Bags loaded in the back of the blue ford truck, it takes a little help lift of help for the little one to climb to the back behind. The undertaker slips to her storage shadow, across to the other mini seat from Eliza.
"Where would be a good test spot?" Her grandfather asked.
"Most supermarkets is full of creeps. Maybe a small family dinner like that place near your place." Eliza voices with her mom looking at everyone confused, "the lake waters are full of sea monsters."
"Just alligator and crocodiles. Not sea monsters." Her mom sighed.
"Maybe over a light drink is best. You think smart as always." He belts in. There long silence since he doesn't make for small talk. But his daughter tries, trying to normalise herself and have some justification of the strange things. Each new something she voiced to make justification was just another strength ignored silence of grandfather driving. Sure he was listening but he held back. The lass at his side continues with her vague knowing of Undertakers, and will justify they are sometimes invisible. She had even voiced understanding that her daughters invisible friend isn't some joke or passing child's phase. But really the woman was digging a metaphorical grave for herself that even the undertaker had at times made strange looks to Eliza in hoping Eliza understood.
"Denial is a healthy thing when faced with impossible." Eliza speaking back the undertakers point of his expression.
"Eliza, it is rude to look down on your mom. She's not used to it." being the only time grandfather speaks up between distances. Eliza stays silent and it led to even more tongue tie from the woman not sure what joke was being played here. As it was now seems to the lady that there was some in knowledge that she's not privacy to yet. Be it mostly waiting for her father to make sense or listen to her. He was, but just not yet. At parking up to a lovely location, the windscreen looking out to an open air biker's stop. He stays seated, belt off but with getting comfortable. Has the windows down for any heat to not build up so much.
"When you were a little girl, we use to play a game. It was our own version of 'I spy', we use to sit in places like this and talk about more then just seeing. When it get to much we say the safe word."
"Close your eyes." her mom muttered in remembering.
"Right, well... Eliza you can play with us too." He makes the arm rest between driver and passenger clear. Eliza being small enough at the time to see, "Alright, we are not allowed to use the real names or fancy terms." He pointed at Eliza more.
"This is going to be a difficult game for you. I am really good at this game." Eliza played that innocent sounding enough but he seen through and wagged at her, "You go first, Mister red hand." He just had to nod at that.
They all look at the open air bar. He thinks for a while and with time. He slowly picked someone, starting with human features. And once everyone found this target. Everyone else took turn finding something else about the features. It takes a full round until Mom was really properly active sight. So a new target is picked, mom picked first. She used a mix of human and not human tells. The undertaker overhearing what is played off a childish game was actually a learning experience for him too. Not only he learn human insight of angels and demons. But it was how or what humans are picking about the features as tells. Eliza never goes first but she always picked good strong details they all can tell. Although a couple times what she choose about a feature was hard to study for both adults, with putting understanding why she said she was good at this game.
"So normally by ending this game. We close our eyes and talk about things that we smell and hear. Thus we stop seeing." But Eliza made a sound of it not that simple for her, "I would imagine you learned to stop paying attention to the strange things and act as normal as you can, Eliza." She softly nods with her grandfather at that, "I suspect that you being a book holder does that. It's tied to your ability around them." She nods of this too, "My sweet eldest daughter, what you're seeing right now. This world with horned and wing men. This is Eliza's every waking hour. Be it every school she attended and every supermarket. I would even bet, a reason why I never make her pick someone. There are somethings she can see we can't." Her mom looking at the bar ahead of them with this in mind, "You think this is all some prank?" He makes sure with his daughter. She heavy of heart staring at the bar.
"Can we go sit over there?" She pointed to a empty table, its empty of even spirit folks. Grandfather nods of this and got out. They all do. They are picked by the greeter but were able to go to that table as wanted. No second that they were seated Eliza has already been doing something odd, she put things on the table. The items disappear and new things appear. She takes these bits. Whatever gloom of this table had now lifted. It was only then a server was even brave enough to check in and take drink orders. The angel server had even leans with whispering a few things with Eliza. Fast beat away.
"This place has a four way eclipse." Her undertaker seated across from Eliza in putting down some shot glasses. He softly removed a bottle from a inner pocket, pours each a glass and away the bottle hides, "In case." He posed openly.
"Don't drink it unless you think you need it." grandpa stopping his daughter, "Holy water is a way of testing lies. Keeps unwelcomed away. I suspect it has many more uses but the most common use by Undertakers is a detector." Eliza had to sprinkle something into her one with all raise brow of, "Book?"
"Books." Eliza huffed, "I don't want to be nagged." her grandfather looking to the undertaker. He posed open hands of not wanting any offence. He at lease court gestures that his not in wanting to break contact over trivial small arguments, "I added something to enhance the colours it shows me. Since sensitive words can upset so much." She then showed it tinting slightly darker, "This is a good trick. You should use it carefully." She looking directly at the undertaker, "This salt adds hues that dream sorts can alter. It turns black around shadow types. It glows in darkness now, meaning something about the clothy mask living puppet people." using the game from before instead of what their called. The undertaker takes a hold of the glass in question, as he mills over thoughts - the glass hue indeed tints accordingly. He was impressed and rested the glass back at her front.
"Here are your order." the waiter with tray setting 'four' drinks, "We welcome but ask to be respecting the neutral trading standards."
"Just warming up my young recruit with basic training. A little to grounded and stuck minded." her grandfather speaking for them, "I and her have no problems with laws." So there a slide to the undertaker and he posed that his business is the girl. She makes several posturing hand poses. The waiter quickly backed down, softly bows and rushed away.
"Brazen." The undertaker noted.
"Well I wasn't going to ignore them." Eliza frowned, "Nor should you. The lord Omens would be most pleased of your attention." the undertaker leans with not getting it at all, "You're love of rainbow feathers is just as telling as your way of walking." She had seeming lifted a black bird of three eyes at the undertaker, "I am just keeping my promises. We do care." She lets the bird hop to the undertaker, a long trade staring of deep into each others soul. She huffed in how soon the two were like they never been apart. Bird jittering and cooing, "Boys will be boys." she huffed, "So what about you. Are you still a vessel too or you someone new?" looking at her seemingly empty shoulder.
Grandpa turns to facing his daughter reaction about the appearing bird, the undertaker seated next to her and that her drink wasn't anything for human drinking to her mind. Slowly, she jolted with how the three eye bird sharp snap a gaze over her. Although it coos, the sound felt like spoken to her soul. Just like that, the spirits stabilized indefinitely in her eyes. It wasn't so hard to tell a demon from an angel. Grandfather in knowing gods of the old ways, was ready with coin and bowing grateful. He looked worried of Eliza but omens huffed and ignores the girl.
"Demons and angels are the least of her worries. I agree with my lord in pity of such beings." Matthew translating the god's will as the bird is soon nesting his shoulder, "The books are monsters themselves." there a pause of hearing some cooing, "The check engine light is not to be ignored." A very strange note of warning indeed.
"At this point, I am confident to tell you about things you will now need." Grandfather takes a sip of his drink and nods impressed of the half living cocktail, "Very nice tonic mix." Eliza has already been sipping her drink and was sharing it with the invisible bird, "Now it is important to not use what we talk about at them. Most find it disrespectful. Case in point of calling an Undertaker a clay puppet."
"I am use to it. The years I had with stopping her." posed of Eliza and how the god bird huffed in some annoyance, "She has no filter. Angels are creepy but they take that insult in a welcoming matter. They can excuse you for being human but from me. I would have lost my hands." So with that warning.
A new game is played. A new round of pointing out targets and ending the target with explaining what they are. Some vague way of dealing around them. Advice came smoothly for the basic company. But as the more subclassing they choose, the less there was to tell.
"If we were in visiting the afterlife, which is in some areas possible without dying. We can access or see the access of Sigil window. It will prompt things of vague tells. A neutral system that keeps all appeased in its presence. It is location dependant and who is what ranking. You learned about Sigil and ranking at school. You should have maintained some ranking even now. It doesn't matter if you hadn't, time doesn't matter so much. Its mostly if you finished or lost any request contracts. I suspect there more functions but you need to learn them later." He tilts a while and with some frown, "Pick a target Eliza."
"Stays in the darkness away from sunlight, pale and mute." She plays.
"The guy wearing grey hoodie?" her mom asked.
"Has the massive blood stain on his chest." grandfather noted too.
"Dying to poisoning does that." she huffed, "Sad eyes. Afraid of loosing the little shade he can stand." they confirm the features between them.
"When someone dies with so much unfinished business, anguish so great that their soul lingers. They stay even when undertakers, demons and Angels don't linger. Always sad people with history. They can't touch light. Burn to holy or divine prayer. The worse they starve, the more hollow empty they are... fade to less and less human. His a recent case, he will be passing over soon. But... there are those that can't." Eliza began, "The god's can not hear or see them, which hurts more for witnesses like us. Many cold cases with police have such beings attached. If they aren't trying to blend in among humans. They are shadowy figures with a white face. No visible eyes. They scare you. It's not personal, they dislike it... but its a matter of survival." she turned silent with seeing the guy at peace, he leaves. The table turns to her, "See he found peace, he didn't need to linger. Sadly there is some who the gods have banished. Those living folks are able to be shadows. Thus there a big divide between a living shadow and a dead one. There is differing laws and societies. Humans are not the only sorts that are damned. I have met many undertaker, demon and that one case of an archangel. The society of the dead damned are mute on purpose... but you can make them talk. You just have to know, be in the know. Know the taps. Its a open secret. You can say to a god face and most times they can't hear you. My friend here," she poses of the empty shoulder, "Is an exception. It's not in rudeness lord. They aren't use to a god hearing them. But you cant help them, maybe its why you can see and hear them."
"I don't see this one." her mom pondered to the empty shoulder of her daughter.
"Death's Vessel." Matthew voicing, "A tome keeper is able to see life and death. Its not a bad thing for her. It is if you did." making her grandfather slightly lower.
"It's ok grandpa if you can't see him." Eliza does know he can, "Death is a welcoming sort. You can worry about tea another day." there a long huff and some pinned thoughts. Some long draw.
"You're life must be scary." He notes to Eliza.
"No. Not at all. I use to be scared. I am fine now." Eliza looking away, "I have other things to care about. Enjoying what I am given." he shivered at the strange maturity that was. She tilted in as of listening to someone and she softly nods, "You should train Joseph under deaths permission. To let him take the black but continue as one the fingers of the hand." She tells him, "Having a dedicated name watcher in your group as you cross passed boundaries even the gods cant walk will be the best blessing they can provide." She paused and listening again. She then nods, "Trust..." She paused and looked at the death vessel, "That coming from me is a little harsh." She huffed, "The lord of shepherd souls cares not in how you return back among this plain, for as long as your soul and your sense of identity is kept. I guess." She muttered, "Souls do cross back and forth all the time. Slipping my hands, no matter what we try." She back to sipping the drink at her front, "Erebus is a big man, he knows the next time he shuffles the undertakers. I will have the enders on him. I am not trying to pick on him, he just keeps crossing the tomes order of things. As does his little group of pals. Like Hades, Hel and the proxy god creep that the not human worship."
"Putting aside all that, what is the god of darkness have to do with the tomes?" Matthew wondered. She posed her left hand as if posturing to the death vessel of this being picked up. Deaths posed wing of brushing his chin. Clearly death is saying something and Mattu heard him. Matthew stares stunned of whatever he heard. He bangs the surface of the table and rushed away. She frowned.
"You had to make it about Pride." She huffed at death, "His sister. Not the sin title." She clarified, "His undertaker sister was once his human sister in living. Even after death, his watching her back."
"As will your brother." Death takes off. Eliza frowned of that being a very unwelcomed bit of news, hoping it's not event soon.
"Pale that stood alone at the railing." Her mom softly asks them here.
"Dark aura. Can't be seen." Grandfather added.
"A creature of Noctorm, be it a creature sworn to a proxy lord or landscape owner. Noctorm is in the dream lands and only accessed by sleep or curse. Some humans lost in the eclipse lands will wonder and become a Noctorm creature. They know things you don't want to hear. The are a sign. Sometimes they are bound to you from someone cursing you. When they are bond; they either need payment to release, permission from a higher ranker or to take your soul." Eliza explaining to them both, "Noctorm is a sort of fear word around all undertakers, angels and demons. Just as we dislike demons." She studies, "That guy is just a merchant. He trades material of dreams to the waking world. He has a lord whom rules wandering merchant folks." She back to looking away, "You will sometimes need their plant trades for healing tonics. Sometimes words about the up coming events. But dreams are just whispers, no ever lasting. Unless you believe in them hard enough."
She pats the table and someone was swiftly by with refilling all of everyone's drinks. A soft bow and flee fast.
"I don't quiet understand how you do that tap thing." Her mom voicing softly.
"The higher the ladder you climb with differing societies, the more greetings and codes you learn to speak." Grandfather speaks gently back, "So a good example would be the damned, they have entire language in how you smile and the taps you make." Eliza posts at that not being quiet right but she shakes out of it, "Undertakers have different kingdoms among themselves. Just as we humans are different races and nationality. They all pose their hands in proclaiming the crest they are loyal to."
"You pray differ ways to different gods. Some gods prefer blood sacrifice. Some want you to pass on a good deed. Some have unseen attachments. It matters not how little or often you prayer. It is the feeling and depth you convey your words. Although some gods have preferred that you speak daily and by their rules." Eliza voiced, "Most times this can apply to creatures we unwittingly created as humans. Fey are mischievous and only present themselves if you turly want them in your world." She huffed, "Our subconscious dreams too. Welcome or not. Noctorm is full of these types."
The adults have now finally stopped looking around as they are finally getting her picture. That they are surrounded by many different forms of beings.
"Trixie!" Eliza hopes right up on her feet and waved to the group that came over. A whole group of masked beings that are pretending to be damned. Even so she wafted many a gestures and they return them. She makes sure the excuse the two adults that aren't in the loop of which rhe group chuckles and promises they aren't included.
"Draven, you're the new crow. May the ink bird treat you well." She tied a black corded leather at their left hands of each approached being,"Don't over work this soul or else it be another turn of pages again before then." She wags at them all and they bow. They alter into bird and flew. She sits down as Matthew is back. Her mom jolted with slight choking her drink in how the undertaker was just there without warning. He stares at Eliza with deep intent.
"Whichever one you are, looking at me like I know your thoughts isn't going to make anything better." Eliza eases down and had nearly took a sip of her current drink. But he reached over and hand over the top. She lets the drink go and he slides it across at his front, drinking it instead.
"Given you are a tome keeper, can you tell me about the undertakers?" Her grandfather asked.
"They aren't OK. Yet it isn't business to human folks like you and the current me." Eliza was sad in her tone, "I wish it was a normal civil war or just unlikely kingdom falls. But something of the gods has caused the condemning of crests. This disorder has took away the stabilized foundations undertaker realms rely on." She softly looking up at this mimic of Matthew, "I will chase after him when it's my time." This mimic poses thinking of this, "Once I attend the school that trains folks about crossing." It straighten up at this, "Only Fallowns cross time. Seers are only book holders. Gladers order magic and divine. Darkwoods make deals to Noctorm, demons and damned. Bardridge are shaman bloodline of which Mattu and his sister was thrown aways from." That was exactly what this title mimic needed to confirm with her. She back to her grandfather, "The undertakers unrest has brought complications among the main families and I suspect everyone will be stepping it up. You are going to be called to stand sides or play fences for this situation. The red hands will be making moves to background the unrest." She looked away to nothing particularly, a little unease of saying her next words, "Do what you think is right. You make sure there nothing to feel worried about, tough that love will be."
He reached over and scruffs her head. The mimic in watching how love is conveyed and learned to Eliza had now turned with posed thinking. There a sharp moment it noticed something and slips to her storage. Eliza left the table for a toilet break, clears the local tab with the spirit folks and used a debt card to pay the living world drinks tab. She was soon Scooting into the truck quietly. Her grandfather and mother in serious and flat terms expressing the moves they have to make to survive. Eliza could help but have tomes checked through. Feeling sad to the terrible condition that names and tomes for undertakers are in.