Fio blinked at Akira, trying to figure out what to do. "Nothing." he replied slowly. "Nothing that matters, in any case." his eyes flashed around the room, before returning to Akira, studying him and trying to figure out what to do.
“So, you’re a ghost? I mean, not that that doesn’t matter, ghosts are actually really cool in my opinion, I wasn’t saying they don’t mean anything— you matter, I mean— or maybe you didn’t, I can’t make assumptions— wait, no, I’m sorry, you matter…”
Akira looked up to the man innocently, trailing off once he realized he had rambled.
“S-sorry,” he said sheepishly, tugging at the end of his shirt. “I just…. You are a ghost, right? Or am I insane?”
Fio blinked at the rambling outpour, looking a little confused for a moment. "Yes. I suppose ghost is the best definition." he replied slowly as he looked at Akira. Fio's clothes were old-fashioned, from a different time than this one, and his shaggy, wavy hair hung into his face a little.
“That is….,” he mumbled, trailing slightly. “The coolest damn thing ever.”
With his second sentence, Akira lit up like a light, certainly looking 100x more animated and bubbly. He set down the rest of his things, stepping over his record player and keeping his eyes locked on the man. He circled him, then faced him, taking a hand and trying to poke the ghost with it.
Fio backed away a little when Akira started poking at him, frowning just a little bit. "Please don't touch me." he said, ducking backwards. Akira could only sort of make contact with him. If the other pushed too hard, his hand just went straight through Fio's body.
“Oh— heh— right,” Akira mumbled, face flushed. “I’m so sorry. It’s just really cool.”
He stepped back, giving the man his space. He almost felt as if he should apologize for… well… moving in. It was clearly this ghost’s place, so in this case, Akira was the one who was invading.
“What’s your name?” he asked, seemingly more composed than he had been. It was mask time, he reminded himself. Even if it was one of the dead, he figured he should still make a decent impression… if that hadn’t already been thrown out the window.
"Fio LeTour." Fio replied, looking at Akira carefully. "Most people scream when they see me. And you are?" he raised his eyebrows slightly, smoothing out his clothes and glancing around the room again, his eyes coming back to Akira.
“Hiroto Akira,” he said, his own name sounding a bit weird on his tongue. He assumed they didn’t have many names like that near here. “But I go by Akira.”
It was true— everyone he knew called him Akira, except for his parents, or his grandparents when they were mad or wanted to show authority, dominance even. He never got used to anyone using his first name.
“And why would I scream?” he asked, tugging at his sleeve. “I’m a fan of the paranormal.”
"I don't know. I was only saying that most do." he shifted a little, glancing to the window, then to Akira. "And that is not a name I have heard. It's not…you are not from New Orleans, are you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side as he studied the other male.
“No— I’m from New York. The melting pot, really. I just have always wanted to live here. Finally saved up enough money to do so,” he explained. “I got here this morning. It’s a beautiful place.”
He paused for a moment, studying Fio’s face. It was very angelic, with the relative transparency refracting the light. It was like the sun shining through the edge of an iceberg, haloing around him. Akira didn’t even notice he was staring.
Fio nodded a little bit. "Ah. I never got the chance to go to New York, but I've heard it's an amazing place." he replied as he looked at Akira, raising his eyebrows a little at the other's staring, but not saying anything about it.
“It’s… loud. I don’t necessarily like it there,” he admitted.
He let the awkward silence soak in for a moment, still studying Fio’s features. He wasn’t bad looking, certainly not, and held a sort of warmth about him.
Akira had to sort of squint to see him now as his body grew more and less translucent. Almost like a flicker between worlds. He had to resist the urge to smile, noting how cool it was.
Fio nodded a little bit, shifting slightly. "So this is your home now." He said slowly, looking around the room that had, 100 years ago, been his bedroom. And now it wasn't. He looked at Akira.
“Yes,” he said affirmatively, following Fio’s gaze. Though once the words sunk in, he backtracked.
“Wait— no. I mean, if this is your house, then I’ll just tell Iris I need to find a new apartment. Or I’ll just sleep on the couch and not bug you.”
He looked back up to Fio apologetically.
Fio raised his eyebrows. "I'm not… I'm a ghost, Akira. I have no more of a claim on these rooms than the wind. You have paid for them; they are yours. They have not been mine in decades, in any case." He replied with a shrug.
“Oh— ok,” he said quietly.
With an awkward glance, he turned around, picking up his items.
“I’ll, uh, leave you to it, then? It was nice meeting you?” Akira mumbled, although it sounded much like a question.
Fio blinked. "No, it's your home. I should leave you to settle in." He started growing more and more transparent, harder to see and hardly even there.
“Is this… just something you can do?” Akira asked, gesturing to the man. “Like, fade in and out? Or is it involuntary? S-sorry for all the questions.”
He pulled a broken piece from the record player, slipping it into one of his pockets so it wouldn’t fall as he carried it.
Fio paused, far more translucent than he had been. "Oh. Sometimes I can control it, other times I cannot." he replied, looking at Akira carefully.
“Interesting…,” he mumbled, resisting the urge to poke the man again. “Can you talk to other spirits? Or can you talk to other humans?”
He cocked his head expectantly, eyes wandering over Fio.
Fio shrugged slightly. "I have not really tried to talk to other spirits; I haven't seen any. And I could talk to most humans if I wanted to, but I don't usually try."
“I see…,” he said quietly. He was about to ask more, but figured he should pace himself. He didn’t want to unload his entire book of questions just yet. They mostly included things like, ‘where do you go when you die,’ and ‘what is it like to fly or float or whatever.’
He gave a nod back to Fio. “Well, I won’t bother you any longer. It was nice meeting you, Fio. Will I be seeing you… around? It seems likely, considering you kind of live here.”
Fio nodded a little. "You likely will, though I will try to stay out of your way. Sometimes I cannot help when or if I appear, though." he replied, starting to grow more translucent again.
“It— it’s ok. I won’t be bothered,” he said. “But thank you. I’ll… I’ll see you later.”
With a sort of immature retreat, Akira stepped out of the room, put his things down, and sat on the couch slowly, head in his hands. He took a deep breath, desperately trying to calm his heart beat.
I met a ghost, was the only thing running through his mind. I met a real, live— well, not live— ghost.
Fio vanished, leaving the room empty again. Well, empty save for the sunbeams dancing through the windows, empty except for the furniture.