"Goodness, the water's getting rough," observed Dorothea as their boat sped its way towards the island looming in the distance. "I hope it doesn't take too much longer until we get to shore."
"Not much longer now," replied Petra. At the helm, the Brigid woman was right at home as she felt the salty spray of the ocean against her face and Dorothea leaning close at her side. "We will be okay," she said confidently.
"I certainly hope so," remarked Edelgard. "It's supposed to storm tonight, and I don't think any of us would want to be caught up in that."
"Man, they really picked a heck of a day for a will reading," commented Shez nonchalantly from the rear.
"Well we would have been there by now if someone hadn't gotten horribly lost!" snapped Lysithea beside her. The boat hit another wave just then, making the girl's face turn a faint shade of green.
"Yeah, that's my bad, sorry," apologized Shex casually. She suddenly had an idea. "Do you think I'd stop wandering so much if I started wearing a collar? You can hold the leash."
Lysithea's green face gained a hue of blushing red, but the girl couldn't find it in her to respond.
From her place at Petra's side, Dorothea turned to face her friends. "Shez dear, maybe don't flirt with Lysithea while she's having stomach trouble. I don't think she's in the proper mood to appreciate it."
Shez blinked. "Am I flirting?"
Nearby, Edelgard sighed. "Perhaps we should focus on the destination instead of the journey."
"Works for me," shrugged Shez. "Though I don't think that's much better. I mean, a creepy old mansion built on an isolated island? Sounds like the start of a horror story to me." A strangled noise of distress came from her left. "Oops. Sorry Lysithea. I didn't mean that. Really."
Judging by the elbow the shorter girl sent into her side, Lysithea didn't believe her.
"You know," interjected Dorothea, "I'm actually quite impressed with you, Shez. How ever did you get yourself mentioned in the archbishop's will?"
"I just kinda saved her life," replied Shez nonchalantly. "No big deal."
"Sounds like a big deal to me."
"I see," nodded Petra, "The archbishop is repaying a life debt in her death."
"So it would seem," said Edelgard.
Thankfully for the youngest of the group, it wasn't much longer before they arrived at the island and the mansion built upon it. Tying up their boat, the group of five clambered onto dry land and made their way to the house.
Their arrival was greeted by the stoic visage of a dark-haired woman who ushered them into a sitting room where the rest of the house's occupants were waiting.
"Good evening everyone," came the clipped voice of the lawyer. "My name is Shamir Nevrand, attorney for the late Archbishop Rhea. My partner, Ms. Pinelli, couldn't make it tonight. As you all know, Archbishop Rhea was a bit eccentric, and she asked that her final message be recorded and played for you now."
Without further preamble, Shamir played the message.
"Greetings everyone. Thank you all for appearing at my posthumous behest."
"My brother Seteth..." An older, serious-faced man with thick curls of dark green hair.
"My niece Flayn..." A woman, much shorter than her father with kind, wistful eyes.
"My bodyguard Catherine..." A severe woman with blonde hair and tanned skin, tall and proud.
"My butler Cyril..." A grim faced man of surprising youth and a piercing gaze.
"My granddaughter Byleth..." A quiet one, reserved and neutral with discerning eyes.
"And my savior from so long ago, Shez..." A purple-headed youth of casual irreverence who often made a game of trying to fit an entire burger into her mouth, just to see if she could.
"It is my deepest wish that everyone I have named was able and willing to answer my summons. Of those I have mentioned, each of you are to inherit an equal share of my fortune, on the condition that you spend the night here, in the old family mansion."
"Sounds simple enough," muttered Shez.
"The house is haunted."
"Haunted?!" squeaked Lysithea.
"Yes, you heard correctly," continued Rhea, frightening poor Lysithea even further, "Haunted." Both Shez and Edelgard reached over to take one of Lysithea's hands in comfort.
"Those of you that don't stay will forfeit their share, and earn my lasting disappointment for failing to heed my final request."
"How gauche," murmured Edelgard, wrinkling her nose in disapproval.
"Good night everyone, and have pleasant dreams." The recording finished.
Shamir stepped back up, drawing everyone's attention. "That's it then," she said. "I'll be back in the morning to see who's left." She turned and headed for the front door.
"Miss Nevrand, hold a moment!" spoke up Flayn. "There's supposed to be a storm approaching. Surely you would be safer spending the night indoors with us?"
"Even if it is allegedly haunted," added Catherine.
The dark-haired attorney hummed as she peered through a window. "Storm's not here yet," she remarked, "And I've been through worse. I'll be fine." And without another word, she left, making sure to shut the door behind her.
Just then, the chiming of the grandfather clock began ringing out, startling the more nervous members of the group.
"It's getting late," observed Seteth. "I believe it would be best if we all turned in for the night."
"Makes sense," agreed Shez with a sagely nod. "The sooner we sleep, the sooner morning comes."
"Agreed," contributed Cyril.
As the troupe of heirs and friends headed upstairs to find the bedrooms, the quietest of them remained still. She watched as they walked on, her gaze lingering on Shez's group as they trudged up together.
At the top of the stairs, Shez felt the eyes upon them and looked down to see Byleth's stare. "Yo, Byleth! You gonna stay down there all night, or what?"
Blinking at the question, Byleth simply nodded in acknowledgement and began to join them.
While each of the other heirs had a room all to themselves, Shez and her friends split into two rooms. Dorothea and Petra shared one while Edelgard, Lysithea, and Shez took another. As they readied for bed, they all hoped for an easy night, but one was significantly less hopeful than the others.
"There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such things as ghosts, there's no such things as ghosts..." mumbled Lysithea as she anxiously rocked back and forth on her bed.
"Lysithea, it will be okay," said Edelgard soothingly. "Morning will be here sooner than you think."
But Lysithea wasn't having it. "You heard what the archbishop said! She said this place is haunted!"
"I'm rather disinclined to believe such an outlandish claim, especially from a religious figure," said Edelgard. "But rationally, I doubt even the former archbishop would be so cruel as to subject her own family to any true terrors. No, if anything this seems a poorly conceived test of courage, some makeshift obstacle for inheritance that Rhea came up with on the spot because it amused her."
"Yeah, there's no way this place is actually haunted," agreed Shez.
"Maybe it wasn't, but what if the archbishop decided to haunt it once she died?!" exclaimed Lysithea.
"I don't think you can plan to become a haunting ghost," rejoined Shez. "And even if she had some beef with her family, I'm sure she'd just go haunt them instead of you."
"Exactly," nodded Edelgard. "So don't worry about such things. Shez and I will be here the entire night."
"Well... I guess that's true..." muttered the short girl begrudgingly. "Maybe everything will turn out okay after all."
"That's the spirit!"
"Spirit?!"
"Ah, poor word choice. Sorry Lysithea," said Shez. "Want me to make it up to you in backrubs?"
"T-That won't be necessary," stuttered Lysithea for a reason other than fear. "I'm the one who shouldn't be getting so worked up over a word anyway."
"Cool. In that case, I'm off to use the bathroom," declared Shez as she threw a towel over her shoulder. "Can I borrow your rubber ducky? I forgot mine at home."
"I do not bathe with a rubber ducky!" protested Lysithea, "I am a mature, adult woman and such childish things are beneath me!"
"But I saw you slip Mr. Tweetums the Third into your bag before we left," said Shez with mild confusion.
"Mr. Tweetums the Third?" repeated Edelgard dryly.
Lysithea felt her face redden in embarrassment but couldn't bring herself to respond.
"Yeah, the Third. Not sure what happened to the first one, but the last time I borrowed Mr. Tweetums the Second I accidentally lost him, so I got her a new one to say sorry. Hence, the Third," explained Shez. "And actually, Lysithea says this one is cuter because he has a top hat."
"Fine you can borrow him!" exclaimed Lysithea in an attempt to stop Shez from revealing any more of her proclivities. She tossed the ducky to the now smiling violette. "Don't lose him!" she commanded.
Shez lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thanks Lysithia! You're the best!" She squeezed the ducky as she left so Mr. Tweetums the Third would give a squeak of gratitude as well.
As the door closed behind her, Lysithea buried her face in her hands and groaned in mortified sufferance.
Edelgard looked at her with a mix of amusement and sympathy. "You two are so-"
"Don't. Just don't."
"Petra?"
"Yes Dorothea?"
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
The Brigid woman paused in her bedtime routine, thinking over the question considerately. "I believe in spirits," she said finally. "Though it is more a religious belief, a rather different belief than what you appear to be asking about."
"Ah. I suppose you're right," acknowledged the songstress as she brushed her hair. She offered a helpless smile. "Sorry, Petra. It's just..." The low roll of thunder sounded out, the sky darkening as the weather began to worsen. "This whole setup is rather ominous, isn't it? Perhaps dramatically so."
"Are you afraid?" asked Petra bluntly, but with care.
Dorothea pursed her lips. "No," she said, "But... it feels like I'll have a reason to be, tonight."
"How do you mean?" asked Petra with a frown.
"I don't know. It's just a feeling. An admittedly unpleasant one."
"May I help you feel a different feeling?" prompted Petra.
Dorothea turned to gaze into Petra's earnest eyes, a smile crossing her face at the care her dearest showed for her. She reached over with a hand and gently entangled their fingers, green eyes sparkling at Petra all the while.
"I think a distraction might be nice."
The great mansion clock rang out once more, signaling the passage of time and the advancement of another hour. Judging by the lack of wind and rain buffeting the windows, the storm seemed to have subsided for now, but there was no telling when it might pick up again.
"Hey Edelgard?"
"Yes?"
"Hasn't Shez been gone for a while now?"
Edelgard looked up from her book with a frown. "Now that you mention it, yes, she has."
"You don't think..." The youngest gulped nervously, the implications not needing to be voiced.
"No, I don't," asserted Edelgard. "I'm certain there's a rational explanation for her disappearance."
"Like what?"
"It wouldn't surprise me if she got lost in this unfamiliar mansion." She set her book down and stood. "I'll go track her down. Did you want to stay and sleep, or would you like to join me?"
"Don't think I could sleep by myself in this place," muttered Lysithea as she got up.
The pair ventured out into the hallway, not a soul in sight.
"Should we get Dorothea and Petra to help?" asked Lysithea quietly.
Edelgard leaned an ear to their friends' door. If she'd been inclined to ask for their assistance before, the faint breathy moans of pleasure emanating from within put an immediate halt to that notion.
"Let's not," decided Edelgard, the faintest hint of pink dusting her cheeks. "It's been a long day and I'm sure they could use their rest."
"Okay," accepted Lysithea.
The duo walked down the hallway to the bathroom, finding it used but deserted.
"At least she found her way here," said Edelgard.
"Yeah... that's good at least." Lysithea sighed. "Maybe we should have gone with her. At least then this wouldn't have happened."
Edelgard raised an eyebrow but kept silent. She tried not to be a prude, but she didn't think joining Shez while she bathed was a particularly wholesome activity between friends.
"Perhaps," she allowed. "Maybe she wandered downstairs."
"That sounds plausible," agreed Lysithea, "I wonder if she got hungry and went to find the kitchen."
"Let's find out."
Walking downstairs, the two traversed the historic and extravagant hallways as they navigated the first floor, passing by old paintings and dusty adornments. As they reached the rear mudroom, Lysithea let out a squeak as she bumped into Edelgard's back, the taller of them having stopped short.
"What is it?" asked Lysithea. She looked up at Edelgard's face to find it set in a tight frown, her lilac eyes staring intensely out the window to the backyard. She followed her friend's gaze and seized up in fear as she spotted what had drawn Edelgard's attention. "Is... Is that...?"
It was a light.
A light in the backyard, among the shrubbery and overgrowth.
And it was moving.
"That is, in all likelihood, our wayward friend," reasoned Edelgard. "It seems she could use a guide to help her back to the mansion."
"E-Edelgard, I don't think even S-Shez would get lost o-outside," stuttered Lysithea fearfully.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Edelgard took in a deep breath and loosed a calm sigh. This was fine. She was in control. Shez was just being an airhead, a far from unusual occurrence. It just so happened she'd managed to snag a light and go traipsing among an old mansion's back gardens with all the hedges and rosebushes that entailed. Again, fairly ordinary for their friend.
And right now, that friend needed someone to guide them. She already knew that someone wasn't going to be Lysithea.
"You're not going out there, are you?" voiced the shorter girl shakily.
"Someone needs to. Why don't you stay here? If I get lost I'll call out and you can call back. Or if needed, you can get help from upstairs as well."
Lysithea frowned. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I. Regardless, Shez needs help." She looked at Lysithea, gently gazing into her scared face. She resolved to take this burden so the girl she thought of as a younger sister didn't have to. "I'll be back, Lysithea. I promise."
And with that, Edelgard stepped out into the darkness.
As her friend disappeared into the overgrown garden of the archbishop's manor, Lysithea felt more scared than ever.
Without her friend to bolster her courage, her paranoia soon ran unchecked. From the shadows cast by the mansion's ornamental decorations, to the distant creaking of settling wood from above, and even the faint breeze caused by her own frightful movements, it seemed as if anything and everything heralded the presence of a spirit, specter, or ghost.
She tried to focus, tried telling herself that help was just a shout away, but her thoughts couldn't help but turn to ominous possibilities.
What if Edelgard was chasing after a spirit? What if a ghost was sneaking up on Lysithea right now?
What if they were already far too late, and Shez had been captured and claimed by a revenant, her soul sucked dry and subjected to endless torment as her body withered away into dust and ash?
That's when she heard it.
A rustling sound coming from the kitchen.
The ruminating stopped. All those rampant possibilities of what could happen, what might be, faded as Lysithea was confronted by this real, tangible sign of activity. Yes, it could be a ghost. Yes, it could be Shez. Or worst of all, it could be a ghost doing something to Shez.
Lysithea needed to know.
Steeling herself, she made sure the back door remained open before walking over to investigate.
As she entered the kitchen, Lysithea noticed a distinct lack of people amidst the cabinets and cutlery, yet the rustling had grown louder. She realized the pantry door was ajar, and the rummaging emanated from within.
Gulping, Lysithea looked around for a possible weapon, eventually settling on a water glass she filled up quietly in the sink.
"If Pokemon has taught me one thing, it's that water works against ghosts," muttered Lysithea under her breath. "Though I haven't paid attention since Gen III..."
Mustering up her bravery, Lysithea crept closer to the pantry door, one hand reaching out push it open, the other readying her water for throwing. As she felt wood touch her fingertips, she pushed, prepared to scream if need be, only to come face to face with...!
...Shez, kneeling on the ground with her arms buried in a burlap sack. At the sound of the door, Shez whirled to see Lysithea, revealing that her mouth was crammed full of stale bread crusts.
Several seconds passed as they stared at each in shock, utterly unmoving. Eventually, Shez found the presence of mind to chew, slowly devouring the dry foodstuffs until her mouth was once again empty.
She held up a handful of rusks and grinned. "Lysithea, look! I found the good stuff!"
"..."
Shez's grin faded. "Lysithea?" she tried again.
The shorter girl remained inscrutably mute.
Shez tilted her head. "Do you not like bread? I swear you can't taste the mold."
Nothing.
"Um..."
"Shez you dummy!" exploded Lysithea.
"Me?!"
"Yes you! I thought you'd gone and gotten lost or taken a wrong turn or heavens forbid got taken by a ghost! But instead I find you here, stuffing your face with moldy bread?!"
"But I was hungry!" whined the violette. "Oh, and I managed not to lose Mr. Tweetums the Third!" she said, producing the familiar toy from a pocket.
"I don't care about Mr. Tweetums the Third!"
"Oh..." wilted Shez, hurt that Lysithea would say such a thing about a gift she'd gotten her.
"I care about YOU!"
"Oh," said Shez, feeling much better.
The white-haired girl sighed. "I was worried about you Shez, though I am extremely relieved that you're safe and sound."
"Thanks. I'm sorry I worried you."
"It's okay. Just... please don't go wandering around a creepy old place like this without saying something." She gave a long sigh of relief. "I swear I thought I was going to have to fight a ghost."
Shez eyed the glass of water in Lysithea's hands. "Were you really gonna throw that at a ghost?" she asked skeptically. "That doesn't really seem like it'd do much damage to anyone."
"Well...! This is an archbishop's place! The tap water could be holy water for all we know!"
"I don't think it works like that."
"Still, you'd be upset if I splashed you with this, wouldn't you?"
"I guess you're right about that." Shez shrugged. "But it wouldn't be the first time you've gotten me wet."
Lysithea had never blushed so hard before. Falling to the floor, the poor girl held her face in her hands as she squeaked in abject mortification.
"But hey, I'm impressed you came to find me on your own," complimented Shez.
"I wasn't alone," muttered Lysithea, face still in her hands, "I was with..." She looked up. "Edelgard!"
"Edelgard? Where is she?"
"She went outside to look for you because we saw a light moving around in the garden!"
"Uh-oh...!"
The two exploded out of the kitchen and ran to the rear door, only to suddenly collide with...
"AHH!" screamed Lysithea.
"AHH!" screamed Edelgard.
"AHH!" screamed Shez.
"...!" screamed Byleth.