Lily’s head tipped to the side as she watched him look around the drawers for the mystical loop that they needed. She supposed a hanger would do, not that she could make a very good loop by bending the metal, no way it would resemble anything like a circle. However, from the few feats of strength she had seen Finn display in the short time they had known each other, she guessed it would not be a difficult task for him.

She flicked her feet down onto the floor and began to wander around the room a little, eying up the various fabrics. They could fray them, after all she had a tiny knife. Her hand travelled back towards her jean pocket, slipping the small silver piece into her palm, admiring it briefly.

“We can use this to make a string thing from pretty much any fabric.” Lily glanced over her shoulder where Finntello stood near the draws, trying to be helpful.

Callisto’s sceptical look remained for a couple more seconds before he dragged his mind to the more important issues at hand. The poor man barely had time to register Xevon’s flippant response to his question before his form began moving upwards to the next floor. He felt a fleeting panic as he watched his form vanish completely to the levels above. He knew he should follow him up there, but what if he couldn’t move when he saw Him.

Callisto’s face contorted at the dilemma, his chest felt like it was being caved in by a rock. He wanted to follow Xevon, but despite his brave words, he could not bring himself to float up and join him. It twisted his guts with shame, his head hung lower and shoulders hunched as he began his way back to the room, expecting to find the pair dozing off again instead. Muttering under his breath, scolding himself for his cowardness.

When he arrived at the room, he drifted through the door, surprised to find the pair of them up and wandering around. They appeared to be looking for something. His eyes tracked Lily’s movements for a while, seeing her admire his talisman.

“What are you doing?” Callisto’s voice cut through the other conversation like a knife, hovering near one of the beds just behind Lily.

Lily’s eyes shot open wide as she glanced over her shoulder to look at Finn, instead met with pink eyes and pale hair. Her heart pounded at the shock, the voice was familiar but the visual made her lungs heave with effort. They looked real, like they were standing right in front of her. But she knew Finn and herself were the only living things to wander the halls.

She could hear her blood rushing in her ears, but this felt strange. It wasn’t just surprise, it was something else that was rising inside her. Drawing her lungs to gulp down air, for her hands to drop the talisman, hearing it clink on the floor by her feet.

Callisto’s own eyes widened as he watched the second by second play of Lily’s increasing frantic state. A simple “Oh.” breathed out from his lips, his form backing up a few paces. His face tightened with an expectant look as he watched her pupils contract to thin slits. He had seen people slowly adapt to his ability, but some burst out in full force from the get go. So this could go any number of ways. Callisto kept quiet, not desiring to prompt her in either direction, instead he gave her space, for the moment completely ignoring Finn.

Lily’s dark eyes remained wide, staring at Callisto, frozen in time with her chest rising and falling quickly. She could hear Finn talking to her but this writhing in her torso felt like a creature throwing a fit inside of her, pushing her organs to the side to squirm around painfully. Perhaps if she was not so distracted, the woman would have snickered at the sight of Finn shuffling along the floor on his knees.

Callisto raised his hands, palms facing Lily as he spoke quietly. The response he had received from Finntello about their current activity was left uncommented on. “It seems that you can perceive me now.” His voice was calm and steady, trying to avoid a snap from the woman. “I am Callisto, we have spoken but now you can see me for who I really am.”

Lily’s eyelids slowly narrowed as she listened to him, still a little unsure. Was the hotel playing tricks on her once more? How was she to know if this was actually their friendly ghost and not some imitation meant to confuse or harm. She stared at him for a long few seconds, calculating his appearance. He looked like he was standing right in front of her, no longer blurred, instead in high definition. Only hint that he was not alive was the slight transparency at the ends of his extremities, where she could see the walls and floorboards behind him.

“You’re Callisto.” She finally repeated after what seemed like a decade. Her muscles began to return to a resting state, the rigid stance she had adopted carefully dissipating. The man in front of her nodded, confirming her statement.

Lily’s eyebrows creased together and she raised a hand to push back her blonde hair in exasperation, her eyes drifting away and looking finally to where Finn was now standing. His wings tucked in close. She heard the soft thunk of the drawer clothing and his hand falling from the handle.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what made me do that.” She breathed out, dropping her fingers from her hair, letting the arm hang by her side once more. “It feels like my entire body is always on high alert.” She mumbled grimly. To which Callisto let out a small sound, drawing her attention back towards him.

“This place will do that to a person.” He agreed with the same dark tone, watching her pupils gradually returning to the natural round state a human would typically possess. He offered no more explanation for what was happening, it seemed like she would be a slow simmer to completion. No need to worry her now, that could come later.

“Xevon is occupied. He will let us know if you are in danger.” Callisto redirected their attention quickly. “But please, do not wander too far. I will accompany you if you decide to venture outside of this room.” With his statement completed, Callisto drifted towards the door, occupying himself by picking at his shirt collar.

Lily watched as the newly perceivable Callisto calmly made his way towards the door, standing post and ready to move if they decided to leave. For a second, she simply stared at him, until Finn piped back up again. Unable to even think of a response before Xevon made his presence known, he was still blurry but much more visible to her now. As though someone had used a photo manipulation app to smear gaussian blur across his form aggressively. The most obvious part of his form was the bright red dots that seemed to signify his eyes, the man looked more demon than ghost.

"They can go if they please, I suppose. If they linger too long, he will find them. He is akin to a bloodhound how quickly he can sniff the living out." Callisto's eyes barely flickered towards Xevon as he spoke, instead staring out into the room, observing the living. "Though I am sure they will feel him approaching them, he does have a rather digusting aura about him." Finally, Callisto turned his neck to look towards his friend. "And if they do not sense him, I certainly will." He attempted to make light of his obvious terror towards the god, playing off the guilt that swelled in him.

Lily remained where she stood but ignored the mumblings of the ghosts, if they wanted to talk to them, they would interrupt. That's what they had been doing this whole time anyway. She flexed her hands, then froze, looking down at them. Realization sliding into her mind, she'd dropped the talisman.

"I dropped it, where did it go?" Her eyes roved around the floor by her feet, then she began to take steps towards the bed, perhaps it had clattered under there. The comment drew Callisto's attention briefly, his pale eyes quickly following her movements.

Callisto's eyes followed Finn as he made his way across the room, it took quite an effort not to comment on the child-like interpretation of Xevon's words. His attention became quickly fixed on the small blade in his hands, watching as Lily took it carefully into her hands once more. A twitch made his eye move, but he brought forth no larger a reaction.

"He will find them either way." He agreed eventually. "They can find the dagger set, roam, do anything and he will show up at some point. Especially after she finishes accepting her blessing." His voice hummed out. "It's begun." Callisto informed Xevon, been as the man had not been present in the room before. "She can see me completely, you? I am not so sure."

Lily ignored the ghosts still, taking the blade from Finn. "Thank you." Her voice breathed out from her throat. The feeling of the ceramic handle in her hands cooling to the touch. Only now did she let her eyes wander over towards the ghostly pair.

"What are they talking about? They keep saying him like it means something." Lily hushed her voice, leaning her head a little closer towards Finntello, an attempt to keep her comment quiet, not that it would be much use. They were in the same room and still rather close to each other.

"I don't like how cryptic they are being, it's weird." Her dark eyes narrowed as she watched Callisto glance in her direction, but there was no emotion on his features. Simply observing her.

Callisto let out a low hum of agreement to Xevon's words, his friend was right, they needed to get them to the daggers even if it meant temporary increasing their likelihood of being found. He watched the pair as he spoke, careful of his terminology.

"If she can see you, then it is progressing fast enough. We should move them now, before she finishes accepting her blessing and it sends out alarm bells to him." Callisto's words were half spoken thoughts rather than conversation with the man beside him, his jaw tensing ever so slightly as he saw the way Finn was looking towards them. Not to himself, but to Xevon.

"Whispering is not necessary." Callisto raised his voice, donning his more sophisticated mannerisms as he gestured towards them and then the door he hovered beside. "We must go and retrieve something immensely important to your departure. If you would be so kind to follow us." A small pause as he turned to the door, then glanced back over his shoulder. "Do not lag behind." His voice sterner than before, then he slipped out into the hallway.

The metal in her hand was soothing to the touch, but she forced herself to put it away in her pocket once more. Saving herself from an accidental cut, now that she thought about it. Shouldn't the blade be rusted beyond belief it has been sitting here in that dusty basement. Her mind was interrupted by Callisto's order, as well guised as an option as it was, it was still an order.

Her eyes flicked to Finn briefly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to venture out into the hallways now. Especially after hearing the two ghosts mutter between themselves, what danger really lurked out there? Why couldn't they just tell them, it was growing rather annoying.

"I guess we do as they say, if they say it will help." Her narrow shoulders lifted in a gentle shrug before Lily turned and began to walk carefully towards the door. There was a small shake in her hand as she reached it towards the handle and opened it.

Stepping outside, she looked either way down the hall before she saw the now growing to be familiar form of Callisto making his way towards the main lobby. Lily's lips pressed thin before she strained her muscles to force herself to start walking after them. The weight of the letter opener in her back pocket was pressing into her muscles, bringing a strange comfort to her.