The Gardener's Apprentices

Hell

Tenevorious Reckusu

As Tene closes his balcony door behind him, he begins to question his every move. Will this be the last time he closes this door? Was that the last time Shin would be over for dinner? Was that the last time he'd lay eyes on Lucifer ever again, until the day the Final War begins? He had not been onto the mortal plane in a very long time, even by his own metric. The last time must have been...around the late 15th century. Lucifer had him out on a mission to oversee the Fall of Constantinople. The Ottomans had a special place in Lucifer's heart, and wanted nothing more but to see to it that His creations grew ever more divided amongst their secular views. Side note; the Ottoman Invaders who raped and pillaged after the invasion? They were some of the first to start a chain of restaurants in Hell. Something about the taste of the food lacking any real spice or flavor. Of course, that was before Hell meat was invented, and the souls of some of the worst were used as ingredients. Tene began to lift off the floor, floating in mid air for a moment. Gathering pressure in the small of his back, he took flight towards Gateway city off in the distance. Gateway city was always the easiest landmark to gauge distance by, made obvious by the massive golden ring split between two spires. The ring was the main gateway, used for the transport of millions of souls when the time for the Final War came. At the bottom of the ring was the much more traditional wrought iron gates that let in a dozen or so souls in at a time. After a quarter mile or so of walking, they reach his stomping grounds; the registration complex, a building about 4 stories tall with a massive hangar bay to the side. The hangar bay is where an endless supply of gear is stored for handing out to newly initiated souls, while the 4 story is meant for intake and administration, and his auxiliary office. He spends half his work time there, the other half at the main office in the main administration building downtown. It's a tough desk job to have, but every now and then he gets his own hands dirty. The staff enjoy his presence, because it makes them realize they actually have an important job enough that the Director needs to be on the ground with his feet in the trenches as it were. Really what it is though, is an excuse to not be bored in the office signing off paperwork. Just like Archives, his own deputy director has his hands full, but Tene has no intention of retiring any time soon. Speaking of his deputy director…

FWOOSH

Tene cuts his flight function off and somersaults a few times to kill his speed, landing gracefully on the balcony of his lobby. Awaiting him was a scruffy young man in a black suit, same as Tene's. "Director, I have just received word. You are going to the mortal plane, yes?" The man asked very bluntly. Tene responds in kind. "Yes, Koba. I don't know for how long. Until then, you have temporary oversight over the director's office. See to it that problems are solved without issue." The two make their way into the lobby, where he meets with his secretary. "Yes, Director. I'm sure Nadezhda and I will be able to run the office smoothly." Koba turns and smiles at the lady behind the secretary's desk. The two were married on the mortal plane, and both wound up here in Hell. Koba was a former leader of a far eastern European nation, and Nadezhda was his first wife. Because of his feats on the mortal plane, he ascended rapidly from the initial position he took on, which was distribution of the tools and supplies handed out to new souls, all the way up to where he is at currently. Tene wants to make sure he has a good leader to take over in times of need, or if and when he does decide to retire, he can leave the department in capable hands. He enters his office and shuts the door, leaving the couple alone to chat. The two live their damned lives nothing like the lives they lived while they were alive. Instead of rich gaudy palaces, they both share a humble apartment complex, the same one Koba procured a lease for  once his first check came through. It seems the two rekindled whatever romance they had on the mortal plane, and have lived humble lives despite both excelling at their duties. Tene teleports to his desk; just like the director of archives, his office is vast, with ceilings that stretch into blackness, and a wall of windows that oversee the massive piles of tools and supplies in the hangar bay adjoining the building. Now is no time for walking, the man is on a mission. He gathers documents and prepares them alphabetically to ease the stress on the deputy director. Tidying up loose papers, a couple binders, and then moving onto his work computer. Signing in, he puts a pause on all scheduled meetings for the next two weeks, and defers them over to Koba's guest account. He'll be able to handle most of these Tene thinks. Adjusting the settings to allow Koda to access his desktop from his own, he teleports back to the office door, pausing for a moment of sentiment. He truly does not know if two weeks is enough, anything dealing with His angels might take a lifetime before he gets any kind of answer. He'll miss the office. The view. The chit chats with the lower level workers. Even training Koba, and snooping in on him and his wife having the occasional romantic moment at work. He opens the door with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. "Is everything made of preparations, Director Tenevorious?" Koba's inquiry snaps Tene out of his daze. "Ah. Yes. Koba, there are documents on my desk, already sorted, just need to file them with the appropriate departments once you've given them a look over. My desktop has been ported to yours, and I've adjusted my calendar for the next two weeks. If anyone comes asking, you are free to reschedule or if you feel comfortable, take on the task yourself. Nade, forward any meeting requests to the deputy director." Tene pauses. "Koba, if...I'm not back in two weeks time, there will be a letter of recommendation for you in my top left desk drawer. Go see the Director of Archives for a witness signature, tell her consider her favor paid if she complies. You'll have a meeting with Lucifer and he'll consider the letter with the highest regards if he has two Director's approvals on it." Koba's face lit up with shock. "But sir! Such responsibility, I am very much not prepared. Do you think so of highly in of my capabilities?" Tene offers a kind grin, as he pats Koba on the shoulder. "Koba, let me put it this way. The last time I had to go to the mortal plane, my deputy accidentally wrote off two hundred thousand pallets of equipment as lost because he couldn't find the paperwork. In your first few years here, you've done a superb job in the sense that you haven't made a mistake on that scale. You'll find that the director's position is much more suited to your taste than the deputy's position was." Koba's shoulders relaxed, and he took a quick glance at his wife. "Well sir, if it is something you say I can do-" he clicks his heels, and throws up his hand to his head in salute, "-then I will be doings my utmost to bring satisfaction to the office of the Director. Sir!" Tene laughs, militaristic etiquette was a strange concept for him to deal with, simply because the seriousness of it has no bearing here in Hell. "Take care of him, Nade. I'll be off then." Nade smiles back, and the two wave him off as he heads back to the balcony. Shin should be at the gate by now. As Tene focuses, a gentle hum surrounds him, growing in intensity, and suddenly he zips into nothingness and disappears with the wind.

  ○

Miyamoto Musashi

POP

Just as I arrive at the steps to the massive golden ring above the wrought iron gates, a sense of dread begins to creep through me. Tene had just teleported to me, but I am more worried about the impending journey the two of us will be on. "I guess you didn't wait too long?" Tene asks, looking up to the ring. "No, I just arrived a short time ago as well. Everything set with your department?" I try to brush off the feeling, but the nerves are making their way in. "Heh. Feeling nervous, Shin? This is going to be your first time going back. This will be my fifth." He tries to cheer me up, but doing so while loosening his tie as he takes off his shoes is distracting me more than his attempts at making me feel better. "Tene, is there a point to this? Should..should I be doing the same?" I begin to remove my shoes as well. "It helps to act as an anchor back here instead of heading back through there." He motions towards the wrought iron gates over to his left, where souls were trodding along towards the registration offices. "We need to go up to the left spire. I'm guessing you haven't been before?" Scoffing, I turn my head and let out a chuckle. "I haven't been near this place since I first popped through the gates." He smiles. "Yeah, I guess it's not a place people really want to come back to. They'll explain everything inside the spire. Come." He reaches out a hand, and I take it. A familiar hum surrounds us, and with a zip we are inside a locker room with a single door to the side. "Pick a locker that isn't in use and change" Tene feeds me instructions as he opens the metal locker door, and places his shoes at the bottom. I do the same; inside is a grey jumpsuit, and a pair of white socks and white shoes.Taking precaution not to peek over at Tene's porcelain skin being donned by such a drab piece of clothing, I do the same. Soon, we are both dressed. Tene pushes the door open to a room with a redheaded woman standing with a lab coat and a clipboard, standing in front of another door. "Names, and date of death please." Tene lets out a gentle cough. "Oh, Director Tenevarious. My apologies. I have N/A, as usual, correct?" She jots down on her clipboard as Tene gives an "uh huh" in approval. "And you sir?" She motions towards me "Ahem, Miyamoto Musashi, died 1645." She jots down my info. "Is this your first venture back into the mortal plane, Mr. Musashi?" 

"Yes, it is." Suddenly, two chairs appear in front of her. "Please, sit. I will be explaining the conditions of your appearance during your time in the mortal plane." We both sit, as she clutches her clipboard to her chest. She takes several deep breaths, as if lost in meditative thought. "Upon arriving in the time period-" She checks in with Tene. "At The Beginning" He says, with a voice that reverberates around the room. "Ah, I see. Okay, upon arriving, you will be joining consciousness with the youngest descendant you currently have available to you in that time period. Director, unfortunately since it says here you don't have a descendant 'At The Beginning' (huh, her voice reverberated when she said that as well), you will be taking on your own form at the time, correct?" She looks over to Tene for confirmation. "Yes, I am aware that I will be merging consciousnesses with my own form and be able to deal with any consequences that arise." He clears his throat, and looks over to me, almost as if in pity. I wonder how many times he's taken on his own form over his descendants. "And you, Miyamoto Musashi, unfortunately you do not have a descendant to merge consciousness with at the same time period, let alone the same geographical area. In cases such as these, you will be delegated to merge consciousness with a mammal of non homosapien origin, and cannot reproduce while in this form. Furthermore, upon dying in this form, you will return to your anchor point here in Hell immediately where your bare feet last touched outside this Spire." Ah, I see now. That's why Tene removed his shoes before we teleported here. But what does she mean by-"Under no circumstances are you to interfere with agents from other departments unless specified by the inclusion of form 3-F-'' She looks through her clipboard, "of which there is none, unless an agent from another department seeks you out for help while on the mortal plane." She pauses, and looks at the two of us. "Is that understood, deputy director, director?" Tene gives a nod and a compulsory "Yes." I, however, am still a little confused. "Excuse me, ma'am, but what do you mean by a mammal of non-homosapien origin?" Tene sighs and leans back in his seat. "Deputy director, that means that if you do not have a descendant to merge consciousness with, you will be merging consciousness with an animal. Since the 'big guy''"-she points up-' up there automatically takes on all animal life regardless of actions on the mortal plane, you can be one with them as long as you do not reproduce." I am perplexed ever still. "So wait, you mean I have to be an animal the entire time? Until my mortal self parents a child?!" This is obscene. How am I supposed to maintain close proximity to Tene if my form is a defenseless animal? "That is correct, deputy director. Do not worry too much, several of our current agents in the field on the mortal plane share an animal/human partnership. It helps with reconnaissance." She scribbles on her clipboard, and passes it over to Tene. "Please sign on the line to confirm you have received and understand your onboarding conditions into the mortal plane." Tene proceeds to scribble on the clipboard, and passes it over to me. "Don't worry, Shin. We'll be fine." I scribble mine as well, still getting over the shock of having to be stuck as an animal until I die in the mortal plane. "Speak for yourself, Tene! I'm going to have to worry about being eaten the entire time. You'll just have to worry about looking like a damned angel walking the Earth." Passing over the clipboard back to the woman, she walks to the door behind her. "Now, if you'll just walk through here, you shall be sent on your way. Enjoy your time alive, and we welcome you back when your assignment is complete." She opens the door to a blindingly bright light and a horrendously strong gust of wind. It whips Tene's hair into a frenzy, but his frame holds. The woman struggles to hold the door, and I struggle to maintain balance. "Shin," Tene's voice is in my head, offering a bit of warmth to the coldness of the wind. "Do not fear. We will find each other, and proceed on the mission." He steps through, the light enveloping him. "PLEASE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR. IF YOU WOULD STEP THROUGH" The clipboard lady yells over the rush of air, even the chairs we were sitting on had flown back into the wall separating us from the locker room. "YES, THANK YOU. GOODBYE!" Those were my last words I spoke in Hell. I step through, and the wind becomes knives, cutting through my body and mind, my vision completely blinded white, even an attempt at closing my eyes proved pointless, as I no longer had eyes or eyelids. I became a shapeless wisp, disintegrating into the vortex of wind, and then suddenly…

Sand. Sand everywhere. The brightest, bluest sky that I hadn't seen in forever. A warm, gentle breeze flows over my furry ears and tail. My tail? Wait. My furry ears? I look down. Furry hands. Paws. And then...smells. I stuck my nose up. My tail wiggles, and I feel my back legs start to move, trotting over sand, dirt, and rock. Off in the distance, I see a small village. But closer than that, I see several humanoid forms. I hurry, surely Tene might need my help. I was speed. I had felt faster, quicker, than any time in my life before this. If I had this speed, I could take on dozens of challengers at a time. Rocks were no obstacle, I either ran around them or over them. bushes, weeds, brush, all blew by in a zig zagging blur. I was about 20 yards away from the humans when suddenly, a voice was in my head. And it wasn't Tene's.

"Ah, so they put you in the sly, cunning form of the Fox."