When the girls backed away, there was a long silence in the basement of the sorority house, a dead calm that came over the area as if the entire world knew what was coming. Birds didn't chirp outside, the wind didn't blow, and even if a pin dropped, it would make no sound in these moments. As more time passed, the silence became all to clear to the three girls, and just how alone each of them were despite being in the room together. Lights began to dim around them before finally a window blew open, breaking the silence. And still, there was no sign of anything being summoned...<br/><br/>More time passed, and still nothing more occurred... Or at least nothing apparent to the girls. Whispers rang through their ears, the whispers of the recently departed saying the last thing they treasured of the mortal plane before they were pulled to the next. The whispers also put them closer to the here-after, close enough to finally see the first sign of what was coming. Black feathers fell in the dimly lit basement, disappearing into nothingness before they hit the ground only to fall again from the aether above.<br/><br/>And then came a black clad figure, his body obscured by a cloak of darkness and a hood to hide his face, though the girls could barely see what lay under it. A white face, devoid of any notable features beyond bared teeth, the face appearing to made of bone.  In the being's right hand was held a large scythe, white and glowing in the shadow like a beacon. He held a list in his left hand, the length of which impossible to tell and with print of a language lost to man kind.<br/><br/>As the feathers began to disappear, the figure became more clear, as did the set of black wings drawn out of his back spread as wide as the room was across, the apparent source of the feather fall. The head beneath the hood slowly rose, showing bright blue eyes behind a horned oni mask, clearly of early Japanese origin. It was immaculately carved from pure ivory, which is what made it look of bone,  and upon the forehead was two marks, the Japanese kanji Shinigami. Despite the imposing appearance of the man who stood before him, assuming it was a man under the billowing robes, the blue eyes that lay behind the mask had a sense of calm that could only put a person at ease.<br/><br/>And then came a soft voice with a British accent, it's source only made apparent due to the fact that the only one in the room other than the girls was the man before them. "Um, I'm sorry. I believe I've come to the wrong place. Are any of you a Mr. Richard Horowitz? I do apologize for the inconvenience... Wait... Why do you all still have ticking clocks? And heartbeats? And warmth? Are you dead? I swear, if I got summoned by those god forsaken psychics again, I will be forced to take my name off of the spectral plane's caller ID..."<br/><br/>The list in his hand disappeared into the sleeve of his cloak before he brought up a pale hand to the mask covering his face, lifting it slowly as well as forcing the hood from atop his head. Brown hair sprung forth from beneath the cloak as the mask disappeared from sight, revealing the face behind the it. A scruffy beard ran along his chin and his soft peach lips were curled into something of a half smirk that was partly playful if it weren't for the way he stood. "Well, out with it. I know you can see me. I don't take on a tangible form without good cause," he continued, his features turning into something of annoyance rather quickly.