Getting Outta the Lab [Open]

[tsukikoko]

"I would greatly appreciate anything you have to offer with learning to read. I apologize, I've just never had the need for it, but perhaps it could be useful."
"Eeee, not a problem pet, be glad tah 'elp, like. After all, if ya can read, think of all the stories and 'istory to catch up on, ya know?"
The woman was already thinking about which books she would need to get hold of to assist Bruse in learning to read English while also mulling over whether there was a way for him to access the vast swaths of information available on the Internet. After all, he likely had a lot of events to catch up on, never mind the number of stories and comics she could introduce him to! Did spirits like to play video games, could she somehow rig something for him to be able to? The thoughts tumbled and flitted through her mind at speed, overlapping one another and breaking off at tangents as she puzzled out the potential shortfalls of her ideas. It was at this moment Sara realised Bruse's awkwardness concerning his placement on, or rather through, the settee. She blew air from puffed cheeks out through her mouth and murmured something about 'wonder if ah can fix that..' before returning her attention to the list of movies she was flicking through.

After a few minutes had passed, in which Bruse looked completely at a loss about what to choose, the woman had almost taken pity on him and chosen herself (not that she really knew what he would like, but she would give it her best guess!) when the ghost finally piped up with;
"How about that one. Is that a spirit?"
Sara started with a slight 'oh!', having already tabbed past the one he was talking about. She quickly scrolled back, landing on the movie the spirit had described.
"Ghostbusters!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm, "Cracking good choice there Bruse! Is a classic, like."
The movie began to play and Sara all but jettisoned off the settee when the music began, humming loudly along to a tune she obviously knew well.

In her exuberance, Sara had neglected to consider how a spirit might feel about a film involving a ragtag group of three ragtag scientists who studied the occult, were promptly kicked out of University, manufactured ghost capturing equipment, drove around in a suped up Hearse and trapped a number of poltergeists and ghouls for money, then proceeded to open a gateway to another dimension, released untold evil and roasted a giant marshmallow man.

[Pearl Dragon]

Ghostbusters.

The title alone seemed fairly odd to Bruse as Sara clicked about on the remote to go back to the movie in question.  As the movie began, Bruse settled himself a bit more, shifting into a more side-reclined position and watched the small rectangular screen in front of them.  For a while, the movie seemed normal enough, a few comical moments that Bruse stared at blankly, unable to properly see the humor for what it was.  Once the paranormal type scenes began to take place, Bruse perked up some.  The "ghosts" in the move seemed...odd enough, but then Bruse had seen a great number of good and evil spirits and entities, all of which were unique in appearance, save for the abundance of human spirits that roamed the Earth.  But, as the movie continued, the mention and demonstration of the guns used by the characters made Bruse's eyes widen.  Could....could humans possess such technology?  A few of the movie's following scenes were lost to Bruse as he witnessed the humans using their "Proton Guns" to capture multiple ghosts, the sight of which sent Bruse's mind reeling into questions.  What if such a thing existed?  Would humans eventually plan to wipe out all spiritual entities, both good and bad?  The humans on the screen seemed to have no concern whatsoever for whether or not the spirits they were capturing were good, bad, or otherwise troubled.  He knew for a fact, that according to the logic of this very situation, he'd be the first to be absorbed into these strange devices.  

Bruse gave a nervous glance over at Sara, his mane swirling a bit more than usual.  Finally, he spoke.

"Sara....you're a scientist, correct?"  He started.  He wasn't sure where he was going with these questions, but his concern and curiosity were brimming, demanding answers.  "Is this...is this true?  Do humans...want to destroy spirits?"  He'd known for some time that humans feared what they did not understand, that they "hunted" ghosts and spirits for fun or thrill, wanting to capture evidence of their existence, but he had never stumbled upon human ghost-hunters such as these, and if they existed....he needed to know.   Now.

[tsukikoko]

Sara had been so enthralled by the film (despite having seen it many a time previous), that she didn't notice Bruse's growing agitation, or how his mane swirled more than before. She did notice slightly more of a chill in the air, but thinking it just a side effect of her ghostly housemate, she responded simply by tucking her feet more securely beneath her blanket.
"Sara....you're a scientist, correct?"
The question was unexpected, to say the least, which made Sara finally take notice of her companion and the perceptible shift in his demeanour. She turned to face him, one eyebrow arching. Something had troubled him and she wondered where this conversation concerning her academic credentials was headed.
"Is this...is this true? Do humans...want to destroy spirits?"
The woman's eyebrows creased, confusion at this sudden line of questioning clear across her face for a split second. Next moment, she had looked towards the TV, then back to Bruse, her mouth opened in a stricken 'O' shape. It had never crossed her mind that this spirit, this ancient being, was not aware of live action film and the fictional nature of it. To him, that entire viewing experience must have seemed like some horrific documentary!

Nearly falling off the settee in her haste to reach the remote, Sara promptly turned the television off (not that it really helped at this point, the damage was done). Next moment, she held her hands up, shaking her head vigorously,
"Ahh, Christ alive! Ah've been such a bloody prat, what must ya think, like? No, no, no, Bruse, luv, it's fictional, like. It ain't real, just a story, ya know?"
She paused, thinking now that just calling it a story did not help matters, that still implied humans were all deathly afraid of spirits and told stories concerning their demise. She ran a hand through her hair, slowed down how quickly she spoke and tried to explain, to settle his nerves somewhat.
"There ain't no-one like that, no plasma guns or war on spirits. The beams're made usin' a computer, like a moving painting, ya know? Sure, we got some, like, spirit mediums an' the like, but they just wanna talk to spirits, though most've 'em are lyin' buggers anyhow. I don't reckon most people wanna 'urt spirits, like, they might be a tad nervous of ya 'cause humans don't tend tah like what they cannae understand, but.."
She whistled air through her teeth, looking decidedly ashamed of herself,
"Bollocksing hell. Sorry Bruse... I shoulda known better than tah show ya that film first. Or at least mentioned it were fake from the bloody start."

[Pearl Dragon]

Sara quickly flipped the movie and television off at Bruse's question, fumbling frantically for the remote before turning to Bruse in a panic as the picture on the screen disappeared.  She began apologizing profusely and berrating herself and Bruse lost his suspicions almost instantly amidst trying decipher Sara's dialect.  As she continued to reason and apologize, Bruse lifted a paw and placed it on her shoulder in a mild attempt at calming her down. "Sara..Sara..It's fine." The pressure of his paw would be cool and light, almost not even there, but reassuring. When she'd settled a bit, he looked down in his own shame. At this point he knew he could trust her, there was no reason for her to deceive or lie to him, and he began to think that her claim of fiction was more than likely the case. Surely if such a thing existed and humans were using such technology, he'd have heard about it by now.


"I believe you. I apologize for my ignorance and if my question panicked you. It's just...I wasn't sure...and if something like that was possible, I'm almost certain they wouldn't hesitate to vanquish something like me...because of what I am, or what I appear to be." He thought of how best to word this. How to describe his thoughts and the initial worry he felt when the movie had seemed real to him. "Humans don't normally react too well towards me. In fact, the mediums you mention, the real ones, I've met quite a few. And their first reaction is either to flee or faint in terror before me. Those weapons...it's because of spirits like me that they would exist. So I just...needed to know."



He trailed off. He didn't mean to make such a big deal out of a simple movie. He knew it was for entertainment, why did he act that way? But it seemed so real. Fiction, "moving paintings", how could any of that make such destruction as what he just witnessed. He had many questions, but he wanted to avoid upsetting Sara any further, and so he set his attention back to the television. With simply a thought, a pinpoint of focus, the television flickered to life again. In a matter of half a second, it flipped through the entire range of channels and options 3 seperate times in a blur of color and static before landing precisely on the movie, paused right where they'd left off. He hadn't meant to cause the television to spasm that way, but he already felt a small amount of confidence that he would be able to master control of his effects on Sara's home in no time with a bit of practice.



"Let's finish the movie." He said, giving Sara a smiling look. "Please, tell me how it works."