Chapter 1 - "I just want to help", "Then help me." - 19th of Rebirth's Height

[consultmybooks]

Is this supposed to be some sort of a joke?

[The orb shows a middle aged man standing in the shadow of the castle walls. He doesn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the persistent rain, except to glance around him at the grey landscape every so often with the look of one lost. He doesn't even seem as though he's getting wet at all.

The especially observant might notice that this is because the rain doesn't appear to be touching him.

More importantly, this man looks decidedly upset, with the stance and bearing of one who's either ready for a fight or who has just escaped one. It's true that the man who'd been there to explain things to him when he'd woken up here probably didn't find Giles a ready listener. He'll go back and apologize later, after he's calmed down. If he's calmed down. The urge to hit something is made all the sharper by the fact that he can't.]

I-I've been dragged away from my home and, and expected to save a kingdom of, of idiots who, who d-don't even know not to mess with forces they admit are beyond their comprehending! A-And to make matters so much worse, they've done so in a way to ensure that I can't help anyone!

[Giles glances back at the wall, and if looks could kill that stone would crumble. As it stands, Giles merely swipes a hand at it, and his mood is not improved when his blow merely passes through the stone, as noticeable as a breeze and even less effective. Giles massages his hand more out of reflex than anything else as he turns back to the orb.]

They, they said that only other..."heroes" [a word he says with evident distaste] have these things. If so, then, then speak up. If you're not from this place, then you might be at least marginally more helpful than the people who actually live here. And, a-and like this...you all are, um, my only way to have any idea of what's going on.

[He sighs, some of the fight leaving his body, if only from the memory of exhaustion.]

Rupert Giles. Um, nice to meet you.

Comments

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura Ryou, nice to meet you. [[smiles with a small bow of his head]]

I don't know if I can be much help in helping figuring out what's going on... the people here... they don't really seem to have much idea and none of us have really been able to figure out too much yet.

[[and since it's a little hard to tell via the orb..]]

You can go through walls? [[Not jumping to conclusions just yet.]]

[consultmybooks]

[Giles heaves a sigh. As much as he'd like to think he's not the only one who got dragged into this kingdom dead...that probably would cause questions, wouldn't it?

He answers Bakura's question by stepping back inside the wall and then stepping back out again.]

That much, at least, I have been able to gather. The, um, th-the going through walls bit. Of course, I, I gathered as much by accident, but...yes, I can. Part of the territory, I suppose.

[He shakes his head as though to clear it, before looking back at Bakura.]

Anything might help. Certainly would help me. What, um, what have you found out so far?

[shiromadoushi]

Aaaaa, that's so cool! Something new for here, since you didn't know? [[looking far too interested in this, whoops]]

[[oh right, right, being helpful]] Mmm... there's the thorns that we're here to try and stop, but they can't be affected by anything anyone's tried yet, and the spell that brought us here was their last ditch effort, only something made it go a bit wrong, I think. Everyone gets changed somehow, mostly gaining powers and a character class. There's a person who seems to be helping us, or at least that one time, who's some sort of supernatural creature, and another one who was with the thorns that looked like a bird that someone talked to... [[realizing he's starting to ramble a bit as he just tries to list off things and rubs the back of his neck a bit sheepishly]] It's sort of like a storybook good vs evil sort of thing, really!

[consultmybooks]

[Looking far too interested in this. Since Giles isn't terribly eager to discuss his dead state, he latches onto the information on the rest of his situation.]

..."character class"?

[The words ring a very faint bell.]

I, um, I haven't seen any thorns. Of course, I only got here about...[and here he pulls what appears to be a pocket watch out of his pocket to check]...twenty minutes ago, so I suppose I might have missed them.

[shiromadoushi]

They're about 2 or 3 days travel from here, thankfully. And moving pretty slowly, so we have time still to figure it out. Though there are some in the forest near by, but those only show and night and they don't seem to be related to anything.

And character class like in an RPG or video game. Like a mage or a knight or something like that. Though normally you get the outfit that matches... [[half muses to himself]]

[consultmybooks]

[...Giles actually facepalms at this last. He's standing a couple of feet back from the orb, but the words "Damn it, Andrew" might still be audible to Bakura.]

Right. Encroaching thorns. Fairy tales. I don't suppose there are any sleeping princesses around, then? That would solve the problem well enough, if, if I'm remembering all the old stories right.

[And he normally does.]

[shiromadoushi]

[[Scratches at his cheek a little.]] Aaa... not at the moment... [[If he would have arrived the day before, however... but the less time spent on that the better, as far as he was concerned.]]

It's a different sort of thorn than just that, I think. Most of the regular fairy tales seem to be sort of regular occurrences, so really, I don't think anything out of them would be what we're looking for.

[consultmybooks]

Regular...

...nowhere could hold up under that sort of assault. Not, not for long. Really, considering that, it, it seems as though they've brought us in to fight against the inevitable.

[...] Perhaps they weren't quite so idiotic in choosing me, then. Better myself than Buffy, at least.

[shiromadoushi]

I don't think most of them even notice, to be honest! It's just sort of like... [[a pause. Like tournaments back in Domino. But no one would get that...]] Like how in places that get a lot of earthquakes, the smaller ones, you don't even really notice. It's just how things are.

This something you're familiar with, then?

[consultmybooks]

I used to work in a town situated over a portal to hell.

[...] And then in a village where we were, um, periodically beset with experiments that changed the world around us.

This specific situation, no, but the general idea is something I'm, um, rather distressingly familiar with.

In other words? I've, um, seen a great many earthquakes.

[shiromadoushi]

[[a small nod]] Hopefully it'll help. Or at least help with it not being too much of a bother.

[consultmybooks]

I'm, um, I'm not entirely sure there's much that can bother me, like this.

[shiromadoushi]

[[blink blink]] "Like this?" You mean being brought to this place?

[consultmybooks]

I meant being a ghost, actually.

I'm sure there are a great many spells and, um, possibly even some creatures that could certainly harm me. But I'm, um, somewhat removed from the world at large as a ghost.

...I suppose it might have some uses.

[1/2]

[shiromadoushi]

[[So that WAS what it looked like!]]

Aaaa, you really are one?! But you can still talk to everyone and everything? Aaaaa, that's so cool!

[shiromadoushi]

[[And then the belated realization that if this person HADN'T been one before...

Suddenly looking so sheepish and rubbing the back of his neck]]

Aaaa.. sorry.

[consultmybooks]

[Should have been. But, wasn't. He seems to take Bakura's apology reasonably well, at least.]

So you can, um, understand my frustration with the general situation, then.

[shiromadoushi]

Un. [[nods]] But since it's a story book sort of world, there should be all sorts of things a ghost can do, right?

[consultmybooks]

...I suppose so.

I just, um, hate the idea of being forced into that particular...[And here the air quotes are definitely verbalized, even if Giles would never stoop to making the gesture himself.]..."role".

Possessing people is terribly impolite, and, and from my few attempts thus far I'll probably have to put forth a great deal of practice to m-manage anything like telekinesis.

[shiromadoushi]

Aaa... [[Pardon him a moment as he has a tiny uncomfortable though at the possession comment. Though it was totally different if it was a voluntary thing...]]

You could try asking...? I mean, as long as you aren't going to do anything bad while you're there... or don't block them out entirely so it's more like sharing than anything else. [[Like how Yuugi always seemed aware of things when the other him was in control. Yuugi didn't at all seem to mind it because it was a friend.]]

And it's worth a try! Even in this place... there's no way they'd give you a role that was just useless, right? Even if you don't know how to use it just yet.

[consultmybooks]

Are you offering, then? [And, because the boy so obviously isn't.]

That would, um, be the ideal arrangement for the both of us. Whoever the second person turns out to be. As it stands, I'm, I'm not sure...if I could do that, even if I wanted to. Most of my observation of ghosts comes from, from restless or otherwise angry spirits that allow as little control to the body's proper owner as possible.

[But, that's really not what Giles wants out of the deal. Hence the reluctance.]

I suppose it is only the first day. And, even if it is a bit hard to tell past these clouds, the, the day is young.

[shiromadoushi]

[[Looks down a little]] I know it can be done... my best friend back home... he was very good friends with a spirit who shared his body. They were able to talk with each other, tell what was going on when the other was in control and they worked together like partners. So I know they don't all have to be the revenge spirit type! [[Even if that was the sort he got stuck with....]]

[consultmybooks]

Your friend was very fortunate, then. And I'll certainly do what I can to make the process as easy for whoever is letting me ride along as I possibly can.

Have you seen many other ghosts in this place? Or am I the first?

[shiromadoushi]

The first! [[and he's suddenly all cheer again.]] I was starting to think that if there were ghosts here, they were the sort like back home that couldn't be seen. [[says with a small laugh before he gets that sheepish, embarrassed look again, realizing that he's being rude.]] Aaa-- sorry. This sort of thing... it's really fascinating to me, I really don't me to be so rude about it.

[consultmybooks]

[Giles waves off the concern as casually as he can manage, in his current state.] You're, you're hardly being rude, Bakura. [He is, just a bit, bu t in the grand scheme of things it's like a mosquito bite.] Honestly, in your state, I'd be just as fascinated meeting a ghost that wasn't hostile while still being capable of communication.