RP POST: Hi. Let's talk. ((Locked to mr_rue))

[ghost_shield]

It seems like a fairly standard dream. No buildings seem to be where they ought to be, and all manner of odd events occur such that only can occur in dreams. Nick, for his own part, is talking to people he doesn't normally -- spirits, a few people from comics he read as a kid, etc.

To those with a great deal of experience in dreamwalking, something may seem a little off about it, though. Not something you can put your finger on, but the whole dream seems a little TOO perfectly dreamesque to be right. It's almost like the dream is being controlled DIRECTLY somehow...

Comments

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

Rue has been to this man's dreams before.

He hasn't said or done anything yet, though. Usually he's only strong enough to flicker in briefly and then out again-- only when he's especially lucky is he able to talk or move. Today is one of those days.

He recognizes Nick, if not by face, then by aura alone. It's something familiar, something that pulls him to this spot almost as much as Jeff's, or maybe even Bennington's. It's an anger, maybe, though it isn't until today that he can place it.

Nick, he remembers. Nick with the spirits.

Lovely.

Tonight he fizzles in as he always does, hands held behind his back. He watches curiously, just out of the corner of Nick's eye.

"Hello."

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

Nick finishes talking with whoever it is (is that Abe Lincoln) and turns, smiling at Rue.

"Hi."

And suddenly, everything shifts -- an iron cage shoots up and clangs around Rue, and all the extra people that were walking around in Nick's "dream" seem to, well, vanish.

And there's Nick, and the magatama he wears in his dream state is... glowing.

"We need to talk."

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

Rue sucks in a breath through his teeth and exhales a nervous laugh. He touches the bars with his hand, as if that alone could make it dissolve and release him.

It doesn't.

"What a coincidence," he says, raising his eyes to meet Nick's. He's obviously on edge, but he can handle this, honestly, he can handle this. "I was hoping to talk as well."

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

"Good. We talk then. I start."

He summons up a chair within his dreamscape -- soulscape? Mindscape? It all sort of melds together -- and sits down, leaning forward, hands in lap.

And he begins. "Why are you haunting me?"

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

"I know we've had trouble in the past." Even Rue knows this is the understatement of the year, but what can he do? He runs his hand up one of the bars in front of him. "I'm looking for a way to live again."

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

He raises an eyebrow. In the past...?

That's right. He remembers now. The guy who shot at him... and got Edgeworth instead. Dick.

"And, may I ask, why are you lurking around in my dreams and not, say, asking directly within the dream? Don't think I haven't seen you prying about before. Hell, I had my suspicions it was a haunting, but it wasn't until I talked to Jeff, and he told me about having dreams featuring a guy looking just like you that I realized what the hell was going on." Nick looks at him sternly. He does not appreciate his privacy invaded by either spirits or living beings.

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

"I'm asking directly now." He tilts his head, his skin flickering and falling to bone for a half-second before reforming again. He doesn't take his eyes off Nick. "The position I'm in doesn't always lend me easy conversations with the living. It's easier to watch and wait."

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

He raises his eyebrow. "And what, exactly, do you expect me to be able to do about that? More importantly, why should I help you? If I recall correctly, you weren't all so big about letting me and my FRIENDS live a while back there," he comments dryly.

In all honesty, he probably will help eventually, but not without giving him a hard time. This is mainly because annoyed/angry spirits are more trouble than they're worth.

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

"You can manipulate spirits." He gestures to the cage around him. "I know you have a certain power working with us. It's entirely reasonable of me to seek your help above all others."

Of course, he wasn't seeking Nick out. He wasn't expecting to come across such a find. Now that he's here, though, he may as well run with it. It might be the only chance he has.

"And I was following orders before," he continues, straightening his back. "I'm not actually interested in harming you. If you help me, I'll be very, very grateful. I'll provide a monetary reward, if 'out of the goodness of your heart' isn't good enough."

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

"Yeeeeah, funny, I'd believe that better if you hadn't been traipsing around Jeff's mind first. Sorry." Nick's bullshit meter works better than that, Rue.

He crosses his arms. "You want a body. I understand. You and a lot of other spirits, though at least in the Nexus there's a possibility." He thinks for a bit. "How much are we talking here?" he asks, finally.

Nick is a nice guy. But even he has to pay the bills, and a little fiduciary payment for his services is a small price to pay for shooting his friends.

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

Rue could try to defend himself against Nick's first point, but suddenly money is making its way into the conversation, and maybe he actually has a chance here. He smiles.

"How much are you interested in?"

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

Nick adjusts his glasses a bit. "My standard fee is about 100 dollars an hour, with extra fees depending on the difficulty of the job," he replies, matter-of-factly. Then an extra look.

"Of course, considering you're asking me to go above and beyond the call of duty here, and considering you're asking me to essentially break a law of nature here, I think I'm going to have to ask for a bit extra... say, $5000?"

Nick is DEFINITELY not his alternate.

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

"It's done," he says, smiling brightly. It's much less professional than his usual demeanor-- hopeful, even. "Where would we go from here?"

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

"That, sir, is a good question," he replies. He thinks. "Homunculi might be a possibility, or robotics. It all depends on what I can scrounge from what dimension. It's not really possible back home short of necromancy, and I'm pretty sure you want to be in a body that ISN'T going to rot away in a few years."

This is definitely going to bear some research.

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

He nods at Nick's suggestions, taking them all in. His body flickers again, skin becoming transparent for the quickest moment. He releases his hand from the side of the cage.

"In any case, I don't know how much longer I can speak to you." Whether Nick keeps him here or not, his limbs are growing stiffer, his form growing harder and harder to maintain. His skin fades in and out again. "If you release me, we can speak at a later date. You'll find me with Mr--" And another flicker. This time, his skin doesn't return. "...Mr. Bennington. He's my... place of residence."

He rattles off a PIN number, which, as expected, leads to the inbox of mr_bennington.

[ghostshield.livejournal.com]

He receives the PIN number, then looks at him. "One last thing... exactly HOW are you going to be getting this money?" he asks, somewhat suspicious. After all, this guy's been dead for a while. He can't have a great amount in his bank account at this point.

[mr-rue.livejournal.com]

"Life insurance," he lies, flashing a bony smile. "I'm not all alone out there. Is that all?"