crowspace | call me out v. 14.0

[Okay, still possibly legit, but increasingly suspicious considering this... seriously, what even is this? It doesn't feel like magic, she's pretty sure. But it's solid as stone.]

Oh, that's a shame- there's been a bit of a bug going around lately, hasn't there? [Brightly and with the kind of brisk good cheer she uses for brushing her way past government employees:] We're very careful to keep up to date on our vaccinations, though. So it really should be fine, if you don't mind me just stepping in for a moment...?

I'm sure you'd rather not have this conversation out in the hallway, after all.

[She can do this all night, buddy. She doesn't sleep.]

[...Granted, showing up at 8 PM instead of during business hours may be a clue that there's something a bit off about her, too. But no one can prove anything. It's not illegal to prefer the night shift, people don't have to see her in daylight if she doesn't want them to.]

[Gershom is too busy worrying about how suspicious he is to be suspicious of anyone else, obviously.]

I-I really can't, I'm afraid...

[Bellflower wrestles down a rush of frustration- a child could be in danger, one of her charges, how dare anyone stop her from helping them- with the self-control she's learned by necessity. Ghosts like her are creations of emotion, and it's too easy to get carried away with sudden flash-fire fits of temper if she doesn't keep an eye on herself.]

[It was never a problem she had before she died, but a lot of things were different then.]

[She keeps a firm grip on herself, and none of the brief stab of anger leaks out as flame- but from inside the apartment, there's a faint clatter as the mezuzah's case rattles audibly on the wall in warning.]

[Still politely, but firm:] I'm afraid I really must insist.

A-ah...

[No, that mezuzah rattling is not a good sign, and Gershom cringes away from the door. If it could keep Salvador out, it must be able to keep out a random social worker, right...?]

I-I'm very sorry, I-I really can't...!

Mr. Alter. [Her voice is very calm, very flat.] One of my charges came back to me with bruises on her throat, which she refuses to tell me how she got.

If she's in danger, I need to know.

[She's not raising her voice, not sounding angry, but there's a quiet intensity to her tone that makes it very clear she won't be budged. She can't move this door? Fine.]

[But unless he's willing to come out and run her off himself, she won't be moved either. Not until she has answers.]

I don't want her to be hurt either!

[At least he doesn't need to leave any time soon. She can stay in front of that door for a few months at least.]

She - my ex has been stalking me for a while, and she confronted him even though I told her not to.

[Ain't no stalemate like an undead stalemate 'cause an undead stalemate can potentially last for years and is going to get super awkward for everybody.]

[At his answer she sighs, closing her eyes wearily and leaning her head against the door. Really, it would almost be reassuring if it wasn't so unexpected- how long has it been since she could touch something without concentrating to make sure she didn't accidentally fall through it?] Thank you, for telling me.

[She sounds sincere at that, at least. Gentler.]

I'm sorry to hear about your ex. Momo is... she's always been a very brave girl. [She's had to be, and the space in Bellflower's chest where a heart no longer beats goes cold at the thought of that courage coming up against something no child is equipped to deal with.] Can you give me a description of him, please? A name?

[Notably, at no point does she suggest going to the police. Frankly, she wouldn't have even if she were still alive- presumably, if it's gotten this bad and he hasn't gone to them already, he has a good reason for it.]

[At least she doesn't sound quite so angry now. And Gershom will never begrudge warning someone about Salvador.]

Salvador Michel. He's about six foot, tanned, blond ponytail, usually wears suit jackets and that kind of thing...

[She takes a deep breath- entirely unnecessary, but the habit's hard to break- and makes a shot in the dark:]

And is he the one you need such a powerful warding to keep out?

Ah - yes.

[No point denying it if she's noticed.]

He's very... fixated.

[Oh thank fuck, they're not dancing around the supernatural elephant in the room anymore. That's a relief.]

Undead, or just a necromancer? [Look, it's keeping her out pretty well, she's assuming it's probably intended for beings at least somewhat similar in nature.]

[It hasn't occurred to her that it's holy in nature as opposed to some kind of magic she doesn't recognize. In her defense, the last time someone attempted to ward her off with an article of faith was the time a man chucked an extremely tacky plastic White Jesus bobblehead at her head while running away and screaming. She hasn't really encountered the genuine article very often.]

Both?

You - you know about those things already?

[Well, this is awkward.]

...Er. [Yeah, this is just awkward now.] What did you think I meant by warding? Whatever it is that's keeping me from walking through your door, I mean.

[And she does very literally mean through it.]

[There's a pause, and then Gershom unlocks and cracks open the door.]

You can come in. Sorry for the trouble.

I'm beginning to think maybe I should be the one saying that to you... [Still, she slips quickly inside, not wanting to linger in case a neighbor comes out and starts asking awkward questions.]

[She looks ordinary enough, herself- pretty in an unthreatening girl next door sort of way, dressed with the prim precision of an old-fashioned schoolmarm.]

[Her reaction to finally getting a good look at Gershom is just:] Oh.

[That... does explain a lot about why he didn't want to meet her face to face, at least.]

I could have sworn that Momo wasn't aware of... [She briefly searches for a tactful way to encompass "at least two different kinds of undead, also magic", and awkwardly settles for:] ...our sort of people.

She's always been a bright girl, though. And curious. If any of the children was going to catch on, I suppose it would be her. ...Although if she was that determined to keep quiet about you, I suppose she hasn't figured out me yet.

[She trails off, looking vaguely embarrassed. She has a bad habit of trying to think out loud sometimes. In her defense, it took a few years before she could make living people hear her voice at all, she sort of got used to being able to monologue out loud.]

I don't think she was before she met me? I'm sorry about that too, I try not to get any notice. A-at least, I'm glad that it hasn't caused trouble for you...?

[He can figure that she's some kind of undead too, but only because of what she said, not through any ability to actually sense that kind of thing.]

[Her embarrassment fades into a sort of wry humor, as she says:] Well, I suppose they have to find out the facts of unlife at some point. At least it wasn't on the internet.

I'm not terribly worried about myself- I've been haunting the group home for a while now. If the management were going to notice anything, they would have noticed years ago. And as for the staff... in the first year I was there, a caseworker walked right through me on their way to the coffee machine and was so focused on getting their coffee and finishing their shift that they didn't even slow down.

[She winces slightly.] A necromancer, on the other hand... that's more of a worry. How likely is he to go after her, do you think?

Not very, I don't think? For better or for worse, he is mostly focused on me, so if we can convince her not to pick a fight with him again she'll be okay.

[Whether Gershom will be okay is another matter, but that's not her problem to worry about.]

...Are you going to be okay? [TOO LATE, SHE'S CONCERNED.] Not that you're not very capable, I'm sure- you're clearly very good at keeping out hostile spirits. But if he's a necromancer, too...

[Listen, she's spent most of her afterlife fussing over small children and setting terrible people on fire. The concept of just letting an issue be someone else's problem isn't something she's had much opportunity to consider.]

Ah - I think you're overestimating me, actually. I don't know any magic.

[This is not a reassuring thing to say, Gershom.]

...Oh dear. [Okay, this is definitely not making her less worried about him.]

Wait, then what was keeping me from...? [She turns around to look at the door, deeply confused.]

It's the mezuzah. I don't know if you're familiar with them...?

[Like, there is a reasonable Jewish population in DC, so it's fairly likely that she's seen them before at least.]

Huh! [She blinks, looking mildly surprised.] I don't know what it says about my afterlife that I thought of magic before I thought of religion.

[She was brought up half-heartedly Catholic, but the only time in her thirty-odd years of undeath she's even looked at a rosary was when she was briefly haunting a priest.]

[Well, it's not as though anyone can tell her grandmother she hasn't been to church in the last couple decades, now.]

I don't think anyone on the staff is particularly devout, so that probably rules out protecting the group home the same way. [Even as lax as she is on the subject, she can guess that a holy symbol without any actual faith behind it isn't going to do much.]

I think you have to actually believe for it to work... Sorry.

[He would happily recommend places to get a good mezuzah if he thought that would keep Momo safe, but alas.]

It's only fair, I suppose. [You can't get something for nothing.]

Those are only for hanging up in doorways, though, aren't they? What do you do for protection when you have to leave your apartment?

[Look, she's only known this guy for like a minute and a half but she's increasingly concerned that he seems to have very little concern for his own safety.]

call me out v. 14.0

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I'm so sorry she's bullying him...

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didn't get a notif, rude

No worries. :D

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