001 [voice | CALL | un: ghostprince]

[shootaro]

[CALL]

[The call begins with the sound of something flapping incessantly, as if blown by very rough winds. It soon settles into eerie howling. Pleasant!

It's not entirely a creepy silent call, though, and soon enough, a cool and quiet, young-sounding voice that's a bit hard to place, filters in:]

—one hear me? Sorry, the wind picked up.

I'm going to check out the temple.

Will anyone else be coming? I won't be needing your help [—rude.] I'm asking for your safety. I don't advise sneaking up on my partner and I, unless you don't consider your soul valuable.

[End call. Not so much as an introduction! He thinks he owns the place, doesn't he?]

Comments

voice; un: wouldyouknowmore

[story_and_teller]

Oh, that's very sweet of you, but you need not worry on my account.

voice; un: ghostprince

[shootaro]

Why, you haven't got a soul to worry about?

[The sarcasm's a reflex, sorry, but he isn't taking this lightly. He sounds very annoyed.]

I'm not kidding. Back off.

[story_and_teller]

Nah, got a soul. I'm just not too worried about it. It takes a bit more than your average Ancient Evil Thing to bother me.

[Since, you know. God of chaos and all that.]

[shootaro]

... so you know this from past experience or is this just a hunch you've got?

[Because that's a pretty important distinction.]

[story_and_teller]

Past experience, of course. I'm a sorcerer.

[shootaro]

Does... does such a thing really...?!

[He paused for a moment (his voice was going childishly high!), then spoke again:]

Prove it. Not in a malicious way, I'm just curious and want to verify what you... mean by that, exactly.

voice; un: ironiclabcoat

[new_toys]

[THAT USERNAME. THAT HOWLING. Holtzmann sounds intrigued.]

I'm on my way there.

[shootaro]

Wha... th-that was a direct warning not to!

[Sorry if his voice went up an octave, it does that. He's getting very frustrated with these people...!]

When a sign says no trespassing or no swimming, do you intentionally do the opposite?!

[story_and_teller]

[See on the screen: A request to accept video from wouldyouknowmore.]

Turn on video, and I'll be happy to show you.

[shootaro]

Hnn, a video can be faked, though...

[... what, would he rather witness this in person? Nonetheless, he obliges.]

[story_and_teller]

Even if it's live?

[Loki arches an eyebrow on the screen.]

[shootaro]

Yeah! If you added some filters or special effects... I think you'd probably have to make your own, this video feature's a little barebones if you ask me...

[Modern youth, Loki.]

[story_and_teller]

[Whoops, shapeshifting o'clock.]

No? Those would be a kinda tricky to add on the fly with this thing...

[new_toys]

Was it?

[1/3]

[shootaro]

Well, I meant beforeha—

[shootaro]

[shootaro]

... d-do another one. [Practically sputtering, trying to maintain skepticism, but yikes.

There might be a tremor to his voice, even now:] So, you... transform? Your soul, how does that protect it? Other magic? Innate ability?

[shootaro]

It was! [So frustrated!]

Unless you're someone else with a special, super-protected soul or whatever!

[story_and_teller]

[Loki spreads her fingers, and a tall golden staff appears in her grasp in a whorl of emerald green light.]

Oh, I do so much more than that. Magic is a powerful force.

[new_toys]

Buuuut now I'm not sneaking up on you.

[Point: Holtzmann?]

[such hope, such faith

[shootaro]

Honestly... [What an aggravatingly childish woman.] Do you promise not to touch any will-o'-wisps, hitodama, onibi, or whatever else you might call blue ghostly flames?

If you don't, I'll have to restrain you. [Do not push him to that, he has a giant snake and ghost jellyfish that curses anything it touches and secretes a poison that can numb you senseless.]

[shootaro]

........

y-yeah...

Um. You can come.

[He has so many questions. So many.]

[new_toys]

[Well, this all sounds a little exhausting. Unfortunately for the both of them, Holtz really wants to see what ghosts here are like.]

I promise not to touch them.

[She absolutely does not promise that she has not transported back to her lab in New York and picked up some of her favorite lasers and proton traps to play with. But that's the laser touching the ghost, not her.]

[story_and_teller]

[Loki laughs softly.]

Come meet me; 'tis better to fortify yourself with food and libations- [--she holds up an excessively fancy coffee drink--] --prior to in-depth investigation.

[shootaro]

Libe-wha?

[He's not sure hiw much he likes the idea pf meeting up with this perfect stranger, but... he was going to tangle with a ghost, so a sorcerer...ess? — not too different!]

Where, then?