Hi everyone!
Just a few things before we get started:
The original concept to this story was mapped out years ago but I never got around to actually writing it. I'm very excited to finally get the ideas out there, and I hope my writing will improve as I go :)
This is an AU focusing on some of the unseen normal citizens and exorcists of True Cross Academy and the town.
There will be several established characters making appearances, as well as my own OCs.
I don't own anything but my own characters!
A lone overworked intern stood at a desk, covered with papers.
The window was open and a fan was blowing cool air around the room, but it was still uncomfortably warm that summer day.
They wiped the sweat off their forehead with a handkerchief and leaned over the disaster zone of documents.
There was a knock at the closed office door before it swung open.
A tall and gangly man wearing a suit walked in, and promptly tripped over the vacuum cleaner that had been left in the middle of the floor.
"Clover! For goodness sake," he struggled with the electric cord.
"Sorry, hold on," Clover replied solemnly. They quickly moved a couple pages to a small stack beginning to form in the center if it all.
Spinning around, Clover leapt to rescue the funeral director from the viscous vacuum cleaner.
Somehow the extraordinarily clumsy man had managed to turn it on and his tie was quickly being sucked into the machine.
Clover lunged forward and yanked the cord from the outlet so that the funeral director could free himself.
He smoothed out his poor crumpled tie and tried to look stern, before seeing the desk and Clover's dark circles.
"Clover...go take lunch," he pleaded. The intern looked back at the workspace with begging eyes.
"I've almost finished sorting out the priority clients, please let me just-" but Clover was cut off when their superior pointed to the open door. Clover hung their head in defeat and marched towards the break room.
"Hey Clover," an equally exhausted man stood in the corner, nursing a cup of coffee.
"Seto, Eiko," Clover greated him and the woman sitting at a table. She was sluggishly working through a microwaved lasagna, while reading a financial report. She had a pen tucked behind her ear and Seto was giving her some dates and numbers. She was a profound mathematician and handled the accounting of many businesses in the area. Seto had an indestructible memory for numbers, that made him an excellent receptionist, but alas no skill in mathematics. The two worked well together.
After piling a random assortment of snacks onto a paper plate and grabbing two juice boxes, Clover tried sneaking back into the office, but their shoulders were gracefully apprehended and spun back around.
"Outside. Sunlight," their superior commanded.
The sunshine was occasionally obscured by enormous fast-moving clouds. Clover watched them glide silently across the bright blue sky, thoughtlessy inhaling their food. They heard the side door open and their superior joined them at the bench.
It was a small but lovely courtyard. Clover grew most of the floral arrangements out here, and there was enough room for funeral guests to meander about when they needed a bit of fresh air, as they often did.
The old walking-stick shaped man handed Clover a can of coffee and in return they offered up the plate of treats to him. He selected a small biscuit with two long fingers and dropped it. He picked it off the ground and ate it anyway.
"I appreciate you hard work, kid, but I need my living tennants to stay living. Take breaks, please, the dead aren't going anywhere," he lectured. Clover tried not to tear up. He signed and patted the top of their unruly hair.
"Clover, sometimes these things happen and it's our job to handle it so others don't. Please don't feel responsible for their grief," he added with more compassion in his voice.
Clover look up into his gaunt face. He was, honestly, an extremely kind man with the patience of a saint. His hair, despite his age, was still jet-black and cut in an unremarkable style, as was his suit and shoes. His stature was really the only thing that stood out.
Clover was grateful to have found a place to live AND work while studying for their teaching license.
It was an even greater fortune that such a peaceful aria accepted Clover's application. He was a local, born and raised in True Cross Town, and operated the tiny funeral home.
He had originally opened the practice back in the day for exorcists. Supernatural afflictions can make funerals difficult, and it took great skill to purify bodies for a desirable burial.
That aside, over the years some of the local exorcists had found sanctuary in the privacy of his practice. They were able to be themselves, and openly discuss occupational secrets within the building. Exorcists didn't even have to have tragic deaths to be taken care of in that place.
"Grandfather...thank you," Clover finally replied.
He had named the funeral home after his own grandfather, who had been cremated and disrespectfully laid to rest, as was the procedure back then. He didn't actually have children of his own, much less any grandchildren.
Grandfather Fortunate's Funeral Home For The Occupationally Afflicted was a hidden gem in town. People called him Grandfather Fortunate all the time, assuming it was his own name.
He didn't care. He'd been called Mr. Fortune for some 40-odd years now, and carried it with pride.
"You can finish up that paperwork now, whenever you're ready to," he smiled. Clover sniffled and wiped their eyes. They finished the second juice box and slammed the coffee back before returning inside.
Mr Fortune stayed outside for a while longer. He crossed one ankle over the other knee, taking up the entire bench now, and brought out a long pipe from his inner jacket pocket. He stuffed it with dried flowers from an unlabeled vial and lit it.
Breathing out a smooth plume of purple smoke, he sighed.
No one had ever applied to the apartment, or intern position. He had accepted the ambitious application with some surprise.
Fortunate, indeed, that the applicant was so competent and willing to work the odd hours.
Though there were at least two things he would never tell Clover.
1. The ground the business was built upon, had once upon a time been a mass grave for afflicted demon hunters. Centuries passed had passed, but Fortune could still feel the whispers of the long forgotten dead. It's actually what drew him to purchase the plain building, and turn it into a warm and friendly funeral home.
2. Those spirits, deep below in the ground, they knew something about Clover. Something that the kid themself seemed unaware of.
He finished the bowl and tapped the ashed out into a tray standing nearby. He truly felt guilty for allowing Clover to work on the current case.
They had both seen some gruesome things before, certainly as was the occupational hazard, but this was beyond that.
A sinkhole had opened up in the night prior, claiming an entire 3-story apartment building. At the bottom of the mile-long pit the disaster site had become a buffet for feral demons. Many exorcists had been sent down to retrieve remains, personal affects still intact, and beginning the process of sealing the ground up. It would take at least a week of nonstop work to fill the pit.
Clover had volunteered, as the only intern, to match the remains up with citizen identification profiles. There were almost 50 people spread out over that desk. Images of tattoos, faces, clothes, limbs...
He held his head in his hands. Clover only had to deal with the names and partially censored photos…but as soon as he went back inside he had to continue purifying the actual remains and organizing the common citizens in the freezer room, so that their families could stop by to collect them later.
Clover was trying to help him by separating them from the exorcists to get everyone home as quickly as possible.
He decide the kid needed a raise. Or a vacation. Honestly, they all needed a vacation.
With that final thought he stood up and went back inside.
Clover trudged up the tall stairs and threw their bag down at the floor. They belly flopped onto their bed and muffled their screams into the plush quilt.
A large animal stirred underneath the blanket, before pulling it's round head out from the covers, making a small unimpressed noise.
Clover blindly reached a hand up and pet it's head before sliding down to the floor and rolling over on their back. The exhausted desk worker stretched their toned arms above their head and felt their back pop in two places.
The animal slowly moved down from the bed and layed across Clover's gut, pinning them to the spot.
"OOMF," the air left their lungs. "DAISY! GET! OFF!" Clover gasped, trying to shove the heavy Capybara away.
Daisy rolled off and onto the floor next to Clover, as if mocking them.
"Hey! Don't give me that look, I know I'm late," they argued, but Daisy continued to look bored.
Clover groaned and got up to feed the abnormal familiar.
As soon as that was done they took a shower, using their honey and milk soap. Washing the day away, and allowing some tears to finally flow free.
Donning a light blue bathrobe and slippers, they grabbed a premade sandwich from the fridge and flopped down on their tiny red sofa.
They turned on the tv and fell asleep to the hum and buzz of the news.
"WHAT?" Clover cried out.
"I said you have the day off," Fortune answered calmly.
"But, but the paperwork!"
"Two civilian funeral homes have sent us help, don't worry about it kid," he ruffled their hair affectionately. Clover stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape. Fortune chuckled and turned around, going back inside and leaving the young adult at the sidewalk.
"Well now what do I do…" Clover tried to think of chores, or homework…but they didn't anything currently on the To-Do List. (An actual list hanging on their fridge, updated every week)
"I guess Daisy might want to go on a hike," they mumbled to themself, starting the trek back up the stairs.
There was a back side to the building that led up to a couple of modest apartments. The wallpapers were a fade floral print from the 70s, all hardwood floors.
Clover changed into a t-shirt and jeans, throwing some things into a messenger bag and set out aimlessly.
Little did they know, someone in the shadows across the street was watching.
Thanks for reading! I hope it isn't too boring right now x)
We're just getting started so hold on!
Please feel free to ask any questions as we go forward.
Until next time! (o v o)/