Chapter Text
As it turns out, there actually aren't that many places in the United States with enough ambient ectoplasm roaming in the environment to sustain a Halfa off it alone.
Danny learned that the hard way after being forced to... relocate himself from Amity... and definitely not blatantly run away from. It was a tactical move, really.
Anyway, the only reason Amity Park and Vlad's hideous castle was able to support both Halfa's in the first place was mainly because of the portals leading to the Infinite Realms placed there, constantly leaking out a steady stream of ectoplasm into the environment.
It probably, definitely, like... changed or mutated Amity Parks' residents. Like, at least a little bit, right? It can’t be healthy to be exposed to that all the time.
The night Danny had to... tactically relocate himself, he opted to destroy the portal. Since it really wasn't safe for any of the rogues to come out at that point. What with all the upgrades the GIW had been making in recent months, and how aggressive the Fentons had become in their quest to study and eradicate ghosts.
Thus, Danny subjected himself to many, many hours of internet research, in hopes of finding the nearest possible location that might have enough ambient ectoplasm in the air.
He wouldn't have access to the Ghost Zone in the near future, so his backpack holding the small suitcase of ectoplasm vials was his entire supply. Luckily, he doesn't need to take a dose of ecto that often. Only every few weeks, really. But that's only relying on the fact that he remains uninjured and doesn't use too much of his powers.
Which, really with his luck, he's not going to place his bets on that.
So, his main, frantic, goal these past few chaotic days hasn't been calling Jazz, or Sam, or Tucker to tell them he's okay. It's not been figuring out what the hell he's going to do from here on out. He's entirely honed in on finding a new, suitable place to stay for the time being. A new... haunt.
Almost in an obsessive manner, really.
Danny paused in his flight... Now that he’s taking a moment to think about it, it's definitely his core that's driving him so intensely to locate a new haunt. A safe one. That will keep him satisfied. And did he mention it needs to be safe for him?
All this to say, this is what led Danny to Gotham. In all its highest-in-the-country crime rate and glory, it was also conveniently closest to him and most likely to have high levels of ectoplasm. You know, ‘cause of all the constant pain and suffering here?
Danny flew past the borders of the city, still invisible high up in the clouds. He started lowering himself so he could get out of the fog and actually, y'know, see the city.
He wasn't sure what time it was right now, but he knew it was night time, with the moon already high in the sky. Countless buildings were lit up with neon lights of varying colors.
The buildings here were far taller than anything he'd seen in Amity. As he flew closer, he could see the gargoyles that were perched on the edges of several rooftops.
Gotham sure lived up to its name, didn't it?
He flew farther down into the city, now flying among the rooftops of most buildings. He didn't dare go any closer to the ground yet, lest someone were to miraculously get past his invisibility and discover him so quickly.
He took a deep breath, inhaling exageratedly through his nose like it was the first breath he'd had in days... because it totally might have been.
What? When breathing's optional, sometimes he just forgets. Especially when he's stressed. Especially when he can so easily lose control over said breathing during said stress. It just... is easier to turn it off sometimes.
The ectoplasm in the air tasted different than back home, oddly enough. Somehow simultaneously more diluted (probably because it's not stemming directly from the Infinite Realms themselves), and more intense (because of the emotions this ecto originates from?) at the same time.
Regardless, it made his core lose just that little bit of tension. Not by much, because he still needs to find a place within the city, but enough so that his core finally isn't urgently locking him in a chokehold to find a new stable food source.
He exhaled, finally slowing down to hover over a random rooftop.
Before he could even have any hope of gathering his thoughts right now, in an alleyway just beneath him, a shadow moving in his periphery catches his attention, his gaze snapping to it on instinct.
A shadow figure with two vague glowing grey orbs that he supposed were eyes stared back at him. It moved, revealing... a hand? It moved right... then to the left... in a sort of waving motion.
Oh.
It was waving at him! His core let out a trill in excitement, having not really had much good reception these past few days. Having another... ghostly creature? Definitely a creature from the realms, welcoming him so quickly was... oddly relieving. And exciting.
The grey orbs disappeared. For a second, Danny thought the creature had left and moved on. But the shadow in the alleyway proceeded to emerge, revealing it to be more of a cloak rather than the creature themselves.
The shadowy figure slowly floated up, landing elegantly on the rooftop opposite Danny's.
Inwardly, Danny absentmindedly wondered if this was going to turn into a fight. He'd rather not get into a fight right now, not while he's in such a frazzled state. But many ecto-creatures get along best while brawling. Really, in any other situation, he'd be stoked to make a new friend. Especially his first friend, in his new... haunt?
The world felt odd, even just in his thoughts. He only hopes that'll get easier to think about as time goes on.
The shadow in front of him lifted their hands up, and dramatically slowly, might he add, slipped their hood down and let the cloak fall off them entirely.
A woman with pale skin and long black hair floated there. A ghost, maybe? Or a neverborn. She certainly looked... oddly powerful. Like she wasn't contained to this one form and purposefully chose this one to introduce herself as. The shadows still warped around her, somewhat distorting themselves a bit.
Her dress looked very fancy, accompanied with its matching stylistic hat and jewelry. A string of pearls rested around her neck. But despite the very elegant outfit, there were traces of... oddness? On her? He didn't know another way to phrase it.
The tips of her fingers were black. With black, vein-like cracks trailing up her hand. Her legs had the same deal, and it was faintly apparent near her eyes as well.
It only now occurred to Danny that he was still invisible. She probably was only sensing that someone entered her haunt, and wanted to investigate.
Still, he dropped his invisibility, revealing himself like she had done with her cloak.
This was... probably, definitely a powerful ghost... spirit... right?? There isn't a portal to the Infinite Realms in Gotham. At least... not one he knows of. Which means she came here, and exists here, the more natural way.
Granted, her existence here is unsurprising. Gotham is, afterall, known for its high crime rate. It's bound to have its fair share of ghosts, spirits, hell, even curses.
The woman seemingly deemed the silence long enough, and finally spoke. "Welcome, young prince, to my humble abode."
She held her hands out, gesturing to the city. And as if on cue, the lights of most of the buildings behind her flickered, before shining brighter than they did before. Just for a few seconds, before going back to normal.
Danny blinked. Oh damn. Okaaay, first off, very powerful person. Second off, how the hell does she know about his royal status? Is there some sort of gossip forum about all the shit that goes down in the Infinite Realms and he's just been out of the loop this entire time?
In the back of his head, he distantly wonders how long it'll be before the Observants find him. That doesn't particularly sound fun.
Okay, so maybe him violently destroying the Amity portal might have been a little motivated by the fact that if he did it, the observants wouldn't be able to get to him as easily.
Can you blame him? Those guys were practically harassing him. What, just because of a rough technicality that makes him the next in line for the crown, he's gotta be stuck doing paperwork for the rest of his existence? Maybe he'd be more allured by the throne if it meant he'd be doing actually cool, kingly stuff. But no! Those guys just want him to fix the backlog of legality problems that backed up because of Pariah Dark's untimely ‘nap’.
Danny nearly frowned at the thought. But he drew his attention back to the lady in front of him. Registering he hadn't responded, he belatedly, albeit awkwardly nodded his head.
She just gave him a small smile in response. "I am Lady Gotham. You will find yourself properly tended to here, I assure." She spoke with such pride in her voice, that it took a few belated moments for it to click in Danny's head.
Oh. Oh shit.
His jaw dropped. The Spirit of Gotham?!
You know, this makes a lot more sense why she found him so quickly. The entire city is her haunt. She probably sensed him coming from a mile away. Or several.
"Uhh, I'm... Phantom." He finally managed, recovering from the surprise..
He's not entirely sure why he introduced himself when Lady Gotham so clearly already knows who he is, as she simply responds with a small nod.
"I've already figured out the perfect place for your new haunt. If you'll trust me?" She asked, a glimmer of... something in her eyes. Knowing? Like she knew exactly how this was going to play out.
Danny narrowed his eyes slightly. On one hand, he'd prefer to roam the city himself till he finds somewhere he can hole up for the time being. Probably some abandoned building that nobody in their right mind will enter.
On the other hand... this is her city. And she probably knows plenty of viable spots and locations for a halfa to live. And... Danny's tired. Mentally, yes, and physically. The second his head hits a pillow, this guy's gonna be out like a light.
So, Danny gave her a shrug. A shrug that turned into a hesitant nod.
Lady Gotham smiled brightly, a slight manic look in her eyes. The look would probably concern many, but Danny could feel no maliciousness from her. Nothing other than satisfaction and excitement.
Silently, the shadows slowly enshrouded her again. Before she faded away entirely, she pointed her arm out in a direction.
One of the buildings in said direction had its lights conveniently begin to flicker in and out. By the time Danny looked back at where the city spirit had been floating, she was gone entirely from view. But Danny got the message loud and clear.
I'll lead you there.
Danny gave one last slow sigh. Before heaving himself back up and flying in the direction Lady Gotham told him to go. Sure enough, once he reached the building with the flickering lights, it stopped. And a building farther out started instead.
The pattern continued as Danny went surprisingly close to the outskirts of the city, with Gotham having to rely on flicking street lamps to guide him.
It wasn't until he reached the flickering lamp outside what looked to be... a luxurious looking manor's front gate that the trail stopped.
He waited for the next light to flicker for him, but it continued to be the lamp right in front of him. He looked around, paying a bit more attention to where he was.
Yup, definitely a richer neighborhood. The houses were far apart, with a small forest in between each one.
Sure enough, as Danny glanced at the huge manor in the distance, the one that belonged to the lamp in front of him. It looked almost eery with the full moon shining brightly, cutting through the fog behind the building. The porch light gave one final flicker. He couldn't help but feel like it was a wink, oddly enough.
He wasn't sure what Gotham's plan was. He'd been expecting to get sent somewhere private or abandoned. And while this place was in fact more private, it didn’t take a genius to see that the manor clearly had residents, if the lights in the house were anything to go by.
Another sigh escaped his mouth. This is probably why she asked him to trust her, right? Well, he supposes the manor does look pretty big. Surely it can't be that hard to go unnoticed by, what, the one or three people that live there?? Easy.
Plus, he'll probably be able to feed his human half sufficiently here.