The Eviction of Winston 'Bunny' Bunford (Winona)

by **Sal Mander** on July 8th, 2014, 3:09 am

If Sal had been terrified of ghosts before today, there was little doubt he would be scarred by the end of it. Having arrived at the apartment complex and learning of strange happenings, a part of him had descended into a funk at the prospect of there being otherworldly beings to torment him. How right he had proven to be, but even poor Sal could not have banked on being the victim of possession. Though to his credit, Sal was putting up a good fight so far, having only relinquished control of the left side of his body.

Winston meanwhile had proven to be a most industrious and determined spirit, using the situation to steal a kiss from young Winona, while he greedily clutched her prize in Sal's borrowed hand. Not content with the misery he had caused already, the ghost now set its sights on taking full control of Sal's person. Even for a ghost of Winston's age and experience this was no simple feat. Sal was strong willed, if only because of the level of urgency in his mind at even being in the same room as a ghost.

A battle of wits then. One the one hand, a hundred year old dancing ghost with mischief in mind. On the other, a Cosmos Investigator who was trying to discover a way out of this most unfortunate of situations. Sal's mind was confused and blurred, the sweet whispers of Winston's ghostly words enticing the man to give in and let the ghost take full control. But Sal countered, hurling verbal insults and demands in his head littered with choice and eyebrow raising words. His left side of the body shook as though controlled by a drunken puppet master, with Winona looking on in horror.

The chaktawe had taken a chair, arming herself with the seat and the threat of using it. Sal visibly struggled to spit the words out, speaking in a rumble like some great and dark demon years old. "Use....the......chair. Hit. HIT!". It was all he could manage before Winston forced Sal to perform a one legged pivot, his arms waving out at ungraceful angles before he came to a stop before Winona. "HIT," he repeated, his eyes stinging red from the very effort of battling that bastard ghost.

by **Winona_Heath** on July 8th, 2014, 5:26 am

"Winona, the Deaf Spirit"

Winona continued to watch Sal as he hinged his left side in all sorts of motions,
making her lift the chair higher and more threatening. Indeed, she wasn't afraid
to use it on magic man, but on Sal himself? He hadn't done anything wrong when
she actually took the time to think about it. He was innocent, nice even!
Especially nice when Winona was a bit difficult to handle and a little rowdy.
Heck, he didn't even get angry at Winona for hitting him with a door when they
first met! Why was the magic man doing this? "We done nothing toward you,
magic man. Why you do this?" She tried to use Sal's nicey-nice gesture, kind
of like knocking on the door before breaking it down. However, it was to no
prevail (not that Winona was surprised about it or anything). Sal once again
choked on his words as his body twitched and spasmed mercilessly.
"Use....the......chair. Hit. HIT!" His lips were so stiffened by control that
Winona had a hard time deciphering his words. "Hit?" Sal suddenly froze in
time, his body swinging over to him like a pirate with a wooden leg and using
the other arm to swim over to her. She held the chair between them, pointing its
legs towards Sal, protectively.

"HIT," He said once again, his once beautiful eyes looked bloodshot and his
body forced to be fit like a glove for the magic man that tried to use him for
possibly evil intents. Winona screamed, a new found terror of the magic man
bled under her skin. She rose the chair above her head, her body freezing under
pressure as she stared at him helplessly. Did she really have to hurt him to make
the thief go away? The vein in his neck was much more prominent and it almost
looked like Sal could just about flop over and die all dramatically. First, magic
man stole her special thing, and now he was about to steal a body? No way!
"GET OUT!" She screamed all shrilly and warbled, the chair in her hand
came crashing down on Sal's head. Winona went white as a... Ghost!! She had
heard stories about them but never had she met one face to face. She watched
"magic man's" soul basically slip out of Sal's body as he crumpled to the ground.
It explained everything... The activity, the faded appearance... How did she not
spot this... UNTIL NOW? Don't faint, don't faint. Winona watched as the ghost
stared straight into her eyes, no expression lingered, but perhaps a hint of
sadness. Winona tore her attention away from the ethereal being, slumping to
the ground and flinging the chair off Sal to see if he was okay. "I-I sorry, I no
mean to hurt that hard..." Winona attempted to apologize, unsure if he
would be thankful of the repossession of his body or angry that she hit him so
hard. She daintily patted his forehead, just to make sure.

by **Sal Mander** on August 7th, 2014, 2:34 am

As Winona's hand came away from Sal's face, she noted the moist feel of blood on her fingers. There were a series of scratches and scrawls on his forehead where the chair had splintered and broke, while parts of his hair were matted with a combination of blood and sweat. Thankfully he had proved every part the stubborn man, his skull not taking any lasting damage from the ordeal, though tomorrow would surely greet him with one of the most hideous headaches known to men.

Coming around in a haze, he blinked through watering eyes and saw blurred figures looming over him. His first instinct was to try and push himself up, but both he and his body moaned in protest and he settled to lay prone on the floor. The good news, while every part of him ached from head to toe, every part of him was his. That ghostly pest had vacated his body, no longer trying to waltz or salsa around the room. As Sal's vision cleared, he noted it was Winona who stood over him, not for the first time today, though at least with a look of genuine concern slapped on her pretty face. He had been on less dangerous first encounters with members of the opposite sex, but despite the doors and chairs that had come between them, he was thankful that she was there now.

Only, that feeling of thanks was immediately set aside as he saw Winston, his unmistakable faded and blinking form, huddled in a corner. The ghost was sitting with his almost see-thru arms wrapped around folded legs, gently rocking back and forth while sobbing quietly to himself. Sal had every right to be angry, to be scared still. But for reasons he could never fathom, he was a sucker when it came to tears. Even if Winston was a no good specter, it still poked at Sal's conscience that the thing was upset. Reaching out his hand to the chaktawe, Winona helped a still woozy Sal to his feet. He took a few moments to steady himself, ironing out creases on his clothes though really he was just going through the motions than being effective with his efforts. Right now he looked like he had been in a wrestling match with a jamoura.

He placed a hand on Winona's shoulder, offering a smile before he stepped around her and came to stand a few feet from Winston. The ghost did not stir, content to remain wrapped around himself while he sobbed. Sal awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck, thinking himself insane for what he was about to do. Clearing his throat, he addressed Winston in what he thought was a calm and understanding voice. "So, er. Are you okay, Mister?"
_____"Mr. Bunford. Winston Bunford, at your service my good man," came the ghost's polite reply between sniffles, though still he refrained from looking up. Sal cast a confused glance towards Winona, but turned back and pressed on.
_____"It's just that, you know, you kind of tried to. Well, you were there. You know what happened." Sal scratched nervously at his neck again, looking down at the ground as though the words he sought might have been discarded there. With no reply from the ghost, Sal turned once more to Winona, looking for some backup. He held her gaze for a second, before motioning a nod towards the ghost, as if trying to coax her into action.

by **Sal Mander** on September 21st, 2014, 7:38 am

Winona returned a puzzled expression, no doubt thinking Sal a madman for actively trying to get her to engage with the ghost. Winston had not made any further movements meanwhile, apparently content to remain huddled in the corner with fresh tears emerging from his transparent face. There was held a silence in the room save for the quiet snuffles of Winston the Ghost, while the two living persons present decided on their next course of action. Since Winona had chosen to hang back, Sal felt he needed to press onwards himself and try and bring this whole ghastly affair to a close. In what he hoped were sympathetic and understanding tones, he offered a new set of words for the ghost's ears.

"Listen. We are both truly sorry to have barged in on you like this. We were only really just doing our jobs." He motioned to Winona to include her in the 'we', even though the two had come here today with separate tasks in mind. For the first time Winston looked up at the pair of them, his face blank of expression and his eyes too translucent to really decipher any emotion from them. But he spoke with calm in his voice, in contrast to his earlier frenetic pace.
_____"No, you are quite right. It is I who should be making an apology. What a buffoon I've been. And worse yet a terrible host. It shames me to no end. Good grief. I've not even offered you tea."
_____"That's quite alright Mr. Bunford. Like I said, we were just here on business and we will just as soon be on our way and out of your hair. There is, er, just one more matter regarding the lady's..."
_____"The lady's trinket. Yes, here it is. I am sorry for taking it. Truly I am." With his confession given, a ghostly hand pushed forward Winona's 'thing' so that it was within reach of Sal. Tentatively he bent down to collect it, his body still groaning at the prospect of having to move. With one eye cautiously on the ghost, Sal plucked up the trinket before straightening up once more. Winston had watched Sal the whole time, seeing the man move like a struck dog who suspected further strikes were on the agenda.
_____"Please sir. You won't have a jot more tomfoolery from me. In fact, I dare say it's as good a time as any to vacate this humble abode. In truth, I never really did care much for its furnishings." Winston looked around regarding his surroundings as he spoke, the first real portrait of emotion reflecting on his face.

Rising to his feet in a series of blinks and flashes, Winston straightened himself and his clothes as Sal had done earlier. Watching the ghost move was almost nauseating, more from the fact that it just seemed so unnatural, like a series of pictures appearing one after the other in quick succession. The ghost took one last look around, before his eyes settled back on Sal and Winona before him. "Best of luck to the pair of you. Remember, life is not so dull so long as there is dancing!" With that, Winston 'Bunny' Bunford left via the wall to his left, defying all that made sense in Sal's head as he vanished through it. It took a few moments for the realization that it was over to truly set in.

Sal turned to Winona who was planted to the spot in what appeared to be a mixture of confusion and anger. Part of her was perhaps still intent of giving that ghost what for, while now that Winston was gone, she had nowhere to deplete that frustration. Perhaps whacking Sal with the chair had helped. But if not, the return of her 'thing' did much to bring the woman back into alignment with some more cheerful spirits. She grabbed and examined the piece as if Winston may have in some way damaged or tampered with it. Content that all was well, she pocketed the item before heading for the door.

There was little to keep Sal here either, save for making his report once he got back to the Cosmos Center. On the way out of the apartment complex he stopped Winona before they left, asking her that aside from his report, this should be a matter that always remained strictly between them. The chaktawe seemed keen to acquiesce, bringing the matter to a final close. All that remained was to inform the superintendent that the ghost had departed, with only a chair falling victim during the whole ordeal. In any case, it was an ordeal that had left Sal no better off when it came to dealing with ghosts. True, he had survived and remained among the living. But next time he knew two things for sure when it came to dealing with a ghost. Firstly, bring a highly trained spiritist in case of emergencies. Secondly, when it came to doors, always check there were no chaktawe women around!

by **Trickster** on November 2nd, 2014, 11:55 pm

Sal Mander

Experience

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Skill	XP Earned
Philosophy	1
Observation	3
Interrogation	1
Investigation	2
Detection	2

Lores

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Notes :

Mischief Managed,
Trick

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Completed The Eviction of Winston 'Bunny' Bunford (Winona)