No response seemed to draw forth from the young student upon the mention of the beings name. Aegir had concluded that those memories had to have been deeply buried within her subconscious yet accessible by his mental probing that had not meant that she could easily recall such matters. Strange thing, human minds, for they had a habit of blocking out trauma and with that any associated memories of such events.

Aegir had begun to wonder if there were more secrets in her past that had been locked away in such a fashion. Oh, there had to be, he had figured. The mysteries of her past while seen in fragmented pieces had allowed him to reconstruct some of what she had experienced making better sense of the student before him. Intruding into his own thoughts had been her question not to mention the accompanying thoughts.

He too had noticed the scathing look upon the specters face as it turned its attention towards him. Evidentally the thing did not particularly like competition of any sort. From what he had deciphered Christopher Belmont had been and still was infatuated with Belnades. From beyond the grave it seemed like Mister Belmont was keeping tabs upon her, quite interesting though he had read accounts of spirits that followed individuals haunting them wherever they had fled to. Poltergeists ... though such spirits were usually malevolent but he had not gathered such intentions from this spirit, at least not towards his beloved.

A guardian spirit perhaps? Aegir would have to ponder that further. Certainly the mystery that Charlotte presented to him was thrilling enough to distract Aegir. His gaze swept towards Charlotte a mere moment after she had voiced her question. A minute smile flashed against his lips as he attempted to place her at ease though that smile had not dwelled there for long. His blue-gray eyes regarded her as he voiced an apparently logical answer.

"I know him. Rather, I know of his works. Doctor Christopher Belmont had some very fascinating ideas that I had stumbled upon more or less in my years at university. Matters dealing with the occult primarily," Aegir explained. Though he had made up those details he had embellished them from what he had glimpsed into her mind and the conjuncture that he had made about these past memories. If Belnades was an altered human, or created by this doctor as he had suspected, then it seemed plausible that he had some renown in the scientific community and possibly even amongst the circle of mystics if he dabbled in the arcane arts. What he had not tried to explain was the look of hostility cast by the spirit. He could get into that if she delved into the matter though at present he seemed less interesting in being side tracked in such a fashion not wanting to tip his hand that he could glimpse into her thoughts.

"I don't think he will be a problem though if he is I can recommend some channelers capable of both communing and dealing with spirits of various sorts. And when all else fails there is the classic exorcism," he chuckled slightly at the later part as if dismissing the need for such matters or that in employing them that they would be going to far in the matter.

"I could get rid of him huh... but, I get this odd feeling I shouldn't; Like he's important for some reason."

It was true as far as I could tell. I kept got this slight twinge of enjoyment from seeing the spirit now & then. Eyes returned to Aegir now and I shrugged.

"He looked about my age how could he be a doctor? let alone that well known before he died?"
---

One thing She didn't know however was that he had been famous years before today; and that his spirit had continued to mature to adulthood in it's new state. rather than just dying and becoming a mindless spirit he existed now as a fledgling energy being; not yet capable of interaction with living things; the same fate that would eventually befall Pandora, or Charlotte herself.

---

"Eh I guess it doesn't matter really... Maybe I should read his work some time."

After having spent a moment in reflection upon recent events Aegir smiled with the aged face that he had been wearing. He liked the fact that she questioned things for it showed that she was trying to understand them. Not just that but she was also working to fill in the details governing the unknown. She seemed as curious as he at times and though her interest primarily remained in the occult Aegir could relate quite well to her reasoning for he had shared that same avid curiousity that she did.

An easy answer flew to his lips, one that he had drawn from his avenue of specialty at least his illusionary forms specialty. "Ralph Macchio ..."

The name was suppose to mean something though when he caught her blank stare he smiled slightly. Of course, the reference was too vague. "Daniel Russo ... er, that was the name of his most famous character harping back to the 80's. I suppose it would have been before your time seeing that you would not have been born until what, six, seven years after the Karate Kid was put out. Anyway, he is one of those individuals upon this world that appears far more youthful than he actually is though I cannot say if that still holds true for him at forty-six, I'm afraid I have not caught him in any real roles since My Cousin Vinny.

"Mister Belmont apparently is one of these blessed individuals. Why I wish I had that ageless quality though I have been told the gray hair does go with my eyes." He flashed her another one of his smiles before shaking his head slightly as if he were dismissing the matter and getting back on track. "Right ... where was I ... oh, yes, Doctor Belmont. I'm glad that he will not be a nuisance to you though I do have to wonder what interest he has with you. Something pertaining to your past perhaps. I was on my way to my office right after I snatch up a tome for my own personal studies. If you don't mind the brief wait you are more than free to join me if you want to sample some of his works though if you are busy you can always drop in at your leisure to pick it up, your choice."

I looked to this person before me with a nod and smile. It sounded like a good idea to follow him and check this doctor's work out a bit. though I wasn't sure if I should trust him. I'd been told to not trust any of the males i might meet in the school though I wasn't sure why they'd never told me before they disappeared to who knows where. I'd looked away and they were gone without a sound.

My eyes glanced back to the table and I'd shift in my seat a little the eyes of christopher still one me; he hadn't gone though the teacher couldn't see him any longer it seemed to me at the least. He seemed glad I didn't go with the man. though i wasn't sure why.

The spirit moved to the teacher and looked to whisper something into his ear something I couldn't hear.
--
"You plan to do something to my love... what is it you plan monster?"
--

I just seemed to pay it no mind now as I pushed away the book I had been reading before; the book that had bored me.

"Perhaps another time I'll stop by."

He had been pleased that he had generated a smile upon her lips at last. Charlotte had seemed quite melancoly though he had felt her warming up to his presence as their conversation had continued. Wounded, he had not intended upon anything. Down three tentacles, one requiring regeneration while another two had been charred quite badly from an insidious electrical attack Aegir himself had not been at prime form. While he had chanced upon Charlotte he would not let the opportunity slip by and thus used it to decipher more about her. Though he supposed if the right sequence of events fell into place that he would have rolled with whatever destiny bestowed upon him. Why look a gift horse in the mouth.

If he were to do anything he would have need of isolating her first and foremost. While he had not taken many steps in that avenue Aegir knew that he had to at least pose the idea to her though he had immediately regretted it. He drew upon those experiences that rushed through her head like warning bells. Things that individuals had said to her before vanishing themselves. No doubt other beings had gotten their claws, tentacles, pseudopods or whatever passed as appendages in their species. Some inevitably wound up in the labs on the island, others probably wisked away to other worlds as breeders. Some would escape the clutches of their would-be slavers becoming agents in the ADD. The possibilities of course were only limited by ones own imagination and though he may not have been very creative himself Aegir had plenty of minds to draw upon, plenty of souls that had been far more experienced in this field than he.

Having thought that the spirit had gone Aegir had been surprised to find that it was still present. The accursed thing eluded his sensory abilities in its state of existance. About the only chance he had in detecting Christopher had been when he manifested himself deliberately though now Aegir wondered if he had done so in means of spoking Aegir off. So it would seem that he would have competition for Miss Belnades ... Christopher would be in for quite a shock once he found out the nature of this place, what things lurked upon this world. As far as monstrosities went Aegir was perhaps one of the least of the beings worries. Not that Aegir had not entertained such notions of acquiring Charlotte in the ways of carnal delight ... it was simply that he was not as savage as many of his counterparts. He was not the sort of being to harm a person needlessly being far more interested in humans than to simply pull them apart, crush them under foot or mash and grind them to pieces. Aegir much more preferred to indoctorine his subjects into the realm of pleasure rather than causing them pain though from time to time he did like playing with his subjects just a tad.

A smile lit up his lips, he ignored Christopher for the time being as he tilted his head towards Charlotte in a nod. "Then perhaps I shall see you there some time, g'day."

He had not traveled far from her as he took a few steps down a nearby aisle, his neck craning to search over various titles. Though as he spoke he kept his tone light so that his words were less likely to be overheard. Of course he had no idea whether or not the being that he perceived as a spirit followed him the few extra feet.

"I harbor no immediate plans, Christopher, though one does have to wonder what your objectives are. I have glimpsed some of your past," he drew a musty old book down from one of the shelves blowing the dust off its cover before carefully cracking open the leather bound cover. Chancing a glimpse back towards Charlotte he then continued when his eyes flowed back to the book. "One can wonder the same thing about your objectives, though here, in this place you are simply one amongst many."

"Do be well professor I will think of that offer."

It was all I'd said as I watched Christopher leave the area following the professor. I wondered why the spirit would do such a thing.
--

"She's the girl I fell in love with... I will do what I can... though that seems to be limited as the creature I've become... It's difficult to gather the energy I need to materialize."

The being looked into Aegir's eyes darkly it had no other idea what to say.

--

I pondered going over to listen to their conversation... and thus I stood slowly walking towards them away from the group that filled the library into the aisle the professor had walked into.

Love ... that emotion had been something quite alien for Aegir though he had heard the word spoken numerous times before. It was littered in literature, poems, songs, television even radio ads. The word had been everywhere. He had stumbled across it in minds in the past, an emotion that he could not quite get a feel for. His kind had no such expression that had equated to that emotion and while he had amalgamated many feelings and thoughts into himself Aegir could not be certain if that emotion had been imprinted as well. Thinking about it he could not say with any certainty whether or not he had expressed such a feeling in the past though there had been things that he had felt passionately about his inexperience in dealing with these feelings led him to wonder whether or not he had embraced them as they were meant to be.

So Aegir had mulled over the word for a moment even if he knew its meaning. Knowing something and being able to express it had been two entirely different matters altogether though the notion had struck him with a most interesting quandry. He took stock of the being before him, bring a hand up to his chin he stroked it in thought. Perhaps there was a way for him to gain through this meddling spirit after all.

"An admirable quality, love. Love once launched a fleet of a thousand ships when fair Helen of Troy had been abducted. Love can motivate one to great ends though as you have put it plainly not much you can do about the matter. It goes much further than the mere pretense that she is alive and your not or if you are then you prove to be somewhat incompatible, corporeal and incorporeal you are as opposite as beings can be. And while you need not have to worry about contending against young admirers given the nature of this school there are others that would not care one iota about you, her, or anyone's feelings in the matter."

Aegir had been so focused upon Christopher at present, trying to locate his presence and keep track of him, that he failed to pick up upon the fact that Belnades had moved closer to eavesdrop upon the pair. Aegir drew in a deep breath, held it for a long moment then slowly let the air escape his lungs. While he had captured the scathing look within Christopher's eyes he ignored the blazing hatred that had been contained therein. Hatred, the antithesis of love had been something almost as unfamiliar as love itself to Aegir though at least this emotion he had learned to understand far better than the later.

Equating love to curiousity just wouldn't do. Equating it to passion or excitement just didn't seem to do the experience justice. While he continued to reflect upon this thing of love he voiced some of his thoughts aloud. "You must pine for her, long for her if you traveled all this way to remain at her side. Yet you can do no more than express your feelings for her. You are incapable of holding her hand when she needs comfort. Incapable of feeling the warmth of her lips pressed against your own. Incapable of expressing that love you may feel. You are afraid ... afraid that if you say anything, afraid if you open up that she will rebuff you, perhaps even remember you for what you are. Afraid to be shunned and shut out of her life ... a pity Christopher. Such love can only result in tragedy.

"Yet you can have what you long for. You lack a vessel to experience these very things that you long for ... while I lack for the capacity to truly feel this elusive emotion that you speak of. Two halves to a whole." Aegir paused, the inklings of an idea spreading through him though it was not often that he had combined forces with another he could see a means for them to both acquire something that they wanted. The only question that he had entailed in his mind was whether or not he was susceptible to possession. His mind was complex, fragmented into a series of parts that could concentrate and control various functions as if directed by a central core. Doubtful that he could truly be possessed given his immunity to psionic attack forms but could he absorb this spirit, imprint it upon himself temporarily allowing it to feel as he felt, touch as he touched? And through this imprint could he not experience the full gamut of emotional experiences thus learning more about the human qualities to be had?

Questions that he had no answer to, though he did not know how badly Christopher desired Charlotte. How far would he go to obtain her if such an avenue had been presented to him? Thus he had left his thoughts unfinished seeing how the spirit took them, seeing how it interpreted his words and seeing if there were any change to its demeanor. He wondered how tempting such an offer could have been to the shade given that there were little avenues open to it unless Belnades were to perish of course, though could two incorporeal beings interact with one another? He had never done any research along such an avenue though if two energy fields could affect one another he supposed it were possible that two incorporeal entities could share some form of contact. A question to be answered another time perhaps ...