A Haunting Houseguest (Malakhi/Jonny/Vincent/Cinnamon)- FINI

[jarahamee]

The autumn air was crisp and pleasant as Malakhi sat in his gray electric subaru in his driveway. According to his doctor, he had been healing nicely since the attack, but that was to be expected, given the preliminary healing he had applied to himself and his dearest Vincent.

The condo was gone now; already sold as a valuable and desirable piece of property near the center of town. With its modern amenities and high security, its value would only increase with time. A part of him regretted its loss, but the other part knew that losing it would allow them more space and security that they’d need now.

Their new home was less than ideal, even all their belongings, and the extra security measures in place. The Craftsman style was admittedly appealing, but the entire thing needed to be repainted, re-roofed, and the interior all needed to be remodeled.  The lawn and the back yard were brown, overgrown and mostly dead, and would need to be entirely removed before any work could be done.

There were also some more immediate fixes, which had become Vincent’s first priority. Namely, the sink, which had started leaking immediately after its first use.

Malakhi looked through his key set, thinking, idly, that he’d start dinner when he went inside, and then spend time with Vincent. They had promised Cinnamon that they would go shopping for more decorations, and his costume, but that could wait until tomorrow.

[beastly]

Jonny had been delighted when he'd discovered his nephew was living in Wathias. It had been a surprise, and he had only happened upon the knowledge when he'd seen the guy walking down the street with another man. He'd only seen little Vince a few times when Vincent had been a child, but he was well practiced by now at recognizing members of his family. That was his nephew! Just. Older.

The man Vincent was with had some kind of... holy aura.

Since he discovered Vincent was in the city, Jonny had tried to figure out where his nephew was living. It had taken a lot of snooping on his part, but, of course, he had nothing but time. He discovered they worked for the same people Ru did, the WDSA, and that his nephew was...dating the celestial man. Oh. Hm.

He understood that sometimes men would date men, he didn't understand the appeal very much, women were prettier, but he knew it was something that people did. Pepper, his niece, had a wife. They were happy. Vincent seemed happy, which was what mattered.

But... Jonny wanted to make sure the guy wouldn't hurt him. The fella seemed unassuming if a bit grouchy. He'd seen things go south, though, and right now Vincent was Jonny's only family in the area. He would make sure that Vincent was in a good spot, he had a duty, a responsibility.

Now, the one roadblock was that he couldn't get into the house the two shared. For one reason or another, it was warded.

So, the specter was patient. He waited. He waited until the doctor was alone, outside the house then walked into the back seat of his crate and made himself comfortable.

"So, guy. Here's how this is gonna work. We're gonna sit here and have a little talk about you and my nephew, savvy?"

[jarahamee]

Malakhi immediately stopped playing with his keys the moment he heard a voice behind him, moving into defensive mode. Driving away wasn’t going to help him, but maybe fighting would. His mind raced as he processed the information. Someone was behind him. Were they armed? Could he hurt them with his hands?

How? He had locked the car? Something about a nephew? Was this another client? Who was this?

As his brain caught up with him, he took a deep breath. Whoever this was wanted to talk. At least for the moment he was safe and had time to think of a plan.

“Who are you? And who is your nephew?”

Malakhi’s voice was calm and even, his expression a neutral frown. He turned around, telegraphing slow, nonthreatening movement, so that he sat side-saddle in the driver’s seat and could see his attacker. He pulled off his gloves, again very slowly, shoving them in his jacket. While it did not appear overtly violent, his hands were his best defense in close quarters.

[beastly]

Jonny plastered a stern look on his face, tilting his head as he watched the man adjust himself. He was at least scaring the guy a little, he thought, which was good. There wasn't screaming, which was... Alright. He supposed. The guy worked in the WDSA with Ru, maybe he was used to ghosts. His eyes followed the movement of the doctor taking off his gloves, but he didn't understand the significance.


"I'm his uncle Jonny," Jonny jerked his thumb at Malakhi and Vincent's home, "Vincent's, see."

He kept his dark eyes on Malakhi, studying him. He was measuring him, mentally. Scrutinizing his responses.

"It's my understanding you're..." The ghost made a hand gesture as he tried to summon the word.

"A doctor."

Offered Malakhi, his expression flat. He didn't know what that had to do with anything, but it was probably what he wanted to say.

"No, uh..."

The ghost frowned, trying to remember what Ru said about the werewolf guy.

"A surgeon?"

His brows descended, and he squinted at the Vincent's 'uncle' who looked like he could be his son.

"It's not your job," Jonny waved a hand, growing frustrated with himself and the doctor surgeon, "You and him."

"I am his domestic partner. That is what you mean."

He crossed his arms, his voice flat.

"Yeah, 'domestic partner'," That was not the word he was going to use, but it was probably the right one, this guy seemed like a wise head, "You're domestic partners with Vincent. That's swell, but you better know that if he was hurt or you did something to him, it wouldn't end well for you."

[jarahamee]

A mixture of relief and confusion crossed Dr. Dziban’s face as the strange man in his car introduced himself as Vincent’s uncle. Vincent’s uncle who was half his age. Vincent’s uncle who could have been his son.

His frown deepened. It did not really make sense, but then, how did a man get into his car? It had been firmly locked since he had left it, with a new electronic lock, and he had only opened it to get inside. He must have been waiting, maybe climbed in through the trunk.

“I see.”

Malakhi leaned against the steering wheel, arms still crossed. Whoever this was certainly had a mouth on him.

“I thought you might be working with the other person who sought out Vincent recently. Almost had me worried.”

His dark eyes were bright and keen as he watched the strange man’s face. Whoever he was, he clearly cared about Vincent, and it didn’t hurt them if he knew about Kail. It was likely, at this point, that the entire city knew now.

[beastly]

Something changed in the spirit's demeanor, he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees as he did so. His eyes glinted with violence as he tilted head to the other side, his jaw set in a frown now.

"Who sought out Vincent?"

Did someone have beef with his nephew? This doctor man, he knew more and Jonny wanted to know what the hell he meant. A smaller part of him was a bit irked he wasn't considered worrying, but that was besides the point. If there was someone hurting his nephew, or trying to, Jonny would put an end do it. Sometimes all it took was a little haunting and threats to fill them with lead, other times... Well, other times he had to be a little more convincing.

"What happened?"

[jarahamee]

Malakhi watched the man’s reaction. So this was someone who cared about protecting Vincent. This made it very, very unlikely that he had anything to do with Kail, as strange as his story was. The whole ‘uncle’ thing still didn’t make any sense, but neither did the man’s ability to get into his locked car. Perhaps they were like those large extended families where an aunt or uncle was actually younger than his nephew or niece.

Or…maybe he was addressing some kind of supernatural entity, and he should have spent time warding his car. Either way, he had to be vague until he knew.

Malakhi tapped his finger against his forearm, thinking about how to best phrase it. Unlikely as it was, this fellow might be a civilian.

“Yes. He is a serial killer named Kail, and he is extremely dangerous, and still at large.”

He considered the increasingly violent-looking man, and then reached out towards the door handle on his car, his expression neutral.

“Can we step out of the car? I’m getting stiff sitting like this, and it’s a long story.”

[beastly]

"'Serial Killer'?"

His nephew had gotten on the bad side of a serial killer? And the mug was still running around? Jonny's brow furrowed as he looked at the doctor. Yeah... He had bigger fish to fry than this guy. A serial killer had been after Vincent, and Jonny had been in town, and Jonny had failed to hear about it until now. Quite the failure on his part.

"What? Yeah," Jonny waved a hand in dismissal, "I wanna hear this."

He stepped out of the car, going through the side like it was nothing. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a silver lighter, turning it over in his hand as he waited for Malakhi to get out. It was little issue to talk standing there, but he'd preferred speaking in the car. More private that way.

[jarahamee]

Malakhi’s eyes widened subtly as the strange man in the back seat stepped through the side door. Things suddenly started to make a lot more sense. He must be a ghost, or some other incorporeal being. Which would explain how he got into the car to begin with.

Then again, he should probably ward the car anyways. Who knew if that Kail had a vampire friend or two in his pocket?

But first thing first.

Malakhi stepped out of the car, pushing himself to his feet with his cane. He slid his gloves back on, and offered a hand to Jonny.

“We should meet each other properly then. I am Dr. Malakhi Dziban.”

Jonny took the man's hand and shook, his grip cold even through gloves.

"Only fair. I'm Jonny Angello.”

Malakhi's expression brightened, and then dimmed as he squinted at Jonny.

"Vincent used your name as a pseudonym."

Jonny blinked, then smiled as he glanced at the house.

"I like that. What'd he do with it?"

Malakhi shook his head, almost dismissively.

“He used it while he was being hospitalized, but I imagine in other contexts as well. I never asked him.”

He released Jonny’s hand, and put his own hand back in his overcoat pocket.

“Oh. Hospital, huh."

“It was how we met,” Malakhi said simply.

Jonny worried the lighter in his hand.

Malakhi glanced at Jonny.

“You’re a ghost?”

Jonny nodded. "Yep. Dead as a doornail."

Malakhi leaned in conspiratorially. “Well. Then I can tell you more. The serial killer is a cannibal spirit called a wendigo, and it is hunting Vincent. It has already attacked him twice, and vowed to return a third time unless it is killed.”

“It’s name is Kail, and it has killed and consumed at least a hundred people.”

The ghost scowled.

"Twice? Twice and it's still hunting him?... Well. I'll see what I can do to, er, remedy that."

Malakhi leaned his weight on his cane. It was starting to get cold outside, standing in the driveway.

“It is 6 feet tall, with blue eyes and a tanned complexion. Black hair. It can become a giant stag. It has far more vitality than a human of its size. I imagine bullets and the like are not as effective as they would be on a man.”

Jonny replied; "Most things die if you kill 'em."

“Vincent said it survived a stab to its heart and a hammer blow to its head without consequence.”

Jonny seemed skeptical: "There's always a weakness. Salt, holy magic, a special bullet, a name. Lotta lead."

“I could feel how strong it was. It was like three men. I am hoping it is high caliber bullets, but I am told a medicine man can euthanize them. There is no cure.”

Malakhi spoke of Kail as one might speak of a mountain lion that was eating people’s pets, or a coyote who had started knocking over local trash bins. Without anger, regret or remorse. Merely another animal to be put down.

"Euthanate... Sounds like you gotta kill it three times as much then to bump it, see."

Jonny looked at him for a moment.

"Were you in the war blowing down Nazis?

Malakhi stared at Jonny for a moment, then shook his head.

“If only I was so noble. My scars are surgical.”

Jonny nodded like that made just as much sense.

“Do you want to meet your nephew now? I assume you have not met, or he would have told me.”

"...Yes, if you're not scared of ghosts and are fighting cannibal spirits there's not much reason to keep away, see."

Malakhi turned to walk up the driveway, then paused to look behind him, “He told me he’s already met his brothers.”


"Oh. Swell. Dead?"
“He said they came to him as ghosts, yes.”

"Then he shouldn't be frightened. "

The ghost nodded, then looked towards the house,

"I can't get in there."

Malakhi looked amused, and perhaps a little tired.

“We warded it. Did not want a visit from the wendigo or its friends. I’ll go explain the situation, and allow you in, now that I know your name. John? Or Jonathan?”

The ghost muttered about cameras and magic, then gave a nod.

"Jonathan Angello, for purposes of all that applesauce."

“Very well. Wait here.”

Malakhi locked the car from his place in the driveway, and fumbled with the keys again, before wandering inside the house.

The house was as quiet as he had left it. Somewhere, distantly, he heard Vincent still tinkering with the sink. He would have thought the man would take a break after an hour and a half, but it seems he was still working diligently.

He would have been concerned about sneaking up on his partner after Kail’s attack but given how noisy his movement around the house with his cane, he doubted that he could surprise Vincent on a good day.

The surgeon wandered into the kitchen space, staring at the unfamiliar walls a moment, trying to arrange his thoughts, and how exactly he was going to tell Vincent what was happening outside. He cleared his throat, and did his best not to sound as objectively ridiculous as he knew this string of words most certainly was.

“Dearest. Um. We have… a ghost outside who wants to speak to you. He says he is your uncle. Jonathan Angello.”

[beastly]

The ghost nodded as the surgeon walked away, then checked his reflection in the mirror of Malakhi's vehicle. He always looked exactly the same, never changing, but the habit remained from life. He looked good, he always did, and he would make a good first impression on his nephew. He practiced a smile, adjusting for the proper level of friendliness. Yeah. He wouldn't scare the kid.
Very rarely did he speak to his living relatives once they were older than three or four. Ghosts were scary, and the idea of 'haunting' them always seemed a bit too much, given he was not a ghost with the ability to control who sees him.
Vincent, though, knew about the paranormal. He'd already had it try and kill him, so his uncle couldn't possibly be worse than that?
The idea that something out there was actively hunting Vincent made his form wobble for a moment as he reflected upon it.
Well.
He'd just kill the bastard.


Vincent was crouched on the floor, head in the cabinets when he heard his partner walking into the kitchen. Cinnamon was in the next room over, running in to tell him about the game he was playing with his toys, asking him questions, and then giggling and running away when Vincent pulled his head out from under the sink to look at him. It had been a nice afternoon, and he felt like he was getting somewhere now.

The scarred man pulled himself out from under the sink to smile at Malakhi and greet him as he walked in, but found himself staring at the man as Malakhi spoke. He blinked.

"Honey... Wh-what? A ghost?"

The ghost of his uncle? 'Jonathan Angello?' Was he mad at Vincent for borrowing his name? Or mad about something else? His few experiences with ghosts had not... been great...

[jarahamee]

Malakhi nodded, though he noted his partner’s concern and reached out to touch his shoulder. His expression softened from befuddlement and mild annoyance to simply being tired. He tried to smile, though the expression rested uneasily on his face.

“Nothing serious. He came to speak to me, and I realized he probably wants to talk to you most of all.”

"Ah... He isn't an angry ghost?"

“No. Not at all. He was eager to see you. Said he hasn’t seen you since you were all baby.”

Vincent visibly relaxed, taking off the gloves he was wearing and setting them in the bucket he had by the sink.

"He was dead before I was born... " he sighed then looked his partner over, "are you alright?"

“I’m fine.”

"Good."

Malakhi adjusted his collar and stood up straight, leaning his full weight on his cane,

“I don’t know how old he is but he is wearing a vintage suit..”

Vincent walked over to take Malakhi's hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"I'll talk to him. ...Did the doctor's visit go well?"

Malakhi nodded, squeezing Vincent’s hand in return. “Yes, I’m healing well. You don’t have to go alone, I’ll go with you so we can talk together.”

His voice lowered to a near whisper, as if Jonny could hear him;

“Maybe decide if we want to keep this place permanently warded to keep him out.”

"Okay. Yes. Thank you."

Vincent seemed to think this was a good idea.

Malakhi called for Cinnamon, and collected his familiar, keeping a firm grip on Vincent’s hand the entire time. Eventually, he hoped to convince him to visit his parents, but for now, this would have to do. He walked in stride with his partner until they reached the front, and then, with blessed chalk, Malakhi wrote Jonny’s name within the spell on their front door to allow him entrance.

He then fiddled with the handle, stepping out into the chill evening with his partner.

[beastly]

Cinnamon skittered over and up to Malakhi's shoulder, abandoning his toys and hugging Malakhi.

"You're home!"

Vincent followed along after Malakhi, eyebrows knit. This was... a very strange situation to say the least. It made him nervous, but if his uncle was here, he should talk to him. Like Malakhi said, if everything went badly, they could ward the place to keep him away. The man's name was only written in chalk. It would be fine. He followed Malakhi out and looked over at the man in the old timey suit. He hadn't seen pictures of Jonathan Angello in years, but he looked familiar. Distantly like his mother's brothers.

Jonny, for his part, looked at Vincent and his entire face lit up. He walked closer, rising off the ground a few inches in his excitement.

"Vincent! It has been years since I've seen you, you were just a boy," He reached out, clapping him on the shoulder with a very cold hand, "I'm your uncle Jonny, I never got to talk to you!"

"Uh. Hello, uncle Jonny... G-good of you to visit..." Vincent tried to make his face into a smile as he patted the man's hand. The spirit looked almost like he was going to go for a hug, and Vincent wasn't entirely sure he wanted that.

"I need to look out for my nephew," Jonny declared, moving his hand and grinning wider at the guy. "I heard you got into a jam, don't worry, I'll be around now, keep an eye out for you. You been in Wathias long? Do you like it?"

Vincent exchanged a glance with Malakhi, briefly.

"Um. Thank you. That's. H-helpful? Thank you," Vincent shifted his weight to his good leg, " I've been here nearly two years. I like it... Very much."

Cinnamon watched with big yellow eyes as the ghost spoke, and he whispered in Malakhi's ear.

"Who's that guy? Uncle? He's flying."

[jarahamee]

Malakhi hugged the little imp back in return (gently), and pressed his cheek into his velvety fur, though his expression was thoughtful. While this was Vincent’s family, he was family they knew almost nothing about. Malakhi got along with very few people, and he was not sure how he felt about getting along with dead people on a long-term basis. So far, he and Mr. Angelo had done anything but get along.

He shrugged mentally. If Malakhi found him distasteful, he could limit the time and frequency of his visits. He dealt with intolerable clients on a daily basis after all.

The surgeon watched Vincent exchange with his dead uncle, noticing, unsurprisingly, that the man looked uncomfortable and awkward. And maybe like he would eventually have to be rescued.

He turned his attention back to Cinnamon;

“He is Vincent’s uncle, Jonny, and he can float.”

Malakhi chose his words carefully, on the off chance that Cinnamon accidentally discussed anything private in a less than private way. Perhaps some day, they could talk about him being a ghost, but probably not today.

“Mr. Angello. Come inside. You should have a seat so we can speak more comfortably.”

He used his cane to point towards the living room area.

The interior of the house had been neatly decorated with vintage Halloween decorations. Merry ceramic pumpkins glowed with fluorescent candles, and cut-out bats and skeletons decorated the wall and windows.

[beastly]

"Ohh. Okay."

Cinnamon seemed to accept that Vincent had a floating uncle without any complaints.

Jonny was still grinning at Vincent, who was doing his best not to look physically pained by the whole ordeal. It was certainly a situation, and while Vincent was well suited to fighting vampires and other things that wanted him dead, social situations were not the same. But, he was family. It reminded him of when he was younger and family he hadn't known had burst into his life. Hopefully, his uncle would settle down.

The ghost took a step away from Vincent, looking at Malakhi as he was invited inside. He was very rarely 'Mr. Angello'. He didn't think he remembered the last time he'd heard it.

"Oh, swell. Jonny's fine."

Vincent nodded in agreement with his partner, and lead the ghost inside their home. He gestured for Jonny to sit down on the sofa, and paused before sitting down himself. He felt like he should offer the ghost something, but he wasn't sure what. Ghosts didn't eat, to his knowledge. Not the one's he'd heard of.

"Nice place," Jonny offered as he settled himself on the couch, "Ready for halloween, huh?"

"Yes," Vincent affirmed.

Cinnamon clambered off of Malakhi's shoulder and down onto the coffee table to speak to the new family member.

"We're gonna trick or treat! And SEE HALLOWEEN BATS!"

[jarahamee]

“Cinnamon is very excited about Halloween, and we decided to support his interests.”

The surgeon gestured at the decorations with his free hand broadly, also wondering if he should make tea for them. After all, at the very least, he and Vincent would enjoy it, and Vincent’s uncle would enjoy…the gesture, probably.

“We just moved here, and are still settling in, but Vincent helped me choose some décor, and we have chosen some…costumes to go ‘trick or treating’ with Cinnamon.”

Malakhi settled next to Vincent, reaching out to take his hand as he folded his prosthetic leg over his good leg. He frowned, realizing he had been too distracted to switch to his house slippers when he entered, but he could always clean the hallway.

“’Halloween Bats’ are his new special interest. Cinnamon, dearest, do you mean decoration bats or actual flying animals?”

He rubbed his temple. He did not want to overextend a welcome to Vincent’s uncle that Vincent would not enjoy. He supposed they should talk first, and if things worked well enough, perhaps find some kind of visitation schedule.

“So, tell me, Mr. Angello… Do you.. reside here? Your accent is…different. I know Vincent used to live in Illinois. I assumed the rest of your family would be there too. Or did you travel to find him?”