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 Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 7:54 pm
Cody couldn't sing. He looked at the ground, half muttering, half humming the words. Dari had opened his eyes to wonders unknown. He'd wanted to share so many things with the alien; as if to somehow match the wonders shared.
It'd never happen now. He'd miss him. They all would.
He slowly made his way towards Toby and Lori.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:05 pm
Toby abandoned the microphone under the tent. It hadn't rained, but he wasn't willing to have paintings and photos destroyed. The singing continued and he met Cody in the crowd as if by instinct. He threw his arms around the young man. Lori reached out and put one hand on each werewolf's shoulder.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:16 pm
The same woman that had seen the ghost hunters in was on duty when a strangely familiar-looking young man wandered in. He wasn't wearing the same clothes, but who would be four weeks later? He was clean, but not as clean as he had been, not as well-dressed or put-together, but he was familiar; handsome and blonde with striking icy eyes.
He was pleasantly smiling and he was coming right for her.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:23 pm
"Oh! Hello!" The clerk waved at the blonde with a smile. "You were here that day those ghost buster guys were," she said. She gave him a smile. After all, he'd been part of the team to get rid of that horrible ghost.
"Are the others with you? The owner wanted to thank you guys personally but apparently they were in a hurry to leave."
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:27 pm
"Ah, no. I'm afraid there's been a bit of an event, and we've been separated." He was still smiling, and his tone was light and bright. "I'm having a bit of a hard time getting a call through. My phone's died." Well, that was an understatement.
"I was wondering if maybe you have a phone I can use here?" Wireless, satellite, anything. People weren't very ready to let someone they met on the street use their phone. This woman knew who he was though, at least partially, even if they had come in as three and left as only two.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:31 pm
Oh, they'd gotten separated? Had the ghost kept this poor man captive? "Oh my god," she muttered. She dug into her purse, pulling out a phone. She unlocked it and offered it to Dari. "Go ahead," she said. "...are you alright? Do you need anything?"
He'd been separated from his friends for a month!! They probably thought he was dead!
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:34 pm
"Thank you so much." For the first time, the young man's voice lost some semblance of control. He was clearly very appreciative, as if he had been denied something for a long time. The number he dialed was reflexive.
- - -
Back at home, Toby's phone rang. He eyed it a moment, didn't recognize the number, and turned back to his sandwich. He reached out and silenced the ringer.
After a few moments, it rang again.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:40 pm
Maia reached for Toby's phone and looked at the number. "A telemarketer?" She asked, and answered it. "Hello?" It wouldn't be the first time she'd dealt with promises of free cruises, declarations that she'd won a hundred thousand dollars or the chance for a trip of a lifetime. They amused her, for the most part.
She'd set her lunch down next to Toby's.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:42 pm
"Hello? Maia!" Dari called from the other end of the line. It hadn't been the voice he was expecting, but it worked all the same. "Could I talk to Toby, please?"
Already Toby was watching Maia and the phone, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed. He had stopped mid-chew. What in the hell? That voice...
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:46 pm
For a moment, the selkie froze. She looked to Toby, then to the phone. Her eyes were wide. "It's Dari for you," she said, and offered him the phone. She stared again, before shaking her head.
What on earth. Was it really Dari?!
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:49 pm
Toby's expression only deepened. He took the phone, chewed a bit too fast, and swallowed something more whole than it should have been to speak into the receiver.
"Hello?" His voice was grave. "Who is this?"
"Toby!" Dari chimed, "I'm so happy to hear your voice! Don't freak out, but I'm at the fort right now, and the clerk has kindly let me use her phone."
"What the ******** know, I know. It took a while to get back to myself."
"Michael, I swear to God--"
"It's not Michael! It's me!"
Toby frowned and glared at the empty space before him.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:56 pm
Maia went over to Toby. She bent and kissed his cheek. "I don't think Michael's cruel enough to pull a prank like this, love," she said, softly. She was fond of the ghost. Michael had lost a friend too, though, even if most of his coworkers acted like he didn't have feelings.
"Can you put him on speaker?" She asked, then. Was it really Dari? Should they go get him? But what if it wasn't? ...What if Michael hadn't gotten rid of the horrid ghost that's killed Dari? What if it was trying to lure Toby back?
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:00 pm
"I really feel bad about this, though. I don't know if her phone's got minutes or... alright. I'll put you on speaker too."
Michael could mimic the sound of background noise and parties but, as far as Dari knew could not be two different voices at once. Dari turned to the clerk and smiled. "I'm sorry about this."
Hopefully she would respond.
"Hello?" Toby asked. He heard people mulling about, he heard the openness of the fort and believed that the call was in fact coming from there.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:05 pm
"It's unlimited," the clerk assured Dari with a smile. The poor guy. His family must have thought he'd been dead, the way she heard him trying to convince them that he was him. "It's fine. Take all the time you need."
"Dari, you're really alright?" Maia asked. She sounded hesitant. "You...you're really--we thought you were dead!"
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:09 pm
Dari spoke over the clerk by about two words. "If you're sure."
Toby gave Maia a Look. They were on speaker too! But he had caught that little overlap. He knew how ghosts worked, and this wasn't a replaying memory. "You're at the fort?"
"Yes."
"Can you meet us nearby?"
"Uh." Dari looked around the room. "Tonight or tomorrow?"
"Tonight," Toby said firmly.
"Sure. I don't see why not."
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