dear_mun | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Well lovely you've got me set up with this nice little journal here-- brill name by the way, though I don't think me boss will be too pleased if he hears it. Big Man in charge is the only Death. We're all more like messengers, or maybe guides would be a better fit. Either way I'm no more Death than you are, just a cloak carrying member of the Reaper's Union.

I've gotten off track haven't I? What was I saying again?

Oh! Yes, right. So now that you've got me set up with this pretty journal think you might send me somewhere? Anywhere's fine really, though somewhere I won't be needing to break out the scythe too often I'd prefer. I know it ain't the standard farming equipment, but that don't mean I want to be fighting in any battles ya hear?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Wait. All this talk about death and reaping- [has got his interest] and you have a scythe. Are you supposed to be a grim reaper or something? I thought there was only one of them around?

But you know, I do appreciate weapons for their beauty, so, maybe you wouldn't mind showing me that scythe some time.

That I am!

[A business card materializes out of black smoke in her hand, and she offers it to him. It's a simple white card with the curly emerald green text: Lucy P. Oswald, Grim Reaper.]

Not in me neck of multiverse there isn't. There's thousands of us all over the world, we have a union actually. Not sure why exactly as we don't get paid anything. Think we were just going along the times, all the live ones were doing it.

I'd be happy to show you my scythe though, would now be good?

[Taking the card from her fingers, he smirks when he reads her name. He can't help but think that there's something strange about this though. A grim reaper with a business card. Are there more of them with business cards?] A union? Really?

[Thousands of reapers going around and acting all business-like about death, yeah, there's something wrong about that. Let's talk about Karoshi.]

Now? Now would be great, actually. [While his excitement is just barely showing, inside he's jumping.]

Chapters mostly just get together every couple of decades and gossip.

[She shrugs, she doesn't actually get to break out the business cards often. Never with the live ones except on Halloween. She does so love Halloween. This place is offering quite the nice change of pace.

She snaps her fingers and a scythe materializes in black smoke (much like the card) in her opposite hand. Rather than the typical design though the blade is attached to top of the black wood handle like a spear.]

Lovely isn't it? It's a war scythe.

[Halloween is one of his favorite holidays too.

Seeing the black smoke appear again and materialize yet another object is still fascinating to him. It's a completely new concept. Like the reaper business cards. Now it's magic tricks. Only, we're talking real magic, not the illusionary shit- which is still pretty cool to watch even if it is fake.

Curious, he watches and it's true what he says about the sytche. The weapon is a piece of art.] Oh yeah. It looks really deadly too. I like its look.

[How many bodies, sorry souls, have you had to cut with that thing? If he ever got his hands on it... which might not be the smartest idea actually. It belongs to a grim reaper after all.]

[She smiles fondly at the scythe, thumb stroking lovingly up the handle.]

That it is, served me quite well over the years. Peasants used to favor these, much cruder versions of course, and with much less...interesting properties, when they revolted. Quite the range, and the long handle gave amazing force. Some were known to be able to cut through metal helmets when swung properly! And of course there was the element of psychological warfare to consider.

Edited 2013-05-25 09:09 (UTC)

Really? [He seems generally fascinated by this bit of information, despite that he may have already known one or two things already.]

You ever have to psychologically torment anyone with your scythe? Or are you all benevolent when doing your job?

Depends on the person really, and the Reaper. We're allowed a good bit of personal discretion when it comes to how we do our jobs.

As a rule I almost never take it out in front of children. Of course sometimes being a Reaper means terrifying the bejesus out of someone, and you have to put on a bit of a show-- half this job is showmanship really. So then I'll break out the scythe and the cloak, maybe go a bit invisible. That's usually more with near death experiences though, or the really nasty bastards.

[Particularly people who harm children, she reaps those bastards the old fashion way.]

Don't go invisible with the ones that deserve to be reaped. Let them see you coming.

Oh no invisible works excellently, as long as I'm wearing my cloak of course. There's something to be said for playing into the mythology.

Yeah, I get it, you're staying true to the origins. I prefer to approach someone more socially, but it is interesting to blend into your surroundings and then watch how unaware other people are of you.

But you know what? By turning invisible, you're cheating.

[She raises an eyebrow.]

And how exactly am I cheating?

You don't have to try to be invisible, you can turn it on and off whenever. I haven't seen anyone else do that.

That would likely be because they're invisible.

Oh, so more of them could be here then. They could be right behind me and I wouldn't even know because everyone decided to stay anonymous. [That paranoia is kicking in.] Well, go ahead and try to kill me now. Even though I already know you may be here.

We don't just go about reaping willy nilly you now. Death gives us assignments. Unless your clock's run out you'll be fine.

[...]

And in any case colony Reapers tend to stay visible most of the time. Living here wouldn't be half as fun if no one saw us.

Alright. [And just like that, he's already calm again.]

Lucky me, I don't have a clock. I think I'm in the clear. [He can't say the same for everyone else. And that sucks.]

And what makes you so sure you haven't got one?

[She's amused and a little curious.]

~~I have a friend who can see timer's above people's heads. Oh, and there's the fact that I keep coming back from the dead.~~

You're a grim reaper, can't you see why?

[She shakes her head.]

I can't see the clocks, even if I could the numbers aren't set in stone. People have free will, the choices the living make matter.

Ah, okay.

Free will may work that way in your world, but in mine, probably not. No, I'm sure it doesn't work that way. Well I don't know how it works exactly, but no one has a choice to live or die because of their actions.

Shit just happens because it can.

[Wait what]

You're a what?

[Okay, Ciaran's not half as amused as her mun is. Considering her past, this is probably not the best conversation for her to be having.]

Really? No joke?

[Can we tell she hopes this woman is kidding? Yes. Yes we can.]

[Lucy smiles, a business card materializing in her hand from black smoke.]

I'm a Grim Reaper yes. [She offers her card with the curly green writing: Lucy P. Oswald, Grim Reaper] But you really have nothing to worry about I don't go around reaping willy nilly.

...That's a neat trick. [Creepy, but neat. She reaches out and takes the card, looking it over.]

Huh. Naw, Death missed me at least twice in one night, I think I'm safe. [There's just a trace of bitterness there, then it's gone. Ciaran glances up, wiggling the card.]

This is a thing? Having cards to announce yourselves, I mean.

You've had some near death experiences then I take it? Sorry to hear that lovely. Death only gets us involved in those if you're meant to be having some kind of out of body experience during.

[She laughs.]

Oh no. I'm certainly not the only one who has them, but they're more of a novelty really. I don't often get to bring them out.

When I was six. My family- my parents died. [She's still utterly convinced her brother's alive, she just doesn't have a way to prove it.] The bullets and the bomb missed me. [Wars are so much fun, except when they're not.]

[Ciaran shakes her head, playing with an edge of the card.] How many of you are there?

[Her expression softens at that. To Lucy death is as natural as life, but she's always had a weakness for the suffering of children. She doesn't think, "death is natural and inevitable" will comfort her though.]

There are thousands of us. We've got a union.

[Nope, it wouldn't. Probably trip off demands to know what the point was, tearing her family away from her. Not that she wasn't adopted by people that love her just as much, but.]

...Thousands? I'd actually thought maybe more, what with all the people. Isn't it a lot of work? [A Reapers union. Wow.]

Not really, it's about fourteen, fifteen people a day per Reaper? World wide you only have about fifteen hundred thousand deaths a day.

[Ha, only.]

Have you had to reap many kids? There was this girl that- when my parents died. She looked like me, the hospital got us mixed up. [She's wondering what that little girl went through, and not for the first time. Did she die alone, or was there someone with her at the end?] They must be scared.

No one is alone at the end. The job of a reaper is to guide souls to what comes next.

[Children's deaths are the only ones that ever feel wrong to her. A Teddy bear appears in Lucy's hands, much the way the business card had.]

I keep these for those times. For when we have to guide children. It helps, a little, I think, if they have a friend to take with them.

[Ciaran reaches out to touch the bear with her free hand, stopping just before she touches the fur. She lets her hand fall and smiles, just a little.]

I'm happy that you do that for them. I hope someone did for her.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only