Thriller Historical Earth OPEN Things that go Bump in the Night

[OOC: a first little fun combo with @Imperial_Hammer ]

IC: Saori Nishimura and Dr. Quisley

Roland ignored Saori’s question again and brushed past her into the study from which she had just retreated, frowning at his equipment.

"What did you just do?" he said. "Everything just changed in this room. You need to tell me what you just did."

“I, umm, nothing,” said Saori, looking down.

He discovered the crystal ball then barked at her, "Did you do something with that over there?"

Saori bit her lip. “Okay! I might have touched it. Just a bit… I think it’s rigged, some sort of…”

Roland marched up to Saori and produced an electronic baton device similar in appearance to the handheld metal detectors used in airports. He waved it around Saori.

“What’s that?” she said.

He ignored her and moved behind her, running the device up under her armpits. It beeped and booped, lights flashing along its length.

“Look, I’m sure the cold is just a hidden air conditioner or something, or dry ice, you know?” said Saori.

Roland shook his head. "In this old house? Come on." He ran the baton up between her legs until it almost touched the inside of her thighs. Saori whirled.

“Hey, watch where you’re poking that!”

He straightened up and scratched his chin. “You are coated with a fine thermoghastric residue. But did you walk in with it, I wonder.”

This utterance took the heat out of Saori’s anger, slightly. She pointed an accusing finger but faltered.

“I… I don’t even know what that means, but I had a shower this morning. The point is, you should not poke that thing without…”

“Have you recently attended a séance, exorcism, or other spiritual event likely to thin the barriers between dimensions?” said Roland. "Alternatively, have you been to a graveyard or morgue in the past week?"

“What? No!” said Saori. She shook her head in confusion. It was like they were having two different conversations.

“Then your touching this orb clearly caused this,” he announced triumphantly. "The orb must have been supersaturated with it. Your touching it disturbed its equilibrium.”

“Are you serious?” said Saori.

He looked at her incredulously. “Of course! What do you think I am talking... to hear my voice?” he said. "We're trying to figure out what just happened here."

Saori shook her head. “Nothing happened!”

He pointed to the crystal ball. “Well now that you disturbed it, touch it again." He started placing various measuring devices around the orb.

Saori glanced at the orb, but stepped away and clasped her hands behind her back.

“No. I don’t want to.”

Roland peered at her as if he were examining an insect specimen under a microscope. He said, “Oh come on, you probably discharged most of its energy. Let's see if there is any juice left in it.”

“Well… you touch it then,” said Saori.

“That would make no sense. If we're going to have a good experiment, we need to control as many variables as possible. You touched it before, you need to touch it again.”

They were interrupted by a burst from her radio set. “Okay, come on back y’all. Time for the video diaries.”

Roland rolled his eyes. "Ignore that. We need to focus on this right now. Those dumb video diaries can wait. The longer we wait here, the more likely this test is not comparable."

Saori looked at her radio set. “But that was Reva, the producer...”

Roland raised one eyebrow. “I don't care if its the president herself, we've got something big going on here, come on!”

Saori shrugged apologetically. “But... we’ve got to go now... for the TV show. That’s why we’re here, remember?”

Roland looked around and bit his lip in frustration. They did offer to pay him for this. Maybe the woman was right - that they need to be "good employees". Whatever that means.

"Fine,” Roland said, frowning. “But you're not off the hook for this. We will do the experiment again tonight. Maybe the better timing will prime the ethereal reaction.”

He turned around at the threshold before exiting. “I’ll set up the equipment and get all the sensors you'll be wearing...”

“Wait, what did you say?” said Saori, scampering after him.

She bumped into Ramona, coming out of the study.

She must have returned from the garden, ghosted into the study behind Saori without her noticing and was now exiting again. Saori almost yelped again.

“Oh… dey not happy to see us!” said Ramona.

Saori rolled her eyes. “Uhhh, I need a drink…”

TAG: @Mistress_Renata @Ktala @DarkLordoftheFins

 

Clive Randall
The House, entrance area

He was still a little shivering, but everybody else was busy. He had left the cellar, but he knew he had to return.

This was just too good, really. This was the kinda thing that got you a million hits on YouTube, if you had to.

Having his video diary already done, lunch sounded perfect. He decided to check out the kitchen. Just because ot was not dark and creepy. This house had potential!

"Reva, I want more cameras down there. That is a damned premium spot!" He said into the radio and sighed.

Tag: @Mistress_Renata, @all others

 

IC: Saori Nishimura
Diary Recording Booth



Saori took a deep breath and faced the camera inside the small recording booth. Who knows, maybe someone will notice you and you’ll get a network gig? Gary Kowalski’s words echoed in her mind.

She put on her best smile-for-the-camera, then reached across and pressed record.

“Hi, this is Saori Nishimura, recording my first report from the Haunted House! Well, it is just the first day, but already I can report that Dr. Roland Quisley has detected paranormal activity of some sort. I have to admit, it is kind of creepy in there! The night is sure to bring out more revelations…

I feel like I am in good hands with Clive Randall as the leader; he is an experienced professional. And Dr. Quisley is a leader in his field, with state-of-the-art equipment. Whatever is in there, he is sure to find it! Ramona Ed’tunde has this, well… fascinating aura, and… ability to sense everything that is going on. And she said… that…”

Saori faltered, remembering what Ramona had said. She thought about the crystal ball, too. That was kind of weird, what had happened… She remembered first setting eyes on the house, stepping inside, looking around and feeling like something was looking back…

Saori shook herself out of the reverie and forced a smile again. Stop it! Don't be stupid! There's no such things as ghosts!

“Well, yes, tonight is sure to be interesting. I’ll be back with another report after that!”

She switched off the camera and slumped against the side of the booth.

She groaned. “I’m going to end up as a weather girl…”

TAG: @Mistress_Renata

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
The House - Outside - VIDEO BOOTH -

Ramona watched the antics of the Doctor for a few moments before she turned and walked away, heading back outside. It was time for their so-called video diaries. Ramona would make her own notes later. She tried to decide how much she wanted to say to them right now.

She knew that most of this was for show, and that possible a few 'traps' had been set up as well. But that didn't undermine the fact that indeed there was something here. And not all of that something was harmless.

She walked over towards the video booth and noticed that someone was already inside. She waited patiently. As she did, she heard a voice in her ear...

/THAT DOCTORS A HOOT ISNT HE? BUT HE DOES SEEM TO PICK UP ON A FEW THINGS./ Ramona gave a slow nod. 'Yes." she said softly, but she didnt elaborate at the moment. At that moment Saori Nishimura stepped out of the booth. Ramona smiled, giving the woman a nod, before going in.

It took her a few moments to figure out everything before she started. She sat down. She was not used to looking out towards just a camera, but she managed it.

"Hello. I am Ramona. I was invited on this little excursion for this house. And I can definitely say that not only is something inside..but it does not really like us here either. It is quite aware of what is going on."

Ramona smiled. "And I am guessing that once the sun falls away, things will be getting more interesting. There is much more here than we were led to believe."

She paused.

"Should be fun."

Ramona closed her entry and left the video booth.

/RAMONA, YOU WICKED CREATURE YOU!/ ROGER chided. Ramona rolled her eyes. "Wha? De wanted drama. Might as well start them off right. Besides, I didnt lie."

Ramona was laughing softly as she left the video booth. She then stood back to let whoever else wanted to take a turn.



Tag: @Mistress_Renata, @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, @DarkLordoftheFins

 

IC: Dr. Quisley
Location: Video Booth

Upon exiting the house, Roland went straight to the box of equipment he left outside. He would need to upload the readings to a USB for processing later on tonight. As he dug around in the mess of wires, he completely missed Saori enter and exit the booth. As he found the USB stick he was looking for, he surveyed the environment outside of the house just in time to see the Psychic exit the booth. This reminded him that he couldn't keep putting this video recording off. Ugh! He sighed. Alright, he had to do this. It was time - he signed up for this after all!

He walked over to the booth, unenthused. He just knew those slick TV guys would find some way to cut this if it wasn't just so. Hmm. How to hedge his bets such that he couldn't give them much to work with? Stick to the facts. This was a platform, and if he kept his response clinical, to the point, and informative, that wouldn't give the editors or that ghoul Clive Randall much to work with. He would do his brothers at the Illumination College a service.

He stepped into the booth, acknowledging the psychic with a small nod. It was rudimentary. A camera, an unoffensive background, a few buttons here and there, most of which were likely not ones the "interviewee" was supposed to touch. Alright. Showtime. He pressed the red record button.

"Dr. Roland Quisley here, delivering a preliminary analysis on the subject house. Observations collected from this afternoon were primarily within normal electroghastic and ectothermic ranges for a structure of this age in the daytime. There was one anomalous spike of energy registered when one Saori Nishimura discharged a crystal ball. Acting hypothesis is that the crystal ball had been absorbing ambient psychopompic energies over the years it had been placed in the structure. It is therefore unclear if the aforementioned spike is due to paranormal activity currently active in the structure, or the consequence of an accumulation of years of normal supranatural activity stored within the crystal ball."

He paused. Should he add what he wanted to add here? No, not yet. Though he was sorely tempted. He concluded, with a safer statement, less likely to get him in trouble with management.

"Needless to say, further testing will be required to determine the cause of the curious observed spike."

He pressed down on the record button again to stop the film. He was going to add. "Needless to say, this house seems pretty tame". No yet. His clinical reflection would irritate the shows producers enough. No need to get too aggressive too quickly. But if the house didn't offer him more than this, he intended his critiques to grow increasingly pointed.

He left the booth and went back to his equipment. There was much work to do before the night began. If that spike was indeed something, he'll need to be ready for it. Heavens knows the others on his team wouldn't be. Maybe the psychic... but its who knows what good she would be in the pinch. You never know with psychics.

Tag: @Mistress_Renata, @Kurisan, @Ktala, @DarkLordoftheFins

 

[OOC: combo with @DarkLordoftheFins - thanks for the "special Clive touch" ! With kind permission of our fabulous host, @Mistress_Renata ...]

Diamondback's Bar - Texas

The crew and participants of the Haunted House show gathered on stools around two high tables in Diamondback’s, the bar across the street from the motel.

“First round on me, okay everyone?” Clive shouted over the country and western tune coming from the jukebox in the corner. He hated this compadre thing, but it was part of the job and the only way to get access to the women.

“Get everyone what they need,” he nodded to the waitress – a bodybuilder in daisy-dukes and flannel shirt that looked like she could wrestle a bear. She barely listened to the various orders and just went off to get a dozen Budweisers.

Ramona and Roland occupied one of the tables, a frosty distance from one another. The sound guy sat in between, sipping a coke sadly; the designated driver. The production assistants were clustered near to Randall, dewy-eyed in the presence of stardom. The camera-man, dressed all in black, tried to look cool in a corner. Reva was yelling on the phone to someone.

“Right, I need to give you all some tips on how this is gonna go – how we are gonna get those RATINGS, people!” started Clive. He stopped. “Hey, where’s that girl – in the short skirt – Nakamura?”

“I knocked on her door, told her where we were. She said she was coming,” said Glenn, one of Reva’s assistants.

Clive growled with annoyance.

Then she came. Her face was downcast and she was flanked by a gigantic doorman who looked like he belonged to a biker gang.

“Mr. Randall, can we speak?” said Saori in a meek voice. The giant Texan beside her folded his muscular arms and frowned behind a long beard.

Clive looked the towering doorman up and down and said, “Some problem here?”

Saori said, “He doesn’t believe I am twenty-one, and he won’t accept my California press ID.”

Her cheeks burned with shame. Clive grinned. He looked at the Texan. “Really?”

“But, he says if you would act as my…” she sighed with embarrassment, “… as a responsible adult in charge of me, then you could vouch for my age, and he can let me in.”

Clive laughed and raised his brow. “What if I act as your irresponsible adult, hmm?” He asked and then laughed as if it was a joke. She could not make eye contact with Clive. He said, “Sure, no problem…”

The doorman poked Saori in the ribs.

She jumped and said, “Oh, and he said he would like your… autograph.”

She finally looked up at Clive. “I’m so sorry…”

The doorman stepped forward and grinned. “I’m a big fan, Mr. Randall! Lurve ya Egypishian series! Them old Injun tombs too, ha! Whaddya say?"

“I, err,” Clive tried to smile as the big man offered a meaty hand. “Of course. Wait until our new project comes out. Will be the creepiest of them all.”

The doorman produced a napkin and a pen. “Just make it out to My Dear Den and Dolly, wouldya?”

Clive arched an eyebrow. Den said, “What? Dolly’s my poodle.”

Clive signed the autograph, then Den insisted on a photo. He scooped up Clive in one massive arm and Saori in another. “Martha! MARTHA!” he bellowed at the waitress. “Get a shot of this, wouldya? Me an' the ghost hunter!”

She came over and took a picture, then they were finally left alone.

“Mr. Randall, I just want to say, I’m so very…” started Saori.

“Forget it! It’s a compliment, you don’t look old enough!” he laughed. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink. And please, call me Clive. I’m not really your father…”

He scooped her up in the same manner as Den and propelled her to the bar.

“Martha!” he said. “A glass of your finest white wine for the lady.”

Martha glared at Saori like she was going to murder her. Saori winced and whispered, “Just a bud light, thanks.”

Word of Clive’s identity seemed to have travelled around the bar now, as patrons in cowboy hats turned and looked. Clive smiled and waved, used to working a crowd. Also, he hated it especially around here in the south. When the attention finally died down, he turned to Saori.

“So, are you single, Nakamura?”

She looked at him suspiciously. “No, I’m Saori, Nishimura.”

Clive did not miss a beat. “Oh, yes, haha. Cute and smart, I like that.”

He winked at her and gave a dazzling smile. “Come on, I don’t see any ring. Anyone waiting for you back in LA, or Shanghai, or wherever you come from?”

Saori sighed and swigged her beer. “No-one at all. Not even a poodle.”

“Well that's good, great!” said Clive. She frowned at him and he self-corrected. “I mean, you know, you wouldn’t want to leave a dog behind all by itself…”

He leaned forward. “Also in a place like this, it is good to be open to possibilities, you know?”

He grinned his famous superstar grin.

“Supernatural possibilities?” said Saori, not fully getting what he meant.

He raised his brows. “Erm, yeah. Sure. Among other things…”

Clive caught Reva looking at them. The producer was giving him a look that said, “Really?”

He sighed.

“Maybe I explain to you in my room?“ he said, but knew immediately he had overplayed his hand.

“Well, maybe I’ll say hello to the rest of the crew,” Saori said and took her drink.

“Yeah, great idea. I got plenty of… teamleading to do here,“ he yelled after her as she quickly made her way to his colleagues.

“Get ya later,” he sighed and turned back to his drink.

Saori approached the rest of the group. She tried to decide who would be least likely to physically assault her in some way - with or without strange devices - and decided on Ramona.

There was a spare stool next to her.

Saori smiled at her and said, "Hi, is anyone sitting here?"

TAG: @Ktala and/or @Imperial_Hammer ?

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
The Diamondback Bar - TX


The rest of the day was uneventful, and soon Ra'mona was back at the quaint hotel they had roomed everyone up in. She had been told that drinks would be provided at a bar next door called the Diamondbacks? Luckily, it was right across the street.

/YOU SURE YOU WANT TO GO, 'MONA?'/ ROGER asked her. She tilted her head at him. He seemed a bit off, and had been rather quiet since the ride back to the hotel.

"You ok?" she asked him. He stayed silent. That was never a godo sign. ROGER usually talked her ear off. So she decided to change the subject. "So, how did you like hanging out in the control area?" she asked him.

/WELL, THAT WAS KIND OF FUN. I THINK THEY ARE GOING TO TRY SOME HOKEY STUFF. I DONT THINK THEY KNOW WHAT THEY REALLY GOT./ ROGER stated. Ramona nodded her head. "Yeah...I agree. Then again, most people dont know..till its too late."

/YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN./

Ramona smiled. "Come on. Go with me. Watch drunk people tricks. And if you're good, I'll le ya mess with a few of em!"

/OH GOODIE. DRUNK TEXANS. WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?/

Ramona dressed down a bit from her normal day ware, but she still kept a small bag on her. And the necklace stayed. But now she was in jeans and a very long t-shirt, which was extra comfy. With that, she headed over towards the bar.

/YE-HAW!/, quipped ROGER when they walked into the bar. Ramona simply winked.

Ramona grabbed a beer and headed over to a small table in the place. Roland was there as well, keeping some distance in between them. The sound guy sat in between, sipping a coke sadly; the designated driver. The production assistants were clustered near to Randall, dewy-eyed in the presence of stardom. The camera-man dressed all in black, tried to look cool in a corner. Reva was yelling on the phone to someone.

Ramona looked towards the cameraman. "Don't feel sad. You be very glad you just be a sippin' on that coke come mornin'," she stated with a wink.

The doorman walked in with Saori. Ramona coudlnt tell what was being said, but the girl was turning twenty shades of red. The fact that the huge man walked her over towards Randall, was noticed as well. He was signing an autograph for the big man.

A friendly place this was not, but it wasn't too bad. ROGER decided to mingle while Ramona watched the show.

Clive signed the autograph, then the large man insisted on a photo. He scooped up Clive in one massive arm and Saori in another. “Martha! MARTHA!” he bellowed at the waitress. “Get a shot of this, wouldya? Me an' the ghost hunter!”

She came over and took a picture, then they were finally left alone.

Ramona was too busy trying not to laugh or say anything. When others started to notice Randall, he turned and waved to the masses as the cowboys looked on. As Ramona sipped on her beer, she noticed that Saori goon got up, rather quickly, and moved away from Randall.

“Yeah, great idea. I got plenty of… team leading to do here,“ he yelled after her as she quickly made her way to the other half of the bar.

There was a spare stool next to Ramona. Saori smiled at her and said, "Hi, is anyone sitting here?"

Ramona smiled. "Not at all child. Come sit a spell, and break away from the meateaters for a bit." Ramona nodded her head, gesturing for Saori to take a seat.

"So, if you dont mind me a-saying. Ya look a bit ... well, ya look like ya not so happy to be here. You not like the regular folks of dis here circus." she gave her another smile, as she wait for the young woman to respond.

Out the corner of her eye, she noticed ROGER seemed to be activly up to something, as he moved around the place. He also kept an eye out for the crazy Doctor fellow with all the gadgets. While he would love it, he didnt think Ramona would appreciate a full scale riot in the place. Oh, but he would love a beer. It had been awhile. Ramona didnt drink any of what he considered the good stuff, and so this was sooo tempting. ROGER decided to move on for now.

Ramona patiently waited for the woman to speak.



TAG: @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, (@DarkLordoftheFins, @Mistress_Renata,)

 

Saori
Diamondback's

Ramona smiled. "Not at all child. Come sit a spell, and break away from the meateaters for a bit." Ramona nodded her head, gesturing for Saori to take a seat.

Saori gratefully climbed onto the stool and sighed with appreciation at Ramona’s offer to help her escape from the “meateaters”. Everyone in Texas appeared to be as big as sumo wrestlers to Saori.

She saw Ramona was now very casual and the big shirt looked very comfy. Saori was still in her business attire; blouse and black skirt. Maybe she would change before going back to the house.

"So, if you don't mind me a-saying. Ya look a bit ... well, ya look like ya not so happy to be here. You not like the regular folks of dis here circus," said Ramona.

Saori nodded glumly. “This isn’t my usual work at all. I don’t really know much about it. I’m training in journalism...”

Saori did not want to say she was trapped into it, that she did not believe in any of it, for fear of offending the other woman. She decided she wanted to know more about Ramona.

“So, how about you? How did you end up here?” she leaned closer. “And what do you think of the house?”

TAG: @Ktala and/or @Imperial_Hammer

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
The Diamondback Bar

In response to Ramona's question, Saori nodded glumly. “This isn’t my usual work at all. I don’t really know much about it. I’m training in journalism...”

Ramon nodded her head sympathetically. She knew this was not what the poor girl wanted to go into. Mater of fact, if it was a news story, she would probably run from it. How did some of them say...not exactly her cup of tea?

“So, how about you? How did you end up here?” Saori leaned closer. “And what do you think of the house?”

Ramona took a swig of her beer and then leaned forward. "Well, I tell you. Here in da States, the folks over here see dis kind of stuff as a sideshow. Like the man over dey." Ramona pointed slightly towards Clive. "Where I come from, dey believe in da spirit world. To have the blessing of your ancestors can be a comforting thing." Ramona shrugged her shoulders. "Me? let's just say for now that it was my callin'. I know things. Don't always know-how. Like I know that you didnt want dis here job. But ya took it to make a name fer yerself. Ya needs to open yerself up to" Ramona thought for a moment, before she added, "Da unusual." Ramona leaned back, and took another swig of her beer. She then leaned forward again after a few seconds.

"An de house? Oh yes, there is something there alright. And I'm not talkin' bout the three I felt when I walked in." Ramona sighed softly. "I checked 'round de house. Might be a cemetery out back. A well. Garden. Lady was growing some interesting things. Kind of things someone who was into da Wicca would be into." Ramona tapped her chin slightly before she took another swig.

"Lotta protection stuff. Make me wonder why..." Ramona leaned back in her chair, scanning the room. She left a small bit in the can, as she raised her hand in order to order another beer.




TAG: @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, (@DarkLordoftheFins, @Mistress_Renata,)

 

Saori
Diamondback's

Saori listened as Ramona explained her beliefs in the spirit world. The blessing of the ancestors. That was not so far from her own culture's meld of Shintoism and Buddhism. She thought of the family shrine in her old house.

Ramona continued. "Like I know that you didn’t want dis here job. But ya took it to make a name fer yerself.”

That was not completely true, Saori opened her mouth to protest. She did not really want to be famous, as contradictory to her chosen profession of journalism as that may sound. She just wanted to get to the truth of things, and be good at it.

She thought harder. Why? What did she really want? She thought of how Clive, Gary, Reva had all treated her, even Dr. Quisley, Den the doorman…

She understood that what she really wanted was to be respected. A little voice in her head told her, to earn it you have to give it.

Ramona said, “Ya needs to open yerself up to… Da unusual…"

Saori nodded seriously. She might not share any of these beliefs, but she decided to respect them.

Ramona gave her impression of the house. Saori’s eyes widened in alarm at the possibility of a cemetery. She wished she had brought her tape recorder so she could listen back and research the terms. She concentrated, deciding to look up Wicca.

"Lotta protection stuff. Make me wonder why..." Ramona concluded, leaning back in her chair.

Saori sipped her beer and considered for a long moment.

No. She made just a little imperceptible shake of her head. Ramona is sincere, but it just isn’t real. I don’t buy it. It’s just a normal old house. Tonight will be just fine…

Saori scowled at Clive. She worried about other things that go bump in the night...


TAG: @Ktala @Mistress_Renata (come join in? @Imperial_Hammer @DarkLordoftheFins )

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
The Diamondback Bar


Ramona laughed softly, as she finished off her beer. She knew that very few would believe her. She also knew that she only had to wait. She looked about, wondering where ROGER had disappeared off to. Ramona shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure da TV folks will have a few surprises waiting for us. Ramona gave a smirk. "De want ratings. De gonna get ratings." Ramona noticed how Saori was looking in the direction of Randall. Ramona shook her head. "Dont worry about dem. Things be looing different once we get back to the house."

Ramona leaned back, relaxed.

"Later, if things go well, I can introduce you to ROGER."
Ramona simply smiled, not adding any extra information for now.


TAG: @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, (@DarkLordoftheFins, @Mistress_Renata,)

 

IC: Quisley
Location: The Diamondback Bar

Day passed to night, and the crew found themselves at the Diamondback Bar, a dive near the motel. Quisley had spent the afternoon catching up on his sleep. It was getting close to go time, and he would make sure he was well-rested for the event. He had originally sat with the rest of the crew, but soon decided to split off. He had his laptop with him, and he needed to do some work on it. He found a table off to the side, not too far away, that had an outlet. Taking his cocktail, he flipped open his computer. He had to calibrate his equipment to the new baselines gathered at the house.

He took a sip from his drink as he unstrung a USB cable, plugging his thermoghastrometer to his laptop. A plug-and-play program popped up to read the output. A few clicks and the device was downloading its data onto the machine. There was that spike, clear as day. Hmmm. It sure was a lot of residue for a discharge. And the temperature change. Very dramatic. Hmmm.

"Need anythang from the kitchen shug?" a voice interrupted his viewing. Quisley looked up to see a waitress with a pen and pad. He was hungry. What would be a safe order here.

"Cheeseburger please" he said, scratching his chin. "With some fries."

"All da fixins?" the waitress followed up. Oh dear, what could be the fixings.

"Hold the pickles please" Quisley responded. He could probably manage whatever they added to the burger. But pickles, he could not abide.

The waitress wandered off and he got back to his calculations. Alright, so if those levels are already registered, then the device needs to be tared to what the weatherwoman already has on her. Otherwise the readings will be out of whack all night - he would just be measuring her over and over. A few keystrokes and the device was calibrated. He also enabled negative measurements, since the new baseline was already high. He wasn't expecting negative readings, but there was always a possibility that it an ectoeater could be drawn to the house. Last time he ran into an energy vortex creater, he got caught off guard. Wouldn't happen again.

He dug in his computer bag and took out a few body-mounted EMF sensors. These would be good for the weatherwoman to wear tonight. He looked over to where she was - talking with the psychic. She probably wouldn't be willing to give live baselines. He supposed he could enter an approximate.

He unplugged the thermoghastrometer and plugged in the EMF hub terminal. The bluetooth connection would get the sensors working. He took another sip of his cocktail.

The work never ends...

TAG: @Kurisan, @Ktala, @DarkLordoftheFins, @Mistress_Renata

 

EPISODE THREE
The House, 8:30 p.m.

Glenn suppressed a belch. Dinner had been catered by Bubba’s BBQ Barn, and he’d eaten a lot more than he usually would. Most of the cast and crew had gone on to a nearby bar called Diamondback’s, avoiding Reva’s tantrum over the meat and carb-heavy meal. Pretty basic beer selection, but nothing to complain about.

He’d had a short nap, but he’d come back to the trailer early, to make sure everything was set up for the night. The sun had been down for an hour or so, but things were still pretty warm out. A security guard, an off-duty cop, nodded to him.

“Nothin’ to report,” he said. “Coupla locals have wandered by, but none been in the house or the trailer. Deputy Harris put up a barricade for ya.” Glenn looked across the street. There was indeed a basic wooden barricade, a glorified sawhorse, and a small crowd of curious gawkers outside. Glenn had a decent rep in the industry, but he certainly wasn’t famous or well known, so he wasn’t of interest to them.

“Thanks,” he said. “Reva and the rest will be around in about an hour or so. I’ll be inside.”

In the trailer, he started up the computers, switching on the cameras and the control board. They’d been left off for most of the afternoon. He checked the switch so he could put them in low-light mode. Everything looked pretty good. He glanced at the cameras, switching to each to test. Wait…he frowned. One of them was…sideways? He went to a multi-camera view on the screen. Yes, one had been displaced. And…

He cocked his head. Hadn’t there been a box on the table next to that crystal ball? And why was that camera moving? It was sharp, jerky, as if something was knocking into it. But the guard had said no one was in the house. The cameras they’d installed in the basement had switched off completely. Weird.

I’d better go look.

He wasn’t concerned as he went into the House. He’d never believed in that sort of crap.


* * * * *
They’re back! They’re BACK! Wake up!

What? What? Yes, I’ll be all right soon, what is it?

They went away and now they’re back!

A pause. There’s only one. He won’t stay. You can scare him off, go on.

It’s always me.

You’re good at what you do. Now go on. We don’t want HIM to wake up.

TAG: @Imperial_Hammer, @DarkLordoftheFins, @Ktala, @Kurisan

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
The Motel


After Ramona finished her drink. She looked over towards Saori. "I'm gonna head back to my room. I want to get a few things ready for tonight."

She waited to see what the woman what do, and afterward, she left. Once she stepped outside, she saw that ROGER was waiting for her. She was silent until she had reached the comfort of her room.

"Wadda you think?" she asked her ROGER took a seat nearby. /OH, I THINK THE ENTIRE SETUP IS MORE THAN WHAT THEY ASKING FOR. BUT IM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING IF THAT DR GEEK IS REAL OR NOT./ Ramona grinned. "You just stay outta his way. I dont want ya messing up his reading too much." Ramona stated with a smile. ROGER simply laughed.

ROGER watched with interest as Ramon pulled out certain items from her suitcase, and placed them inside of her pouch. Some of the things he was quite familiar with, but he noticed that she seemed to be putting many more items he would consider as 'protection', than she usually would, for what was considered for a normal haunted house. /YOU REALLY THINK YOU NEED THAT MUCH?/ he asked. Ramona looked up.

"I bet your life on it" she answered with a smirk. "I know what I felt. Da lady was not just somebodies little old auntie. She was Wicca. Or more. I be betting she's got a hidden place in der. I also know they not gonna be happy with us tonight."

ROGER seemed to mull on the idea. /I SENSED SOMETHING, BUT THEY DIDNT SEEM THAT BAD./

Ramona moved over and lit some incense, as she sat on the bed. "We'll see," she responded before going into her meditations.



TAG: @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, @DarkLordoftheFins, @Mistress_Renata,

 

Saori
Diamondback’s Bar

"Dont worry about dem. Things be looking different once we get back to the house," Ramona reassured Saori not to worry about Clive. It did not really work, as she started thinking about the “TV surprises for ratings” instead.

Then Ramona said, "Later, if things go well, I can introduce you to ROGER."

Saori frowned. She looked around. She had not learned all the TV crew’s names yet, but it seemed strange if Ramona meant one of them – she had hardly spoken to any of them. Saori opened her mouth to ask, thought better of it, then closed it again.

Quisley was tapping away on his computer, ignoring the party completely, engrossed in his work. The doctor fished around in his equipment back.

Saori saw him look up and eye her, armed with some more devices with straps or uncomfortable-looking toothed clips. She shuddered with alarm.

Ramona then said, "I'm gonna head back to my room. I want to get a few things ready for tonight."

“Right, yes, me too, I think…” said Saori, rising. But Ramona had already gone, murmuring.

It was odd, but Saori sometimes got the impression that lady was in some internal conversation with someone else...

* * *​

Saori got to her motel room and grabbed some extra supplies for her handbag. The designated driver hooted the horn of the minibus. She rushed out and climbed in. They soon arrived back at the house.

Saori stared. With nightfall, it really did seem to take on a different, more ominous character. She nodded with reluctant appreciation. Reva had found a good stage for her show, it had to be admitted.

Just a stage. Just a show. Just a job. Saori smiled and prepared for the night. "Here we go!"

@Mistress_Renata @Ktala @Imperial_Hammer @DarkLordoftheFins

 

IC: Reva Nova
Production tent

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE'S GONE? WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Reva wasn't quite breathing fire, but she was close. Her personal assistant quailed.

"Uh...he said he had an offer from Netflix and he was heading back to L.A. on the next flight..."

"THE HELL HE IS! THAT [expletive deleted] HAS A CONTRACT!" She grabbed her cellphone and slammed her finger into the controls. After a moment, she said, "RANDALL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE ARE FILMING IN TEN AND IF YOUR [expletive deleted] ISN'T HERE BY THEN, I'M GOING TO [expletive deleted] YOUR SORRY [expletive deleted] UNTIL THE [expletive deleted] SUMMER IN JANUARY! YOU GOT THAT? I SWEAR, YOU'LL BE MAKING APPEARANCES AT A MOTEL IN TULSA, BECAUSE NO ONE IN THE INDUSTRY WILL [expletive deleted] EVER AGAIN!" She punched the phone off and turned to see the small team, hovering uncertainly.

"Randall has bugged out," she said, "so it's gonna be you three. Everything's ready to go, almost--" she glanced over her shoulder. "Mina, where the hell is Glenn? If he's on that plane with Randall--"

"No, no," said the girl, "he came back early to make sure the cameras were ready to go."

"Hm. Fine. Okay, team..." Reva swept her arm at the house. "First pass, stay together, hit all the floors. Second pass, we'll split you up. Tad, if you seen Glenn, tell him to get back here, we're starting." She picked up her phone again. "Hey, Saul, it's Reva. I'm about to sue the pants off someone, you free?"


Tag: @Ktala, @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer ...the House Awaits...

 

Saori
Back at the House
Nightfall

Saori stepped back into the house and waited with the others in the dusty dining room, sitting around the grand old table. There was no sign of Clive, but they could almost hear the ranting coming from the production trailer at the end of the estate. TV crew hurried around as she, Ramona and Dr. Quisley waited. From muttered half-phrases and the general demeanour of panic, Saori put it all together.

He's gone. Off on some other, better gig.

When she overheard a hushed conversation just outside the room between two crew to confirm this, Saori congratulated herself on her amateur detective work. A good journalist notices these things!

She was also a little sad - though that seemed strange now. He had been forward and a little too "hands-on" for her comfort, but there was no doubting he was a star and she could probably have learned a great deal from him if she hadn't automatically gone on the defensive. I could have been a bit nicer to him. It's not a crime to show interest in your colleagues. In fact, she should have been flattered really. He was good looking, rich and charismatic, and there was nothing at all special about her.

Eventually, the production crew left them alone in the house, having checked and re-checked the cameras. It was suddenly very quiet, and a long night stretched ahead of them. Saori rose and said, "Coffee, anyone?" when she remembered there was no water in the house. She slumped back down and sighed.

Well, no good sitting here twiddling my thumbs all night.

Quisley seemed busy organising his equipment. With the lost opportunity represented by Clive's departure, Saori decided to give more attention to the mad scientist. If he wanted to strap things to her and do experiments, well maybe it would be interesting. She decided to be much more forthcoming with him. She didn't even mind trying things out with the crystal ball - if that's what he wanted.

Ramona seemed to be in communion with whatever faraway dreamland again. The mystic had mentioned some interesting things to Saori at the bar, and was the first to actually be nice to her and not assault her in some way. She wondered who was Roger? Ramona was busy now, but Saori determined to ask her about it later.

Ugh, boredom. Sitting around doing nothing. The fate of reality show contestants.

Saori decided to have a look around again. The stuffed animals were suitably creepy in the pantry and downstairs rooms. She looked out the back window from the kitchen and shivered a little. Woods always looked terrible in the moonlight. The shadows fell in strange ways, and the branches made those awful claw-like silhouettes.

Saori avoided the study, though she lingered at the doorway for a long time. She crept on through the house, floor boards creaking under her high heels.

There was one place she had not really explored yet. The basement. Clive had been down there. And then he had taken off, suddenly, and without any explanation.

Saori tapped her chin with her forefinger and wondered.

She opened the door and carefully crept down the stairs. Pitch black. She flicked on the flashlight that had been issued and explored corners with the beam, wondering what she would find...




TAG: @Ktala @Imperial_Hammer @Mistress_Renata

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
The House

The honk of the horn, let Ramona know that they were ready to head back. Ramona changed her clothes, back to her 'medium clothing' uniform, and she got on the bus. ROGER said something about 'meeting her there', before he disappeared. She shrugged her shoulders. It was not unusual. Ramona grabbed the items she had already packed and gone out to meet the bus. The bus ride did not take long. It was dark now, and the house seemed to take on a different light.

As they got off the bus and entered the tent, Ramona could hear yelling. She looked over and saw ROGER laughing like mad.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE'S GONE? WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Reva wasn't quite breathing fire, but she was close. Ramona looked over at ROGER who simply gave an innocent look, shrugging her shoulders.

Reva was going strong.
"RANDALL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE ARE FILMING IN TEN AND IF YOUR [expletive deleted] ISN'T HERE BY THEN, I'M GOING TO [expletive deleted] YOUR SORRY [expletive deleted] UNTIL THE [expletive deleted] SUMMER IN JANUARY! YOU GOT THAT? I SWEAR, YOU'LL BE MAKING APPEARANCES AT A MOTEL IN TULSA, BECAUSE NO ONE IN THE INDUSTRY WILL [expletive deleted] EVER AGAIN!"

The woman looked up to see the three of them standing there.

"Randall has bugged out," she said, "so it's gonna be you three. Everything's ready to go, almost--" she glanced over her shoulder. "Mina, where the hell is Glenn? If he's on that plane with Randall--"

The poor girl that worked for them shook her head no. He was in the house someplace.

"Hm. Fine. Okay, team..." Reva swept her arm at the house. "First pass, stay together, hit all the floors. Second pass, we'll split you up. Tad, if you seen Glenn, tell him to get back here, we're starting." She picked up her phone again. "Hey, Saul, it's Reva. I'm about to sue the pants off someone, you free?"

Ramona snorted softly. ROGER was having too much fun. She didnt know if he had anything to do with it or not, but he seemed to have gotten his wish regardless.

Eventually, the production crew left them alone in the house, having checked and re-checked the cameras. It was suddenly very quiet, and a long night stretched ahead of them. Saori rose and said, "Coffee, anyone?" when she remembered there was no water in the house. She slumped back down and sighed.

Ramona shook her head, as she wandered about. A creaking noise made her turn. The gal, Saori. She opened the door and carefully crept down the stairs. Pitch black. She flicked on the flashlight that had been issued and explored corners with the beam, wondering what she would find...

"Wait Saori!", Ramona called out. "Lady Reva says we to stay together. Why not we start from the top, and work our way down." Ramona shrugged her shoulders. "Should always save da best for last..TV stuff ya know." In actuallity, Ramona was not wanting to explore the basement just left. It was night now. They would have to tread carefully."

"Besides, gives da Doctor here, time to get his equipment going, and more space until we get down there."


TAG: @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, @Mistress_Renata

 

IC: Quisley
Location: Outside the House

For once, Quisley was ready. He had spent the entirety of the time after dinner getting ready. His equipment was primed and properly tared. He had chugged a few red bulls so his energy was up for the night. He had a pair of bandoliers over his chest laden with various tools and electronics. It was the standard equipment he wore for any kind of a job, and indeed, he was treating this as a job.

He strode up to the outside of the house. It was a little past eight-thirty and the front yard was buzzing with activity. Crews were going this way and that, getting the production levels just right. He figured they would be doing that, which was why he decided to skip most of it. He saw the other two of his "coworkers" near the producer. Something seemed to be going on. He approached to overhear the producer seeming to have a proper melt-down.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE'S GONE? WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" shouted the producer on the phone. "THE HELL HE IS! THAT ****** HAS A CONTRACT!"

Quisley's interest was piqued. He did a quick head count. Who was missing. The only one not here was that phoney Clive Randall. Oh. OH. HO HO HO.

He watched, amused as the producer assaulted her phone before putting it back up to her ear. "RANDALL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE ARE FILMING IN TEN AND IF YOUR *** ISN'T HERE BY THEN, I'M GOING TO **** YOUR SORRY *** UNTIL THE ******* SUMMER IN JANUARY! YOU GOT THAT? I SWEAR, YOU'LL BE MAKING APPEARANCES AT A MOTEL IN TULSA, BECAUSE NO ONE IN THE INDUSTRY WILL ******* EVER AGAIN!"

Quisley was fighting very hard against bursting out in laughter. Of course Clive left. The man was a mistake to be hired from the start. He would always go for the bigger and better. It was a miracle he even got this far. Quisley was delighted he didn't have to deal with him any further. The worst part about this job had resolved itself. Clearly a good omen.

The producer had finished her call and addressed the group. "Randall has bugged out," she said, "so it's gonna be you three. Everything's ready to go, almost--"

She talked to some of the cast before continuing.

"Hm. Fine. Okay, team... First pass, stay together, hit all the floors. Second pass, we'll split you up. Tad, if you seen Glenn, tell him to get back here, we're starting."

A big grin on his face, Quisley turned to his colleagues. Time to get down to business - sans Clive Randall. Absolutely delightful.

Quisley did a quick inventory to double check he had everything on his bandoliers or in his duffle bags. After being lost in thought for a little bit, he looked back up and the women were gone.

"Hey wait for me" he said to no one in particular, and he went up to the house. He entered just in time to catch a conversation between the psychic and Saori.

"Wait Saori!", the psychic called out. "Lady Reva says we to stay together. Why not we start from the top, and work our way down. Should always save da best for last..TV stuff ya know. Besides, gives da Doctor here, time to get his equipment going, and more space until we get down there."

Quisley walked up to the threshold of the stairs next to the psychic. He frowned as he looked down into the darkness, the beam of Saori's flashlight being the only thing to be seen. He flipped over his goggles so he could turn on his infrared. Hmm.

"Yessssss" he said, lazily drawing out the s of the word. "Yeah, I think the... Miss..." hmm. Oh shoot. What was this psychics name again. Alright, be cool Quisley. "I think her idea is a good one Saori. Its well known that dark energies draw energy from the earth. Stone tape theory and all that. Best to save that area for the witching hour where we can get a good resonance with the natural wane of the ectoghastic veil."

He hoped the woman would listen. It was a good idea anyway. Which was not entirely out of a physics character. Attics are better off in the early evening when lunar rays have a chance to stimulate the faded days spectroparticules and residual photons.

The producer did say to stick together, so he looked around the house as he waited for Saori. Still pretty quiet. Hmmm.

TAG: @Kurisan , @Ktala , @Mistress_Renata

 

The House
Nightfall

They're back! They're going to the basement!

Damn! Okay, you distract them while I check the wards.

Me?! Again?!!!

Don't argue. There's no time.

- - - - -
He could see the two women move towards the basement. The younger one had actually looked right at him, and he froze, as still as a statue, with his eyes wide and unblinking. Her eyes slid right over him. Phew. He had to distract them from the basement. He jumped to the floor, making as much noise as he could, and charged up the stairs, heavy footed. Someone would surely hear that. Upstairs he paused, wondering what to do next. Then he moved into the upstairs hallway. With one swipe, the vase on an upstairs table went crashing to the floor. She might not be happy, but the noise might distract them. He slipped into a shadow and peered through the railings of the upper landing. Surely that would bring them up to investigate?

 

Saori
The basement

Saori's pupils widened in the darkness, like a cat's eyes opening up at night time. But she did not much feel like a predator. She had seen some gruesome American horror movies (the strange idea of a "good night out" for some American boys) and they often involved misshapen monsters leaping out of the shadows in basements in remote country houses.

But, she was confident this house had been swept several times by the production crew and it was not possible that any freak lay waiting in the darkness.

So why was her heart beating so fast?

And why was her breath frosting? She paused at that last realisation. It was cold again, like before, in the study. A shiver slid down her spine. Ramona and then even Quisley called after her to come back up.

She strangely felt rooted to the spot. Her legs would not move. The torch beam travelled around the walls and the shadows fled into the corners like living things. Or dead things?

Stop it! she told herself. It's just all the silly talk of the other two getting into the back of your mind. There's no such things as ghosts!

She was just about to turn and yell the same up the stairs to the other two when a sudden loud banging sound travelled right past her and seemed to go up the stairs. Saori physically leapt off the ground at least two inches. A yelp escaped from her lips.

"Nandesuka!?" she always forgot to speak English when she was truly startled. What was that?

It was like heavy footsteps thundering up the stairs. But she hadn't seen a thing, and they had ceased as suddenly as they had come.

Her legs un-glued themselves from the ground and she headed for the staircase herself. She wanted to be near the other two. After two steps there was the crash of some falling pottery and the shouts of Ramona and Quisley.

Saori had been a fair tennis player at college. She was quick around the court when she needed to be. High heels did not slow her down now.

She shot up the stairs and hoped to reach the door, and the relative comfort of company, before something else happened...

TAG: @Mistress_Renata @Ktala @Imperial_Hammer

 

The House

Okay, well I got the one out of the basement anyway... the other two are on the first floor. But there's another one in the study.

What's he doing?

He's just standing there, staring straight ahead.

Did he touch the crystal?

*I* don't know!

Fine. I'll see what I can do about him. Just keep the rest of them out of the basement. The wards are still intact.

Um...okay... I'll try...

* * * * *

The man had touched the crystal. Damn! He didn't seem to be sensitive, and yet something... if HE had found a way in to the man's mind... if HE found a way out... oh, it would not be good. She drifted to find the other two. One of them had all types of electrical equipment. The other young women had flashlights, and some type of communications devices. That could work. She reached deep. It was still early, she wouldn't have enough energy yet, but... she reached into the radio, found the battery and pulled on the energy, draining it. Oh, yes. Better. She was getting stronger. This was good.

There was a loud crash. She drifted to the hallway. He had bumped the door shut, and the wind had caught it, causing it to close with a slam. She could hear his footsteps galloping up the stairs to the second floor. He'd make more noise up there, maybe draw them there. He needed to draw them outside, but he was limited in what he could do. And what could she do? Not much. Not until she gathered more energy. She eyed the devices that the man had with him and decided to see if she could draw from them. She would need to be stronger.

 

Saori
The House, night deepening...

Saori reached the top of the stairs and the comfort of proximity with Dr. Quisley and Ramona. Her heart was still thumping and she could not help a nervous grin of relief. But as the adrenalin subsided she began to feel stupid, and that made her angry with herself. Sometimes Saori projected that feeling in strange ways.

"Hey, what's the big idea stamping around like that?" she turned on Quisley, hoping he would be the easier target. "Are you deliberately trying to startle me? And who knocked this vase over?"

She could not bring herself to admit what she thought she had really just witnessed in the basement. She was about to let Quisley have another barrage when she spotted through the open doorway that someone was in the study. She jumped again, only expecting the three of them to be in the house. But she managed not to scream long enough to recognise it was one of the production crew. Phew, that would have made me look even stupider!

She peered at the man - Glenn? She seemed to remember Nova yelling that name at him. He was standing completely still, like a statue. Saori could feel the chill emanating from the study, and a sliver of ice slid down her spine. She looked more closely. He was standing right next to the crystal ball.

She pointed to direct the attention of the other two and whispered, "What's he doing in there?"

TAG: @Mistress_Renata @Ktala @Imperial_Hammer

 

IC: Quisley
Location: Go Time

And then, it all started. If Quisley's hands were not full of gadgets, he would have stretched his fingers and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. Oh yes. The dance had begun. And the first volley was a pretty good one. It was like a gust of wind, the energies fluttering around them.

Saori stood for about a note or two longer than she should have in the basement. Just as he was about to train his goggles on her to check for aberrant plasmotics, the silence was broken with poltergeist activity.

His head snapped around to the source of the sound. Porcelain smashing - sounded like upstairs. A few smaller pieces went over the railings and fell on the lower floor. Really now - how typical. Perhaps these ghosts were traditionalists.

He took two steps towards the stairs, energy readers at the ready, before Saori came barreling up from the basement.

"Hey, what's the big idea stamping around like that?" she asked in his general direction. He didn't really feel the need to answer. Now that the game was afoot, he couldn't afford her distractions. "Are you deliberately trying to startle me? And who knocked this vase over?"

"Oh I imagine whoever is waiting for us here knocked this over." he said. He would still need to be polite after all. With Roland gone, he may need one or both of them. Probably the psychic more. Hmm.

He bent down and picked up a small shard, manipulating a few settings on his goggles to magnify the piece. Clean break lines, not jagged. Interesting.

There were some bangs and bumps from the stairwell, and then Saori again. "What's he doing in there?"

"Hm?" Quisley said. He then walked over to Saori, and looked to where she was gesturing. There was a crew member there, by himself, unresponsive, just staring at the crystal ball. Oooooh dear. That's not good.

"Oh boy" he said to himself, then took a few steps back. "Welp, this just got real."

He rummaged around another one of his bags to find a rosary and a bottle of holy water. Hadn't needed to use these in a while. Glad he didn't leave them in the hotel room.

"Looks like we might have a demon here." he said quietly, mostly to himself. He didn't have duplicates of these items for the rest of his crew-maters. The psychic could probably manage. She probably has some sage or herbs or whatever. Saori on the other hand...

He turned to her. "You should probably leave," he said matter-of-factly as he was putting the rosary over his head. "These are usually not pretty".

A beep indicated that one of his body mounted motion sensors just lost power.

"Oh you little bugger." he said to himself, suddenly pawing at his gadgets furiously. "Oh no you don't, you sneaky devil."

You don't hunt ghosts and are also not prepared for the old power sucking trick. He took out a whole mess of wires and began plugging his gadgets manually into a big brick-looking thing on the side of his back-pack. It was a hand-constructed battery designed to resist energy draw-downs by spirits. At the core of the device was a normal high-capacity battery, but it was encased in a shell made of metal originally from an old baptismal font, the whole thing housed in a hollowed out Bible that had been blessed and sealed by a Catholic priest.

He had a back-up design in his bag in case this spirit was particularly persistent. He flipped a switch on the battery to begin the discharge cycle for the peripherals. It would go one-by-one through the devices plugged in and siphon the charges out of the devices and into the main battery. Quisley watched his meters carefully to make sure the transfer was 1-to-1. No free lunches during transfer.

TAG: @Kurisan , @Ktala , @Mistress_Renata

 

Ramona Ed'tunde
In Da House

Luckily, Saori reached the top of the stairs came back to join Dr. Quisley and herself. Ramona was glad the woman had come back. The vibes she was feeling was not good at all.

"Hey, what's the big idea stamping around like that?" Saori turned on Quisley, "Are you deliberately trying to startle me? And who knocked this vase over?" Ramona replied softly, it was not us."

What Ramona was not going to say yet, was that she could hear some of the voices.

"Oh I imagine whoever is waiting for us here knocked this over." he said. He bent down and picked up a small shard, manipulating a few settings on his goggles to magnify the piece.

Ramona simply walked, looking towards the stairs. There were some bangs and bumps from the stairwell, and then Saori again. "What's he doing in there?"

"Hm?" Quisley said. He then walked over to Saori, and looked to where she was gesturing. There was a crew member there, by himself, unresponsive, just staring at the crystal ball. Definitely not a good sign.

The doctor then began to rummage around another one of his bags to find a rosary and a bottle of holy water. Hadn't needed to use these in a while. Glad he didn't leave them in the hotel room.

"Looks like we might have a demon here."

Ramona withdrew her beads she was wearing, and the protection herb she had picked earlier. Quisley turned to Saori. "You should probably leave," he said matter-of-factly as he was putting the rosary over his head. "These are usually not pretty".

Ramona stepped up then, and spoke to Saori. "That, or, step back. Something has a-hold of him." Ramona watched as Quisley was busy going berzerk with his instruments, opening things, and slapping batteries about. Ramona closed her eyes for a moment. She then opened them, as stepped out to the middle of the room.

"Hallo. I know you are here," she spoke aloud to what seems to be the rooom in general. Ramona saw ROGER gesture up, towards the second floor. She gave a slight nod.

"I saw the protections outside. Da Foxglove. Da others. You be raising protections. From what? Ya might not like it, but de be thinking about changing dis place, and bringing in lots of people. I know one of ya went upstairs. But I know there is more." Ramona walked around in a small circle, looking upwards.

"So, if ya wants us to respond to you... ya better be making yerself heard. I'm willing to listen if ya willing to talk..."

Ramona fingered the rosary and beads she wore. The beads were special. Made by a powerful Shaman. Because the dead weren't the only things that bumped around in the dark. ROGER gave a worried look but stayed silent for now. He figured that pretty soon, they would notice his presence. That should prove to be interesting. She wondered what Quisley planned to do next. An exorcism?

Hmmmm.




TAG: @Kurisan, @Imperial_Hammer, @Mistress_Renata