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The address Guy has shared leads to an old, dark alley, which Guy is currently leaned against, one leg propped up on the wall and everything. He’s wearing his usual attire, and his monster of a bike is parked on the street as he waits.
Phaedra arrives on her own bike--much less a monster at this point, her helmet white. She's got a leather jacket over a floaty peasant blouse and leggings, her hair in a low ponytail secured with a scrap of yarn.
"Heya, Guy."
Rena has spent the whole walk over rambling to Calamity in an attempt to hide her nerves. On account of Phaedra being there. She doesn't shut up until they get within earshot of Guy (or at least what she assumes is ear shot, he has crazy senses) when she switches to hands in her pockets, walking slow and cool mode.
"S'up, boss?" She says, cool as a cucumber, before adding, dispassionately, "Phaedra."
Calamity has calammed up (heh) a little, the closer they get. 'Cause given the personalities involved, this whole evening could explode fast. They're in their ever present sweatshirt, unzipped in the heat, and haven't bothered to keep the hood up given that they're not walking alone. Their dark green bandanna hangs around their neck, as per usual, and even through their nervousness they manage to offer up a smile to Phaedra.
Guy gets a small wave and no eye contact.
Guy grunts and stands up off the wall. “Phaedra, how are you?” He makes a little gesture with his hands to offer a hug. “Rena, Calamity, I hope your evening’s been well. Sorry if I killed the conversation you were having.”
"I'm good, I'm good. Been staying mostly out of trouble mostly." She steps in for the Guy hug, grinning, before her attention turns to Calamity and Rena. "Hey."
"Nah, nah, shit just hit a lull," Rena lies, "I've been doin' better." And it's true, she looks a million times better than when Guy last saw her. Rena's dressed the same as always, her knit beanie being the only thing keeping her from looking ready for the summer. "So what's the plan? We just pokin' around in there?"
"Mostly?" Calamity shoots a grin at Phaedra. "I mean, 's more'n I can say, but..." They take a step to nudge Phaedra gently, and then looks to Guy. "Never been 'round here...place looks pretty cool though."
“Yeah, found this place, seemed weird, thought I’d invite people. Think it’s an old office, maybe, but there’s strange acoustics in the back...anyway. You need a light?” He asks directly to Calamity.
"If you'd warned me in advance, I'd have prepared to be listening for spirits. But that's Cruac and I can't do that on the fly." She tsks softly at Guy. "I can definitely Auspect it some, though."
"We lookin' for ghosts? 'Cause I can see ghosts," Rena brags.
"I got my lighter, but that's fire, so...?" Calamity shrugs at Guy, waiting for an opinion on the danger of tiny flames. "Maybe?" A beat. "You can see ghosts?"
“I wasn’t really expecting spirits or ghosts,” he says with a shrug. “But if you see one, Rena, let us know.” Guy looks at Calamity for a moment. “If you warn us, a lighter shouldn’t be a problem. Flashlights are always useful, too,” he says extra drily.
"Warn us and don't swing it at us, yeah." Phaedra shrugs. "Either way, sounds like something fun to explore."
"'tch, course I can see ghosts," Rena says, looking slightly above and to the right of Cal. Her eyes go wide and she raises a single trembling hand to point, "OH MY GOD, BUG, ITS GOING TO STAB YOU!"
And then, whether or not they fall for it, she breaks into raucous near-manic laughter. "You should have seen the look on your fucking face!"
"Yeah well, I don't have a flashlight," Calamity grumps. "Looks like a pretty sweet place to - the fuck?" They don't quite have time to look anything other than confused and a little worried at Rena. When it's clear she's joking, they reach out to shove her shoulder. "Asshole. 'S why I don't believe you when you say shit."
He chuckles softly, and pulls out his phone to turn on the flashlight function. “Come on, lets start poking around.” He leads the way into the alley, heading for a clearly abandoned building. The rear door has had its handle broken off, and he kicks a cinderblock out of the way to open it.
Phaedra gives Rena a pointed look at her prank, and opens her mouth as if she's going to say something, before turning away and following Guy into the building instead. Her shoulders are tensed as she walks in.
"One sec," Rena says. And then her eyes turn pitch black for the briefest of seconds before reverting to normal. "There, now I can see ghosts for real." Beat. "Would it lose the punch if I had done the exact same bit?" She waits for Calamity to enter, planning to stay behind them to keep 'em safe from behind.
"Jesus fuck, that's creepy..." Calamity shudders as Rena's eyes change color, and they walk in ahead of her, reaching out to give Phaedra a touch on the arm. Not holding her hand, just a 'hey, I'm here' reassurance.
He steps in, glancing about. The walls are crumbling, the floor covered with dust and detritus. He walks about, glancing at mildewed papers on what must be the reception desk. “Little heartbeats...probably just bugs and mice...”
Phaedra hums as she walks into the place. "The fact that there's papers still on the desk might mean they were evicted in a hurry, or the business sank fast or something. This place wasn't cleaned up when the tenants left."
This is a surprising show of thoughtful investigation for someone who proceeds to trip over the leg of a chair not three seconds later.
"Jesus, you okay?" Rena asks, forgetting any potential weirdness for a second. "'nd, I'm not seeing any outta the ordinary spirit shit yet. 'nd Bug, if you think that's creepy, I can do some real creepy shit." She pauses. "Boss, how much can I tell Bug about our shit?"
"Phae -" Calamity reaches out to grab her arm in an attempt to keep her from falling. "I mean I can do some creepy shit too, doesn't make it any less creepy. Y'know?"
“No organizations, no weaknesses,” he says absently, breaking off a piece of drywall and crumbling it in his fingers as he smells it. “Obviously they already know about fire.”
Phaedra lets Calamity keep herself upright, and is a little more careful as she continues to move in the room. "I don't see any computers in here. The papers were left, but either this was abandoned a good while ago, or those got taken. Guy, do you see anything you want me to read, while you've got me here?"
There's a wiggle-fingered gesture to make clear she means Spirit's Touch.
"I'm from a ghost huntin' vamp bloodline. I do good with ghosts and shadows and shit, so I got some neat tricks there. My sire called it Obtenitration or somethin' like that. Basically I'm a rad Naruto villain," Rena explains. "'nd I wanna see your creepy shit!"
"I don't wanna know 'bout your double secret vampire club anyway." Calamity sticks their tongue out at Rena with a grin. "Place's been empty long enough, anything work taking's been taken..." their tone turns thoughtful as they look around.
"I mean I can do the fire thing. An' like...make myself stronger or more flexible for a little, if I really concentrate. An'...I can make my skin change color to blend into into shit. Hurts like a motherfucker to do that, though."
“I can’t think of anything for you to read, but maybe we’ll find something, huh?” He says with a grin to Phaedra.
Guy blinks, looking over to Calamity. “You can change your physical form?”
Phaedra also gives Calamity a bit of a surprised look. She knew about the fire thing, but the rest is at least a little surprise. "Like a chameleon?"
"Holy fuck dude, you're holdin' out on me! Could you have done this the whole time?" Rena pauses and walks over to a desk, throwing papers off of it. "Make yourself strong. Lets arm wrestle."
"Like a chameleon, yeah. Couple other things too, but like. Not at the same time, or anything. I don't use 'em much, it's kinda obvious when my skin goes all weird, y'know?" Calamity shrugs.
"I...you'll still prob'ly be stronger'n me..." They huff. "And I gotta concentrate on it for fucking ever. But 'f you wanna - yinz mind waiting?" They look to Phaedra and Guy.
“Not at all,” he says with a shrug. He walks to stand by Phaedra, watching Rena and Calamity. “Can you change shape, too?”
Phaedra moves right beside Guy and kinda just leans against him, casually.
Rena waits patiently. Well, patiently for Rena. She taps her foot like a jack hammer as she waits in arm wrestle position. "C'mon, kick my ass."
"Kinda," Calamity says to Guy and then takes a few steps away to just...concentrate. Nothing visible happens, but they stare at the ground, slightly turned away from the other three, for a full minute before they let a long breath out and walk back over to Rena.
"Okay. 'M ready."
There's a good bit of struggle, where Rena's grin spreads across her face getting wider and wider. And then BAM! Rena slams Calamity's fist to the table and starts laughing again. "Fuck! Yes! This is so cool!"
Guy chuckles, grinning slightly. “Good effort.” He doesn’t seem to mind Phaedra at all, gently laying his arm over her shoulder to see if she approves.
She glances up at his face with a smile, not minding the gesture, before her attention returns to Calamity and Rena. "Definitely says a lot that that wasn't a complete blowout."
Calamity puts up a hell of a lot of a fight. Much more than usual, certainly, and they grimace as Rena finally forces their hand down. "See? Told you you're still stronger. But yeah, I can like...shift muscle around, or something. So I could probably make it so I could like...run further, but be less strong, too. Lasts for like...an hour, I think? I don't to it a lot, takes planning."
"Could you have done this since we met?" Rena asks, looking... kind of hurt. Like, shit, she could have known her sibling was a superhero this whole time. She makes a little clicking noise with her tongue before saying, "If either of you wanna go too, I'm down to take all comers."
"...Yeah, all'a my psychic shit I've been able to do since I got to Philly." Calamity shrugs. "'S not the kinda thing you just go around telling anyone."
"I ain't anyone."
“I guess I could give it a whirl,” he says with a shrug, letting go of Phaedra. “Should be interesting, at least.”
Phaedra gives Rena a very dry little look. "I don't need to arm-wrestle you to know you're stronger than me, physically. I'm fine acknowledging that fact and moving on, thanks."
"Yeah but you were pretty fucking not supernatural. Wasn't gonna risk it." Calamity opens their mouth to keep talking, but closes it again without saying anything.
"It's fun though," Rena says, starting to get frustrated. She puts her arm down for Guy to grab. "Fuck else were you gonna say, Bug? Can you secretly fly too? Grow to taller than three apples high?"
He puts his arm down, gripping Rena’s hand. “So...we cheating or not?”
Phaedra steps back slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. She opens her mouth, as if she's about to say something to Rena...and then stops, settling instead for a glower.
"No I can't fly." Calamity scoffs, and then looks at Phaedra with a little frown. They take a few steps closer to her, but seem too nervous to actually reach out and touch her.
"I wasn't gonna cheat," Rena says, "but if you're gonna, I can too." She turns around and meets Phaedra's glower with one of her own.
Guy and Rena strain, and quickly supernatural strength becomes evident, tendons and the table groaning. Rena gains the upper hand with leverage, and slowly forces Guy’s arm down. The muscles in his arm can be seen bulging as he forces the power of the blood to enhance them, but he can’t beat physics, the back of his hand touches to the desk.
Phaedra brushes her shoulder against Calamity, without looking at them. Her gaze remains on Rena and Guy, and she continues to say nothing aloud.
In response, Calamity bumps Phaedra's hand with their own, glancing down at it. "You good?" It's low, too low for anyone without superhuman hearing to pick up from very far away.
Guy stands up, rubbing his bicep a little. “Damn. I never was much of an arm wrestler, but I thought I had you...” His gaze flickers to Phaedra before he pops his shoulder loudly.
She slips her hand into Calamity’s, and squeezes tightly for just a moment before her grip loosens into something more standard for them. Guy’s glance is caught and met, but she continues to say nothing aloud.
Rena is not smiling and laughing this time. She's frowning slightly as she looks around at the other three. "Yeah, okay, I know when I'm not wanted." She stands and cracks her back. "Anyone gonna say anythin' or am I good to go in peace?"
"Who said anything 'bout wantin' you to leave?" Calamity frowns right back.
“Rena, you don’t need to go,” he says softly. “I want you to be here. Calamity and I were checking on Phaedra because she’s tense, and I for one want the two of you to be around each other without being uncomfortable.”
"Do whatever you want, Rena." Phaedra shrugs. "I'm trying to not upset you, seems I have anyway. I just...there is no fucking way to avoid pissing in your cornflakes, is there?"
"I mean, talkin' to me like a normal fuckin' human and not insulting me for doin' a fun thing might be a start. I figured we mighta, you know, stayed friend of a friends." Rena closes her eyes and lets out a long unnecessary breath. "Fuck. Never mind. Lets keep lookin' for ghosts or whatever."
Calamity's sigh is slightly more necessary. If only for the fact that they do need to breathe. "Do ghosts even get into places where people haven't died? Like...this's an office building, right? What's the likelyhood that there's gonna be any?"
Guy looks quietly at Phaedra and Rena, then moves to head further in the building. “Some one could be attached to something or someone that was here...”
"Yeah, they'd need a reason to be anchored here. Some object full enough of meaning to draw their spirit away even from their deathplace or grave. But it does happen sometimes. Still, what kind of a miserable life do you need to have for your unlife to be tethered to your work?" She squeezes Calamity's hand again, this time more gently, and lets go.
"Or someone coulda just fuckin' died in here. People probably have heart attacks at work a bunch," Rena says, giving the whole area an ocular pat down.
“Yeah, you’d be surprised how often people croak. Or how there’s blood practically everywhere if you can notice even trace amounts of it.”
"Paper cuts?" She sounds almost amused, moving toward a filing cabinet and trying to open it. "Locked. Wonder if there's anything interesting..."
"I could break the lock for you if you want," Rena says heading over. She's still a little angry, but if Phaedra is willing to ignore feelings, Rena is overjoyed to.
Walks over to the back wall and starts knocking on it. “Paper cuts, bloody noses, bit cheeks, combined with the fact people put things in their mouths all the time.”
Phaedra steps back, gesturing to the filing cabinet. "Have at it."
"I could pick it, 'f you don't wanna destroy shit..." Calamity looks between Phaedra and Rena.
"Pickin' would probably be better. Certainly cooler to watch," Rena says, stepping back to let Calamity through. "Sides, if you blow it, I can take care of it when I'm done laughin'."
“It’s true, super strength can be anticlimactic.” He says before pushing his arm through the wall like it’s made of paper and reaching around behind it.
"Oh fuck you," Calamity huffs at Rena, and pulls an altoids tin from their pocket. They don't open the tin until they're right in front of the lock, and spend a couple seconds scrutinizing it.
They jump and look over when the wall collapses inward behind them. "Anticlimactic, huh?" They mutter before they return their attention to the lock.
Phaedra gives Guy a wry little look. "I mean, I think any of the fancy stuff we do could be. It's why there's a lot of really bad superhero comics in among the good ones. Because writers don't actually always think about the powers and what they'd mean in practice."
The lock clicks open almost immediately after Calamity get to work on it with the picks, and they sit back triumphantly. "And fuck you again, Rena," they say with a touch of pride in their voice.
Rena applauds. "Bravo, brava! Bellisimo!" She cheers with a fake italian accent. "Seriously though, you did good, Bug. I knew you would, 'specially if I gave you the right motivation"
Guy grins. “There’s a basement connected to a back stairwell. Probably an old boiler room.”
Phaedra pulls open the filing cabinet and pulls out an old Rolodex. Like, the kind with literal cards which have been made with a typewriter.
"Oooh, shame this is probably too out of date to be any interesting now."
"Yinz can check out the basement without me, no thanks." Calamity seem pretty sure about that as they peer around Phaedra's shoulder to see what's inside the filing cabinet. "The fuck is it?"
"I can keep you safe down there," Rena says, doing her best to be comforting. She walks over and peers down the hole Guy made.
'Rattle. Thump'
“You don’t have to go down if you don’t want to, Calamity, but we’ll keep an eye on you if you decide to descend. Just an open offer.”
"And if you stay up here, I'll stay with you." She gives Calamity a smile, before looking in the direction of that thump uncertainly.
"Yeah, I'm...I'll stay up here. 'S not a big deal." Calamity shakes their head and reaches into the cabinet, pulling out a very dusty ream of that continuous form paper with the holes down either side. "...Huh." They pull a sheet off the top, cocking their head curiously as the others follow. "Never seen paper like -" They cut off abruptly, whipping their head around toward the noise.
'Rustle. Thump. Muffled voice?'
Guy heads for the noise after letting out a low whistle the Rena would recognize as a signal to be on guard. “Hello there?” He calls out to the quiet of the rest of the building.
The sounds stop. For a few moments, there's no movement (though, if vampiric senses reach out to the entry, there's faint breathing and a slightly accelerated heartbeat
Guy’s face twists, pits opening and his eyes becoming those of a snake before a forked tongue flicks out of his mouth.
“Hmmm...I recognizzze, that sssound...”
Phaedra gives Guy a strong sidelong glance and doesn't say anything aloud.
"Boss, two things. 1) you sound like a human vuvuzela and 2) saying shit like that doesn't help the rest of us have a clue what's goin' on," Rena snarks, covering worry with humor.
"Okay see that is creepy." Calamity hisses at Guy, and gestures to him.
“Sounds like Nevermore’s heartbeat,” he says bluntly. He sweeps his gaze to Calamity. “This? This is just the surface of the water.”
Phaedra, meanwhile, seems completely at ease at this point--perhaps even amused, giving Calamity a reassuring little nudge.
Nevermore - for it is them - starts moving again, doing their best to creep quietly closer.
Calamity frowns between the two of them, letting out a quiet huff as the come to some conclusion or other. "Nevy? Fuck would they be doin' here..."
"Wait, Bug, you know Ri- I mean, Nevermore? How small is this town?" Rena asks before stepping forward and shouting to the entrance, "Yo! Montressor! We're back here! Come join us!"
Guy hops up to sit on a desk, not bothering to put his face away. Upon closer inspection, his hands are covered in scales with odd little hair-like extensions.
There's a brief pause, then Nevy approaches, less tentatively. "Rena? We need to stop meeting like this. Who's w-" They step into view and blink at the group. "Oh! Hello. Fancy meeting you folks here!" They blink at Guy. "Huh. You look... Different."
Phaedra gives Guy another of those quiet glances, this time paired with a smirk, before their attention shifts to Nevermore. "Oh, hi. Are you here for the ritual sacrifice?" Her tone is completely joking, though, as she leans on the desk that Guy's sitting on.
"...Nevy what the fuck're you doing here?" Calamity looks very confused. "Didn't know you were into breaking 'n entering..."
“Technically I did the breaking, unless they found another way in.” He grins, revealing long, snake-like fangs. “Hey there, Nevermore. Fancy meeting you here.”
Nevy lifts an eyebrow. "Not if I'm supposed to be here for the ritual sacrifice, I'm not." They chuckle at that, then at Cal. "Just the old buildings, really - or places that have a reputation for being haunted." They smirk. "The lengths we go to to meet new friends, am I right?"
"I don't have a creepy bit," Rena says, performatively sadly. "You wouldn't get my funny ghost bit without context. It also wouldn't work. I forget, Arthur Gordon Pym, did I tell you I see ghosts?"
"Rena, you're strong enough to lift a whole horse off the ground, that's pretty creepy to normal people. Like. A little creepy to me sometimes, honestly, how strong you are. You beat Guy in arm wrestling." Phaedra scoffs.
Calamity gestures to Phaedra in agreement. "Plus with the ghost seeing thing. That's always gonna be creepy. 'M just sayin'."
"It came up once - and I am living for the references, have I mentioned that?" They blink at Cal. "Seeing ghosts isn't creepy. It's just... you know. Stuff."
He sticks out his tongue at Phaedra, some of the gesture lost, before looking at the others. “Hell, everyone can see ghosts sometimes.”
"Being strong isn't cool scary like Guy. I couldn't win a Halloween contest. The guy who turned me could turn into shadows. I can't do shit that cool yet," Rena says, before adding, in a small voice, "thank you for saying I'm strong though."
"Ghosts are creepy, I don't make the rules." Calamity shrugs, but grins. "And like - I was sayin' earlier, I mean my not-ghost shit's pretty creepy to folx, too..."
"You're welcome. Us vigorous shadows oughta stick together, right?" Then Phaedra grins. "Now me, I'm not at all creepy ever, nope."
Nevermore glances around the room, then smiles. "Rena, you are fantastically creepy - in the good way, now that I know what I"m dealing with." They eye Phaedra. "Right..."
Guy is genuinely smiling as he watches the others chat. “Maybe we can agree we’re all spooky in our own way.” He snerks, idly swing his feet off the edge of the desk.
"One big spooky family," Rena sing-songs. Her phone buzzes and she whips it out and frowns. "Shit, they need me back on the boat. Gotta bail. Telltale, we're due for that nerd thing you wanted to do. And Bug, we always need to spend more time together." Rena begins to dash away. "Deuces!"
Calamity waves a hand up to wave as Rena leaves, deflating a little as she goes. "See ya...yinz still planning on going down to the basement? 'Cause I kinda wanna check out upstairs..."
"...be safe out there, Rena." Phaedra watches at Rena goes, some of the humor dimming in her expression as she does.
“We can go upstairs. I’ve got eternity to poke around old basements, he says after giving Rena a wave goodbye.
Nevy grins. "Looking forward to it, Rena. See you later!" They glance around at the various people. "So... what-all are you guys looking for?"
"You really do, don't you...?" Calamity huffs at Guy, amused, before shrugging at Nevy. "Kinda whatever. Ghosts, maybe? Yinz'll have'ta tell me about 'em 'cause I can't see shit."
“Ghosts, weird stuff, old things. Ya know, like me.”
Phaedra gives Nevermore a cocky little smile. "You say that like we had something specific. We're just looking for trouble, really. I found a rolodex..."
Nevy gives a little smile. "A spooooky rolodex?"
"Not everything's spooky just 'cause it's abandoned..." Calamity rolls their eyes with a smile. "But yeah, guess trouble's the best word for it. Got an arm wrestle in, too. Rena crushed me, 's no surprise there."
“She is what the kids call, hella strong.”
He stands and stretches his back, which sounds like parts are moving around. “Sorry, did some shifting earlier, and needed to fix that.”
"Anyway, I have to go get changed and head to work. Time to put on makeup and be a proper creep, and get paid for it." Phaedra grins. "You guys be safe here, alright?"
Calamity actually lets out a surprised giggle at Guy's joke, though their face falls when Phaedra speaks. "...Awh. See ya Phae." They visibly droop as Phaedra leaves, and look a little more apprehensive about being here without their two Kindred friends.
Nevy nods and waves. "I'll see you later. Remind me to swing by the club sometime - I want to see you in your natural habitat." They grin.
“We’ll be perfectly safe,” he says with a smile to Phaedra. “Be well.”
When she’s gone, he looks to the others. “Oops. Now I’m out numbered. Well, wanna head upstairs?”
On the way out, Phaedra brushes against Calamity with her shoulder with the same sort of casual affection as a cat brushing against someone's ankles.
Nevy offers a grin. "I'm game. I'm still hoping to run into a spook." They grin. "Don't worry. I'm great with spooks."
"Pretty sure bein' outnumbered doesn't matter for you, Guy." Calamity's laugh is a little nervous, but they nod and start to make their way toward the far wall. They don't take their eyes of Guy, though.
“Aye, maybe. But you two are safe with me, I promise you that.” He hops off the desk. “Stairs, stairs, where you be...”
Nevy glances between them, and maneuvers so they're standing near Calamity, gently bumping them in an attempt to provide comfort.
"Back here - looks like there's an elevator, so's prob'ly just like fire stairs..." Calamity gestures to a door. Marked 'stairs'.
“Sounds good.” He takes point without saying anything about it, stepping into the stairwell. “Stairs are sound, so you both should be good.”
Nevy nods. "All right." They stay near Cal, though - and at one point, when Guy seems preoccupied, they mutter "You all right?"
"Uh huh.." Calamity nods back, and shrugs. "Dude's just creepy. 'S whatever, Phae and Rena don't mind so...'s whatever," they repeat. "Guy, you say that like it'd be an issue for me if they weren't..." They smirk. "Been a lotta worse off places'n this..."
There's a voice. It's whispered, and on that spooky frequency that only Nevy can really hear just now. Breathy, a little distant, a touch difficult to make out.
Guy politely doesn’t acknowledge the whispered conversation. “Sure, sure, I just wouldn’t want either of you to fall through the stairs,” he comments idly as he starts making his way up them.
Nevy smiles. "He is a little scary-looking, isn't he? But he's actually pretty..." They pause. "Wait... hold up..." They hold up a hand for quiet.
"Wh...?" Calamity starts to speak, and trails off when Nevy holds their hand up. Looking around the dark space isn't gonna do shit to help them see what's there, but they do it anyway, frowning.
He turns to look at Nevy, staying quiet even though he doesn’t hear anything odd.
Nevy raises their voice slightly.
"We're none of us a Jabberwock,
Nor any such a manxome foe
So put aside your vorpal sword
And 'tempt no fearsome blow!"
"..." Calamity raises their eyebrows, and sticks their hand in their sweatshirt pocket. There's a quiet clink, then another. Like the cap of a metal lighter being opened and shut.
Guy frowns, and gives the mortals a little space as his tongue flickers rapidly. “Nevy?” He whispers.
Nevermore's eyes narrow as they listen. "We have a vorpal visitor who plays a merry laughing game. They speak as with the tongues of shades, and also know my name."
"...Huh." There's a metallic glimmer as Calamity takes what indeed is a metal lighter from their pocket. They don't light it, but they continue to flick it open and closed. A nervous habit, maybe. "'S it dangerous?"
"It's always something, isn't it?" He bends in a crouch, but doesn't make other moves. "Let us know if we need to move."
Nevermore smirks while they listen. "You walk among the dead, you say? My friends here do not share my ears. Might you, perhaps, rejoin us here so everybody hears? Though maybe that's too far a step - your meter's shortened by a foot! Who knew that scansion changed so much when settings go kaput?"
Calamity's eyebrows start to climb at Nevy continues their rhyming, and they carefully lean back against the wall, making sure it will bear their weight.
Guy frowns. "Poetry...and English, too..."
Things go quiet on Nevy's front for a while. About fifteen seconds or so. Guy actually picks up scents, abruptly- dead leaves and strange places- before a voice sounds from behind one of the nearby walls. "Hey, I thought I was doing pretty well for a gal that never finished High School."
Nevy laughs. "Oh, you did. I'm just a pretentious prick. Please, pardon my particular poetic peculiarities."
Calamity flinches at the...well it actually might be familiar, but certainly unexpected, voice. "The fuck," they hiss. "Alright, I officially don't like ghosts."
Guy frowns. "Ahh, that explains that...didn't know your folk could do that..."
There's a pause, and someone leans round the wall with a queer grace that Guy knows not to expect from anyone short of Elders in Kindred society. "And just what folk would that be, sir?" The pale woman winks at Nevy, taking the retracted criticsm with a grin.
"Oh! And another familiar face, how lovely~ what's to hate about ghosts, exactly?"
Nevy looks to Cal. "She's not a ghost - just someone with a highly developed sense of drama. Sorry if that whole thing freaked you out at all. Once the rhyming started... I just couldn't resist."
"...Or whatever you are. 'S creepy. Yeah...I know she's not a ghost. Johnnie, right?" They upnod, still looking a little grumpy about the whole thing, and put their lighter away.
"To avoid naming certain names, I'll say I'm friends with Artie and dating Petra, if you know who they are," he says with a shrug.
"Jackie, actually, unless we're familiar. And nobody here is," correct the newcomer, though she doesn't seem at all rancorous in doing so. "And is that so? What have they told you that makes you think I'm like them? Are they sharing names, or descriptions, these friends and lovers of yours?"
Nevy glances between the two, not wanting to interfere just now.
Cal stays against the wall, and nods, with a quick "sorry." They don't otherwise speak - they know when they're out of their depth. Their phone buzzes in their pocket, and they pull it out with a small frown - not the battered flip phone that Nevy's scene, but a smartphone.
"Changes in air temperature, smells and sounds that don't belong in a given location. They haven't told me anything about others, and I respect that. But you're the same kind of strange." His currently forked tongue flicks out. "I don't intend to pry, just letting you know I know enough to read between the lines. No need to dance around it with others here." He looks to Calamity and Nevy. "I think we're all cool with being cool."
There's a moment of squinty eyes and suspicious posture that abruptly give way to laughter and a thumbs-up as the tension dissolves as swiftly as it built. "Okay, okay, point taken. It's not the easiest for me to blend in with, ah. Polite. Society as it is anyhow. Do you know how hard it is to remember that most people trip over their own feet on a semi-regular basis? It's exhausting remembering to make those little mistakes." It's easy to see what she's talking about- even her little gestures, her small movements, are Too Perfect, evoking an uncanny valley experience, like watching HD or computer animation for the first time. "And I'll take creepy as a compliment, ol' buddy, ol' Cal."
She beams at the collection of individuals and gestures around. "So! Y'all ghost hunting, I hear?"
Nevy nods. "I'm good if everyone's good with me." They shrug. "Not... exactly? I heard "hunting trouble,"
Calamity rolls their eyes at Jackie's pun. "I don't know shit about ghosts - can't see 'em, can't talk to 'em. So. Trouble's more my thing."
"Novelty, on my end, trouble would be interesting."
That downstairs door where Guy and the kids had originally entered creaks open and quietly shuts again. Guy, of course, doesn't hear an extra heartbeat in the building. He might hear the rustling of petticoats, though, if he's listening for it. And quiet footsteps.
"... wait, if you're all just here for adjacent curiosities, whose "hunting troubles" are you even addressing?" inquires the Autumn. And indeed, as much as the Mask works to muffle the details Guy picked up on to peg her Mantle, it's a definite thing that brilliant Autumn leaves are definitely strewn about the floor around her feet. Less a strangeness here in an abandoned building, but they're awful bright for summer detritus.
"And- mm. Is that-" She squints, about the time Guy's hearing picks up little steps and petticoats. "Are we expecting someone in layers of skirts, chums?"
Nevy tilts their head, listening. "I don't hear anything..." They look around.
"Our friend returning from work, I would guess. She wears costumes like that." He stands and then falls completely still, waiting.
He smiles a little at Nevy's comment. "I'd teach you my tricks, but..."
Calamity slips their phone back in their pocket, not looking all that surprised that Phaedra's returning. "It's probably Phaedra, yeah," they nod.
Of course, in the dark space of this abandoned, the smol porcelain doll of a woman showing up in a black Victorian-style gown with a black veil pinned to her blonde hair might be something of a sight--her pale blue eyes are rimmed with a thick line of kohl and her lips darkened with carmine--or modern equivalents of each of those, but like. It is just a Phaedra, and all of them know her to one degree or another.
"Boo?"
Nevy blinks and grins. "That is a look!"
"It is, indeed, but she's a touch late for the ghostplay, we've already been through that schtick. Hello there, doll," quips Jackie, waggling a few fingers in greeting. "Maybe you know. Whose hunting troubles are we assessing, exactly?"
"Victorians did have a certain something in their fashion," he says with a nod. "Welcome back, Phaedra. As for hunting troubles, I'm not really sure..."
Phaedra's look makes Calamity grin wide. "See you look like you could be a ghost in some old building. You got the aesthetic and all that shit." They tilt their head, suggesting she come closer to them.
"Oh, it's a matter of hunting for trouble, not trouble with hunting." She meanders her way closer to Calamity, and again does that cat-brushing-against-ankles thing, her lips a dark crescent beneath her lacy veil. "Though I did run into a little trouble last time I went to did hunt. I wasn't the only Kindred in the bar, and it's weird to use my usual methods when others are around. Especially others I don't know, but others I do know aren't much better."
Nevy chuckles and nods. "Perhaps I need to turn my phrases a bit more finely. Should we return to the rhyming?"
There's a moment of distinct, if mild, displeasure as Calamity declares Phaedra the better ghost. "I think I'll be trusting the expert to determine who makes the better phantasm. I may not have managed the aesthetic properly, but I was surely authentic." She huffs, playing up her irritation.
"Oh! Hunting FOR trouble." She nods a touch, pausing as Phaedra identifies herself as Kindred. "... hunting methods, you say." There's a layer of distaste to her inquiry that isn't very disguised. She does seem to double back on herself, and take a forcibly measured second crack at the inquiry. "Ah- perhaps I could inquire what about your methods becomes awkward with the introduction of other Kindred."
"Still got what you went out for, at least..." Calamity smirks at Phaedra and nudges her shoulder back. "And see, trouble just kinda finds me. Don't have'ta go looking for it, always..."
He tilts his head as he looks at Phaedra for a moment, but doesn't comment. "Eugh, no, no more rhyming is fine by me. I mean, you can if you want to, I suppose," he says to Nevy before looking up the stairs.
"Because they might get the idea that I need to be rescued from one of the drunk assholes who takes me for an easy target." She tilts her head to one side, smirking.
Nevy nods. "Fair enough - no more rhyming - this time." They smirk, then glance between Phaedra and Vorpal Jackie, expression thoughtful..
"Ohhhh. Well. I can-" Jackie chuffs again, irritated. "-hardly argue with that method. I... hngh. It was a lot easier when the lot of what I knew about Kindred amounted to "deeply manipulative bastards willing to chew up free will and vomit forth trauma"," she mutters. "At this rate, I'll have to change my mind."
"Eugh." Calamity grimaces at Jackie's description. "Sounds like a shitty time all around."
"And I'll further note that that's when I'm not taking from willing donors. Which I do sometimes. Pretty regularly, actually. Like...I'm not always sneaky when I'm looking for a meal." She turns toward Nevermore. "Have I ever once been the slightest bit sneaky about the fact that I'd totally bite you if you were interested? And have I ever tried to force the matter?"
Nevermore shakes their head, expression somewhat bemused. "No, you've been pretty straightforward about it."
He looks back to Phaedra. "Yes...perhaps we should avoid hunting together. Awkwardness." He looks at Jackie, then begins studying a spot on the wall. "Wonder what kind of concrete they poured this building with," he murmurs to himself.
Calamity blinks, looking between Nevy and Phaedra with mild surprise before they shrug, accepting all that. "'S it matter what kind'a concrete they used?" They ask Guy.
"Indeed. I mean, whoever wants to have to form new views of the world just because the old ones were inaccurate?" Jackie rants, though nobody should believe her for a second. She pauses to hear Nevermore is one of the donors, rubbing her chin a moment. "Good to hear. I'd ask if I could have a nibble as well, but A.) it'd do me absolutely no nutritional good, and B.) I don't think we've quite developed that sort of connection. Relatively sure we're still on the "starting to get confident I don't need to run screaming" part of the relationship."
"Type of concrete? Can I ask why you're curious? Because I'm curious why you're curious."
"Oh, Nevermore's turned me down. Which is a shame, but...there's other fish in the sea." There's laughter in her voice as she brushes past Calamity to look at the wall as well. "I could read the wall, but they don't tend to have the same emotional impressions as used objects, most of the time."
He blinks, looking to Calamity and Jackie. "You aren't curious about the things sitting under your nose? Why things are different, why they're the same? I can tell you from experience that apathy is it's own kind of hell; curiosity means you're alive, or close to it." He shrugs, then nods to Phaedra. "It's not about the resonance, but the material."
Nevermore blinks, flushes slightly, and busies themself looking at something.
When Phaedra brushes past Calamity they reach out to touch her hand, though they don't grab it. "I mean it's...I don't gotta know what kinda concrete somethin's made out of to know how to get into it. Plus I'm shit at school, never was good at learning." They shrug. "Why...d'you turn her down, Nevy?" That they seem a little more interested in.
Phaedra turns to glance at Nevermore. "You...don't have to answer that."
"Feeding relationships are complicated," he says with a nod, still staring at the wall. "Everyone feels their own way." He suddenly sits on the stairs, looking at everyone.
They glance back at Calamity's question. "Huh? Um... My parents always told me my blood should stay in my body where it belongs." They glance at Phaedra, then look to Guy as he stops. "Is something wrong?"
Calamity smirks at the answer to their question, but they nod. "Guess they...can be complicated, yeah..." A slight flush grows on their cheeks there, but Guy's sudden movement has them looking concerned.
Jackie doesn't bother to hide the little smirk she gets when Nevermore blushes., but there's other conversations at hand.
"Curious? Always. But I get curious about what causes cold spots, what shorts out perfectly functional electronics, what spooks people on the regular. What brand of concrete went into a particular building? Unless I'm trying to figure out what magnitude of earthquake it'd take to level the place, that's not something that typically would be any better than "very boring trivia" to me, personally. Like, I'd get more interested in what type of stone built a castle, for instance, because different stones have different spiritual properties, but concrete?" She shakes her head. "Just not my level of minutiae, I suppose."
"That- is... a very strange concept to present to children. Kids get scrapes all the time, and half of them divest themselves of measurable quantities about once a month. What point is there in telling a kid not to bleed?"
“Hmm? Oh, I was just done looking at the wall. And I’m sitting so I’m not looming so much. Nothing’s wrong. I’m also trying to read how complicated people want the conversation to get or not get. No need for people to get uncomfortable.”
"I mean, for the Greeks, it turned out to be less about spiritual properties when building their temples than aesthetics. When they built the temples to Hera and Harmonia on Sicily, they didn't have marble, because Sicily. So they painted the sandstone they did have on the island with lime, so it looked nice and white like the ones back home."
Phaedra walks over toward Guy. "The conversation's going to be complicated no matter what, with the crowd we have here."
Nevy gives a lopsided smile and shrugs. "Yeah... probably." They glance at Jackie. "Honestly... it was a joke."
"'S a way to answer without actually answering - which 's fine," Calamity clarifies with a nod at Nevy. "We all got shit other folx don't need to know."
Guy shrugs again and scoots over so Phaedra can sit by him if she likes. “Fair enough. It’s definitely...a lot.”
"OH! That- makes... a lot more sense," acknowledges Jackie, nodding to herself. "Say no more. And do forgive the awkward question, I've heard a lot of parental horror stories and would not have been surprised had that been true."
Phaedra does take the offered seat--though a couple steps down from Guy, leaning against his leg. It is absolutely not a sexual thing, just...really comfortable. She's actually very at ease with Guy in a way she's not with most men.
"Families can be absolute shit, yeah."
"Yup." Calamity draws out the word, and looks at Phae and Guy curiously, but doesn't say anything aloud.
"Honestly, 's something I could see my parents sayin'. 'Specially 'f I had a sister, or something..." The grimace.
Nevy glances at the people around them, then smiles. "I mean. If the pre-provided family isn't compatible, you can always assemble your own?"
Guy lightly touches Phaedra’s back for just a moment. “When you’re a Kindred you have to do that by default, in many ways, but...some people have complicating factors.”
Jackie laces her hands behind her head. "Amen for found families. I haven't seen the biological one since I was twelve and that ain't changing anytime soon. And yeah. Stuff can be hella complicated. I'd say it's easier to deal with a family you don't have than cope with one you can't escape, but then I've only dealt with the one."
"Someday. Someday, I'm going to go back to the farm for myself. Not yet, though." The tone of her voice makes it clear that visit will be a less than cordial one. "No, not yet."
"...Same, basically." Calamity nods at Jackie. "Don't think nothin' could get me to go back there, though. 'S not even worth it. For me." Calamity takes a few sideways steps, closer to Phaedra.
Nevy purses their lips and glances to the side, looking a bit uncomfortable but also not challenging Phaedra on the plan. "I got super lucky, I think. The worst my folks did was be slightly baffled when I changed what pronoun I wanted them to use from day to day - and kick me out of the house at the age of 35, I guess."
“My parents were fine, in the scheme of things. Just didn’t really understand me. Or at least that’s how I felt. That’s all ages ago, though.” He props his elbows on his knees, and his chin on the backs of his hands.
"Oh, man, I feel you there. I didn't have tits until like. March? So still getting used to the whole new presentation thing. It's been a hell of a lot of fun being a chick; not entirely sure I feel like switching back. Then again, I do sort of sidestep most of the super-negative societal shit women get saddled with," muses Jackie, rubbing her chin a moment while she discusses hotswapping genders like changing her socks. "If it's worth anything, I'm proud of you for telling them what's what. Honesty is fucking scary sometimes and you did the right thing?"
She's not great at this.
Phaedra tilts her head, looking at Nevermore for a moment. "Don't worry, I won't tell you when I'm planning to go. You don't need to worry about the burden of knowledge there."
"Fuckers deserve to suffer," Calamity mutters darkly under their breath, and brushes a hand across Phae's shoulder now that they're close enough. Clearly they have strong opinions about the treatment that Phae received at the farm.
Nevy blinks at Jackie. They're about to ask a question when Phaedra grabs their attention. They look at her for a moment before looking down, not speaking.
Guy coughs softly. “It’s a heavy subject, yeah...”
Jackie looks back and forth between everyone, holding up a hand. "I won't insert myself without invitation but I WILL point out that I am very practiced in having lengthy and productive conversations with individuals of garbage disposition and depleted morality. If those are features that would come in handy on the farm, feel free to tell me later, and if you don't, I'll presume not with no hard feelings!"
Phaedra gives Jackie a nod. "I think I've seen you have one of those 'conversations' before. Though it was actually pretty short and I should probably apologize again for implying you're a demon."
"..." Calamity frowns, looking between Phaedra and Jackie. "Wh - that...was you...?" They're squinting a little, as if that will somehow connect the masked figure that swooped in on their first scrape with the Yellow Jackets with this impossibly graceful woman.
Nevy eyes the two. "What's this?"
He blinks, looking around the group. “Ah, some history between you all, then.” He looks off at nothing in particular, and reaches for his waist idly, freezing when he doesn’t touch anything but his belt. He swallows loudly, and has a look on his face like the floor fell out from under him. “Ah...”
Phaedra starts to answer Nevermore before looking up a Guy. “What’s wrong? What’s missing?”
Johnnie sweeps a bow and lifts a hand to her face, covering the lower half and casting a shadow onto her features in the pattern of her vigilante mask, winking at Nevermore."Oh, no apology needed. The police think I'm some sort of Fury come for their spirits; if the gangs think I'm a demon, all the better if nobody has the right answers and all the wrong ones." She, too, looks a bit befuddled when Guy seems short a something.
"Oh fuck..." Even Guy's clear distress can't keep delight and wonder from covering Calamity's face, though they do glance at him for a moment. "You did - thanks again," they finish with a slightly sheepish grin at Jackie.
“No, it’s um...” He won’t quite meet Phaedra’s eyes. “Something that I used to wear on my hip, that was reassuring, but I haven’t felt the urge to hold it in...a long time. I don’t carry it on me anymore, it’s complicated.” He takes a slow, unnecessary breath. “I’m ok, just...a lot of memory all at once.”
Nevermore starts to comment, but it's interrupted by a yawn so wide that an attentive viewer could probably tell what they had for dinner. "Auhh... I think that might be a sign."
Phaedra reaches up to touch the back of Guy’s hand lightly. “If you wanna talk, or not-talk about it, I’m here.”
Then she glances at Nevermore. “Right, you’re what’s-that-word. Night-sleeper. Di-something.”
"Di-" Nevy yawns again midword. "Urnal. Yeah. Although with my job, I might as well not be. Still...."
“Good night, Nevermore,” he says quietly, before looking back to Phaedra. “Not...in front of other people, no offense to anyone present,” he adds, glancing to the others.
"Night, Nevy." Calamity gives them a small wave, but most of their attention is focused on what Guy's saying, now. "That...sounds rough," is all they seem to be able to offer.
"Oh, heck, no offense taken, there's tons of shit I wouldn't discuss in the open, you're fine," Jackie asserts, one hundred percent signing off on the informational dissymmetry. "Do have a lovely night, Miss Usher. I'll see you again, I'm sure!" And Calamity's reaction?
That ego doesn't need stroked, but it sure is stroked just now. She winks, looking very much like the cat in the cream.
“Well, you know I can hold a private conversation with you while sitting right here, but if you’d rather it be later in words, I’m good for that, too. I figure even if you didn’t say so in the beginning, it goes both ways, what you asked of me. At least a little. Which reminds me, I might need advice at some point.” She favors Guy with an easy smile.
“Um, now is ok, if you’re alright with my head being a mess...” He smiles weakly to Calamity and Jackie. “Not to be rude.” He looks back to Phaedra. “Feel free to ask me about anything you want advice on, I’ll help if I can.”
Calamity frowns a little, and rests a gentle hand on Phaedra's shoulder. "'S whatever...? I mean. 'S a little rude, but...do what you gotta do."
"I think they're aware it's not perfectly polite, but it's also their prerogative. Like ya said, chum, do what you gotta do." Jackie nods, in support of the new silent convo. "Anyhoo, keep an eye on the news, Cal, you'll probably start seeing reports of anti-police activity in the near future here. I expect I'll be called all manner of lovely things."
"I'm not sure there is a manual of etiquette for this sort of thing, honestly. I mean, yes, perhaps it's rude not to give all my attention to the conversation in words. I get that. But like..." She shrugs and brushes her cheek against Calamity's hand lightly.
“Yeah, it’s just like...don’t stare at each other and ignore everyone else, is the closest thing there is to a rule.” He flashes a weak little grin. “But, sorry about interrupting the conversation. Please. What were we talking about?”
"Oh, sweet." Calamity flashes Jackie a grin. "They deserve whatever shit you throw at 'em and more. I uh...don't even know what, anymore. Family, at some point...an' Jackie's kinda superhero shit."
Jackie scoffs, as if offended. "KINDA superhero shit? I am in all likelihood the super-est fucker this fine city's plague of a police department will ever have the misfortune of meeting. And they're lucky that I'm the one that's taken a specific disliking to them, because if it was anyone else in my immediate romantic circle save the newest, they'd be going to the morgue instead of the hospital or the sanitarium." Pause. "Wait, you don't call them that anymore. The- psych ward." She nods. Better. "And it's like whispering, just sneakier. It definitely rates as impolite, but no more impolite than sending a quick text during a conversation with which you are otherwise engaged. It sure as hell ain't a big deal, but "secret conversations taking focus from a public conversation" is definitely earmarked in the etiquette manuals, I'd say." Her tone confirms- she's not at all bothered, but enjoying having a bit of a debate.
"It's not a secret conversation, it's a private conversation. There's a difference! You two know it's going on, and you even have a sense of why it's going on like this. It is hardly the rudest thing I've done tonight."
He chuckles a little. “Sounds like an...interesting time. And yeah...better for them that it was you. I’m with your romantic circle in those kinds of situations.” He begins to bounce one of his feet.
"D'you have to be rude to one'a your customers tonight?" Calamity cocks their head at Phaedra with a smile.
Phaedra shakes her head. "Naw. I had a secret conversation in front of your back with Guy earlier."
That gets her a shocked pikachu face - but Calamity's clearly pretty self aware, and they grin after a moment or two. "Well. Fine then." It's all for show, though, and they squeeze Phaedra's shoulder. "I've given a couple'a the cops around a hard time, but...don't think I can't get away 's fast's you," they admit to Jackie. "My whole thing's not bein' seen by 'em."
"Oh, heavens, of course it is, it should be. I'm near unimprisonable, Cal, I don't at all expect everyone to be as fearless of the police as I am. Not everyone can dodge a bullet after it's fired, after all. No, it's my privilege to play spearpoint. You should make their lives difficult as you can while staying safe. As one of my lovers would say, "your DPS is zero if you're dead." Or in jail, I suppose."
Guy smiles at that. “Tussling with the police is even more dubious when you can just...get shot, and not mind overly much.”
She grins at Calamity. "That is so not your whole thing, Calamity, and I think everyone in this room already knows it." There's a grin, and then she looks up at Vorpal. "I can see fast enough to dodge bullets, but I try not to get them fired at me in the first place."
"Fuck..." Calamity breathes out, looking a little starry-eyed at all three of them. "'S not my whole thing, but 's a lotta my thing. Least where the cops are involved." They shrug, and grin back at Phaedra.
“I’m all for kicking it to the constabulary, just don’t overdo it, yeah? Plenty of people would worry.” He gives Calamity a look that’s almost warm.
"Like me. Do you want to make me worry, Calamity?"
Calamity bleps at Phaedra. "Figure you're gonna worry 'bout me whether I want you to or not. Like I said. My whole thing is to not even be noticed by 'em. Not to tangle with 'em, I know my limits. I'm squishy as fuck, I don't wanna get shot."
“Good, as long as that’s clear,” he says, laying back on the stairs like it’s comfortable.
Phaedra laughs. "I mean, yes, okay, I am always going to worry about you. That's because I like you, though, so."
"Wait, you like me?" Another shocked pikachu face, and Calamity nudges Phaedra with a grin.
Guy stays quiet as they chat, apparently relaxing.
"I mean, you're just about one of the best friends I have, Calamity. It would be pretty fucking weird if I didn't like you." She nudges back.
"'S good, 'cause I like you too." Calamity grins. "Be kinda a shitty friendship otherwise..."
“Good friends are hard to come by,” he says idly, staring up at the underside of the stairs above them.
"All the more reason to hold onto them when they come." Phaedra looks thoughtful, then at Calamity with a smile.
Calamity leans into Phaedra, possibly squishing her between themself and Guy slightly, and returns that smile.
"Mhm."
There's a moment of companionable silence, and then there's an electronic buzz from Calamity's sweatshirt pocket.
"Goddammit," they mutter, and pull out a battered flip phone, rather than the smartphone they had out earlier while Phaedra was at work. "I gotta head out. Lemme know if you find any ghosts?"
Once Calamity leaves, Phaedra switches to words aloud, pulling out of Guy's mind with that same sensation she entered with, that soft affectionate 'cat-between-ankles' feeling.
"Let me know when you're overwhelmed, if I'm around. Please? I know you're the leader, and we tell you when we have problems, but that doesn't mean you have to be alone and stoic at the top of the mountain with none of us to support you. Right?"
“Um, yeah, I will. It’s usually loud noise, and a press of people, it’s the, the blood running in their veins, their hearts beating...it’s distracting.”
"Yeah. You've got better ears than I do, I've noticed. Hear things I can't. Though I'm also easily distracted." There's a bit of amusement coloring those words. "But...yeah, I'll help however I can, Guy."
A thought occurs to her. "Am I officially a member of your pack already, or is there some sort of initiation I need to do? Because I'm already thinking of you as the leader I'm following, you know?"
“It’s not official until the initiation, yeah, but it’s ok if you feel that way. We should do that soon, I’ve been busy and...waiting to hear back from Rena. But it’s been long enough I don’t want to wait, I can initiate Rena if and when she’s ready.” He smiles and pats Phaedra’s shoulder. “I could teach you how to sharpen your senses. Not a Discipline, you wouldn’t drink my blood or anything.”
"I want to do it at some point soon, the initiation. I...want this. I'm weird on the word 'family', but like...you're the people I choose to have in my life. You're my people."
“I get that, absolutely. I’ll try to get a hold of Finley and see when we can get together.”
"Sounds like a plan. Anyway, I'm going to get home for the night. I'll...probably ask your advice another time. It'd be weird tonight, I think. It's...maybe a relationship thing, maybe? And not urgent, just confusing, which I can deal with."
“Ok. I’m...not the savviest with relationships, but you’ll have my ear when we have a chance. Good night, Phaedra, be well.”
She grins. "I will if you will. Sleep well when you get there in the morning."
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