MASKTOURN

Walking away from the poolside, Ryunoske was on the search for another light source. At first, she was just going to travel back to the street paths and light her cigar on a nearby lamp, but something about the eery path to the temple called to her. She let another cigarette before traversing up the path. It was scenic in a way that reminded Ryu of the temples back home, even if the two were vastly different styles of worship. She sauntered to the entrance and entered without knocking or even looking around for a worker. The inside was quite marvelous, if a bit eery. Ryunoske curiously looked around, glancing at the statues and the basin. She never was one for religion, so she held no interest in examining anything too closely. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

As Ryu entered the temple, a foul odor reached her nostrils. It was worse than her usual smoke odor, by many times. Maybe a school of fish left to rot for weeks during a hot Florida summer was equivalent. At one of the rectangular basins there was a woman washing her hands.. Well, a woman fruitlessly attempting to splash her hands in it, which only caused the most minor of ripples in the surface. She was dressed in raggedy old hiking gear, and the area around her left shoulder had entirely rotted away, revealing half melted ribs and eerie darkness where her heart should have been. Dark green tendrils of rot twisted around her feet and kept her attached to the floor. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

The smell of rot wasn't too bothersome to Ryu. She's used to such things, a benefit to her line of work. Her intrigue was piqued by the rather interesting form of the figure a few feet away from her though. She stepped further into the temple and rested her hands into her pockets. "Hey. Half ya is missing, you know," Ryu commented as she got closer to the other woman. If she had a penny for every time a strange rotting woman appeared right in front of her on a cult island, Ryu would have two pennies. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

The other woman didn't pause her assault on the water as Ryu spoke. "Why? What is wrong with me? What- Why am I like this?" She spoke, looking down in to the water, seeing no reflection look back at her. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Ryu looked from the water to the half-human woman, her eyes half-lidded as she watched the scene. "I can't tell if you can't hear me or if you're just ignoring me.. So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're just ignoring me," Ryunoske mused and stepped to the basin. Unceremoniously, Ryu slapped her hand into the water, causing the entire thing to splash and ripple. "Hello there. Do you see me now?" She asked with a smile. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

The woman stood completely still as Ryu slapped the water, causing the waves and splashes to go straight through her. She looked up at Ryu with her one blue eye. "Who.. Are you.." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Hm, so she was just ignoring her earlier. Ryu's smile widened a bit as she retracted her hand out of the water. "You can call me, Ryu, babe. Do you come to this temple often?" Ryunoske asked with a playful wink. Seems like this ghost was at least aware not everyone was her damn husband. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

The woman's expression contorted in to anger- and then confusion- and then back to slightly pissed off. She wasn't sure why exactly Ryu made her mad, but he did. ".. Ryu.." She repeated. Lucky again that that name was three letters. "Do you know where.. Al.. alb.. a.. The lifebringer is." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Of course. Ryu's smile grew just a tad and she retracted her hand from the basin, slightly shaking it to dry. "The Lifebringer? Why do you need her for? Don't tell me you're her dead wife or something?" She teased, but there was a part of Ryu that deeply guessed she wasn't too far off. Like father, like daughter, Ryu thought. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

The woman continued to stare at her with an unreadable expression. "Wife of.. Who?" She asked. "Need Lifebringer for.. for... something." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

"Wife of Albanes. This might sound weird, but you're definitely not the first dead woman cursed to haunt the Lifebringer's home," she mused. "Albanes is the current Lifebringer. I asked her about Madeline.. which I assume is you, but you look a bit. Different," Ryu commented. "More rotten.. More.. hm. There's definitely just something different about you than the Madeline I knew." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

There was a moment of recognition in her expression- so many words back to back that she could understand left her with some mental image.. Wife, Albanes, Lifebringer, Madelyn, rot.. But just as soon as Ryu stopped talking, her expression shifted back to minor annoyance. "I am not.. not.. Mad.. elyn.. I am.. am.. mel.. no.. Mad- I-" She shook her head in frustration, and the tendrils of rot around her feet began to creep toward Ryu. "I need the Lifebringer.. I need.. I need.. Alb.. anes." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Ryu folded her arms across her chest and she eyed the tendrils with slight ware. "Hm.. maybe I'm wrong then.. but I doubt it," Ryu shrugged. "Albanes is the Lifebringer now, yes. Why do you want her?" @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"She.. she said.. she wouldn't!" The woman said, her slight irritation turning to rage. The tendrils shot forward at Ryu- only to go straight through her legs. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

For a moment, Ryu's muscles tensed, but when the tendrils did nothing but fade on through her, she relaxed. Well, at least now Ryunoske knew for sure she was talking to a ghost. "She said she wouldn't what..? Become the Lifebringer?" Ryu probed. "Her father was the Lifebringer. It honestly only makes sense she would take it up after him." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

The tendrils shot forward again. This time, Ryu would feel the slightest amount of pressure from them.. "Evil! Both.. both of them!" @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Ryu still didn't move. "Evil..? What do you mean by that?" She asked. Sounds like a messy divorce. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Evil- bad- bad people!" The woman shouted. "I can't- can't remember. But I KNOW they're bad." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Hm.. well, Ryu could agree with the ghost on one thing, she supposed. Ryu took a step away from the woman and sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. Well, sorry to disappoint ya, but Albanes is one of those 'evil bad' people now. It seems like she has for a while. Do you remember how you two know each other?" @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

The corpse followed her movement, tendrils snapping and morphing around her feet to keep up. "No- not- it's not her. It's the Lifebringer." She tried to correct, but her tone was extremely unsure. "She's- she's- I can't.. remember.. I need to talk to her." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

"The Lifebringer and Albanes are one and the same now, as much as you like it or not," Ryu commented as she glanced down at the tendrils. "I'll pass on the word. I'm sure she'd like to talk to her beloved sludge of a wife.. girlfriend.. whatever you two are in this world," he shrugged. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"THEY'RE NOT! Albanes is.. is.. manipulated!" She yelled back. She didn't have enough of a recollection of her life to remember specifically what Albanes and her were.. though it must have been important. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

"Albanes is being manipulated?" Ryu repeated with a raised brow. For some reason, Ryu highly doubted that. "Sure... well, how's the sludge life been for you, little Madeline? Are you stuck in this crummy dark place all the time?" @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"She must be. She PROMISED!" She yelled again. Though the specifics of that promise weren't too clear to her.. She glared up at Ryu and huffed. She shoved her arms forward at Ryu's chest to try to shove him away, but nothing happened of course. "Albanes will help me." @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Ryu didn't particularly react when the ghost tried to push her. At their height, it was actually kinda humorous if you looked at it from a 3rd perspective. Looked like the ghost was trying to grab her chest more than anything. "I hope she will. Though, when I asked her about you, she didn't want to talk to me about it or your relationship with each other. I hope you can move on from this place. Her father didn't allow his wife to... I hope Albanes is different." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"I don't even know what you're talking about." She huffed again, moving her arms around as they stuck straight through Ryu. Maybe it'd catch on something... maybe.. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

/nsfw bc.. ryu Ryu deadpanned at the ghost, watching as it moved about in her. "If you're trying to gab my tits, you should at least take me out to dinner first," Ryu commented. "Or are you trying to grab my ribs or something?" @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"I'M TRYING TO KILL YOU!" The woman shouted, but instantly tore her arms away. "Stop saying stuff like.. that!" @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Ryu chuckled, taking another whiff of her cigarette with an amused smile. "Mm.. well you're a lot more shout-y in this world, but your personality seems about the same. Trying to kill me won't do you any good, babe," she commented. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" She screamed and stomped her feet on the ground, causing the tendrils to fling out everywhere. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

Ryu let out a low whistle as she saw the tendrils fly out. "Alright, I got it, slime girl. Wouldn't want to upset a lady now," Ryu smiled, almost teasingly. "Or make your wife mad at me. Albanes doesn't seem to be the jealous type, but who knows." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"URGH!" She yelled and began to storm off deeper in to the temple, taking the rotting stench with her. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske

"Awh, don't be like that!" Ryu chuckled as she watched the ghost storm away. He honestly didn't care if the ghost wanted to stick around or not. Seems like she had gathered enough information to put the pieces together. "Well, guess I'll be seein' ya then, slime girl!" @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

She walked through one of the closed doors and was gone.. Well, she stuck her hand back out to flip off Ryu before fully departing. @Aj | Invo + Ryunoske