Et Ultra

Date/Timing: 2 July 2016
Setting: Elsewhere & Hong Kong
Incorporates a retconned "Saudade"
.
Edan blinks aware, pushes cautiously to sitting.
A white space, very misty, green grass under his bum.
And silence.
And stillness.
He drags a hand down his face.
Looks again.
Nothing's changed.
Looks down at himself.
A rusty stain around a small hole in his bright yellow /Solar Prophet tee.
"Well ... shit."
He tugs up the shirt.
Drying blood on his skin, but no injury.
"/Shit."
Edan looks around again.
Still empty, still quiet, still still.
"I'm in Hell," he breathes. 
He tucks his knees to his chest, rests his forehead on them, and waits.
And waits.
And waits.
And waits.
""Sorry, Doctor Reid. Missed my cue.""
"You're my imagination. Go 'way."
""I'm actually here.""
"I'm dead, in Hell, and going mad."
""You are, you're not, and, if you are, I'm not a symptom.""
Edan sighs, peeks out.
Captain Casey—dearly departed two years earlier and wearing military grey and a pair of impressive wings—crouches in front of him. "Welcome to Elsewhere, Doctor Reid," he says.
"'Edan', please, Captain," croaks Edan.
"'Casey', for me, please."
"Too formal for given names?"
"Too used to it to change now."
Edan chuckles weakly.
Casey settles down cross-legged. "Okay, the gist of things is: you're dead, but the bit of you that made you /you is still functioning."
"I'm a ghost."
"Sorta."
Edan raises an eyebrow.
"You're ether-y, but you can't haunt people."
"Well, where's the fun in that?"
Casey snorts. "Back where you came from, you can't physically interact with people and things; here, you can. Think about something hard enough here and it'll appear. Same for changing things, like clothes." He waves toward the bloodied shirt.
Edan thinks.
Nothing.
Thinks harder.
The hole closes, the stain fades.
"Cooooool."
Casey smiles. "You've also got a universal translator in your head. You'll understand any language thrown at you automatically."
"That's handy."
"You've also got wings."
Edan peers over his shoulder.
Neat, grey-ish brown, with a bit of a shimmer: a robin's.
He flexes them and his eyes prick.
"You alright?"
"Yea." Edan wipes his eyes. "Memories."
Casey grunts. "They're mostly symbolic, since you can pretty much teleport. The more ghostly powers you use, the bigger they look and that's about it."
"Teleport."
"Think hard enough about a place and you'll be there."
"Coooooooool." Blinks, swallows. "So I can go home, talk to ...."
Casey shakes his head. "You can go, but you can't talk to him." Sighs. "Rules."
"But—"
"Try as hard as you can, but he won't notice. I don't understand why, but that's how it'll be until They decide otherwise."
"They?"
"The Power behind this—" Waves at them and the space. "—has rules about what we can and can't do, but won't explain them."
"Well, that's useful."
"You'll either feel them or learn through trial and error."
"There's not a guidebook?"
"Nope."
Edan sighs.
"If you want, you can visit him, though. See him, at least."
Edan swallows again.
"Give it a try."
Edan fluffs his wings, closes his eyes, and pictures where he wants to be.
Vertigo—
Edan solidifies, gets his ether sorted, his feet as close to on the ground as he can manage, and looks around their—now just Hermann's bedroom.
Hermann sleeps clutching—
Deep breath.
—clutching Edan's pillow like a life ring.
"Smells like me, yea?" he murmurs, float-walking over. "You poor man. Universe seems determined to screw you outta everything good." Cocks his head. "Provided I counted as something good for you."
Hermann's fingers twitch.
"You shouldn't be alone again," he continues, "especially not with these monsters about. This isn't the same as being here in the flesh, but it's better than nothing, I hope. It's the best I can do now."
Hermann snuffles.
"It's a bit crap, you know, this afterlife. Seeing you again is brilliant, but I can't get your attention." Edan sighs and sinks halfway into the bed. "'Rules', Casey says. Maybe someday They'll—and Hell knows who 'They' are—let me, but." He grimaces.
Hermann whimpers in his sleep, wings quivering.
"Aww, no. Not a nightmare. Easy, easy there," he coos and cups the nape of Hermann's neck.
His hand passes right through.
He tries again. "The little feathers here? I can't feel 'em, but I remember how they were: super silky-soft. They've always been one of my favourite parts of you."
Hermann makes a small sound and his wings shift once more before relaxing.
Edan blinks in surprise. "Brilliant!" 
The tips of his wings brush against Hermann's.
Hermann's flick in irritation and Edan tucks his away.
He laughs weakly. "Look at us now, both of us with wings. We finally sorta match." Strokes the trail of down along Hermann's spine.
He runs his fingers through those tiny feathers, like he had for years.
Sometimes he thinks they move under his touch.
"Maybe this /is working."
Hermann, deep in his slumber, hums contently. 
"Brilliant," smiles Edan, continuing to soothe chestnut feathers.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Hong Kong (setting)
Category:Elsewhere (setting)
Category:Edan
Category:Edan's POV
Category:Edan (ficlet)
Category:Casey
Category:Casey (ficlet)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann has wings
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Ficlets with merges