After a few days of rest and getting used to the manor, it was time for Cayenne to become his first day of work. Amity, a beautiful young woman with hair and skin as white as snow, with eyes as red as blood knocked sharply on his door. She was strict, but very kind, warm, and understanding. She often worked with the new comers, and was close with Kuro. She was brilliant, really. She held a small box in her hands, her expression as emotionless as always. "Good morning, Cayenne. I have your watch and your schedule." She calls quietly.
(Sorry for it being so short)
(Oh no it's fine)
Cai had gotten used to Amity waking him up rather early in the morning, and today well he was sort of anticipating her arrival. He had always been a bit of an early riser, and well today was no different, although it was somewhat hard to tell if it was morning since both the days and nights were both rather dark. By the time she arrived, he had already gotten dressed for the day, wearing his ironed uniform, and had prepared himself for the day. He opened the door, smiling at her and taking the box and schedule from her, "Thank you, it's really been a bit odd trying to adjust to this new schedule." He said with a sigh as he placed the watch on his wrist. Making sure that everything was in order in his room, he quickly blew out his candles then followed the woman out of the room and into the maze of halls. Although the dryad had had a few days to get used to his new home for the time being he was still unsure where some of the rooms were and was grateful that Amity had taken some time from her day to take him to his destination. As they walked Cai scanned through his schedule and quietly sighed seeing that he was working for Kuro as some sort of secretary or something. I was sort of hoping to just be a servant rather then that, but I'm sure I'm not to be the only there, that might be a bit well odd. He thought with a sigh as they two parted their ways leaving Cayenne in front of a door. He unlocked it and entered the room to see the god there, seemingly waiting for him. "Good morning, Mr. Kuro." Not going to drop that habit. He said quietly, bowing his head slightly ot of respect for the god.
Amity certainly was something when she came to wake him up. Always emotionless, always quietly walking through the halls. She looked young, but appearances were deceiving. According to a few of the other people working there she had been working for Kuro the longest. Apparently her family had a whole shit ton of debt to Kuro. But she was bright when she did talk, and she walked through the halls flawlessly. She waited for him patiently, her eyes gentle. "I'm glad you're slowly getting settled here. Kuro is fair to those that deserve it." She sighed quietly before heading her own separate way.
Kuro usually worked alone, but since he needed help in his office, he figured it best that he have Cayenne work with hum. Gods above… When did this amount of paper work decide to show up… He gave an unamused sound of annoyed before he glanced up when he heard the key to the office open. He hummed and glanced up a little before standing. "Good morning, Cayenne. Please come in." He offers a kind smile to the other, "I hope you've settled in a little more. I understand that this must be a stressful situation for you." He murmured quietly. "Please. I've prepped your desk. We'll head out to the fields later on this afternoon." He offers a kind smile. "Please feel free to ask questions." He motions over to a desk similar to his own.
Cayenne stepped into the room trying to smile a bit at the god. "Yes, well, it's rather nice here, and I've decided to just make the best of my time here." At least, he's not hurting me. He thought as he moved over to the empty desk. Oh, so I'm to be the only person working directly under him, how nice. Cai sat down in the empty seat, then he looked over at him. "So I'm guessing I'm to help with this paperwork?" That doesn't seem too bad, after all, back at the centre I used to handle that sort of thing exclusively. Well, that was mainly because the other preferred spending their time with the children rather then doing the work that was necessary to run the organiza- wait, perhaps he knows of that, or maybe it was just a lucky guess?
((sorry, I know it's rather short, but my keyboard is acting up))
Kuro seemed to smile a little at that, his eyes gentle. "I'm glad. Nothing in this place can hurt you. I hope that you understand that." He offers a small smile before watching him sit down. "I hope that Amity hasn't been to harsh on you?" He signs a few things before nodding at the others words. "Yes. You'll be helping me with paper work, and the you'll be helping me in the fields. It's not to much work. We'll start you off easy and see how you do." For a death god… Kuro seemed so gentle. So kind. He only seemed to ease those around him. His onyx eyes swirled with calm, his body language easy to read. He just seemed… Different than one might expect. Often death was pictured as cruel and dark. Kuro seemed to be the opposite. He picks out a few files. "Here. Start with these. These are souls that do not believe in an afterlife. They need to be marked as 'unbound'. Then check their age. If they are under 16, mark as 'Y' or young. If they are over 16, mark it with an 'A' for access. If they were born with a religion, and seem to have left it. Mark it with an 'L'. That's all you need to do for today." He smiles gently.
Cai nodded along to what the god was saying, understanding it, but not really focusing on that. He was a bit more focused on god himself. To be honest, the dryad was just so confused, How could so many people say that this god is so terrible and evil, when he seems so nice? He hasn't done a thing to me at all, but yet when people come back from working dor him they all seem to sat that he was terrible to them and did unspeakable things to them. That's just weird… He thought shaking his head slightly. Once he was handed the papers, he quickly thumbed through them, just to get an idea of how many there would be, before grabbing a pen and starting to work. As he began to mark down the papers, putting them into a separate stack. So many people have passed on at such a young age, that's so sad… He thought with a sigh, as he marked yet another person's file with a 'Y', I wonder how they died, or am I even allowed to check that? Mm, let's not. He thought as he placed another file onto the finished stack as he grabbed another to go through, So, I guess I get to look forward to ten years of this… He thought sighed once more, Well, it could be worse, Kuro could be as mean as he's portrayed to be, and he isn't, and well just in general it could be bad.
Kuro seemed so gentle, so soft and light. People always gave death a bad rep. Perhaps it was because death was feared nor understood. No one knew what death was like until they experienced. To some people, that was terrifying. To others, Kuro was the one that took people from them. It was just his job, to reap the souls of the already dying. Some of them had embraced him when he had taken their souls, others just cried and asked why. Every reaction made him feel in some sort of way. Of course, he didn't go to the mortal realm anymore, he was to busy here. So he had his 'mini' reapers go and gather souls. His cats and snakes. Of course they could shift their appearance so that the soul was more willing to go. If a soul was unwilling to go however, they would stay on earth as a spirit, doomed to a life time of misery. It broke his heart when people refused to leave. He never raised a hand to those working for them, simply sending instructions. Amity had suggested that Cayenne worked with him. After all, he had to much paper work piling on him. "You seem to be sighing a lot. May I ask why, Cayenne?" He asks gently, marking another paper and setting it to the side. He didn't look up from his files, just gently worked as he did. "Also. When your hand gets sore, we can move to the fields." He smiles a little bit to himself. Going to the fields was always comforting to him.
"I know that I'm to handle the files of people that have well, already passed on, but seeing so many children, so young in life dying, it's just rather sad to me." He said shrugging slightly, "Also, if you'd prefer to, I mean, well uhm, you can call me Cai if you'd prefer, I'm not all that used to being called Cayenne that much. The kids from my centre always called me Cai, or Mr. Forrest if they were in trouble, and my family always just calls me Cai, so I mean, if you'd like to call me Cai, then then you can, but uhm I hope that that isn't unprofessional or anything." He said with a small smile. "Alright, then I'll let you know when my hands get tired, also, may I get more files to work on?" He had already finished up with the ones that he had been given and was ready to move on with some more.
(I swear my keyboard sucks…))
He smiles sadly. "Yes… seeing the many children die so soon…" He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. It was always distressing to see people die so young. He glances up and smiles slowly. "Sure. If you'd like me to." He wasn't really used to people asking him to call them by a nickname. Preferred name, sure. He smiles a little and stretches a little bit. "Alright… Cai…" He tried the name on his tongue before converting it to memory. "It's what you prefer, so I don't see it as unprofessional." He stacks a few more papers for the other to do. "I'm surprised that you're finished this quickly. But here you are." He smiles gently and places them on the desk. He gets back to work and sighs quietly as he does so. He makes sure to go through each paper with care.
Cai really didn't like paper work at all, although at the centre he was always the one who was stuck doing it. So he had decided that if he did it as quickly as possible while doing things correctly, he would soon be done with it. He smiled a bit when the god used his nickname, or what the boy sort of considered to be his actual name. "Thank you, Mr. Kuro." He said with a happy smile, before lowering his head down to his work, now focusing on the paper work once more. I wonder how much more of this there this? And what happens if we finish with this? Will I be given a new assignment or will I continue working under him? Meh, I can figure that kind of stuff out later, like when it actually happens, I guess. He thought as he thumbed through another file.
Paperwork was a chore, but it needed to be done. Kuro was always so careful and gentle with the files, reading over cause of death before writing things down. Kuro seemed like such a gentle god. So soft and kind. He smiled at the other, "Of course, Cai. Please let me know if there's anything else you need." His eyes soften slightly before he gets back to work. He worked quietly, his pen scratching away at paper, his onyx eyes focused on the paper. Even when a cat came in and settled on his lap, he kept working. Finally, when it was in the later afternoon, the paperwork stopped and he stood. "Alright. Cai, care to come with me?" He chuckles softly and grabs a jacket that was next to his desk. He waves his hand and a jacket appears beside Cai. He didn't necessarily wait, but moved along in the halls at a pace where Cai could keep up. After a few minutes of walking through halls they come to the outside. The mansion loomed behind them, and they gazed out to a field of glowing blue lillies. "Souls. Each and every one of them. Come with me." He says gently.
Cai was glad for the break and pulled the jacket on as he followed the god out of the mansion. Wow… so this was the field that he was taking about. It was beautiful, in an odd sort of way, and in his opinion rather unsettling to think that the flowers were souls. So, I guess that's what happens when you die? He thought with a wry smile, following the god. As they walked, he kept his gaze on the flowers, trying to enjoy them a little bit, after all, it was a gorgeous sight to behold, like those pink salt lakes he had seen once as a child, but as far as he knew, there weren't any souls in the lake, just salt. But he tried to just keep his mind off that, as he hurried to keep up with the god. As he walked, he began to study the god a little bit, and he was just well, sort of confused.How could anyone really fear this man? He had heard some of the other servants talking about him, saying that he was a monster hiding behind a calm exterior, but Cai really couldn't believe that, the god seemed so sweet and nice, that the boy just wondered where any of those rumors came from. Of course the idea of death is scary, it is death, but not the god himself, he shouldn't be scary to anyone…
The field and the garden are two very different things. So Kuro made sure to call this place the fields, since he was technically harvesting souls. "When a soul dies, they are sent here." He murmured quietly as he walked. "Their files are handled while they bloom. This is a resting stage for a soul. Strengthen them for the underworld, or their chosen realm." He smiles sadly. "Then, when their flower is fully bloomed, I harvest their souls and send them off to Justice, where she determines if you go down, up, or stay in the middle." He smiles softly, gently touching a flower. It curled into his grip, as if eager to be taken. "Not yet…" He murmured gently. "But soon. Rest." The flower slowly let go of his hand. He smiled and moved on. It was a peaceful place, albeit a little chilly. They stop at a small shed that held a few baskets, as well as gardening tools. "Here we are." He offers a basket to the other. "You can help if you want or just watch." He explains kindly. He takes a basket for himself before wandering to the back fields. "Flowers are moved based on how far into bloom they are." He explains gently. "These are the souls that are ready to harvest."
"Oh, so that's what this is?" He said glancing at the flowers, they really were beautiful, but he wasn't sure if wanted to help just yet. The boy wasn't sure if he was comfortable yet, to handle these souls, he just didn't to mess anything up and put the wrong soul into one of the harvest baskets. But after a little bit, he moved into the shed and picked up a small basket, walking towards the fields. He had watched the man collect the flowers for a little bit, then moved, copying the man's actions, picking the flowers that were in full bloom, or ones that were in bloom. "Is this right?" He said with a slight smile, hoping that he was doing it as the god wanted it to be done. Once he was sure he was doing it right though, he began to just sort of well, enjoy the work he was doing, if that makes sense. It was sort of peaceful job, other than the fact that these souls, although eager or not to be harvested would soon be facing justice, one of the more powerful goddesses, and she would be deciding their fates. What if someone gets sent down, does that mean that they come back here? Or is there like a lower more bad place for those people? Or in reality, are any of these places relatively good or bad. Like is a "bad person" goes up to one of the "good places" would they even be able to enjoy the fact that they made it up there, since they're just in shock of…Okay, you need to stop asking yourself so many questions and just back to work, the faster you finish this up you can go back to the manor where it's nice and warm.
He nods at the question. "Yes. Each of these flowers are souls. Usually I handle this part since most of the others don't enjoy being out here. Especially when handling the more… violent deaths." He sighed quietly. Murder, rape, suicide, accidents, those were the ones that usually hurt people the most. He worked quietly and carefully, at some points when a flower was picked, images would flash, or a soul would appear. Kuro would spend a moment to gently console the ones that were crying, or calm the ones that were angered. He was so gentle as he worked, humming a soft tune as he does so. He smiled when the other joined him. The job had a rhythmic feel to it, slow, peaceful, calm. Each of these souls would be sent to be tried and then sent to their afterworld. It was a slow and steady thing, but it was comforting. When the temperature began to drop once again, Kuro slowly stands. "Let's get these to the chambers and then you can rest for the evening." He smiled kindly. "You worked hard today. I'm grateful. If you have any questions regarding this, you're more than welcome to ask." He smiles softly and offers the other his hand. Today had been a good day. It was nice having someone working with him. He had been doing this for centuries, alone, in the cold, harvesting souls and preparing them for their journey.
"I can understand that, it is sort of hard handling death in the mortal realm, or the alive realm, I'm not sure what you call it, but I guess to think that well death is just you know, well. I guess that I figured that once you died, you'd be at peace. Even if your death was horrific, you'd still be at peace in the end, because well, it was over, and you'd finally be able to just relax and be at peace with the world. But-" He jumped as one of the flowers he picked let out a soul that was sobbing. Oh gods, what do I do? He gently just took the soul into a hug or at least tried to, as he began to murmur calming words to them. After a few moments, the soul seemed to be calmed and faded away, as Cai placed the flower into the basket. Once the god said that they'd be able to go in, Cai let out a grin. He didn't mind the work, in fact, he enjoyed it, but it was oh so cold. He took the god's hand as they walked back towards the chambers. "it's no problem, really, I actually enjoy it a little." He said looking up at the taller being. The boy was looking forward to just warm up once they got back to the manor, maybe taking a nice warm bath or something.
"We call it the Mortal realm." He smiled a little bit, "Or 'The Living' if we don't feel like calling it the mortal realm." He smiled a little bit and sighed softly. "Usually, people are at peace when they first die. That is what these flowers are. They rest until they are harvested so that they have strength for judgement. They know nothing but peace until their time has come to be harvested." He hummed quietly and smiled softly. "And after trail, they may know peace or face their consequences." he shrugs slowly. He was pleased to see that Cai got a handle on his job rather quickly, smiling to himself as he worked. "There are many death gods. We all work together to keep this place going. Each of us have our own different ways, different realms, and different pantheons. However… I usually get the ones that do not believe in an underworld, or have died in some horrific way. That is why they are sent to Justice when I am done harvesting them." He hums as he stands, stretching a little before walking beside Cai back into the mansion. "I'm glad that you enjoyed it." He murmured quietly. It was odd for someone to enjoy the garden work. "Please go and rest. I need to deliver these." He smiled and takes both baskets gently before walking down the hallways and towards where the garden was.
Cai nodded, handing the other man the basket, walking towards his own room. When he got to his room, he saw that his meal had been placed outside out of his door, picking it up and taking it into his bedroom. Throughout the first few days of his day, he had begun to somewhat decorate the room to his tastes. Although he really liked the simple style that it had been made to fit before, he had added to move some things around and had taken out some pictures of his family. He placed the food onto one of his smaller tables and sat down slowly eating a little as he opened one of his books. But as he ate, he looked towards one of the pictures, and just let out a sad sigh. It was the picture of him and Chry after she had just been proposed too. She was just so happy, but well, he could only hope that he would be there to see her be married, to see her on that one special day. Nope, you're not going to cry, maybe Kuro will let you have those days off so you can see her, so you can be there for her. And besides, it's a year away, I'm sure that things will be all worked out by that point. After he finished eating, he picked up his plate and tray and placed it outside his door as he had seen some of the other servants do the nights before. As he started closing the door he saw the cat from before, "Nyx, what are you doing down here? So far away from Mr. Kuro?" He said, gently scratching the black cat's head. "Did you come to pay me a visit?" The cat meowed as if to say yes, "Well, that's rather sweet of you, come on in." He said as he closed the door behind them. As the dryad played with the cat a bit, it felt like he had gone home, and was spending time with his own kitten Tonto, and the feelings of hopelessness from before seemed to wash away.
He took the basket quietly, nodding in thanks as he walked away. He wandered down the halls, humming quietly to himself as he passed many halls and doorways. He came to the garden door, slowly opening it. The garden was his place of peace. Of comfort. Justice sat there quietly, as she always does. Her blindfold over her eyes, the silent tears running down her cheeks. She glances up silently as he entered. He sighed and walked to her side, setting a silent hand on her shoulder. She kept quiet, like she always was unless she was in the process of judging ones soul. He walks toward the back of the garden and places the baskets in a box like thing that quickly disappeared. He tends to the gardens slowly, taking his time. This was his safe place. Justice's safe place. This was all he really had that he could hold close to himself. Plants… plants were gentle things, if you tended to them right. Deadly, sure. But many were beautiful, and calming and it just… made him feel better. Gardening always managed to calm his mind.
The cat mewed softly, sensing his grief, curling closer to him. She licked at his hands, winding around him and playing with him. She was pleased, her eyes shutting as she curled closer to the dryad, trying her hardest to comfort him and distract him temporarily from his stress and sadness.
Cai just smiled, or tried to as the cat curled up against him. "You seem to know how I feel, don't you Nyx?" He said with a sigh, sitting down on the floor. "You know, you remind me so much of my own cat Tonto." He said with a sigh, rubbing the cat's head. "It's just weird, I don't understand all of this. I mean, I like it here, but it's not my home, I don't want to stay here, I mean, not because of anyone here, but well, I miss my home, I want to go back to my home, to be with my family." He sighed, shaking his head. "It's just upsetting, my sister's going to be getting married soon, and there's my centre, and well that's my life, that was my job." Cai looked down at the cat, a sad smile on his face. "That meant the world to me, but I have to give it up for ten years, to live here. It could always be worse I guess, I mean Kuro could always be that evil death god he's portrayed to be, but he isn't, he's actually nice, but that doesn't mean anything, it just, well, it's just not my home and I can't even go home without always having to come back." He just grumbled a little shaking his head, "Well, I don't even think I'm making sense, am I? I just, well, nothing makes sense anymore. But I'm sure that I'm not the only person to feel this way, but I just feel terrible, and sort of alone.."
Nyx meowed softly, nuzzling into his hands and rolling over. She purred quietly, her tail flickering as she received the attention. She tilts her head in understanding and leans into his hands. If she had the ability to speak, she would have.
Amity made it to Cai's room to drop off his washed and folded clothes. "You can ask him." She says simply as she knocks on his door, opening it as she sets his things on his bed. She usually did this, entering without much of a warning. She was an interesting girl. She hummed and smiled at him. "Kuro is an understanding god. He's not at merciless as his servants as many of them say. " She glances down at Nyx, who mewled softly and curled closer to Cai. She sighed. "Technically speaking, most of the cats aren't allowed into the rooms since they get attached to the servants… But seeing as you're going through some stuff, I'll let it pass for now." She waved her hand before leaving.
"Gee thanks for knocking," he mumbled before standing up and putting the clothes away, "He's said, but the thing is, I'm sort of scared to go back, to see if my family is still the same or how things have changed. I mean I really do want to see Chryseis get married, but well I wouldn't want to leave, and knowing that I'd have to would make things harder for me." He moved back to the floor, gently petting Nyx once more, "Thank you Amity." He said as he watched her leave, "I guess you can't come around too often Nyx, I mean, if you'd want too, then sure, but well, I don't want to get in trouble for breaking the rules, and I don't think you'd want to either."
