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“That is so mean, you can’t just ignore me!” Apple whined, floating over to Raven, the witch walking to their formally shared dorm with Cerise. Surrounding them were bags from a shopping trip with Briar, who were they to complain about someone abusing a golden credit card? Raven kept her back to the spirit, though seeing that the duo knew that the witch heard her, even if she wished she couldn’t.
“I don’t think Briar’s feeling any better, shopping’s like her thing but she still seemed down.” Cerise hummed, tucking her hood closer to her head as she continued towards Raven’s dorm. Briar had taken the loss of Apple hard and her… fun habits had a substantial increase as her mental health declined, while Cerise personally was never fond of the blonde, she sympathized for those who were, for their sakes.
“Can’t say I’m feeling much better about it myself, staying in the dorm is like a graveyard.” Raven pointed out to the fated Red Riding Hood, an obvious shot to Apple about it being because of her breathing down the ex Evil Queen neck, who would appreciate being haunted by the apparition of their dead best friend who died because of her mom, Raven didn’t like it if that were not obvious.
“Our dorm’s always open for you Raven, you aren’t alone, promise.” Cerise assured, placing a hand on her shoulder while the blackbird nudged off politely and walked inside, the phantom following suit and going right through Cerise, she swiftly leaped to the feeling but before Raven could hear anything the half-Badwolf said, the door promptly shut. Footsteps of the other walking away rang out.
“Raven, it's not fairy nice to ignore me.” Apple huffed, landing on her neatly folded bed which had a layer of dust piling on the surface of it. Raven hung up her bag glaring at the shadow sitting in the corner of her eye.
“It also isn’t fairy nice to haunt people, Apple, but here we are.” She snarked with a less than content tone as she unpacked her shopping bag, levitating contents into her closet as she moved her attention back to her task, the wraith continued to mindlessly speak to her, now former, roommate.
“Hmph! You’d be all alone if I wasn’t here.” She reminded, even if the pair knew the other was bound here for whatever reason. Apple speculated it had something to do with destiny and Raven simply shrugged, she didn’t want to think of the other's mortality more than she already had to- seeing as the other was dead already.
“The things you told Briar were kind of you, thanks for that.” Apple thanked, fiddling with her hands as Raven silently continued her tasks to kill time so she could sleep soon, the witchling growing numb to the ghost watching her, it became a normality to her in all honesty. She was grabbing headphones with magic causing the soul to step in and grasp them. Raven started then began to complain about her actions.
“You never minded before when I tuned out your rambling.” She commented, closing her laptop and turning her attention towards Apple. Observing the body language of the spectral that had been tailing her ever since she had stopped breathing after the bite of that accursed apple, Raven tries to avoid blaming herself for it and the people around her insist she doesn’t, even the victim.
“I also wasn’t dead before, times change. We also haven’t talked all day, do your roomie a favor and humor one conversation.” Apple pleaded, floating over and falling back on Raven’s bed, puppy dog eyes, a famous tactic that Apple only ever used on Raven, her eyelashes tended to work on everyone else after all, the Charming blood ensured that.
“I would, but I have to do paperwork for the dorm inspection.” Raven explained, clicking something on the trackpad and beginning to type when Apple sat criss-crossed on the purple and black bed, nodding as she stirred up a way to continue the conversation.
“Aww, miss me doing your paperwork already?” Apple teased, though the living one merely raised a brow, admittedly a bit concerned on what the spirit meant by that remark as she adjusted to sit up, letting her laptop fall into her lap as she met with the translucent blue eyes in front of her.
“Since when do you do my paperwork?” Raven remarked, Apple’s puzzled expression was not missed by Raven as the realization dawned on her on why her feathered friend was lost and she tapped the fingertips of her cold hands together, trying to piece a response together that Raven could only assume was meant to appease her.
“Well, usually we got mailed that stuff together and I just filled out yours with mine, just me doing a good deed, that’s all!” Apple chirped out as if that wasn’t a little alarming. Raven tucked a hair back as she tried to gather an opinion on the newly presented information though kept calm.
“That’s not creepy at all.” Raven rebutted matter-of-factly the other to pouting on reflex, the light pouring from the balcony shining through the daughter of Snow White as she began to stammer to her former roommate. Raising a finger as if to object to her claim of it being less than a favor.
“Okay, but, at least the reason I know your shampoo brand is because we live together.” Apple countered with a mischievous grin, shooting a not-so-subtle jab towards someone they’re well acquainted with. Which caused Raven to grab a pillow from the side of her and throw it with a hint of precision, but Apple, no longer being psychical, passed right through and hit the headstand with a mask on it off with a loud thud.
Apple howled in laughter as Raven put her head in her hands as it sank in she tried to chuck a pillow at a spector, though what neither of them expect is the entrance slamming open and a concerned Cerise and Cedar rush inside, the two of them frantically looking around then settling their pupils on Raven, the fallen object, and the pillow.
“Raven! You alright?” Cerise blurted, Cedar beating her to continue to voice her distress by adding “We heard a crash from our room.” with a conflicted voice as they spotted what Raven had exactly knocked out of place, at the dead of night, with nothing provoking her, the both of them frowned.
“If the furniture is bothering you, you can stay with us. I know she bought them and that it’s not…” The wolf trailed off, Cedar finished it for her. “Not your style at all.” The wooden marionette was honest- she was cursed to be. Cerise faintly cringed at the straightforward wording but the future pinocchio hadn’t noticed, or if she did, couldn’t care less.
The rebels surrounded the witch and poked and prodded at her, the ceder girl putting the laptop sitting in lap aside, checking for a fever, or any sort of emotional grief that was visible as it slowly became overbearing- and the echoing wheezing from the other side of the room as the other retreated to her own bed was not helping her head.
“No- guys I’m alright- sorry I just” Raven babbled as she shifted away from her concerned friends, though their words were drowned out by the roar of lively mirth coming from the phantom sitting on the other bed, the witch never let Apple’s words get to her usually from the past however the demeaning sounds of her intoxicating giggles drove her to a shout.
“CAN YOU KNOCK IT OFF?!” She yelled with much more force and venom than she hoped for, the two backing up at an instant to her hollar, but it was clear that she had not been talking to them as she stared daggers at something behind them. Though, Apple’s snickering did stop, slinking back as she held in a cackle at the outburst.
“Shit- sorry Raven, didn’t mean to upset you.” Cerise pulled her hood closer to her as Cedar nodded in agreement. “I’m sorry too, we didn’t mean to be a pain in the glass, we’ve just been really concerned lately” She apologized, explaining her point of view, as Cerise cleared her throat and grabbed the puppet’s shoulder and pulled her lightly away.
“We’ll come and check on you in the morning, okay?” Cerise gave Raven a small fond look, ducking out and towards the exit, Cedar looking between the sitting girl and the other side of the space suspiciously, then joining her roommate outside. As the door gently shut, Apple flew towards her and surrounded Raven’s neck with her freezing arms as she softly cooed out reassurance.
“I’m sorry for laughing and stressing you out, we can get back to the dorm inspection paperwork.” Apple offered, grabbing the discarded laptop that had been set off to the side by her living friends and opening the lid, Raven merely peering at the deceased and whispering out, staring at a hand.
“Are you real? Or have I finally lost it?” She was studying the ghost with a look that could only be described as tired, the dead seemed to look baffled at the question as they removed their touch and floated to sit in front of Raven and folded her clear hands into her lap as she pondered deeply.
“I’m real, I promise, we’re stuck here together whether you like it or not.” She chuckled hallowly, Raven still looked haunted, no pun intended, about if the spirit of her past was more than a hallucination. She tapped her chin as something came to mind to try and prove to her best friend that she wasn't losing it.
“I have an idea, do you remember going to my castle during Yester Day?” She remembered that Raven was less than pleased about being stuck with Snow White for those days.
“Vividly.” Retorted from the other side of the bed.
“The drawing- the one above my bedroom door, it was a bit illegible” Apple confessed, Raven scoffed playfully.
“Oh- yeah I remember it, it had crayon stains and you used yellow for a lot of it.” Raven described the ghost putting a hand to her chest and gasping dramatically.
“You thought it looked bad???” Apple sorrowfully cried out to her roommate, looking up with expectations of praise, Raven flicked her forehead, of course it went through her but it was the notion that counted.
“I thought it looked illegible like you said, not bad, drawing is subjective and not everyone has to understand an art piece, that doesn’t make it bad, it just means not everyone can see why it’s special.” There was a small glow in Apple’s eyes as she listened to the poetic views of the feathered one.
Raven noticed the delight from Apple and with pink shading her expression, she coughed and turned away. “I couldn’t tell what you drew when I saw it, that’s all, it’s not bad.”
“It was a drawing of me and my parents, the dog was there too. I’d show you but- dunno what they did with my phone.” Apple gushed then stopping as it dawned on her that she hadn’t actually seen her phone.
“I guess you are the real one, I did not see the dog at all.” Raven teased but paused for a minute. “I guess your phone would be with your body? Why would anyone mug a dead body?” Raven jokes, shivering at the idea of such a sicko. Unless you’re playing Creatures and Castles, it’s not socially acceptable.
“Mm, well, looks like we have a plan for tomorrow.” Apple ominously purred as she laid down on the right side of Raven’s bed, her body oddly enough acted psychical as it touched the bunk and her hair spreading around the cushion, Raven hadn’t been given enough time to react before the cold arm wrapped around her and pulled her down, well, it tried, it went right through her, but it freaked her out enough for her to fall backwards onto the left side of the bed.
“Don’t just do that!- a plan?” Raven tilted her head after yelping that out, the cold feeling on her neck wasn’t welcomed, and her waist wasn’t much better, that was quite out of the blue after all.
“You’ll see- it’s half past one, we should be heading to sleep.” Apple informed, staying contently on Raven’s side of the bed.
“You have a bed, you know.” Raven mused with a rising hint of amusement lingering behind her words.
“But it’s all covered in dust, and besides, it’s closer to you if I stay here.” Apple insisted, Raven resigning and simply putting a blanket over herself, before thinking aloud.
“Do ghosts need sleep?”
“It’s the thought that counts.”