Wednesday, May 27th- 11:45pm Forest Lawn Cemetery- Sebastian Roberts and some of the Seattle wolf pack members
Sebastian pulled up the street and parked his Vespa taking from it a heavy case of materials. Things he had accumulated since being in Seattle, his spirit kit as he called it and effortlessly picked up the case making his way into the the cemetery to wait inside the brick walled cemetery.
He knelt down and opened his kit a back up battery strong enough to power his Vespa, a instrument a small Jacob's ladder, recorders, cameras, a camcorder, a voice recorder, a flashlight, a bottle of rum, sea salt, white sage, an infra red camera, there was even a very well sealed plastic bottle of holy water in a spray bottle in case while investigating indoor places he came across something darker than ghosts as well as rubber gloves a rain poncho. It also contained a couple sketch pads and note pads so he could draw and take notes.
His trip to nightshades had been surprisingly pleasant as he double checked the boxes contents and thought about Darien's advice about making friends and contacts. They could help each other out business wise and he seemed quite the character. Clearly a ladies man and had seemed to carve out a nice tiny empire in the city to call his own. They were all things he desired. Well maybe not the ladies man part. He had enough attention despite using different tactics but was definitely not the professional flirt that Walker was. The women however seemed to eat it up.
With everything checked and in order he waited settling down on the grass and leaned against the wall 30 feet in from the front gate. Hidden enough from mortal eyes but clearly visible to anyone with a nose and shifter eyes.
The wolves said they would be there for midnight he wouldn't have to wait long.
"This guy had better be on the level," Tim said, his voice sounding like it came from his shoes. The seat belt was stretched tight over his chest; small wonder, given the fact that he was built like a bar fridge.
"If he isn't we will give him a two count before we start hunting his ass down," Shale replied.
"Two? You're generous," Tim growled.
Saphyre hummed thoughtfully from the back seat. A nervous jitter made his leg bounce restlessly. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."
"Always Saphy, always." Shale gave her colorful pack mate a smile via the rear view mirror then turned her attention back to the road.
Josie put a hand on Saphys bouncing leg giving it a small squeeze. She stiffed a yawn watching the night scenery pass by.
Saphyre smiled back tightly. There was a strange mixture of feelings roiling inside him, a loud series of thoughts chasing their tails around his head. If this vampire legitimately had made contact with Andrew that meant that he was stuck here, had been stuck here for five long years. It wasn't the sort of thing that fit neatly into any sort of box of feelings, selfishly even a little excitement and curiosity at the concept of maybe seeing him again wormed their way in. Would that be possible?
Saphyre put his hand over Josie's grateful for the way her touch stilled his thoughts just a little. Whatever happened next was going to be important, however he felt about it. He had to be ready.
"That's it up ahead, right?" he asked tipping his head to get a better view of the cemetery at night.
"That's it," Shale confirmed. She spotted the Vespa and parked behind it. "Looks like he is already here," she said before climbing out of the Subaru.
Tim nodded. "I can smell something dead and it isn't road kill."
The smell of graveyard soil tickled Josie's nose as they exited the van. Decay and rot mixed with the damp evening as she scanned the tombstones
"He's further up," Tim said, pointing to where Andrew was buried. He'd considered bringing Andrew's medal to the grave on multiple occasions, to either leave it on the headstone or bury it but he'd never managed to get here with it. Now he knew why. He'd been keeping it for this moment.
Saphyre climbed out of the car and joined his pack mates looking out across the space.
Sebastian heard the wolves outside the gates talking and stood up dusting the grass clippings off his pants. And there they were just like clock work. He let out a little breath. A habit from his mortal days to remove the jitters before he would play on stage with the band he was in. It sounded like Shale had brought with her a mini pack. Unexpected but still intimidating since she was the first were wolf he had met and she had been cautious and a bit standoffish.
What if they jumped him and ate him? He wondered briefly. He had told Darien he had business and besides him the only other person that he had told was Sam and she had told him he was mental for doing what he was going to do tonight. But in his heart he felt it was the right thing to do. There had to be more to life than drifting night by night looking for someone to eat and to just focus on the Master of Seattle's business project.
Before he had come to Seattle he had been a member of the church of eternal life a refugee. Before that a religious boy living with his mother. There had to be a grand plan a greater design to why he was a vampire rather than misfortune and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Shale led the way into the Cemetery not even bothering to look for or at Sebastian. She headed straight for Andrews grave site weaving her way around the graves and tombs that lay between her and it.
Sebastian sighed one more time and picked up his case as he noted the were wolf shale walk past him ignoring him. It was fine it was clear she didn't like him or maybe it was just all vampires. He wasn't here for her he was here for Andrew.
He saw the others and cleared his throat "Good evening folks." He said gently his voice held a touch of an accent marking him as having lived recently in Missouri.
Saphyre had followed in a little more slowly, he too could smell Sebastian's presence and they were there to meet him. Also, Saphyre hadn't been to the cemetery since the funeral and guilt gnawed at the edges of him so he lingered back to greet the figure.
"Good evening, I'm guessing you're Sebastian and not a strange extrovert out for a graveside stroll with some luggage," Saphyre said, his hand shifted forward to shake and then paused with a hesitant little jerk in the space between them. Some psychic types didn't like physical touch. "Do you shake hands?"
"Pleasure. The names Sebastian and some might call me strange but I am the guy you are meeting tonight to see we can assist your friend? Former pack mate? Both." He said extending a pale hand and offering the wolf a smile that only showed the tiniest hint of fang.
Four and an half feet of mean looked at Sebastian. Tim was grateful that Saphyre had chosen to speak up but then that was what Saphyre did. He tightened his fingers on the velvet pouch that held Andrew's medal and waited for any indication that the vampire was up to something. When he showed his fangs when he smiled, Tim glowered. He didn't need to show his teeth to look fierce.
Sebastian looked at the short wolf who glowered at him. He certainly isn't the friendly type was he? If I die tonight that is the one that will eat me. He thought nervously.
Saphyre returned the smile and took his hand to shake it. He didn't read the flash of fang as a hint of aggression - it was more likely a hint that he was a young vampire. A handsome young vampire at that and he certainly didn't smell aggressive or full of lies. Actually he smelled a little of Darien, and Nightshades as a whole.
"I'm Saphyre, and yes that would be us. You've of course already met Shale. This is Tim, and Josie." he said gesturing to each of his pack mates in turn.
Josie lazily followed behind. Between her and Saphy she had the feeling they would be the role of playful omegas defusing things this evening. However she was doing a poor job so far. "Evening Sebastian." She offered a warm smile.
Tim nodded. Sebastian might have taken his silence as distrust, especially given the scowl but Tim didn't do a lot of talking at the best of times.
Sebastian nodded. "Saphyre, Tim and Josie. Thanks for coming. I've met Shale already she seems like shes in a hurry so we should get a move on rather than chatting here at the gate. Shall we?" He asked looking up at the hillside.
Shale made it to the top of the hill where Andrews grave sat and dropped to her knees next to it. She took a couple of deep shaky breaths and sniffed back her tears. "I sure hope this isn't a big waste of time," she whispered into the quiet night.
"We shall!" Saphyre said beginning to move forwards. Though he had good night vision the darkness still made the graveyard seem different, perhaps also the wide open space contributed. It had been packed before...
"This is a little strange for all of us," he confessed as they began to close the distance.
"Lead the way," Tim said. His Beast was tense, prepared for a fight. He knew why he wanted the vampire to lead. He didn't want the vampire behind him.
"Yes sir." Sebastian replied. He was guessing the gruff one as the leader. He looked like the type that would like to fight. He gave a shy smile and made his way along the gravel path up along the cemetery the gentle slopes gravel crunching under his dress shoes as the nights breeze stirred the near by lilac trees. He didn't hurry to the top. He took his time as he went through what items in his case might be useful for the night. Definitely the Jacob's ladder. It could lend Andrew more juice to stick around. With luck three days was enough. If he didn't have enough to hang around for long this might give him the time he needed. While Andrew had manifested for him it wasn't a full manifestation, to anyone that would study the paranormal. He was just blessed with being able to see what others couldn't. It would be wonderful if Andrew could manifest but Sebastian would be happy if he would be good with talking and he could relay. Full manifestations were draining for ghosts and he didn't want Andrew to wink out after a simple appearance. "Did you guys manage to bring a trigger object like I requested. Something that was a personal effect that had great meaning to him?" He asked as the made their way closer to the grave site at the halfway point.
Tim tightened his grip on the bag. "I have his medal," he said. "Olympic marathon. Years of training and sweat focused into one supreme effort of endurance and will. Is that enough?"
"It should be. Excellent choice. A good object to be sure. " Sebastian said as they walked along. "Takes a lot of willpower discipline and determination not to mention talent. Andrew said he had a lot of determination. Lets hope the time between my last visit was enough for him to recoup and that he can stay a while to chat. Ghost don't always show up every night. Some hauntings are intelligent some residual but Andrew is one of the strongest I have ever met. " He said in way of talk to keep it from being silent. Maybe some talk would put not just him at ease but the others too. Everyone seemed mildly tense. The rainbow haired wolf was the calmest of the four.
"Will of iron," Tim said, nodding. "If anyone can do it, he can."
"Indeed. Were you two close sir?" The young long haired pony-tailed vampire asked over his shoulder. "He mentioned wanting to see a Lobo."
"We were both Lobo's bodyguards," Tim said and all the grief and survivor's guilt of five years bled out through his words.
Josie's eyes shifted from pack mate to pack mate then to the curious vampire. She had only been with the pack for 5 years when shit hit the fan. She knew of Andrews of course but didn't actually know know him. Her eyes shifted to the sky before slowly closing them enjoying the cool breeze blow on her face.
Saphy laid a gentle hand on Tim's shoulder and the shorter werewolf looked up and nodded. They had all suffered with Andrew's loss but there were three wolves in the pack who felt that loss most keenly.
Ramone, who had not only lost a friend but had been the one to end Andrew's life, all the while trying to resist the puppetry of a vampire who had taken control of him.
Troy, who had lost a lover and possibly a mate.
Tim, who had lost his friend and bodyguarding partner of a dozen years.
"I am very sorry. The loss of those we care about is so hard." Sebastian said earnestly. He didn't stop his way up the hillside but slowed down just the slightest so the short stocky man could have time to compose himself. The truth of the matter was a hard pill to swallow. Vampires did some messed up things. Things he still tried to wrap his head around. "Being a young vampire that is new to your city that was turned without consent I often find myself at a loss for the things that some of my kind do. I found out about my gift when my mother died before I was turned and worked with her for three years before she finally found peace and was able to rest. For some reason that gift followed me as I adjusted to this new and unwanted life. Being a man that was religious before all of this happened to me, I have to believe that all of this happened to me for a reason and want to use my gift to help others. If we can make contact with Andrew tonight what question would you first like to ask him Tim? We will be working under constraints time wise so having a few questions ready for him might be ideal."
"What question?" Tim frowned. He hadn't thought about questions. He'd only thought about the chance to talk with Andrew one last time and what he'd been planning to do to the vampire if it turned out he was a charlatan.
"What kind of questions can you ask a ghost?" he asked Sebastian. "Are they able to respond or are they just a leftover psychic imprint? I guess we should ask him why he's here, why he hasn't passed on. Can they answer a question like that? Or should we stick to things like asking whether there is a message he wants to pass on? I've never done anything like this before."
"Andrew is present enough to answer questions." His voice warmed slightly. "Some Spirits are just left over energy and an imprint they can appear act out a particular set of actions and then vanish forever stuck in a loop. We call them residual hauntings but Andrew is most decidedly not one of these cases." The long dark haired vampire explained truthfully. "When we called the 1800 line he was quite sassy when I was trying to convey to the operator that this was not a hoax but as you can imagine playing telephone and relaying things he mentioned a Troy and I assumed with the name that the person was male. He was sure to correct me on that. So you will be able to ask him things. I can share with you that he shared with me the fact that he was trying to leave the cemetery to meet with this Lobo. So the message might be something to do with him. But it might be something else that ties him here and has him unable to pass on and find rest. A lot of the time spirits will focus on moments of unfinished tasks or things that they regretted before they passed. So we know he wanted to meet with this person but did not know how to get to him and found he cannot leave these grounds, Spirits are often tied to the place they are put to rest or where they died. It seems he is bound to here rather than to where he died. " He stepped off the gravel path onto the grass as they made their way to the top of the gentle incline to head towards the grave site. "So you can ask him what you want. I am sure you are skeptical about everything I am talking about. So you may have questions to ask that might confirm in your heart that I am not here to play you and your pack. Honestly Tim if we look at it logically with this new pact you and your pack have made with the higher ups in the city, doing anything of the sort would be idiocracy on my part. But I can understand you wanting to be cautious. You are the first of your kind I have interacted with. I understand being wary."
"Didn't answer my question," Tim pointed out. "If we have to help him figure out what he's left unfinished, what do we need to ask? I mean, you're the expert here, right? Or should we get an animator?"
Shale remained on her knees next to Andrews grave as the others arrived. Emotions swirled within her. Grief warred with guilt. Grief over the lose of Andrew and all that transpired after. Guilt for using his death as the catalyst to become what she was today.
"Not an expert." Sebastian said. "I wasn't doing this professionally. But I advise against the animator. Andrew died a violent death that could have complications potentially. I did try asking him what unfinished business he had when the penny dropped about him not being alive. We talked he wasn't sure yet either. This isn't uncommon though. Sometimes they never know sometimes they can eventually develop the clarity to figure it out. Spirits rarely know they are dead until it is pointed out to them. Sometimes that in itself is enough because they were just confused. Maybe all he wants is to reach out and say goodbye. Perhaps it is more. Sadly Tim it isn't an exact science but I want to work with him and you guys to figure it out. " He said as he counted the graves he walked past knowing that he had another 200 yards before he made it to Andrews grave site. In the distance he could see Shale kneeling by the grave. They were close.
"If at any time during this you ask for a credit card number, I will rip your leg off and beat you to death with it," Tim said. Oddly, it was clear that he was actually making a joke. "So you're as clueless about this as we are. Great. Andrew's going to howl when he sees what sort of Scoobie Gang we've cobbled together to send him on his way."
Saphyre smiled a little feeling some of the tension of thick distrust start to lessen between Tim and Sebastian. He squeezed his shoulder affectionately.
"Howling is good for the soul so it stands to reason it's worth a shot," he chimed in with a gentle tease as they closed the distance.
"Not entirely clueless but I agree it be nice if they had a college where they could teach you this stuff. I've been visiting graveyards and doing this sort of thing for about a decade if I include my time before I was turned. But it has been a hobby and bizarre interest, The afterlife and what comes next. Animators have tried for years to get that answer but no one has been able to gleam those answers. Risen zombies never answer or cannot share what lays beyond. Spirits seem to not know its like limbo they haven't passed the vale into what lays beyond. " Sebastian said as they finally made it to the gravesite and to where Shale had raced off to wait for them to join her.
"So are you Fred or Shaggy?" Tim asked. "I'm guessing Mr Teeth here is Scoobie. All we need is a rich old white guy in a mask and we're golden."
Tim sighed. "I guess we start with asking what he was going to do before he died and go from there. If we need to get Ramone down here to settle this, it might kill two birds with one stone. We're only doing that if it is the only way. I'm not letting Ramone get hurt needlessly."
"Nobody wants that," Saphyre agreed pulling his gauzy cardigan closer around himself as though to cocoon himself from the concept. It was hard enough crossing this lawn as an acquaintance and pack mate to Andrew. He could only imagine what Tim was feeling and he had no clear way to even truly conceptualize what it would be like to be Ramone in this situation. The pain and responsibility and the guilt of it. Maybe they would come out the other side better for having experienced this but maybe this would be another kind of wound to add to the collection.
Sebastian set his spirit kit down beside the grave and opened it. Andrew had not yet showed but he had not yet called out. Sometimes that was all it took. He wanted to increase the odds of everything working out well. He began to pull out the back up battery from his kit setting it on the grass and pulled out the small sixteen inch Jacob's ladder and connected it to the Vespa battery. "Please take care to not touch this. The device will put electricity in the air and can lead to a nasty shock so respect the space and tools. Some Spirits find the out put to help them gather energy. It is why sometimes you have issues with drained batteries when people ghost hunt. I have some other tools in here as well. An infrared camera. This one was originally used for contractors to detect where heat loss in buildings are so they can better insulate areas. You might not be able to see or hear him but if he makes an appearance you will likely be able to see that the space where I point out he is in will be slightly darker in color. If one of you would like to use it."
"That looks like something from an old horror movie," Tim said, nodding towards the Jacob's ladder. "And I think everybody knows about cold spots." He looked around. "So what do we do, call him?"
Sebastian turned the ladder on and the device sparked to life, the current visibly climbed the ladder and dissipated into the night air, he said. "Now we charge the air and pull out the trigger object. You can set it down on the grave. We sit or stand and wait." he replied as he sat down on the ground and offered the infra device he held in his hand to any of the wolves that might be interested in using it.
"Do we hold hands?" Tim asked, as he pulled the medal out of its velvet bag. Carefully, he laid it on the ground in front of Andrew's headstone. He wasn't certain whether he wanted the whole thing to be real, in which case Andrew's spirit had been hanging around in limbo for the past five years or whether he wanted the vampire to be stringing them along.
"You do not need to hold hands but if we sit around the ground plaque just think about your friend. The good times try and push anything negative from your minds eye and focus on the essence of what made Andrew who he was." Sebastian offered.
The wolves settled in and waited. Sebastian looked to the grave. "Andrew if you can come to us and make yourself known, I have returned and brought some people you might recognize. As per my promise and your words of being a man of unparalleled determination if you can hear us or sense us please make yourself known." He said gently. Ghosts were not zombies you did not command them or at least he didn't. He hoped with the fiber of his being that the excursion would bear fruit and that he would not disappoint. The rest was up to Andrew and what energy he had recouped in the days since he had left the grave site.
Andrew. Olympian. Martial artist. Andrew. Utterly unable to learn to do tricks on a skateboard that Troy seemed to execute so ridiculously easily. Friend. Someone Tim trusted to have his back, no matter what the situation. Once punched Lobo in the face for calling him Andy, despite the fact that Lobo was a werewolf and Andrew wasn't. Andrew, doing the robot and then the worm in the middle of a dance-off with Troy. Andrew, enjoying poetry, foreign films and live theatre. He cooked, bred exotic fish and spoke four languages. Andrew, the best friend Tim had ever had.
Dead but not gone.
The Jacob's ladder hummed and crackled in the night air. Sebastian could feel the electric current in the small space at the graveside, as the wolves around him silently thought about their fallen comrade. It was no doubt painful and intimate and a bit strange but he felt strangely at peace amongst the circle of wolves as they waited. There was a shift in the air it began to cool slightly as everyone's thoughts reached out to the deceased man. Sebastian's skin began to tingle as he felt that coolness within the circle deepen slightly. "He is trying to come." he softly whispered into the night air. "I can feel him. It is getting cooler. Yes that is it Andrew, use the energy we are putting out there for you. No need to powerhouse your way into things if you are too tired. We just need to be able to hear you if that is all you can muster tonight."
Sebastian saw the misty shape form before his eyes. The others likely could not. But he smiled "Well hello from the other side. Thank you for coming to us. Can you hear me alright?" he asked the swirl of mist like energy as it formed and thickened taking on a humanoid shape and he closed his eyes to listen with care in case Andrew was not going to be protecting loud and as powerfully as before. The conditions were about as good as they could be. He had brought people the man knew. A personal item that meant a lot to him and as much energy to the grave site as he could. The only thing that might have made the conditions better might have been a thunder storm. The natural energy from such things was something ghosts seemed to draw on, but additional rain and noise would have made it harder for those that had assembled tonight.
The energy formed and condensed further as the group felt the chill and electricity in the air. "He is definitely here." He said as he opened his eyes and saw the transparent form of Andrew standing in front of the in ground gave placard on the ground as he looked at the medal and then to the others around him and to Sebastian. "Hello Andrew do you remember me Sebastian Roberts. We met a few days ago and you and I talked about the fact that you had died and how you found yourself tethered to this spot unable to leave despite wanting to go somewhere. As promised I have returned and I brought some friends. People that knew you before you died. Tim. Shale. Josie. and Saphyre but I could not bring you Lobo. At least not tonight. What would you like to tell them or ask them?" He asked Andrews spirit.
Josie sat between Shale and Tim. She had a hand on each of them trying to comfort them. Her eyes shifted around her pack mates and lifted an eyebrow as she watched Sebastian.She could feel her skin prickle and the hairs begin to stand at the back of her neck. Her hand left Tim and picked up the infra red camera. She first turned it one scanning at her pack mates to spot growing colder until it began to take shape. "Well holy crap on a cracker" she muttered her jaw hanging open.
“I remember,”Andrew answered. “I remember I was supposed to be someplace. But that was a long time ago. Tim was supposed to be there too. He got hurt but it looks like got better.” Andrew smiled sadly. “I’m sorry I left you to hold the fort on your own, Tim. I wish I could have been there.” He looked at Sebastian. “Can’t they hear me?”
The electricity that crackled along the Jacob's ladder left a smell in the air like ozone and a prickle on Saphyre's skin. Thinking on Andrew he breathed in slowly, he crouched down not able to commit to fully sitting but not wanting to distract anyone by standing. It felt a little funny, like they were missing him into existence. Thinking about Andrew made him think of the person he'd been when Andrew knew him. He wished he could have known him now instead but that was a selfish thought. More accurately he just wished Andrew was still alive.
When it happened, Saphyre couldn't be sure if the shiver that ran the length of his body and confused his beast happened before or after Sebastian spoke a greeting to Andrew. Josie's awed expletive was all the confirmation he needed to believe something was really happening. They hadn't known if it would and Saphyre couldn't tell if it was better or worse that it was. More questions than answers came from the confirmation.
Sebastian shook his head. "It is hard to be fully heard sometimes you can catch words on voice recorders. It can be done but it will take too much energy and likely practice for you to do it. Even a scream at best most times will sounds but a whisper Andrew. EVPs might work if you want me to pull our a voice recorder so we can go over the convo later. Until then I will relay what you are saying to your friends." He assured Andrew as he reached for the voice recorder and tagged the date and time. The vampire looked over to Tim as he sat in the grass . "He says he is sorry he left you to hold down the fort. He is still mentioning being someplace and that him and you were supposed to be Tim. Do you recall what business you two had the day he died?"
Tiny Tim swallowed. He wasn’t an easy man to make feel small but he almost shrank when Sebastian asked his question. “We were supposed to meet at Lobo’s place. There were a few things he wanted to discuss. Nothing major. Just pack business. Didn’t turn out that way. We were attacked by a vampire.” Even five years later the pain was raw in Tim’s voice.
"And would that be when Andrew died?" He asked as he looked to Tim and then back to Andrew's shade. "We might have the why and how you died Andrew. Not sure how that is going to make you feel but straight talk me. How you feeling what is on your mind. What do you want to tell these guys?" Sebastian said softly as he set the recorder down on the grave site.
“Ask Tim why he isn’t with Lobo,” Andrew’s ghost replied. “He’s in danger without me and Tim there.”
"We discussed this last time Andrew," Sebastian gently reminded Andrew's shade. "You died five years ago. We are visiting your grave site. See that is your Plaque right here. This medal yours from when you participated in the Olympics. Do you remember? Or the talk we had about what happened to your dojo? Someone with the last name of Anderson is running it now."
He turned his attention to the wolves. "He was asking about why Tim wasn't with Lobo because he's in danger without the two of them being there." The Ghost whispering vampire explained. So far the vampire had not uttered a lie. No smell of deception. The smell of anxiousness had faded from him the moment they had hit the grave site and he had settled down into the grass to speak with the shade.(edited)
“That used to be how it was,” Tim said. “We were his bodyguards.”
“One of us still is,” Andrew said. “And it isn’t me. Ask him why he’s here and not with Lobo. He can’t protect him if he’s here trying to help me pass on.” There was a hint of urgent panic in the ghost’s tone as if he were trying to head off a calamity.
Shale choked back a sob and tried to reign in her emotions. It was hard knowing that Andrew was apparently stuck while the rest of them had gone on with their lives. With great effort she shuttered away the grief and painful memories and concentrated on the good times that had been when he was around.(edited)
“Tell Shale she should have brought her emotional support mate,” Andrew said. “And this is not the time for tears. It’s the time to get Tim back where he belongs. With Lobo.”
Sebastian relayed the tone of Andrews words to the pack that sat before him. He reminded Andrew over the fact that last visit they had covered that he had died on the 3rd of September 5 years earlier. The details of having recalled Tim being with him that night and that he was hurt. That Lobo had been his pack leader. They had looked up on the internet any details they could find and that there had been a court case for Ramone or Lobo as Andrew liked calling him. We talked about the fact that the new Ulfric of the city made a treaty with the vampires recently banning all werewolf controlling vampires from the city for the next quarter century. I do not think your friend Lobo has bodyguards anymore. Tim? Can you clarify at all if this is correct?" Sebastian looked to Shale and said calmly. "He wants me to tell you, that you should have brought your emotional support mate. And not to cry because he wants to get Tim back with Lobo."
“Lobo is the Ulfric,” Andrew insisted stubbornly. “ I need to make sure he’s protected. I can’t do it; I’m dead. Tim has to do it. If there is a new Ulfric, we failed. Tim is alive, so Lobo is alive. Tim needs to be with him. “
Sebastian didn't understand wolf politics. He confessed that to the wolves and further reiterated Andrew's pleas. The shade was very insistent and not willing to budge off the Lobo topic. His dark eyes scanned the group of were wolves. Anything you guys want to say? If this Lobo guy is dead, I can try and see if he is around too or if he has passed on. But it will require knowing where he has been put to rest and then a bunch of back and forth while I talk to the two. IF the other one hasn't moved on already..."
Shale sighed. "He doesn't remember what happened it seems. What would happen if we told him the truth about what happened five years ago? About how he actually died?" she asked Sebastian hoping beyond hope that they could just tell Andrew the truth and that he would move on afterwards.
Andrew let out an annoyed growl. “I’m dead. I get that. Tim is alive which means Lobo is alive. Tim is here which means Lobo is alone. Don’t any of you care that your Ulfric is unprotected?!”
"You can tell him. He knows he is dead. Just sometimes there's a bit of a memory disconnect with Spirits. It is okay to tell him how it went down. It likely would be helpful so we can give him the condensed notes when we do this again with him." Sebastian replied looking thoughtful. "I must admit to being curious as well. I thought fight gone wrong or maybe a car accident on the way to see his Lobo."
"Do you want to tell him Tim or should I?" Shale asked in a soft voice. "You were there, I wasn't. First hand knowledge of the facts might be more useful then third hand knowledge."
Tim glared at Shale. “Coward,” he said. Then he looked at Sebastian. “Where is he? I want to look him in the eyes when I tell him this. “
"If you use the device Josie is holding you should be able to see where he is standing. He is currently looking right at you." Sebastian said.
Josie stood up and clutched Shale's shoulder protectively. "You both are hurting no need to sling more of it around" she held the device out to Tim so he could use it. "We are here as a team remember that. We are here for Andrew, for Ramone, for each other" she gave a soft understanding smile. She knew Tim was hurting and lashing out but now was not the time.
The conversation was hard to follow - it was like speaking to someone on the other end of a phone but not being the one holding the receiver. Except there were four of them and they could be missing any sort of details if Andrew was frantic on the other end. Trying to comfort someone who they could neither hear nor see was a task, especially when it felt sort of like they needed comforting. The frustration of it was building in Tim and that was obvious. Saphyre put his hand once again on Tim's shoulder. No one was making him do anything he didn't want to do, they were here for him as much for Andrew.
"You're doing really well. She's only trying to help," Saphyre said softly to the short and stocky werewolf. This was difficult, and Tim was swallowing down trauma and also putting his trust in a vampire, it was understandable he was prickly, but Josie was right he didn't need to take it out on Shale who was also struggling.
“If she was trying to help, maybe she shouldn’t have suggested telling Andrew how he died and then conveniently downloading that task onto me,” Tim replied, his Beast clearly raging within him from a combination of anger, sorrow and shame. He looked at the thermal image for a moment, then passed it back to Dani. “You’re not going to like hearing this, Andrew,” he said. “You already heard me say we were attacked by a vampire. He took control of Lobo. Made him rip my arm off. Made him-“ Tim’s voice faltered. When he spoke again, the powerful voice that came from his shoes was cracked and broken. “He made him kill you, man.”
Sebastian winced his heart went out to the werewolves. With such a dramatic and traumatic death it was no wonder Andrew was still lingering. He waited for Andrew to answer thankful he didn't have to breathe as he sat still not breathing or moving waiting to hear the shades response.
Andrew looked confused for a moment. “What are we doing out here?” he asked. “And why is there a vampire here?”
Sebastian shook his head looking heavily discouraged. They had wasted too much time and he had asked Andrew to show up too soon. "We are pretty much done here guys." He said. "Hes forgetting everything already which means he will fade soon. Even with the trigger object and energy source it wasn't enough. You have a couple minutes at best."
This has been a Grimoire, Krystal, Maxx, Goosekat and Lady Jallyn co-post of ghost hunting awesmeness
