"Well..." She describes the usual rituals, and the variations she's aware of - and her theories about how it all works, and what bits you actually need...

She knows a lot about magic, but, also, this is way more complicated than anything Ellie has done to date - it requires a sort of meditative focused intent, a working as permanent as workings can be. Tricky, that. Everything Ellie has encountered so far has been stubbornly, extremely, ephemeral. 

"Necromantic workings don't like living," she says. "They want to return to the dust, and they'd rather not bring anything to life in the meantime. Making a corpse dance... That's a really impressive first try, honestly. But every thread of magic that exists wants me fully, properly dead, and we're going to have to turn it against itself."

Hrm. "Well. I don't want you dead."

Grin. "A wonderful place to start. You can do a lot with just that - your strong will is probably why even the trickier workings have come easily so far - but you'll need to bring your cleverness to bear alongside your strength for this."

"Right."

"What happens if I mess up?"

"Worst case? We both die, and if the grimmest philosophers are right, we get punished for our hubris in whatever comes after."

"More likely - you're fine, and I either snap back here or become unmoored. Second probably will fully kill me eventually, but you'll have time to redo the ceremony."

Huff.

"No pressure, then."

"None at all."

"I'll help, as much as I can, and necromancy is good at self-sabotage, in many ways."

"Hm?"

"It's Death magic, all of it, and it wants all things to die."

"Now, with rocks and streams and all - that's a pretty easy order. Rocks get worn to dust, streams dry up, everything gets broken down and recycled. Nothing natural can hold out against that cold implacability, that patience, for eternity. It'll be worn down, sooner or later."

"Life, though? Life's a thorn in Death's side. Cut a rock, and it stays broken. Cut skin, and it heals. Messily, sometimes, but it does, and cold and implacable and patient can't keep up with that, and even sitting and waiting for the inevitable trip - well, Life's pretty good at innovation."

"So if your enemy's walls are too high, their guards too numerous and vigilant, their supplies robust and their ability to recover guaranteed - you get creative right back. You turn them against themselves."

"Cut a woman's neck, and her heart will beat furiously to try and get blood to the brain and therefore spill everything of value out, rather than moving slow and calm to stem the tide. A bee stings a man, and his body kills itself trying to protect him from a tiny wisp of a toxin. The body's own cells turn against it, growing out of control, strangling all life."

"Humans are ridiculous creatures, and Death is very, very good at getting things to sabotage themselves - and necromancy is Death's magic, not Life's."

"It's wonderfully poetic, don't you think, to use Death's very tools against her?"

"Wow."

"You know a lot."

"I'm very smart, and I've had a lot of time to study."

Giggle.

"Fortunately you have me here to pass on some of my vast wisdom."

"Quite."

"There are some specific tricks, of course."

"If you're talking, I'll listen."

"Strength of will, intelligence, and now great wisdom... You're a talented woman."

"Let's see if I'm good enough to get you out of this house."

"We can take our time if you're unsure, as - long as you're willing to keep coming back."

"I think I'm good. You've waited long enough."

"Thanks."

Down to business, then.

Ellie sets up the spell components and begins the ritual.

It's a long process, with multiple phases.

The first is clearing the area - the ghost's current sphere of influence - of conflicting energy, of any currents that might strengthen Death's case. Much of this involves spraying water the ghost instructed her in how to mix together - she's very fascinated and delighted by the idea of a spray bottle rather than the traditional solutions. 

This also involves picking up and moving offending objects off her 'property' - the ghost can't force things past the edges herself. Things that belonged to other people - old remnants of the house's previous inhabitants, the sort of trash you get in a haunted property popular with dumb kids who want to give each other dares...

And - "Are you at all bothered by bones?" she asks. 

"Dry ones? Not particularly."

"I haven't killed anyone in a while, so they're all quite dry."