Flashback Haunted Fantasies (Private)

[Matthew]

"That is what I mean by 'more to worry' about. Usually I just have to deal with the emotions of someone trying to find solstice in something other than their truly beloved. Now I am going to have to try and say that the ghosts did it." His brow wrinkled again, the man seemingly having calmed down enough to go back to his previously-worn poker face. She talked so matter-of-factly about all the events that had transpired that it actually somehow calmed him down just a little bit. It was like he fed off of her serenity, and tried to make it his own. He was normally the calm one. It was nice to have someone else who was calm. Someone else who quietly supported that logical part of his mind, even if she didn't know it. Matthew shook his head at her, blue eyes dimming for a minute as he thought back. "I am not sure. All I saw was the objects moving on their own. When I came running up here after hearing her scream, all I saw was her corpse before an axe was flung at me. A picture frame, too." Again his forehead wrinkled as he tried to think back, the details blurry. This is why he disliked emotion so much. He couldn't help but belittle himself again, scolding his mind for collapsing in fear. He would have been more useful if he could actually remember the details of what had happened. Instead it was all a rush of terror, the smell of death, and the blurring of scenery as he ran by it. He frowned at empty air, gaze vacant as he tried his very best to remember. It was only her explanation of what she was that brought him back, blue stare coming around to meet her own calm gaze. "A ghost hunter." He repeated it, not unbelieving, merely commiting it to memory. What an interesting idea. Nothing he could have ever done, or at least he didn't think so. What had led her upon this path, he wondered? As much as he struggled against it, a lot of the times their fates were not determined by themselves. There were bad days, defining moments, all caused by outside sources. What had been her defining moment that had her taking up a crossbow in hunt of the supernatural? He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off as she handed him the dagger. He blinked at it, taking it slowly, the awkwardness apparent as he grabbed the handle. He looked like he had never touched one in his life, and truth be told, he hadn't. Staring at the shining blade for a little longer, he nodded quietly and let it fall by his side. His hand held it tightly, but his arm was loose, showing both a comfort and nervousness in having the blade on him. Comfort he could defend himself. Nervousness that he might not be able to. He did know that he wanted to stay though. He edged closer to the woman, taking shelter in both her unique skills and her crossbow. "I'll stay. I'll keep out of your way. I don't like unsolved puzzles." He stated it simply and politely, his words well-pronounced and his appearance now at ease. It looked like he had managed to calm down a lot. His eyes flicked around, taking everything in for the first time and actually noticing it. The picture was a detail that he now caught, and the girl herself was sized up as well. What an interesting situation he was now caught in. A bang downstairs caused him to jolt, and he glanced over his shoulder, back out the bedroom door. Glancing back at her as if to ask permission, he would then slowly leave the room and go glance over the balcony. The downstairs door had shut, which was something of an ill omen. He wondered if it was locked somehow. It wouldn't matter, would it? The place was ruined enough that there were chunks missing in areas. They could no doubt find somewhere to leave if they really needed. He spoke softly, just loud enough for her to hear. "So, how does this process work? What can I do to be useful? I doubt ghosts fall for any sort of seduction tricks, and my only other trade was medicine. For living things."

[Levissa Certier]

Now that he had been given a moment of serenity, Matthew seemed disturbing calm - indifferent even. Levi appreciated it - a panicky man would do her no good - but at the same time it made the spiritist wonder. Most people would've ran out the haunted manor the first chance they got. But the harlot did not. Truth be told, Levi was immensely impressed. "You know, the normal person would have left gratefully, yet you stay." She had noted his comment about unsolved puzzles, but it was still the most unusual.

"Medicine?" Levi asked, somewhat incredulous at his last statement. Was he a doctor of some sort? But if he was, why was he doing what he was doing? "How come someone educated in the medical world turn out as a prostitute?" Her tone was not at all accusing, she was simply confused.

Giving another glance around the room, she wondered who's bedroom it had been. It certainly lacked most of its furnitures. Curious. "What was the story again? Are you familiar with it? The man killed himself and his whole family, am I right? If we're very lucky, maybe we'll find some sort suicide letter. Highly unlikely, but who knows?" Keeping a cheery attitude at the face of danger had been an attitude she had developed a long time ago. Levi had learned to be absolutely resilient to most of the horrors the world was throwing at her. It was the best way to survive her line of work. A distressed man is easy prey for the spirits, he would be vulnerable to possessions and would be spooked quickly. "You can help look around, certainly. I can't tell you what exactly we're looking for, but just keep your eyes open."

As soon as she finished, she caught a movement in the corner of her eyes. It was the little girl again, just as grotesque as the last time. She giggled and ran off. Levi's reaction was instant. She ran after the ghost, chasing it through the haunting hall. Pausing a moment, she beckoned the prostitute to follow her. Leaving him behind would not be wise, if he was to stay. If he was somehow possessed, it would certainly complicate things for her.

[Matthew]

He cast a glance at her, shrugging his shoulders. "It will have plenty of time to kill me on my way down the stairs, so I suppose staying here with you is the best solution anyways. I suppose I am a bit scared, I am just good at hiding it. It won't do me any good to become a victim to my fear. It makes me sloppy. I don't think straight. I make mistakes." A brief scowl lit his handsome features, but he soon shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. At her confused tone when she asked about his training in medicine, he rose an eyebrow, voice soft. "Yes, medicine. And why not? It actually compliments the life of a prostitute quite well. We learn how to heal the body, and how we do that is by knowing the body. While we certainly learn what places need to be healed, we also learn which places can cause the most hurt. In that same line of thinking, if we simply adjust our focus, we also find out what places cause the most pleasure." Tilting his head, he studied her gaze for a bit longer before glancing back around the room, his voice becoming distant as he started focusing on other things around them. "It isn't as simple as giving my body away. I also have to provide a pleasurable experience, and what better way than to be able to skillfully dissect the body on an erotic level?" Walking over to the fallen picture, he crouched near it, examining the family. The man in particular was a little disturbing. He was smiling in the picture, a grin that was just a bit too wide and too toothy. Nibbling his lower lip, he had to fight to pull his eyes away from the oddly-uncomfortable sight. He turned his sharp stare to Levissa, shaking his head at her question. "All I know is he murdered the family. I know nothing else besides that. It was all very brutal, from what the girl told me. He took his time, and then he killed them beyond dead. Murdered, then chopped them up, then nailed the chopped bits to the walls. That sort of thing. Overachieving, I suppose you could say." He felt his stomach twist again at the words, but this time, it was strangely foreign. It felt like another stomach, something that he was just barely aware of. He poked at it, silently willing it to stop until the inner bubbling quieted. Then he slowly rose, keeping his eyes on the hunter, finding a comfort in both her presence and the presence of her crossbow. He was so useless with his own weapon that he had practically forgotten it by now. A giggle caught his attention, and the harlot whipped his head to follow the sound, his stomach clenching again. The girl smiled at the two of them and then frolicked off, and of course, Levissa went after it. He quickly headed after her, glancing at the ground every so often to make sure he didn't step on any rotting wood. Above them, the little girl would skip a few steps, then completely vanish and reappear a few feet in front of them. It seemed to be allowing them to barely keep up, and soon stopped at the opposite end of the long hallway. He stared after it, feeling his heart skip a beat as the grotesque little thing smiled and lifted a little finger to its lips. "Hush." It whispered and then turned, skipping through a nearby door. Matthew came jogging up to the door behind the hunter, reminded of the knife in his hand, fingers tightening around the foreign hilt. "...do I just try to stab something if it attacks me?" It was a genuine question, as painfully clueless as it was.

[Levissa Certier]

The girl kept going and led them to the end of the hall, disappearing into a particular room. Levi paused in front of the rotting door, unsure if she will like what she finds behind it. She weighed her options and decided there was really no other way. Following the girl was the only thing that might shed a light on the mystery - she seemed the only one not driven to murder either her or Matthew. That should count as something. Of course, that might change at any moment, but she'll just have to risk it. And Matthew with her.

Her Eiyon mark was tingling and she could taste death as she took a deep breath. Someone died in the room, that she was sure of. Levi murmured a soft prayer to Dira before turning back to Matthew. She reached into her pack and rummaged through it, pulling out the glass jar filled with glowing whitish substance. Without much explanation, Levi handed it to the man. "Just another safety thing to do when encountering a ghost - apply that over your clothes. The Soulmist should be strong enough to keep you from getting possessed by most ghosts." Next, she pulled out the rough pebbles she had picked up randomly and covered with Soulmist. Better safe than sorry.

"Simply yes. Just don't accidentally stab me or yourself in that matter. I used to do that a lot when I'm still learning." Nodding at him as a signal, Levi grabbed the rusted knob and threw the door open. The foul air that rushed out made her gag and double back. She knew the smell of death well. As disgusting as it was, it's oddly calming. Her eyes scanned the room, seeing no immediate danger. It was a young girl's bedroom by the amount of dolls scattered across the place. Everything was still intact, fully furnished with breaking shelves and an even a decomposed body.

From the doorway, Levi could not clearly identify the body but her first guess would be that it was the ghost girl. Had no one decided to come and take these bodies away? Bury them? Or at least investigate? The stories must have been going on stronger than she would've expected.

To be honest, Levi was not as prepared as she should've been. She had expected a simple, small spying mission - just peek and go. Who knew it turned out to be a gruesome murder?

The girl reappeared again, hovering and waiting for something. Levi looked straight at the girl. She couldn't let her get away again. "Who are you? What really happened here?"