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Well, this marks about twelve hours since Edwin stubbornly decided to stop talking to Charles. He's tried everything at this point. Trying to make Edwin laugh with whatever random joke comes into his head. Referencing past cases to try and get Edwin to make a comment of any sort. Even asking him questions about some of his books.
Nothing works.
Edwin just continues to read, barely even reacting physically to Charles’ attempts, and certainly still not talking.
What's even more irritating is what triggered this particular bout of stubbornness in his best friend and detective partner of five-ish years now. Charles didn't think that rescuing a couple of puppies that had been abandoned would be that bad. Admittedly, it had gotten a bit out of control when one of the puppies decided to use one of Edwin's books as a chew toy, but even so, it shouldn't have warranted this . After all, Charles did take the puppies to a proper shelter afterwards—disguised of course. It wasn't bad enough for Edwin to remain stubbornly silent for quite this long.
Charles let out a loud sigh from the other corner of the room, but still Edwin didn't even raise his head to look at him. He eventually decided he had enough.
“Right, I don't know if you're listening, mate, but I'm gonna head out for a wander. I'll be back later,” Charles says, staring at Edwin.
Still nothing.
“Right.” Charles sighs again, grabbing his coat and just heading out. He still has his disguise glasses on him, just in case, but he heads out in full ghost form to start with.
It's still weird, wandering the streets knowing literally no one can see him. Five years in and it's still something he is struggling to get used to. He still smiles at strangers who pass him, a politeness instilled in him that he can't seem to shake, even as a ghost.
Edwin makes it fun, wandering around together making little jokes about the people they pass knowing they can't be heard. Edwin makes being dead a lot less scary, and a lot less lonely. Edwin, a boy who died seventy three years before he did, and suffered most of that in Hell, is the one and only person he would truly consider his best mate.
Which just gave Charles all the more reason to get Edwin to start talking to him again.
He was hoping to find some sort of inspiration whilst out and about for what he could try next, and just around the corner he got just that. A charity shop, with something sitting right in the window that would be just perfect .
With a sudden grin, Charles hurried into a nearby alleyway and donned his disguise glasses, making him visible to the living, but in the visage of an older man. He left the alley and walked right into the shop, picking up the box and placing it on the counter to purchase it. Thankfully, the transaction went smoothly, and he wandered out with both an excellently amusing addition to their board game collection that would hopefully encourage Edwin to communicate with him again.
On the way back, still in his living disguise, Charles popped into a few more shops to grab a couple more essentials. Once he had everything, he popped into another alley, took the disguise off, and loaded his purchases into his backpack, just for entertainment value pulling everything back out in the office.
With the spring back in his step, Charles headed upstairs into the office, and didn't even bother greeting Edwin. He looked like he hadn't even moved whilst Charles was gone, clearly engrossed in whatever book he was reading.
Charles resisted the urge to chuckle, hoping that wouldn't last long as he set up his little joke.
He plopped his backpack down in the center of the office, and began to pull out pillar candle after pillar candle. He placed them all around the floor of the office, some white, some pink, hopeful that if the joke didn't work, the colours of candles might do something to help. White for peace and harmony, pink for friendship and reconciliation. Once all the candles were placed, Charles set to work lighting them, hopeful they wouldn't melt too badly all over the floor.
It took a little longer than he expected to light every single candle. So much so the sun was setting now, and the office was getting darker. Charles couldn't complain, as it added to the vibe quite a bit. Also, Edwin was definitely watching him at this point, one eyebrow raised, so that was a bonus. Charles smirked to himself as he brought out the final piece, placing it on the floor to set it up properly.
An Ouija Board .
Edwin let out an involuntary snort, and Charles would have pointed it out were he not desperately trying to remain in character. He wasn't even glancing over at Edwin anymore, as he put the box back in his backpack, leaving the board alone in the center of his array of candles. Placing the planchet down, Edwin placed the tips of his fingers on the edge, and moved it to the neutral position.
Charles took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and then spoke firmly into the office whilst pointedly ignoring Edwin's presence.
“O spirit from the Great Beyond! Your humble supplicant begs you to speak to him!”
It was difficult to stifle his laugh as he said that, and continued to stare straight ahead and just watch Edwin through his peripheral. He heard the book shut, and could just about see Edwin standing and carefully stepping around all of the candles. He waits as Edwin stands in front of him and the board, still pretending he couldn't see him, even as Edwin crouches down over the board.
Charles tenses a little in anticipation as Edwin places his hand on the planchet, and moves it carefully across the board. After a moment, Edwin lets go of the planchet and stands again, so Charles looks down at it properly.
The little circle on the planchet rested perfectly around the word ‘ NO ’.
Edwin let out a little huff sound, and began to step around the candles back to the sofa.
Charles stares at the board a moment longer, before he just starts laughing.
“Edwin! Mate! Come on! I cannot believe you actually played along with my silly Ouija Board just to say no! Please mate, I am literally begging for forgiveness at this point!”
Charles is still chuckling at the absurdity of it all, as Edwin swivels on the spot to face him again.
“Very well. Do you promise to never bring random living creatures into our office again?” Edwin asks, voice stern and unwavering.
“Yes mate! I get it! No more puppies or anything else I swear,” Charles pleads.
Edwin considered him for a moment, then made his way back through the candles. He sits cross legged in front of the board again, and places both hands on the planchet. He pauses there, so Charles hurriedly adds his own hands to the planchet. Edwin moves it back to the neutral position, then stares at Charles.
“Well? Ask the question again,” Edwin all but demands.
Charles chuckles, but does as he is asked. “O spirit from the Great Beyond! Your humble supplicant begs you to speak to him!”
He waits. Edwin smirks over at him, then begins to move the planchet back towards ‘NO’. But then, just before he gets there, he switches course and moves it over to ‘YES’.
“And there we go, now it is official,” Edwin comments, chuckling slightly.
Charles sighs and sags with relief. “Well it's great to have my best mate back.”
Edwin smiles over at him. “And I apologise for being as mad as I was. I appreciate the entertaining way of getting my attention though.”
Charles returns the smile, then goes to let go of the planchet but Edwin catches his wrist to stop him.
“Wait! You must say goodbye to the spirit first through the board, lest they haunt you for the rest of your days.” Edwin grins as he finishes his warning, and Charles couldn't help but laugh.
“Alright, what if I want the spirit to stick around till the end of time, huh?” Charles challenges.
“Well you should still say goodbye, just in case you bind him to the board by accident,” Edwin counters.
Charles shrugs, and waits a moment, before moving the planchet across ‘GOODBYE’.
“There, goodbye,” he says, then smiles broadly at his best mate.
“Indeed,” Edwin remarks. “Now, you need to put all these candles out. And what are we going to do with that board?”
Charles grins. “I thought we could add it to the board game cupboard, bring it out for a laugh if we felt like it.”
Edwin looks at it for a moment, then nods. “Alright then.”
“And hey,” Charles adds. “If we ever end up with a living client we'll be able to talk to them, won't we,” he jokes.
Edwin snorts. “As if that would ever happen.”
Little did they know, almost thirty years later, their agency would have a couple of living members. It had been so long Charles had practically forgotten about the joke he made when they put the Ouija Board in their cupboard all those years ago.
Well, that was until Crystal had decided to stop talking to Edwin after a recent argument between the two of them. After a couple of hours of sitting in the tension filled office, Charles watched as Edwin stood up, and walked to the cupboard. For a moment he was confused, until Edwin returned with the Ouija Board and a couple of candles, and sat cross legged in the center of the floor to set everything up.
Charles was laughing his head off before Edwin even managed to light the first candle.