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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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."

"I like to think he practiced that one in practice," she confesses to him, cupping her mouth to ensure no one heard her whisper though it was just the two of them around this area. Clara looks behind her to make sure Henrique wasn't behind them.

Looking at the row of headstones for a second, she looks back at him and her beam matches his own. "It will! Oh, I'm sure it'll give them comfort knowing someone cares for them enough to look after their final resting place. Thank you again, Heiji. This means a lot to me and no doubt the others too."

The others out there, lingering and hiding. They must be pleased by this too. Surely.

Heiji stifled a bit of a laugh. "What, to be more intimidating? Wouldn't surprise me, and it definitely works!"

He lowered his voice a bit. "Actually, if you don't have any plans right now, do you wanna go back and pick some wildflowers? Of course, if you think that flowers from a florist would be better..."

Flower picking? Did he just say flower picking?

There is no way to describe the utter elation at her face when he makes the suggestion, nodding excitedly for it and she cannot nod fast enough to convey her excitement at this prospect. "I would! That would be a nice touch. In fact I know a lovely bush nearby. It's where I get my own flowers every week."

Heiji smiled when he saw how excited Clara was. "Yeah? Then what're we waiting for?"

He started out to the trail that he'd noticed earlier, though of course Clara knew the place better than he did. "Been a while since I went looking for flowers. Hope I haven't lost my touch."

"It isn't too hard to do it," she promises him as she leads him to the patch of flowers she uses for her family.

It doesn't take them long to notice the patch of fragrant and colourful plants. If only because they're so striking to look at. The pretty flowers are all a vibrant bunch of reds and blues and purples, buttercup yellow and winter snow white scattered here and there to really make the bushel pop.

It's a surprise no one else has ever discovered them and used them besides Clara.

To be fair-- This is a spookier place to be in. The shadows heavier here and the place cooler even without Clara leading Heiji down to their destination. Probably the children themselves wouldn't want to go here as a dare. "So! What are you planning to do with the flowers, hmm? Planning a surprise for something or someone?"

Heiji didn't really mind the shadows or the cool air -- at least not once they got to the flower patch. He did, however, have to resist the sudden urge to roll in the flowers and get their scent all over him, which is exactly what he would have done in the Other Realm.

"Wow, check this out!" He bent down to take in the vivid color and slightly spicy smell of a marigold, petted the velvety-soft petals of a white daisy.

"I was thinkin' about laying some out on the graves, but... it'd be kind of a shame to pick all of these, too. Maybe just a few?" He should restrain himself a bit; after all, plants were living things, too. Not quite like the already-cut blooms to be found in a florist's shop, the flowers here were vibrant and wild. It'd almost be a shame to pluck them.

Heiji please no. Don't do that to the poor flowers. Look how pretty they are all. The colours.

Upon hearing his suggestion, Clara looks away from one of the flowers she's admiring and seems pleased by the idea of spreading the beauty of the flowers to the other tombstones that needed some love and attention. Lord knows they need it after being ignored for so long."I see nothing wrong with that at all! Here. Let me try to help you with this."

So she tries to help.

Tries.

Passerby, should they stumble upon them at that very moment, would have been amused by a sudden patch of lavenders and marigolds suddenly shaking and moving from an unknown 'wind' pulling and tugging them ever so faintly. It almost looks like they're dancing if one is unable to see the ghost struggling to get the flowers out.

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