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 Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 5:08 pm
Some calls had been coming in about some shouting at the Coalsmoke warehouse. Shun didn't have a whole lot of details, but he was heading on out to go check it out. Hopefully this was just nothing and had nothing to do with the other side at all. Parking an unmarked car nearby, he got on out in his usual work attire. A dark gray button up shirt with black slacks, and dull gold tie. Looking over the warehouse from the outside, it certainly appeared to be rather rundown. It seemed shady enough. He hadn't been aware that anyone actually lived here, but apparently that was the case. Drawing in a deep breath, he made his way over to the entrance and knocked at the door.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 5:42 pm
Thorne had been scrying.
It was a work in progress, learning to narrow his search parameters so the shadows didn't simply swallow him entirely and get him lost. Sometimes he got disoriented pulling himself out and sometimes he wasn't able to at all until Millie walked over him or Chris called his name.
But it was still more than nothing.
He was in the middle of staring into Other Ashdown's version of Coalsmoke, listening to the soft chittering of the plant otherbeings that he'd invited to live there once he'd rediscovered them, when a knock comes from far away.
Where?
Where?
Thorne echoes this sentiment over and over again through the disconnect until his body answers, here.
Thorne pulls himself away from the shadows and gasps.
Coalsmoke stares back at him, empty. Chris is watering plants out at his own apartment. Bergie and Millie are asleep in a patch of fading sun. Banana bread sans the nuts is cooling on the counter. There is someone at the door.
Thorne wonders who it is, because they obviously don't know how to jimmy the entrance. He pads over, wearing nothing but a pair of joggers and a tanktop sliced open down to the waist on its sides.
"Shun?" He asks immediately upon opening the door. He blinks at the detective and then leans against the frame, one ankle over the other, arms crossed with ease. He looks - better.
"I'm curious, did you find me because you were looking or did you find me because someone called in and told you this place was haunted?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 5:47 pm
Much to Shun's surprise, he found Thorne as the one who answered the door. "...Thorne?"Once he got past the initial shock, he took a moment to look over the other man. He appeared to have recovered somewhat, but maybe it was just because it wasn't 3am in a gym. Hopefully some of the mental scars had healed a bit as well, though. "There were calls about the place and I came to check it out," he answered, "You are not... fighting off other beings or whatever here are you?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 7:21 pm
Thorne blinked at the mention. His mouth popped open, a shuddering breath of - amusement? - hitting his throat. And then he tilted his head forward and laughed, ducking as the sound broke from his throat. His entire chest heaved, the laughter wild, until he finally managed to tame it down and said, "God, is that why you're here?"
He looked up at Shun and snorted, but there was a hint of mischief darting in the corner of his mouth.
"I was fighting Chris," he says. "He has a terrible taste in what does and doesn't belong in baked goods, and I had to patch my dignity after losing the Banana Bread War."
He waves a hand and gestures for Shun to come inside. He pushes the door further open as he walks back inside, and the scent of soil and ink and freshly potted plants drifts out.
He looks back at Shun, a grin sly on his lips.
"I promise the only Other touched things in here are Bergie and I at the moment. Chris is out."
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 7:37 pm
"The...banana bread...war?"Shun wasn't really sure he wanted to ask. He also had to wonder just what the hell people had heard coming from this, or even what Thorne and Chris were doing to cause that much of a stir. If powers were involved at all, he supposed that could be a part of it. But all that seemed a bit much over... banana bread of all things. Nodding once, he stepped on through the threshold, looking around the interior of the building. "Well that is a relief I suppose. You two were apparently making quite the ruckus."
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:03 pm
"Yes," Thorne remarks, "Chris thinks that nuts don't belong on banana bread. There's a bruise on my back to prove it."
He smiles at Shun and laughs. He takes a step to the kitchen counter, rolling his hand over the oozing form of Millie and Bergie, curled up in a patch of sun.
"I'm sorry for making you come all the way out here over that," he responds, "can I get you anything to make up for it? I'd offer the whiskey, but you're on the job." He leans against the counter and crosses his arms.
"I'm honestly shocked you weren't sent out here sooner," Thorne adds, tilting his head. "On top of... handling everything, Other Ashdown has also been seeing fit to give us even more new tools of trade to play with."
He pauses.
"Terrifying is one word for it, so of course we also fight over banana bread."
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:11 pm
Shun furrowed his brow. All that fuss over... banana bread nuts. Then again, this was possibly one of the most normal things to have happened ever since the ball had concluded. ...This was normal right? Well, maybe not. "For once I am not mad at being sent out over trivial things. It is... a change in pace," he stated, following the other man to the kitchen counter, "Also I tend to avoid drinking anyway. Work or not."It was his turn to tilt his head right back at Thorne. "What sort of developments have been happening with you two?" he asked cautiously.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:52 pm
Thorne chuckled and settled for crossing one leg over the other. The warehouse sat in a state of half-chaos. The plants had been rearranged, a small "living room" esque area carved out by two couches and a few strewn bean bags. The rest was a warzone between messy piles of books toppling one over the other and things being built such as herb ladders and places to keep watering cans, easels, paints.
"I'm glad then," Thorne remarked, laughing. His eyes flicked to Shun. "Better than me then. Well, there's plenty of banana bread if you want some."
Thorne tilted his head at Shun.
"Chris can summon the spirits of plants." He gestured at one of the ivy plants they had. "Heddy is the one that we met first. She's a cute kid."
He smiled at Shun.
"As for me, it seems I have a certain affinity for shadows," Thorne added. "It's a lot like scrying, only they like to try and pull me in when I'm doing actual work. But I can look out at Other Ashdown if I ask them to show me - it's just a lot easier in theory than in practice not to get lost."
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 9:01 pm
"I will have to pass on the banana bread as well. Thank you, though," he nodded. A blank sort of expression overcame him shortly, "Plants have spirits?"Then again, maybe he shouldn't be all that surprised. There were some myths about stuff like that and well. He really shouldn't be surprised at anything out of the ordinary these days in the first place. "What do they do?" he blinked, staring off at the ivy that had been pointed out. Did they actually talk to the plants or something? It was such an odd thought. Or... did the plant turn into something like those plant folk that were all over the ball? "So you can just look around Other Ashdown whenever you please?"A skill like that could be useful.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 9:43 pm
"The plant spirits can be summoned to help Chris do small tasks. Heddy appeared first by accident and ended up helping us water them," Thorne responded, smiling. "I'm sure that all of them have some form of existence, but Heddy is the only one we've met so far."
He pushed away from the counter and waved a hand for Shun to follow him past the couches to where the shadows coiled in between the rising, floor-to-ceiling windows.
Kneeling, Thorne pressed his hand to a thick patch of them. The response was a whisper. They remembered him from earlier, from right before Shun had come, and the shadows beneath his fingers seemed to - darken.
"I have to make sure to tell them exactly what I want to find or see," he said, looking back at Shun. "I can't just tell them, show me Other Ashdown, or they'll show me everything, and I'll get lost. It has to be specific or it's no use, and I get stuck for hours."
He smiled at Shun. "Also, my body becomes completely useless and vulnerable when I do it. It's a hassle."
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 9:51 pm
Well that was interesting. He supposed that was fairly useful in its own right as well. It made him wonder just what the extent of things the spirits could do. That was probably something Chris was going to need to experiment with. Following Thorne over towards the couches, he folded his arms over his chest as he watched the other man kneel down and touch some of the shadows on the ground. He noticed that the shadows seemed to react to the touch. "Can you... use it to find a person in particular?" he asked, "A hassle unless you can find a place to safely do this. As this is your home, you should technically be fine. Or have someone watch over you while you scry."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:04 am
Thorne hummed, a soft sound of contemplation.
"Well," he said, glancing up at Shun, "There's something slightly rude about just potentially seeing in on someone without dire reason. I haven't tried yet. I'm sure if I asked, I could try." Thorne blinked and stood straight, glancing at Shun.
"It is a hassle," he agreed, "But it's also a nice trick. It's like learning another language, but this one has no alphabet and only speaks in images." He shook his head, added, "Maybe if I do it longer, I'll gain more control. I wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone if I ever needed to use it in a bad situation."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:07 am
Shun gave a shrug, "Just a thought. If Melany manages to get back to the other side..."He didn't need to finish that line of thought probably. "Though... I suppose it would be good to know ahead of time if the people you scry on would be able to be aware of what you are doing, or if it is discrete."He then nodded. "As with any skill, it takes time to refine."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 4:08 pm
"Yeah," Thorne replied, smiling grimly at Shun, "the thought has crossed my mind."
Beneath him, the shadows coalesced, chanting and whispering in his mind in a language made of fractured images.
"Unless it's a terrible situation, I'd like to be respectful," Thorne responded with a laugh. "I'm not that rude, you know." He waggled his fingers at Shun with a grin.
"Well, let's hope I have the time to do that then."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 4:18 pm
"Fair enough. And I hope you do as well. Even if you are not spying on anyone in particular, I could see how that may come in handy in the future, if you can find a safe place to perform this ability."Seeing the shadows shift like that was... odd. Fascinating in a way. "It is more impressive than what I have. I just recently discovered I can still see fine in the dark."That had been an interesting moment of discovery. Turning off the lights only to see the room in a sort of nightvision way.
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