Phantom Recall

18 || what's with you?

Our lunch date at Young's Noodle House is cut rather short. Disappointingly so.

With Javier's and Noir's moods so abruptly flipped on their heads, Sonia and I struggle to make conversation with either of them, and on several occasions our words fail to get through at all. Ricocheting like shots off a bulletproof shield that those two shared. Even Eret, who stops by our booth several times despite his father's admonition, notices the dark cloud hovering over the Japanese boy and the Frenchman and attempts to whisk it away to no avail. I'm not sure on whose behalf to feel worse.

I try to reassure myself; if Javier could utilize his status as a ghost-obsessed madman and uncover Skull's location, then perhaps it would all be worth it. Two birds, one stone — that's how he viewed our situation. Tracking down the spirit who caused his mother's death, and who now threatened the well-being of his beloved former students, as well as his niece and her schoolmates...

I suppose I could understand why he seems so anxious. Carrying such a heavy load on his mind. The sooner he finds Skull, the sooner he can rest. And I'm right there with him.

Eret stays behind at the restaurant much later than we do. I expected as much, of course, but it feels almost wrong to leave him behind as Javier drives Noir and me back to Eret's house. He wouldn't be back until the evening. And unfortunately, as I expressed back at the noodle restaurant, I have not the slightest idea as to how we should go about finding Skull. No clues. For obvious reasons I couldn't simply make my way to the spirit lounge and ask for Leon's help — nor Echo's for that matter, being that she directly advised against pursuing the skull-masked spirit. Her subtle implication that he would be dealt with had done little to convince me. If that were the case, why did Leon have time to sit down to a chess match with me? Two separate occasions, no less. It leads me to wonder if his priorities lay elsewhere — or, what could also be a possibility, he remains just as in the dark as I do in regards to hunting down the suspect.

No leads. As it stands Javier is our best bet. Probably. That said, once more, all that's left to do now is wait. Wait for an update, a call to action.

Noir and I step into Eret's room together shortly after Javier drops us off. The entire house is quiet, almost empty, too, save the boy's mother and the two children too young to be in school yet. It would be peaceful, were it not for the rain cloud Noir had carried home with him...

His face hasn't relaxed since earlier this afternoon. Scarcely a word has passed through his lips, either, and it hasn't gone unnoticed — I've simply been waiting for a good opportunity to address it.

There's no need, but I close the door behind me for the illusion of a little privacy.

"...Noir."

He turns to me immediately. No verbal acknowledgment like the hum he usually offers, but at least he doesn't ignore me. Maybe he knew this was coming.

"What gives with you, huh?"

He looks away. The eye contact, as brief as it had been, shot off a spark that seemed to affect him more than it did me. I watch Noir slowly lower himself to sit at the edge of the bed. Eret had left his glasses case behind, and his glasses, which are lying carelessly beside the case. Noir places them back inside and closes it with care.

"...dude."

"I don't think it's a good idea to go after him."

There it is. The bombshell. The cloud over his head has already begun to expand.

"What...are you talking about?"

"That spirit." Noir's voice lowers as he fiddles with his fingers. His gaze pierces the void. "I know of him. Lots of people know of him. But most of them are too scared to even talk about him, because they're afraid he's watching, and he'll hear."