately, spookier than anything she’d ever seen. She had a stack of sketches based off of her most recent nightmares and the strange happenings going on within her life now, as if she was about to discover something new, something special.

She had the day off and an oversized mug of pumpkin spiced coffee in hand, whipped cream touching her nose as she took the first sip, eyes wandering the storefronts as she mulled over the upcoming holiday. Her eyes drifted across colorful displays of pumpkins, witches, ghosts and ghouls. She’d seen a dozen children picking out costumes for K-pop Demon Hunters, bot the point where she felt it might be a cliche if she dressed that way herself. Maybe next year. Even with the town bustling with activity and Halloween decorations, nothing was standing out to her or grabbing her artistic eye.

Until it did. A glorious construction of black and purple that she itched to get her hands on even after just setting her eyes on it, her eyebrows climbing high on her forehead.

Her eyes landed on a mannequin dressed in a multi-pieced costume. There were long dark gloves that were tipped in shining claws like onyx, almost metallic in appearance and seemingly made of some kind of metal. Each glove had purplish paw pads tipping the end of each finger. The main body of the outfit was a dress that came with a faux corset built in, tucked in at the waist with a ruffled collar band a flattering neckline. A hood was draped over the head and shoulders of the mannequin, furry dark feline ears sewn onto it’s hood, dappled with purple spots that resembled a black leopard, only a few shades lighter than the black material underneath. The whole ensemble was completed high heeled boots, paw pads barely visible underneath from the posed position, a slip of the mannequin’s leg showing underneath a deep purple skirt, with a long, fluffy tail attached that curves to one side, as if alive.

That was a costume that she could get behind, even if it might hurt her wallet afterwards.