62 Set lines

"That was a smaller loss of lives then previous predicted. You have the lass that commands the god eaters to thank." Despite all that has happened, Death still has his original cocktail drink and is still sipping at it occasionally. He sits at shared small garden table with the queen. The courtyard is a protected space, sparsely flowered around fencing walls and there is plenty of shadow hands stood at each corner. The king leaned on the gazebo that shelters the small garden furniture. The few plants that do grow here bend at his presence, bright white of withering stems. The King peers deeply towards Greyhound, whom made indicating that Curiosity was arriving.

"How did this girl come about being part of your order?" The queen trying to learn basics. She was making small talk to try and impress the death god or that she hoped quiet man had anything different to contribute. If he would speak ill of the girl, the queen could use that. The queen is always looking for some way to have more over the king. This struggle was pointless, given the power of a monarch isn't something voted or won with being popular.

"Maybe you should have asked a more careful question, Queen Rust." Death putting the empty glass to the table. She leans carefully forward in may this was going to be whispered but death reclines in posture, "She is double ranking. She is by the system considered an outsider. Someone that soul was rejected from space and time. Her name isn't fully recovered in tome. Her true name by her soul has alphabetical symbols not in our sigil system." Death takes pause for a moment to let that sink thought. The queen doesn't understand but the king did. The Queen doesn't care about why soul letters are unique nor was being double ranking significant to her. She doesn't care for sigil or outside systems that isn't her laws. She has the knowledge enough to know that means the girl can do some special stuff that others can't but this might be of use for thier kingdom to have someone constantly having personal issue that can interfere with their work.

"Then the only reason she was returned was due to being a cog ranker." Exclaimed in fright by the king and has plenty behind him to know this was bigger then some weak kid.

"Correct. The events that lead to her soul rejection, the Seer convition in the god court and the girls abnormalities. She has adapted as part Clothus. But she does respect laws. To point that her soul was recycled back among the living realm. She the only cog ranker to keep her status even after a failed soul wipe. Her soul alterations have prevented the soul system from working on her as it should have. So if you asked her about something in her previous lives, she likely will have answer it correctly. But this isn't healthy for a human mind to cope. So many gods walk egg shells around her." Death sits up and posed alert toward her direction, "What happened to the last god that pissed you off?" She blinked several time of that being a question Death asks. But given the was a lower variant of the reaper system, his not accessing all of the true titles memories.

"It doesn't matter if it was gods or some damned in the bottom pits of hell. If I was mad at anyone, I have levels of being petty. But I think you mean the example of when someone throw a torn tome into an ocean." She posed her left hand to her chin at thinking about this, "I was very mad. I had finished restoration of that book. So watching someone tear it in two halves and throw it. I did return the favour."

The queen shook at not really believing this from a meek weak girl. But the king sat himself down in shock, in which part was worse that didn't matter. Death shook at that not being it.

"It wasn't tome related. You had the broken appearance at the time. Shattered your mask I think." Death nodding at recalling this.

"I must have been hosting folks across in visitation." She ponders rolling off these thoughts with lacking filter, "If you don't do as I say during that, I tend to break shape and eat you. I had trapped a few folks in my stomach for a while for that reason."

The king shudders at that thought and waved to request change topic. Curiosity kneels and moved back. Curiosity goes to a spot to join the gaurd duty. Trixie stays stood from her entry. Not even stepping onto the gazbo steps. She has been in half bow since stood before them. The other shadow hands have made their notes in looking down at a weak girl, that she stands out to much and has to much of a reputation to be hidden. There plenty of them that already feel she was inadequate to being made into a shadow left hand assistant. But she does have some danger, and putting her in a department to loose her wasn't smart.

"You asked how I came about being in the order of Death." Trixie could tell this much and the queen peers questioning how the girl overheard such things, "I am not actually with the order. It's that Lord of Decay hired me for tome or soul related jobs. I use the oath hunter hiring back door system."

They look between each other at having a minor discussion of how that works. If your above a hunter classing, you can't be hired unless it was for a specific reason. There are many demon hunters but there's only four that remove demon gods - as example. She feels she needed to further this position, so she briefly summons out a few tomes to float around her and that she tossed changing coins of example currencies she trades. Clapped tightly in her right hand is a sealed stamp merchant license. Very few know but the black stamp is proof of being able to trade among Clothus. Clothus and gods are renounced for being the highest and hardest law trading types.

"I have a black market ID and I tend to sell exotic products. I am always restocking these things carefully. It was a sort of way to fund for material to repair souls and tome pages. So nothing is a profit. I wouldn't call receiving spit from 200 god eaters a privilege of profit. I am of my secondary ranking, a cog ranking soul. I am the keeper of the tome section that inquiries about cog ranks. I also been keeping the other two thirds of the index. Not that the tome like a clothus doing so."

Death smashed the cup, it was news to him about there being more tome parts then known. The queen backed away from the shards. Trixie swiftly cleans away the broken bits. She had even presented new refreshments which was handled to another undertaker to posion test before being passed over. The Undertaker Death keeper brings back his professionalism.

"That makes sense." The king speaking weirdly sudden, maybe he has a binding partner through a ring. So the outburst was for his partner, "So you are pretending to be what you are now."

She pulls all the tomes and objects away. She posed shy of being called out in such way. The king looked deeply, he meant her soul shape. The shape she should have taken then having a human appearance. She isn't a human soul. She's not a typical dead human being converted. There is plenty about her joint structure that doesn't suit her small body. The king particularly noticed her strange lower leg shaping, as there is bulk that isn't normally there. Her cloak doesn't hide it well enough from someone that actively can tell.

"Yes, monarch. I am indeed wearing cover to blend in. My true soul shape when altered after dying. Many would mistaken me for a broken clothus or a god eater. I think it was Hades that screamed at me, he said something weird. I want to say that he called me a Hollow. He called me a broken Hollow. My research into what he meant by that lead to the Double Helix systems wide search about soulless category." She makes good use of her body language, she very calculating in every pose she uses. She very afraid of using her right hand. Her right hand is in constant grip of her skirt or held at her back. It's not the only strange action that isn't undertaker like. She is wearing a clay mask as expected of a cursed soul. But this mask is on a mask. That doesn't seem right. It would mean she should be blind. There is some off feeling about her voice in the way it convays her words. She carries human tone dips that should have been lost. Her emotions are obvious to read, and she doesn't hide them. From how she rolls her shoulder in being nervous. She has vocal shiver when caught off gaurd.

"So if you duel one my people, we could say you have combate ability to fight other undertakers." The queen doesn't like the girl in all ways. This suggestion of duel was to get the girl removed from the kings interests. The queen knowing even if the girl does win, it will lower the girl status further.

"Before that." The king brushes the queens request aside, "What is the shapes you take as a merchant? I want to find out if you are the source of something that been in my kingdom." Trixie posed at this strange worry. She steps into darkness and when she exits it. She is older and taller. She is dressed as she would if trading. She had even did her cloak pull to make her display table be put down. Several of the shadow Gaurds reconginze her, some had even shuffled feet in tapping to each other. The king noticed the tapping among his guards and approached the table of Goods.

"Normally my transactions are by gestures. I do log everything in and out. Occasionally I give paper slips for some products that have problems. It is with four gestures that I tend to be hired some higher S hunters rankers jobs. I have always been very choosey of the jobs. Being part human has complications, so I couldn't accept everything." She takes pause as the king does actually know a few of her gestures. She posed her laugh at this mimicking he does. She now corrects him. Teaching him the bending correctly.

"House." She softly translates the sign language, "sand. Sea. Time. Dream. Boundary." She then swiftly puts them together, "The house that boarders the time sand sea and dream realm." She then uses only her left hand, "The nightmares of Noctorm use this gesture." She does it and the king knew that one, "I have folks that mistranslate that greeting. It is altered into this." She shows this.

"So it has to be you that sources the high quality black sand." She went through a few many poses, it was scripting laws and making sure that such sale of sand was prepared. That she had out right declined the king for having not the status to handle the material. The king was nod glad that she was a strict dealer. He was even relieved. She ponders that. She has her sales log taken from storage. Pondering why the king would he so worried. She did doodle the crests. So maybe there a rival kingdom or that this guy wants monopoly. No that isn't it.

"Street rat!" The king commands and someone is quick along to present a broken burnt paper. It has some black sand residue. This undertaker poses this to her as the king gestures. She doesn't even bother touching it.

"A failed summoning enforcement curse. That sand is indeed sold from me. I know that source. I know who made this. Although it failed, the gate was successfully created which was how it was meant to happen. There isn't a gate for that location to latch to." She posed in thinking deeply, "You have no business to bother such people. They are outsiders. They can't stay here. That's a soul law even I struggle to. What would you want such black sand for?"

The king nods very happy that she the right person to know her stuff and has even the black sand source to make one.

"I need heavenly black sand to make a gate between to hell into this realm. It must be holy black sand to prevent demons using the gate but it has to still be cursed to reach the god realm I am targeting." She puts a lot of her stuff away for such nonsense. She uses her cloak again at having the trade table away. She eases with putting her cloak on. The king peer confused in how this offended her. She posed her left hand in trying to not let this be insulting of a reply to them. She had nearly posed her right hand to a gesture and quickly swaps them. She asked in being sure of the desired destination. The king gladly does know to gesture back the correct pose hand shapes. She trying harder to not be exasperated.

"Even I can't produce a gate to there." Omens overheard the concerning conversation. Landing onto the gazbo fencing between her and the king. Sheilfing the skin from.

"You don't use sand for that." She sighed, "If your trying to reach the under root of yggdrasil. You will have to drown in water. Or ask the river man at styxs."

"The rivier Styx is currently soulless and rotting dead. Many once connected by the river has fallen to the decay." Death informing her. She posed a long while at this. She all posed deeply lost in herself. She completely seems switched off from any senses at all. They did shout a lot at her. Curiosity swiftly was over her and shook her awake. She glared at him like he was the stupid one. He picked her mask up and handed it to her. She peers about it and then throws it backward.

"Yes... missing souls isn't a good thing. Especially being a cog ranker. But the river styxs isn't gone. This must be a side affect of the soul law altered." She getting out of her death pose, clicked her neck back in joint When she in such deep thinking, she does seem like a standing corpse. The fact that she totally fine from that made them relax fine. Disturbed of watching a creepy habit.

"That's good news that the soul is fine." Death clearing his voice.

"Oh heck no. The soul is a mess. Not even the true title of life could reconstruct that." Trixie with now being done wearing her merchant shape steps disappearing and back to being small and weak. Several undertaker in witness shuffled feet, they all knew better now. The private coworkers talks were about maybe asking her to set table for some needed restock trades. They all stop being distracted with being leery of the sound of approaching others. Trixie makes her armour have visible appearance, and that she was equipped of non lethal things. She makes herself stand at Curiositys side. The queen striaghtes herself. Death brought a few tomes in seeking some basic information about what Trixie was implicating further about such matters with souls. He finds many examples of some souls have corruption, unrecognizable language translations and broken down soul names. He noticed how his true title lord was currently trying to repair one of these many broken things. He noticed the ones his lord requested of the girl. Eye twitch in knowing how bad it is for these souls to be damaged like they are. For every God title or cog ranker soul name in these states. There is entire books and the keepers of those books infected with the same issue. The root of the problem seems to been sorted but this aftermath wasn't going away without a trace.

"Here to report as you asked. I have brought those you requested." Pride kneeling to the monarchs equal. The children follow her example. Yet there was a darkwood that made glare towards Trixie. After he did, they all turned to each other in seeing her as not a team player. They have learnt to be against Curiosity and his taken because Pride did. And this didn't change their sneer from back at school. The king can tell these kids have it against Trixie and that she had let them believe her to be less to hide her true nature. He gives glance to the queen, the queen seems to side with Pride too. He turns away and walked to exlcude himself from the affairs that are for his queen to deal with, to peer outwards of the courtyard. He makes several gestures of sending off some his shadows to deal with things. Death stands and took a gate. He had other matters to worry about and this information about broken cog rankers needs more high rankers working on it.

"All five of the child shall go attend the sparring hall." The queen demands, "Even the left side need nicknames to spare." The king does agree with his queen on that matter. He waved curiosity to escort the girl.

"Leave it to me. I am sure your shadows are busy." Pride edged adding and the queen posed that wasn't a bad thing.

"Maintaining a low profile is unspoken wish. I appreciate your support but I must play my part." Trixie furthers, "I can keep hiding myself enough but I must show to adapt to the winds." The king having to accept this play of his queen and pride. He dislikes this but Trixie is very sure. She isn't a push over in the reality of how it is. They soon take leave. Curiosity passes Trixie a feather ans she knew what for. She tucked it safely.

Following the slow route to the sparring hall. Walking the departments the children ahead of her will be working for. It was trying to break any force pretend confidence, Pride kept answering dumb student questions. Implying those that don't pass the sparring or spell craft classes. There being undertakers without names for loosing everything, even their Postion of ranking from loosing their nicknames. To call someone by thier old living human names was a low blow or a very personal thing to dig. Pride several times slips in calling Curiosity by his human name, Matthew. She making everyone really bored and unprepared for the sparring hall. She did allow her children to pick up anything. But she makes Trixie forced to her side and not trusted to make trade. She's not even trading the right things for a sparring match practical. It's fine since Trixie was prepared.

"This is the department of tomes. Seer. This place is going to be your position here. You start out as among the apprentices but once you are bilingualism picks up. You be put into a team. You will likely be fixing a letter on the tome itself in all its physical aspects. It's long boring for even me to care the full details. As the tome material is a complete mystery to us. Maybe some insight as a potential ex index holder could help." That there was the bar this kid is expected to pass. Trixie knows the kid is going to sink fast and struggle worse. But she also knows that the kids clever enough to pull through in that level. She felt this as the tour was pulled to make the child have a level of expectations to climb for thier choosen departments.

"Darkwood and Glader, although you are in separate departments. Your main work will have run into each other. As you are expected to preform overseeing merchant goods coming into the realm or are in task teams to seek requested materials that the royal demand. Both of you are keen eye on quality spell craft material, so you have the talents for what either duties." It's interesting that the two bloodlines that are echos of other universes have a duty on the boarder of the undertakers realm. It's very well placed of fate, destiny or whatever force of universe will. While being at the merchant guild was when Trixie wasn't allow to wonder off but the others did. Pride snickers glad that her kids are ranked enough to even know how to deal with not undertaker merchants.

"Miss Trickster. There you are." Some plans are easily unraveling, "I see your in a very small form today. Should I have not bothered you?" He had correctly and politely asked to do some business. She gives a easy response that suited. He had even chuckled to such a thing, "Wonderful. I am sorry to hear you no longer carry such business." He leaves swiftly in trying to keep composure. Trixie used a rank law, that there was someone beneath her standard trade to even be allowed of her quality goods. Given the straight smile at pride while that gesture is made. The merchant was plenty amused that the right hand wasn't even ranking it enough for Trixie. It makes merchants that do trade feel more comfortable in the exclusive trading ring. The four children were swiftly back since after that. Rushing them to take a painting portal to skip some major stuff that would been nice tour seeing. But Pride had gave her kids that tour already and isn't going to repeat it for the sake of one that isn't hers. Trixie left behind her mask, it hung up hidden and once they took the painting. It went on that tour and did some shopping.

"The department of soul threads and repairs." She encourages them to peer about the hospital system. A mad rush of undertakers in all whites, "Fallown, you will be a study for this. As you have a talent to see soul threads. You shall learn your way up the trade. Maybe someday you can save the monarchs life." That is very high assumption and for once Trixie doesn't think the kid would be able to withstand the harsh learning conditions to even be prove worth for such situation of saving the monarchs life. But it's not like there no chances at all, "You." Pride finally picking fight with Trixie directly, "You are to never receive formal treatment from this place. If you are to be a shadow of the left hands, you are not allow luxury of receiving time off for any break that occur." It maybe all true but there is some key context she purposely left out. Left hands do receive some treatments but it's off record. As thier deaths are also off public view. Shades of the king, as it's better known as, gain benefits but are expected ad Jack of all trades. Proper spies or even ninja work. To pull themselves in and out of a department without being traced. They pass without being questioned if they are ranked enough and blended into the extra hand work at high turn out. Pride was trying to make that be the thing to upset Trixie for when Trixie breaks a joint later.

Maybe in also not having high expectations of Trixie, Pride not spoke of what department and the set level of work as expected of her. Although, there isn't anything in the guide book about the Shades of the king. There isn't a department. There isn't anyone in the Queens side that understands the motives of Shades. Shades have assassinated internal members on the kings command, that much was known. But which ones and why the king ordered it a secert.

"Don't even bother trying to be something that you will never be." Spoken from a Seer and glared with the Fallown and Darkwood. The Glader is the only one whom wasn't part if the gangs pack mentality, stood away from even the shadows on the floor. Trixie made eye to eye about the Glader. She smirks and they step to Prides side to hide. She guesses that the Glader is aware of something he didn't share with those other three.

"Good luck with your new lives. I am sure you can meet the expectations of great men." Trixie doesn't move her lips for the speech and Pride backed away from her since she has only heard this language rarely, "The light guides those to climb and the darkness pulls us to our reality. If you wanted to be free, you already know how to shatter chains." She smiles to them all, "After all... those chains are nothing but the judgment of our souls." She lifted an example chain to form as solid mass in her hand. It whips and rattled. She looks at them careful of how they choose to react. The Seer was amazed. The Glader approached to touch the chain. The Darkwood hide behind Pride. The Fallown drops in fear, crawled across the floor in panic of being more chained then they already are. It was plenty for her. She lets the chain be, letting it gentle back to as it was.

"Who taught you that?" Pride sneers.

"You wouldn't survive the insanity, Miss." Trixie stops herself a moment, posed at not speaking a name on accident. Trixie mask slips back with all the equipment she needs for the grand spar hall. The Glader peers in knowing the damned mask returned and takes charge of dragging the Fallown off the floor. Everyone makes way towards the spar hall. Pride is the last to enter, she glares at someone who hovered by the door. Not letting them enter as the children are told to line up and follow an instructor.