General voice test the first

[spender_lifeender]

-1-

[Your dramatic revelation was interrupted by the sound of ironic clapping. It's coming from a man standing on a rooftop/telephone pole/other suitably dramatic high ground. He's saying something to you, but...]

Well done, wel[clap]ne! So aft[clap]o long yo[clap] finally d[clap]vered the full t[clap]. Now the only qu[clap]on is how [clap] you use th[clap]ew knowledge? [clap] you hide from [clap]truth, or will y[clap].heh...

Embrac[clap]e light?

[Yeah it's kind of hard to hear him when he's clapping and talking at the same time.]

-2-

[It's been an exciting evening, what with that dangerous psychic mission you've undertaken, at Spender's request. Fortunately there's been a lull in the action and everyone has had a chance to catch their breath.

At this moment, Spender suddenly remembered something.]

Oh right I forgot to mention, if we don't get our shadows back by sunrise, we'll all disintigrate. Heh, totally forgot about that.

So, uh, we should probably hurry.

Sorry.

I forgot.

-3-

[More catch-all prompt. Rick Spender, middle-school math teacher and secret powerful psychic is sitting in his office grading tests. He glances up when you come in.]

Ah, hello. Did you need help with something?

-4-

[Obligatory action sequence. It's night time, but it's still easy to see from the light like a magnesium flare glaring from Spender's fingertips.]

To think that after all that I'd have to resort to force.

Heh. Don't blink.

Comments

[3]

[gogoghostpowers]

[Danny Fenton, inexplicably suddenly a middle schooler (shut up he had his lab accident in 8th grade, not 9th, okay), walks into his office with a tentative knock at the door frame.]

Yeah, hi, uh, Mr. Spender?

I just wanted to ask... [he rubs at his elbow awkwardly while focusing more on the teacher's desk than his face.] ...is there any kind of extra credit I could do? Y'know, to pull up my grade?

[His test scores have been abysmal the past few months, ever since he got ghost powers. It's hard to keep up with math AND a neverending horde of ghost attacks.]

[spender_lifeender]

Hmm yes, you have been having some trouble lately, haven't you?

Is everything going alright, Danny? You can talk to me, you know.

[gogoghostpowers]

[Danny tenses up. Mr. Spender isn't the first teacher to ask him to open up, but as with all the others, Danny doesn't intend to speak a word of it to anyone. God knows what might happen.]

N-no, it's okay, everything's fine, Mr. Spender! Just, uh. Having trouble with the last couple of units. Math--i-it's hard and stuff, you know?

S-so, uh, yeah, if you have any extra credit assignments, that would be great!

[spender_lifeender]

[The piercing gaze he gave Danny was hidden by his sunglasses, and therefore largely ineffective.

However he has a hunch, which he's going to act on.]

As it just so happens, there might be something I can give you.

[Spender reaches into a drawer in his desk and pulls out a sheet of paper. To the naked eye, it appeared to be slightly crinkly, but totally blank. To the eye of someone who can see spectral beings, the page is covered in densely written text. It appears to be one run on sentence on some incomprehensible subject.

He hands it to Danny silently.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[Danny eagerly takes the page and gives it a quick glance, but then does a double take. He'd been expecting formulas and shapes and angles, not...this. He squints at it and looks closer. Nope, still words.]

Uhhh...I think you gave me the wrong sheet? It looks like a page that got ripped out of a novel.

[He offers it back. Surely just an innocent mistake!]

[spender_lifeender]

No, that's the right page. The writing on it is from the ink of a book curse, I believe from France. It's a very subtle type of spirit that hides as words as a camouflage.

It also cannot be seen by humans who can't see spirits.

[gogoghostpowers]

[uh.]

W-what?

[spender_lifeender]

I'm saying I think the reason you've been having trouble in math is because you can see ghosts.

[gogoghostpowers]

Wh-what?! No, that's--that's crazy, I'm not--I don't--that doesn't--

w-why would I be seeing ghosts? Haha, they don't even exist! No, I'm just--really dumb at math, that's all!

[except the way he staggers back and seems to suddenly be sweating up a storm seems to indicate otherwise.]

[spender_lifeender]

I understand, Danny. I really do. You've been put into a difficult and unfair situation where you feel like everyone is in danger and all of their combined safety has fallen on your shoulders. But you're not alone in this. There are others.

[gogoghostpowers]

Others? What others?

[He conspicuously does not deny the rest of Spender's words.]

[spender_lifeender]

Others who can see spirits. Myself, for one. A few students.

[gogoghostpowers]

A few--

[Now he just looks indignant.]

Where were you guys when all those ghosts were terrorizing the school?! I would have--I mean, I bet that ghost kid could've used help!

[He's always worked solo, but he more than happily would have accepted help if it presented itself--after all, he's still working on not phasing out of his seat in class, forget about actually presenting himself as a legitimate threat.]