sweethymns | Pictures in the Dark

[Iona nods keeping her eyes on the ghost.]

Yeah... Seems like a calm one though. It hasn't noticed us although you should be safe with the charm on you.

[The ghost is stationary for another minute before it glides away silently. The chilly atmosphere seems to increase though meaning...]

That means there's probably more up ahead.

[And she takes a step forward, bottle over her shoulder. Her strides are confident and practiced, not an ounce of hesitation.]

Stay close to Oren! I'm gonna go check it out.

[He's snapped out of his stationary state when Iona steps forward, and he reaches out to grasp her by the wrist without even thinking about it.]

Woah, hey-- You can't just go scope things out by yourself. I'm not here just so I can stand by uselessly.

[Whoop, that pulls her back. Iona blinks and looks down at his hand on her wrist and then back at Michael.]

Ah... Hm. Okay, you can come with! Sorry, almost left you both behind there.

[THIS IS FINE!!]

[He lets go of her wrist, breathing out a relieved sigh. She really is headstrong, isn't she?]

Don't forget that we're here to back you up, not just to stand here and look pretty.

[A half hearted attempt at levity (though in Oren's case, probably more accurate)]

All right, let's go. [He's got his bottle ready, too!] No need to rush through it.

You're right.

[The witch pauses and without looking at Michael, she gives him a pat on the shoulder.]

Thank you.

[Her crystal arm flickers again...]

[In the flickering light of her arm, Michael feels a wave of... something. It's not quite embarrassment, but very akin to it, and he feels the need the clear his throat for no real reason and keep his gaze on the doorway ahead of him.]

...You're more than welcome. [It's spoken softly, but easily heard in the abandoned building, which echoes all sounds with ease. Michael shifts his weight, then takes a few steps forward.]

So to recap, just hit any problematic ghosts on the head with our bottles, right?

Yup! If they ignore us, it means they have other business and I leave that up to specialists who can actually talk to them. Problematic ones, we give them the 1-2.

[Speaking of which, it's getting colder as they go through a door.]

Well! Guess we got a pretty big lot here!

[And indeed, it looks like a bunch of ghosts, some curled up on the ground, some flickering in and out like static while covering their arms, mouths open in a shrieking manner, but with no sound coming out, there's one ghost that keeps going back and forth through a wall.]

[Iona's cheery demeanor is contrasted by Michael's cautious one; he looks at the ghosts, almost bewildered by how many there are -- but more prominently, he feels another chill run up his spine. Many of them are, for lack of a better word, plain creepy.

He speaks more quietly than usual, once again contrasting to his friend's openness.]

This is like something out of a horror movie. I... feel kind of bad for some of them.

[Iona nods in agreement.]

Yeah. They can't help being in this kind of state.

[She pauses as she gingerly steps around one ghost laying still on the ground.]

It's kind of weird, but I still think of them as alive in a sense. Cause you know, they're still haunting places and existing if you get what I mean.

[It's rather melancholic to bring it up to begin with, but she's sounding particularly thoughtful.]

[Michael reflects her thoughtful tone, along with a tinge of sympathy.]

Existing with most of the world just passing them by.

[Melancholic indeed.]

None of these ghosts look hostile to me, either. Did we miss something?

Hm. Probably? These guys are gonna have to go at some point, but that's not my job although...

HEY. BUDDY.

[Iona walks up to the ghost that's shuffling back and forth through a wall and...

... Whacks it over the head with her holy water. It freezes and then dissipates into thin air. None of the other ghosts seem to mind or if they do face Iona, her magic arm and her wielding a bottle with powerful contents seems to keep them away.]

THAT'S doing that guy a solid.

[the nicest witch]

[Michael nearly jumps again at Iona's exclamation, startled. He stands by and watches her konk the unwitting ghost over the head with the wine bottle, wincing for some reason as she does. He watches it dissipate with visible curiosity.]

I can't tell if it appreciated it or not. But... I guess being stuck in a loop isn't much better.

[He's not sure if he's so bold as to do the same as her, but at this point he'd do it to a hostile ghost without much hesitation.]

Yeah, I know right? We're basically giving wake up calls right now. I'm not all that holy if you couldn't tell already. But whacking things? Yeah. I'm good at that.

[god why]

You whack things a lot, Iona?

[Should he be amused? Worried? Both? (At least he could volunteer to help her with these sort of things from now on, so he can make sure she doesn't get in over her head someday.)]

Well, I whacked that wendigo in the teeth didn't I?

Doesn't have anymore teeth, I can tell you that much.

Yeah, but... I mean, it was a wendigo.

[What he's trying to say without actually saying it is, Maybe haphazardly whacking things isn't always a great idea. He remembers that night with the wendigo quite clearly, as if it happened yesterday. Punching it was an option, of course, when it had gotten too close for comfort; but Michael would have been just fine running away rather than confronting it in the first place.

But that's neither here nor there, and the danger isn't quite at critical mass like it was that particular night. (Right?)]

A-anyway... [He moves closer to Iona, getting out of the way of a ghost hovering his way, and disappearing into the nearby wall.] Um, maybe we should focus on trying to find the problematic ones? We might be here all night, otherwise.

Fair enough! The sooner we can leave, the better.

Let's go up stairs then! There's probably more to deal with on the upper levels.

[And there she goes about to jog ahead, but this time she stops and waits for Michael first.]

Edited 2016-06-07 15:45 (UTC)

[At first Michael is ready to jog after her, but he feels a rush of relief when she stops and waits for him. He puts a little pep in his step to catch up to her, but at least he doesn't have to run. He smiles, gratefully, once next to her, then glances up the stairway.

It's a bit, well, dark and gloomy-looking. Creepy, just like the rest of the building, and peppered with appears to be intricate cobwebs.

Ladies first, he would say, if he was inclined to vocally announce his uncertainty. But instead, Michael is the first to take a step up the stairs. It creaks under his weight.]

Be sure to watch your step.

Same to you! Oh wow-- [That exclamation leaves her lips because it suddenly is feeling colder than it has on the previous floor.]

We have an angry one on our hands here!

[why does she sound so chipper through all of this]

[Michael freezes in the middle of the stairway he had diligently been walking up. He grips the railing with one hand, ignoring the spider webs brushing at his fingertips.

Iona, why do you sound so excited about this]

What, where?

A little further up!

[And on cue, there's another white and misty figure. Its facial features are more defined and more emotive although the place where its eyes are are dark and void and express nothing less than utter hatred and madness. It glares at the trio as if daring them to come closer.]

Oh, wow.

["Wow" is not the word that Micahel would have used. Though it's just as unsettling as the rest of the ghosts he's come across, its eyes are borderline terrifying. The hatred in them could be seen from where he stood, and he instinctively gripped his bottle even tighter.]

I'm guessing that's the one.

[He doesn't move, he's waiting for either Iona or Oren to take the lead, given his inexperience. He looks at Iona questioningly, as if to ask, Now what?]

[Iona nods in confirmation.]

It's gonna take more than one hit to put that one down. The angrier they are, the more solid they tend to be.

[It's flashing in and out of sight now, coming closer to them, with the clear intent to harm.]

Okay, back up, backup. Michael, you stay close to me, Oren's gonna neutralize it first.

[His breath catches in his throat when he sees the ghost draw closer, but he's not so startled as to not do as he's instructed. He shifts to move closer to Iona still, making sure to stay out of the way of whatever Oren plans to do. He breathes just low enough so she can hear him:]

Just let me know when I need to make my move and I will.

[Oren looks down at Michael and then back at the ghost.]

Neutralize with magic. [Huh, so Oren does use magic to a certain degree.]

Then both of you hit.

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