"And stay outta my room!" she finished loudly, not bothering to shut the door behind her incase Fatale blocked her in again.

Stalking back into the belfry, Karli took up her stance at the bottom of the stairs again, staring up towards the top of the flight. Still that damn spectre hadn't moved... she was perplexed.

Afraid to approach, but utterly unable to just walk away, she simply stood there again regarding the spectre that regarded her back dully.

I wonder if he sees me in the same manner I see him? she wondered to herself, outlining the trap door to the bell room with her eyes as she stared through the detached creature.

There was little different about this spirit from that of any other dwarf, short of the grotesquely large eyes that stared back at her occasionally. Huge eyes, of the same form as fish or toads, just void of everything. Not even a hint of detail could be found within the pits which were the bulbous eyes of this man who sat hunched over on the top step.

Was he sat there for a reason? A sentry perhaps? She had no clue, but how much longer could she simply stand there watching? The bats she knew resided up there had decidedly made it impossible for her to study or read some nights.

This has to end, she finally decided, removing her cloak and taking to the air.

Doing her damnedest to avoid touching the wood and causing any vibrations that might be picked up by the specter, she tediously ascended the stairs within the core of the spiral. Light seemed to be a limited commodity she noted the higher she got. Crossing her arms against her chest in both a defensive and non-predatory manner, she studied the spectre as she drew closer yet.

The closer she got, the more his form seemed to vaporize before her. She didn't understand why it was she best saw these things from afar and keeping them in focus at close range was nearly enough to split her head in two some days. Halting in her ascent two arms length from the step the spirit rested on, Karli buried every common reaction that arose as the creature turned it's onyx eyes towards her suddenly.

Not flinching, unmoving, not even daring to think, Karli held that gaze and fought off a shudder before nodding to the creature slowly in what she hopped was a respectful manner. Preparing herself for a freefall should the spirit be agitated, Karli awaited their next move expectantly.

The spirits head twitched slightly and Karli guessed he was checking her out. The urge to flee arose in her and just as he was placing her at her most paranoid point, slowly he rose from his spot.

That was when Karli noticed the lack of both hands and feet upon the creature... More perplexed then paranoid now, she simply stared and watched the spectre as it reluctantly left it's place at the stairs it had been holding for near a day and silently glide down the pathway the stairs created towards the entrance to the foyer. Karli felt a twang of guilt for having made him move as his despondent, unmoving gait reached the bottom of the stairs and disappeared as it breeched the doorway.

Fatale growled and barked loudly at the unseen presence he felt pass by him, bounding into the room faithfully to check on his tiny master.

"It's okay boy," Karli reassured him from the darkness she knew he could see her so well within. Watching him plunk himself down suddenly on the spot, she turned to stare at the hatch above her. The hatch she had not a clue what awaited her on the other side.

Petty stood with his thoughts, something seemed wrong within him, first was wonderment with why Karli reacted as she did, this turned to frustration of not knowing nearly as much as he wished this turned to anger for no apparent reason.

MY haunt, MY room I don’t want this, I don’t what that, who is she to place words of ownership on things and rules to govern by and what is the lady doing in the belfry?……Damn wolf, not going to kill it just to get past…

Petty closed his eyes, crossed his arms and tilted his head back for which was but moments, a slight movement of the wolf brought Petty to open his eyes and slowly bring his head back to a forward facing position.

Hmmm……see

Petty nodded to himself and walked to the doorway that the wolf had left unguarded.

"Can I help you?" Karli asked nonchalantly without removing her gaze from the hatch, taking her cue from Fatale's sounds of movements as he turned about for some reason.

Laying one hand on the latch, the other on the door, Karli cracked the hatch door open just a smidgen before pressing her face against the bell room floor, straining to peek in without putting herself in harms way.

"I wonder what you are doing, not much up there apart from bats and…one more bat, but more importantly what you are doing here in this place? Are you, believe you are the owner?" asked Petty of Karli not paying much attention to the Wolf near him as he stepped up a few steps of the stairs. A shudder of rage flooded through him as he looked up at Karli.

"You do refer to The Archive Room as ‘My Room’ does that mean you own it? And this place as ‘My haunt’, so it is yours? Belongs to you?"