ask-the-ghost-with-the-most

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

He turns into a striped snake like he had years ago at Lydia's house and wraps around her, "we're dead, strangulation doesn't work on either of us! Did you even think this plan through? You must be new to your power, you're not being very creative."

Astrid stares wide eyed at Beetlejuice and Delores, scared and confused and hoping this is all one weird nightmare from whatever her friends were passing around and smoking before, though she didn't actually know if secondhand highs were possible. Either way, she didn't want to be friends with them anymore

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Like a deranged psycho! My mom's gonna kick your ass!" Astrid snaps, starting to lose hope of being saved and getting pissed at the ghost. "Crazy killer fiance's don't care about anyone but themselves, don't you get tv down here?! There's so many docuseries on that exact topic! They marry just to kill! My mom is smart enough not to get attached to a freak like that! You got caught in his web, and now you're playing right into it!"

Beetlejuice looks genuinely concerned and rushes ahead of Lydia. He didn't think, he didn't stop to ask questions, he just flung the door open where the trail ended, no plan just worry for Lydia's kid

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Oh, trust me, she'd have unfinished business, and only half of it would be yelling at me for messing with ghost stuff," Astrid sasses, fed up with the small talk. "And I'm not giving you my name, you're going to kill my mom!"

"Only about half the time, the other half it's to ensure I don't have to suffer through awkward silence," he admits. "You ever met a ghost that cares about being too on the nose? They're definitely in the drama room"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"That was different, adults are way easier to hold hostage in their own home than teenagers you take to a different location," BJ sighs. "Right, just as ominous as expected."

Astrid looks at her like she's insane. "Well, if you do kill my mom, that'll put her down here right? Wouldn't that be... Exactly what he would want? And, like... What would you do about me? I doubt he even knows I exist"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

Beetlejuice goes with her the way the kid had pointed out. "We gotta be getting close, right? It can't be much farther, how many teens can one ghost kidnap?"

Astrid frowns, "how do you know he actually cares and isn't using my mom to throw people off from who he actually likes? He sounds like a tricky asshole."

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Fine, but if she asks specific questions and I can't answer... Run," he warns, not wanting her to get hurt.

"Well if she hasn't mentioned him I doubt she likes him very much, so why kill her? Why not someone he's closer to?" Astrid tries to logic her way through this to protect her mom

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Just open the chalk door again when you're done, it looks like he's not going to be done any time soon and there might be more kids trapped in here," the secretary sighs.

"None taken, but I'm at a loss here Lyds... I can't figure out who it could possibly be."

Astrid sits quietly, before finally deciding to speak up again. "Who's Beetlejuice? I don't think my mom's ever mentioned a ghost by that name, and she talks about a lot of ghosts..."

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

The secretary looks up at her, "are you looking for the white and black stripes demon that keeps bringing living people through here?"

"Some ghost said my name, my full name, and it felt like pure hatred. I don't think whoever took your kid was upset with one of the teens..." He pulls a lever that wasn't there before and the teen falls through a trap door into a slide, directly into the lobby. "Your stepmom followed me, she and the secretary can help the kids, we need to speed things up, anybody who's willing to evoke my name down here has some serious power and an even more serious grudge. But I still don't know who it could be..." He looks more scared when he admits the last part, he's never encountered another powerful ghost willing to say his name

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Hey, I might be an asshole but I actually care about her! I wouldn't be helping her if I didn't! I'm not desperate for deals, I can get by without them, this isn't some power fantasy, she can end the deal prematurely if she wants and I can't do much to stop her, just like last time! I don't have time for you to be overprotective, I gotta get back to the underworld, we don't know what the ghost who kidnapped Astrid wants!" He freezes as he's turning towards the door again, eyes wide. "Someone in the underworld just said my name... Nobody down there says my name... Not in full, they're always cut off..." He bolts for the door and straight to where the tracker says Lydia is, not bothering to close the door once he's through it

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"She made a deal with me, she summoned me and suggested we get married," he smirks. "But that can wait, we got a kid to save! Well, a few, but I only actually care about her kid," he admits.

"Oh... Who's your ex?" Astrid asks, confused. "Is he, like... Another ghost?"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Long story short, she's following a trail of abandoned alive kids in the underworld to get hers back, I'll bring her back in one piece and still breathing, promise, but for now I'm returning this one," he gestures to the teen.

"So, uh..." Astrid starts awkwardly. "What's your tragic backstory? While we... Sit here and wait... Ominously..."

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Soon as you're safely back in the land of the living, kid... And do yourself a favor, don't associate with whicher bitchy friend of yours decided to haze Astrid. Being popular only gets you so far, and the end of that line is usually highschool. Make some genuine friends that don't care about your flaws or weirdness, yeah?" He waves at the receptionist as they enter the lobby, who jumps up to yell at him before realized Lydia isn't following and he's got a kid with him.

"BJ... What's going on?" The receptionist asks, worried now.

"Put the halls on alert to keep an eye out for living kids, we got a kidnapping and discarding going down," he mutters before grabbing the door handle. "It's gonna feel weird, it's gonna be blinding, and you might feel sick after, but we'll be in Lydia's attic right after I open this door and her stepmom should be there to help you out... Since I've been summoned, everyone will be able to see me, so if you don't want your parents seeing the grody moldy dead guy tell me now"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Huh... Weird, that she'd go after a bunch of teens... Usually ghosts who were murdered go after their killer and only their killer... Occasionally you'll get one that goes after people their killer cares about... And most ghosts don't bother with kids putzing about with ouija boards and chalk pentagrams... If she was just left at the alter, it wouldn't explain being chopped up into pieces, but even if her fiance did murder her then he must have been one sick motherfucker, ghosts appearances can change, sure, but usually they'll look how they did when they died... I, uh... I'm no exception, and I'm probably the second grossest ghost you'll see today... The first was the old man on the porch you kids got dragged past, but he's a different kind of gross you can't immediately identify by looks"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"Lost track," he shrugs, leading her back towards the lobby and door.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Lydia taught her well... Besides, it takes a lot of energy to be seen by someone who's not strange and unusual like us, so that ghost is probably exhausted by now. I'm sure she'll need to recover before she can do anything else."

He looks over at her, "what story? What were you kids trying to summon? Details would be a big help, kid, so far all we know is this ghost is angry and was mutilated while alive"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

He watches Lydia for a moment, sighing. "Yeah... I have for years..." He admits, offering the teen his hand for the trip back to the world of the living. "Unfortunately, because you're alive, we gotta take the long way back, but it shouldn't take too long it just isn't instant like the short way"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"

[ask-the-ghost-with-the-most]

"There's a lot of dead beauty models, usually by their own hands or an accident from drugs and alcohol. Every last one of them ends up miserable here," BJ sighs. "In fact, very few ghosts enjoy being dead long. Life is short, death is super long, make sure you enjoy life while it lasts cuz once you're stuck here you'll realize eternity is the absolute worst."

He turns to Lydia, "oh, um... The deal doesn't allow me to track you while you're here, but I might... Hang on." He summons a suitcase and starts going through it in the ground right there, tossing shit around and out of the way. It never seems to end, as he leans further and further down into it until suddenly he's standing again and the suitcase and everything from inside it is gone. In his hand is a ring just her size, black metal with a neon green gem surrounded by tiny purple ones, and what looks like a computer chip. He puts the chip under the big green gem and takes her left hand, sliding the ring on her finger. "There we go! Now I'll be able to find you!"

Lydia was sitting in the graveyard reading Edgar Allen Poe out loud to her father’s grave.

Then her phone rings.

“Astrid? What’s up sweetheart? Are you okay? I thought you were hanging out with your friends?” She’s a bit concerned as to why her teen daughter would willingly call her.

@not-an-easy-mark

"I made a huge mistake, we summoned something and it's chasing us, it's already got Stacey and Audrey!"