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Post by thaniel on Nov 19, 2008 16:06:00 GMT 1
The wind was blustery on this west side of the school. That was never a problem from Thaniel. He was strongest in the wind. It ruffled his hair but at a moments notice he could take complete control of it and move one of these boulders poking up out of the ground.
He leaned against the rock nearest a thin, sickly looking tree. The tree was a stubborn one but also stupid since it planed to take root in such a rocky bit of land. It reminded him of Siren. She thought some act of kindness would help her to earn a friendship with a hard-hearted ghost like him. What a silly notion.
Thaniel tried hard not to smile but, rather, to maintain a smirk. The wrong sort of smile and she'd be onto him like she was about the tickling. In fact, he went with no teeth and attempted a foul and stern glower that made him look ready to kill.
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Post by fallensiren on Nov 20, 2008 0:59:26 GMT 1
It was a desolate place. Siren rarely came there at night; the sight of the odd soft of bluffs unnerved her. She didn't like to give herself an opportunity to come too close to death; it was sometimes a temptation that was too dangerous for her to trust herself with. And when meeting with a ghost, this probably wasn't the best setting - but she was the last person who would break her word.
For a moment, she had a hard time spotting Thaniel, who was glowering in a foul sort of way that made her cringe; his face looked contorted. It was like nails on a chalkboard for her. Certain sights just put her stomach on edge. Hands in pockets - one clutching the prize, a battered deck of playing cards - she walked to meet him, head down to protect herself from the wind.
Finally reaching the outcropping where he stood, near a sickly, stubborn tree, she came to a halt. "So," she said, conversationally. "Lovely weather." The tone was distinctly sarcastic. So far, the ghost had only played rough with her; he was a bit of a bastard, she noted to herself. She wasn't willing to be friendly anymore.
This area of the grounds made her uneasy. She felt her stomach turn unwillingly; it was a shuddering response to the cold wind and the desolate surroundings.
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Post by thaniel on Nov 20, 2008 15:41:10 GMT 1
It was odd how Siren's mood had so radically changed. Back in the hallway she was so perky and asking him for the secrets of ghostdom. She seemed to want to help him and felt she could make a difference for him and he was almost willing to let her. As it was, this deck of cards he was about to recieve would do a world of good to help his mood.
But then a split second later she was angry and kicking over his coins. Like night and bloody day, this one. He used to think Ravenclaws had more level heads but she was proving him wrong about that. The way her attitude flip-flopped was weird but he decided to put it out of his mind for now.
"There you are. I was afraid you got lost or you were afraid to come." He smirked and watched the wind play though her hair. It was so dreadfully windy up here. "I'm so glad you came. You won't regret it. Do you have the deck of cards?"
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Post by fallensiren on Nov 21, 2008 5:52:21 GMT 1
Siren scowled, irritated by the patronizing tone the damn ghost took, and brought her hand from her pocket. "Per your order, your ghostliness," she said, with a tone of mock inferiority. "They're a bit battered, but they'll probably serve your purpose."
Whatever that is, she thought to herself, becoming once again slightly uneasy about this whole situation. She couldn't see the angry, distant ghost actually agreeing to human contact unless there was something dreadful and slightly terrifying in it for him. Like managing to trick her into falling from these heights...
She swallowed and turned back to look at him, her eyes narrowing. "So?" she encouraged, slightly more interested now. "I do hope you've remembered your part of the bargain."
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Post by thaniel on Nov 21, 2008 17:02:01 GMT 1
Thaniel took the cards hastily from her and immediately opened them like a boy on Christmas. He used to enjoy Christmas when he was alive but since he was skewered on Christmas Eve, the appeal was gone. But he did still love to recieve gifts. It made him feel important again.
He started to shuffle them like a Las Vegas professional. Pyramid shuffles, Three Split shuffles, Russian shuffles, Hindu shuffles and the Orleans Weave. One day he'd have one named after him. He wasn't sure yet how the shuffle would work and he was still working on the name.
"These will work, I suppose." He said, down playing the gift entirely. He fought the urge to ask her to pick a card, any card. There was a business to be done. He had a bargain to fulfill.
"A secret of ghostdom, right? You want to know something that the living don't know. I can only tell you if I have your solemn swear that you will tell no one. If other ghosts found out that I told you, I wouldn't be the only one in danger. You would be a target and ghosts can hold grudges for as long as you live and even after. Are you prepared to know something that the dead don't want you to know?" He made sure to look down on her and he spared the smirk. His eyes were dead cold and his lips were stern. He needed a promise from her or no secret would be told spoken.
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Post by fallensiren on Nov 22, 2008 18:10:30 GMT 1
Siren crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep herself warmer. She really hated the cold. She supposed that she'd hate being a spirit, in that way - she couldn't stand not being warm. It was unfortunate that she'd lived in fairly chilly climates most of her life. Sometimes she had vague notions to take off for a southwestern United States area...but then, Americans were so strange.
"Right," she agreed, fighting to keep her teeth from chattering. "Fully prepared. I promise I won't tell."
Who would I tell, anyway? she thought to herself sarcastically. Like I really have a whole brood of bosom friends to run to with this delightful information...
With another shiver, she raised her eyebrows at Thaniel, waiting for him to make good on their deal. "I do hope it's something interesting," she added dryly as she watched him shuffle the battered cards. She wondered how he managed it, seeing as she'd thought ghosts wouldn't be able to grab hold of anything substantial...
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Post by thaniel on Nov 25, 2008 14:19:32 GMT 1
Thaniel looked around very dramatically. He truly did hope no other spirits were around to hear this. They might have something to say about what he was about to tell her.
He leaned in and whispered, "Ghosts can tell where the dead are buried. We have this sense about where wizards, witches and even muggles have been placed into the Earth. It's not a fun secret, I can tell you that. Sometimes this skill betrays murders. That's sort of why ghosts don't talk about it. The murderer could come back as a ghost and wouldn't want us all spouting off about where their victims are.
"In fact," He glanced over to a particular rock nearby where a hole was exposed, "I think some ghost was trying to free a body buried over there. A noble act but you can never be sure you're free to help a body out. I suppose this body has been here a while. It could be safe to dig it up and rebury it in a safer and more respectful location. If a living person were to free that poor bastard, all the better."
He really hoped she'd offer, or at least get a closer look into that hole.
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Post by fallensiren on Nov 27, 2008 22:48:06 GMT 1
"That's...vaguely repulsive."
Siren hated dead people. Dead, decaying people, especially. And she hoped she would be able to convey to Thaniel Warren that there was no way in hell she was going near a smelly, dirty, decaying, potentially mutilated body.
"So, let me guess," she continued, still feeling somewhat nauseated. "You want me to wander over there and take a peek, and maybe move around a body that's probably falling apart and oozing all sorts of disgusting worms and fluids?" I don't think so, she thought grimly, but perhaps there was more to this explanation.
"How would a ghost go about freeing a body, anyway?" she questioned, her eyebrows knitting together. "I'm surprised you can make any physical contact with the world at all."
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Post by thaniel on Nov 28, 2008 14:15:14 GMT 1
Thaniel laughed. He didn't do that often enough but Siren was an awfully funny girl. She had such ideas in her head. Her imagination was to be admired.
"The body has been there for a very long time. It's far beyond putrescence. It's only bone now. Easy to pick up. I could even free this body myself but I have limitations." Thaniel wished his plan hadn't included telling her the truth about himself but he was putting it out there nonetheless. "The water in the ground makes it hard for me to touch things. I go right through it."
He shrugged. Hopefuly he'd be able to trick her in the way he'd intended if only she'd go and take a look into that hole in the ground. Then she'd forget about the water thing and chalk it all up to the trick. "If I had the ability to free those old bones I would. Some bones, like that one there, still have weak ghosts attached. They are too weak to know they are dead and they scream." That was another truth about Thaniel that hit close to home. He hadn't been aware of his own death for quite some time. He remained on the floor of his study for quite some time thinking he was still dying. Ten years sort of passed him by before he realized he was dead and no longer dying. "It's a horrible state to be in. No one deserves that."
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Post by fallensiren on Nov 28, 2008 23:13:45 GMT 1
Siren's beautiful eyes narrowed, her eyebrows slanting in interest. It was good to hear Thaniel laugh, anyway. He sounded nearly human. She smiled ironically at the thought. "Running water?" she mused, and started to drift towards the hole that the ghost of Slytherin had indicated. "There a Muggle myths about such things, but they don't apply to ghosts; it's said that the undead..." she coughed delicately. "...zombies, you know, can't touch running water, are fearful to be near it. The reasons don't make the same sense with a ghost."
Hands in her pockets, she strolled towards the hole, a little less wary now that she'd been informed that it wasn't falling apart in decay. Bones weren't much better, but at least she wouldn't have to watch food for the worms being eaten up.
"And, as far as I was aware, you're either a ghost or you're not," she added as she walked. "How can an old spirit still cling to a body? Will it be a true spirit when it's free, or will it move on?"
So many questions. She wondered whether Thaniel would deign to answer them all - but she'd gotten him his damn cards, and she was going to look at a pile of old bones with a spirit potentially attached, and she had no idea how moving them would help free the spirit in the least. She still felt vaguely uneasy about the whole thing, though she couldn't have said why.
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