The Deck | Afternoon | Monday | February 15

[therewaslife]

One of the easiest ways, Bod discovered, of dealing with leftover restless energy was to get himself out of his room. Finding it was warmer than it had been was even better. It meant he could go outside without feeling like he was going to turn into the human equivalent of an icicle.

With a walk into town on his mind, Bod decided he could wait awhile when he discovered the deck. It look little used (which made sense during the winter months) but it was warm enough today to get some use.

So, he clambered onto the deck and took a seat, making himself comfortable by stretching his leg out and tucking his arms behind his head. Of course, now that he was there, he didn't really have much to do. Staring at the sky worked for a few moments before he let his eyes slip closed.

It wasn't sleep so much as an easy way to take himself back to a different time in a different place with different people. He didn't do this often since it tended to make him maudlin but on a brisk Monday, he allowed himself the luxury.

[deck's an open place! just trying to keep myself awake!]

Comments

[therewaslife]

"I'm not," he said, pulling his hand back. "I just had the ability to see ghosts because I lived in the graveyard. I haven't died. Not yet, at least."

[intraspective]

"Will you be a ghost when you die?" she asked curiously. "Though not dying is good. I support that. Can you still see ghosts now that you're not in the graveyard?"

Ino had questions.

"If you feel like answering, I mean."

[therewaslife]

"I'm not sure what I'll be when I die," he answered honestly. "I hope to be a ghost because their afterlives aren't so bad but I think different things happen to different people."

Really, as long as Bod didn't turn out to be a ghoul, he'd be content.

"And no, I can't," he added. "Being able to see them was tied to living where I did. It was called the Freedom of the Graveyard."

[intraspective]

"Freedom of the Graveyard," she echoed. "That sounds pretty useful if you're living there, I can totally see that. Do you miss the graveyard? The ghosts?"

[therewaslife]

"Everyday," he answered, nodding. "Some more than others. I can't go back though so I try not to think too much about it."

[intraspective]

"Guess I'm not helping, huh?" she looked apologetically at him over her hot chocolate. "Sorry 'bout that."

[therewaslife]

"It's fine," he said, waving that off. "There's no need to apologize. I like to think about them, I promise. I just wish I could go back to visit sometime."

[intraspective]

Ino gave that a quizzical little shrug and wondered if she ought to ask. It was a bit... forward to ask right away, right?

Probably.

"Can you write to them?" she asked, then flushed. "Though I guess asking if ghosts can get mail is a bit dumb..."

[therewaslife]

"I could write but I don't think it'd be received," he said, laughing a bit. "I think the caretaker might get mail but he wouldn't think to deliver any letters addressed to ghosts."

[intraspective]

"That's mean," she laughed. "He should bring them out to the graves, at least!"

[therewaslife]

"When I was there, I never saw mail delivered to the graves so I'm just assuming which I know can be wrong sometimes," he allowed. "There's no harm in trying, I suppose."

[intraspective]

"It might make you feel less like you're missing them," she offered, smiling slightly at that. "If you're giving them bits of Fandom back."

[therewaslife]

"I'll try," he promised, grinning. "There is a lot to tell, after all. I've barely been here three months and I could probably fill several pages."

[intraspective]

"And Fandom'll keep giving you more and more to write 'bout 'till you've got enough for several notebooks," she told him, beaming. "And then you'll have too much to write about!"

[therewaslife]

"If they manage to get the letters, they'll end up getting tired of them after too long," he laughed. "It might be worth it just to irritate some of the ghosts."

[intraspective]

Ino giggled at that. "Would they really?"

[therewaslife]

"Some of them are very irritable," he said and nodded. "Their tempers remain even if they're not alive."

[intraspective]

"Well that's a relief," she said, grinning at that. "Being a ghost would be awful if you didn't get to keep your personality!"

[therewaslife]

"Oh, they have a lot of personality, I assure you," he said, nodding. "They're just as lively dead as they were alive, I'm sure. They just don't have physical bodies."

[intraspective]

"Can they effect anything like that?" she wondered. "Like, if they raised you--did they carry you or anything?"

[therewaslife]

"They could until I got too big," he confirmed, nodding. "I could touch them and hug them, if I wanted. I think that was attached to the Freedom of the Graveyard too. Because other people visited the graveyard and couldn't do anything I could."

[intraspective]

She considered that.

"Ghosts are cool," Ino decided. "That totally sounds like a neat way to grow up."

Not, mind, that Ino would volunteer to grow up that way personally, but...

[therewaslife]

"I always liked it," he said, grinning genuinely. "Perhaps, one day I'll get a chance to go back. For now, I'm fine with just telling people about them."

[intraspective]

"And dealing with questions from people who have way too many," she teased.

[therewaslife]

"Good thing I don't mind, right?" Bod said, giving her a little smile.