A Strange Afterlife

[ginger_firebird]

 It had to be impossible. He could feel his skin. A pulse beat under his neck. He stood in front of a store window and regarded his reflection in the glass. Same black leather outfit. Same brown trench-coat. The fabric weight down on him and he rubbed his arms as he tried to figure out what was going on. A wandering spirit had doors to enter and exit when it came to the world of the living, but he'd never achieved something like this. It was alien and wrong and he had no idea where anyone was.

Mantis sighed, marveling quietly at the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing. It didn't matter. He'd keep moving and hope for the best. If this was some punishment for a misstep, he knew exactly who to take it up with.

"Sorrow!" Even his voice carried an echo. Mantis pointed himself into a new direction and began to walk. "What did I do this time, old man?"

Comments

[ginger_firebird]

"Crossroads Cafe. That's an appropriate name given how this place seems to work." Mantis looks around a bit and makes a thoughtful noise. "I'll spend days in this place just exploring. No one can accuse this place of being boring."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"It's peaceful, but not boring. Well, peaceful most of the time. " Ben can tolerate peaceful more than boring. He's tired of violence. "Also, they have some delicious pastries. If you want, I can teach you about a few of the sights and what I know about the Nexus."

[ginger_firebird]

"I can handle most of the time." Mantis is likewise getting too old to really get into the fray the way he used to. Not that he can't, though. "Could you? There seems to be a lot going on here, especially with how things shift and change."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I can teach you about the basics here. The geography, some of the quirks, and the few dangers there are. Everything's got a dark side, this place included." Ben holds up his own copy of the pamphlet. "I had to be told about that myself."

[ginger_firebird]

"I got one of those from a man named Sigma. I'll have to read it fully when I'm ready to sit down. This place is a little too new and disjointed for me to stop moving just yet." There was a lot to explore. He's going to be busy for a while yet.