undeadair

[undeadair]

Flora gave a low whistle, eyes roaming the heap of containers that Kai had dug out from gods only knew where. “You havin’ a yard sale, kid? How much gingerbread d’you think we’re makin’?” She really was, like, so out of her depth here. In comparison, Kai was like a little spitfire. Shit, the things you learned about people, huh? Maybe this’d been Rei’s plan all along. Could never put that kinda shit past the wily old cat. 

Her eyes glazed for a second at the question before she found the recipe again and skimmed it quickly. “Uhh... Aw, yeesh, it’s all hand-mixed. Kai, I’m way too fuckin’ lazy for this. Sounds like a lot of hard work. You wanna run over to, like, Kino’s or whatever and see if they’ve got readymade stuff?”

“Oh, dude, now we’re talkin’! Let’s get some fuckin’ ambiance.” She flipped through her playlists rapidly before swiping up the aux cord and plugging her phone in, hitting shuffle. “This mix pops off, my guy. You’re gonna love it.”

LET'S BAKE ((im screaming this is gonna be cute af))

15. Gingerbread

[ TEXT FROM: oba chan 😼]: wheres the gingerbread house?????

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: omg

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: uhhhh ill sort it?? 

[ TEXT TO: kahi kai]: hey kiddo ive got somethin fun 4 us to do!!!!!

So, sure, maybe she’d messed up. Maybe she’d forgotten she’d promised Rei that she’d bake a gingerbread house over the weekend, for the Kahi’s autumn decorations. Maybe now she only had, like, a few hours to produce an entirely decorated gingerbread house. So, maybe she’d dragged Kai into the whole mess in the hopes that they’d be helpful.

Flora flipped the sign on the door over to ‘CLOSED’, not wanting to deal with, like, a million customers while she was trying to become a bakery architect. While she waited for Kai to show up - hopefully they could get ready fast, since she’d messaged them pretty much out of the blue - she started to dig through the back cupboards to find the shit they needed. The baking shit was mostly Rei’s realm, and she felt like she was handling sacred artefacts as she laid out the whisk, rolling pin and baking trays. Finally, the door jangled, and she glanced up, clearly relieved, “Hey, it’s my favourite co-worker! Ready to make some gingerbread, kiddo?” 

[undeadair]

kaitempest:

Kai was excited to meet up with Flora outside of work for the first time, but they were even more excited to show her their surprise. They’d finally bought a dog leash yesterday, and they were bouncing up and down in excitement as they clipped it onto the stray’s new collar and managed to get the two of them out of the door.

The pair were both visibly excited when Kai spotted Flora waiting in the park. The stray, spotting Flora’s dog, pulled on the leash, hard. Kai was yanked forward, jogging to avoid strain on their arm as they approached Flora.

“Hey!” they called, waving their free arm in a wide arc. “Look what I got!”

Standing in the centre of the park, Flora felt like she was trying to sculpt wet Jello into something resembling a person. Except she was both the Jello, and the person. She’d given in to Kai’s eager texts, feeling bad that she’d barely seen them since October started - wasn’t like she could pick up half as many shifts as she usually did, right? - and had found herself agreeing to some kinda dog meet. Did Kai even have a dog? She vaguely remembered some story they’d told her about, like, seeing a nice dog at the park or something but... oh. Well. They definitely had a dog.

The weights in her shoes and the lining of her bomber jacket stopped her hovering above the ground as she made her way over to them, Kalle skittering around her feet anxiously and letting out a low whine. “Hey, kiddo! You, uh... nice dog! It’s good to see you both!”

“google, how do i know if my co-worker is undead?”

[undeadair]

kaitempest:

“Gods, plural?” Kai laughed, flipping through the papers in an attempt to find the correct recipe. They located it quickly and shoved it into Flora’s unprepared hands with a triumphant shout.

As Flora perused the recipe, Kai raced around to the other side of the counter to read over her shoulder. “Oh, this won’t be too bad,” they said, tapping their chin. “The mix is easy, we just need to get the consistency right so it won’t break when we cut it into the pieces for the walls and roof…and then we need to get it to stick together. That’s the hardest part.”

They thought for a moment, then snatched the recipe from Flora’s fingers and skipped towards the back room in search of ingredients and a large flat tray. “Find me your stickiest frosting recipe!” they announced, throwing out an arm and pointing at the stack of papers dramatically before disappearing into the back.

“Sure, kid - we’ve got no idea what’s goin’ on up there. Better to give a shout out to all of ‘em, so they don’t fuckin’ curse our gingerbread house, right?” Flora shrugged, sucking her teeth. She’d seen enough religions and weird shit in her time - she wasn’t about to piss anything off, in case they sucked her back to wherever her soul was meant to be. As a sheaf of papers was thrust into her hands, the ghost yelped, before laughing. “Jeez, Kai-cakes. Don’t give a girl a papercut.”

Gods, she was so glad she’d called them in - she’d be lost, but they seemed, like, completely in control. Gotta love the young’uns. She blinked as they started prancing around the kitchen, suddenly more confident than she’d ever seen ‘em before. Dutifully, Flora sifted through the piles of paper before she found the recipe she thought they wanted. “Got it here, kiddo!”

LET'S BAKE ((im screaming this is gonna be cute af))

15. Gingerbread

[ TEXT FROM: oba chan 😼]: wheres the gingerbread house?????

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: omg

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: uhhhh ill sort it?? 

[ TEXT TO: kahi kai]: hey kiddo ive got somethin fun 4 us to do!!!!!

So, sure, maybe she’d messed up. Maybe she’d forgotten she’d promised Rei that she’d bake a gingerbread house over the weekend, for the Kahi’s autumn decorations. Maybe now she only had, like, a few hours to produce an entirely decorated gingerbread house. So, maybe she’d dragged Kai into the whole mess in the hopes that they’d be helpful.

Flora flipped the sign on the door over to ‘CLOSED’, not wanting to deal with, like, a million customers while she was trying to become a bakery architect. While she waited for Kai to show up - hopefully they could get ready fast, since she’d messaged them pretty much out of the blue - she started to dig through the back cupboards to find the shit they needed. The baking shit was mostly Rei’s realm, and she felt like she was handling sacred artefacts as she laid out the whisk, rolling pin and baking trays. Finally, the door jangled, and she glanced up, clearly relieved, “Hey, it’s my favourite co-worker! Ready to make some gingerbread, kiddo?” 

[undeadair]

halloweiner

It took a few hours before Flora realised what was up. She felt alright when she woke up, but everywhere she walked, her feet left sticky puddles behind - ectoplasm, so freakin’ embarrassing. When she picked up her phone to text Rei and tell her she might be late - y’know, cus of the leaky ghost goo - the phone fizzled and died in her hand. It’d been ages since she’d shorted it; she’d got it enchanted to protect it from her ghost shit. Man. Not her day at all. When she opened the fridge, the light blew. When she reached for a mug, it rocketed away from her palm and smashed on the floor. Doors slammed as she passed them. Every pipe in her apartment started to drip and creak. It was like her place was fuckin’ haunted. Oh. Oh. Without the usual telltale signs - pumpkins and fake cobwebs and flammable costumes in every store - she’d forgotten what month they’d hit. For the next four weeks, Flora was stuck living life like a fuckin’ Paranormal Activity wannabe. Shit.

[undeadair]

(( im out of the country (kinda) til monday bt once im back ill catch up on replies n dazzle u all w my halloween antics!! ))

[undeadair]

kaitempest:

Kai gasped like the kiddo they’d been christened and threw off their raincoat, revealing a cozy autumn sweater underneath. “Gingerbread?!” they practically screamed, bounding over to the counter and taking in the baking materials strewn around with wide eyes.

They picked up the direction sheet reverently, scanning its contents. “Oh my gosh, it’s been years.” Kai had always loved gingerbread, because their grandma used to make gingerbread cookies when they were a kid from the extra dough left over from their holiday gingerbread houses. They just remembered smearing frosting all over the walls in a desperate attempt to keep the structures standing. Year after year, the finished product looked anything but professional, but Kai still missed those days.

They put the directions down and bounced up and down on their toes a little as they regarded their co-worker and new friend. “Do we have a box, or are we…baking from scratch?”

“Oh, thank gods, I picked the right person.” Would’ve been a fuckin’ kicker if Kai had showed up and told her they couldn’t bake. “Might have to make you the boss for today, kid. I’m, like, next to useless with all of this.”

Flora wrinkled her nose, “Man, I dunno. I think it’s from scratch - like, can you get enough mix imported to the island in one go..? Rei left some recipe cards, uh...” She vanished below the counter for a moment, accompanied by the sound of clanking, then reappeared with a sheaf of papers, “here. Well, like. This is all her shit, but the gingerbread recipe is in here somewhere. And then we’ve gotta, y’know, construct an entire fuckin’ gingerbread house.”

LET'S BAKE ((im screaming this is gonna be cute af))

15. Gingerbread

[ TEXT FROM: oba chan 😼]: wheres the gingerbread house?????

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: omg

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: uhhhh ill sort it?? 

[ TEXT TO: kahi kai]: hey kiddo ive got somethin fun 4 us to do!!!!!

So, sure, maybe she’d messed up. Maybe she’d forgotten she’d promised Rei that she’d bake a gingerbread house over the weekend, for the Kahi’s autumn decorations. Maybe now she only had, like, a few hours to produce an entirely decorated gingerbread house. So, maybe she’d dragged Kai into the whole mess in the hopes that they’d be helpful.

Flora flipped the sign on the door over to ‘CLOSED’, not wanting to deal with, like, a million customers while she was trying to become a bakery architect. While she waited for Kai to show up - hopefully they could get ready fast, since she’d messaged them pretty much out of the blue - she started to dig through the back cupboards to find the shit they needed. The baking shit was mostly Rei’s realm, and she felt like she was handling sacred artefacts as she laid out the whisk, rolling pin and baking trays. Finally, the door jangled, and she glanced up, clearly relieved, “Hey, it’s my favourite co-worker! Ready to make some gingerbread, kiddo?” 

[undeadair]

kaitempest:

Kai took a long, deep breath, their fingers tangled in the hair at the back of their neck, and composed themselves. Well, they did their best. After what was probably an excruciatingly long pause for the patron at the counter, Kai straightened their apron, grabbed a Sharpie, and approached the register, spine noticeably a little too straight.

“Hello! Good morning!” Kai was blessed at that opportune moment with the world’s most horrific voice crack. They were sure that they would never recover, but they mustered the strength to continue. They cleared their throat with all the decibels of a thousand stampeding rhinos. “What…um…what can I get you. Today. What can I get you today. Yes.”

They hazarded a glance over at Flora, who gave them a cheesy grin and two thumbs-up before sending a plate, fork, and napkin sailing down the counter. As she must have predicted, the customer ordered a slice of cake, in addition to a medium latte, extra foam.

“Coming right up!” Kai said cheerily, in a tone that might have sounded just a little forced. Flora had already set to work on the drink, so they reached into the display case, extracted a piece of cake with extra frosting (only the best for their first customer), and handed the plate and utensils over to the customer before turning to the register in a slight panic. It took them almost as long to find all the items on the screen as it took Flora to finish the drink, but they managed.

“Your total is $5.75,” they announced, proud of themselves for having figured the system out so quickly. They were good at math, too, so it didn’t take long at all to count the money and hand over the change. The customer thanked them, looking only mildly offput, and left the counter for a table in the corner. Kai slowly rotated toward Flora, while covering their open mouth with both hands to contain a silent, excited scream.

Woof. So maybe the kid wasn’t a natural after all. Flora kept up the encouraging smile behind Kai, locking eyes with the customer and raising a firm eyebrow, making sure they knew she had things all (well, mostly) under control. Man, was she ever this bad? She hoped not. 

It took a lot of effort to move herself away from Kai The Human Disaster and head over to the espresso machine, pulling a shot. Surely they couldn’t do anything too disastrous in the time it’d take her to make a latte, right? Flora glanced over her shoulder periodically, smiling with relief as they succeeded in doing everything - sure, they took a while to wrangle the till, but nobody was perfect. Carrying the latte over and setting it on the counter, she gave them both a grin winking at the customer, “Not bad, huh?”

“You did it, buddy! Good job!” She laughed and ruffled their hair. “Not bad at all, right? Almost a pro. You’ll be Rei in no time.” Aw, they were doing their best, ‘n’ she couldn’t fault that. “How’re you feelin’? Ready for a full shift?”

first day!

[undeadair]

jessanine:

[ TEXT TO: coffee girl 👻]: aw.. thats rly sweet

[ TEXT TO: coffee girl 👻]: no shame in doin things for money tho

[ TEXT TO: coffee girl 👻]: uhhh i mean. i dont miss anything out there bc i never had it. i was born here

[ TEXT TO: coffee girl 👻]: cant miss what uve never seen?

[ TEXT TO: coffee girl 👻]: and im happy here

[ TEXT TO: coffee girl 👻]: q: will u make me a playlist

[ TEXT TO: jessa 🐕]: i cant believe ur a #fan of my podcast tho!!!

[ TEXT TO: jessa 🐕]: come over and u can dig thru some merch if u want

[ TEXT TO: jessa 🐕]: mm ye i guess ur rite..... huh

[ TEXT TO: jessa 🐕]: oh!! shit yeah lmao ofc ill make u a playlist

[ TEXT TO: jessa 🐕]: just lmk what u want it on and ill get it done tonite fuck i Love making playlists

[ TEXT TO: jessa 🐕]: uhhhhhhhh q: are u expected to like date within the pack?

20 questions

[undeadair]

ternfeathers:

He paused a bit, glancing up at the call and hesitating a second. A moment later, however, he wriggled his way out of the booth, wandering over to the counter so he could take the phone and look it over for a second. He took his damn sweet time choosing the music, but sooner or later he was playing something soft and acoustic, which was his favorite type of music to listen to, especially when he was somewhere new and with people he wasn’t sure he trusted. 

 Not saying a word to Flora or even looking at her, he carefully put her phone back on the counter and began to retreat back towards his small corner.

Flora leaned on the counter, chin propped in her hands, and watched the kid scroll through her phone. Like, sure, it was partly ‘cus she couldn’t shake the worry that they might just... take her phone, but she was also curious. They were living off the shit the Kahi threw out, but they were cool browsin’ Spotify? Huh. Well, at least they’d chosen somethin’ good. Like, some kinda Sufjan Stevens, Keaton Henson vibe shit. Real late night mellowness. “Good choice, kiddo. Should get you in here more often, right?”

Watching them go back to their chosen spot, she started to dig through the fridge under the counter, pulling out salad, cooked chicken, and bacon. “You good with, like, toasted sandwiches or somethin’? Figure I might as well make myself some lunch too, y’know?”

These are the Games we Play

[undeadair]

ternfeathers:

Malik didn’t mind the rain. They were used to it, and even sort of thought it was refreshing and nice. They walked slowly behind Flora, trailed a few steps behind them, still kind of skittish and flighty, but following anyway. 

 They hesitantly made their way into the building, looking around quietly. It was quiet and there wasn’t really anyone else here, which made them feel a bit safer. They sighed, slowly relaxing a bit. Still not totally relaxed, but a bit closer.

 Glancing over at Flora, they shook their head no. Allergies? No. And then they nodded– yes, music was okay. They loved music, and just the mention of it made them smile a tiny bit before they scampered off to go find a small booth to curl up in, shoving themselves all the way into the corner to hide. They started examining everything on the table with their hands, looking it over quietly. The salt shaker, the pepper, the sugar packets, etc. etc. etc.

Leaving the kid to go and sit themselves down, Flora lifted the hinged section of the counter up and went behind, drying her rain-spattered hands off on her apron as she went. She caught the movement of them nodding and turned, still kinda confused about this whole mime game they were playing. Like... it wasn’t like they didn’t understand her. Huh. Well, whatever - at least they didn’t have any allergies. And they were alright with music! Maybe this kid wasn’t so bad.

She got started on prepping food first, flicking on the flat grill and finding a clean plate and cutlery, before deciding to break the ice a bit. Or, like, try to break the ice. Heading back through into the main café, she cleared her throat, “Hey, uh, kid..? You wanna... uh. You wanna choose some music? Seems like you’d have good taste, y’know?” Feeling like she might be setting herself up for losing her phone forever, Flora set her unlocked phone on the table, then added, “Uh. Y’know how to use it, right?”

These are the Games we Play

[undeadair]

🍂 REVERSE (jessanine)

It was just an instinct. She couldn’t help herself. Like, the leaves were there and Jessa was there and she already had her phone camera open, so it just seemed right. One second they were walking through the park, Flora thumbing through her camera roll to find a photo of Kalle with his tongue out, and the next... the ghost took a moment to solidify herself, leaning back a half-step before lunging forwards, slamming her shoulder into Jessa and quickly darting back to film the werewolf as she crashed into the pile of autumn leaves. “Hah! Happy fall, sucker!” When Jessa’s head poked out, leaves tangled in her hair, Flora snapped a healthy burst of photos before she finally offered her hand to haul her out. Definitely worth it.

[undeadair]

LET'S BAKE (( lmao watch es burn everything to the ground ))

10. Pumpkin Bread

[ TEXT FROM: esmeme]: Hey! Are you busy?

[ TEXT TO: esmeme]: naw im just @ home

[ TEXT TO: esmeme]: y?

[ TEXT TO: esmeme]: There’s a bake sale at work tomorrow :(

[ TEXT TO: esmeme]: say no more im omw

Esmé’s apartment looked... rough. Flora hovered a few inches above the floor to avoid contributing to the paw-and-footprints that were tracked across the living room. Hopefully, it was flour and not, like, cocaine. Heh. “Es? I just came through the door so... I’m here..?”

There was a clatter from the kitchen before a familiar purple head poked out, flour smudged across one cheek. Flora snickered and floated over, peering past her into the explosion of ingredients and utensils that had taken over most of the kitchen. “Not an accomplished chef then..?”

[undeadair]

LET'S BAKE ((im screaming this is gonna be cute af))

15. Gingerbread

[ TEXT FROM: oba chan 😼]: wheres the gingerbread house?????

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: omg

[ TEXT TO: oba chan 😼]: uhhhh ill sort it?? 

[ TEXT TO: kahi kai]: hey kiddo ive got somethin fun 4 us to do!!!!!

So, sure, maybe she’d messed up. Maybe she’d forgotten she’d promised Rei that she’d bake a gingerbread house over the weekend, for the Kahi’s autumn decorations. Maybe now she only had, like, a few hours to produce an entirely decorated gingerbread house. So, maybe she’d dragged Kai into the whole mess in the hopes that they’d be helpful.

Flora flipped the sign on the door over to ‘CLOSED’, not wanting to deal with, like, a million customers while she was trying to become a bakery architect. While she waited for Kai to show up - hopefully they could get ready fast, since she’d messaged them pretty much out of the blue - she started to dig through the back cupboards to find the shit they needed. The baking shit was mostly Rei’s realm, and she felt like she was handling sacred artefacts as she laid out the whisk, rolling pin and baking trays. Finally, the door jangled, and she glanced up, clearly relieved, “Hey, it’s my favourite co-worker! Ready to make some gingerbread, kiddo?” 

[undeadair]

send ‘🍂’ to push my muse into a pile of leaves!

ALT. send ‘reverse’ for the opposite to happen!!

[undeadair]

send me ‘LET’S BAKE’ to bake a fall recipe with my muse; randomly generated, using this generator.

Pumpkin pie

Apple pie

Pumpkin roll

Butterbeer

Butterscotch cookies

Cranberry-walnut cookies

Homemade apple cider

Beef stew

Candy apples

Pumpkin bread

Pumpkin cheesecake

Pot roast

Hot cocoa cookies

Homemade hot cocoa

Gingerbread 

[undeadair]

✖ ✍ ♬ ✂

(( cracks my mcfucking knuckles and slaps this all under a read more ))

✂ - a vivid memory/✍ - a memory of their mother

“Mamma! Mamma, det har snöat!” 

She could hardly bare to tear her gaze away from the scene outside, her nose and pudgy palms pressed against the frosty window. Her first snow in England! It snowed in Sweden all the time, but Mamma had always said that where Pappa grew up, it never snowed. But it had! She was certain it was because she’d wished for it for Christmas - because she had, last night, and now the garden was covered thick with a crisp white blanket.

“Shh, älskling! Pappa is still asleep!” The voice came from behind her, accompanied by the shh-shh of slippers on the kitchen tiles, and she whirled around, flying towards her Mamma gleefully. More than used to her rambunctious daughter, her mother stooped slightly and let her throw her arms around her, laughing and squeezing her. “Surely, you are not excited by snow, Saki? You’re meant to be Swedish!”

Flora only laughed, letting her mother kiss her on the head before squirming free and making a bid for the door, still only in bare feet and pyjamas. She only made it a few feet before Mamma snagged her, strong arms looping around her waist and spinning her around. “You’re not a polar bear, baby! If you’re going to play in the snow, you need your warm things on. Come on, let’s get you ready.” Together, they dressed her in snow boots, salopettes, and a thick sweater. In the mirror, Flora looked like an overstuffed ragdoll. Beside her, her mother looked radiant - pre-Raphaelite in her pyjamas, bending down to kiss her daughter’s flushed cheek. At seven years old, already impatient and yearning to go outside, Flora had no idea how beautiful her mother was. At two-times-twenty-three, Flora wished she had paid more attention. With one final check, Mamma finally let her dash over to the door. As Flora unlocked the back door and stepped out onto the patio, delighting at the crunch of snow beneath her boots, her mother called out, “Saki, you forgot your gloves!”

Her mother could wait. There were snow angels that needed making.

✖ - a repressed memory

Her head hurt. Her cheeks were hot, her eyes stinging, and a pounding headache tore its way through her temples. Nonetheless, the argument raged on. It’d been coming a while - her father had been silent at mealtimes, her step-mother had left the room whenever the three of them were in the same room, and, possibly the most compelling factor, she’d dropped out of university two weeks ago. In hindsight, that was probably the kicker, right?

“You treat us like strangers, Saki! I’m sick of this! What do you think you are doing?”

“Shut up! This isn’t my fault!” 

“Isn’t your fault, you say? This isn’t your fault?! Well, now I’ve heard it all! Call Ryoko in here, and tell her that!”

“When was the last time you came to visit me, huh? When did you ever shut the fucking restaurant for one stupid day, and come and see me? I was all alone up there, Pappa!” Her voice cracked on ‘alone’, and she made an impatient noise, digging the heels of her hands into her eyes for a moment, seeing starbursts. “You might as well be a stranger to me, for all the time you’ve got for me.”

There was a long silence, then footsteps and the sound of the living room door opening, then closing. She was quiet, then sniffled, then raggedly began to cry.

♬ - a friend/best friend memory

Lolling back on the beanbag, one hand curled lazily around her Walkman, Flora reached out to take the proffered joint. She should’ve been home, like, three hours ago, but she just couldn’t be bothered. There were too many kids and too much work to do, and it was so freakin’ boring. This was way better.

“Jesus, Kiki, don’t bogart it. There’s two of us here.”

Flora rolled her eyes, waggling the joint between two fingers, “This is therapy. I need this. You’re bein’ a charitable friend. Sharing is caring.”

The other girl huffed. Her name was Ella, and she was the only person who’d called her Kiki in at least a decade. They’d reconnected after Flora had come home, disgraced, from university, and her connections made her a pretty good person to have around. “God, fine. But you’re letting me have the bed tonight, then. I’m not made of money.”

“It’s not money, though - like, it’s material posse-”

“Alright! Alright! Give it over, idiot.” Failing to hide her amusement, Ella grinned and reached over again impatiently. Flora raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, directing a column of smoke into her friend’s eyes. The indignant squeal that followed was almost supersonic, and as Flora took a pillow to the face, the stub of the joint fell to the floor, all but forgotten.

[undeadair]

↕

↕ - a memory that may or may not have happened

Head. Head hurt. Eyes. Mouth dry. Cold. Cold metal, underneath her. Dark. Like static across a TV screen, feeling started to spread from her shoulders, down her arms, tingling in her fingertips. Was she… at home? On the bathroom floor, maybe? Flora sat up, and it felt like her head and shoulders were encased in ice. No matter how far she reached out in any direction, it was like swimming through nothing, like being trapped in the fucking void. Fear bubbled up inside her, sharp despite the muffled blanket that her thoughts were tangled up in, and she allowed herself a choked noise. What the fuck had she done this time?

When feeling finally reached her toes, Flora stood up. The icy feeling spread through her entire body, only her shins and feet exempt from the chill - it was like wading into cold water, upside down. Still blind, barely able to hear her own panicked breathing, she stumbled forwards. One, two, three tentative steps, and then she was free of the fucking glacier and… and then recognition fired like a starting pistol, synapses flickering into life as she tried to process it all. The gleaming wall of drawers, the smell of bleach, the chill in the air that should’ve sent her into shivering spasms - but didn’t. It should’ve turned her breath into mist, too, but there was nothing in the air before her. A finger of dread ran its way down her spine, as she slowly looked down at herself and saw nothing. No feet, no legs, no torso, nothing. The floor beneath her seemed to swim, the metal wall before her lurching, and then… 

In an empty morgue in London, the lights flickered out.