Atropa Belladonna || Homika and Janine || CLOSED
"Janine," the ninja answered lamely, offering a hand in return. They shook. It was a relief to the girl that Homika did not pick up on her awkward realization.
She would’ve followed up with “The Ninja Master of Fuchsia City,” which was her official title now, but having recognized Homika, Janine herself wanted to prove that she was just as recognizable. And people from out of the country generally associated her title with someone else. She decided upon, "I’m Koga’s daughter."
The title fit her like that ugly sweater your grandmother bought you for Christmas, but it was the only sweater she had.
Feeling sufficiently sub-par, Janine turned her sights onto the haunted mansion. There was a strange energy coming from it, similar to the energy she’d felt the last time she took a trip to Lavender Tower. There was also a strange glow coming from one of the windows, a flickering blue light. Was someone up there watching television?
The thought of “someone up there” freaked her out. She turned back to the girl next to her.
"How much do you know about this place?" she asked. Her own knowledge was quite extensive for someone who had never been to Sinnoh, let alone this decrepit chateau. She’d known where it was, for instance, and that the people of Gardenia tended to stay away from it. She knew that the reason for this was because it was haunted.
Janine wasn’t superstitious, but she was a little stitious. It came with the title of ninja. She’d known of the existence of other realms linked to spirits, and if she had gone there then she saw no reason why spirits couldn’t come to this realm.
She did not fear ghost types, despite the type weakness. She’d trained in Lavender Tower for this express purpose. It wasn’t pokemon she was afraid of.
When she turned back to the house, the light from the window was gone. This wasn’t making her feel any better.
"You’re right," she said, swallowing her nervousness. They’d have to go in sooner or later. "Let’s get started."
She went first up to the old house, Homika (hopefully) following behind. Janine resolved to show no weakness, but that was a little hard when she went to grab the doorknob and it disappeared in her hand.
"D-did you see that?" she asked her partner, thoroughly spooked.
Homika stared incredulously at the disappearing doorknob. She blinked several times, unwilling to believe what her eyes had just shown her.
"Wh-What?"
Homika quickly moved to the door, fear forgotten in the wake of her immediate curiosity.
"How is that even possible?!"
She grasped at the empty space previously occupied by the old, rusting doorknob and came up empty as well, snatching at it two or three times. Confounded, she reached into the hole where the inner workings of the knob had been, attempting to yank the door open. It wouldn't budge, and she made an angry, frustrated noise.
"Arceus! Why won't it open?!"
For some reason, Homika had forgotten her trepidation in favor of frustration. Doorknobs did not just disappear, and whatever ghost thought it was funny had another thing coming! Childish pranks would not work on Homika!
She frowned at it and glanced at her partner for answers, finding her still in relative shock at this most recent of events. Homika refused to be foiled by something so simple as this. After all, they had to get inside. If they turned back now, they would fail, and Homika was not one to accept that easily, or at all. No one would call her a scaredy-cat! Giving herself a slight pep talk in her head, she began shooting ideas rapidly at Janine.
"Well if this stupid dump is gonna mess with us, let it! I ain't afraid of no ghost! We'll just have to find another way in!"
Feeling rankled enough that she didn't notice her slip in speech, she marched off without another word, following the ivy-covered wall of the house through an overgrown hedge in search of a window.
