Seventh

[akapeanut]

[George appears on screen, face as neutral as ever. She's sitting in a gross, olive green booth, a plate of food in front of her. She doesn't seem to notice it. In fact, if anybody cares to look closely, it's pretty clear it's been sitting there a while. It's probably not even hers.]

I don't suppose anybody wants a tour of ghost city Seattle, huh?

Comments

[video]

[jivitadana]

[Oh, hey, Minato's never been to America or anywhere outside of Japan.]

... Are you in the waffle house?

[That place is practically famous by now.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato gently shook his head. It was just to answer her question, but not necessarily to coax or goad her into telling him since he would never do that.]

[akapeanut]

Back home, I died. Now I'm "undead" and, uh, a reaper. I take people's souls before they die so they don't feel the pain of their death.

[She pauses, then waves a hand vaguely.]

So you can guess why I don't tell everyone that. Kind of a bad omen to some people. Not that I've reaped anybody here, but still.

[jivitadana]

[Minato nodded once, listening carefully to what he was being told.]

Mn. But it's honorable. So that individual doesn't have to suffer.

It doesn't hurt you, does it?

[akapeanut]

...No.

Does shooting yourself in the head hurt?

[Hey, legit question if he's bringing it up.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato shook his head. Fair enough, the question hadn't bothered him.]

Can I ask how you got assigned this role?

[Ah, had he known you reaped souls, he would've wanted to try it out when he was testing death here.]

[akapeanut]

[She shrugs.]

Whoever "they" were, "they" never told us. Could've just been luck of the draw.

[jivitadana]

Do you like it?

[Not that she had a choice now that she already was a reaper.]

[akapeanut]

[She thinks quietly for a moment. She's never really thought about it in terms of liking it or not.]

I guess it's nice to be, you know. Not totally gone. I got to see my family and...and I've made some friends here.

[Ew, that's really sentimental. Moving on.]

But it kind of sucks to see people dying sometimes, though.

My first reap was a kid.

[jivitadana]

They can see you?

[Minato should've thought of that. But the second part seemed more important.]

Mn. But death happens all the time. It's normal.

[Just how and when, that's what made it more frightening for some people.]

[akapeanut]

Yeah. Back home I looked different to the living. Here...well, I guess the powers-that-be or whoever don't care. Not as if anybody's going to recognize me.

And...yeah. I guess. Kinda sucks that I had to deal with all the accidents and shit, though. Perfectly healthy people dying because they slip on some ice? Not fair, man.

[jivitadana]

But you're alive now... Just with the same powers?

[Or still "undead"? Was there such a thing here?

Minato nodded once since he could see how things were unfair or unjust. Death was so frightening because it was so ordinary. It's hard because one can feel so helpless too when it came to death even if it was so normal.]

When you go home, how long will you be doing this?

[akapeanut]

I think I'm still undead. Remember when I hit my head going after that frog? It didn't really hurt.

Until I get my lights.

[Translation: she doesn't really know.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato wondered about that. But then again, he never met anyone that was technically considered 'undead' before either, only those who had died and then were supposedly alive now. Or seemed alive. That was the easiest way to address it.]

Can I ask what lights?

... While you're here, can you tell who has died and is now alive again?

[akapeanut]

They're like...I guess a portal? When people move on they see some image in lights. Some people see some religious thing, others see things that were important to them. It just draws them in, sort of. And then they're gone.

[She shrugs a little, absently wondering what form her lights would take.]

Uh, well. No. Not as far as I know.

[jivitadana]

[This was really interesting. It sounded like she wouldn't have this job forever too. Minato was quiet for a moment before asking his next question.]

... May I ask how you died?