Chapter 19 – There's a Ghostly Smell Around
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, if I did the series would never have ended and Mai and Naru would have little paranormal grandbabies for Martin and Luella running around by now.
Author's Note: Trigger Warning - Some mentions of domestic violence and allusions to assault and infidelity in the dream sequence near the end of the chapter.
"The air here is so heavy, it almost feels like I have to put in twice the effort to walk," the young medium said as she turned towards Mai, who had asked her to describe what the hallway on the second floor felt like to her. Mai nodded reassuringly at Jenny before telling her, "You're right, and if we look at the readings from all of those gadgets Naru loves so much when we get back to base, I would bet that the ion spectrometry will be off the charts up here. Please take note of that Billy, and verify with James at the first opportunity? But other than the way it feels up here Jenny, what do you feel?"
Jenny gave Mai a slightly nervous glance and then said, "It kinda feels like there is something here? But not here? At the same time I don't wanna be here, I feel like something is gonna happen, but I can't feel any actual spirits right now," the younger girl shuddered in revulsion as a wave of pure malevolence spread throughout the area and she unconsciously moved behind Mai and Billy.
Mai's face took on a sharp cast as she felt the change in the atmosphere and sensed a new presence that she could only describe as cold and biting. Unlike the spirit that seemed intent on hiding from them, this one wanted them to know it was there, and it wanted them to be afraid. The spirit's essence coalesced into a dark mist, and shot directly at Mai, the intent to harm obvious with the low growl that emitted from the hurtling mist and Mai thrust her left arm to her side, pushing Billy behind her with Jenny as her right arm came up in front of her and her right hand began to form the nine cuts as she began chanting, "Rin, pyo, toh, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen," and the attacking spirit's mist seemed to waver as the fog stopped several meters short of the small group. Mai said in a low voice, "Billy, get ready to attack if it gets any closer, and Jenny make sure that your charm is intact and you visualize your own protective barrier. I am going to try to talk to it," she inched forward in a calm manner and began to speak to the entity in front of her. "I'm sorry if my actions just now caused you any pain, we are not here with any intent to hurt or harm you or your other spirit companion. I know that this situation can be confusing and frightening, and we only want to help you find peace to move on," she halted when the entity responded with another deeply guttural growl and the mist grew in size, and now spanned the entire width of the hallway.
Mai started slowly backing up, putting a hand behind her back to motion for her companions to retreat and said, "I understand, you are not ready to speak with us at this time, and we will leave you for now in peace…" and Mai's words trailed off as the mist began to follow them, its pace quickening the further away they moved from it. Mai said, "Billy, quickly erect a flame barrier in front of us," and as he began his own process to call up his Pyrokinesis, Mai began the chant of the immovable one, that she learned from Bou-san in the AVE and telepathically called for Naru in between her chant and another round of the nine cuts. Once the fire barrier was erected she shouted for the others to run and stood her ground to let them escape as the entity thrashed against the barrier, snarling with each of the nine cuts she leveled at it.
Mai could feel Naru's energy getting closer to her, his strength sharing with her and giving her the courage to stand firm in the face of the hostile black mist determined to attack her. Naru, Lin, Juney, and Angela ran past a terrified Jenny on the stairs, the young medium being consoled by Billy in a fatherly way as he stood in front of her protectively and ascended to the second-floor hallway where Mai stood, her ginger hair whipping around her face in a wind that shouldn't exist in a closed-in building. Angela and Juney both began their own methods of exorcism as Lin whistled for his shiki to attack the entity just as it broke through the barrier of fire and barreled straight at Mai. Naru reached Mai, grabbing her hand, just as the entity rushed through her, throwing her and by extension Naru up into the air in a trajectory to go straight over the staircase as it let out a sound that could only be described as a gleeful cackle. Lin's shiki and the two other spiritualists weakened the spirit considerably, especially after the energy it expended to get to Mai through all of her protections and mantras It rushed off down the hallway back to the Master Suite, cackling the entire way leaving Juney and Angela to chase after it while Lin rushed to the side of the staircase, intending to rush down and attend to any wounds Mai and Noll might have sustained, but there was no need.
Mai and Naru were both breathing heavily as they hung suspended in the air, in full view of the rest of the team as they clung tightly to one another, and Mai giggled nervously as she caught her breath, "Well, I did say this would come in handy if we fell down another well… I guess being thrown down a floor by an evil spirit counts too," she said and sighed with relief. Oliver sagged with his own relief, and thanked whatever higher power was listening that they had discovered they could levitate together and practiced it enough for the skill to save them in the field before he replied in Japanese, "I don't care how many years, or how many lifetimes we have together, you're still a bloody trouble magnet Mai! You should have retreated with the others," he glowered as he spoke the words wearily, still too shocked to realize that they were still levitating mid-air with everyone watching until a new voice spoke to both of them in Japanese.
"Mai, Noll, as entertaining as it is to see my son and daughter floating through the air and not crumpled in a heap at the bottom of a staircase, I think you both might feel better if you came down from there," Luella exclaimed, as she and Martin walked out of the base where they had been observing the situation since they had arrived just in time to see Noll and Lin, along with two team members rush past them up the stairs to the second floor without even noticing them. Luella smiled lovingly at the pair and reverted to English for her next statement, "And Noll, trouble magnet or not, that is exactly why you love Mai, and you know it. Her selfless nature and immense skill to hold off such a troublesome entity while your subordinates get to safety just reinforces why the two of you are meant for each other," she kept talking aimlessly as Mai and Noll slowly lowered to the ground floor of the manor. Mai rushed out of Naru's arms to hug Luella tightly saying, "Mum, sorry if we scared you! I knew Naru was on the way, I called him mentally while getting Billy and Jenny to back off. I trusted he would be there if I fell… I just didn't realize it would mean falling literally."
Luella giggled softly at Mai's words and embraced her before turning serious, "That isn't to say that you don't need to be careful Mai. You are so capable, but don't be afraid to rely on everyone else to protect you as much as you want to protect them. I swear you and Noll are so alike in some respects," she said shaking her head as she ushered Mai back into the base room, leaving everyone else to follow. Mai nodded tiredly and swayed slightly on her feet, the exhaustion from the energy that she and Naru had expended catching up to her, and Oliver rushed over to her and helped Mai over to one of the couches, where he sat and pulled her down onto his lap as his own fatigue caught up to him as well just as the rest of the team who had been upstairs came rushing into the room. Luella and Martin sat down on the couch beside their son and his fiancé as they curled up together tiredly, and Martin asked, "Noll, what happened?"
Oliver shook his head and unconsciously pulled Mai closer to him as he replied, "I was only there right at the end, as the others started trying to dispel the entity as it broke through the barrier Mr. Parker must have erected and flew straight at Mai. I only had enough time to grab her and try to pull her out of the way before we were thrown over the railing. I didn't even have time to think and just reacted so that Mai and I could use our levitation skill together and hinder any real injuries we could have gotten," he sighed tiredly and prodded Mai to speak. Mai gazed at him lovingly and stifled a yawn before she nodded and said, "There are definitely two spirits upstairs, and one of them is definitely going to be a problem. We need to figure out who they were because my attempt at a basic cleansing didn't even have a chance to get started really."
When Mai stopped talking, Jenny jumped in and said, "Mai was amazing! She held that evil spirit off with one hand and protected us both at the same time! She had me trying to feel for any spirits and as soon as the evil one appeared I froze, I am so sorry," the young medium said mournfully, wringing her hand in agitation. Billy patted her on the head and replied, "I can see why you guys in charge put so much trust in Mai, she was as cool as a cucumber up there. She pushed us both behind, told me to create a barrier with my fire power, and started chanting some kind of attack spell that halted that thing in its tracks. I've never thought about using my power defensively before…" the druid trailed off in contemplation before giving them all a wicked grin and finished his thought, "And I don't know how you all knew to come to our rescue but thank you, I almost froze just like Jenny once the exhaustion from using my fire and trying to hold a barrier up hit me."
Lin took the momentary silence as an opportunity to interject, "Mai called Noll telepathically, that's how we knew there was an attack forming. Once we got upstairs we could see the barrier straining and even with all three of us distracting the spirit it still had enough energy to attack both Mai and Noll. Even when it retreated down the hall, the presence it emitted was very strong until it just vanished, like it was never there in the first place," the onmyōji mused before he turned to Angela and Juney and asked them, "What were your impressions? My shiki weren't able to get a grasp on it, it was slippery and whenever they got close it just turned to mist and evaporated."
"Dats exactly what it felt like Mista Lin. Maman Brigitte's roosta din like dat haint, I din even have to call on her for it to show up an' give chase. Maman'll help us get dat ting," Juney said and when he noticed looks of confusion from most of the team, he went on to explain. "Maman Brigitte is da Loa I follow, an' she's why I'm ova here, since she came from Scotland to wed our Baron Samedi. Maman got a black roosta dat help protect da dead who lie under a cross. She da queen of spirits an' give out punishment to da wicked, an' she seem to like Miz Mai as her roosta is sittin' by you protectin' you both right now."
Mai glanced down at her feet, her eyes widening as she said, "Well hello there little friend, thank you for your help. Please let Maman Brigitte know that we appreciate her assistance, and will do our best to bring justice for the victims of this spirit," Mai nudged Naru to look as well, and his face showed surprise when he noticed the vision of the Loa's familiar at their feet and rushed to say, "As Mai said, thank you for your help. Please let us know what offering you would like that will help you maintain your energy while on this plane," before he turned to offer Juney a grateful smile.
Juney was shocked at this exchange, since usually only practitioners of his craft, or those touched by the Loa, could see their familiars and grinned back as he re-evaluated Oliver once again, "Even wit dat roosta da haint done got away, like it just poofed to nowhere, ain't dat right Miz Angie?" Juney asked the other spiritualist and the older woman nodded in agreement. "Both he and Lin are absolutely correct. This thing that attacked Oliver and Mai is very strong and very wily. I agree with Mai, we need to discover the details behind this spirit's background. Callum, I volunteer to help if you need a second pair of eyes going over those books you got from Mrs. Lumley unless you want me to head out and go to the local library to see if I can dig up any more information?"
Callum shook his head and replied, "It looks like Mrs. Lumley already has copies of all the information she could find at the local library, but I could use all the help I can get as there is a lot of paper to go through," he said with a sigh, and both Oliver and Martin nodded at his statement.
"All available team members who will not be heading to rest to work the overnight shift and watch the camera feeds please assist Callum with the sheer volume of material provided by the client when you are not busy with your other tasks," Martin said to the entire group, before remembering he was not actually working the case and he looked sheepishly at his son on the couch beside him and shrugged his shoulders apologetically when Luella cut in, "And speaking of rest, I am using my privilege as the BSPR psychologist to insist that you two go get some sleep," she glared at Oliver and Mai, who held her hands up in surrender as she said, "Yes Mum, I'm not even going to try and fight you… that experience… drained me completely, and Naru too, even if he refuses to admit it. If we're lucky Gene will have a vision to show us that might help us figure out where all this intent to harm is coming from. Will you guys mind if we head to take a nap? We were scheduled to take the early morning shift on the monitors anyway," she said as she curled further into Naru's side and hid a yawn.
Luella clapped her hands and spoke up, "Good idea, you two scoot. Martin and I can fill in if needed in your stead," and the elegant blonde woman smiled as Oliver stood up, Mai still in his arms and stalked off to their room to take a nap, and unbeknownst to all but three people in the room, a spectral black rooster followed closely behind them, its feathers bristling in anticipation of fending off any trouble should it be needed.
The rest of the room returned to their normal tasks with the exception of Josslyn, who watched the other pair leave with narrowed eyes before she put a simpering smile on her lips and walked over to sit beside Luella, who was currently speaking in low tones to Martin. "Ah Luella, might I have a moment to speak with you please?" Josslyn schooled her face into a mask of friendliness and began to speak once Luella nodded sharply at her, "I'm not sure if you know, but I have a bit of empathic ability and I wanted to speak with you for two reasons," she admitted in a voice only loud enough to be heard by Luella.
Luella raised an eyebrow at the intern's words and then said, "Well, be swift Miss Clifford, we are on a very active case, and while your role here is not of great importance, I did just assure my son and his fiancée that we would assist while they got some much needed rest."
Josslyn paled slightly at the sharp tone from the other woman and in an ingratiating tone said, "As an empath, I was thinking that it would be smart to look to someone specializing in human emotion as a mentor, and I was hoping that you could fulfill that need for me, please?"
Luella turned a measuring glance towards the young woman and replied, "I don't think that I am the right mentor for you, I have no personal experience with psychic powers except as an observer, but I can definitely recommend…" she trailed off when Josslyn interrupted her saying, "No! It has to be you, I feel so connected with you and your family in a way that I couldn't with a stranger. I even wanted to just invite you and perhaps Madoka, to an excursion after the case is over. I thought the three of us could go bond, and shop at one of my family's boutiques in the city? I would love to be able to look up to you as a mother figure, as I already feel like part of your family considering how close I have always been with your sons," she smiled widely at the older woman, certain that she would fall for the bait and continued, "Which leads me to the second issue I wanted to speak to you about. My empath skills keep warning me about that girl Mai. I know she seems nice, but there is something wrong about her and how she came out of nowhere to try and come between Oliver and I," she said then broke off when she saw Luella's eyes narrow at her angrily. "I…I… didn't mean anything by it, but you have to see that girl has an agenda, and who knows who she really is! Surely, you understand Luella, that daft cow had to perform some sort of controlling magic on your son, or he would have never forgotten what we meant to one another," she said quickly in an attempt to save the conversation but was quieted by a stony glare from Luella, who spoke to Josslyn with a loud, clear tone.
"Miss Clifford, perhaps you are not aware that I am aware of the stunt you pulled with my underage son? Ah, I see that you were not aware of that fact, but let me put this very clearly for you. You are not now, nor will you ever be Oliver's partner. Mai is a wonderful young woman, and the two of them have been in a relationship for several years, and I assure you, she is as good as my daughter already, something else you will also never be. I do not believe that Madoka or I would care to accept your invitation, which smells distinctly like a bribe attempt at getting closer to my son, who cannot stand the sight of you. It is only his extreme professionalism that has allowed you to continue to work at BSPR," and Luella paused to take a breath, calming herself slightly before going on, "He has nothing but disdain for the emotional stress and trauma you inflicted upon his elder brother, and unless you desire to be sent home from this case immediately I suggest that you correct your assumptions that there is any action you can take that will change any of our minds. I would also suggest if you intend to keep working in any capacity with BSPR that you do not refer to your superior in such a casual manner, and in the future, you will only refer to myself, Martin, or Oliver each as Dr. Davis. Do I make myself clear, Miss Clifford?" Luella asked the intern sharply, the intense glare on her face causing Josslyn to swallow her own retort hastily as she leaned further away and nodded quietly, attempting to show an innocent expression on her reddening face, while she seethed inwardly as she noticed the rest of the team members watching their exchange through some very discrete covert glances.
Both Luella and Martin stood abruptly and without giving Josslyn another thought they turned their backs on her to go speak with Callum about doing their part to help the research effort.
Meanwhile, further into the recesses of the manor Oliver and Mai were making themselves comfortable, tiredly changing into looser fitting clothes so that they could rest before either one passed out from sheer exhaustion caused by the overuse of their powers. Settling down on the bed, cuddling close to one another Mai spoke softly, "Mmm, Naru… you saved me again. You're always saving me," she nuzzled her face into his neck and he tightened his arms around her, rubbing his own face against the crown of her head tenderly.
"Mai, I will always save you, you've already saved me so many times over, and I love you so much more than I can ever truly express, but I want you to be more careful, please? I know you act on your instincts, and we had no idea we would even have anything happen so quickly after getting here, but I cannot lose you, remember that. Without you…I… just couldn't go on, so please my love, be careful…if I hadn't made it to you in time…" he said in a near whisper as his body shuddered with his fear and Mai placed a finger over his lips to quiet him before replying, "You would never let that happen. You have never let me down, and you never will, after all you are my very own hero in the flesh. Now, come on Naru, let's get some sleep so we can be ready if we face another attack," she said and her words came out sluggishly, as she was already losing her battle against her fatigue, and kissed his chin gently before slowly nodding off. Oliver gazed lovingly down at the woman in his arms, his heartbeat skipping as it realigned to join with hers, as he too gave up and welcomed his slumber.
Gene watched, his presence hidden in the room as his two favorite people gave in and slept, knowing that he had to wait a few minutes to let the two recharge at least a little before snatching them into a vision about the horrific scenes he had witnessed taking place throughout the past in several locations surrounding this manor. In the meantime though, he decided to sit and talk to the rooster he noticed following Mai and Noll protectively. While he couldn't actually understand any semblance of a human language coming from the spectral creature, it seemed to give him impressions and thoughts that he just understood, and for the moment he was content to let his family rest while he explored, what he hoped would be a friendship of sorts, with this new addition who he decided, was a lot like Lin's shiki in how it communicated. Smiling happily to himself, he sat down on Lin's bed and grinned triumphantly when the rooster, adorned with deep ebony feathers clambered up onto the bed to settle into his lap, and indeed a new friendship solidified between exceptional spirit, and the queen of the spirit world's familiar and Gene thought, "If only the rest of what I need to do today is accomplished this easily, I hope I don't scar either of them too much with what I need to show them," as he settled in for a nice 'chat' with his new buddy.
Several hours later Eugene and his new avian friend, who he decided to call Noir, were waiting on the astral plane for Mai and Noll's response to his summons and it wasn't long before both materialized directly in front of him, looking slightly disoriented. "Wakey, wakey little brother and sister! We waited as long as possible to call you here, so you guys could get some rest from all your exertions earlier. By the way, our new little buddy Noir, here says he would like some of Mai's tea as his offering if you two don't mind sharing," he said while he grinned over at the two of them.
"The rooster can talk?" Mai asked excitedly, sitting up and supporting herself by leaning against Naru beside her as Gene waggled his head ambiguously and answered her, "Not as such, but he communicates a lot like Lin's shiki, and oh boy Mai does he really like you! He says that his Maman has a real soft spot for strong women, and those who help or protect her subjects in the spirit world, and Noir here is her gift to the two of you for the work you do for the deceased. Noir will be there to function as a guardian when either of you walk the astral plane, and while he may look innocuous, think of him as your own shiki shared between you," he smiled cheerfully as he finished explaining one of the functions the ghostly little rooster would fulfill from that day forward, but then his face turned serious when he thought of the real reason they had gathered that evening.
Oliver stood up bringing Mai alongside him and nodded thoughtfully at Gene before saying, "Thank you for the opportunity to allow us to get some rest to recoup our energy, and thank you for bringing me along with Mai. I have a feeling that what you plan to show us isn't going to be easy for her to watch," and he sighed heavily before turning to address Noir with a respectful bow. "Please let your Lady know that we appreciate her gift and will take very good care of you as long as you wish to remain with us. Any assistance that will keep Mai safe when she wanders off into the astral plane is a blessing that I will never deny," he said while smirking at Mai, who gave him an exasperated look.
Holding her hand out towards the rooster, who fluttered down off of Gene's shoulder to tenderly rub the crest of its head against her hand in an affectionate gesture, causing Mai to smile brightly as she said, "I am so very pleased to have you join our family Noir. You are a very beautiful kuroi yuutori and I am humbled that you and your Lady would favor us so. I will be pleased to make you some tea whenever I make it for my addict over there," she said with a giggle as she stroked the rooster's crest, amazed at how warm and soft it was even on the astral plane. The rooster preened at her words of praise and gripped the edge of her sleeve in its beak, pulling her hand over to bump against Naru's and gave them the impression that he wanted them to hold hands before he turned and hopped over to Gene.
Oliver quickly grasped Mai's hand in his own, understanding the message the familiar was giving them: stay united and together for what was to come, and he nodded at Gene to encourage him to begin the vision. The violet hues of the foxfire-lit astral plane began to slowly merge into a different scene that they easily recognized as the hallway they had encountered the evil spirit in earlier that day.
Katherine ran frantically down the hallway, looking for any room that could provide a reprieve from Dunstan's abuse. Her gown was ripped, cut to ribbons by one of his knives, and in her haste to escape she didn't notice the distinct trail of blood droplets she left in her wake. All she knew was that she needed to hide, just for a bit, or she would go mad with the pain.
"Little Katie, come out, come out, wherever you are," her husband called down the long hallway, his voice eerily echoing in a sing-song manner as he slowly and methodically peered inside each room. Luckily, she was still hidden in the shadows of the hallway, but she knew it wouldn't be long before he found her unless she found somewhere to hide.
In her rush, she barreled headfirst into Anne, her only friend Anne, who was coming around the far corner of the hallway where it merged into two separate paths. Anne let out a shocked gasp when she saw the state that Katherine was in, and covered the younger girl's mouth to quiet her as Katherine started to sob out a plea for help, before ushering her around the corner and into an unused room and locking the door behind them. Anne spoke softly, "What happened Katherine? Did you upset your husband again?" she asked as she shook her head and pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in her dress and began to dab at a shallow cut visible through a rip in Katherine's dress.
Katherine swallowed another sob, the pain of Anne's ministrations to her wounds welling deep within her and she wailed, "I need to get out of here Anne, he's going to end up killing me! The doctor told him I shouldn't fulfill my wifely duties, or it could harm our child, and after the doctor left, he told me if he couldn't get his pleasure that way, he would find another, more satisfying way," her shoulders shaking with the effort to hold back her sobs, as she stared beseechingly at the only person in her life that cared for her even a little, and she loved Anne for her care. Oh, she did love her so much.
Anne nodded at Katherine and gave her a tender smile before embracing the younger woman, kissing her passionately on the cheek, which caused Katherine to blush heavily as she sagged into the other woman's arms. "Now, now, my love, let's see if we can't convince that husband of yours that you need my help so the fruit of your union will be able to thrive, and then we can abscond away with the babe and leave that monstrous man to wonder where you were off to."
Katherine nodded; hope finally shining in her eyes as her tears still streamed down her face to mingle amidst the blood drying along her skin as the two of them heard a bellow from the hallway and a fist pounding on the locked door of the room where they were hidden.
Oliver held on tightly to Mai as she trembled within his own arms at the scene they had just witnessed, he rubbed his cheek against hers comfortingly as he stroked her hair. Eugene waited until his little brother managed to calm Mai down just a little before indicating that he had another scene to show them, and once again the environment around them morphed into a new area of the manor that they had only briefly seen until now.
The sounds of groans and pants echoed throughout the bedchamber in the manor's master suite, along with the guttural growl of a man as he used his open palm to strike repeatedly at the flesh of his companion, the action giving him immense pleasure as she cried out in painful satisfaction. Dunstan Lumley was taking pleasure in his marital bed with the local doxy Anne Winston, while his useless wife was visiting the local parish to do "good deeds". Slapping Anne one more time for good measure as he reached his completion, he grinned lasciviously as he saw the multiple bruises blooming over Anne's fair skin.
"Ah, Anne, you're such a responsive whore, too bad it's not you I could marry, isn't it? None of my wives ever gives me the same feeling you do, when you scream in joy and terror as I abuse your oh so delicious flesh," he snarled at her as his hands wrapped around her neck, squeezing until he could feel her throat contracting desperately under his fingers with the need for air. "I can see your eyes begging for more, and don't worry I'll give you all the pain you desire my dearest little harlot," he mocked her as he released his hands to allow her to breathe once more, and she looked at him with a feverish adoration.
Anne's arms embraced Dunstan, and she spoke fervently with a raspy voice caused by his treatment, "I am all yours Master, none of those other women will ever please you, or love you as I do; especially not that timid little mouse, Katherine. She thinks I care for her, and I almost have her fully seduced into thinking I will help save her from you," she snickered mockingly, before continuing, "Our plans will bear fruit soon Master, and you and I can both take our time playing with our prey before disposing of her and that brat you planted in her womb. Just thinking about it, makes me shiver with anticipation," Anne exclaimed as she wiggled lustily against Dunstan in an attempt to arouse him once more, and smiled in triumph as she noticed him reaching beside the bed to grab one of his many knives kept there and began to trail the sharp tip along her cheekbone.
"Don't you worry my little pet, you keep seducing that little bitch, and once she's away from prying eyes here, I will watch you give her the treatment she deserves for not embracing all the love I gave her. Then you and I will both take our enjoyment of her terror," he said as he leaned over and bit harshly at Anne's collarbone, causing her to squirm in bliss against him, her movements causing his blade to scratch the delicate skin of her cheek, and when he noticed the ruby droplet glistening there he leaned up to lick it off of her with an evil glint in his eyes as he began to return their earlier activities.
The scene once again changed back to the normal foxfire-lit expanse of the astral plane as Gene looked at Mai and Noll with an apologetic look on his handsome face. "I wish, you two never had to see that, but it was important to understand more of what is happening in this place. Oh, little sister, don't cry. Your heart is too pure Mai," he said and glanced at Oliver with a stern look and mentally told him to comfort her or else.
Mai sobbed silently, tears flowing down her cheeks as she mourned the innocence lost by Katherine and was angered at the same time by her treatment from those who should have cared for her and she said in a whisper, "We need to help her, I'm sure the spirit hiding has to be Katherine. I got the same feeling during the vision that I saw that I get in the upstairs hallway, but we have to do something about the other spirit first. Do you think it's Dunstan or Anne?"
Oliver and Gene both shook their heads as if to admit they weren't sure, and Naru replied, "We need to wake up and see if Callum or the others have found any clues we could use to discern the spirit's identity," and he pulled Mai more tightly against him, to help ease her trembling form before turning to Gene and asking, "Will you do the honors, brother?"
Gene smirked in a near-perfect imitation of his younger brother, and he gave them a small wave before ushering a silent Noir in their direction, and the familiar sight of the astral plane vanished from sight as Mai and Naru awoke nestled snugly together in the dimming twilight seeping through the windows of the room they were assigned at the manor.
End Note: Look up a black Japanese Bantam Rooster - that is what I see Noir as being modeled after, although the Loa, Maman Brigitte does have a black rooster familiar, I am not sure exactly which breed it is supposed to be.
