Who You Gonna Call? [Sephiroth, OTA]

[3wingedangel]

WHO: Sephiroth and everyone
WHERE: Temba for Prompt 1 and the Ship for the other two
WHAT: May Adventures
WHEN: May
WARNINGS: Medical stitching in Prompt 1, ghosts in the other two

Stitching

Sephiroth sighed as he sat down with needle and thread after washing and cleaning his injured wing. He generally took care of injuries to his wings himself, since he was used to being where it was not usual for humans to have wings. He had learned how to properly care for them and he did so with skill and patience.

This certainly wasn’t a favorite activity, however, and even though he had a high pain tolerance, he still clenched his teeth behind closed lips as he set about closing the wounds to the lower left wing. It will no doubt be quite a sight for anyone who happens upon him during this situation—a tall man sitting on a crate, calmly pulling needle and thread through a large blue wing attached to his body.

Ghostbusting

The space trip comes while he is still recovering from injury to his wing during the fight with Billy and Stu. Not wanting to further damage it, or to be unable to be at his best to help others, he’s hesitant to leave the ship at first. He ends up spending most of his time there, although he does go help at the space station when he feels more confident to do so.

Radley calls him on the Network, highly disturbed about something soon after their arrival. He’s an odd case, probably the only person there who is actually familiar with Sephiroth’s world ... even though such familiarity is through video games about it. It boggled his mind to realize the games were based on real things and real people, instead of being fictitious as believed.

It doesn’t take long and Sephiroth discovers what Radley is upset about. The bizarre supernatural activity on the ship becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. It’s all the classic tropes of a haunting. Sephiroth being from a universe of supernatural activity and magic, he isn’t surprised by ghosts existing. But it’s certainly inconvenient and irritating to be happening right now when there is so much more they need to deal with.

Sephiroth soon takes to wandering about the ship, trying to entice the ghosts to bother him late at night. Every time they do, he tries to figure out some pattern to their nonsense, some clue to where they’re coming from and what brought them onboard.

Someone who is a lot less calm about ghosts may be startled by scenes such as Sephiroth standing with folding arms, watching objects move around the diner with a completely deadpan expression.

Ghostly Form

Sephiroth is not unused to seeing fake apparitions of Zack since his arrival. But when the violet light suddenly decides to appear in front of him as Zack, he can’t help but pale a bit. “Zack . . . ?”

It’s not Zack. It can’t be Zack. It wasn’t Zack when the Storms were coming and it’s not Zack now. But Sephiroth reaches out to the ghost for a brief moment before drawing his hand back. It’s hard to breathe....

The form vanishes and Sephiroth gasps, inhaling sharply.

Comments

Ghostly Form

[work_wife]

Yeah, it's been spooky lately. Robin doesn't mind calling that out. Of course she's seen so much bullshit that is creepy that this, in a way, wasn't as scary to her. In fact, she had been looking into it because it seemed harmless.

So of course she's not shocked to come upon someone who was dealing with an apparition. It's only when the vision disappears that she steps forward.

"Creepy, right?"

Re: Ghostly Form

[3wingedangel]

"More demented and sadistic," Sephiroth says with bitterness. His feathers are standing on end. "For the spectre to see into our minds and know who to pretend to be to have the deepest affect on us, they must be very cruel and not just mischievous."

[work_wife]

Oh. Wow. She didn't expect that at all.

"I mean, I would have called it luck, but if it affected you that deeply, yeah, that's fucked up."

Or maybe it had been a manifestation of his own will. The guy clearly had freaky powers after all.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth nodded. "So far I haven't found any clues as to how this happened or how to stop it. It would seem that something from the space station or that planet must have came onboard, although it would be unwise to discount the possibility of a coincidence."

As far as he knew, he hadn't manifested any Zacks.

[work_wife]

That's really horrible to think about. Space ghosts. Ew.

"Okay. That's... Should we, like, hide? Is there a chant to keep the things away? A cleansing thing?"

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth looks amused at that.

"I highly doubt hiding has ever stopped any spirit. And right now we just don't know enough to say, although I imagine at least some residents have been trying various keep-away methods."

[work_wife]

Okay, that's a real point.

"I mean, I could imagine just putting salt by our doors. But, um, it's not something we think about back home."

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth looks skeptical of that at best. But he says, “You’re welcome to try that and see if it helps.”

[work_wife]

"I'll go get the salt then. Should i come back here? To, like, make a salt circle for you?"

[3wingedangel]

“You can show me how it’s done, but I’m not planning to just stand here in it,” Sephiroth says in amusement. If he’s going to try salt, he thinks walking around with some might be more productive.

[work_wife]

"Okay!" she says, before rushing toward the kitchens. "I think it's just about, you know, a circle. A barrier of earth against the spiritual or something?"

[3wingedangel]

“Hm. Yes, I’ve heard of such theories,” Sephiroth mused. “I’ve also heard iron is supposed to help. They’re not supposed to be able to go past it.”

[work_wife]

"Iron, really?"

She looks around at the ship around them.

"So I guess we have to wonder what this thing is made out of."

[3wingedangel]

"Yes. They used to make cemetery gates out of iron because of that. I don't know if they still do."

He thinks it's ridiculous, but he tries to keep his expression neutral. Who knows, maybe there's something to it.

[work_wife]

Really? Huh, that was shocking.

"Um, okay, that's good to hear. Huh. Never thought I would really want to know why that happened."

OKay, time to find some iron. Where would they do that?

"Cargo bay?"

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth nods. "We might as well."

It couldn't hurt to see if it will help, after all. He heads in that direction.

[work_wife]

Awesome. She follows him. Maybe two people around will make it harder to haunt him.

"Is it weird that until this I didn't really believe in ghosts?"

[3wingedangel]

"Should it be weird?" Sephiroth replies. "Many people don't."

[work_wife]

"I think it shouldn't be weird not to believe in them. But there's a lot of stuff going on I've never had cause to believe in."

Like aliens.

[3wingedangel]

"By this point, I have seen so much that I am willing to keep an open mind about many things that some would disbelieve in," Sephiroth says. "My universe has quite a few bizarre creatures and situations."

[work_wife]

"I mean..."

She doesn't look at his wing. That's bizarre in her opinion but hey, she hasn't exactly got a leg to stand on with the democreatures.

"What sort of situations?"

And the whole time she doesn't stop walking. In fact, she leads them around a corner and then yelps when she sees the light of a form in the distance. Yep, of course.

"Shit!" she yelps, catching sight of the strange figure.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth is aware some people find his wings bizarre, perhaps especially that he has three instead of an even number. But he doesn’t comment about that.

“There are creatures called Heartless that prey on the darkness in hearts,” he says. “When they attack someone, they can turn them into a Heartless as well.”

He tenses at the figure but says, “I assume that’s the phantom again.”

[work_wife]

Robin wanted to point out maybe she had some heartless in her world, because how else could someone explain the changes in Creel. But hey, phantom, more important.

"Do we chase it or something?"

It didn't look like anyone she knew, because she didn't know massively tall, massively strong women that looked like aliens and carried a huge hammer. At least not that she knew of.

[3wingedangel]

"We can attempt it." Sephiroth has little hope of being able to catch it. It's likely deliberately toying with them. But he strides forward anyway. He doesn't recognize this person either. It is someone familiar to someone else there, perhaps?

[work_wife]

"Okay then. Let's scooby-doo it I guess. I'm Velma and you can be... Sephiroth."

Because wow he doesn't fit in any of those tropes, does he? Oh well, chasing time go!

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth smirks in dark amusement. "Heh."

Although with Zack's enthusiasm, the boy could probably more or less pass as Scrappy, but Sephiroth doesn't mention that since Zack told him all about the illogical level of Scrappy hate.

A lifetime ago....

He strides faster and comes closer to the spectre. "Who are you?" he demands.

[work_wife]

Robin has to work to keep up with the man's lengthy legs, but she does manage it.

Meanwhile the spectre opens it's mouth and tries to speak. But nothing comes out. The air does chill around them though.

"So a ghost."

[3wingedangel]

"Which is what we expected," Sephiroth says. He eyes it with a frown. It's not making any move to try to hurt them, at least, so he's not so sure he wants to make it go away just yet. He wants answers.

"Why are you here?" he tries again. Maybe he can lip read, if the ghost forms words.

[work_wife]

Again the lips moved, but even as they started to, the light of the figure flickered an faded.

Which led to Robin yelping and jumping behind Sephiroth.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth tensed at the disappearance, his wings stiffening a bit. He reached out, feeling through the air where the phantom had been in case there was any trace left of some type of energy.

[work_wife]

"That is so not normal and not okay," Robin winces. "I guess... keep following it?"

Because she doesn't know if that is the wise thing or not.

[3wingedangel]

"It's unlikely we'll learn anything helpful, but for now, yes, we can attempt it," Sephiroth replies, still eyeing the spot with a frown.

[work_wife]

Alright. Then they're going further. "Lead on."

Okay, maybe her voice is a little nervous. THat was a ghost and the ghost was scary and maybe mean. Sooooo she was going to stay behind the clear badass.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth nods and goes on ahead, staying alert for any more sudden appearances.

would you forgive me if we wrap this soon?

[work_wife]

Alright, they can do this. Robin follows closely, pulling out the crossbow she's been working on using. Just in case. What would it do against a ghost? Probably nothing. But she's willing to try.

That’s fine!

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth glances over at it. “You’re going to use that against a spectre?”

[work_wife]

"If I have to," she says, her voice firm. Okay, so maybe it's shaking a bit. But hey, she's resolved either way.

[3wingedangel]

"It will just go through without doing any harm," he points out. "At least to the ghost. It might damage whatever the ghost is standing in front of."

[work_wife]

Okay, that's... Not good news.

"I'll trust you to handle it then, if it attacks and all of that."

Which didn't seem likely. Or maybe extra likely?

[3wingedangel]

He nods. "We'll see." Would it be likely to attack? It seemed to prefer standing around scaring people.

He stays alert as he walks ahead, looking for any sign of it.

[work_wife]

Robin nods and follows along, ready to run if it comes to it. Which of course only makes it more disappointing to make it all the way to the lift down to the Cargo Bay with no more trouble.

"Maybe it got bored?"

[3wingedangel]

"Heh. Either that or this is part of the scare, so we'll never know when it's going to come out again."

He looks around and behind things. Ghosts are troublesome things.

[work_wife]

They probably are troublesome things. The only sort that Robin was used to before this were ghosts of the past, and those sure caused a hell of a lot of problems.

"So what do we do if we can't find it?"

[3wingedangel]

"We'll have no choice but to wait for it to decide to come out again," Sephiroth says. Which is probably exactly what they're going to have to do. There's no trace of it here.