extremely qualified ambassador of earth

[bitterchill]

Vancouver, being Vancouver, lacks a vibrant night life, or for that matter a dingy one. Take this alleyway, for instance. Completely empty. Where are the muggers? Where are the filthy strays? New York clicks its counterfactual tongue in grimy disapproval.

That said: the alleyway is empty. It would be a shame if something... happened to it.

Comments

[between_worlds]

Alex freezes, then lets out a shaky breathe and kisses Ari.

[bitterchill]

Ari is predictably delighted! (He tastes like the earthy tones of his gelato, with an undercurrent of spice that can't be natural. He leads the kiss after the first few seconds, because he gets the feeling Alex could use the help.)

...There's a strange chill in the air. More than should normally come from the freezers and the Vancouver evening.

[between_worlds]

Alex is enjoying the kiss too much to notice.

[bitterchill]

Ari's not on the psychic sensitivity leaderboards or anything, but he's more perceptive than most humans simply virtue of being a wizard. Eventually he breaks off the kiss, brow furrowed. "Seriously? A haunted ice cream shop?"

(The teenaged girl manning the counter gives him an odd look, but declines to comment.)

[between_worlds]

Alex looks around, "Do you see something?"

[bitterchill]

"Not... 'see,' so much. Wizards get some extra-sensory stuff for the mystical whatever. But it's colder than it should be, and it's uneven, and there's this sort of creepy ghosty feeling screwing up my kissing vibe. Which is unacceptable."

[between_worlds]

"It has really bad timing. Should we banish it or throw salt at it or something?"

[bitterchill]

"Well, we might as well check it out, at least. If the ghost's harmless we can just make out at the apartment instead; it's not hurting anyone." He turns to the cashier. "Excuse me, do you know if there's some reason for your shop to be haunted?"

"Ghosts don't exist, sir."

"But if they did."

She sighs. "I dunno. Kathy was telling me some homeless guy died outside? Creepy shit. That ghosty enough for you?"

"Indeed!"

[between_worlds]

"How do we find it?"

[bitterchill]

"You were talking about wanting to see the Nevernever, right? Here's an opportunity!"

"Are you on acid?" inquires the cashier.

"Not usually!"

[between_worlds]

"Though that would explain a lot," Alex says with a smirk.

[bitterchill]

"Hardly. And it certainly wouldn't explain this." Ari slams his foot to the floor, which melts into a mirrored sheen. The air before him fills with a curtain of reflective mist.

The girl behind the counter looks slightly queasy. "You..."

"I can put it back," Ari reassures her.

She nods faintly. "Well, that's good."

He turns back to Alex. "Shall we?"

[between_worlds]

"Hell yes!"

[bitterchill]

Ari ushers them through.

The curtain sighs shut behind them. Past it stands a forlorn-looking bearded man, weeping softly to himself in rhyme. "One, two, three, he's with me... Eight, nine, ten, gone again... One, two, three, I can't see... Eight, nine, ten, where's my Ben?"

His skin is translucent, and he stands before a pool of clear water. As he sings, his tears feed the pool, which ripples and grows by the minute.

Ari winces. "That's not a good sign."

[between_worlds]

"Poor guy. What's wrong with him?"

[bitterchill]

"Well, the rhyme implies his son died. Or lover, but the counting says 'son' to me. The pool of tears is a sign that he's getting more and more powerful, probably by feeding on the emotional energy of the customers. And it also looks like he's setting up a domain here, which generally happens as a reflex when a spirit's going to be attracting attention to itself. And..."

Ari crouches down to take a look at the ghost's hands. "Blood. He killed Ben, whoever he was. Which means he'll probably kill again."

[between_worlds]

"Can we stop him?"

[bitterchill]

"Yeah. I don't have my dust with me; I only really carry that if I'm expecting heavy-duty haunting. So, we can go back to the apartment and get it, or I can put this guy to rest the hard way."

[between_worlds]

"The hard way?"

[bitterchill]

"I beat him until he dies properly," Ari explains. "Using my fists."

[between_worlds]

"That sounds like a terrible idea. Let's go grab what you need from your apartment."

[bitterchill]

"Aw. But I can totally do it, I'm really good at using my fists!"

Still, Ari prepares to reopen the Way back to the shop.



"One, two, three, WHERE IS HE?" shrieks the ghost.

"Shit." Ari leaves off the Way and instead drops into a fighting stance. "Run about fifteen feet away and get on the ground. He won't sense you here, but that doesn't mean he can't hurt you. Go."

[between_worlds]

"Can he hurt you?"

[bitterchill]

"Asking questions is not running!"

The ground shakes and begins to sprout rocks that look uncomfortably like teeth.

Ari decides that this fight is one he would rather have at a later date, slings Alex over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and sprints away.

[between_worlds]

"Woah! What are you doing? Put me down, I'm fine. He can't do anything to me."