(Untitled)

[tokilltherose]

He was going insane. That was the only thing he could think about

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[jack_inthegreen]

"Hi there," says a red-haired fellow further down the bar, who's balancing a baby on his knee. "Happy New Year."

[jack_inthegreen]

"I have a sudden urge for pie," Jack murmurs, and up pops an entire apple pie. "But that is too much, Bar, dearest. I'll have to share it.

"Would you like some?

"The house . . . ate everybody? I've met ravenous oceans before but never a ravenous house."

[tokilltherose]

"Yeah. Or... something like it. People tend to disappear inside. Thus, eaten. Mostly my relatives, but it's eaten over twenty people. And it's rebuilding itself, so isn't it great?" The sarcasm was thick in the air.

"Sorry. I... really shouldn't just blurt it out like that."

[jack_inthegreen]

"Why not? You're carrying a burden--it's hard to keep that to yourself for any length of time.

"And I'm hardier than I look."

[tokilltherose]

"There's nothing that can be done about it," he shrugged. "I can just hope it sells besides that whole rebuilding itself thing."

[jack_inthegreen]

"I see . . . you don't worry about what will happen to the next family to own it?"

[tokilltherose]

"Yeah, I've thought about that. But the house is supposed to be being demolished to make room for some condos. I kinda figure that if the house is demolished, it can't eat anyone." Steve shrugged.

[jack_inthegreen]

"Let's hope," Jack says with a nod. "Unless the ground itself has some of that malice. It's hard to say with magic, sometimes. It's tricksy."

[tokilltherose]

"I don't think it's magic," he sighed. "I think it's just my grandmother."

[jack_inthegreen]

"Explain?" says Jack, interested.

[tokilltherose]

"Well," said Steve, and realised he was settling in for a long story.

"The house was built for my grandmother - Ellen Rimbauer. It started eating people even before it was finished. But she... got into the whole medium-craze of the time. And a medium told her that she would live as long as the house was unfinished. So it... keeps eating people to keep adding onto it. It makes the dead build."

[jack_inthegreen]

"Oh my," Jack says softly. "But she's passed away, hasn't she? The need is gone."

[tokilltherose]

"Uh. No, actually. She's... not really dead at all. I just saw her six months ago. She kind of... posesses the house."

[jack_inthegreen]

"Oh . . . this is much more complicated than I imagined.

"And a good old-fashioned exorcism won't do it, I suppose."

[tokilltherose]

"Weird thing - Buffy asked me about that not long ago. I just kind of figured that the house would eat the priest." He tried a smile. ...Really, the concept was kinda funny.

[jack_inthegreen]

"Well . . . you could always get somebody with a great deal of spiritual power who deals with the dead. Around here you've got gods and wizards and Slayers, just to start with."