somebody call ix-i-i

the witch felt her feet move distinctly in the direction of the college.

"i'm amity." she knew she wasn't the most friendly person that he could run into, but at least she wasn't easy to take advantage of. "not really, just something i do when i'm stressed."

krit kept pace with her, walking exactly parallel and stealing curious glances at her as she spoke. in a hundred years, people changed so little. fashion, yes. styles, infrastructure, newly paved roads worn down over time. but there was not a feeling felt in the world that hadn't been felt before. from the warm throes of love, to the mild (and maybe not so mild) annoyance at an over-friendly stranger. if there was anything krit found comforting (and this was a very big if), it was in the little characteristics of humans that persisted and survived. how many people had krit annoyed into accommodating him over the years?

he grinned every time.

"then i am even more grateful." she was helping him withoutu any expectation. "i'll do my best to not bother you too much on the way. how about something more useful, then: a fountain pen? fresh paper? a new laptop?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye, only half-joking.

"good name. perhaps a little tiring to live up to all the time. but perhaps also a good prophecy." oh, the power of a name. "ah. is it exam season? you must be drowning in work."

The rooftop was supposed to be empty. Kate had checked that. Mostly. Approximately. Which, in hindsight, was not the same thing as secure perimeter confirmed.

She crouched behind an HVAC unit anyway, bow half-drawn, squinting across the skyline like she could intimidate the problem into revealing itself.

“Okay...” She muttered under her breath, more to herself than anything. “If I were a mildly unhinged artifact smuggler with questionable taste in rooftops, where would I be hiding?”

There was a moment she allowed for herself to focus. Then she leaned slightly to the side and saw movement.

“…Oh, come on.” Kate straightened just enough to peek over the unit and immediately froze. Not because of the target. Because the other was already there. In a way that felt like this wasn’t a mess Kate had just sprinted into with three incorrect assumptions and a rapidly lowering sense of dignity.

The woman lowered her bow slowly.

“…Please tell me,” She called out, voice carrying across the space, “that you are either here to help me or here to dramatically explain why I didn’t need to come up here at all.”

Her mouth twitched despite herself. “And if it’s the second one, I’m going to be annoyed in a very professional capacity.”

Kritsada reached the rooftop Hawkeye would soon arrive at. Stationed to do…whatever it was she was doing. Catch him and the smuggler. Apparently.

An admirable effort on her part. The training they all underwent in that elementary school was amounting to something at least. Krit actually thought it best to raincheck the meeting with the smuggler rather than go through with it. Best to avoid any skirmishes that might get the attention of louder, more annoying people. Especially for a personal purchase — an amphora potentially inscribed with ancient magic could wait. It was only just potential after all.

Still, it felt rude to keep the hero waiting.

So he arrived a little earlier than her intel would have suggested. And he was the one who waited.

It was tricky organising black market dealings in New Elias, and he had wanted to step out of the Underland for some cleaner air, so this block of buildings bordering the Old and New Eliases did the trick. The rooftop belonged to some ancient apartment building, and you could see the Elias Museum of History and Art twinkling in the distance, along with all the other shiny buildings. If he was going to entertain a hero tonight, might as well give it a good view.

He took to pacing the rooftop, letting himself be seen, kicking a single pebble back and forth. When he heard her voice calling out, he had to smile.

"Sorry?" he called back out. Krit feigned innocence, but the interest in his eyes was genuine. It had been a long time since he came across a superhero in the flesh. "It's the second one, I'm afraid — with sincerest apologies, " he put his hands up just in case, "I was meant to meet up with someone who said they had an antique to sell — I assume the seller ditched me without warning. Unless lurking in the shadows is a new business tactic," he asked, with a comical shrug. "I should stop trusting strangers on the interne —" Krit squinted, "is that a bow and arrow?"

casimir’s grin sharpened at that, gaze drifting toward the bowls where the water now stirred just a little too aggressively beneath the carnival lights. “exactly,” he said smoothly, plucking a ball from the counter and weighing it in his palm. “they spend their whole lives begging for magic, then act shocked when it bites.” he glanced sidelong at krit, amusement flickering warm in his expression. “honestly, we’re improving the experience. goldfish are forgettable, don't you think?”

krit knew more than most how biting magic could be. "...so forgettable." krit leaned to look into the bowls, the golden scales morphing to a darker sheen. "these...are darling. they better appreciate them. it might actually be too good for them now." he swirled his fork at the water again, and the teeth got sharper.

he wolfed down the rest of the naco, threw the box off to the side, and took out a bag of dried insects. he sprinkled them across the bowls and the water churned even more.

then he ate some insects too, offering the bag out to cas. "have you been to the locust recently? are they selling anything other than nuts and seeds now, because i think if hopper sells these," he shook the bag of bugs, "it could do very well."

the underland was a far cry from middleton. semra knew that much even before setting foot in the city. the cookie-cutter, suburban life of middleton was child's play. it was cushy and, quite frankly, boring. although she would never admit it out loud, life without the presence of kim possible was stale. the villainy didn't leave her with the same satisfaction. the move was needed.

the underland was a playground. it almost terrified her how little the rules applied. as long as you were in the good graces of hades, the world was at your fingertips. drakken working with the big boss himself meant that they were moving up fast in the world. all she needed was for drakken not to mess this up. now that she was here, semra couldn't imagine going back. she had tasted the darkness this city offered and it was intoxicating.

what she didn't expect was a little welcome party for her arrival. hospitality wasn't high on her list. so when this guy came to her side, her natural instinct was to be on high alert. semra wasn't exactly known for her pleasant personality. "is that so?" she inquired, leaning against the bar table on folded arms. "i never play nice but i'll make an exception for free drinks." she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "is it that obvious?" semra eyed his hand for a moment before reaching out to give it a firm shake. "semra. the verdict is still out on if this is a pleasure or not."

he mirrored her lean and nodded. "mmhmm." a moment after her scoff, two drinks arrived. "for the lady, an apple from the garden of hesperides." a concoction made with greek ouzo, calvados, syrup, several bitters, and a lemon twist on top. he slid the lowball glass to her. his own drink was simply called aristaios. the drinks menu at inferno would never be lacking.

krit took a sip of his drink. "no, not obvious at all. i've just been waiting for you." lights reflected off his glass, shining across his smile. "the good doctor's probably off having his own kind of fun, so why shouldn't you?" around them, the dancefloor pounded with the feet of euphoric clubgoers, and he knew that between them flowed the threads of nectar being transacted and taken. he twirled his finger out to the air. "what are you looking to find tonight, pleasure…or not?"

⸻🍂 &. THEY STILL THREW IT ON THE ground? As she looked at them mildly-familiarized.

While that reminded them of someone they used to know. “ Thanks ⸻ sir-ghostly-slurps-alot-of-past-decembers. I will remember that for next time. ” As her tone was light &. playful regardless of the chill beginning to seep into her bones. While she squinted at his comment ⸻ as her mind raced. As her thoughts rippled like the roots of an plant seeking water in dry-soil. Either this is an human-term she didn't know much about . . . or where dicks something seasonal in the human realm?

She would ask Luz about it later instead of asking an stranger. Look at them both ⸻ demoninning without realizing it ⸻ in the kind of way she also wanted to uproot Orions coffin to see if there body was inside. Only to have unplanned-company meet in the middle. As she kneeled down at the base of ‘ Orion Bartholomew ’ headstone ⸻ her fingertips resting against the stone first. While she thought the stone would feel cold but . . . sunlight had collected there all afternoon.

While that surprised her. As the warmth felt . . . soft &. inviting as that was the wrong words for grave markers. Yet she leaned her entire body against the headstone feeling something in her chest respond to it with an ache she hadn't braced herself for yet. While this grave was tied to many missing names &. to many questions no one would give an straight answer to. They died knowing the truth of it all. But Sir-Slurps-Alots phone came up to view ⸻

catching her at leaning against the grave ⸻ as her smokey-quartz behind glasses looked directly into the lens with the flat patience of someone who had been underestimated enough times to have stopped being polite about it an long time ago. While she lets sunset-green rise in her pupils ⸻ concentrating just enough of her magic to catch the glass of her glasses to bend her reflection. &. when the mimed-picture was taken of her ⸻ it didn't take all of her if it was taken for real.

Only her dutch-braided ebony-jade colored hair ⸻ nanochip-hairclip⸻ the distinctive pointed ears showed clear against the headstone ⸻ but an sunset-green sunglare showed someone feminine there but without an good image of there face. “ No. Not directly. ” As she gently-spoke in an different tongue “ aún no ⸻ pero espero cambiar eso. ” As she could feel something ⸻ in an eerie ⸻ more plant-kind-of way that made her want to stay.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Charming sobriquet. How very Victorian."

What an odd creature she was. Krit watched, having nowhere else to be and with his destination fully occupied by someone seemingly as curious as he. He settled his heels into the ground. And for a moment, he was able to just observe without feeling that bubbling need to interrupt, to take the scene by the reins and steer it towards his or his master's purpose. This was just a strange girl investigating the headstone of a soon-to-be forgotten man. He almost wanted her to find something.

When she leaned her whole body against the headstone, he quirked an eyebrow. Okay, he thought.

Krit continued sipping his drink, his lips lifting to a smirk at the look on her face — he should have just taken a photo, just to spite her. But that would have required proper care for the damn idea, and energy he did not want to waste.

By the time she started speaking again, he'd finished his drink and tossed it aside (for that, he had the energy). And it was in that same moment that he saw her in this new angle, her investigation bringing her face closer to the stone, and he saw her pointy ears for the first time. Huh. Interesting.

"…so, no," he concluded. Krit stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Intriguing. Continue," he responded, understanding her perfectly well but not bothering to speak the same tongue back to her. If the girl was about to do something even more irreverent than he himself intended, this he had to see.

chess was fully aware at this stage of the game that the character of potato chip the cat was one they had assumed responsibility for. on this night in particular, there were waves of people that came in, more than the cat had ever seen, and neither of the people who were supposed to be here were anywhere to be found.

it was clear what had to be done.

it did seem that curly trusted the two women she left in charge of the shop, but that didn't say too much to chess. trusting of almost anyone, curly was - it was clear in how she found home in the dingiest part of town and brought the world to see it. she was careless, that mermaid, whether she believed it or not. someone was going to have to watch her shop while she was gone and that someone was going to be named after a spud.

chess laid down in his spot, an elevated point on a shelf that had been cleared off just for him, and he watched as people weaved in and out between tables and shelves. there weren't many points where the cat had to intervene - only when he thought someone may take something that didn't belong to them - but from this spot he could see almost everything. so he sat, watched, and waited.

casimir moved through the grotto like he belonged there, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket as he casually weaved between crowded shelves and tables. there was always something amusing about places like this during an event... too many people, too much noise, enough distractions for all kinds of fun. exactly why he’d agreed to meet krit here. whether that fun involved mild theft, harmless sabotage, or simply making someone’s night significantly more inconvenient remained to be seen.

“you’re late,” he muttered the second he caught sight of krit, mouth curving into a crooked grin. “i was beginning to think you’d developed a conscience, which honestly would be tragic for our friendsh—” he stopped short, brows knitting together as his gaze flicked toward the back of the shop, then the front door, then somewhere in between. something prickled unpleasantly at the back of his neck, like static crawling over skin. not danger exactly, but attention. unwanted and lingering. his grin faltered just slightly. “...do you smell that?” @kritikalhit

krit entered the space, drink in hand, and a curly straw tucked between his lips. he never could resist a fun, silly new drink. the afternoon had been amusing, to say the least. hanging off his left wrist was a new silver bracelet he'd purchased. could they not have this kind of soiree without the vexing presence of the new elias cub scouts? was it really so hard for miss ariel to be a team player?

he made an extra loud slurp as a greeting to his partner in crime.

"conscience? wash your mouth —"

then he, too, stopped short. he flexed his neck to be rid of that prickly feeling, like he'd sensed the pressure in the area was different. not what they expected. they were not alone.

partner in crime seemed almost too simple for casimir and kritsada. there were times when they seemed to move with one mind, and whatever cas noticed in this moment, krit did as well. as cas scanned the area, krit took a slower approach. he closed his eyes to focus. and at casimir's words, he inhaled deeply, searching for whatever it was that hid from them. "i do. something warm. something…"

with his eyes still closed, he paused to listen. the only other customer there had passed by krit as he arrived, engaging in a conversation with one of the shop helpers at the very front of the store. no one else was meant to be here. he tilted his head to listen better. there was the beat of footsteps outside the grotto, the gentle rattle of wind chimes near the back of the shop, his and casimir's heartbeats….and a third.

"…something small."

whoever it was, they were still watching. the grotto had been their meeting point because they were meant to find something useful here, whether it was information on ariel, or some fortuitous artefact sitting pretty on a display shelf that could be utilised for their own means. eyes still closed, his head turned to where his senses honed in on their mysterious companion.

"...something strange."

when he finally stopped to open his eyes, it was at a set of shelves, otherwise boring and full of trinkets like the others, except for its occupant.

krit smirked, glancing at cas. "μεταμορφωτής." { a shapeshifter. }

then he looked at the hidden creature dead in the eyes. @chessmorrigan

the witch had no need to go to the underland. a place like that was as chaotic as the boiling isles. chaos had never been amity's favorite thing about the place either. she'd loved her rules and structure, even though luz had taught her that it wasn't always good to have rules. still, she had no real need to visit the underland and honestly unless luz or her friends needed her to, she didn't see a reason to go. she took note of the landscape, the bridge, and the people around in her notebook.

there was a sort of chill in the air when the other spoke. she hadn't felt like that with another person in a long time. maybe it was the way his accent changed or the words themselves. amity had never been good around strangers. she tucked her notebook into her bag and kept her hand there, feeling for the mini cauldron of abomination goo she had in here. "i'm heading back that way if you want to join me."

he saw where her hand stayed, as if on guard, or perhaps just looking for something in her bag. a helpful map? a taser? but at her offer, his expression softened and he put a hand on his chest with a relieved sigh. "oh, you have no idea how much you just saved my life. i'm incredibly grateful." his handsome smile widened. "let me buy you a coffee or some other sort of treat along the way. least i could do."

krit took a step up the path, tilting his head while looking at her as if to ask: this way, right?

"i'm krit, by the way. i saw you were taking notes…" he mimed scribbling in the air, "were you working on something here?"

closed starter for @kritikalhit ft. the grand re-opening of the grotto !

cas had never been one to pass up an opportunity for a little… creative tampering, and the grotto’s reopening had handed him one gift-wrapped in bright colors and cheap prizes. he lingered beside the fish bowl game, fingers drumming lazily against the rim of the stand while his gaze flicked between the unsuspecting crowd and the neat row of glass bowls glinting under the lights. each one promised a harmless little goldfish: sweet, dull, forgettable. how boring. his lip curled faintly as he tilted his head toward krit, voice slipping low and amused. “you ever notice how people never question what they’re given, just so long as it looks pretty enough?”

there was one thing he could appreciate about the event, and that was the better food. krit stabbed his fork into a naco from the bueno nacho stand and had a bite of it. his eyes remained fixed on the crowd, seeing their smiling faces, their wary ones. when he heard cas speak, he didn't look down at him but he smirked. "beauty of humanity, that is. falling for every pretty face, pretty thing, pretty party," he waved his fork lazily around them. for the millionth time in his new life, he was grateful to no longer be part of that. "and then they call it 'wonder'." krit finally looked down at the fish. "we'll be doing them a huge favour."

——— nothing happened in the underland without hades knowing. it was the rule that everyone knew. people had tried to test the limits, see how far they could go without getting caught, but their luck always ran out. any temporary gain they received was no match for the consequences they faced at the hands of an angry god. so when hades heard tales of this little reopening, he pondered. was this girl foolish or naive to move her business to the underland. he chalked it up to both. her nativity was something he could use for his personal gain. it was all strategy and business with hades. opportunities were everywhere. if he couldn't find one, he'd make them. the scene of the downtown festivities was projected onto a tv screen through a ball of mist in the middle of hades' office. the oracle sisters had gifted him an all-seeing eye. it was one of the many ways he had been keeping tabs on his kingdom. he watched as unsuspecting citizens laughed and enjoyed all this reopening had to offer. "shame, i wasn't consulted about this move let alone the event." hades hummed as he heard the footsteps of one of the boys. "you think they would ask their king permission to do such things." he turned to krit, flicking the lit cigarette that was in his hand into the ashtray. "i believe you and cas should send a little message on my behalf."

kritsada held a coffee in his hand, and his phone in the other. this was going to be one of those days that felt like the start of a new chapter in their life here in elias. all such starts came from someone's frivolous idea, and hades, casimir, and him needing to address the consequences of it. did no one appreciate a solid line anymore? weren't they content with their shining mirage of a city? who on earth thought elias would be allowed to inch their territory closer into the underland, without the underland pushing back? no matter how sweetly packaged everything was.

but, of course, the nature of the pushback all depended on the god in his office.

krit crossed the threshold, sipping and savouring the roasted beans from lucky cat cafe ( just because he didn't want them to come into here, doesn't mean he can't walk across and sate his appetite there ). his eyes locked onto the shifting tv screen, watching all the preparation going on with a grimace. out of habit, he looked around the corner for the old hags but, by the grace of hell, the oracles were not there.

"in their pursuit of goodness, they've become reckless. do my eyes deceive me, or was that horace building a haus of de vil…shack?" personally, krit was a fan of the de vil woman's fashions (he'd collected a few pieces over the years) but even this was a faux pas he couldn't ignore. "consider it done. are you thinking a light touch, or shall we sink our teeth into something?"

normally ariel would have the patience of a patron saint, even in situations such as this one - where the conversation did not make a whole lot of sense. she wasn't one to assume nefariousness right away, but she was wary now as she looked past the stranger toward the direction he would eventually have to go, if he was telling the truth. the placement of the whole affair, the feeling in her gut - neither allowed her to believe this was completely innocent. though she didn't have the knowledge or the nerve to voice otherwise.

"well," she began gently. "there's a trolley that goes through the city. you'll have a hard time getting to new elias from here on foot. take it to the end of the line and follow signs for university way. it's hard to miss at that point." shuffling then, fighting a bit of restlessness, she shifted her tote bag from one shoulder to the other. "i'd guide you, but i have to run an errand before my event this afternoon. oh!" ariel held up a finger, a signal of wait, before digging into her bag and producing a flyer to hand off. "here! if you get bored after your ... adventure."

"my poor sense of direction is just ridiculous at this point," he shook his head at himself. "but your directions are much easier to follow than a map, so i shouldn't be finding myself accidentally in coolsville by the end of the day. trolley, end of line, signs to university way." krit pointed out a finger for each piece of information. "thank you." yet despite signs of a conversation ending, he lingered. to make a show of it, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the buildings behind her, catching the corner of her curly hair in the photo. come now, miss nystrom, where's that hospitality?

"if it's on the way, i could —" he blinked at the held up finger, and again at the offered piece of paper. krit took it carefully, reading it with a blank expression. ah, yes. he feigned surprise. "that's today, is it? sounds like quite the party. so i'd have to…?" he made a show of pointing all the way up to new elias, and then pointing back down across the bridge. "well. you've got a busy ahead of you. and congratulations on your re-opening," he nodded, folding up the flyer and pocketing it. there was already a copy of it folded in his other pocket. "if we're going the same way, i'd love to help. at least until you meet up with the rest of your team."

——— now that he worked for hopper it was pointless for leo to portal into the underland. any stealth he had going for him prior was wash away once he became the face for the locust in. a small price he paid in the name of getting information. he was used to being the face man after all but being tossed to the public was new. uncomfortable. the shadows was where his home had always been and now leo was thrust into the light in a way he never imagined. it was his own doing, so he would learn to live with it.

it didn't make the choice any less hard.

crossing the bridge was never fun for a variety of reasons. one, it was scary as hell. hades had an aesthetic he clearly liked to stick to. now, leo wasn't one to judge but the the bridge to the underland did feel like he was going straight to the pits of hell every time. and two, the walk was long for no good reason. hades couldn't have invested in an elevator with all the money he had?

his nightly routine back from the underland was usually quiet, minus donnie blowing up his phone and threatening him to return home as soon as possible and not 'do anything to get himself killed'. his twin was worried and leo didn't blame him. he hadn't exactly eased donnie's mind as of late. so when a voice called to him, leo stilled.

he had seen the guy before. the slider had been to inferno a few times. Still, he swore he had seen him other places in the underland. "that's a bad accent buddy." he replied easily. "yeah, i know what i'm doing. i do ... it's up that way." leo said pointing in the direction of the big, bright city of new elias. "keep going until you see a statue of the late, great michael mouse and you're there."

as the figure neared him, krit tried to place it in his memory. the inferno? likely. a casual visitor? or was he another little face tilted up to the ceiling of their holy club, seeking a high that only sweet nectar could bring?

no, no, the face didn't hold the addled look of a user, nor the stupor of a regular partygoer. what was a boy like him doing, walking out of the underland, emerging like venus from the foam? and with such purpose too.

a stranger. one who now had the luck of having krit put a magnifying glass to him.

time to find out more!

krit pushed himself off the lamp, shrugging. "merci, i try," he said with a nod. the demon squinted up at the pointed direction. "see, that's where i just came from! i couldn't spot it for the life of me. if it's not too much trouble…" he gestured up the road with an apologetic smile, "could you help a fool out? i was hoping to make it to this tour thing, though i've probably missed it by now." krit rolled his eyes at himself, as if to say 'oh! silly me'. "probably not that great if his shiny statue can't even be used as a decent landmark. whatever happened to urban planning?"

hopper didn’t slow when the voice called out, just cut his eyes sideways at krit like he’d already clocked the act from twenty feet away. he let the question hang for a beat too long before huffing a quiet, humorless laugh. “yeah, no,” he muttered, finally turning his head. “you don’t look lost. you look bored.” his gaze flicked up and down, taking in the posture, the placement, the way he’d picked his spot like it mattered. “and nobody who actually needs directions picks this stretch to ask for ‘em.”

he stepped a little closer, just enough to make it clear he wasn’t playing along, expression flat with mild annoyance. “so drop the accent, drop the act, and save it for your little partner in crime...” he added, voice low and edged. "wait- where is the dumb to your dumber?"

he widened his grin, almost comically, letting a bit of the demon show in the sharpness of his teeth and the eerie stretch of his mouth. "you see, that's exactly the kind of wisdom and advice i needed. didn't i say i was all turned around? now look at you go. advising me." he lifted the palm of his hand as if it was a notepad and began writing imaginary notes. "don't…ask questions…at the bridge…done."

whatever direction hopper was walking, krit followed. what a happy circumstance this turned out to be.

with the noontime sun shining down on them, krit squinted at hopper's face. he didn't think he'd ever seen the man in the elias daylight. "…so you've always looked like that? hmm." at the question, he shrugged. "somewhere. i'll call him up, shall i, make it a boys' trip?"

it was the one day a week that the grotto was closed in its entirety, where neither ariel or mavis had to show up to the shop. still, had found herself there first thing in the morning - cleaning, rearranging, and getting ready for the new week. however, as a promise to herself, she was out of there the moment the clock struck twelve - a vow to keep her afternoon off open to leisure and not much else.

the walk across the bridge from the underland back to her home was much different in the daylight. the other side shone like a beacon where the sun peaked through, a level of detail always missing after dark. of course, it was less likely she would opt out of a trolley ride once the sun fell, but ariel was guilty of living on the edge from time to time. there was no other view in the city quite like a manmade portal between worlds. even under the glow of a streetlamp, ariel preferred that to a moving car.

the energy shifted almost immediately too once borders were crossed, from the architecture to the greetings from strangers. it was far more likely to be pulled into random conversation the further you got from the underland. maybe that was why it was a little jarring to be flagged down so close to the gate.

"good afternoon," ariel said politely to the gentleman, with a sweet but shallow smile to match. "well, that's on the new side of town. far from here, i'm afraid." she looked to the bridge, comical in length with an obvious destination. what direction did this man come from? it would answer a lot of questions, but the princess was too cordial to ask. "are you looking to enroll?"

ah! speak of the devil. was today his lucky day?

he made sure to keep his posture unimposing: hands behind his back, shoulders curled in slightly, but if one were to find the right angle, they would be able to see the glint in his eye, as if a hunt only known to him had started. how easy it was to slip into this mode, so easy that he wondered if he ever slipped out of it at all.

"hmmm, is that so?" he mused aloud. krit looked up and around at the buildings of old elias. his swivelling took his gaze past ariel's shoulder, behind her, at the bridge to the underland. his eyebrows rose, playing the part of confused wanderer, but didn't say anything about that shadowy place. "how i got here, i'll never know. i'd be grateful for a few directions if you're not too busy." he took his gaze up the road to the rest of elias.

"oh, no, no." time for a bit of honesty. "well. truth be told, i've always thought about it. but that's not where life is taking me right now. i'd just...like to see it."

⸻🍂 WILLOW WAS STARTLED BY THE SOUND OF the slurp that her shoulders tightened.

&. for one disorienting second all she can focus on was that bright ⸻ wet sound of them drinking an smoothie . . . in an haunted-cemetery? Then she saw an crumpled flyer arc through the air &. land on the ground. While her midnight-jade brows pulled together behind her glasses. ' Ok, ' she thought to themselves ⸻ as dry as the paper-flyer they crumpled &. discarded earlier.

“ Great to know littering is apparently part of your haunting technique. ” Snatching the crumpled-flyer as she tucked it into her luna-moth adventure bag ⸻ because someone had to. As she spent half the morning weaving through rows of graves &. this . . . fitted jester in this haunted-court of spirits with an smoothie had managed to find it first by acting like the cemetery owed them directions. She was impressed as much as she was vexed.

“ Ghost of Christmas-Past? Really? In spring? Bold choice ⸻ ” As her gloved-fingers ran up-&.-down her bag-strap excitedly as she stepped closer. While the air buzzed with insects as she wanted to get closer to make sure. “ ⸻ &. your first instinct as the Ghost-of-Christmas-Past was finding this particular grave ⸻ ” as she made an gesture ⸻ deliberately towards the headstone “ ⸻ was a . . . selfie? ” She tilted her head wondering if they knew ⸻ Orion Bartholomew ⸻ or where they just having an really specific kind of morning-plan?

He watched with mild interest as she picked up the discarded flyer. "There's a bin back there, I think," he said, pointing vaguely behind him, slurping again at his drink. Krit ignored her as she spoke, circling around so he could see and read Orion's headstone more fully.

"Can't a guy enjoy Dickens in the spring?" There really wasn't much to the headstone. No essay, no loved ones left behind. He was dead. Gone. Part of him wondered if he should begin kicking aside some dirt to check that the bastard was actually in there, but he figured his (unexpected) company was going to be a little too sensitive for that.

He stopped his circling and faced her with an amused expression. "...am I in trouble? It's really not that deep," he started, slipping into a well-practised mask, "you got a mysterious recent death, a creepy headstone, and all in the most haunted place in town? Selfie," he mimed taking a picture of her with his hand. "And what are you doing here, paying your respects? Did you know him?" Krit asked, arching an eyebrow, paying more attention.