bring out your dead

[degenere]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Baroness Frédérique Durfort-Lacapalette, Brother Jehan Mercier, and Valentine Nicasius Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: CHASSEURS DE FANTÔMES
WHEN: Early Cloudreach
WHERE: From Kirkwall, listenable anywhere
NOTES: Your favorite people!

—will come try to stop us, [ Jehan is whispering when everyone's crystals come to life, but it's capped off with a sigh as he realizes it is too late, too late, alas. ]

They must know [Val, in a stage whisper. He hardly cares about being heard.] Inquisition. We have been in Kirkwall for how long now? Long enough that some of us have seen shades. Spirits. Ghosts.

Inquisition, these are but exaggerations. Do you know how we know this to be true? [He’ll tell you. In a second. The dramatic moment is slightly spoiled by a sudden sharp intake of breath, and a loud SPLASH.] Sacre-- the oar!

Careful! [ Freddie is there too, naturally. ] Keep it in the lock-- there. Inquisition [ she begins again in Val's place ] we have heard your tales of supposed hauntings, but we three have spent countless hours toiling in these Gallows and have not seen a thing! Not one spectral wisp! And so, you see, we cannot help but doubt. We are women--and men--of the sciences, after all. It is merely our nature.

Men and woman of the sciences, [ Jeannot corrects, because who doesn't like being corrected ] and of faith, merci, and we do not mean that anyone is lying. Of course the Veil is thin here. But surely not so thin as the stories.

And so, we have returned at night--which I am sure we can all agree is the most appropriate time for ghosts--to give the spirits the chance to prove all of you correct by revealing themselves to us.

Do not be afraid for us! This is not even the tenth most foolish we have ever been, particularly Freddie and Val, and so far as I can tell they yet survive—we would welcome advice, however. Where have you witnessed these spirits reaching through the Veil? Were you doing anything to attract their attention?

And how do we attract their attention? Tell us, so we can try for ourselves! Must we cause a great scene, and commotion? Must we SHOUT? We are willing to shout-- O, SPIRITS! HEAR US, AND APPEAR! WE WOULD WITNESS YOUR--

[ muffled muffled something like a hand has been clapped over his mouth. ]

Comments

[degenere]

We thought a sneaking approach might work best. We would surprise the ghosts, and catch them in their undershrouds.

[obviously]

[el_tybs]

I can't tell if you're being serious or not.

You're trying to sneak up on... ghosts?

[degenere]

If you have another suggestion, O Mage, we would hear it. That is the point of this.

[el_tybs]

Go into the building during the day hours when we are cleaning and plenty of mages about. I'm sure you'll see some activity from your ghosts.

[degenere]

'We', you say. You are among these cleaners?

[el_tybs]

I pull my weight in the effort, if that is what you're asking.

[degenere]

I would think no less, my friend! But more what I ask is, if I wanted to make observation of your work...

[A hopeful trail-off.]

[el_tybs]

Do you plan on helping with the cleanup or just going to be watching?

[degenere]

What a question!

I must watch for ghosts.

[el_tybs]

Well you know what they say. A watched pot never boils.

[degenere]

Ah, but so, too, do they not say, that an ignored spirit never haunts?

[el_tybs]

You could say that, but I don't find that true. We've been trying to ignore a lot of them, but they're very persistent. A few people have been locked in rooms.

[degenere]

It is a good thing, then, that we are equally so persistent. And capable of escaping locked rooms.

[el_tybs]

Are you now? So you know the fine art of lockpicking?

[degenere]

But of course. My adventures have necessitated such a knowledge.

[el_tybs]

Course now one has to wonder what kind of adventures you've been on to require such skill.

[degenere]

Do you know how often one finds a locked chest upon such an adventure? It is too dangerous to split or destroy, for what if the contents were destroyed with the vessel? And it is too maddening to leave behind unopened.

[el_tybs]

Not really. So far all the places I've been such chests have been long rusted and easy to get into, or there are no chests at all.

That still doesn't quite answer what kind of adventure you're going on. Thieving?

[degenere]

Thieving. Only the uneducated would call it such a thing. We recover, monsieur, recover and preserve.

[el_tybs]

I'm sure it's called that depending on the context of whom you're getting your stuff from.

[degenere]

I'm sure it does not. Thieving implies that we take for some profit of our own. The only profit we truly seek is the profit of knowledge. Anything else, it is like when you have a cheese with a rind on it. You want what is within, but the rind, it is good to eat as well.

[el_tybs]

I'm pretty sure thieving isn't about profit but about stealing period. Course if no one is there to call you out on it...

[degenere]

So you think thieves steal only for fun?

[el_tybs]

Some do.

I'm not saying the person who is thieving isn't looking to make some sort of profit, I'm just pointing out that thieving itself just means that there is stealing involved. So even if you're only in the pursuit of knowledge, depending on where you're taking the item from someone might consider it thieving.

[degenere]

Then you believe knowledge is a thing that can be stolen? Ah, monsieur. My mind has been compared to a bear trap, in its quickness and its cleverness. Perhaps you are onto something there!