Tentatively the ghost approached her living friend. "Elizabeth? Can we talk? It's about the girl you interviewed this afternoon." "Of course, Grace. I've been interested in your opinion." The Professor moved from her desk to a comfortable chair and gestured to the ghost. "Please. What did you think?" "Mmm. Well. I really want you to hire her, Elizabeth. However, there are two things that I learned about her that you should know." The Professor smiled. "I'm already aware of some things that weren't apparent during the interview but please share with me what you learned." "The most important to me is that she can SEE me, Elizabeth. Up to this point you're the only one who can see me unless I exert myself. As with you, she sees me with no effort on my part. In fact, I'm not sure that I could 'disappear' if she was looking directly at me. I've been hiding from her direct view until I could ask you if you think it's wise for me to initiate communication; a friendship." "I'm inclined to say there's no harm in making yourself known to her. She's going to have to get used to paranormal forces and you're pretty benign compared to some of the spirits I've studied. Your other concern?" "She's a foreign national who is undermining her own government. She's using Brooke's room mate's computer. You know my understanding of such things is limited but it was clear to me she seeks the downfall of the present leader of Russia." Grace paused and considered. "I cannot say if such acts might be justified, Elizabeth. I'm not up on current events." She smiled ruefully. "Then let me put your mind at ease, my dear," the Professor replied. "She is probably well-justified in her efforts to weaken the Russian leader's influence. He has created an untenable situation by attacking a neighboring country. I have been approached by agents of our government who wish me to take her on and allow her to continue to use the university's resources against the Russian government. It's complicated and I think they wish to hurt Russia but maintain plausible deniability for diplomatic reasons." "Diplomacy with the Czar was pointless in my day. I imagine it remains so." Mused the ghost. Professor Van Humbeek laughed. "The Czar and his lineage were ended long ago, Grace. I really must help you catch up on history and current events." She became more serious. "As for being able to see you, Grace, I have reason to believe that she's more sensitive than even that. My sister believes the girl was haunted by a crisis apparition shortly before the interview." "You want to study her as you do me," the ghost muttered. "But you will be as kind to her as you are to me?" The Professor smiled. "Worry not, Grace. We shall be as a family. I worry about this political business but I think she's good-hearted and I KNOW you are." Molly's art notes: Set up and rendered with Poser 13.0.296 and tweaked in Photoshop after some initial postwork in the Superfly Cycles X rendering engine. Elizabeth and Grace the ghost are both based upon the La Femme mesh included with Poser. The Professor's private quarters are very old material from DAZ that I did not tweak at all and it rendered pretty well. There's lots of bits and bobs from other places; if there is something you are particularly interested in I can point you to the vendor or freebie site where I found it (maybe... >.<). All the lighting in the picture is with emissive material. I find the "lights" materials in Vince Bagna's indispensable material bundle really helpful when setting up emissive lighting. Hard to believe I'm still telling this story and this picture is marking the end of the first day of Vladlena's new life as a Russian expatriot in the good ol' U.S. of A. #VladlenaB