&& GHOST TOUR [GLOBAL--HALLOWEEN EVENT]

[chord]

This was going to be the main event of the trip. The tour guide hadn't yet arrived, and Chord was currently doing a head count of all students. They were standing in front of a large Cathedral, one that Chord had already visited during the down time. Yes, Chord loved to visit historic landmarks, especially those that pertained to him. It had been quite amazing, if he did say so himself, but this would be even better.

He finished marking off the last students and sighed. It was going to be a long trip, he could tell. He had a map of the route they would be taking. It was going to take a good two to three hours considering all of the stops they would be making, which meant that it was going to be midnight before it all wrapped up. And with the sun rapidly setting, he couldn't help feel apprehension set in.

This would be the time if anything bad would happen for it to... well... happen. The whole town felt full of unease, and with the shops beginning to shut down, he couldn't help but wonder if all of the superstitions were true. Would they be seeing the spirits of those deceased? Would they experience the haunting chills and physical injury? Would they see nothing and walk away disappointed?

He hoped that the latter wasn't true. Though again, he didn't want anyone to be injured during the experience. He smiled as the guide came up to the group. He exchanged pleasantries with her before letting her take over.

The young woman smiled at the group. "Hi, I'm Angie. Thank you all for joining me. Please try to keep calm on this tour. Watch out for each other, and no stampeding. If, for any reason, you feel unsafe. Just let me know, and I will call one you one of our colleagues to come pick you up and take you back to your hotel. But, just so you know, you shouldn't panic unless you see me running. I've lived in this town my whole life, and while I can't promise you won't encounter something disturbing tonight, most of what you may see will not be dangerous or bring you harm. But, I have been on tours and no one has seen anything. So, if you're ready, let's go!" and with that she led the group to their first destination: up the stairs and to the cathedral's door.

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TAG - Global
WORDS - 504
NOTES - Feel free to keep them moving along if you have an idea for a location. Of course, since they're going to the Cathedral, feel free to reply to it! Have things happen, ghosts appear, noises to spook people, being pushed or shoved by an invisible force-- anything weird and haunted, go for it! But you don't HAVE to. If you want to move the thread along after a few posts, don't wait for me. Angie is free to control (just don't make her run off). Some good ideas for locations are: graveyards, haunted houses, orphanage, abandoned prison, restaurant, tavern, alleyway, etc.
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[RUSSEL CONNOR]

This was one of the things Russel had been most looking forward to on this trip. Of course the tour guide made no promises about seeing ghosts or other supernatural phenomena, but what else could you expect from a tour on a street that had a curfew for just that reason? It was near Halloween, to boot. However, Russel was of two minds. While he was very excited and hoped to see something that would change his skeptical mind, part of him was setting itself up for a disappointment. After all, he was twenty-eight years old. If he was going to see a ghost, wouldn't he have seen it before then?

Looking up at the big cathedral in front of them as he made his way up the steps, he thought that even if he didn't see anything, it would still be a pretty cool tour. The whole atmosphere in this part of town was creepy enough, and the cathedral they were going into was lovely. He wasn't particularly religious, but he did think old churches were pretty, especially when there wasn't a service going on. In fact, he'd always wanted to go into an empty church and just wander around, looking up at the big stained-glass windows and grand architecture, listening to nothing but the echo of his footsteps.

Stepping aside to let some of the students pass him, he made sure there weren't any stragglers before going inside himself. Inside, the way the reds and oranges of the setting sunlight filtered through the windows made it seem like the place was illuminated by firelight. The dark wooden pews gleamed where the light struck them as if ablaze. Or maybe that was just his imagination working overtime to lend the cathedral a sinister atmosphere. Oh, this was going to be fun!


x outfit x

[BLAISE GRISHAM]

Blaise arrived at the meeting spot right on time. Practically as soon as she had checked in with the pretty blonde teacher the tour guide was introducing herself and the group of students began to drift across the street.

She slipped her hands into her pockets and surveyed her surroundings with no small sense of awe and wonderment. She loved this kind of thing, historical landmarks with a touch of the supernatural. It chilled her to the bone in the most delightful way. Who knew what sort of unexpected thrills would be discovered here, the sense of the unknown was far to powerful for her to resist and she personally hoped that she did see a ghost or a spirit or something terrifying.

Her first encounter with something she would have considered to be 'supernatural' had been years ago, in India, on a riverbank running through a dark forest. Blaise swore to this day that she had seen something on the other side, something other-worldly and unexplained. It had scared her, and fascinated her all at once. The event had never been explained to her, but she had learned soon afterward that a young child had drowned in that river many years ago, once when the river had flooded.

Blaise believed she had been being watched by the child's spirit. She had returned to the riverbank, but never saw the mirage again, much to her disappointment.

The cathedral was beautiful and she smiled, holding a hand up to the sharp light of the setting sun. It was ancient looking and foreboding, even more so as the sun was sinking behind the sky. This seemed like the perfect place to see ghosts.

[ALEIX HALE]

Aleix was highly skeptical about this whole thing. He didn't really believe that they'd see anything, but hey it got him out of class so he couldn't complain too much. He chose to stay nearer to people that he'd either already met on the trip or knew from beforehand, mostly because he wasn't really in the mood to try to force wanting to befriend someone else. He had enough not real friends for the moment, thank you. He'd let the numbers dwindle down again before seeking out a new group. Who knew, maybe this time around he'd find some friends worth keeping? But, none of that really mattered at that moment. The focus of the evening was "ghosts". God, Lex would kill for a cigarette at that moment. Oops. Maybe he shouldn't have thought that considering where they were. Aleix internally rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of his thoughts, not one to believe in "God" or a "higher power". He crossed his arms, absently tapping the fingers of one arm against his forearm with an inaudible sigh. Under his breath, he muttered, "This is ridiculous." Not caring too much if anyone close to him had overheard, Aleix tucked his hair behind an ear and kept up with the group. It didn't take but a few steps more before the predictably clumsy teen tripped over his own pant leg, causing him to stumble and knock into one of the people closest to him. Lexi winced slightly and sighed before apologizing. "Sorry. My fault," he told the other person with a smile, though wanting to do nothing more than facepalm at the whole situation, his lack of grace included.

tag;; global
word count;; 278
notes;; >.> aleix needs to pick up his word count again.
outfit;; clickmeh
credit;; graphics and form: alice. lyrics: "just a dream", nelly.

[ROSLYN BARKER]

Ros had been almost too excited to rest. Ghost stories, ghost hunters, pictures of apparitions...

She'd nearly missed getting here right on time as she stood behind the group of students slowly working her way up to the front as she started to look for the others that had been in her room as well as the other teachers. Were they as excited as she was? Looking over, or rather around some of the students as many stood taller than her, she could see the lovely Chord and for a moment she wanted to call out to the other teacher remembering her from the teachers lounge. "Even near a haunted house she looks so pretty..." She said with a small giggle before she turned a little and saw Russel hanging back a little before she waved to him before being pushed up by the press of students into the place.

It was lovely with the vaulted ceiliing and old worn wood and stone work. She stopped at the door for a moment just staring before slowly taking a tentative step in. As much as she loved the thrill of the stories she was unsure of what she'd actually do if she saw a ghost. It sent a chill along her body as fingers grasped tightly as the end of the long pink and white plaid tunic she wore over her jeans, tugging on it nervously.

"It's beautiful..." She murmured now just inside the cathedral as she took in the entire room. Old buildings with their dust and their scars from the past, memories...they read like books sometimes. This place made her curiosity swell but at the same time she couldn't deny that there was a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the other students move forward but felt it hard to move any further in.

The thought of being left behind alone in a place like this though somehow made the little cold seed of dread grow as she scurried across the floors to join the back of the group. She was a school employee, it was her job to keep an eye on students, being a little bit frightened was no reason not to do her job. Still she couldn't help but spare a glance back as the doors closed behind them closing off the the world outside.

[milly]

Christiana hid near the back of the group. She wasn’t particularly excited about going to the cathedral. Sure, Chris wasn’t the most religious person in the world, but she still felt weird, parading around a church looking for ghosts. In any case, she hung near the back, scowling. She hadn’t touched a horror novel since the incident at the hotel, but she was still wary. She didn’t believe in ghosts, of course, but she was still nervous.

Taking a peek over at Mr Connor, she watched him as he stared around, presumably in awe. It was a beautiful place, to be sure. The stained glass windows were exquisite, and the altar was decorated beautifully. She almost wanted to grab a hymn book from one of the pews and flip through the hymns. But she also didn’t want to leave the group either. She probably could speak up and ask if they could slow down for a moment, but she felt shy.

Looking around, she couldn’t help but shiver. The place felt creepy, despite her trying to assert to herself that it was perfectly safe and not haunted at all. Furrowing her brow, she glanced around at the other students, taking in their reactions. Most of them seemed excited. She was just apprehensive. She was sure she had seen something move in the corner of her eye. But ghosts didn’t exist. It was a figment of her imagination… she hoped.

[RUSSEL CONNOR]

He smiled and waved back at Ros as she passed him on her way into the cathedral. Ever since that day in the cafe, the tension between them over their less-than-smooth first meeting had disappeared, and they were becoming fast friends. At least he liked to think so. He was glad he'd met someone with shared interests, or else he might have never made any friends here. It wasn't that he was unfriendly or antisocial... he just got so wrapped up in what he was doing, he forgot to pay attention to the rest of the world sometimes. After that first day, he often went to the teacher's lounge for lunch while grading papers or reading something. That was another reason he'd wanted to go on this trip. He was thrown together with people he hadn't necessarily met before, and there was no work to keep him preoccupied.

Lost in his reverie while staring up at the stained-glass windows, Mr. Connor suddenly felt something bump into him and looked down to see Aleix, one of his Creative Writing students, and one of the kids he was rooming with for the trip.

"Sorry. My fault."

"That's all right," said Russel, smiling. He rather liked Aleix. The kid was quiet in class but seemed friendly enough, and he payed attention, which was more than he could say for some of them. Sometimes his writing was a bit sarcastic, but that was fine by him. He found it amusing, actually. "So what's your take on the whole ghost thing? You think they're real?"

Angie the tour guide was continuing up the aisle, most of the students following her, though some were meandering about or hanging back towards the entrance. The woman's voice echoed through the cathedral so that, even where Russel stood, he could still make out most of what she said. It was one of the oldest cathedrals in the state, historic landmark, blah blah blah. Something about a fire and somebody being killed because they'd run in to save something from getting burned. Russel thought that was chillingly coincidental, considering what he'd imagined about the sunset when they came in. Maybe that was why they scheduled tours around this time, when they knew the lighting would be evocative. They probably even polished the pews to make it especially noticeable, he thought wryly.

Suddenly he heard a clanking noise that echoed through the room, and many of the students up near the altar gasped or squealed. Were they getting jumpy already?

"Did you see that? The candlestick, it just fell right off the altar!" said one student.

"Nobody even went near it!" said another.

Oh good grief, what kind of stunt was this? A falling candlestick, really? Was that honestly the best they could do? He was looking forward to something at least a little more imaginative than that.

[LUNA MOON]

So far, the trip was going well Luna thought. Just because she was nervous to be sharing a room with a boy didn't mean that she wasn't having fun. In fact, Erin had agreed to go tothe dance with her! While she knew that it was just as friends, she was hoping for something more.

And she was going to be relying on Erin to protect her during this trip, too. It was painfully slow to wait outside of the Cathedral near the steps. She was hoping that they wouldn't be going near it, but things couldn't go her way all of the time, now could it? She had gotten lucky in her rooming situation, and she had gotten lucky that 'he' had agreed to go to the dance with her.

But she wasn't going to be so lucky this time. Her heart sank as the group made their way into the building. It was so dark and intimidating. And when the explanation of the fire came about, she could just feel a cold chill run through her. A cold chill, that was normal, right? Just like watching a scary movie. It didn't mean that there were any ghosts around...right?

Out of all of them in the group, it was Luna who yelped as soon as the candle had hit the floor. She latched onto Erin's arm, shutting her eyes tightly. "Oh god... oooh god. I wanna go home," she didn't care if anyone looked at her weirdly, she was terrified.

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TAG - Group
WORDS - 334
NOTES - Scaredy cat!
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[ROSLYN BARKER]

There were so many people in the cathedral, but the loudest it got was a hushed whisper, a hum of words cluttered together before dispersing as they bubbled up towards the high ceilings. She walked with a group of student, not really watching them but rather watching the room around them. It was like there was electricity in the air, some of it from sheer excitement, and some from the place itself, just the beauty of it.

For a moment she let her mind wander, wondering just what sort of books they'd have in a place like this. Oh, she bet they were beautiful. Despite not being raised with a specific religion Ros believed that there was something out there in the world, but she wasn't going to be so bold as to say who or what it was. However, it was the beauty that some people made from their beliefs that was just so fasci--

The clatter of the candlestick made her jump, however it was the scream and commotion that scared her more as she reeled back a little, trying not to make a noise. It was like little kid logic at that moment, to make a noise would mean they could find you...just like how letting any limb slip out from beneath the sheets in bed made one vulnerable to being eaten. She bumped into a pew, shivering just a little bit as she heard a small Asian girl whimper she wanted to go home. So did she, but she didn't want to run away just yet.

Staring at the girl she smiled a bravely as she could, "Don't worry. We're safe in numbers. Nothing can really hurt us, they're just spirits..." However, just as she finished speaking, above the hushed speculations of the crowd there was a low groaning noise that made the librarian go a bit pale, her brave smile slipping a bit as she gave a small squeak of fear. Maybe going home wasn't a bad idea right now as she herself wanted to seek out another teacher as if somehow one of them would be able to protect everyone.

[chord]

Chord, being the overly religious person that he was, took a moment to pay his respects to the site. He closed his eyes and stood still, even as the group started to pass him, and as soon as he felt the appropriate amount of time had passed, he moved on inside. There was definitely an otherworldly feel to the place. It's spiritual energy gave him a thrill- he would have loved to have worshiped here, for perhaps it would allow him to grow more in-tune with what lay beyond the physical world.

He listened to the explanation. It made sense, now, that someone had died here, and it hadn't been peaceful. Surely, even in such a sanctuary, they were disturbed. He was mildly surprised that the priest had allowed the spirits to still reside inside the holy ground, but he supposed that they didn't post any real danger, and he admired the man already for his tolerance. Yes, this would be a place he would like to worship within.

The candlestick falling over seemed to create unrest within a group. A small Asian girl had screamed, and he heard some muttering. Ros had taken to comforting the upset girl, and he smiled when she used the word 'spirit', recalling that he had explained to Russel and Ros before the trip that they should never use the world 'ghost' because it was disrespectful. Well, at least she had listened to him, but only time would tell if Russel had.

"This place is so wonderful," he told the tour guide before turning to the rest of the class. "You would all do well to remember that we are here to learn, and should we encounter the spiritual world, we need to keep our minds open to learning and listen to what they have to tell us." Chord was trying to ease the unrest.

Angie gave him a strange look. Yes, she got some ghost hunters and spiritually-obsessed people in her group, but most of them were at least quiet about it. "Come along, we're going down to the old dormitories," yes, they would be going underground to see the site where a murder had taken place- then they would be leaving through the underground passageway and moving up and across the street to the graveyard. "This used to be the area where those seeking sanctuary would come. The male dormitories collapsed back in 1901 during renovations, but the female dormitories survived and remained in tact." she went on to explain how two of the nuns had gotten into a scuffle when it came out that one wanted to leave the convent, and in front of the poor refugees, one of the women had been stabbed, and her murderer- the other woman- had fled to never been seen or heard from again.

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TAG - Global
WORDS - 661
NOTES - Feel free to keep them moving along if you have an idea for a location. Of course, since they're going to the Cathedral, feel free to reply to it! Have things happen, ghosts appear, noises to spook people, being pushed or shoved by an invisible force-- anything weird and haunted, go for it! But you don't HAVE to. If you want to move the thread along after a few posts, don't wait for me. Angie is free to control (just don't make her run off). Some good ideas for locations are: graveyards, haunted houses, orphanage, abandoned prison, restaurant, tavern, alleyway, etc.
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[ALEIX HALE]

Of course the person he ran into just had to be one of the chaperones, didn't it? On top of that, it was one of his teachers, Mr. Conner. Aleix hid the fact he was actually kind of flustered with another smile. He looked around slightly at the question and shrugged a little. "I think it's all bullshit," he answered honestly. He almost found it worth it to go back to the hotel and chill while the others went through the ghost tour. But, then he remembered Josh was back at the hotel and the possibility of getting his cigarettes ganked from him and getting another lecture on how it and other drugs are bad for him nixed that idea completely. He got that enough from his mother, like he needed it from his cousin, too. Aleix's focus turned back to the present events when a candlestick was knocked over. Really? That was it? He'd been in man-made haunted houses more scary than this. Now, those, he loved. It was a cheap thrill, sure, but they were fun. Especially when you went with the right people. This was just lame. With an eye roll, Lexi crossed his arms and continued following the group. He didn't really pay attention to what the guide was saying because really all she was trying to do was to get people all worked up so they'd scare themselves over easily explainable things. The longer all of it went on, the more getting that lecture seemed like a good idea. Their tour guide kept talking as there were odd noises from one side of the room. Sound systems was Aleix's thoughts and explanation. Seriously. This was it? Some noises and a fallen candle. You'd think a place so famous for being "haunted" would try harder than that. Lex just couldn't get past his skeptical point of view, nor did he think it'd change at all that evening, especially with the rate things were going by then.

tag;; global
word count;; 330
notes;; yus longer post \o/
outfit;; clickmeh
credit;; graphics and form: alice. lyrics: "just a dream", nelly.

[ANDROMEDA MARIE WYNTER]

Rome honestly wasn’t expecting anything to come out of this whole trip. She only went on it because it meant she didn’t have to be in class for a whole week, which was just what she needed. On top of not having classes, she didn’t have to deal with her father. Otherwise she wouldn’t have gone; she wasn’t big into the whole ghost’s thing, or places being haunted. She wasn’t like the people that got scared of the sound of their own footsteps, though they swear up and down that it was a ghost or something. Rome was the kind of girl that just laughed at their stupidity or had to have good solid prove that things like that existed. Even though she was stuck in this lousy group going through this idiotic tour to learn stuff or find spirits; she rolled her eyes at most everyone there or laughed because of their irrational panic.

She had stuck close by Mr. Connor, simply because he was a figure she knew. As well as Mr. D’Antione – but he was a little too high and mighty in himself than Mr. Connor was… And it seemed as though Mr. Connor could handle her mood a lot better than most people could because he was easy to just brush it aside. Although, that depended on what she said to the poor man. Somehow she figured she and him were on better terms since the day they had first met each other.

As she turned her head in the direction of the crowd she rolled her eyes as some of them began to panic, or it seemed as though they were panicking. She had heard one girl state something about wanting to be home, but that could have happened just then or several hours before had she really paid any attention to time or enough to register anything. “Are we done yet?” Were the first words Rome had spoken since the ride to this supposed haunted place. She directed her words to Mr. Connor, though she wasn’t sure if he was paying attention, and even if he would answer her she probably wouldn’t be paying much attention to him either. Most likely she’d be so much into her whole world that she wouldn’t even know what was going on or where she was should someone ask her.

Details were never her strong suit.

398 // group // she has no idea whats going on

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[ANTHEA CHRISTINA DE LUCA]

The blond had kept quiet during the trip so far. Anthea had enjoyed observing the antics of the other students at the hotel earlier, but now things were getting all the more interesting. The air all around had an element of the unknown and it made her excited. Especially when the candlestick had fallen without anything (visible) disturbing it. She could tell that some of the other students and even Mr. Connor did not seem bothered by it, but that it had caused fear in others. She felt bad for the pretty Asian girl who had cried about wanting to go home. She doubted she needed to though since the other girl had someone to hold onto.

“This place is so wonderful,” she heard Mr. D'Antione say. “You would all do well to remember that we are here to learn, and should we encounter the spiritual world, we need to keep our minds open to learning and listen to what they have to tell us.”

“I'm sure they just want to be acknowledged,” Anthea said mostly to herself. “A little attention just reminds them that they're still there.” She felt the air get colder around her. “If any of them are around they can talk to me if they want.”

[RUSSEL CONNOR]

He smirked when Aleix bluntly stated how he felt about the idea of ghosts. The boy was even more of a skeptic than he was. Oh, but he wasn't supposed to call them ghosts, was he? Chord had spoken to him earlier about that. He was supposed to use the word spirits. Now that he knew the teacher's gender Russel wasn't so uneasy around him, but this whole thing with taking the supernatural world so seriously was a little odd. He doubted ghosts, spirits, whatever really cared what they were called. Maybe he would use some weird phrase in front of Chord later, like 'earthbound souls' or something, just to be funny. Of course, he would probably be the only one to find it humorous. And it might just annoy the guy. He didn't really want that.

Falling candlesticks and groaning sounds. If that was the only kind of thing that was going to happen on this tour, maybe he should have just stayed at the hotel. If he couldn't have the real thing, he wanted to at least witness something a bit more imaginative. Going down to the dormitory did sound promising, though. Would it be creepy and dimly-lit? He made his way down the stairs with the rest of them, musing over the murder of the reluctant nun. Ooh, that sounded like a good book title. The Reluctant Nun.

"Are we done yet?" he heard someone next to him say, and looked over to see Rome with a rather blank expression on her face.

"I think we're about a third of the way through," he said, wondering why she had asked. She didn't seem scared. Indeed, he would be surprised if Rome was scared of anything like ghosts or bumps in the night. Maybe she was bored. After that first day, he'd realized she wasn't really a trouble-maker, just a little rough around the edges. "If this next bit isn't interesting enough, then the graveyard should be. I've never been in a graveyard at night. Have you?"

[EZRA GRAY JAMISON]

The boy had his camcorder plastered to his face. Well, not exactly. He held the camcorder at his chest, holding it still, as he walked around with the group. If he were going to catch something he wanted to get it on camera. Not that he’d ever really do anything with it. It’s not like Ezra was a ghost hunter, or would ever become one. He just thought it would be interesting to catch some video. He had his Nikon dangling lower from his neck so he could take photos of things he liked in particular rather than just having a video, as well. Ezra was more of a sentimental when it came to trips. He liked to make memories in his whole form, but he also liked to candidly capture the moments as well so he’ll remember them long from now.

He believed that there was a possibility that there was something out there like ghosts or other worldly being, or spirits if you will. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to prove it, but he can believe in something and not have it proved. He’s more of a feel it, believe it, experienced it kind of person. If he could feel the way one should feel, and if he can strongly believe, or experience anything, then he would definitely believe it was real even if it didn’t prove anything.

Before he continued to walk on he looked at his phone for any new texts. He responded to the ones he had and then moved on, following the group. He continued to shoot raw footage, hopefully there would be something he could edit out later with his programming on his MacBook. He had five cameras, the camcorder in which he was using currently, his Polaroid, and his Nikon film, and his two Nikon digital; he also had three laptops: a MacBook which he used more often, his old HP TouchSmart which he used strictly for note taking, and his Dell Studio 15 which had a fan problem and the whole thing crashed. He didn’t bother getting it fixed since his MacBook was good for everything he wanted to use it for. He smiled as he followed behind the group, he wasn’t bothered in talking to any of them, he simply wanted to walk around and watch all the action.

He was making memories just by being there, but he’d be able to keep the memories on the video by watching it. He couldn’t wait to get back to the school to put it all together and make it a better video than just a straight shot of the things that went on. Being Ezra he was sure to catch everything that people were getting bent out of shape for. He actually found it quite endearing that mostly the girls were so open to scream about what was going on, even if it was really nothing.

486 // group // i need to actually read the thread, sorry if this makes no sense. i'm trying to make responses where it's not like generally based on other characters since i hadn't read it yet... but i did want my characters in here.

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