Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2E Belfast by Night

[Haval]

Prologue

Michael is at home and the creature was paying attention to him again. It was not there now and he couldn't always see it, but he could usually feel it's presence anyway. Perhaps it was still there even while he slept? It's attention felt like Michael was standing too close to a bonfire. There was heat and a faint smell of smoke that was somehow comparable to the one time he had seen one of the giant July 11th bonfires up close. Like he was standing too close to a building that had caught fire. Somehow it wasn't unpleasant. It was certainly better then seeing what it looked like up close.

If the creature was able to talk it wasn't saying anything to Michael, but he knew it was angry somehow. There was a constant feeling in the back of his head that he could tell wasn't coming from him. How was that even possible? But nothing had been normal since he had used the gun and somehow found himself in that other place. Michael was pretty sure that that was where they had met. Michael had been part of a crowd travelling in one direction and the creature stood in their way, watching them pass. It was a blackened corpse verging on the skeletal and wearing the burnt remains of it's clothing and a melted leather coat. Smoke and smouldering embers continued to emit from the creature even as it stood there. Everyone around him had recoiled at the sight of the creature, but only to move around it and keep heading further in. There had been nowhere else for them to go. Michael would perhaps have done the same if not for the creature extending a charred arm to block his way. Somehow the creature had afterwards brought him back here.

Ever since then it felt like was trying to show Michael something. He could feel it's anger flare with every attempt, but at first there had only been the sense of heat. Increasingly though, there were flashes of things that were definately not happining in Michael's house. People arguing. The sound of a television. Sunlight, even at night. At one point a terrible pain in his chest that had vanished as soon as it arrived. But now had come a single flash that managed to tie everything together.

Michael finds himself elsewhere. This was his home. Michael has never been here before but the place is somehow familar anyway. He's sprawled across a sofa on one side of a cramped and messy looking living room. Across from him is a window through which the house's outside heating oil tanker is visiable. The doorway next to it leads to a dirty looking kitchen. An old fashioned tv sits in the corner of the room. What looks like a British soap is playing. You've never taken an interest but you've watched them with Lisa occasionally who sees them as a bad habit she can't quite break. There's an argument coming from the hallway between two men. There's a stabbing pain coming from Michael's chest. If he looks down he can see that his chest is a mess of blood. A knife is sticking out of his stomach.

[Bennosuke]

The heated presence of the Geist and the smell had become more familiar since their bargain, but Michael was still getting used to his new companion. Curious yet about its nature, he ignores the familiar unreality of his surroundings and simply extends his right hand out, feeling for the heat. Like following a dousing rod, he moves his hand from side to side, seeing if the dry rippling heat changed as he moved, as if he could find the source even if he could not see the figure.

The exercises is cut short by the sudden pain. Michael's hands go suddenly to the wound, his eyes going wide, and his mouth opening ready to scream. There is the moment of uncertainty, to grip the knife and pull it out or not? Instead, Michael forces his hands around the wound, trying to keep pressure, trying to keep in his blood and innards and not yet having the wherewithal to question just what has happened, or how!

[Haval]

The blood is warm on Michael's hands but applying pressure seems to help reduce the flow. The knife itself has a wide blade with a yellow plastic handle. It's the sort of knife you might expect to find in any kitchen and for all he knows it came from the one in this very house. Now you look there are obvious signs of a struggle in this room. The coffee table in front of him has been broken and a stack of magazines are strewn all over the carpet. Among them is a broken plate and the remnants of someone's dinner.

The two men from the hallway walk into the living room still talking. Both wear green uniforms and green peaked caps. One of them carries an assault rifle hanging from a strap on his shoulder. They look like members of the police, albeit the police as they used to look. Most of the local police that Michael has seen in Belfast wear less military looking uniforms and don't tend to be as well armed as this pair but Michael has heard the stories. The local police used to carry those guns around in public.

The older and larger of the pair goes into the kitchen while the younger comes over to Michael to look him over. The younger man addresses the older, 'Look, I'm not saying he didn't do something to deserve it but did you have to do it when I'm here?' The younger man looks disgusted at the sight of Michael's injuries but isn't apparently willing to provide medical assistance. He mostly seems irritated at having to deal with this at all. As the man leans over Michael can see the nametag he's wearing, which names him as 'J. Weir.' The younger man continues, 'The good thing is that he doesn't look like he's going anywhere, but you know someone's going to find the body eventually. He must have junkie friends somewhere?' The man's face is familar to Michael. He's a little older and broader, but other then the moustache and the Belfast accent, the man looks a lot like the kid who took the job that should have been yours. If this isn't somehow Simon Smith he's surely a close relation.

The older man comes back into the living room with a mostly full bottle of vodka in one hand. This man wears no nametag. 'You're bloody right he deserved it Jimmy.' At the sight of him there's a brief flare of rage from the Geist that is beyond anything that Michael has felt before. 'Shooting himself up with **** like that.' There are flecks of blood on the man's uniform. 'You think anyone's going to miss him?' There's a slight smile on the older man's face.

[Bennosuke]

At first Michael is frozen by the fear and confusion. How did the two not see him there bleeding out? How did this Jimmy Weir look just like Simon? Why were they dressed like this? But confusion gives way quickly to acceptance. Michael had many flaws, but if there was one damn thing that was true, he was a survivor. Biting down on his fear and confusion, Michael focuses his mind and exhales... maybe this was a memory, or maybe Michael had somehow become a ghost. Staring this Jimmy in the face, he waves his hands and says, "Can you hear me? Can you see me?" If he gets no reaction, he will try to touch the man and see what happens.

[Haval]

Michael hears himself say the words, but he also hears the groan of pain coming from somewhere else, as if the noise was happening at the same time. If the two men hear the words they don't seem to react to them. Michael does feel himself reach to touch Weir on the arm but the man bats the hand away with an expression of distaste on his face. 'Still awake are you? Sorry about that. From the looks of you it won't be long.' He sounds a little more sympathetic now, but evidently not enough to do anything about this situation.

In the background the second man has started to sprinkle vodka on the curtains and the other armchairs in the room. The first man addresses you, 'I'd say you'll bleed out before, which is a mercy really. If I were you I'd try to lie back and try to sleep.'

[Bennosuke]

Michael grits his teeth. 'Well that answers that,' he thinks, and does the best he can to steady his anxiety, 'Alright, they can't really see or hear me, but they can feel me a little." Next step was to figure out if this was someone's memory, or a vision or what! Michael crosses the room, and turns to see if the men's eyes follow him, or if they remain on someone else's corpse, or what?

Who did this older guy kill?

[Haval]

Michael finds himself unable to even get off the sofa. It's not even as if the pain of the knife wound prevents him from rising, it's as if his body simply doesn't respond. You do hear a pained voice issuing threats coming from ...somewhere. 'Not...get away...with this ...I'll kill you.' The younger man will respond to the place where Michael is sitting. 'Bit late for that isn't it. You should have just let him have it when he wanted it.' Evidently he's not able to take the threats seriously.

In the back of his mind Michael can feel the Geist's anger increasing at the actions of the two men. The younger one will lean over and check Michael's pockets before removing a tattered leather wallet and pulling out a handful of notes. Michael has lived in the UK for long enough to recognise that this is not money that's currently still in use. In the background the older man will finish emptying the vodka over the curtains and armchair before pulling out a box of matches. He will light one and toss it towards the spilt alcohol. The armchair will catch alight.

[Bennosuke]

Michael silently cursed; not that he had to, these guys couldn't hear him. Well even if he couldn't use his body to effect things, he still had other tricks up his sleeve. Time deal that Michael had made with The Burned Man had left him with a handful of... rather unique powers. Though he was still exploring the limit of just what he could do, Michael knew he might be able to use the power of Memoria to learn more about the memory he was experiencing.

Spoiler: OOC

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Spending 2 Essence and will spend a WP to add to the dice pool. Synergy + Memoria + WP = 5d10 (5d10)[3][5][10][4][7](29) and ten again (5d10)[10][3][6][9][4](32)

[Haval]

As Michael manages to flex mental muscles he barely understood how to use he can feel the Geist's sudden suprise at his success. In front of Michael the younger policeman who has just robbed the apparent owner of the house will get up to leave as the living room catches fire. The older man will approach Michael and suddently the room ripples as if a stone was dropped into a pond. Suddenly Michael is elsewhere.

Now he is not dealing with the memory of someone who has been stabbed it is perhaps easier to recognise the sensation of being a passenger in someone else's body. Michael is sitting at the corner table of a crowded pub. There is a lit cigarette in one hand and a pint of beer and an ashtray in front of you. He is not the only one smoking, which is unusual as indoor smoking was banned before he moved here. This is not a pub that Michael recognises, but from the decor and the patrons it's recognisably what you've heard derisivly called an 'old man pub' by some people.

Across from Michael sits the older policeman, although here he's out of uniform. The man is not drinking. In front of him is an envelope filled with paper notes. The man will slide it across the table. 'That's just a downpayment. The guy at Queens reckons you could get a lot more for it if you put it up for auction. I'll make the introductions. All I ask is you give me a cut. It'll be the least you can do for the work I'll be putting in.' The man is smiling as he talks but it doesn't feel particularly authentic. 'I know it's got sentimental value to you but times are hard right now and I know you need the money.' Michael can feel himself taking a drag on the cigarette before a response comes. 'But what's money without me health. Mum always said it brought her good luck and look how long she lived.' The policeman's smile vanishes, 'Never thought you'd be this superstitious.'

[Bennosuke]

Michael grimaced, as if he had any corporeal face to grimace with. This wasn't the answers he was looking for, just more questions. Was this the events that led to the stabbing and arson? Who was this other person? Where was he?

If he can, he will reach out and try to see what is in the envelope.

(OOC: Would "Queens" mean anything to Michael? Is this something I should roll for?)

[Haval]

Michael can feel himself reach out towards the envelope but for all he knows he is of one mind with the person he's currently occupied. The envelope contains a small pile of £20 notes. Perhaps £300 pounds or so although it looks like an old fashioned design that Michael hasn't seen before.

The policeman at the table, who would at some point stab a man and set fire to his living room while the man is still inside it, will put his hand over the envelope full of money and slide it back towards himself. 'Think about it. But the offer won't be there forever will it.' The man is smiling again, but he's obviously angry about this arrangement being refused.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Queens would be Queen's University of Belfast, which is the larger of the two universities in the city. I don't think we established whether Michael actually studied there but he would know of it regardless. I was going to say that Lisa studied there.

[Bennosuke]

Bolstered by the momentary "control", Michael will make further attempts to manipulate the body he is in to attempt to identify "who he is" right now. If this attempt is in vain, he will simply wait and watch passively.

(OOC: Sorry, not sure what else to do here)

[Haval]

Michael has the sense that he is a passenger here who can only act as far as he's in agreement with the bodies owner but that doesn't mean he can't take anything in. Behind the table where he's sitting he can see the crowd around the bar as people make their orders. The crowd shifts as people take their drinks to their tables and the tall figure of the Burned Man is revealed. Somehow the pub patrons move around the blackened skeleton without reacting to it. The Burned Man only stands there watching Michael. Behind the bar an old fashioned chunky tv seems to be playing a BBC news report. As Michael watches the news cuts to footage from the the UK parliament where a vaguely familiar woman is speaking on the governement benches. Perhaps Michael isn't that familar with British politics but he's aware that the woman on screen hasn't been Prime Minister for over thirty years.

Even as Michael registers the tv his vision ripples again and he's back in the house. The curtains and the sofa are burning steadily as the fire spreads and the room is starting to fill with smoke. The younger policeman isn't in sight and the older is standing over Michael. He'll reach down and yank a silver coloured crucifix from around Michael's neck, even as Michael feels himself weakly try to push the man away. 'Should have just done this in the first place' the man mutters to himself. The man will pocket the crucifix before leaning down to retrieve his knife. The sense of pain in Michael's stomach is even worse as the knife is suddenly removed from the wound. The man will follow his colleage out of the room. Across the room in the kitchen Michael can see the Burned Man watching all this happen. It's impossible to make out an expression on that ruin of a face but Michael can feel the anger towards the man clearly through their bargain.

In the face of the rapidly spreading fire the body that Michael inhabits will try to weakly get up and head towards the hallway and can only slump to the ground on the floor of the living room. Michael is obliged to stay there for a while long as the fire spreads, but it does not take long. There is a sense of heat and pain, but long before that there is a struggle to breathe in the face of the smoke. Finally everything goes black.

And Michael wakes up and he is himself again. He's in his own living room. There is no fire and smoke. There is no knife wound in his stomach. Any disorientating sense of not having control over himself has gone. The doorbell is ringing.

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Thatcher? If it's okay, I'm going to make a roll to see if Michael would recognize her. I'm going to roll Int + Politics though Academics would give the same dice pool (4d10)[6][3][2][8](19) and 10 again (4d10)[4][4][7][4](19)

When The Burned Man appears, everything crumbles into place. These were somehow the Geist's memories... or memories connected to it. The apartment that had gone up in flame had been that of the Burned Man! He had seen through the thing's eyes before it had died. That officer had killed him.

Swallowing this all, Michael locks eyes with his Geist, staring into its round white eyes enshrined in charred skin. He tries somehow to communicate his understanding, despite his imprisonment within this memory.

**************************************************

Awaking from the vision, Michael is left with a terrible pain in his gut, a gnawing emptiness. He stumbles from the couch; a beat up and dirty grey thing he had picked up from a sketchy dude of Craig's List. The doorbell? ****! "Just a minute," he calls, moving from the mostly empty living room to the even smaller and emptier kitchen to grab his one mug and fill it with some water from the sink. His throat was so dry, it hurts to drink the room temperature water.

The bell still ringing he calls, "Coming! Coming!" before stepping back into the living room, then into the entrance hallway. At the door, he checks the view finder. Michael didn't live in the best of areas, and he'd realized very quickly that you don't just open the door for anyone.

[Haval]

Margaret Thatcher had left politics before Michael was born and died before he moved to the UK but she had been Prime Minister for long enough for Michael to recognise her on the pub tv on sight.

It's impossible to make out an expression on the Geist's face but Michael can see it make what looks like a nod before the vision fades away. The sense of anger still lingers, but it's tinged with satisfaction for the first time since Michael encountered it.

Spoiler: ooc

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1 success. Thatcher was prime minister for 11 years so it doesn't entirely narrow it down. Wanted to be clear.

----------------------------------------

There is a policewoman standing outside Michael's frontdoor. The woman is wearing the green uniform of the PSNI which is decidely less formal looking then the uniform that the two men in his vision were wearing. She's holding a notebook in one hand and doesn't look especially hurried. Michael might remember that he used a gun on himself only a few nights ago. Perhaps he's cleaned up any mess he made in the process since that happened?

[Bennosuke]

Michael grits his teeth and puts on his best smile at the sight of the officer. The apartment was a mess, but that wasn't anything new. He had done his best to clean the blood stains out of the couch... it had not gone well. So he had thrown a black bath towel over the stain. Maybe he'd have to get another couch.

Adrenaline bringing Michael back to reality quickly, he says, "Uh, can I help you?"

[Haval]

'Good morning.' The woman will briefly make a tick on her notebook before launching into a statement that she's obviously rehersed and had to repeat multiple times already. 'We've had reports of a disturbance on Thursday night. There's no evidence as yet that anyone was harmed by it but we're still taking it seriously enough to want to canvass the area.' If Michael looks outside he can see a police car parked at the end of the road between the cars owned by the local residents. He can also see another policewoman talking to an elderly man in his doorway on the other side of the street.

'May I ask if you were here on Thursday night at around 9?' This had been the time that Michael had finally decided to use the gun. 'And if you were here, did you hear anything unusual?' Michael might note that the woman is being vague about the details of what sort of disturbance she's investigating.

[Bennosuke]

Michael is not sure if recognition has registered on his face, so thinking quickly, he decides to go with it. "Oh, yeah," he says nodding his head, "the big bang? Is that what you're here about? I heard it!" Not a lie at least. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow he asks, "Have you figured out what that was about?"

[Haval]

The policewoman nods, 'That's the one. For all we know it was just a car back firing, but there were more calls then we'd normally get for that and we're taking it seriously.' She'll make a note of something on her pad.

'I'm sure you're aware of the incident on Boucher Road last month. We'd like to stay on top of things like that if we can.' Boucher Road was a commercial area not far from Michael's house. According to the local news a man had been shot to death for underclear reasons. 'May I ask how long you've been living here Mr....?' She'll pause to give Michael the opportunity to give his name.

[Bennosuke]

"Kavanagh... Michael Kavanagh" he replies quickly, unsure of whether or not to offer a hand to shake. Answering her question Michael says, "It was a shooting, right? Not sure I know much more than that. Belfast? I've been in since University, so a little over seven. But I've only been at this flat for maybe a little under two years." He watches the officer's face closely, trying to read how much trouble he might be in.

Spoiler: Worth a roll?

Show

In case Michael is able to assess how much trouble he might be in. I figure composure + empathy? If you think wits would be better, pull a dice from the 10 again because he'd have an extra dice to his pool

(4d10)[6][5][10][3](24) and 10 again
(4d10)[5][6][2][10](23)

[Haval]

The policewoman will make a note after Michael gives his name. 'Well maybe you're used to it Mr Kavanagh. Coming from America and all.' If the woman was suspicious or aware of the gun that's still in Michael's house he would expect her to have done something about it already. She just seems curious. 'The Village is better then it used to be, but I'm sure you're aware that this neighborhood can be rough even on normal occasions. Let me give you my card just in case. It's the non-emergency number if anything ever comes up that you feel like passing on.' The woman will pass on a card naming her as something called a community support officer.

Spoiler

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I'd say that roll works.

The Village is the name of the area where Michael's living. I don't think it's come up yet.

[Bennosuke]

"Oh, thanks," he says, maybe unable to keep all of the surprise out of his voice as he accepts the card from the officer, "Yeah, I'm not gonna pretend I've always felt perfectly safe, but ya know, what are you gonna do." He chuckles and tries to give the officer a grin, before adding, "Much appreciated. Uh, is there anything else I can help with?"

[Haval]

'Not today. I need to finish canvassing your neighbors. Thank you for talking to me.' The policewoman will leave Michael alone and leave to visit the next house. Michael doesn't neccessarily know any of his neighbors that well, but there are enough parked cars out on the road to suggest that some people are at home even in the middle of the day. In this part of town there is an equal chance of student tennants or a few people who still seem to be working from home even as Covid is tapering off.

Spoiler

Show

Roll something for Perception

Sorry for the delay. I had to work out what I'm doing. And various RL things are getting to me. Next few updates ought to be a lot quicker.

[Bennosuke]

Michael closes the door quietly, only allowing himself a sigh of relief once he's certain the officer is well down the hallway. Suddenly, he has the urge to light up a cigarette. He wasn't really a smoker, though he'd have one at a bar if a friend offered; it just seemed like he deserved to blow off some steam. Fortunately, Michael didn't keep cigarettes, so there was no opportunity to indulge the sudden destructive impulse.

Spoiler: OOC: Rolls

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Perception: (5d10)[8][6][4][7][8](33) and 10 again (5d10)[2][4][9][5][2](22) .

And absolutely no worries. The last couple of weeks have been personally very very hard on me. Hope things get better on your end soon!

[Haval]

Sean would have had cigarettes. He had been smoking when he gave Michael the gun. He also had the weed that he carried with him in an old tobacco box. Maybe that would help. Come to think of it, how destructive an impulse was it anyway when Michael had already died once?

Most of the downstairs windows in Michael's house were usually set up so that random passerbys couldn't see whatever Michael might be doing. The living room, that otherwise had a bay window that offered a view of the street outside, usually had blinds that were closed to give Michael some privacy. If they hadn't been closed there was every chance that someone would have seen Michael's body before Lisa found it. In the other direction the living room extends into a dining room towards the back of the house. The uncovered window there offers a view of the tiny back garden (which is really only a grassy space where the bins are kept). The garden, such as it is, is surrounded by an old wooden fence that separates it from the weed infested alleyway out the back, and the alleyway seperates Michael's row of houses from the back gardens of the houses in the adjoining street.

Michael's house is close enough to this other row of houses that he can catch glimpses of some of the inhabitants going about their business, but the house directly behind his own is a derelict. Houses like this are part of why Michael doesn't live in a good neighborhood. Instead of being a house that is empty because a landlord is refurbishing it, this house seems to have been abandoned. The garden seems to be more overgrown then the alleyway, and there are sheets of plywood over the doors and downstairs windows. When Michael had had reason to go past the front of the house it seems to be boarded up in the same way, and locals had taken advantage of the space by covering the plywood in posters advertising various political causes or music venues in the city centre. From Michael's living room, the upstairs part of the house looks even worse. The windows are missing altogether and the house has been left open to the elements. There's obviously no lights in the house but at the right time of day it's possible to catch a glimpse of rotting wallpaper and broken furniture.

Michael has never seen anyone in the abandoned house since he's been living here but there's someone in there now. At the missing upstairs window is an elderly woman in white. Is that a nightie she's wearing? The woman isn't doing anything except standing in front of the space where the window would normally be. She is watching your house.

[Bennosuke]

Michael watches carefully for a long moment, trying to assure himself that the woman was really staring down at him, and that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He scowls to himself, more weirdness. Michael deliberately walks up to the window, staring back up at the old woman, making eye contact if he can to see what she does. If she does not react in any meaningful wave, he'll make a point to raise his eyebrows and give her a buffoonish grin, before giving an exaggerated wave.

(OOC: From quickly reviewing the rules, specifically Sin Eater Abilities/Physical Medium 96-97, it is my impression that Michael should be able to innately tell if this is a ghost or not, but let me know if some sort of roll is needed to tell the difference)

[Haval]

The woman reacts to Michael's wave as if startled. She will move back a little from the empty window frame and will slowly return the wave. In the back of your head you can feel the Burned Man who seems amused.

The woman in the other house will briefly hold up one hand in a gesture of 'Wait' before turning away from the window frame. All of a sudden she's not there anymore. It's dark in the other house but it's not that dark. The woman is simply gone.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Yeah he would know. Couldn't see any guidance on the specifics of how that would work so its going to have to be contextual stuff

[Bennosuke]

"Well that isn't reassuring," Michael thinks... creeped out by the entire interaction. Feeling the Geist's presence, Michael tries his best cocky smirk and says to the air, "What's so funny about that. You got something to say?" He knew that The Burning Man didn't really talk to him. He wondered if the woman was coming over, or if he should just sit there watching the window.

Thinking better of it, Michael will try to cross his apartment while keeping his eyes on the window, so that he can lock the door. Then he'll make his way back to make sure he has a good view of the window across the way.

[Haval]

The Burned Man of course doesn't reply. He seems attentive but not especially worried about Michael's 'neighbour'. The back door to Michael's house can be locked easily enough, but it's a cheap door made of not especially sturdy looking plastic. It is possible that Michael himself could kick it open with enough force if he had reason. What a ghost might be capable of was unclear.

When Michael returns to the window there is a wet patch on the part of the fence that faces the other house. As Michael watches strands of viscuous white fluid start to ooze through a few of the gaps. Other strands begin to extend themselves from the ground and flow towards each other. The white liquid begins to expand and grow, eventually filling out into the figure of the old woman that Michael had seen in the other house. Initially there is only the shape alone, as if she was a statue made out of the white substance, but colour and detail are finally added as well.

The woman moves hesitently at first. Perhaps it was difficult to move when your body wasn't initially wasn't all there, but eventually she seems to have finished. She looks surprisingly normal, albeit underdressed for the middle of the day, and has even manifested a robe around herself. Unlike the Geist there is no obvious indication of how she died.

The woman will wave to Michael from his back garden and will beckon him to come out

[Bennosuke]

Michael watches the apparition with something like terrified wonder (OOC: awesome description). When she waves him onward, Michael eyes the Geist and says, "What do you think," feeling more like he was talking to himself. Knowing the Geist wouldn't (couldn't) reply, Michael sighs and lets himself out back, making sure to lock his apartment up on the way out.

Michael checks his surroundings as he makes his way to the ghost. Probably wouldn't do to be seen talking to no one in public. Assuming their privacy was assured, Michael will stop several arm-lengths away from the ghost, and with another sigh says, "Can I help you?"