the bored dead Who: Cody and Ember Where: town When: afternoon
Ember sat on a swing on the playground, head resting against the cool, metal chain that connected the seat to the frame. She had been so bored today, she didnât even know what to do with herself. Some of the town was abuzz about some werewolf business occurring tonight which was somewhat exciting, she supposed. The rest of Delphi, however, was just carrying on with their business like usual. Normally, itâd be fine that way. But today was an exception. She wasnât sure why it was, but it just wasnât enough. She leaned back, allowing herself to fall to the ground dramatically. Keeping her legs propped up on the swing, she stared up towards the sky, wavy red locks surrounding her rather bare face, with silent complaints and a hint of resentment towards the normalcy of the day.
Cody had been vaguely looking around for Ember for a few days. That was one thing that blew about being dead that no one would think of. Even if you did have friends, it wasn't like you could call them up. And neither one of them really called anywhere 'home', though more recently, he was thinking possibly he should look into that. He just faced the same dilemma as he always did when that subject came up--where? The house out in the woods, maybe. But it seemed a little cliche to him.
"Were ya?" he asked, smirking at her first statement. "Are we cranky today?" he asked, not moving right away, just to annoy her. Then he relented, and sat down on the ground by her head, looking down at her from slightly less in her way. But only slightly. "And you and your specific colors. Isn't maroon another type of red?"
Ember turned her head to look to him, exaggerating the frown that had dominated the grin. âMaroon is a reddish brown.â She lifted a piece of her hair, holding it up towards his hoodie. âThis is red like your zip-up. Thereâs a big difference, Cody.â She spoke very seriously on the matter before looking down to her own clothes. Just like the day, she was beginning to find her own tee and skirt incredibly boring; it was getting to the point that she would rather run around naked than have to spend another day in this outfit. It had been one of her favorites, sure, but there was such a thing as too much of a good thing. She fixated her attention back on him, curious as to where heâd been. âWhat have you been up to?â
"Ah. I see. Thanks for the education." he said, still smirking at her. To her question, he shrugged. "What am I ever up to?" he asked. Besides stalking, which she knew he did, because she did pretty much the same thing at times. "Mostly I've been looking for you for a few days. I'm bored."
Ember pointed to herself questioningly. âIâm the wrong person to talk to, then. I was on the verge of trying to scare children if any decided to be normal and play outside.â That would certainly give people something to talk about other than events revolving around full moons. Maybe. Or maybe the parents would just write it off as active imaginations about invisible friends. âYour little girlfriend isnât entertaining you anymore? The one with all the tattoos?â
Cody shrugged, reaching out to take a small lock of her hair, and he started to braid it. He used to do that with his ex, when they weren't fucking or fighting, which generally took up most of their time, but occasionally they were too tired to do either and they'd laze around. "I dunno. She's been caught up in penises. I swear, every time I go to see her, there's some guy around. And she gets all like, I don't know. Girly? Somethin." he told her. âIâm sure itâll be fun again later. Though hopefully none of the guys sheâs around are going to start hitting her like the others.â
Ember hummed out an âmmhmmâ, allowing him to do what he wished with her hair. Who would say no to a little braiding action? Besides, if it got a little knotted, it would just give her an excuse to change the âdo before the day was through. âSounds lovely.â She fixed her gaze up towards the sky again, as much as she could anyway. âWhat did you have in mind for not being bored? Or am I supposed to be the fun one here?â
"Yeah, one of us killed themselves because they couldnât stand life one more second and opted to go out in a ridiculous, violent manner, one of us was murdered while having a super fun life minus the zombie part." Cody said drily. "What do you think? Let's not land being fun in the lap of the depressed angry guy." he told her. He enjoyed the little braiding thing. It was weirdly calming, and it was just nice to touch someone. Even if it was this tiny bit of contact. At least he could touch other ghosts without expending energy, but still. He didn't hang out with many of them. Really Ember was his only true friend. And, as sad as it was, she was likely the best friend he'd ever had.
He just wouldn't actually say any of that.
Ember rolled her eyes at Cody, making sure it was an obvious enough act that he saw it. âThe fact youâre touching these luscious red locks means you should never be angry or depressed again. You know how many people would love to be where you are right now?â Zero. But that was beside the point. âYou do make a solid point, thoughâŠâ She snapped her fingers. âDelphiâs worst dressed of the day. Iâm sure there are just tons of fashion victims waiting to be judged and scrutinized.â While she may not have kept Codyâs interests in mind for brainstorming fun activities, she personally thought it was brilliant.
"I should just fall down to my knees and worship your hair?" Cody asked, having to laugh. "All hail Emmy's gorgeous, ever changing strands of pure light and good?" He shook his head. "Nope. Not self centered at all!" he proclaimed. "And fine. If that's what you want to do, I am actually bored enough to go with."
Ember lifted her legs from where they had been resting, lazily rolling over onto her side. She propped herself up by resting her elbow against the ground, a smile actually making its presence known. âIâm glad youâre finally starting to get it. If you just convert to the religion of color, your life will be so much more fulfilled.â She did send a short glare his way before pushing herself up from where she had been laying. âIâm not being self-centered so much as Iâm being factual. And confident.â
"Hey. Technically, I've got color." he said, holding out his arm to show the kinda ratty red hoodie he was stuck wearing forever. "And..." he spit blood on the ground, where it disappeared moments later. "See? Color." His eyes were blue too, though he didn't really remember anymore what shade. Cody's self image was fucked, pretty much null and void by now. When she got up he pushed himself to his feet too, sighing. âSure you are.â
Ember nearly skipped out of the way when she spotted blood on the ground, snapping her head to look him in the face. âCan you not!â She had to re-adjust her stance to actually be able to continue looking Cody in the face once he stood, considering the incredible height difference between them. âOkay. I picked what weâre doing. Itâs your turn to pick where weâre going.â She crossed her arms. âAnd donât give me the Iâm angry and depressed excuse again. Itâs getting old.â
"Oh whatever, I didn't spit on you." he said. "And it's not even there anymore. Which you know." He rolled his eyes. "You try existing with a mouth full of blood all the time, and see how you like it." he said. "And fine, whatever." he said, shoving his hands into his pockets, though he wasn't actually annoyed at all. He was just putting on the show of it. Then he thought about it, and headed them in the direction of the park, figuring people would be there. And if not? Maybe they needed to take a walk and find out where the werewolf stuff was going on.
Ember smiled as she followed along behind Cody, pleased with herself. Their friendship was so dysfunctional, which wasnât incredibly surprising considering how strong their personalities were. They certainly had their differences, but at the end of the day, she wouldnât change a thing. Besides them being dead. That she would change. She took a few extra quick steps to catch up to his side, though she had to maintain an extra step or two to keep up with his pace. âWhy do I feel like looking at peopleâs clothing is going to take a backseat to wherever weâre going?â
"Because I'm kind of thinking that a shit ton of people are wandering around the woods or some shit, doing werewolf stuff?" he suggested. And okay, that was totally inaccurate, but he found it interesting. "Can we make fun of people's poor clothing choices and check out the werewolf shit?" he asked. "I mean, if nothing else, it is actually new."
Ember sighed heavily. More of this werewolf business. âYouâre lucky I like you.â She ran a hand through her hair, partially interested in at least seeing what all the fuss was about. They could have front row seats, if it seemed like something to stick around for. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was definitely something to stick around for, though. âThere will probably be great examples there, anyway. I have a feeling werewolves donât have a nice sense of what to wear. You donât want to rip something nice.â She justified the excursion, though she was more speaking to herself than him. âWhat have you heard about it?â
Cody quirked a half smile at that, adjusting their trajectory slightly. "You know you'd be bored as hell if you didn't have me." he teased. "And I dunno. Not much. Just that people think they're werewolves, and they're doing something building something in the woods? I guess, I didn't ask anyone specifically." Even if he could now. Cody, despite being lonely and such, actually kept himself invisible a lot these days. Maybe it was stupid, but he wasn't like Ember. He couldn't manage to change how he looked. So, he always looked dead. It made for a repetitive conversation and constant freaking out of people. And while sometimes he liked that, other times he wished he could skip that part and just talk to someone.
Ember let out a laugh, raising her brows. âWait. They donât even know? They just think theyâre werewolves?â She laughed a little more. âI think Iâm alive! Letâs see what happens tonight.â She shook her head, arms crossed as her laughter finally started to die off. A smirk remained as evidence that she found the idea quite humorous, glancing upwards towards her friend. âDo you think theyâre werewolves?â
Cody shrugged. "I don't know." he said. "Sounds stupid, but who knows. Zombies are stupid too, but that happened." he didn't really want to commit to an answer, because he didn't have one. He just wanted to see. "Though it'll be pretty funny if people think they're going to turn into werewolves and don't."
And the laughter resumed. Cody had a point with the fact that zombies were at one point in time a laughable idea, but on the other hand, she always thought they were the most realistic kind of monster. She made up her mind the critiquing the ensembles of the living could wait, this was definitely something they need to experience firsthand. If was kind of a win/win; either they were wrong and the look on everyoneâs faces would be priceless or they were right and theyâd get to watch an unbelievable thing occur. âLook at you. I knew you could come up with something fun to do.â
Cody knocked his shoulder into hers. Or, more accurately, his elbow into her vague arm area, because shit she was tiny, and he was tall. He actually liked the height difference, it occasionally gave him dirty thoughts, but he hadn't said anything about it, keeping that to himself. "Shut up. Don't give me credit, it'll go to my head." he told her. âThen Iâll not only be an angry, depressed asshole, Iâll be an insufferable dick, too.â
Ember quickly reciprocated the bump by placing both her hands on his arm and pushing with all her might. While she had put a lot of effort in, it didnât have even half the satisfactory result as she had been hoping for. Little lady problems. âYou say that as if youâre not already.â She glanced around at their surroundings, knowing the path they were taking well. There probably wasnât any inch of the dome that she wasnât familiar with, considering all the time she had on her hands. âSo what? Theyâre all just running around? Do you think theyâre naked?â
Cody laughed as she tried to push him, and he easily just stepped a few paces to the side when she did, coming right back into step with her in no time. "Don't you go pushing me around. You don't want me carrying you cave man style again, do you?" he warned. "...I hope they're not naked, I think they're all dudes. Or, the ones I know about are anyways."
âDonât even think about it.â She snapped back at him, sending her best threatening glare to seal the message. But at the mention of the potential werewolves all being of the male variety, her eyes nearly lit up with interest. âWell! This will be fun. It could be like a male revue, but with crazy people.â She reached out to pull on one of his pockets. âDo you have any money?â
Groaning, Cody rolled his eyes. "Seriously? What exactly is fun about that? Is that hot or something for you? Dudes standing around, flaccid dicks flopping all over the place? Each one drowning in their own insecurity, or being way too proud of whatever they're packing?" He then shook his head. "Yeaaaaah..." he said slowly. "But you know it takes stupid amounts of concentration to make it stick...why? What are you going to make me buy?"
Ember waved her hand to bat away his negative attitude towards the idea, having never really been to one herself. âOf course that isnât appealing. Itâs funny! Why do you think women are always laughing at them?â She was basing this opinion strictly on what sheâd seen on tv and movies back in the day. Either way, it made sense though. Guys got turned on at strip clubs, women went for a good giggle at how ridiculous the shows were. âNothing. I just want to put money in their little thongs.â She lifted her hands to hold an imaginary pair incase he couldnât visualize it. âIâll let you do it.â
"Remind me never to get naked with you," Cody muttered under his breath. He could even picture it vividly. The two of them, together, then her bursting into intense peals of laughter, forever solidifying his depression in a stunning, brand new way. Yeah. He also ducked his head because back when he'd been alive, he'd not been laughed at so much after he started kicking the shit out of people and getting into fights all the time, but before then, when he'd been in elementary school, yeah he'd been laughed at. He was the kid with old, stained clothes, the one who didn't get hair cuts regularly enough. That white trash kid. He knew he ought to answer her, but in the end couldn't muster up the smile required.
She glanced up to him, noticing his lack of a response to anything she had just said. Not even a smile. âWhy would I need to remind you? Have you been thinking of getting naked with me, Cody?â Ember asked, not skipping a beat. She could try to pull out all the stops to get any kind of reaction from him at this point. Itâd be better than the silent, brooding Cody. âShould I figure out a way to wear a mumu around you so as not to tempt you?â
Cody had hit a downswing with things, which he was aware of enough to hate that he got like this, but not capable enough to stop it when it was happening. He knew she was trying to help here, without completely derailing them both, but as much as he wanted to respond to it and go there, he just couldn't. It was the biggest problem with him. He was a victim of his moods as much as anyone on the receiving end. And it wasn't like anyone could medicate a dead guy. "You know what, why don't you go ahead. Have fun. You can tell me about the sausage fest later." he said very abruptly turning in a totally different direction to walk off that way.
Ember narrowed her eyes as Cody trudged off in another direction entirely, immediately turning in the same direction to follow after him. âGood fucking try.â She took a few extra steps to catch up to him, reaching out to grab his arm to stop him. She was going to get sick of having to do double the step work just to keep up with him real quick. âTime to put on your big girl panties and talk to me.â As harsh as her words sounded, she was genuinely concerned over what upset him. Sometimes these things just happened and she got that, but this felt like it was triggered by something. She doubted it necessarily had to do anything with a gallery of dongs, but she couldnât assume.
Even if she did talk harsh like that sometimes, it was actually a language Cody responded to. He appreciated it, in some ways he couldn't quite explain. Maybe because he got like that sometimes, and sometimes he did need someone to just verbally smack him. It was what he missed most about is ex, and when Ember did it, it always got him feeling warmer towards her, wanting to do stupid things that he resisted. To say his version of intimacy was fucked up in intense ways would have been understating it. Volatility was something that he understood better than anything else. "It's nothing, or stupid, or both, just...whatever, leave me alone. Go do your thing." he said. Just because he responded to it didn't mean he automatically fell in line. A street lamp they were passing shattered, the glass raining down through them, a normal occurrence when he was upset.
Ember rolled her eyes, his attempt at dismissing her failing. âMy thing right now is figuring out if I need to keep a calendar to reference for your fucking menstrual cycle.â She didnât blink as the street lamp shattered, it was something sheâd seen happen time and time again. If anything, it just made her more determined to figure out what was going on so they could put a stop to it. At least, temporarily. She looked down to his feet, contemplating tripping him to keep him from getting much further. After a good few minutes of debating, she decided against it. âAre you ready to get it the hell out? I can do this all day. Trust me, Iâve got time.â
That was what caught his attention, because he'd seen her do it. Follow him around, not giving up, til he broke. Sometimes their battle of wills was epic. It was another thing he loved about her. Why he spent time with her. Some part of him recognized that he needed someone who would always shove back. And today, he didn't know if he wanted to go through with the full song and dance, because there were still werewolf things happening that they both wanted to see. So, he relented. "Fine, whatever, mom." he snapped. "You just stepped on an issue."
A part of her was surprised when he gave in so quickly, having been accustomed to these kinds of ordeals going on for excruciating amounts of time. She certainly wasnât complaining though. âUse your sleeve as a tissue.â She stopped walking in the opposite direction, waiting for him to turn around so they could begin back towards where the action was. âI wonât laugh at your flaccid penis. Ever. Promise.â That was her form of an odd apology, and she hoped he would accept it lest they had to do another version of the verbally abusive tango.
He headed back to her. Cody spit at her feet, though it didn't hit her when she told him to use his sleeve. He reached up and rubbed at the corner of his mouth, blood smearing across his cheek as it often did. "It wasn't that that was the issue. It was you throwing around that women laugh at men. Maybe you were always the laugh-er in perfect fashion land where you lived, but here, I was that kid that everyone laughed at because I was the walking epitome of white trash." he muttered.
Ember scowled when he spit, but didnât say anything in regards to it. She was going to let it slide this time because it didnât hit her, and she had to pick her battles. She listened to him speak, a frown replacing the previous look of disapproval she had been giving. âI wasnât saying that, Cody.. I was talking about men shaking their things in womenâs faces. Unless thatâs something you like to do in your down time, I wasnât saying a thing about you.â She glanced up to him, doing her best to hop up as she walked to attempt and rub at the blood on his cheek. âFuck those other people. People suck, you just have to brush them off.â It was certainly easier said than done, but she hoped the words still accounted for something.
There was the barest hint of a smile at her little hop, and he actually stopped, hunching his shoulders slightly so she could reach better. If she wanted to do that, he wouldn't stop her. "I know, it just...everyone's got their triggers, right?" he posed. He just happened to me made of triggers. "And most of them are dead, it just doesn't help. It doesn't mean I don't remember it. Or know that that was one of the first times I can retroactively recognize depression in me. I'm pretty sure five year olds shouldn't be clinically depressed."
As soon as Codyâs shoulders were hunched to give her better access to that cheek, she took full advantage to get the blood off as much as she could. She didnât like hearing about how terribly he was treated in his life, honestly. It was sad, and she wished he had had a better life. There was nothing either of them could do to take back what had happened in the past, but they pretty much had forever to work on overcoming the trauma. As difficult it could be to deal with Cody sometimes, she had no intentions of going anywhere. Ever. If she was honest, she knew she was just as difficult to deal with, anyway. âI bet all of them are dead. And none of them are about to watch a werewolf show like we are.â She nudged him with her elbow. âYou want to bet on whatâs going to happen?â
He relented fully then, giving her a little smile as he started back in the direction they'd been heading in the first place. "I do." he said. "What are the terms?" he asked. "What are you offering up if I win?"
She silently counted this as a silent victory, refusing to bring attention to the matter for fear that it would send him right back into an upset state again. âHm..â She looked into the distance, contemplating what the terms could be to their bet. âWe should wait till we get there before start deciding what weâre betting on, I think.â There were just too many possibilities without knowing what they were headed into. âAnd for what Iâm offering up?â She sighed, not sure what she really had that she could bet with. âIf I lose, Iâll let you see me naked.â She said sarcastically. âThen you can laugh at me.â
Cody laughed then. "I'm not even remotely stupid enough to laugh at a naked you." he told her. "But sure. I'll take it. Naked Ember. Sure. Does that mean I have to reciprocate for my end? Or do I get time to figure out something else?"
Ember didnât want to risk laughing out of sheer awkwardness, so she quickly responded. âYou have time to figure your own shit out.â She looked around impatiently, âwhy did they have to pick someplace so out of the way.â It made sense to do it that way, but that didnât make her any less agitated. She just wanted to be there, snooping in on the âwerewolfâ business, and see what they had to work with in terms of betting.
"Have you seen any werewolf movies? I'm guessing because they're all standing around wondering if they're going to turn into ravenous beasts who like, kill everyone in the dome." Cody said. Then he had to pause, eyeing her out of the corner of his eye. "Okay, so if you could pick one person in the dome to be viciously slaughtered and come back to hang out with as a ghost with you, who would it be?"
âThey couldnât stand there and wonder that in a house? At least then they could have cookies and milk or something.â She had hardly finished her train of thought when he proposed such a fascinating question, she had to stop everything she was thinking to focus on an answer. âTo hang out with me..â She raised a hand to her mouth, tapping a finger against her lip. âMaybe that Jack guy. Heâs super cute and seems like heâd be fun.â She looked over to Cody, curious. âWho would you choose?â
He couldn't help the little spike of jealousy that hit him, though he didn't show it outwardly in either case. "Seems like an asshole, to me." he said, aware he was an asshole himself, so maybe she had a type. "For me..." he paused, thinking about it as well. He thought about the redhead he'd met the other day, but he wouldn't want her to die if she was going to be an artist. So, she was out. Lily...maybe. But he didn't know how that would go. He could see her just being really sad all the time. "Maybe Zania." he offered, shrugging. He liked her. She could possibly be fun.
Ember shrugged her shoulders at the suggestion that Jack was an asshole. Whether or not he was didnât effect her one way or another. She thought over Zania, eyes sparking with recognition. âSheâs the one with dreads, right? Opening the club? She does seem fun.â She agreed with a nod, lifting her arms to rest her hands on the back of her head. âGive me another one, this is fun. Youâre just full of entertainment today.â
"Which just really says how bored you are." Cody said. "But yeah that's the one." He thought quietly for another minute before continuing. "Okay, let's go the opposite direction. Who would you want to die and not become a ghost?"
Ember didnât have to think on that one. Rather coldly, she responded without hesitation. âLance.â He had taken one of the most precious items to her and sheâd yet to see it since sheâd been here. Now that she had control over being able to be seen, she planned on paying him an eye opening visit soon enough. She glared into the distance, but didnât forget to return the question. âYou?â
He knew about the guy, but still. That was one hell of a response. "Want my help to haunt the guy? You know how I get. I could have that guy's place practically rubble, if I get upset enough." he offered. He also hesitantly reached out to put a hand on her back awkwardly, not sure how to go about comforting her or even if she needed it. But he gave it a shot. It was just a weird one. "And I don't know if I have a great answer." he said, shrugging.
Ember hadnât been expecting the hand on her back, jumping slightly from surprise. âWhat the hell are you doing?â She glanced back, realizing he was trying to comfort her. She looked up to him then back ahead, shrugging her shoulders lightly. âMaybe. Probably. I need to give him a good scare before I start getting serious.â It wasnât like she had spent a lot of time thinking about it or anything. She was skeptical that Cody didnât have an answer for that particular question. âRight.. thereâs no one here you dislike enough that youâd want them to die and not be a ghost?â
Cody jumped back like she bit him, and put a wider distance between them as they walked, head ducked down as his cheeks flushed, and he hoped she didn't notice. but it was a little hard to miss when he was a shade of 'death pallor' to start with. "I don't know. Maybe I don't pay enough attention to people." he muttered. "Next question--you come up with something."
Ember looked back over to him as she noticed he wasnât directly next to her anymore, catching a glimpse of the red that had attacked his cheeks. âCody? Are you blushing?â She lacked a filter most of the time, and in matters where discretion should probably be used, no exceptions were made. She shuffled to her left some to get closer to him again, turning to face him so she could try to get a better look as she walked backwards. âThatâs my question.â She added, too lazy to come up with anything else for the moment.
"No." he snapped. Also, her drawing attention to his blushing made it worse, and he reached up to yank his hood up over his head, at least casting his face in shadow. He accentuated it more by ducking his head. "Fine, who's flopping cock do you want to see most down there when we get to the werewolf magic fun land?"
Ember watched him cover up his face with pure amusement, her question answered for her by his actions alone. If she were taller, she would have attempted to get his hood back off him, but there was no way that was going to happen unless she suddenly developed the ability to fly. âOh, thereâs no question.â She slowed her rather impressive backwards walking and angled herself to try and get somewhat of a glimpse of his face, despite his efforts to keep himself concealed. âYours, duh.â She added, âShould I be asking you the same question?â
Now she was just being mean. He winced, making a face. "Fuck you." he snapped at the first one. "You want to eye up that Jack guy. He's one." he corrected. "And no! I'm not gay!" he protested.
Ember turned on her heels, resuming a regular walk without having to angle herself backwards. âI think youâre jealous.â She smiled inwardly to herself, but kept any hint that she enjoyed the fact to herself. She twisted a lock of hair idly around her finger, shrugging her shoulders. âI never said you were. Maybe there will be some ladies there.â She looked down to his pants. âCan you still get boners?â
"I think you're delusional." he countered. Nevermind the fact that she was right. Sure, it wasn't overwhelming or anything, he wasn't going to metaphorically lose sleep over it. But still. Yeah. He was a little jealous. He couldn't help that. When she asked about the equipment, he turned around abruptly again, to walk in the other direction. "So done with this conversation!"
Like clockwork, Ember looped right around on queue. âIf we keep this up, weâre not going to make it to the damn forest to see the fucking werewolves.â She stopped walking, crossing her arms as she stared at his back. âI donât have one, I was just curious!â In her mind, it was a legitimate question, though she supposed now if the answer was more of a no that he might not want to talk about it. âYou can ask me whatever the hell you want, can we please just go to this thing?â
"Can we please never mention my dick again?" Cody shot back at her. "But yeah, it fucking works, so there, curiosity sated, now shut the fuck up." he said turning back around again, so they could go again toward the werewolves. "Haven't you ever gotten a little horned up over something going on?"
âTell me to shut the fuck up again and Iâll make sure it doesnât work ever again.â Ember turned as he did, continuing to walk without waiting for him to be next to her this time. Heâd catch up eventually, she was sure. âWell, yeah. But how am I supposed to know how a penis functions after death.â She had called out her answer behind her, assuming she was still heading the right way. It seemed like the majority of the trip was a straight shot, thankfully.
"If you get lubed up, then it stands to reason I get hard." Cody told her, catching up though taking his time. "And to disable me, you'd have to touch me." he pointed out. It was his turn to smirk a bit, with her walking up ahead. "I think you're just in a huge rush to get there because you want to see all the naked guys. Admit it. It's a sausage smorgasbord, and you're hungry."
Ember shot a glare back at Cody while he was still lingering behind. âIf thatâs what it takes, fine. Itâd be well worth it.â But as was common, she wasnât actually mad at him for communicating in the most comfortable language to them both. Besides, the laughter that followed his accusation probably blew the lid right off the serious cover she had going on. âYou are such a pervert.â She pointed to him. âYou are such a bad influence, you know. I never started swearing until I started hanging out with you.â Lies. But he didnât need to know that.
"Yeah, yeah. Tell yourself whatever you want." Cody said. "And yeah, I'm a pervert. I'm a dead guy. My only real entertainment is the fact that I can watch people fucking, and women in the shower. What else am I going to do with my time?"
Ember traced a fake tear as though it had fallen from her eye. âOh, poor you. Any voyeur in the world would kill to have that problem.â She moved her hands to play with the bottom of her shirt, lacking pockets on her skirt to be able to keep herself occupied with. âYou could always play fashion games with me. Or eavesdrop on all the gossip of whatâs going on, whoâs sleeping with who, what she said about this-that-and the other girl. Itâs a good time.â She could finally see the forest in the distance, glad they were at least a little closer to their destination. Then again, she didnât think either really knew who or what they were looking for.
"I do do that shit with you, I just can't do it twenty four hours a day. And I don't know about you, but I miss sex." he said. He gave a wistful sigh. "God I miss sex." he repeated. "It's kind of one of the only things I miss about being alive, I think." he admitted. Then he paused. "...no. I miss sleep, too."
Emberâs sigh joined his, not even having a snarky reply for that sentiment. Oh wait. âGo find someone to stick your dick in, then. You can get it up.â She could do without the sleep, but at the end of the day, she definitely missed sex too. âI guarantee you there is someone out there who has a fantasy about fucking a ghost.â
"...I don't actually know how long I would be able to remain solid. And it would suck to be halfway through pounding some woman into a wall and running out of energy to do it." he said. "Also you're forgetting what I look like." he added with a mutter, starting into the forest proper with her.
It had been a long time, so Codyâs words alone frustrated Ember on a sexual level. She pushed it aside mentally, though her mind had begun to wander slightly as they entered the woods. âYou look fine. Just keep your mouth closed.â She reached out to touch a branch, but of course.. her hand went right through. She returned her hand to the bottom of her shirt, twisting at the bottom more. âKeep your eyes peeled.â She wondered if they should go completely invisible, just incase. âShould we let them see us?â
"I'm not letting anyone see me." Cody said. And he put in the effort to ensure he was invisible, even if it didn't feel any different to him than when he could be seen. It was weird for him still. "And I don't look fine. You know how I found out people could see me? Because everyone kept telling me I was an asshole, dressing up like a zombie. I know I look dead, Em."
At his words, Ember put her own effort into making sure she would be invisible to the eyes of the living. It would just result in too many questions, otherwise. There was always the possibility that the stress of what these possible werewolves were feeling and the surprise of a ghostly encounter could wind up badly for their entertainment levels too. While they couldnât be hurt, others could and that wasnât really the scene she was gearing up for at the moment. âYou look fine to me.â She answered quietly, crossing her arms. She wasnât even going to pretend she had an idea where they were going now, she hung back a step or two so she could follow Cody as he moved along.
He kept them going in the direction that seemed natural, and he thought he saw broken branches or grass looking a little panked down. He didn't know for sure, though, mostly he was listening for voices. "You don't have to try and make me feel better." he told her. "You're not obligated to blow smoke up my ass."
Ember scoffed at him. âRemind me never to give you a compliment again.â She was clearly annoyed, drifting off to the side on her own way. She wasnât as savvy about following the obvious signs of traveling through the woods, so there was no telling if she was choosing to wander towards nothing or if she was actually onto something. Either way, she was about tell Cody to go find them himself.
He frowned a little, slowing as he looked after her. "...what did I say?" he asked, confused.
Ember could feel his eyes on her back as she slowly moved forward, coming to a stop and turning around. âIf I actually say something nice to you, donât spit it back in my face.â She didnât feel like beating around the bush with what had her aggravated, so she decided to be upfront about it in the first place. She remained where she was, half expecting some smartass remark to come from him now.
Cody looked taken aback, and he blinked. He wasn't used to that, so he wasn't sure what to do with it. Only he hadn't been meaning to piss her off at all, so he was surprised it happened in the first place. "...I'm sorry?" he suggested. "I just...I don't know. I don't know what I look like anymore. All I know is that people were telling me I look like a zombie, and some people flinch or yelp or something when I forget they can see me now. So, I dunno. I guess it doesn't occur to me that that might not bother you."
Emberâs annoyed expression had slowly begun to fade as she took a slow couple of steps back towards him. âItâs fine.â She left it at that, moving back in the direction that he had originally been walking in. She fell silent to try and listen for voices, but so far, was coming up short. She glanced back to him after walking a little further. âDo you hear anything?â
Cody walked with his hands shoved into his pockets, feeling out of sorts, and not liking it. He wasn't sure what to say either, so when she asked the question, he had to jump at it. "Not yet, but I see more grass all trod on this way." he said, veering them slightly. It wasn't that long though before he did hear something. "...hey...that way." he said, pointing.
Ember straightened with interest when Cody pointed, no hesitation in her as she turned to move in the direction he had gestured towards. Despite the jokes, she was really hoping that they would all be clothed. A bunch of men running around naked in the woods together was actually a disturbing thought to her, and she wasnât sure how she would recover if happening across that. She slowed her walk and waited for him, finding slight amusement in the fact that she, the ghost, was scared of what could be lurking around any corner. âYou go first.â
Smirking, Cody walked past her. "Sure, I'll protect you, little ghost." he told her, cresting a bit of a hill as he looked down over what looked like an encampment from the set of some horror movie complete with torture pit cages or some shit. He blinked, seeing tons of people down there. "Woah." he murmured.
âWhat? What do you see?â Ember asked as she hurried up behind him, peeking around him before she moved to get a better look beside him. She blinked a few times, trying to process what she was seeing. âAre they planning on fucking sacrificing people?â She looked to Cody then back to whatever it was they were looking at, confusion dominating her expression.
"Kinda looks like that, doesn't it?" Cody said. "I guess they're going to cage the werewolves?" he suggested, not sounding sure of that at all. But what else would they be needing cages for? Especially hand made ones. Weird.
âMaybe this is all part of some weird, roleplay sex thing. Like the BDSM stuff.â Apparently Ember was still stuck on sex because thatâs what her mind defaulted to next. âMaybe itâll turn into one big orgy where people need to know a phrase to get in, you know?â She inched closer to Cody, eyes scanning to see if anyone was around the cages at all. She wished there was some way to tell if the invisibility had really kicked in or not; she was confident she had slipped back into the natural state of a ghost, but she was paranoid now, especially not wanting to be seen snooping on this odd set up.
"What, like 'purple fuzzy unicorn'?" he asked. He kept looking over the area, aware she kept getting closer. "...what's the difference between BDSM and just, like, rough sex?" he asked curiously. He knew there was a difference, but wasn't actually positive about the specifics. "Like, tying someone up? Shit like that? Because that's fun."
âDefinitely âpurple fuzzy unicorn.ââ She agreed, about ready to crawl up Cody as if he were a tree. âUm..â Ember rubbed at her eyes, the small bit of makeup that appeared to be there not budging as it was essentially stuck there. âI think itâs more than that. They get latex suits and chains and whips and painful things involved.â She sighed, glancing up to him. âStop talking about tying people up and banging chicks into walls. Itâs distracting.â She pointed outwards closer to the cages. âYou should go look at one.â
"What? It's what I'm into. Beds are overrated. Counters are awesome. Walls, even better. And it it's ever hot enough to just drop right there and fuck on the floor..." he trailed off, not quite able to hide the smirk. "And I should? You realize you're practically hiding behind me, right? You can't do that if I go up and spy."
Ember squirmed where she was standing, all of what he was saying driving her crazy. If she could, sheâd probably throw him onto the ground and have her way with him there.. but any force she tried to exert with him usually felt like little, annoying drops of rain, if anything. âStop!â She rested her hands back on her head, eyeing the distance between where she was standing and the cages. âIâll just follow behind you.â That was the best solution she could come up with to get a better look at the cages without having to go by herself.
Cody chuckled as he started to head down toward the cages. "What's the matter? It sound a little too good to you, Ember?" he asked. As he got closer, though, he quieted down. People were kind of milling around, and he didn't want anyone really the wiser. Though he did see someone shiver and look around as they felt his presence. He couldn't help that.
Ember smacked at his back as she followed along closely behind him. âRemember when you said never to bring up your dick again? Donât talk to me about sex, then.â She followed his lead as he quieted down, remaining silent herself. She reached out as they got close enough to one cage, curious to what they were fashioned out of and how sturdy they were. âI think I know the bet.â
Cody would have answered but he couldn't without being heard. Which was probably for the best considering his commentary would have been about sex some more. He couldn't help it. He glanced around to be sure they wouldn't be overheard and looked back at her. "...what is it?" he whispered.
âWhether or not theyâre going to get out.â Ember kept her voice low, gaining some bravery to talk a stroll around the cage that they had come close enough to really stare at. She grinned, looking over to him as she looped around the entire thing and reached speaking distance with him again. âWe could make it double or nothing and bet on how many get out, if any.â
Watching her skirt the cage, Cody grinned. "You're on." he said when she was back. "Fine. I bet that they do, and at least three." he decided on the spot.
Ember contemplated challenging his number, but decided against it. It really seemed like a 50/50 chance that either no one would get out of these contraptions, or that they would.. and if they did, itâd most likely be several. âIâm going to say they wonât.â She crossed her arms before holding out her hand to shake on it. âIf they do, it has to be at least three that get out in order for you to win.â She reminded him, not wanting any arguments after the results of the evening.
Cody reached out and shook her hand. "And if you lose, I get to see you naked. And if I lose..." he trailed off, knowing he hadn't actually put anything on the line yet. "Help me out."
Ember broke her own rule. âIf you lose, I get to watch you bang some girl into a wall.â It seemed to be okay if she brought it up, but not vice versa. She knew that even if she won this bet, the chances of them being able to get that wager fulfilled would be difficult, if not impossible. Still, she wanted to give him some payback for earlier.
"If opportunity arises, sure." Cody said, happy to take that, particularly since he figured it would never happen. He grinned, and leaned down to get on her eye level. "I think you just want to see what I've got." he teased.
Emberâs poker face was actually quite impressive. She kept it on as she fired back, âyou caught me, Cody. I just want you to push me up against one of these cages and fuck me right here.â Sometimes saying the truth in a really sarcastic way made it seem like it was a lie, which was her personal tactic of choice for this.
He laughed, just a little, grinning at her as he totally took it for sarcasm. He also ducked his head slightly as he saw his laugh had caught someone's attention and they glanced over. He nodded back up the incline, so they could go and sit and wait, watching this werewolf weirdness from a great place.