The Illusionist (H)

Will. Thirty. Ghost.

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

Eliza paused, nodding her head lightly. “… Would you want a photo of yourself?” She asked, blue eyes on him for a moment before looking down to her lap. “I’m sure I could find a camera around here somewhere. And you might not be alive in it, but you could be performing in it.” She smiled faintly, glancing back to Will.

“Hmm...” William took a moment to think over Eliza’s offer before nodding his head. “Yeah, sure. Why not?” He replied, smiling at her. “My nest step was to cheer you up with some magic, anyway, so might as well let you take some pictures while I’m at it,” he chuckled.

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

Eliza rolled her eyes at the comment, her gaze landing on him with an arched brow. “Very funny,” she said dryly, staring at the back of the picture. Part of her wished she didn’t tell him about it - bringing up her old husband just felt… strange. At least, bringing him up in front of Will felt strange. “… Thank you. I always preferred taking photos over being in them, so this was rare.”

William nodded his head in understanding. He was also never a big fan of cameras, even though he had pictures taken almost daily during his life. “You know, I don’t think I even have a photo of myself,” he admitted, furrowing his brow. “I know there’s plenty out there... or at least, there was, but I don’t have one myself,” he chuckled, shrugging a shoulder. “Never really thought much about it, I mean, I know what I look like. But I suppose it would’ve been nice to have a photo from when I was alive, and performing...” He rambled, his gaze travelling to look out the window.

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

Eliza paused, her gaze following his carefully to the photo in her lap. She flipped it over for Will to see, cheeks turning the faintest red. “It’s just of me and Simon. We’re smiling and I was trying to remember why were happy in that moment…” she sighed lightly, turning it back so they couldn’t see it. “Like I said, it’s stupid. I’ll probably remember it later.”

William looked at the photo when Eliza turned it over for him to see, his smile returning to his lips. “Well, I’m pretty sure Simon was happy because he had such a beautiful woman by his side,” he said, laughing just a little bit. “Haven’t the foggiest why you might’ve been so happy, though,” he teased. “Nevertheless, it's a nice picture.”

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

Eliza pressed her lips together, debating whether or not to tell William to leave her alone - normally she would have been more than happy to spend time with her friend, but she wasn’t too sure if she was up for his unwavering cheerfulness. “Just… it’s nothing. It’s stupid,” she said, glancing over to him. “I can’t… I was looking at an old photograph and couldn’t remember why I took it. Stupid.”

Will’s smile faltered as Eliza spoke, his eyes still on her. He decided that, at least for the moment, he should try to act a little more serious. “What’s the photo of?” He asked, glancing down to see the back of the picture.

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

Eliza sat beside a window on the third floor, brow furrowed as rain hit the pane. Fingers tapped against the glass for a mere second before letting out a sigh, glancing down to the photo in her lap - an aging photograph of her and her husband, the man smiling down to her as she looked into the camera with a wide grin. A happy moment, but the blonde couldn’t remember why they took the photo. She pursed her lips before flipping it over, just looking at the picture made her upset. However, hearing a familiar voice, Eliza lifted her head up at the sound. “Everything’s alright,” she said in a tired tone, wanting to give William a smile to punctuate the words, but unable to. She stuffed the photo into her pocket, chewing on her lip. “You seem… chipper today, Will.”

William couldn’t help but laugh a little at Eliza’s comment, giving his shoulders a bit of a shrug. “When am I not?” He questioned teasingly nudging her gently. The spirit took a seat beside the blonde, his gaze drifting to observe the rain for a moment before turning back to look at her. He hated seeing people upset, especially if those people were friends. “What’s got you so down?” He asked, his tone genuine. “Anything in particular, or is it just one of those days?” 

[william-lindberg]

( @elizabuchanan​ )

Even for a guy like William, the house could get rather... boring, at times. Especially when most of the students were in class or busy with other school things. He made his life --and death-- around entertaining people, but there seemed to be no one around to entertain. Seemed being the operative word, however, as he happened upon a familiar, and upset looking, blonde. “Everything alright?” He asked, giving her his usual, bright smile as he approached. 

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

Eliza poured coffee into his cup next, setting the pot down on the table before she sat down. Mid sip, she stopped at William’s suggestion, a well-maintained brow arching up. “You think so, huh?” She questioned, placing her cup back down in front of her. Blue eyes shifted from a red lipstick ring on her cup up to the man. “Is there anything in particular you want to do today out there?”

Will thanked Eliza as she filled his cup back up, taking a quick sip from it before setting it down on the table. “I do think so.” He nodded his head. “Anything in particular? Not really. I just kind of hate being stuck in the house on Halloween. I was planning on going out in a bit, but I figured you might like to join me.” He smiled at her, picking up his cup again and drinking from it.

[william-lindberg]

elizabuchanan:

( @william-lindberg )

Halloween was never one of Eliza’s favorite holidays - people were far too obnoxious on the day for her liking. Which was was why she was currently sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee with William. For a moment, her gaze shifted to the backdoor then back to her friend, giving him a half smile. She grabbed her cup and lifted it up to her lips… only to find that she finished her cup. With a sigh, she stood up and shuffled to the counter, picking up the pot of coffee. “Need a refill?“ Eliza asked as she poured her own cup.

“Maybe one more cup,” William replied, smiling at Eliza as he held out his cup for her to fill up again. "I don’t just want to sit around drinking coffee all day, though,” he laughed. “I think we should probably go out and do something, while we can.” If there was one thing Will hated, it was staying in the house during Halloween, the only day when he didn’t have to.

[elizabuchanan]

Eliza stared up at the sky, eyes widening as the fireworks started. Maybe it had been too many years since the spirit watched the show from outside, but she was… astounded. In only the way the blonde could be, only showing slight interest with a faint smirk. “… Not surprised you miss that,” Eliza replied to William, blue eyes flicking over to him for a moment before to the fireworks. “It must be a bit… disappointing for you. That you can only watch them here and not around everyone.”

[william-lindberg]

“It definitely is,” Will answered, looking back up at the fireworks. "I don’t always mind it, though. I’ve watched them plenty of times by myself, and they’re not any less colourful or... fireworky,” he laughed. “But I’ve got some very special company this year.” He nudged Eliza gently with his elbow, a faint grin on his face. “And she’s way better than the crowds downtown.”

[elizabuchanan]

Eliza’s smile widened for a mere second as William replied, moving to sit down beside him. She unfolded the blanket quickly and set it across her lap, letting some of it fall between the two. “Guess I made it here just in time then,” she said with a nod of her head. As she leaned back on her elbows, the blonde shifted her gaze from her friend to the sky, waiting to see when the first firework would pop off.

[william-lindberg]

“Lucky you,” Will chuckled, his attention moving from her to the sky. Not too long after Eliza had settled into her spot did the fireworks show finally start. It was a clear night, which made for an excellent view of the fireworks as they went off in the distance. “Sometimes, I miss being able to go downtown,” he confessed after a moment, glancing over to her. “Watching them with a crowd was always fun.”

[elizabuchanan]

The Fourth of July was never one of Eliza’s favorite holidays. With the festivities and those God awful, loud fireworks, she could barely handle it. However, her husband, Simon, loved it. So, she spent most Independence Days out on the town with him. Now that she was stuck in the house, she mostly spent the holiday hiding away in her room, occasionally looking out the window to see the lights in the sky. But, not this year. Spotting William out on the front lawn, the blonde debated for a moment before grabbing her own blanket and ghosting down beside him. “Mind if I join you, Houdini?” Eliza asked, a faint grin growing on her lips as she looked down to her friend.

[william-lindberg]

The show was about to start, and no one had joined William. It looked like we was going to be watching this year’s fireworks alone. He didn’t mind though, he was just glad he could see them at all. However, much to the illusionist’s surprise, he heard a familiar voice suddenly, and turned to face the woman. “Yeah, or course,” he replied with a smile, nodding his head and gesturing to a spot beside him. “The show’s about to start.”

[william-lindberg]

Independence Day was always one of William’s favourites. He loved the parties and the parades and the entire spirit of the holiday. But most of all, Will loved the fireworks. When he was alive, the illusionist enjoyed going downtown, wanting to be right in the middle of the crowds as the display went on, but ever since he died, that was no longer an option. Instead, William managed to find a very nice spot in the front yard, which gave him a near perfect view of the fireworks. He sat out there every year, and this year was no exception. Knowing the show was about to start, Will made his way out to the spot, laying out a blanket and sitting down on top of it. He usually watched them alone, but if someone wanted to join him, he wouldn’t be opposed. 

[eternalhousewife]

“No, no no. Not too often, just every once in a while, it’s really such a morbid topic,” Milly laughed softly. She could feel her cheeks warming, presumably turning just a tid bit pink from the embarrassment she felt. Talking about death was just one of the topics for her; not so easy to discuss, not something she wanted to be caught thinking about. “—-but those thoughts aside,” she smiled that motherly smile of hers. “I’ve seen you around, and silly me… I don’t think I’ve ever caught your name?”

[william-lindberg]

William laughed with her, nodding his head in understanding and agreement. He also noticed her cheeks turning pink, but he chose not to comment on it, knowing it would probably only make things worse for her. “Oh, I’m William,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand. “And I don’t believe I’ve ever caught your name, either...”

[poltergeistisms]

A long stare followed by a few short steps across the hall, Sam twisted the door knob to her room and let the door swing open in a swift motion. It was a particularly bland room; a bed, a desk, a rickety old chair, and more than enough post-mortem photographs scattered on the walls. Looking back to him, her expression was a bit… unreadable. “See for yourself.”

[william-lindberg]

William watched the girl as opened a door, presumably to her room. He pursed his lips, feeling suddenly uneasy with the whole situation. Maybe he was wrong, after all. But, never one to back down from anything, especially things that scared him, Will made his way over to the girl and peered into her room. “It seems I was mistaken,” he admitted, seeing nothing but a bland space. “My apologies.”

[poltergeistisms]

Flickering in out of sight, Sam eventually re-materialized —- standing just a bit further down the hall. “Then you ought to know you’ve taken a wrong turn. Nothing down here but my room, and my children’s room.”

[william-lindberg]

William wasn’t at all phased by the other spirits actions, as he had grown accustomed to doing things that that himself, in an attempt to frighten some of the living residents. “Are you sure about that?” He asked, still not convinced that he was wrong about his location. 

[eternalhousewife]

“Oh, just —- it’s awfully morbid, but I was simply thinking about death, and… well, how it’s so prominent in the house.” Now, normally Milly wouldn’t have opened up on the details right away, but she’d seen William around for decades, just never really spoke with him was all. He had to of understood where she was coming from. “Sort of a consuming topic,” she let out a lighthearted laugh as she brought her arms up to hug herself. “I didn’t mean to block your way.”

[william-lindberg]

“Do you often think about that?” William asked, admittedly a little concerned. Being trapped in the house since its early days, the illusionist had experienced his fair share of deaths, but he had learned to stop thinking too much about it years ago. “Because I would advise against it. Thinking about death too much isn’t good for you.” At Milly’s apology, Will smiled a little and waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t apologize. I’ve got pretty much forever to get where I’m going.”

[actressisms]

“An illusionist?” Tara echoed, and allowed a light laugh to escape her lips at his further comment. “That’s gotta suck, did you like, know Houdini or something?” Now, she wasn’t entirely sure if this spirit was telling the truth or not, but it excited her to think she could have been talking to someone who was famous once upon a time.

[william-lindberg]

“I didn’t know him, but I met him a couple times,” Will answered, glad the girl actually seemed interested in what he did. “I came up sort of after he died, though... But, people who did know him say I was just as good.” He grinned.