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[She nods, not even bothered in the slightest.]

Sure thing. I'm not going anywhere.

I'll be by in a little while then.

[She takes a deep breath.]

There's nothing for you to worry about probably.

We'll see. If it's worrying you, I'm not going to brush it off.

[There's the faintest hint of relief on Yelena's face, but she just nods in acknowledgement, and perhaps as a silent thank you.]

I guess we'll see then. I'll talk to you later.

[Yelena disconnects, waiting for a while for more replies and to finish her drink before eventually making her way over to Annabeth's suite.]

[Annabeth's chilling in her suite, mostly going over whatever notes she's made since arriving (all written in Ancient Greek). It's a bit of time before someone knocks at her door, but she's only expecting one person, so she gets up quickly and half jogs to open it.]

Hey, c'mon in.

[Yelena looks even more tired in person. Annabeth makes a gesture towards the couches]

[Yelena gives Annabeth a smile and heads in, directly moving for the corner of one couch that she always sits on when she visits.

She hasn't looked around Annabeth's place in a while, noticing everything as it always is, but this time she's a little more cautious, looking over the entire open space. It's easy enough to guess that she's checking for ghosts.]

Thanks for letting me drop in.

[The caution is noted right off the bat, and from Yelena's post over the network, Annabeth figures it's ghost related.]

Not a problem. You're welcome whenever.

[She pauses for a moment, coming to sit on the other side of the couch.] There aren't any ghosts in my suite, at least that I've noticed yet.

[Yelena breathes deeply and nods. Some of the tension in her shoulders eases, and she gives Annabeth a wry smile.]

Good, I'm glad. I've been followed by ghosts twice since they started showing up. I don't know if there's a lot all over the city or what but it seems like I keep seeing them everywhere I turn around.

They're not malicious as far as I can tell but...still. It's unexpected and it probably doesn't mean anything good is coming.

[Paranoid? You bet.]

I've noticed a handful around the sector, but none in my suite so far. Mischievous, maybe, but I haven't thought to call them malicious either, and I've seen some very malicious ghosts. I'm pretty suspicious, too, though. Ghosts don't just show up all over without reason.

[Though she's still looking at you with concern, Yelena, because that paranoia is radiating. So she doesn't mention that she's tried talking to them right now. Nico would probably be of great help right now, to be honest.]

I have too. Seen malicious ghosts, that is.

[She shakes her head, then makes a noise of frustration and runs a hand over her ponytail.]

I'm probably worrying over nothing. No one has seen ghosts from worlds other than this one, so far as I can tell.

[Annabeth frowns, especially at the seeing malicious ghosts - whatever's bothering Yelena, it's clearly related to that. And then without really beating around the bush much further:]

It might not be nothing. Is there something from home you're worried about?

[Yelena hasn't told anyone about Reyad. Not here. Not back home. Back home it was complicated, because of course, who would believe an "ungrateful orphan" over the general of a military district?

Here, well, if she didn't have to think about it she didn't want to. She was caught in a state of paranoia with the ghosts running around, however, and Yelena couldn't help but worry that Reyad would show up. With a deep breath, Yelena considered Annabeth and...well, tentatively hedged toward an answer.]

It's nothing that makes me worry about anyone else, just...myself. There was a ghost back home.

[Whatever it is, Annabeth can tell it's bothering her friend immensely.]

Something malicious.

[A slight callback. It's not really a question, because everything so far points to that conclusion. But it's also a bit of gentle encouragement, should Yelena care to add more - but Annabeth won't push.]

[She nods and...well, decides it's better to admit this to Annabeth than risk Reyad showing up and doing something. Not that she knows that he could but Yelena wouldn't want to risk it.]

His name was Reyad. I...

[Yelena swallows. She wants to think that she knows Annabeth well enough that she can say for certainty that the other girl will understand, but there's just no telling,and Yelena's far more used to others thinking the worst of her when it comes to this.]

I killed him. [Yelena looks away and winds the tip of her ponytail around her fist.] His spirit would come to me at times back home. I haven't seen him since I got here but with so many ghosts showing up now...

[The first thing Annabeth thinks is if Yelena killed someone, it was with reason. She knows the other girl well enough at this point to know that for certain. Her expression both softens and turns a shade contemplative.]

He was haunting you. [A brief pause.] To extract revenge?

[Her voice is surprisingly understanding, even as revenge is her first conclusion. It all reminds her of King Minos, even if he wasn't targeting her for revenge, exactly.]

[The lack of outcry is a good sign. There's no talk of "You're a murderer?" from Annabeth which gives Yelena a measure of relief that confiding in her isn't an entirely poor idea.]

Probably. I think it amuses him to taunt me during...everything.

[One could say Reyad had haunted her well before his death, and dying had changed only what he could do and nothing of his nature. He'd been as awful alive as dead.]

Back home no one could see him but me, I think, but if it works differently here...there's no telling what he'd do or say if he showed up. To anyone he wanted.

[She scowls, at the the taunting.]

I bet that made things difficult for you. [The fact that only Yelena herself could see him. It doesn't even occur to Annabeth to be disbelieving. What reason does she have to distrust? Yelena's got an honesty about her, and Annabeth has some experience in the undead to know what's being told as possible.]

If it helps, I think most of the people here don't seem particularly interested in the goings-on of the ghosts. [She frowns in thought, trying to think of things to argue against the possibility of this turning out badly for Yelena.] The ones here don't seem to say much either.

Edited 2012-10-29 22:40 (UTC)

[Difficult? Yelena just sort of huffs half a bitter chuckle. Yeah, it makes things difficult.]

I hope that remains the case then. Reyad is...

[Yelena's throat grows tight as the memories start to trickle back again. It's the first time she's really thought about him since she's arrived and now she can't help it. The time he almost lit her on fire. The experiments with his father that pushed her to her limits. The days she spent naked in chains, forced to do flip after flip for Reyad's amusement, hoping that by doing as she was told he wouldn't cross the line any further...

...and the time she was of no more use to Brazell and given freely over to Reyad, and how Reyad had crossed that line in brutal, violent ways that were to serve as only the start.

She swallows.]

He was a monster, and he's still a monster. The other ghosts here may be quiet and the people may not care, but if he showed up here he wouldn't be the same at all.

[Annabeth reads Yelena's body language, and she doesn't like it. She shifts a little closer on the couch, but she doesn't reach out to touch - the contact, though meant well, could have a negative reaction. Annabeth herself doesn't even like to be touched most of the time.]

If he does show up here, I'll do whatever I can to help. And to stop him.

[If Nico were here, he could even control him.]

[And whatever it was, it was horrible, from the way Yelena's speaking and holding herself. It makes her mad, because Yelena's so good; she doesn't deserve that fear and haunting. But she's outwardly trying to be and look as supportive as she can.]

But if beings from other worlds can only be summoned... I'm not sure what good a ghost would for the Emperor's plan.

[Also what she hopes is comforting logic.]

[It's a good attempt to be comforting, and it's almost enough to ease her fears but for the mention of the Emperor.]

Just because we don't know doesn't mean it's not possible that he could play some part. We don't even know what the Emperor wants with us.

[She sucks in a breath and tries to calm herself. Another time she'd focus her energy into katas with her staff, but she's too agitated to consider it now.]

Back home as a ghost he never did anything, couldn't touch me anymore, couldn't be seen by anyone but me. He'd just appear and he'd talk to me...

[But his presence had been upsetting, and the memory affected her enough that she hadn't realized she made a slip and said that he couldn't touch her anymore.]

We know she wants us to save this world. But you're right in that what that entails is still up in the air.

[She reads the agitation, starts pondering ways to help lower it.]

[The couldn't touch me anymore catches Annabeth's attention right away, with unfortunate implications.]

Just because something can't touch you doesn't mean it can't be a horrible experience. Especially since you were the only one who could see him.

[And there was some sort of contact before he died. Probably violent. She pauses.] Yelena... whatever he did to you - if he showed up here, I wouldn't let him near you.

[Ignoring the fact that he would be ghost and she is not a daughter of Hades. But she's Annabeth fucking Chase, and she would logic her way through it. She doesn't like seeing Yelena like this.]

[Horrible seems an understatement, but Yelena nods. That she's not in this alone is...really the comfort. In Ixia there was no one she could talk to about this, and no one who believed her. Annabeth was there for her and it meant more than her paltry words could express.]

Thank you. That means a lot. I did some talking to some other people who replied to my network post. I met another who said he could talk to ghosts and there was a woman who said she had a spell that could keep ghosts out of our suites but she'd have to do the spell in the place itself or teach us the spell...

[And Annabeth already knows how doing magic is treated in Ixia. Surely she'll understand Yelena's hesitation.]

Maybe you could give the conversations a look and see if they're anyone you think could be trusted. I don't know them at all.

[She understands the hesitation, knowing what she does now about Yelena's home. She also knows Yelena's not the most trusting individual either, and she gets that, too. Annabeth isn't even sure she could do the spell if taught - she doesn't have that sort of power. Now more than ever she wishes Nico were here.]

[But she nods.] Absolutely. And if you do need their services, I'll be there, too, while it goes on.

There's someone I know from home - if he ever showed up here, I know he could help. So I know there are ways.

Edited (gj html - WHAT THE FUCK HTML) 2012-11-06 03:04 (UTC)

[Interesting allies you have, Annabeth. Yelena gives her a cautious, measured look before nodding.]

In the meantime do you think it would hurt to let her do the spell? Rather than try to do it ourselves.

[Yes, she's including you in this Annabeth. Getting one thing out of the way before delving into the rest, perhaps.]

If she's telling the truth, no - I don't think it would hurt. Preventative measures never do.

[That hasn't gone unnoticed - the fact that Yelena is quite unapologetically including her in this. She doesn't mind, of course, and would gladly do so regardless. If anything, it only fuels Annabeth's desire to be there. She can't let Yelena down.]

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