Changes are showing
The new students had their less then eased reactions, while the older ones avoid her if they can. She is struggling, unable to break past this health barrier. She has considered inhuman treatments or not for human consumption meals. She doesn't want to scare or harm the students around here for the sake of getting better. As a spirit of shadow, eating negative energies has a cost effect on the person she eats from. This can have worse side effects later. She makes longer stretches between human needs and finds spirit methods more lasting. But it doesn't change that she is the in-school nightmare teacher. She is certainly finding her human body struggling with the metamorphosis that her soul has imposed over this life to take. The energy of other realms that this school sits on has sped this process to the extreme. Not like when she was a child, with slow and steady changes that were worked around. True to her soul changes in walking off the universe, she is the broken human soul turning into a nightmare's worst fear.
She gladly hides her face, even if it meant the removal straight off the bone. It's not her actively making that harmful self-destructive nature. It is that her skin was peeling off, in due production of the index page that took her skin, to begin with. She can't exactly tell it to stop either, she has no right in command or displeasure over the index of this universe. It tore her soul name out instead of saving her from past enslavement. Her past was pawned fodder by the jerk that made her.
Even so, this evening was her free time. She doesn't have missions to right up as her class will be doing sigil herbology and following candle improvement cooking time. They had last night to gather the herbs or trade for them. Sigil on the guild side has been acting more strange as each visit passes. Rather it has been bothering her for a while that many things aren't adding up to normal life events. The headmaster wouldn't take that well if she told him. He has plenty with the afterlife acting up. New spirit folks, mixes of those denied status in other realms. Emerging new laws and a new society of spirit beings. Another status of soul that being widely presented as 'Common' around these gates. Trying to take over everything, even court cases has come to challenge her authority over matters. Not that she ever pushed to use her status for anything but for Alex or the broken souls within the tome pages.
"So even monsters drink living liquids." She doesn't even bother looking at them, the undertaker newspaper had plenty to say about the emerging worlds. The uprooting of the sigil guild system was costing walkers and realms are losing energy. A realm of good souls collapsed due to the changes too fast. Scaring many to be on the fence about the new spirit ways. This isn't because of the time of soul shuffles. This is why it shuffled. But she seems the only one that knows this. None of the leading soul folks or cog ranks have made waves of stopping or help of this. Like they are being prevented from acting.
"Stranger, I don't have the time for you. Leave." She made them not take the seat like they expected to, "Be gone. I don't welcome you in my presence." She softly began to fold the newspaper and they backed off with open hands of surrender. Turned away but looked back in the hope she was messing with them. But she is serious, glaring with the threatening pose of holding a powder pouch. Gone. For now. She puts the paper on her lap and moved her cup away, can't trust it hasn't been tampered with. Leaning at the table of this teacher's lounge, waiting at the windows and sometimes with closed eyes through her mask watching other things.
"Threat to society is a little girl in the world of the living." The headmaster reads out loud, "These new worlds are paranoid." Following is the commentary on what he knows. She shook at that notion then used her left hand to slip the undertaker's newspaper his way. The demon picked through that and widen in shock. The dread of the undertaker monarchy's power falls and the chaos of nothing replacing this gap. The realm began to crumble and no emerging monarchy was happening. Instead, something about a new realm moved over and the change to soul category to all undertakers. The new status of the soul is being used in their label. The lack of a voice for the undertakers to guide with will spill over into the courts. It explains the increase of pressures in otherwise easy close cases.
The two newspapers are stacked at the table, the demon taking a share of the table and window-watching. The passing movement of living students that leave for the evening and replaced with night students coming back. The creatures hidden veil creatures in-between students coming here for refugee. The off-school grounds are unstable spirit densities. This particular teachers' lounge is a prime window for looking down at such foot traffic and observes of any invaders.
"This unstable time will soon come to the humans. What then?" The headmaster ponders.
"Humans move on, they get by and do whatever to adapt. It's the demon that gets stuck in a rut. Angels become more soul or more hollow to accommodate human changes. Undertakers have always been ones to ride the edges of all changes. It was just the 1st time I had seen them so disordered among themselves." She reclines relaxed in watching everything, "The dream walkers say big business is just around the bend for them. That there will spread illness that comes every 50 human years. This will disburse the pockets of high soul densities from the hidden realms, smoothing changes." She smirks, "Makes me think about that one human song. I can't help hearing it playing in my mind."
She playful has her foot tapping to a soft beat, her mind filled of rain noises and a guitar. The cool calm voice of the singer in a southern accent talking of a metaphorical storm of trouble while the drums a pass a steady rhythm. The beat beatbeinf a contradiction to the thunder and heavy rain patter. For as quick the earworm plays, gone it left her mind. Such was their stormy horizon just beyond the glass pane. Among the foot traffic of swapping student
The demon headmaster reclines too, sitting in depths of many thousands of thoughts. Unlike other staff, she was the only one to truly not make a fuss about his time or make any demands he had to fill directly. He soon sits back forwards because he had a perception lapse - the veil of view glitches for the meer moment. He had seen her through a different filter, able to see the sort of half-corpse she is. He had to put a hand on his chest to chill his heart pace. Victim to how some students do too. If anyone relaxed just enough to daydream near her, they become able to see the fear and nightmares she wears as a dream dweller. Her soul is broken enough to have most of it existing in dreams at all moments. It's why she has to dance so carefully around the living and the spirits alike. Afraid that if they lapse in knowing she is a dream walker, they become unable to see or hear her in the waking world.
"So we just sort of ignore the afterlife like humans?" The headmaster leans forward at questioning.
"Do what we can but there is little we can achieve. Not without making a mess of things later. I could take over as the sigil guild master for these local gateways. But then that means I am subject to responsibility further away from humans. Not many spirit folks are confident in talking to me, for they all know I am human. No matter how changed my soul and body are. They all know I am a human and they have the biased influence of assumptions to such label." She tilts at watching an interesting event below. Students in a group give a stranger directions. The cloak being is a human plus... something. Very much among the living realm in how clothes and air temperatures matter to this being. How they are seen unfiltered by all students and that sensitive people stare with strange expressions, "It seems we have access to magic in this universe. Whenever that happened must have been partly why things are shuffled." She stands, "There is one fact that seems gone under the radar." She softly posed open hand to the headmaster's direction to see this stranger too, "In all my lifetimes of expertise in tome restoration, tomes don't shuffle entire realms or their segments. It can't impose these changes. Tomes are mirror maps, not actually what enforcement of what boundaries do and were they lay." She pointed down to this stranger taking an interest in trying to understand the directions from before, "The tome had to do such changes because something drastic was added or removed. Say like the return of realms that were devoured by the worm wars." The headmaster stands in looking at this stranger with her, "So returned some soul that could remedy and cause stresses where needed within the time-space fabric."
"What is considered magic?" He asked.
"Miracles humans should otherwise be able to do. Able to do because their souls are unique shapes to the matching elemental gods. Most Mages are god followers. Some cursed mages would make a mess or help with our problems around the Seers." She sees his not convinced and she lights a finger on fire and backed away freaking out of such a party trick, "Mages are humans with souls like you demons. Too much energy that needs to be spent." She closed her hand and put out the flames. The headmaster sighed in thinking it over on why now would she tell him this, glaring backwards as he disappeared through a demon gate. Returned to his office.
She posed worried about what a mage will see of her appearance, she can't help looking into a mirror looking at herself and sighing at this being useless. She can't see her reflection like she use to. Fading from this world the worse her condition is. She can only continue watching and protecting boundaries she does know should never change. Even if now humans can body travel to the afterlife, thanks to mage magic or god-following abilities.
With new humans around, come out of the old recipe books for mage magic kits. Mage folks from the central timeline like Philips and James... the enders of keeping those boundaries. This book was full of Mage-needed component kits she can make for sale. She has dark craft, divine crafts and elemental discharge powders. Ice magic requires nitrogen salts for casting, as an example of things she can find to sell. For that matter, her storage of magic craft gear was finally allowed to be accepted in this universe. She gladly doesn't need to hide such things anymore. It was about time she made some letters to some old clients and started milling back up the witchcraft brew she started in her first life. The candles. The powders. The consumables that you don't eat. She has such a massive range of goodies for all sigil corridor travelling ideas. Warding charms that make a sound to attract and disinterest unwanted creatures. She already got a liquids sale deal with the tavern on the grounds and the pub chain across the multiverse. She doesn't want to go into potion brewing, poisoning or holy heals. That stuff is the easiest way to be sued and stripped of ranks. Better to sell liquids she can't use to licenced and certified court-allowed beings.
The teachers' lounge from here was a corridor cut through to the kitchens used for students learning about cooking. There is half the room for not for eating and half the room for food-safe surfaces. She uses this area when classes are finished. Here undisturbed to sort out baking salt and purification of some of the raw materials she has in storage. There is usually a crowd of god eaters seated watching her, but like the rest, the afterlife - even they are being affected by changes. She doesn't see anyone of them anymore than her watching other realms through her masked eyes. Loyal souls at protecting the boundaries she placed them at. Or at least the boundaries they live naturally around.
She stands over her stove of slowly heating wax, book floating in her reading of some the recipes for mage candles. She was hyperfocused entirely on this kitchen area with many extensions of herself doing other jobs. An oven being watched for flames and the set up for making salt cake to sale. The knife on a cutting board makes the regular rhythm of herbs being chopped fine. The wax finally melting she makes small dip candles has a sting along a drip dry racking. Everything was in a pattern and nothing so far was disconnecting. She used enough energy, and turned the whole room off of its electricity and gas. Everything is left drying or simmering with closed lids. Solid bars of salt cakes line three kitchen rows. The front desk, normally of creatures was instead a packaging set up for when everything was cool enough to be ready for sale. She moved to the room centre, all collected back as one whole. Her eyes were glued to the book, pages flicked occasionally. The air in the room changed as did the aura of someone having a side effect on the spirit energy pressure. She closed the book with a neat little thud and makes more effort to human appearance. She got started on the coolest batch to be packaged up in the wax wrap paper and sealed with her logo stamps. She added a sticker of the ingredients and date of manufacture. Every bar is noted into the open ledger as she finished each one.
The distant steps of someone taking the stairs up, no three people walking up the stairs. She knows the headmaster well enough to recognise his manner of walking. Demons have a distinctive toe to heel-patterned steps, the foot and ankle joint makes them walk like horses. There has to be a spirit among those three that isn't used to the body it's in. Flat-footed and heavy stomping steps, not stable.
"She likely knew we entered the building from the second we entered. She is a sensitive sort." The headmaster trusts them enough for that much of an explanation, to how far the extent of his warning tells everything about the sort of people they are. Those itching for a fight or are easily scared are often told the little creepy details. Those with a demon's view of how others showed follow ranking, tend to be told only what they needed. Those that are trusted will be reminded she is still human.
"Dark rooms for what seems like someone should be here." Anxious, very so but this is a spirit person. They aren't as tasty as human negative energies. She only brushed to test their emotional state but respected being unknown to them. She doesn't make a habit of eating emotions since there is hardly anyone to her palate, "Gah... She's cursed. She's another masked one." They can recognise damned, that's not normal for spirit folks unless they met one or were one once. She does have benefited from the thought that the three people she has yet to bother is likely cursed human. Given they knew to avoid her darkness or that they have holy protection against darkness.
"She is quite complicated but I have heard students say she has a mask and holds nobility. Even the Seer children don't cross her. Although technically speaking she is their bloodline. Despite her creepy manner appearance or method of things, she is still a human being. She seems limited but content with such limited manners." The abrupt stop of someone frozen on the floor at hearing that explained.
"This is a being that oversees the index of the central timeline. She is human and content with being one?" That harsh wording and biased assumptions. She had to pause herself briefly a second hearing such a remark of shock.
"Oversee... the index of what?" The headmaster was concerned for sure, "I can't see how that happened. Then again... broken souls are weirdos. She did say this once." Brushed the thought aside. Forced to continue walking through the building, she continues finishing her packing of salt cakes. She makes a test of one of the drip candles but gives the rest of them the same wax paper and logo treatments. Sticker at the bottom ingredients and batch date. Ledge scribbling with a dying ink pen. She focused so much that she dip inked instead of refilling or finding another pen.
"I would go as far as many I should ask what sort of creatures does. she hangs out with the most." The spirit guy is quite the talker.
"God eaters most days. A few slayers. She has occasional clients from her line of work stop by or makes interesting events. She the poacher for soul snatchers, so many court cases of God law tend to send a bit of mail." She is at her last item for wrap-up, the candle test was successful. The right time and heat flow and the lack of reaction while there were no active magical or spiritual current changes. Hung in the air as moisture and soon with her flicking the ventilation one for a short time to clear away. It's not so strong around here and not a big enough hassle to handle, "Her time off is either at a drinking table, staring out windows or spent crafting some items that she sells. The spare income she uses towards the tome and its demands, so I have no business with her tax. But she claims properly to both spirit and human courts. She has a thing about being honest."
The generous knock on the kitchen door and some increased tension of fear. Whatever it was passed when she turned the main room light on and returned a knocking reply. The headmaster is the first to walk in and look at the whole back sinks of pans that have been used and cleaned in hot. The steam rolling off from taps and drains gurgles across the room. She sits at the teacher's desk, that last little pen dip. She quite relaxed in a pose as if she was in human form writing into her ledger. She doesn't even stop as she looked up, hand still in motion as she peers about the sort of outfit changes the headmaster was into. Clearly lacking his human glamour.
"I also dislike the light being on too. Artificial as they are but still annoying." The human of the two, the cloak of the guy asking for directions. Now she has a better look from her point of veiw, she can recognise they are indeed a mage god follower. To whatever God or goddess is beyond her, she doesn't bother detail study for that extent. They have some chains about them, the shadow their feet isn't natural and hard to say how extreme thier deal is between human soul and god they worship. The spirit following behind isn't the god they follow but clearly origins from the domain of the same attribute of elemental. She was quiet done staring after that, back to focus at writting.
"Miss Fallown, forgive the rudeness of taking some free time. You are quiet the busy person." The headmaster crossed arms, "But this is another one those sensitive souls. If I made a bet with you about what they were, I would have lost. Correctly identified by you, to the exquisite detail of even stating god follower. I am always impressed and fearful of your extensive experience." She waved lazed of her left hand, "I thought to let them met you in case you cross each other anywhere else. It also be wise to have the god eaters not eat thier patron."
"Yes, it wouldn't be wise. The god would always return back to thier follower from such ordeal but changes happen. You like them as they are then as someone else." She flicked that dead pen to the bin with an echoed metal clank. Out another that she twirls about her fingers. She tilted in thinking about it, "Maybe I should trade charms with you. You can have god-eater wards in exchange of some materials from the spirit lands the god or goddess domain holds. I am not fussed if was dirt from some grave or sand from a shore. I gladly take stone, wood or scraps. Bones or ashes." She glares to make sure of her last part, "No names. No souls. I am not a shepherd of souls. That's someone else's duty."
The human posed fascinated by her while the spirit was terrified. Maybe they both are but she isn't going to remove the glamour, even if they see through it. She was done and slide away things. She gently stood, cane to her side and sort of weakly dazed. She was back focused with the gesture of prayers at her. She doesn't bother them nor care about all the hand flutters. She is content at just walking to put away the dishes. Lowering and raised at counters. She waved her shadow to flick the fan off. She is all finished with this room and has more then plenty selling to be done next free time. She noted that she is helped by the human, the kind guy putting the school pans where they are labelled. Once finished up, she stands with them as discussion was moved to student subjects. Daylight hour based study and the night hour study. That the weekends were free time for both teachers and students for the majority of the day. Some can with supervision cross to do minor trades, there no stopping free will but there is things in place to limit student crossing.
"It helps that the highest ranking of this sigil guild area is Miss Fallown here. The guild is still it's own law with a lower ranked headmaster. But things are alway on her lap if serious." She gently nodded at this explanation by the headmaster. She walks behind them all, as they leave the student classroom kitchens and make it to the lounge for teacher break room and relax area for those needed sensory deprivation. The school has many hidden prayer rooms and safe spaces, all watched over by CCTV or spirit folks. The headmaster had many demon servants that are the up keep of the grounds acting as spare eyes.
"Nothing as extensive like a private school but clearly not the same funding as a national standard school. Middle class students but all with rough backgrounds or abnormal family situations." The human gentleman pondering, "What great scheme are you playing with demon King?"
"A supply of humans that are aware and able to defend themselves in a demon court. Humans that have potential as damned are prevented being cursed after death. Many are stable undertaker types that have better combate experience after they die. It is the humans that keep giving me such neat opportunity. I couldn't waste what started as a joking bet between us demon Lords. Who would profit the best out of humans. I have been the third highest to rake in a beneficial environment." He puff chest all proud of the achievement. Lea said nothing but she does carry that tell of having an opinion, chosen as unspoken clouded feeling. She had to take a break from all this walking around, sitting at the teacher break room and with her own water bottle out. Watching the teachers make greeting to the mage and spirit. Some mild reactions about the lack of human glamour the headmaster wears. Once she settled, she blended in like wall paper. They moved to other things, left behind in the tour. She doesn't mind.