sir, are you aware you are a dead

[curiositydies]

[ Like many of the Spectres haunting this level of Purgatory, the man currently heading elsewhere with purpose doesn't particularly stand out. He looks to be around his mid-50s (or perhaps a fresh-faced 60), with brown hair showing the slightest hint of gray at the temples, and he dresses much like the average tenured college professor, though he seems to favour rather more purple in his choice of wardrobe than most college professors.

What does stand out is that he's drifting from place to place, actively questioning other Spectres - the same questions, over and over, as if looking for an out-of-place response. Questions about mortality and self-awareness, with death coming up as a constant topic.

He has a notebook in one hand. Every so often, he stops to make a mark on the open page, and then snaps it shut again with an air of slightly acerbic professionalism. ]

The consistency of these answers is intriguing in its implications, but hardly fruitful. And this place makes little sense, either. I'm almost certain the dead ought to be less talkative, on the whole...

[ He certainly doesn't know why he thinks that, but from the way he says it, he seems very firm on it.

He's paused for now, still glancing down at what notes he seems to have. The approach of any Executor will snap him out of his thoughts, however; despite his verging-on-sour expression, he seems genuinely surprised to see someone who doesn't just drift past or immediately launch into a dream-like dialogue. ]

Something for you?

Comments

enters with a sliding whistle noise

[phantasmagorial]

[ It's not long before Rei arrives, looking very much like someone who has been doing their best to compose themselves and not quite managed it. She's a little winded (she ran all the way here, as usual...) but she manages a smile. ]

Medic...! And, ah... [ turning her attention to the Eidolon with her... ] So, this is our new friend, then.

[toot]

[curiositydies]

'Apprentice' might be a better word, given the unique circumstances. [ He inclines his head in a nod. Even if his superiors in experience do happen to be teenagers, he's completely out of his depth. He can be arrogant, but not when he has nothing to build on.

'Friends' seems like an odd word to use for someone you just met but he's not going to quibble with that either. ] But regardless of terminology, I'm in your care.

[phantasmagorial]

By the sounds of things, Medic's already explained most of what you need to know, right? Where we are, why we're here... and what we're trying to do.

Do you want to come with us? Or would you rather stay here?

[curiositydies]

She has. She is exceptionally thorough. [ Some people might have paused before the 'thorough'. He is not one of those people; it seems to be pleasing to him. ]

[ He shakes his head, a quick jerk, and his response is immediate. ] Stay and be stuck among the barely-conscious dead, or come and see how everything in this place works? Hardly a choice.

I'll come with you, of course.

[phantasmagorial]

[ Rei just nods. ]

I can't promise you it'll be safe... but we all do what we can do look out for each other.

[ Then she hesitates for a moment. ]

Do you... want to come with us as you are? Or do you want to fight?

[curiositydies]

Well...I'd rather not remain powerless, if given the choice. [ He doesn't know why that makes him feel uncomfortable, the sense that he's diminished, less than he was. But it is what it is. Having little else to fall back on, he can only trust the echo of his instincts, those little fragments that feel only partially like himself. ] And while I've been assured you've gathered other like-minded souls to your cause, there is strength in numbers.

[phantasmagorial]

[ She gives a little nod, already tugging down her sleeve to expose the black tattoo on her wrist. ]

Alright. Then... just take a deep breath and I'll establish the contract.

[ The black tattoo on her wrist turns gold and then white, washing everything around them out in a wave of light. The world feels weightless for a moment before everything snaps back to normal, with only Frost left feeling... different.

Contract established. ]