Persefone stood outside the Subway restaurant, with her bag on her side, waiting for Aidoneus. She couldn't contain her excitement about the possibility of meeting two of her favorite actors. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Aidoneus park his car in front of her; she got inside and was driven off. "Hey Aidoneus, how have you been?"
"I've been doing well. I've been doing my classes and helping my Pops with work. However, I couldn't wait for this day to come. By the looks of it, looks like you've been excited."
"Y-Yeah, I guess it was noticeable, huh? Well, it's not every day that one can meet some celebrities in one go. I was wondering if I could some autographs from them."
"You can, but it comes with a price. Although, you don't have to worry about anything; I paid for you to get a picture and autographs from your favorite actors."
Persefone gasped; she couldn't believe Aidoneus would do such a thing for her. Not even Edgar did something so nice for her. However, there was a part of her that was cautious. She did some reading and watched videos of how men love bombing and do extremely nice acts to sometimes hide who they indeed are. Persefone feared that Aidoneus was one of those men. "Y-You didn't have to. I could have paid for them alone; we don't know each other entirely."
"I know, but I was raised to believe that a man needs to step up his game. Besides, I invited you; therefore, it's my responsibility." Aidoneus couldn't help but notice how cautious Persefone became. "Hmm...maybe I'm doing too much," he thought. "I mean, if you asked me out, wouldn't it be fair that you pay for me?" A part of him wanted to punch himself in the face. Aidoneus didn't like the idea of Persefone paying for him; it made him feel irresponsible. When the young man looked at his mate, Persfeone looked more at ease.
"Yeah, I would. It would only be fair. Since you paid for the tickets and for getting pictures and autographs, it would only be fair that I pay for food and dessert; I will not take no for an answer."
A wolfish groan wanted to escape, but Aidoneus held himself. He felt off that a woman would pay for him, but he wanted to make Persefone feel at ease. "Okay, I guess it sounds fair. Anyway, how is working coming along?"
Aidoneus listened intently to Persefone's week of work, among other things. He could tell that she was passionate about her job. Persefone asked him more questions about his goals and field of study, and Aidoneus told her that his father wanted to pass down the business to him if he wanted it. Aidoneus noticed how amazed Persefone looked when she learned that his father owned a company that made herbal medicine. The young man wanted to make the company bigger to help low-income communities access healthier medicine. He drove and spoke about his goals and dreams, and Persefone couldn't help but feel admiration.
They eventually arrived at the event, and it took ten minutes to find parking. Once out of the vehicle, they went to the event, where the line was getting longer. "Wow, I've never been to this place before." Persefone looked at the Victorian-style house. "I wonder if we're allowed to go inside?"
"You can, actually. Whenever events happen here, they decorate the interior and allow people to look around. Don't worry, the entry is free." He and Persefone stood by the gate and noticed many vendors preparing the things they would visit. They also noticed many people walking in Halloween-Christmas costumes. "Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that this is a Halloween-Christmas market style event."
"Wow, this is amazing! I didn't think an event of both my favorite holidays! I'm so happy!"
Aidoneus couldn't help but feel happy to see his mate happy and excited. He then noticed the gates to the event being opened and music being played. People went inside as they showed their tickets, and the duo eventually showed their tickets and entered.
The event workers stopped everyone until more people entered the heritage center, and then the event organizers appeared as killer clowns with Santa Claus hats and clothes. "Hello everyone! Welcome to the Creeping Christmas event, where you can celebrate a frighteningly beautiful holiday!" everyone, including Persefone, cheered. "Now, as you all know, we have two excellent voice actors, Chris Sarandon and Ken Kage and they are ready to meet many of you! Now let the event begin!" The event workers let the guests enter, and many people began to walk around. Aidoneus immediately let Persefone go to the line, leading to the voice actors' meeting. Luckily, they were fourth in line and saw Chris and Ken.
"Th-There they are! Oh my god! I'm a nervous wreck!" Persefone whispered.
"You'll be okay. Just act normal."
The line began to move, and people before them had the opportunity to meet their favorite actors, where they had some Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise to be signed. They also had selfies taken. Eventually, it was the duo's turn, and they were before two legendary voice actors. "Well, hello you two. We are happy that you both could make it to the event," said Ken in his deep voice.
Persefone felt her heart beat rapidly as she struggled with what to say; her lips trembled. Aidoneus noticed and said, "We are happy to be here, Mr. Page. My friend and I watched the movie of you both, and you both played wonderfully. However, my friend here is a bigger fan; she is excitedly petrified. Her name is Persefone."
The men noticed Persefone, and they chuckled. "Persefone, eh? You have such a unique name; you were named after the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, right?" asked Chris.
The young woman flinched and felt her body quiver in anxiety, but Aideoneus put an arm around her as if telling her that it was okay. Persefone took a deep breath and realized that the actors looked with understanding. "Y-Yes, s-sir! I-I'm a huge fan of yours and you both m-made my childhood g-great!"
Chris and Ken smiled. "We're glad you enjoy our work and appreciate your support. I hope you will join us for our Q&A, where we will explain what happened behind the scenes in Nightmare Before Christmas and answer questions from fans," Chris explained.
"Oh, of course we will! Thank you!"
Then, the photographer came by with a camera. "Alright, from what I see on your ticket, you paid for a picture with both actors and an autograph. Can you all get in position, please?"
Aidoneus stood next to Chris while Persefone stood between Chris and Ken; the picture was taken. The picture was then printed and given to both actors, who signed it and gave it to Persefone. The duo walked off the building while Persefone looked at the picture and autograph. "Ooohh, I can't believe that we've met Chris Sarandon and Ken Page! I feel that I'm dreaming." Suddenly, Aidoneus gently pinched her cheek, which made her squeal. "Hey, what was that for?"
"Well, I just wanted to confirm that you weren't dreaming. You were very starstruck."
"You can't blame me, Dio! They played characters that helped me get through my childhood! A-Anyway, where should we go next for our adventure?"
Aidoneus raised an eyebrow. "You called me 'Dio'?"
Persefone nodded and giggled. "Yeah, that's my nickname to you! Now off we go!" she said as she held onto his left arm; Aidonues blushed and felt his heart stop beating momentarily. He couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her touch.
That was when the duo decided to tour Hiram Clay Kellogg's Victorian home, decorated with Halloween decorations. Afterward, Aidoneus led Persefone deeper into the festival, where many vendors sold handmade Christmas Halloween objects. There were also many people dressed in Halloween-Christmas costumes. Aidoneus noticed how happy Persefone was, and it made him happy. Then, it was time to eat, and they went to a food truck that sold Mexican food. They ordered tacos with different drinks and waited ten minutes until their food was ready. Aidoneus was about to pay but was reminded by Persefone that she would pay. He groaned and let her do what she wanted.
Once they got their food, they sat on an empty table and began eating. Aidoneus ate his food slowly as he slowly became nervous. He was about to ask a serious question, which could anger Persefone, but he wanted to know the truth. Aidoneus wanted to know who texted her. "Persefone, I need to tell you something."
Persefone took a sip of her Horchata drink and gave him her attention. "Yeah?"
"Remember when we went to the coffee shop, and you went to the restroom? You left your phone behind, and I...couldn't help but see a text." He noticed Persefone stiffen but continued, "I didn't go through your phone; but when you received it, it said something about missing you. I-I wanted to know if there something you wanted to tell me." Aidoneus couldn't believe he was demanding answers, but not knowing who sent the text was killing him. He didn't want to be with someone who would betray his trust. The werewolf also wanted to let Persefone know that he was not the type of man who liked secrets. It was true that he held his true identity, but he would tell her soon.
"Y-You looked through my phone!?"
"Not entirely, I just saw the screen pop up and saw parts of it. I would never try to hack into your phone. Persefone, I'm asking you this because I want to know if there is someone else in your life? If you saw my phone with a similar message, wouldn't you want to know?"
The duo became silent, making Aidoneus more anxious than he was, but he had to stay firm. Persefone looked down on her food and looked like she was about to cry. "Th-That message you saw was from...my ex."
"I thought so. I knew it was someone from her past." Aidoneus felt hurt, but if it was from an ex, they weren't together anymore; he had to know more. "Okay, and if I had to guess, he would want you back."
The young woman nodded. "Yeah, but I refused to return him since I saw him with another woman. I blocked him but it looked like he is trying to use different numbers and accounts to get to me. He even came by my house to explain himself but..." Persefone realized that she was telling Aidoneus too much. "Nevermind. Please believe me that I have no intention of taking him back. He is nothing to me."
Aidoneus felt relieved that Persefone had no intention of going back to her ex, but what concerned him was that his ex was trying too hard to get to her. "Persefone, are you being...stalked?"
"N-No! I don't think so. Anyway, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I appreciate that you were honest with me and I'm sorry that I kept this from you, but I want us to enjoy ourselves." Persefone gently held onto his right hand. "Please believe me that you are the only guy I am seeing and am only interested in seeing."
"I believe you, Sef."
Persefone raised an eyebrow. "Sef?"
Aideonus chuckled. "Yup, that's my nickname for you." The duo laughed and continued to eat their lunch, but Aidoneus couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen, and it was going to happen sooner than he had hoped.
