A Breath of Fresh Air (Open)

[Anna]

45th of Summer, 510 AV

Note: Just one or two people please, until then, feel free to hop in!

Lazy tendrils of white, smoky air floated about her body, seeping into her dress, ruffling her dark hair. Slowly the gentle wisps' movements began to sharpen. Anna's soulmist twisted violently about her image, churning and flickering as if caught in an ethereal wind. The lines of Anna's soul blurred as her essence roiled, coiling itself about the ghost. The feeling returned, pressure enveloped Anna, crushing her, denying her breath. Her fingers twitched and her spine clenched as she writhed beneath the pillow. And then the pull came, seeping into her essence, sucking her up, welcoming, cajoling, inviting her to follow.

Anna shook her head and, reflexively, breathed deeply, well, made the motions of breathing deeply. Slowly the cloud about her calmed, her figure refocused. Lines grew sharper, emerging from the fog, which settled carefully about the hem of her dress, and in the locks of hair that fell heavily down her back. Every time I forget, I stop thinking... I'm not ready to leave yet. she thought, as the memory of her death seeped back to the recesses of her mind. Fifty-two years was a long time to focus though, and it was so simple, so effortless to let a thought drift off and fade as they had in life with no consequence. But now, if Anna let a thought leave lightly, let her mind empty, she fell back to the beginning, and the nearly undeniable need to continue on filled her.

I've been in this room too long. One can only mope for so long before repeating oneself, she thought, a slight smile moving across her smooth, translucent face. “A walk,” her voice floated coldly through the dusty room, “Yes, a walk sounds marvelous.” She stood and floated across her old bedroom, passing through the door as her soulmist followed, an eerie train of smoke in her wake. Her old home was empty now, it had been for nearly a year. Shame, they were rather interesting... Anna thought as she floated past the dining room, recalling the last family to live there. They had left nearly a year ago, and though Anna had had her qualms with them she had enjoyed the presence of life. Slowly she sank into the front door, a cold grayness pouring through the heavy wood, seeping into the grain until only her hair remained. It floated alone for a moment, moving in invisible winds as always before vanishing into the wood.

As Anna emerged in the hallway her form began to darken. Color began to trickle down over her body, darkening her hair to a rich brown. The semblance of a flush filled her cheeks, and red seeped into the elegant gown that covered her. Slowly the fog about Anna sank into her flesh. Her chest rose and fell very slightly, it was a deliberate action, unneeded. When Anna was fully materialized she looked like a poor drawing of her former glory. Her face was not as clear, her eyes seemed shallow, more like shiny brown beads than a tool for sight. Where once her curves had been sharp and clear beneath the close fitting gown they looked smudged, an image painted on paper poorly cared for.

A graceful smile crossed elegantly carved lips. She seemed slightly flat, and faded, but no longer did Anna flicker violently, her image drifting off against her will. She was getting better. A pale hand passed over her neck, and with a smooth flick, brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder. Anna strode down the hall, her back straight and her steps smooth as her dress fluttered behind moved by the real air for the first time in a long while.

[Grayzdo Briety]

Grayzdo had never seen a ghost. But from what he knew they couldn't cause any harm. He walked into the castle and found where they said a ghost had been living. The twenty year old kept his white hair bounced as he walked almost with a little skip. As he headed to the room.

He didn't bother bringing any weapons cause he figured the ghost wouldn't pose any threat. Once he managed to get down the hallway the room was located he pushed the door to Anna's room open. The room was bare of any kind of furniture so he sat down on the cold floor. Then he begun to wait hoping he might see the ghost.

[Anna]

The halls were empty this evening as Anna walked about. A shame... I was rather hoping to meet someone, or at least see the neighbors. Still the walk had done its purpose. Focusing on her form, attempting to hold herself that much closer to the physical world had filled her mind. The lightheadedness from before was gone, her mind sharpened by the concentration on her body and appearance. Regretting the lack of conversation, and new fuel for thoughts she would have gained, Anna turned back.

It had been a good while and she was growing tired, her lines were growing fainted and more smudged than before. The red of her dress was no longer crisp, but a faded shade of fabric left in the sun too long. As she passed down the stone corridors beneath flickering sconces Anna's figure wavered and began to flicker ever so slightly. Anna could feel imperceptible strands of soulmist flaking off her as she grew weary, this was the longest she had managed to hold a materialization, she was improving. I wonder if I can hold it until i get home, she thought, her body giving a strange, awkward smile as her control began to loosen. It wouldn't have mattered much if she couldn't, everyone near her knew what she was, it was more the desire to someday be able to hid it that kept Anna practicing. Perhaps one day she would look human again...

Anna reached the entrance to her home and looked at the door knob. Closing her eyes the woman relaxed. She let the door knob run through her thoughts, and imagined turning it. Her hand reached out, and grasped it, turning solid as Anna attempted to focus her soulmist. She tried to turn the knob, and her hand slipped through it. Her form was flickering badly now, and the dull ache of fatigue was swimming in her essence. Once more, you almost had it... she thought, and focused again. This time the knob turned with a satisfying click. Luckily the Knights took good care of the castle, and the hinges swung easily open. Anna did not have the ability to push something so heavy as the expensive mahogany door, especially not tired as she was.

Walking quickly forward, her form flickering Anna failed to notice the open door to her chambers until she had entered. Only then did she realize she was still rather solid, and had not passed through the door itself. Distracted the colors fled her, leeching away into the air. As her body dissolved into fog about her the woman noticed a young man sitting on her floor.

"I beg your pardon, but who are you?" asked the ghost indignantly, "And what, may I ask, are you doing in my house?" The words were sharp and angry, and though her mouth moved with the words they seemed to come up from the stone, cold, gray, and sourceless. The temperature began to plummet as Anna's face grew stern, glaring at the young man with white hair sitting on her floor.

[Grayzdo Briety]

When the ghost entered Grayzdo bolted up straight as a shiver went up his back the moment the temperature dropped. He noticed the color of the ghost faded and Grayzdo tried to look intimidate incase somehow this ghost tried to possess him. "I'm here to ask questions." He said a little loud. He wouldn't harm the ghost even if he could but still he really was just here to ask questions.

[Anna]

Anna's soulmist swirled chaotically about her. The ghost crossed her arms and frowned at the young man. He seemed brazen, and cocky, a few years younger than she was when she died. As he spoke she raised one thin eyebrow. "You came to ask questions, is that it?" she said in her light, sourceless voice, sounding more reprimanding than angry. "You wanted to ask me something, so you break into my home, and sit in my room, utterly uninvited and expect me to answer your questions? Sir, forgive me, but you're not making a very good impression."

Slowly though, Anna's soulmist was calming, changing into more relaxed wisps of smoke about her. This was interesting, no matter how much it annoyed her, and interesting things were a wonderful break in the monotony of her death. Perhaps she could make it a bit more interesting. The bedroom door was far lighter than the grand front door. Concentrating on the motion Anna imagined it closing with a slam, willing her soulmist to shut it. After a brief pause, the door began to inch forward, speeding up as it moved until it shut with a pleasing thud. It was tiring to do that, but a door was a large target, difficult to miss and easy to direct, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to manage. She wasn't incredibly worried about tiring herself, she was already so fatigued from the materialization that any Spiritist would have had no trouble with her. But this man was most certainly not a Spiritist and had no way of touching her as she was.

"It seems, that the polite thing to do would have been to knock. The least you could do now is introduce yourself," she said, her voice hitting some of the more pleasant tones as she calmed, sounding warmer, more full and life-filled, "Unless of course, you would like me to find a Knight? And you ought to know, trespassing is rather frowned upon in Syliras."

[Grayzdo Briety]

The door slammed shut probably the ghost had something to do with it. Grayzdo wasn't surprised. Then the ghost begun to speak and Grayzdo listened. When she finished speaking Grayzdo said "My name is Stefan." giving her the fake name he had given a girl 38 days ago. "Please don't get a knight." he said he seemed to be begging a little but he remained standing and wouldn't get on his knees to beg. "Anyways I just want to ask my questions then I'll leave."

[Anna]

Dark hair floating about her face Anna's frown loosened, it seemed the door had elicited the desired effect. "Very well, Stefan, ask your questions, though if I feel that you are being the slightest bit disrespectful, I shall fetch a guard and have you thrown out." Anna really had no desire to fetch a guard, true, she wanted this impudent, irritating young man gone, but the Knights were wearisome to deal with in her condition. Slowly warmth began to seep back into the room.

[Grayzdo Briety]

"Well I was wondering how did you die?" He stood there and a moment went by. Then he opened his mouth and pushed out the words "If you don't mind me asking." He was nervous so it was quite the effort to speak.

[Anna]

A small half smile of smug pleasure twisted Anna's full lips, she'd managed to scare a few manners into him at least. "A strange thing to care about, considering you don't know my name, let alone who I am." Anna floated closer to Grayzdo, the gray mist of her dress making a very faint rustling noise. She leaned forward ever so slightly, her dark gray eyes looking into his. Through her body the door was visible. In a breath of cold that brushed the man's face she said softly, her disembodied voice moving through his flesh, "Smothered. In my sleep." Tendrils of hair, nearly black, drifted closer to Grayzdo, almost brushing against him. A silence fell through the room, the quiet of a calm night, and the air became stale and filtered, as though one had to breath deeply or choke.

(You have no idea how difficult it was not to write death by pillow)

[Grayzdo Briety]

It was reaching nighttime and Grayzdo was beginning to loosen up cause in his mind the ghost seemed a bit less scary. Then another question popped into his head. He wasn't nervous any more so he said "Are you always transparent?"