Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)17:15 No. 672981 ID: 586f5c
File 144331295413.gif - (326.44KB , 700x700 , 1.gif )

"Hello?"

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)17:16 No. 672983 ID: 586f5c
File 144331300053.png - (242.00KB , 700x500 , 2.png )

It’s that guy, again. He’s been coming around to Heidi’s house for weeks, knocking, yelling, even waiting for hours across the street for her to come out. He says he wants to “work with her” on some project of his; keeps saying she saw her in the park a few weeks ago talking to ghosts and now he’s got this idea that Heidi’s a medium.

He’s out there again now, looking through the windows to see if she’s inside.

“Hellooo? Miss Medium? I just want to talk to you!”

i mean. CAN you talk to ghosts. because if he's not operating on completely inaccurate info maybe you should hear him out

Are you a medium?

"Hey, do you really want to know what the spirits are saying? Because right now they're yelling 'No solicitors'!"

Even if you can't talk to ghosts, ypu could takr his money and hoohaw it up to make him think you can.
Y'know, like a real medium.

Element of surprise! Swing open the door and demand to know why he thinks you can talk to ghosts. Show him whos in charge here!

you could just call the cops you know

If you don't want to work with him, tell him to fuck off. If you do have a shred of interest in working with him, then talk to him [without inviting him in] on the porch about what he's expecting from you.

If you tell him to fuck off and he doesn't fuck off, then that's what the police are for.

>>672983
Make terrible bathroom noises until he's embarrassed into leaving.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)18:35 No. 673019 ID: 586f5c
File 144331774994.png - (173.49KB , 700x500 , 3.png )

He’s not wrong or anything, he probably did see Heidi screaming at ghosts in the park. They never leave her alone. They always want her to help them Crossover but just because she can talk and see ghosts doesn’t mean she can preform fucking miricles, you know? She normally keeps it under wraps, but sometimes, she loses it, and just plain tells them to fuck off.

Now this guy is back again, for the third time this week, yelling so loudly that demons in hell can probably hear him.

“I know you’re in there! I saw you go in! Will you just talk to me? My name’s Zeke and I’m making this show about ghosts called Polterquest and I just want an interview! Come on, man! Why were you in the park telling ghosts to ‘go away!’, what are you hiding?!” He starts to bang his fists on the door, sounding more desperate. “TELL US THE TRUTH, COME ON MAN.”

Heidi rolls her eyes.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)18:36 No. 673020 ID: 586f5c
File 144331778367.png - (201.77KB , 700x500 , 4.png )

If he keeps carrying on like this, every ghost and their dog in the Sydney Metropolitan Area is going to rain down on this ho--

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)18:36 No. 673021 ID: 586f5c
File 144331781215.png - (237.60KB , 700x500 , 5.png )

Cool. Great. Nice.

open the door and throw zeke at the ghost

"Dude. If you're relying on me to be the medium between normal folks like you and these so-called ghosts you can take your idea and shove it. What's to prevent someone from just calling us nut-cases yelling into the air?"
A good hard dose of critism should help take the wind out of his sails.

hit him with ghost.

use something to fan ghost away so it disapears under the door lmao

>>673021
Let the ghost get him. He deserves it.

introducing zeke and ghost within any context will probably only add fuel to his fire. at the same time, though, Just An Interview doesn't sound so bad. it at least sounds markedly less annoying than this guy banging on your door for an hour three times a week.

So are we Heidi or are we a guardian spirit of some sort? 3rd person is less common for quests than 1st or 2nd.

If the former, phone police and deal with ghost while waiting. If the latter, shoo the lesser ghost out and let him get spooked off.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)20:17 No. 673052 ID: 586f5c
File 144332383806.png - (286.78KB , 700x500 , 6.png )

Heidi tries in vain to fan the ghost away with her hands, but it continues to billow up from the floorboards, growing in size. “Medium?” The spectral figure wheezes, moving forward. It stinks of smoke.

“Shh! Shut up!” Heidi hisses.

“Medium, please, h-help me, I’m trapped. I can’t--”

Try to deal with the ghost as quietly as she can without being seen? Unlikely, but its probably her best option since she doesnt seem too thrilled with the prospect of talking to zeke

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)20:18 No. 673054 ID: 586f5c
File 144332388280.png - (191.19KB , 700x500 , 7.png )

“WHO'S THAT?” Screams Zeke outside. Zeke pounds the door harder, and the door bounces on its hinges. “IS THAT A GHOST? LET ME IN I WANT TO TALK TO THE GHOST--holy shit where’s my camera?”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)20:18 No. 673055 ID: 586f5c
File 144332391223.png - (215.07KB , 700x500 , 8.png )

“HHhhh That voice!” The ghost moans, hands to where Heidi assumes its ears would be. “That grating voice, the shouting! It’s painful!”

“I didn’t leave it in the taxi, did I?--OH, no here it is--HEY MEDIUM OPEN THE DOOR, I WANT TO FILM THE GHOST AT LEAST! GHOST, IF YOU’RE IN THERE, MY NAME’S ZEKE AND I’M HERE TO HELP!”

Heidi groans, and considers opening the door to just hurl the spirit at him to make him leave, but something else happens. The spirit’s form begins to waver, and it hisses in pain. “No no no!” It says. “Painful! Painful! Painful! I can’t stand it, this constant screaming, shouting, yelling! Stop!”

Craft a weapon and threaten the guy. Then file a restraining order on the ghost.

tell him that if he wants to see a ghost he has to be silent!! or he'll blow his chance

Get the hell off my lawn or I'll call the police!

open the door, tell him "SHHHHH"

clearly zekes got some impact on the ghost. maybe it isnt such a bad idea to hang around him?

Who do u want gone more, the ghost or the guy? Weigh the pros/cons

Tell the nice poltergeist to piss off back under the floorboards so you can distract Zeke. Once he has a look around the house and doesn't see any paranormal activity around, you might be able to set him straight about this medium business.

>>673055
Tell the ghost you'll help it if it can get that yelling obnoxious pain off your ass.

(We're not doing this spirit medium nonsense for nothing. Ghosts are gonna have to trade for our help).

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)22:41 No. 673086 ID: 586f5c
File 144333247113.png - (170.23KB , 700x500 , 9.png )

Heidi moves to the window, and raps on the glass to get Zeke’s attention. “Hey! Hey listen!” She says. “You want to see a ghost that bad?” On the other side, Zeke nods with a big grin. “Then stop shouting! Or you’ll blow your chance.”

“DOES THAT MEAN I CAN--?”

Heidi throws the door open, her finger to her lips. “Shhh!”

Zeke clears his throat, and corrects himself, asking, “Does that mean I can see the ghost?”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)22:41 No. 673087 ID: 586f5c
File 144333250837.png - (246.32KB , 700x500 , 10.png )

Behind her, Heidi feels the cold billowing over her back, crawling across her skin as the ghost continues to hiss and wheeze. “Bad! Bad bad bad! I hate it, I hate this!”

Heidi looks over her shoulder, and the ghost is fading, willing itself back into the void, crying out. Zeke bobs his head up and down on the porch, trying to look past Heidi into the house, he’s got a small video camera in hand. He’s trying to the see the ghost, but Heidi knows that he won’t see anything.

The ghost hisses, its figure tensing. Its face changes, morphing into a gaping toothy maw, and Hedi realises its looking past her, and at Zeke. It gives one more screech, and vanishes.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)22:42 No. 673088 ID: 586f5c
File 144333254349.png - (183.44KB , 700x500 , 11.png )

“Where is it?” Zeke asks. "Is it still there?"

Handsome Dog 2015/09/26(Sat)22:42 No. 673089 ID: 586f5c
File 144333256362.png - (152.82KB , 700x500 , 12.png )

God.

>>673087
Huh. Is it possible this guy isn't what he seems? That the bumbling enthusiast thing is an act? That ghost was reacting like he might be something.

"no, your incessant screeching made it leave"

maybe it would still be here if you weren't so loud, but it looked like it hated your guts, so....

Tell him he is basically ghost repellant in physical form. He will NEVER get footage of a ghost. Ever.

>>673110

Yeah, he is ghost repellant.

...which means, if you hang out with him, you won't be bothered by ghosts anymore.

Holy crap. This is perfect! Befriend anti-ghost-man immediately!

you scared it away and probably got my neighbors to call the cops. So good job with that.

ask him how many haunted artifacts he has to deadlift to get those sweet rippling arm muscles

Handsome Dog 2015/09/27(Sun)04:14 No. 673144 ID: 586f5c
File 144335244686.png - (252.60KB , 700x500 , 13.png )

“It didn’t like you screaming,” Heidi says, truthfully. She looks Zeke up and down, standing in the doorway. The ghost didn’t like him, in fact, she’s never seen any spirit react like that about anything. Normally they fight tooth and nail to get someone’s attention, especially if they’re seeking it.

He smiles at her, raising his hand, and says, “Hi, I’m Zeke.”

“So I’ve heard,” Heidi replies.

There’s nothing… unusual about him, not in a way that would make spirits just leave like that. A thought occurs, if he’s ghost repellent, and she can’t get the damn things to leave her alone, maybe hearing what he’s got to say wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all?

Heidi makes what she hopes is a sweet smile, and asks, “so, you want an interview? Right? Just an interview?”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/27(Sun)04:14 No. 673145 ID: 586f5c
File 144335249932.png - (187.31KB , 700x500 , 14.png )

Zeke lowers his camera. “Yeah! Yeah, that’s right, that’d be great! I’m making a webseries called 'Polterquest', and I’m going to be locked in this old building that used to be an illegal bar in the 30s tomorrow night, and I was wondering if I could ask you about any local spirits and stuff that I could go looking for or uh...” Zeke suddenly seems unsure, but continues. “I was wondering if you would maybe come down there with me for thirty minutes or something, and just see if you can sense anything there?”

"it's not a sixth sense, i can see them ,with my eyes, unless it's floating somewhere i would be able to see, i wont 'sense' anything."

30 minutes alone in an abandoned bar? thats shady as shit. If you do it, at least bring someone else along.

Point out that what he suggests seems awfully like a location perfect for rape.

The fact he's been following and pestering you for some time now does not make him look any better.

might be good for a laugh. Especially if his voice is just straight up scaring ghosts away.

>>673147

Ask who else is going to be there and see if you any of your friends might want to go.

>I’m going to be locked in this old building that used to be an illegal bar in the 30s tomorrow night
Just cause it's old doesn't mean ghosts will be there, you know. Did anyone die there?

>I was wondering if you would maybe come down there with me for thirty minutes or something, and just see if you can sense anything there?
Point out you really don't want your face all over the internet doing this kind of stuff. It's bad enough the ghost and he already know where to find you.

>>673170
Just because no ones died there doesn't mean there might be ghosts. Ghosts can haunt places they spent a lot of time or were significant (in a good or bad way) to them in life. The idea that ghosts ONLY haunt the places that they passed away at isn't looking at all the evidence.

While true that places that have higher concentration of death can have ghosts, it can be put down to the fact that the persons death may have been A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT BAD EVENT that occurred to them there.

If they go to the illegal bar, they're likely residual energy (so they'd pick up sounds like walking, laughter, talking, glass bottles hitting tables. If gambling was done there also; cards shuffling, money tinkering like coins on a table etc) which tend to be in most places that had high concentrations of human activity. This is pretty much the reason why old pubs and hotels are more likely to be haunted then a bus station; a place where people spent time living, laughing and spending lots of good or bad times and have fond or negative memories, verse a place where though some people worked, the majority just passed through.

And depending on the history of the illegal bar (if they were raided and shut down by police, if it was in the middle of gang land, if it was the base for a gang, how popular the bar was, how absolutely fucking kicking that place could get on a thursday night) then that would increase the likelihood of actual spirits.

ask if theres any dangers at the bar, like structural damage, mould, contamination of any sort and if he's got any equipment or measures in place if there is any of that there, like dust masks. It's better to be safe during an investigation then sorry. Assuming he's been there before, honestly.

Ask what he knows about proper ghost hunting as well, or if he's got all his tricks of the trade from ghost shows.
TAPS and Ghost Adventures are not a good way to learn how to actually hunt ghosts. Most people can't afford the incredibly amount of technology they have.

also Zeke is adorable.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/27(Sun)21:54 No. 673312 ID: 586f5c
File 144341607447.png - (177.14KB , 700x500 , 15.png )

“Just because it’s old doesn’t mean there is going to be anything there,” Heidi says, leaning against the doorframe. “And it's not a sixth sense, you know, I can see them and hear them, just a little better than other people-I won’t be 'senseing' anything.”

“Cool! Cool, cool, cool, that’s fine--any help would be greatly GREATLY appreciated and--Uh, I’m sorry about--uh, the yelling and stuff. I’ve never met a real Medium before!” Zeke explains, sheepishly.

“Yeah, yeah whatever just--don’t do it again. Is anyone else going to be at this thing?”

Zeke drums his fingers on his camera, and looks away, speaking very carefully. “Uh n-no, just-just me! Ha. I mean it was going to be me and my fellow investigator but he--uh--bailed on me and runshisownshowwhichsucksbut YEAH just me, at the moment--Cameraman, director, producer and investigator all in one.” Zeke grins at Heidi hopefully, and she works her mouth, thinking.

She has one friend that she could call to help her with this, or at least, keep an eye on things, although-

Handsome Dog 2015/09/27(Sun)21:55 No. 673314 ID: 586f5c
File 144341614528.png - (197.80KB , 700x500 , 15_5.png )

Zeke seems harmless enough, he’s just exuberant and overly excited about ghosts or something, and by the looks of it, devoted all the time he was meant to be learning social skills into ghosts instead. If this guy really does just drive the things away with his voice, it’d be good for a laugh, and maybe she’ll learn more about what exactly drives spirits away.

She’ll let Rag know what’s happening anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Heidi runs her hand through her hair, and sighs. Zeke watches her expectantly, and Heidi scowls at him. “Fine,” she says. “I’ll come with you tomorrow to this place, and I’ll give you an interview if it stops you banging on my door every second day.”

“Yes, YES, AWESOME! Thank you so much…?”

“Heidi.”

“Heidi! Thank you! You won’t regret this I promise--”

“Also don’t film me or like, actually use my full name, I don’t want my face or name on the internet or I’ll be hounded by nutt--” Heidi see’s Zeke’s expression, and twists her mouth into a smile, “--ghosts, other ghosts. They’ll all learn my name and what I look like and...” She inhales sharply, nodding to Zeke.

Zeke blinks. “Oh! OHhohoh oh, oh right, right,” he says, winking and tapping his nose. “Gotcha!”

Yeah, right.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/27(Sun)21:56 No. 673315 ID: 586f5c
File 144341619155.png - (170.93KB , 700x500 , 16.png )

Zeke writes down the address and the time, and where he’ll be (he drew a map complete with a stick figure version of himself labelled “me”), and says goodbye. Heidi watches him leave, and notices that a couple hundred metres down the street he pulls out his camera again, and starts talking, filming himself, before she closes the door, and steps back inside.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/27(Sun)21:57 No. 673316 ID: 586f5c
File 144341627748.png - (383.30KB , 700x500 , 17.png )

Tomorrow night comes all too quickly, and Heidi heads down to the building where Zeke said he’d be. It’s an old building, a turn of the century pub with red brick façade and open wood decks. A sign above the main entrance proudly proclaims The Kirk Local Museum, and Zeke is waiting out the front holding a million things in both arms.

“Hey! Hey, over here! Hi! Glad you could make it!” Zeke says, looking over the top of a laptop bag. “Anyway, this is where I’m getting locked down for the night after you sweep the place!”

heidi he's cute.

ask if he needs any help carrying anything, and ask if he's done any research on the place! it would be cool to get debriefed beforehand.

>don't use my real name
Are we gonna need an alias or stage name then? For when we're not appearing on camera.

oh no he's adorable

Ask him why his other investigator left?

Handsome Dog 2015/09/28(Mon)02:14 No. 673382 ID: 586f5c
File 144343165026.png - (215.88KB , 700x500 , 18.png )

“Do you need help with any of that?” Heidi asks, watching Zeke juggle camera bags.

“No, no I’m fine!” He chirps.

Heidi raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t press. “Have you done any research on this place?”

Zeke nods. “Yeah, just like, a quick one, I usually like to go in with a clean slate. Try to be objective.” He sniffs, and gives her what she supposes is meant to be a ‘Knowing’ look but it just looks weird.

“And…?” Heidi probes.

“And the director of the museum told me that this was original built as a pub in 1901, but was closed down in the 20s, and bought by one Kate Leigh, who then converted it into a ‘sly grog’ house after the 6 o’clock closing time laws were introduced. So it became one of the hangouts lots of the local gangs who were loyal to her as well as an illegal bar. During that time there were lots of stabbings, slashings, shootings, brawlings, assaults, murders…” He starts to list them off on his fingers. “When Kate Leigh when bankrupt and was forced to sell it, it was turned back into a proper pub and remained that way until the museum bought it. Oh--plus, someone in town told me that they heard a rumour that there’s bodies buried under the floors and bricked up in the walls! Cool, huh?”

Heidi stares at him.

Zeke adjusts his grip on the bags again, and changes the subject. “Anyway, the museum director, John Ham said he’d be here at 7 to let us in.”

Nodding slowly, Heidi looks around the street. People walk up and down the sidewalk, heading to local trendy bars or heading home from work, and cars drive by every few minutes. It's too cold for most people to be out, so it's quieter than normal.

“What happened to your other investigator?” Heidi asks, finally.

Zeke stiffens, and scowls down at his laptop bag. “I dunno, he was just a jerk. He said he didn’t want to be a part of it any more and wanted to do something else, but then a few months later I discovered he was making his own ghost hunting series.” He doesn’t seem to want to talk about it. He looks up, and his face brightens. “Ah, ha, here’s our guy! Hey Mr Ham!”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/28(Mon)02:15 No. 673383 ID: 586f5c
File 144343175915.png - (217.94KB , 700x500 , 19.png )

“G’d evenin’,” says a squat man, walking towards them. A set of keys glints between his fingers as he waves to them, smiling under his slouch cap. “Oh, there’s two of you now, is there?” He asked, stopping in front of the main doors.

Zeke nods. “Yeah, this is Heidi, she’s helping me out.”

Mr Ham seems satisfied with this, and sticks the key in the lock. “I’ll be coming back in the morning, and the museum will be open, so you’ll have to clean up and clear out before we open for business.”

“That’s fine, I can do that,” Zeke assures him.

There’s a dull click in the lock, and Mr Ham pulls the front door open with a creak. He stands back, holding it wide and Zeke rushes forward. Heidi steps forward and hesitates for a moment. She catches John Ham’s eye, and he smiles, but it’s unsettling.

“Try not to break anything,” he warns, chuckling.

Heidi puts her hands into her pockets, and says with a weak laugh, “I’ll try to keep him in line.” She steps over the threshold, and into the dark of the museum.

“Good luck,” says Mr Ham behind her, closing the door. “Let’s hope you survive the night.”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/28(Mon)02:16 No. 673384 ID: 586f5c
File 144343180598.gif - (297.75KB , 700x500 , 20.gif )

The door shuts, the lock clicks, and then there's silence. He’s locked the door, Heidi realises.

hhhhhh small mishap in the first post for tonight's update, its meant to be "...a hang out for lots of local gangs"*. Nothing major, lmao, i'm just tired and i didn't realise

Sooooo i thought this was supposed to be 30 minutes? Are you locked in there all night with him now?

Yep, this is a rape dungeon.

I hope he bought snacks. An investigation always needs lotsa good snacks.

DECK HIM IN THE FACE

$10 Zeke fumbles finding a torch and falls flat on his face!

>>673391

this is true. if you gonna be there all night and youre not used to that, you need food to keep you awake because your body will use the energy from the food as a replacement for sleep.

so should we just start wondering around and see if we can't run into something or what?

What did Heidi bring with her? At least her phone and a pack of gum or something right

ask if zeke needs any help setting things up. yknow. static cameras, motion detectors. you've seen ghost hunting shows before, right? i mean, YOU won't need them, but being friendly means this whole lockdown thing is less awkward.
... maybe you should just ask what kind of equipment he's got first.

>>673384
Wait, you weren't supposed to stay all night, were you? You didn't bring any stuff!

Don't panic. There's gotta be an emergency or fire exits you can use. It's a museum, that means it's had to pass inspection and be up to code. There have to be ways for a crowd of potential visitors to get out.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/28(Mon)20:28 No. 673550 ID: 586f5c
File 144349730974.png - (150.48KB , 700x500 , 21.png )

“Zeke I was only meant to be here for 30 minutes!” Heidi says, her voice echoing about the room.

Zeke dumps the camera bags and other miscellaneous objects down onto a table set up in the middle of the foyer. “Yeah?” He asks, confused.

“That guy locked the door!”

“Oh-oH OH oh… Oh shit, I should have said, sorry I was--I was so caught up in being locked down. But Mr Ham will be back in the morning!” Zeke says with feigned optimism. “I-I’m really sorry, I-I wasn’t thinking. I’ll make it up to you some way, I promise! Uh--I brought snacks, if you want anything? Or you can look around, I guess?.” Even in the dark Heidi can see Zeke is bright red.

“Is there a fire exit somewhere, do you know?” Heidi asks.

Zeke reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper, offering it to her. “I don’t know off the top of my head--but I printed off this building plan before I came, so it might be helpful.”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/28(Mon)20:29 No. 673551 ID: 586f5c
File 144349738110.png - (229.77KB , 700x500 , 22.png )

Heidi takes the floor plan, and grits her teeth, surveying the room. It’s dark, with high ceilings, big ornate windows and heavy doors that would normally lead out onto the verandah. Glass display cases line the walls, filled with historic artefacts and old photos, as well as some mannequins dressed in antique clothes, and in front of the stairs is the table that Zeke is using to set up his base of operations.

Heidi checks her pockets. She brought her phone with her, her headphones and her keys, but nothing else.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/28(Mon)20:30 No. 673552 ID: 586f5c
File 144349743626.gif - (894.76KB , 700x500 , 23.gif )

Heidi glances down at the floor plan; she should be able to find an emergency exit somewhere.

fire escape, 9! nice. let's go check it out, but then we can at least do what zeke brought us here for before we peace out.

#9 fire escape! but why leave so soon?

Take his snacks

Alright, set up the equipment next to the fire escape. Also, set up some padding of some kind so you can jump down if necessary.

Might as well stay and help set up- that'll take about 30min, then take a snack and head for the fire escape... it might be entertaining to stick around and watch Zeke explain exactly what he was doing to the Town Fire Brigade that shows up in response to the door alarm though.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/29(Tue)00:29 No. 673637 ID: 586f5c
File 144351174645.png - (147.12KB , 700x500 , 24.png )

Ah, that wasn’t too hard, there’s a fire escape down a corridor to the right--

Handsome Dog 2015/09/29(Tue)00:32 No. 673640 ID: 586f5c
File 144351192672.png - (180.68KB , 700x500 , 26.png )

Zeke struggles with a bulky looking black thing which beeps and whizzes loudly. He turns it off and places it down nervously. “Sorry,” he says, quietly, flashing Heidi a grimace before checking some other object with a large speaker.

“There’s a fire escape down the hall over there,” Heidi says, nodding to one of the doors to her right. “I’ll go check it out--do you have a torch?”

“Yeah, here,” Zeke hands Heidi a small industrial torch, and opens his mouth to say something but stops.

“What?” Heidi asks.

“Uh, I-Hey, listen like, you don’t--you don’t have to stay, I messed up with this whole lock down thing, you can go if you want,” Zeke says, busying his hands with a small hand held camera and tripod.

Heidi considers this, and sighs. “It wasn’t your fault--don’t worry about it. I’ll sus out the fire escape and come back and I’ll do what I came down here to do. I have to come back anyway and return your torch.”

Handsome Dog 2015/09/29(Tue)00:32 No. 673641 ID: 586f5c
File 144351197283.png - (132.46KB , 700x500 , 27.png )

“Oh--Great, thanks! Do you want to take one of these with you? I don’t really know how this whole psychic medium business really works and you might not need them but...” Zeke is saying, setting the tripod down and placing three objects on the table in front of his laptop. He points to each in turn, and explains them:

“So this is the Ovilus III, it has a built in word bank and spirits can manipulate it to make words. This is the Spirit Box--” He pauses seeing Heidi’s expression, and laughs weakly, “--Dumb name, I know, anyway it scans radio stations at random, like 4 stations a second, and ghosts can talk through the white noise and finally uh, just a… plain old voice recorder. Nothing special about it, you just ask a question and then listen back and see if you caught any voices. You probably don’t need or want any of them but I thought I’d offer anyway.”

take the ovilus! it sounds cool and it'll take the least direct attention, i think. might as well!

Take the Ovilus - it's weird and nifty! Or the Spirit Box because it's so fantastically cheesy!

Wow aside from the voice recorder how much would these things even cost?? Expensive hobbies are killer

>>673660
i thought this too and then i looked them up and like, its actually not as expensive as you think, the ovilus is like, $300 US and the spirit box can be as little as $70 which is honestly hilarious

The first one sounds most fun, but before you take off to scout around, ask Zeke where you can cop that sick tee

Take the voice recorder. Since you can actually spot the ghosts without any of that pseudo-equipment, taping them would be the most useful thing to do.

i second this. steal his shirt. he's probably just gonna take it off to taunt the ghosts into talking to him after they've all run off anyway.
oh. and take the ovilus iii. let's see how it works! if you can see the ghosts themselves, you can learn how they use it. if it works at all.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/29(Tue)21:19 No. 673854 ID: 586f5c
File 144358678308.png - (177.17KB , 700x500 , 28.png )

Heidi shrugs, and takes the Ovilus III--its smaller than the chunky S P I R I T B O X and she doesn’t feel completely embarrassed carrying it. She stuffs it into her pocket, along with the floor plan, and heads off towards the hall.

It’s dark and narrow, many old buildings like this are. Heidi flicks the torch on, sweeping the hall before inspecting the ovilus. It’s quiet now, but the lights are flashing.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/29(Tue)21:20 No. 673855 ID: 586f5c
File 144358680659.png - (156.98KB , 700x500 , 29.png )

Heidi turns a corner and spots a door with a dim glowing exit sign above it. She lets out a low sigh of relief, before opening the door, and finding the fire escape. A sign above the door reads “THIS DOOR IS ALARMED” and Heidi says under her breath with a smirk, “alarmed of what?” But no one is around to hear her original joke.

Well that sucks.

Right, just set up the equipment here so that you have a quick and reliable signal flare in case some of the locals get murderous.

i thought it was funny heidi.

anyway. we'll have to figure out a way to disengage the alarm before we leave because zeke is nice enough that we don't want to leave him here while the security system screams at him all night. better go let him know What's Up

>>673855
Well, so you can get out if you want to, but it'll bring the cops or the fire department and generally ruin ghost-guy's night. You're kind of stuck here unless you have the heart to kick that particular puppy.

Sigh and double back. Might as well do what you came here to do.

You said you'd look around the place for 30 minutes, and that's still an option.

There's not like, any ground floor windows we can hop out of, right?

Well, I guess, go back and babysit him.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/30(Wed)01:21 No. 673914 ID: 586f5c
File 144360126621.png - (676.92KB , 700x500 , 30.png )

Heidi places her hand on the door but doesn’t push. Well, at least she knows there’s an exit here. She could definitely open it when she needed to, but emergency crews would be crawling over this place in couple of minutes, and Zeke could get intro trouble.

Heidi returns to Zeke, and to tell him what’s happened, but he’s filming himself.

“I’m here at the Old Dunkirk Hotel in Surrey Hills--a place renowned for its bloody past and its violent spirits--” He says. Heidi watches him from the doorway as he continues. “I’ve come here looking for the source of all the mysterious footsteps, bangings and moved objects in one all night lockdown!” He points at the camera, chest puffed out, but shakes his head. He starts to repeat himself, and cuts short with a groan.

Heidi approaches, and tells him the situation.

“Oh, ok, I see. Well, I think, maybe, it’d be ok if I explained what happened. I’m sure people get locked in buildings and stuff by accident a lot,” Zeke says, turning off the camera. Heidi doubts that, but says nothing.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/30(Wed)01:22 No. 673915 ID: 586f5c
File 144360132276.png - (211.50KB , 700x500 , 31.png )

“Right, anyway, I’ll start my ‘sweep’, and work out where to go from there,” Heidi says. She surveys the room, Zeke now fiddling with his laptop. “Where should I start...?” Heidi asks herself in a low voice.

For skies sake, Zeke, charge your bloody camera! Ain't gonna catch zip on that thing if it dies on you.

Maybe have a look at the ballroom? Gotta be some fun stuff in there to peek at. Wonder if the museum does functions in it?

yeah, check the ballroom! plus it's right next to the bar. there's gotta be tons of residual energy there, right? what with all the people dancin and drinkin

Heidi, since you've actually conversed with actual spirits who actually exist. Based on that knowledge, do you think these >>673641 thinks even work? Like, can ghosts actually converse by changing radio stations or EVP or stuff like that?

>>673914
...if the night just started, should that battery be fully charged. Zeke, did you forget to charge that up before going ghost hunting.

>“Where should I start...?”
Try the bar area. That's where everything happened back in the day, right?

Handsome Dog 2015/09/30(Wed)23:00 No. 674114 ID: 586f5c
File 144367920565.png - (206.76KB , 700x500 , 32.png )

Heidi decides to head for the ballroom, where the old bar is.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/30(Wed)23:11 No. 674118 ID: 586f5c
File 144367987622.png - (253.67KB , 700x500 , 33.png )

The ballroom is vast, rich wood floors, scuffed and scratched from being trampled on every day. Glass display cases line the walls, just like in the entrance hall, but now they’re in sections, with signs saying Early Convict History, The Razor Gang Wars and The World Wars.

Up the end of the room Heidi can just see the dark outline of the bar area, with glittering antique bottles lining the wall, and a mannequin dressed as a barman leering down at her.

Handsome Dog 2015/09/30(Wed)23:11 No. 674119 ID: 586f5c
File 144367990231.png - (231.21KB , 700x500 , 34.png )

Heidi turns her attention to her pocket, and pulls out the Ovilus. It’s lights flicker, and the word READY glows faintly on the screen.

She’s never watched any of those stupid ghost hunting shows, really, in fact, she always avoided them because they were always so horrendously embarrassing. She turns the Ovilus over in her hand, and curls her lip.

All she wanted to do was laugh at this guy and maybe figure out why spirits avoided Zeke like a bad smell, and now she’s wondering around in the dark with one of his far too expensive machines and going along with it all.

She sighs, and turns back to the room.

ok this is the part where you yell ARE ANY SPIRITS PRESENT WITH US NOW!!! MAKE A NOISE .... OR MOVE SOMETHING!!!

Check out the mannequin?

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)00:31 No. 674127 ID: 586f5c
File 144368468216.png - (298.12KB , 700x500 , 35.png )

Heidi walks down to the bar to get a closer look at the mannequin.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)00:33 No. 674129 ID: 586f5c
File 144368482918.png - (211.96KB , 700x500 , 36.png )

Heidi shines her light over the mannequin once and leaves in a hurry.

>>674129
cabinets
lots of juicy history of violence
many ghost potentials

Cabinets! Or check out if theres any booze left

So we totally ignore the figure that appeared on the manniquin's right side, that has a hand on its opposite shoulder?

>>674136
I was gonna say that was just its shadow, but it can't be, it has no hat.

And what about all those sparkles in the panel before?

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)04:23 No. 674145 ID: 586f5c
File 144369862624.png - (274.52KB , 700x500 , 37.png )

The cabinets and display cases are filled with a variety of objects.

Heidi approaches the first cabinet, with a grand sign saying Early Convict history. It has half an old leather shoe, some simple carpentry tools and an iron ball and chain, all recovered on site during the renovations for the museum. But the finds are scarce, and not very interesting. The Dunkirk was built well after the convicts, but it was constructed on the site of a number of older wood and bark shacks from the early 1800s.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)04:24 No. 674146 ID: 586f5c
File 144369867362.png - (359.61KB , 700x500 , 38.png )

The second display, closest to the bar is filled with mostly personal items, coins, combs, cigarette lighters, and buttons, but there is also a beautiful engraved pocket watch. The plaque above this display says The Razor Gang Wars, and is accompanied by mugshots of gaunt looking men and women and copies of old police reports written in a barely legible scrawl. The torch light glints off several cruel looking straight razors. This display unsettles Heidi, and she runs a hand over her throat. She doesn’t like to imagine what people would do with the razors. The Dunkirk was one of many illegal grog bars that was run by Kate Leigh, a notorious underworld figure.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)04:25 No. 674147 ID: 586f5c
File 144369870507.png - (231.38KB , 700x500 , 39.png )

The third display, The World Wars, is filled with military memorabilia including posters, parts of uniforms, a classic ANZAC slouch hat, and photos of dozens of young men dressed in khaki and posing stiffly. During the war the Dunkirk was a popular place for soldiers to relax. There were live performances during this time, and a number of famous singers came to the ‘kirk to entertain the troops. The pub and hotel fell into disrepair during the 50s, and there were a number of failed attempts to renovate and reopen it until the museum bought the building.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)04:25 No. 674148 ID: 586f5c
File 144369874977.png - (225.47KB , 700x500 , 40.png )

That seems to be it for the displays.

Might be time to figure out how that Ovilus thing works? Press a few buttons maybe? Can always go ask Zeke for help, unless he's gone charging off somewhere.

Those razor gangs sound pretty interesting, and if a bunch of personal items are in the case there must be some energy from them around here...Aww, "My Dearest Nikolai", there's a name to go on, maybe you could call out to him?

time to test out this fancy ghost equipment. the only names we know for sure are some gang members, and you probably don't want to deal with THAT.
maybe start out with a simple "is anyone here?" and hope one of the more benign haunts is around. can you feel ghosts lurking about or do you have to see and hear them?

>>674141
>And what about all those sparkles in the panel before?
Those are ORBS!!!

ooh yea try to contact nikolai or the owner of that pocketwatch

>>674158

orb backwards is bro...... bro...........

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)18:46 No. 674224 ID: 586f5c
File 144375037704.png - (208.49KB , 700x500 , 41.png )

Heidi looks at the pocket watch one more time.The only information about it is “An engraved Gold Pocket watch found on site, the engraving on the front says ‘My Dearest Nikolai in Polish’.” Heidi makes a note of it, and thinks about playing with the Ovilus and seeing if she can get it to do anything and--

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)18:47 No. 674226 ID: 586f5c
File 144375042662.png - (205.69KB , 700x500 , 42.png )

“Good evening."

Handsome Dog 2015/10/01(Thu)18:47 No. 674227 ID: 586f5c
File 144375047031.png - (149.23KB , 700x500 , 43.png )

"I see you decided to go with that troublesome boy after all."

Uh, do you know this spook
"I'll have you know that he's rad as hell. Or at least enthusiastic. Not really troublesome."

"i couldn't handle his constant whining any longer."

Proceed to use your Ovilus gadget on him.

Complement the ghost's hat and proceed to ask for a name.

Wow, bird, rude! At least knock or something.
Going with the strange man was better then the alternative of having the strange over enthusiastic man standing outside the house causing a ruckus. That and he's apparently mildly ghost-repellant which is nifty.

ah yes the second fave appears
make nervous jokes and get them to laugh so you two become best buddies

>>674227

Tell him to go bother Edgar Allen Poe or something.

It was the only thing you could think of to get him to leave you alone.

Wow they're really spooky looking. Are we used to that?? Anyway they shouldn't sneak up on someone!

>>674227
Look, I'm a sap, okay. I couldn't bring myself to kick that particular puppy.

Ask why he is troublesome. Maybe there's a solution to this where everyone can walk away happy.

Nifty bird skull aesthetic. Say, if you want me gone, I'd be happy to. Only reason I haven't already is that taking the fire exit would set off an alarm. If you can jimmy the lock on the front door, or show me how to temporarily disable that fire alarm, or find some other quick, safe, quiet way out of the building, I'll take it.

>>674224
> ‘My Dearest Nikolai in Polish’

There's probably a funny story behind that, involving an engraver who didn't actually know the language they speak in Poland.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/02(Fri)02:17 No. 674343 ID: eed053
File 144377744197.png - (267.56KB , 700x500 , 44.png )

“It was the only thing that was going to make him stop bothering me for a bit--besides, maybe I’m a bit of a sap but I didn’t want to hurt him,” Heidi says turning around. “You damn near gave me a heart attack too sneaking up like that, what’s your problem?”

The Rag and Bone Man isn’t really a friend, but they were they’re the closest thing to one that Heidi has. They’ve always been around, in one form or another, but it wasn’t until Heidi was an adult that she decided to really talk to them. She’s not sure what they are exactly, they’re not a ghost, or a spirit, just something old that’s always been around, and that's always watching.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/02(Fri)02:18 No. 674344 ID: eed053
File 144377748439.png - (251.57KB , 700x500 , 45.png )

“As rude as ever I see, even when I am so kind as to check up on you.”

"yeah yeah beakie." relax a bit "so what's up?"

they missed us how sweet. since they're feeling nice maybe they can help? like if they know something about this place and can speed things up

Good idea- maybe ask Rag if they know anything hanging about the place?

GOD ok another typo in first panel or latest update, it should be "They are the closest thing to*" honestly i shouldnt write updates while i'm rushing to do something else

"Jeez DAD, I can hang out with boys without your supervision." Maybe your bone chaperone has some ghostly connections around here, you could ask them if they know of anyone haunting the building? Y'know, so you can hurry this ghosthunting business up and get outta here.

>>674349

Well, I do appreciate the friendliness. How goes existence on your end of things?

>>674344
Yeah, well, I get grumpy in the middle of the night. And when I'm locked into museums.

Why do I need checking up on, anyways?

Ask him why he wears such a small hat, compared to his gigantic bird head

Handsome Dog 2015/10/02(Fri)17:53 No. 674500 ID: eed053
File 144383358159.png - (224.51KB , 700x500 , 46.png )

“You’d be a grumpy too if you were locked in a museum for an entire night and the only way to out was by setting off the fire alarm. Ah look, I appreciate you coming out here anyway, I’m just annoyed,” Heidi admits. She sweeps the room with her torch again, and turns back to the Rag and Bone Man. “Since you’re here, have you seen anything hanging around this place at all?”

“Yes and no,” the Rag and Bone Man says. “There are things always coming and going, living and dead by the hundreds each day, and those who pause long enough start to feel the prickle of guilt from trespassing. Visitors, tourists, and spectators are unwelcome and unwanted but allowed to pass through. Stay too long, however and cause too much trouble, and you’ll be unkindly told to leave.”

The Ovilus beeps inside Heidi’s pocket, and whizzes loudly. She fishes it out and catches site of the screen. The constant READY has been replaced with **** and it continues to blare.

“You have been tolerated thus far, but visiting hours are long over.” Rag says, clicking their beak.

Aw shit. Does that mean we're going to get attacked by ghosts? Time to regroup I think.

You're here to infiltrate, not look at some counterfeit artefacts for "cultural growth". You'll leave after you find some intel. As long as the consequences don't involve dying or beyond, this is more about breaking the rules for the loot than it is about destroying the world.

Seriously Rag, lighten up. Hell doesn't pass by here.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/02(Fri)21:36 No. 674531 ID: eed053
File 144384698572.png - (275.59KB , 700x500 , 47.png )

“Look I don’t know what you’re on about, but I’m not here to disturb anything, I’m just having a look around so I can get this night over and done with. Lighten up Rag, Hell doesn’t pass through here,” Heidi explains, looking down at the Ovilus again.

It flashes and whirs, all lights flickering, and then goes silent.

"GO"

Handsome Dog 2015/10/02(Fri)21:39 No. 674536 ID: eed053
File 144384716577.gif - (367.88KB , 700x500 , 48.gif )

The Ovilus reads the text out in a harsh, sudden monotone. It beeps and speaks again.

"GO"

The Rag and Bone Man tilts their skull, weaving their talons together in a thoughtful way. “Curious object. A gift from the troublesome boy? Surely you would not get such a gadget for yourself out of desire.”

“Shut up,” Heidi says, looking down at the Ovilus’ tiny screen.

"ENOUGH"

A pause.

"TIME"

“Perhaps I should leave you now that you have company?” Rag and Bone Man says.

Heidi waves her hand, and shushs them. The Ovilus lights up again.

"SPENT"

Offer to leave in exchange for some intel.

Because seriously, you will alert the police and get a police record if you bash open the fire exit. Whoever is talking to you has to bribe you to go that far.

>>674536
Sounds like someone or something is trying to tell you to leave. Rags might be right.

Hmm. So... if a bunch of ghosts do get mad that you and the doofus aren't leaving, what's the worst they can do?

I think you should get yourself and that guy out of here before something unfavorable happens.

announce to the air that you are leaving now and start walking. will probably leave you alone as long as they think you are leaving.

"you guys know I can see the dead, right? you can talk right to me instead of fidfling with this thing, I mostly just took it to appease that other guy."

if the ghost or whoever wanted to talk to us face to face they probably would! assuming they can tell we're a medium. so that's a fair warning i guess? mmmaybe we should advise zeke to not stay the night

this is getting spoopy. Maybe you should go find Zeke and make sure he's okay? Plus since ghosts hate him, he's probably safer to be near then by yourself.

>>674566
"come on bros lets party"

Shout "Hell no! We won't go!"

... Maybe we should go make sure ZEKE isn't disturbing any spooky ghosts. You can tell them that you don't want to bother them if you like (whether or not they'll accept that- from what Rag says, they don't sound overly patient). However, Zeke can't even control himself around the living.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/04(Sun)22:16 No. 674912 ID: eed053
File 144402220487.png - (218.93KB , 700x500 , 49.png )

Heidi looks around the room, narrowing her eyes. “Hey, alright dude, don’t stress, I’m not trying to bother you or upset you. I’ll take my bird and go, alright?” Heidi calls into the air. She wants to tell it that if she busts down the fire escape door she’ll get a police record, but she doesn’t think it would understand. The ghost probably doesn’t care about her reputation or ability to get a job.

The Rag and Bone man makes a disapproving noise from somewhere within their chest. “What will you do?”

Heidi shrugs. “I’m gonna go find Zeke, see if he’s ok and keep him out of trouble--hopefully whatever it is that makes ghosts avoid him will keep this guy--” She gestures to the Ovilus, “--at bay for a while.”

“There is certainly something… grating about his persona.” The Rag and Bone man replies. “But perhaps that will make spirits and the deceased more inclined to attack him instead of flee?”

“Only one way to find out. Thanks for coming, by the way, I’ll see you around.”

Heidi heads back into the entrance hall, and can hear Zeke talking to himself again. “...This device is called a spirit box, it rapidly scans radio frequencies and allows us to hear electronic voice phenomenon in real time through the white noise.”

Heidi steps into the entrance hall.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/04(Sun)22:17 No. 674913 ID: eed053
File 144402223540.png - (674.72KB , 700x500 , 50.png )

The room is dark, Zeke’s laptop screen casts an eerie blue light around the room while the torch mounted to the camera lights up his body. He’s bending down in front of the light, showing off the chunky “”””””””S P I R I T B O X”””””” from before. He turns it on, and white noise blasts from the speaker, so loud and sudden that it takes Heidi by surprise.

“Is there anyone here?” Zeke calls into the darkness, holding the spirit box out at arms length.

Handsome Dog 2015/10/04(Sun)22:17 No. 674914 ID: eed053
File 144402226714.png - (679.27KB , 700x500 , 51.png )

The white noise grows quiet, and Zeke points to the speaker excitedly. Something comes through over the white noise, low and regular, like waves. It’s ragged and wheezing, and it makes the hairs on the back of Heidi’s neck stand on end.

Zeke frowns down at the box, and covers it with his hand, muffling the sound.

“It’s never done that before,” he says to himself.

>>674914
>“It’s never done that before,” he says to himself.
Does that mean it's working, then?

Try taking out the batteries. If it does that again after a full restart, walk around and see if there's some kind of source or signal bouncer.

you seemed to be having better luck with the ovilus. ask who was effin with the S P I R I T B O X

HAHAHA SAY THIS >>674916

>>674914
so.. laughter?

Maybe it's an EVP? Try rewatching the camera footage to see if there are any messages you didn't hear initially.

Suggestion 2015/11/24(Tue)22:29 No. 685606 ID: 586f5c
File 144843297051.png - (219.41KB , 700x500 , 52.png )

“Does that mean its working?” Heidi says quietly to herself with a smile.

“What?” Zeke asks.

“Never mind--Hey, I don’t want to tell you how to do your job or anything but maybe just take out the batteries and restart it again, or see if it’s something else messing with the signal?” She suggests.

Suggestion 2015/11/24(Tue)22:30 No. 685608 ID: 586f5c
File 144843304229.png - (264.96KB , 700x500 , 53.png )

“No, no, it should be fine, it’s meant to just spew out white noise until it picks up something paranormal, but this is regular, it's picking up something--” Zeke’s face lights up. “Do you think its an EVP?”

“A what?”

“Electronic Voice Phenomenon,” Zeke explains with a sniff. He waves his hand dismissively, “just Paranormal Investigator talk for ghost voices.”

The spirit box continues to sound, rasping and wheezing, and Zeke goes back to trying to decipher whatever message he believes is there. He seems to be struggling with it, changing the frequencies, turning it off and on, and eventually hooking up his headphones to it with a serious frown. His camera is still set up and recording.

The air feels strange. The main hall is spacious, with no big items of furniture in the middle of the floor, but Heidi feels claustrophobic, like she’s being crowded. Her skin pimples beneath her jacket. The Ovilus beeps quietly in Heidi’s pocket, whirring and chirping, just on the edge of forming words.

>>685608
Take it out and see if it says anything then

Sooo...have you personally encountered angry spirits before? Can they harm you?

>>685608
Tell him that you device at least worked. Also apparently there are no ghost residing here, just some who pass through every now and then.

>>685657
This is the relevant question. If we are pissing off ghosts being here, how bad can it get? What are they capable of? I hope you know the rules, there.