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"There's someone here," a soft voice observed from the shadows, the tone set low to hide the nervousness.

Aether brushed a hand over the notched holes on the face of his bamboo flute, tilting it closer to eye-level so he could examine its structure a bit better in the faint moonlight. The figure in the shadows stared at him, waiting for any hint that he might have heard what she had said. The chandelure pulled the flute up and blew into it, attempting to maintain a note that refused to stick. The girl's face scrunched as the off-key sound ceased, "Aether..!"

"I know, I heard the gate," he stated bluntly, curbing her tension by playing that he was unconcerned. Of course he didn't like it when people entered the cemetery -- it was rarely anything short of bad news at this time of night -- but the flighty spirit of a recently-deceased child didn't need the extra anxiety. He noticed the girl bring her hands up and fidget with them, and he set the flute down. "Just wait. We don't know what they're here for. I won't let anything bad happen," the poké-boy continued more reassuringly, hopping off the stone step he had been seated on. The specter of a girl still seemed rather unsure, and anxiously lingered behind. Aether stopped in his steps, attempting to pull her along, "Come on. Nobody can see you."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that..." she muttered, sticking her tongue out, "You could see me, after all." This state of living was still rather new to her, and she wasn't so convinced that being invisible was actually something she wanted. At least she couldn't be hurt anymore this way... so in that sense, she felt relieved, following the ghost-type as a result.

There was plenty of cover for Aether to obscure himself from view, but the smoky blue flames that adorned his body tended to be a bit more of a challenge. He had long since learned to pull the metallic arms behind himself as much as possible. The ghostly light was usually still visible, but not always immediately evident when he hid behind a tombstone or similar structure; some people would blame the light on will-o-wisps anyway, if not their own imagination. The boy watched as the hybridized poké-girl enter through the cemetery gates, waiting for any indication as to why she was here. However, it was not immediately apparent, and he didn't want to risk it. Poking his head above his stone cover, he launched a Confuse Ray at Ylerian.

"W-What are you--? Don't hurt her!" the ghost-girl gasped at the sudden attack.

Aether shook his head, putting an index finger to his lips to be quiet. As he pulled his hand away, he silently mouthed to her, 'It won't hurt her.' If any injuring was to be done, she'd probably only injure herself.

For a moment there, Aether feared he had been spotted at the moment he had revealed his presence behind the carved slab of stone, and took careful precaution in order to determine what his next move may have to be. While there was no real fear from the young boy, his body still tensed slightly when the hybrid-girl reached for a sword that had previously been hidden from his view; no doubt she'd try to bluff her way to an answer, but he wasn't about to assume that was the case.

However, as Ylerian accidentally hit herself with the hilt of her own weapon, Aether nevertheless had to stifle a laugh. It was more a reaction out of relief that he didn't have to try Confuse Ray again than it was anything mean-spirited, but in the end, the reasoning was moot. The spirit of the girl that had tagged along flashed him a disapproving glare, but she couldn't hide her curiosity. After all, she was fairly sure that Aether was not a malevolent spirit... and the girl that had entered the cemetery exhibited unfamiliar quirks, appearance aside. The poké-girl seemed... almost too mature for the body she was in. There was almost a regality to her movements, even when they were bumbling. Or was it just because it had felt like it had been so long ago that she was alive? Was she that far removed from the living..?

"Remember what I said I was doing around here?"

The girl flinched as the whisper pulled her consciousness back. She was silent for a moment, but then her expression softened, "...You're not going to let anything hurt me anymore." No, it hadn't been very long ago, had it?

"I'm not like them, Fae," he asserted, taking another peek out at the girl on the floor, now collecting herself through meditation -- something unlike he had seen before. Weird girl. The ghost-girl stuttered a bit, about to reiterate that she didn't mean it that way, but her corrections were overwritten by a carefully changed subject, "Do you think she knows I'm here?" Aether adjusted his crouch so that he was better-suited for mobility should he need it, but flashed a quick smile to his sidekick -- or was he her's?

She was over-analyzing too much. This was just a game.

The young girl and the chandelure held back for a length of time, watching and waiting for what the hybrid girl might do. Aether wanted to be sure how to handle the situation, unsure if she held an innate ability to be immune to confusion. Whether she did or not, she sure seemed to be a pro at masking any divulgence of information regarding it. Fae furrowed her brow after a moment of silence, "...What is she doing? Did she fall asleep?"

Aether waited a moment longer, but Ylerian's patience was pretty strong. "Either that worked... or she's trying to find who did it. Maybe even both," he considered, shifting himself over a little to see if it gave him a better view. He flinched a bit when he thought some of his flames were coming dangerously close to grazing the ghost at his side, but it was merely the angle that he was at.

It was about that point that Ylerian attempted to go about her predetermined course of action in the clumsiest way possible, and a small smile slowly appeared on the chandelure's face. Ahh, so Confuse Ray had worked after all! Fae seemed a little more disgruntled, but she was well aware of the fact that Aether probably did this sort of thing all the time -- it was more a question of what usually happened now? She shifted uneasily, "So are you just going to leave her like that?"

Aether waved it off, continuing his vigilance, "She seems a little preoccupied at the moment, give her a little time." It was apparent that this new poké-girl wasn't aware of the fact that her confusion had come from outside the recesses of her mind, or she wouldn't have tried to make herself comfortable with a possible threat in the immediate area. Well good, that would make things a lot easier on the boy.

Once it seemed like Ylerian was through accidentally injuring herself, Aether popped up from behind the gravestone he was using for concealment. He leaned over the top of it, looking a little bored unless one was observant enough to notice the mischievous grin behind the fingers of the hand he propped his head on, "If you really want to sleep with the corpses, I suppose that could be arranged..."

Fae tensed as she spotted Ylerian reach for her sword. No, no, this was bad! What was Aether thinking, to anger someone so dangerous!? Her words quailed with her ghostly form, but she couldn't manage to speak the boy's name fully in her fear. Don't anybody die, please no, no..!

Aether's attention momentarily diverted to the one by his side, offering a quick, reassuring smile before he turned back to the interesting hybrid girl in the distance. He'd done this plenty of times before, and although he was not underestimating Ylerian's capabilities, he wasn't looking for a fight, either. If it escalated to that height, he had a few tricks up his sleeve, but they were mostly deterring effects. At least it didn't look like she was here to damage anything, grave-robbing or otherwise, but he still wasn't so sure he wanted to take the chance.

It didn't help when the first words to sprout from Ylerian's mouth were strictly on the offensive, either. Definitely a danger, but how much of one? How serious was she about quick bodily harm? The first thing to emerge out of the silence was a laugh. Though not derisive in tone, the context may have skewed it a little, "I don't think you realize who you are dealing with..." He wasn't playing up his competence, by any means, but rather his job. Not that he was going to elaborate that part; people jumped to conclusions much too quickly. Himself included, actually, a fact he was not blind to.

He watched her teeter on her feet, but made no move. Not to attack, not to help -- merely to observe. Cursed? "Well, that's one way to put it," he considered aloud. It wasn't very often he ran into the superstitious. This should prove to be quite interesting! "The spirits around here tend to be rather restless," he confirmed, grinning, "You seem to have run into one of them." He didn't have to specify that it was the spirit of one who was still living, did he?

Though when asked what his business was with her, that's when his expression seemed to ease off. What he wanted with her? Shouldn't that be the other way around? Hopping up onto the gravestone, Aether pulled himself more fully into view. She was way too offensive, and that only sparked further curiosity and confusion. Usually those up to no good would flee if they thought they were going to be caught, or if they believed in ghosts. Why wasn't she doing the same thing? "I'm not sure I understand the question," he stated flatly. He obviously wasn't armed. Did she think he was someone else?

While it may have come across as but a whim for Aether to have started the conversation on the note that he had, he was considerably more intuitive on the matter. Catch a person off-guard, and oftentimes one will catch a glimpse of their true nature. Ylerian was certainly a strong one when it came to willpower, and he was guessing her ability to use the katana resting in her grip was nothing to take lightly. Seemed her temper was rather elevated, but it appeared that was for defensive measures. After all, who would really just let something bad befall them? Aether wasn't the most... amicable of individuals to run into.

His eyes narrowed as the girl tried her hand at elaborating on her questions. It... really depended on what she meant by 'word games.' Was 'being vague' part of that collective? No matter what it was that the chandelure had meant, it seemed the bunnelby-hybrid was apt to assume the worst, despite the fact that he had basically come out in the open unarmed, and kept his distance. Maybe she fought a lot of pokémon in her time. The effects of the Confuse Ray as well as her apparent fatigue probably were not helping her be more civil in this exchange, and Aether's mannerisms in speech were less than encouraging.

The silence lingered for long enough while Ylerian was patiently waiting for a reply, though, and he broke it with a cut-off snicker, "And what good would any of that do me? I'm merely here to gauge your threat level. If it's through fight, then so be it." However, he did not move from his seat, waiting to see what the girl's next objective would be. He noticed that she had closed her eyes to put less faith in her eyesight and more in the senses she still had control over. Rather intuitive, that.

Perhaps it was merely to play with Ylerian more in her confused state, but it was about then that he decided to quietly voice some of his observations for Fae to follow, "She seems to think I have somewhere better to be than home... or see nothing wrong with this picture. Crazy, huh?" The city wasn't far, and she didn't really look like a wild pokémon.

He noted the smallest of movements that Ylerian made in the dark, her eyes shut but the girl still very much attuned to what was going on around her. It was quite the marvel to see; she was a lot more intelligent than her young form might otherwise suggest, be it from training or experience beyond what the transformation of the star of Jirachi would have provided. Aether was curious, yes, but that didn't allow for his guard to lower. He may have appeared relaxed, but he was watching for any movement to suggest that he should rethink his position. He had the upper hand at the moment, and he was intent on keeping it.

Fae refused to say anything. This was the first encounter she had had in her stay at the cemetery, aside from meeting Aether, and she wasn't sure what to expect. Why couldn't everyone just live in harmony, and go about peacefully? Did it always have to amount to violence? She bit back a shudder.

The chandelure-boy quirked an eyebrow as Ylerian moved to set her katana aside, wondering if she was going to use some mystical ability to try to grasp control of her predicament in a less harmful manner. He didn't move from his spot as she began searching for materials in her bag, curious but generally assured that it wasn't anything he had to be immediately concerned about. "Well well, what do we have..." he began, a quiet taunt he spoke mainly for his own benefit, but he let the notion die off.

It wasn't difficult to cut himself off, for her actions proved wholly unexpected. Out of everything he had ever anticipated from someone caught in the gravekeeper's web, this was likely the single furthest happenstance. His expression furrowed into a frown as he observed her prayers, disbelief casting a shadow on his voice. He waited, as though there was something he was missing, but her sincerity was not only heard, it was practically felt.

As she packed up her things, Aether's relaxed stance became more than just a facade. He hopped off the headstone as she stood, unsure if there was anything he could really say at this point that would be of any value. Of course, in his dumbfounded silence, he missed the opportunity to warn the girl of her impending obstacle until he realized she still had her eyes close... a little too late to matter. He stiffened a bit, and after the momentary surprise, allowed the sympathy that had been lingering at the edge of his motives to take hold. Aether moved quickly to reach her, taking careful note to catch up to her on the same side her katana was sheathed, making him a harder target should she jump to conclusions. "Miss? Miss, are you alright?" he finally managed to say through bewilderment, crouching down to offer a hand, "Here, let me help you up." If she wanted to leave, so be it, but he was equally ready to answer her questions should she ask -- he felt he owed her at least that much.

Aether honestly wasn't sure if the confusion the girl was exhibiting towards seeing him next to her was because of the effects of the Confuse Ray, or if she actually had not seen him before now. It was easy for him to forget that not everyone could see so well in the dark, or that a sleepy mind could negate attuned attention to details -- he had experienced neither in his time, after all. In fact, he half-expected the girl to turn around and attack him now that his guard was down, but it was a risk he was willing to take. She was intriguing, in the different manner she took to this sort of situation.

Her altered demeanor to the exchange did not falter, however, which only lent to the impression that she was being sincere. What had she heard, to show this much respect for those that ceased to be living? It seemed almost foreign a concept in its obscurity these days. Quite honestly, it was a welcome change, and he couldn't help but smile for it. However, that stubbornness, it seemed, would be a hurdle on its own. He nudged at her upper arm a little and offered his hand again, closer this time, to help steady her in her disorientation. "Take it easy, the effects should be wearing off in a moment here," he instructed. Confusion didn't tend to last too long, and he expected it to be wearing off any time now. Whether such an outcome could be observed by one so tired was another story.

It was obvious by now that Aether had this girl pegged rather wrong. He guessed that she may have been avoiding or hiding from someone by cutting through here, but she hadn't done it for some malintent, at least to the extent that concerned the boy. Whatever beef she had with anyone outside the graveyard, he didn't much care about, unless it drove others to follow her, but he didn't see that happening in the dead of the night. All-in-all, Ylerian was not a threat to anyone that lived here, and that was all that really mattered at the moment.

Taking a brief glance back to Fae, who stayed put where she watched, Aether attempted to curb what fear seemed to be driving the hybrid-girl on now, "Heh, I think I'm the only real troublemaker here. I took you for a threat instead of someone merely looking for sanctuary." By now, the spirits would probably have been more irritated at him than they were about any intruder from the outside. "Either way, it would be foolish for you to sleep out here. If you need, there's a mausoleum none too far from here. I can take you to it, and you can leave once you rest up," he offered -- it wasn't as though he were going to use it anytime soon, and it was better than sleeping out in the open like this. He hovered about that thought a bit, and shook his head as he assessed the situation, "It wouldn't bother any spirits, and if it makes you feel any better, you can think of it as an apology." He had absolutely no idea that, perhaps, he had been the spirit that she had been fearing vengeance from.