Melody of the Holoverse

Episode 13: Yes, We're Really Doing That

The next day . . .

"So, let me make sure I have this right. You want us to help you find a ghost."

"Yes."

"And to do so, you want us to come with you to a manor that may or may not be haunted."

"Correct."

"Because you want to ask said ghost for a favor."

"That about sums it up."

. . .

. . .

. . .

The swordswoman sighed and pinched the ridge of her nose.

"What?" Selen asked.

"Of all the people, we had to attract a nutcase."

"What do you mean!? This is a perfectly valid thing to do!"

"Ghost hunting? You roped us into ghost hunting!?"

I giggled.

"Now's not the time to be laughing, Violet," Pluto said. "We've got a weirdo's delusions to deal with."

"Bro, have you seen the shit this world has?" Selen asked. "I fought against a fairy, for God's sake! Who's to say ghosts aren't here too?"

The swordswoman didn't let go of her disappointment.

"Just you watch, Miss Samurai," the dragon said. "When we find the ghosts—and we will—you're gonna get your buns toasted while Violet and I dine on the finest ectoplasm caviar."

I'll be frank: I haven't the slightest idea what that is.

The swordswoman deepened her scowl.

"I'm gonna stab you."

Some context to our little exchange.

*  *  *

"So," Pluto said, "what do you wanna do, Violet? I think it's safe to say Phoenixton is now off the table. Honestly, I doubt we'll be getting into any major city, not without our heads hunted."

I chewed on my bottom lip, frustrated.

I'm sorry, Miss Gura. I went and made things more complicated.

With Kiara now out of reach, my only choice is to go back to Atlantis.

To keep the process of goddess hunting simple, Miss Gura had decided to only tell me about one Guardian at a time—in this case, Empress Kiara. But it looked like I now needed a new assignment, considering how hard I butchered the first one.

I don't even wanna think about how disappointed you're gonna be.

The dragon cleared her throat.

"If you guys are up for it," she said, "you're more than welcome to tag along with me."

Both Pluto and I raised our eyebrows.

"Before that psycho fairy snatched me," Selen continued, "I was in the middle of doing something. I'm looking for someone."

"Someone you lost?" I asked.

"Not exactly. It's . . . complicated."

"More complicated than being someone who's presumably dead?" Pluto chided.

Selen sighed. "It's gonna be a while before you let that go, huh?"

The swordswoman looked to me. "Whatever the case, I'll follow you lead, Violet. I'm just trying to find knowledge, and I'm confident I can find that in more places than just the capital. You, on the other hand, wanted to meet with The Empress. Not sure we can still go down that road, unless you wanna ambush her for some one-on-one time."