AM I DEAD? [action] [audio]

[strange_unusual]

WHO: Lydia and whoever is around
WHERE: The Bay
WHEN: after midnight
WHAT: her first day at Genessia



When she finally woke up, her eyes were still heavy and it took awhile for her to blink the dreams away so she didn't realize that she was somewhere that was not her dark room at first. It was a little cold so she figured she had kicked her covers off again and tried to curl up to hold onto that last bit of warmth but her hands slid against something cold, something that didn't feel like her bed at all. Then she realized that the thing over her head wasn't the ceiling.

Her first official thought was that she was dead and buried and this was her coffin. It was brighter than she would have liked, so white. Her stepmother most likely had something to do with the design. How disappointing. For waking up in her own coffin, she felt unusually calm and was about to try and fall back asleep when the sound of water had her lifting her head.

That's when she sees the box. It doesn't look like one of her's, which makes her curious. Her first order of business is to open it and when she's gone through all the contents, she goes from curious to confused. And she thought she had known what to expect from Death. Gathering everything back into the box, she tests her coffin and discovers it's not much of one and she's not buried at all but sitting in some kind of weird cocoon in a cave of all places.

Creepy, Lydia thought with a grin as she began to venture out of the cave, picking the third doorway, box tucked to her chest. There were other cocoons in the cave but she was too shy and a bit apprehensive to check any of them. On her way out, she decided to try and give the walkie-talkie a try and see if her friends were around. It took her a few minutes but she was finally able to get it to work-

"Hello? Barbara? Adam? Are you out there?" The static response wasn't encouraging so she kept making her way down the watery hall, anxious and excited about whatever she might find.

Comments

[strange_unusual]

The Maitlands weren't here. They weren't here and he was. The thought had her nervous. Their last ... parting? conversation? Well things hadn't quite ended so well for him in any case and she wasn't so sure what to do about seeing him. She kept looking around inside the cavern hall, suspicious of any shadow. But then, he'd never been one to hide in the shadows.

Right, the pamphlet. Everything was still in the box. Opening things that she wasn't familiar with wasn't a smart thing but then, how else to explain the place she was in? "Yeah, sure. I love to read about new places." She lied, not sure she could trust the ghost with the most, even if he was the only familiar voice so far. "Have you been here long? Gotten married to anyone else yet?" It was supposed to be a joke but she was anxious about the can of worms she just tipped over.

[betel_geuse]

Betelgeuse glared at his videofeed. Yeah, that still bothered him. He ignored her claim about reading the pamphlet. Really, she thought that was funny?! Honestly, she'd soured him on the marriage plan, but she didn't need to know that, did she?

"You really want to go there, babes? 'Cause, no, I haven't moved on to someone else. We had a deal and I kept my end of it. Far as I'm concerned, you still owe me, including for the damn sandworm! Ever been bitten by an animal? Imagine being chewed on whole."

That wasn't entirely true. He blamed Barbara for the sandworm, not Lydia, but, again, she didn't need to know that. The point was he'd kept his word and she hadn't. Sooner or later, he had to find a way to collect.

[strange_unusual]

She tripped (over her own feet or something in the water, it was hard to tell) but caught herself in time. It wouldn't be good to drop the walkie-talkie in the water and ruin it, considering it was her only contact to anyone so far. "You DO know my name is Lydia, right?"

This wasn't the time to get into an argument so her tone was soft and she was starting to feel bad again about the sandworm. She hadn't meant for that to happen but she hadn't wanted to get married either.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. How was I supposed to know about the sandworm? Besides, Barbara was only trying to help me. You can't blame her either."

[betel_geuse]

"Oh, I can blame her plenty, Lydia," Betelgeuse corrected, still sulking. "Of course, I know your name. What kind of fiance do you think I am?? Besides, I said your name during the ceremony, remember?"

He sulked, leaning back onto the couch. Right now, Betelgeuse was haunting a small, but very comfortably furnished apartment in downtown Genessia. He was tempted, for some reason, to go meet Lydia down at the Bay, but so far had resisted. He doubted she really wanted his help, she already owed him one favor, and, well, really, what could he do? Give her a guided tour? Nah. She'd be fine on her own. Right?

[strange_unusual]

Well. He did know her name, after all, so she guessed that was an argument lost. And he sounded quite put out by her insinuation too. Lydia rolled her eyes and huffed out a sigh. "Yeah, in my voice too. Though I guess I have to admit, that was pretty good." Made her wonder what other sort of tricks he had up his striped sleeves.

Fiancee. There was truth in that, wasn't there? She'd begged him to save her friends, even at the cost of her own freedom and for only being fourteen at the time, freedom was all she had. She had never thought of getting married and certainly not to someone like him. Now that she was here, wherever here was or whatever it was called, would he still hold her to that deal? "I don't suppose you would let me out of that?" She had to ask. What was the harm, right?

[betel_geuse]

"Thank you muchly. I wasn't lying, when I said I'm the ghost with the most," Betelgeuse told her. "I don't see why I should let you out of anything. What's the big deal? I helped your friends, you help me, and everything's cool! Don't see any reason for everyone to have freaked out like they did!"

She owed him, right? Seriously, he wasn't big on the idea of marriage, himself, but he figured she could do a lot worse. Of course, he wasn't at all sure getting married here would free him, the way it would in their world, but dammit, he was going to get something out of the situation. She owed him.

[strange_unusual]

Couldn't be surprised when he rejected the idea straight out. Still, who was to blame her for trying? Shoot, what was she going to do? If she was going to have to get married, she hoped at least her dad and Delia were going to be there, not mention the Maitlands. Guess they all were mostly there the last time.

She groaned. "The fact that I was and still am under age doesn't bother you, I guess." Why would it? He was dead. "Guess now that I'm dead, it doesn't matter anyway. I thought death would be less ... watery."

[betel_geuse]

"Under age? Sheesh, how old do you have to be in this century? Come to think of it, how old are you?" he asked, then paused, before continuing. "Uh, Lyds, babes, what are you talking about? You're not dead! Are you? Did something happen back home?"

[strange_unusual]

There was something amusing in the way Betelgeuse rambled. Lydia rolled her eyes with half a smile on her face. "I'm fifteen and in this century, the legal age is eighteen so yes, under age."

That wasn't concern in his voice, was it? Because she couldn't see the man being concerned about anyone but himself. He just seemed like the selfish sort. She didn't correct him again on the 'babes' since technically he did use her name. Kind of. "I don't really remember. I guess I just assumed. Isn't this the other side?"

[betel_geuse]

"Oh, well, fifteen and eighteen, fine, fine. I said the marriage was a convenience. Shouldn't be too hard to keep it just friendly for that long. Weird, though, I knew plenty of gals who got married at fifteen, when I was alive," Betelgeuse mused, out loud. He guffawed, at her last question. "Aw, hell, no, Lyds! This isn't the afterlife. This is just some weird, parallel world we both got sucked into. Wish I could tell you more, but no one seems to know a whole lot."

[strange_unusual]

This was an odd conversation to have and she was strangely enjoying that part of it. It didn't sound like she was in any real danger then. She was still stuck in the engagement, one she had been kind of pushed into, but three years, hey, a lot could happen in three years. Surely she could think up something to help her get out of this.

"WHEN were you alive? The Dark Ages?" That would explain the smell. And the teeth. She wasn't dead? Guess that was a good thing. The name Genessia made more sense now. She'd grown up in New York so practically anywhere else felt like a whole other world. Maybe this was the Bermuda Triangle.

[betel_geuse]

"Well, fourteenth century, yeah, but you might be careful with that "dark ages" crap. WE weren't in danger of sending the entire planet up in one big fireball," Betelgeuse retorted.

Modern people, jeez! Betelgeuse liked a lot of things about the modern world, but his life hadn't been so bad, even without running water and television. There'd still been booze, food, and girls. Really, what more did a person need?

[strange_unusual]

"Sorry. I would never have taken you for such a concerned humanitarian." She didn't roll her eyes this time. Yes, it was a joke but it wasn't meant to be mean-spirited at all. Suppose it was more of a tease.

He wasn't threatening her, was he? What exactly would he do if she DID say something offensive? Sure, the guy had the moral compass of a cockroach but she didn't get the feeling that he was entirely bad. Then again- best be careful. "So then, you're, what? Seven hundred years old?"

[betel_geuse]

"Hey, if you all bite the dust, I'll be out of a job, Lyds," Betelgeuse reminded her, amused. "It's not like I dislike people or anything! Mostly, I just find 'em a good laugh."

He chortles, just thinking about it. Really, though, this is good. They're talking, which is far better than her running away screaming or something!

"Not quite. I'm six hundred and thirty...something. I don't really keep close track of what year it is, anymore."

[strange_unusual]

"Woah." Six hundred years old? She had to really think about that for a second. "That is a lot of birthdays." Not to mention that was a huge age-gap. Imagine the scandal! Not that she ever cared what other people though. Okay, maybe she cared but only a little and never enough that ever stopped her from doing what she wanted.

She didn't want to get married. That was a problem she was going to have to solve somehow. She'd had a year but she'd also thought she never had to worry about Betelgeuse again.

[betel_geuse]

"It would be, if dead people celebrated birthdays. Ghosts are a dull lot, babes, I'm sad to say. We don't celebrate death days, either."

A very small part of Betelgeuse recognized that Lydia was very young, probably too young, maybe, but hell. What living woman wasn't too young, compared to him? She'd grow into a full adult soon enough. He wondered if he should tell her that many nobles in his time married, while still children, then took up residence together, once both parties were of age.