#Shafter; Event: Dance of the Dead

[exorcistofgrace]

“Daddy’s not here.”

Revenant stood at the door to his and his father’s house. A whole bunch of people had come to his house wondering where his father Geist was, and Revenant knew he must hide his father. So...naturally, he lied. And it wasn’t like most people could tell the facial expression of Revenant Grace, given that he was a ghost embodying a suit of armor.

“Daddy said that he needed to go get groceries! He should be back later though!”

[therhoadespack]

Event from (x)

@crew-from-capulet

@prcttyfangs

Booker had been doing some paperwork in his office, which was a blessing after the busy Halloween night they’d had. When his phone rang, frowning as he looked at the caller ID, Vinnie never called him when he was at work. He trusted both Vinnie and Emerson to be able to handle things when he wasn’t there, Booker answered the call. “Book-” Vinnie was nearly hysteric, and the phone kept cutting in and out. Shoving his chair away he kept trying to get a hold of her “Vinnie. Vinnie. VINNIE” He roared finally before there was the sound of glass breaking, and chaos unfolding. “Booker… They’re… back.. wards.. holdi-” before the line went dead, Booker grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. 

“Tikki, Nita!” He barked “you’re both in charge, something’s fucked up” Booker rarely swore at work, and he simply ignored both Tikki and Nita’s repeated questions and demands as he shouldered his way out the door and into his truck. Booker backed out of the parking lot and raced towards the house. While the station suddenly went from nearly silent to a cacophony of calls, Nita rubbed her forehead and regretted drinking herself to sleep the night before. Striding to the middle of the bull pen, she raised her voice.

“Alright calm down,” Nita pointed at the rookies “You two get on the phones help out the operators” Nita turned to Tarren and Zaide, “I want you two to take a couple of the other rookies and run crowd control. Get out the barriers, whatever the fuck’s happening,  if people who can’t get a hold of us by phone will be coming here maybe in droves." 

Nita paused, "Zaide can you see if you can call your mother down here just in case, her knowledge is needed?” Despite the hangover, Nita hadn’t had time for her usual breakfast of whiskey and coffee. Nor did she even have time to think about drinking, with the chaos going on. “I have no fucking clue where Booker went, but we have a job to do boys.”

[not-a-ghost-town]

Dance of the Dead

(Written by: @exorcistofgrace|| GMs: @prcttyfangs & @exorcistofgrace)

“I’ve never done this before.” Geist couldn’t help but giggle as he continued drawing out the symbols on the ground. “This is going to be fun!” Arganan watched, hesitating. “If you’ve never done this before, don’t you think it’s a bad idea? And just after Halloween?” “Mm…it’s worth a shot. Worst case scenario, we have zombies. Best case scenario? I might be able to speak with my father.” He frowned softly. “I…I haven’t talked to him in years, Lucius. And honestly? I do miss him.”  “You’d risk all that for one relative?” Arganan couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re a walking example of determination, Geist.”  “Thank you.” He paused, a faint smile on his face, and looked to Arganan again as it vanished, curiosity replacing it. “Do you have anyone to talk to? I can bring them back too for moment or two, if you’d like.”  Arganan thought of those dead that were close—his older brother, and Dagran—and shook his head. “I…I don’t think it would be a good idea. In my case, they’re better off not talking to me.” “Alright, then. It’s just my father.” Geist took a deep breath, before placing his rapier in the middle of all the drawn symbols on the ground. Picking up a dusty tome, he flipped it to the right page and murmured something from it. There was nothing, at first, but then the symbols glowed. A soft mist emanated from them, before it thickened, spreading all over the room. Arganan coughed, and Geist found himself coughing as well.  As the smoke cleared, both men heard footsteps—multiple footsteps—from outside, accompanied by gleeful gibbering and confused conversations. Arganan froze, saying nothing, but Geist grimaced and ran towards the nearby window. He saw what was going on outside, and he hissed out of pure frustration. 

 “Crystals, I fucked up the spell!” 

 “What do you mean?” Arganan looked to Geist. “What exactly happened? Why are we hearing multiple footsteps and talking and…people!?” 

 The Exorcist swallowed, hesitating, before looking to the other and speaking.

 “…I didn’t just bring back my father. I brought back everyone.”

BREAKDOWN 

INCIDENT: Geist just raised the dead and poor Arganan witnessed it. More details below. 

WHEN: Midnight (Shafter Time) 

WHERE: The mortuary, and now through all of town. 

PERSONS INVOLVED: Geist Grace, Lucius Arganan, literally everyone else in Shafter, and the ghosts of their dead loved ones (or those close to them). 

The following should be noted:

 Anyone who is close to the people of Shafter and has died (and not necessarily become a ghost, vampire, etc.) has now been raised from the dead as ghostly beings! LET THE GUEST MUSES APPEAR! Feel free to write up some individual drabbles regarding your muses encountering their dead loved ones, or start some threads and have them guest-star in them! 

This spell only lasts about a week in real time, give or take a few days depending on how the event goes. Therefore, once the week is over, all those raised from the dead will return to, well, being dead dead. 

Yes, the ghosts can cause their own shenanigans. Yes, that could potentially include endangering the lives of the living if they want to…though no bloodshed or anything too hugely horrible in this event, please. No kidnappings, murders or the like. Simply encountering one’s dead loved ones can be seriously sad enough. Last thing we need is a lot of the ghosts going and murdering everyone, or worse. 

Property damage is permitted in this event, however. Ghosts can mess around with things as much as people can, after all. 

[xviperinae-archive]

How had it gone from being a normal Halloween thing to something that seemed like chaos of some sort. Also ghosts? Spirits? Whatever you wanted to call these things, one thing was for sure, something was not right and she was wondering if it was just another attraction for the last of Halloween for a second, something done with magic.

That was, until she heard a voice she only remembered from the furthest parts of her memories.

“You grew up so much...Yet not that much in height.”

It took her a few seconds to actually unfreeze enough to turn around, slowly looking behind her and feeling her breathing speed up while doing so, tears coming to her eyes faster then she had ever thought they had before.

“N....Nick?”

There he was, not clear as day since he seemed to be shimmer slightly, being able to see through him somewhat, but he was very much clear enough for her to know him anywhere.

“Hello baby sis. You miss me?”

{Responds To The Event}

[countarganan]

A Reunion...

“...I missed you, you know.”

Arganan’s fists shook at his sides as he looked up at Dagran.

“I fucking missed you. And...and you betrayed me.”

Dagran gazed right back at him. The facial hair, those golden eyes—he looked immaculate.

Immaculate save for a clearly obvious chest wound, that is. He must’ve been killed. Arganan knew that Dagran had died, but..still. Knowing that he died in such a way, and probably bled out...that probably hurt a lot.

“I know I betrayed you.” Dagran sighed, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. “I was willing to do...anything and everything. You know that.”

“I know. I just wish you not siding with the bloody Gurak hadn’t been one of those things.”

“I was going to blame Asthar’s death on them. Zael just happened to walk in on the wrong time.”

“And then everything fell apart.”

“Yeah. It did.”

Silence. Then...

“Have you missed me this whole time?”

Arganan swallowed, then nodded. “How could I not miss you, love? After all we had together...” He shook his head, closing his good eye. “I...I was really angry for a time, you know. I really was.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know if ‘sorry’ can make up for that.”

“I doubt it can, but...” Dagran sighed, taking a deep breath. He locked eyes with Arganan’s one working eye, before speaking again. “I’m sorry. And I really mean it.”

Arganan kept his gaze on Dagran’s golden eyes. Those beautiful, beautiful eyes of his...the same eyes that pulled him in, made the former Count fall for him..

The pain of the betrayal came back, waves of it rushing over him as he recalled all those times, and he burst into tears.

[bravelywego]

Reunited.

“My sweet Tsuna. How you’ve grown.”

Kamiizumi’s eyes widened at the figure standing in front of him.

“...Master?”

Naoto Kamiizumi stood opposite his pupil/adoptive son, smiling softly at him.

“Though I may be a ghost, you may still embrace me. I think I’m solid enough for that.”

“Master!” It did not take more than a few strides for the former Swordmaster to embrace his dead master/adoptive father. “I-it’s been years...I don’t understand! How...how are you here...?”

“Necromancy, my sweet son. That is how.” Naoto gently stroked his son’s hair as he embraced him tightly and closely in return. “I believe you have an Exorcist to thank for that.”

“Exorcist?” Kamiizumi blinked, pulling back slightly to look at him properly. “You mean Geist?”

“Yes...him.” Naoto sighed softly. “It seems he wanted to speak with his father and, uh, let things get out of hand by accident. Hopefully everyone else isn’t too angry at him.”

“I hope so, too.” Kamiizumi took a deep breath, and then gazed into his adoptive father’s eyes. “I should be apologizing to you. I failed you as Swordmaster—I lost a civil war, and I left the Duchy to live in this town...”

“Why did you leave?”

It was not an angry response. If anything, Naoto was curious. Kamiizumi pushed a strand of hair behind his ear, before speaking again.

“I...think I lost myself. I lost myself in that chaos back then. I lost who I was, and...that wasn’t good. Coming here, though? ...it’s grounded me a bit. Not completely, but...it’s something.”

“Then you must focus on the now. On moving forwards. What happened back then remains back then, and you cannot change it. Moving forwards is all we can do.” Naoto hugged his son again. “And...I would love to keep speaking to you like this, for however long this spell goes on. I’ve missed you an awful lot.”

Kamiizumi couldn’t help but smile in return, hugging him back. 

“I would love that too, Master. And I missed you, too.”

[exorcistofgrace]

Event End + Wrap Up: Dance of the Dead

@not-a-ghost-town

The ghosts were going away. It took a whole week and a bit, but they were going.

Geist watched as Revenant waved goodbye to a few fellow ghosts fading out of sight, and then he looked to his father—who was already half-fading.

Eidolon chuckled, looking to his son. “...I’ll miss you. You and Revenant.”

“I’m just grateful that you got to be here.” The Exorcist took a deep breath, looking to him quietly. “And...” He hugged him. He thought he would just pass through Eidolon, but apparently the ghost was solid enough to actually embrace and hold. “I...I’m really going to miss you. And I’m sorry, for causing all this.”

Eidolon held his son, kissing his forehead, before pulling back to make eye contact.

“You only meant well. I don’t think it’s something to be too sorry about. But,” He chuckled, “If you do want to summon me again in the future, at least you know what to do.”

Geist couldn’t help but chuckle in return. “...Yes. That is true.”

Eidolon managed to give Revenant a hug, the image of him flickering. A faint ‘I love you’ passed through the ghost’s lips as he soon vanished.

Silence fell between the Exorcist and his son, looking to where Eidolon once was. And then...

“Daddy?”

Geist looked to the possessed suit of armor, his son, approaching him. “Yes, Rev?”

“I’m glad I got to see him.”

Geist couldn’t help but smile back at his son. “I’m glad too, Rev.”

EVENT END

EVENT WRAP UP

STATUS: Ended. All the ghosts that were summoned to Shafter have returned to whatever afterlife realm they might have been lingering in or something. Wherever they went, they have all left Shafter...for now.

Notable Ghostly Interactions + PEOPLE

Juniper, with Tahirah in tow, hunted down Lucius Arganan and Geist at the mortuary, but a scuffle made Geist leave in frustration with Arganan in tow. Juniper was not very pleased...

Geist later reunited with his ghostly father, Eidolon, and both Eidolon and Geist’s son Revenant tried to hide Geist from Juniper, but she managed to track down Geist anyway.

...Turns out Geist had no idea that there was someone already living in Shafter that could deal with the dead (Opal), otherwise he would have approached her in the first place for help. Geist promises to actually consult those who deal better with spells such as these in the future, and also apologizes for the chaos he caused for this event to .

Many people in Shafter during this ordeal, including Lucius Arganan, Tikki, Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, Viper, etc. all encountered their long-dead loved ones, resulting in a multitude of varied reactions.

Note: The Event is over, but feel free to continue interaction threads, discuss in character, snoop, or push your way around the world for information!

[exorcistofgrace]

[EVENT UPDATE]

@not-a-ghost-town

“Daddy!”

“Rev!” Geist embraced his son. “Rev? Are you alright, son?”

“Yes, Daddy!” Revenant nodded his metal head. “I’m okay! It’s kind of cool that all these ghosts are floating around. I don’t know if everyone is happy, though.”

“Unfortunately, no. They’re not. I’m going to have to try to fix this somehow...”

“Son...?”

Geist turned to see the one person he only wanted to see. 

“Father?”

Eidolon Grace stood there, looking as ethereal as ever. He’d died only in his early fifties, and he looked the same as he did before the fateful day that would determine his fate. Wearing a white silk blouse and black trousers, they were complete with low-heeled black shoes. A gold silk vest rested over his shirt, as well as a red cravat around his neck. A black, cape-like coat draped over his shoulders. If it wasn’t for the outfits being so different, as well as the fact that Eidolon had no blood-spatter on him like Geist did, one might mistake Eidolon for Geist.

Eidolon smiled, facing Geist. “My son. I...am glad to see you.” 

Geist swallowed, before rushing over to him, hugging him. This was the man he wanted to see and talk to, and now after all these years—! “Father!”

Eidolon smiled, hugging his son in return before looking up towards Revenant who was with Geist. “And..my grandson, Revenant. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Grandpa?” Revenant peered up at Eidolon. “Whoaa...”

Eidolon chuckled, looking to Revenant. “It’s good to see you too, grandson. But...” He looked to Geist, raising an eyebrow. “Your father is going to need some help hiding.”

Geist blinked, looking to his father. “Hiding? Why?”

Eidolon sighed. “You’re no expert in necromancy, Geist. I know that. And given all the people that came back to haunt everyone, I imagine the town residents will be quite pissed at you, and more than one is for sure. Perhaps I can offer some assistance in hiding?”

The Exorcist paled. Ah...Juniper was going to deck him for sure the moment she found him, wasn’t she? “...er...yes. Yes, that would be helpful.”

Arganan waved at the other three to get their attention. “What do I do then!? Run and hide from all the ghosts that want to haunt me!?”

Eidolon looked to Arganan sheepishly. “You’re a friend of his? I suggest you hide, too. Everyone will probably want to question you about this mess.”

“...Ah. Good point. Thanks.” 

As Revenant, Eidolon and Geist went to go hide, Arganan sighed. “Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s any ghost going after me. Thank goodness for that.”

There was a brief chuckle, then a voice.

“I hate to break it to you, Count, but you’re wrong.”

The former Count’s good eye widened, and without even turning to look at who it was, somewhere in his heart—he knew who it was. It was unmistakable.

“...Dagran..?”

Breakdown

Tahirah and Juniper discovered that Geist is behind the whole spell, and tried to get his help. Unfortunately, he ran off to presumably check on Revenant. Geist has not been sighted since. Probably hiding from everyone that wants to deck him for what he just did...

Lucius Arganan is face-to-face with a certain someone—a certainly dead someone. Could this mean the start of something heartwarming, or continued heartbreak?

Meanwhile, the ghosts continue to roam Shafter, encountering the living/dead-ish residents...and yes, this also applies to during the daytime, too!

[not-a-ghost-town]

As stated, please feel free to continue any on going threads.

Please direct any questions you may have about aftermath to @exorcistofgrace

Event End + Wrap Up: Dance of the Dead

@not-a-ghost-town

The ghosts were going away. It took a whole week and a bit, but they were going.

Geist watched as Revenant waved goodbye to a few fellow ghosts fading out of sight, and then he looked to his father—who was already half-fading.

Eidolon chuckled, looking to his son. “…I’ll miss you. You and Revenant.”

“I’m just grateful that you got to be here.” The Exorcist took a deep breath, looking to him quietly. “And…” He hugged him. He thought he would just pass through Eidolon, but apparently the ghost was solid enough to actually embrace and hold. “I…I’m really going to miss you. And I’m sorry, for causing all this.”

Eidolon held his son, kissing his forehead, before pulling back to make eye contact.

“You only meant well. I don’t think it’s something to be too sorry about. But,” He chuckled, “If you do want to summon me again in the future, at least you know what to do.”

Geist couldn’t help but chuckle in return. “…Yes. That is true.”

Eidolon managed to give Revenant a hug, the image of him flickering. A faint ‘I love you’ passed through the ghost’s lips as he soon vanished.

Silence fell between the Exorcist and his son, looking to where Eidolon once was. And then…

“Daddy?”

Geist looked to the possessed suit of armor, his son, approaching him. “Yes, Rev?”

“I’m glad I got to see him.”

Geist couldn’t help but smile back at his son. “I’m glad too, Rev.”

EVENT END

EVENT WRAP UP

STATUS: Ended. All the ghosts that were summoned to Shafter have returned to whatever afterlife realm they might have been lingering in or something. Wherever they went, they have all left Shafter…for now.

Notable Ghostly Interactions + PEOPLE

Juniper, with Tahirah in tow, hunted down Lucius Arganan and Geist at the mortuary, but a scuffle made Geist leave in frustration with Arganan in tow. Juniper was not very pleased…

Geist later reunited with his ghostly father, Eidolon, and both Eidolon and Geist’s son Revenant tried to hide Geist from Juniper, but she managed to track down Geist anyway.

…Turns out Geist had no idea that there was someone already living in Shafter that could deal with the dead (Opal), otherwise he would have approached her in the first place for help. Geist promises to actually consult those who deal better with spells such as these in the future, and also apologizes for the chaos he caused for this event to .

Many people in Shafter during this ordeal, including Lucius Arganan, Tikki, Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, Viper, etc. all encountered their long-dead loved ones, resulting in a multitude of varied reactions.

Note: The Event is over, but feel free to continue interaction threads, discuss in character, snoop, or push your way around the world for information!