[Maiden District, Apartments] On the Topic of Ghosts

by **Isolde Seibold** on June 21st, 2013, 12:04 am

{9th Summer, 513 AV
8th bell}

The Nuit didn't know what exactly she was planning as she stood outside of the simple, wooden door. She had one hand poised to knock, and the other was fitfully tugging at her clothing, making certain all the bumps and bruises were carefully hidden. There were a few people meandering around the cramped hallways of the apartment complex, but not so many that the Nuit felt threatened. The closest she had come had been on her way here, when a wrinkled old man had reached out a gnarled hand to grasp at the hem of her skirt, attempting to grab her attention long enough to sell her whatever little trinket he had been advertising. One look at the Nuit's pale face, the paint scrubbed under her wide, blue eyes, and he had released her. Feeling uneasy, wrapping her arms tightly around her despite the heat and humidity --it was terribly humid, today-- the Nuit had marched on.

And so now here she was. Frozen before the wooden door, arm raised, and warring with herself. Should she knock, or shouldn't she? What if the man within --the one rumored to be a Spiristist-- was aggressive, or even violent? What if she had the wrong place? What if he said he couldn't help her and slammed the door in her face? What if--

Before she could go on, the Nuit brought her hand forward and rapped her knuckles lightly upon the door. She barely made a sound, her wrist leery of providing the proper force to make her knocking noticeable. Come'on, just do it already. If the man looked to be angry when he answered the door, she could simply turn on her heel and beat a hasty retreat. If not... well, then he might be able to give her some advice. She didn't know whether or not he would want money for his time. Regardless, Isolde had already decided that this information would be worth a few Mizas. At least, she hoped.

Knock, knock, knock. This time, she made certain that she rapped on the door loud enough to make her presence known. A new thought struck her as she waited, and she berated herself for not considering it earlier. What if he wasn't even home? Then what? Would she simply lurk outside his door all day, planning to bombard him with questions when he finally came back? Oh yes, wonderful plan, Isolde. Simply marvelous.

But it seemed the Nuit wouldn't have to worry about it. Were those noises, coming from behind the door? It seemed somebody was home... Well then. Now she could only brace herself for what --or who-- might meet her on the other side. "H-Hello?" she called timidly out, and certainly whoever was in there had heard her, and was coming to answer the door.

OOCSorry if it seems bad; like I said, I'm not the best at starting these!

by **Anders** on June 21st, 2013, 2:02 am

The night was a more active period for Anders. Firstly, his patron deity was Leth, he was in his ethereal form and far more comfortable when the moon was out. Furthermore, he was a spiritist. He did a great deal of work at night. Not all of it, but the night was certainly no "down time" either.

He rested periodically throughout the day, perhaps even more during the day than in the night. This was exactly what he was doing when he heard a knocking at his door. He had been slouched on a chair at that moment. There was a book on a nearby table; the etheafal had meant to pick it up but he didn't quite have the energy to begin reading. For now, he happily slouched.

He had gone to rest about 4 hours ago, his pearly, green horns still visible then. Upon waking, Anders was back in his earthbound form. It wasn't that he had had a particularly long night or a difficult job; he usually found himself falling asleep at the earliest, darkest hours of the morning. Typically, he would wake a few hours later for breakfast and a light amount of research before another nap. The only thing that typically disturbed this schedule was if there was any professional work to be done.

For now, Anders was slowly preparing to motivate himself toward the hearth. Soon enough he would prepare his first snack of the day, maybe some dried rabbit or duck and a hard roll with jam.

The sound of knocking at his door roused him from the particularly unfocused way in which he was staring at the blank wall opposite of his chair.

Slowly, he lifted himself up and opened the door.

He was silent as he pulled the door open, right up until the moment when he saw who was on the other side.

"Oh my," his voice betrayed a large amount of surprise but not necessarily fear or alarm. He had had only a few dealings with Nuits. Far fewer than he had with ghosts. In fact, he found Nuit to be scarier than ghosts. It took a particularly powerful ghost to frighten him but there was something downright creepy about the Nuit.

Even with as few encounters with the undead race as he had had, Anders was easily able to identify the woman to her race.

"Can I help you?"

by **Isolde Seibold** on June 21st, 2013, 2:52 am

"Oh my." This was not particularly what the Nuit wanted to hear, and she could tell from the look in the tall, lanky man's eyes that he knew what she was, and the fact that he knew caused the Nuit to take a hasty step back, giving him much more personal space. Her fingers twitched as if she wanted to raise her hands, palms to him in a warding-off gesture, creating a flimsy wall between them. But she forced her hands to stay where they were at her sides, and a moment later was rewarded with his next words: "Can I help you?"

Isolde let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding. He knew what she was and yet he did nothing to harm her, and he didn't act particularly repulsed, just a bit... wary. That was okay. The Nuit was certainly wary of him. He was much taller than her. Probably much stronger, despite his thin frame. Like always, she would have to be careful, cautious.

"Erm, w-well." This was where the Nuit's plan ended. She hadn't really thought someone would open the door. Much less had she thought that he might actually inquire, and politely, too, as to her purpose. She'd honestly thought that she would be immediately turned away. Apparently, now, she had to do some talking --something that always set her to stammering-- and about such a... delicate topic, too. Not many liked discussing magic in Syliras, not openly at least. And she still didn't know if she had the right guy. So she'd just have to try to be... cautious. Feel him out.

The Nuit cleared her throat nervously, then said, "U-Uh. I, uh, I h-heard that you kn-know some th-things about-- well, about ghosts." The last word was dropped to something of a whisper, and Isolde hoped that he had been able to pick it up. She was really no good at this sort of thing; she didn't know what had possessed her to come here, to actually seek this unsuspecting man out...

And then an image of Fubuki Kouri's glowing crimson eyes glared forth from the Nuit's memory, along with the whirring and buzzing of her chakrams, and a snarl of a tiger, claws flashing red, and the ghost girl saying so flatly "Your husband... I see... your husband must die, Madame..."-- and the Nuit shuddered, yes, that was why she had come. Because she needed to help Kouri. And she needed to help Rena, Kouri's little sister, also a ghost. And she didn't know how, or even where to begin.

"Pl-Please," Isolde found herself saying, and her voice was surprisingly soft and earnest, "Pl-Please, I really need some... some help. S-Some information."

by **Anders** on June 23rd, 2013, 3:17 am

Now Anders felt a sense of embarrassment in addition to his hesitance, alarm and curiosity. Someone had come to him in their time of need; another creature had sought out his professional expertise and here he was, answering the door in a combination of the grimy clothes of yesterday and his sleeping attire.

As much as he wanted to be of aid to this person, he was still hesitant about inviting a Nuit into his house...especially in a profession like his where spiritists' names were whispered, maliciously, through the ranks of Uldr.

"Well yes," Anders returned, quite plainly. "I like to consider myself a spiritist and a researcher. I know a good thing or two." He gestured to his clothing and his unacceptable state of appearance by extending his arms and looking down at his legs. "As you can see, however, I'm not in much shape to help anyone right now," he awkwardly tried to force a chuckle. "If you'd permit me to change into something a little more fitting, then we could walk over to the Rearing Stallion and have a good conversation, maybe get to know each other a little better and find out how I might best serve you, today."

He didn't have much to do today, so there were no plans to drop. Anders had only planned to do some reading but if this stranger had some good, honest work for him, then he would certainly take hands on experience over quiet literature and research review. There was some alarm at the idea of allowing himself to be led off by a Nuit. His posture was still awkward and his flexed upper back and shoulders still betrayed some sense of defensiveness and caution. On the other hand, his particular job made the fact that a Nuit had come to him about a ghost problem seem even more peculiar and interesting. At the end of the day, the danger was worth the intrigue and the exploration of whatever task that this Nuit might have had for him.

by **Isolde Seibold** on June 23rd, 2013, 7:58 pm

"Well yes, I like to consider myself a spiritist and a researcher. I know a good thing or two.

As you can see, however, I'm not in much shape to help anyone right now. If you'd permit me to change into something a little more fitting, then we could walk over to the Rearing Stallion and have a good conversation, maybe get to know each other a little better and find out how I might best serve you, today."

The Nuit stared at him for a long moment, blinking, taking in his attire. Funny, she hadn't noticed. She didn't really pay too much attention to that sort of thing, too worried about actions, focused on expressions and reactions, trying to judge if she was safe or threatened. So when he suddenly seemed to become embarrassed, even, for his state, before proposing that they continue at the Rearing Stallion, the Nuit was a bit bemused. But she simply gave him a nod, letting him shut the door and leave her in the hall waiting.

Of course, he could just be saying that, and at this very moment he would be locking his doors and waiting for the evil Nuit to go away... but she didn't think so. Isolde leaned her back against the wall next to his door, trying to quell her rising hopes as she waited for him to return. Still, it was hard. If somehow throughout their conversation she stumbled across information that could help Kouri, help Rena... Her hands began to shake, and for once not from fear. She wanted this Spiritist to prove himself useful. Things, right now, were looking good. He might be able to tell her what she needed to know, or at least give her a start. Then things could move from there. Perhaps he could even recommend a course of action-- But no. No, it wouldn't due to get ahead of herself.

Tapping her fingers against the wall behind her, the Nuit waited. A man scurried past, sliding too close by her, catching sight of her face and giving her a fearful look, and she pressed herself flatter to the wall, trying to take up as little space as possible. She ducked her chin, making it so that it would be harder for someone to see under her hood, and hoped that the Spiritist --oh, she didn't even know his name-- would be quick. It was strange to be the one seeking someone out on her own initiative, and it made her feel more in charge than chance encounters. Gave her a grain of confidence, of eagerness, that normally was completely lacking.

by **Anders** on June 23rd, 2013, 8:44 pm

Anders wondered about the situation he might find himself in over the next bell or so. It was all part of the job, right? Dealing with strange undead creatures? He hastily threw on an appropriate shirt and changed his pants. He started to wonder what his escape plane would be; in the case that she was simply trying to hunt for a new body, he would be prepared. Or perhaps, she wanted to enlist him in something nefarious. He had to be ready for these situations. Still, he knew there was the distinct possibility that she genuinely needed help and that his skills as a spiritist would be most relevant. And so, for this reason, he continued getting prepared to come to a nuit's aid.

A few minutes after softly closing the door, Anders pulled it open again. "Alright," he nodded firmly. "Let us walk down to the Stallion."

"By the way, I am Anders," he briefly curled his lips in the flash of a smile. "It is nice to make your acquaintance," he obligatorily followed. "I trust it would be better to speak more clearly at the tavern, but I am curious. For what sort of assistance did you seek me out?"

Even as he was speaking, his head was subtly scanning and his eyes were wide in awareness and caution. He knew the way to the Rearing Stallion and he wanted to make sure that this was exactly where they went. Part of him wondered if he was, perhaps, being a bit overly dramatic about the whole thing. After all, he wasn't wandering alone in Falyndar, he was right in the middle of Syliras!

The problem was that he didn't know whether his role as a spiritist should have made him feel more or less safe. On one hand, he certainly had experience combating the undead so many of the typical dangers were not as alarming to the ethaefal. But on the other hand, what if he was being sought out for a threatening purpose? What if his skills as a spiritist would serve only as the reason for him to have been targeted, today? Only time would tell. For now, he wanted to be as polite as he could manage while staying alert and cautious.

by **Isolde Seibold** on June 23rd, 2013, 9:58 pm

"Alright. Let us walk down to the Stallion.

"By the way, I am Anders. It is nice to make your acquaintance. I trust it would be better to speak more clearly at the tavern, but I am curious. For what sort of assistance did you seek me out?"

The Nuit, who was usually very careful about staring at people, could not help but keep her eyes on his face as he talked, and the more he talked the more astounded she became. It was almost hard for her to understand. Why-- was he being-- so... so nice? It is nice to make your acquaintance...? Isolde hadn't heard those words muttered in her direction for as long as she had been a Nuit. People didn't think it was nice to have met her. People thought her grotesque, or evil, or frightening, or disgusting, or absolutely revolting, or angering to the point of trying to hurt her, but certainly she had heard him right. What the petch? Did being a Spiritist make him like this, so willing to... accept her, to treat her normally...? She knew that he knew she was a Nuit. She had seen the familiar look in his eyes. She had seen the wariness. So either he had mastered that instinctive dislike already, or he was lying to her, or himself, or to both of them. Really the Nuit was a pessimist. He must truly be bothered by her--

If not, she was going to have to start hanging out with more Spiritists.

To his introduction, the Nuit stammered out, "I-I'm Isolde. N-Nice to meet you, t-too." At his question she balked, eyes flashing around, but a moment later she decided that really, it was his business. He did need to know. And if she wasn't willing to talk to him, she needn't have bothered to come here at all.

Taking a deep breath, she said, hesitantly, "I-- I've r-recently met a pair of-- well, of r-resident g-ghosts." Like before, she dropped her voice on the last word, dragging it into a whisper before hurriedly continuing on. "O-One of th-them, a little g-girl-- well, they're both little girls, but th-this one is the elder-- sh-she b-behaved in a way that I thought w-was, w-well--" Murderous, she thought, Horrifying. Bloodthirsty. But no, that wouldn't do, it wasn't fair to Kouri... so instead she finished, stressing the word, "d-dangerous. A-and I d-don't want her, or her sister, to be-- be hurt. And I d-don't want them to... to be hurting anyone else..." She let her voice trail off, doubt settling snugly in. What could she do about them? They didn't belong to her, they didn't ask for her help, she was butting into their business... but then she shook her head, no. They were only children. Dead, but children. They needed someone to help them, especially if they didn't realize that what they were doing was-- was wrong.

But what if coming to this Spiritist was endangering them? What if he figured out who she was talking about, and decided to-- to what? Exorcise them? Hurt them, somehow? He didn't seem like the type to play ghost-hunter, but he was a Spiritist. What if he went after them and they hurt him? Kouri was deadly, and she wouldn't hesitate to eliminate a threat, especially from someone like Anders.

The only problem was that the Nuit had already decided she had to be here, despite the risks involved. Because doing nothing was worse, way worse. She had to help before Kouri changed Rena, made her into a miniature fighting-killing-slashing machine, without the conscious connected to taking a life. And, if she could --and she really wanted to, knowing what the poor girl had gone through-- she wanted to help Kouri, too. She didn't know if it would be possible. If ghost... psychology worked like that. And that was why she needed someone like Anders to talk to. She looked up at him with worried blue eyes as they walked, waiting for his response, hoping he wouldn't start drilling her with a thousand questions that she didn't want to --or couldn't-- answer.

by **Anders** on June 24th, 2013, 1:53 am

Anders did his best to wrap his mind around all of this as they walked onward. More than anything, he noticed the deep timidity and nervousness in her behavior. This was the thing that scared him most. For a race of people who were typically stoical and distant, this individual seemed quite shaken and restless. It made Anders feel that she was planning something or that she was being untruthful with him.

"So..." he drew the word out and injected a pause for emphasis. "You met two ghosts..." he stopped again, this time to think. "You're worried about one of them, but also the other... because you believe that the older one may hurt the younger. But I also need to protect... the older one... from the older one..." It was not his goal to sound either sarcastic or skeptical. However, he did mean to voice his sense of confusion. He sadly could not offer any blind faith to this nuit stranger.

"There is one thing that I feel I must clarify. They are not both little girls. You need to remember that neither of them are little girls, he warned her. The two of them may have died at a younger physical age but the development of a child into an adult has no representation in the afterlife. The psychology of a ghost reflects a permanent stasis. Sure, there is anarchic change in affect and judgment but there is no unified growth or development. He looked into dark, empty eyes a little more closely, even if only for a second. He looked directly into her pale, collapsing face. "I can't take care of them. There is no way for me to play father to these two spirits." He looked away, rapidly. It was the same awkward turn as that of a person who had accidentally made eye contact with a nearby stranger. He couldn't stare into that lifeless face any longer.

At this point, they had reached the Rearing Stallion. He held the door for her and allowed her to walk in first. Anders, then, experienced something that he never had experienced before. Having the attention of a room suddenly thrust upon him. Not in a good light, had he ever, anyway. It was strange to witness all of these distrusting glances. He even recognized a few hateful stares coming from the bar. He made sure to lead her to a seat that was around a corner and as private as he could manage. He suddenly realized how hard it must have been for her to do this. It helped him come somewhat closer to the possibility of coming to trust the undead stranger. There almost came to be a slight amount of pity for her, in that moment, until he realized she had garnered those stares by existing as an undead, body snatching creature of Uldr.

Once he was seated, he picked up where he had left off. "Well if you don't want me to hurt her, than I certainly cannot cast them out of Syliras, or anywhere else for that matter. He quickly looked up toward the approaching bartender and placed his money on the counter. "Just a glass of ale." He turned back toward his new acquaintance. "And I would have no business doing so, either. Not unless she's really doing something unforgivable, unless she's dangerous. Anders took a second to take a sip of his ale. "Which brings us to the all-important question. What is this dangerous behavior? What did you witness her doing?"

by **Isolde Seibold** on June 24th, 2013, 2:45 am

"So... You met two ghosts... You're worried about one of them, but also the other... because you believe that the older one may hurt the younger. But I also need to protect... the older one... from the older one..."

"No, s-sorry, sorry." The Nuit waved her hands in a hopeless, that's-not-quite-right gesture. "You misunderstand. I-- I'm afraid th-that the older might-- might have a b-bad influence on the y-younger. A-And I d-don't mean for you to protect them. Th-They are not y-your burden." In fact, she really didn't want him to meet them. Really, Kouri might hurt him. And she didn't want to upset either of the ghost girls. Isolde was trying to help. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"There is one thing that I feel I must clarify. They are not both little girls. You need to remember that neither of them are little girls. The two of them may have died at a younger physical age but the development of a child into an adult has no representation in the afterlife. The psychology of a ghost reflects a permanent stasis. Sure, there is anarchic change in affect and judgment but there is no unified growth or development. I can't take care of them. There is no way for me to play father to these two spirits."

At this, the Nuit almost looked indignant, a particularly strong emotion to be portrayed by someone who usually stuttered and stammered around. The indignation, however, flickered out as soon as they reached the Stallion, and by the time they took their seats the Nuit was feeling a lot more upset than anything. "W-Wait," she said, feeling her throat go a little thick, the worry was clear on her face, "Y-You mean to tell me that... that there's nothing to be d-done? Th-That I c-can't... help her, because g-ghosts c-can't... can't get better?" And, at his last remark, she said timidly, "I-- I don't mean you to.. to father them. I just wanted information, that's all. If there's any way to h-help them, any way. I c-can't believe that this ghost girl-- that she can't be helped. There must be a way." She took a deep breath, looking down at the countertop, not bothering to order anything when the bartender came around. Finally she sighed, "At least is there s-some way to stop her from getting w-worse?"

And then came the question that the Nuit felt quite nervous about, really, a tricky topic she had hoped to avoid. After all-- there was a reason she wasn't giving out the ghosts' names, why she was being a bit vague. She didn't want Kouri in trouble, or Rena for that matter. Announcing Kouri's misdeeds, her skewed sense of justice, would probably bring the alarm bells to ringing in Anders' head. "Which brings us to the all-important question. What is this dangerous behavior? What did you witness her doing?"

Of course... if Isolde was careful never to bring up their names... but hadn't she already said a lot? Their relationship, for one thing... two little ghost sisters, well, how many of those could there be in Syliras? On the other hand, would Anders forgive her for not handing out the information? Would he understand that she was keeping her mouth shut for the purpose of protecting the girls?

Well... for now, she wouldn't answer that particular question. For now, she would ask one in return, and if he wouldn't give an answer, or if he didn't give an answer that she thought was acceptable, or if he tried to lie to her... well, she wouldn't be giving up Kouri's crimes. Her return question, asked a bit more sharply than the Nuit intended, but hey, this was important, was short and simple: "Why? What-- what would you do with the information?"

Perhaps this man, even as a Spiritist, could not understand why the Nuit would want to help these ghosts. But she had her reasons, and she was not going to give up on them.

by **Anders** on June 25th, 2013, 1:56 am

"So you want to help them. Then I assume you're prepared for the fact that there's only one real way to do such a thing. You have to help them move on. That's the only help that a ghost really needs."

He knew that she wouldn't like the answer. No one really did when they were told such a thing. Loved ones didn't want to let go, timid people didn't want to seek danger, impulsive people didn't want to dedicate the necessary time. This was different. This conversation took the awkwardness even a step further. Anders wasn't blind to the fact that he might offend his guest with this comment, that it might hit a little too close to home for her. But this was what he had to offer; this was the advice that he had for the Nuit.

"You need to find out what trauma or what personal hang up or what unfulfilled passion has kept them hanging onto Mizahar; and then you need to help them resolve the disruption. The only way to restore harmony to them is to send them to Lhex."

Anders then took a quiet, timid sip of his ale. "Of course, I can always do that for you. I have experience in exorcisms."

He struggled to maintain a polite, professional attitude in this conversation. It was tough because he had never dealt with this kind of situation. He had certainly dealt with the living and he had had a number of conversations with the undead. However, these kinds of conversations always occurred with the living. He was having the right conversation with the wrong recipient and it seemed, to the ethaefal, altogether strange.

"And of course," he grinned a bit more wryly for the first time in their conversation. "There is still the matter of just how dangerous this ghost is," he smirked. "The fact is that as a spiritist, I made a promise to do what I can to ease the suffering of wayward spirits and to protect the people of Sylira. I'm not going to let a dangerous ghost just wander around the city."

He softened his voice here; he knew that if he wasn't careful he would veer off into a very insensitive conversation. "Look, he tried again. I know that you want to protect the girls and I assure you, that by doing this, you are but by coming to me, you've implicated me in this situation. If she hurts someone, I can't afford to let the knights investigate a criminal trail that leads from two spirits to a nuit to a spiritist. Therefore, if you need my further assistance, I need to know exactly what is going on with these two spirits."

Completed [Maiden District, Apartments] On the Topic of Ghosts