6396/Did You Say... G-G-G-G-Ghost

Did You Say... G-G-G-G-Ghost
Date of Scene:	31 May 2021
Location:	Central Nexus
Synopsis:	Nicolai and Clarice enjoy a late breakfast - and chat about the potential applications of seeing g-g-g-g-g-ghosts!
Cast of Characters:	Nicolai Codona, Clarice Ferguson

---

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    Last night Nicolai would have entertained until the sun started to come up if left to his own devices. The man truly is talented with a guitar and his voice is nothing short of amazing. He likely would have slept until well into the early afternoon and his first request wouldn't have been breakfast, it would have been a piano.
    ...and that's where he's been, in front of that piano for an hour or two at least now. His skill with the guitar? It is NOTHING compared to his natural talent in front of the piano. Music is his passion and the thing that speaks to his soul more than anything is classical piano. He makes it look easy, effortless, even the most complicated of pieces. Any attempts at casual conversation would have been met with polite smiles and nods, but he didn't stop playing... until now. It doesn't take a shrink to see the difference in him from when he woke up. That piano was obviously his morning therapy. He woke up tense, on edge, curt but still polite. Now he's relaxed, smiling... just different.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice has been left on Watch The Guest duty. It's not onerous, thankfully... She quite enjoys the music, and it gives her time to- well, she's working on something on her tablet, a look of concentration on her features. Every so often, she pulls out her phone as if double-checking something on a second device, then inputs things intot he tablet.
    As he finishes playing, she shuts off both screens, looking up with a polite smile. "So. ...breakfast, maybe?" she suggests. "We have a sort of cafeteria - the food's top-knotch, though." You wouldn't serve Magneto or his people sub-par food. That would NOT do.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "I could eat," Nicolai agrees amicably. He stands from the piano's bench and stretches his arms over his head, fingers laced. When he lowers them he adds, "Sorry about that. It just helps me process." Yesterday was a weird day to process, so it likely took a little longer than normal. "...and let it go." He flashes a grin and asks, "Do they have Fruit Loops?" Really dude? "I've always loved those and I've heard they now come with little marshmallows so it's like eating Lucky Charms without the gross cereal bits."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I- Fruit Loops? I mean, probably," Clarice answers with some surprise - as she starts to lead the way. "But there's eggs. And... waffles. With fresh fruit and whipped cream," she points out. 24 hours a day - because it's an Asteroid. What do timezones mean on an asteroid? "You want Fruit Loops?" she asks in puzzlement, as she gestures him towards the 'breakfast' section of the cafeteria.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "Fruit Loops is fine," Nicolai insists. Sometimes there really is just no accounting for a man's taste in food, is there. He seemed like he was pretty much three sheets to the wind last night, the type of buzz that would leave his memory filled with Swiss cheese holes, but alas... appearances can often be deceiving because he does remember, "So, you were curious about me seeing dead people?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Each to their own." Clarice - for her part - starts to move towards the make-your-own-waffle station, but she pauses at Nicolai's words. "I was," she admits. "I mean, I just- how does it work? You see dead people? All the time? Or- are they tied to... where they died? Where they lived? The people they loved? The- the stuff that was important to them? Do they talk? Are they just like... a recording on loop? Or can they communicate? Learn? Change?"
    Has someone been putting too much thought into this since Nicolai made the statement?
    Maaaaaaybe.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "All of the above, yes to all of the above," is Nicolai's rather unhelpful reply. "Just as when they were alive, the restless dead are all different. What keeps them restless is different in each case." He follows along with Clarice from topping to topping with zero interest in trying any of it himself. "...I do see them all the time, if there's one around," he explains further. "My perception of the world is different than that of others. Where there seems to be a solid wall between you and the Astral plane, it's nothing more than a sheer curtain for me. Unfortunately, that often means they can perceive me and they are not always friendly, Casper is a lie."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice is rather distracted as she sprays down one of the waffle irons - sprinkling a bit of cinnamon on before pouring in the batter. "...are they always hostile, though? Surely some of them are... neutral? Or kind? Or just- I don't know. Frightened?" She glances aside at Nicolai, then back down at the waffle maker before she asks, "Does- not everyone becomes a ghost, though? Just some people?"

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "No, they're not all hostile," Nicolai says softly along with a glance off to his side as if... no, there isn't? Is there? Right there? He looks back to Clarice. "Some of them are though, others are just lost, some need something done so they can be at peace, some are stuck on repeat as you said, in a sort of death loop." Just a beat, a moment to ponder his answer before, "I'd like to *think* that not everyone does, that there's some sort of afterlife that we all go to that's much happier than..." A shrug and a little sigh accompany, "But I've never *seen* one cross over or go into a light or anything like what you see on TV. I have had one that would be around me for a long time and then just be gone one day."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice is silent for a moment, just thinking, as she waits for the light on the wafflemaker to turn red. Once it does, she cracks it open, pulling out the waffle and proceeding to top it with an unreasonable amount of fresh berries, with whipped cream, a little strawberry syrup - and mango on the side.
    "Cereal's just there," she offers - nodding to a row of dispensors. You know the ones - turn a knob and some of it drops down the tube into your bowl.
    "So. If I took you to Genosha - I mean. A lot of people died in the attacks. So... you'd see more dead people there, then up here on this brand new base on an asteroid above the planet."

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "Yes." Nicolai fiddles with the dispenser holding the Fruit Loops, yay they have them! But he only fills his bowl about half the way. Not a 'morning' eater it seems? "That isn't to say that I've seen none here since my arrival, but I imagine those I have seen are attached to people or objects." There's another glance off to the side, his right side. His voice lowers to barely a whisper, barely... "Like my father."
    He shakes his head as if to clear cobwebs from it and asks, "Is the milk in cartons somewhere?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "There's cartons," Clarice offers - pointing towards nearby refrigerated case - with milk, and other similar products. For her part, though, she gets a cup of hot water and a tea bag, then glances around as if she'd suddenly- "Your father is here? With you?" she asks Nicolai - there's both concern and sympathy in her voice. "What is his spirit like? Can he actually talk to you? Is that- is that comforting? Or... difficult?"

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "Both," again not a very helpful answer. He snags a carton of milk from the case. "Some days I see him how he used to be and that's comforting, some days he's... " He swallows hard, like there might be something stuck in his throat. "...he looks like the day I came home and found him. He hasn't communicated at all, he's just... there."
    Quite honestly, Nicolai is hoping that situation isn't a forever thing, it's easy to tell from his tone and his demeanor. "I don't understand it honestly, because when I go *there*, I don't see him, can't find him and that's where he'd be more likely to be able to really communicate with me. I think that even with my abilities, it's still easier for them to actually communicate if I'm on their side of the curtain. That is unless they are long dead and really strong."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "...oh," Clarice remarks. That's it - and then she falls silent, as she leads the way to a table, sits down, and opens her bag of tea so it can steep. She stares at her food for a moment, then cuts off a piece of waffle - still in silence - and chews it slowly.
    Finally she asks, "If I asked you to go to Genosha - knowing how many dead you'd be likely to see there - would you be willing?"

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "Yes. If it is something you need me to do." Nicolai doesn't even hesitate. "Are you looking for someone in particular?" he asks gently. He pours his milk into his cereal and plays around with it with the spoon for a moment. "Because I must warn you, I may not be able to find the answers you seek. Please do not put your expectations too high if that is the case."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    There's immediately a grateful smile on Clarice's features. She looks down at her food for a moment, then pulls out a phone. After tapping in a security code, she thumbs through her photos until she comes to an image of a couple - an asian woman. A man of mixed asian and caucasian background. They stand close together - one arm draped around the other individual, with smiles on their features, and heads tilted in towards one another. They have none of Clarice's unusual coloring - but perhaps a family resemblance can be seen. "No," she murmurs quietly. "I sort of gathered there'd be no guarantees."

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    Nicolai studies the picture closely. "Your parents?" he asks, his compassion is so evident in his voice. "Do... you have anything that belongs to her?" It's not an idle question or even a 'I might be able to use that to find her question'. The way he asks it is too intense for anything like that. "Anything that you might have had with you yesterday but not today?" He tries to zoom in closer on the woman's face. He almost looks ... confused.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Confusion crosses Clarice's face at the intensity of the question - but she responds by shaking her head. "I don't have anything from my past. I don't have anything from- my parents." It's subtle, but present - the hesitation before she says those words. As if it's difficult to say outloud, or at least unaccustomed.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    Nicolai just can't stop looking at that picture. "Blink, I can't... I can't be certain because there was so much going on at the moment, but I feel like I saw her *yesterday*. But... she, she looked older." He's all but forgotten about his poor bowl of cereal, it'll probably end up a soggy mess.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's features shift. It's subtle at first, but it's as if the emotions drain out of her features, leaving a flat, stoic mask in its place. "Near me?" she asks simply - her gaze locked onto Nicolai. Her waffle is likewise getting ignored for the moment - but it likely won't suffer as much as Nicolai's cereal.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "Yes. It was in Bushwick though, not since we've been up here." Nicolai leans forward, elbows on the table, and runs his hands back through his curls only to drag them down over his scruffy face - he obviously didn't shave this morning. "I'm so sorry that I can't be more sure. I just, I see them *all* of the time and sometimes they just become background noise but the woman that I saw standing behind you last night looked a lot like this woman, but perhaps... ten years older?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I see," Clarice answers. She pulls the phone back towards her - before looking down at the photo again. She's silent for a time, then asks, "If you see her again - is it possible to try talking to her?" Her features remain impassive as she talks - a marked change from her previous, easy-going personality and reassuring smiles.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    Nicolai reaches across the table to lay a gentle hand on Clarice's arm. He'll leave it there if she doesn't shove him away. "Of course I will. I'm sorry I've upset you. I shouldn't have said anything." If his hand's still on her arm, if she hasn't slapped him away, he'll offer a gentle squeeze. "It was just a little... when I saw that picture... I shouldn't have said anything yet."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You haven't upset me," Clarice answers. She doesn't pull away from his touch - and it's a moment after she says those words that the smile seems to slide back on her features. "Startled, maybe," she offers. "Anyways. Thank you - for the help. Whether we find answers or not. It's an unusual ability - I just hope it isn't too much of a burden for you." She turns her attention back to cutting off a piece of her waffle - and taking another bite of her breakfast.

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    Nicolai pulls his hand back and stirs his soggy cereal around a little. He's obviously not going to eat that... did he get it just for show? Is he not actually hungry. He *is* a different one, does he even EAT? "Helping a friend is never too much of a burden. As far as my abilities in general, I've been living as the 'differently sighted'", he even air quotes those last two words, "... as my father called it, since the day I was born, I remember no other way. I crossed through the curtain myself for the first time at age five." Just a breath of a pause, his brow furrowed thoughtfully before, "Or perhaps I crossed through it the day I was born. I was still born and revived after twenty minutes. Revived with no lasting damage. It's a part of who I am. Difficult from time to time, but not a burden."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice nods, giving him another smile. Given what he said about his father - she's not so sure aboutt he 'not a burden' thing. But that's his thing. "We're friends so easily, huh?" she says instead. "That's nice. Sure - why not? When does it hurt to have more friends?" she asks - that smile broadening a moment before she takes another bite of her waffle. After swallowing she adds, "And I'll go pick up Mister Creed in a little bit - so we can help you with the trouble in Bushwick. Before anyone else gets hurt. Just - word to the wise, Mister Creed has a bit of a temper," there's the understatement of the year, "and it's best to not to tick him off unless you really have no other options."

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "I consider anyone that's shown me such hospitality, kindness... and compassion as you a friend until proven otherwise." Nicolai definitely has not missed the concern she's shown for him, with her words, her tone, her actions. He's still playing in his bowl of ... well it can hardly be called cereal anymore, it's just mush. "I have no intention of angering anyone." But the road to hell and all that... "I think, perhaps, we should do just a little more legwork before we go after him. Do you think we could find out the abilities of his recent victims?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We should be able to," Clarice answers with a thoughtful look on her features. "If their abilities weren't //documented//, we could talk to friends, family - see what they know about the victims' abilities," she offers. "Mystique is really quite good when it comes to such things. I mean - being able to look like anyone you want has certain perks."

Nicolai Codona has posed:
    "We'll be better prepared that way." Nicolai pushes his bowl aside, making it very clear that he isn't eating it. "As far as anyone knows, he can mimic the abilities of his last three victims... as far as anyone knows." He feels the need to repeat that part. "My father had a theory that it was likely a time constraint, such as being able to mimic the abilities of his victims in the last month, week... something of that nature. If that's the case, we could be looking an opponent with five unique abilities, that we know of, more if there are more bodies to be found. It would be very helpful to find out what some of those are going in."
    He rises slowly to his feet, announcing, "I should shower and shave. Shall I meet you at the bar after?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'll find you when you're done," Clarice replies - a wry smile on her features. Nicolai may have noticed he was locked in his room the night before. It seems unknown guests aren't allowed to wander the asteroid without an escort - until they've proven themselves. Whatever that means. "I'll walk you back," she adds, pushing away the remains of her waffle - and rising to her feet to do just that.