Mae and Sam
Mae stood in silence as the house consumed the mages. Nothing had prepared her to witness the haunting of the hill house. While her nerves were already primed by a real-life spell that portaled in, they unraveled more. There was no doubting the scene that unfolded before her and that made it harder to actually take in everything she was seeing.
"Holy shit," she spoke aloud. While she was someone who was online since she was young, she was never exposed to actual magic and actual ghosts. Was it ghosts? Mae followed the thought for a moment. If it was a ghost how would she know? Would it simply reveal itself, or would it try and possess her? Would it do something more extreme than the complete home makeover?
"Well, I still have no clue who this benefactor is, but I can tell you this much. They could make a fortune flipping houses." Ghost girl joked but she had a point. Mae turned her body towards the young woman. "If the house is haunted, and if this person can see the dead, that means..." Mae paused as she brought her hand to her chin. "That means if something has our friends, they can handle it. Right? That's how talking to the dead works ?" Mae asked before another voice made its presence known.
"Hello? Mr. House?" “Hey! I think it’s safe to come in!”
The others had all started to move inside. While there was still a small crowd outside, Mae began to think she needed to make her way in. Thoughts and doubts flooded her mind and began to take root. She lacked a familiar feeling of control in the real world. She could not back out of a sketchy situation by severing a connection. She could not hide behind anonymity. This was real, and it was happening right in front of her.
"All right." A single voice next to Mae pulled her from the spiral. She looked over and saw a young, gruff man that had arrived.
"That was all the proof I needed to know that this," he paused as he flashed his invitation,
"was true. Magic. That's going to take some getting used to." His eyes darted across the remaining group outside the house.
"If we're all here, and if everyone is safe inside then we should head in." While he presented this challenging, and rugged exterior Sam's mind was also racked with the same fear that gripped Mae. Watching the house pull people inside through an invisible force made it so... real. Yet he still stood firm. Now was not the time nor the place to show his fear to the rest of the group. "I can have a moment alone to show my fear, but not right now," Sam thought as he took a deep breath.
"Anyway, I can control the wind." "Wind?" Mae asked.
Sam pushed forth a gust from his hand. The burst was weak but was strong enough to blow through Mae's hair.
"Yep, wind. How about you?"Mae paused as she recoiled from the sensation for a brief moment. The wind carried with it a strange sensation. It felt like wind, but it
different from a crisp autumn breeze or a warm summer gust. It felt unnatural. It felt magical. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Mae shot her eyes down to the ground and then back up to Sam.
"I call myself a technomancer. I can access electronic devices, and make them do stuff. Internet devices can be tricky but I have access to them all the same."Sam took a step back. Taking a deep breath, he tapped his phone that resided in his pocket.
"Please don't view my browsing history." Mae let out an uncontrolled laugh that she reigned in after a moment.
"I am not new to the internet, I know what you guys do in the dark. I value my sanity too much to ever give it a look." Sam smiled in response.
"I am Sam," he paused as he shot out his hand,
"pleasure to meet you and know that I am not alone in this magical adventure."Mae, likewise."Sam motioned for Mae to follow him and the duo entered the house together. As Mae walked and Sam and anyone else followed they would notice the lights would begin to flicker. With each bout of darkness, the house would once again appear to be in a state of disrepair. It would feel different than before. A strange sensation would hang in the air that would force everyone to remain alert to a possible unseen threat.
- - -
Alora and the group
Alora watched as the group began to enter the room. Again, as with the first few, drinks and snacks would float through the air offering themselves to the guests. Her breath still felt stolen from her as she took in the sight. One member of the group, however, decided to make a mockery of the situation.
"First, don't call me princess ever again," she paused as she flashed a finger.
"Second, I haven't had magic long and I could not find even the smallest bit of information online about this magic. Forgive me if I seem amiss." Pausing again as she flashed two fingers.
"Third, if wanted to hear your advice I would ask you for it." The third finger flew up as a dull thud could be heard. The noise was soft, almost rhythmic, and seemed to be coming from a far corner of the house. Alora paused as she turned her head back to the center of the room, back to the man, and back to the center of the room.
"And fourth, and finally, why did the ghost stop sweeping?" Alora's eyes did not move from the dustpan. It was held about two feet off the ground and trembled ever so as it held its position. As it shook, the lights would flicker with it with each flicker sending the house back into darkness. With each bout of darkness, the house would appear to be once again in a state of disrepair. The group would hear the soft thud reveal itself to be a heavy footstep. They would know that it had begun to make its way towards the living room. Step by step, the thuds closed in . They would each feel a collective dread fall over their room. This would be a sensation that they had never felt that would also feel known. It is as if their body and souls know something they do not.
*THUD* *THUD* *THUD* *THUD*
As the steps continued to get closer, the dustpan would begin to shake slightly. As they got closer, it would shake ever more so. As it shook, the lights in the house would start to flicker. The source of the footsteps would be revealed as a tall, well-dressed figure as he stepped into the room. He wore a dark three-piece suit that was tailored to him. We carried a cane in his off-hand and he leaned up against the frame of the door. The cane itself had a massive red ruby on its head that seemed to make up its entire length.
"Welcome," the man's voice bellowed. It was deep, and his accent sounded almost English but mixed with something older.
"We have much to discuss. You may call me the benefactor." The group would feel that intense feeling of uneasy surge and would also find it difficult to keep their eyes on the benefactor. It was as if a long-since dormant part of their mind was screaming at them to run.
Alora would find her breathing and take a deep one. She had her eyes fixated on the benefactor despite the protest of her brain. His features were stunning. His chiseled jaw, his well-maintained and cared-for hair, and his eyes were so blue that Alora thought she could hop in a take a swim. Meanwhile, Mae would have her gaze averted. While she lacked the ability to ignore her brain like Alora, it did not mean that she was not also interested in who he was. With a breath, she closed her eyes and searched out for an electronic device on the benefactor. Finding one, she set about breaking in. Sam, meanwhile, also had his focus fixed on the benefactor. His look was more curious than Alora's. While he felt the same sensation as the rest, he could overlook it.
"You all must have questions that demand answers," the benefactor spoke with gravitas,
"I intend to answer them in kind." The benefactor finished as he shifted his weight onto his cane.
