Various costume pieces were scattered across the floor, to the point where Tiana couldn't take a single step without feeling the crack of a bead or plastic wand or crown beneath her feet. Clothes were spilled out as well - everywhere from ripped jean shorts to silken ball gowns that looked like they belonged to a girl from another century. It seemed that Charlotte was trying to rip her whole closet apart and take everything out of it. Seemed being the focused word, as no matter how much stuff flooded the floor, Charlotte still seemed to have even more clothes to dig through.

"You know," Tiana commented, leaning down to pick up a cracked pink plastic wand that had obviously seen better days, "there are other Halloween stores besides the one at the mall. We could go to the one over on Douglas Street, the one near Aurora's Pizza Palace, or to that one on the west side. I'm sure we could find some good costumes there."

And the Halloween store that they had been to had certainly had lots of costumes. In the small space that the store had rented, shelves were set up and filled with costumes in every bit of available space. The two girls had spent over forty-five minutes inside that afternoon, searching the store up and down for the costume that felt just right.

"Oh, Tia," Charlotte commented, "unless you desire to dress up as a sexy ketchup bottle-"

At that, Tiana couldn't help but laugh (and it was a real costume - something that the two had stared at wide eyed in disbelief at the store).

"-then I do suggest that we look through what's in my closet. I'm sure we could find something interesting in here. Besides, most of my stuff should be able to fit you. If not, your mother can always work on it." Charlotte turned, a broad smile crossing her face. "Take whatever you want, sugar."

Tiana nodded, and began to dig through the clothes. She had to admit, it would certainly save her a lot of money to just borrow something from Charlotte. And considering the size of her closet, Charlotte could probably open up a Halloween costume shop of her own!

The two sorted through the clothes in near silence, save for a few moments when they asked the other's opinion on something. Charlotte was the one more often to ask, always finding something that seemed to spark her interest. Perhaps it was because she actually knew what these clothes were (rather than stumbling through it with no real expectations like Tiana), or maybe it was just because Charlotte felt like being anything. Tiana, however, knew she had to be something. Though she wasn't completely sure just what, she knew that once she saw it everything would click into place.

"Want to go as matching princesses?" Charlotte asked, holding up two blue dresses.

"Sorry, Lottie," Tiana replied. "We did that last year."

"Flappers?" She pulled two dresses from the back of her closet that looked so old they might as well really have been from the nineteen-twenties.

Tiana shook her head. "Other people probably got the idea."

"I could be a princess," Charlotte said with a smile, holding up a puffy pink dress, "and you could be my knight in shining armor."

Tiana couldn't help but smile. "Now that I can do." They could probably whip up a knight costume in a good deal of time.

"Oh, I know!" Charlotte's eyes lit up like the lights on a stage. She turned back to her closet and grabbed some items.

"Uh," Tiana replied once Charlotte had turned to show her what she had found. "A frog?"

Charlotte nodded, her eager smile never leaving her lips. "Oh Tiana, it would be perfect for you!"

For a moment, Tiana was silent, and could only stare wide eyed at the knitted green jumper and frog shaped hat that her girlfriend was holding out towards her. "So let's get this straight, Lottie." Tiana paused, taking in a deep breath. "You expect me," she said, her voice rising the longer that she spoke, "to be an ugly frog while you get to dress up as a beautiful princess?"

"An ugly frog? You would be the best frog in the universe." Charlotte handed the jumper over to Tiana's hands, but stuck the hat right on her head. She held the ends.

The two were close, so close that it was hard to believe that only a short while before there had been a small bit of space between them.

"You're lucky to be the frog," Charlotte said. "That means the princess has to give you lots of kisses!"