- ̗̀   STARTER CALL  ━━  @ghostsbox​​  ♡   ̖́-

as it happens , dan is seated at the front desk , novel propped open before him. had she come in an hour earlier , he wouldn't have been on shift yet. he starts -- no one ever comes in this late ; most of the residents have few to no visitors even during the day -- and stands , coming out from behind the desk. he can place her face at once ; it's not easily forgettable. " serena? " he says , a bit dumbfounded. " uh , hi. what brings you here? " to a hospice , of all places , well after dark.

MEDIUM  SHOT :   olympia  lifts  her  gaze  from  the  martini  glass  and  toward  the  other  occupying  the  seat  next  to  her.   if  anyone  were  to  ask  her  the  same  question,  she  wouldn't  have  an  answer.   how  could  she?   would  it  still  be  considered  romance  if  it  crashed  and  burned  and  left  her  to  pieces?   no,  that  would  be  too  easy.   but  she  knows  that  of  romance,  of  the  men  and  women  that  exist  these  days.   maybe  she  asks  because  she  wants  to  hear  something  good,  wants  to  still  believe  there's  something  out  there  that  wouldn't  feel  like  a  stab  wound  to  the  chest.   or  maybe  she  asks  because  she  just  wants  someone  to  tell  her  she's  right.

" romantic? " dan doesn't have to think about it too long , already knows he'll come up short. he's never really had a steady partner ; the occasional lover that's lasted more than a few weeks but never more than a stretch of months , drunken one - night stands , but other than that -- nothing since middle school puppy love. " in sixth grade , a girl made me a valentine's heart that said ' d + l forever. ' that count? " he knows it doesn't. " i can't say i've had much call for romance. " @girlyearning

[ 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 ] : receiver notices sender looking at them longingly. [ 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 ] : receiver hears sender calling their name while asleep. [ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐭𝐡 ] : sender drapes a coat / cape / etc. around receiver's shoulders. [ 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 ] : receiver is hugging a coat / cape / etc. that belongs to the sender. [ 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 ] : sender is helping the receiver through a panic attack / severe anxiety. [ 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 ] : sender takes a hold of receiver's both hands. [ 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 ] : sender and receiver are spooning for comfort and warmth. [ 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 ] : sender and receiver are finally about to kiss, but are interrupted. [ 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 ] : sender and receiver are finally sharing a passionate kiss. [ 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 ] : sender has just found the receiver who's been missing for weeks. [ 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 ] : after being misinformed that the sender has died, receiver is grieving. [ 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 ] : sender is expressing anger over receiver's constant recklessness. [ 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] : sender is voicing their negative opinion about a person who appears to be close with the receiver. [ 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 ] : sender has just told receiver "you belong to me". [ 𝐰𝐡𝐲 ] : sender has just asked receiver "why don't you love me". [ 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 ] : sender has harmed someone who threatened the receiver. [ 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐦 ] : sender has killed someone who threatened the receiver. [ 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 ] : sender has gotten injured protecting the receiver. [ 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 ] : sender is getting frustrated with their repressed affection and asks receiver to leave them alone. [ 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 ] : unable to handle their fondness towards receiver, the sender lashes out and they end up in a heated argument. [ 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 ] : sender is apologising for appearing cold. [ 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 ] : sender is telling receiver they "deserve better than whatever this is".

" you sure? it's a good day for it. come back tomorrow and the line will probably be around the block. " for there to be no line at this time of year is nothing short of a miracle , and the storm is still a little ways off , he'd bet. " you're looking at the train same way i looked at it when i came to town. i know , it's awesome. no shame in it "

" thanks , val. " he smiles , a little shyly , and pushes his hands further into his jacket pockets. " you need help with that? i know a guy. pretty sure i can get you a decent deal , if you want. " his cheeks warm a bit , flush creeping up his neck , and he laughs. " no , no , and no. i do have a steady job at the hospice , though. been there a few years now. and i drive the teeny town train in the summer. " @byheaven

lucy scowls at that. " if they're gonna seek me out anyway, i'd rather i fight them on my own terms than let them take me by surprise! i'm not scared of 'em. " even if she's smaller here, she's still scrappy. she has complete faith in her ability to survive -- it hasn't failed her yet, after all. " who are they anyway? " she asks in a much different tone. then lucy blinks at him. " who're you? what makes you an expert? "

" they call themselves the true knot. " and dick had called them the empty devils. dan still has no other name for them , even now. " they eat what makes you special. you know what i'm talking about? " unsure that she'll catch his meaning if he calls it the shining , the term dick had coined so long ago. " i'm not an expert. but i've dealt with them before. "

Christina Marie Brown, Ghost I, from My Body is a Haunted House