Chapter Text
Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. Chandrah stretched its limbs as it watched the group of kids run away. They were kids, right? They had to be, judging by their size. Confused, Chandrah kicked over the gems on the mandala bord it was standing on. Was that blood on the soles of its feet? Feet! A corporeal form! These kids had actually gotten the ritual right! Oh boy, that would scar them for life - if they didn’t think it was cool. Kids nowadays…
Wait, if this really was Earth and this summoning ritual had really been successful, then that meant…
Carefully, Chandrah moved an alabaster-skinned foot off the mandala board, then, even slowlier, shifted its weight onto it. Really, it stood firmly on the ground instead of sinking through. So, Chandrah hopped right off, feeling the parking lot asphalt under its feet. A wide grin spread across its face. Freedom! Finally! Well, not really. There was no going back to the realm of the dead now, unless banished back to it, but from what Chandrah had been able to see throughout cracks between realms and gather from reports of previously summoned ghosts and spirits, the art of banishing demons was mostly forgotten nowadays. So… It seemed like Chandrah would be here for a while. Might as well take a look around, right? So, Chandrah morphed into a mockingbird and decided to go for a late night flight.
The streets were lit, most windows however dark. Sometimes, one lone person would walk down the side-walk, either quickly and hurriedly or in swirly lines. But the first thing that really caught Chandrah’s attention was a gathering of many people dancing to loud music. A summoning? No, a party! Perhaps… It was time for a little test. After spending some time on a rooftop, watching the attendants, Chandrah hopped down to hide behind one of the large speakers and morphed into the form of a young woman with curly blonde hair, striking green eyes and a full face of pink-shaded makeup on, matching pink jewelry, heart-shaped sunglasses and a pink, low-cut dress. People these days liked color, right? Sneaking onto the dancefloor was easy and apparently, Chandrah already had the dancing down too, because it only took a few minutes for a man to notice her.
“Hey, pretty thing, I’ve never seen you here before.”
His breath stank and he seemed mentally really far away, yet physically apparently present.
“Yeah, I’m new here”, Chandrah said. The voice sounded nice. Human.
“What’s your name, baby?”
“... Charikleia.”
“What?”
“... Charlie.”
But the man just laughed, drooling in the corner of his mouth. Chandrah scrunched her face in repulsion. She turned around on her heels to leave, but the man grabbed her by the arm. However, he was unprepared for her reaction: She slapped him across the face before he finished closing his fist. Suddenly, all eyes were on Chandrah. So, humans were opposed to hitting people without warning? Interesting. It seemed this was not the correct way to set up boundaries. Disgusted, Chandrah wiped her drool-covered hand on her dress, then shrugged. As if nothing had happened, she made her way through the crowd on the dancefloor, just leaving the intoxicated man behind. As soon as she knew she was out of sight for the party guests, Chandrah morphed back into a mockingbird and flew away. The night was still young. There was a lot left to explore. Unfortunately, since it was nighttime, the streets were not very lively. Chandrah did hear music every now and then, but decided another party was not a point of interest right now. It did peek into lit windows every now and then, seeing some very interesting scenes. One of those windows, however, was downright fascinating.
At first, it seemed like nothing at all. A room filled with shelves, two tables and a few chairs. However, what was on one of those tables intrigued Chandrah. From what it could tell, a man had fallen asleep while working on an odd device with a handle and a funnel-shaped body with a monitor and small lamps at its side. The dimly lit office featured a large picture of a very beautiful woman - Marilyn Monroe, if Chandrah recalled correctly, it had met her in the afterlife at some point in time - and many other things, including a pig and a football player. All of the shelves were filled with weird devices, most of them boxy with gauges and lights. A smirk spread across Chandrah’s lips. With a smirk, it transformed into its spectral form to phase through the wall. Suddenly, the device in the man’s hand started blinking rapidly, a set of “wings” jumping out from the main body’s sides. Panicked, Chandrah transformed back into a mockingbird, just in time for the man to wake up. He looked around confusedly and grabbed his glasses off the desk. The device he had been holding had returned to its normal state. Confused, he turned it in his hand, then scanned the room again, pointing the device in different directions, until… he came to a halt looking at the window. Chandrah watched him with its head angled to the side. Slowly, he approached the window and as he came closer, the wings at the side of the device extended bit by bit. A realization like an electric shock hit Chandrah. Immediately, it flew away. This man studied the paranormal and that device could detect it.
Chandrah landed in a tree and morphed back into its natural demon form. What an interesting discovery. Perhaps… Yes, maybe, perhaps this could be a way to pass time. At least a bit of time. Of course, it would never last until the next end of the world, but maybe it was at least worth a try. Or two. Or five. Theoretically, Chandrah could take as many forms as it pleased until the man let one of them get close enough to learn. Now was the time for a game of pretend, a bet taken with oneself over just how long it would take the man to figure out what Chandrah truly was.
The next morning, Chandrah had taken on the form of a young human male with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He soon discovered that this building the man worked at was a university. Columbia University, to be exact.
“Excuse me”, Chandrah asked a middle-aged man with messy hair and grey eyes, “Do you know how to get to the paranormal studies people?”
“Are you here for the ESP test?” the man mumbled.
Chandrah thought for a second, then nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
Suddenly, the man grinned. “Then you’re already there!” He seized Chandrah’s hand. “I’m Doctor Peter Venkman and I’m in charge of the test. And you are?”
“Charlie Drake.”
“Fantastic, Charlie”, Venkman said, patted his shoulder, then let go and walked off down a hallway.
Charlie followed him, a smirk spreading across his face.
“Do you know what ESP is?”
“Honestly, no.”
It was a weird human term for supernatural stuff, no doubt.
“Extra-sensory perception.”
“ Oh . Mind-reading, clairvoyance, all that stuff, right?”
“Yeah! See, you’re a natural!”
Damn right, I am.