14th Adventure

[forever_cheery]

[Action: 7135 Brooks St. Aurora's excited to see two things in the mail for her today! One is a large, flat package about 3 feet high and two feet wide, wrapped in paper; the other is simply an envelope. Curious, she opens the bigger of the two there on the porch. Inside is a portrait painting, done in Aurora's colorful, loose style of a serious-looking young man. He has dark hair and glasses, and an expression that suggests that Aurora had to do a lot of coercing to get him to pose for her. Upon seeing this, she gasp, surprised, and delightedly exclaims:]

Li! Wow, I can't believe it! Of all the things they could send back...!

[Oh, right, there was still something else! Time to open that envelope. Inside is nothing but a card with a picture of a generic cartoon ghost on it. How odd. She's not sure what it could mean at first, and it takes her a bit till the idea dawns on her.

Oh. Being able to possess people is part of her repertoire, even if she doesn't like doing it. But is that what this means? There's only one way to be certain.]

--

[Phone call, filtered from drones]

Say, um... Could I ask someone for a favor. It's kind of a big one! And, ummmm... you have to not be afraid of ghosts, okay? And I'm being serious here!

Comments

[forever_cheery]

As long as you're okay with it, then... I promise I won't do anything bad, of course! I'm not too fond of doing it to people in the first place.

[ooeeooahah]

Of course you don't like doing it, but you might need it here. Come on over, I'll get the tea on ice.

[forever_cheery]

Okay, I'll be over shortly. Thanks a lot!

[And after getting Ilsa's address, she will indeed pop over. She's carrying a small container of brownies and looks somewhat fretful when Ilsa answers the door, though.]

[ooeeooahah]

Hey... come on in. I've got my office set up.

[ She leads the way to the basement. ]

I'm the only aware one left in the house, and finally managed to convince the drones I spend all my time downstairs doing laundry.

[forever_cheery]

Oh, that's too bad. That happened to me once, and then they suddenly moved me to a new house. Um, I brought brownies? For the tea...?

[ooeeooahah]

That'll be good, especially after.

[ The basement stairwell is extremely quiet, well-lit and enclosed. At the bottom, there is another door, quite solid by the sound of it. ]

Tarvek helped me renovate the basement after my first month here. The office is here,

[ She opens the door to an office that is as modern in design as materials in Mayfield can make it. ]

[forever_cheery]

Oh wow! This is really nice! I've never seen a room like this here... [Don't mind her while she flits about, looking around.] Someone built it for you, you said? We have a new floor on our house, but Rarity got that in the mail. It's the place that looks like a carousel.

[ooeeooahah]

I built it, with help. There's some reinforced areas, and some soundproofing here and there, but since I left the office and the garage alone, the drones don't come down here.

[ Ilsa is leaning against the built-in bookcases, half-filled with odd trinkets here and there and what books she has found useful. ]

[forever_cheery]

It's really cool! A nice little get-away. So, you mentioned something about...ah, well I have no idea what you were really talking about, to be honest.

[ooeeooahah]

You mentioned the ability to possess people. In my world, that is the term my grandparents used for the ability for a spirit to take over a living person. Is that the way you are able to operate?

[forever_cheery]

Yes, that's it. It's not something I like to do. But they also weren't too clear on what it was they gave me back, so I want to make sure I have this right.

[ooeeooahah]

So testing it now, before you might need to use it, makes loads of sense. If you're willing, I'd like to test if I'm able to push you out, if I'm aware of the situation. Would that be okay?

[forever_cheery]

Sure! You might be aware of it. Not everyone is, though.

[ooeeooahah]

When I was younger, I knew Nana was there, but I'm not sure if that's because she let me be aware, so I wouldn't freak out. I couldn't get control back from her until I became a guardian, but I could make it hard for her to control me. Does that sound anything like your experience?

[forever_cheery]

Pretty much! It sounds very similar. [Aurora seems better about this, now that she's dealing with someone very familiar with all of this.] Okay, so, are you ready to let me try?

[ooeeooahah]

I think so.

[ Ilsa nods to a small bundle in the ashtray on the table. It looks a bit like a small cigar, bound in jute twine. ]

Just in case you can't get out, I put together an emergency exit. Light that, and it should help the release.

[forever_cheery]

Oh, okay. Well, hold still I guess? This will only take a moment.

[Aurora closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to help concentrate. In a manner of seconds, she fades, translucent, before disappearing entirely. A few seconds after that is when Ilsa is hit with a cold, unsettling feeling as Aurora passes through her. There's a couple of moments where everything is silent, before Ilsa hears Aurora's voice in her head.]

Hello?

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa's response is internal, and amused. ]

[* So, I'm still aware, and it isn't too uncomfortable, but... *]

[ There is a sense of effort, without effect. ]

[* Doesn't seem like I can control the physical aspects. Okay for me to try doing something esoteric? *]

[forever_cheery]

[She's hanging back for now, not taking control.]

Oh, um... Sure? Go ahead!

[ooeeooahah]

[ A light blue witch-light, about the size of Ilsa's thumb-tip, ignites, then dances around in their shared line of vision ]

[ * Hah, so that works, and... * ]

[ There's a slightly disorienting shift in perception, and the witch-light expands, showing a ghostly version of the house, with a double-light at the bottom. ]

[ * That's the house, with us in it. I can't pick up on the drones, no emotions to latch on to. * ]

[forever_cheery]

Ooooh! That's neat! Can you read emotions with it? Like, different kinds of emotions?

[ooeeooahah]

[ * Yep, that's part of it. I can project emotions, too, if needed. It's not something I do often, but I've been able to take the edge off the panic of a crowd in an emergency. * ]

[ The house image shrinks, and is joined by several more on the block, showing lights of other aware people on the street. ]

[ * Okay, what about another test? See if you can stop me from reading the street? * ]

[forever_cheery]

Stop you? Oh... Well, I'll try! I've never come across anyone with these sorts of abilities before Mayfield, so I'm not sure how it works.

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa chuckles, internally. ]

[ * Fair enough, have you ever had to stop someone from seeing their surroundings, physically? Do you do anything that lets you see through their eyes, but keeps them from seeing> * ]

[ She says this in a thoughtful tone, as if she has found a benevolent reason for Aurora to use her abilities. ]

[forever_cheery]

I can, depending on the person. I can be the one "in charge" I guess, and take full control. Usually the person just watches, but sometimes I guess it's like they're falling asleep while I do it?