The Sage

Chandler. Nineteen. Ghost. No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

“Likewise,” he said with half a smile, glancing down to the sandwich half for a moment before taking it. “Thank you. So, Chandler,” he started, taking a bite of the sandwich, chewing it, and swallowing it quickly, “are your parents fan of detective novels or Friends?”

“They’re fans of candle makers,” Chandler replied in jest, taking another small bite out of her sandwich. “Friends, unfortunately. Because instead of naming me after like... Monica, or something, they had to pick Chandler. And I am forever doomed because of it,” she chuckled, finishing off her half of the sandwich. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Elijah nodded at the girl’s response, spooning another bite of pudding into his mouth. “Ah, okay,” he said after swallowing the bite down. At her question, he hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to lie. “Patient,” the boy replied after a moment, placing his spoon into the already near empty cup. He picked up one of his other pudding cups and held it out as an offering to the stranger. “I’m Eli.”

Chandler nodded her head at his response, taking another bite out of her sandwich. “Oh, uhh.. thanks.” She smiled, taking the pudding from him and setting it down on her tray. “Nice to meet you. I’m Chandler,” she replied, picking up her other sandwich half and offering it to Eli. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Elijah glanced up at the sound of the voice, pausing for a my beat before shaking his head. “You can sit here if you want,” he said, shrugging his shoulders as he took another bite of his pudding. He eyed her for a moment before deciding she must have been visiting someone - she had the same healthy, but moderately concerned look that his sister had every time he saw her at the hospital. He placed his hands in his lap for a mere moment, tugging on his sleeves to cover himself up more. “You a patient or ypu visiting someone?” He asked after a couple of silent seconds, figuring it’d be more awkward to sit in complete silence and eat than talk and eat.

“Thanks,” Chandler replied, setting her tray down and sitting in the chair. She unwrapped the cling film from her sandwich and picked up one of the halves, taking a bite as she sat in silence across from the stranger. When he asked his question, she looked up at him. “Visiting,” she replied after swallowing her bite. “What about you?” Chandler was almost certain he was a patient, but she figured it was better to ask than assume. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

( @chandler-murdoch )

Admittedly, being stuck on suicide watch in a hospital wasn’t the best. However, the worst part of it all was zero privacy. For the past three days, everywhere Elijah went, his sister, Dinah, or a nurse was trailing two feet behind him. He didn’t even have the luxury of taking a shit in peace without a nurse asking him to crack the door open. But, for the first time, they let him go to the cafeteria by himself. Well, technically, a nurse stood near the door to watch him, but it was the most alone he had been since ‘the incident’, as Dinah favored to call it.

With three pudding cups and a spoon in hand, Eli made a beeline to the only empty table in the cafeteria and sat down, letting out a sigh of relief. Setting two of the cups down, the boy grabbed the lid end with his teeth and pulled the top off, crumpling it up into a ball. He took a bite of the pudding and leaned back in his chair, silently wishing he had brought his sketch book down to draw while he was alone.

Ever since Chandler’s mom was admitted to the hospital because of her failing health, Chandler found herself spending more time in the hospital than her own house. Spending so much time in her mother’s room was depressing, to say the least, but it had gotten to the point where Chandler was almost scared to not be around her mom, just in case the worst happened. And most days, that would include eating lunch in her room, but today wasn’t like most days. Chandler’s father had shown up, and as much as she loved her dad, his depression and anger over seeing his wife dying was almost too much for the girl. So, she decided to eat alone, in the cafeteria. 

Holding a tray with a ham and cheese sandwich and a bottle of orange juice, Chandler looked around the almost full cafeteria, spotting a seat across from a boy she guessed was a patient at the hospital. Cautiously, she walked up to his table and stood beside the empty chair, looking down at him with a small smile. “Is uhh... is this seat taken?”

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Eli glanced down to the painting for a moment before looking back up to Chandler. He whipped it around, showcasing the painting - a serene portrait of his friend, gold rays of sun hitting her blue hued face. “I think this may be my best one yet. What do you think?”

When Chandler saw the portrait, a smile immediately formed on her face. “Definitely your best one yet,” she agreed with a light chuckle. The spirit then climbed off the bed and moved closer to Eli so she could get a better look at the painting. “Another fine work to add to the collection.”

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Eli smiled in earnest, letting out a quiet laugh. “Thanks, Chandler,” he replied, running a paint stained hand through his hair. An hour or so passed, the spirit painting his friend as he hummed along to the music drifting through out the room. Once he was finished, he set his paintbrush down, rubbing his hands on his grimy jeans. “I think I’m done,” Eli said, sitting up straighter to stretch out his back. He tilted his head to one side, his neck cracking, then did it again on the other side. He grabbed the canvas, hiding the portrait from Chandler. “Shall we have a great reveal?”

Chandler smiled and nodded her head, closing her book. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Eli smiled in earnest, letting out a quiet laugh. “Thanks, Chandler,” he replied, running a paint stained hand through his hair. An hour or so passed, the spirit painting his friend as he hummed along to the music drifting through out the room. Once he was finished, he set his paintbrush down, rubbing his hands on his grimy jeans. “I think I’m done,” Eli said, sitting up straighter to stretch out his back. He tilted his head to one side, his neck cracking, then did it again on the other side. He grabbed the canvas, hiding the portrait from Chandler. “Shall we have a great reveal?”

After that, Chandler mostly stayed silent, reading her book as she let Eli paint. When he said she was done, the girl set down her book and looked over at her friend. “Yeah, I wanna see it,” she said with a grin, hopping off the bed. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

“It’s going pretty good,” He replied, not looking up from his work. “Might be my best work yet, but then again, I have the world’s best muse,” Eli said, flashing her a large, cheesy smiling before resuming his portrait of her.

“You really do,” Chandler agreed, grinning over at her friend. “But all your paintings, even the ones not of me, are pretty great.” She always thought Eli was talented, and somehow seemed to get better with every painting. The spirit looked back down at her book, leaning back on the bed as she read and listened to the music. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

It took Eli a moment to figure out what Chandler put on the record player, smiling faintly when he recognized it. “It’s good,” he said with a nod of his head, glancing back at his friend to watch her for a beat. His gaze flicked back to his painting, which currently consisted of Chandler’s hair, head, and shoulders. He grabbed a purple tube of paint and squirted a dime sized amount onto his palette before swirling it together with the blue with his brush. “Wanna watch that movie in a little bit? I bet we can find it somewhere.”

“Yeah, sure,” Chandler replied, glancing over to her friend, watching him for a moment as he painted. “How’s your paining coming?” She asked, going back to her book. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Elijah snorted out a laugh, glancing up to Chandler for a moment to see how the light streaming in from the window was hitting her. “All the time in the world, and it’s still impossible to make it through a boring ass book…. We should watch Young Frankenstein soon,” he commented, continuing to paint. The record ending, the ghost crinkled up his nose in disdain. “Wanna pick something for us to listen to?”

Chandler smiled, finishing another page in the book. “We should,” she agreed, nodding her head. “I haven’t seen that movie in forever.” She looked up form her book and over to Elijah as the record ended, nodding her head as she got up and went over to where they kept the records. After skimming through them for a moment, she picked out the Green River album by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The spirit walked over to the record player and switched out the records before setting the needle down on the new one. “How’s that?” She asked as the music started to play, going back over to the bed and sat down, continuing her book from where she left off. 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

“You know I’ll never remember that.” Elijah waved his paint brush dismissively in the air at Chandler before going back to work on his painting. “God speed, Chandy. I tried to read that a decade or two ago, I couldn’t focus on it at all. I did see that Gene Wilder movie, though,” he replied, dipping his brush into the green paint. “What part are you at?”

“I know, and it’s disappointing,” Chandler replied with a sigh before letting out a bit of a laugh. “Yeah, it’s interesting. And I’d love to tell you what part I’m at, but I honestly have no idea,” she confessed, turning the page. “If I had anything better to do, I probably would’ve stopped reading this already,” she chuckled. “But I literally have all the time in the world, so...”

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

“Yeah, it’s been a while. I think the last one I made of you was for your birthday, with you as that one character from Star Trek,” he said, mixing up Star Trek and Star Wars as he usually did. He shook up a tube of blue paint, squirting a little onto a palette, before doing the same with a green and a gold paint. Grabbing a brush, he looked up to Chandler, smiling faintly. She looked tranquil, beautiful - he had to paint her as she was in that moment. “What book are you reading?” He asked, dipping the brush into the blue and starting to paint.

“Wars, Eli. It’s Star Wars.” Chandler corrected Elijah, shaking her head. She glanced over as he got his paints ready, curious as to what colours he was going to use. “Frankenstein,” she replied, looking back down at her book. “It was one of those books that I always just passed over, so I saw it in the library and figured I might as well give it a go.” She shrugged, turning the page. “Don’t got much else to do.”

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Eli watched as Chandler stood up and searched for the canvases, face scrunching up in confusion as she grabbed them from atop the bookcase. “Why would I put them the, there?” He asked mostly to himself as he took the supplies from her. “Thanks….” The spirit trailed off, sticking his tongue out at his friend at her teasing. “Yeah, yeah, I’m practically ancient,” Eli said with a roll of his eyes, though a small smile rested on his lips. “Now, what to paint, what to paint…” He sat down beside the art supplies once again, setting down two of the canvases and keeping one in his lap. “I have a completely original idea; you’re gonna be my subject,” Eli deadpanned, looking over to the fellow ghost - most of his paintings were of Chandler.

Chandler smiled at her friend as he took the canvases, moving back over to the bed and sitting down as Elijah went over to his supplies. “Oh am I?” She quirked a brow, smirking at him. “I guess it has been a while since you painted me.” She leaned back, picking her book back up and continuing from where she left off.  

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

“Canvases, two smallish ones and another larger one,” Eli said, glancing around the room in a feeble attempt to look for the missing supplies. “I didn’t steal any extras because I could have sworn I had some stashed under our bed.” He sat down beside her, back leaning against the wall. “Did you happen to see them? I mean, it’s possible I just forgot where I actually left them.”

“Hmmm....” Chandler paused for a moment, trying to think if she might’ve seen his canvases somewhere. “Oh yeah, I think I saw them...” The spirit got up off the bed and went over to the far side of the room, where the bookshelf was, and grabbed the canvases from the top of it. “I think you’re starting to lose your mind in your old age,” she said with a laugh, holding them out to him. 

[elijahwebb]

‘Lola’ playing in the room, Elijah hummed along quietly as he sorted out art supplies on the floor- he spent most of his morning stealing from the dorms, stocking up on paint and brushes. He grabbed the duller hued tubes, the blacks and browns, and stood up, shuffling over to a drawer and tossing them in. The ghost made his way back to the bed, crouching down and peering underneath. “Fuck,” he huffed out, brow furrowing as he pushed himself up. He could have sworn he had a couple of canvases left. “Where the fuck are they?”

[chandler-murdoch]

Chandler was sitting on the bed, reading a book as Eli sorted through the art supplies he gathered from the living residents. She looked over at the spirit when he swore, furrowing her brow. “Where the fuck are what?” 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Elijah chuckled along with Chandler, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him. “Anytime,” he replied with a faint smile, keeping her in the embrace. “… You’re not just saying that, right?” he asked after a beat, pulling away a little to look at her. “Because, I do wanna help.”

“No, I’m not just saying that,” Chandler replied, giving him a small smile. “I would probably still be feeling miserable if you hadn’t shown up.” She leaned over, giving Eli a gentle kiss on the cheek. “You do help, I promise.” 

[chandler-murdoch]

elijahwebb:

Eli chewed on his lip, looking up to her with a faint, sad grin. “I see,” he murmured, letting out a low sigh. “Well, maybe we can try to fix this. I want to help you when you’re feeling bad. Or at least, try,” the ghost said. “Will you try to tell me when stuff’s bothering you from now on?”

“Yeah, I’ll try,” Chandler replied, nodding her head. “And if I’m being honest, just you being here made me feel about a thousand times better, so I don’t think you really have to try that hard to help.” She let out a faint chuckle before wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug. “Thank you.”