The Ghosts

[Random Event]

A hot summer day cools of unnaturally fast when the sun sets, giving an unmistakable chill in the air. Is it a change in the winds? Or does it have something to do with the pair of ghosts that drift through the Ruins together, trailed by a fog that spreads far beyond them and slowly encases the entire area.

If you look close, their translucent bodies are mangled. Showing signs that their deaths were anything but peaceful. They seem to be, though.

So is it worth the chance on approaching them?


Happy Spooky Season!
- this drop is open to the first two characters to reply (only one per player)
- gifts will be randomized but autumn-themed
- if you miss out, don't worry! Keep your eyes open every Friday this month for more chances.

[Fireheart]

i burn from the hell i've seen, but the devil can't hold me down

He stirs from his sleep. Slowly at first, and with a scowl settling on his face. His eyes open despite his best effort, and it is only then that he notices the bitter wind. It is sharp, unyielding. It bites against his navy pelt and for a moment, he considers shifting into his phoenix form for no other reason than his flames. Instead, he decides to walk.

He walks aimlessly, moving only to keep the cold from settling beneath his skin. He pays little mind to where his feet are going. He has nothing to fear from the unknown.

As if waking from a dream he stops suddenly, and only then does he realize where he has wound up. The Ruins. An often talked about, but little visited corner of the realm. It is unnaturally quiet here but still, he does not fear this place. He turns his gaze across the land and notices something...something he cannot explain. For a moment, he wonders if he is dreaming. With a sharp twist of his neck he bites himself on the shoulder in an attempt to wake himself. It does not work.

Before him stand two specters. He has seen many ghosts, but these are more tangible than any he has ever seen. A frown falls over his face as he takes in their appearance. Clearly, they did not cross the veil peaceful and whole. As he stares, he feels that song rising in his throat and with a whirl he changes forms, becoming the great fiery bird that is his other half.

His fire lights the area around them but it does not scare the ghosts away. These are clearly not the type of ghosts to hide in shadows or corners. They speak to that song in his heart, and he cannot help but let it spill out. It rings through the silence and it is a terribly sad thing but beautiful in its melancholy. With a flap of his wings he approaches the ghost on the right. "Let me try to help you... he says softly. As he speaks he lays his beautiful head as close as he can to the spirit. He does not feel the body but he does feel the cold. He does not know if this will work, but he feels deep in his soul that he must try. And so he does try, and as he tries he cries. His pearly tears are quickly lost against the foggy white of the specter but still, he pours them out. Though he himself does not fear death, he feels nothing but sorrow for these poor souls who left the world so horribly.

fireheart

[kensley]

KENSLEY

He, too, is a kind of ghost. 

More ghost than storm some days, he thinks. Because so little remains now of who he had been then. He, too, is a thing of ruin. Look how the wind bends both toward and away from him. Think of all the things he could destroy.

But he languishes now in a place already destroyed. And he tries to remember. Not what this place had been because it had appeared to them already ruined. But all the other places he’s been, the lives he’s lived. 

So little remains now of who he had been then. And if he’s honest with himself, he barely remembers how the storm got under his skin. There are so many things Kensley does not remember and what he does remember does not often feel like it’s anything worth holding onto.

But there’s nothing else left.

And so it is in the Ruins he loiters and it is in the Ruins he sees them. Ghosts. And this is not so unusual in this place, not really. He has known many ghosts. His son, the monster, has shown him many ghosts. 

He tilts his stormy head and the leaves stir at his feet when he exhales and takes first one step, stiff, and then another toward them. Is it one or are there two? It’s hard to tell from here. With his confusion, the clouds overhead begin to darken. It always snows when he’s confused.

“Hello,” he tries, quiet. Because what better company for a ghost than other ghosts? 

( i swore my days were over of courting empty dreams )
( i worshipped at the altar of losing everything )

[Random Event]

Kindness, whether a sweet gesture or a simple hello, truly is heart warming. Or would be if they had beating hearts to warm. The ghosts do not acknowledge the kindness or even the presence of these living creatures. Not out of malice or scorn, it just becomes incredibly obvious that whatever has tethered them to this world has kept them apart from it too. They do not experience the change in seasons, do not know that there are other generations living and dying in the same places they had once roamed. Don’t even know that some of those places have changed. They simply walk their route together and there is no telling when they will appear again.

As they continue onwards, the fog that trails them eddies around the two strangers. It lingers with a warmth that may be refreshing on this chilly evening. Despite the fact that the ghosts did not interact, they will leave here changed.


Congratulations!
@Fireheart has received the trait Shadow Shifting
@kensley has received the trait Nightmare Induction

These traits are genetic unless requested otherwise (due to spacing or whatnot)
You may transfer these traits to another character with an IC post. Please post in updates with a link to this drop or the transfer post with what character you’d like them to apply to.

Thank you for replying and happy spooky season!