Reunion

[Lorenzo Lazuli]

Lorenzo stood in the hallway of the otherwise empty house that he had once called his own. He gazed through the window set into the front door, watching, waiting. The ghost was excited for this, as much as he could get excited these days. He would finally get to see his daughter, for the first time since that strange encounter in the Borely Mansion. There was so much he hadn't asked then, so much they hadn't said. Now, in the summer holidays approaching Christmas, he could get to know her again. What a Christmas present.

Esmerelda was out somewhere, probably searching for more conventional Christmas gifts. And so forth. Lorenzo was alone in the house, and glad of it, for the moment. His relationship with his widow and murderer was, understandably, somewhat fraught. He hoped he could get along with Lapis better. Although he hadn't seen his daughter for the four years since his death, Lorenzo could see in his mind every shade of her eyes, every contour of her smile. He knew her so well. Knew that she would be at once heartbroken and overjoyed to see him like this, knew that she would bombard him with questions. Questions that she should have known the answers to long before now. The ghost promised himself that he would hide his anger about that. Lapis, he thought, has the right to make her own judgements. Though in her place, I would be furious.

Lorenzo was startled out of this line of thought by the appearance of a familiar figure. His daughter, walking nonchalantly along the path towards him. She had changed so much, and yet not a bit.

 

[Lapis Lazuli]

Lapis Lazuli opened the gate casually, and strolled along the garden path to her home. It was great to be back in Dunedin, the city she'd always considered home. A lot had happened since the start of the term, and the Ravenclaw was planning to talk things over with her mother, come to an understanding, go back to school happier. She was unaware that she would soon be facing an understanding of a different kind entirely. Lapis brushed against bushes intentionally, contentedly. The garden had always been wild, and she loved it.

Lapis brushed a strand of straight dark hair away from her face, and fumbled in a pocket for her key. She knew she'd be home before Esmerelda, but hadn't been expecting the man on the other side of the door. It creeeeaked open slowly, passing through the figure of her father. Lapis stopped, in shock.

"Dad?!" she exclaimed incredulously, stepping inside. "But- what- why?" Although the tall girl was usually rather more eloquent than this, the sight of Lorenzo's ghost had reduced her to stuttering. She'd known he was around, known he was dead, met him at the Borely Mansion, but to find him here, in her house so unexpectedly . . . Lapis had overheard fragments of the truth about her father's death, but now she was gripped with an overwhelming desire to comprehend just what had happened four years ago. However, there were other emotions to be dealt with first.
"I want to hug you," said Lapis helplessly. Suddenly, absurdly, she burst into tears. I should be happy, she thought in confusion. I shouldn't be crying. I don't want to be crying. But cry she did, too young to properly know how she felt about the whole situation. Just as she had been too young when her father had died.