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002

[video, public]
This place is just hilarious. Seriously, I can tell. Barrel of laughs a minute from here on out.

[Phantom Girl has swapped out her black and white costume for a dusty old tan jumpsuit and a whole lot of weird electronic equipment. Actually, she vaguely resembles......]

Apparently, 'helping the city' translates into 'ghost-hunting' today, which is just about the worst use of my superpowers I've ever heard. ...Maybe I need a new costume insignia. Anyway, I'm not egotistical enough to think I can handle everything on my own - I've only been here like, two weeks, and yeah, there's stuff in this crazy place I've never gone up against before.

So! ...Who wants to help me out? I can make it worth your while. Never hurts to have a bona fide superhero in your debt, right?

I've been hearing about this weird castle that turns all spooky at night. In the, uh... Leo district, I think it was? It's pretty recognizable. Lots of gold filigree and that kind of thing. If you think you're game, feel free to meet me there a few minutes before midnight.

I'll totally bring snacks.

((Edit! The action/log portion will be taking place here instead.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Wouldn't be the first time I've seen it. Just aim away from me - the cape is kinda flammable."

The girl shrugs as she dumps a large portion of her gear on the ground.

"...Anyway, we're waiting for a few more to show up - And for the 13th Hour to come, of course. There might be enough to have split up and cover more ground or something, even..."

As if on cue, one of the other volunteers arrives. Morgan looks a little bit out of place next to the huge pile of machinery, with his sheathed sword and a heavy book with an ornate cover under one arm.

"Is this the ghost-hunting expedition?"

Ooo, he's cute. Kotoha will just wave hello while Arthur glances sidelong at her and rolls his eyes.

"Sure is! Nice to meet you!"

"Hey, thanks for coming!"

A short pause as she tries to remember their names.

"This is, uh... Morgan. Morgan, this is... Koto...ba. Ha? ...Sorry, you should probably do this yourself; it's not like I know you guys, either."

With that stunning social faux pas, Phantom Girl busies herself with sorting out some of the equipment.

"Right. Technically, we're just here to get readings of 'poltergeist activity' or whatever, so I'm thinking we wave this stuff around until it beeps."

She thrusts an infrared camera at Kotoha and a Geiger counter in Morgan's direction.

"Or take your pick of whatever, it's fine."

Morgan takes the device. He flips it around for a moment, studying it, and then tries to 'wave it around' like she suggested. Nothing happens, but he's also pointing the sensor in the wrong direction.

Noticing one or the other of the girls looking at him, he explains. "Just as full disclosure, I have no idea what any of these things do." He doesn't sound too worried about it, though.

"Great! That makes two of us."

Phantom Girl pulls out a pair of goggles and maneuvers them over her face.

"...This one makes everything turn red. ...Maybe it's to avoid seeing creepy bloodstains or something."

A shrug before it's flung back in the pile.

"...One minute to the 13th Hour. We'll head in soon."

"Sorry, am I late?"

Kairi waves a little, pulling a hair tie out of her hoodie pocket and putting her hair up into a bun as she approaches the group. Definitely couldn't do a proper ghost hunt with your hair flying everywhere wildly, that much was for sure! She vaguely hoped she was dressed properly for the part; she didn't really have any special gear like Phantom Girl had when she put the video out earlier, so she figured something comfortable yet easy to run and fight in would do the trick in case they got attacked.

...Could ghosts attack you? This really wasn't her field of expertise, though it certainly had sounded like it'd be a fun adventure.

Someone else is approaching the group, also late to the shindig. He nods his head to the group in a hello.

"I apologize. This is the expedition group, yes? I was wondering if there was space for one more. I've never been here, so I thought now was a good time to do so."

Thankfully, Nikolai had arrived just before the 13th hour struck.

As the 13th hour strikes, there's the sound of something large and metal approaching and a thud as a large black robot lands near the group, seconds later a goggled lunatic hopping down from the pilot area.

As he lands he nods to the others.

"I'm not late, am I?"

"O...kay. Wow. So, uh, leave that outside, I think and in order - No. Yes. And kind of?"

This is addressed at Kairi, Nikolai, and 'Ratsel' in turn. Phantom Girl is about to open her mouth to speak again when she is interrupted by the sudden toll of the bell...

The witching hour has arrived.

As always, a sudden crimson stain seeps immediately across the sky; clocks stop ticking, the air grows stale, and a strange feeling of oppression runs through the assorted company. All of this is likely familiar enough, but perhaps slightly more disconcertingly... Before their eyes, the innocuous medical center immediately and violently collapses into a heap of rubble with a sharp crack. For a few moments following, Phantom Girl merely stares at their intended destination with a furrowed brow, biting on the side of her lip. Strains of some cacophonous dirge have begun to fill the air...

"Kind of melodramatic, don't you think?" Well. There were enough of them for a small army so she wasn't really too concerned. "Alright, let's... head inside. Buddy up or something and keep an eye on each other. ...Grab something if you think you can use it."

With that, she takes her pick from the equipment, lifts off the ground a few steps and begins to glide slowly towards the rubble.

((I think I'm going to split the group since there's a large number of people now! Thanks for all being interested =D Morgan, Kotoha, and Kairi will be one and Nikolai, Ratsel, and Phantom Girl will be the other. Phantom Girl won't be doing too much since I'll be mostly NPCing. Does that work for everyone?))

Kairi quirks a brow as the building collapses, hands coming to rest on her hips. A building that collapses during the 13th hour only to rebuild itself during the day... weiirrdd. Definitely exciting though, that much was for sure.

"Alrighty!"

The redhead pokes at the pile of ghost hunting equipment, eventually grabbing an EVP recorder out of the pile. She kind of remembered seeing something like this in movies and shows; you had to talk into it and you'd record ghosts talking back or something like that. That'd be a good asset, right? Kairi fiddles with the buttons until it turns on, popping in one of the earphones attached to it and turning to the rest of the group with a smile.

"Ready?"

(ooc: sounds great to me!)

Kotoha just sort of stares at the equipment pile before grabbing something at random and throwing the cute redhead a wave.

"Arthur and I are good to go!"

[[group 2, continued from here,, keeping it one thread for now]]

Nikolai nodded at Ratsel and Phantom Girl. "Out of curiosity, has there been any evidence here of ghosts, or just rumors?"

"Isn't that what we're here for? I don't think 'ghost activity' is ever really something you can get evidence for, honestly. I mean, I'm sure we'll be attacked by something, but..."

She pauses right before the entrance into the rubble and glances around at everyone with a small shrug.

"OK. Thanks guys, and... stay safe, OK? Here we go."

Phantom Girl slips into the gap and takes the lead with what she hopes is confidence. With her abilities, it wasn't a tight squeeze, but the men might have some difficulty.

Once inside, they are met with an eerie sight. There were bloodstains, of course, as any good haunted locale must boast, and there was certainly wreckage and rubble -- what looked to be the remains of surgery wards and operating rooms. ...All was standard fare for 'haunted hospital'.

Phantom Girl gives a small gulp.

"What kind of place was this, anyway...?"

"Most of the places that the 13th hour creates are nightmare places from other worlds. I haven't explored them much myself as I haven't had the needs but still, best to be on your toes I suspect."

He nods, checks his pistols then pushes a button on his watch which generates a small flashlight like light.

"Perhaps doing this the traditional way will entice them to come out."

"But in this town, you never know when any evidence might turn up. Stranger things have happened. But, I'm prepared for us to be attacked by anything."

Nikolai managed to bring along a flashlight as well, and shines it out ahead of them, eying the wreckage.

"Well, I suppose it was a hospital once. I wonder how long ago."

"Long enough for everything to crumble, and yet not enough for the bloodstains to fade." She drifts into a wall for a few moments, sticking her head back out after making some cursory examinations. "The structure's still sound, though. We're not in danger of being killed by the whole thing dropping on top of us, if that's any help."

Being messily eviscerated was always much more entertaining, anyway.

As Nikolai and Ratsel shine their flashlights, they may catch brief glimpses of something. Nik's light will briefly illuminate the shadow of a child - humanoid and small - down a corridor to the right before it vanishes, accompanied by the sound of soft footsteps. Ratsel's light catches something more bizarre - a flickering light that hangs in the air down the corridor straight ahead. A will o' the wisp. ...This does not vanish.

There remains one more exit, though this one is nothing more than a small hole in the rubble between two collapsed walls.

Kairi makes her way over to Kotoha and summons a small ball of light in her hand with her magic, choosing that in favor of a flashlight as it moves to float above her shoulder like a little fairy. If ghost movies told her anything, it was that a flashlight would go out at the most inopportune of moments, and they certainly couldn't have that when there were demons afoot.

"So I guess we should just go in kind of the opposite direction of the other group?"

"I see something. Light down the hall. I suggest that we stay as a group though instead of splitting up to chase these down."

His other hand moves to his pistol for a second but then he smirks and pushes another button on his watch taking a quick photo of the light he's tracking.

Kotoha doesn't have a flashlight, sadly.

"Arthur, you know what to do."

She does have a four-foot tall jackal that glows in the dark, however.

"Ahh, that's so cool!"

Kairi stares at Arthur admiringly; she'd never really seen anything like him, but he didn't look like he was a persona... maybe she was a demon tamer like Daichi and his friends? He was a bit cuter than most demons she'd seen, but who knows?

"Wanna get moving? I gotta admit, I don't really know much about hunting ghosts, though. But I guess if we work together we can bumble our way through somehow!"

She giggles a little.

((Aaaand because it's getting a little confusing, let's split up now!))

Unfortunately, the moment Arthur fully illuminates the hallway where the will o' the wisp hangs in the air, the ethereal creature - if it was a creature at all - flickers and vanishes.

Even more unfortunately, the disappearance of the wisp is followed immediately by the sudden ringing of alarm bells and the flashing of red lights, though no light source can be seen. In the space of time between bells, the room is suddenly filled with... creatures dressed in disjointed yellow scrubs and face-masks. They swarm in quickly, appearing even where there are no entrances to appear from.

A voice sounds over a PA system.

Unwinds, exit from your dormitories after curfew is forbidden. Return to your assigned rooms immediately. Disobedience will result in the hastened execution of your summary division operation.

The 'nurses' dart forward with surprising speed to grab Kotoha, Kairi, Morgan, and Phantom Girl. Ratsel and Nikolai are ignored.

Though they certainly will fight valiantly, the adolescents will be unable to prevent themselves from being separated from the two adults. Phantom Girl phases out of existence during the struggle and vanishes from sight as well. A door slams shut behind them - when opened again, Ratsel and Nikolai will be nowhere to be seen.

((And split into two threads from here! The nurses are still attacking the kid-group.))

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