Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

How interested they are in having sex with them: This assuming it hasn’t already happened… that’s complicated. She’s my best friend and like a sister. But, she’s also hot, so…. yeah. Complicated.


How much they would pay (or have to be paid) to have sex with them: Nothing at all, either way.


If they would rather bottom or top them: Bottom. *grins* then we’d switch, and I’d teach her a few tricks.


How good they think they would be: More than decent.


If they’d prefer kitchen counter, wall, or shower sex with them: Kitchen counter or wall.


If they’d fuck, have sex, or make love: Depending on the situation, either have sex or make love. I’m too close to her to just fuck.


If they were going to make it a threesome, the third person they’d pick: Someone random, unknown, and just down for a good time.

“Wait wait wait….” the chair legs dropped fully back to the floor as Shoji leaned over the table, dark eyes bright with sudden curiosity. “You’re telling me that haunted libraries are actually a thing? That they actually happen on a regular basis?” He seemed almost suddenly animated, as if his normally laid back demeanor were a facade that was now usurped by his true personality. 

In truth, he really was a very laid back kind of guy, but ghost hunting wasn’t anything his parents ever let him do. And there was suddenly an opportunity to possibly go and do just that. Some of the brightness faded from his eyes as he remembered that Ettie was supposed to be there relaxing, not working, and some of the excited light faded from his eyes. 

“That’s fair,” he said after a moment, then smiled warmly across the table at Ettie. “If I had vacation time? Well… there are some out that would argue that my life is nothing but a vacation, but if I had the opportunity to go anywhere I wanted and just take my time, I think I would go to Africa. Or Southeast Asia. Europe is neat, but I feel like there’s a lot that could be learned in other places. I’d love to just take a backpack with some essentials and just…. hike.” He knew he didn’t exactly look like the sort that would want to do something like that and he half expected some sort of surprise from Ettie. “I think it would be fun.” 

She couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, like a little kid on christmas morning who found the cookies eaten by Santa Clause. “I...wouldn’t say on a regular basis. But it does surprisingly happen a lot. Also in little museums. Not the big institutionalized ones. Although, you can’t convince me that some of that shit in those places aren’t connected to ghosts like fuck. Those places are probably haunted up the wazoo.”

She came back over to stand next to the table. “I mean the small house sized museums. The ones that people made into museums because a semi famous person lived there. There is always one thing there that is an anchor to a ghost of some sort. Places that are haunted by local legends, etc.”

That notebook was so important. Not only because it had been his, but because of all the finished and unfinished things that were in it. Ettie squeezed her wrist, and Izzy gave her friend a somewhat lopsided smile. At least it was understood exactly why she’d gone after it. With anyone else in the world, there would have had to have been a really long and detailed explanation, but Ettie just understood. Because she’d been there. 

The brain freeze started to subside, and Izzy’s eyes opened once again to regard her friend. “Yeah… the caveat was that you had to stay until the very end.” Setting her spoon into the ice cream container, both hands  came up to make a gesture similar to “jazz hands”. “Because of the big dance. Oooo.” The sarcasm nearly dripped from her voice as one hand dropped back to her lap and the other picked the spoon back up. There was something rather sullen in her movement as she started to stab the top of the ice cream with the spoon, as if the memory of that night troubled her. 

And if asked, she would have to say that it did. But it didn’t really matter anymore. Snorting faintly at Ettie, her eyes rolled back over to the other woman even as shoved another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. The container was not really close to getting low, but it didn’t look like she was all inclined to stop eating it. “Well, duh it wasn’t normal. If the lake hadn’t been an indicator, the unicorn in the stables should have been. Not to mention the happy little chest that was courteously provided by the hosts we never actually got to see that contained weaponry. You know. Just in case.” 

Ettie snorted at the comment about the unicorn. “There was not. Pink lake, sure I’ll give you, random rules and weapons, and supernatural shit sure, I’ll believe.” She sat forward and took the container of ice cream away from Izzy, mostly so that she could take two large bites in succession. 

Izzy had no doubt that Toot had done as he’d said he would, because otherwise the deal would have been broken. She left the little pixie to gorge himself on the offerings she’d set on the counter for him, then proceeded to pace back and forth up and down the length of her apartment while she waited. Fortunately, the only thing beneath her was her shop, so there was no one below her to disturb. 

Because of past adventures, she knew that Harry would know where to go. Just because he wasn’t easy to find didn’t mean that she wasn’t. Upon arrival, the tall wizard knocked and entered, which was really fine with her as she couldn’t imagine a time where he wouldn’t be welcome in her home. 

Returning his hug tightly, she shook her head as she released him. The usual mirth and mischief that could be found upon her features at most times was completely gone, and the skin around her eyes and mouth betrayed the stress and worry she was feeling. “I wish I could they were, Hot Stuff. I’m not going to beat around the bush, because I don’t have time for that. Or, more accurately, my friend doesn’t have time for that.” 

She took a deep breath before continuing, mostly because she was sure that the much taller man wasn’t going to like what she was about to ask. “I’m rather hoping you’re feeling up to running a tracking spell, and then taking me through the Ways to find a friend of mine. I…. really don’t know where she is, and her cell phone’s lost signal. But she’s in trouble, otherwise she wouldn’t have called. I don’t really know many of the details of what she was doing other than she’s in over her head. And I can’t get find her on my own to go get her, or get to her in time.” 

Harry listened to her problem, and he was up with her and lending her aid until she asked him to take her through the ways. A hand went up and his fingers moved across the silver pentacle amulet that hung around his neck, and the red jewel that now sat in its center. Getting her through the ways wasn’t a problem, other than it was dangerous and they weren’t really sure where they were going. 

“We’re usually more durable.” Ashley shrugged.

“Okay so light.:” She nodded. “So electrics first then we can break out the lanterns and candles.”

She hit the nearest wall switch and watched the bulb in the ceiling flare, sputter and die.

Ettie stood next to her with a couple of crowbars over one shoulder. She looked up at the broken bulb. “Yeah, really not surprised that did that.” She offered one of the tools to Ashley. “Windows, their boarded up so we’re going to unboard them. And then remove all the doors except the basement door. Then we’ll break out the lanterns and road flares.”

Izzy smirked at her friend as she was released, even as she rolled her eyes with a faint snort. “I’m not being melodramatic. If you were here, you’d completely understand. From the uniforms they make us wear right down to the etiquette classes we have to take. Have to! Not because we want to. They’re required! Fucking A, who actually takes etiquette classes?” 

It wasn’t like she was ever going to be either Martha Stewart or the Queen of England or anyone who would ever need polished behavior. She hoped, anyway. Most of those people seemed like a cardboard cookie - pretty to look at, but lacking very little flavor or substance. 

Of course, drills with Ettie’s dad sounded as though they could be almost as much fun as etiquette classes. Possibly more if it involved something other than proper diction and vocabulary tests. When am I ever going to need finishing school etiquette?” 

Pulling a face upon hearing that the dress wouldn’t actually be needed, she shrugged and tossed the bag she’d brought with her over her shoulder into the back seat. “Well, that’s somewhat depressing. And here I was going to make sure that every guy in the room was looking at you. And every girl, for that matter.” Izzy picked up a long lock of dual colored hair and sighed gently, her voice full of confusion. “You know…. if it was something I had done on my own, I’d be cool with it.” The white blond mixed with the violet, the strands interlacing with no real rhyme or reason. “But I didn’t do it. I don’t understand. Last time I checked, purple wasn’t a color that happened to people on its own.” 

“A duchess.” Ettie answered briefly when she asked who needed to take uniform classes. “Maybe you’ll end up like in Princess Diaries, and you’ll inherit a kingdom and then you’ll be all pleased and happy about your fancy etiquette classes.” She teased.

Keeping her eyes on the road, she reached across and opened the glove box and pulled out a napkin with some writing on it, and a phone. “Here, find the address on google maps. But just make sure that the location is off. I don’t want my dad checking the history later to see where the hell I was if I get caught out later.”