I'M GOIN' GHOST

"Oh, semantics! Save it." Shadow waved his hand dismissively, their ire should be directed at that damn wizard, and with attention bought back on that, it could be. "Uh, earth to light worlder: he's MAGIC? All it takes is a sort of charm, and boom! We're as normal as the next guy. There was a small mercy granted: I've still got my weapon. What do you have? Your bad attitude?"

"Call it what you want. We're both guilty of the same thing. We're just as bad as the other." Speaking of his weapon, he drew the blade to inspect it, and make sure that crummy wizard didn't hex this too.

But, as he looked at the blade, something caught the reflection. Something stalking them like it was waiting for its next meal. Concern washed over the shadow's expression.

     at the mention of what a de-transformed danny brought to the table, however, his expression soured. because really... he didn't have much to contribute anymore. he couldn't go ghost, and a brief attempt to turn his hand invisible proved unfruitful. it was clear all his abilities had been sealed away, not just his ghostly form. and it wasn't like he had any weapons to speak of.

     ❝ Look, without my ghost powers... ❞ danny could feel a flush start to heat his ears, embarrassment swirling through his chest. ❝ I'm just a scrawny teenager, okay? I'm not a knight, ❞ his voice dripped with sarcasm at the word, ❝ or someone who knows kung fu or whatever. Sorry for being normal when my powers are literally taken away. ❞

"And just who are you supposed to be?! Throwing up illusions like that? Tsk tsk...For sh--" It was in his peripheral that he caught his own appearance, against the reflection of the wall of water that cascaded either side of them.

"...That's not right!!" And he couldn't overtake Danny's shadow to hide either...It seems they were both depowered for the remainder of their run! "Is this what that damn wizard meant?!" Shadow abruptly turned back to try to go back to the previous room, but...There was no going back. Only ahead.

"Dammit!!" In a last ditch effort to let off some steam, he ripped his hat off and stomped on it, exhaling to try and level himself. "It's fine, Shadow, it's fine. We've gotten this far."

Rational reactions aren't the shade's strong suit, but, he deflated pretty easily. And now, he returned attention to Danny, quirking a brow. "I guess the wizard wasn't wrong. I didn't think I was also being deceived, if I'm being transparent."

"..."

AND ONE MORE THING!!

     but as shadow began yelling, danny jerked his head up, excuses ready to spill from his lips—before he was stopped dead by the sight before him. because danny wasn't the only one who looked different. the blonde boy he'd been traveling with had seemingly been dipped in ink, his color palette changing much the same as danny's had. ❝ Who am I supposed to be?! Who are you supposed to be! Are you seriously accusing me of the same thing you've obviously been doing?! ❞

     ❝ And it's not an illusion! It's a transformation, okay?! So it's not even technically lying! ❞ danny's voice was pitched high with incredulity, a hand coming up to point at shadow accusingly even as he watched the other teen throw down his hat and stomp on it angrily. ❝ Are you seriously saying that stupid old wizard did this? How is that even possible! ❞

"Regardless." Shadow cleared his throat and straightened his tunic out as he recomposed himself. Trying to get this back on track. "I don't really think it matters where I've felt rejected when I've already forgave the action. It was a necessary evil." Though the taut line he pulled his lips into betrayed how he truly felt about it, because while he was a victim of circumstance, Shadow couldn't deny it still hurt. He just wouldn't outright admit that.

This was as far as the wizard was probably going to get with these two, and both of them were stubborn in their own rite. The inability to go with the flow and take on the challenge presented, even as simple as a question, might prove to be the both of their downfalls down the line.

"I see. Interesting." So, they wanted to be impatient and try to speedrun through this dungeon, "Well, if that is how you wish to answer me. I've seen your next room. I must say: it's filled with danger, and to exercise caution once you exit this room. Things are not as they seem. Appearances are not always what they seem."

     but as the wizard spoke again, danny only rolled his eyes—he'd lost all the inherent respect he'd originally had at the sight of a ( presumably ) real life wizard, the emotion burnt away by the man's pushiness. he wasn't willing to entertain another adult who thought he was above everyone else.

     ❝ Sure, dude. Lead the way. ❞ a finger poked into shadow's back to nudge him forward as danny began to make his way towards the door behind the wizard, skirting the big table the man sat at and purposefully avoiding meeting his eyes. danny didn't care what he thought, or what he said.

     and yet. as the halfa passed through the new door, he only had enough time to take in the wash of murky blue light falling over him and a glimpse of watery walls... before the familiar wash of cold cascaded down his body, the flash of his transformation rings glinting off the droplets around them as danny found himself in human form once again.

"..." Shadow answered in prolonged silence. Words hard to even form, while the question had Danny on edge already, it clearly struck a nerve with Shadow and burned deep. "Could you ask a better question?"

     phantom turned his gaze back to the wizard, mouth twisting into a displeased frown. he seemed to be forgetting his earlier nervousness entirely, replaced by the righteous indigitation that only teenagers only ever seemed to pull off.

"...And you? Are you going to just stare at us?" Leave it to him to be abrasive, but, he was the one taking lead in these interactions, and, he wasn't really meant to be a leader type. He was more of a follow the leader type, being a shadow, and all...So, a bit of foreign territory there...

Really, the wizard before them was studying them, and how they were choosing to carry themselves. A disguised shade who was fumbling and struggling with taking lead, who was using his abrasiveness as a way to make it seem like he knew what he was doing. And the halfa that was struggling to keep the phantom hero in check and on decent behavior.

     but... that question. it bit at the soft, vulnerable parts of his core and made him frown, brow wrinkling. it was invasive, and abrasive, and... quite frankly, danny didn't want to answer it. it made a small surge of irritation well in him, the audacity of it, and when danny spoke it bled into his tone.

"Your loss." Shadow replied plainly and shrugged. He really thought Danny might go for it, but, he was just as boring as the rest...

     so with more tentative steps than his counterpart, the halfa also shuffled forward towards the table and its occupant.

Glances were exchanged as they both sized the wizard up. "Probably? Kinda cliché. don't you think?"

Despite Danny's insistence, Shadow was quick to grab the other and drag him through the door, just so they wouldn't waste anymore time that way.

     because once inside the dimly lit room, its single occupant became clear. not for the least because he was glowing for some reason ( seriously, what was up with that? was this guy a ghost? ), not to mention the way he was muttering under his breath as he busily shuffled papers on the table before him. but what really caught danny's eye was the way the guy was dressed, because really, he looked just like a...

Danny is back,

He thinks to himself once the phone is in hand.

Txt: glad to see the Stars brought you back in one piece

To: Con 🌊💪🐍 From: Danny 👻

"You smell dead." Never mind that it was rude to imply that Danny smelled, but to say he smelled like something dead? He scrunched his nose, but not from the smell. He's confused. "Like not dead-dead, but like....I don't know. We don't have monsters that smell like you." Oliver takes a seat beside the boy.

     danny actually didn't know how he felt about that. insulted? concerned? something like that, he guessed. for now, though, he pushed it to the back of his mind as he sat up, fixing a gaze upon the strange boy.

"Whoa! Hey! Demanding!" Despite rolling his eyes, he still listened, placing the key into the lock...and upon turning it.

...Click!

The door unlocked!

"...I really cannot believe that worked." He doesn't even know why he blurted that out, perhaps it was because he was frustrated at the whole puzzle, regardless, they were done with this room! Thank Din for that.

     this time.

     ❝ You don't have to sound so surprised. I found the cool key, of course it was going to work. ❞ he didn't stick his tongue out, but it was a narrow miss. he was pretty sure shadow could hear it in his voice, anyway. plus, he had more effective ways to be irritating.

This was just a way to distract him, so, for the time being, he took note from Danny, and kicked what books remained off the shelf he was sitting on, letting all the keys bounce to the floor. Sure, it was loud, but there was no imminent danger, fortunately?

"Already way ahead of you." He tried to reassure Danny, but from the looks of it, none of these keys were it either...

"...Are sure this tome is even on a shelf?! Could it be ontop, or fell behind it?" Shadow would just look himself, but, as of current: he has his hands tied behind his back, thanks to wearing a disguise.

     ❝ Do I look like the tome keeper to you? ❞ regardless, danny lifted from the ground, planting gloved hands on top of the nearest shelf as he began to crane his neck to check the tops of them. it gave him a good look at how much bigger the room had gotten ( concerning ) as well as a bright green book that sat innocently on top of a shelf several rows away.

     interesting.

So, to try and speed it up, Shadow began to open two books up at a time: also doubling how many books he was lobbing Danny's way.

"...?" The knight noticed the way the shadows moved when he pulled up the next book moved unnaturally. And the shelf was deep enough, so, he hopped right in, to see if he could catch a little shadow demon of his own.

     ❝ Sure. Whatever, dude. Take your time. ❞ the sarcasm dripped from danny's words as he turned back to the books, set on doing this faster now that it was just him. his right hand faded a bit from view as it went intangible before danny began swiping it through whole shelves at a time, knocking the keys out of place and making them and clatter to the ground.

虫 "Hmm~? That was a funny thing to shout, wasn't it? And then your hair turned all white. Could it be a medical condition?" The boy, who looked to be around Tanjirou's age, probably hadn't realized she'd been there when he'd transformed. She'd been sleeping in a tree high above, so quiet that you probably would have to have been looking for her to notice her.

"I'm going ghost, right?" Shinobu teased playfully and jumped down from the tree so that she landed gracefully in front of him. Her index finger was brought to her lips.

     ❝ Huh?! ❞ danny whirled, now-green eyes scanning frantically for the voice as the girl dropped down beside him. oh, no. ohhhh no. this was not good. ❝ I don't know what you're talking about. ❞ what was that thing sam liked to say? 'denial was a river in egypt'?