somewhere else to go [niamh]

[JULIAN SILAS MITCHELL]

He'd tried to avoid this place, the run-down building that used to be the pharmacy that his parents had run. Now, it just looked like a ruin, much like the rubble where their old house used to be. Julian had tried, over and over again, to tell himself that he didn't need to keep going back to landmarks in his past just to figure out where his future was going. He'd had plenty of time to consider starting over, to try to shake off the demons and ghosts in his past (some were even literal, since he was a ghost and Riley was a demon), but he wasn't doing a very good job of any of it. So far, most of the faces he'd encountered in this town were... familiar, one way or another, and he was hopeful that eventually, he might find the comfort of a stranger to help him forget who he used to be and no longer was. That was the funny thing about death – even though when you're a ghost, you're still technically in the same body, you just don't feel the same anymore. In the beginning, Julian had missed the fire in his blood, which was something he never thought he'd miss; fire was just as destructive as it was a resource, after all, and so many firetamers used it to destroy instead of assist others like he had chosen to do by becoming a firefighter. Julian just didn't feel like that guy anymore, that firetamer who wanted to be a hero just to prove to all the others that good could come from something beautifully destructive. That they weren't better than the other people on the planet, but had a responsibility to do something bigger for the entire world.

But now war had started, and Julian found himself back at the beginning, wanting to see if he could find the hero within himself again instead of the bitter, lonely ghost that had seeped into his bones. From the minute he'd tried to get back out into the world and find a new identity for himself, the ghost felt like he had been making a series of mistakes. Sleeping with Riley, kissing Cierra, going back to the old building that held so many memories from his childhood and young adulthood when he was happy, healthy, and alive. Julian walked around the back and saw a tree that used to be thriving and lush, but now was starting to wilt and die... he remembered teaching Matty how to climb that tree, and how his grumpy younger brother had used it as a sanctuary to hide from the world after he'd realized that he could make it all the way to the top. Julian had hopes that they could play in it together, maybe even talk their father into building them a little tree house with the money that Julian used to save up doing odd jobs during the summer – mowing lawns and other jobs that kids did before they could actually find employment. But Matty had never wanted to play with him; Julian had given him the tools to separate himself even further from the world, and now the ghost regretted that decision just like he regretted so much else in life. And in death, since he seemed to be bound to make new mistakes every single day that he went out and about, where people could see him and interact with him. Maybe Matty had the right idea, distancing himself from the world, where people could hurt him... but in doing so, he'd never learned to feel or have compassion for others, either, and even though there was a lot of heartache that existed in the real world, Julian knew that he wouldn't trade his mistakes for a lack of emotion. He'd rather feel everything than nothing.

As he made his way closer to the mangled tree, he heard footsteps and considered going invisible for a minute, taking himself away from the world and more possible regrets, but at the very last minute, he decided to stay solid. ”Hello? Somebody out there?” He had no idea who or what was out there, but he figured that if he stopped taking chances, he'd also miss out on opportunities, and he couldn't allow himself to shut himself away like his brother had done.

OUTFIT:

[/color] Here![/blockquote][/justify]

[NIAMH SINEAD FLYNN]

that's when finner would say

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keep your hands held high

Niamh really had no idea where she was. A simple stroll outside with the addition of trying to take a shortcut or two back home had landed her in the middle of fucking nowhere. With each minute that passed, and with each step she took around, the redhead could feel herself becoming even more frustrated. It didn't help that she had a wicked temper, and her patience was indeed nearing their limits. Not that there were much to begin with in terms of boundaries whenever it came to her temper. It was obvious that she had landed herself in an area of Manuka that she hadn't visited before, and from the looks of the area, no one seemed to have wanted to anyway. The buildings in the area were all decrepit and abandoned, some even nothing more than dust and rubble. It gave her the heebie jeebies. This was the kind of area typical ghosts haunted, and the poor Irish did not like ghosts. They gave her the willies, and scared her out of her wits. Blame that schmuck who scared her over ten years ago.

The redhead ran a hand through her tangled locks and blinked confusedly. Where should she go now? Every road looked the same, and Niamh was half tempted to run away screaming. Any ghost who was looking for a bit of mischief would have received it by appearing behind her and whispering boo. Ironically, there was a ghost here that she was soon about to meet, but Niamh didn't know that. She had no idea Malcolm was a ghost as well for the time being too. Mal was sweet person, and his species of being one of the dead was the last thing on the girl's mind. It seemed rather harsh to continuously stereotype the dead as nasty beings who went around scaring people, but the girl really had been traumatized terribly in her youth. It was no surprise to anyone that her opinions on them weren't very pleasant.

She approached the first abandoned building her blue eyes set on, and hesitantly walked towards it. The chances of anyone being here were unlikely, but since she was here, she might as well explore a bit. "Hellooooo...?" called Niamh, and flinched when her voice echoed around the empty building. There was a reason why she absolutely hated horror movies, and this was one of them. Anything and anyone can get her at anytime, and she would be too freaked to do anything. Crossing her arms, the immortal cautiously wandered through, her senses on high alert. If anything popped out, she was going to scream the place down, damn the consequences. She very nearly did when her greeting was met by an answer, and quickly clapped her tiny hands to her mouth. What the hell. The Irish continued forward and went to the back, soon enough being greeted by a dying tree. Could the creepy situations get any worse?

"Aye, it'd be me," said Niamh, poking her head through the rotting door. The lad that stood in front of the tree seemed normal enough...hopefully, but you had to be careful these days. Things could happen. "Seems like a creepy place to be, innit?" she asked thickly, her Irish accent becoming more prominent as her anxiety continued increasing. "Wot're ye doin here?"

TAGS SEAJAY! WORDS

[/b] - NOTES HI <3[/div][/center]

[JULIAN SILAS MITCHELL]

Julian really hadn't expected anyone to be there. Hell, the ghost knew that he probably shouldn't have even been there, because the memories that surrounded the place were only so pleasant before he remembered the reason why it wasn't a thriving business anymore. He couldn't blame his parents for wanting to leave Manuka and start over somewhere where people wouldn't know the story of how their younger son had murdered their older one by blowing him up along with their entire house while they were on vacation. Even though Manuka was still large enough to be considered a city, the way that people knew and interacted with one another here made it impossible for that kind of thing not to follow somebody around, and he guessed that his folks had probably gotten tired of the rumors, the prying, and the gestures of grief and sympathy that surrounded them. That's why he couldn't blame them for wanting to start over, even if it meant leaving him and all his positive memories of what it had been like to have a loving home and family (except for his brother) behind as well. The ghost made it out back, behind the old building to where the tree that he and Matty used to climb as kids was rotting in the ground, and that's when he heard the noise. At first, he was tempted to just disappear – leave the person to whatever plans they had made, but then... then, he decided that he wanted to make his presence known, especially if the person was there to cause trouble. Even though it wasn't being used to anything, and would probably be demolished eventually, it was still something of a special place to him, and he didn't want some hapless trickster ruining it just for the fun of it all. Destruction was... well, it was something he never understood, because Julian had been more about the preservation of things for as long as he could remember. A voice sounded out, and he took a step back toward the tree just as he saw a pretty, redheaded girl step out from inside the house.

”Except I don't actually know who you are, so introducing yourself as 'me' seems kind of pointless,” Julian said, furrowing his brow a little bit. Okay, maybe that was rude, but he'd come here to wallow in his sorrows a bit, do the stereotypical 'lonely ghost' thing, and he'd gotten interrupted by someone who was essentially invading his family's old business. Mitchell's Family Drug Store had never made tons of money or anything, but his father liked being a business owner, and had loved his customers, and that was enough to put food on the table, so Julian had always appreciated the man's efforts. His father knew the value of an honest day's work, and that was something that Julian always aspired to as well. You know, when he was alive and actually worked a job like regular folks did.

The ghost crossed his arms when the redheaded stranger said that the place was creepy and tilted his head to the side. ”I guess creepy's a matter of opinion. I don't think this place is so bad...” But it was special to him, and she wouldn't know that. ”Also, you're kinda trespassing, so...” Julian said, even though he didn't want to be rude. Whoever she was, the girl was somebody that he didn't recognize, and that was kind of comforting, since he knew a lot of people in town, and all those people knew he was dead. ”Sorry, I'm kinda having a bad day. I'm Julian.” If she wanted to stick around, maybe he could make a new friend, but he wouldn't blame her if she wanted to leave, since he was kind of being an ass.

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