Not only did she pass bare minimum for English, Math and all three basic Sceince. She made top student in the Geography exam. She did it all the year she came here to prevent sabotage of the Seers or being in classes with the kids that don't let her learn. It was good enough for the headmaster to allow Leah as a night student maybe even teacher. She has the options to repeat exams while she still in the legal school age.
Time has flew by, she did eventually do up the church priest room for her own bedroom. She stopped visiting her mom as often when her own mom was in demon study and undertakers law classes. Her mom wasn't always alone in the evenings, a nice English undertaker would often been already there. Leah was pleased and gave them space, her mom hardly noticed that Leah stopped by less. Joseph was making good on his hunters ranking, and will qualify to take on a reaper test. Although, she has some doubt that he pass doing the normal job. He doesn't seem the calm type to watch those die and not intervene with what has been. Not yet at least.
Leah this evening is on her day off, it actually the holidays for those that had exams. It's around this time she stopped attending normal classes and has been gearing for more frequent crossings to sigil.
Polishing her oldest gear and keeping it maintained manually. No magic use. Using oil she had traded for to soak the leather. Scrubbing the muck that past trips had left. The priest rooms are a open flat with one small corridor and four doors along the corridor if exiting from the main living area. Two bedrooms, the front door so to speak and a small toilet. The church has a shower downstairs hidden. On days she soaks for a bath, she sets it in her bed room and drains in her shower. The spare bedroom has been just light storage for now, she can have it ready use of someone was desperate. But it meant they live with her.
"Wow, this is where you been." Omens helped himself through the front door, this vessel is neither the paper guy or bird. Rather, it's the abyss black skin body with the hypnotic crazy eye. She even go at guess the old abyss soul is inside. She unfazed of him, continues polishing. He stomps about inspecting the lack of her art around and that she really doesn't have much that makes it her place. He scratches the chin at pondering this development. Takes a seat at her dinner table. The small kitchen that has a used pan, a chest freezer covered in runic prevents and fridge. Single sofa livingroom with coffee table. A book shelve of no books but files. No TV. There a radio on static.
"Old man by the beach side, rare to see you wonder in sea." She speaks gentle and not looking up, "You finally moved the fire back to where it belongs. The tree must be lonely." She twisted the piece around for any missed spots and down it went. Rag aside and bottle corked. She leans forwards, "It's gotten lonely in the dark."
"Well you should turn the light on." He huffed and her mask did exactly that. He fell backwards in the seat. Her mask stops him being on the floor. Seat him up right.
"Hollowifcation. It's a broken soul problem." She decides the turn the light off again ad the gloom felt safer, "I don't hunger to eat other souls if that's your worry. I still prefer soul names, but I am very picky. Until another tome comes crashing in, there isn't anything soul worth for me." She stays laying at the table, "Cat got your tongue?"
"I came to ask a request. The other me is preoccupied to realize the danger. It's coming up to a time revert you been through before. The gathering of lost children. The demon territory is going to loose living ground. The school will still be here, but ran by the families. I am afraid of loosing my other me and my follower."
"They could get living realm stuck." She gets it, "Funny enough, Fate has you covered. I see her threads. She tied me and Mat together. But the bond is weak and frail."
"Will you make sure he and my bird are safe?" She posed her right hand on this and he takes it with confidence. She passed a strange curse over Omens. He stares at the mark, "Abyss gaze?"
"I am the abyss and my gaze is on you. Of course you get a fancy mark for it." She starts getting the gear on, "I better go stop my brother pranking them students. The mad man with a gun. Who knows, it twists a lot here." She leans in almost leaving, "Gate out it there." She pointed to the wall drawing he didn't see before, "My cocktail bar is unlabeled. Not try carelessly." He steps through and she leaves the flat. Heading down stairs. Into the main prayer hall where it's no one this evening. She kicked the back door and a bullet stuck through it.
"Don't stand there. Get in!" She helps the kids up into the church. She then rolls low from gun point and tackles the shooter. They tussle with the gun between them. She flicked the safety on. The shooter is trying to pull the trigger at her. She eventually was sick of the fighting and hissed at the guy in human way. He lost the use of his hands just long enough. She takes the gun away and got off him, a good gut kick for good measure. She picked up someone still laying the floor and drags them into the church. They slam the door closed for her. She cast protection over the door. Dragging the unconscious to the pews. The able students help her. Gates of undertakers open here and they seem to be helping the kids. And we're taking them to the other side. She evades the whole crowd and caught glimpse of Omens flying. Omens lands on someone at the far side. She slips around to there and evades the other undertakers. She hears the door being kicked and soon magic blasting it. Darkwood folks swooping in and fighting undertakers. She hide better as the mad man that wanted to chase her was going this way.
"Index keeper, what nice surprise." Matthew knocked the man out and tossed over shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She uses the gun to aim for the shadow mass, one the shot rung. Humans all flinched and lowered. The mad man coughed black, as she shot his shadow. She lowered the gun and check ammo. All clicked in place, she rushed over and collected the mask side of the mad man.
"Seer like him are no different to a Darkwood." She hung the mask on the human owner, "I get it, you don't want to trust me." She finds herself collared and dragged with. She doesn't fight him. He seen the cloak she was wearing and just accepted. Omens lands on the mad man's back. He is watching the sea of chaos; cowrding students, a monster from a unstable gate, undertakers and Darkwood fighting each other. Gladly they crossed into a gate if undertakers, leaving the chaos and death behind. She seen the last glimpse of her brother waking at the pews before they full passed the gate threshold. She can only guess he will be OK from here.
Matthew stops at the middle of the path way. He brought out things from his pockets and untied rope that hung his belt. The mad man is soon hog tied and with added shadow binds. Prevents shadow escape. He puts the man and her on a cart and with Greyhound. Greyhound looked back at the gate for a second amd back to the crowd. He was eyeing her cloak. Greyhound helping Matthew to pull her and the mad man into the undertakers realms.
"Welcome back from being human. How was the life?" Greyhound small talks Matthew.
"Full of danger, mages and political views." She snorts at that being his reply, "What deal did you make, stranger?" Matthew meant her. She looks back at them both pulling them. She softly turns with Omens.
"Omens asked me to watch you and his bird brains." She shurgs as this wasn't a secret, "Can't have you imprisoned in the creeps corpse house again. I hate that place as much as you would."
He turned back to Greyhound and shakes in denying this. Greyhound however then sees omens thinking about her words. He witnessed that she broke events from repeating. His indeed meant to been captured by the Seers and imprisoned in place he can't reach. Although the outcome of coming back with a creepy girl didn't change.
"You!" The mad man spat towards her, "You ruin my work. Your ruined my chances of citizenship. Bitch." She waved the panel in checking and indeed requesting citizenship with clothus. He was denied on several grounds but the clovers did state they over look it for a price. The whole soul names on paper stuff made sense. She kicked the man in the gut again.
"Clovers will just back stab you and enslave you for all that work you did for taking souls from the tomes. You are an idiot that doesn't even poker chess right." She huffed, "You just be mince meat in the basement of the boarder cities. You do realize there isn't a concept of life or death there. But all the other horrible stuff like mold and bacteria does. Your stomach will eat you."
"Am I even hearing that correctly?" Greyhound asked.
"She does have clothus citizenship, of course she knows their realm. She is a god administrator for their soul counter." Matthew stopped a second as he didn't realize he knew that. There was a lot of things suddenly bubbling to his mind. His all that more confused.
"Get a wiggle on." She reminds them and he back to pushing the cart with Greyhound, "It's fine, Raven. Your a lost one too. You have blank card status like me." She pulled the mad man to stop escaping. The man growled like a feral beast, trying his best to yank hands out of the ropes. It was so bad that Greyhound and Matthew stopped to pull the man themselves. She follows right behind them. They pulled right to the administrator but they had hands full. So she reached up and stamps the entry papers. The stamp was plenty. Nods with waving them away. The paperwork was burnt quickly in removing evidence. But they are added into the system as returned. Greyhound staring back at the desk management. Back focused with throwing the man to the floor for another round of forcing the man.
"No! I will not allow this!" He spat and hissed. Matthew simply was sick of it, being human himself. He punched the man cold.
"Can't we done that sooner?" Greyhound asked.
"No, we had to be on this side of the desks." She pointed out, "the boundaries of living and afterlife is thin here. The desk line marks that crossing. The administration is just docking your name into the undertakers tome instead of the death tome." Greyhound stares dazed of her again.
"You have any ideas which pond to use?" Matthew huffed.
"He needs the sinners pond." She pointed at the unconscious guy, "Because murder to make slave souls is bad." They all had that dark look. Staring at the man under them. They pulled him back up and dragging him less kindly. He untied and thrown to a cage which is cranked down into a pond. Greyhound waved that he sort the rest for the mad man.
"Well come on." Matthew takes her left hand and walks her to deeper into the realm. Going the shadow routes to the private rooms of nobility. He stops to his old flat, putting his kit that he doesn't want ruined away. She waited at the front door. She seen this room before. Seen the sealed ruital room packed into a coffin. She sees the current monarch crown on the crystal stand. She knew it should have been graiced to the current monarch. But she doesn't question things. He in light wear and sees she hasn't changed or anything.
"You need the kit on?" He asked. She shurgs at this.
"I am not exactly fully human. I just don't like scaring people unintentionally. If I want to scare folks, I do it with purpose. Most times as a warning or punishment for making a mess of the tome page. Again." He sighed and pushed her to the bathroom. He give her a black dress for her to wear before the door is closed. She doesn't mind.
"We have to leave." He knocked the door ans she opened it. Tilts looking at his strange expression. He had a lace cloth dropped over her. Pushes her to walk the same place he does. The flat locked behind and omens swoops by, landing on Matthew right shoulder. They toured the kingdoms main departments, taking in the places that metchants trade around. Matthew would lean to stop at spots to eavesdropping about local talk. Leah was the same but in watching the damned around here. Paying mind to those that been following them the most. The damned are keenly aware of her watching them and show kindness in directing her to the shadow spies or some gossip. She share the juicy comments to Matthew, as they pass into the documents authentication process rooms. He always has her hand, moving them quickly to evade the time revert. They around to a private pond that only those close to the crown use, pushing her in frist. But she doesn't flay about and knew she wasn't breathing. So once for sure that she sunk through he went in too. She was right to the bottom of the pool watching the chemistry of changing human flesh to a clay substance. How the layers are artificial caked on by souls whom failed this process. They caked her too for a while and then froze up in being unsure she was going to pass the change process.
System change - body condition met. Configuration in progress. Clay body fromate. Skills active - monarchs elegance and Hollowifcation. Clothus digression: you have stopped aging from 21. Well at least I will be an adult version of myself. Thank the universe. Energy conversion and soul status had accelerated this alter. Energy stability met, final drying.
She floating back up the surface, making it out of the pond. She finds her clothing has been found and laid to the shore. She chooses only to cover with the lace cloth for now. Standing watching the waters colour changes. But she not using the eyes that been bricked by clay. She using her hollow sense to see. She heard a shuffle nearby and this to locate that exact spot. But she turned away since it didn't interest her. They didn't feel like someone she knew.
"Wait, I know this." Omens went for her feet and she evaded him, "See, in spite of blind and lack of hearing. She is keenly aware. She likely not trust hardly anyone." She tilts on hearing him better and lowered, picking him up. She clearly was thinking about something, that dead straight stare look. She lowered in putting him down again. She instead was now petting around the floor, a sound pattern that meant hardly anything to the undertakers. But with pause, she felt the floor. Something has now replied to her pattern. She stands up straight. Leery more then before.
"There must be something we don't know. Greyhound shurgs and softly steps. He makes it only arms reach when he backed away. There that feeling at her feet again, stronger now. With a soft push, a large limb is petting her head. She stays very still in letting it. It scoops her up, her feet leaving the ground. She back under the pond surface. Taken deeper then last time. There now was beings touching her, carving out the clay from her eyes. Her mouth line. Painting her arms, the patterns she expected. Painting her back. She is having gemstones embedded and several tome craft marks. Her arm are free adjustable with a hidden retracting blade feature. Her claw nails are adjustable. She felt hot in the darkness, but put up with this. She never opens her eyes, in respect of the artist making these decisions. They did have a blind fold at first but could tell that she has here eyes closed. So when the blindfold slipped off, she made no effort of trying to see. They have her guided out of the waters and into some light place. It's warmer and they are sealing the finish clay paints with a oil and stone stain blend. They clothed her at this point, a head dress veil and long skirting dress. Low heel shoes. She felt the embroidery around her lap, petting the designs. She had even slipped a purr, which she had then made an voice cleaner notion. A drink placed to her left hand, her right hand she used to finger dip test the content. She accepts it softly sips, not to ruin the work. The drink softly put to a tray, tray being held up by the entities around her. Even so, she stays so still. There a lot of tapping about, comments of how stunning she looks. Shuffled feet in being envious.
"This way." She heard gently.
"Thank you all for such splendid work." She bows graciously and felt them return this bow. She takes a moment to pick up her hollow sense and without taking the aides hand, walks exactly where they meant for her to take. Up a thin passage alone and to jump down landing alone on a pond shore. She opens here undertakers eyes, seeing this was a private spot for only monarchs. She looked around a little perplexed and finds the exit. She finds the pond where Matthew was last in. She steps through past several shadow spies and softly to sit herself on the coffin that belongs to him. His not in there but her sitting here has enough of a statement.
"Shit." Greyhound having a heart attack of her being right there, "Damn Trickster, and what brings one of you here?"
"Mmm? You brought me. Or rather I been tagging with Omens request. You know who I am, Greyhound. Don't be so threatened. I might actually bite you." He snarls but stares a while of her sitting on the coffin as she is.
"What was that?" Omens landing at her right.
"The concept of being somethings pet or dress up doll. Normally it's lady summons but I think that was something else for once." She posed her left hand in summoning up several copies of differing tomes. She breezes them gently and in closing her hand, closed the tomes. She pulls them away, back hidden once more. She relax herself in waiting, posed in a up right back and crossed arms. Her face softly level but while still using the veil to hide her face. She closed her eyes as nothing around her needs her full attention. Nothing around her was a threat. She held back her senses too, circling only the coffin and omens. Omens will make flight trips around the room but she tracking him. The chained mad man was form enough, arms tied back and tied to a post. The mysterious cloak is softly put around her shoulders, as it if was a missing peice. The hood raised to the way she always has it. Right before the hand slips away, she her left hand warmly thanks them. The being was quickly gone once softly slipped from her left hand. The cloak she wears altered that grey cream into a deep patterned thick layers. There many shades of colours that overall looks grey at a distance. There is some very vivid marks that impose warning and great status about her. There hidden darker ink layers of her sins and pale pastels that balance those sins.
"Nah, why do you have that?" Greyhound not able to nor freak out.
"It's clearly a gift for me to wear. I shall respect whomever or whatever thinks I deserve it." She finds the inner pocket with a silver cigarette case. Inside this case is her typical dream land smokes and a match box to strike it lit. She finds this amusing and goes to smoke one, savoring the flavors. She is using her right hand to do so, leaving her left hand to be free use.
"Why is that here?" Another spy of the current king hissed.
"Don't bother. She's here become the god he follows asked her to." Greyhound huffed and is glad to see Matthew getting out of the pond. He is abnormal body craft too, but more around his damned cursed and holy divine following to Omens. He seems to be having a headache, holding his face like that. But it could be his holding his mask too. She flicked her right hand his direction and instantly there was materials made from void dark matter. She plays with styling hid overall state and nods in likening it. She waved to Greyhound to stand away from Matthew. As suddenly the water surface of the pond is breached and a ton of clothy wrappings pulled Matthew back under. Omens hissed and squawks; all in sort of telling his little sister to be gentle. She snickers at that being from Omens.
"You did protect them as asked." She heard from omens shadow, the abyss being blinks at her cloak, "Do you even know what your wearing?"
"No but someone keeps putting it on me, so I would guess I should respect the will." Blows away the cigarette smoke and he flinched. He moved the shadow evading this smoke, "I would guess its part of my return to duty. The pockets are all for my tool kits. Their a lot of use in the material." She changed crossed legs, "Eventually they would come find me."
"You casually just accept that burden, and not questioning the origin."
"As expected from a fallen soul." She stubs put the cigarette on her left hand and puts the bud back in the case it came from. She hasten in wanting another but closes the case.
"My own personal demon to haunt me." Matthew was back and waiting for her to get off his coffin.
"Nah man, you're my spirit guardian with broken wings." She play pinched his side and got down the coffin, "I can't let you go." She brushed his faces and he slaps her hand away. She stand in letting him think about everything. Once he done with the coffin, he turned back and played with her hood. She snickered and he frowns in his moment of subconscious manners.
"Here." She picked up omens and drops omens to Matthew. Matthew in panick caught omens and really glares at her. She puts a warm side smile and tucks deeply into the cloak.
They are taken through to the throne hall, as there a welcome party for upper ranks. Everyone is dressed to the nines. Her dress under this cloak is suddenly all the more sensible and the embedded gemstones. She fits in a rich lady with love for the Mexican day of the dead. The underskirt blood red that fluttered visible between strides. The as thin a waist can go. The hole through her and her face encrusted of scale gemstones.
He matched her well, a suit perfectly made of embedded references. The way his left eye has temporary gemstones lining around. They share matching hung feathers and arm marks of soul status. But even in a crowd like this, they arent as dazzling as others. They don't stand out or be out of place. Wallpaper bland in the face of those flaunting higher money or power shares.