ic contact

[idesof]

[ March's voicemail message will be the standard sort for a while, and expect replies from him to be slow/strange as he tries to understand this Modern Age.

TEXT | AUDIO | VIDEO | ACTION | MURDEROUS LOVE LETTERS ]

Comments

[idesof]

[He chuckles; surely a good sign, no?]

Offensive? Absolutely not. [The humor fades a touch. Enough to show he's taking this seriously, but not enough to stamp out the usual enthusiasm.] As for burying, you must understand one thing. Where I come from, the fact that I am dead is just that: a fact. I am unaccustomed to this not being the case. I've never meant to hide it.

[A beat.]

No more than I usually do, anyway.

[slightlyoffchilt]

All right. Okay. I mean, I have known individuals who were since resurrected in this world -- [Raina among them.] -- But none who have really enjoyed any sort of afterlife.

Based on your conversation with that woman, you are... Still... A ghost? A corporal ghost?

[idesof]

Yes. All ghosts I have met are corporal when they want to be. I've been able to do things in this world I hadn't for so long back in my own, but I've retained abilities I only ever had once I passed on. [One does not walk about as a ghost for a century without retaining those skills as a power set.] Am I the first ghost, as such, you've ever known? Really?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Yes, actually. I've known a couple demons, and then whatever Klarion is -- but never a ghost.

So, ah, congratulations on being my first.

[idesof]

I'll consider that an honor. Does it intrigue you on an intellectual level?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Well, yes. Why?

[idesof]

Shouldn't you indulge your intrigue?

[slightlyoffchilt]

You are inviting me to get... Invasive?

[idesof]

I'm inviting you not to hold yourself back. You might find it difficult to invade a man who can walk through walls, but you are certainly welcome to try.

[slightlyoffchilt]

Well, James, I will certainly keep that in mind.

I'm glad we had a chance to, ah, clarify your situation. I do hope that woman cannot actually harm you.

[idesof]

I should hope so as well. [He sounds more interested than concerned, however.] I also hope you'll let me know when you've made a final decision about the move to Maurtia Falls.

[slightlyoffchilt]

Ah -- I've only recently broached the topic with Raina. [Beat.] I will be moving, and she will be moving with me.

But we have yet to look at properties.

[idesof]

Splendid! [Always so happy to have friendly folks moving nearby. Helps drive up the property value.] Do you have an idea of what you both desire in mind?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Oh, she wants -- she has designs. [Chilton was rendered helpless. Raina would have her way.] She is particularly fond of koi ponds. I have been informed of the necessity.

[idesof]

[...]

The very large goldfish?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Yes, the spotted kind? Or is it calico? That sort of fishy mottled look -- she likes them. Fits with her aesthetic, I imagine.

A house with a porch, or a patio. Enough of a yard to fit a koi pond. I am under the impression I must agree to particular requests in order for her to take kindly to the move, she had her heart set on De Chima.

[idesof]

[A small stretch of silence passes, followed by a sort of tsking sound. It's not disapproval. More apparent lack of "getting" it specifically, but understanding the idea. Signs of wealth and independence were as natural to him as murder.]

I see. [He sees a man whipped into shape by his woman. Basically what he sees whenever he looks in a mirror he can be spotted in, imagine that.] You are wise, Frederick, to look after her heart. That is the one part of any woman you must feed before all others. All hell breaks loose if you don't.

[slightlyoffchilt]

Oh, tell me about it. [Chilton, thirsting so savagely for a friend, misinterpreted March's observation as an invitation for personal gossip.]

Once I had been changed magically -- you know Billy Kaplan, don't you? Well I had years of falsified memories competing in my brain and bearing that circumstance in mind, I had a bit of a spat with Raina. [He had called her psychotic.] Obviously I wasn't myself!

The morning after I had "gotten better", as it were, I couldn't even go into work because she had -- well she had taken an unorthodox stance in the bedroom hierarchy that night. And I couldn't easily walk, much less work.

[idesof]

[The split second wherein March feels anything like "why" is quickly overturned by the joyous feeling of triumph. Surely Chilton wouldn't share this sort of thing with just anyone, surely this is a Good Sign.]

The ache of love. There's no love without occasional pain. [He would know about painful love, he was caught in a BAD ROMAAANCE] Divine creatures such as your Raina are much more adept at hurt, in my experience. You're a lucky man.

[slightlyoffchilt]

I know it. She is fond of reminding me.

[He's joking, but only partially.]

I, ah... [The Countess had been exported for quite some time now, but Chilton assumed she was still a touchy subject.] Admire your teamwork. With Sally.

[Good save.]

[idesof]

[He can't mean their murder teamwork, but for a moment, he wishes he did. Oh well. It took five years for John to come around; he could be patient.]

Do you. [Any save is a good save when he wants to touch your aura, honestly.] Well! You'll see far more of that teamwork when you stay at the Castile. We are residents, after all. Best to be on sight in case of an emergency.

[slightlyoffchilt]

I find your mutual dedication charming.

[It was impossible not to be charmed by March and Sally; they were exquisite in their mannerisms. The fact that they remained fixtures of the Castile only amplified the hotel's general appeal in Chilton's esteem.

At least, he reasoned, at least he had James Patrick March and Sally.]

Do you have long-term guests? Or is that a privilege reserved for you two alone?

[idesof]

Certainly! Sally was among the fair share who made the Cortez their home. We're proud to continue that tradition here.

[Crane. But confidentiality something something, no, really he just likes to keep surprises more personal. Next he's trying to get that sad clown because of course he is. Of course they need an actual clown hanging around. He can be considered a collector of the strange without being assumed for a monster himself. He's a ghost, after all. Makes sense he'd gravitate to the weird.]

[slightlyoffchilt]

I imagine there are a few who wouldn't understand. People who subtract the familial from luxury -- hotels, of course, they have a reputation. Escape.

But you see something more. Or -- [Chilton cleared his throat, hasty in his qualifier.] That is what I can determine.

[idesof]

[Ohoho, is the slippery slope to being invasive engaged, yes good. Time to find an accountant with halitosis for later bonding.

A dramatic pause followed by an even, steady, yet approving sort of tone:]

There's a reason those few aren't in the hotel business. I'd wager anyone who can't see something more in their particular line of work damn well doesn't belong in that line of work.