1.10 It's Called Networking

A random haunting interrupts Finley's social life.

She's hanging out at Cheri Grayson's house, and then the spooky music to starts playing and those darn spirits start to appear...

"You grow up around here acknowledging ghosts and little spirits and stuff exist, right?" Cheri stammers. "Well it doesn't matter if I've seen one before. I'm still scared."

This is Cheri's only warning before she breaks into a hysterical screaming fit. When Mab arrives to take care of the problem, Cheri follows the ghost catcher around, still screaming. Finley finds she can't talk any sense into Cheri, so she goes home.

Mab chases the wrathful spirits in the Grayson house right out into the street.
 
Though she complained she might never be finished ridding Hidden Springs of its unnaturally dense spirit activity, the hauntings have lessened. The distortion on the spirit plane is gone; new spirits can't charge themselves up; the old spirits are being picked off, one by one. Mab is a persistent janitor.

Everything is just so pretty. It's good to be alive.

The mayor of Hidden Springs summons Mab to city hall, where he presents her with "the key to the city". A crowd cheers Mab on as she goes through a bizarre ritual of bowing to him, being instructed to rise, and accepting the little glass box with the brass key inside.

She's not bowing to him, she reminds herself; she's showing respect to the community and institution he's currently the figurehead of.

As Mab turns to walk back to her car, some kids throw confetti on her.

It's good to be loved.

 A silver spotted skipper lands in Junpei's hair.

Junpei freezes in place. To any observing, it would look as if a spell had been cast on him.

He wonders.......

...if the faucet back home is leaking.

He'd better go check on it.

"Can I pay you to do my homework?" Reisa asks.

"That'd be really weird," Finley replies.

"Yeah, I guess. But you've got this unfair homework skill! How do you know exactly what the teachers want to hear?"

"I'm a good student and I listen?"

 Junpei receives his daily "Replenishing the Earth" moodlet.

The garden in front of the house is steadily churning out fruits and vegetables now. Junpei is trying to restrict his diet to only this home-grown produce, since he can be reasonably certain it contains no brain-warping pesticides.

"Enjoy your rabbit food," Finley mocks, as she chows down on store bought cheese and heavily processed bread, melted together with a generous helping of butter.

Junpei doesn't care about the latest school gossip any more than Finley cares about home-grown lettuce, but he pretends to listen anyway.

Finley hangs out at Mick's Karaoke that night, with Tommy Ornales. He tells her her lips look really kissable, and then he just goes right in for it.

Since Finley didn't freak out about that, Tommy leads her upstairs to the old ratty couch next to the pool tables, and they make out there. Finley is nervous, but giddy, too, fascinated by Tommy's interest in her body.

But when Tommy wants to take things to a more private place, Finley not-so-smoothly reminds him she was told to be home by 10, and makes her escape.

Tonight there will be a comet in the sky.

Finley punishes Junpei when he sneaks home after curfew.

"I was thiiiis close to calling Mom!" she teases.

 "C'mon Finley, you knew I was fine!"

"So did you see the comet?"

"Yup."

"Laaaame."

"Yeah, it kinda was..."

"Even when you rebel against authority you're lamey lame lame."

The room has grown cold. The ghost doesn't move after Finley spots it.

Her skill as a medium isn't as practiced as her mother's, but she notices immediately this isn't one of the angry distortions Mab chases after. It's not intentionally making its presence known; it simply can't hide from the spirit catcher's daughter.

"Umm." Finley isn't sure how to speak to it. "This is my room."

He extends a silent greeting to her. When their hands touch, one flesh and blood and the other very much not, Finley has a flash of insight; he feels even more awkward to have stumbled into the teenage girl's bedroom than she does. He did not want to run into her. Specifically. Her. Specifically. Did not want to disturb her. Or Junpei.

Finley winces. "Okay... don't get upset. I'm harmless."

The ghost's posture changes to one of indignation.

"Okay. You knew that. Um. Well... well I don't know what's bothering you, then! Is there something wrong with my face? Don't be a jerk!"

He holds up both hands, frowning deeply, trying to ward off her accusations.

Finley folds her arms. "Go... go OUTSIDE until my Mom gets home and deals with you. 'Cause you do not want me to call her and tell her there's a ghost adult man in my room."

He doesn't go outside. He just... vanishes. Fades away. The room temperature returns to its normal toastyness, necessary against the cold nights in Hidden Springs. Finley is left not knowing if she successfully talked down her first spirit, or not.

Achilles Woodard graduates tomorrow. He's moping about the reality of growing up and getting a job, so Junpei tries to lighten the mood by saying Achilles could always run off into the forest to live in a commune with the other dryads.

Achilles can't decide if Junpei truly believes the stories Achilles told him in elementary school, or if Junpei is a relentless troll for not letting it go.

Junpei suggests that instead of getting a job, Achilles should make it his life's work to prepare the plant people for war against the non-eco-friendly. "It should be deathless, but psychologically BRUTAL," he insists. "I can be your strategic advisor."

"I did bad on my tests," Achilles mutters. "My top career suggestion was food service."

"As your advisor, I advise against that. It could interfere with your destiny to RAIN TERROR UPON-"

"Junpei, shut the FUCK up or no cake."

"I only came to this party for cake!" Junpei whines.

Regardless of whether or not she's destined to be the town's next paranormal expert, Finley has an easy time making friends with the living. She's on a mission to make friends with every single person in town! It's called networking.

But then, most of the people around town can't talk to Finley for five minutes without asking about her mother, the town hero they still know so little about. Finley does her best to steer the conversation in other directions.

It's a typical day after school.

Junpei does his typical homework, while five feet above, his sister's boyfriend (gross), whom Junpei considers typical (and gross), is probably about to try his typical routine of kissing Finley (gross) and suggesting where they go out tonight (gross).

The typicality of the day is shattered when Tommy pulls away, and says he's got to tell Finley something.

And that something is, he's getting back with Diana Abbot. He's sorry. He was really only dating Finley to make Diana jealous.

Finley is upset. She thought Tommy actually liked her.

After the initial bad reaction, Finley takes a moment to compose herself. She won't look at Diana.

"Whatever then, creep," Finley says to Tommy.

Her posture is bold. She unchains her bicycle from the rack and speeds off.

She is followed.

"Don't cry, sis..."

"I was so stupid." Finley nestles her face in her arm, catching tears in the thin material of her sleeves. "W-what are you doing in here? Did you hear what Tom said to me? G-get out..."

Junpei stares down at his hands awkwardly. "Even if I go away, I feel you crying in my head. You shouldn't worry about what the others are going to think. You're better than Tommy deserves."

She looks up at him warily. "You feel me crying. In your head."

He sits down with her, not looking at her. He nods once.

She drags the back of her hand across her face, trying to clear it. "I hear your anxiety in my head. I know how hard ordinary things are for you, even though you won't tell anyone about it. I know when you're saying dumb things to drive people away and make them leave you alone."

Junpei smiles at her briefly. As if to say, see? You understand.

No, it's more than that. It's more than an 'as if'. If she's still and quiet, if she calms her own thoughts to a soft lull, she can hear exactly what he's thinking. 

It's always been that way. She has always let her thoughts be loud, so she could pretend she did not hear her brother's underneath them. But he has always heard her, and it has not been as easy for him. 

"Yeah," she murmurs. "I understand."

 "I'm sorry," she promises. "I'll be strong. I won't make you hear me cry."






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 Etc.: So I'm messing around with the pose player now.