Follow the misadventures of Melanie Southgate, Daughter of Melinoë, as she proceeds to acquire birbs, get her family to behave and have an actual life. Starts 1991, considerable amounts of artistic freedom taken. Comments are explicitly welcome, if only the occasional head pat or slap. I enjoy both in equal measure.
Ghostly Dance : First Step (HP/PJO)
- Thread starter Xasure Higeki
- Start date
- Crossover
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 58
- Recent readers
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Statistics (5 threadmarks, 11k words)
User Total Xasure Higeki 5
Grave Dreams
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
AN
First Chapter serves little purpose beyond establishing the base facts of the circumstances, abilities and identity of the MC. It can be skipped, as most will be implied or mentioned more closely in the story itself. Notably, this is a monologue based on a quest intro. The story itself is in third person, not second person.
Hello there, little one
Oh, what or who I am, you ask? I am just part of a trio of three beautiful ladies who love to spin yarn. My name is not important.
You on the other hand? You are quite important indeed. Special little snowflakes, all of you.
Let's take a look. Oh my, you certainly didn´t inherit their looks, but we have to look deeper. Perhaps a peek in your past will enlighten you to the future?
You were for most of your admittedly short life so far, 10 Solar rotations, or as humanity calls them, years, rather unnoticed. Sure, you were noted as having some cognitive weaknesses, an impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words and to focus, paying attention, but that was quickly swallowed by the unending gears of the system.
Indeed, your early life was quite blessed as they may say, although we both know that the homelife of one such as you is never quite up to the cuff. The fair isles you call home are also the home to such things as your American cousins would be hard pressed to believe. As the saying goes, the Brits are a weird folk. Your family was …
Oh my, how scandalous, how juicy.
Ah, indeed, the black sheep of the house of Hades. Was never quite sure what people were expecting her to become if they kept her locked up in a cave. Fits with your lonesome nature, however.
You were born of a unity between her, being out of her cave at night, as always, and a man who not fled her terrors, but embraced them. Not quite used to not being rejected, be it for her appearance or personality, she was pleasantly surprised at his calm and friendly nature, yet fiery hunger for adventure.
What they had, it could not be quite called love, but they had affection for each other. The unity bore fruit, and that was an adventure in itself. Melinoë had to sneak around more than usual. Sure, her parents did not pay her an iota of attention, but they had plenty of ears and eyes in the underworld, and any overlong stays in the mortal world would rouse suspicion.
Yet, it was this change in routine that invigorated her. Well, that and the prolonged social contact with an actual person. Who would have guessed. She learned, to a degree, to appreciate life once more. Oh, she didn´t become an angel, but she became a bit more … humane.
And then you were born. Her little red pearl. Oh, indeed, you inherited not much of her looks, though that may change with your growth. but you had already quite the impact on your parents. Melinoë became a parent. And she owned up to the occasion. She had been locked in a cage for most of her life and she would not repeat the same mistakes her parents made with her.
She was not the warmest of mothers, true, but she showed you that despite the many difficulties you were facing , be it of physical, mental or emotional sorts, she would be there in the end. Even if she had to break the rules a bit. Indeed, she taught you that the only thing you can always rely on was yourself.
Your father, on the other hand, was the one who taught you the virtue of diligence and perseverance. Both by words and actions, by putting up with your mother´s rather … tendency to rant about everything, and scare it into submission if she didn´t get her way. No, he was her equal, not giving an inch without proper discussion in the relationship.
As the first born of a god, especially one who was aware of such matters, you had gained quite the amount of abilities from your mother's side. Truthfully, were you born under one of the great gods, you would be in the class of Achilles and many others.
First of all, a natural ability for those of the underworld, is the movement through shadows. Quite the useful ability, as it allows one to skip the pesky walking sequences. All shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, as a future uncle of yours will put it.
More interesting however is that your affinity to the spirits of the deceased may even yet outshine that of your mother´s siblings. Not only can you interact with them, but you command as much respect as equines would pay to a son of the horse lord. The sheer possibilities, considering the world you are about to enter. You can even call forth spirits of the recently dead, an ability that you have been warned could draw the eye of Hades if you were to call back souls of the long dead. But, that wouldn´t put you above the rest, now would it ? No, you have an affinity for the Anima of things. I will be eager to see what kind of creatures you will call forth.
Beyond that, you have an innate knowledge of death rites, and most interestingly, the ability to manipulate nightmares on a minor scale as of yet. You can cause them alright, and even see into them, but the details are yet outside of your grasp.
But perhaps more interesting to such a young mind as yours is that you have magic. Yes, indeed, magic. From your dad, to be exact. Oh, he is technically the legacy of Hecate, but that is of little relevance here.
Yes, you have magic, tone down the mental cheering. The magical world is somewhat of a mixed pot, originally attempted by the gods of crossroads, diplomacy, neutrality and so on in an attempt to create a neutral ground between the pantheons. As expected, that didn´t work out and they quite quickly abandoned that project. The remains seem to have forgotten that tidbit of their history, and here we are, the modern magical world.
That reminds me, what day and age do we have ? It is quite easily forgotten if you interact with time on a different level.
Ah, right, that Potter welp is about to attend that hogwash school. Quite the interesting individual. Especially since they have brushed with death a few times. One may suspect that they are a demigod of some kind, though none of ours...
Right, back to you. You have certainly two rather opposing parents when it gets to having a role model.
Your mother certainly took a liking to the goth punk culture. Not surprising, given her history. If you were to follow her example, you are most likely an individualist, the kind to flaunt the rules and enjoy the craziness of life. She even became somewhat of an icon in the local scene.
Your Father on the other hand was a military man, muggleborn, so he was rather straight lined. While not all that rule attached, he was very order focused, although still kind. He was the one who taught you how to work, how to apply yourself.
Ah, you take after your mother, it seems. A rebel in heart, blood and mind, trueborn. They are always the most fun, always struggling to break the rules. You will certainly be entertaining. But this was quite a lot at once, so before your little brain gets fried, let's recap.
You are the daughter of Melinoë and Robert, conceived on a fateful night in one of the many haunted locations on the isles. You were raised in a manner that forced you to confront problems very early, and by yourself. You were still loved, but diligence and endurance to see your tasks through was the core value you learned. However, that came at the cost of having a hard time recognizing the need for assistance. As the daughter of the greek goddess of spirits, you have various abilities, such as affinities and authority towards the spirits, innate knowledge about death rites, nightmare control and shadow travel. You yourself have followed the path of the punk, self expression, choosing to wear the traditional underworld colours of black with pale skin with a new hip of a cheerful goth punk. Your hair is unique, being the colour of Quince blossoms.
But wait, we have forgotten the most important detail.
What is your name ?
Indeed, you are Melanie Southgate, daughter of Melinoë and Robert Southgate, and this is your adventure. Perhaps it would do well for you to have some time before you start off into the wild magical world. But now, it is time for you to awake. The sun has fallen and your mother is about to riot once more through the night. Well, she is mostly telling others to do it nowadays. Regardless. It is time for you to awaken.
Oh ? Who am I ? Quite the loaded question you ask there.
Eh, just call me Sis for now.
First Chapter serves little purpose beyond establishing the base facts of the circumstances, abilities and identity of the MC. It can be skipped, as most will be implied or mentioned more closely in the story itself. Notably, this is a monologue based on a quest intro. The story itself is in third person, not second person.
Hello there, little one
Oh, what or who I am, you ask? I am just part of a trio of three beautiful ladies who love to spin yarn. My name is not important.
You on the other hand? You are quite important indeed. Special little snowflakes, all of you.
Let's take a look. Oh my, you certainly didn´t inherit their looks, but we have to look deeper. Perhaps a peek in your past will enlighten you to the future?
You were for most of your admittedly short life so far, 10 Solar rotations, or as humanity calls them, years, rather unnoticed. Sure, you were noted as having some cognitive weaknesses, an impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words and to focus, paying attention, but that was quickly swallowed by the unending gears of the system.
Indeed, your early life was quite blessed as they may say, although we both know that the homelife of one such as you is never quite up to the cuff. The fair isles you call home are also the home to such things as your American cousins would be hard pressed to believe. As the saying goes, the Brits are a weird folk. Your family was …
Oh my, how scandalous, how juicy.
Ah, indeed, the black sheep of the house of Hades. Was never quite sure what people were expecting her to become if they kept her locked up in a cave. Fits with your lonesome nature, however.
You were born of a unity between her, being out of her cave at night, as always, and a man who not fled her terrors, but embraced them. Not quite used to not being rejected, be it for her appearance or personality, she was pleasantly surprised at his calm and friendly nature, yet fiery hunger for adventure.
What they had, it could not be quite called love, but they had affection for each other. The unity bore fruit, and that was an adventure in itself. Melinoë had to sneak around more than usual. Sure, her parents did not pay her an iota of attention, but they had plenty of ears and eyes in the underworld, and any overlong stays in the mortal world would rouse suspicion.
Yet, it was this change in routine that invigorated her. Well, that and the prolonged social contact with an actual person. Who would have guessed. She learned, to a degree, to appreciate life once more. Oh, she didn´t become an angel, but she became a bit more … humane.
And then you were born. Her little red pearl. Oh, indeed, you inherited not much of her looks, though that may change with your growth. but you had already quite the impact on your parents. Melinoë became a parent. And she owned up to the occasion. She had been locked in a cage for most of her life and she would not repeat the same mistakes her parents made with her.
She was not the warmest of mothers, true, but she showed you that despite the many difficulties you were facing , be it of physical, mental or emotional sorts, she would be there in the end. Even if she had to break the rules a bit. Indeed, she taught you that the only thing you can always rely on was yourself.
Your father, on the other hand, was the one who taught you the virtue of diligence and perseverance. Both by words and actions, by putting up with your mother´s rather … tendency to rant about everything, and scare it into submission if she didn´t get her way. No, he was her equal, not giving an inch without proper discussion in the relationship.
As the first born of a god, especially one who was aware of such matters, you had gained quite the amount of abilities from your mother's side. Truthfully, were you born under one of the great gods, you would be in the class of Achilles and many others.
First of all, a natural ability for those of the underworld, is the movement through shadows. Quite the useful ability, as it allows one to skip the pesky walking sequences. All shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, as a future uncle of yours will put it.
More interesting however is that your affinity to the spirits of the deceased may even yet outshine that of your mother´s siblings. Not only can you interact with them, but you command as much respect as equines would pay to a son of the horse lord. The sheer possibilities, considering the world you are about to enter. You can even call forth spirits of the recently dead, an ability that you have been warned could draw the eye of Hades if you were to call back souls of the long dead. But, that wouldn´t put you above the rest, now would it ? No, you have an affinity for the Anima of things. I will be eager to see what kind of creatures you will call forth.
Beyond that, you have an innate knowledge of death rites, and most interestingly, the ability to manipulate nightmares on a minor scale as of yet. You can cause them alright, and even see into them, but the details are yet outside of your grasp.
But perhaps more interesting to such a young mind as yours is that you have magic. Yes, indeed, magic. From your dad, to be exact. Oh, he is technically the legacy of Hecate, but that is of little relevance here.
Yes, you have magic, tone down the mental cheering. The magical world is somewhat of a mixed pot, originally attempted by the gods of crossroads, diplomacy, neutrality and so on in an attempt to create a neutral ground between the pantheons. As expected, that didn´t work out and they quite quickly abandoned that project. The remains seem to have forgotten that tidbit of their history, and here we are, the modern magical world.
That reminds me, what day and age do we have ? It is quite easily forgotten if you interact with time on a different level.
Ah, right, that Potter welp is about to attend that hogwash school. Quite the interesting individual. Especially since they have brushed with death a few times. One may suspect that they are a demigod of some kind, though none of ours...
Right, back to you. You have certainly two rather opposing parents when it gets to having a role model.
Your mother certainly took a liking to the goth punk culture. Not surprising, given her history. If you were to follow her example, you are most likely an individualist, the kind to flaunt the rules and enjoy the craziness of life. She even became somewhat of an icon in the local scene.
Your Father on the other hand was a military man, muggleborn, so he was rather straight lined. While not all that rule attached, he was very order focused, although still kind. He was the one who taught you how to work, how to apply yourself.
Ah, you take after your mother, it seems. A rebel in heart, blood and mind, trueborn. They are always the most fun, always struggling to break the rules. You will certainly be entertaining. But this was quite a lot at once, so before your little brain gets fried, let's recap.
You are the daughter of Melinoë and Robert, conceived on a fateful night in one of the many haunted locations on the isles. You were raised in a manner that forced you to confront problems very early, and by yourself. You were still loved, but diligence and endurance to see your tasks through was the core value you learned. However, that came at the cost of having a hard time recognizing the need for assistance. As the daughter of the greek goddess of spirits, you have various abilities, such as affinities and authority towards the spirits, innate knowledge about death rites, nightmare control and shadow travel. You yourself have followed the path of the punk, self expression, choosing to wear the traditional underworld colours of black with pale skin with a new hip of a cheerful goth punk. Your hair is unique, being the colour of Quince blossoms.
But wait, we have forgotten the most important detail.
What is your name ?
Indeed, you are Melanie Southgate, daughter of Melinoë and Robert Southgate, and this is your adventure. Perhaps it would do well for you to have some time before you start off into the wild magical world. But now, it is time for you to awake. The sun has fallen and your mother is about to riot once more through the night. Well, she is mostly telling others to do it nowadays. Regardless. It is time for you to awaken.
Oh ? Who am I ? Quite the loaded question you ask there.
Eh, just call me Sis for now.
Ghostly Beginnings
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Pale moonlight fell onto Melanie´s face, causing her eyes to flutter open, and with a groan she tried to roll away, into the shadows… only to roll off her bed, face first into the ground, causing her to grunt in displeasure. Throwing a look at the clock, it read 20:00, 30th October,1990. Her sleep deprived mind told her that that date was special, but she didn´t really care. She was thankful that father did not insist on that whole PM/AM debacle.
"Mom should be arriving soon." A slight utterance, more so to justify to herself why she didn´t get more of the rare, rare sleep she has gotten.
Yes, indeed, she took the definition of a night owl a bit more seriously than others. She had trained herself to be able to function at night, often doing her homework in the literal hours before the school begins, often slouching half asleep through the classes, only to teach herself in the night after.
Having put on her clothes, black tank top and jeans, and added her beloved top-hat with a twirl of her hand, she felt ready to come downstairs. Still, she first had to check if everything was presentable.
They weren't exactly living in a mansion. Dad was not that rich, and while Mom could probably steal the legendary infinite credit card from her dad, that would draw attention. Hades, they could deal with it. The Tax collectors for moving a sum that huge across the pond… not that likely.
But.. she liked the house that they had. Two floors, the upper one nearly to herself while her dad inhabited the ground one. Technically, they were two different pads, only connected by an outdoor staircase. This was part of his training and her reward. She could cook when she wanted, and basically do as she wished as long as she kept in shape, her grades were acceptable and she took care of the place. Sure, it wasn´t the most solid parenting, but both of them knew that the average measures would do little to actually help her.
Now, admittedly, she had some problems with the last one, she had no idea how to clean a bloody sink for example, but she slowly learned the required skills for her to keep her own little sanctuary clean, though dad helped out and taught her a lot.
The one thing they never agreed on was what constituted clean and ordered, but that was merely because he didn´t understand her brand of chaotic order. They had a gentleman's agreement that if it didn't bite her in the arse, he would not complain. If it did, he could be smug as much as he liked.
With that thought, Melanie nearly jumped down the staircase and stepped onto the lower floor. And was promptly tackled from behind. Luckily, they had carpeted the floor, so she didn't break her nose when she fell face forward into it.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hi, Daughter."
She was promptly let go as her mother grinned eye to eye. "So, today is the big day! The first time I am gonna take you with me to spook around. I found that house that some paranormal investigation show wants to investigate and they are always so fun! Their screams are just the right mix between scared kittens and bulls that lost their manhood! Are you still up for some time with dear old mom ?" The ghost queen nudged her daughter with an arm.
This was, perhaps, the oddest thing about their family. The godly parent was not an absentee father and or mother…. Greek were weird like that. It was admittedly abusing a loophole. See, King thunder thighs had that little decree that Gods were not to play favourites.. after he was banned from having children. The horse lord may be the lord of the ocean, but thunder thighs is certainly the master of being salty. Regardless, Mom argued, to herself, that she is just repaying Melanie for the happiness she brought in her life… Yeah, literally not one member of their family had much faith in that argument. So, they keep it on the down low. It was their precious little secret quality time.
"Well, Mother dearest." Melanie spoke with a poor man´s mimicry of a posh voice. "Certainly I would like to spend some- Yeah, no" She broke up, sharing a snicker with her mom. "Can´t keep that voice up." She returned to her cockney accent. "Sure, you know I love to hang out with you, though, I have a different idea~" A Cheshire grin grew on her lips.
"Some folks in my school want to investigate some 7 mysteries of my school. Most of which happen at night. While a TV crew is nice, you do always say that the screams of little ones are the most delicious to hear." Well, that sounded more twisted than it really was, but that was the fun of it.
Mom nodded along before humming."You drive a hard bargain. Suppose that is something you have inherited from Father." A mischievous chuckle came from her. "How about we make a game out of it ? A challenge if you will. Your first divine quest." She made what looked like jazz hands.
Still, surprise flooded Melanie´s mind. A quest indicates that mom won´t help with it beyond some pointers, but a quest naturally means that there is a reward in it for her. Likely nothing amazing, yet, she could not help being interested. Sue her, she wanted some bling.
"What are the rules for this challenge ?" She enquired. Mom and Dad raised her better than being an idiot who took every challenge without asking some rather pointed questions.
"You, my amazing daughter, have this night, till midnight, to scare your fellow students to the point where they flee in wild abbadon. You may not cause them direct physical harm, but you are allowed to recruit local spirits to help you set up scares. Should you succeed …. I will upgrade your umbrella. Sounds good ?"
Now Melanie paid full attention. Her umbrella was perhaps the single most important item in her life. It was the first and only gift that was by it´s nature divinely related. See, Melanie knew that most demigods had issues with carrying weapons in this day and age, and so, she had fantasized and sort of designed, read, drawn, the idea of a weapon concealed inside an umbrella. She is nowadays aware that it is not really original in thought. Still, she liked the idea… and so did her mother. And so, during her 5th birthday, she received an umbrella.
It was of high quality. There was just a sheen to it that screamed "Look how grand I am." Naturally, it's canopy was coloured black, because despite how unoriginal that was, it was kinda their colour. Despite that, it was actually silk, spidersilk to be specific. Apparently, Mom had made a bargain with Arachne. The shaft and crook was , in sharp contrast however, made from Quince wood, the warm colour hinting at the nature of her mother. Dad also helped out here, enchanting the wood to be nigh unbreakable. But the true special feature of the umbrella was in the mechanism inside it.
Where normal umbrellas had a bottom spring, this one had two. One would be permanently a normal bottom spring, allowing the umbrella to function as one, while the second, so Mother explained, was connected to the dial ring below it. It would allow her to decide if she wanted to release the celestial bronze blade, of a rapier-esque design or any future modification that it would get.
Mother had paused, before adding slightly. "You know, I never knew that your school had that sort of stuff,"
Melanie shrugged "It hadn´t. They were mostly caused by me breaking in to get some things or prepare pranks. That whale needed a lot of lessons."
"Nice. So, deal or no deal ? Either is fine with me." Mom said, offering her hand to her daughter.
Mel smirked, sharing it with her Mother. "Deal. You are on!"
"Mom should be arriving soon." A slight utterance, more so to justify to herself why she didn´t get more of the rare, rare sleep she has gotten.
Yes, indeed, she took the definition of a night owl a bit more seriously than others. She had trained herself to be able to function at night, often doing her homework in the literal hours before the school begins, often slouching half asleep through the classes, only to teach herself in the night after.
Having put on her clothes, black tank top and jeans, and added her beloved top-hat with a twirl of her hand, she felt ready to come downstairs. Still, she first had to check if everything was presentable.
They weren't exactly living in a mansion. Dad was not that rich, and while Mom could probably steal the legendary infinite credit card from her dad, that would draw attention. Hades, they could deal with it. The Tax collectors for moving a sum that huge across the pond… not that likely.
But.. she liked the house that they had. Two floors, the upper one nearly to herself while her dad inhabited the ground one. Technically, they were two different pads, only connected by an outdoor staircase. This was part of his training and her reward. She could cook when she wanted, and basically do as she wished as long as she kept in shape, her grades were acceptable and she took care of the place. Sure, it wasn´t the most solid parenting, but both of them knew that the average measures would do little to actually help her.
Now, admittedly, she had some problems with the last one, she had no idea how to clean a bloody sink for example, but she slowly learned the required skills for her to keep her own little sanctuary clean, though dad helped out and taught her a lot.
The one thing they never agreed on was what constituted clean and ordered, but that was merely because he didn´t understand her brand of chaotic order. They had a gentleman's agreement that if it didn't bite her in the arse, he would not complain. If it did, he could be smug as much as he liked.
With that thought, Melanie nearly jumped down the staircase and stepped onto the lower floor. And was promptly tackled from behind. Luckily, they had carpeted the floor, so she didn't break her nose when she fell face forward into it.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hi, Daughter."
She was promptly let go as her mother grinned eye to eye. "So, today is the big day! The first time I am gonna take you with me to spook around. I found that house that some paranormal investigation show wants to investigate and they are always so fun! Their screams are just the right mix between scared kittens and bulls that lost their manhood! Are you still up for some time with dear old mom ?" The ghost queen nudged her daughter with an arm.
This was, perhaps, the oddest thing about their family. The godly parent was not an absentee father and or mother…. Greek were weird like that. It was admittedly abusing a loophole. See, King thunder thighs had that little decree that Gods were not to play favourites.. after he was banned from having children. The horse lord may be the lord of the ocean, but thunder thighs is certainly the master of being salty. Regardless, Mom argued, to herself, that she is just repaying Melanie for the happiness she brought in her life… Yeah, literally not one member of their family had much faith in that argument. So, they keep it on the down low. It was their precious little secret quality time.
"Well, Mother dearest." Melanie spoke with a poor man´s mimicry of a posh voice. "Certainly I would like to spend some- Yeah, no" She broke up, sharing a snicker with her mom. "Can´t keep that voice up." She returned to her cockney accent. "Sure, you know I love to hang out with you, though, I have a different idea~" A Cheshire grin grew on her lips.
"Some folks in my school want to investigate some 7 mysteries of my school. Most of which happen at night. While a TV crew is nice, you do always say that the screams of little ones are the most delicious to hear." Well, that sounded more twisted than it really was, but that was the fun of it.
Mom nodded along before humming."You drive a hard bargain. Suppose that is something you have inherited from Father." A mischievous chuckle came from her. "How about we make a game out of it ? A challenge if you will. Your first divine quest." She made what looked like jazz hands.
Still, surprise flooded Melanie´s mind. A quest indicates that mom won´t help with it beyond some pointers, but a quest naturally means that there is a reward in it for her. Likely nothing amazing, yet, she could not help being interested. Sue her, she wanted some bling.
"What are the rules for this challenge ?" She enquired. Mom and Dad raised her better than being an idiot who took every challenge without asking some rather pointed questions.
"You, my amazing daughter, have this night, till midnight, to scare your fellow students to the point where they flee in wild abbadon. You may not cause them direct physical harm, but you are allowed to recruit local spirits to help you set up scares. Should you succeed …. I will upgrade your umbrella. Sounds good ?"
Now Melanie paid full attention. Her umbrella was perhaps the single most important item in her life. It was the first and only gift that was by it´s nature divinely related. See, Melanie knew that most demigods had issues with carrying weapons in this day and age, and so, she had fantasized and sort of designed, read, drawn, the idea of a weapon concealed inside an umbrella. She is nowadays aware that it is not really original in thought. Still, she liked the idea… and so did her mother. And so, during her 5th birthday, she received an umbrella.
It was of high quality. There was just a sheen to it that screamed "Look how grand I am." Naturally, it's canopy was coloured black, because despite how unoriginal that was, it was kinda their colour. Despite that, it was actually silk, spidersilk to be specific. Apparently, Mom had made a bargain with Arachne. The shaft and crook was , in sharp contrast however, made from Quince wood, the warm colour hinting at the nature of her mother. Dad also helped out here, enchanting the wood to be nigh unbreakable. But the true special feature of the umbrella was in the mechanism inside it.
Where normal umbrellas had a bottom spring, this one had two. One would be permanently a normal bottom spring, allowing the umbrella to function as one, while the second, so Mother explained, was connected to the dial ring below it. It would allow her to decide if she wanted to release the celestial bronze blade, of a rapier-esque design or any future modification that it would get.
Mother had paused, before adding slightly. "You know, I never knew that your school had that sort of stuff,"
Melanie shrugged "It hadn´t. They were mostly caused by me breaking in to get some things or prepare pranks. That whale needed a lot of lessons."
"Nice. So, deal or no deal ? Either is fine with me." Mom said, offering her hand to her daughter.
Mel smirked, sharing it with her Mother. "Deal. You are on!"
- Location
- Center Of The Universe
Interesting idea. I can't wait to see how it develops.
Ghastly Days
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Mom clapped her hands, grinning "Now, that is the spirit! Alright. You have three hours and thirty minutes. Game is on. I will be watching~." With that, she vanished into a golden mist.
Alright, game plan time, thought Melanie to herself, Chaos is neat, but for the chaos to be effective, it has to be carefully placed. But first resources. Mom had a good point that I should probably use some ghosts for the scares. But ghosts are, while not rare, not common either. Most move on. I have several options for where I could find some. Shadow Travel made life convenient although it was exhausting.
First, the cemetery, a classic. Not as effective as one might think. Many people nowadays are easily pleased and willing to move on, but there are still a moderate amount around. They tend to be quite stable as well, easily controlled and willing to follow orders.
Second, The Tower. Benefit of living in London, you have access to one of the most haunted locations in good old England. They are kinda stuck up, but they were the nobles of a bygone age, and have a lot of experience. She might need to beat them into obedience, but there is a value of experience to benefit from.
Third option, catacombs. These are mostly spirits whose sanity has degraded, simple minded, almost feral. She could easily find a dozen or more, but they were dangerous. She was respected by spirits, but they are so simple minded that she would need to keep a close eye on them, else they might decide that feasting on the living is appealing.
Melanie knew that she should probably try to get some expert scarers, but honestly, she had little patience for the nobles. The cemetery then. Besides, she knew some of them. Call her a walking stereotype, but the ghosts really saved her ass with some of the history exams. A lot of them were also thoughtful, having developed philosophical tendencies. She learned a lot from them.
Tipping her umbrella tip against the ground, she waved cheerfully goodbye to her father, who sat at the dinner table drinking coffee with a bemused look, before sinking into the shadows, running through the Shadow. Not a shadow, but the Shadow, the source of all shadows that encroaches onto the mortal world in the absence of the sun… or light in general. No need to give the Gasbag a bigger head.
Swiftly, she appeared inside the complex, breathing quite heavily, her breath visible from the change from warm pad to the cold, cold land of the dead She didn´t mind the cold, she actually loved it. It made everything feel so much more real.
"Alright then, time to catch me a motley crew. First, let's see if I can summon the ghosts to me. You practised it, Mel, you can do it!"
With a deep breath, she focused on her connection to the spirits, sending a pulse carrying the message of "The daughter of the queen of spirits demands your attention and services. All those brave enough to heed my call, appear before me. All those are boring enough to not enjoy a good scare, please stay away." Not the most creative message, but it would do.
She surprisingly did not have to wait long. The first ghost to appear was however not one she expected. She expected people but what she got was a Hound, large enough to be eye level for her, growling slightly as it approached, each step of the mighty paws making a noise. Yet, it was clearly a spirit, lacking actual mass.
"Hello Brutus~" She didn´t want to waste time by establishing dominance over it. She wouldn´t harm it, naturally, but felt that she really couldn´t escape the pretend fight incoming.
With a yelp, she dodged as the beast leapt towards her. Rolling forward, she saw how it made a sharp turn, using it nigh weightless body to it´s advantaged as it jumped from grave stone to grave stone towards her.
Melanie knew what she had to do. Mother had explained certain tricks with handling dogs.. mostly to placate the pouting Melanie as she was told she couldn´t see Cerberus.
Waiting for Brutus to jump her again, she moved just slightly out of the way before grabbing the dog´s hind leg and tail, letting the umbrella fall to the ground. With a small yell, as to not disturb the other occupants too much, she flipped the dog on it´s back and began to drag it around by it´s tail.
It desperately wanted to get back on it´s feet, but she didn´t allow it. Soon enough, it whined, before releasing two barks. Their signal of submission. Letting go off the tail, Melanie offered her hand, palm up, to the dog. It grinned in that doggy way, before slapping her hand with it´s paw.
"It seems that you and good ol Brutus grow closer by the night. Little Blossom." An old and raspy voice came from behind her. She turned around with a smile, picking up her hat with a smirk.
"Hello, John. How are you doing? You are up for helping me out ?" The ghost in question was an old man, the classical grandpa with a long beard and large hat.
"Quite well.. Though you know how it is, things rarely change around here, so I wouldn´t mind a chance to go on a walk."
"He is right, you know?" Came a firm, feminine voice that made Melanie groan. She heard that this Graveyard often had a visitor or two, but she could guess who it was.
A second, more well looking ghost appeared. This one was a lady, clear to see by the posture. She died by decapitation, as the long line around her neck attested to.
"Anne Boleyn is my name, I greet you, princess, and offer my assistance with nary a thought. Anything to relieve me of these bores."
Melanie gave a polite smile at that."That makes two then. Perhaps a trio should be enough for my mission."
Anne however had other ideas "Mistress, may I recommend Edward and Richard? These young boys could enjoy leaving the their crypt once or twice, and children are a staple of horror nowadays."
Melanie considered. She had a ghost dog, a decapitated lady and an old man. She could use some children in the mix, they always make for great scares.
She gave a nod, waving her hand as she spoke "Show me to them."
"Most certainly. They are over at their crypt. Follow me." With a curt nod, the former queen moved, before promptly vanishing through the ground.
Melanie looked at the ground, before stating blankly "Ah. Once more I curse my lack of neat walking through walls powers. Alright, the hard way it is."
She closed her eyes, trying to get a mental ping on the locations of the ghosts around her. She then focused on the one moving away from her, waiting for it to stop. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the shadows.
She nearly coughed from the dust in the air as she stepped out of them inside the crypt.
But first, she had to regulate her breathing. Control yourself to control the encounter the movie says.
She was breathing heavily at this point. Right, she needed either to get better endurance or learn how to do breaking and entering like other people. Maybe she could moonlight as a lady thief, flex a bit on the Hermes kids. Now, where are the boys...
She quickly found them at a staircase, and she was displeased by what she saw. Oh, she was used to gruesome sights. She was probably one of the only people who saw how an entire human was dissected at her age, but still, seeing the handsome cute faces of the boys so malnourished, seeing the look in their eyes.. She didn´t like seeing people
She waved cheerfully to them, calling out "Hey there, fellow kids. Lady Anne might have already explained why I am here ?" Hopefully she had. Melanie was not sure how to talk to them.
"You want us to scare people?" Their voices were meek, and insecure.
"Pretty much. I am being tested, and I could use some help. You in ?" She gave them a foxy smile, leaning forward.
"But is scaring people not mean ?" Came the question. And it was a valid quesiton.
Melanie made a so so motion. "Not really. See, these people want something to happen, they seek fear and they seek adventure. We are just providing it."
"But we can´t leave."
"Why?"
They wordlessly pointed behind her.
Holding a groan in, she turned around, her eyes narrowed as a woman, fully white, descended from the ceiling. This was no spirit, not a real one. This was a monster. With a sigh, Melanie unleashed the blade. The woman looked like a corpse ready to fall apart.
Well, tonight was a time for firsties. First major scare, first quest, first beating up a monster.
She was just about to start the encounter with a quip, but before she could, the being screeched at her loud enough to rattle the dust off the stones in the room.
"Okay, what the bloody hell is a banshee doing here? Regardless, bloody ow!" Melanie gritted out, her ears ringing, a slight trickle of blood running down.
Melanie eyed the surroundings, half expecting her mother´s security force to bumrush the bitch. They did not. No luck that they would hang around during a quest. Proving yourself and all that, but still bloody annoying right now. Well, she had own minions.
"Oi, Brutus. Help me beat this bint and I will take you out for a walk the next few nights." While not an art taught by her mother, proper encouragement does indeed help out quite a bit.
Just as the Banshee was about to scream again, she was tackled from behind by Brutus, landing both of them on the ground grappling with each other. Well, she was never a fair fighter. The dog wouldn´t be able to hold her long. He had no weight while she did, but long enough for Melanie to have a running start. Just as the banshee was about to get up, she swung her blade like it was a bat, the celestial bronze tip hitting the monster in the temple, sending it sprawling on the floor.
Not stopping, Melanie continued to pounce on the banshee, alongside Brutus. However, now that the spirit was aware that there was a second combatant, it put up more of a fight. Melanie was honestly surprised how physical it got. Still, two against one was not advantageous for it. Their tactic was to keep it busy enough that it couldn't gather the breath to scream. And a lot of dirty fighting. When Brutus was chokeslammed by it, Melanie slammed her her blade into it´s leg, allowing the dog to kick it in the face. Seeing it on it´s knees, she quickly pulled the blade out of the leg, grabbing it by the head and put it to it´s throat, growling.
"Try to scream, and I will make sure you will never again. Bloody hell, I should kill you, but I have use for you. Help me out this evening, and I won´t cut you up like you are a pig. You will never return here. Deal?" Melanie really didn´t care too much, but she figured she may as well try to get something worthwhile out of this. Despite being a monster, a Banshee was still a spirit after all.
The banshee raised a hand, and gave a thumbs up. With a clicking sensation, she felt how her authority of spirits asserted itself over the banshee. Stepping back with a sigh, she had to resist spitting out a droplet of blood from her slightly busted lip. She wouldn´t taint a grave more than she had to. Monsterous spirits like Banshees and Poltergeists were the most annoying to subdue.
Soon enough, the group was gathered outside. Old Man John, who talked to the interested looking Banshee about the art of taxidermy and Anne and the two kids who played around with Brutus.
"Alright, gather up. I will lead you to the location that we will haunt. Please, try to be stealthy on the way there. We will have about thirty minutes to prepare once we arrive. Any complaints? No? Great."
With her own little ghost train coordinated, Melanie began her march.
-----------------
"Welcome to Stonewall Primary. The most mundane school ever. So, given that they will come towards eleven, how about we begin the set up?"
She waited for the group to settle down before explaining. She had once more broken into the School. Really, it was laughable easy if you knew where the keys were. "We have seven scare opportunities, and the reason why I grabbed you people is that you are sane enough to be capable of scaring people. So, how can you do?"
The kids went first, not moving, but they projected a giggling sound, demented and deranged, around the room.
"Perfect. Next." Melanie smirked, clapping her hands.
Anne simply lifted her head off her shoulders before rolling it over the floor. It stopped right before Melanie, it´s eyes rolled up, a swollen tongue hanging from it´s mouth. Melanie laughed with glee at that.
"Horrific! Banshee- wait, no, I know what you can do. Just keep it unnerving, not lethal. John, you are next!"
In response, Melanie felt as if she was hit by a shock wave, vertigo setting in and her head spinning, nonetheless, she applauded.
"Terrific! And I will finish them off if they aren't scared off by you. Brutus, you will be just yourself. No tackle, you hear?"
No, she was absolutely not rubbing her hands in evil glee, no sire. She did notice however that Anne looked at her with a smile.
"Is something?"
"You are just adorable with all this evil planning and glee, my princess."
"Darn right I am. Now, here is the plan..."
Soon enough, a group of five entered the school, their access made easily by the unlocked doors. They were all in the same age group 10 to 11, and were led by a massive kid. Like, nearly round.
The horror began as soon as they stepped in. Melanie appeared behind them, slamming the door shut, before shoving a board between the handles, making sure they won´t escape before they are properly scared.
Then the giggling and the singing began. "Little pigs, little dirty pigs, brother, I hunger for little pigs." It was almost like the princes were speaking directly into their ears, yet impossibly away. They could almost feel the cold breath on their necks. They ran like the devil itself was behind them, directly into a classroom.
Said classroom was haunted by Anne. Just as they opened the door, there she floated just behind the desk, like the horrific fusion of a maths teacher and the spectre of death. Her head was on said desk, and started to scream at them in old English. They stumbled back, and the door slammed shut. Then a hand slammed against the door window, Melanie´s head appearing in it, seemingly in a panic as she hammered against the window. Then besides her, the head of Anne and that of the banshee appeared, before opening their mouths as if to bite down on her.
Vertigo hit the group, and in that moment of blurred vision, a horrible scream sounded through the school, just as red liquid spattered against the window. They scrambled away. Then they heard the growling sound of a great beast at the end of the corridor.
They booked it towards the exit, which now stood open. Just as they left, screaming and crying, they turned around and saw the entire group standing in the entrance, Melanie, seemingly bloodied, waving almost cheerfully, mouthing "We will be back~", before the doors closed with a bang.
With a chuckle, Melanie wiped the red paint they stole from the art room off her face, before holding her hand for the group to high five.
"Good work, everyone. Excellent teamwork."
Everyone gave her a high five and seemed to be energized. Honestly, that was to be expected. Spirits feed off emotions, so scaring was literally like a good meal to them. Then the clock struck twelve. Smiling softly, Melanie spoke up, genuine apologetic.
"Sorry, guys, but I need to go collect my bounty. Can you clean up ? It will creep them right out if nothing seems amiss. And Banshee, you are released, but you know the deal ?"
It was John that spoke up. "Mel, we spoke and have reached an agreement with her. It was kind of a miscommunication anyhow." The old man noted, looking at the Banshee with a smile. One of the kids asked "Are we gonna scare people again soon? It was fun. We could become a group! The graveyard gang! Or the nobility of horror!" The energy her fellow 10 year old had was adorable, although she was concerned that she might have created an addict.
She tipped her hat while responding "I wouldn´t be opposed." Anne nodded with a slight smile "It was fun to change the locale once in a while. How about you, Brutus?" The woman leaned down, petting the dog.
Melanie paused, before nodding to herself. "Alright then. We will make it official later. Still, I have to collect my bounty and you have to clean up."
A collective nod, and she vanished into the shadows and arrived quickly at the door to her pad. Unlocking the door, she was surprised at how dark it was. She was sure she had left some lights on. Just as she took her first step in, she was blinded by sudden light, releasing a cry as her eyes were burned by the bright light.
"Oi, I told you fuckers to turn it up slowly!"
The voice of her mother rang in her ears, and vision slowly returned. What she saw was heart-warming. Her entire living space was colourful, decorated in a festive manner.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Ah, that was why that date was important.
Alright, game plan time, thought Melanie to herself, Chaos is neat, but for the chaos to be effective, it has to be carefully placed. But first resources. Mom had a good point that I should probably use some ghosts for the scares. But ghosts are, while not rare, not common either. Most move on. I have several options for where I could find some. Shadow Travel made life convenient although it was exhausting.
First, the cemetery, a classic. Not as effective as one might think. Many people nowadays are easily pleased and willing to move on, but there are still a moderate amount around. They tend to be quite stable as well, easily controlled and willing to follow orders.
Second, The Tower. Benefit of living in London, you have access to one of the most haunted locations in good old England. They are kinda stuck up, but they were the nobles of a bygone age, and have a lot of experience. She might need to beat them into obedience, but there is a value of experience to benefit from.
Third option, catacombs. These are mostly spirits whose sanity has degraded, simple minded, almost feral. She could easily find a dozen or more, but they were dangerous. She was respected by spirits, but they are so simple minded that she would need to keep a close eye on them, else they might decide that feasting on the living is appealing.
Melanie knew that she should probably try to get some expert scarers, but honestly, she had little patience for the nobles. The cemetery then. Besides, she knew some of them. Call her a walking stereotype, but the ghosts really saved her ass with some of the history exams. A lot of them were also thoughtful, having developed philosophical tendencies. She learned a lot from them.
Tipping her umbrella tip against the ground, she waved cheerfully goodbye to her father, who sat at the dinner table drinking coffee with a bemused look, before sinking into the shadows, running through the Shadow. Not a shadow, but the Shadow, the source of all shadows that encroaches onto the mortal world in the absence of the sun… or light in general. No need to give the Gasbag a bigger head.
Swiftly, she appeared inside the complex, breathing quite heavily, her breath visible from the change from warm pad to the cold, cold land of the dead She didn´t mind the cold, she actually loved it. It made everything feel so much more real.
"Alright then, time to catch me a motley crew. First, let's see if I can summon the ghosts to me. You practised it, Mel, you can do it!"
With a deep breath, she focused on her connection to the spirits, sending a pulse carrying the message of "The daughter of the queen of spirits demands your attention and services. All those brave enough to heed my call, appear before me. All those are boring enough to not enjoy a good scare, please stay away." Not the most creative message, but it would do.
She surprisingly did not have to wait long. The first ghost to appear was however not one she expected. She expected people but what she got was a Hound, large enough to be eye level for her, growling slightly as it approached, each step of the mighty paws making a noise. Yet, it was clearly a spirit, lacking actual mass.
"Hello Brutus~" She didn´t want to waste time by establishing dominance over it. She wouldn´t harm it, naturally, but felt that she really couldn´t escape the pretend fight incoming.
With a yelp, she dodged as the beast leapt towards her. Rolling forward, she saw how it made a sharp turn, using it nigh weightless body to it´s advantaged as it jumped from grave stone to grave stone towards her.
Melanie knew what she had to do. Mother had explained certain tricks with handling dogs.. mostly to placate the pouting Melanie as she was told she couldn´t see Cerberus.
Waiting for Brutus to jump her again, she moved just slightly out of the way before grabbing the dog´s hind leg and tail, letting the umbrella fall to the ground. With a small yell, as to not disturb the other occupants too much, she flipped the dog on it´s back and began to drag it around by it´s tail.
It desperately wanted to get back on it´s feet, but she didn´t allow it. Soon enough, it whined, before releasing two barks. Their signal of submission. Letting go off the tail, Melanie offered her hand, palm up, to the dog. It grinned in that doggy way, before slapping her hand with it´s paw.
"It seems that you and good ol Brutus grow closer by the night. Little Blossom." An old and raspy voice came from behind her. She turned around with a smile, picking up her hat with a smirk.
"Hello, John. How are you doing? You are up for helping me out ?" The ghost in question was an old man, the classical grandpa with a long beard and large hat.
"Quite well.. Though you know how it is, things rarely change around here, so I wouldn´t mind a chance to go on a walk."
"He is right, you know?" Came a firm, feminine voice that made Melanie groan. She heard that this Graveyard often had a visitor or two, but she could guess who it was.
A second, more well looking ghost appeared. This one was a lady, clear to see by the posture. She died by decapitation, as the long line around her neck attested to.
"Anne Boleyn is my name, I greet you, princess, and offer my assistance with nary a thought. Anything to relieve me of these bores."
Melanie gave a polite smile at that."That makes two then. Perhaps a trio should be enough for my mission."
Anne however had other ideas "Mistress, may I recommend Edward and Richard? These young boys could enjoy leaving the their crypt once or twice, and children are a staple of horror nowadays."
Melanie considered. She had a ghost dog, a decapitated lady and an old man. She could use some children in the mix, they always make for great scares.
She gave a nod, waving her hand as she spoke "Show me to them."
"Most certainly. They are over at their crypt. Follow me." With a curt nod, the former queen moved, before promptly vanishing through the ground.
Melanie looked at the ground, before stating blankly "Ah. Once more I curse my lack of neat walking through walls powers. Alright, the hard way it is."
She closed her eyes, trying to get a mental ping on the locations of the ghosts around her. She then focused on the one moving away from her, waiting for it to stop. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the shadows.
She nearly coughed from the dust in the air as she stepped out of them inside the crypt.
But first, she had to regulate her breathing. Control yourself to control the encounter the movie says.
She was breathing heavily at this point. Right, she needed either to get better endurance or learn how to do breaking and entering like other people. Maybe she could moonlight as a lady thief, flex a bit on the Hermes kids. Now, where are the boys...
She quickly found them at a staircase, and she was displeased by what she saw. Oh, she was used to gruesome sights. She was probably one of the only people who saw how an entire human was dissected at her age, but still, seeing the handsome cute faces of the boys so malnourished, seeing the look in their eyes.. She didn´t like seeing people
She waved cheerfully to them, calling out "Hey there, fellow kids. Lady Anne might have already explained why I am here ?" Hopefully she had. Melanie was not sure how to talk to them.
"You want us to scare people?" Their voices were meek, and insecure.
"Pretty much. I am being tested, and I could use some help. You in ?" She gave them a foxy smile, leaning forward.
"But is scaring people not mean ?" Came the question. And it was a valid quesiton.
Melanie made a so so motion. "Not really. See, these people want something to happen, they seek fear and they seek adventure. We are just providing it."
"But we can´t leave."
"Why?"
They wordlessly pointed behind her.
Holding a groan in, she turned around, her eyes narrowed as a woman, fully white, descended from the ceiling. This was no spirit, not a real one. This was a monster. With a sigh, Melanie unleashed the blade. The woman looked like a corpse ready to fall apart.
Well, tonight was a time for firsties. First major scare, first quest, first beating up a monster.
She was just about to start the encounter with a quip, but before she could, the being screeched at her loud enough to rattle the dust off the stones in the room.
"Okay, what the bloody hell is a banshee doing here? Regardless, bloody ow!" Melanie gritted out, her ears ringing, a slight trickle of blood running down.
Melanie eyed the surroundings, half expecting her mother´s security force to bumrush the bitch. They did not. No luck that they would hang around during a quest. Proving yourself and all that, but still bloody annoying right now. Well, she had own minions.
"Oi, Brutus. Help me beat this bint and I will take you out for a walk the next few nights." While not an art taught by her mother, proper encouragement does indeed help out quite a bit.
Just as the Banshee was about to scream again, she was tackled from behind by Brutus, landing both of them on the ground grappling with each other. Well, she was never a fair fighter. The dog wouldn´t be able to hold her long. He had no weight while she did, but long enough for Melanie to have a running start. Just as the banshee was about to get up, she swung her blade like it was a bat, the celestial bronze tip hitting the monster in the temple, sending it sprawling on the floor.
Not stopping, Melanie continued to pounce on the banshee, alongside Brutus. However, now that the spirit was aware that there was a second combatant, it put up more of a fight. Melanie was honestly surprised how physical it got. Still, two against one was not advantageous for it. Their tactic was to keep it busy enough that it couldn't gather the breath to scream. And a lot of dirty fighting. When Brutus was chokeslammed by it, Melanie slammed her her blade into it´s leg, allowing the dog to kick it in the face. Seeing it on it´s knees, she quickly pulled the blade out of the leg, grabbing it by the head and put it to it´s throat, growling.
"Try to scream, and I will make sure you will never again. Bloody hell, I should kill you, but I have use for you. Help me out this evening, and I won´t cut you up like you are a pig. You will never return here. Deal?" Melanie really didn´t care too much, but she figured she may as well try to get something worthwhile out of this. Despite being a monster, a Banshee was still a spirit after all.
The banshee raised a hand, and gave a thumbs up. With a clicking sensation, she felt how her authority of spirits asserted itself over the banshee. Stepping back with a sigh, she had to resist spitting out a droplet of blood from her slightly busted lip. She wouldn´t taint a grave more than she had to. Monsterous spirits like Banshees and Poltergeists were the most annoying to subdue.
Soon enough, the group was gathered outside. Old Man John, who talked to the interested looking Banshee about the art of taxidermy and Anne and the two kids who played around with Brutus.
"Alright, gather up. I will lead you to the location that we will haunt. Please, try to be stealthy on the way there. We will have about thirty minutes to prepare once we arrive. Any complaints? No? Great."
With her own little ghost train coordinated, Melanie began her march.
-----------------
"Welcome to Stonewall Primary. The most mundane school ever. So, given that they will come towards eleven, how about we begin the set up?"
She waited for the group to settle down before explaining. She had once more broken into the School. Really, it was laughable easy if you knew where the keys were. "We have seven scare opportunities, and the reason why I grabbed you people is that you are sane enough to be capable of scaring people. So, how can you do?"
The kids went first, not moving, but they projected a giggling sound, demented and deranged, around the room.
"Perfect. Next." Melanie smirked, clapping her hands.
Anne simply lifted her head off her shoulders before rolling it over the floor. It stopped right before Melanie, it´s eyes rolled up, a swollen tongue hanging from it´s mouth. Melanie laughed with glee at that.
"Horrific! Banshee- wait, no, I know what you can do. Just keep it unnerving, not lethal. John, you are next!"
In response, Melanie felt as if she was hit by a shock wave, vertigo setting in and her head spinning, nonetheless, she applauded.
"Terrific! And I will finish them off if they aren't scared off by you. Brutus, you will be just yourself. No tackle, you hear?"
No, she was absolutely not rubbing her hands in evil glee, no sire. She did notice however that Anne looked at her with a smile.
"Is something?"
"You are just adorable with all this evil planning and glee, my princess."
"Darn right I am. Now, here is the plan..."
Soon enough, a group of five entered the school, their access made easily by the unlocked doors. They were all in the same age group 10 to 11, and were led by a massive kid. Like, nearly round.
The horror began as soon as they stepped in. Melanie appeared behind them, slamming the door shut, before shoving a board between the handles, making sure they won´t escape before they are properly scared.
Then the giggling and the singing began. "Little pigs, little dirty pigs, brother, I hunger for little pigs." It was almost like the princes were speaking directly into their ears, yet impossibly away. They could almost feel the cold breath on their necks. They ran like the devil itself was behind them, directly into a classroom.
Said classroom was haunted by Anne. Just as they opened the door, there she floated just behind the desk, like the horrific fusion of a maths teacher and the spectre of death. Her head was on said desk, and started to scream at them in old English. They stumbled back, and the door slammed shut. Then a hand slammed against the door window, Melanie´s head appearing in it, seemingly in a panic as she hammered against the window. Then besides her, the head of Anne and that of the banshee appeared, before opening their mouths as if to bite down on her.
Vertigo hit the group, and in that moment of blurred vision, a horrible scream sounded through the school, just as red liquid spattered against the window. They scrambled away. Then they heard the growling sound of a great beast at the end of the corridor.
They booked it towards the exit, which now stood open. Just as they left, screaming and crying, they turned around and saw the entire group standing in the entrance, Melanie, seemingly bloodied, waving almost cheerfully, mouthing "We will be back~", before the doors closed with a bang.
With a chuckle, Melanie wiped the red paint they stole from the art room off her face, before holding her hand for the group to high five.
"Good work, everyone. Excellent teamwork."
Everyone gave her a high five and seemed to be energized. Honestly, that was to be expected. Spirits feed off emotions, so scaring was literally like a good meal to them. Then the clock struck twelve. Smiling softly, Melanie spoke up, genuine apologetic.
"Sorry, guys, but I need to go collect my bounty. Can you clean up ? It will creep them right out if nothing seems amiss. And Banshee, you are released, but you know the deal ?"
It was John that spoke up. "Mel, we spoke and have reached an agreement with her. It was kind of a miscommunication anyhow." The old man noted, looking at the Banshee with a smile. One of the kids asked "Are we gonna scare people again soon? It was fun. We could become a group! The graveyard gang! Or the nobility of horror!" The energy her fellow 10 year old had was adorable, although she was concerned that she might have created an addict.
She tipped her hat while responding "I wouldn´t be opposed." Anne nodded with a slight smile "It was fun to change the locale once in a while. How about you, Brutus?" The woman leaned down, petting the dog.
Melanie paused, before nodding to herself. "Alright then. We will make it official later. Still, I have to collect my bounty and you have to clean up."
A collective nod, and she vanished into the shadows and arrived quickly at the door to her pad. Unlocking the door, she was surprised at how dark it was. She was sure she had left some lights on. Just as she took her first step in, she was blinded by sudden light, releasing a cry as her eyes were burned by the bright light.
"Oi, I told you fuckers to turn it up slowly!"
The voice of her mother rang in her ears, and vision slowly returned. What she saw was heart-warming. Her entire living space was colourful, decorated in a festive manner.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Ah, that was why that date was important.
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Glamorous Generosity
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Promptly, she was embraced by a lot of people and was congratulated. She was not sure what to feel, but her slightly wet cheeks were telling. Birthdays were always complicated, part of why she had less of an attachment to the idea, especially because her mother´s attendance was never quite assured. It was, after all, Halloween. The ever running joke that would never die.
"Present time!" Cheered someone in the back, probably one of the servants and ghosts that accompanied her mother.
Her mother, however, had other ideas. "Shut your mouth! First, quest reward. As promised, you have earned yourself an upgrade to your umbrella."
She held out her hands, both closed before opening the first, showing a blade insignia "First, I offer you to replace Celestial Bronze blade with one from Stygian Iron. It might take a day or two…. Or a week. On the other hand…" She trailed off, before opening the other hand, showing the insignia of what appear to be a hook. "Well, I managed to secure a favour from Daedalus, so you could have a grappling hook. Dude is good when properly motivated."
She shrugged, "So, which one do you want?"
Melanie really wanted the grappling hook. Like, that sort of stuff is just neat and probably the nearest thing to flying she would ever get. And all the Mary Poppins jokes! But, she could get grappling hooks elsewhere, Stygian Iron was rare. Well, not as rare to them as it was to others, but it was a restricted good, her mother had explained.
While normally, that wouldn´t be an issue to them, being part of the House of Hades and all… well, her mother and Grandparents had not something even remotely approaching something called a good relationship.
"The new blade. I would love the grappling hook, but having a swish, swash, stab that radiates darkness is equally awesome." That, and it would be another thing that would tie her to her mother.
Mom gave a thumbs up, before snapping her finger, letting the umbrella vanish, much to Melanie´s dismay "Now I feel naked. It is my favorite." She said with a pout. She did not only joke. There was a reason why she kept the umbrella at hand, installed paranoia aside. She hated having nothing in her hand. She needed something to fiddle with.
"Cheer up, you have gifts to unpack!"
True enough, there were three gift boxes on the table. "I went around , and some of my fellow minor gods have decided that you are worth sponsoring. No strings attached. They take enough pleasure in flipping off the major boys." She paused. "Although, to be honest, only one gift is really from them. The other two are from someone I am close with, and someone who I don´t actually know."
Melanie recognized the hidden implications. Mom had used this whole quest as a mean to show her off. She didn´t mind it. No, she was happy about it. After all, it meant that Mom was proud of her.
Melanie took a close look at the three presents that stood before her, before taking her time, picking up the cards that came with them. It was only polite. The first card was viridian green, golden letters on it.
Melanie was already feeling overwhelming thankfulness for the gift. It was hard as a child, to experience the rejection of animals and seeing them clearly enjoy the presence of others more. She was somewhat used to it, but it didn´t remove the sting. Indeed, as she took out the bracelet, she felt refreshed, almost like a new spring had begun. The bracelet itself was made out of what seemed to be grass, though as it turned out was an odd fabric that felt organic, yet had the permanency of fabric.
"Mother, who is P? Maybe Grandmother?" For the first time in her mind, she saw her mother unsure.
"I.. am actually not sure. By the gods, I hope not. I don´t want to deal with that mess." This was perhaps the first time the goddess of Ghosts actually looked scared.
"L-lets move on then." Damn it, why did it ruin the atmosphere!
The next card was warm to the touch, and her eyes widened as she read from whom she received the gift.
She turned the card around, discovering that there was additional text to it.
"P.S I do hope that you visit me on occasion. I really want to learn more about my first grand niece from my eldest brother! Give your mother a hug from me!"
Mel promptly hugged her mother close and hard, who chuckled in response. "Yeah, Hestia is great. She was one of the few who visited me regularly, although she did grow more … distant is wrong, but she closed herself off. She would do less on her own accord. Though, I wonder what she got for you..."
Inside the package was a small iron lantern. It was carry-able by a loop at the top, though it could also be attached to a belt. While it did not burn brightly, the glow travelled far and warm. As soon as it was out of the box, the remainders of the awkward atmosphere vanished, smiles appearing all around.
Melanie clasped her hands together, offering a prayer of thanks to the goddess of the hearth. Only to blink as she received the mental image of Hestia winking towards her.
The third card was perhaps the oddest, for it was no card, but the packaging itself. It was a yarn pouch, with something inscribed on it.
Inside the pouch was a small make up kit with instructions on how to use it. This would be super useful for her mischief, and Hebe sounds fun to be around. She send a quick prayer of thanks to her.
After opening the gifts, Mom took her aside for a second. "Daughter. I assume you can guess why you I organized this many gifts?"
Melanie nodded. Naturally, she did. Mom had never made a secret out of what she was, and how her life most likely will look like. It was the cause for why Melanie was so mature in some aspects, knowing that her kind has an average life expectancy of maybe thirty, if they are lucky. Mom wanted her to be special. She was well aware that most demigods were just show pieces for their parents, and that her mother was aiming for the same thing, in a sense. She wanted to make a point about proper parenthood, and pure spite for her own family.
She wasn´t sure how she felt about it, but in all the nights she laid awake thinking about it, she has always come to the conclusion that she did not care. Yes, mother had other purposes, but that did not invalidate her love and care for her.
Mom nodded, before leaning down. "Well, I have told you about your kind. But I figured it is now time for you to know why we aren´t in the USA. See, we, I mean the Greeks, do not have all that much influence on the Isles. Sure, the big ones still have considerable, but lesser, unknown gods like me? Not so much. This is why I gave you this much. Because unlike your counterparts in the states, you are in areas where those not of our kind can get to you."
Melanie shivered at the intensity of the tone. She understood well. It was part of how divinity functioned. It was illogical, but anything that humanity sufficiently believed in could technically become reality. It is why she avoids significant churches and the like. She wasn´t sure what the status of the deities in this land were, but last she heard, they were one of the few that were actually involved with the normal world.
Mom continued, making her concern visible. "Should you ever encounter them, I want you to be calm, respectful and direct them to me. You are my daughter, you are my champion. Anything they want to do, at least the actual divine beings, has to go through me."
She understood the subtext. She was basically free game for lesser beings. That she would need to be careful in both her actions and her words. It now strangely made sense why Mom had pushed her to put much time into studying philosophy and had recruited some of the ghostly lawyers to teach her about the law. She was likely to encounter the Sidhe, the Fairies.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound. Now, while it was not odd to hear a knock, it was rather odd to hear it at around 1 in the morning.
Her Father, well built man that he was, made to open the door… She only could see him pausing, before lifting his finger up, closing the door, before shouting over his shoulder. "Red! Do you know anything about four ghosts, a banshee and a ghost dog?"
Oh
"They were my minions for tonight. You can let them in." Came her quick response.
She desperately tried to ignore the proud overplayed noises her mother made. No, she wasn´t on her way to become the new queen of darkness and evil and kicking puppies. She loved puppies. The rest maybe though. The magical world seemed ripe for someone to pull that off…. Too much effort.
John approached her, as Mom took the Banshee to the side, waving off the bows of the other ghosts.
He spoke up "So, little Princess, happy with your gifts? Still want to go through with making that Scare Group or what you called it?" The expressions of ghosts were always difficult to read, many of their micro expressions just missing, but Melanie could see that he was amused. He did probably remember that it was her birthday, and didn´t tell her. How mean.
Melanie nodded with a bright grin, waving the lantern around almost eerily. "And we shall call us the …"
Dramatic pauses were always important.
"….The Spookies!"
There was a pause in the room, before most of them burst into laughter. Melanie pouted. It was a cool name! And Cute! And Intelligent! Most people didn´t even know what Spook actually meant, she was sure of it!
Anne shrugged while trying to keep her laughter in. "I mean, it is not like we are a gang, it is just our little nickname, so I am agreeable to it. How about you folks ?"
The twins gave a thumbs up, clearly loving the nickname, while John just released a grandfatherly chuckle.
The Banshee did not care, preferring to enjoy the food. She gave a quick thumbs up before continuing to pierce little cheese pieces onto her claws.
"Well then. I, Melanie Southgate, Ghost princess, declare that this was our first meeting under the banner of the Spookies!"
Her mother chuckled, mock whispering to her father "They grow up so fast, she is already making conspiracies and collecting minions."
She absolutely did not blush.
"Present time!" Cheered someone in the back, probably one of the servants and ghosts that accompanied her mother.
Her mother, however, had other ideas. "Shut your mouth! First, quest reward. As promised, you have earned yourself an upgrade to your umbrella."
She held out her hands, both closed before opening the first, showing a blade insignia "First, I offer you to replace Celestial Bronze blade with one from Stygian Iron. It might take a day or two…. Or a week. On the other hand…" She trailed off, before opening the other hand, showing the insignia of what appear to be a hook. "Well, I managed to secure a favour from Daedalus, so you could have a grappling hook. Dude is good when properly motivated."
She shrugged, "So, which one do you want?"
Melanie really wanted the grappling hook. Like, that sort of stuff is just neat and probably the nearest thing to flying she would ever get. And all the Mary Poppins jokes! But, she could get grappling hooks elsewhere, Stygian Iron was rare. Well, not as rare to them as it was to others, but it was a restricted good, her mother had explained.
While normally, that wouldn´t be an issue to them, being part of the House of Hades and all… well, her mother and Grandparents had not something even remotely approaching something called a good relationship.
"The new blade. I would love the grappling hook, but having a swish, swash, stab that radiates darkness is equally awesome." That, and it would be another thing that would tie her to her mother.
Mom gave a thumbs up, before snapping her finger, letting the umbrella vanish, much to Melanie´s dismay "Now I feel naked. It is my favorite." She said with a pout. She did not only joke. There was a reason why she kept the umbrella at hand, installed paranoia aside. She hated having nothing in her hand. She needed something to fiddle with.
"Cheer up, you have gifts to unpack!"
True enough, there were three gift boxes on the table. "I went around , and some of my fellow minor gods have decided that you are worth sponsoring. No strings attached. They take enough pleasure in flipping off the major boys." She paused. "Although, to be honest, only one gift is really from them. The other two are from someone I am close with, and someone who I don´t actually know."
Melanie recognized the hidden implications. Mom had used this whole quest as a mean to show her off. She didn´t mind it. No, she was happy about it. After all, it meant that Mom was proud of her.
Melanie took a close look at the three presents that stood before her, before taking her time, picking up the cards that came with them. It was only polite. The first card was viridian green, golden letters on it.
A child of Hades´ line has little luck with the animal kingdom bar a few exceptions. Not only is that depressing, but it could actively hinder you in your future paths. You have great potential, so allow me to aid you. As long as you wear this bracelet, your nature as a child of the land of the dead will ... not be removed, but it will be counteracted so that no animal will treat you any differently.
-P
-P
Melanie was already feeling overwhelming thankfulness for the gift. It was hard as a child, to experience the rejection of animals and seeing them clearly enjoy the presence of others more. She was somewhat used to it, but it didn´t remove the sting. Indeed, as she took out the bracelet, she felt refreshed, almost like a new spring had begun. The bracelet itself was made out of what seemed to be grass, though as it turned out was an odd fabric that felt organic, yet had the permanency of fabric.
"Mother, who is P? Maybe Grandmother?" For the first time in her mind, she saw her mother unsure.
"I.. am actually not sure. By the gods, I hope not. I don´t want to deal with that mess." This was perhaps the first time the goddess of Ghosts actually looked scared.
"L-lets move on then." Damn it, why did it ruin the atmosphere!
The next card was warm to the touch, and her eyes widened as she read from whom she received the gift.
For a spark of hope that family might yet find together in the future, I will keep your secret.
-Great Aunt Hestia
-Great Aunt Hestia
She turned the card around, discovering that there was additional text to it.
"P.S I do hope that you visit me on occasion. I really want to learn more about my first grand niece from my eldest brother! Give your mother a hug from me!"
Mel promptly hugged her mother close and hard, who chuckled in response. "Yeah, Hestia is great. She was one of the few who visited me regularly, although she did grow more … distant is wrong, but she closed herself off. She would do less on her own accord. Though, I wonder what she got for you..."
Inside the package was a small iron lantern. It was carry-able by a loop at the top, though it could also be attached to a belt. While it did not burn brightly, the glow travelled far and warm. As soon as it was out of the box, the remainders of the awkward atmosphere vanished, smiles appearing all around.
Melanie clasped her hands together, offering a prayer of thanks to the goddess of the hearth. Only to blink as she received the mental image of Hestia winking towards her.
The third card was perhaps the oddest, for it was no card, but the packaging itself. It was a yarn pouch, with something inscribed on it.
I love your style! So cheek in tongue, yourself but still so much space to grow. Wait, I forgot something. Ah yes, your hair is amazing. Something like that must be maintained. Use this make up kit, and it will take more than water to ruin it. It will also make you keep that youthful innocent appearance in any situation!
-Hebe
-Hebe
Inside the pouch was a small make up kit with instructions on how to use it. This would be super useful for her mischief, and Hebe sounds fun to be around. She send a quick prayer of thanks to her.
After opening the gifts, Mom took her aside for a second. "Daughter. I assume you can guess why you I organized this many gifts?"
Melanie nodded. Naturally, she did. Mom had never made a secret out of what she was, and how her life most likely will look like. It was the cause for why Melanie was so mature in some aspects, knowing that her kind has an average life expectancy of maybe thirty, if they are lucky. Mom wanted her to be special. She was well aware that most demigods were just show pieces for their parents, and that her mother was aiming for the same thing, in a sense. She wanted to make a point about proper parenthood, and pure spite for her own family.
She wasn´t sure how she felt about it, but in all the nights she laid awake thinking about it, she has always come to the conclusion that she did not care. Yes, mother had other purposes, but that did not invalidate her love and care for her.
Mom nodded, before leaning down. "Well, I have told you about your kind. But I figured it is now time for you to know why we aren´t in the USA. See, we, I mean the Greeks, do not have all that much influence on the Isles. Sure, the big ones still have considerable, but lesser, unknown gods like me? Not so much. This is why I gave you this much. Because unlike your counterparts in the states, you are in areas where those not of our kind can get to you."
Melanie shivered at the intensity of the tone. She understood well. It was part of how divinity functioned. It was illogical, but anything that humanity sufficiently believed in could technically become reality. It is why she avoids significant churches and the like. She wasn´t sure what the status of the deities in this land were, but last she heard, they were one of the few that were actually involved with the normal world.
Mom continued, making her concern visible. "Should you ever encounter them, I want you to be calm, respectful and direct them to me. You are my daughter, you are my champion. Anything they want to do, at least the actual divine beings, has to go through me."
She understood the subtext. She was basically free game for lesser beings. That she would need to be careful in both her actions and her words. It now strangely made sense why Mom had pushed her to put much time into studying philosophy and had recruited some of the ghostly lawyers to teach her about the law. She was likely to encounter the Sidhe, the Fairies.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound. Now, while it was not odd to hear a knock, it was rather odd to hear it at around 1 in the morning.
Her Father, well built man that he was, made to open the door… She only could see him pausing, before lifting his finger up, closing the door, before shouting over his shoulder. "Red! Do you know anything about four ghosts, a banshee and a ghost dog?"
Oh
"They were my minions for tonight. You can let them in." Came her quick response.
She desperately tried to ignore the proud overplayed noises her mother made. No, she wasn´t on her way to become the new queen of darkness and evil and kicking puppies. She loved puppies. The rest maybe though. The magical world seemed ripe for someone to pull that off…. Too much effort.
John approached her, as Mom took the Banshee to the side, waving off the bows of the other ghosts.
He spoke up "So, little Princess, happy with your gifts? Still want to go through with making that Scare Group or what you called it?" The expressions of ghosts were always difficult to read, many of their micro expressions just missing, but Melanie could see that he was amused. He did probably remember that it was her birthday, and didn´t tell her. How mean.
Melanie nodded with a bright grin, waving the lantern around almost eerily. "And we shall call us the …"
Dramatic pauses were always important.
"….The Spookies!"
There was a pause in the room, before most of them burst into laughter. Melanie pouted. It was a cool name! And Cute! And Intelligent! Most people didn´t even know what Spook actually meant, she was sure of it!
Anne shrugged while trying to keep her laughter in. "I mean, it is not like we are a gang, it is just our little nickname, so I am agreeable to it. How about you folks ?"
The twins gave a thumbs up, clearly loving the nickname, while John just released a grandfatherly chuckle.
The Banshee did not care, preferring to enjoy the food. She gave a quick thumbs up before continuing to pierce little cheese pieces onto her claws.
"Well then. I, Melanie Southgate, Ghost princess, declare that this was our first meeting under the banner of the Spookies!"
Her mother chuckled, mock whispering to her father "They grow up so fast, she is already making conspiracies and collecting minions."
She absolutely did not blush.
- Location
- Over the hill and far away
You had me at "birbs", and I'm very curious to see how this goes 
Gregorious Conversations
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Melanie slightly bit her tongue in concentration, hoping the slight ping of pain would wake her sleepy mind up. Having a nocturnal rhythm had it´s advantages, especially if you could do what you wanted most of the time, but there was one thing that could only be done among the searing rays of the Gashead.
Today, today she would need to go out during the day, and it was not even school time. It was quite annoying, but apparently she had to be called into the school. The boys had not kept their bloody mouths shut. Apparently she did too well of a job terrifying them!
Pah, Philistines.
Luckily, that did not mean she had to appear wearing her "casual outfit" she had to wear to school normally. Like her other outfits weren´t casual as well! Sure, they do not exactly fit in, but casual outfits are something you … just wear. So what if she was wearing just a shirt and black pants, she didn't like skirts to begin with! Besides, Skirts made her wonderful hair look awful!
She couldn't help the pout on her lips. Then she got an idea. An Awful, Evil Idea! Throwing the black tank top and pants onto the bed, she instead reached deep into the closest. Cackling almost, she looked at what she had in her hand. Firm, black fabric, satin soft. It was a dress, one of the fancy almost Victorian ones, the only one that she had. Her mother had insisted upon it, noting that when the time came that she would be introduced to Grandpa, she would need to look her best.
She was not quite sure why she had gotten this early then, but she figured Mom was just like Father in how she wanted to be prepared for it. She would not complain about nice dresses. Sure, less was more was her thing, but there was something about wearing a classical Victorian dress that was just as good.
It took her a while to put it on, unused to it, but she eventually managed to force herself in. She even pulled out the fancy dance shoes. Stepping outside, she had to bite back a foul curse at the piercing rays of the sun. Standing beneath her, waiting at the bottom of the metal staircase, was her father, red hair a fair shade more usual than hers.
Fixing her posture, appearing like the young lady she was, she descended. As soon as she was spotted, her father could not help himself, rolling his eyes at her antics, but not dignifying it with a response.
Soon enough, they were driving towards the school. While she could appreciate the swiftness of shadow traveling, there was something to be said about the mechanical rhythm of a car motor that was just soothing to listen to. Naturally, she still carried her umbrella with her. While they had wards up to lessen the dangers of Monsters finding them, a threat unprepared for what a threat unaccounted for.
As the vista of London´s suburbia flew past them, her father pointed to an old looking, almost mansion like home. "There I met your mother. Ever told you the story?"
Oh, story time!
"Nope~!" Melanie shouted with an excited voice, eager to learn more.
"It was back in 78, new year actually, so technically 79. Was a young lad back then, sixteen. Was a proud punk and decided to hang out with some folks at the place. Was supposed to be haunted. Turns out, it was. Little cowards ran. I wanted to run too, but then I saw your mother and well… being the Ravenclaw that I was, I could not help myself but be interested. Seeing that the muggles were gone, I confronted her. I shouted and demanded answers… but she never reacted. Turns out, she had found an old walkman, and it was playing some of my music. It fascinated her. That is how we got talking. She wasn't aware of the modern mortal world, or even the magical one, and I wasn't aware of the mythological one."
Ah, father had that tone of his, betraying that he had sunken into his memories. Still, there were small things that collaborated his stories to her. Most prominent were the necklace and piercings he wore. She also knew that he and mom always went out together on new year. But there was something… Mother would not just talk…
"Want to hear the song she listened to?"
This time the excitement overwhelmed her suspicion and she could not help the rapid nodding that ensued. Father chuckled, patting her head, disturbing her carefully arranged mane much to her displeasure.
Soon enough, their car entered school grounds blaring the glorious sound of Blitzkrieg Bop, drawing the attention of the assorted folks. Melanie could not help but sneer at assorted adults.
Most prominent was a big, beefy man with a face as purple as an eggplant with indignation. He had thick, dark hair and a bushy black mustache that reminded her of that fur outfit Mother once wore when she came into Father's bedroom on New Year. He also had hardly any neck and the mean little eyes that narrowed to slits reminded her of an Anteater.
Besides him was the bizzaro opposite to him, female instead of male, light hair instead of dark, skinny instead of beefy, too much neck instead of none. She was also quite pale, but the unhealthy, ugly kind, not Melanie's own chalk white skin that contrasted so nicely with her crimson hair.
The Dursleys, infamous in the school that even she had heard of them. They were part of the elusive average and were notorious for their bad conduct towards anyone that did not fit in their suburban dream world.
Melanie could guess why they looked like they had just eaten fried cucumbers. Although, if she had not been sure that the males of the family abhor the idea of vegetables, she would have guessed that they would enjoy it like the monsters that they were.
Absolutely horrible.
Her father patted her on the back, and gestured towards the playground on the school grounds. She could barely recognise that it was not as deserted of life as it should be on such a day, at this time. Before she could go however, her father reached back into the car and pulled out a book.
"I know that you study at your own speed, but it can't hurt to be prepared, no?" Melanie would have loved to believe him, but given that it was wrapped in a label proudly proclaiming it to be the Grimoirium Verum. Most likely done so as to irritate the Dursleys. Not that she minded.
Her family expected her, outside of her academic pursuits, to keep up with the activities usually expected of a scion of not only the House of Hades, but also the daughter of Melinoë. Her mother had a surprising amount of domains, especially for a relatively young and minor goddess, but she had a minor claim over magic. So, naturally, Melanie was expected to excel at it, or at least, she wanted to excel at it, partly because magic was awesome.
Taking the book, and skipping over to the playground, the adults vanished inside the school. She herself moved towards a tree, ready to seek refuge from the hateful beams of the grand fireball in the sky, and try to decipher the symbols in the Grimoirium. Oh, it was not actually a magic book, but some aspects of it would be useful for the summoning of her familiar.
Opening the book, she raised an eyebrow at the first sentiment expressed. She was familiar with the Ars Goetia, the Keys of Solomon being familiar to her, as was the now classical seven princes of the sins. But here, Lucifer, Astaroth and Beelzebub were put on the same level, all three being nominal superior spirits ruling the spirits of different areas in the world. Apparently Lucifer was responsible for her area, it being Europe and Asia.
Sadly, she would not be able to further her studies as the fat lump of a walrus decided to make some noise by baying at the castle set up, trying to shake it like one would try to shake an apple tree for it´s apple, but in this case, the apple was a fellow child. Rolling her eyes, she briefly contemplated what to do.
She knew that she should probably just ignore it. She was already on thin ice with the school and causing another incident would probably get her kicked out of it. Again. Not her first time. On the other hand, she had her future tution secured and her actually graduating from primary school was secondary to that. She was also supposed to be a hero and while she knew that it did not mean the exact same thing, a hero was supposed to save people in distress… well, damsels in distress, but she was also female, so it should be male, soo… why not go both. Less headaches that way. And no need to see if there was a male version of damsel. She did not want to escape reading to read more.
Standing up, she held up the book in one hand, it was fairly small and bound in a hard cover with paper wrapper. It reminded her of some of the children´s books she has seen, with famous people in them that basically told you about them with colorful illustrations and funny facts. It wasn´t particularly thick either, so she had no problem snapping it shut with a loud bang. A bang loud enough to draw the attention of the two other children.
She had to fight to not break down laughing at the image she must have presented.
A pale girl, looking small even for a ten year old, dressed in a frilly black dress. slightly leaning on a black umbrella, holding a black tomb in one hand. Naturally, her eyebrow was lifted delicately as if to politely inform the other parties of her disgust.
"You know, it is quite pitiful that that old vulture leading the school had the gall to order me here, yet ignores the blatant barking of a rabid puppy in her backyard."
She usually tried to hide her accent she had acquired from hearing her father speak, but right now, she cared little to hide the glasgow heritage she had.
The bullish boy seemed to take offence at Melanie's statement, letting go of the play structure and moving towards her, only to jump back with an eep as the tip of the umbrella was stabbed neatly in front of his shoes.
"Would you most kindly reconsider if it is a smart idea to try and threaten someone who is, by your own complaints, a deranged individual? Especially so if said individual has a dangerous weapon?" She gave the umbrella a playful little swirl, letting it move fast enough that it made an audible noise.
She could see that he eyed the tip of the umbrella with caution. Taking advantage of his intimidated state she decided to approach the other child. She had first thought it was a boy, but her features were more feminine, wild dark hair, yet more akin to her carefully curated mane than just unkempt wildness. It was not glossy or full of gel.
Yet, what captivated her gaze were her eyes. A dark, deep green, rich in something that just beckoned her. Her senses told her something was off about the girl. Yet, before she could, something else filled the air.
A hiss, then another, then another. But that alone would not have earned her focus. Small serpents could be found in London and the surrounding area after all, although it would have to be abnormally big for it to be that audible. No, what earned her attention was the location where the sound originated. It came from the crown of branches above her. At least that was the first. The second began to move.
Instincts screamed at her and she knew that playtime was over. She moved as the quivering of the branches intensified. It was directly over Dudley. With speed that perhaps she should not be entirely capable of, she pushed the fat boy, just as there was a hiss and a snapping sound.
Having just barely missed it´s expected prey, the predator stalking them fell from its heightened position. Swirling around, she thought it may have been just a normal snake driven mad, or one of the children of Echidna, and it did look like a hydra, if significantly smaller and more lean and green than described to her.
Though smaller than a hydra, it was still the size of a hound. And it seemed to be quite pissed at Melanie for stealing away such a juicy dinner.
Three serpentine heads reared up, ready to strike at her. She prepared to fight, only to be distracted by a squeal from behind her. She could not help her instinct to look back, seeing the little piglet running, as much as he was capable of that.
Something was screaming inside her at the mistake she just made. She just barely managed to lift the umbrella, halting one of the maws from ripping out her throat, before unlocking the blade from it, grabbing the umbrella part with the other hand.
Pulling the blade out, she backhanded the most right head with the bottom of the grip just as it was about to sink its fangs into her flesh. With the other, she pushed the umbrella sheath to the side, pulling the central head into the way on the right.
With a heavy heart, she let go of the sheath, knowing that a close engagement with a beast with five ways of attacking her would be foolish. With an almost alligator-like move, the beast let go of it, throwing it away.
She could admit, she was not sure how to handle this situation. She had no ghosts at her side, and her shadow travel would be of very limited use here. It was great for opponents that have a limited field of vision, but the beast would search for her with all three heads, likely allowing it to see almost 360 degrees if it wanted to. She had to hope that she could do enough damage to it before it did her in.
Looking at the positive side of things, she must look positively wicked. The new blade of her weapon of choice always made her ready to giggle like a drug addict. It still had the same shape, made for fencing and saberwork, but instead of the dull glory of celestial bronze, it was now dark. Dark enough that it seemed more akin to a hole in perceived reality, sucking in light and warmth and sending out the delightfully dreadful waves of the underworld. It also seemed to have an effect on the beast, causing it to be cautious.
They began to circle each other, each not willing to commit to an attack, waiting for a lapse in attention that would decide the matter between them. She muttered, it hissed once, twice, thrice, and-
There was a fourth hiss, almost meekly, coming from the palace playground structure.
Almost comically, all three heads turned towards it. Melanie herself had to focus to not laugh at the irony that the beast committed the same mistake she had. Moving forward quickly, she swung the blade just as the heads began to turn around once more.
Too slow.
With a loud Squish sound, all three heads fell to the ground. Surprisingly, the thing did not vanish into the mist. That, however, was not her focus. She quickly moved forward, reclaiming the sheath, and once more, her super awesome sword was hidden from sight.
As she turned around to try and take care of the body of the monster, she saw the girl standing there, poking it with a stick. Melanie could not help the raised eyebrow, but approached her.
"What is this thing…?" The girl questioned with wide eyes. Definitely clear sighted, and if she was not wrong about what she did, magical as well.
"Beat me. It looks like a hydra, but it does not die like a hydra." Deciding to be foreward, Melanie offered her hand to the girl.
"I do not think we have met before. I am Melanie Southgate, quite a pleasure."
The girl looked at her in confusion, before taking the hand.
"Harleen Potter. I-" She paused "I hope I am not rude, but what are you?"
Revealing the magical world is less likely to get her into trouble, so Melanie decided to go with that.
"The same as you."
"What?"
"You do not know? You are a witch, Harleen!"
Smile and hope nobody notices the giant monster corpse, Melanie.
This is off haitus!
Today, today she would need to go out during the day, and it was not even school time. It was quite annoying, but apparently she had to be called into the school. The boys had not kept their bloody mouths shut. Apparently she did too well of a job terrifying them!
Pah, Philistines.
Luckily, that did not mean she had to appear wearing her "casual outfit" she had to wear to school normally. Like her other outfits weren´t casual as well! Sure, they do not exactly fit in, but casual outfits are something you … just wear. So what if she was wearing just a shirt and black pants, she didn't like skirts to begin with! Besides, Skirts made her wonderful hair look awful!
She couldn't help the pout on her lips. Then she got an idea. An Awful, Evil Idea! Throwing the black tank top and pants onto the bed, she instead reached deep into the closest. Cackling almost, she looked at what she had in her hand. Firm, black fabric, satin soft. It was a dress, one of the fancy almost Victorian ones, the only one that she had. Her mother had insisted upon it, noting that when the time came that she would be introduced to Grandpa, she would need to look her best.
She was not quite sure why she had gotten this early then, but she figured Mom was just like Father in how she wanted to be prepared for it. She would not complain about nice dresses. Sure, less was more was her thing, but there was something about wearing a classical Victorian dress that was just as good.
It took her a while to put it on, unused to it, but she eventually managed to force herself in. She even pulled out the fancy dance shoes. Stepping outside, she had to bite back a foul curse at the piercing rays of the sun. Standing beneath her, waiting at the bottom of the metal staircase, was her father, red hair a fair shade more usual than hers.
Fixing her posture, appearing like the young lady she was, she descended. As soon as she was spotted, her father could not help himself, rolling his eyes at her antics, but not dignifying it with a response.
Soon enough, they were driving towards the school. While she could appreciate the swiftness of shadow traveling, there was something to be said about the mechanical rhythm of a car motor that was just soothing to listen to. Naturally, she still carried her umbrella with her. While they had wards up to lessen the dangers of Monsters finding them, a threat unprepared for what a threat unaccounted for.
As the vista of London´s suburbia flew past them, her father pointed to an old looking, almost mansion like home. "There I met your mother. Ever told you the story?"
Oh, story time!
"Nope~!" Melanie shouted with an excited voice, eager to learn more.
"It was back in 78, new year actually, so technically 79. Was a young lad back then, sixteen. Was a proud punk and decided to hang out with some folks at the place. Was supposed to be haunted. Turns out, it was. Little cowards ran. I wanted to run too, but then I saw your mother and well… being the Ravenclaw that I was, I could not help myself but be interested. Seeing that the muggles were gone, I confronted her. I shouted and demanded answers… but she never reacted. Turns out, she had found an old walkman, and it was playing some of my music. It fascinated her. That is how we got talking. She wasn't aware of the modern mortal world, or even the magical one, and I wasn't aware of the mythological one."
Ah, father had that tone of his, betraying that he had sunken into his memories. Still, there were small things that collaborated his stories to her. Most prominent were the necklace and piercings he wore. She also knew that he and mom always went out together on new year. But there was something… Mother would not just talk…
"Want to hear the song she listened to?"
This time the excitement overwhelmed her suspicion and she could not help the rapid nodding that ensued. Father chuckled, patting her head, disturbing her carefully arranged mane much to her displeasure.
Soon enough, their car entered school grounds blaring the glorious sound of Blitzkrieg Bop, drawing the attention of the assorted folks. Melanie could not help but sneer at assorted adults.
Most prominent was a big, beefy man with a face as purple as an eggplant with indignation. He had thick, dark hair and a bushy black mustache that reminded her of that fur outfit Mother once wore when she came into Father's bedroom on New Year. He also had hardly any neck and the mean little eyes that narrowed to slits reminded her of an Anteater.
Besides him was the bizzaro opposite to him, female instead of male, light hair instead of dark, skinny instead of beefy, too much neck instead of none. She was also quite pale, but the unhealthy, ugly kind, not Melanie's own chalk white skin that contrasted so nicely with her crimson hair.
The Dursleys, infamous in the school that even she had heard of them. They were part of the elusive average and were notorious for their bad conduct towards anyone that did not fit in their suburban dream world.
Melanie could guess why they looked like they had just eaten fried cucumbers. Although, if she had not been sure that the males of the family abhor the idea of vegetables, she would have guessed that they would enjoy it like the monsters that they were.
Absolutely horrible.
Her father patted her on the back, and gestured towards the playground on the school grounds. She could barely recognise that it was not as deserted of life as it should be on such a day, at this time. Before she could go however, her father reached back into the car and pulled out a book.
"I know that you study at your own speed, but it can't hurt to be prepared, no?" Melanie would have loved to believe him, but given that it was wrapped in a label proudly proclaiming it to be the Grimoirium Verum. Most likely done so as to irritate the Dursleys. Not that she minded.
Her family expected her, outside of her academic pursuits, to keep up with the activities usually expected of a scion of not only the House of Hades, but also the daughter of Melinoë. Her mother had a surprising amount of domains, especially for a relatively young and minor goddess, but she had a minor claim over magic. So, naturally, Melanie was expected to excel at it, or at least, she wanted to excel at it, partly because magic was awesome.
Taking the book, and skipping over to the playground, the adults vanished inside the school. She herself moved towards a tree, ready to seek refuge from the hateful beams of the grand fireball in the sky, and try to decipher the symbols in the Grimoirium. Oh, it was not actually a magic book, but some aspects of it would be useful for the summoning of her familiar.
Opening the book, she raised an eyebrow at the first sentiment expressed. She was familiar with the Ars Goetia, the Keys of Solomon being familiar to her, as was the now classical seven princes of the sins. But here, Lucifer, Astaroth and Beelzebub were put on the same level, all three being nominal superior spirits ruling the spirits of different areas in the world. Apparently Lucifer was responsible for her area, it being Europe and Asia.
Sadly, she would not be able to further her studies as the fat lump of a walrus decided to make some noise by baying at the castle set up, trying to shake it like one would try to shake an apple tree for it´s apple, but in this case, the apple was a fellow child. Rolling her eyes, she briefly contemplated what to do.
She knew that she should probably just ignore it. She was already on thin ice with the school and causing another incident would probably get her kicked out of it. Again. Not her first time. On the other hand, she had her future tution secured and her actually graduating from primary school was secondary to that. She was also supposed to be a hero and while she knew that it did not mean the exact same thing, a hero was supposed to save people in distress… well, damsels in distress, but she was also female, so it should be male, soo… why not go both. Less headaches that way. And no need to see if there was a male version of damsel. She did not want to escape reading to read more.
Standing up, she held up the book in one hand, it was fairly small and bound in a hard cover with paper wrapper. It reminded her of some of the children´s books she has seen, with famous people in them that basically told you about them with colorful illustrations and funny facts. It wasn´t particularly thick either, so she had no problem snapping it shut with a loud bang. A bang loud enough to draw the attention of the two other children.
She had to fight to not break down laughing at the image she must have presented.
A pale girl, looking small even for a ten year old, dressed in a frilly black dress. slightly leaning on a black umbrella, holding a black tomb in one hand. Naturally, her eyebrow was lifted delicately as if to politely inform the other parties of her disgust.
"You know, it is quite pitiful that that old vulture leading the school had the gall to order me here, yet ignores the blatant barking of a rabid puppy in her backyard."
She usually tried to hide her accent she had acquired from hearing her father speak, but right now, she cared little to hide the glasgow heritage she had.
The bullish boy seemed to take offence at Melanie's statement, letting go of the play structure and moving towards her, only to jump back with an eep as the tip of the umbrella was stabbed neatly in front of his shoes.
"Would you most kindly reconsider if it is a smart idea to try and threaten someone who is, by your own complaints, a deranged individual? Especially so if said individual has a dangerous weapon?" She gave the umbrella a playful little swirl, letting it move fast enough that it made an audible noise.
She could see that he eyed the tip of the umbrella with caution. Taking advantage of his intimidated state she decided to approach the other child. She had first thought it was a boy, but her features were more feminine, wild dark hair, yet more akin to her carefully curated mane than just unkempt wildness. It was not glossy or full of gel.
Yet, what captivated her gaze were her eyes. A dark, deep green, rich in something that just beckoned her. Her senses told her something was off about the girl. Yet, before she could, something else filled the air.
A hiss, then another, then another. But that alone would not have earned her focus. Small serpents could be found in London and the surrounding area after all, although it would have to be abnormally big for it to be that audible. No, what earned her attention was the location where the sound originated. It came from the crown of branches above her. At least that was the first. The second began to move.
Instincts screamed at her and she knew that playtime was over. She moved as the quivering of the branches intensified. It was directly over Dudley. With speed that perhaps she should not be entirely capable of, she pushed the fat boy, just as there was a hiss and a snapping sound.
Having just barely missed it´s expected prey, the predator stalking them fell from its heightened position. Swirling around, she thought it may have been just a normal snake driven mad, or one of the children of Echidna, and it did look like a hydra, if significantly smaller and more lean and green than described to her.
Though smaller than a hydra, it was still the size of a hound. And it seemed to be quite pissed at Melanie for stealing away such a juicy dinner.
Three serpentine heads reared up, ready to strike at her. She prepared to fight, only to be distracted by a squeal from behind her. She could not help her instinct to look back, seeing the little piglet running, as much as he was capable of that.
Something was screaming inside her at the mistake she just made. She just barely managed to lift the umbrella, halting one of the maws from ripping out her throat, before unlocking the blade from it, grabbing the umbrella part with the other hand.
Pulling the blade out, she backhanded the most right head with the bottom of the grip just as it was about to sink its fangs into her flesh. With the other, she pushed the umbrella sheath to the side, pulling the central head into the way on the right.
With a heavy heart, she let go of the sheath, knowing that a close engagement with a beast with five ways of attacking her would be foolish. With an almost alligator-like move, the beast let go of it, throwing it away.
She could admit, she was not sure how to handle this situation. She had no ghosts at her side, and her shadow travel would be of very limited use here. It was great for opponents that have a limited field of vision, but the beast would search for her with all three heads, likely allowing it to see almost 360 degrees if it wanted to. She had to hope that she could do enough damage to it before it did her in.
Looking at the positive side of things, she must look positively wicked. The new blade of her weapon of choice always made her ready to giggle like a drug addict. It still had the same shape, made for fencing and saberwork, but instead of the dull glory of celestial bronze, it was now dark. Dark enough that it seemed more akin to a hole in perceived reality, sucking in light and warmth and sending out the delightfully dreadful waves of the underworld. It also seemed to have an effect on the beast, causing it to be cautious.
They began to circle each other, each not willing to commit to an attack, waiting for a lapse in attention that would decide the matter between them. She muttered, it hissed once, twice, thrice, and-
There was a fourth hiss, almost meekly, coming from the palace playground structure.
Almost comically, all three heads turned towards it. Melanie herself had to focus to not laugh at the irony that the beast committed the same mistake she had. Moving forward quickly, she swung the blade just as the heads began to turn around once more.
Too slow.
With a loud Squish sound, all three heads fell to the ground. Surprisingly, the thing did not vanish into the mist. That, however, was not her focus. She quickly moved forward, reclaiming the sheath, and once more, her super awesome sword was hidden from sight.
As she turned around to try and take care of the body of the monster, she saw the girl standing there, poking it with a stick. Melanie could not help the raised eyebrow, but approached her.
"What is this thing…?" The girl questioned with wide eyes. Definitely clear sighted, and if she was not wrong about what she did, magical as well.
"Beat me. It looks like a hydra, but it does not die like a hydra." Deciding to be foreward, Melanie offered her hand to the girl.
"I do not think we have met before. I am Melanie Southgate, quite a pleasure."
The girl looked at her in confusion, before taking the hand.
"Harleen Potter. I-" She paused "I hope I am not rude, but what are you?"
Revealing the magical world is less likely to get her into trouble, so Melanie decided to go with that.
"The same as you."
"What?"
"You do not know? You are a witch, Harleen!"
Smile and hope nobody notices the giant monster corpse, Melanie.
This is off haitus!