Let's begin now, telling you how I learned my craft.
It began when I was just 9 years old, after that first encounter when I was 6 I tried for a very long time to research on how to be a mortician, my parents were... displeased if I recall, but maybe I can understand them a little, if I had a kid, and then he comes out of the blue telling everyone that he will be something that most people find disturbing, I would be worried too... especially as my sisters grew up to change what they wanted to be doing in their lives at least a few times, but me? I didn't change at all
But to me the path was already chosen, so I started to look on people who could help me, I tried searching for the funeral home that held my Uncle's funeral, but apparently it disappeared because of financial trouble it faced, it's kind of ironic that a thing like not many people dying are a factor in the demise of a business, but anyway, I couldn't find the man, so I spent a lot... and I mean a lot of time in the public library, trying to find as many things I could learn about corpses, embalming and even how to run a business.
And if my parents weren't concerned then, I think me trying to get a real size mannequin for me to practice was the tipping point for them to put me in therapy.
At least it was only 7 months of therapy and not the 2 years they had originally imagined, the doctor explained to them that I was actually very mentally healthy and that I just really wanted to become a mortician, that my parents accepted my chosen path... or at least Dad did, he was just happy that I wouldn't be risking my life as a huntsman, my Mom on the other hand was still very disturbed by how things turned out, but didn't actually tried to stop me, I still got Dad to teach me how to fight just to be sure I could defend myself in the world.
When I turned 9, I roamed a little in my town, and happened to find a new funeral parlor called "Eternal Dawn" run by a man called Mr. Callaway (never told me his name, but he responded to that name... and weirdly he also responded to "Taker") a very big man, almost always wearing black, and with long black hair, he always dressed in a black suit and purple tie, he also covered his hands with purple leather gloves.
He was a very intimidating figure to look at, I'm not gonna lie... he legit scared me when I was younger... but I didn't fail to see the opportunity that the gods had given me, I entered the place and tried to spoke to Mr. Callaway, but he just told me time and time again to stop bothering him, I couldn't get him to talk to me for a whole month, but I still tried, eventually while he was building a big box, I think I bothered him enough for him to turn around and yell me asking, what did I wanted of him?
I just said to him that I wanted to learn how to do his job, I think it took him by surprise, because I spent another week for him to accept me as a sort of apprentice.
At first, I think he expected me to be disgusted after the very first weeks of training because he taught me how to protect me form smells and how to drain blood... so it must have been a huge surprise to him that I spent nearly 8 years learning from him... Or to be more precise 5 years learning and 3 years of being an actual employee of "Eternal Dawn" because as an underage mortician I couldn't open my own parlor yet, my parents respected my wishes and let me train under him, Mr. Callaway actually became a friend to the family, I had another 4 sisters born in that time Alice, Violet and the second twins (after Melody and Melanie) Kate and Coral.
As my big sisters grew, they all left our parents house, Sapphron married a very nice lady named Terracotta and went to Argus, Melody started a writting career and had a very big success with a ninja inspired book and Melanie became a composer... so yeah, the Arc kids were finally finding success.
Under Mr. Callaway I learned the ways of draining organs and blood, to fix things like bullet wounds and Grimm bites, giving color to a body to make it look more alive than ever, I even learned how to construct caskets and coffins (that was more of an exclusive thing Mr. Callaway did in his parlor, he enjoyed constructing them in the image of the deceased or the things the deceased enjoyed in life) and after all of that I wanted to imagine that he would be proud of me... he was, but at the same time I could sense a bit of sadness when he smiled... He told me when I asked him that he was proud of being my master but he would feel sad about me leaving the parlor and also... that he was exposing me to a world of cruelty and a lot of mental turmoil.
I just hugged the man and thanked him for everything he had done for me, I worked for him for another moth.
And then I turned 18, under Valean law I was officially ready to open my parlor, I said my goodbyes to my parents, my younger sisters and Mr. Callaway to finally find my way.
Life was smiling at me at last.