[Mousen]

Indie Butcher was no stranger to Medicai, her medical file being less of a file and more... a filing cabinet. She'd come to Medicai with two goals in mind, the first one being to get to her bi-annual appointment on time, and the second was to investigate the empty hospital on the outskirts of the city.

Inevitably, this lead to Harold being dragged along. It wasn't that he particularly minded, it's just... where his next-door-neighbor was concerned you couldn't help but be dragged. Her single-minded determination left you with little choice in the matter.

They were some way from the hospitals now, where the universities and medical centres faded out in favour of shops and other amenities that the people who worked and lived in the city frequented. The two of them had found a cheery little cafe along one of the busier streets and had sat down to plan the evening's investigation.

Harold St. Ives, a young man with mousey-brown hair and the air of someone from a previous era. Assam tea, drop of milk, no sugar. "I'm not suggesting we don't go, I'm just saying. It's a big floor plan, I mean, without the others-"

Indie Butcher, two years his junior, with shoulder-length dark hair and circles underneath her eyes that were almost violet. Chamomile tea and a slice of lemon Madeira cake. She rolled her eyes and cut the cake with the side of her fork. "--We'll be eaten by ghosts, I know. Face it, Harold, Jess and Nick investigate stuff on their own all the time. It's nice to do stuff with the whole team, but you know it never comes off in reality. We're all busy."

The older boy pulled a face. "We meet up once a month at least. We could wait until then, Indie."

"No!" she replies, looking a little sheepish as several heads turn in her direction. "Look, we've gotten it all planned out. Stop worrying, we're investigating the abandoned hospital tonight."

[Baconwizard]

Ava was comfortable among the hustle and bustle of the cafe, nestled among the tables with her tea and half-eaten strawberry shortcake. The cafe was a welcome respite from the boring tedium of her empty apartment; the murmur of other people's conversation filling her ears with a comforting white noise. The clattering noise from the kitchen and the clamor of conversation around her was a little loud, but Ava was happy to sip her tea and doodle in her notebook with an ink pen, filling up the blank white pages with scribblings in ink.

Occasionally, Ava would pick up an isolated tidbit of dialogue from the conversations around her, and Ava would pause, dreamily wondering about the context of the conversation, or the person who uttered it. There were two people sitting behind her, and Ava smiled as she half-listened to their conversation. The girl was louder than the boy, who spoke in a quiet tone that Ava couldn't pick up on. Something about a team, and a plan they were devising. Taking a sip of her tea, Ava focused on their conversation a little more, curious now.

"Stop worrying, we're investigating the abandoned hospital tonight."

Ava choked on her tea, loudly beginning to cough as she hastily put her cup down, her other hand flying to her chest as if it would help keep the scalding liquid from reaching her lungs. Leaning over her table, Ava stared down at the grooves in the wood, her eyes blurring with pained tears, taking heaving breaths. The abandoned hospital?! They were planning to go there, of all places?! Everyone knew that place was condemned, sealed off due to the accident––Ava had read that it was a fire––that had destroyed parts of the building years ago. Ava coughed again, her throat burning, and she brought her napkin to her mouth, listening behind her to make absolutely certain of what she had heard.

[Mousen]

Harold sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Indie, do you realize how big that damned place is? There could be ten of us and it still wouldn't be enough to cover everything. Beyond that, Jess has all of the good equipment. I know you want to do this now, but wouldn't it be better to plan it through first?"

He'd been expecting her to rebuke his opinion straight away, instead she paused to sip her tea. There was a strange look in her eyes and Harold found himself reminded of Jess whenever one of his crazy plans came to fruition. She was spending far too much time around that boy. He'd have to say something. "Well, Hartwig, wouldn't you know that I'm capable of thinking ahead?" She reached into her bag and pulled out a slim silver camcorder, the kind that Jess (read: his stupidly rich parents) had provided them with.

Harold was not amused. "What lie did you tell him?"

Indie opened her mouth, paused, and closed it again. "Uhm. I may... have sort of suggested that we were going to scout the place out first so we could all investigate later."

"Indie." The young man shook his head. Why was he the only one out of his friends that had one iota of common sense? "We need more people. We cannot go and investigate with only the two of us. Aside from being ill-advised, it could be dangerous."

[Baconwizard]

Ava shifted in her seat, her insides writing with the tea she had drank. The hospital... Ava shuddered at the thought of the looming building, the outside streaked with smoke and grime from the long-ago fire, the dark empty windows staring at her. Half of the building was crumbling and the parts that remained were abandoned and empty. It was a stain on the city, ignored and covered up by condemned stickers, for no one wanted the worthless real estate and no one wanted to go to the expense of destroying the building completely. So it remained, half forgotten and half hated, just a few blocks down from Ava's small apartment building, just out of sight from her windows.

Ava was startled out of her reverie, realizing that the pair behind her were talking again. They were serious about exploring there. Ava swallowed, a cold prickle of fear washing over her as Ava realized that she needed to stop them. Or, at least, warn them. She needed to warn them of the crumbling foundation, the mold and vermin, the maze-like hallways that can lead them astray, the sealed-off basement where the dead bodies were taken, and the rumor, the whisper, of vengeful ghosts that still walk those labyrinthine halls... Ava straightened her thin shoulders, and she turned in her seat to peek at the two behind her. Her courage failed her slightly, and she nearly turned around again, but she clutched to the back of her chair and watched the boy and girl discuss their plans.

[Mousen]

"Then I'll call J.P., they might be able to get here in time to investigate. Please, Harold. I'm not suggesting a full blown investigation just a little look around. If we find something cool then we could do a proper ghost hunt at a later date." She looked at him, her violet eyes wide. ...Damn. Violet eyes. Flipping violet. How was he supposed to say no when she looked like a god damn Disney princess?

Harold pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to look at her.

"It's just, I'm sick of- um..."

He turned towards her warily, eyebrows knitting together in worry. "What?"

Indie looked reticent to speak. "It's just that I'm sick of the group thinking I'm useless. I know it sounds silly but I feel like I'm a damsel in distress half of the time. I want to do something so they actually realize I'm a competent investigator."

Oh no. Puppy dog eyes and a sob story? Harold realized he was fighting against the inevitable. "Indie, that's ridiculous. I know for a fact that Jess thinks you're really talented at this, J.P. too! I know you're really capable, you have a knack for this."

Indie looked up at him, a small smile appearing on her face. "In which case, there should be no problem with two competent investigators having a little look around that old hospital, then, right?"

"I really hate you Indie, I hope you know that. When I die, probably due to being murdered by some vengeful ghost, my epitaph is going to read 'Blame Indie for this'."

"And Jess."

"Yes. Him too. 'Blame Indie for this and especially Jess'."

The young woman rolled her eyes, and noticed Ava staring at them. She smiled politely and gave her a small wave. Maybe she'd overheard what they'd been talking about.

[Baconwizard]

Ava listened to the two banter, her hand fiddling with the rim of her mug. The two seemed to be about her age, maybe a little younger. Or maybe they were a little older, Ava couldn't tell. Being of such short stature made it hard for Ava to discern anyone's age. Ava smiled slightly, wondering if they were siblings. They certainly acted how Ava thought siblings would act. She didn't have any of her own, so it was hard to say for sure. Having a sibling of her own would be nice...

Ava blinked, realizing that the girl was staring at her. Ava returned the stare for a moment, her eyes wide with surprise. She fumbled with her mug, nearly spilling it into her lap, turning back around to face her own table. Heart racing in her chest like a rapid drum beat, Ava took a moment to steady her thoughts. She hadn't done anything wrong, but getting caught listening in on a private conversation just made her feel... icky. Peeking over her shoulder, Ava froze as she realized that the girl was waving at her. Not sure what else to do, Ava hesitantly gave the girl a wave back, a nervous smile on her face.

[Mousen]

For a moment, Indie wondered if she'd done the wrong thing by waving at the girl, she seemed pretty surprised by it, she almost looked... guilty, perhaps? Still, she waved back and Indie couldn't help but be relieved. Harold tilted his head at Indie, giving her a quizzical glance. Rather than reply verbally, when the girl was in ear shot, Indie gave a quick gesture to where Ava was sat. They exchanged glances and seemed to reach some sort of decision.

Indie slipped out of her chair and approached the girl. "Uhm... hi. Er, I'm Indie," she introduced herself hesitantly, looking a little awkward. "I'm just wondering if... I'm sorry, this is a little bit strange, but I was just wondering if you were interested in the paranormal at all? It's just that I noticed that you seemed interested in the conversation I was having with my friend." Indie paused realizing how that sounded, bringing her hand up to her mouth in surprise. "Oh! It sounds really bad when I put it like that. I didn't mean it in a nasty way."

[Baconwizard]

Crap, crap, crap, they were coming to talk to her now! A part of Ava was wondering why she was panicking so much over simple human interaction, but the larger part of her was boiling with anxiety over having to explain why she had been eavesdropping. It was so embarrassing. And on top of that, she had even been found out!

Blinking up at Indie with large, stricken brown eyes, Ava bobbed her head in hello to the other girl. "Um... My name's Ava. I'm really sorry, I was listening in on your conversation." Her hands twined together, and she glanced at her unfinished tea for a moment, then back up at Indie, her cheeks beginning to flush with self-consciousness. "This isn't really any of my business, b-but I had heard that you were going to investigate the old hospital. The one that's all burned down. I, um... I live near the hospital. And... it looks pretty dangerous." Ava was rambling, her eyes flicking down to her twisting hands. In a big rush of air, Ava took what felt like her first breath in ages, and she looked up at Indie with an earnest expression, a glimmer of fear in her eyes. "I heard that–that you hunt ghosts? Do you think ghosts really exist?"

[Mousen]

Indie shrugged, giving Ava a small smile. "That's all right, I don't think you meant any harm by it. You don't seem like sort of person." Especially considering how apologetic she was about doing so.

Huh? The hospital? Indie's eyes flashed. "Do you mean structurally? I was hoping to get Harold to check it out with me in day light so we could see if it was or not. If it is, I was thinking we'd just stand in the grounds." There'd no need to bring everyone back then, they could tick this place off of the lists for good, unless some interesting evidence warranted a re-visit, that was. "

She cast a glance over to where Harrold was sat. He raised his eyebrows at her. An incident with a oujia board over a year ago had caused a spirit to follow him around. Chances were, she was around somewhere at this very moment, invisible to everyone but Harold. "Er... We like to keep an open mind. Our main objective is to find evidence of supernatural occurrences."

[Baconwizard]

Ava blinked, her mind beginning to calm down from the swirling panic that she had let herself get caught up in. She swallowed, clearing her throat, and straightened up in her seat. "Um... I mean... the hospital has been abandoned for a long time. It... was destroyed by a fire a few years ago, and then the--the government found some structural faults with the building. No one wants to buy up the property, b-because it's not that good, so... it's pretty run down. And scary."

Ava swallowed, her face growing pale. "There are a lot of, um, scary stories about the place, so... it would make sense that that place of all places is haunted."

[Mousen]

Indie frowned, that wasn't what she'd wanted to hear. She'd heard about the fire, but hadn't realized there'd been structural issues, it made investigating it even more difficult than normal. Generally, they got permission from the owners before investigating such a place, but none of the team were particularly adverse to sneaking around where they weren't wanted. "It's a shame it's not structurally sound. Is it in danger of collapse? I mean, there's a difference between a few cracks in the ceiling and some loose beams and, you know, it being really dangerous."

Harold frowned, he hadn't managed to catch all of what Indie was saying, but it was enough. He put down his teacup and walked over. "No structurally unsound buildings, Indie. We all made that deal."

There was steel in her expression, Harold looked despairing. Before she even spoke he could tell she wasn't going to like what she said. "What about that the house on Fishers Terrace?"

"That was different."

"And the old farm at Mayview? And those weird bunker things in the woods and--"

"Fine! Fine! But if we go we're wearing hard hats, and we're not going up onto the second floor. And that still is, if we go."

Harold was getting sick of loosing arguments today.

((Sorry for keeping you waiting! :c < 333 ))

[Baconwizard]

[It's fine~ Real life takes priority, sometimes. Just take your time with replying, because there is no rush]

Ava listened to the two banter, her hands twining together with the residual nervousness that was pent up in her small body. Even though she didn't know them well, Harold and Indie seemed nice. Or, at least, really interesting. People who went around seeking ghosts were... interesting, to the say the least. As Ava tried to rationalize her thoughts towards her new acquaintances, the small voice in the back of her mind chose that moment to rear it's nasty little head. These people are crazy. Only crazy people would want to go to that place Ava swallowed, her eyebrows knitting together. These people were a little crazy, but they were also really nice. And even though they were going to put themselves in danger, Ava didn't want them to get hurt, or anything.

"Um..." Ava's voice piped into Harold's and Indie's conversation before she could stop it, and she flushed slightly as the focus of the conversation was suddenly on her. She was about to say something really stupid, or really crazy. "Um, I used to... to go to the hospital. F-for checkups and stuff. If you want, I could, um... show you around?"

[Mousen]

Indie's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together. "Would you? I mean," she added, catching Harold's glance, who seemed to look even more put out than usual. "If it's no trouble to you, we wouldn't want to interfere in your schedule or anything..."

Harold certainly had no ill will towards Ava, in fact, he thought she seemed like a nice girl. Someone that he or Indie could easily be friends with given the right circumstances. However, he really did wish she hadn't said that. The argument against going hadn't been... well, he'd been loosing pretty badly, but he hadn't lost. But Ava offering to show them around was the final nail in the coffin.

Out the corner of his eyes he could see Tallulah, his ghost, a part of the room paler than the rest of it. They didn't interact much in public, it made him look even more odd than he usually did. She'd been following him around for some time now, he sometimes forgot that there had been a point where she hadn't been there. The shape became more distinct, and a woman with curly hair appeared for a moment, invisible to everyone else. She didn't say anything, but tapped her nose twice. She'd be looking out for them tonight.

... If anything, that made him even more worried than usual.

"Harold, you're spacing out. It's kinda rude."

"Oh sorry. Uhm, Ava, if you do have the time to show us around, we'd really appreciate it. If we go now, we'd be able to have a look around in the sunlight for about an hour, then we could stay while it gets dark." He gave Ava what he hoped was a grateful smile. Even if he still wasn't sold on the idea of investigating the place, it was a nice gesture. "You could leave before then, of course."

[Baconwizard]

Ava's already saucer-wide eyes flicked back and forth between Indie and Harold, listening to their banter. She hoped that she hadn't made Harold mad by offering to come along. Indie looked a little too delighted, and Harold not at all. Pushing away the thought of the long, white corridors and tall doctors in pristine lab coats, Ava tried to focus on the cafe, and the two people in front of her. The corners of her mouth automatically quirked into a smile, and she let out a sheepy, breathless laugh. "Um, if I won't get in the way, I'd be happy to come along. I-I've never been on a ghost hunt before, so... it should be fun!" Ava glanced down, then back at Indie and Harold, "I-I'm still on the fence about me going after dark. That place scares me just a little..." Ava blinked, then drew herself up, bringing her hands into small fists. "But I-I'm determined to face my fears!"

[Mousen]

((-Rolls in with a reply three months late. I'm so sorry D: ))

Indie grinned, looking towards Harold. "See?" her expression seemed to be saying. "You won't get in the way, it's always a good idea to have more than a couple of people. An extra pair of eyes would be really handy," Indie assured the girl.

Harold nodded. "Admittedly, having another person does make this entire thing a little bit less risky. Thanks for agreeing to join us, Ava." He still wasn't sure about this, but Ava seemed like a nice girl and if Indie was determined to go to the hospital regardless, it made sense to have someone who knew the place there. "We should set up some ground rules, though. So, no going off on your own. If we feel we're genuinely in danger we leave straight away. If the building itself is really dangerous, we'll just investigate the grounds. Agreed?" he asked, looking at them both expectantly.

The dark-haired girl nodded, she was just happy that Harold had relented. He could be really stubborn when the mood took him. "Agreed."