Closed [Gug Andjak]Do ghosts say BOO![Kouri]

[Clyde Sullins]

1 Spring 514 Another day, another lab. Clyde had been exploring of late the various labs on Sahova, of the common labs, and sometimes found interesting things. On this day he found another new lab, one for a purpose he was a bit uncertain of. For one there was a bloodstain on the lab table, blood which apparently had not been cleaned up by the previous tenant. Clyde thought for a moment it was human blood, until he noticed a piece of a feather in it. Apparently some kind of bird or fowl or something avian had been cut open and bled or something here. There were other things also. A large mortar and pestle, which could surely grind up many substances. Several bowls and jars which had been cleaned out, but obviously were well used. They seemed the cleanest things in the lab. There was also a bowl full of odd pebbles and stones that looked vaguely like beads but upon inspection were quit heavy. Heavier than appearances would indicate. Of course perhaps this was just because they were made of stone... Oddly enough next to this bowl of pebble stones was a pair of hair shears, which still had a single long blonde hair stuck in it. Confused as to what this lab was for, Clyde puzzled for a few moments before noticing a notebook set aside. It looked to be some kind of personal journal or something, perhaps one used by an apprentice. Picking it up, Clyde picked a page and began reading from it. “Felt a chill today, and then saw her again. She won't leave me alone... I killed her seasons ago, saw her die, but still she follows me. Why won't she leave me alone? So far she has not gotten violent, but she keeps messing with my work, misplacing my quills and such things. I found this one I am currently using underneath a pile of parchment. ” Clyde frowned and tried to puzzle out the meaning of the words, but was more confused than ever. Was the author insane? Letting out a sigh, Clyde read on to another page. “Do they say boo!? Stories always depict them doing nasty things, making men go crazy, and jumping out and saying BOO! at people... But I've yet to hear one say boo. She's back again, still not passed on, and she's yet to say boo. She did spend several bells cursing in some inventive ways, and sneaking up on me and poking me in the side with her icy touch, but she's yet to say boo... Perhaps that's only in stories.” Clyde paused, and clutched his staff Cha a bit tighter in his grip, suddenly realizing what the text was. This was some form of a spiritists lab, and this journal was that of a person being haunted. A spiritist being haunted by a spirit he had killed... Clyde could not help feeling a bit creep-ed out after having read the excerpts, as if he was afraid the haunting spirit would indeed leap out and finally say BOO!

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Uuuunh..." An echoing adorable yawn echoed in the halls of the Quarters as a peculiar phantom girl named in white with blood-red eyes named Kouri floated about aimlessly, an obviously bored expression on her pale features. Her mother was busy, Kriem was busy taking care of Rena, Mia was nowhere to be found, today was an utterly boring day, Kouri wanted to do something fun! Maybe, I should go to the Dungeons? She made a thinking expression, yes, the Dungeon could be fun, she loved 'toying' with those prisoners, them being expendable certainly helped the case, but... for some reason, Kouri ended up waving off the idea, she was bored just playing with pathetic souls, she wanted to play with someone important, someone powerful, someone whose worth meant more than 'plaything' in her eyes.

"Ah well, I'll just play with Mommy!" The ghost girl decided with a nod, she was talking to herself, truly the trademark of a curious child, a deadly curious child with an possessive streak, both literally and figuratively. Assuming her mother would be in the Labs, doing her usual complicated research, Kouri floated there, her hair swishing about, following her movements. As she floated, the ghost girl hummed a song, a particularly happy nursery rhyme, but the haunting nature of her voice put a morbid twist to it.

A few chimes later, Kouri arrived in the Gug Andjak, one of Anna's favorite places, through the ceiling, literally, the ghost girl's body phased through it then as she lingered there on the ceiling like a resting bat, her large eyes moving left and right to search for the familiar tall dark-haired woman, but instead... she found a man with similar - in her mind- charateristics. "Huh? Is that..." Squinting her eyes, Kouri saw him, his robes and features were unmistakable, especially those striking sharp blue eyes, it was Sir Clyde! "He-..." She wanted to greet him, but her naughty mind stopped herself, why should she greet him in a conventional way? Kouri remembered how Clyde looked surprised at their first meeting, she wanted to see that look again, how the powerful spiritist put on a startled expression, it was so much fun! Perhaps there was something with the ghost girl about pranking powerful people, except Mistress Wanda, that would be suicide.

Clearing her throat and dimming down the soulmist swirl around her, Kouri went on her 'stealth mode', she silently floated down, down, and down, landing just right behind Clyde, her head peeking from his left shoulder, the man seemed to be reading something and she was curious, Kouri struggled a bit to read the notebook written in Common, well at least it was not written in those 'Ancient-whatever' language that her mother seemed fond of. Then, her crimson eyes perked up when she read...

"“Do they say boo!? Stories always depict them doing nasty things, making men go crazy, and jumping out and saying BOO! at people... But I've yet to hear one say boo."

A smirk appeared on the girl's features, Clyde still had not realized her, him gripping his staff was clear even to the ghost child, she had seen these kind of reactions before, people tend to grip their weapons when they meet her in the Bronze Woods, just like that knight who stabbed her... but that was in the past, she wanted to have fun with Clyde! Putting her pale lips just beside his ear, Kouri exhaled a chilling misty breath as she softly whispered...

"Boo~"

[Clyde Sullins]

As Clyde's reading came to an end, he let out a sigh. As he did, he felt a small twinge of cold on the back of his neck, goosebumps rising on the skin uncomfortably. It was oddly fitting with the words Clyde read off the page, the foreboding passage telling of a person being haunted... So distracted was he by the cold twinge, he paused before continuing on to a new passage. Clyde could not help but be distracted by thoughts of powerful ghosts and spiritists being haunted by them. Clyde himself was a spiritist of sorts, and was sort of being haunted by a ghost that liked him... Of course his haunting was far different than the one taking place in the journal. But still, by habit he clung a bit tighter to Cha, being reassured by its now familiar feeling in his hand. As he thought about this, a cold waft of air blew over his ear from behind, along with the words "Boo~" being spoken from no where. Clyde reacted by instinct, spinning about in place upon the source of the voice, directly behind him, and slashing through the air with Cha to knock it with his blue staff. Clyde thrashed through the air to strike at whatever imaginary or invisible foe was sneaking up on him, not thinking or considering the voice or its source, simply reacting in his jumpy state, and letting out a “Hah~!” as he slashed at the air.

[Fubuki Kouri]

The shivered surprise of the mage brought a giggle to Kouri's lips, inadvertently causing accentuating the ghost girl's haunting act because well... ghost girls often stereotypically portrayed as an eerie sobbing or giggling child. She expected him to be surprised, she expected him to be scared, what she didn't expect however, was that Clyde's seemingly simple staff hitting her even though she was not materialized.

"AAW!" Kouri screamed in a pain with a high-pitched wail as her weightless body as the staff flung her a few feet away from Clyde, the ghost girl stopped herself as she held her right cheek - where the staff stuck her - Kouri was bewildered for a tick or two, how could he hit her? She was sure not materializing her body. In the end, Kouri waved it off as some magic mumbo-jumbo enabling him to do so, he was a mage after all, mages could do everything in her mind, even non-senses.

"Mmmmph..." That didn't mean she has to be pleased though, Kouri pouted in childish anger as she floated closer to him, focusing the soulmist in her right hand as she punched Clyde's stomach, if it hit, Clyde would feel as if his belly had a brick thrown at it. "Meanie!" She screamed at the tall man's face, then crossed her arms over her chest, looking away, "I was just trying to surprise you, you don't need to hit me..." Muttering under her breath, Kouri's crimson eyes turned to the journal.

"I thought it'd be fun, since you are reading a scary story book," a black tendril slithered along her right arm then launched from her hand to pick up the tattered book, "Where did you find a storybook around here? This one is strange... it's like the author is truly scared, perhaps he's just a good writer?" Like a child, Kouri quickly grew bored with the book and put it back, her attention turn to Clyde's staff instead, "Oh yeah! How could you hit me? What is that staff? Tell me!" Then a mischievous smirk adorned her pale lips, "Since you hit me, I want compensation! Ehehe~ Teach me something new! A fun new magic, perhaps?" Kouri tilted her head, her tone didn't sound like a request at all, it was more like an order from a spoiled rich daughter of a merchant.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was unsure what he had expected when he turned about. Without even thinking he had struck out, the situation rising his jumpiness far beyond his normal low level paranoia and over cautiousness. As he swung about his staff, it met a odd sense of resistance as it passed through something. After a moment his eyes registered the person before him, Kouri the ghost. However by then she was letting out a yell. "AAW! Clyde yelled back, just as surprised, though not in pain as she was. “Aaaah!” Kouri let out a low sound, perhaps a lingering pain brought on by the staff. Clyde knew what it was supposed to do, that its intended ability was to be able to interact with ghosts. But still, it was a bit surprising to see it in action."Mmmmph..." What he hadn't been expecting was to be struck in response. Perhaps if he'd known it was coming, or considered she might react as such, he might have been able to attempt a dodge. As it was, he was hit full force in the gut, having the wind knocked out of him with a “Oof!” As he struggled to regain his breath, the ghost girl yelled at him. "Meanie!" Oddly enough, she was indignant over having been struck, even though in Clyde's mind she had clearly been the cause of things. He'd mate it clear the previous time they'd met he was jumpy, and did not like being sneaked up on. With that added to the creepy nature of the book he had been reading, and the mood it set, it was small wonders he hadn't reacted with a flash of Reimantic flame. "I was just trying to surprise you, you don't need to hit me..." Clyde struggled to catch his breath, still hunched over, the air not entering his lungs properly or something, or feeling as if the air just wasn't working when it did enter his lungs. "I thought it'd be fun, since you are reading a scary story book." "Where did you find a storybook around here? This one is strange... it's like the author is truly scared, perhaps he's just a good writer?" "Oh yeah! How could you hit me? What is that staff? Tell me!" "Since you hit me, I want compensation! Ehehe~ Teach me something new! A fun new magic, perhaps?" After the onslaught of questions, Clyde finally was able to catch his breath and stand up properly. Letting out a cough, he glared back at the ghost, not giving into the tone of her voice, that of a petulant demand from someone who expected others to jump to her call. Holding Cha, he tapped it once on the ground, continuing to glare at the ghost girl. “Don't blame me for my reaction to your actions, it was made quite clear I was jumpy last time we met, and didn't like being sneaked up on. Your plan to spook me didn't go as you expected, that is hardly my fault. Your lucky I didn't react any more violently than lashing out with Cha. I certainly owe you nothing. Especially after the last time we met.” “As for the book, I believe it was written by a spiritist, it is some kind of journal or series of log entries written about their experiences. ” “You should watch your tone though, I am under no requirement to answer your questions, perhaps you should try please once in awhile? The reason the staff could hit you, is because it is a work of Magecrafting, and was made specifically with the ability to interact with ghosts and spirits. I made it for my judgement.” “And considering what you did when I showed you Auristics, why would I be inclined to teach you anything new? You damaged my eyes! I couldn't see right for days!” Glaring back at the insolent child before him, Clyde prepared himself. If she launched herself at him, or tried to attack him again, he would be prepared this time, responding with a spurt of fiery res from his staff.