Phone Voices in the Wind

[Priya]

Priya had heard of the Exchange a few times now from both Max and Goki--or rather, while eavesdropping, before one or both caught her. She couldn't seem to sneak around her two roommates, despite being invisible a majority of the time, but they'd lived together for some time now. That was to be expected and in a way, the spirit liked it. It made her feel seen.

The Exchange seemed to be a fairly active group in Easthaven, although she'd never encountered them, as far as she knew or remembered. So, it was time to try and call them. What for, she wasn't sure, but despite her cloudy existence, she still wanted answers.

The spirit preferred Max's phone because it was older. Simpler. She wasn't sure why that mattered, but it made it a bit easier for her to navigate to the name she'd heard the guys mention and hit the call button.

"Incoming Call..."

[Theo Crowhurst]

Theo's office was dimly lit, the lamp on his desk the sole light source. He hadn't stood up to switch on the overheads when dark had fallen, and he'd had a raven tap-tap-tapping at his windowsill earlier, so he wasn't all that invested in a brightly lit office.

The call was a surprise, as his phone vibrated across his desk and onto the notebook he was working on. The call was welcome and unwelcome, a break from the runes floating past his eyes and the annoyance of a late call. Setting down his pen, he carefully pushed the book he'd brought up from the archives to do some good old-fashioned research.

Picking up the phone, he saw it was the Kuryakin werewolf, the Englishman frowning fiercely as he wondered what now. He pressed the green button, lifting the phone to his ear to find out what on earth was going on.

"Kuryakin. Did you find another stray?"

The gruff question made it clear that Theo was not in the mood for a casual chat, but Kuryakin hadn't struck him as someone who'd call for that. He'd directed enough strays the Exchange's way that told of someone who both avoided them and knew the role they had in the city.

[Priya]

The way Theo answered the phone was a stark reminder that Priya was using Max’s phone without asking. Not like she had a choice, but it still made her pale and look around the dim living room where he’d left it. Maybe he’d come looking for it. She’d better be quick.

It made sense that Theo was asking about strays. That seemed to be what the guys got up to whenever the Exchange came up, unless they were talking about or to that Dune woman Max was involved with. She never manifested when Dune was around if she could help it. Or Emily. The jealous spirit just didn’t like them.

In the same vein, Priya wondered why neither of the guys had reported her ghostly presence yet. Was she a kind of stray? Maybe not.

Anyway, if she could sweat, she would’ve started then. Theo was immediately terrifying. Tucking her hair behind both ears, the spirit bent close to the phone again. It had taken a bit out of her to make the call so she just left it where it lay to talk and whispered into the receiver.

"N-No, sorry. This isn’t Max. My name is Priya. Hi."

[Theo Crowhurst]

"Priya..."

Theo echoed her name, tone pensive as he rolled it over in his head, as it tickled his memory as many things did. A call that was... well, over a year ago now. A Priya of Lawrence Avenue, but Theo hadn't had much to act on and hadn't gotten much out of it than a strange visit to the APL.

Changing tacks from his impatient greeting to the werewolf to a more cautious and inquisitive attitude, Theo decided to take advantage of the call to solve that little mystery.

"Hello. Is this the Priya of Lawrence Avenue? You called me some months past. Do you recall?"

[Priya]

Priya was silent with surprise, the moment filling the line with whispery static.

"I-... did? I... no. No, I don't remember much about... before."

Before, when she was... When she had a body.

"Why did I call you?"

[Theo Crowhurst]

Theo wasn't entirely surprised she'd forgotten. She had barely known who she was last time, so perhaps this continued her bout of amnesia.

"You said you were lost, and you... attempted to visit me."

The Englishman wasn't sure how useful it was to inform her, but it seemed best to be honest. There was nothing harmful in it, but now he wondered if she wasn't somewhere near where Kuryakin would leave his phone. Where did the man live again?

[Priya]

If Priya could've, she would've shivered. Her words and actions repeated back to her, did send a metaphorical chill down her spine. She really was a strange lost creature, wasn't she?

"I... I'm sorry."

Attempting to visit him was also creepy, but more than that, had she known about him and the Exchange before hearing about it from Max and Goki?

"I'm still lost, but not as badly as before. I heard about you from Max."

[Theo Crowhurst]

The apology made Theo grimace through the phone. That wasn't what he'd intended when telling her, but his phrasing was unfortunate. Hopefully, she would not attempt to this time and tire herself out.

"It's quite alright, Priya. How did you meet... Max?"

It was with some effort Theo used the man's name rather than his surname, but Priya had proven herself unstable, and Theo thought it best to attempt to coax something more substantial out of her than last time. Staying gruff about Kuryakin wouldn't help matters.

[Priya]

Unlike her call to Theo, she could remember meeting Max. It was one of the first things to stick in her memory, despite her lack of "meatware", as the werewolf had put it. How did they meet? Priya fought a smile.

"I... appeared and scared him after he moved into my apartment."

Despite not paying rent, the spirit still hadn't shaken her proprietory feelings over her chosen haunt.

[Theo Crowhurst]

Scaring a werewolf was a feat, but Theo had no insight into Kuryakin's nature in that respect. He had the distinct impression that the man was steadier than Juniper, serving her well in gaining some equilibrium in the ways Theo couldn't. A perspective she had in common, rather than a human knowing the theory of it.

That aside, Theo now had the vital bit he'd searched for all those months ago. The exact address of where the ghost was. He could easily find Kuryakin's address. Kuryakin had not hesitated to direct work Theo's way, so the werewolf wasn't keeping secret poltergeists to himself.

"You must be a peaceful roommate, then, if this is the first I'm hearing about it."

Theo's response was softly amused, lampshading his chosen career.

[Priya]

Priya laughed, pleased but nervous, and the phone line fizzed into static. It cleared up a moment later. She understood the implication there, based on all the things Max and Goki had said. The Exchange was for people who made trouble, and she hadn't, for the most part.

"I keep to myself- And we get along."

Except for those moments when she was caught fiddling with tech or appliances and something malfunctioned. She was working on that.

"But I was hoping you could help me? Un- Unless there's a non-emergency line I could call."

[Theo Crowhurst]

Priya only confirmed what Theo thought, the man nodding as she spoke. As she continued, it was much the same as she'd asked of last time, although in different words.

"No, I can try to help you, Priya. What do you need help with?"

He continued speaking calmly. Not quite soft, but approaching the matter with some thoughtful consideration.