Caleb checked his watch for the third time in five minutes, as if that would make the time pass faster. There were no other buildings around to spend his time, just the lonely old Undergrove manor, which was locked. The home was massive, elaborate and centuries old. Houses that ancient tend to attract tragedy and rumours, which unfortunately lead to the locals claiming it was haunted.

Now Caleb had his fair share of experience with the supernatural: Vampires, Ghosts, Fairies, Spellcasters like himself and all manner of other creatures. But all of these were physical, tangible, visible, not the barely-there remnants of long-dead people. Still, his client, an older, very eccentric woman, believed wholeheartedly in this stuff, so he had to humour her. He was supposed to be in there by now, giving his client a tour of the house and tolerating the ghost hunter she was dragging along, but they were both nearly a full hour late, leaving Caleb standing out in the nippy cold.

Luckily, he didn't have any other plans, but still, not even a call? He checked his watch again and sighed, lifting off of his car. It wasn't all bad though, if this deal went through he'd get a massive bonus, and he'd have the leverage he needs to ask his boss for a promotion. Caleb walked up the porch steps to the ornate stained glass front doors. The house was the classic colonial style, similar to others in the area, but it was full of beautifully intricate stained glass pieces. Even the doorknobs were beautifully crafted bulbs of swirling glass. Haunted or not, Caleb would gladly live here.

Finally, a small sedan rolled up in front of the gravel road and parked behind his car. As Caleb approached, someone tumbled out of the passenger's seat, landing on his palms.

What an entrance.

Caleb rushed over to help, but he got back on his feet quickly, seemingly unharmed. Up close, Caleb gets a better look at him. He was pale as a sheet and was nearly a foot shorter than Caleb, maybe less. He was practically drowning in his clothes, which are mostly black from head to toe. The only hint of colour was a pair of silver horn-rimmed glasses, swinging from a rope around his neck. His inky black hair was barely tied back by a struggling bandana and around his neck was a silver and onyx carved talisman.

He was quite a sight, but the woman who left the car after him was just as eccentric. Ms Alaniz changed her look more often than a chameleon because her wardrobe dated back centuries. The last time they'd met, she'd dressed like she was an extra from grease, complete with a poodle skirt and perfectly coiffed curls. This time her hair had been left in its natural state: a wild curly mane. She was wearing a billowing white blouse, floral bell-bottoms and flip flops, completely ignoring the fact that it was the middle of winter and the temperature was in the single digits. As she walked towards the house, she clicked with every step, probably due to the mountain of beads she was wearing.

Ms Alaniz ignored his outstretched hand and hugged him. "Caleb, this is Li, the man we spoke about yesterday. He'll go through the house with us to look for anything out of the ordinary." She explained as she gave Caleb the house keys.

"Hey." Li greeted as he caught up to them, smiling faintly up at Caleb, which lets Caleb notice the five or so pens in his wavy hair and behind his ears. "Sorry for being so late. Ms Alaniz forgot the house key, so we had to double back to get it."

Ms Alaniz had wandered off as he said that, not paying them any attention as she studied the multicoloured window. Caleb didn't blame her. The manor was a fascinating place which oozed with centuries of history. Caleb longed to study every single bit of it, but he was here for another task.

Maybe next time.

"It's fine. I know how spacey she can be." Caleb sighed. "So, you're the ghost... hunter?" Caleb wasn't exactly well-versed in ghost terminology, and it took a lot not to burst out laughing from that question alone.

Li grimaced. "I prefer exorcist. I'm here to help them move on, not to trap them or upset them."

Caleb nodded as if he believed or understood him; There was no need to immediately antagonize him out the gate.

"I'll keep that in mind." Caleb held up the keys. "Let's head in."

Caleb followed Li around the Undergrove Manor, watching him runabout with a bundle of Jasmine incense, knee deep in a mountain of dust as he dashed about. As Li ran about, following some unseen "energy", Caleb took the opportunity to tell Ms Alaniz the history of the house. The manor was just as gorgeous on the inside as it was on the outside. Several more pieces of magnificently decorated the home.

They were in the parlour now, which featured the largest stained glass window in the manor as well as many other stained glass odds and ends. Caleb promised him self once more he'd come back and just get lost exploring the place.

"This piece is the oldest in the County, made by the same unknown artist as many other pieces in the area," Caleb explained. "It was commissioned by the heiress García-Alaniz for her and her companion and Miss Davis." The window was across from the fireplace, reflecting the warm light. It intricately depicted a woman picking flowers in a meadow while another picked berries.

"Companion?" Li asked, stopping in his tracks to squint up at the beautiful glass.

"It's unclear what the nature of their relationship is, but they were very close friends and very likely more." Caleb clarified. "It makes sense they wouldn't be open about their relationship back then."

Li paused, lips pursed as he stared up at the glass for another moment. "I think we'll start the ritual here."

"What ritual?"

"A seance. Can you help me move the couch back?" Li asked as he opened his overstuffed satchel and pulled out some supplies: Three scented candles, a lighter, a small leather-bound book and a sharpie.

"Sure." Caleb flicked his hand back without a thought, dragging the couch back. He wasn't born using magic but it had long since become part of him.

"Thanks." Li crouched on the floor, sharpie in hand. "Step back, please. I need to draw a summoning circle."

"Draw? You're going to draw on the floor?" Caleb asked, exasperated. "The over three-hundred-year-old mahogany floor? In sharpie?"

Li hesitated for a moment. "...yes?"

"No... that's. Just-" No magic was worth destroying a piece of history. "Here. I use this at historical sights all the time."

"Thanks." Li started to draw on the 'three-hundred-year-old mahogany' with surprising ease: A wide circle with a triangle in the middle and an opened eye in the centre of that. The points of the triangle touched the circle. He placed a lit scented candle at each point. "Please sit around the circle." He asked as he did just that.

"Caleb, do you know the names of the woman and her 'companion'?" Li asked.

"Rosalyn García-Alaniz and Abigail Davis," Caleb answered. He knew quite a bit about the area, especially this house. The stained glass and other art it was famous for was a subject of minor obsession for him.

"Thank you. Now. let's all close our eyes and take a deep breath. Rosalyn, are you there?"

No answer at first, of course, but ghosts aren't known for being chatty. "Abigail Davis?" He asked. He paused again. "Abigail. Is that you?"

Again, no response, but Caleb felt something shift in the energy of the room. The chalk ring started to glow a pale white. The chalk burned brighter, the candle flames grew in intensity, flickering between orange and blue.

Of course, Caleb was not convinced, any magical charlatan could make candles flicker and casting rings to glow. "Abigail. I know you're here. We just want to talk."

Still no response; Caleb sighed and Ms Alaniz cleared her breath. Caleb can't help but feel slight second-hand embarrassment, but also relief; the sooner this haunting was debunked the sooner they could move on.

"Abi-"

The slow rumble of building energy was the only warning for what happened next. The room began to tremble, softly at first, like the purr of a cat, before slowly escalating till everything not bolted down swayed back and forth, trinkets tipping over onto the floor. Once that happened, Caleb rose to his feet, leaving the circle to rescue what objects he could, because preserving the manor's history was way more important than this supernatural nonsense.

His back was turned to Li and Ms Alaniz when he heard the former yelp. He turned to see him clutching his ears, clamping down as if to block out something horrible.

Ms Alaniz reached out to grab Li's shoulder. "Li, what the fuck is that?" She shouted as if she was trying to be heard over something loud.

Caleb glanced between the two of them, brows drawn together. "What's happening? I can't hear anything."