Caradoc had a long list of his favorite people. Arthur was definitely on that list, and he was overjoyed he was able to show up for the party. He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t a little worried that he may not make it. Molly hadn’t arrive just yet, but that didn’t much matter. She had children to chase after, after all. “Arthur! It’s great to see you!” he reached for the man’s coat, moving to hang it carefully and put it in the linen closet nearest the door. “Come come, get some punch.” He eyed the costume Arthur had chosen, grinning widely. “That’s my Da’s favorite film! We watched it at the cinema! Spot on job, there, Arthur. You look just like him,” he voice was genuine, kind, as usual.
He glanced down at his own costume, snickering softly. “Yes! I’m Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. This–” he held up the lightsaber, waved it a bit to make the sound work, “is called a lightsaber. So they fight with these, looks like a wand but it’s not magical. Well..not really. It’s powered–” he cut himself off and shook his head. “Let me not bore you with the details, aye?” he turned his attention back to the punch, pouring a glass for Arthur before handing it over. “Oh wait! Would you prefer some with no alcohol? I have that to in this bowl..” he indicated to the blue coloured bowl, it’s contents also emitted a fog like substance but it was lighter than the covering on the ground beneath them.
“Do you like the decorations? Mary and I shop for new ones every year, this isn’t even half of what I’ve got in the attic. I like to put them out over time. Those are chocolate bats, by the way! I’ve got more snacks over on that table but I know most of our friends prefer to dance the night away.” Someone had once inquired whether or not his cheeks hurt from smiling all the time, but no, he’d grown accustomed to the twinge. “I should take you to the cinema one of these days, you can see a film on a big screen, what say you?”
Arthur handed over his coat with a grateful smile, allowing himself to be ushered inside. The atmosphere was even more incredible now he was in the middle of it, and the sights and sounds really made it feel like Halloween, even though Halloween was still quite far in the future. Truth be told, he hadn’t known if he would be able to get into the true spirit of it, as much as he wanted to: with work, the Order, and the boys, Arthur’s life was hectic right now. Celebrating a holiday this early seemed a bit silly, but now that he was here, he realised it was exactly what he had been needing.
Finding out that James Bond was Caradoc’s father’s favourite made him smile even wider; he was even more glad that he’d picked this costume, now that he knew of it’s significance to his friend. “I’m glad you think so! I had to make do with what I could find in second-hand shops, so I wasn’t sure if it would be quite up to scratch!” He had made a few magical adjustments, of course, but those weren’t his forte, and he hadn’t pushed it too far in case he ruined it beyond repair.
At the sound of the lightsaber, Arthur jumped a little, before bursting out laughing. He was fascinated by the sound of Star Wars though, and found himself a little disappointed ( but also understanding ) when Caradoc changed the topic of conversation to the punch. He could always track him down later, or meet with him another time, and have him explain this Star Wars. “No, no, one glass of alcoholic won’t do me any harm, though I’ll switch to non-alcoholic for the rest of the night after. Want to make sure Molly can have a bit of fun whilst she’s here, too.” He accepted the glass, and upon taking a sip, his face screwed up at the taste –––– it was a little stronger than he had expected.
“The decorations are incredible! I don’t know where the two of you find them all...” he trailed off, listening to his explanation of decorations, the chocolate bats, and the rest of the food, marvelling at how much thought had gone into tonight, and feeling grateful that he’d been invited. His jaw dropped at the mention of the cinema, and he found himself nodding eagerly. “That sounds incredible, I would love to!”
