“I had no idea…” Shin trailed. The camps? “No. I really can’t blame you for wanting to forget that… and maybe the world would be better without a few things. But…” He scratched his head. His thoughts clung to the roof of his mouth like rice on the serving spoon. He didn’t know what to say. Maybe giving up and getting rid of it would be a good thing? Help her overcome… “and funerals are for saying good bye, after all…”

Shin's voice cleared up, braver this time. “You know, some people honor their dead with bonfires? I suppose… well, if you wanted to, I don’t think it would be overkill…”

He’d never been to those camps, only heard about how horrible they’d been. His powers had only manifested recently, still… if she was ready to move on, who was he to stop her?

“Okay. So are we doing this or not?” His eyes trailed up the thorny lair around them, glinting in the dark. Whatever her decision, he didn’t want to hold it back.

Ghost sighed when Shin-san scrambled to sort of apologize about the camps. One could always tell who had escaped that horror by their reaction to the question. It wasn't his fault. She was glad that he did not have to weather that storm. “and funerals are for saying good bye, after all…” Ghost nodded. She was starting to feel better already. She did it. The funeral was already done in her mind. Setting fire to the brambles was just clearing up future problems before they cropped up.

“You know, some people honor their dead with bonfires? I suppose… well, if you wanted to, I don’t think it would be overkill…”

It started small and blossomed into a full fledged smile. And then... she hugged him. It was brief with only one big squeeze before she sat back on her heels. Ghost re-fit her hat on her head and slung her scarf back into place before looking around for anything that she did want to take with her.

“Okay. So are we doing this or not?”

"Yes." Ghost grabbed the pictures and dishcloth with one hand, with the other she took hold of Shin's wrist. She repeated the earlier process of extending the etherealness to Shin and several minutes later they were both on the outside of the thick gnarls of brambles. All Shin had to do was let go and be solid again.

"I can fan it to life and I can keep it contained. I promise we won't be burning down the Mansion or anything as foolish as that." Honestly the one in the most danger in this situation was her.

When he’d said his piece, he’d worried he’d crashed and burned, felled by social sabotage. Toss a wrench into him, baby. His gears were ground. But then… She smiled… and hugged him. All his worries about having said the wrong thing vanished in that brief gesture.

As she retreated back from the hug, his smile spelled relief. He was glad. Glad he could have helped her sort through things. As she rummaged through what she did, and didn’t, want to take with her, he raised his eyes to gaze at the stars peeking through the cracks in the thorns. As she tugged on his wrist, those two things blurred into a swirl of white-blue-gray, winking out like a TV set as etherealness hit the ‘Power’ switch on his senses. This time when he landed, he managed a much softer thud.

“I’ll get it some time,” he held his lower back gingerly, getting back up.

“I can fan it to life and I can keep it contained. I promise we won't be burning down the Mansion or anything as foolish as that."

“Oh, right.” A faint chuckle. Shin reached into his sweatshirt pocket, whipping out the lighter dramatically. “Let’s get this started, then… you’d better step back.” He glanced back to her, waiting patiently with lighter in hand for her to retreat to a safe distance. When she had, he leaned forward to light it up.

Tinder is a very interesting thing. You see, the drier the tinder, the better fire-starting material it makes. This bramble was up past the tree line, protected by it from the elements. So when Shin leaned in close to ignite that source material, (humming ‘Light my Fire’ by The Doors, no less), it went up in flames oh-so-very fast! He had to hop back a few feet to dodge flames licking his face.

Not like a cat. Bad flames, no. But there it was. He clapped his hands together, as if cleaning himself of the act. Now it was time for them to watch it burn.

She smiled at Shin's antics... or maybe it really was that hard to fall out of etherealness. Since she had to concentrate and do it slowly she might never have that experience. Ghost wrapped her scarf more tightly around her mouth and face. Of course she stepped back when he asked. She wasn't messing around when it came to fire. She learned her lesson the hard way. She'd been burned before.

It lit. Oh boy did that baby light. All it took was one little spark. It was soon blazing almost as brightly as she would have. She smiled into the back of her scarf. It lit. Another personal triumph.

Shin jumped back like the tongues of flame had tried to nip at him and maybe they had. The bright conflagration of orange and yellow and hottest white was blazing tall, but curiously blazing crooked. The tip of the flame pointed to the tastiest and most nutritious of snacks, Ghost. But she stood just out of reach.

Ghost caught Shin's arm as he skittered back toward where she stood so that they could make a united front against the reaching fingers of flame. "It's nice. Thank you, Shin." It was nice. Warm and cozy in front of a roaring fire. She kept an eye on the height of the fire making sure the trees above didn't get it, but with the fire pointing right at them that didn't seem like that much of a problem.

Arm caught, he regained his balance to stand next to Ghost, part of the dynamic duo, starter of fires. Ender of bramble lives, burner of thorns, et cetera. He stood proud as part of that united front, chest brimming with self-worth at the compliment.

"It's nice. Thank you, Shin." And it was. It truly was. The fire’s light bit back the night, crackling up towards the sky, then back down to waggle its tongue at Ghost, blowing a raspberry at the air elemental just out of reach.

They stood there a while, watching it like ancient tribes would watch a campfire burn down into ashes. It was just the two of them underneath the stars. They’d combated the cold, and they’d won, fought painful memories, and made peace with them. Now… well, now it really was late.

“Ghost…” Shin trailed silently.

"Ghost..."

Ghost sighed and looked down at the snow beneath her boots. "Time to go already?" but she seemed happier than before. Some of that fire had rubbed off, relighting that internal desire to do better, be better. She was starting new from here. That meant things could only go up.

"I guess I owe you one." Ghost let go of Shin's arm and held her arms out toward the fire dramatically. She didn't need it for focus or direction, but it was easier to let other's know she was using her mutation if she made some motions... especially dramatic ones.

The fire had already burned down quite a bit in the time they stood together in silent revelry, but now Ghost increased the barometric pressure around the fire and siphoned the oxygen that fed it, essentially tossing a wet blanket over the blaze. It sputtered as some of Ghost's enemies had, gasping for breath before all was black.

They were back to the color-sapping starlight only, but it wasn't depressing anymore. Ghost had seen this place dancing by firelight only moments ago. She knew her cheeks were pink and warm, Shin's sweater was white with skinny red stripes, and that everything was going to be okay-- if she wanted it to be okay.

Everything was going to be okay from now on.

Ghost bowed deeply to Shin. "有難うございます" and she meant it from the bottom of her heart.

As the light crept away from his feet, color drained away. The cold wind nipped at his cheeks, but it was alright. It didn’t make him numb or dead.

Quite the opposite, in fact; it made him feel alive.

And right now, as he glanced back towards the mansion and let out a yawn, he didn’t feel tired. He felt like he could go five rounds with a lion and come out on top. The blaze of that bonfire seemed to have ignited some inner fire for him as well, but… eh. Maybe the fire was dying away as quick as it went up. He’d done what he could, and that was great, but… it didn’t mean he understood. So, really…

"有難うございます" Ghost said.

‘Thank you… for everything.’ He interpreted. He’d tried to understand.

And maybe that was enough. A faint smile worked its way back onto his face as he returned the gesture. “I’m glad I could help.”

With all that had happened, all that would happen. With all those people that would make life hard for others in this world… all he had was help to give.

And...

"Maybe we should head back to the mansion now?" He laughed weakly, popping up to scratch his neck. He needed some time to think.

Shin bowed back and in the end they were both smiling. “I’m glad I could help.”

"Maybe we should head back to the mansion now?" He laughed even if his heart wasn't in it.

"Yeah... Let's go home." Her words were deliberate, her tone final. It was no longer just the Mansion, from now on it was home.

((OOC: I think that's the end. <3))