Chapter Text
Some days, Crystal wishes to have privacy. Some days, she wished the boys didn’t have the ability to slide through walls and doors like they were nothing. Some days, no. Not just some, but most days.
There've been times when Charles has slid through the wall of her bedroom without even knocking, which has resulted in a scream from the medium. It was the hard way Charles was reminded that knocking was the best idea. Edwin only rolled his eyes and insulted in such reckless behaviour.
So, she’s checking the books that lay dormant in the office. There’s no ringing in their ears or pulling them across the country, so the three detectives were falling into boredom. It’s why she was surrounded by towers of books.
Edwin hadn’t realised since he and Charles had gone over to a few antique shops to see if they could find any cursed or strange objects for their collection. It was Edwin’s idea not to inform Crystal since she would only slow them down. Plus, someone had to stay back at the office in case a client walked in.
When the two step through the mirror back into the office, they find Crystal has made a wall with Edwin’s books. All the ones he organised last week now sit in an order that makes him want to tear his hair out.
“Crystal Palace!” He roars, almost wanting to use her full name, but with her not having a great relationship with her parents, he wouldn’t dig that knife down.
“Tell me you have them in order. Tell me–”
“Oh, shut it, Edwin. I’ll put them back.”
The medium doesn’t dare look up from the book in her hands. It didn’t have what she wanted, so she closed it and stacked it on the tower to her right.
“What are you lookin’ for?” Charles asks as he places his bag down next to the couch. He does his best to avoid the towers. Hands up and side steps between three book buildings.
She keeps her silence as she thinks. She knew what she was looking for, but how did she word it? That’s always the issue. Since it was Charles who asked, she didn’t need to give a snarky bite or sound cruel.
The relationship between Charles and her has been. . ., to say the least, interesting. They’ve kissed, but not being able to feel that spark really causes the relationship to falter. Maybe if he was alive, or if she was dead, it could work. Then again, she sees how Edwin gets when the two hold hands, so maybe it was best to be friends.
“Earth to Crystal.” Charles had finally made it over in front of the medium and waved his hand in front of her. “You alright?”
Her eyes glare up, sharp as a knife. It causes Charles to pull his hand away before taking a seat in the clearing. Tilting his head, he tries to read the spines of the books. Though he thought he would be able to speak, it's Edwin’s voice that fills the room.
“Spectral Locations?” Edwin says, reading off the title of the book. Even he sounded lost in what Crystal was planning.
“Looking for one of your stupid ghost weaknesses.” There’s that tone that she always shows when Edwin always speaks or tries to sound the smartest in the room.
“Huh?” Charles is the one who’s vocal about his confusion. All Edwin does is give Crystal the floor to speak.
A sigh slips. “Is there a way to ghost-proof something? Somewhere?”
“Yes, but you need to be more specific, Crystal. What are you trying to keep Charles and I from finding?”
“I just want a little privacy.” She says this before grabbing the closest book.
The two ghosts look at each other. They could have a telepathic conversation, which Crystal honestly thought they could with that kind of look the two share. They really did have one brain cell sometimes between them.
“You could’ve just asked,” Charles says, breaking the silence.
She shoots another glare at him. “I have, and I have you two waltzing through the mirror in the living room, haven’t stopped. I can’t even have one in my room; I'm afraid you two are going to pop in like some little brother.”
The only one who could fit that description was Charles, but even then, he never got to play the little brother role. Maybe if his father hadn’t kept that side hidden from him, he would have enjoyed being a brother.
“Oh.” Charles’s tone is soft, barely a whisper. Edwin only lowers his head. They both knew a few times where they had done that.
“Well,” says Edwin. “There was the case of the Rogue Radio, where Charles and I could not waltz through a mirror within the town. It was believed that the radio waves caused the barrier to keep us from entering in any ghostly manner.”
“Wait, seriously?”
Charles and Edwin nod in unison. There it was, them being on the same brainwave.
“Yeah, so Edwin and I had to walk, what? Five kilometres or something.” Charles explains.
“So, what I’m hearing is I can put some form of fence around my place to keep you two from walking in?”
Edwin nods. “Well, yes.”
It’s what Crystal wanted. All those books she’s gone through, she could’ve just asked Edwin. She would’ve picked up the books again, no matter the situation. It's easier to do that than ask him.
“So. . .” She drags her words as she looks at Edwin, hoping he knows how to do it.
A brow raises on the ghost, but it lowers before slipping a sigh. It was plain and simple to him.
“So, you would need to understand how to create one. I have one book mentioning it.”
It takes Edwin a minute to avoid any of the towers to make himself to a bookshelf that, luckily, Crystal has not managed to pull apart. Eyes scan the spines until he reaches for a dark denim book, about as thick as three Shakespeare plays.
He opens up the book and flips a few pages. The two others in the office just observe the brains of this agency work his magic. Silence lays comfortably in the room until Edwin finds out what he was speaking about.
“Some locations may be blocked for specific supernatural entities. Demons, for example, cannot step into a blessed building, like a church or holy building. These blessed buildings are created and protected from negativity that comes from the aura of a demon.”
Edwin’s voice goes silent as he reads to himself. Some words mumble under his breath, but neither Crystal nor Charles catch a word.
“Ah, here it is. Spiritual barriers. One can protect a geographical zone from spirits appearing in the vicinity. They can still get to the area if they travel in a mortal way, for example, by walking. Depending on how strong the spell is, it will depend on how long it will last as well as how far the radius can stretch.”
Crystal had hit the jackpot, but there were issues with this. She was a medium, not one connected to the arcane or magical pool witches and warlocks have access to. Edwin, on the other hand, has shown some ability to drink from the fountain. Though, could a ghost put up a fence like this? She wasn’t even a fan of asking Edwin for anything.
“Huh.” Charles finds the newly discovered knowledge interesting. He had heard this conversation before during the case, but he let that knowledge slip from one ear to the next since it wasn’t really helpful to the case.
“Does that answer your question, Crystal?” Edwin closes the book.
“Yeah, it does. Think I can borrow it? I won’t damage it or anything.” She asks before pulling herself up.
Edwin was peculiar with his books. Normally, he wouldn’t dare let them leave the office or be out of sight. Sometimes they would be slipped into Charles’s infinite bag, only to be returned soon after the case. So, hearing Crystal ask to borrow it makes his hands grow tighter around the bind.
Charles sees the grip and heads over to Edwin. He knew Crystal needed some help to get Edwin to do something. Over the years, Charles has found out that Edwin has somewhat of a weakness for Charles. He believes it’s because of the bond they had, but he was blind to the truth.
“C’mon mate. Crys wouldn’t wreck the book. You’ve seen her place. Spot clean.” Charles gives a faint smile before wrapping his arm around his mate’s shoulder. “Just this once.” He whispers to him.
Sighs. “Fine.” Edwin agrees and hands over the book to Crystal. “But I better not see one folded corner or mark or anything when it returns into my possession.” Strict and stern words, but he was allowing her to take it.
“Aces, right?” She looks over at Charles as she uses his slang.
Charles smiles and gives a nod. “Aces.”
Edwin rolls his eyes as he hands over the book.
“Thanks.” Crystal takes the book, almost pulling it out of the ghost’s grip. “It’ll be back on the bookshelf as soon as possible.”
“It better,” Edwin states, glaring at Crystal.