Like, apparently, that's what he's getting out of being in this town. The first time he swears he catches one looking at him he nearly bolts, and only nearly because in his haste he trips... over a second pumpkin, the toe of his boot going right into it's stupid grinning mouth and near cracking the whole thing in half.
That was the first mistake. The second mistake was grabbing the next, angrier pumpkin to surprise him and throwing it as hard as he can into the air. No aim, no control, just yeeting the whole thing as hard into the sky as he can.
You might catch him at either of these times or, deep into the pumpkin hunt, when he's just about developed a nervous twitch from seeing so many stupid carved faces—]
Hold still!
[—And he just hauls back and punches a pumpkin clean in the center where it sits innocently on a shelf or something around shoulder height, which does absolutely nothing but burst the poor thing - overripe, perhaps - and splatter pumpkin innards right into his face and onto whoever he'd just told to hold still.
He looks appropriately horrified, and after a moment he spits out a pumpkin seed.]
I... thought it was looking?
ii. horse
[Now, Emil has nothing against horses, generally speaking. He's taken his fair share of carriage rides in his life and found them mostly pleasant, but he quickly has learned the difference between a horse he doesn't have to look in the eye and one that he does, because it won't stop... bothering him! Following him around! Making that sad horse face at him! Or is that just what horses have always looked like and he wasn't paying attention?!
Either way, the horse will not leave him be, and he's nearly at his wit's end. You might find him mid-...conversation, with the beast, which is going as well as one would assume:]
For the last time, I don't have any food for you! I'm sorry! I don't even know what horses are supposed to eat... Grain? Fruit?
[He actually stops and looks at the horse for a second, as if maybe it understands what he's saying and will whinny once for 'yes' and two for 'no' if he's patient enough. This last for all of a few seconds before he makes a frustrated noise, throwing his hands up and turning to walk away again.]
How am I supposed to know! I don't— ow!!
[Undeterred, the horse has taken a gentle chomp of his golden locks... this is the end of his life, for sure...]
Hey! Help me!!
iii. heart game
[What is communications beyond radio, this doesn't make sense!! And yet.]
really, now you stop that infernal beeping
this is the worst radio I've ever seen but assuming somebody is listening to this [he doesn't know] if you beep at me again I'm throwing this thing into the nearest lake
emil västerström | stand still stay silent