It is currently 20:35 Pacific Time on Sat Jan 3 2004.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (76% full).
Cockroach Mansion -- Tower
Unlike the rest of the mansion, the interior of the four-story-tall tower has a
rough and almost medieval feel to it. It's all concrete and stone and
exposed lightbulbs. There's one room per floor, plus a basement
underneath; a winding iron staircase leads from one level to the next.
The highest floor of the tower provides the best view of the grounds and
surrounding neighborhood; there are several windows with dark brown
curtains and a couple of chairs to sit in. A black trunk acts as a
makeshift coffee table and footrest, and there's even carpeting.
Interestingly enough, all the windows are set with heavy black iron bars.
On one wall hangs a whiteboard and some dry-erase markers and matching
eraser.
The rest of the rooms are used mostly for storage and have a chilly, shadowy,
dusty feel. In the irregularly-shaped basement reigns the boiler.
There are cockroaches everywhere, on every floor of the tower.
"I wouldn't know," Rina murmurs. "Only met him a few days ago." The dark eyes
look across to the boy. "Is that--what you wanted to talk about? Or is
there somethin' with... the ghosts?"
Joshua grimmaces at the mention of the undead. He nods, keeping the slight
frown. "I've been see'n a lot of 'em. Seems like every day there's 'ne.
Mister Jeremy 'n I would be talking, then suddenly..." he looks down to
the floor, face growing dower as he trails off. "'n they're everywhere:
even in here."
Anthony waits patiently on the third floor of the tower, humming to himself and
poking around the storage.
Rina's brow furrows. "Maybe you see 'em more 'cause you're alone," she murmurs,
preoccupied. "Might be easier for them, or somethin'."
Joshua nods. "I swas wonderin..." He looks up from his spot on the floor to
Rina with a balefull look. He swallows, trying to work the words again.
"... wonderin if you could talk to Mister Salem. I... I wanna talk to
him, 'bout it." He's so quiet, he runs the risk of not being heard over
the wind outside.
Rina looks to him again, brows lifting slightly in earnestness. She nods,
watching the boy. "'Course. I'll see if he's down in the office..." When
she moves, it's as if she's glad to have something to do, some reason to
release pent-up energy and tension.
Speaking of Mister Salem, he enters the tower from the mansion, looking -- as
usual these days -- sour and grumpy and generally out of sorts.
Joshua nods quietly. "Thanks Miz Rina." And then it's back to looking at his
spot on the floor.
"Hey." Rina stops only a step away, turning back to Joshua. She touches a hand
to his chin in encouragement. "It gets better. I promise." Then she heads
for the door, to fetch Anthony back in. "Hey, I'm just gonna run down and
see if the Man's in his office... be right back. Hang out with the kid
for a bit?"
She doesn't really wait for a reply before running pell-mell down the spiral
stairs, clanging along.
Salem, just inside the door, cocks his head at the sound and pauses there,
looking upward toward the stairs.
"Will do," Anthony says, starting up the stairs once Rina's run past. He
re-enters the room, shutting the door behind him, and flops back down in
his chair, leaving his jacket on this time.
Rina reaches the bottom of the stairs and skids to a halt, eyeing Salem
suspiciously. "The kid wants to talk," she says, a guarded look in her
eyes. "You got his room bugged or something?"
Joshua sighs as Anthony reenters the room: It's bad enough he's summoning the
murderer himself... Josh doesn't even look up to acknowledge Anthony.
"Have a nice conversation?" Anthony asks, making conversation so he wouldn't
have to deal with the sound of dripping water.
Joshua nods, face still glued to that one suddenly interesting board in the
floor.
Salem narrows his eyes a bit, then shakes his head. He closes the door behind
him and folds his arms across his chest, looking at her. He is, she might
note, wearing one of the new shirts, the forest green one, along with
black jeans and boots.
"Aright," Rina says, cautiously. "Will you let him talk to you, about the
ghosts?"
Anthony frowns, tapping his feet boredly. He keeps a eye on Josh, making sure
he doesn't bolt for the door or anything stupid.
Joshua just sits there, having a staredown with the floor. The floor was
winning.
Salem wrinkles his nose, grimacing in irritation. He glances up at the stairs
again, then snorts and starts climbing toward the top floor.
The even 'clump clump' were footsteps Josh was familiar with. Salem. The
combination of the cool air and the impending visit causes him to shiver,
as he lowers his gaze further to his feet.
Rina follows him up. "You got somethin' to write on?" she asks quietly, looking
up across the stairway to him.
Salem nods curtly, then opens the door to Joshua's cell and enters.
Anthony looks up as the door opens; seeing Salem, he stands up respectfully.
Joshua bolts upright as the door opens, a vistage of horror visiting him before
he can control his face. "Um... heya, Mister Salem." He offers weakly.
Rina tails Salem in, and closes the door, staying close by it. She watches, her
dark eyes nearly unreadable.
Salem smiles at Joshua in a tight-lipped, humorless way and crosses over toward
the dry-erase board. There he takes up station, folds his arms across his
chest, and stares expectantly at the cub.
"Um..." The youth starts out, trying to get ahold of himself. "Mister Salem?"
Salem's eyebrows lift. He nods. Waiting.
Anthony backs up and lean against the wall, watching Joshua quietly.
Joshua nods, swallowing. "Mister Salem." His voice is a little uneven as he
attempts again.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (77% full).
Salem continues to wait. He gives the impression of being able to wait all
night, if necessary, though that's not likely to make him happy.
Rina watches Joshua, giving him an encouraging nod.
The cub 'erps' audibly at Rina's nod. "Just wanted to say happy New Year mister
Salem." Immediately he turns around, covering his mouth. "No! I didn't
want to say that!" He yells, mostly at himself. He spins around again,
looking frightenedly at Salem. "No, really, I didn't!"
Salem grimaces, his expression shifting from irritated to disgusted. He glances
over at Rina and Anthony, then looks back at Joshua.
Anthony shakes his head and looks down at the floor.
"The ghosts," Rina says quietly. "Can you write it, maybe, if they're fuckin'
with you and you can't say it?"
Josh stands ramrod still, uncovering his mouth. "No! They wouldn't do that!
Their nice 'n I like them!" He near-shouts defensivly, swallowing. "I...
I was talking to one of the Ghosts. I talked to him a few times now 'n
he's nice 'n I like him. He likes video games too. 'n I wanna help him,
but I can't cuz I dunno how. But..."
Salem glances at the others again, then exhales softly and looks back at
Joshua. He nods, making a kind of 'go ahead' gesture at the boy.
"He says there was a Daemon here, n' that's what's hurting them. He says they
are real, 'n yer not one, 'n I trust him. He says it's gone, but I don't
belief him.. . if it where gone it wouldn't be hurting him. You said you
hunted 'n killed daemons.. . so.. . I wanted to help you. He's a nice
person 'n I want the daemon to die so he can go on to heaven 'n be happy
'n with god." Josh starts out normal, but as he talks, he gets quieter
and quieter. By the end he's looking at his feet again, and near
murmuring.
Anthony scratches his head, looking across the room at Rina confusedly.
Salem purses his lips, seeming to consider. After a moment, he takes up one of
the dry-erase markers and writes one the clean white board. "Maybe --
might be too dangerous for you."
Rina frowns slightly, and glances over to Salem, a guarded, worried look in her
eyes. "Bane, maybe? Or something else..."
"But... but!" Josh stammers. "But I wanna help! He's my friend! If I could find
out where it is, n' it could go away 'n die, 'n then all the ghosts
wouldn't be hurting anymore!" He adds, near pleading.
Salem turns back as Joshua starts to plead and scowls at the boy. Then,
pointedly, he circles the words "too dangerous" on the board. Then he
underlines the "Maybe".
Rina looks over to Joshua, darkly. "You got a lot to learn yet, before you
start in with the fighting stuff."
Joshua bites his lip. But says nothing in responce to Salem. It's clear he's
disappointed as all get out. Finally, he quietly responds to Rina. "But
he's my friend... I don't want him to be stuck here and hurt. I want him
to go to heaven. I want to help him."
Salem grimaces. As Joshua talks, he turns back to the board and erases what
he's written. He replaces it with, "Been practicing?"
Joshua nods resolutely, glancing at Anthony. "Mister Anthony taught me the
Litany 'n left it up so I could memorize it." He notes hopefully.
"That's good," Rina murmurs.
Salem nods curtly, then writes down, "Shifting?" Then he takes up the eraser,
preparing to clear the board as soon as Josh answers.
Rina snorts, eyeing the cub's condition. "Might help."
"... shifting?" Josh echos softly. "I... I dunno what you mean."
"I, uh, hadn't gotten to that yet," Anthony admits.
Salem gives Anthony a scowl, then impatiently gestures the cliath toward the
cub with the eraser. Apparantly, the new guy was expected to have gotten
to 'that' by now. Then he erases the board.
Joshua frowns, turning to Anthony with a confused look. "Waz he, uh, 'talking'
about?"
"Changing. Like, to the wolf, or the other forms." Rina's voice is quiet,
matter-of-fact. "You need to, ah. Practice."
Salem, setting the eraser down, gives the two of them, Josh and Tony, a final
baleful look, then stalks out toward the door.
Anthony looks down at the floor, clearing his throat and shifting his weight.
Rina bites her lip, and follows him out, with a wry glance to Anthony. "Have
fun..." Then she is clanging down the stairs again.
Joshua looks even more confused as Salem stalks out the room, and then Rina.
"What? What I do?" Josh swallows, looking frightenly to Anthony. "... was
it because I was hanging out with Ghosts?"
Anthony shuffles back to his chair and sits down in it, normally this time. "It
has nothing to do with the ghosts," he says.
Joshua grows even more nervous as the confusion only deepens. "But, then what
did I do?!" He gasps slightly before asking, "Does this mean he won't let
me help him?"
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