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  #1  
Old Aug 21st, 2017, 02:40 PM
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Somewhere Out There

The light seemed to shoot through the curtains like a bullet to his brain as it hit Andrew's eyes and the effects of the night before came surging to the pain receptors in his brain. In the chaos of the night he thought he had at least grabbed a short respite from his visions, his visitors. Oh how wrong had he been mistaken. Just when he seemed like he was at the peak of his night dancing in the middle of the floor with two glows sticks in his hand 'Sandstorm' blasting on the speakers around him, the spirit appeared.

He tried to ignore it, to pretend he didn't see, but this one was different, this one knew his name. It kept calling him trying to pull him back down from his high, but in turn Andrew did what he always had, he sand further into depravity. Just when he thought the spirit was gone he saw him out of the corner of his eye, an older man wearing some strange clothing with runic symbols on it. The more he focused the more off it seemed until he let the high of the night take him again.

Certain he had won the night Andrew sat up in his bed and popped some pills to kill his hangover before wiping the sleep from his eyes. As the fog of sleep cleared and he looked across his room he saw him sitting there, the spirit from last night, waiting.

"Well are you quite done with your little antics Andrew?"it asked.
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Old Aug 21st, 2017, 10:47 PM
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"Jesus!" Andrew's back hit his headboard with enough force to rock the frame and bounce his already pounding head against the bed post. One hand went to steady the pain. The other went to the vial on his nightstand to make sure what he'd just swallowed was hydros and nothing stronger.

He needed stronger.

Andrew didn't look at the chair - he was still counting to sanity - but his feet slowly hit the floor and he cautiously stood. He didn't fall over which was good. And he heard nothing, which was better. He'd never known spirits to call him by name. Convinced he had unintentionally taken a good hit of PCP and the hallucinations were lingering, he finished his minute long count and turned his head to the chair that should be draped in a week's worth of laundry and nothing more.

The ghost flashed him a see through smile.

"Get the f!ck away from me," Andrew spat. Perhaps it was his pain giving his voice an angry bravado; his body felt none of it as he snatched up last night's clothes and rushed into the living room, where he could hopefully dress in peace. His cell fell out of his jeans pocket - dead, probably - as he started hopping into them.

Scanning the cluttered table for his carton of Pal Mals, his eyes snagged on the bright yellow, rolled up Post-It next to a hand's width of cleared space. Filtered sun highlighted what he knew wasn't dust.

What the hell had he done last night?

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Aug 21st, 2017 at 11:03 PM.
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Old Aug 23rd, 2017, 12:24 PM
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The spirit gave Andrew a disapproving look. Then just sat calmly waiting for Andrew to settle a bit more as if it had all the time in the world.

"Are you quite finished? You know the pills, the drugs, they won't help. Anthony was right.. you're a train wreck. No wonder her went looking for me."

The spirit stood and drifted closer. "Well like it or not I'm here and its time you get your **** together. Your brother needs you, it's time to prove you were worth saving, because you and I both know, he certainly is."
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Old Aug 24th, 2017, 01:27 AM
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Sober, Andrew might have closed those last few inches separating himself and the smug, ethereal bastard, with his fists. Though he assumed his effort would just pass through like the slapstick comedy in movies, he'd never actually tested the theory of ethereality solidity.

Hung over and already partially on his way to his next high, hand frozen mid rise on his fly, all he could manage was an angry eye flash and a latent closing of his mouth. Peering more closely at the runes embedded in the entity's attire, he stumbled through the million or so responses crowded on his tongue, choosing, as eloquently as ever, "What the f--- did you just say? Anthony...what?"

How in hell did it even know his brother's name? A bucket of chills deposited icy needles across his arms and spine, the shudder inspiring his feet to shuffle backwards. Faded tee and half fastened jeans were forgotten, overshadowed by the new worry of his sudden, rampant heartbeat and the possible truth within the words he'd just heard.

"What are you?" Because it wasn't your average Casper the Ghost and Andrew for sure as hell wasn't Wendy.

 

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Aug 24th, 2017 at 05:08 AM.
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Old Aug 25th, 2017, 12:19 PM
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The ghost looked at him intently. "A little slow are we, but we are finally getting somewhere aren't we?! Questions are good, the lead to answers. You haven't been asking enough questions it seems, instead trying to null you mind and sleep it all away."the ghost chastised. "But what is the right question? It is not What am I, but WHO?"he exclaimed gesturing with a finger pointed as if he had a brilliant idea.

The ghost fluttered back a step then seemed to pull at beard that wasn't there. "Let's see how to make you understand, probably can't bore you with details, no, you'd just stop listening, probably wander off to go get another high.. maybe try an off yourself again. Then there's just be two ghosts and we already have one ghost too many... hmmm?"he seemed to ponder before suddenly flying right into Andrew's face.

"Ah ha! "he said his giant face seemed to somehow permeate some ethereal version of garlicky breath. "Anthony, your brother. Lets just say he found some people who knew more about the Slee... about this world than you do. He went to Philadelphia to meet them and then..."

The ghost suddenly put his hand at his throat and slid it across like a knife wound. "Sniiiickt."he said drawing it across his head suddenly seeming to topple off before vanishing in a poof and appearing back on his shoulders.

"Not a bad way to go... but not a great one either. Should 'ave seen that one coming. Anyway they offed me a nabbed him. Now YOUR going to go save him, and me." the ghost explained rather matter of factly.

"Of course if you'd rather I do the whole possession thing I guess that's not off the table... might get sorta messy. Not really sure what the effects of that would be and what not. I read about it a couple times..."

Last edited by Avner; Aug 25th, 2017 at 12:20 PM.
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Old Aug 25th, 2017, 04:24 PM
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Andrew relaxed. A little. Plenty of ghosts had prattled his ears off before, to the point he wished he'd been born deaf. But none of them had ever mentioned his brother's name before. Or any of his family, for that matter.

So while the ghost talked on about what to talk about and how Andrew had made such a mess of his life, he picked up his phone, left his shirt on the table, and finished zipping his fly en route to his kitchenette counter, where he plugged his cell into his charger and swiped the screen which told him he had 13% battery left. He dialed Anthony's number and it was at the precise moment his voicemail clicked on that the ghost got in his face and told him Anthony was dead.

Wait. Not dead. The ghost was dead and Anthony had been nabbed. Who the hell used the word nabbed? Nabbed by who? Then the ghost's head was spinning in the air and Andrew had to look away.

He ended the call and tried again. Straight to voicemail. The kitchen started to spin. The ghost wouldn't shut the hell up. Andrew's hands went up to the cabinets to steady himself, his head pressed to the wood, eyes closed against the circling vision and dull, throbbing pain.

"Shut up," he said, and then again -louder- and low and behold, the damn thing shut its trap.

Okay, Andrew. Think. He didn't have a vehicle and there wasn't enough in his bank account to get him to Philly. And he wasn't a hundred percent sold on the spirit's version of the truth. The whole thing was freakishly disturbing on a cinematic level and if Anthony were really in trouble, shouldn't he be calling the cops?

Their parents. He'd call mom and she'd tell him that Anthony was over there, that he had spilled everything and Andrew was in a whole shitload of trouble, more than his current state of simply being financially cut off. He'd gotten as far as tapping his contacts wheel before reason intervened.

Changing gears, he pulled both the phone and its charger from the wall. He had his brother's key - they had exchanged spares months ago - and his brother was one of those types that kept cash between their mattress or something. He could round off his ticket-for-Philly fund and check out Anthony's place at the same time. It was a surprisingly solid plan, he thought.

He looked for the ghost and found him, ethereal gaze as intense as ever. "If you're pulling my leg, I will find a way to kill you - again." The shirt could wait. Andrew started searching for his boots. His questions could wait, too. Like what the hell did he mean by "this world", and how did you save a ghost that was already dead? He didn't want to think about the questions he had concerning Anthony. He was already starting to shake.

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Aug 25th, 2017 at 06:52 PM.
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Old Aug 30th, 2017, 01:34 AM
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The bus ride was a little sketchy. It was all the way across town and the transfers got a bit complicated but he had hit it enough times to maneuver it in his sleep. Traveling via bus with your buddy the ghost was a little more interesting.

At the first stop, the ghost had paced and complained about Andrew's lack of an automobile.

"Wrecked it," he informed it. Him? Whatever.

"Borrow one. Don't any of your loser friends have a vehicle?"

"You think I want another DWI?" Andrew had snarked right back. As the other people waiting moved cautiously away from the crazy addict talking to himself, the ghost laughed, berating him a half heartbeat later for lighting up.

"You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?" said Andrew, but he got his revenge a few minutes later in a rather full bus when the ghost grimaced as an elderly lady sat square into him without fluttering a lash. Andrew burst out laughing, which made her move, and he was game enough after that to stick his feet on the chair and scowl at anyone who tried taking it.

During the ride, he called Anthony some more and played with his half smoked cig. After a time, his gaze settled back on the ghost, only slightly bloodshot but full on somber. "You ain't pulling my leg, are you?"

"What do you think?"

Andrew sank his hands through his hair and gave himself props for not losing it. "Sh!t," he murmured.

* * * * *

Anthony's place was, as usual, cleaner than a five star hotel room. Andrew plugged his phone into the kitchen outlet and began in the bedroom. He discovered a half used box of trojans, a shoebox of letters Anthony and his girlfriend had wrote back in highschool, and a few pairs of loafers that held shoe forms but no money. After both bathrooms and an inspection under the furniture, just when he was starting too get worried, he noticed the cookie jar. Anthony hated cookies -- except those freshly baked.

Sure enough, Andrew dove in and pulled out a wad of money, clipped with brass and a 20 facing out. His phone was there but Anthony had both a land line and Yellow Pages so he left it to charge and searched for the airport's number old-school way, and that's when keys clicked against the doorknob and she walked in.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed the ghost sardonically while Andrew groped for the name most recent in his mental list of Anthony's girlfriends.

"Jessica?" He tried.

"Elizabeth." She glared. "Who the hell is Jessica?"

"Sorry. I, uh... His ex. Probably. I mean... I'm his--"

"Brother. Yeah, I can see that." She breezed in and snapped her purse down on the arm of the couch. It was brown like her hair, but the brown on her head was about to catch fire if her eyes got any hotter. "We've been dating for six months and he hasn't even told you my name yet? What the hell kind of boyfriend-"

"We don't always talk about those kinds of things."

"Oh, I know what you talk about." Her gaze was real knowing as she leveled it, looking down at him across her poky, thin nose. Andrew coulda rented a truck for the amount of contempt she threw at him then. "He said you guys were fraternal." Accusative like.

What? Now he wasn't supposed to look like his own brother? He watched her clack her manicured nails in annoyance. Expensive hair, plucked eyebrows and glossed, finicky lips. Body that looked just as good in designer jeans as it did a bikini. Yeah, that was Anthony's type all right.

He was about to snark off when the ghost suggested from close enough to near spook him, "Tell her you came by because you were worried about him."

"Sorry," Andrew apologized. "I uh, haven't heard from him in a while, which is kinda unusual, so I came by to-"

"Check on him. Yeah, me too. He called me from his hotel when he checked in but I haven't heard from him since." She stopped trying to set him aflame, grabbed her purse up and came closer. "So you're Andrew, huh?"

"The one and only," he quipped, returning his gaze to the phone listings but not before dropping silent props on his sidekick, who had probably saved him a good verbal lashing. He found what he was looking for, picked up the phone, and dialed while Elizabeth picked up Anthony's mail pile and sifted through it.

"Hey," he asked her, "You know what hotel he's staying at and room number and everything?"

She glanced at him, then where he was in the phonebook. "Yes. Are you going there? Hang on, I'll write it down for you." She plucked a pen from a tidy, white case and turned over an envelope she apparently deemed unimportant and began jotting. "So...when was the last time you, um..."

Andrew waited for her to continue with '...you saw your brother' or '...you got high' but she stopped altogether so he looked up. She was staring at something south of his face.

Sh!t. The money.

"Is that his?"

He'd been holding it out the whole time. His ghost companion smacked its own forehead.

Andrew hung up the phone. "Look," he began, but she was already in her purse getting her cell phone, squawking all the bad things Anthony had said about him and how he was just here to steal and get high.

He tried coming around the counter but she just held up her hand and backed away. "Yes," she said into her cell, "I'd like to report a break in."

The ghost was giving him more advice but Andrew didn't listen. He flew at her, tearing the cell from her hands. "No she doesn't!" He told the operator, desperately. "This is my house and everything's fine!" He fumbled to turn it off while she clawed at him like a hellcat, screaming the opposite.

The cell went dark before he could end the call. With the 911 operator still asking questions, Andrew pried her off of him again and found the power button. Of course it asked for a code. Cussing, he grabbed her wrist, shoving her with enough force that he'd snatched the envelope and bolted out the door before she could grab him.

"Hey! That's my phone!" She screamed after him with a few choice words of her own.

Andrew flew down the stairs and around the side of the building, hurling the cell phone against solid brick. He'd left his own upstairs along with his pack of Pal Mals but he didn't care about none of it as he sought a safe place to lay low and call a taxi from.

 

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Aug 30th, 2017 at 03:18 AM.
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Old Aug 30th, 2017, 02:26 PM
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The ghost followed Andrew as he fled Anthony's apartment. If a ghost could gloat he most certainly would be right now as he hovered next to the disheveled drug addict. "Well that was tactful, couldn't you have just talked to her?"he said as the sound of thunder crackled above. "Well that might actually be helpful, I imagine from the look of you if I could still smell it would be... most unpleasant."he said.

"Now tell me how is it your brother is so.. polite and you can't even bother to ask a ghost his name? Do you actually care what happened or are you just going to go around robbing from missing family members for the rest of your life? I don't plan on waiting that long you know.
I have never met someone so intent on staying asleep, its no wonder your not mad by now."
he chastised

Just then the sky opened up and Andrew quickly found shelter under bus station vestibule. He had gotten a ticket to the closest airport city and from there he would fly to Philly. He now had the address of a hotel so he at least had a place to start.

"I wouldn't advice going there if I were you. They know where he was staying too, but hey who am I just a ghost with all the answers no need to pay attention to me."

The ghost that seemed to sit down in mid air and start pulling his beard as if in thought.
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Old Aug 30th, 2017, 08:23 PM
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The ghost followed Andrew as he fled Anthony's apartment. If a ghost could gloat he most certainly would be right now as he hovered next to the disheveled drug addict. "Well that was tactful, couldn't you have just talked to her?" he said as the sound of thunder crackled above. "Well that might actually be helpful, I imagine from the look of you if I could still smell it would be... most unpleasant." he said.
"What? And get her kidnapped, too? What if she wanted to come with us?"

Quote:
"Now tell me how is it your brother is so.. polite and you can't even bother to ask a ghost his name? Do you actually care what happened or are you just going to go around robbing from missing family members for the rest of your life? I don't plan on waiting that long you know.
I have never met someone so intent on staying asleep, its no wonder your not mad by now."
he chastised

Just then the sky opened up and Andrew quickly found shelter under bus station vestibule. He had gotten a ticket to the closest airport city and from there he would fly to Philly. He now had the address of a hotel so he at least had a place to start.

"I wouldn't advise going there if I were you. They know where he was staying too, but hey who am I just a ghost with all the answers no need to pay attention to me."

The ghost that seemed to sit down in mid air and start pulling his beard as if in thought.
"Shut up," Andrew told him, in a voice so little it barely conveyed to his ears.

"I just need a minute." The second plea, which garnered him a good look-over by nearby passengers-to-be as they searched him for cell phone or headset.

Andrew cursed in his head, shoving a pair of Tylenol in his mouth and chasing them with a red Mountain Dew. After that he bit off the head of a licorice string, chewing and fuming. The station market had wanted over ten bucks a pack for cigs so he'd walked out with a bag full of sugar and a travel pack of so called pain inhibitors instead. None of it was doing a damn thing about turning his mind off.

What he was thinking, besides just absorbing the annoyingly true words of his travel companion, was that Anthony had been seeing that girl for six months. Six. Months. And he had given her a key. She ain't had nothing kind to say about him, either, which meant whatever Anthony was confiding in her, it wasn't good. Realizing just how far he had fallen from his brother's circle of trust ate away at him like no zombie on a pack of helpless humans could come close to.

The shout came out of nowhere, at least for the spectators. For Andrew, who'd been gnawing through his second licorice twist, the explosion -- which came in the form of his lungs belting, "JUST GIVE ME A GOD DAMN MINUTE, WILL YOU?", to the astonishment of bystanders -- arrived at the perfectly feasible moment where [Overwhelmed] met [You're Screwed] in a brilliant collision of raw sobriety and the worst guilt ever.

Andrew cussed once and, because he had seen a lady ferret her child out into the rain to get away from him, he wandered from under the vestibule himself to stand at a distance from everyone else to hiss freely.

"You want questions? Fine. How about telling me what you didn't tell me back in my room, like what the f--- do you mean, 'knows more about this world than I do' and who the f--- took my brother? And if they already have him then why would they still be hanging around his hotel room? Why me and not the cops? What the hell are you? Cause every ghost I ever seen wanders around like a lost little puppy or is looking for something but you seem to know right where you're doing and it ain't got nothing to do with finding a flippin' light to the other side. How do I know you ain't just pissed at me and trying to off me yourself?

"And yeah. You might as well tell me your name because I can't keep calling you Ectoplasmic Pain In The A--, can I? Are you trying to get me arrested? Can't you--"
-more cussing- "--wait until we're alone? I'm doing what you asked me to, ain't I?"

That wasn't rain on his cheek. Andrew wiped at his eyes with a forearm and pressed his back to the vestibule's side, where at least the overhand could keep part of him dry. He gnawed his wet licorice and tried not to appear as miserable as he felt.

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Aug 31st, 2017 at 01:51 PM.
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Old Aug 31st, 2017, 12:57 PM
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The ghost suddenly gave him an empathetic look. "Artemis, my name is Artemis and I am what you would call a mage, or at least I was until the accident."he explained. "If you're afraid of looking crazy that is fine put some headphones on and just nod your head that you understand when appropriate."

Artemis patiently waited for Andrew to get himself together and to calm down before beginning. "So this is going to be sort of hard to hear,
or at least understand. Magic is real, but it's more Neo than Merlin if you catch my drift. Magic is the ability to bend reality."
he explained. "I know, I know, you want to know about Anthony, I will get to that, you need to know this first..."he sad with a comforting gesture.

"So like all things when people realized how much power was in magic they went and screwed it up. Factions were created, there was a power struggle and the result was the world basically getting as you would all it.. all f'ed up." the rain seemed to be letting up as they walked.

"So anyway the result was that everyone basically fell asleep, unaware of the true existence of reality and their ability to manipulate it.
Awhile after the incident, which was back in the time of Atlantis, a rare person here and there started to realize the truth. Mages were born into the world again, but there were consequences. There is a darkness that taints magic now and if we aren't careful it goes crazy, the easiest way to make that happen is to have a bunch of non-believing sleepers, or regular people watch you do it."
he explained.

"So we keep it a secret and when someone shows the signs of awakening we try to find them and help them along, or at least some of us do. Someone who has that kind of power is incredibly valuable... and dangerous." Artemis continued. "One of the first ways that a Mage can manifest his powers is through the spirit realm... they can see ghosts. Sound like anyone you know?"he asked.

"Don't get all excited, this doesn't mean you ARE like me, just that you could be. Since you definitely can see spirits you are at least sensitive to it. That means that to get the help you need you would need someone like me... that is how Anthony and I found each other. I noticed him asking the wrong questions to the right people and I reached out to him, but apparently someone else noticed too." Artemis stopped in his tracks and looked at Andrew.

"I can't say for certain, but i have a hunch. You see they took me... us, by surprise. They must have known we were going to be there, watching in the shadows when we set up the meeting. They are most likely a remnant of the old war, one of the other sides of the orders that want to keep the status quo."he explained. "I know you're wondering why this matters. Well here is the deal Andrew, hey weren't after your brother... they are trying to get to you."
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Old Aug 31st, 2017, 11:07 PM
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The ghost suddenly gave him an empathetic look. "Artemis, my name is Artemis and I am what you would call a mage, or at least I was until the accident."he explained. "If you're afraid of looking crazy that is fine put some headphones on and just nod your head that you understand when appropriate."
Headset. Good point. Taking a few quiet breaths, Andrew made note to pick one up in Phoenix > Tuscon = 2 hr bus. Tuscon then has an international airport. Flights to Philly average 6 1/2 hours. Does looking this up make me a geek?Tuscon along with a Go phone or something.

Quote:
Artemis patiently waited for Andrew to get himself together and to calm down before beginning. "So this is going to be sort of hard to hear, or at least understand. Magic is real..."
Oh for f---'s sake. Andrew would have walked away right then and there if he'd believed it would have done him any good. But Loony Tunes Arti was probably going to follow him until he cracked, anyway, so getting out of the city was still a priority.

Quote:
"...but it's more Neo than Merlin if you catch my drift. Magic is the ability to bend reality."he explained. "I know, I know, you want to know about Anthony, I will get to that, you need to know this first..."he sad with a comforting gesture.
...daggers in his bleary eyed glare...

Quote:
"So like all things when people realized how much power was in magic they went and screwed it up. Factions were created, there was a power struggle and the result was the world basically getting as you would all it.. all f'ed up." the rain seemed to be letting up as they walked.
Andrew boarded the bus not soaked but still pretty wet. He took up space near the front, throwing his bag on the aisle seat and his feet up on the middle one, maddogging anyone who even glanced his direction. He was still eating licorice as though he were beheading it and Loony Tunes was still droning on about his fantasy world.

He wondered where the hell Anthony was.

Quote:
"So anyway the result was that everyone basically fell asleep, unaware of the true existence of reality and their ability to manipulate it."
...wait......memories of laughter, at him, by a spirit amused at his clumsy interpretation of tarot. Why don't you just use the talents you have? the spirit had cackled...

Quote:
"Awhile after the incident, which was back in the time of Atlantis, a rare person here and there started to realize the truth. Mages were born into the world again, but there were consequences."
...the creepy ghost who wanted him to draw a summoning circle and populate it with candles and incense and repeat a freaky chant. He'd spat at Andrew's refusal, seething about the abominable waste of power...

Quote:
"There is a darkness that taints magic now and if we aren't careful it goes crazy, the easiest way to make that happen is to have a bunch of non-believing sleepers, or regular people watch you do it. So we keep it a secret and when someone shows the signs of awakening we try to find them and help them along, or at least some of us do."
...the pile of his drawings in Anthony's apartment. Andrew had thought them sentimental but in reality he was using them for research. Inkings of spirits from his dreams...

Quote:
"Someone who has that kind of power is incredibly valuable... and dangerous." Artemis continued. "One of the first ways that a Mage can manifest his powers is through the spirit realm... they can see ghosts. Sound like anyone you know?"
The shudder took him slow and cold across every inch of his bones, settling into his gut where it churned. For a moment, Andrew's life revolved around the singular goal of not vomiting and then he nodded, a scared but obedient boy for the ghost who was shredding his sanity.

Quote:
"Don't get all excited, this doesn't mean you ARE like me, just that you could be."
This isn't happening...

Quote:
"Since you definitely can see spirits you are at least sensitive to it. "
You bet your life it is.

Quote:
"That means that to get the help you need you would need someone like me... that is how Anthony and I found each other. I noticed him asking the wrong questions to the right people and I reached out to him, but apparently someone else noticed too."
Andrew finished his licorice then chugged the rest of his Dew, eyes never leaving the ghost mage's face. His arm was draped over the side of the chairs, his knuckles doing that popping thing that grossed all the girls out and, apparently, annoyed the guy Or is it beside, when you are sitting sideways on a travel bus?behind him. Andrew didn't even notice.

Quote:
"I can't say for certain, but I have a hunch. You see they took me... us, by surprise. They must have known we were going to be there, watching in the shadows when we set up the meeting. They are most likely a remnant of the old war, one of the other sides of the orders that want to keep the status quo."he explained. "I know you're wondering why this matters. Well here is the deal Andrew, they weren't after your brother... they are trying to get to you."
Andrew eyed him, again, some more, then kicked his legs off of the seat. Even if he could find his voice he had no idea what to say. And he was already over capacity as far as emotions went. To say that those final words had been like nails in his coffin would be true. Equally true was the weird sensation of being relieved for being justifiably strange. Maybe it was because Artemis had made it sound so important that he was more than just a hapless addict with night voices. Maybe it was other things. Like the bag from last night that was still in his pocket.

"I gotta piss."

He made his way to the back of the bus into the rat trap bathroom and slid the lock closed. He was gone a long time. Breaking the pill into a powder between the toilet rim and the little knobs on the underside of the seat wasn't one of his finer moments but that was alright.

It was alright, too, when the magic ghost narrowed his eyes as Andrew all but ignored him, situating himself across the seats in a lounge, one arm behind his head against the window.

"What did you do?" Artemis hissed.

Andrew smiled at him, eyes glazed. "You're slow," he answered. "Anthony woulda never let me get halfway down the aisle."

 

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Sep 1st, 2017 at 12:29 AM.
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Old Sep 1st, 2017, 03:30 PM
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Peace was never an option
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OOCTake a Beat for getting a fix.


Artemis gave him a disapproving stare. "I tell you that people who can bend reality itself have taken your brother and are after you next and the best you can do is try to sneak your next high?"he said angrily. "Your brother... was a saint."

The ghost hovered around Andrew before speaking again. "I'm not your rehab, don't force me to be. If you do... you want like my methods. They are painfully and they certainly don't follow the traditional practices you have tried."he said.

"Now...are we ready to be an adult or are you going to keep sulking?"


OOC
I found the persistent version of the condition. It was in the Original GMC update and links with Deprived. It is a Persistent Condition called Addicted. You get a Beat any tome your character chooses to get a fix rather than fulfill an Obligation. The Resolution of the condition is that you Regain a Dot of Integrity, LOSE a dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a Breaking Point.

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Old Sep 1st, 2017, 05:08 PM
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Andrew chuckled. He couldn't help it. Did Artemis think he could do this without being high?

"I am being an adult," he hissed. He couldn't afford to spend three days puking his guts out into a toilet and he didn't know any other way to get it out of his system, unless...

Andrew regarded his scowling companion and said seriously, "You can do that? I mean, now? Still?" He sat up, putting a hand over his ear to cover up a pretend "bluetooth". "What else can you do?"

OOCI appreciate the beat but I'm not sure I've technically earned it. He may have taken the hit because he just couldn't deal without it but he's also aware he can't do anything through a severe withdrawal either. So in his mind, staying high IS helping his brother.

That is the condition I was remembering but I am fine with either.

Last edited by Cleokatrah; Sep 1st, 2017 at 05:45 PM.
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Old Sep 5th, 2017, 07:44 AM
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OOCThey work together, basically if you fail to achieve addicted then the result is deprived until you get your fix. Addicted sorts out the long term affects of the addiction and how to resolve it. The beat is for risking your relationship with Artemis to get a fix. Andrew doesn't know much about the guy and basically ditched him to get high after he got some world dropping info on how this is the only guy who knows what happened to his brother.
.

"Oh, you don't expect me to tell you do you? That would ruin all the fun in passively holding it over your head." Artemis joked with a smile. "Let me say this much. Mages unlike the rest of you sleepers actually know about the spirit world and all its various rules and limitations, or lack there of..."he explained. "So while a ghost might be one thing to deal with, the ghost of a mage is a very unique entity indeed."

The mage seemed genuinely impressed by the question. "Actual curiosity, maybe your not a lost cause after all." he said with a smile. "So you still going to insist on squatting right where they are planning on nabbing you or do we have a plan B? I'm sure Anthony would be pissed if he knew you were going after him, but he seemed worth saving. "
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Old Sep 19th, 2017, 08:00 PM
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Andrew moved back into a recline. Familiar weight had descended over his conscious, providing a much appreciated distance between mind and reality, and a blanket over his thoughts as he tried to muster a strategy more than just arriving blind and hitting the fight button.

The bus window was vibrating his headache back into existence so he kicked his feet down once more and rested his elbows on his knees. When the woman across the way flicked him a wary glance, he just rubbed his palms over his eyes and ignored it.

"Why can't I just give 'em what they want?" He threw his hands wide, remembering at the last minute to cover his earpiece again. "I mean, if they'd 'av just threatened him instead of hijacking him, I would have... I mean-" He shut up because his throat was getting thick again and though he knew they could make him do whatever they wanted by holding a gun to Anthony's head, it wasn't a picture he could handle envisioning yet.

Artemis was giving him the same patient look his psychiatrist had given, waiting for him to connect the dots but the dotted path was too freaking long. After flicking an imaginary cigarette with his fingers, Andrew gave up.

"What do you suggest?" Because he was probably Artemis's puppet as much as he would have been theirs.
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