Chapter 2, Episode 11

Transcript: Chapter 2, Episode 11

In his nightshirt and trunks, Blaze sits on the edge of his kitchen counter while steeping a cup of glowing sage tea. He begins to say, “Okay, here’s your…”

Looking up, Blaze is startled to see the smoky ghost leaning back against the adjacent counter, no longer wearing his trench coat. He now wears a dark button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The shirt bears the same large, inky splotch in the center as his coat, and he still wears his light-colored slacks. Blaze asks, “How did you do that?” The ghost replies, “Do what?” Blaze says, “Take off your coat. I’ve never seen a ghost do that.” The ghost replies, “Really?”

With an odd smile, Blaze says, “Usually, ghosts need… outside help to take off their clothes.”

With a flippant smile, the ghost shrugs and says, “I don’t know what to tell you. This is all new to me. But if I never need a hand taking off my clothes, I’ll let you know.”

Blaze smirks flirtatiously in response and holds out the teacup.

The ghost’s hand reaches for the cup.

The ghost’s hand passes through the cup in a messy blur, and he cries, “Damn it!”

Staring angrily down at his clenched fist, the ghost says, “I keep doing that.”

Blaze claps his hands together with a reassuring smile and says, “It’s all right! There’s a learning curve. You need to focus your entire mind on what you’re trying to grab.”

Blaze’s hand holds out the cup, and he says, “Here. Try again.”

The ghost’s hand clasps firmly around Blaze’s hand, which holds the cup.

The ghost’s hand closes around the cup, and Blaze pulls his hand away, saying “Nice!”

With an amorous smile and hooded eyes, Blaze says, “You’ve got a great grip.

The ghost smirks and holds out the cup, then says, “Maybe you should drink this. You look thirsty as hell.”

“Oh, I’m the thirsty one?” Blaze asks, leaning forward so his breath puffs against the ghost’s mouth. The ghost, stone-faced, says, “You’re playing with fire, Tofu…” Blaze replies, “Name’s Blaze, actually,” and the ghost says, “That’s even worse.”

The ghost leans back against the counter, glancing across the room. He pauses, then says, “I’m surprised you could afford a place like this. Didn’t realize spirit seeing was so lucrative.” Blaze, perched on the edge of the counter with his knees drawn up to his chest, says, “Ha, I wish. I got a great deal. Turns out haunted 13th floor apartments aren’t so easy to rent out.”

Blaze says, “But I don’t mind the ghost roommates. We’re all friends now.” An aerial view shows Blaze and Alastor looking out from the kitchen into the living room, where there are three ghosts. David sits on the floor, peering into the earpiece of a telephone receiver. A smoky ghost with a cap and fleece-collared coat, who appeared at the dining table after Vern’s appointment the day before, lies across the sofa and says to a ghost sprawled on the floor with a puddle of liquid below her mouth, “Ugh, again with the reenactment, Lottie?” Lottie, wearing a 1980s-era flower nightgown and curlers in her hair, replies, “Piss off, I’m processing my trauma.”

Blaze smiles to the smoky ghost beside him and says, “There’s about a dozen of them. And a dozen more I adopted from thrift stores. They come and go when they feel like it.”

The ghost closes his eyes and takes a sip of his tea.

The ghost’s glowing eyes open, his eyebrows furrowed.

Staring at Blaze from behind as Blaze opens a kitchen drawer, the ghost asks, “Have we met before?”

Blaze glances over his shoulder and says, “That line again? No. I forget a lot of things, but I never forget a person’s energy.”

The ghost’s gaze lowers, and he frowns contemplatively. He pauses, then says, “Hmm.”

A logo appears: Into the Smoke. Intothesmokecomic.com

An image shows nine ghost hands converging to pet Otto, a content fat black cat. Each hand has several names written on it. Text reads: Special Thanks to my Patrons. Pledge on Patreon at patreon.com/bob_artist. The words “Pledge on Patreon” are crossed out and replaced with the words, “Pet Otto.” An additional URL reads intothesmokecomic.com.