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Ever since the two have met, Poltergeist found herself always clinging onto Click.
Up until she met Click, she didn't know if there were other ghosts like her in the suitcase. She was always too afraid to confront or talk to the other alive arcanists. They were too loud, too scary, or deathly afraid of her. She didn't blame them though, she'd be afraid of herself too if she was in their shoes. But it certainly made the first few days she spent there quite lonely.
And Vertin quickly realised this. So she introduced Poltergeist to another arcanist, another ghost, just like her!
At first, she was a bit afraid of Click. He was tall, and quiet, and menacing, and scary. His eyebags made him look perpetually tired all of the time, not to mention the fact that he was also alive during the war!
But after a couple weeks of Poltergeist spying on him from behind the corners of hallways or in the rafters, she came to realise that he wasn't all that scary. He was just a quiet guy who really liked taking photos.
And over the weeks, she soon became closer to him. He didn't mind her tagging along with him as long as she didn't mess up his photos. And sometimes, Poltergeist would even help him with his photos, either making sure other people or things didn't interrupt him or directly causing scenarios that would make good shots. Poltergeist would never forget how fun it was to drop a water bucket on someone and have Click take a photo of the moment of impact. She still held onto the photo, and giggled at the shocked face of the Foundation member.
But today, she couldn't find him anywhere. She tried to look around where he usually was, in the hallways, hidden in the walls, spying on other arcanists, and maybe in his own room. She tried asking the other arcanists around if they'd seen him lately, but all of them denied her. She was beginning to become worried, so she came to the next place he could possibly be.
Click often liked being in the Wilderness because the natural scenery was good for photography. He liked taking pictures of subjects that weren't aware he was there, that way he could capture the most natural expressions and emotions. Animals and flora were the best subjects to take pictures of, because they didn't care about looking photogenic, they still acted their natural self even if they were aware of the camera.
"Click?? Mr Click??" she called out as she traversed through the Wilderness, stepping over tree roots and phasing through ruin walls. The Wilderness was a vast and large area. But surely if she searched hard enough and called out for him enough times, she would find him.
She gazed out at the ocean in front of her. The ocean was just as huge as the land, if not more so. Sometimes she'd see arcanists sailing out here when it was warmer and brighter. It reminded her of when she was alive, when she'd stare out at the beach at the sailing boats, the surfing men, the beautiful women lounging around.
And the coldness of the water.....
Poltergeist was about to leave and head out of the Wilderness, until she spotted a strange shape in the distance. She almost thought it was just another boat until she noticed how much more human shaped it was.
"Mr Click?!" she gasped, eyes wide. The ghostly man was floating just above the water, seemingly staring up at the sky. "Click! Mr Click!!" she tried calling out to him. She wasn't very skilled at yelling loud, but she could still make an attempt to, "Click!! It's me!! Poltergeist!!".
He seemed to have noticed her yelling, as he soon turned around in her direction. He floated over to her until he was over dry land again, giving her a small smile, "Good morning, Poltergeist".
"I-It's actually 6 PM now..." she stammered to him.
Click looked a little bit shocked by her statement, before sighing, "Ah, so it is... I must've lost track of time. Do you need me for anything?".
"No. But I just felt lonely and wanted to know what you were up to..." she admitted, fidgeting with the hem of her bedsheet, "Wh-What were you doing out there? It's so far away...".
"I'm just trying to take some pictures of the birds. You can get closer and get a better angle of them if you float over the ocean" he explained to her, "You can float next to me while I take some photos if you'd like".
"What?! Ah- no, no, no! I-I'll be fine waiting for you here!" Poltergeist suddenly yelped, tugging her bedsheets closer around herself, "I-I mean, I don't want to mess up your photos, right? Besides, I'm not really fond of the ocean, ehehe..."
Click stared at her in confusion for a moment, before a look of realisation slowly appeared on his face. "Oh, my apologies. I almost forgot...," he said, "Well, are you sure you'll be fine waiting for me? It may take a while for me to get a perfect shot".
"I-I'll be fine, sir! I'm used to having to wait for others anyways," she nervously chuckled. Click contemplated it for a second, before he gave her a small nod. He turned back and walked out into the distance, and Poltergeist simply sat down on the grass and watched him and the waves.
In all honesty, she didn't want him to leave her. She had already spent most of the day alone and looking for him, she didn't want to be more lonely. But that would've been selfish of her, right? She didn't want him to lose out on getting a good photo just because she wouldn't dare step out into the water.
She stared down at the waves below as they crashed against the coast. She hesitantly reached out her leg to dip one of her heels into the water, before swiftly pulling back when she felt the cold waves against her legs.
She remembered when she used to love the ocean. She remembered that day when she went out to the beach. Excited not only because she could go out and swim, but also because she just got a new swimsuit. She wanted to look pretty and beautiful, just like all the other girls at the beach did. But she ended up dying, on a day she used to look forward to.
She was so afraid of the ocean now, of the deep waters that could pull her in if she dared, the violent waves that refused to let her breathe. But she used to love it. And since she was already dead, there was no need for her to be afraid of the water. So what did she need to be afraid of now?
Poltergeist stood up off the grass, mentally psyching herself up. She could do this, she could go stand on the ocean like Click could. She was a ghost, she wouldn't die anyways. And she could just float, she wouldn't fall and drown like she did before. The water wouldn't hurt her like it did before.
She willed herself to take a step towards the ocean, her feet just barely floating over the watery surface. She screwed her eyes shut as she took another step. Her heart was beating loud in her ears (she wonders why, it stopped working a long time ago), but she forced herself to go forward. Breathe in, breathe out, she could do this.....
Soon, she was halfway across to reaching Click, his figure closer than before. She looked down at herself floating above the ocean, as her breathing started to speed up and increase. This was a mistake, this was a mistake, she should've stayed back, she should've-
A pale hand suddenly came into her view, and she looked up to see Click holding onto her hand. "Just hold onto me, okay? I'll help you across," he reassured her.
Poltergeist blinked at him in surprise, before nodding nervously. She followed behind him, holding on tight to him. It was much easier now that he was there with her, he seemed to emit a comforting aura that soothed her worries.
They soon stopped, and Poltergeist opened her eyes to the scenery around her. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a golden light across the ocean. The waves seemed to twinkle underneath the sunrise, as the clouds turned gorgeous shades of purple and pink.
"Woah..." Poltergeist gasped out, eyes wide with wonder at the scene, "I-I've never looked at a sunset this close up before!".
Click gently smiled down at her, lifting up a hand to softly pat her head. "You've done a good job today, Poltergeist," he said to her, "I hope you know that".
Poltergeist stared up at him, before a small blush appeared on her face. "Th-Thank you, Mr Click..." she whispered, nuzzling closer to his side.
Click took his camera out of it's case. "You can stay by my side if you want while I take pictures," he told her, "Or you can walk around on your own if that's what you prefer".
"I-I don't know if I can just walk around on my own... It's scary....." Poltergeist said, shaking slightly.
"Nonsense. I saw you take those first few steps towards me. I'm sure you can do it," he replied, "And if anything happens, I'll help you, alright?".
Poltergeist nervously nodded to him, before slowly letting go of him. It felt scary not holding onto him for support, and her legs wobbled slightly as she floated over the ocean. The waves ebbed and flowed beneath her, slowly becoming more calmer as the sun set.
She looked back at the sunset near them. She never liked the sun and the rashes it brought to her skin, so she guessed it made sense she'd prefer it when the sun went down. She remembers staring at the sunset from her bedroom window, loving how it bathed her bed and the posters on the walls in a warm light. Those calm and pleasant moments bathed in warmth, she missed those days ever since she died.
But now here she was, standing on the ocean, the very thing that killed her. Staring up at the sunset she'd spent so long staring at, now closer than ever. Her heart swelled in her chest, a smile on her face as she turned back around to look at Click, "Hey, Cli-".
A flash of light accompanied by a snapping sound came from Click's camera, and it took Poltergeist a few seconds to register what had happened. "Click?!? Wh-What was that for?!" she yelped as she ran towards him, "You should've told me you were going to take a picture of me!!!".
"The picture wouldn't be as sincere if I did," he replied, slightly chuckling at her flusteredness, "Besides, it was the ideal shot. You being outlined by the sunset with a smile on your face. A perfect scene, if I say so myself".
Poltergeist pouted up at him as she buried her face in his chest, "Still, it's embarrassing. I didn't even get to brush my hair this morning...".
"You look fine even if you didn't," he said, "Now come on, it'll get windy soon, and the photos might be swept away".
They soon exited the Wilderness together, Poltergeist still clinging onto him. She sat on a small couch in Click's personal photo developing room, watching him as he worked on developing them. He explained to her once that when he was alive, he'd send the films to a specialised shop to develop them. But ever since he died and joined the others in the suitcase, Vertin allowed him to have his own photo development room.
"Will they be ready soon?" she asked him eagerly, kicking her feet as she sat there, "I wanna see if mine turned out good".
"In a moment, it's almost finished," he told her, returning back to his work. She waited there for a few more minutes, almost dozing off until he gently tapped her shoulder, bringing her out of her sleepy stupor, "They're ready now".
She got up from the couch and walked over to the table, looking at the photos laid out on the desk. A couple birds flying into the distance, the boat sailing through the ocean, and of course, the picture he took of her.
It felt odd seeing a photo of herself in black and white. She usually associated these sorts of photographs with the vintage stuff her grandparents showed her, not herself. But even without colour, she couldn't help but find the photo absolutely ethereal.
The setting sun highlighting her figure, the faint blush on her cheeks, and her joyful smile. She never thought she could find herself looking so pretty and beautiful.
"I-I love it! It's so pretty!" she gasped, eyes alit with joy as she stared at herself, "It looks like something I'd see in one of my magazines!".
"Hmm, I'm very proud of that shot," he gently smiled as he looked over her shoulder, "You make a very good model, Poltergeist".
Poltergeist looked up at him, surprised, "You- You really think so?".
"Of course I do," he replied, softly patting her head.