#swynwolf

In which Belle, Ting-Ting, and Wolf discover what has been happening inside the Hauntley Inn and how to gain access to it...[takes place: June 25]

@princess-ting-ting, @wolf-innsheepsclothing

Find the rest of the My Heart is a Haunted House arc here...

[cw -- none]

*** *** ***

BELLE: Belle was in her element. 

She meant it when she said that she would help. Belle didn't want anything to happen to Snow, of course. And she knew that Hades would make good on his promise to burn the Inn down if the paranormal energy got any worse. He would be right to do it, but--she knew there was another way to fix it. There just had to be. 

So, she'd hauled half of her collection to Chapter Three, commandeering one of the tables near the back, where no one would bother them. Ting-Ting had brought along her sorcery books. There were books scattered haphazardly across the tables, some stacked, some open, some folded over with bookmarks in the form of scraps of paper. It was chaos, but she found that Ting-Ting was rather a good research partner and they'd gotten into a good flow. 

Even Matilda was a good study partner, barely making a peep. And providing soothing cuddles when Belle needed a quick researching break. 

She was getting there again as she rubbed at her temples. "I'm not finding anything about hauntings that lock out anyone from the space--" she said, fanning through the book she had been perusing. "Some poltergeist stuff, but I don't think Lady Miracle is that..." 

*** *** ***

[link here]

In which Bones, Elliot, Gem, and Wolf summon the Captain for answers...[takes place: June 16]

directly follows Slow is the Quicksand...

@elliot-morey, @bones-weary, @wolf-innsheepsclothing

[cw -- non-descriptive descriptions of drowning]

🔥🔥🔥.

GEM: Right, well, the harbingers of doom were gone.

Thank bloody fuck for that. Gem didn’t need any more stress or he was gonna get an ulcer on the ulcer he could already feel developing. Not to mention the migraine. He really did need a fucking nap. He wished he could curl up again on the settee in the Rose Room. He remembered the touch of Snow’s fingers in his hair like a ghost. 

Bad metaphor. 

Gem pulled a face as they headed into the garden. The day was overcast. The air damp. The ground damp too, from the storm last night. It squelched under their shoes as the pathetic party made their way to an unassuming patch of ground far enough away from the plants in the neat rows so as not to disturb them as they set up the candles Elliot had brought. 

Despite having a medium for a brother, Gem had never actually participated in a summoning. 

The whole thing kind of gave him the creeps. 

When he died, he would like to stay dead. No haunting the narrative for him. Please and thank you. 

“Right, so--how does this work exactly?” he asked his big brother, as he finished lighting the last of the candles. He put his hands on his hips as he scrutinized the middle of the circle where nothing was at all. 

🔥🔥🔥.

[link here]

In which Gem and Elliot head to the Inn the morning after prom to speak to the Captain, but are stopped not only by the Hauntley crew but other, unwelcome, guests...[takes place: June 16]

further reading...

The Unbecoming of Hauntley Manor When the Dust Settles (Interlude)

[cw -- talk of possession and murder/death, minor allusions to suicide]

🔥🔥🔥.

GEM: Gem’s truck pulled up to the Inn’s familiar grounds, though it was Elliot in the driver's seat. Gem’s head was still throbbing from last night and he felt a little sick to his stomach. Honestly, he wished he could sleep the whole weekend through before doing anything about this mess. But, he couldn’t. The guilt and worry had kept him up half the night, tossing and turning. Even as he tried to take deep breaths and calm himself. Part of his worry was for Snow, of course, but the other part was that if he fell asleep, he might burn Elliot’s bloody house down. Even if Elliot was a firefighter--he couldn’t put a fire out on his own. 

That hadn’t happened and Gem had managed to snatch a few hours. But he was up with the sun and down in Elliot’s kitchen with a pot of coffee when his brother finally showed up with a sleepy Penny. Gem waited impatiently in the car as Elliot handed Penny over to Jessica. 

Now, they were here. Later than Gem wanted, but he wanted to be back here as soon as he had left. His eyes trailed over the Inn’s outline. From the front, it looked untouched. Picture perfect in the early morning mist. 

A shiver ran up Gem’s spine anyway as he thought about what lurked inside. Part of him expected the ground to open up beneath the truck to swallow them whole. But, they managed to make it to the few parking spots. 

Though, another obstacle came towards them first: Wolf, with Bones following at a more leisurely pace a few strides back. 

Gem sighed through his nose, looking over his shoulder at his brother as they opened up their car doors. “Lemme handle this,” he said as he jumped out, boots crunching under the gravel. 

He waited for Wolf to get a little closer, even if he didn’t need to. His hands went to his pockets, but then he realized he was wearing his brother’s jeans, which were a little tight on him, so he put his hands on his hips, the way a dad surveying landscape might.

“Sup?” he said, casually. 

🔥🔥🔥.

[link here]