Ghostly problems (Me and Maverik)

[Yare]

So I picked out of a hat and chose my ghost character. Like I said, she can be harmed.

Name: Ynx (when with the living, Claire)
Species: Once human -- now deceased
Age: It's been sixteen years since her death, but being dead she can make herself any age she wishes
Sex: Female
Appearance: Red hair going just past her shoulders, bangs cut above her eyes, and hazel eyes -- wears a red/magenta sweater and faded blue jeans.
Personality: Tough, no-nonsense, rebellious, but a nice person
Background: Ynx's family was killed in a house fire when her mother was seven months pregnant with her. Her mother, being pregnant with her first child, hung in limbo between life and death as she bartered for Ynx's life. Her mother was allowed to stay in Death until she gave birth to Ynx, but then had to give her up -- her price. Her parents chose to end their time in Death after that and ceased to exist. Because of the limbo her mother hung in as her body was destroyed, the fire fused with Ynx's developing body and she has the ability to use fire in her Death, causing her to be called the Crimson phantom. Fire is the only thing to which ghosts are susceptible, and so she was rejected by many people as a child. She became a Ghost Finder at an early age, which is the term for a ghost who's job is to seek out ghosts who have escaped Death and gone to the world of the Living, where they cause problems. She carries a katana (invisible when sheathed) on her back for this purpose and lives with a dead doctor, his wife, and their five year old daughter, Carry, born in Death, which a ghost can do if they let themselves get pregnant in Death. She idealizes her real parents and wishes she could have known them.

There she is. I don't like vampires much, but aside from that I'm good with mostly anything.

[Maverik]

Name: Vanis

Species: Skeleton

Age: Died at age 27. Reanimated for 15 years.

Sex: Male at time of death. Currently not applicable.

Appearance: Skeletons often need little description, and Vanis is no exception. Besides the eerie blue glow where his eyes once rested, the corpse exhibits physical traits common in all other skeletons. Essentially nothing more than magic controlling a corpse, Vanis' structure can appear as monstrous or "normal" as however he deems necessary.

Beyond his normal structure, Vanis is often seen wearing a few odd pieces of decoration. The ornaments are rarely constant, often changing depending on either the situation, or Vanis' own disposition or mood.

Personality: When one sees a skeleton, one usually sees death; A grim visage of cold, unfeeling bones; A twisted effigy of humanity. Vanis is, contrasting the "stock" undead, the complete opposite. After all: It's important to have good PR in the modern world. While he isn't exactly as lovable as a puppy, Vanis would like to think that he's better company than some of his "associates".

Background: Vanis' sentience was noticed at an early... "age", as it were. The fortunate sack of bones was reanimated by some now-deceased necromancer, but in a manner that seemed to have occurred purely as a twist of fate. There is no sensible reason for the skeleton's creation, but experts have narrowed down the possibilities. Either the wannabe villain was inept, incompetent, or drunk, as an abnormal amount of magic was funneled into corpse.

Not just an "Oops, I spilled a little magic" sort of abnormal. Not even an "I made an extra pitcher of magic". The magnitude of the mistake is best explained as an "I didn't know oil spills came in magic variety". Needless to say, this created some sort of abnormality.

After Vanis' unusual capabilities were evaluated, the skeleton was put to work in what his kind was best suited for: Killing. Within a few weeks of discovery, the skeleton was carted off to a private military firm with a reputation for hiring exotic individuals.

The rest, they say, is history. Or something along those lines. Vanis passed evaluation, and currently resides as an undead mercenary. His company, Ascension Incorporation, offers his services to whoever requires it... for a price.

[Yare]

This is going to take a bit of thinking. In the universe Ynx is from, a zombie like this wouldn't exist. We could have it so that he ended his time in Death and was reanimated then...

[Maverik]

Well, he isn't "alive" in the sense of "He was once a person". Rather, I tried to think of it as concentrating magic itself to the point of sentience, albeit on a small scale.

Kind of like an autonomous golem or something, rather than a human brought back ground beyond.

[Yare]

Are you saying he was never once alive? I don't follow what you posted.

[Maverik]

The person who the skeleton belonged to was alive. He died, went wherever, and left the corpse behind.

The corpse was then reanimated. Besides being made of the same bones as the last person, the current "person" has no bearing to who the last guy was.

[Yare]

Ahh, all right. I suppose that can work.

I'll start it off then.

------------

Ynx put her sword away on her back, and it instantly disappeared from sight. She walked away from where the ghost had been and went on her way.

She didn't feel like going back to Death yet, so she took a walk around the secluded area. She couldn't help but feel that someone was in the area.

[Maverik]

Vanis sighed, as much as an animated pile of bones could, as he sat himself down on an unremarkable stump. His work was slower than usual, despite the overall increase in incidents that actually required specialists such as himself. From rogue ghosts to megalomaniac magicians to government-agencies-with-ties-to-ancient-cultures, it seemed that problems were solving themselves as soon as they popped up.

The only logical explanation was that his company had competition, which wasn't that far fetched. They didn't exactly have a monopoly in the first place, and at today's age, anyone ca make a business out of anything.

Another sigh echoed through the skeleton's bones as he readjusted his hat, his thoughts slowly drifting elsewhere.

[Yare]

(He wouldn't be fighting ghosts, that would be Ynx's job. It takes ghosts to kill ghosts.)

Ynx heard something that intrigued her. It didn't sound proper for one of the living, but it wasn't a ghost, either. She made herself permeable, walked through a couple of trees and bushes, and saw something that made her look twice.

It was a skeleton, sitting on a stump.

[Maverik]

(( That seems a bit odd. I thought all you needed was fire. Plus a bit of supernatural-ness, which is quite on par with what he is. =P ))

It was just Vanis' luck that he was absently staring into the exact spot where the ghost assembled itself. The sudden appearance of the newcomer immediately snapped the skeleton's mind from whatever deep philosophy he was contemplating back into the here-and-now.

"Whoa! What the-?" His voice, usually a deep echo with a hint of cold wind, was full of surprise, and the undead couldn't help but 'stare' incredulously at the person before him. His surprise faded to curiosity, though, and as he stared straight at Ynx, another voice echoed from his skull.

"Who are you?"

[Yare]

(Fire yes, but only ghosts really have dealings with them, as they're Death's responsibility. No outside firm would go after them, and they'd fail anyway without equipment made for it in Death. And appeared, not assembled herself =P)

Ynx raised one eyebrow. 'A walking skeleton surprised by a ghost,' she mused. 'Interesting. I'm Ynx. Who are you?'

[Maverik]

(( I dunno... A flamethrower does wonders. If it's a modern fantasy, I'd expect at least one government body to have funding to deal with it. Appeared, assembled... same difference for our postmortem friend. =P ))

"Hey, it's not my fault you popped out from nowhere." Vanis' voice held a faint tone of annoyance as he sighed to the ghost. His tone dissipated as quickly as it appeared, though, as he happily answered the newcomer's question.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Valis, one of those crazy mercs you usually see walking downtown." He paused for a moment, tilting his skull to the side as he pondered on what more he could say. "I'm not really that crazy, though. At least not as bad as some of the others. And it's not like you see very many mercs like me, either. Regardless, pleased to meet you."

[Yare]

(Nah, the dead keep themselves pretty secluded. They keep it hidden from the living as much as possible.)

Ynx gave a wry grin. 'What are you talking about?' she said. 'I see several skeletons walking down the Danforth every day. How do you keep from drawing attention to yourself?'

[Maverik]

(( Still, there will be exceptions to the rule. One rogue dead thing is all it takes. Or even an insane person who plays with magic. I dunno. xP ))

"Down the what?" Vanis tilted his head in confusion as he listened to the ghost's words. It was apparent that, either the ghost was new here, or he was. At the very least, they had vastly different sets of views on society. After all, from what he could surmise, he was the only walking skeleton in this part of the world, and the initial shock and awe of his 'condition' died out after the fourth year.

"I... really don't know what you mean. There's no need for me to keep myself from drawing attention. I mean, attention is good for business. Unless you're referring to the fact that I'm a skeleton." He paused for a moment, attempting to ascertain whether that was her question.

[Yare]

(Invariably some humans find out, but humans are very quick to dismiss magic. It's all handled by ghosts.)

Ynx shook her head. 'The Danforth is an area of Toronto,' she said. 'Don't worry about it. But I really haven't heard of walking skeletons in the area.'