And now the House is Haunted...

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll hiked up the old overgrown trail, through the thorn vines that tore at his clothes but did not harm his skin, through the bushes that had grown out over the walkway as if to bar his path and tell him this place was not to be entered.

He was never one for things to tell him what to do. He had a switchblade with him, and as the cool metal clicked nicely out of its leather sheath, he hacked a path through the bushes and up into the decrepit house.

The girl would most likely still be following him. It had been a very long way up, but she seemed determined to do something, and he could not begin to speculate what. Le Cyll did his best to ignore her, the old door's hinges splintering as he set his shoulder against it and barged in.

Wood particles fluttered in the light, and he propped the door open enough so that he could easily enter.

As soon as he had, the silence engulfed him. There was nothing here. Absolutely no life. It would be perfect for him.

He looked back, mildly wondering where the girl had gone. She wasn't afraid of the dark, was she?
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[Iƪƪia]

The moonlight was able to light Ailyth's way well enough, allowing her to see and dodge most of the obstacles that lined the path. However, it wasn't able to reveal everything, and by the time Ailyth made to the house her cloths were marred with individual tears where cloth had fought branch.

Upon reaching the door, she looked in through the doorway, curiously. She hadn't been aware that there was a house back here. It was abandoned, clearly, and it looked as though no one had attempted to keep it clean. She took one step in the manor, looking around at the total darkness.

"Does this place have electricity?" She asked, knowing immediately that it was a stupid question.

She once again flipped open her cell phone and skipped into the room. Actually, she decided that it was better off without the lights on. Like a haunted house! Ailyth smiled as she looked around the room, expecting to see a ghost or spirit.

"So what are we doing here?" She asked, still scanning the room.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll was not paying particular attention to the girl. He was busy mapping out the rooms of the house, looking down through the hallways and imagining the layout of the rooms through the rotting wooden walls and crumbling concrete floors. He liked it, so far. The house was large, and had many places to explore. He wondered idly if he should add a few things - make it more homey, more comfortable for when he'd be spending his nights here. Would it need light? No. He did not need light to see. Would it need something to eat? Oh yes. He grew quite hungry while in his true form. Some would say to the point of having a problem. Le Cyll did not think he had any problem with his eating habits. If there were few deer or livestock around, he would be happy.

"We are looking at real estate."

He was not rude in saying it, but she would know easily enough that he was being sarcastic. He took the first step on the moldering wooden staircase, and felt it creak yet hold his weight. He would like to see the upper rooms. Maybe some of them would get views of the moon.
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[Iƪƪia]

"So are you gonna, like, live here?"

Ailyth watched with mild curiosity as Le Cyll scouted out the house. She decided to keep her cell phone out and carefully watch where she stepped as she flitted excitedly around the room. Every now and then she'd turn over a chair or a spare board in the hopes of finding some sort of forgotten memento. However, all her search turned up was dust. When she noticed Le Cyll ascending the stairs, she hurried to catch up to him.

"You don't like people much."

It was more of a statement than a question. Ailyth pranced up the stairs in front of him, listening to the short creaking sounds she made. She reached the top before he did and looked down at the room they had just left.

"Were you neglected as a kid, or something?"

Although blunt, she didn't mean for it to sound rude. She was honestly interested, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

[ωΘĿƒ]

"What gave you that impression?"

Le Cyll did not bother to look at her as he spoke, instead going around her to look at the first of the rooms on the left. They were spacious, not crowded by as much old, rotting furniture as was downstairs. He checked the windows, and saw no moon. Only the jagged shapes of the trees as they tried to claw their way in through the windows.

He would have to cut the branches off, he decided. The trees looked nicely dead anyways. It would not be much trouble to clear a pathway for the moon.

He had not reacted to the girl's comment, mostly because she probably already knew the answer. He did not mind. She could speculate all she wanted.

If she was too bothersome, he could always ask her to meet him here at the dawning of the full moon.
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[Iƪƪia]

"Well, it's just that you seem really distant and offish..." Ailyth watched with mixed displeasure and interest as Le Cyll ignored her to examine some of the rooms, not even bothering to look at her, "And a little unsociable!" She finished loudly.

Instead of shadowing him, Ailyth decided to investigate one of the rooms by herself. It was pretty much empty save for a few spare chairs. She walked up to the glassless window and peered outside. Not much was visible to her through the thick layer of darkness that engulfed the house. She reached out and plucked a twig from the tree not two feet from the window.

Ailyth decided that this guy was definitely inhuman. There was just something about him that told her this. She nodded to herself as she rolled the twig between her hands subconsciously. Leaning on the windowsill she looked up at what little sky was visible through the tree branches. She remained there, unmoving, completely lost in thought.

[ωΘĿƒ]

"Am I?"

Le Cyll had not noticed this. He was too busy looking through the house.

He had been told a few times over that he could be easily distracted. Not by people. It seemed people were the only things he was not distracted by. All else - the wind, the sounds that the creatures in the night made - all else he would focus on intently, blotting out everything until he was satisfied that he knew all there was to know about that one thing. Then he would move on to the next. He had learned quite a lot from using this technique. For instance, he knew that it would rain soon, by the sharp taste of the air, and that the rain would continue on in a drizzle throughout the night, but it would not thunder.

It would start maybe a few minutes from now. Maybe an hour or so, if he was off by a little.

He went into the next room and found the girl standing there, motionless. He wondered what she was looking at. The moon? Maybe she could see it from that window?

He walked up, looking out through the small fringe of broken glass hanging where the window should have been. There was some sky, but he could only see clouds through it now.

He was content to watch as the rain began, but something from downstairs disturbed him. Someone else was in the old house. Someone that was making slow, even creaks as they came up to the second story.
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[Iƪƪia]

Ailyth continued to watch the sky, mesmerized. She could see the clouds roll be through breaks in the tree's branches. Suddenly, her head snapped back and she faced the door. There was something approaching them. The noise was quiet, barely audible, but it was there. Curious, she turned to look at Le Cyll, about to ask if he heard it too, however, it was obvious that he had heard the noise as well, and it agitated him.

This house was abandoned, right? Ailyth continued to watch the door, numerous situations going through her mind. Maybe it's just others who are exploring the house? Then again, they wouldn't be so quiet. Perhaps a ghost or spirit? Wait, do ghosts even make noise? Ailyth began shifting her weight as she waited, more excited then afraid. In fact, the possibility that this could be dangerous hadn't even crossed her mind yet. She concentrated on listening to the footsteps coming even closer. An unintentional smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll walked quietly over to the entrance of the room, but did not peer out to see who it was. He felt no fear, but there was a healthy amount apprehension in him as he flicked out his switchblade, waiting for whatever it was to enter.

It did not. The steps faded away as they climbed the staircase, gradually becoming more quiet until they disappeared completely. The air was colder now. Just a few degrees, but Le Cyll could feel it and it made the hair on the back of his human neck rise. True form, or human form? He wondered which one he should use. This was obviously not another curious nonhuman, and he had the inexplicable urge to think that whatever this thing was, it did not like him.

There was a sudden icy surge through the open doorway, but still nothing appeared. Frost collected in the corners of the doorframe, and thickened over the few meager shards still left of the broken window. Le Cyll decided to step back from the door, shrugging the cold off his shoulders and looking briefly back at the girl. He then noticed her smile.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were enjoying this."
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[Iƪƪia]

"Maybe a little..."

Ailyth shuddered a bit because of the cold as she skipped over to Le Cyll's side. She listened intently for the footsteps to return, however much to her dismay, they didn't. Frowning, she walked over to the door, running a finger over the frost that had appeared. Maybe the thing was still in the house? Maybe it was waiting for them? Her excitement flared up again as she turned back to Le Cyll.

"What do you think it was? Are you gonna go after it? Do you think it's still out there?" She began eagerly, "Oh, you're not gonna kill it, are you?"

Without waiting for a response, she stepped out into the hallway. She glanced from one end to the other, but found nothing. Beginning to pace in a small circle, Ailyth was unable to contain the smile that spread across her face yet again.

[ωΘĿƒ]

The thing was back, whatever it was. There was an icy blast through the hallway, and Le Cyll ducked behind the doorframe to protect himself. There was a high shrieking through the house, and a wavering voice descended - thick like a fog - onto all ears in the house.

"Get out of my house!"

Another blast of cold air, and the shrieking rose to a deafening roar. Le Cyll lurched out into the hallway, looking around. He saw something, swiping at it with his switchblade. The knife slid through empty air and stuck fast into one of the walls. Le Cyll had to pull hard to yank it out.

"Well, it's either I kill it, or it kills me. Though, it might already be dead..."

He kept the knife close, not bothering to see if the girl was okay.
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[Iƪƪia]

Ailyth brushed away the layer of frost that clung to her body. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest as her body was wracked with tremors. After Le Cyll jumped out into the hallway, she hurried up to him and grabbed his shoulder, still shaking violently.

"B-but it... It just wants it's h-house back!" She said, attempting to sound tough, despite her shuddering, "W-we should just l-leave it alone!"

Ailyth sighed to herself, knowing this guy wouldn't be persuaded. She frowned, looking around the hall, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to hurt this thing... However, Le Cyll seemed set on killing it. The wolper was also unable to deny her curiosity as to what this thing was and why it's here. She looked around excitedly, seemingly waiting for another blast of cold. Well, maybe she would stick around to get a look at this creature. If only she had brought a jacket.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll jumped at the girl's touching him. He did not like to be touched. It was slightly annoying, and he might have thought her that thing that was haunting this place. He shrugged her off, seeing another blur of motion in the corner of his sight. Le Cyll stabbed at it again, but again it went through the creature.

"I believe it is either a banshee or a ghost." He said, definitively. Now, what killed something that could not be touched? Le Cyll thought about this a moment, but could come up with no solution.

Hmm... This was a problem...
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[Iƪƪia]

Ailyth smiled when she heard Le Cyll's deduction. Banshees and ghosts can't be killed... Or even hurt, right? So then there's nothing to worry about. She looked around in an attept to catch a glimpse of their stalker. Not much was visible to her in this darkness, and she had put her cell phone away after that first noise.

"Well, they can't be harmed, right?" Ailyth attempted unsuccessfully to keep the joy out of her voice, "So we should just leave it alone!"

She cast a glance back at Le Cyll, hoping he would agree to her logic.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll had been thinking. Really thinking. He needed a way to kill this thing...

"Oh no. I think I'll settle for killing it. Or, at least have it leave me alone."

He had it! On the moorlands back home, he remembered seeing a banshee once. It had wailed horribly, and tried to frighten him with distressing thoughts about his vile father. He had not liked that - hearing those words whispered to him, alone on the moors in the night without the moon as his company, and with the fog rolling so thick that he dared not set foot on the moorland and risk being sucked down by the bog.

He had not been afraid though. He couldn't remember a time when he was really afraid... The banshee had hated him for it, and screamed and wailed itself into a raging passion. Still, he wasn't afraid. He sat on the moorland until the morning sun burned up the fog, and the banshee was so tired and aggravated of yelling at him that it simply gave up and went away.

Banshees needed fear. They could not survive without the terror of the living. This one had most likely been feeding off the foolish young children that dared each other to creep up here after dark. It must be starving now though, seeing as there was no activity in the house.

It wanted him to fear it, and that, he simply could not do. He did not fear many things. Certainly not a banshee. He flipped closed his knife, pocketing it and staring off into the empty air.

"You can't scare me." He murmured. "Try as you might. Maybe you can scare the girl?"
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