TSSoaR - Ch. 1

Chapter 1 - First Impressions

Ghostwriter was in his Library - well, obviously. He was rarely anywhere else.

Currently the ghost occupied an armchair in the corner of his 'Fictional Horror' section, reading a copy of 'Odd Thomas' by Dean Koontz with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. A loud noise outside startled the novelist, only his ability to turn intangible saving his book and his pants from the steaming beverage.

Sighing heavily, Ghostwriter placed his now half-empty (Don't be so pessimistic) cup down on a mat on a low coffee table, placing a bookmark in the novel to save his page before banishing it to its place on the shelf with a flick of his hand. Standing the scarf-wearing ghost scowled and stomped to the door, his bright green eyes flashing dangerously behind his spectacles.

Flinging open the Library doors he found a slightly familiar, rather worried-looking green-skinned ghost standing on the threshold, poised to knock. They both froze for a moment, eyeing each other up cautiously. The man on Ghostwriters doorstep had slightly luminous green skin which matched his pure-white swept-back hair quite well (In the novelists' opinion, anyway). He had lensed eyes and a face that the grey-skinned ghost could easily imagine being stretched into a wide grin most of the time. He was wearing a long black lab coat with a grey cloak wrapped around his shoulders. Ghostwriter noted absently that the guy seemed to be checking him out as much as the writer was to him. A loud bang jolted both of them out of their staring competition, causing them both to blush slightly.

"Can I help you?" Ghostwriter asked courtiously, raising an eyebrow.

"You could hide me from the guy chasing me," came the response, a hopeful grin spreading across his features.

This time Ghostwriter raised both his eyebrows. "I really don't think - "

Another explosion, closer this time, made the green ghost wince. "Please?" he asked, his tone verging on begging. Pressing his fingers into his temples, Ghostwriter sighed, heavily. He knew he was going to regret this later, but ...

"Fine."

As the Library resident stepped aside, the ghost on the doorstep didn't hesitate to scoot inside and dissappear from view.

"Don't touch anything!" shouted the dead novelist, panicing slightly. He didn't have time to find his unexpected guest however, as another ghost came into view, this one looking furious.

"My dear Vladimir, what seems to have upset you so much that you would disturb the peace of my Library?" Ghostwriter smirked, leaning against the doorway as Plasmius landed in the spot that the white-haired ghost had been stood in moments before.

"It's that idiotic Technus," Vlad spat venomously. "He's been invading my personal space again, and this time he's taken it much too far."

"Technus? Isn't he the one that always chases everyone around with a sprig of mistletoe at the Christmas Truce Party?" Ghostwriter asked, snickering slightly as he recalled where he had recognised the green ghost from.

"Yes, well. If you happen to see him, you will tell me, won't you Andrew?"

"Of course, Vlad. You will be careful of my Library, though, if he happens to come this way again, hmm?"

"Naturally." And on that note, the halfa shot off in the direction he was heading before Ghostwriter had called him over. Closing the doors, the novelist scowled, stalking off to find the unwanted guest.

It wasn't that hard to find the ghost though. The Library was essentially part of Andrew, and vice-versa, so finding the only other Ecto-Energy Signature in his Library was a relatively simple matter.

Walking down a corridor, Andrew found Technus sitting on a couch, eyes glued to a thick book on Bioelectric Chemistry.

Blinking, Ghostwriter walked over to the ghost on the sofa, peering absently at the title. He wasn't used to anyone other than himself having an interest in reading. Excluding Vlad, of course, but the halfa spent most of his time in the Human World, and only really came to see Andrew if he wanted to borrow a book he couldn't find himself, despite the novelists' hints at possibly having more than an occasional friendship with the billionaire.

" ... Why was Vlad chasing you, may I ask?" the inhabitant of the Library queried, after pausing for a moment - he knew how annoying it was when someone interupted him when he was reading.

Technus sniggered slightly, closing the book over, his lense-covered eyes focusing on Ghostwriter.

"Well, I was in Plasmius' computer, looking for something worth my time - he usually has something interesting to do with some kind of technology or some embarassing pictures of Skulker somewhere - when the webcam in his office caught my attention." Here the ghost grinned perversely. "I was in the mainframe of his whole computer system, so if a device is attatched, I can use it. And this webcam just so happened to show Plasmius and the Ghost Child sharing a rather 'intimate moment', if you catch my drift," Technus sniggered.

Andrew just raised an eyebrow, signaling that he didn't catch the Techno-ghosts drift at all. Seeing this Technus sighed and put on a deadpan expression.

"I caught Plasmius bonking the Ghost Child on his office desk."

The novelist blanched and then flushed beetroot red. Well. He certainly didn't need to know that. But it did explain why Vlad wasn't interested in him.

"It sounded like they were having a lot of fun too," Technus snickered, his grin back in place.

"Technus, I really - "

"Call me Nicolai."

"Nicolai, I don't want to know," Andrew muttered, still a bright crimson hue.

"Well, I won't tell you what they get up to at night then," the technological ghost replied, opening the book again, smirking as the dead novelist spluttered. Standing, Andrew left the room, leaving Nicolai to his reading.

About twenty minutes later, still a bit pink, Ghostwriter returned to the room, noticing that Technus was on a different book, and half-way through it. "I think you should leave now. I'd rather not have Vlad destroying my Library when he finds out you're here."

Closing the book, Technus stood up, handing it to Andrew. "I doubt that Plasmius would risk attacking you. You have that Quantum Keyboard, don't you?"

Ghostwriter scowled. "Not since that brat Phantom blew it up two Christmasses ago. I have to make-do with my Typewriter."

Technus sniggered. "A Quantum Typewriter?"

Glaring at the white-haired ghost, Andrew flicked his hand, banishing the book to its specific place. "It doesn't matter about the tool I use to write, the Quantum ability comes from me. I could write using a pen and I could shape reality if I so desired."

Technus' smirk widened. "A Quantum Pen?"

"Leave, now," Ghostwriter hissed, his green eyes flashing. Technus shrugged and walked off down the corridor, followed by Andrew, who was partially making sure the ghost found his way to the door, but mostly checking that Nicolai actually left.

As he reached the door, Technus turned around, grinning. "Before I leave, I have a proposition for you."

Andrew paused, taken aback. "What is it?" he asked, almost entirely out of shock.

"I will build you a new keyboard for you to write with if," here Technus' smile widened, the ghost leaning in towards the novelist slightly. "If you will go on a date with me."

Freezing, Ghostwriter's brain was whirring. That was out of the blue. 'Well,' he thought. 'Nicolai is not bad-looking, and he's quite intelligent. Not to mention he'd build a new keyboard so I could get off that infernal typewriter.' Again, Andrew made a descision he knew he was going to regret, and found himself thinking of agreeing.

"Only one date?"

"Unless you decide you'd like to repeat the experience," Nicolai nodded, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Alright then."

"Then, I, Technus, Master of all things Electronic and Beeping, shall totally pick you up on Friday!" he announced loudly, smile still fixed in place. Sighing as Technus turned and started flying off, Ghostwriter called out to him.

"Nicolai?"

Halting mid-flight, Technus turned around, looking back curiously.

"Call me Andrew." And with that, the novelist shut his door, not missing the smug look that came over the techno-ghosts' features.