Barbara Young

The Kiosk was bound to be overly crowded yet again today, she just knew it.

"Of course it'll be crowded," she muttered to herself, taking the next corner. "Don't people have anything better to do?"

The irony that she was heading to the exact same place was lost on her.

It wasn't as if she had much spare time to come and check every day (even though she had). She was a busy woman, with a lot of paperwork to do. People these days had far too much time on their hands, to always keep coming back to the new Kandy Kiosk.

"All I want is some chocolate, is that too much to ask?" She kept her voice low as her steps became heavier with agitation.

She had lost count on how many days she'd come to check this Kandy Kiosk store. She was beginning to dislike even the thought of it. Too many times she'd been left utterly candy-less all while having to listen to her co-workers go on and on (and on) about how wonderful the store was.

Yet, here she was, making her way towards it once again. Though she was not going to be happy about it!

Barbara turned the next corner, and stopped. The Kandy Kiosk - it was as good as empty.

A smile came to her lips at the luck of it. Finally!

Almost as if turning a switch, Barbara's demeanor seemed much more amiable as she made the final steps towards the popular sweets shop.

Theron Barton

He had been watching this place for days while simultaneously devouring every scrap of media focused on the newest sensation: Kandy Kiosk. He heard endless babble about it at work and at school—people chattered about it on the trains and in the streets. Everyone was interested. Everyone was going. Everyone wanted to see the amazing selection of candies that their friends and articles had told them about.

And yet, none of them recognized this place for what it was: an alien trap.

Except for Theron, of course. The pale young man looked as severe as ever in the well-tailored dark suit that outlined his thin frame. His shock of brilliantly red hair highlighted the strange, almost skeletal, look. He had what appeared to be a phone in the breast pocket of his jacket and carried an attaché case; both were actually custom pieces of monitoring equipment for extraterrestrial creatures. His own designs, of course.

He wasn't about to enter this candy shop without being on the alert.

Dina Craft

Day two of her new diet and Dina was feeling great! Well, she was feeling better than usual... In fact, if she was really honest with herself, she felt ready to break her diet and binge right now. Unfortunately, this happened every time. She would do very well for a few days, and then ruin it all by splurging. It did not matter if it was a diet, a budget, or some other new fangled craze that caught her eye.

Dina could certainly dedicate herself to a task and finish it, but usually only if someone made her. She didn't have a lot of self-control when it come to self-imposed rules or deadlines.

But! She had an excellent idea to distract herself by taking a refreshing walk through downtown Tokyo. There was a lot to look at and it was very easy to find something to do. Perhaps browse the window of a store, stop to hear a street musician, or... walk right by a candy store.

Darn.

Jana Newton




Ah, here it was. The famed Kandy Kiosk. Jana parked her car and walked towards the door. There were a few other people walking in, but it wasn't overly busy. Last night her roommate had been talking about how good it was non stop, and since she'd apparently eaten everything she'd purchased on the way home, Jana was left with no choice but to seek it out herself. She just had to know how good it was. If there's one thing she absolutely hated, it was being out of the loop on important matters. And candy was absolutely an important matter.

She walked up to the door and opened it, looking behind her to see if any of the other three people approaching wanted in. A wonderful sweet smell poured outside. Man, this was gonna be fun.

Karyn Morse


Karyn had been going through her days like usual as she was only able to will herself to have eaten just breakfast today and was going to have lunch but as she was cooking and plating it she just didn't want it anymore. So Karyn decided to take a walk through Tokyo, being as tall as she was she could see what the popular stores were and she spotted the New Kandy Kiosk which already had a group of people gravitating to it. She walked closer and noticed a lady open the door which let out a great variety of smells. Karyn stopped as she wanted something from there..or did she really..she was trying hard to decide.

Barbara Young

Already more people were showing up. And so quickly too! Was this to be a repeat of the Kiosk being overly crowded? So crowded as to be impossible to enjoy?

"We don't want that," Barbara said to herself in a low voice, irritation beginning to bubble. She approached the door that was being held open by a woman and, despite her rising frustration, Barbara smiled at the kind lady. "Thanks, sugar."

As she stepped inside, the smells hit her in full force. The bright colors and cheerful displays looked nearly magical. Every where she looked there were shelves upon shelves of treasured sweetness.

Chocolate in all kinds of shades and shapes lined shelves, hard rock candy in any kind of flavor imaginable and gummies of so many different types of animals sat in large displays. There were candies based off tv shows and candies that were meant to be gross. Chocolate-covered treats and candy-covered chocolate. Mints, caramels, and lollipops. Some candies Barbara had never even seen, couldn't even begin to guess what they were.

"Wow." Her slight irritation at the growing crowd melted away instantly as her inner-child came to the forefront.

There were so many things to look at, so many things she wanted to try, that she didn't even know where to start.

Clarence McFadden
Clarence walked down the sidewalk, hands thrust deep into his pockets. He wasn't exactly eager to buy a half-dozen different kinds of candy, but it was his co-worker's birthday the next day, and he had drawn the short straw. Now he had to buy her a gift from the rest of them, and candy was always a safe bet, particularly chocolate. He assumed it would be even better if he bought it from that new sweets shop that everyone and their brother had been talking about.

When he had decided that, of course, he hadn't realized that there would be this many people in the shop. A small crowd was already tucked into the space, and Clarence didn't want to see how many more might show up. He took a bracing breath. Get in, get Annie some chocolate, and get out. How hard can it be? He reached out to open the door before sliding into the store, smiling silently at the attendant beside the door.

Theron Barton

He couldn't help glancing at the other people now converging on the store. After all, he had to stay alert. So far nothing had signaled on any of the devices that he carried, but that didn't mean he could be certain of anything just yet. He peeked at the screen of the apparent cell phone, just to be sure he hadn't missed any important data. Forces from outside our known world were tricky.

It was possible that these other apparent shoppers might be... more aliens. Or dastardly human spies for extraterrestrials!

Now inside the shop, he did his best to appear to be caught in intense contemplation of the various candies. It wouldn't do to have any of these possible otherworldly entities catch on to his knowledge of them too soon!

Karyn Morse


After watching more and more people go to the Kiosk or even in the store and after what seems like hour of deciding of Karyn...she finally got the want and courage to go into the store and boy was it a great idea! When she entered all Karyn could think about was the sights and smells emanating from inside the store...Her want to eat something when up and down but she was trying to will herself to buy something...

Tania Joyce

In the middle of her walk home from work, taking the long way to check for any interesting new buildings, Tania spotted it. She'd heard people talking about the new "Kandy Kiosk," but they had failed to mention that the entire building appeared as if it were actually made of candy! Curious to see how they'd completed the task, and also on the detailing inside, she decided she must go inside, no matter how busy they were. 
Maybe if she was lucky, she could even snag the owner and ask them who designed this masterpiece...

Edwin


He waited for an opening, ignoring the door attendant and shouldered his way through the crowd. So what if the door hit her, it's her job-she should be used to it. Edwin was determined to find the manager, owner, or whoever was in charge. He was here on business!

Edwin's mission was shaken upon the sight of the many candies. The scent and colorful sights were overpowering. His mouth began to water unconsciously at the sight of the many bins and boxes full of confectioneries-until his eyes rested on a certain display.

Were those Mcsnappers? Those were discontinued when he was in middle school! He approached the bin, grabbing a box in disbelief. This was his favorite candy as a child! He turned it over, scanning each and every detail of the package. Was he dreaming?

Troy Webb


Troy strode through the streets of Tokyo at a hurried yet graceful pace. It had been a very tiring and stressful day at work and he was anxious to get home. 

As usual, his boss had taken the last meeting of the week as an opportunity to chastise everyone about their mistakes and -in case they didn't commit any- tell them how they could have been done better. He couldn't speak for his colleagues, but he was always deeply distressed by her commentaries. He strived to live up to her expectations, and even though he knew that his achievements were acknowledged, he always left those meetings feeling as if he was a failure, unworthy of working under her. All he wanted now was showering and going to bed.

At least, that was what he was thinking, until a crowd in front of a shop attracted his attention. Coming closer, he saw that it was Kandy Kiosk, the new candy shop franchise that had been practically everywhere during the whole week. A couple of his colleagues had actually modelled for them!!

"Some candy could be just what you need to relax" a voice seemed to say in his head
"I'm not sure I should do it. I don't think my diet allows it" he thought
"Come on, you always work so hard. Can't you indulge yourself a little bit?" 
It was truly a tempting idea. He started to calculate how much he would have to work out and reduce his calorie intake to compensate for his slip, but then shook his head as he dismissed those thoughts. He still had to rest to be at top condition, and even if he could sacrifice some sleep and spend some time at the fancy shop, there was no telling how much sugar would he be eating. But he HAD restraint, had him?

Before he could make out his mind, a cheering crowd of teenagers suddenly dragged him and everything else in their way to the door inside of the colourful store. 

--Hey, hey, careful with the hands!!

OOC:

Clarence McFadden

Biting his lip, Clarence let his eyes dart around the store. The Kandy Kiosk was a cute place, with candies and displays all over the walls and floors. But there were so many people! Clarence moved toward the wall, brushing his hair off his forehead. Then he saw the display against the wall. Apparently, he had found the gummy candies. Every shape and size filled bins upon bins, and he could see every color of the rainbow. “I might just end up getting something for myself as well,” he muttered, already reached to grab a bag to fill with gummy bears. They would be good for him to munch on while he walked back home.


He remembered that hew as supposed to be getting a bag of birthday candy, of course, but everything around him was so tempting, he couldn't help but looking to see if there was anything else he wanted. The constant press of people still grated on his nerves, and he still wanted some fresh air. But suddenly, he started looking at the treats around him with more care. His mouth started to water, and he kept picking up more and more sweets.

Jana Newton

As soon as she had a chance, Jana let go of the door and started making her way into the Kiosk. She didn't mind holding the door open for people, but it was never fun to get stuck holding it for a huge group. 

She started making her way towards the back, where there was a huge wall of saltwater taffy. Mmmmm, she couldn't get enough of the stuff. She grabbed a bag and started filling it. Then, she glanced behind her, and saw- no, it couldn't be- were those Mcsnappers?! She hadn't seen those things in years! There was already a tall, businesslike man grabbing some, but Jana made her way over to the bin anyway. Grabbing a few packages, she said to the man, "Kinda weird, isn't it? I mean, I haven't seen these things, oh man, I must have been about 10 years old. I wonder where they got these things..."

Conrad Castro

Short yet broad shouldered, Conrad stood outside the Kandy Kiosk arms crossed over his chest. Today was the day. He had to go in and get the candy his baby sister had been going on about. She said it was her favorite and only could be found here, but every time he passed the Kandy Kiosk it was so packed with people he couldn't make his way in. He hadn't the time all those other days, but today he made sure to clear out his schedule. He glared at the increasing crowd in front of him like it was some sort of opponent stopping him from entering. He furrowed his orange eyebrows.

Time to get this over with.

Conrad pushed and shoved his way through the crowd, earning a few glares but eventually the people just stepped out of his way. He was obviously a man on a mission.

He slipped through the door and the sights and smells before him gave him reason to pause, almost forgetting why he had even entered in the first place. Colorful, warm, sweet and inviting. He took a deep breath in through his nose. How delightful. This was different than a normal candy store. It made him feel nostalgic. A light bump from a passerby brought him out of his revere.

Right. The candy for his sister. The special edition Doraemon Konpeito, the one that came with exclusive stickers and a chance to win a Doraemon bento set. He sighed, while the store was sweet and inviting it was also over whelming, but that didn't matter, Conrad thought as he steeled his resolve. He'd find those konpeito!

Conrad headed towards the hard candy section. Hopefully they wouldn't be out of what he needed.

Sal Grant

Quite a few people had already gathered to visit the Kandy Kiosk, when Sal Grant and his assistant Stella Haley finally arrived. He was a strange type of older man in his 70s, wearing a bright orange Tuxedo, complete with an orange bowtie, orange shoes, and an orange cylinder. Under the jacket of his Tuxedo, he wore an also bright orange, ruffled, lightweight cotton shirt. Even with the Cylinder, some of his curly gray hair could be seen. To help him walk, he used a fine cane, made out of oak wood, with a golden bull on top.

Sal was happily humming, he couldn't wait to finally reach the Place of his Dreams. Candle Kiosk... what a beautiful name. For weeks he heard people talking about this new place, and all the different sorts of candles they sell. Some people even stated how delicious they were, but why someone would even try eating candles was beyond him, when he wouldn't even dare to burn them. For him candles were nothing but a beautiful decoration for his mansion, and he would hopefully be able to add some more to his collection.

Standing in front of the Shop, he squinted his large, beryl-colored eyes, looking up at the Sign. "K..KANDY KIOSK????" This couldn't be right! He even had Miss Haley look it up in a Shopping Guide. Could it be that.. some big Chain has bought up the Store of his Dreams? He angrily waved his cane at the Shop.

"Who would do such a thing?", he asked his assistant without giving her any context. "WHO WOULD EVEN WANT TO BUY CANDY?", he shouted, causing some Bystanders to give him a strange look. But no, he would not have any of this. Either he would get his precious candles, or the person that dared to open this Candy Shop was going to pay.

A "Come, Miss Haley, we will find the person responsible for this" was the last thing his assistant could make out, before he stormed into the Kandy Kiosk.

Stella Haley

“...In 1868, the Tokugawa shôgun or "great general," who ruled Japan in the feudal period, lost his power and the emperor was restored to the supreme position...”

“WHAT? COULD YOU SAY THAT AGAIN, YOUNG MAN?”

“...In 1868, the Tokugawa shôgun or "great general," who ruled Japan in the feudal period, lost his power and the emperor was restored to the supreme position...”

Here we go again... Stella Haley sighed. The tall young woman tried to keep her narrow black eyes focused on the man leading the group of senior citizens and caregivers on a short walking tour of Tokyo. However, when she noticed her travel buddy Sal Grant beginning to wander off in the opposite direction of the group, mumbling something about candles, the dark-skinned woman quietly excused herself from the tour.  

“...Candles?” Sal wanted candles again? Stella smiled. “Well okay, let me see what the shopping guide has to say about that!” Spending the day browsing through candles would sure beat standing outside in the blistering heat, listening to that poor Japanese tour guide repeat himself a million times for the other elderly tourists in their group who had a very hard time understanding his accent. After about five minutes into the tour, Stella was certain she could recite every detail about the Meiji Restoration by heart. She did not blame Sal one bit for losing interest in the activity so quickly. It wasn't fun at all!

The girl followed dutifully behind the strange old man, her nose buried deep in her book: The Traveler's Pocket Guide to Tokyo, as he wandered on ahead of her humming happily to himself. When Sal suddenly stopped and started complaining, Stella immediately looked up. “...OH BOY, CANDY! WHERE!?” she squealed, nearly dropping her book in her excitement.

"Come, Miss Haley, we will find the person responsible for this—"

“You got it, Mr. Grant!” She exclaimed before darting into the building after him. The pair probably looked ridiculous to everybody they passed, with Sal sporting his favorite bright orange suit and Stella wearing a black corset, frilly red and black tulle skirt, red-and-black-striped leg warmers, and a long faux-fur cat tail. In her wavy red hair, she wore a pair of large black cat ears...

Edwin
A woman approached the bin of Mcsnappers and grabbed a few boxes, but Edwin paid little attention to her. His overjoyed and childlike state was at war with his ability to think critically, until the woman spoke and snapped him slightly out of his funk. 

"It's strange, alright." Edwin muttered, nonchalantly opening the box and taking out a piece, holding it up to the light, with one eye shut as he began to examine it even closer. He began to roll the piece of candy lightly in between his index finger and his thumb-even the texture the the way the dye didn't come off on your fingers was exactly as his memory recalled. "Strange-seeing how the company who made them went bankrupt. My father looked everywhere for these bad boys once they were off the shelves-couldn't find a single trace of 'em."

Ramona Gould

“Six...seven...eight…” a short, slender woman breathed quietly to herself as she walked along. She was counting the shop signs that featured red characters. There must be less than the ones in green, but the only way to know was to count them. It was a sunny day and not too hot, which made it perfect to do a little window shopping.

“Nine… ten… eleven… Oh!” She stopped. The sign she was looking at across the busy Tokyo street was a name she recognized from the news. “It's that Kandy Kiosk!” She squinted her moss-green eyes. Surprisingly, it didn't look too busy yet. Though in the short time she had been standing there, a few more people had already gone in. “Might as well!” she said to herself. “Twelve… thirteen…” Adjusting her wide-brimmed hat, she looked up and down the road, picked her timing amidst the traffic, and crossed quickly.

When she stepped through the door, Ramona was not disappointed. A bell jingled cheerily above her head as the door closed, matching the magical vision before her. She had never seen so much candy in one place in her life!

“One, two, three, four, five… Wait. One, two, three… No. One, two...” She just didn't know where to start! There were so many pretty little displays and colours and types of candy everywhere. Looking around the room she caught sight of a tall woman in white and guessed perhaps she was a staff member. The woman was walking slowly around the room in deep contemplation. Ramona approached her.

“Excuse me, Miss…” The other woman towered above Ramona's head, making her pause for a moment before continuing as politely as she could. “Would you be able to help me? It's my first time here.”

Karyn Morse


Karyn was looking at all the lovely treat and was about to grab a box to look at it when someone else was speaking to her.

“Excuse me, Miss…”  “Would you be able to help me? It's my first time here.”


When Karyn turned around she had to look down at lady who spoke to her, "Help you? Oh I don't work here..I wish I could though it's so nice in here..I was looking at these ones maybe you might like them too..My name is Karyn by the way..." Karyn then grabbed the box of Swizleers and showed them to her new friend. "What do you think of these? they look yummy...i think.."

Echo  

Echo watched from her vantage point high above the Kiosk. She'd been on this job since it opened up, and the sheer amount of victims willingly entering the place always surprised her. Surely at this point someone would have realized that those who came in here did not leave the same way they'd come in?

She was a little insulted to be on energy-gathering duty. Such a lowly job for someone as skilled as herself. Echo lifted her chin at the indignity of it, and straightened out the grey of her short skirt.

No matter. She'd continue to do her job. But didn't she deserve some fun at the same time? A little entertainment?

A slow smile graced Echo's lips as dark energy crackled in her hands. Already a plan was forming in her mind.

One that was certain to break up the monotony of the dull work she'd been given.

Echo teleported to float above the little humans, smile still in place, her sharp fangs revealed. She winced a little at the bright colors and light. And the windows. She always forgot about just how many windows this building had been given.  

She glared at the accursed reflective things. Focusing herself, she sent the mist of her magic to fall over the Kandy Kiosk like a dark veil.

"Welcome humans," she greeted. She did not speak much above a whisper, but still her voice was clear and reverberated off the walls like her namesake. With a loud snap of her fingers, all exits slammed shut and locked themselves tight. "Let's play a little game, shall we?"

Quote :

Goal: React! How does your character deal with the sudden darkening of the candy store, and with all doors audibly being closed and locked? Panic? Cling to the person beside them? Shovel as much candy in their mouths as possible? Show us how your character is feeling and what they do in face of such a strange occurrence!

Try to reach this goal by July 25th!

Jana Newton


"Maybe they got them from overseas or something?" Jana replied to the man. "That's the only explanation I can-"
"Welcome humans. Let's play a little game, shall we?"


Suddenly it was pitch dark. There was an audible *CLICK* as every entrance and exit locked. Not even the exit lights were on. Jana yelped and dropped her candy, not bothering to pick it up in the ensuing chaos. She pulled out her phone and turned the flashlight on. She saw the people are her freaking out, understandably, and tried to find the source of the whispery female voice. 
"Who's there?" she shouted. "Show yourself!"

Karyn Morse


As Karyn was kindly waiting for a response from the nice lady she was speaking with suddenly the Kiosk went pitch black...

"Welcome humans. Let's play a little game, shall we?"


Karyn yelped and tried to look around to of course no avail she then say someone turn a flashlight of some kind on and she grabbed her phone as well. When she did people were freaking out and panicking..."Ok..this is not a promotional thing is it...Right person speaking to us?

Edwin

Edwin saw the woman approach. Dressed in an outfitted skirt, she had to be an employee, he figured. Finally someone he could talk to! Before he could even continue that thought, she announced something strange.

And then the doors and windows sealed themselves, cloaking the room in a dark hue. Edwin gulped, and looked down at the open box of Mcsnappers he held. Without a second thought, he jammed the piece in, crumpled the tiny baggie as tightly as he could and closed the box shut. 

"Look, miss-I was gonna pay for it!" He waved the box in her direction. "No need to clamp down the security over a single box of candy, right? Hadn't seen these in years, I had to check to see if they were the real deal or not."

Edwin turned the box over, still making his way over to her. "How much is this-three dollars? Five? Does your manager let you activate the security over something as small as this?"

Mara West

Mara looked at the candy on the shelves, the amount of candy looked infinite to her. She wanted some, but she thought she should introduce herself to the people here, first. You know, manners.

Before Mara tried to say hi, she heard a women's voice and the room became incredibly dark. She was scared, and thought something paranormal happened. Mara was able to see shortly after, due to the flashlights and "alt flashlights" others have brought here. She could not see everything, and tried to find the lady who spoke before this happened. "What kind of game?" She asked.

Ramona Gould

Before Ramona could reply to Karyn, chaos suddenly engulfed the patrons of the Kiosk. The eerie voice instantly sent a chill down her spine and she froze in place. The white lights appearing from a few people’s phones almost made things worse - flashing wildly about, they cast shadows everywhere and revealed swirls of dark fog in the air.

Three separate voices seemed to challenge the mysterious assailant, and she registered Karyn's calm speech beside her, but Ramona only heard their tone. The echoing words still rang through her mind: Welcome, humans…

She tried to start counting the little beams of light in an attempt to calm herself.

“One, two… ahhhh!” She wished she could sprout wings and fly away. She closed her eyes and wildly grabbed onto Karyn’s hands. The movement sent the taller woman's phone flying into a nearby dish of candy.

It looked sort of pretty that way, she thought absently.

“Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!” she chirped.

Clarence McFadden

Everything went dark, and Clarence started feeling around his pockets, looking for a lighter or anything that could make a little light here. His hand hit his phone, which he pulled out and tapped a couple of time to wake up. As soon as there was a little light, he cast it around himself. It didn't really make enough light to see much, but it did make him feel a little better.


Had the power gone off? He bit considered it for a breath before he heard the lady speaking. Something about humans and playing a game – Clarence sucked in another breath. “W-what on earth?  This c-can't be g-good.” Clarence edged to the side a little, trying to get an idea what was going on. Whatever it was, it was clear that it wasn't good. But until he knew more, he couldn't do anything. He might not like crowds, or confrontation, or being in the thick of things, but it would be much better than sitting and waiting for something bad to happen to him. But he had to wait until he had some idea of what would improve matters a little.

He had heard the doors lock, so he couldn't get out. All he could think of right now to try and form a group of some kind. If they had to fight or something, he didn't want to do it alone, and he would never be able to sneak off. Not that there would be anywhere for him to go. He looked around, wondering how he would figure out what was going on. Maybe he needed to see if anyone else had any ideas.

Troy Webb

The store was breath-taking.The brightly coloured displays of every imaginable brand of candy almost hurt his eyes, while his nostrils were flooded by a myriad of tasty scents. It was such a stuffy atmosphere he could taste the sugar dissolving in his mouth. His stomach rumbled with hunger.

"Ughh... I knew I should have taken a bite after work" he thought as he disentangles himself feim the voracious teens who attacked the shelves. It took him most of his self-restraint not to join them "I'd better leave this place before I do something I'll regret"

So, of course, the power went out immediately after. The sounds of the locking doors didn't surprise him. Many companies -including his own- had automated security systems tbat triggered in case of power outages and fires, isolating sections of a building to prevent property damage.

"But..." he thought as a chill went down his spine "they aren't supposed to activate when there's people inside"

From some point above him, a soft female voice reached his ears

"Welcome humans... Let's play a little game, shall we?"

Troy knew that tone. It was the same, faux affable tone his boss used when she was about to make someone's life miserable. And now a room full of people, at the mercy of a woman who thought of herself as something other than human, was at the receiving end of it.

Without further thinking, he pulled out his phone and called the police.