Charlotte Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 The door opened on a back alleyway in a dying Chicago neighborhood. After finalizing contact instructions, Norman and Sharatur stepped through. It wasn't too far from there, to the funeral home - or, if the home was gone, wherever the home had been. It was approaching dusk, the sun rapidly setting. Here is Necronaut and Jade's side-thread for their trip to Norman's stomping grounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Norman glanced around, not nervous but wary. The dilapidation of the city stood out painfully against his memories which had largely been formed in a haze of willful obliviousness. "Right. We should hit the graveyard first. Hopefully the Order hasn't figured out how to bug the other-side yet..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyPendant Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 "Lead on, then." She hesitates. "Uhm...is this the graveyard where my father is? Do you think I could...meet him again...?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 "We should check. But after seeing you the last time he seemed to be at peace. I would guess he has moved on to whatever comes next." Norman slowed his pace slightly as he tried to put an ambiguously encouraging spin on what was a fundamentally morbid topic. "But I'm reasonably confident that you'll meet him again. Someday." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyPendant Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Wonder still suffuses her tone as she says, "You know? So am I. And that alone, would make all this worth it. --Well, maybe not meet him again" she adds, just a bit pedantically. "But that something will happen after I die. But you're probably right, he probably has moved on. I hope he has. I'd still like to check though, if we have the time after." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Norman and Sharatur walked towards the graveyard, which was still there - and Necronaut was surprised to find little curios atop many of the gravestones, tiny men in lab coats and gas masks, probably left behind by mourners. His reputation was preceding him, it seemed. Norman did not find any souls who needed help, though - and Sharatur's father was no longer amongst them, either. He'd moved on. Past the graveyard, there was the funeral home, as always. The lights were on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyPendant Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 "Well, that's a relief" Sharatur said, and meant it for the most part. Then she grinned. "Hey look Norman. You're a legend!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 The Necronaut knelt down, eye to eye with one of the tiny ushabtis. "This is so weird..." He looked up at Sharatur. "But they are remembering. At least some people out there are thinking of the dead. I'm sure that's a comfort to them, even after they've gone all the way over." "No restless spirits to inquire with... which is a good thing. Let's check out the parlor. If we're lucky everything will be quiet and they won't even have to know we were here." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 The closer he got to the parlour, the clearer the second story window became. Susan Pine was in there, focusing on a computer, and bearing the look of someone with a lot of work to do and a great need to do it. She seemed to be the only one around, at this time of the day. They were within a few meters of the door, and the door buzzer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Norman took a step forward, as if planning to hit the buzzer. His plan changed in mid stride. He looked up at Susan for a moment and then sighed as he turned to Sharatur. "I'm going in through the Nether. You take the downstairs, I'll take the upstairs... and the embalming room if you like. We can meet back in the graveyard in ten minutes. Sound fair?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyPendant Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Sharatur eyed Necronaut, then nodded. "Something's got your guard up? Okay, we'll look around first then. That works for me." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 "It's not that. The work that gets done here is important, so I would prefer not to disturb it. It would be better if we don't put her..." he paused and adjusted his coat absently "...them at risk by making our presence known. The more we interact and the more they know, the greater the danger. If there's no sign that the Order is bothering them, we're ghosts tonight." With that he stepped into the nether and walked through the door. This may not sound so unusual, but technically speaking most people only walk through doorways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 Teleporting downstairs let Sharatur to the storage room, where she found out just how many different kinds of coffin, cremation urn, and enbalming chemicals there were. There wasn't anyone there, though. Drifting upstairs, Norman found Susan reading an "official" Order news article about the delays in the "repurposing plant" that would render inefficient final resting places a thing of the past. The spin in the article, to Norman, seemed transparent - and Susan seemed to be picking up on it too. Susan then picked up a by-now familiar curio on her desk - a tiny wooden carving of Necronaut's mask, painted black and white. "Hey," she said - and it took Norman a startled moment to realize that she was talking to the totem, and not him. "I just wanted to say thanks, for whatever you did, to get them to lay off." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyPendant Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 "Hmm" Sharatur muttered very quietly to herself. "I don't really understand why I'm even sneaking around here like this. But..." she shrugged, and made her way to the door. She listened there for a long moment, then teleported to the other side if she heard nothing, listening again before continuing on with her explorations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Norman's first inclination was to hover indecisively and agonize about revealing himself to Miss Pine, but lurking invisibly in his friend's office for any length of time seemed rather impolite. Instead he acted decisively, sinking through the floor in search of a second opinion. He materialized near Sharatur in the midst of her search, though far enough away to give her a chance to reconsider any reflexive self defense moves that might come about if she were surprised. "I think the place is clean. At least, if the Order is watching the staff doesn't seem to know about it. Er, do you think I should communicate to my former colleagues that I'm doing ok? That I'm at her disposal if there are any more problems with the Order?" He chuckled weakly. "I guess it doesn't seem like much of a question when I say it out loud." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyPendant Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 "Talk to her, Norman." Sharatur urged. "At the least, they will probably be relieved to know you're okay. I don't need to be here for that" she added after a moment. "I'll stay out here, watch your back." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Norman sighed in relief and, with a grateful nod at Sharatur, rose back through the floorboards. He situated himself outside of the office, re-corporealized and knocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 As he knocked, he heard dead quiet. Then: "who's there? ... I'm armed." He knew it was false - barring the worldwide ban on firearms, Susan wouldn't hurt a fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necronaut Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 "It's me, Norman. Just, er, thought it might be a good idea to drop by and check on things. May I come in?" He bit his lip and quickly pondered how he could allay concern about the veracity of his unexpected appearance. What was something only the real Norman Yan would say? "It's definitely really me, not a hallucination or an Order spy or anything like that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 There was a long pause. Then the door slid open a hair. Then it flung wide, and she grabbed him in a hug. "Norman! It's been months! How are you? Is it true what I keep hearing, you're really taking on the Order? Are you winning? When will it end? What's going to happen after? Did you see the dollies?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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