Closed Confusion and Denial (Theia)

[Everett]

- Confusion and Denial Timestamp: 53rd of Winter, 512 AV Everett was standing outside of a home, standing in the middle of the street, as people moved around him and some right through him, though it was usually entirely by accident. Though he should have noticed this, he did not, because he was too busy staring at the home. It was just a normal home, but to Everett, it was a reminder of something he had long ago lost. Over two centuries ago Everett had lived in that very house with his wife, Julia. Though the house looked very different, he knew it was the place. Everett could remember the day she died. He was at home.. he was rather old, for a living human anyway, and though she had aged as well she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. She died of a sickness, one that he did not know the name of, and he had not the money to heal. Everett suspected the sickness may have been a result of his studies, perhaps some otherworldly illness, but he could not be certain. All he knew, all he could remember, was that his wife had died of a terrible sickness. It had not been an easy death, she fought to the very end. But those feelings poured into his soul as he stared at the house, now occupied by a new family with no relation to him. Everett never had any children, he had nobody to carry on his name and his house. After Julia died, he had been alone. Until she came, anyway. The ghost stood there for a long time, but eventually he pulled his eyes away from the old building. It was not fitting for a nuit, for that is what he still believed he was, to dwell on their mortal life overly much. He was beyond that, and he didn't need to think about it. Everett did not understand why so may of these memories and emotions were tormenting him lately, it was utterly miserable. Everett had not felt regret for many years, but now it was as if he was reliving his entire mortal life. Everything reminded him of what he had given up, and he wanted it to stop. Finally, he tore his eyes from the building and turned his back on it. He did not go anywhere, but he could not bring himself to look at the building any longer. To everyone else, they saw only a ghost hovering in the middle of the road. To him, he was battling with his mind to fight back to flood of memories he never wanted to come. Everett needed a distraction.

[Theia]

Theia had been surprised to see him, so much so she had followed him. She didn’t believe in ghosts but there was no other explanation for someone being…being walked through! And now he stopped in front of a house and she felt a pang of sympathy. For days after they had lost their cottage she and her brother had stood in front of the old lot and watched the ruins for more bells than she could remember. A part of her still didn’t believe either, maybe she had just been seeing things. But the surrounding area looked so different than her memories of it, clashing with the now violently. And just like with the man people ignored her as well, though her because she was just another citizen but there was a wrongness in her thoughts. Straightening, Theia got a better look at the house. It was a simple enough one, like any other in Zeltiva. She expected at any moment for the man – ghost – whatever he was too be looking for someone but there was no one. For a few chimes Theia simply stood there staring at the man in mixture of awe and confusion before her legs took over for her and prompted her to walk forward. “You looking for someone or you just lost?” Theia asked softly so to not startle the man, he did look pretty old. White hair and beard and the weirdest looking hat Theia had ever seen.

[Everett]

It was a battle Everett was having difficulty winning. He could not help but remember his life, especially being in Zeltiva and seeing all those familiar things, but he did not want to remember them either. Everett had given up that life, had chosen not to die and follow his love into the next life, to become a Nuit and continue his studies forever. He pushed those memories to the back of his mind, and never wanted to think about them again. But he could not control them. Theia's voice startled him out of his reveries, as he practically jumped when she spoke. "Oh, no, no, my dear. Not at all.. just.. remembering." Everett examined the woman, clearly a ghost, and felt a pang of pity for her. He knew of ghosts, of course, there were many on Nuit, though they were all mostly kept in check. Their lives were miserable, from what he understood, always battling the temptation to pass on. Many Nuit battled that temptation, but it was much easier for a ghost to give up and vanish in an instant. Many of them did not even understand their condition. Everett wondered if this woman did, if she knew what she was. It was always a touchy subject with ghosts, he preferred not to bring it up, so instead he switched subjects. "I was actually going to resume my search for a new body. Nobody will tell me where I can procure one. As I'm sure you can see, this one expired a long time ago, and I need a new one before it completely falls apart."