Ghost Hunting

[Daniel Leto]

The large Victorian bulk of Edna's Boarding House awaits those in search of a room for rent in a rather unremarkable residential neighborhood. Surrounded by a tree-filled yard with a well-tended garden, the house actually looks rather warm and inviting in the daytime. However, there is always just the tiniest hint of something mysterious lurking behind it's cozy facade once the sun has set. Those familiar with local history will remember some of the details of the massacre that took place here a few years ago, when the owner, Edna Fritz, was found with twelve other bodies completely drained of their blood. In the gruesome aftermath of this horrible event, the fact that local authorities have never been able to solve the terrifying multiple homicide only increases the air of lurking horror.

Which is actually why the Daniel his here. This was the first time he'd heard of the murders. He doubted there would be any ghosts but on the off chance there was, he had a duty to fullfill. And even if there weren't, he was happy (yes happy) to introduce some of his fellow Lost to the world of the undead. So it was that he arrived at the Boarding House after sundown, trench knife hidden on his person and enough pizza, plastic silverware, and paper plates to feed six people.

[Evelynn East]

Evelynn's arrival was announced by the sound of a great clunk as the gears in her old car shifted angrily into park just outside Edna's. The little Wizened scrambled out wearing a dark hoodie and comfortable jeans, her old, floppy backpack swinging around beside her, held in one hand instead of worn. It seemed like a stay at Edna's was something of a rite of passage for most Changelings in Sacramento - even those who only ended up just passing through seemed to stay here at some point or another. It was home-y and pleasant looking, and reminded her of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends - both in the way the house itself actually looked, and in the sorts of people it ended up housing.

Seemed strange that such a pleasant place could play host to such horrifying events. Evelynn felt a little bit like the child who was just discovering that it doesn't always rain during a funeral the way it does in the movies - the world doesn't always visibly reflect the way you feel.

She spotted Daniel outside and offered him a jovial wave, feeling abruptly better about being here. The presence of a friendly face can always make such a difference. Only she realized a moment later that he certainly didn't have enough hands free to wave back, so she trotted over to him with a bright smile. "Hi Daniel! Can I help you carry something, maybe?"

[Morgan Bellanar]

The tool shed behind Edna's Boarding house opened, allowed a small figure to trundle out of the Autumn Commons. This figure was wore a backpack and her arms were laden with a small stack of books up to her stomach, with hands handing down and arms straight. Most of the tomes were identical when viewed by mundane or Lost eyes, save one. This leather bound book is actually bound in hardened dead leaves to any eye that can pierce the Mask. This is actually a copy of Morgan's notes requested to be made by the "residents" of the Autumn Commons. It had been more to keep them occupied whilst she worked then to actually be effective research. The Lady Scrivener had found the content to be mostly accurate.

The rest were the books she'd bought whilst researching the variance between a ghost and a nature spirit. She thought Daniel or whomever showed up might like to look over them.

The Lady Scrivener also has a Kirlian Camera on a strap, hanging from her neck. This resulted in it resting atop the stack of books, pinning a certain photograph between camera and tome. She hoped she wasn't too early for the thing Daniel was planning. Nor did she particularly care to investigate ghosts. But as Lady Scrivener she should be involved in the Leaden Mirror's occult research projects to a degree of some sort. Honestly I would have preferred something more corporeal. But free pizza! Hope folks show up or we'd end up just feeding the sprites.

With a grunt, Morgan tried to open the back door whilst holding onto everything. This...did not work. After three tries she just put the books down. After opening the door, she held it open with a foot, bent over and retrieved the books, and then entered the Boarding House's back room. "Heh-hello? T-t-tis folks heh-here yets? Nay-nay-nay jump-scare please. I've sent-senb-sen-zah-tive s-stuff on me."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi'd hoped to be at Edna's to help set up, (and change) but work ran long, so very, very long, so the elemental still in her maid's uniform smelling faintly of bleach, and...other less pleasant things, followed sedately behind Evelynn's junker, a small smirk upon her lips at the sight of the blue station-wagon. At least she wasn't late.

Slowly, tiredly, the elemental made her way down the walkway, and up the steps. Taking a moment to breath in the fresh air, and stretch, before letting herself in.

"Uh-Hey guys!" Mhairi greats with more cheer then she'd had a moment before. Glad that not only was Evelynn here, but Daniel, and Morgan were too. "Who-uh else are-ah we expecting?", Mhairi asks wondering, and hoping that Shane was going to make an appearance. Then at the same moment, though on the other side of the coin, wondering if Charles was going to show up, so she could decided to prepare herself for an evening in the presence of the blightbent.

Her eyes follow her nose, as she catches sight of the pizza. Racing over and pulling a slice on to a paper plate, she takes a bite, then another "Daniel, you-ah are a-a god." she gets out between bites, taking another slice, she looks around, an embarrassed flush coloring her moonlit skin. "Uh-sorry...were we not-uh eating yet?" guilty she take another bite. "Work." she says, after she finished with that bite, using the plate to gesture to her uniform. "Sucked."

[Daniel Leto]

“Hey Evelynn, And yeah, thanks,” he greeted her while handing over some of the bags of utensils, some dew from his misty mantle clinging to the plastic. “Glad you could make it.” He opened the door to let his fellow Winter inside.

“We’re in the front room, Morgan,” he called out when he heard the stuttering Beast’s voice coming from the kitchen. He barely had time to set things down when Mhairi entered.

Hi Mhairi. We’re still waiting on Charles and Shane. Terri and Ava might show up. And Morgan’s in the back.” He realized he probably should have ordered more pizza if he was going to include them all in the clause. Especially when the mercury dripping fingers immediately snatched up a slice.

“Oh… that’s for… a catch,” he finished a bit weakly, because it was already too late. The silverware had been used. He gave a small sympathetic, if sad smile. “No worries, we can start now.”

He finished setting up the other plates he’d brought and gestured for the other women that they could start eating if they wanted. Daniel took a meat laden slice for himself, to show it was okay.

“We’ll wait a little while longer and then I’ll invoke Dread Companion. I don’t know how much you know about actual ghost hunting. It’s a clause from the contract of Shades. It will allow you to sense a ghost with one sense. Two if we’re lucky. I’ll make it so you can hear any spirits in the area. Well not ‘spirit’ spirits,” he corrected himself smiling at Morgan “I know that seeing a ghost might seem more useful but for now we’ll see if hearing is enough to find anything. Ghosts don’t always look… nice. They often retain wounds they got when they died. Given the news reports I dug up that would probably be deep claws marks and dismemberment” Daniel was still speaking calmly and smiling as he described that the reason he didn't want them to see anything was the fact that it could be something with inky flesh falling off its bones, or a man literally being burned alive after death. The fact that he was pulling out a trench knife from his jacket didn't help matters.

[Terri Nutkins]

The door opened as its manager looked upon those who had congregated on the porch, her visible eye taking in the Lost who had found the courage to accept Daniel's evening of ghost hunting. Red hair hung loose, covering half her face and the petite Beast had decided the best choice of attire tonight would be a long, flowing dress of black lace with touches of red satin at the hem, the sleeves, the neckline that covered most of her throat. Terri nods her head towards them before moving aside, opening the door fully for them to enter, showing that many of the Victorian house's lights were off apart from a few lamps here and there so as to add to the atmosphere. Candles had been left in different places around the boarding house but were currently unlit.

"Welcome, come in. I'm sure there is much to learn and much to uncover."

[Morgan Bellanar]

Navigating to the the front, Morgan was glad to see others had already arrived, "Heh-hiya Terri. Imma d-drop these out front," she naturally greeted Terri first before stepping on to meet the others and discard the books.

Daniel was easy to spot near the pizza, though it took her a moment to recognize Evelynn with her hoodie masking her face. She was still able to recognize her fellow big-eyed Lost. Personally, the Beast didn't care for hoodies: loss of peripheral vision and not as sturdy as the riding leather jacket the Beast currently had on her back. What gave her pause was the maid. That caused Morgan to freeze in the door frame and tilt her head at the sight of Mhairi. It took longer to recognize her fellow speech impaired Courtier, but when mercurial fingers dribbled onto pizza it clicked. Mhairi's eagerness made her chuckle, "Huh...oh-k-k-kay. Salutation f-f-folks," she shrugged and nodded her head to great everyone, as her hands were full. Finding a spot to put down the books, next to a chair. She sent a mirthful smirk to Daniel, "I c-c-can wait for ye go ahead Daniel. G-g-good thing ye didn't heh-hold this in the Commons. Sprites would'a absconded with the victuals a'fore we'd g-g-got heh-here."

After bending over to drop the books she straightened her back with a pop, a photograph clasped in her claws. Morgan's ear twitched as she listened to what Daniel had to say, she faced towards him, leaning against the chair. Best to figure out what would help before blurting out what she'd brought. That didn't stop her from being animated as their "ghostbuster" talked.

Morgan twitched at the mention of ghosts, eyes flicking down to the photo in her left hand. Morgan smiled when Daniel corrected himself about "spirits", raising her right hand with the palm facing down and wobbling in the "close enough" gesture. She'd explain after he was finished. She tensed up and nodded when he mentioned how...unpleasant a ghost could look.

Once he finished, the Scrivener pushed herself off the chair and walked over to the group, "C-clarification: what heh-he," she pointed at Daniel, "m-meant by spirit as nay-a-ghost tis a sort of, uh...anthropomorphic personifications of emotions or-or concepts. L-like this:" she raised the photograph and waved it, "tis most like-ah-ah-lee a s-spirit of fire. I c-c-caught it with the k-k-kirlian," she tapped the camera around her neck, "camera. I f-f-figure: try it on ghosties. Um," she looked over her shoulder at the pile of books. Then she turned back to Evelynn and Mhairi with a nervous smile, "If-if we hath time ye c-c-can examine the books. Probably greater c-clarity to illustrate g-g-ghost versuzz spirit. Um, heh-heh," she scratched the side of her head, "T-the book that tis l-l-literal leaf bound tis probable quickest summary, heh-heh. Barring-random-stuff-the-sprites-wrote-into-it."

She will let anyone grasp and examine the kirlian photo. It is a photograph of a fire lit warehouse, and aside from showing the heat radiation said radiation revealed something in the photograph. The something in question is an amorphous blob seemingly made of the heat radiation waves. While the entity wasn't humanoid appear to possess multiple limbs, one of which was reaching into the fire. Another was grasping at the smoke above the flame. Three other "limbs" were clearly reaching towards the camera, and likely the photographer.

[Daniel Leto]

"Hello, Terri," he greeted the Steepscrambler, seeing that she had taken him at his word to set up a creepy atmosphere. He wondered if she had any suprises set up but for now he just gave her a pleasant smile.

"Hey Charles. Glad you could make it. Feel free to have some pizza. And not feeding any ghosts food tonight. Only brought enough for six people, so unless we want to order more, we'll have to settle for giving them blood." Calm as ever, Daniel pricked the tip of his index finger with the knife. Bright red showing up in stark contrast to his pale translucent skin.

"Assuming you all don't mind. I'd like to put a dot on each of your forheads as part of the contract. Don't worry, it will just a dab. Like this. Boop," he poked his own head to show them, leaving a small smear of crimson.

While doing that, he subtly activated another clause, bringing all his sense a step closer to those to the dead. There was a slight blurring of edges and distant whispering as he made his ghostly presence manifest.

  Catch met 3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-05-31 13:57:19		Daniel Leto rolls 5 to Ghostly Presence+Wyrd-1entitlement (10 Again)		9, 1, 10, 2, 1, 10, 3		3 successes

[Evelynn East]

Evelynn winced when Daniel tried to mention that the pizza was for a catch, but couldn't quite get all the words out before Mhairi took a bite. Not that she blamed the Elemental - it was just a miscommunication. But it seemed alright, because Daniel said he'd be able to just start now instead, and Evelynn offered him a quick smile before setting down the bag she was holding so she could start taking the utensils out for everyone to use. With the plastic cutlery in hand, she stepped a little closer to Mhairi, offering a commiserating smile. "I'm sorry work was bad..."

She looked up when Terri walked in, her smile bright, though a little startled at the almost Victoria-seance style of her appearance. "Oh. My." She realized she was gawking and blushed. "I like your dress!" She felt suddenly very underdressed, herself - she looked like she was dressed more for a slumber party than a fancy seance. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now.

And then Morgan began to explain the books and things. She was going to check out the books, but the kirlian photo was what really captured her attention. Eyes wide, she turned it over in her hands, her mind going a mile-a-minute as she worked through how exactly something like that photo would work. "That's so cool..."

And distracted as she was, she barely even noticed Charles' arrival, nor Daniel's ritualized activation of the clause. In fact, she continued to simply zero her attention in on the photo until he put the dot on her forehead. She looked up at him like a startled deer for a moment, then spotted the dot on his head and realized all at once what must have been happening. She offered him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I should pay attention." She handed the photo back to Morgan, and only then noticed Charles, to whom she offered a quick wave. Then, as promised, she folded her hands behind her back and focused on attention on the Gravewright and his contract.