A/N: I have committed a cardinal sin and started another fanfiction before finishing another. It is a sin I partake in often, however, this is the first time I have done it within the same fandom.
This is heavily inspired by Nefelibata by Shellsan and Trusting Intuition by rowankitsune28.
I am obsessed with the premise of Mai moving on and becoming a successful horror novelist. It just suits her considering her days staying after school swapping ghost stories with her friends. And the trope of running into an older Naru, it's just *Chef's Kiss*. These two grown adults trying to navigate what they were and what they are now is addicting. It might as well be the "Peter Parker goes on a Field Trip to the Avengers Tower" of the Ghost Hunt community. This was meant to be a writing exercise, never to be posted, but it spiraled out of control and I just fell in love with it and had to share.
I Wish You Love by Laufey inspired the vibe of this fic, really any song Laufey has done. I highly recommend listening first or while reading to enjoy the full atmosphere.
It was raining. The city of London was blanketed by the hush of the storm that drove pedestrians under awnings and into the surrounding shops. The midday sun was hidden behind thick clouds that seemed neverending in their sprawl from one end of the horizon to the next. The balcony provided an excellent view of the busy bakery just across the street from the hotel that Mai had checked in to several weeks ago. Warm lights illuminated patrons, new and old, jostling for seats at the small tables while friendly and bright-eyed servers ferried orders to and fro. The business did very well, from what she had observed throughout her stay, and was packed even during fair weather. Every morning, the scent of baking bread and sweet sugary treats wafted up from the street below right into her hotel room and had lured her down for breakfast on more than one occasion.
She shifted on the white cushioned modern lounge chair and set her feet on the bars of the railing, eyes vacant with thought, lulled into a zen state by the shush of the rain. Her fingers of one hand played with the silver chain hanging from her neck while the other supported the open book in her lap. She had been attempting to do her own reading during her travels in an effort to give her mind rest but she more often than not found herself too distracted. It seemed the only thing she could do with words was write. Reading was beyond her capabilities those days.
She came back to herself with a shiver. It wasn't a particularly frigid day but the temperature was far from balmy. The black leggings and white linen tunic that she had pulled on that morning did little against the wet cold but the steaming cup of coffee sitting on the white metal end table next to her had served her well for the past several minutes. The warmth was enough to keep her rooted in the chair.
Behind her, the sliding glass doors opened up into the hotel suite. A king-size bed swaddled in white feathers and silk, marble-esque floor spotted with thick plush rugs in neutral colors, and an entire kitchen with shining appliances. It was a sight that Mai had swooned over when she had first arrived but had since grown accustomed to. London had managed to drag her out of the suite several times during her stay, to see the sights, and attend events, but she had spent the majority of her time hidden within typing away on her computer. Yasuhara had taken over for her on their shared podcast back in Japan in her absence but she still made an effort to post on the blog every other day. When she wasn't agonizing over that she was slaving over a laughably minuscule Word document.
Just the thought of it pulled a sigh from her lips.
The cell phone next to her coffee came to life with a cheery jingle. Like fighting gravity itself, she managed to pull her eyes from the view and scrutinized the contact name with pursed lips. It was Tim, her agent for the English publishing company that was in the process of translating her most recently completed work. In truth, he was the one who had invited her to London.
"Hello?" she called gently after tucking the phone against her ear.
"Morning, Mai! Or I guess afternoon, actually," the jubilant man spouted with a chuckle. "I wanted to let you know that Ellen is available this evening to sit with you for an interview. I sent the address over to you via email just so you have it for your records."
"That's great," she said, delighted.
"Yes! Her estate is a few hours from the hotel so I'd recommend leaving as soon as possible," he advised.
"Understood," she shot back, chipper, and finally pulled herself from the chair with a stretch.
The phone call came to an end and she was quick to scoop up her cup of coffee with a content sigh. She sipped at the drink while gliding across the suite toward the kitchen with barely contained excitement. Ellen Worthrite was a woman of power and money, born into wealth, but she had a rare heart of gold. Mai had initially taken an interest due to an online article regarding the woman's more occult hobbies citing the death of her husband as the initial allure but when she had fallen down the rabbit hole of research she had learned that Ellen donated droves of her wealth to charities, almost daily. She was involved with numerous conservation efforts around the globe, housing projects for those in need, and had built an orphanage in town that was still funded by her. She had no children to speak of, no remaining family, and had stated in an interview that she felt no need to horde her wealth when she had no family to pass it on. By the time her life came to an end, she had vowed to put it all back into the world.
Mai had been moved by the petite elderly woman before she had even met her. The fact that she intended to interview Ellen for inspiration for her current work in progress was more than likely a thinly veiled excuse to meet such a kind soul. Even Timothy had made mention of it but Mai had brushed him off. She was a professional now, she would never take advantage of her status to meet her heroes. Never.
Mai giggled into her empty cup before setting it into the white farm sink to wash later.
She delved into the walk-in closet in search of her brown leather loafers that matched the bag Ayako had gifted her last year on her twenty-sixth birthday. She stepped into the shoes, tapping the pointed toes against the plush carpet to wiggle them on just so before she made her way back out towards the door. As she went, she pulled her red-hued locks up into a messy bun atop her head. She stopped at the mirror in the entranceway to pull out a few strands to frame her face and paw at her bangs. When she was satisfied with her appearance she scooped the bag from the entry table and pushed a pair of sunglasses up over her nose for good measure. Just because it was raining didn't mean it wasn't bright, Ayako would remind her, if she didn't wear sunglasses she would get wrinkles from squinting.
The hallway was quiet outside of her door. Hushed conversations were muffled by the thick walls and the black and gold patterned carpet beneath her feet. The elevator was empty when she slipped into it and she was quick to tuck her keycard into her purse in exchange for the small umbrella she had packed away a few days prior.
"Have a good day, Ms. Taniyama!" the doorman called after her as she pushed through the revolving door.
"Thanks, Hodge!" she called back with a wave over her shoulder.
The umbrella was opened and raised over her head before she dared to step out from beneath the awning of the towering hotel. It was an attractive building, boasting a club and restaurant within, so there was still plenty of foot traffic that she had to navigate before making it to the street where she hailed a cab with practiced ease.
Tomorrow, Mai had a book signing that would stretch well into the late hours of the evening, so she planned to enjoy the freedom today offered her. Not even the rain could dampen her mood!
The cab driver was friendly and talkative, happy to take her outside of the city, and took no offense when she pulled out a notebook to do a bit of work while they conversed. As much as she wished she could speak with Ellen on a friendly level, and indulge in casual conversation, it was an official interview that she had agreed to. Mai needed to jot down a few questions to ask the best she could while seated in a moving car. The city sped by outside the window while she lost herself in her work.
Mai had been writing since she graduated high school eight years ago. Initially, she had taken it up as a way to pass the time while she worked to save up to attend college. She spent her days flitting between part-time jobs, trailing after Ayako, Masako, or John to investigate hauntings, and writing in the evenings. Every cent she managed to earn was squirreled away to pay for tuition so any time she wasn't working she was stuck at home with nothing to do. Boredom had driven her to type out her first story, recalling the days she had shared ghost stories with her friends after class, and Yasuhara happened to come across it by mistake. He had been ecstatic with her work and pushed her to keep going and now here she was, on her way to meet with a fan of her work who she also hoped to use as inspiration.
Mai ran a blog and accompanying podcast with Yasuhara regarding the paranormal and they had gained quite a following even outside of Mai's readers. In the beginning, they had managed to convince Monk onto the podcast on more than one occasion and the two had nearly lost their minds when their views skyrocketed. Monk was still playing in the band and often did tours across Japan but Mai had always assumed they were more on par with a local bar band, so she was surprised when their counter hit ten-thousand views within an hour of his first guest appearance. She and Yasu had shared a devious look after that and it was only a matter of time before Masako was roped into the fray. It was fun. Mai had quickly come to realize the podcast was one of the few things that continued to keep them all together. Eventually, they would gather every weekend and share the stories of their cases (sensitive details omitted) reminiscing and answering questions that came through over chat while they streamed live.
Mai had missed the past several episodes while she was in London but she had watched the stream and said hello to everyone in the chat, promising to be home soon. Her heart ached at the thought of her patchwork family waiting for her back in Japan. She had never been one to suffer from homesickness but after nearly a month away she could admit she was beginning to feel it.
"Is this the right place?" she asked in hushed awe sometime later. The cab had turned onto a long drive that pulled them through a carefully cultivated veritable rainforest smack dab in the middle of England. She had expected large swathes of green grass, cut with rigid lines, and shrubbery crafted into unnatural shapes. But Ellen's property used up every lick of space that could be found with flora and fauna alike. As the cab trundled over cobblestone Mai caught sight of trees heavy with apples and pears.
"This is the place," he confirmed with a chuckle, "Like paradise, right?"
Mai just barely refrained from pressing her nose against the glass but her breath still fogged across the surface regardless of her efforts. "I'll say," she admitted distractedly. The vehicle passed over a small bridge that spanned the bank of a carefully planned creek.
"A lot of us kids used to come out here for Halloween because she always had a big party," the driver said, voice soft with memory, "She always gave out the biggest candy bars."
Mai laughed.
A redbrick country manor grew from the forest around it. Its grand wooden doors could just be made out beneath the layer of vines that had nestled themselves into the course brick and grown up, up, up, and over the roof. Several chimneys reached up into the grey sky with white smoke spilling from their mouths only to disperse in the rain. Warm light illuminated the windows from within as if beckoning all those passing by to visit. It looked as if it had migrated straight out of a fairytale.
The cab pulled around the circular drive and came to a stop near the stone steps whose brick posts sported lit wrought iron lanterns. She spied a few other vehicles tucked away around the side of the house under a carport, half hidden by a swath of elephant ear plants that sported leaves the size of her umbrella. Before she had even gripped the handle of her door, someone stepped out through the front entrance and waited under the awning with hands clasped before her. Mai assumed this was Lydia, Ellen's assistant. She was dressed in an intimidating black pantsuit, brown locks curled and tossed over one shoulder, and wearing a full face of impeccable make-up that put Mai's efforts to shame. Not that she had tried; she had been satisfied with just mascara and some neutral lipstick that day.
"Thank you for the ride," Mai voiced while handing over her card.
"Thank you for your company," he shot back while running the card through a handheld scanner.
Mai popped the door open and pushed her umbrella out first before following beneath it. Her purse was hefted over her shoulder for good measure, allowing herself a moment to take a steadying breath. Lydia was an intimidating woman by choice but Mai reminded herself she had dealt with far worse in the past. Besides, the woman's red lips had parted in such an utterly friendly smile that she all but skipped up the steps to meet her.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Taniyama, how was the drive over?" Lydia questioned while Mai closed her umbrella and set it aside by the door. The last thing she wanted to do was track water through the manor.
"It was great," Mai assured her a little breathlessly after the small bit of exertion.
"Excellent," Lydia said while stepping back with door in hand, gesturing for Mai to enter.
Mai sidled in through the door and fought the urge to step out of her shoes. Dark hardwood floors spanned as far as the eye could see in the grand foyer. A single wide set of stairs led up onto the second level that overlooked the room, which drew her eye to the crystal chandelier glimmering in the warm light of the small bulbs it wore. Two entryways on either side of the staircase led back into the primary living area of the house, from what she could see, as the familiar appliances of a kitchen could be glimpsed through the one on the left and through the other she could just see the back of a couch.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, clasping her hands together before her instinctively.
"It really is," Lydia agreed quietly. "Ellen will host you in the living room this evening where she insists on serving wine and horderves."
"Oh," Mai said eloquently, "I didn't expect…"
Lydia waved her off with a smile, "Ellen loves hosting, you're not inconveniencing her in the least."
"If you're certain," Mai said, reclaiming her breezy manner with ease. Still, internally, she felt a little guilty for causing the woman any sort of additional work given her age. She followed Lydia on through the right entryway and noted with surprise that a smaller hall branched off to the right under the archway but they passed by so quickly she hardly had the opportunity to inspect it. Not that she should be snooping, she mentally reprimanded herself. She ignored the curious pull from within and instead focused on examining the large room they had just entered.
A large royal blue velvet sectional seemed to be the prize of the room. It stood in the very center before a fireplace that boasted a small fire and a large flat-screen television mounted above it. A distressed Persian rug made of greens, blues, and beige had been rolled out below, taking up well over half the room. Mai wasn't certain if she had ever seen such a large rug before in her entire life.
"You're here!"
Mai did a half turn to take in the sight of the elderly woman in a cream-colored skirt suit. She had just set out two bottles of wine on an antique buffet table when they entered but now she faced them with her hands clasped together over her heart. Her smile, accentuated by the pearl pink lipstick she had chosen that day, bordered on motherly in its welcoming. Her hair was startlingly white and straight, thick as a horse's mane, and practically glittered under the warm lighting of the manor.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Worthrite, it's an honor to meet with you," Mai greeted and allowed herself a moment to bow before the woman.
"Oh, goodness," Ellen mumbled and returned the bow as best she could manage.
Mai immediately loved her. She smiled as Ellen moved forward and guided her into the living room on sensible black heels. Lydia stepped out of the room with a knowing smile on her face. Mai found herself sitting on the plush couch not a moment later with a glass of white wine in hand and a smile still tugging at her aching cheeks. Ellen was a whirlwind of activity as she put together a couple of plates for them and brought them back over to the couch and coffee table. Once she had settled herself on the other side of the couch and taken a sip of her own glass she turned to Mai with bright and expectant eyes.
"Where should we start?" Ellen asked in hushed excitement.
Mai followed Ellen's example and took a sip of her wine and set it on the glass coffee table before pulling her brown leather notebook from her purse. "I have a few specific questions but, overall, this is your story so you'd know best where to start, better than I would at least," she said with a nervous laugh.
"You're probably right," Ellen admitted with a giggle.
Mai marveled at how bright and energetic Ellen was despite her age. Even as her eyes grew distant, looking through decades of memory, there was no melancholy there. She watched as the woman thought it over, deciding where best to begin before her own gaze was pulled to the large arched windows that lined one wall of the room. Outside was a garden that looked as if it belonged to a fantasy world. Strands of lights hung between great drooping bows of weeping willows dressed in vines of ivy. Black metal patio furniture glistened in the pouring rain.
"I guess I should start by saying I never believed before…" she trailed off thoughtfully.
"In ghosts?" Mai asked for clarification.
"In any of it," Ellen admitted with a sweep of her hands, palms up. "I was raised in a different world. The only thing that mattered was money and prestige to my parents and I just assumed all the stories were just entertainment for those who were simple-minded. Of course, I realized later that was complete hogwash and I was a brat."
The two women shared a laugh. Even Mai had once thought it was all nothing but stories, she couldn't fault Ellen for that.
"And then Rupert passed away and I started to notice things happening, small things: a cup moved across the room, the light in his office would turn on, the bedroom door would open in the middle of the night," she continued.
"Did you ever feel afraid?" Mai asked softly. Her pen hovered over the open notebook in her lap while Ellen's brows furrowed and she hummed in thought.
"Not at first," she admitted haltingly, "I was still in denial and honestly thought I was just finally going senile." Ellen offered her a helpless shrug and a scoff at her own silliness. "But then the cups were tossed across the room, the lightbulb in his office would explode, and the door to my bedroom would slam open and shut. It just kept escalating and escalating until I finally understood nothing would stop until I did something. I was still so embarrassed about it all that I couldn't bring myself to go to anyone for help. I thought I'd sound crazy so I just went and bought an Ouija board."
"They can be dangerous," Mai murmured while leaning back on the couch, making herself a little more comfortable. Ellen had already slipped out of her heels and folded her legs up onto the couch.
"Yes, I learned that lesson the hard way," she admitted with pursed lips. "Through the Ouija board, I learned that it was my husband haunting the manor. He claimed that his death had been unnatural and needed to know who it was that had killed him before he could pass on. So, silly me, I tried to figure it all out myself."
"That must have been so difficult," Mai cut in when Ellen had fallen silent.
"It was," Ellen agreed with a sigh, "I didn't know who I could trust, I grew paranoid, and no matter what private investigators I hired, no one could ever find anything. All the while the activity only grew worse. Mind you, this took place over a span of several years, not days. When I was pushed down the stairs and hospitalized with a broken hip I realized I needed help. I started researching mediums and ghost hunters and investigators, etc. Until my head would spin every time I looked at my notes. I brought so many people in and no one seemed to be able to understand what was going on. Some said it was my husband haunting me, some said it wasn't, and some said they couldn't sense anything at all. It wasn't until I found the local researchers based out of London three years ago that anything changed."
Mai pursed her lips and reached for her glass of wine. It didn't take a rocket scientist to piece together the group she was referring to. She was just happy that Ellen was so deep into her story that she didn't even notice Mai's shift in demeanor. She swallowed a gulp of wine along with the sigh that threatened to spill out of her mouth.
"They spent three nights here, locked away in a room with equipment and a whole team of specialists before they figured it all out. My husband had been murdered, certainly, but the man had used a hex! An evil spirit was summoned to kill my husband and then pretended to be him in his absence and manipulate me until I too would have eventually met my end."
"That's horrible!" Mai exclaimed in hushed tones. "Did they figure out who it was?"
Ellen shook her head mournfully and said: "No, never, we have so many enemies. There's no way to pin down who it is as the method of curse doesn't even require physical contact."
"Is?" Mai questioned hesitantly.
"Oh yes, every couple of months or so since, it comes back again," she shrugged helplessly. "Then I have to call them back out here and they break the hex and put up protection but it only lasts for so long…" She heaved a sigh and sipped her wine. "In the meantime, I've now cultivated an image as an occult fanatic and people think I'm crazy."
"I don't think you're crazy, Ellen, you're a wonderful and amazingly strong individual," Mai assured her, reaching out to grip one of her hands in hers.
"You're a good girl, Taniyama Mai," Ellen crooned with a watery chuckle.
Mai felt her heart fracture in her chest. Poor Ellen. She did not deserve such cruel actions from anyone. Mai couldn't imagine a kinder person in the world than the woman sitting before her at that moment. Who would possibly feel the need to continue to torment her in her old age? What could they possibly have to gain? No one would get her wealth if she were to pass beside any she might have listed in her will.
Suspicion stirred up within her chest.
"Ellen?"
The two turned in their seats as Lydia stepped into the room wearing an apologetic expression. She seemed loathed to interrupt them but Mai was grateful for the moment of reprieve it offered her. She could school her facial expressions back into place and set her nosey tendencies aside.
"They're asking for you in the office," Lydia explained.
"Oh!" Lydia pushed herself to her feet, knees popping, and stepped back into her shoes with the grace of someone half her age. "I'll be right there. Mai, honey, why don't you help yourself to some of these snacks and another glass of wine while you're at it."
Mai chuckled, "I'll do just that, thank you."
The two women left Mai to her own devices not a moment later. Despite the new knowledge she had gathered regarding the manor it still felt just as cozy and comfortable as it had the moment she had walked through the door. She supposed that was thanks to the efforts of her 'research group'. Mai scoffed lightly to herself before she stood and took her glass over to the buffet table. She poured herself a glass of White Zinfandel this time around. She didn't feel too comfortable eating and drinking over the Persian rug so she took her glass and plate over to the large glittering white marble-topped island in the kitchen and took a seat on a tall barstool.
"Pretty," she murmured to herself, running a hand over the stone. She might even have to redecorate her kitchen back home to include a similar countertop. But Monk had been so proud of the butcherblock countertop he put together for her, she couldn't imagine swapping it out. Maybe for the bathroom.
Mai took another sip of wine, knowing it would have to be her last glass. Her cheeks were already a little pink and a pleasant buzz had taken over her when Ellen had left. She popped a miniature cheese pastry into her mouth. If she could eat enough now she could avoid an awkward cab ride home in which she made an idiot of herself.
Distracted, she flipped back through the few notes that she had taken while Ellen spoke. She was a little surprised that BSPR had not resolved her issue in three years. Scratch that, she was pretty gobsmacked to learn about it. The case had never been closed, they just slapped a bandaid over it to stem the bleeding and came back every now and then to swap it out with a new one.
Mai lifted her pen and spun it about between her fingers in an effort to reclaim her tranquil calm. It wouldn't do to delve down that road. If she felt so strongly about it then she could just solve the problem herself.
"Mai?"
She turned to look back through the archway, not recognizing the voice and then dropped her pen. It plummeted to the floor with a horrendous clatter, smacking about against the hardwood as if possessed itself.
"Lin?" she asked in a strangled tone.