It was the night of Hallow's Eve as Sean found himself tossing and turning atop the less than comfortable cot, inside the chilly, candle lit shed at the corner of Haven's property. He was still quite thankful to be given that much of a home outside his life at the orphanage, yet somehow could not stop the insomnia that was plaguing him that night.

It was then that he heard movement outside the shed at an hour that was only slightly before midnight. The sound made him rise from his bed to look out the small window of the shed. He couldn't help his sheer concern for the safety of the home's occupants. Though he still only really saw on rare occasions, even a month after having moved onto their property.

Through the window, he saw all three of them moving through the yard and out toward the woods that lay behind the home. The sight itself was made that much stranger by the elaborately colored clothes they wore, as well as the baskets, masks, and candles they carried with them as they started off into that dark nighttime woods. Sean narrowed his eyes as he watched Haven and his mistresses head off together through the trees. It was only then that he had more suspicion heaped onto the scene upon remembering that it was indeed, Halloween night.

Sean swallowed a bit as he tried to talk himself into not following them. Though he was more than curious after the sheltered life he had led behind the orphanage walls. And the mystery that surrounded the home's residents, themselves made this a difficult scene to ignore. He took one more deep breath and reached for his worn coat before attempting to remain unseen as he followed their departing forms off into the woods.

It was a lengthy walk, and a difficult one. Sean tried to remain far enough behind to keep them from realizing he was following them, while simultaneously trying to follow the light produced by the candles they each carried. Sean had decided somehow, that it would be wiser not to bring his own candle, in the interest of staying hidden.

When they finally stopped at that clearing in the woods, Sean quickly ducked into a hiding place nearby as he watched them. He attempted to remain as quiet as possible, considering the religious imagery the nuns at the orphanage had forced into his head about all those 'evil pagans' throughout his short life.

Sean watched their celebration from his hiding place, riveted by it the entire time. They danced, donned masks, lit their candles, and chanted, while placing little ornately wrapped sweets around the now raging fire. Their celebrations continued well past midnight, and beyond. All of their motions seemed to be truly joyful and not honestly malicious at all. Surprising himself, the only fear Sean did have, was just that of their celebration honestly taking some sudden strange turn as the members of the church had every other person convinced that it surely would have to.

Then as the hour grew later, there was a turn. Though Sean was not sure malicious would be the word for it. However it was definitely something that could easily be deemed 'evil' by all of those good, churchgoing folk. The three took turns drinking from a bottle of red, which Sean could only assume, and hope, was wine. Haven licked it from each of the women's lips as they took sips, and vice versa. Then they moved closer to one another, still near to the fire which lit their motions clearly for Sean's eyes to watch.

Once they moved closer together was when Haven allowed the women to easily undress him, and then pulled them free of their beautiful clothes as well. Then all three, still wearing those half-masks, began their lovemaking. Haven would first please one woman with his hands or lips, while pleasing the other with other parts of his anatomy. Their lovemaking lasted for longer than Sean could even fathom. He was shocked to see such a display at all, but also unable to pull his eyes away for a single moment of it. As he watched, his body reacted as any nineteen year-old boy's would be likely to react to a much less titillating scene, let alone that very one.

When the three had indulged each other's pleasures to the point of exhaustion, they gently, even lovingly, kissed one another's lips. They then slowly, exhaustedly, though happily, gathered their clothes and other various items, except the sweets, which they left surrounding the fire. They then headed back the way they had come. Despite his current state, Sean had to to duck into yet another hiding place in the hopes of not being seen, especially after what he had just witnessed. Though if any of the three lovers had actually seen him in their departure from the clearing, they didn't let on to the fact. Sean stayed hidden there for more than a few long moments, considering his own shock, as well as his overwhelming arousal at having taken in that scene at all.

Sean was shockingly silent the next morning as he cleaned out the stables. He would not even let himself look towards the house once, for fear of having to see one of its occupants exit the home and then having to find a way to keep them from seeing, all over his face, the very fact that he was unable to stop replaying the scene from the night before, through his brain, again and again.

Then his fears did manifest as Chantarell exited the home with a yawn but a smile as she looked around the grounds. Her eyes finally found Sean through the entrance to the still open stable. "Morning, Sean" she greeted him with a smile, her eyes narrowing slightly at the way he immediately looked away from her.

"Morning" he forced the greeting back through the breaking of his voice as he looked as though he was literally pained to keep from looking back up at her.

"Something wrong?" she asked the worst possible question she could have asked him point blank. The situation was made only worse by the fact of her moving closer to the stable where he tried to force his hands to keep working, without much success.

"Like what?" was the only response he could force.

"You're asking me?" she returned, moving now to the doorway of the stable. "You're the one who looks shocked to death by something, or other" she told him, with her same habit of prying truths out of others that they didn't easily share on their own.

"Just didn't sleep well" he mumbled, not able to say much else, somehow.

Chantarell scoffed with a wrinkle of her nose, obviously not believing his explanation for a moment. She then decided to deal with this as she did other things: People couldn't hurt you if you beat them to the punch, and forced them to confront what they were refusing to say, before they were ready to say it, therefore shocking them off their guard. Well, there was that, and the fact that she knew that Sean wouldn't be able to hurt her, no matter what secrets he discovered about her family. Haven had made sure of that, the way only he could.

"Well, it was Samhain."

"It was what?" he asked, shocked enough to quickly look back up at her, just as she knew he would be.

"Samhain" she repeated matter-of-factly, moving to pick a wild berry from where a few grew near the door of the stable. "The night when the veil between the living and the dead is at the weakest" she said in a tone that implied that this strange statement was one he should somehow already have knowledge of.

"What?" he asked more loudly more shaken, as if that were possible.

"The night when it's the easiest for spirits to manifest. Probably a few mischievous ones playing that kept you awake. It's like their Christmas." She smiled fondly as she popped the berry into her pretty lips; lips that he had just recently witnessed performing activities that normally a man would have to pay a woman from the local brothel to perform for him.

"Samhain" he repeated, trying once again to shake those visions of the previous night from his head, unsuccessfully.

"They probably would have left you alone if you'd worn your mask, or left them a sweet. It would've only been polite, you know" she teased.

"What?" he repeated with a shake of his head, easily forgetting his tasks as he continued to watch her in disbelief.

"You already said that." She smiled again as she turned on her heel to sniff a nearby flower as well.

"You're mad, aren't you?" he couldn't stop himself from allowing the words to leave his own lips.

"But I bet I'm the most interesting girl you know." She chuckled before turning away again and heading back towards those same woods once more.