(Untitled)

[phantomfenton]

Who: Danny and anyone within splash radius.
Where: Espoir, by the fountain
Style: Start and I'll follow!
Status: OPEN like a Fenton Ghost Portal without a DNA lock!

Dusk is one of the hardest times to see much of anything. There's too much light for eyes to adjust to spotting moving shadows, and there's just too little light to pretend it's still day.

Comments

[redcladidealist]

Whatever anyone else's reason was for not taking note of Danny, Lloyd's excuse was...

...well...

...does trying to catch snowflakes on your tongue count as a good excuse for not paying attention to anyone else at all?

It isn't until Danny flails and yells, just a few feet away, that Lloyd's attention snaps back to where he is. He jerks around, startled, and reflexively reaches out.

"Whoa, watch out!"

[phantomfenton]

The excuse only counts if your name is Lloyd Irving.

Lloyd's reach is more than enough to close the distance between him and Danny. There's a tense moment where Danny's flailing hand is waving nowhere near Lloyd's, but they manage at just the last minute.

When we say last minute, we really mean it: Danny comes to his abrupt stop while leaning over the water, inches away from one seriously cold bath. "AH!"

A beat. "Lloyd!"

Amazed surprise freezes on the spot: his heel is slipping. "Gah--Pull me up, quick!"

[redcladidealist]

Lloyd starts with surprise again when Danny says his name, and he nearly fumbles the other boy's grip before he recovers himself and jerks the boy away from the freezing fountain. Because he doesn't recognize Danny. The white hair, the green eyes so bright they almost seem to glow, he's never seen anyone like him.

First things first, though.

"You all right?"

[phantomfenton]

"I think so. Thanks for the save, um--" Danny brings his gaze up to meet his, and for the first time Danny seems to realize that yes, he's in ghost form, and no, Lloyd doesn't actually know who he is.

"Uh."

Play it smooth! "Lloyd, right? I mean--that's your name?"

[redcladidealist]

Lloyd's brow furrows, a fleeting sense of familiarity that disappearing before he can put his finger on it. Letting go of Danny's hand, he frowns.

"Yeah, but how'd you know that? Who're you?"

[phantomfenton]

"Noone! I mean--noone that you've met, before. Until now, that is. Um--didn't I see one of your videos the other day? Your name was, um, on the list, and you were wearing all that red--still are, actually--and I thought, man, this guy is unforgettable!"

[redcladidealist]

[That... actually makes sense. And it sounds believable.... But...]

Aw man, my clothes again? Are they really that noticeable?

[Danny: 1. Lloyd: 0. Successfully distracted from the question.]

[phantomfenton]

Um. *It's working?* They are! I mean--silver buttons, and red, and... red...

You've, um, got to admit, they kind of stand out.

[redcladidealist]

[Well, at least he mentioned buttons, too. Slightly mollified.]

Hey, it's not that bad. I think my clothes look pretty cool. Besides, what if someone called you the kid in black? Who's kind of... uh...

[Wait a minute. Finally noticing there's something up with Danny.]

What's wrong with you?

[phantomfenton]

Um.

I think the word you're looking for is 'ghostly'?

[redcladidealist]

[What.

Sorry, Danny, Lloyd kind of just froze a bit. He's staring at you with a mixture of alarm and disbelief.]

You're pulling my leg.

[phantomfenton]

No, I'm not.

I'm a ghost.

[redcladidealist]

You're a ghost?!

[He jerks back a step, hands dropping to his swords in panic.]

But you're-! S-stay back!

[phantomfenton]

Hey, I'm not an evil ghost!

I mean--I'm the protecting kind. I don't hurt people!

[redcladidealist]

You're... not?

[All of his experiences with ghosts have been bad, especially his most recent ones. But... he's never had a ghost insist they're not bad, either.

SO UNSURE. HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS.]

But isn't that what ghosts do? They haunt the world because they're angry and they want revenge on the living.

[phantomfenton]

That's other ghosts!

I'm the ghost that stays and--looks after the innocent when they're in danger, and stuff.