Closed Meeting Under Less than Ideal Cirumstances

[Bakar]

I promise I'm not that scary..

Summer, 68, 515

Bakar had yet to grow accustomed to her new body, but her thoughts were to work through it, and use it as much as she could. She arrived at Li Mauta, and took a step inside. She hated her work now, dreading what she did. Provided her own "parasitic" kin with a supply of vessels, which clearly reject their presence. As he entered, Benoit looked up, and nodded to her, motioning to the body she had been examining.

"I just started, here, take over." He said to her. She clumsily stepped over to the body. It was a large, overweight, bearded man. His belongings set off to the side, some clothing, mostly. What caught Bakar's eye was the gorgeous fut coat set aside. It was beautiful... if not for the bloodstains and large gash through the back. She shuddered, trying not to think of what was coming next. He looked like a traveler, and that meant he would likely be preserved, if no one knew who he was.

"Walden Popcampio. Brother to Theo Popcampio. Recent arrivals in Syliras, I heard were planning on staying. I'm not certain of Theo's plans now, but the body is to be prepared for cremation and returned to Theo."

There was a audible "sigh" of relieve from Bakar. She wouldn't be contributing to the cycle again today. Benoit filled her in on what he had done already. "Walden was in a confrontation which ended in his murder. A sword was thrust through his chest, and it is likely the cause of death. If you could continue with the examination while I fill in paperwork."

She nodded and turning to the man, pulled on a pair of gloves. She could almost see the fear on his face as he was dying, even though it was now a face of neutrality. She frowned and took a look at the entry wound on the man's chest. Looked to be a decent sized sword. No dagger at least. The wound was a couple inches long, and the sword made a full clear exit through the back. She attempted to turn the man over to get a better look at the wound, but the combination of her weakened state, and the man being so large.

"B-Benoit.. I need some help here, please.." He came over, and together they rolled the body over. Bakar examined the wound while Benoit held the body up. The exit wound was just as large as the entry, meaning the sword was a straight blade, and had in fact been pushed all the way through. Seeing nothing else of note, she nodded to Benoit, and together they carefully lowered the body.

Taking up scalpel, she slowly, very slowly, did her best to cut straight along the sternum. The cut took her minutes, being unsteady as her new body was, but it was straight and clean. She peeled back the skin and started her examination of the internal workings of the man, looking for the wound that would kill him.

[Theo Popcampio]

OOC: I'm posting from my phone, so I can't use bbc. I'll edit with a template later.

There wasn't much need for Theo to identify his brothers body, he knew it was his, he had watched him die. Nevertheless, such a formality was necessary if Theo was to keep his name out of the matter of his death. There was no need to tell the knights of his innocence when they suspected no guilt, no need to bring them into the matter when they brought no gain.

The climb to the smokestack wasn't as daunting as people were in the business of making it seem. Never had he done it, but even from the second level he felt still fresh at the top step, Theo must have been more lively than the speakers. Li Maura, however, was as depressing as they had all made it seem. The second Theo entered he was greeted by an elderly man, who seemed strangely unbothered by the burns that marked his skin. He was off.

Theo was brought to claim his brother's things. It wasn't much, a ring with keys, whatever change he had on him, Theo didn't bother to look at it in detail, Theo told his elder to make arrangements to have the things brought to his squiring garrison. The man said that there was also a fur coat that was on him at the time of his death and was still with him now.

"And he has still yet to be cremated?"

"Why yes, we're tending to his corpse now." The old man looked on inquiringly. "And why do you ask?" Looking, as if he wanted a certain answer.

"Oh please! You must let me see him one last!" Theo acted with his emotion, so as to seem like one who was about to see his newly found dead brother one last time. Theo had already seen his brother his one last, he had heard his last words, even seen him stabbed in the Bronzewood. It was still necessary to act like he hadn't, for now, at least. That being said, there was some truth in that emotion, how could there not have been?

The man smiled at Theo's faked desperation, "Well we normally aren't in the habit of such things.. But you are family." Theo got waved on and he followed, knowing he had made all the right moves so far.

When he got to the room, he could see his brother was already being opened by some girl. It disgusted him, to see his already disgraced brother being put through more of the same. Granted, Theo knew his soul was already off somewhere, but that did not give Theo back his brother. Theo still wanted to be respectful, this person was just a citizen doing their job. "I beg my pardon. I'm Theo, Walden's brother."

[Bakar]

I promise I'm not that scary..

Bakar was so concentrated on her task that she barely registered that someone had come in to the building. Her ears picked up that someone was talking to Benoit though. Something about seeing someone one last time? It wasn't until they spoke beside her that she realized they had entered the back area.

"I beg my pardon. I'm Theo, Walden's brother." Said the voice close by. Bakar nearly jumped when they spoke, startling her with it's presence.

"O-oh! H-hello!" She stammered, louder than a normal voice, trying to hide her embarrassment. She turned to the man and bowed, trying to keep her balance, before realizing that her hands were stained with the blood of this man's brother. She gasped and quickly covered the body and took off her gloves. "I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have seen that. I wasn't expecting anyone here, much less a relative.."

She cleared her throat and spoke slowly, so as not to stumble over her words. "Walden... was stabbed through the chest.. The blade went right though... I was in the process of determining if that was truly the cause of death, or merely a cosmetic wound. H-he didn't suffer!" She tried to reassure the man, but at this point in time, even she couldn't say that truthfully, without having finished the examination.

"Oh.. these were what he had on him when he arrived.. I'm.. sorry about the coat.. It was so beautiful, and now it's ruined.. there's a hole in the back and it's covered in-" She cut herself off, and lowered her head. Used to speaking so bluntly, she forgot that this was his brother, and likely didn't need reminding. "I'm truly sorry for your loss.." She whispered, not even sure Theo would hear.

She started towards the pile of belongings, and carefully lifted it, bringing it to the young man. As she passed the belongings to him, her hand brushed over his, but she gave it no thought. She stumbled on when she turned back to the body, and caught herself on the side table, stabilizing herself for a minute. "I'm alright, I'm alright. Just a little weak is all. No need to worry, sir. I promise that I'm treating your brother with the utmost respect and cation." She spoke hastily, worried that her stumble in front of Theo would convince him that she was not fit for the job.

"W-would you like to see him?" She asked quietly, offering to uncover the man's face, for Theo to see his face a last time before the man was cremated. "Please.. take as long as you need. I can continue to work when you're finished. Just.. be careful with the cloth.. You don't need to see what's underneath."

[Theo Popcampio]

Walden had suffered, little did she know. Stabbing was always painful, it was naive of her to say such a thing. Frankly, it upset Theo a little to see someone so worried for formality at such a time. It was no time for long talk. Theo would know, he did a ton of talking. Theo looked on the disguised Nuit with a bit of curiosity. He felt something was different about this girl as well, the same difference he saw in the old man.

She walked up to him and handed him the bloodied cloths directly. Theo held it away so as to not soak himself with the dried blood, but eventually put it to rest back where she had lifted it from. The girl collapsed in front of him, and it took all his sobriety to hold in the laugh. Frankly, he had not even made much notice of his dead brother's corpse. She frantically explained her weakness, and Theo had the inclination that she was covering for something. 'Why would she work under such conditions?', Theo thought. This whole experience was turning out to be quite curious.

She had heavy makeup on, more than any girl Theo had seen before. 'All this for a crematorium? I'd say a necrophile, but I doubt she'd of made it so far.' She lifted up the cloth to show Theo Walden but he did not look. He had seen his brother's face alive and well, that would be his last memory of his brother. He waved the cloth away as she continued to awkwardly bumble.

Theo was ready to go, but he had one last thing to ask, "By chance, who are you two? Are you related? I say so because there's this weird distinction about both of you people."

[Bakar]

I promise I'm not that scary..

She watched as Theo carried the belongings and placed them back where she had taken them from. She inwardly cursed herself for passing the man the clothing, when clearly he didn't even want it. She quickly stammered out a quiet apology while he passed. This was her first time dealing with a relative, and she was making a real mess of it.

The man didn't even want to look at his brother, waving away her over. She awkwardly covered the man and stared at the floor. She was out of her depth here. As gruesome as work with the dead was, she'd take it over dealing with the living any day, if this was anything to base the work on.

Then the question came that would send chills down her spine. "By chance, who are you two? Are you related? I say so because there's this weird distinction about both of you people." Bakar froze, and didn't speak for a small moment. Her mind racing, trying to think of why he would ask such a thing. Does he know? How could he, he's new here, and you're doing your best to hide it. Her mind turned to the moment her hand touched his. Was that what gave it away?

She didn't want this man to know. She had already made a joke of herself doing her job, and didn't want to upset the man in case he was not a fan of Nuit, by having one examine his brother's corpse. "Related? N-no, no. He's run this place long before I was even in Syliras. I'm just a simple assistant to the undertaker, nothing more." She waved her hand across the room. "We spend our days with the dead, that may be what you feel." She tried to speak confidently, but her voice wavered. She was not used to lying. She tried to tell the man, that this too was because of her weakness, in an attempt to mask her nervousness.

"Not to be rude, sir. B-but if you're business is done here, m-may I get back to work?" She spoke quietly. She wished the man would leave. She knew that this was an awful thought. Theo's brother had just died, and she wants him gone, so she can continue cutting him open. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to push these thoughts away. She only wanted him gone because she had embarrassed herself.

And because of that last question. There's no way he can know. Unless Benoit told him.. but then why ask me? No.. no. It's something else, just ignore it. Concentrate on your work.

[Theo Popcampio]

OOC: must edit ledger.

Oh." Theo stopped in the doorway looking in. The girl had guilt written all over her. A baby would of cried just sensing the nerves tingling off of her. Still, Theo kept his place. He had really no reason to accuse the girl of anything, and she reminded Theo of himself as an awkward youth. He sympathized with her, but even that feeling was something he held onto with contempt.

Theo realized how cynical he was being. His brother's death was taking more of a toll on him than he had anticipated. Theo picked up the bloodied coat and held it away from him as headed off again into the doorway. "Well I'll be off, please do take good care of my brother," and Theo swept out the room. He took the keys from where the burnt old man had put them and left the money for the old man to get the rest of his things, including the coat, back to their predestined place. Walden would be proud of the formality of the whole thing.

Theo had always agreed with Walden that whomever should die first, the other should have a drink in their honor. Theo had done that about three times on strong ale in the mid day. He really doubted anyone had expected more of him at such a time. He sat there, just him and the barkeep in silence. A stranger walked and sat right next to Theo, ordering an ale himself.

"So why are you here?" The man asked.

"I just left Li Maore, actually." The bartender grabbed a glass and headed to the back.

There was a brief pause. "Too short I take it? Don't worry any longer, we'll have a mead and all will be well." The man called for more drinks. The bartender was cleaning the tops off the beer when the man put his arm on Theo's shoulder. "Your friend's in good hands. They know all about the dead in that crematorium."

Something about the way the man put that drew Theo's interest, and he was rendered sober as could be. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's no secret undead run that place. Nuit's I think they're called, the boss over there's one." The stranger said as the drinks came forth. Theo threw down the money for his and the man's tab. "Wait, I was going to..."

"I think I've had my fill friend, you enjoy them both. Thank you so kindly." He was shocked, but Theo only walked away, best to keep quiet.

[Bakar]

I promise I'm not that scary..

If she still had a heart, it would be racing, but the relief she felt when that man left was immense. He took the belongings with him as he turned away, and she was still and still until she saw his back no more. She slumped forward and rested against the table, reassessing her abilities, making sure she could continue this work without making a mistake. Deeming she was able, she turned back to the man.

She pulled on another pair of gloves, and peeled back the cloth. She was examining the inner workings of the man to determine if the blade had been the cause of death. Separating the ribs, she started removing organs, seeing the damage that had been done.

One of the man's lungs had been sliced by the blade as it went through, and was slowly filling with blood. Each breath would be harder to take than the last, and panic likely set in after mere seconds. The blade had severed the spinal column, likely paralyzing the man, at least below the waist. An artery had been nicked, but not sliced. Blood was pumping through, but the majority likely never reached it's destination. He wouldn't last very long. Minutes, if he was lucky. Minutes that likely felt like hours to the poor man. He no doubt suffered greatly. Blood lose seems to be likely cause of death.

Bakar had lied to Theo. She can see now that he had suffered. She hoped that she relieved at least some of the man's grief with her lie though. He seemed.. distant though. Like it wasn't really affecting him. It was not what she imagined it to be. She had expected more crying. More emotion. Less concentration on her... But it was none of her business. Her business was with the dead.

She walked to the furnace, and carefully fueled the fire, stoking it until it was roaring hot. With the cause of death determined and the examination complete, the next step was to cremate the man. She wheeled the man over to the furnace and opened the hatch. It was placed on the same level as the table, so all that needed to be done was the removable tray slid into place on the notches in the furnace and the man pushed into his fiery rest. She once again had to get Benoit to help her with this, as the man was very heavy. Together the got him into position and closed the door on the furnace.

After several minutes, Bakar made sure that the remains were completely burned, with nothing left but ash. Confirming this was the case, the furnace was put out and the ashes collected soon after. They were placed into a jar. Bakar did not know which, if any God or Goddess they worshiped, so she refrained from doing any practice for any deity.The man would be around to collect it eventually, hopefully when Bakar was not around, and will be told this. If he wants to, he may perform these actions himself.

Bakar left the crematorium, and made her way home. Reeking of chemicals and soot, she lay in bed, and started to enter another blank minded state, before being pulled back to the man's question. "Surely he didn't know.." She whispered to herself. "There's no way.." This period of rest was all but restful, as her mind pondered the implications of what could happen if this man learned of her secret.

How much did he know of Nuit? Would he be understanding? He seemed like a cold, calculating type. Maybe he would think it through, and know that they weren't all bad, that there was good and bad Nuit as there are humans. "You don't believe that yourself, why should anyone else?" She scolded herself. "I didn't ask for this.. I'm just too much of a coward to end it. Can you really go on forever like this though? Because that's how long you're going to last. Forever. Unless someone kills you. Or you kill yourself. That's always an option."

She continued these musings for the rest of the night, not realizing that the sun had risen outside her dimly lit room, deep within the heart of the maze.

[Theo Popcampio]

Theo had made a habit of visiting the archives each morning before going about his other business, today was to be no different. The antechamber was empty except for Otryn as per usual. The old knight greeted Theo with a smile, "You know Theo, you do remind me of myself in my early youth. I picked up the pen first and then the sword, perhaps you are my opposite."

"And good day to you too, Ser Otryn. How is your work?"

"Dull as the day before, but for a man like me dull is enjoyable." Ser Otryn said, drinking some warm tea to capitalize that fact. "You're signed in, go on."

Theo was about to walk on and go through his general browse, but a thought caught him. "One moment, Ser Otryn, do you have any works on Nuits?"

The knight looked at Theo inquisitively, "All sorts, what do you seek to know of them?"

"Anything really, I know little. I'm afraid I met one and have a sparked curiosity."

Otryn's hesitance was no longer, "Oh, I mistook you for an animator for a moment there. On this way." Theo followed Otryn to the main hall, and he was instructed to wait. Otryn was back shortly, "I can't give you anything about how to make one, but I can give you all sorts of other information. These are all in a volume, I took out what you can't have, other than that it should be fairly comprehensive. Nuits are old knowledge, so don't be surprised if the text is a little dated too."

Theo looked the books up and down: Volume One: Introduction and History, Volume Two: Anatomy, Volume Three: Personalities, Volume four: Nuit Health and Living, Volume Five was missing, Volume Six: Nuits today. Theo thanked the scribe, who grumbled as he walked away. Theo looked up to Otryn, he hated niceties and never always wanted to show it, it was admirable and quite hysterical.

Theo opened book four as soon as he was alone, and began searching the pages for some haunting truths. Nuits were undead, Theo knew that. Then he happened past the intro pages:

"Nuits cannot sustain a body for an indefinite amount of time. Even if they are to achieve perfect stasis, that is, to hold off rotting forever, a Nuit's body will still suffer from erosion. For this reason, Nuits must seek out new bodies continually. Not just any body will do, however, they need to be relatively fresh. Such a search often is tasking, and even warm-hearted Nuits have been driven to murder in desperate circumstances.

"Nuits pass into their new bodies via a ritual. They inscribe runes on the body's parts and seep into a trance like state on top of it. The ichor is passed from one body to the next over the next several hours. During this process the Nuit is very vulnerable, their life energy caught between two forms. Upon completion, the Nuit will have transferred to a new body but be severely weakened.

"Most Nuits do not often start murdering for bodies. It is most popular among older, more aggressive persons of the Race. Younger Nuits tend to be more timid, confused rather than anything. Young Nuits are likely to be born in well kept bodies, and exposure to the realities of their existence is often slow..."

Theo had heard enough about that disgusting talk. The girl, he was convinced, was living in another's body. But why did she seem so nervous? What did she have to hide? It all seemed strange, and the fact that she came from a vile people helped nothing. Theo was going to look into this.

[Bakar]

Summer, 69, 515

Bakar returned the next day to finish off with the formalities of Walden. All that was left for proper preparation for returning the urn, and some paperwork for the logs. A notice to Theo as well, as to the situation of his brother. Cause of death and whatnot.

As she entered Benoit called her over. "I wanted to discus the way you handled that last examination." Bakar froze, and her figurative heart skipped a beat. Had she done something wrong again? Benoit saw then and immediately swept away her fears. "The examination was fine. I would have deduced the exact same. It's more a matter of your bedside manners that I wanted to discus. You can't be nervous around family. It makes them uncomfortable. You need to speak calmly and slowly. And for God's sake, don't pass the poor man his brother's bloody clothes. If that was anyone else, I'm sure they'd be mortified. Lucky for you, he seemed more annoyed than anything."

"The man isn't the best liar. I don't know his reason for being here, but I feel it was less about seeing his brother for the last time than some other reason. That isn't to say he didn't care. He may not have left in tears as some men do, but everyone deals with grief in their own way. You're job isn't to relieve that grief. It's to be truthful and honest. Once again though, you shouldn't be blunt. Let them know what happened briefly and answer any questions they have, to the best of your abilities. Their family or friend is dead. It's unlikely that you lying and saying they didn't suffer is going to help them any. Especially if they know you're lying."

Bakar kept her head down throughout this, embarrassed that she had lied to Theo. She had just wanted to help, but as Benoit said, it likely did more harm than good. She listened carefully, and made a note of everything he said. She had hoped to not have to deal with family again, but if she ever did she wanted to be able to do her best.

Benoit continued to lecture her on proper bedside manner for a while longer, before sending her off to finish her job. The ashes already in an urn, all that was left to do was ensure that the urn was clean and polished and ready to be entrusted to Theo. She wiped it down carefully, removing fingerprints and any loose ashes. That done, she placed it gently on a table, wrapped in cloth to prevent dirtying it once more.

Bakar made notes in the log, that Walden was properly cremated and prepared to leave. His belongings had been claimed and the family was aware of the circumstances... mostly. Benoit had told her that he would take care of the details should Theo return. Bakar didn't think she'd be able to face him, knowing that she lied to his face. Benoit was sure to tell him what really happened, should he ask, and Bakar didn't want to face her mistakes.

With the log recorded, and the urn prepared, she left early. This was the first time she had done it from start to finish, without Benoit doing at least part of it for her. It was a draining experience, and her weakened body wasn't taking the strain well. She arrived home at the time she normally would if she left at her usual time. She took her walk home slow, not wanting to overexert herself. She sat in her chair, and recalled what Benoit had told her, making sure that she was ready for the next time.

OCCThis is going to be my last post here, whenever you're ready, Theo, you can post it to the grading request, or message me and I can. It was an interesting experience dealing with a relative! Thanks!

[Theo Popcampio]

.

Finale

It was about lunch time now, and Theo hadn't yet found it in himself to eat. His meal was forfeit if he was not at present at its serving, that would of normally been a great motivator to attend; Theo could only think of his lonely nights in the wilderness, hungry and lost, waiting for some stranger to happen upon him so he might just have the grace of some company, to be spat on was better than indifference in those days. The world was indifferent, but people treated him as though they cared, for less or worse, but that all changed when you died.

The dummies hip was halfway slashed through, and Theo struck it again. His hands had been beating ten minutes ago, but he had not noticed. Theo swung again, his muscles trembling to get the blade dislodged from the deeply slashed wood. He hit it again, again, once more in anger, and finally then again, separating the wooden dummy finally. He had not known it at the time, but Theo had been slashing that dummy in the same place for the better part of an hour.

There was a clapping in the back of the room, "Well done, Theo, I do not know how long you've been at that, but I can say I know that's the fastest anyone's ever destroyed a dummy. However, I think your competition may have employed different methods." It was Lester: His voice, his tone, his snide remarks, he understood what Theo was going through. "Popcampio, what're you doing to our training room?"

"Lester, how'd you find me?" Theo asked. His eyes were white and his jaw was open, his mind back in the world now.

"I got word your brother died, so I choose to let you keep the day to mourn. I got word that you were visiting the furnace, a hard task I know, but I was shocked to hear that you were relatively emotionless." Lester paused, "Even more so when I heard that sappy old Nuit up there say you acted suspicious. If I had the mind and the power, one of which I do, I'd of tossed his rotting self out of this castle and to the wolves for disrespecting you as such. It is his duty to make sure the dead are taken care of, not to pass judgment on our prospect knights.

"Nevertheless, Theo, what is the matter? Perhaps this is wrong of me to ask, but are you not depressed after your brother's death?" Lester had not left the doorway to the training room, for Theo that meant no one could overhear the words.

"Lester, can I speak to you in confidence?"

"I wouldn't be fit to be your patron if you couldn't."

"When I went to see my brother, it was dreary as everything. I am not the sort to mourn openly or at all for that matter, death simply is to me. Still, seeing my brother lifeless was sublime, and it took all my dignity initially to hold back tears. That was until the buffoon of the undertaker began jittering out her nerves to me. It wasn't anything to me initially, but it got to the point where I thought she might of been hiding something. Anyway, I talked to a man at the bar later and he told me undead run that place. I was disgusted."

"What do you mean to say Theo, that she wants to inhabit your brother's body?"

"I do not think such a thing would be possible under our laws, Ser Vey. I am curious as to why she was so nervous, however. Moreover, she wears heavy makeup, as if to hide her lack of life."

"Perhaps she is alive and you're being to presumptuous," Lester raised his eye at Theo.

"I do not think so, Lester, and I would not impede on a presumption of your own so lightly." Lester laughed, realizing he had been caught by his own squire abandoning a conviction he meant to pass on. "These Nuits, they disgust me. Aside from everything obvious, there is something I think you do not understand, and I think our law does not understand."

"And what is that, Theo?"

"That the people whom we offer the bodies of to these Nuits were once individuals of their own, with lives and names and beautiful things about them that are shamed when we give their corpse to another."

"What does it matter to you? You know none of these people whose bodies are possessed, what difference does it make?"

"Because, Lester, I was one of those people no one knows." Theo explained, "My mother cast me out when I was a teenager and my aunt soon not after. I never spoke to any of my family until Walden came and found me in Lhavit. Point being that there was no love for me in this world until very recently, and I doubt anyone would of stopped that black vile from going down my dead throat."

"I've never had it put to me quite so personally. You are right, I wouldn't want the same done to me."

"And they're cowards as well. Our souls were meant to go through the cycle so we may reach the Ukalas, those who fear death are no friends of mine, Lester." The knight looked at his patron, his white eyes were now slits.

"I understand, Theo. That is enough for now, you missed your midday meal I presume, I'll get you your fill." Theo put his sword away. Lester's too good to me, anyone any bit stricter would of told me to shut my mouth. I am truly lucky to be blessed with such a man to help me ascend to knighthood.

Fluent | Basic | Thoughts