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Possession control for beginners (Madeira)

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

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Postby Jomi on September 30th, 2018, 11:15 pm

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This is exciting.

Standing outside the heavy ornate doors of the Dusk tower classroom Madeira pulled at the tops of her intricate lace gloves. Smoothing the creases in the delicate fabric.

You know, I've never attended a class before.

She straitened the heavy blue jewel at her neck, taking her time to fuss with the diamond chain. Her jewel and bone rings rolled between her fingers until they were staggered properly.

Hai, I've never even been inside a classroom before.

And deftly wove her hands through the thin pale locks, redoing her severe coiled braid for the umpteenth time.

So forgive the petch out of me for wanting to look my best.

Madeira leaned in to check her mirrored reflection in the tall pane of glass that looked down onto one of the many courtyards the tower. Possessed eyes roamed her form critically as she looked herself up and down before the corners of her mouth curled into a satisfied, tight lipped smile.

That morning, Madeira had asked the cranky ghost for his assistance in her class. It was to be an introduction in possession, something the painfully shy and timid little ghost Emma was unsuited for. And Jomi, in his benevolence, had agreed, but he wanted something in return. He wanted to teach the class.

Finally satisfied that not a hair was out of place, the pair straitened up and glided up to the door, giving it a firm push as the oak doors groaned in protest. Their movements were fluid and unencumbered as they breezed past the pimple faced teens that sat up in startled attention, having drifted off while waiting for their professor. Jomi's mists wound itself through the possession trained body with ease, and settled heavily saturated in Madeira's soft tissue. After nearly two years of living together the pair was comfortable enough with each other that their graceful possession was nearly seamless. Their thoughts and abilities merged into one and control of the body was no longer a fight for dominance but a cooperative effort. Anyone watching would be oblivious to the presence of the ghost.

"Possession."

Skiping over formalities and greetings, the pair took a nub of chalk and scratched out the word in bold on the blackboard.

"Can anyone tell me what a possession is?"

The students eyed each other uncertainly, they were used to the prim and formal demeanour of their rather flamboyantly dressed professor. This new emboldened attitude she displayed was throwing them off, the unease strengthened by the aura of the Maladicted ring gleaming with a yellowish sheen on her finger.

One hand rose timidly as a mousy girl squeaked out a reply.

"Its when the a living body is being controlled by a ghost."
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Postby Madeira Dusk on October 4th, 2018, 11:25 pm

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"Frightfuly simplistic, girl, but yes", Madeira agreed. And it was her knowledge they pulled from as they wrote the answer on the board. The ghost could neither read nor write, so all academic knowledge came from her. Yet Jomi was adding a level of personal experience that the Spiritist didn't have. Together they had an understanding of the process that no one living or dead person could have. But with the merging of their knowledge their personalities started to mingle, much to the exasperation of the separate souls.

"The signs of possession are very simple to spot. Sloppy movements, the host speaking in languages they don't know, or of things they should have no knowledge of. The ghost can not feel if the body is in pain, so a sharp kick to the-"

The class exchanged looks as the professor lost focus for a tick, her eyes rolling upward and away, her chalk paused in the act of writing. Inside her body the spiritist and the ghost were having a violent, but silent, throwdown. Eventually the grace resurfaced and Madeira's body gave a little start.

"Where was I? Yes, a pin to the fingertips or the soles of the feet can suss out a possession if you are unsure. But these are all hostile possessions. Where the ghost works to take over a body against the will of the host. There is another kind."

In front of the POSSESSION written in what was not quite Madeira's neat hand she added GRACEFUL in bold letters.

"Behold! Your second best bargaining chip in your ongoing quest to exorcize the undead: graceful possession. More than just standing aside and letting the ghost handle you like an ugly puppet, this is a symbiosis. The merging of two souls to the betterment of both."

The students sat up a little straighter at the pronouncement, eyes bright and eager. This is what they had signed up for. From the front of the room the professor gave a snort of laughter.

"Settle down, novices. That is some next-level stuff. But you should always have a clear view of what you are striving for, and this is it." She tapped sharply at the board with the chalk. "Today we will be working on simply expelling an unwanted possession. And a warning to the lot of you, this is going to be a very, very unpleasant lesson."

From beneath her desk Madeira surfaced with the tools of her trade. A large bowl, a measure of flour, several eggs, milk, and a wickedly sharp knife.

"Even little ducklings like yourselves should be able to expel a ghost. Who can tell me why?"

Now thoroughly confused by their professors odd behavior, the students exchanged looks before a brave soul lifted their hand.

"Avalon?", she nodded for him to speak as she removed her rings and gloves.

"Because a living soul is stronger than a dead one?"

"Exactly! Even a powerful century-old ghost is weaker than one living soul. The only difference is that century old ghost has had the practice you do not, and could wipe the floor with you." She began the tired process of making soulmist, adding the ingredients one at a time and mashing the sticky mixture between her fingers. "Oh, an opal, look at that. We'll have to thank Rosie." her voice warbled strangely between delight and disappointment as she fished out an uncracked egg from the mixture. What little of the shell that had fallen off revealed a kaleidoscope of colour characteristic of the precious stone. She pocketed it and continued.

"The key to expelling a ghost is to use brut soul-strength against them. Find the edges of your soul from your fingers to toes, and imagine yourself as an impenetrable fortress." With the knife she carved a scalpel-fine line across her wrist and added several drops of blood to the mixture.

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Postby Jomi on October 5th, 2018, 9:57 pm

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The blood soaked into the dough, turning it a muddy brown as their hands continued to knead the sticky mixture. Once they deemed the dough sufficiently mixed they pulled a sticky palm sized piece off and rolled it between their hands to create a sphere.

"Before we get into the practical demonstration it is important to keep in mind the many ways ghosts can break through your greenhorn defenses and what you can do to resist."

Long fingers pushed the ball to the back of their throat as they gave a great heaving swallow. A tacky tongue smacked at the roof of their mouth with a wet popping sound as they turned their focus inward in order to coax the mixture to infuse with a piece of Madeira's soul.

"Your soul strength is stronger than that of a ghosts but your mind is easily manipulated-"

A freckled hand shot up from the back of the class as a young redheaded boy boldly forged ahead with his question.

"But Miss, in our last class you said that ghosts are mostly insane and confused. How would a ghost be able to compare or manipulate the sane rationale of a living mind."

Madeira's body lurched forward and grasped at the edges of her desk and a low rumble rolled up from her throat as she stared down at the dough bowl with a glazed over, murderous glare. The classroom filled with the sounds of scraping wood as the students pushed back in their seats, startled and uneasy.

Madeira stayed in her bent over white knuckled position for several ticks as the pairs second soul smackdown raged on in her body. Until all at once, her grip loosened and her muscles relaxed, a peace treaty having been worked out by both of the bodies occupants. They gave a deep slow breath and several vertebrae popped as they moved back into Madeira's practiced, ridged posture.

"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted. Collin."

They turned back to the board with a huff, scraping the words 'DEFENCE' and 'ATTACK' with bullet points beneath each.

"There are plenty of insane ghosts in the world, but the insane ones are still capable of breaking you down. In fact the insane ones are effective in that regard since their morals typically die with them, making them more willing to resort to dirty tactics like hurting the people you care about and calling it collateral damage." The pair hissed as they jot down 'fear' next to a bullet point under the attack header. "What gives your soul the strength to repel an invading spirit is your 'will', or resolve if you prefer, and a ghost has ways of breaking that down, primarily though is using your fear. They will taunt and torment you, throw objects, speak threats to you, all in an effort to make your resolve crumble and mental defences weaken, allowing for a hostile takeover. Some people use meditation, or prayer to strengthen themselves to these tactics. Ghosts will always target the weakest and most frightened member of a group. Make sure that isn't you."

Under the Defence header the pair added 'survival instinct', turning to the class and jabbing an accusing finger to punctuate their warning.

"This is NOT a first resort. Write a note and pin it on your door. Tattoo it backwards on your forehead. Survival instincts are a shitty plan B and even shittier plan A, but they are worth mentioning." They paused to let the completely miffed students absorb the warning before plowing ahead. "Like your gag reflex that prevents choking, your survival instincts can eject a ghost when your life is in imminent mortal danger, requiring little conscious effort on your part. One such example would be a possessing ghost trying to use your own hand to strangle yourself."

The pair waved a flippant hand as they pull out a second, clean bowl from within the desk.

"However if it gets to the point where the danger is 'imminent' there's a good chance you're petched regardless. If a ghost wearing your body jumps off a cliff, regaining control just means you'll die screaming."
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Postby Madeira Dusk on October 8th, 2018, 10:41 pm

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A wet, hacking cough, and the finished soulmist fell from her lips to the clean bowl she held to catch it. The students, rather than being repulsed, craned to see what she had wrought. There was easily four times as much, and twice as bright, soulmist in that bowl than any of them had been able to manage. Madeira wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"So, who wants to go first?"

The students looked at each other.

"For what, Miss?"

"Like I said, a practical demonstration. Come on, what kind of Spiritists am I training? How have none of you noticed I'm not alone up here."

Madeira reestablished herself in her body with a thought, and expelled Jomi with a breath. The air stirred in the classroom and the windows shivered as the temperature dropped several degrees. But nothing was so changed as Madeira herself. The slight slouch in her posture pulled straight as a puppetstring, the fidgeting of her ceased and fell demurely to the front of her dress, and the mischievous glint in her eye vanished. When she spoke her voice was clear and tone eloquent.

"May I present to you Jomi, my servant. His knowledge in possession grows every day, and he's agreed to share what he knows with you. What you just saw was an example of graceful possession, with a few hiccups" she shot the ghost a dirty look. "But with you he will try a hostile takeover, which we will help you thwart."

Scooping a handful of soulmist from the bowl, she flicked it towards the ghost to revitalize him after the tiring graceful possession.

"Remember what we said; try to center yourself, build up those defenses. Lay your body in siege. A ghost is never as powerful as your soul. Use that against them and you will always win." She moved to the board and outlined all they had been taught, "This will easily be the worst part of learning this magic. But it is crucial to your ability to grow as Spiritists. And nobody truly understands what possession is until they live through it.

"So I'll ask again", she smiled, and a spark of Jomi's mischievousness reignited in her blue eyes. "Who wants to go first?"

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Postby Jomi on October 10th, 2018, 8:44 pm

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The ghosts shroud was about as substantial than a breath of steam as he was pushed from Madeira's body. The energy it took to maintain a graceful possession was never as strenuous as an unwilling one, but it still took a lot from the weaker soul.

Jomi took the offered soulmist greedily, he seemed to glow with the same etherial light as Madeira's mist soaked into his own. Newly invigorated the ghost gave a wide grin and a low mocking bow to the students as he took the time to bring more definition to his form. Starting from his head he wound the straying mist together and folded them inward, making his body appear more opaque than it truly was as he turned to the blackboard. The ghost drew on the newfound energy of his revitalized shroud to activate the mist in his hands, using the thumb and forefinger in his left hand to delicately lift a small stick of chalk from the lip below the slate. The ghost started up at the blackboard he had just moments ago had been writing on with ease and scowled, twisting the chalk about his fingers. Now separated from Madeira's well of knowledge the words had turned back into random squiggles to the illiterate Kelvic ghost, but the memory of the meanings remained. Carefully the ghost brought the chalk up to the board and copied the letters in his own shaky handwriting, spelling out P-O-S-S-E-S-S-I-O-N as Madeira explained his presence to her students.

"Who wants to go first?"

Jomi didn't miss the sparkle behind his mistress' eye, but it didn't match the fire in the ghost own. He'd truthfully been looking forward to this much more than he'd been letting on. And the way the students went out of their way to avoid eye contact with the two of them did nothing to quell his sadistic joy.

"Nobody wants to volunteer? I'm hurt." The corners of Jomi's mouth pulled down into an exaggerated frown, but it didn't last long. Soon his mock sadness gave way to a face splitting, toothy smile. "In that case I suppose I get to pick."

Every single face in the class had a sudden fascination with the wood rings that covered their desks as Jomi approached them. The ghost craned his neck as he drifted through the desks scanned over the students, judging their demeanours and spiritual fortitude. The ghost didn't want an easy fight with a weak, inexperienced soul, he was looking for a challenge, someone to test his own strengths against.

The ghost continued to wander until he came upon a young man sitting in the back, dark chestnut hair cut short and lips set to a grim line, that looked up and met his gaze as the ghost passed. There was a tick as the two stared unflinching into each others eyes before the ghost, smiling cruelly, vanished.

The young man's body wrenched in his seat, back arched painfully as the ghost blinked into him and tackled his soul viciously. Jomi used his favourite tactic of attack, overwhelm and suppress. He targeted individual limbs and muscle groups, twisting his shroud into the boy's soft tissue and throwing his brute force at the spiritual walls he was building. Pulling the inexperienced boys full attention into a specific corner of his body before the ghost jump to a newly unguarded area and continuing his assault, seeking to wear down the boy mentally.
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Postby Madeira Dusk on October 12th, 2018, 7:29 pm

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Madeira was at the possessed students desk in an instant, one pale hand under his chin and another supporting the back of his head to keep the overzealous ghost from giving the man a head injury. Of course Jomi went for Theron first. Madeira blew out her cheeks as the handsome, dark haired twenty-year-old convulsed under her hands. Theron was her most difficult student; bull headed and contemptuous with no respect for authority. She had him figured out on her first day of class, when he challenged her qualifications within ten chimes of stepping through the door. Perhaps Jomi could smell it on him too, and that's why he had picked the student the most like himself.

The students nearest had leapt or fallen out of their chairs as soon as the ghost attacked. The ones farther away had scrambled forward to get a closer look. A crowed was soon forming as Madeira's dozen students scrambled over and around each other to watched Theron's with wide eyes.

"Center yourself, Theon. Don't fall for his bullshyke." Madeira tilted his head forward as foam started bubbling from his lips. "He cannot get in unless you let him. Ignore him, find your soul and anchor it to your bones."

Madeira knew Jomi's possession. She had shared it and battled it and tore it many, many times. There were a few ghosts that she learned the flavor of their possession: Emma's was timid and weak, Renee's was a slick and unstoppable as a disease. But Jomi was teeth and claws savegry. There was no cleverness to it, no tactics. It was fast and brutal and had a nasty habit of leaving the host soul sore and shuddering in the aftermath.

Theron's eyes were rolling blindly in his head, his shoulders slack and fingers trembling. The master Spiritist knew a losing fight when she saw one. Yet truthfully she was impressed that he had lasted this long with his first possession. A few of the bolder students were shouting encouragement at their classmate, but the rest were watching with watery eyes or bloodless lips. They wanted him to win. She wanted him to win, to show the rest that it could be done.

Would it be cheating if she helped him along a little?

Pulling back the hand supporting his chin, she let his head loll back and then brought it down upon his cheek with a crack that could be heard down the hall. A few students gave startled squeaks of shock but she ignored them.

"Come on, Theron, focus! Find your way back into your bones using the pain he cant feel. Then build yourself a wall and live there. He can't last forever, but you can."

A red welt was rising on his cheek as his body solidified under her hands. His neck became stiff and cords jumped from his hands as he brought his muscles under his own control. With a wet stutter he stopped breathing.

The entire room held its breath too, and Madeira started counting in her head.

One tick.

Two ticks.

Three ticks...

Finally the soulmist lifted off the brown-haired youth and the class erupted with little cheers. The boys brown eyes flickered open unfocused as his entire body went slack. He didn't look remotely arrogant now, not with his face shining with sweat and his posture turning to jello in his seat. But he was still a hero in his classmates eyes, and more than one hand collided with his back in congratulations.

"Well done, Theron!" Madeira added her praise to the noise. "That was a perfect example of-"

The master spiritist paused, took one look into his dilated eyes, and without another word hauled him to his feet and stuck his head out the window. The cheering abruptly stopped at the sound of their hero being violently sick. Madeira held him up by the neck of his robes and pounded him on the back as she addressed the rest of the class with a smile.

"Nothing to worry about. The first possession is always the hardest. Trauma to the soul is still trauma." When the boy stopped heaving she pulled him back inside. Looking at his hands she noticed a trembling in the tips of his fingers and the sluggish movements in his arms. "Now this", she moved aside so the rest could see the strange symptoms. "This is what I call possession fatigue. It's when your astral body has trouble realigning properly after a particularly taxing possession, or possessions. There are also some recreational drugs you can take to ground yourself..." She caught herself as she looked around at the wide eyed students watching the situation and coughed daintily, "that I in no way condone. This is nothing some time and a cup of tea cant cure. Avalon, can you take Theron to the balcony in the next room? Some fresh air will have him right as rain in no time. The rest of you take your seats."

Avalon, with a mighty relived sigh took Theron's arm around his shoulder and led him from the room. The rest of the class perched on their seats, a ripple of tension moving through the room as they realized someone else would have to be next.

Moving to the front of the class again, Madeira flung another generous handful of soulmist at the ghost.

"Jomi, why don't you give us a rundown of what Theron did right, and what he did wrong. How can the rest of them better prepare themselves?"

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Postby Jomi on October 17th, 2018, 7:09 pm

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"Jomi, why don't you give us a rundown of what Theron did right, and what he did wrong. How can the rest of them better prepare themselves?"

The ghost took the offered handful of soulmist as greedily as the first. The absorbed soulmist wrapped into his shroud as the ghost reined in his mists, pulling them towards his core and giving his body a solid boarder and greater definition.

"Geez, where do I start..." Jomi whispered saltily as he spun absentmindedly in the front of the class, eyes narrowed and brow knit, as he thought hard on what to say. The dead Kelvic puffed out his cheeks as if sighing mightily, he had never been one for the more scholarly pursuits and generally had a great deal of trouble explaining himself.

He reached within his core to pull out his energy and activate the newly regenerated soulmist in his hands, reaching out mid-pirouette to snatch a fluffy, white feather quill off the front desk. Having something to occupy his hands helped the easily distracted ghost to focus as he stopped his pacing and prepared to address the class.

"He messed up by fighting back. You novice shykes will get your ass handed to you if you try to force an stronger ghost out, stay on the defensive and wait it out."

The ghosts shroud lengthened as he lifted the feather into the air above his head, letting it float lazily into his outstretched palm.

"The pain was a nifty trick though." The ghost remarked, eyeing Madeira cooly. "It was like his entire body shut down, and he retreated into himself. It was an effective way to ground I'd reckon..."

Jomi's train of thought veered off the tracks as the quill evaded the ghosts attempts to corral it, the rapid movements of his soulmist disturbing the air around his hands, causing the feather to float just out of reach every time he moved to grab it.

Now thoroughly miffed and filled with an extra helping of salt the ghost abandoned his plaything, instead whipping around and pointing aggressively at the first student he laid eyes on. A pale boy with striking white blonde hair sat back hard in his seat as the ghost singled him out.

"Come up to the front."

Wide blue eyes cast about nervously as the boy pushed back his chair, slowly making his way up the aisles to join the ghost and his professor. He swallowed hard, a thick pink tongue darting out and wetting his lips before he opened his mouth to speak. But Jomi had already blinked himself into the boy, tackling his soul in the same aggressive, brute force he had used on Theron.

Jomi set to work smothering the host soul with his own and demanding the space it occupied, twisting himself into new shapes to fill his new container. He used the shock of the surprise possession to gain as much ground as he could before the student could come to his senses, rushing to saturate his bones, tissue and the space behind his eyes as the newly invigorated soul squared off.

The fight was short and brutal, but the soul to soul confrontation was too much for the timid boy. The students mental defences crumbled as he retreated into himself and cowered, giving up the fight and allowing the invading spirit to puppet his astral body.

Jomi found it curious how there was no resistance as he straightened his hosts spine, he pulled him up and gave their index finger an exploratory pull, bending them back until he felt resistance. Nothing. The boy had completely given up.

Emboldened, Jomi turned them to the class, arms out and hip cocked as he showed off his trophy. A lopsided grin split the timid students face and his eyes shone excitedly.

"And once a member of your party in possessed, the ghost becomes much more powerful."

Jomi rocked back on their heels, pulling their weight down as he lunged. The body grew taunt and pulled painfully past its limit as the ghost brought their feet up high and landed lightly on the students desk.

"You can't use soul darts or Lie without risking your friends life, while the ghost can interact with the world without pain or consequence. Once possessed all your tools and weapons become useless."
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Postby Madeira Dusk on October 18th, 2018, 7:17 pm

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Madeira flinched as Jomi singled out gentle, timid Pryce. She wasn't quite sure why the boy was even in her class, as the sixteen year old hardly had the constitution needed for a mage. Slowest to learn new techniques and the last to volunteer for anything, she hadn't yet decided whether she wanted to believe in him and give the boy private lessons, or possibly save his life by throwing him out. What made her hesitate was the boy's gentle heart. Unlike many others, and including only Maro, the boy wanted to be a spiritist out of a genuine wish to help. That gentleness could either be a great asset or a glaring weakness.

"Feeling outclassed after that last bout?" she hissed in Jomi's ear as he demanded the poor boy come to the front. "If you think singling out the weakest kid will make you look tough again you're mistaken."

No sooner was the boy standing trembling at the front of the class then the ghost vanished. The possession was short and brutal, and the breadth of the power Jomi had acquired on the whetstone of Madeira's soul was on full display as he stood tall on borrowed legs and smiled like a demon. Jumping up on a desk with an athletic ability beyond Pryce's small frame, he waxed on the hopelessness of the situation had the stakes been real.

The students were scared. They shrank back in their seats, looking forward or at Theron's empty desk but never at their possessed peer and his sickle smile. They should be scared, Madeira thought. She hadn't done her job right if they didn't have a healthy respect and fear of what was out there. But it was also her job to show them how you overcome these horrors.

Madeira gathered herself, reaching deep for a name that scared her just as much as it scared Jomi. The soulmist permanently imbued in her face and tongue stirred as she activated it with nothing but the power of her mind and a flick of her soul. The students saw no change in their professor, but the ghost with its back to her would turn to see Madeira replaced with a woman remarkably like her. She had the same icy blue eyes, pale face and ridged posture. But this woman was decades older, and somehow colder. Her presence filled the room like the promise of a storm and all of it was focused on the ghost.

"Bring that boy down now, spirit", Madara Craven's voice was the snap of ice over the river you were standing on. Only when the boy had climbed down and stood cowering before the matriarch of the Craven house did Madeira look up over the class, still holding tight to the Lie.

"Ghost's are also known liars. Yes, possession is a worst case scenario, but it's not without solutions. Weapons would hurt the host, but barriers like soulbeads and souldarts are still effective in keeping a ghost out or confined. And if you can manage it, the best thing to do is tie the possessed person down to stop them from hurting themselves or others while you work on a way to exorcise them. And in that case", she let go of the Lie, and regarded Jomi coldly through the eyes of Pryce. "A Lie can do wonders for cooperation."

"And remember what we said before?" she turned back to the class and smiled brightly. "If all else fails survival instinct can still pull through for you, so never give up hope. Pryce is still in there. Beaten and subdued, yes, but still very much present. Lets give him the push he needs."

From her desk top she retrieved the wicked-looking knife, still stained with a thin line of her coagulating blood. She could imagine Jomi seething with resentment inside the boy at having been Lied to. He would be looking for any way to give her comeuppance. And she relied on that hateful energy as she pressed the handle of the knife into the boy's open hand.

"Kill him."

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Postby Jomi on October 26th, 2018, 10:51 pm

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"A Lie can do wonders for cooperation."

The ghost scowled, hard lines etching themselves into the boys soft, gentle feature. Out of all the tricks in a spiritists arsenal, the Lie was by far the most cruel. Playing god with the most vulnerable of minds that the spiritists claim to help.

"And remember what we said before?" Madeira turned to the class, giving Jomi a few ticks to seethe quietly behind her back. The ghost felt a soft flutter near his core as Pryce's soul made its presence known to the invader. To timid to fight back, the soul was forced to look through their eyes helplessly as Jomi used them to burn holes into the Spiritists' back. "If all else fails survival instinct can still pull through for you, so never give up hope. Pryce is still in there. Beaten and subdued, yes, but still very much present. Lets give him the push he needs."

Madeira turned away from her possessed student to poke around on her desktop at the front of her class. Pryce's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he rose to the tips of his toes as both ghost and host strained themselves to peek around her growing belly.

Jomi held the boys hand open instinctively as the woman approached and pressed the wooden handle, worn smooth with time and use, into their palm. The boy retreated further into himself and cowered away from the weapon while Jomi met Madeira's eyes quizzically, surely she didn't mean for him to...

"Kill him."

A scythe like grin erupted unbidden from the corners of their mouth. Madeira didn't think the ghost could hurt the boy, in fact she was betting his life and her reputation that he couldn't. But the boy was so weak and timid, and the ghost fuming after that public humiliation that the balance was tipped heavily in Jomi's favour. Or at least that was his reasoning.

The sharp curve of the blade shot towards the young boys neck. The silver gleamed wickedly in the light of the oil lamps as it pressed into the soft skin above his jugular before coming to an abrupt stop. Blood welled up at the point, a thick drop of ruby red blood wound its way lazily down to his shirt collar as Pryce's eyes rolled back in his head. At the gentle kiss of the blade the boy panicked, his soul seemed to grow in size, pushing the ghost against the edge of his astral body as the sureness of death washed over him. Jomi fought him back with characteristic viciousness, clawing at the hosts soul savagely, but the sudden drive to live overwhelmed the weaker soul. Jomi was forced to let go, falling still and silent in his host as he collected himself and pooled his weakened soulmist into the boy's right arm. Seething and salty that Madeira had set him up for another humiliating loss the ghost waited for the students concerned teacher to approach the exhausted boy. Pryce's arm twitched and flexed subtly under the wrinkled uniform as the ghost tested the muscles, preparing to strike.
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Postby Madeira Dusk on October 28th, 2018, 7:21 pm

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"Are you okay, Pryce?" Madeira soothed, laying a hand on the boys shoulder.

Wispy blonde hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat that was dripping into his wide blue eyes. Shellshocked and breathing hard, he was as white as a sheet but kept his feet under him. Aftershocks were shivering through his body, twitching through his cheeks and the fist still holding the knife. Madeira's gaze flicked to the white-knuckled grip and away.

"I-I'm okay, Professor", the boy hiccupped. Tow pale fingers found his throat and came away wet with blood. He stared at the vivid red color, transfixed, until a wide, proud smile slip his lips. "I did it", he whispered. Madeira had never heard such a deep, sure level of confidence in his voice.

The room erupted in cheers for their tiny black-sheep classmate. Madeira stepped back to the desk to give him the spotlight as they celebrated his victory with him. She fiddled with a wooden ruler, playing politely deaf as the delighted ruckus continued. But when a classmate made to get up from her chair to high five him, Madeira stopped her with a look.

One by one the class noticed there was something wrong with the Spiritist's silence. The cheering bubbled away, carried out by the current of fresh air as they watched her.

Madeira cleared her throat, returning to the boy's side. "You did very well, Pryce. You pulled through and were able to regain control. I'm proud of you." The boy seemed to grow with the praise he had never heard from a professor before. "But you shouldn't underestimate your opponent. Jomi is more powerful than you think. So where is he now?"

Suspicious eyes roamed the room, and she could almost hear the wheels turning as they puzzled through all the signs of a present ghost she had taught them. But the cold was nothing more than the Fall breeze, and there was no flickering in the room. The electric presence of a spirit was simply not there.

It was at that moment that Jomi struck, Pryce's hand still holding the knife extending high to cut Madeira through the arm or shoulder. But the Spiritist was ready, and her wooden ruler hit the flat of the blade hard with a ping of metal on wood. The knife drop to the floor, but not before the horrified Pryce watched himself wind back a second time and backhand his professor across the face before she could defend herself a second time.

Madeira staggered backwards and cursed lustily as Pryce stammered out his apologies. She waved them away and massaged her cheek as she addressed the class. "Remember that a sufficiently powerful ghost is capable of lurking in ones body even if they lost the battle of wills. They also have a nasty habit of controlling one body part at a time with great effect." she smiled ruefully.

"Bad news is, we've pissed of my co instructor. Good news is you will get to see your first ever live exorcism", she beamed at the confused faces in her class like a mother offering her children a rare treat. "Come up front, let me show you."

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