He almost said dare, but then ultimately decided that truth would be the best call. The thought of sharing his secrets with strangers had been an unnerving one earlier. Now, however, they weren't strangers - they were his friends, his brothers. "I'll go with truth."
"I've got one. How'd you come to meet Schadel, again?
Alsho, shorry I ashked about the whole ghosht thing, in hindshight that was rude."
I was still reeling from that discovery. I'd honestly thought his semi-physical nature was a figment of drunken imagination, but no, our childhood friend here had indeed gone 'beyond the veil,' so to speak. Sweet lord.
But it was kind of funny, to recall how thoroughly frightened he'd been of Schadel for her supernatural nature, now that he had joined their ranks, in a way. It was especially notable in contrast to their present friendship. There must have been quite a story behind that.
At any rate, it seemed right to follow up a morbid personal question with a happier one. Or at least, one that had a happy ending.
Bad souls have born better sons, better souls born worse ones -St Vincent
Edward and Schadel both shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the question, though it was Edward's face who turned bright red. He downed the rest of his drink and - from the look that flashed across his face - seemed to be very much regretting requesting truth over dare.
"After I died," Edward said, "I didn't have a purpose. I tried to find one for decades. Ghosts are supposed to have some reason for sticking around, right? But it took me a long time to come up with that reason could possibly be, and I was certain it was because I was a soldier who could never shoot an enemy."
Schadel took a sip of her drink. "Ghosts don't always have reasons for staying," she quietly added. "Now that we've known each other for awhile, Edward and I think that his soul was just...forgotten. We try to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen, but it was a world war. It's difficult to manage all those souls."
Edward nodded.
"I saw Schadel use her true form in New York City," he continued. He turned a little bit more red. "I thought-I thought she was a monster. And I thought that if I couldn't kill a person, I could do the world a favor and pass on by killing a monster. I tracked her down to her new home and business and tried confronting her there, but I couldn't pull the trigger."
"Until he accidentally did," Schadel said. "It's how Liz and Claire - my other two assistants and friends - learned that I wasn't human. I, uh, was supposed to pretend I died in a situation like that, but I was taken by surprise and wasn't able to keep my form in check..."
"Woah, that's wild!" Wilson commented, resting her chin in her hand as she leaned in towards them, finally taking a seat in the circle. "Definitely an unconventional way to meet and become friends, but there are lots of crazy stories like that. I'm really glad you guys ended up becoming friends!"
"Ah, the besht way to make friendsh. Yer' sure to remember each other, when you make 'em like that. Eshpeshially the 'forgot to pretend die' part. Now thatssh sssstyle.
-Alright, ignore me, I have no clue what I'm shaying, at thish point."
Bad souls have born better sons, better souls born worse ones -St Vincent
"I had a friend like zat," Kratzer mused. "We met vhen she tried to kill me...can't remember if she shtarted it or I did, zough...I definitely tried to shoot her more zan once, at any rate."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"Uhm..." he fished a coin out of his pocket and flipped it, clumsily trying to catch it, missing, and then peering down at it on the floor. "Dare."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
He sighed. "I'm regretting it already. Alright, James, you've got ze honor of having your armpit sniffed." With this, he leaned forward and took a whiff of James' armpit.
"Vell...you've been to the beach or ze coast in ze last twenty-four hours. Shalty. Definitely. Uh, probably running too much, 'cause zere's sweat...Fish. Docks, maybe?"
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James slowly drew his head away in a delayed reaction to Kratzer's nose hovering over his armpit, too late to avoid being sniffed. He narrowed two sleepy eyes at Kratzer with suspicion, but was impressed.
Damascus watched this encounter and slowly broke into applause, deeply impressed.
"Wonduhfel nose, Engehll!" He called, hooting out from a few seats over.
He only connected his palms twice, missing all of his other attempts. With a frown, he looked down and slowed his hands before tucking them underneath his thighs. "Strangh. Tha' ushully worksh"
"Danke," he bowed, then turned to James. "I...zink you're next, Jamesh," he said, pronouncing his name with a soft 'j' in his drunken slur.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James looked down at the floor, trying to consider the options. There were only two. So far, all the dares had been embarrassing, and all the truths had been embarrassing. Was that how the game was supposed to work? He found his face flushing before he even said an answer.
"Uhhh, I pick uh. Truth." Wait. No. No that wasn't what he meant to say.
