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Colin waited for a sunny weekend to bring Laney to Resurrection Cemetery. It seems a place much more serene on a sunny day, the white marble reflecting quietly the sunlight instead of emerging creepily from the fog or the snow.

He navigates her to his favorite spot, noddin along to the way to a few people, some she can see and some she can't.

"Now we wait."

It's not long before Kenneth arrives.  He's always well dressed, the perfect Victorian gentleman.  He tips his hat, "Colin, so very good to see you lad."  he says in greeting.

Laney pushes the hood of her coat back from her face, the better to trail after him without making her own detour.  Occasionally, she weaves a different path through the graves, but always her own dance leads her right up to Colin’s side again.  She can’t help but touch some of the taller stones with familiarity.  She greets no one, only smiles.

“Does he bring friends sometimes? What do you do while you wait, Colin?  Does it take long?”  There’s a girlish and excited little giggle.

"Well, once he found for us a boy we were looking for. But he usually comes alone. Usually I don't have to wait much, and while I'm here, sometimes people sit beside me for a little chat. From both sides."


"Here he is" Colin says, standing up.


"Good morning, Kenneth. It's always a pleasure to see you too." he says, shaking his hand.

"I've brought a friend today. She's learning to look at the world in a special way, and I hope I could introduce you to her. Kenneth, this is Miss Delaney Brennan."

He turns to Laney, and whispers "Close your eye, please"

When she does, he softly touches her eyelids with his thumbs, while the symbol for 'sharing' flickers white on his arm for a moment.

"Laney, this is Mr Kenneth Huey."

When Laney opens her eyes she can see the older gentleman standing before the pair.  "It's a delight to meet you miss."  Kenneth says, shaking her hand lightly.  "Always a pleasure to meet new people."

Laney can't remember what she said in response, only hopes it was some sort of appropriate greeting.  She was preoccupied taking in the details of the man's appearance, the feel of his hand in her bony fingers...

In relation to the graves, to the living, and to the sun, Laney begins to plot his position (no pun).

She finally manages, "I apologize for any inconvenience, sir.  Colin told me about you and was humoring my curiosity.  If you'd rather leave or see us another time, I'd understand.  Honestly, I might be a nuisance.  I've only questions."

Kenneth smiles.  "Questions were my business young lady.  I still have a fondness for them.  What's on your mind?"

"Thank you, sir!"  She flashes a brilliant smile and launches into her friendly chatter.  "Well, I've never seen a gho- Oh!  Sorry. Is that a rude thing to call you?  Sorry.  I- How did you- May I ask how you ended up here. In this place. Doing this...I mean talking to us.  Even now.  How did you know we were here?"

"Well, you can call me whatever term is most comfortable for you.  And, as for how I got here, well my dear I had the luxury of a long and mostly happy life, and then the dignity of a quiet death.  Nothing fancy mind you, there were friends and family in attendance, my wife had departed a few years before.  As for how I'm here, we're buried right over there.  My wife and I.  Colin here is one of the few people that can see us with any measure of regularity.  Once you've been dead as long as I have you can spot those pretty quickly."  He tips his hat to a couple that are walking by, but they don't see him.  "And what about you my dear.  What brings you here?"

"I'd rather call you whatever you'd call yourself, Mr. Huey.  Do you see her, now? Oh. Sorry. I- As you say, Colin can see you.  I was trying to understand how he- Well, you look nothing like his drawings of souls at all.  Is everyone like this after they've died?" 

"I see her every day.  Not here mind you, she's moved on.  That's not something I can explain, but I still linger.  Work to do, questions to answer.  There have to be a few of us to stick around and help out."  He puts a hand on Colin's shoulder.  "Nice to have the chance to help out from time to time, especially a lad like Colin here."

Her gaze settles on Colin's shoulder even as Kenneth's hand does.

"Why?  I mean, I understand wanting to help, but...What was your business before?  Is that why?"

"Some people get asked.  Some are compelled by something in themselves.  I was an investigator, and so I still seem to be connected to that.  We all behave partly because of some unseen force inside of us."

Colin sits back, content with just listening and smiling.

Laney had prepared a few questions in the hopes she wouldn’t sound like such a fool in front of Colin’s friend or, god forbid, make him angry; but it’s not long before her enthusiasm overtakes her caution.

“Unseen.  Something you were good at.  Are good at.  You can see everyone now?  Could you see before?  Like Colin can.  See the dead sometimes.  As if they were living.  How do you see us now?  I’m sorry.  Is that too personal?  Asking about the past, I mean.”   

"Not at all.  I wasn't anything special when I was alive I gather.  Good husband I hope, father, all the things a man of my time aspired to.  I worked for the metropolitan police here in the city.  Just a man who asked questions and looked for answers.  No magic powers.  As for how this all works with ghosts, I'm afraid that's beyond me.  I guess for you it's like how a television works.  You know it does, but you might not actually know how.  Not that I know how, but to use the phonograph example on a woman of your era might not be as effective."  He finishes with a smile and gestures for them to sit down at a nearby bench.

"What's a ph- Yeah, I guess so.  Thanks."  She can't help but return a charmed smile and accept the invitation to sit.  "Sorry.   I don't mean to argue, but that makes you one of the most special people.  Most important.  Working for the police, I mean.  Even if you don't believe so.  Did you know people who saw ghosts when you were alive?  Because I'd like to know how."

"Well, there were all manner of Mediums when I was on the force.  Not that we bought into them too often, so I'd have to say that I didn't know anyone that could actually communicate with ghosts."  He smiles with her, "It's much harder now.  Police are often so marginalized in this modern world.  Sometimes for good reason, but I guess we all like to think that in our time people were more noble than they are when we're older."

"And yet it's not so, most of the time. It's just that the quiet good that doesn't involve us is hard to see, and the true flowers don't often grow in the same places." Colin says, lost in some fancy of his.

"Marginalized...No. No, they're more important now than ever.  Sorry.  Maybe we don't look at all.  If we did, we would see."  She raises her gaze to meet that of the ghost, and her brief stubborn pout fades to a thoughtful half-smile.   "You must talk to a lot of people, Mr. Huey, answering questions and...and delivering messages like Colin said you do.  Can you tell me if they're all...Are they all content with what was and what is?   It sounds like you are.  Very much so.  In the living, I'd say that's rare.  But what about the dead?"

"For the most part we understand that this is what is and how it's going to be.  There are a few who are unhappy and restless, they tend to shadow the world of the living, but mostly the dead are content to stay dead."

"And you get to see your wife...I assume that's a good thing.  Something you were made to be.  To do.  Of course, you'd still be connected, wouldn't you?  It's silly to think you wouldn't be.  You said...You said it was nice to help.  Like it's something you want to do.  What else do you want to do, Mr. Huey?  Is there anything missing?  Anything you wish for?"

Ken shakes his head, "I'm actually quiet content.  I get to spend time with my loved ones, and help out here from time to time.  I have a full life.  Er, after life I suppose."  he laughs softly.

"Is it...You said most are content, too.  Are they alright?  Do you see your children and their children...and their children?"

OOC: when Colin asked him, Kenneth said he and Eleanor weren't blessed with children. I only point it out because Colin would have been curious to see his descendants too.

((Yeah, Kenny mentioned being a father.  If that's an oops, replace the word "children" with "descendants."   Nothing to see here.  Move along.))

OOC: Crud, Wrong dead NPC.  Sorry.  Kenneth didn't have children.  My mistake.  It's been so long....

"My wife and I were never blessed with children.  But I see my nieces and nephews.  Friends, and I've made new friends.  The ones that are too restless tend to emerge here, but sometimes they can get stranded."  Ken looks at Colin, "One of the things you'll learn to dal with I suppose.  Finding the lost and taking them to a place where they can cross over."

"Sure. I hope there aren't many of them. So far the ones I've met were here on purpose. In a way I helped Herod go back home though. He had been stuck midway since Ancient Egypt, poor guy."

Colin is still enjoying the sun light, his eyes almost closed as he looks at the sky.

"Why do you bring it up? Do you know of someone who could use a nudge in the right direction?" he thinks about it some more. "Have you met or heard of someone named Hamilton, recently?"

"Hamilton?  Name sounds familiar, recently departed.  something about it in the paper I believe."

"Yes, recently. I'm asking because he was forced to kill himself. He was not really a good man, but I guess he wouldn't deserve to have trouble passing on. In the end, I'm not even sure how much of what he did was actually his choice at all. I even thought of offering him a chance to put something right before going on, if he felt like it."

“Unhappy and restless, you said.”  As the ghost looks at Colin, Laney’s  dark gaze sinks low, where she muses over tufts of dead grass spiking out of the frozen earth.  “Why?  Do they tell you?  Stephen Hamilton.  He was strange.”

"They don't often tell us.  The reasons are as wide as the human experience.  Some people just don't grasp that they're died.  For some it's the need to finish something.  And for others it's a desire to be near someone."

"I would stay.  If he's gone, he has no chance to put things right, does he?  Just to be sure I could repair things."

"Kenneth, can you look for him, see if he's stuck anywhere, if he needs or well, deserves help? I'll trust your call. Or anyone else you think might need it, for that matter."

While he speaks, Colin drops a glove below their bench, hopefully in a way Laney doesn't notice.

"I shall make the necessary inquiries."  Kenneth gets up and tips his hat.  "It was a pleasure to meet you Delany, and a pleasure as always Colin."  He makes his way down the path and around the curve and out of site.

"Thank you for your time, sir,"  Laney smiles, standing.  "And yours, Colin.  I hope things work out.  I really do."

When the ghost is gone, she wanders away some distance to hover idly near the graves of a husband and wife.  There she crouches down and traces the names and numbers with her finger, quietly contemplating the stone.

Colin follows Laney for a while, then check his pockets.

"Oh. I dropped a glove. Be right back."

He does go back, picks up the glove, and then follows Kenneth instead.

"Kenneth! Wait."

When he catches up with the ghost, he gets a paper clip out of his pocket.

"Laney... She lost her whole family in an explosion, not long ago. She didn't ask me anything, and she barely even speaks of them, so I'd say she's not ready for anything... but sooner or later she'll be, so, please, find them."

He hands him the paper clip with the photos of the victims and their names.

Kenneth looks at the paper.  "I got that feeling from the things the young woman was asking.  Consider it done.  And, if they have important word to get back I'll find you."

"Thank you, Kenneth. Goodbye."

Colin looks over to where Laney's gone and rejoins her.

"Found it." he says, showing the glove. He doesn't ask anything about the tombs. Laney needs her time, but when she's ready she talks on her own.