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Post by jarahamee on Feb 24, 2020 23:46:24 GMT -6
The alley was empty except for Ru, and he admitted, he liked it that way. The slender vampire hopped daintily through the shadows towards his end goal, long coat billowing behind him with a little bit of extra drama. At least as far as clothing went, Ru enjoyed a bit of drama in his clothing choice, and a small part of him enjoyed at least looking as vampiric as they came. It wasn't too different than what he wore before his 'death' previously.
As for his 'investigation' things were just starting to get juicy, at least, as juicy as his ghost investigations had been going. And, additionally, his shadow powers made him feel like a secret agent. These powers came in handy, allowing him to slip unseen by any passersby. Indeed, he was nearly invisible to most living people, and it was more like a blessing than a curse to him. He didn't feel like explaining himself to anyone else, and especially to thugs who thought he was an easy target.
Ru felt the brush of consciousness, an aura, lingering behind a dumpster, and he paused to get a better look. Was it the ghost he was looking for? Or whatever tied her to this world? Maybe.
He scanned the ground and saw the unpleasant discoloration of city life, probably hiding the bloodstains he was looking for. Or maybe his report had it all wrong, and she died in the building itself, and ended up in the alley by chance.
What if she was one of those ghosts who asked questions of people? That would be terrifying, but he hadn't heard anything about her doing that just yet.
In fact, the stories about Laurie Gale involved her mournfully walking down the alley late at night, asking if anyone had seen her cat Marci. When said person went to speak to her, she would seem confused, then tearful, before dashing off into the shadows. A really spooky story to be sure.
But was it just a story?
Sometimes when Ru felt auras, it was either just a trace of a person, or something less than human. Who knows, maybe he just felt a rat or something hiding back there. Or maybe she traveled around. He didn't really know how ghost travel plans worked, to be honest.
Ru moved into his best Detective pose, and peeked into the shadows between the dumpsters, relying on his predatory night-vision to help him. If anyone could see him, he probably looked like a ghost himself, all dressed in black with moon-pale skin and light blond hair, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. The unearthly elegance of his vampiric form was a little unnerving to most people and he was glad that none were there to witness it.
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Post by luscen on Mar 29, 2020 19:44:48 GMT -6
Casmir didn't really like dealing with ghosts. Most Supers were fairly straightforward, even if they might vary slightly in their whims; werewolves and vampires, for example, were always predatory, regardless of whether it was sexually or physically. Carnality was in their nature, so you could usually know what to expect when you were dealing with one. Meanwhile, fae were often capricious, fickle; dealing with them often involved figuring out what they wanted, and how to avoid getting sucked into fooling around with them for the rest of your life. Often it was simply a matter of paying attention to their juvenile needs and promising them something to amuse them, while managing to not invoke their ire.
But ghosts? Ghosts tended to err more on the unpredictable- their behavioral patterns were often tied into some lingering attachment to the mortal world, but that attachment could be anything: some wanted closure of some form, some wanted vengeance, some just wanted to be left alone. And due to their transient nature, they were often easily distracted, or perennially confused. They were very much like someone who was stricken with Alzheimer's; a literal shade of their former self. That made them notoriously difficult to deal with, especially since you couldn't stab or shoot them with conventional weaponry. And even then, it tended to do little other than make them angry, or scare them off for a time. As it stood, ghosts were his least favorite jobs to deal with.
Which was why, as the Hunter currently sat on the rooftop corner of a building overlooking the alley below where rumors had been circulating about a strange apparition asking if people had seen her kitten, he was smoking his second cigarette within the hour. His mood was not in high spirits, and he was starting to grow restless from the wait as a result. And no amount of reminding himself to be calm and watchful seemed to help soothe his spirits. So he had to turn to the familiar sensation of menthol filling his lungs and slowly filtering out through his mouth whenever he exhaled.
Casmir checked his watch again; 11:45, the cool blue-and-black digital display read. He hadn't managed to successfully pin down a set time, as ghost stories were often unreliable, and down to word-of-mouth. But this was the right location, and since he little better to do at the moment-
'What was that?' the Hunter thought to himself, catching the hint of a motion out of the corner of his eye. He checked the alleyway, eyes roving along the length of the lane, and then he saw it: a pale-skinned man wearing a dark black overcoat, his light blonde hair making him look as though he had been carved from marble. Casmir exhaled another slow draft of smoke as his sharp eyes took note of the newcomer's careful, furtive movements, his body low and his motions measured. On a whim, he closed his red-colored right eye, and hummed mentally to himself; the figure was practically invisible, barely more than another shadow in the darkness of the alley. Perhaps he was a shadow walker, but either way, he clearly wasn't looking to be seen, and he had some fashion of abilities to make that desire a reality.
That made him a person of interest.
Casmir carefully doused his cigarette on the palm of his glove, then stealthily made his way down the side of the building, careful not to make any noises. He wasn't quite sure what he was dealing with, yet, as the distance between the strange figure and where the Hunter had been on the rooftop made it hard to mark out any details aside from the obvious. All he knew was that the man was attempting to avoid notice, which was enough to arouse the Hunter's suspicion. He gripped the handle of his trench knife, wanting to avoid alerting any local authorities with an errant gunshot, then stepped around the corner into the alley, leaving the nightcrawler with only one avenue of escape- back out into the crowds of people he was trying avoid.
“You look pretty well-groomed for a hobo trying to find a place to sleep, friend,” he announced, loud enough to catch the other man's attention, but not loud enough to draw any from the night-goers still lingering around the city. “Are all the shelters closed, tonight?”
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 3, 2020 0:38:33 GMT -6
Ru’s predatory eyes caught the moonlight in an odd way, flashing bright as he jerked up, startled, his fangs exposed momentarily as he grimaced. His expression might have seemed threatening but the vampire could not feel less like fighting as he drew away from the hunter and into the shadows of the dumpster nearest him. His pale face blended with his white-blond hair in the moonlight, standing out against his well-blended body.
Ru crouched against the alley’s wall behind the dumpster, contorting his lean figure like a startled spider. His dark suit blended strangely with the physical shadows of the alley, making the vampire’s contours difficult to clearly differentiate from the darkness. His power, shadow-walking came in handy that way. His senses screamed danger, and he wondered, what sort of human could see through his shadow-walking? Perhaps this human was one of those vampire-hunters he had heard about? But maybe it was just a concerned citizen who happened to have hidden power. Those existed, especially here, in this city. Maybe..this large and muscular man was actually nice. The Officer Telmore fellow had been.
The vampire drew himself up and decided against peeking around the dumpster. He was going to try to talk to this fellow before getting himself out of here via bat form. That was better, wasn’t it?
“Uh, um um, I was just looking for something. I’m er, not exactly homeless.”
He hoped that was a good enough answer. Maybe he was trespassing, but as far as he knew, anyone was allowed to go down this public alley, and he wasn’t dumpster diving or anything. At least, not this time.
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Post by luscen on Apr 22, 2020 23:27:16 GMT -6
Casmir carefully examined the stranger, though it was difficult to grasp all of the details in the darkness of the alley- fine features, well-groomed hair, clean-shaven, with a nice jawline... The stranger was no hobo, and yet his behavior was highly suspect. He looked as though he'd spook right off if the Hunter so much as sneezed in his general direction. His dress sense was a bit... theatrical, however. Upon closer inspection the long coat seemed almost like a cloak, and with the high collar... 'It's like he's some kind of vampire fanboy or something...' the Hunter mulled to himself in bemusement.
Those eyes and fangs, however, made it clear that the figure in question was a vampire, rather than merely a fanboy. And vampires were creatures of habit, which usually involved blood and sex, usually one after the other. This timidity, therefore, was a bit of an odd thing to see in something that wasn't just a pawn; was it merely a front he was putting up to lure victims in?
'But he hasn't so much as glanced in the direction of the crowds...' Casmir countered with a mental frown. It would have been fairly simple to lure one of the passersby into the alley- he was good-looking enough, and big cities tended to be progressive, so he could have had his pick of male or female without anyone making a fuss about it... Perhaps he was meeting someone instead? No, that couldn't be it; the way he had been skulking about suggested he was looking for something, not waiting for an acquaintance to arrive.
'So then what's Count Orlok doing here?' Casmir thought, turning his attention back to the vampire in question and sizing him up. While he didn't tend to trust vampires - seeing them as only marginally better than succubi - he didn't make it a habit to simply go around murdering them on sight, either. Some vampires were able to control themselves, feeding without serious injury or pain as a result, while others were made into pawns against their will, depending on the circumstances of their turnings. And until the Hunter could be sure which way this particular nightwalker leaned, he wasn't about to commit a murder just because he saw some fangs.
“Looking for something, huh? Can't be that important, can it?” the Hunter asked, tilting his head. A stray thought regarding the location came to him suddenly: What were the odds he'd find a vampire sniffing around the rumored site of a haunting? Some breeds of the nightwalkers demonstrated an affinity for the spiritual world, and could call forth ghosts and specters from the realm of the dead. While they were hardly unique in this fashion, something about their nature made it far more likely to happen upon a vampire that could control ghostly forces than not. Perhaps that's why this strange fellow had come here- to catch himself a new ghostly minion to place under his employ?
“After all," Casmir continued, reaching up to scratch his chin thoughtfully. "The night's young. And if you listen to some of the drunken mutters in the pubs, this place is haunted. Of course, for it to be haunted, ghosts would have to exist right? And who believes in those?” he gave off a disarming laugh, trying to see how the vampire would respond to his observation.
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 24, 2020 1:59:03 GMT -6
Ru focused his thoughts; this was no ordinary human, but maybe he was a nice guy like Aaron. Somehow, he doubted it. There was an edge of violence to his aura. Not evil, but... violent, like the elder Vampires. He had killed many, many people. Still, he was being friendly. Maybe it wasn't a trap.
The vampire hesitated, and then stepped out from behind the dumpster. This person was trying to talk to him, and it was best to be polite. He was not particularly tall, but his long legs cut him an elegant figure in the moonlight and gave him the impression of height that he truly lacked. He moved slowly but with an animal-like grace to his movement; like a predatory cat, and his eyes glinted like one.
"Er, um... well, actually... I'm a paranormal investigator... There are many ghosts in many places"
He hoped that would be enough to deter this strange human from asking him any more questions. Or at least, would put him at ease about the whole ghost thing. He didn't have any of those things that Zak Bagans used for Ghost Hunters, but his extra senses worked just as well.
"I um, have.. a special interest in this ghost. I heard she is uh, bothering people, but not hurting them. I wanted to help her."
He hesitated, ringing his hands a little bit, his long, thin fingers slipping between one another. He seemed very nervous, in the way a large predator might be in an uncertain situation, though he showed no signs of preparing to attack the Hunter. If anything, he seemed to be planning his retreat with his eyes, looking behind the hunter uneasily.
His pale skin had a strange, smooth sheen in moonlight. He had a striking elegance and beauty to his long, somber features, and his pale eyes were very bright, almost cat-like in good lighting. His dramatic swallowtail coat fit his body well and accentuated the shape of his shoulders and creating a sweep down his body.
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Post by luscen on May 7, 2020 20:40:18 GMT -6
As the newcomer stepped out from behind the dumpster, Casmir took in his proper appearance: he was shorter than the Hunter, but not by much, and his long legs, paired with the cut of his coat gave off the suggestion of being taller than he actually was. His timid stance and the way he didn't look directly at the other man, meanwhile, bespoke a person who wasn't used to being the subject of scrutiny, which was highly unlike a vampire- creatures of their ilk were either experts at avoiding detection, or masters of charisma, who loved to have the attention of every eye in the room.
Casmir found himself equal parts intrigued and annoyed, sensing he wasn't going to get a fight from this one, after all. Which was a shame, as he could have used the stimulation. But, things being as they were, the scarred man wasn't about to pick a fight with the poor sod; he seemed like he had enough to be getting on with as it was.
That said, Casmir wasn't just about to dismiss him, either. There was still the chance, however slim, that this was a trick, and either he was a very convincing assassin that Atol had decided to let loose on the Hunter, or he was simply trying to get Casmir to leave, so he'd be able to take the ghostly girl for his own ends. Either way, until he was sure of this dormouse's motives, the scarred man wasn't about to leave the vampire to his own devices.
“Paranormal Investigator, is it?” Casmir asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the side of the alley, fixing the vampire with a shrewd look. “You mean to say you're a Ghostbuster? What type, then? The kind with the ambulance, or the kind with the gorilla? And what's your angle for wanting to help a ghost? They're just angry dead people, aren't they? Doesn't seem like they'd be interested in getting help from us walking stiffs.”
He figured that throwing in a few of the scant pop-culture references he knew, alongside feigning ignorance might cause the other man to slip- either missing a detail in his story, or getting annoyed with Casmir's stubborn insistence to not bugger off, deciding to cut his losses and make a move to assault him. Either way, the Hunter would have his answer, and he'd either find himself assisting the odd fellow, or taking out one more knife that had been aimed at his neck.
He was hoping it would be the latter, as he was still itching for a bit of excitement, tonight.
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Post by jarahamee on May 8, 2020 2:02:39 GMT -6
Ru's new scarred friend was quite calm about this whole matter, and that comforted the vampire, as much as his aura definitely did not. The human's proximity was strange to him outside of work hours; Ru did his best to avoid humans otherwise and attempted to keep as well fed as he could to avoid feeling... driven to do anything unfortunate or illegal. This city had different rules than the one he was used to, and thankfully there were no vampires encouraging his predatory nature.
His bright eyes gleamed as he considered his response. How was he going to best sum up that he did this mostly because 1) he could now, and 2) there was not much else to do all night, which was the only time he had now.
"Well, uh, not really a Ghostbuster, more like.... uh... ghost..therapists. It kind of...puts them to rest if it works. They mostly don't have interest in us, but they can show us...how angry and frustrated they are..."
He decided not to feed this potential fire by telling his new friend that if he didn't, he would just see ghosts everywhere, doing all sorts of things, forever. Putting them to rest at least made his life more peaceful in its own way. It had been scary at first, but he had started to get used to it. So far, it didn't seem that ghosts could really hurt him. Humans, sometimes, but, vampires, not so much.
"Were...you also looking for ghosts tonight?"
It was an honest question. What was this human doing walking around dumpsters at night? Was he secretly a mugger? It might explain his bloodstained aura. He couldn't be sure, but it gave him a moment of caution.
And as they spoke, a snappy cold breeze brushed past them. Something changed, like the alley was holding its breath.
Ru turned quickly towards the end of the alley, the movement smooth and unnatural, sweeping his arms out sideways. It was a sleek, predatory motion. He sensed a presence joining them. His pale blue eyes caught the moon's light in a terrifying glint, and his gloved hands seemed oddly claw-like. He paused for only a moment, and then stood back up straight. It must have looked strange, but he was startled.
"...Uh... I... I think we're going to..be joined..."
For being a powerful master of the night, Ru looked vaguely worried, and he stuttered more than he'd like.
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Post by luscen on May 14, 2020 1:09:32 GMT -6
“Ghost therapist,” Count Orlok said. That might have been funny, if weren't for the fact Casmir didn't think the vampire was joking. In fact, he was beginning to think that this whole act of being timid wasn't some kind of deceptive performance, but rather just the way the other man was. While the idea of a meek vampire was a bit unprecedented, the Hunter supposed that even some nosferatu could defy expectations. They had been human at one point, after all. Though usually only those who were strong-willed or had a lust for power and dominance sought to embrace the vampire's curse; the rest were typically just fodder.
Perhaps this one had been through some sort of conditioning by his Sire in order to make him more docile, however. Or something had occurred to him in the span of his undead life that had caused him to repress his nature in favor of living among humans. Casmir had heard of a few of those types, rare though they were, though he'd never actually met one, himself. Typically an encounter with a vampire was essentially just dealing with an asshole. But, for whatever reason this drama student wasn't informed of what role he was supposed to play
Casmir repressed a sigh, feeling disappointment settling over him. 'Well... I suppose that's one less thing to deal with, at least...' The Hunter took a moment to reflect on the situation; On the one hand, he was glad he wouldn't have to be juggling two potential problems, as the ghost would be enough of a headache. On the other, he would have liked to let off some steam; the encounter he'd had with Rhys the other day at the waterfront had still left him tense and frustrated, and he hadn't quite worked that agitation out of his system, yet.
“Were... you also looking for ghosts tonight?” the blonde asked, giving Casmir a curious, if nervous look that shook the Hunter out of his reverie.
“Can't say I am,” he lied in response to the nightwalker's question, turning his head away from the vampire. “Actually I was just-”
He cut off abruptly as a chill wind blew through the alleyway, sending goosebumps rippling along his skin. The Hunter's shoulders gave the barest shudder in response.
'Looks like she's here.'
His eyes sharpened as he turned away from the vampire, looking back in the direction he'd come; the shadows loomed at the mouth of the alleyway, obscuring his vision with an impermeable darkness. Casmir couldn't see it yet, but he knew something was hiding in the gloom. Unlike normal humans, his eye allowed him to see things that were imperceptible, which included ghosts. As long as they weren't hidden in darkness too thick for him to see, or lurking behind something like a wall or door, a spirit's innate invisibility wouldn't do it any good.
The Hunter saw a movement in his periphery vision and glanced over at the nightwalker. The blonde's posture had shifted, eyes flashing and face hardened in preparation for a confrontation. His fingers were more akin to talons, and for a brief moment he looked more like the type of creature one might expect to find when faced with a vampire.
The moment passed, however, and he spoke, presumably for Casmir's benefit. “... Uh... I... I think we're going to... be joined.” he stammered, obviously unsettled.
The scarred man turned his attention back to the alley in lieu of a response, eyebrows lowered and his whole body tense as he waited for whatever was hidden within the shadows to make its inevitable debut.
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Post by jarahamee on May 15, 2020 2:22:47 GMT -6
The cold wind suddenly became an icy gust, and at the end of the dirty little alley, a ghostly figure appeared, both strangely solid, and oddly radiant with unearthly colors. The semblance of a woman was wearing a knee-length belted dress with short sleeves, and had tightly curled blond hair. She was both surreal and strangely beautiful, save for the large, dark, sticky looking area on the side of her head, and a large, dark stain on the side of her face and dress on the same side.The cause of death must have been blunt force trauma.
She walked, or perhaps floated down the alley; the movement was very smooth. It was not the sort of smoothness Ru had, which was the smoothness of a predator, but rather, from a being in another plane of existence.
Her empty eyes settled on the two of them, then turned away in a steady sweep as she searched. Them of her dress rippling in the strange other-worldly wind. She seemed tall, taller than she should have been. The glow of her insubstantial body illuminated the alleyway. Though she seemed to look here and there, she was making her away over to them. Actually, it seemed she was coming their way, slowly and with determination.
Ru shrunk back, but only by half a foot. He may not be susceptible to her fear effect, but he did not want to be this close to a ghost.
"Have you seen my cat? Marci, Marci, she got out...she must be so cold, so hungry... Surely you must know..."
Her voice was louder than it should be, piercing. There was nothing threatening about the question, but her presence and her voice set off every alarm in any human's soul that said 'unnatural and wrong, get out' that existed. She was ice cold so close to them, sucking away what warmth they had. She was taller than she should have been. The space around her seemed distorted and strange, and she should not have been.
The ragged and unnatural sticky-looking dark stain was more obvious so close, dividing her ethereal body's glow. The stain seemed to drip to the ground, seeping out like a living, or rather, a dying body, blood pumping from many vessels in her skull and into her hair and onto her dress.
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Post by luscen on May 21, 2020 2:35:17 GMT -6
Casmir's eyes narrowed in the wake of the sudden burst of wind that sent his coat snapping back behind him, but other than that the Hunter didn't respond- he'd faced a far worse chill than this. Compared to the bitter chill Brunisvell had created just by breathing, this was like a brisk fall morning. Instead, he kept his gaze focused on the figure who'd manifested from the shadows: she was a woman, though her face seemed to have an ageless quality to it. Her attire, however, seemed to be at odds with her stature... His right eye burned in his socket as it showed the ghostly aura that clung to her- pale, and rippling, it was like a low-keening siren blaring its warning of danger.
'I thought the gossip said it was a girl...' the Hunter mused with a mental frown. The age wasn't necessarily important, but ghosts weren't exactly bound by the laws of the living; they could often assume any number of shapes, sometimes apparently without even realizing they were doing it. He'd seen a perfectly normal-looking boy crack his mouth open like an eggshell, with rows of teeth all leading down to a bottomless void, as well as an older man take on the appearance of a German Shepherd. “Rules” for them seemed to be a fickle detail, which was another reason he didn't like dealing with them.
And yet, here he was, all the same, damn his luck.
Casmir looked over at the vampire, wanting to see what his initial reaction was in regards to the phantom's approach. He noticed, with some disappointment, that the blonde-haired man took a half-step back, clearly uncomfortable with the thought of being so close to a spirit like this. Clearly, he had been expecting too much by counting on his expertise in this matter...
“Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu*,” Casmir muttered dryly, returning his gaze to the spirit in question. He had wondered if the blonde was going to surprise him with a display of competence, but that result was looking to be unlikely. Well, if the vampire wasn't able to do much about her, then he'd have to handle things, himself.
As she came closer, Casmir took note of the unusual wound on the side of her head. She didn't seem bothered by it, but it wasn't necessarily a good sign that the wound was visible; being visible meant that her body remembered it, even if her mind didn't. The problem there, however, was that trying to point it out to her too bluntly would likely just disorient and possibly even agitate her, and yet it was a strong clue to figuring out what had happened. Most times, learning the truth of the matter would help put a spirit to rest, but in this regard, that meant having to dance around the subject, which would only serve to aggravate the Hunter.
He readied his sealing scrolls, just in case things began to get dicey.
“Well, Dr. Hellsing,” he told the vampire. “This is your therapy session, so what were you planning on doing, first?”
(*"Don't call a wolf out of the woods," A polish idiom akin to "let sleeping dogs lie.")
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Post by jarahamee on May 22, 2020 2:43:23 GMT -6
Ru would have laughed at the strange man's joke, but nothing seemed particularly funny right now. The ghost was trying to get within six inches of them, and it was uncomfortably cold, even for a vampire. She wanted to engage with them. She wanted something for them. She wanted him to say something to ease her pain. And he had an idea.
'Van Helsing'. If only he knew.
His Sire had far more in common with the legendary Dracula than anyone would have liked to admit, especially Ru himself. The cruel old wretch had chosen him because of his boyish appearance. He didn't dwell on the thought but it made his blood-filled stomach churn. He was glad the monster was dead, and that was all he'd think about it. Their fight was their own, his only fight now was to survive.
He focused. He was a powerful vampire, and he was a presence to be reckoned with, especially with humans. Ghosts could not care either way but he stood out to them, the way they stood out to him. He stood straighter and strode forth like the ghost wanted. Moving away from her was not going to change anything.
The vampire would have cleared his through, but he had nothing to clear. He saw her the way she wanted to be seen. No, he knew how to answer her.
In his most serious, and focused voice he replied;
"Ms. Gale, Marci lived a full kitty life with your neighbor, Lenore Gibson, and then passed on of old age, twenty five years ago."
He hoped being direct would get her attention.
And indeed it did. She stared directly at him, her strange, empty eyes appeared confused, unfocused. Her hands had been hanging limply at her side, but now they came straight forward.
She lurched toward him with incredible speed, and put her cold, bony fingers around his cold neck, appearing to squeeze.
"THAT CANNOT BE TRUE! SHE ISN'T DEAD YOU LIAR. HOW COULD THAT BE POSSIBLE!"
Ru, for his part, besides being terrified out of his wits, was able to realize that the ghost could not really hurt or strangle him, as much as the fingers had a substantial pressure on his neck.
He composed a reply;
"I'm sorry, it is true... You've been...gone since 1975... I'm so sorry... You don't have to look for Marci any more, she's waiting for you in the afterlife...."
He was not sure if that was true, but it was the kind of reply that seemed to calm ghosts like this. After all, if ghosts existed, who was not to say that the afterlife was real? If it wasn't, where did ghosts come from?
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Post by luscen on May 28, 2020 0:50:30 GMT -6
Casmir watched as the vampire stepped up, his presence becoming more pronounced and fuller- it wasn't a trick of the light, the blonde man's pressure was becoming more pronounced. The Hunter decided to step back and allow him to take point, seeing as he seemed to know what he was doing, here. Regardless, he slipped his hand into his pocket, gripping the rosary beads inscribed with a cleric's blessing on them. The idea of saving a timid vampire from an angry ghost was a bit of an odd concept, and yet here he was.
The vampire proceeded to tell the ghost about her cat, indicating that he had been particularly well-informed. Moreso, in fact, than Casmir himself had been; he'd heard about the cat, but that was all he had known about it. And without more information than that to go on, the Hunter could only rely on his ghost-repelling methods, and to try and talk to the spirit to learn more about how to help her.
'I suppose that's a point to you, Orlock,' he admitted, impressed despite the vampire's appearance.
When the ghost became aggressive, however, Casmir made a move to step in, though the nightwalker's unruffled response gave him pause. It was true that trying to simply choke him wouldn't do much good, as vampires didn't need to breath. But that didn't mean she couldn't hurt him- spirits were deceptively strong, when they wanted to be, and they also possessed other powers and abilities, depending on their type. Nonetheless, he didn't want to agitate an already precarious situation, so he waited, ready to step in if need be.
At the vampire's statement about Marci waiting for its owner in the afterlife, Casmir decided to help things along, speaking up from where he stood, though careful not to look threatening in the attempt. “Your pet waited a long time for you to come back, even though she lived a good life; they don't forget their owners, no matter what people say. Do you really want to keep her waiting any longer by looking for her, here?” He hoped that Laurie would listen to them, rather than deny the truth of the matter, and that would be that.
'If only things were always that simple,' he thought to himself cynically.
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Post by jarahamee on May 30, 2020 0:50:04 GMT -6
Ru made no attempt to struggle away from the ghost. It lifted his thin, light body completely up off the floor, and seemed as if it might hurl him across the alley in his fury. Indeed, he was not even sure that escape would be possible. As much as it was intangible, it was also extraordinarily strong in the way that spirits could be. He was glad it was not actually a vengeful spirit, or he might be in real danger.
He waited. Maybe she would listen to them. Maybe. If not, this would just be another night wasted trying to turn this poor lost soul.
The vampire felt her arm winding back to hurl him, and then, suddenly and unceremoniously, she dropped him to the ground and drew back. His voice was weak and wheezy when he spoke again; she had damaged his trachea.
"... She...she's waiting... Marci. She's been gone all this time."
The ghost dimmed, then brightened, the unearthly colors of the spirit bleeding away to a purer white. She seemed confused, contemplative, and reflective. She placed both hands at her sides, long fingers curling into a fist, and then relaxing. Her empty eyes widened, then half-closed.
Ru nodded, as if to re enforce her new idea, rubbing his neck. It didn't feel like it would when he was strangled as a human, it just felt like pressure. Still, letting out air felt wrong now. No time to focus on himself, it was time to focus on her. It was always key to be gentle. The ghosts didn't know any better. They had to come to this themselves. You couldn't force them to believe, they just had to see the logic in a situation.
The cold wind in the alley seemed to hesitate, as if holding its breath.
Ru waited for her to catch up, and then spoke again.
"Laurie, please, it's ok. You can let go. She's not here anymore. You know she isn't here."
The ghost of Laurie Gale hesitated a moment more, and then everything seemed to dim further, the surreal pocket in space warmed. Or maybe it was that the cold was fading, the unnatural fear that the ghost summoned in mortals dissipated as well.
The bloody wound seemed to disappear, or maybe, it was simply no longer visible as her body's color blended into a white that was finally so perfect her details were completely indistinct.
She stared at the two before her, as if seeing them truly for the first time, or at least, that was what they could see from her physical body.
"Thank you."
She said, the words both clear as day, before she faded from their vision, leaving nothing behind. No cold air, no light or darkness. The alley was as empty as it had been a few minutes before.
Ru looked over at the Hunter, and then cracked a small smile.
"H...heh...it worked...good thinking, Mr. uh..."
He realized he didn't know the man's name.
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Post by luscen on Jun 17, 2020 20:13:53 GMT -6
Casmir moved to catch the strange man when it seemed as though Laurie was going to fling him against the wall. Vampire or not, that would have done more than a bit of damage, and he didn't really feel like dealing with any other law enforcement agents just yet. The last encounter had been more than enough for a while. He braced himself, moving slowly to keep from drawing the ethereal woman's ire towards him; if she could swing a nightwalker around like a rag doll, then he didn't doubt she could make even shorter work of him, and he didn't have a healing factor to work with.
Laurie's demeanor shifted, however, as their words seemed to have an affect on her. She dropped the vampire to the ground unceremoniously, where he crumpled like a sack of potatoes. As the nimbus around her changed from an aggressive air to a calmer aura, the ghostly wind settling to a quiet mist, Casmir watched as the blonde vampire encouraged her, gentle and placating, trying to get the girl to see reason.
'Well, at least he seems to be on the level of being a ghost therapist...' the Hunter thought as he watched the woman struggle with coming to terms with the truth that she was dead, and that her beloved pet had moved on. The last cog seemed to click into place, though, and all vestiges of the living faded from the figure's body, her form becoming a hazy, translucent figure.
“Thank you,” she said, though it felt more like it was addressed to the vampire than the Hunter. Casmir couldn't say that the nightwalker hadn't earned it, given that he was the one who'd been manhandled, and came better-prepared than he himself had.
Then, like a bubble bursting, the fog cleared, the weather going back to normal, and no presence in the alley save for Casmir and the vampire. The Hunter looked over at the nightwalker as he spoke to him, asking his name.
'Best maintain consistency,' Casmir thought, going back to his second encounter with Rhys; while she'd deduced his identity, he knew she had been trying to catch him by his fake name. Fortunately, he'd already learned to not be too careless with his identity, as using different names in the same location attracted unwanted attention, and the scarred man had no idea if this was one of those “countless” men with red eyes and blonde hair Rhys had mentioned working with.
“Piotr,” he replied, helping the vampire to his feet, keeping the surname out. “And besides, I was mostly just following your lead, Dr. Hellsing. The ghost's schema was centered around her pet. She already knew the truth of the matter, she just had be confronted with it in a way that helped her come to terms with it. Encourage her to accept the truth, she leaves to go and resolve her unfinished business.” He raised an eyebrow at the vampire. “That is what you were going for, right?”
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Post by jarahamee on Jun 18, 2020 13:43:09 GMT -6
The vampire accepted the help readily, gripping Casmir’s arm in return. His thin fingers were surprisingly strong, though his grip was probably intentionally gentle. Thankfully the creatures’ lean body was feather-light and he came to his feet quickly, straightening up in a liquid motion.
“Thank you, Piotr.”
He smiled, a little less toothily than he had before, though there was nothing that muted the predatory gleam in his eyes. Had Ru known, he would have brought sunglasses, but would that have been more or less suspicious? He released Piotr’s arm after a moment, but not after noticing how muscular he was. What did this fellow do for a living?
He rubbed his cheek with his free hand, and focused. How would he even answer this question? “Well, yes, exactly. I find most of the ghosts are pretty reasonable once they know things are settled for them. It’s like supernatural anxiety…kind of. Either way, it was nice to have some back-up.” Ru was honestly not sure how to explain it, so he hoped that would be enough. He took a small step backwards to give the man some room.
“So uh, what are you doing out here? Are you um, with someone or was this just a walk or…”
Hopefully Piotr lived in the building next to them and was just summoned by..the noise? Maybe? If not, he could walk him home. People seemed to think Ru was an easy target, but he was many times more durable than he was as a human, so it all worked out.
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