[CANDIDATES] Ghost

[Arcane]

I think I heard a bump in the night. What if it's the ghost of the woman who died, come to haunt us for failing to save her? I can't sleep. Do you want to see if we can sneak into the Dining Hall and steal some warm milk, like we used to do when we were weyrbrats?

[nineofswords]

Miguel had not been taking the death of that woman well. She had just...died! Right in front of them! With no warning! He was trying to play it off like he was fine - joked and played music even when he wasn't feeling it - but he kept thinking that he could've - should've! - done more for her. Maybe if he'd known more healing arts, or...or had had Altivo send for someone? He just hated that she'd died and he hadn't even known her name, didn't know if she had family. She deserved better than that.

Miguel didn't know if he believed in ghosts or not, but if this one were real, he was almost certain he knew who she was here about. "Well, I was never a weyrbrat, but I am always up for an adventure," he said, forcing a chuckle. "And I will never say no to warm milk." He was about to suggest cookies to go with it, but...well...it didn't feel like a good idea. The poisonings were hopefully behind them now, but too many people still didn't quite trust the food yet. "I'll lead the way!" He started heading for the door to the kitchens.

[Arcane]

Pyeta didn't believe in ghosts.

Maybe it would be better if he did. If he could believe that, even vengeful and eternally suffering, the woman was still here, somewhere. It was far worse to think that she was simply gone, as if she'd never existed at all.

Which was probably why some of his classmates wished to believe her spirit linger.

Because it was a fear kinder than the truth.

"I've never been a weyrbrat either. But I used to warm up milk for my brothers, when they were small," Pyeta said, trying to hide how much he simply wanted a distraction, any distraction, and had been seeking distraction since the moment the shock of her death wore off and was still seeking distraction even though she'd been a stranger and he really should have moved on already by now, "It's easy to make it too warm, if you've never done it before, and then it won't be any good. I'll come and show you how."

Better to make it sound like an act of charity, as if him and Miguel weren't clinging to each other's company, to warm up the dark. Miguel had been there too, on that awful day, had done everything he could to save her.

Pyeta wondered if he too struggled to forget.