Chapter One: Ember
Note: May have occness and does not follow the DP timeline, just doing this to have some fun and play around with some ideas of the sideline ghost and cannons in the show.
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.
Bob Marley
Ember pulled in the fresh air deep into her lungs but felt only half of what she might have if the siren singer had been human, casting a look around the night of Amity Park and signing in feeling something of peace. Yes the Singer was free once more of the Ghost Zone but this was not seeking power or picking a fight which most ghost seemed to do when they reached the human world. Strange like she had come to this place for one reason: music.
Gone had the flaming hair been replaced with red hair and not the blue tint of her skin but that of sun kissed flesh, but her eyes reminded the same deep green and eye marks? This was her human mask she used when just having a good time, it was nothing more then a shallow mask to hide her ghost face from the humans and those ghost hunters but also a certain teen dip stick who always found her some how but her drive was not to fight but a small underground bar which had a open night for all music makers of the city from jazz to rap and rock.
The Underground has been Ember's hunt from her living days to even her ghost days in the hunger of music, to feel it and soak it in. The Ghost Zone lacked it, with not many of the sprits into music and many strongly hated it when it reminded them of their human days and memories. Ember chose not to run from it and embraced but more then once coming world for the music alone.
She walked, slipping into a ally and letting the human mask fade away to her full ghost form and took to the air to let the cool air blow past her skin and relish in it for the moment but not wanting to head back home just yet. Normally she would be more aware of her sense but close to a grave yard, a ghost could relax a all time law all spirits had to follow: never fight in a graveyard. Knowing she was over one let her is in more of moment but it was a odd sound that caught her keen ear. Pausing to hover and looking around in the sound of music, more then that it was a violin playing out and wide into the night sky.
Who was playing at this time of night? Moving around slowly the ghost blinked her green eyes as she moved closer to the grave yard and felt something of a numb shock and blank surprised hit her all at once in who the fiddler was of all souls: Danny Phantom. He was in his ghost form and hovering close to a grave in glowing in a gentle way, eyes closed and a graceful expression on his youthful face. Long fingers held the viol like it was a part of him as one fancied over the strings and the other held the bow as the song danced into the air.
It was a song lullaby, full of many feelings of sorrow and regret but also mourning in the notes but it was beautiful in the pure notes coming from the player as he floated and glowed. Of all souls to a musician the image did not match Ember and halfa at all and it was shock to the singer that such a music could come from him at all!
Caught, she hover down to land on the wall around the yard and closed her eyes to let the song play out but also when opening her eyes, blinking as many pale green spots of willow o wisp linger and dancing around the ghost boy. Moving in and out with the notes of the harmony, setting to light his boyish features and moving past to his fingers and lighting them up and moving away. Ember only watched and could not bring herself to move at al l but taking in the moment of how he looked sad, regulate of something and all too old for his age in his body.
Danny moved to the last parts of the notes, hitting the pitch and the dying notes of the violin rang out truth into the graveyard as his playing ended and the balls of ghostly light also danced and faded away in the last note of the song. He felt the sereneness he always did after playing like this but his breathe pulsed out the pale blue and he narrowed his eyes in knowing a ghost was close by strong enough to be a threat.
"So dipstick, you have a gift for music huh?"
Turning around to land on the earth, Danny felt his peace shatter in seeing Ember floating there with a odd look on her face and a tilt to her head with arms crossed.
Jade eyes of the boy darted around, grasping his violin tightly and looking around. To make a fight here was a bad call and glancing back at the grave as his shoulders tensed and his legs reformed to land on the ground from the tail before hand but what followed next surprised him as the siren came to land gentle and hold up a hand before he could or say anything.
"Don't get so burned up Phantom, ghost are forbidden by law to fight in a grave yard at all. Its as much as holy ground to us as it is to humans." Ember bluntly pointed out, looking around.
Danny could only blink, knowing this was new to him who made her sign a bit more and shake her head, "Man kid, you got a lot to learn."
Glaring at her, he took in the news to lay his violin and bow back in a open a case not to far away but shot her a glare, "So you why you here Ember? Trying to pick up some music lessons?"
Eyeing the boy, the female placed her hands on her hips but looked around the place and sensed the spirits under the earth, restless if anything and a sad look over took her face in lightly touching one of the grave stones in knowing they lay trapped in a sort between states. Not all buried here where like that, some had found peace and moved onto the next world and life.
It was strange for Danny to see many of his foes like Ember in a state of trying not to kick his butt, but also in a out of the ordinary mood. "I came to get a break from the Zone if you want to know and no it was not to kick your ass, or do some evil master mind plan dipstick. Why are you here anyways? You don't seem the haunting type."
Stepping away, Ember had the chance to see the stone behind him:
Heather Byrne
Beloved Mother and Grandmother
1955-2002
Following her gaze, Danny turned around and his whole body lost the tense feeling as even his ghostly glow took on a softer light to it. Moving a bit away and even Ember felt the air of a sadness touch him in his aura, only new souls to the afterlife would bare the air around them so naked like this but he was also human and still also a new soul and Ember let a look of her own soften in seeing the boy look so lost and regretful.
"She was my grandmother on my mom's side. " His tone reveled a truth which got Ember a bit of shock he would share it with her in the moment.
How now made all sense to why a very living ghost would be in a grave yard. Yet to see the boy look so open and wounded was different for the rock star but still she had to dig a bit more, "So who taught the,,,"
"She did."
Nail on the head in hearing a bit of a harsher note in the teenager's voice as his shoulders seemed to tense a bit but also in knowing Ember had walked or touched on a forborne scene in the boy's life. It was not like he had much peace time in fighting well them and trying to have a normal life. Signing a bit to come and stand closer to the boy and pulling up hand to lightly touch his shoulder and get his sight on her. In which, he did in feeling the touch of her fingers on his shoulder but the battle worn gaze soften in see a pure regret in her face soften along with her flames.
"Danny, I'm sorry ok. I didn't mean to stop you or well pick a fight right now. I was walking by when I heard the violin and came to list. You got some talent which is a shock for me of all ghost around dipstick." Ember smiled, adding in a touch of banter just to lighten the mood with the ghost kid, "But sounds like your bit out of the practice zone."
Shock and surprise hit him all at once of not only had Ember called him by his name but added a compliant with banter. "Thanks…" He pushed a faint red on his cheeks as it dyed away before flouting away and landing with eyeing her in his own questions, "Why are you around anyways?"
Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, the poltergeist female shrugged, "Came to listen to some music a local bar get a break from the Ghost Zone. We don't always come to the living world to kick your ass dip stick. We have own after lives yah know. Also not like they have a lot of music going on in the Zone also.."
Peace settled as the two specters lulled into a truce of no speaking but uneasy in the other after the history a bit but seeing Danny like this made her want to dig a bit more into who the kid was in being well a living ghost boy. Casting out a look at the name of the stone of his grandmother and smiling which caught the teen's eyes a bit.
"Why the smile Ember? You know something I don't again?" He pushed, crossing his own arms.
Laughing, she shook her head in leaving a trail of sparks to fade into the night. "Well having the Irish blood explains your temper a bit Phantom."
He blinked, as she went on, "Or why we don't get along a lot. Most my blood is Scottish and given both our history, well the Scots and Irish got along sometimes or tired to kill the other. You could look up the McLain clan when you get a chance or your own."
Rubbing the back of his neck, he eyed the female siren smiling and even laughing at him was a bit of a turn of events he could never see coming but he looked past to his grandmother's stone in a thought, "I never really looked back on to much in truth on my family history, you might have a good point Ember. Also would give me something to talk on my folk's bout with out the main subject being ghost and ghost hunting all the time…"
"She teach you any songs or music from Ireland kid?" Ember pushed, walking closer to the boy as he looked up.
"Um a few songs…" Danny stuttered in having the ghost move closer but also a surprise as his violin and bow flouted to his hands.
Ember was going to enjoy this, it had been a while sense she had song a good old tune from the past in placing the fiddle in the halfy's hands. "Well start playing while I sing dipstick."
Shock was of Ember wanting to keep playing but of her friendly nature but with a glare to him he placed the violin under his chin and thought of the few songs his grandmother had taught the boy and started to play a melody from his childhood days. Soon the teenage herself let her full softly out but strong in tune to the music of a old Irish balled, the two making a odd sound of the echo that came with the ghost's sounds but it a beauty in the mix of living and spirits as the will o wisp flouted out in full power of the haunting sounds.
More then one soul was drawn outside the graveyard in the passions call of the melody. The Box Ghost peeked between the gates and a smile in seeing the odd paired two being the center of the song as the hero played and Ember sang out. The peace went on for a song more but it ended soon as it had started but many souls who had not found peace did that night in the tune to carry them home.
Ember her voice fade away in the lost notes of Phantom's playing as he did too with a expression she had never seen on him and her two in knowing they had made a bound. Nothing was said was passed he walked over and place his stringed voice away into the case and shut it from the world.
Looking around, the faint touches of dawn lay in the east in knowing she had to get back to the Ghost World but any will to fight the ghost kid was gone now. Washed away and leaving her oddly wanting to make a connection with the kid. "Dipstick, if you want to do this again I don't have problems with it."
Danny tripped with amused Ember watching, "What what are you saying…."
Spurring a bit, "I will and still kick your sorry halfa ass but if want to jam also, well I'm also ok on that. I could teach yah more of the Celtic thing and playing. Just do not ask me on voice lessons. You also need more info on what it means to be a ghost. We got our own rules Danny."
Danny Fenton for the moment lost any train of thought in a full shock hitting his body as Ember had a look on total amusement on her glowing features, "Why?'
Rolling her jade eyes, the female walked closer to him. "You ever think not all of us are pure evil and wanting to take over the world? Maybe you could get to know a few of us?"
"You guys or um girls never gave me a chance Ember also, half the time you just attack me like you hate me for existing or something and why you do you hate me so much?" Danny pushed, knowing this had been something on his mind for a while.
Calmly looking at him, Ember was truthful, "You remind us of what we lost kid. Being human and such and the lives we lost also. None of us asked to be ghost and lingered around but oh well. Shit happens. "
It was an odd sense to him but hearing from a ghost made it blunt and in the open but Ember didn't feel like answering anything more, "If you want more talk time, well you know where to find me dipstick. Catch yah later!"
She was gone, leaving him alone as before but feeling peace in the graveyard a hunger now to learn more on the ghost and himself. Danny grabbed his case and flew up into the dawn of the world with one last smile to resting place of his grandmother before fly off to home.