Chapter Text
The morning was young and the smell of coffee filled the lungs of each ghost and the stomachs of livings. Jay, local unable-to-see-ghosts living chef, was cooking some bacon while Sam, local able-to-see-ghosts living journalist, looked at random articles.
"Why's bacon called bacon if you cook it?" Asked the spirit of a hippie who tried to befriend a bear by hugging it, only to be killed (drugs were involved), Flower.
"Why are cookies called cookies if you bake them? It's sort of thematic." Added ghost daddy, Pete. Who blew Flower's undead mind as she looked at her hands, watching the trails as she thought about it.
"That's gonna throw me off for the rest of this week..." Flower said, though the others swear she has said it before.
"Speaking of throwing off, Samantha, you are drinking tea this morning instead of your typical morning brew" pointed out Samantha's ancestor, Hetty.
"Oh yeah, I decided to switch it up a little," Samantha said, smiling slightly, "It's British breakfast tea."
As if she had summoned the spiritual bloke, Nigel Chessum, a British officer from the 1770s, entered through the pantry that led to the back of the house. He smelled the air, clearly drawn by the beverage Samantha had.
"I say, is that what I believe it to be?" Nigel asked Samantha, who smiled.
"Yeah, it's British breakfast tea. I decided to switch it up a little." She repeated to him.
"I see you have taste then." Nigel nodded with approval. Thorfinn, the oldest ghost among them all, glanced at Alberta, the famous jazz singer.
"Unlike Alberta with small ugly hat," He said, before laughing, "YES! Thor is genius." He announced with victory of finding the insult.
"Again, not taking notes about hats from a man who wore a metal helmet during a thunderstorm." Alberta scoffed with annoyance over the viking's arrogance.
Nigel glanced around at the tension.
"I don't see a reason you should show such hostility to your friend, Thorfinn." Nigel told the man, confused over said hostility.
"Thor not see why Nigel should show small ugly bullet hole." Thorfinn argued back, laughing. Every ghost stared at him. His laughter ceased quickly.
"Thor, I don't think you can say that." Samantha interjected, worried about how Nigel would have taken the comment.
"What's Thor said?" Asked Jay, as per usual, this was a typical sentence to hear from Jay.
"He just told Nigel he shouldn't show his bullet hole." Fibbed Samantha.
"Whoa, that's not cool, big guy. Too soon." Jay told the viking, though not directly looking at him, as Jay cannot see the Ghostly roommates he had.
"But was just a joke! Thor not being mean!" Thorfinn tried to argue.
All of this was rather muffled to Nigel, who replayed the saying over and over and over again. He straightened his posture, though he hadn't realised he had been slouching.
"It's quite alright," he told the group. "It was just...banter. yes...banter." he told to clear up Thorfinn's mistake.
"See? Thorfinn innocent!" Thorfinn told.
"Are you sure?" Pete asked Nigel, "it was really rude..."
"It's fine. Just...a jab a bit too serious. I take it you will not being saying such things again though, My vistigious viking friend?" He asked Thorfinn, who nodded.
"Yes, Thor apologise. So, all good now." The clueless viking said.
"Well, I should go." Nigel announced quickly.
"Are you sure? How bout those nineties is about to preview it's next episode." Isaac, Nigel's ex-fiancé, questioned.
"I am quite sure. I do not wish to...intrude." he told, turning and leaving rather quickly. A bit too quickly for everyone's liking.
"Great work, Thor." Alberta said sarcastically.
"Was mistake! Thor not realise was insult!" Thorfinn said desperately.
"You never talk about a ghost's injury like that, Thor, buddy." Pete said. "But, you do seem genuinely sorry, and Nigel saw that. So, hopefully he doesn't take it to heart."
Nigel returned to the shed, where his soldiers, Baxter and Jenkins, and Baxter's wife, Carol, were debating some random topic. He merely ignored them, sitting on his own cot and thinking. Catching their interest.
"Sir, are you alright?" Asked his fife player, Baxter.
"Yes, quite so." Nigel answered too bluntly for their liking.
"Has something happened?" Jenkins pressed. Nigel stayed silent, as if in thought, for a moment. Before sighing.
"It's nothing much, Thorfinn merely made a rather....insensitive comment on my fatal injury." Nigel told them.
"Well that's just rude." Carol said, Baxter quickly put a hand out to just tell her to be quiet silently.
"What's did he say?" Asked Baxter. Nigel glanced at him.
"Well, I had commented on how Thorfinn should be kinder to his friends. Specifically Alberta, as he keeps insulting her hat...in response...he told me I shouldn't walk around with my "small ugly" bullet hole on display."
The fellow shed ghosts gasped.
"Not show your bullet hole?" Asked Jenkins with a weirdly offended monotone voice. "Why should you be ashamed? It's your injury, not his. This is injustice, I say we go over there and-"
"It is fine. He was trying to be clever, he did not see the fact the quip was rather insulting." Nigel defended, cutting Jenkins off. "He made a mistake. I am simply...reeling over it. It did not offend me. I am fine." He reassured, though his shed-mates were not entirely convinced.