First Day With the Dead

by **Bakar** on October 1st, 2014, 4:36 am

Fall, 10, 514

Bakar stepped towards the familiar building. Li Mauta. He had been here many times since learning of it's presence. When he first arrived his master had acquired his bodies for him, and when he passed on Bakar was unaware of this building, no one ever telling him of it. His next few bodies were gotten through bribes, no one willing to tell him of the place where he could get bodies for free, wanting his coin.

He entered the building and called softly, "H-hello, Benoit!" He waited a while before the old man came into view. "Ah, Bakar. Hello." Benoit greeted him back. "Your body seems to be doing well, I don't think you'll need another for a while. Why are you here?" Benoit was a Nuit himself, but Bakar had always seen him with the same type of body, that of an old man with grey hair.

"Y-yes sir." Bakar said nervously. He like Benoit, but they were never really friendly. All of their conversations had been for business. He pulled the note that he was given from the employment office and handed it to the old man. "I-I've been given permission to work here, as an assistant to you." Benoit took the note and read it over then nodded to himself.

"So, let's get some things straight. If you are to work here, you will get no special service. If you require a body, you will take what I give you. You will wait until it's available. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Good. Now, it says here that you have some training in embalming, but none in undertaking, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"I see. You will need to learn. Undertaking is a serious task. It's the last thing done for a being before their vessels are laid to rest. It's a great sign of disrespect to not properly prepare a body for burial. Now, there are bodies we have stored for Nuit use. These bodies don't really require undertaking, as they are not being used for a funeral or disposed of. Embalming is of the utmost importance for these however. That's probably where I will be getting you to start. Now, that doesn't mean you can treat these bodies with disrespect. I take pride in running this place clean and proper. Don't make me regret taking you on by you ruining that. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Bakar was paying attention intently, wanting to prove he wanted this job and was willing to work hard.

"Good. I'm sure you and I will get along just fine. Now, things are not easy around here. Don't expect an easy pass." Benoit held up his hands at this, they were covered in burns, fresh looking, but could be weeks old. "The furnaces burn hot, and you best be careful you don't lose something you need. Expect to get burned a few times. It's unavoidable."

Bakar nodded. His body wouldn't last long if he wasn't careful. He liked this one, he wanted to keep it for a few more seasons at least.

"Lets get started then." Benoit said decisively, and turned back to his work. He was preparing a body for a funeral. Bakar took a stand beside him, watching him work, learning so he may one day know as much as the old man.

by **Bakar** on October 2nd, 2014, 1:16 am

"The dead require just as much respect as the living, if not more. If you disrespect the living, they can argue or fight back. The dead can not. It's up to me, us, to make sure they get the respect they deserve. Never take anything from the bodies. If it's there, it's there for a reason. A family requested them to be buried with it, most likely. If it's there, it should be there. If you believe it shouldn't ask me, but don't waste my time. Things can get busy here."

"Now, it says that you have some skill in embalming? Good. Most Nuit can do well with at least a small amount of skill. It'll do you good here." Benoit uncovered the body he was preparing. It was a young woman with dark brown hair and a fair face.

"This is Najea. She had been fighting off illness for the better part of two seasons and finally succumbed last night. Her family has request her to be prepared for burial by tomorrow morning. Yes, we don't have much time, but no I do not permit you to do a rush job. Respect the dead. Give them all the best care you can."

"Najea's family were avid worshipers of Kihala. How much do you know of her?" Benoit was uncovering the rest of the woman's body, preparing to preserve her.

"N-not much, I'm afraid.." Bakar admitted. He had been meaning to go to the temple to learn more of the Divine, but haven't gotten around to it. Benoit grunted. "Well, I expect you to know of at least the more popular ones. Learn them over the time you work here. I don't request you worship or follow them. Just know what their religion entails." Benoit pointed to a small table across the room. "On that table is the items the family has requested she be buried with. Please fetch them for me."

As he walked to the table, Benoit started the embalming process, seemingly believing that Bakar didn't need to learn more of that. Bakar wanted to be there. There was always more to learn. But he wasn't about to deny his new master his request. He went to the table as fast as he could without seeming to be in a hurry. On the table was a set of formal clothes and a symbol. Bakar assumed that it represented Kihala. He gathered the items and returned to Benoit.

"Place them there." He pointed to another, smaller table beside the body. Bakar did as instructed and returned his attention to the girl. "How much do you know of the body, Bakar?"

Bakar lit up. "Oh, I know of the body. What organs are what. What they do. Their relation to other organs." He smiled to himself, knowing something that the old man had asked.

"Good, good. That's a useful thing to have in this line of work. The family has requested that we take out the heart and burn it, then return the ashes. I will let you do this."

"Why do they want the ashes of her heart?" Bakar asked confused.

"I was not told, and I do not ask. I believe that they want something to remember their daughter by, but also want her buried. There won't be much ashes left, the heart being a small organ. Be careful not to lose what little we will have."

"Y-yes sir." Benoit stood back and allowed Bakar to take over.

by **Bakar** on October 4th, 2014, 1:20 am

Benoit had already made the incision before allowing Bakar to take over. He carefully took a scalpel and turned towards the body. He started to reach in, but stopped. He had done this before, to himself no less, and he remembered the pain of cutting himself open. He didn't want to hurt this poor girl. He knew that she was dead and couldn't feel it, but he couldn't help but remember what it had felt like for himself.

His hand started shaking slightly. He didn't like hurting people. He knew, knew that she wouldn't feel it. He closed his eyes and recomposed himself, Benoit silently watching him from across the table. When he reopened his eyes his hand descended into the girl's chest. He carefully sliced the anterior and posterior vena cava, the aorta and the pulmonary veins and arteries.

With the connection to the rest of the body severed his carefully lifted the heart. He raised his head and looked at Benoit awkwardly. "U-uh.. wh-where do I put it?" Bakar asked nervously.

"Right over there." Benoit replied, not skipping a beat. He indicated another, smaller table beside Bakar. He did as he was told and turned back to the woman before him. "W-was there anything else, o-or should I close the incision?"

"No, that's it." Benoit replied simply. Bakar did as he was told. He placed the scalpel back with the set and took a needle and thread before carefully pulling the women's skin back together. He carefully pressed the needle against the skin, trying to be gentle. There was some resistance with the skin, but Bakar was too nervous to force it through. It looked like he was standing there, the needle simply resting. Looked like he had froze. But he was trying to wait out the resistance. Waiting for it to give to his gentle prodding with the needle. Benoit was silent for a while, but eventually spoke up.

"I know you're trying to be careful, but there's no time to wait like this every time you need to insert the needle. Push."

Bakar did as he was instructed, with shaky hands. Slowly, he increased the pressure he was using until finally the skin gave, and the needle sank in, coming out the other side. Bakar sighed to himself, glad that there had been no exclamation of pain he had been expecting. He continued, more confident now, but still had that pain of is own closing in the back of his head.

Soon enough, the woman was sutured. She lay there, the own difference now the line of thread down her chest and a missing heart. Benoit came to inspect his work. "Hmm. Not bad. The cuts on the heart are clear and sure. The suturing could use a little work. A little tighter. But it's passable. I will accept it. You will get better if you wish to continue working here though." Bakar nodded, determined to get better.

"Now, we will incinerate the heart, and collect the ashes for returning to the family." Benoit stated. He rolled the little table to the incinerator, waiting for Bakar to follow.

by **Bakar** on October 5th, 2014, 12:47 am

Bakar approached the incinerator, Benoit waiting patiently. He opened the doors and showed Bakar how it worked. "Now, the parts to burn go here. You close the door and light the fire, stoking it until it's hot enough to burn everything. Now, normally it'd need to burn much hotter, bones resisting heat more than other organic matter. Since we're burning just the heart it'll be easier." Benoit started loading wood into the secondary door, where the fire burned. "The ashes will collect on the tray, ready for extraction, or disposal in normal situations."

Bakar nodded as Benoit stepped back, allowing Bakar to see how it worked. "You can add some more fuel if you desire, it could use a little more heat." Bakar nodded and gathered a small amount of wood before tossing it into the fire, trying to avoid sticking his hand in. This proved to be the worst way to do it. As the wood landed on the existing flame it shot some hot coals out, landing on Bakar's hand. He yelped and pulled his hand back, shaking it fast, trying to get the hot coals off his hand.

Benoit watched him, not intervening. "Place the fuel gently on the fire, otherwise you risk the coals shooting out, as they just did. As long as you're fast enough, there will be no burns." Bakar nodded, rubbing his hand gently, committing this incident to memory. He looked down at his hand, small red spots quickly appearing.

They waited for the contents to burn, neither talking, waiting patiently. When the fire had died off, and the heart had burned they opened the main door and removed the tray, now containing a small amount of ashes piled in the center.

"Be sure not to lose the ashes, there's not a lot and the family requested them. There is a jar over there to hold the ashes." Benoit allowed Bakar to remove the ashes, trusting him to not screw up. Bakar was nervous, the fact that there as so little and if he did mess up, there would be no second chances. He obtained the jar and brought it over to the ashes. As he looked around for something to gather the ashes with, Benoit held a small, broom-like tool. Bakar nodded thanks and carefully but shakily gathered the ashes into the jar.

He hung his head as the last of the ashes were gathered, relieved that he had not lost most of the ashes. He slowly placed the jar on the table, taking great care not to drop it, or let it lean off the side of the table. He turned to Benoit and nodded, indicating that he was finished. Benoit nodded back and turned back to the girl. "We need to prepare her for presentation next. Are you ready?" He nodded again and followed him to the young girl.

by **Bakar** on October 5th, 2014, 1:43 am

As Bakar looked at the young girl again he felt a shot of sadness. This poor girl had been taken before her prime. She was never healthy enough to even have a prime. What kind of sickness could she have had that couldn't be cured by one of the healers? A priest or priestess? He closed his eyes for a minute, trying to calm himself. Benoit waited for him. "It takes time to get used to the recently deceased." Bakar straightened and opened his eyes. "I'm okay. Thank you."

Benoit nodded to him and turned back to the girl. "Now, we need to dress her and prepare her for the funeral. Brush her hair, cover any marks with makeup. Anything." Bakar shifted nervously. He wasn't used to dressing other people, let alone someone who was deceased, and never a woman. He turned to Benoit, who was going to let him take the lead, but upon seeing his confused face he gathered the clothes and started dressing her gently, not wanting to mark the skin.

"You'll need to learn how to do this. I can't dress everyone, if I'm going to have an assistant they better know how to do what I can." Bakar nodded shyly. This was probably going to be the hardest part for him. Benoit showed him how to dress them, carefully so as not to leave any marks on the skin.

As Benoit finished dressing the girl, she looked almost.. good. The only thing visibly wrong was that she was very pale, which Benoit was about the remedy. He took out a a container of powder. "This is makeup. It'll make her look more like she was before her passing. It'll make her family more comfortable seeing her. Now, this is fairly simple to apply, you ju-"

"S-sorry to interrupt, but I know how to apply makeup.." Bakar said shyly. Benoit raised an eyebrow but accepted this and stepped aside, allowing him to take over. Bakar gently applied the powder to her entire face, finally making her look almost alive. It reminded him of his sadness again. He shook his head and took a step back. Benoit stepped up to the girl and examined Bakar's application. "Hm, not bad. It's actually pretty good. I'm impressed." Bakar shifted nervously, not used to compliments. "I think that's all for today. You can go home. You did good. I'll see you tomorrow." Benoit nodded to the door and Bakar left silently, nervously but happily. He had finally found somewhere where he could help and do something.

When he arrived home he sat down in his chair and leaned back, smiling to himself.

by **Redd** on October 31st, 2014, 11:05 pm

Bakar

Knowledge :

Micellaneous :

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Notes

➢ This is mostly just a side note, but undertakers wear glove while doing their job. Just a helpful hint

➢ Over-all, not a bad read. If you have any queries about your grade, please do not hesitate to contact me about it!

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If you feel that I have left out something or made an error of some kind, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have any questions or comments, again feel free to contact me. I don't bite, I swear. Also, remember to either delete your grade request or edit it as 'graded'.

Skill	XP
Observation	+5XP
Undertaking	+2XP
Sewing	+1XP
Cosmetology	+1XP

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