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(Note to Others: Verdi and Gerald are in a completely different time frame, so please, ignore us and continue as though we weren't posting. ^_^; Trying to rap up an older RP...)

Gerald stood frozen, eyes wide and fixed on the terrible apparition. It took Donovan rushing from the store to snap him out of it, and he had half a mind to run after him... if his feet would only move. Gerald had absolutely zero experience with the supernatural beyond the occasional horror movie. Verdi seemed just as shocked as he was, but from her expression, she was more worried about his reaction than the mangled, ghostly form before them.

She really can see them, Gerald thought, but the notion made him want to shake his head. Was this some sort of infectious hysteria? All he knew was that this was not normal.

"I-is it dangerous?" he stammered in a low hiss. Even with the world completely turning on its head around him, he had enough sense not to attract the attention of Madame Vernier.

"... what?" Gerald hissed. No, that had not been a squeak. He did not squeak. It looked like Verdi was grasping at straws; his suspicion was that she had no idea what she was doing. Besides, his feet still refused to move. That insane cackling...

As though reading his thoughts, the ghost turned to face Gerald, a hideous grin distorting its features. The paralyzed boy seemed to be the more tempting target. It floated closer. In a voice laced with the sounds of screeching metal and crumbling stone, it crooned, "Come here, boy..."

A new rush of adrenaline flooded Gerald's system. There was no way he was letting that thing anywhere near him! His legs jerked to life as he stumbled backward. His back hit a rack of clothes, and he quickly dodged around it, putting a weak shield between the spirit and himself.

It laughed again, a vicious grin growing wider on its face. The air grew colder, and Gerald could swear there was a sudden breeze. If anything, the spirit was feeding off his fear, growing bolder as the seconds passed.

Gerald was no hero. Every bone in his body screamed at him to run, but he hesitated, looking at the girl across the shop floor. Verdi looked just as frightened as he was, and if he ran, there was no telling what would happen to her. If she survived (god, if she survived?), Gerald would forever be branded a useless coward. If he ran out that door, he might as well kiss social status goodbye. Still... he had absolutely no idea what to do besides run.

"Verdi..." he said, raising his voice a little to be heard over the sudden hum in the background. Maybe he could get the girl to make a break for it with him? The spirit still wasn't between them and the exit.

The young man had spent most of his life reading other people's faces, so it was obvious to him what Verdi meant. This time, he was ready. He gave a split-second of eye contact to show he understood then made his move.

He had been clenching his uniforms in his fists since the incident began. Now, he brought his hands up to shield his head before darting toward the door, hoping to meet Verdi in the process. He had no idea if solid objects had any protective value against spirits. It wasn't exactly his area of expertise... or an area he had previously considered part of reality. The ghost let out an ungodly screech, but he didn't turn to see whether it was following. He just ran, his heart pounding in his ears. Verdi was a blur of black and green in the corner of his eye as he shoved the door open and sprinted out into the street. Only then did he risk a glance behind him, praying he would see Verdi had followed him and the horrible apparition had not.

Gerald was also panting, feeling as though he couldn't get enough air to make the ground stay steady. Verdi had escaped as well, thank god. He had no idea what he would have done if she hadn't. Who could you ask for help with something that unreal?

"Is it... gone? ... Will... it follow us?" he gasped weakly. Noticing the odd looks they were getting, he tried to reign in his expression, which he supposed must look terrified. Many times in his life he'd been nervous or uncertain, but never had he been so truly frightened. Previously, the scariest things in his life had been a bully or an ugly rumor. Still, he had a reputation to solidify. Gerald Campbell was calm, cool, and collected. He did not run around town in hysterics.

Calm. Cool. Collected. he repeated to himself, blanking out his face again and finally beginning to catch his breath.

It showed how ruffled Gerald was that a little bit of incredulity and annoyance slipped into his expression when he glanced up at Verdi. It disappeared so quickly it might not have been there at all, but there was a long moment of silence while the boy tried to figure out an answer. Both 'yes' and 'no' came to mind, along with a few insane-sounding rants that he would like to direct at her. In the end, he couldn't really come up with an answer that sounded as collected as he would like, so Gerald chose to completely ignore the question.

"... you've never come across something like that before, have you?" he asked, meeting her gaze. He already knew she hadn't; the shock and fright he had seen in the store were proof of that. Whether she would deny or admit it--that was the real question.