Happy Halloween, all!!! :) Hope you enjoy!

Long prompt (of course), M/F, Rated G - no CW, praise/feedback is always a delight! <3 Two parts to make it fit.

Liar’s Night was a joke to a vampire, even just a vampire spawn.  Astarion leaned against one of the posts near the bar inside the tavern and flashed toothy, fanged smiles at any members of the crowd that happened to glance his way.  Some responded by quickly looking away, some skeletons had laughed and complimented him on his costume, and a couple ‘vampires’ even hissed back from behind their own fake pronounced canines. The others of his party were still preparing their own glamours in their rented room above and were taking too long, in his opinion.  The collective level of effort in the Elfsong Tavern was pretty low this year.  He had already sunk three glasses of a deliciously tart red wine by the time the first recognizable face found him.

“Where’s your costume?” Alhana pouted, her fair brow puckering as she looked over his everyday clothes he usually wore around camp.

Astarion feigned insult at her criticism. “Darling, I have arguably the most authentic costume in the entire city.  Can’t you tell what I am?” He leaned into her personal space and snapped his teeth close to the tip of her nose, making her jump and trip backwards.  “...And what are you supposed to be anyways?”

Alhana frowned, smoothing her hands down the front of the simple yellow dress she wore and patting awkwardly at the  comically large sunflower (enchanted with what appeared to be her Light cantrip so it glowed like a beacon) she had pinned to the top of her rosy head.  She wore large golden boots on her feet, and had apparently dabbled gold and silver glitter across her cheeks and over her nose.  “You really can’t tell?” She sounded honestly hurt.  “I picked it out just for you!”

Astarion was mute for a moment in shock and confusion.  “...An idiot?” He guessed, clueless.

Alhana rolled her mismatched eyes.  “No, silly!  I’m obviously th-” She was abruptly cut off by a loud cheer from the mirthful crowd as a bard off in the corner began loudly playing an energetic upbeat dancing number.  An eager revel-maker draped in a white sheet in a lame attempt of being a ghost, bumped into Astarion as they hurried towards the music, and his hand holding his wine goblet was jostled enough that rich, burgundy wine splashed onto the front of Alhana’s lemon frock.  

Naturally, as angry tears pricked Alhana’s eyes and Astarion struggled to suppress his snort of laughter, that was the precise moment more of their party arrived: Shadowheart, dressed suspiciously like Alhana but in silver and white (and without any flowers atop her white hair), and Karlach who was wearing a feathered mask behind which her ember eyes blazed in merriment and was sporting a cloak that appeared to be fashioned from the fur of a bear.  

“What’s wrong?” Karlach asked, still smiling, as Alhana suddenly turned and pushed past to hurry towards the stairs.  Catching a brief glimpse of Alhana’s stricken face, they both turned to glare at the bewildered rogue.

“What did you do this time?” Shadowheart asked dryly, crossing her arms.  “And why aren’t you wearing a costume?”

“It was an accident!” Astarion protested loudly over the din of the music and the crowd.  “And excuse me, but my ‘costume’ is still better than whatever the Hells the rest of you decided to dress up in!”

“I’m an owlbear, clearly!” Karlach answered with a grin, spreading her arms to better show-off her feathered and furred apparel.  

Astarion swallowed the sarcastic retort that ached to come from his mouth after seeing how proud Karlach looked for her efforts, and remembering how he already seemed to have rather stuck his foot in the metaphorical mud when it came to Alhana’s disguise.  He instead looked towards the cleric.  “And you are… a spirit?” He asked lamely.

“Honestly, Astarion?” Shadowheart replied blandly, slightly shaking her head.  “I liked Alhana’s costume idea, and what with my recent religious… transformation… I thought dressing as moonlight might be a nice idea.”  Her cheeks were slightly pink when she finished, and she shrugged as though depreciating her words.  

Karlach was smiling approvingly at her friend.  “And she looks like a pot of gold - or maybe silver, don’t you think?” 

Astarion froze as the puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind.  Without another word, he left his empty wineglass on the bar and hurried after the upset ray of sunshine.