Prompt 1/30
This one was a little bit rushed, so sorry for the lackluster quality. TW: Dead pets.
The routine of Kai Schmutz, the Ultimate Gravedigger, was a simple one. His mornings began with a large cup of black coffee, usually after having spent the whole night before digging. He would head to class where, while he wasnāt the smartest, he still did his best. He had been given an amazing opportunity at Hopeās Peak after all. How could he let the people who gave him this down? His lunch break would be spent in the Hopeās Peak gardens, helping the Ultimate Gardener and Ultimate Florist as much as he possibly could. Of course, he had another large black coffee. And finally, when classes were over, he would either go spend time at the local graveyard or help anyone who had given him a specific request. Those requests were rare however. His talent was all about death, so people dreaded ever needing his help. Most students did their best to ignore the boy, pretend he wasnāt there. With his short height, this was suprisingly easy. But every now and again, the boy did get a request. Usually they were from one of the nature related talents or someone who had heard of the boyās suprisingly good fighting skills and wanted to spar with him. That blue haired boy with that cards had been a weird request. But this time, this time it was different. These were the requests that required Kaiās specific talent. He hated these requests, not because he hated helping people, but because his services were even needed at all. Unlike what some would think, Kaiā¦ Kai hated death. After class had ended, Kai had gone straight to his locker to get his boots. His plan for today was to check out gravestone in the middle of restoration was doing, to clean up the student park with the Ultimate Volunteer and to go the local graveyard and plant some new flowers. But when a note dropped out of his locker, Kai already knew he was going to have to cancel those plans. He had received a few fake notes in the past, people who read long and sappy love confessions, only for it to turn out to be a prank. He didnāt mind showing up to those anyway. If there really was someone, he could politely decline them. If it was just a prank, then at least someone could enjoy it. He didnāt get the joke, but if they did, good for them. The note he received in his locker was a very polite but straight to the point request by a young woman known as Yuki, the Ultimate Pet Groomer. Kai read the note calmly, ignoring the curious whispers around him. To those that didnāt know him, it might seem like a love confession letter, but it was so much more serious than that. Once he knew what he needed to do, Kai went straight to the staff lounge. He gripped onto his shovel tightly as he moved through the sea of people like a drop of oil through water, close, but just barely not touching. His small size was actually quite useful for this, though he would never actually admit that. The whole thing with his size was a double edged sword. It made people less likely to notice him and be bothered by him, which may the boy happy, but it also caused people to take him less seriously when he really should. It was one of the reasons why he rarely showed any emotion on his face. As long as he kept up the serious look, people would take him seriously. After having crossed the sea of people, Kai stepped into the staff lounge where he went to ask for a very strange request, that was somehow approved off. An hour or so later, Kai would find himself in one of the most beautiful areas of all of Hopeās peak, the flower garden. There was a specific spot in the flower garden where white and black roses collided to form a sea of white with black dots. Or was it black with white dots? The boy wondered a little about this while he dug a hole in the middle of this bed of flowers. After a few minutes of waiting, a nervous young woman arrived with something large wrapped in a beautiful white linen sheet. Kai already knew what it was. He didnāt need the letter or the woman to tell him, as this wasnāt the first time he had buried someoneās pet. Knowing what breed the dog was had been useful, as because of that, he was able to find the perfect spot for the labrador. Kai nearly smiled to himself as he thought about how the dog might like being between white and black flowers, how it could sneakily hide between them before popping up with a jump, but Kai didnāt smile. It wasnāt the right time for that. The ceremony was simple and quiet. The girl laid the dog in itās sheet down into the hole and prayed softly to herself, while Kai filled the hole. He put a few of the flowers he had to cut down onto the grave. They were laid down in the shape of a black and white heart, which brought a smile to the girlās face. The two of them quietly sat down at a nearby bench, before the girl suddenly burst out into tears. She clinged onto Kai, who while he usually didnāt like being touched, didnāt mind this time around. The girl needed someone to cry on after all. He knew that. Why would he take that away from her? āArenāt you supposed to say something?ā There was a hint of anger in her voice, but Kai knew she wasnāt truly angry at him. This was just one of the many steps of grief. āLike that heās going to be alright? Or that heās in a better place now?ā āDo you believe that?ā Kaiās voice was calm and peaceful as he held onto the girl. āDo you believe heās in a better place? I donāt know myself. I donāt think I can ever know.ā āIsnāt it your job to say what people should do when they grieve? How can you not know?ā The girl was more confused than she was angry, but Kai didnāt mind. The boy pulled her closer into the hug, letting her rest her head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat. It was slow yetā¦ Peacefully hypnotic. Kai continued to gently move his hand through her hair, before explaining. āIām sorry, but I canātā¦ Choose how you grieve or what you believeā¦ That is not for me to doā¦ The only thing I can do for you is to help you along the stepsā¦ If you need to be angry at someoneā¦ You can be angry at meā¦ If you need to cry onto someoneā¦ You can cry on meā¦ Thatās what Iām here for.ā The two went quiet. Even after all these years, Kai never really knew what to say, or if he said was really the right thing to say. How could he know? It wasnāt like he was the one grieving. They would spend the rest of the day there, until the girl finally let go and gave him a quiet thank you. And with that, to Kai, it was all worth it.
Another writing thing for @royal-despair
