undergrounds | oh dear; oh dear (open post)

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oh dear; oh dear (open post)

JUNE 4; PLAYGROUND

There's a playground. Well, there a lot of playgrounds across the city. What makes this one right next to Coffers' Shop a bit more special than the other out there is this: Accidents.

It's not unheard of playgrounds to have the occasional accidents. It's who is the heart of the possible problem for this one.

Parents love it for the fact it's so safe for their kids there. They can drop their rowdiest youngsters at that spot and never worry about a scratch or bruise by the time they come back to pick them up.

Other adults though? The ones who shouldn't be lingering around or have too much interest in watching the kids? If you're not a babysitter for any of the children, there's a strong chance something may happen to you. Especially if you have an unfortunate reputation among the regulars there. At least the occasional sharp trip or tumble to the ground won't harm you that badly. A scuff or bruise but nothing too serious.

JUNE 5; GRAVEYARD (MORNING)

This part of the cemetery doesn't get a lot of attention. Compared to the ornate statues of angels weeping or grand mausoleums, the humble headstones and markers pale in comparison to them and often get little attention.

The row of tombstones here all belong to a small family, the (supposed) only surviving member studying not having quite enough time to pay her respects to the family she barely remembers. As a result it gets no notice, not attention besides the groundskeeper who keeps weeds off all the grounds.

Yet, in the early hours, some passerby may notice a trail of petals from a patch of wildflowers, outside of the cemetery, leading to the tombstones. This happens now and then. Not enough times to be reported on but enough times that the groundskeeper, if asked, will mention he's no longer surprised by the presence of tidy bushels of flowers on the graves. Someone is only paying their respects for them. There's no harm in that.

Plus he has no interest in going near it during these times. Not when it's so eerily cold that it makes his teeth chatter and his body shake if he's only a few feet from it. The coldness, in his opinion if ever asked, is the worst when near the one that happens to be marked FRANCISCO SEVILLE.

JUNE 5; COFFERS' SHOP (AFTERNOON)

... Is the shop chillier than usual? It seems to be with how when someone enters and they immediately shiver, rubbing their arms to ward off the chills.

The air-conditioning is strong but never this strong.

Those who go here regularly, from customers who come by everyday to and employees themselves, are having a hard time focusing on their works as they shiver and struggle to get the usually reliable free wi-fi to work on them or to get the coffee machine to cooperate for this one cup.

If asked if this happens a lot, some will say yes and some will be unsure but there's a general agreement in the air that this is not normal. The source of the coldness is hard to explain. The coldest spot changes from near the counter to the furthest corner or right outside the door.

Almost like it was... moving on its own.

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Heiji hadn't been looking to run into anyone this morning, but the trail of petals was something nearly impossible for him to miss. He followed the trail over to its terminus, then looked around.

"Friend of yours?" he asked.

Startled, the cold air becoming sharp in response, she turns to face the new person and relaxes upon seeing a familiar face.

"Family, really." It's been many years in terms of Antonio. A few years in for Francisco. She shouldn't be too affected of their deaths still. She tries to show it by giving a cheery smile, waving her hand as if trying to ward of potential worries away. "Just making sure I do this in time is all. Would hate to slip up because you know that can ruin someone's busy schedule."

That's the joke. Clara doesn't have a lot to do these days. Ha ha... "--So! What are you doing here? I didn't know this could be used as a shortcut for people."

Clara...

Wave or not, it wasn't exactly a cause for celebration, standing in front of your family member's grave. Still, it seemed like she wasn't too upset... so maybe she really was mostly over things?

Heiji smiled a little. "Actually, I'm kinda fond of graveyards. Nice and quiet. Someone actually told me to go visit Highgate Cemetery the other day. I gotta say, they're a little different around here, though."

She's grateful to Heiji, really, that he was going along with this and her expression is much more cheerful now.

"I've been there before! Highgate, I mean." Only if out of curiosity, to see if other spirits were also there, lingering and wandering about. "I must admit it's the first time I ever met someone who said they were fond of graveyards. Even the groundskeeper here seems unhappy to be here at times."

Clara rubs the back of her neck, looking a bit bashful. "Thanks to me, I bet. Sometimes I accidentally bump into his rakes or barrow and they move or fall without any reason in his eyes. Poor man keeps nearly having heart attacks when that happens!"

"Really? I used to spend some time in them. I've done a bit of grave visiting, too. You're supposed to, you know, to make sure everything's neat and tidy, leave some flowers and incense. It's kind of a thing."

He grinned. "Anyhow, I'm sure if he could see you or chat with ya a bit, his uneasiness would be laid to rest. And besides, if you're in his profession, you need to be a little tough. Can't be jumping at every little thing, right? Or else you won't be able to chase kids off the premises for Halloween."

"You know that is a good idea," she mused aloud. "One of these days maybe I'll leave him a note to say hello. I've been visiting so long and I never did get around to getting his first name, now that I think about it."

Hopefully he wouldn't call mediums or such or such the last time she tried to communicate to someone who couldn't see her. The coffee shop was bombarded with interested ghost hunters and psychics for weeks and they didn't even leave good tips. Shocking. "You think if I talk to him, he would be able to do the traditions you told me? Incense and flowers? Not for all the graves. Just the ones that need a bit more attention."

Not the Seville plot exactly. They were going to be just fine in her opinion. There happened to be ones here that had no relatives, spirit or alive, coming here at all and it made her quite sad.

"Do you want me to ask him?" Heiji might even be able to get a few details out of him, like whether he was married or had any children to fuss over.

"Well, I don't think most London cemetery workers bother about Japanese traditions; you kinda need a bunch of specific stuff, like a bucket of water and a special kind of candle. But y'know... if you come out here a lot, I could help ya sweep up around here a bit. Even if he's busy. You know, get rid of dead leaves lyin' around, maybe come around with some flowers every now and then? I'm sure if we talked to that fella, he wouldn't mind too much."

Looking back at some of the more lonelier tombstones, the ones that have gone untouched or unnoticed for such a long time, she looks back at Heiji and gives a small and hopeful smile. "Could we do that?

"I mean-- Long as it isn't an issue for you." She could also help! Like what he said. Somehow she can do that. Having all the time in the world has to mean something and she wants it to mean something. "The groundskeeper I bet would love to have a conversation with someone these days. A real one. Most of the time he's either giving directions or chasing kids away from here."

"No problem!" It kind of made him happy to see that someone cared about these old gravestones, the ones that didn't have family to look after them.

"So this groundskeeper, he's kinda the lonely sort? In that case, we'd be doin' everyone a favor by talking him up. Must get pretty tiresome, yeah? 'Specially if no one stops to talk to him about anything but work..."

Weirdly enough, Heiji had a soft spot for older or lonely people, of which it sounded like this fellow was one. "Wanna see if we can talk to him now?"

Someone needs to look after them and she has all the time in the world long as she's unable to figure out why she's still here on the other side. Not that she minds still being stuck. If she had passed on already, she wouldn't have been able to meet the others like Heiji and Aradia and the rest. There were also a lot advantages of being a ghost.

Like knowing things about people that you normally couldn't because she's invisible. "He has family but they're all in the countryside. He works here to provide for his parents back there.

"So I do think he'll enjoy the company if we talk to him now." She looks around to see if there's a clock but there isn't any. Might as well go with gut instinct and see him now while there was still daylight. "He should be on his break at the moment. Over at his shack just... over there! See it? The little shed that has a wheelbarrow nearby?"

"Sounds like a nice guy." Heiji peered over in the direction that Clara had indicated and started towards it at a walk. Sure, why not?

"Think this'll end up bein' an extended visit?" Heiji could be a bit of a chatty Cathy, after all, but maybe the groundskeeper was a man of few words. When he got to the shack, he knocked lightly at the door.

Clara follows after him, nodding in agreement with Heiji's observation about the groundskeeper. "He's a nice man after he's finished shooing the kids away. He's just trying to do his job and is quite a jolly fellow once you get to know him.

It was probably important that Clara mentioned how you need to know him better since the door swings open before she can continue. The groundskeeper, more bear than man with his height and hair, steps forward and has a suspicious expression on his face when he opens the door and grunts in greeting.

He asks what the young man wants, looking behind him to see if there was anyone lurking in the background. Obviously not a talkative man.

Whoops! Heiji probably should have considered he might be in a bit of a grouchy mood. "Oh. Well, the thing is, I've visited this cemetery a couple times. Just kinda checkin' on a friend of a friend, y'know?"

Wow, hopefully this went well. This man really was more like a bear.

"A-anyway, I noticed some of the graves were lookin' a little sad. So I was wondering if it'd be okay to come by once in a while? Do a little sweeping, maybe put a couple flowers around?"

Help...

"He means well," Clara quickly assures him as the man blinks down at Heiji, grunting softly. "Look! He hasn't shooed you away yet. That's a good sign."

The groundskeeper cracks his neck two times, the sounds audible and somehow more aggressive than they usually are. Knowing how that would be interpreted, she quickly throws her hands up and says, "That's him showing interest in what you said! I swear!"

"And?" The groundskeeper's voice is rough and gravelly, years worth of smoking getting the best of him, but he sounds distinctly polite. Curious even. "In return?"

Heiji gave Clara a mental sort of thanks for the encouragement. Dude, why was this guy so intimidating?

"In return?" Hmm, Heiji hadn't really thought about that part. Would it seem weird if he didn't ask for anything in return?

"Uh, maybe just to not call the cops on me if ya see me out there? Or... I guess maybe I could borrow a few of your tools sometime? Like if ya have a broom, it'd be easier than carryin' it out here. I mean, I know you're probably busy and all, with all these grounds to take care of..."

"He isn't rejecting it right away," Clara observes next to her friend, looking hopeful and anxious.

She seems to be right. The man again, grunts, as he considers the offer in total silence. Clara looks over at Heiji and smiles at him apologetically, wishing she had remembered to bring this up during their walk as seconds stretch to a minute and then a minute and a half.

"...Henrique," he finally says, his expression never changing but his voice becoming a touch more gentle. If that could be heard. "Hello."

He holds out a hand for Heiji to shake if he wants to.

Ha... ha ha...

"I'm Heiji," he said, returning the handshake and trying not to cut his gaze over to Clara to check if he was doing all right.

"It's a real nice place, though. The cemetery, I mean."

Thinking maybe it would be smarter if-- Clara moves around Henrique and is now behind him so Heiji can see her better. Though she does need to float a bit to be seen thanks to the man's stature and Clara's.... lack of it.

"Thanks," Henrique manages to say, giving a strong and firm pump of his hand. "Twenty years here."

Clara nods, confirming what he's said. "Took over the job when the old groundskeeper passed away himself. Been chasing children away, on purpose or not, and doing his best to keep the weeds off the graves ever since."

Whew, that was a bit of a relief. At least now if he said something wrong, Clara could gesture frantically and tell him to stop.

"Yeah? That's a long time. You must care about your job a lot. I mean, I can definitely see someone's been keepin' the weeds at bay! I'm sure the families appreciate it. Um, and I hope the kids aren't too much of a problem. I know they can get a bit rowdy -- or at least they did back home."

So far, so good for him! Clara's relaxed posture and easy smile all points to it being a success so far for him in terms of getting Henrique to like him.

There's a hint of amusement in Henrique's eyes as he nods, confirming that he cares for his job. "Not glamorous but work is good. Someone needs to watch these places. Who will?" The mention of the children it what has him snort loudly, looking annoyed once more. "Children! All games and dares. Annoying and persistent too."

"Yeah... but they grow out of it, most of 'em. And I bet once they do, they'll be glad someone like you's around." Or at least Heiji hoped so, because groundskeepers really were important.

"So, um, you don't mind? If I visit every now and then?" Thanks, Clara, Heiji was so grateful for your moral support, you had no idea.

She's sure even without him he would have been fine. Clara has never seen the groundskeeper use violence on anyone before.

... Alright. She saw him swing a shovel menacingly to some people attempting to vandalise the graves but he didn't try to hit anyone. That was a good sign. Like how Henrique gave his own version of a grin, all teeth, and nodded.

"Feel free," he grunts and waves to the wheelbarrow outside the shed. It's full of things like spades and little brooms, gloves and hedge clippers. "Items are here everyday. After seven during break."

W-well, this was a good sign, wasn't it? Heiji smiled. "Alright, thanks. I appreciate it."

This seemed like a good time to end the conversation, right? Baby steps, and then one day maybe Henrique would show up with a smile that wasn't quite so toothy?

"Next time I'll be back with some work clothes, then! Um... it was nice meeting ya, Henrique!"

He isn't going to bite. Maybe. Possibly.

Clara definitely feels like this is a good time for them to start going now, pulling away from Henrique as he nodded and retreated back to his shed/base of operations. She is more than happy to guide Heiji away from out of earshot of the groundskeeper.

The moment she's sure no one will overhear them, her bubbly joy is difficult to deny as she talks to her companion. "Oh! It worked! Heiji that was amazing! He was so-- civil. I told you you had a charm when it came to people."

Heiji waved as they made their way from the shed. "Yeah, all in all I'd say it went pretty well! I gotta admit, he had me goin' there for a bit, though. That's some smile he's got...!"

He beamed at Clara. "But this means we can stop in and take care of those neglected graves. That should make their owners happy, I think."

JUNE 5; GRAVEYARD (MORNING)

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