4.12

No one was bothering her today, all her clients of the online store has business else where. So none are around for candle orders or surprises. She had all daylight of drinking camomile tea and body paint for the Halloween shift. She went the full white paint on every part visible on her and painted her face to be the negative colors of the Italian carnival mask. She had time to paint more tailsmans and add more salt around the place. She made a flask of camomile tea to take with to work.

Given it was Halloween, the dress up amazed people around her. They assume it was for a party. Compliments as she passed by on the short walk from bus stop to staff meet up. Everyone staff wise was Italian carnival style, and a group photo was in order. It be the last photo for some people, as now she was in the loop. The talk was easier between them, that folks have been in coma for weeks after such work events. Some that were recovered from such comatose say it was that their souls went to the afterlife for a short visit.

Helpful tips of what never to do and what code names they go by. They will be thier department by name or their jobs. She's 'runner', 'stock seeker' or 'Red and black checkered mask'. She's the only checker mask with red and black. Helpful things like don't shake hands. Don't agree. Don't speak unless ordered to by recognized beings or if dire need to. Nods. Hand gestures. Most of these gestures are used normally in store but now it makes sense now why they were good at them. There was shouting of colours too, the traffic light system for how things are going: red, orange, yellow and green. In bad to good order. There was black for really bad. White for good work or compliments. Blue for stealing or customer problems.

With all this covered, they came through the staff entry together. Sign in with nicknames on a paper for such occasion and were lined up in the shop floor. There is already a bunch of clay unpainted mask spirits. They have already shuffled the store around for their benefits. Teams are assigned to areas but she was to float around. She given papers, pens and notepad to write the requests given to her. She is to only follow what she writes or what was already there. There was three or four tasks that were already written and were to not be complete until the end of shift. She was given a small vile for emergency and expected to stand pretty until needed.

"Where is the nearest demon sale?" She tilts in having heard this asked of her but she can't give an answer. It seems a test actually. She straightens and ignores them, "Very good." The mask person nods, "You use the code white." She looks at them again, "So here is a general directory of things that you are likely going to be asked." She got a run down of what mini stores were which department. She made notes on a separate paper for back up later. They nod glad she seems unfazed at all by them and that she doesn't faint or have any extreme reactions, "Got that?"

"Yellow." She replies gently.

"I guess there is just somethings a living person doesn't need to know." She straightens up and was as ready as she can be. Her wrist was blips and time was frozen around them. The clay person touched her shoulder, which would allow anyone to enter paused time. She could anyway but they didn't know this. She looks about confused of the werid silence time stop does. She had habit of looking at the watch. The clay mask laughed at her for sure. She sees others learning this experience for the frist time and those that been through it before sighing. She looks back to where the mask person was and blinked that they were gone without a sound. She looks to her notepad for what her instruction demands. She sighs and stands pretty. Looking at everything that moves and not. The store door opens and flooded in the demons, angels and undertaker clientele. There were other creeps now visible to everyone. She shivers. She has her clip board and was ready.

"Stock Checker!" That is her que and she steps fast through between things and reached to take a note. She wrote the instructions to her notepad. She left without further word and at fast pace dancing between at sorting this request out. She disturbed no one and was able to cross off the instruction once completed. She quick at returning to her post and wait for the next shout.

"Excuse me, where is the candles?" She has notes that she give directions by her left hand pointing or that she guides them. She posed mutely for this time. They look the direction and left her be. She is allowed to have her tea flask with her and have sips but she doesn't wish to during paused time. It can be dangerous to ingest things in paused time. Forgetting the amounts she had in short real time is bad. Easy to do when time is stopped.

"Madam Mystic?" She out right ignores the speaking person and waits for something else, "Right you work here in living hours. So they have you on shift." She tilts in showing she was listening but gave no words or intentions of things, "Can you show me where the candles are?" She posed the same she did for the last guy, "Has someone already asked?" She taps a sound on the board which the undertaker understood the answer, "Can you show me the way?" She sighs and began to step the direction, noted this request on her notepad. She got him to the department and takes leave in no further notice. Back to her spot and crossed the line off. She wasn't alone standing about here, several masked folks hovered here doing what she does. She only moves for living voice requests, showing that she was acting deaf to the spirit folks if these folks aren't close enough.

"Runner!" She speed steps among folks and collects a item, "Note." She reads to back this packaged and sent. The address mailing on the note too. She takes and leaves. She does packaging in her daylight hours, so this wasn't different. She has it placed to the parsol delivery belt in the back warehouse, as this was what she was told to do on her notepad. She never deviated from her orders. Returned back to her standing area. She wasn't needed for a short burst.

"Excuse me, where's the toilet?" She posed the directions but is very confused why a spirit wanted to know that. She watched them, wrote that down and added a question mark. She started to see that there is living people that do interact with the spirits here. She sees her watch was still and they always had company. She focus with how there was folks staring at her oddly. She tilts at them and they backed off.

"She's one the living workers here. She does the small errands between them." This clears some crowd as the mask folk beside her explains, it was the one from the start, "How are things?"

"Yellow." She spoke as nervous as she felt.

"At least you are consistent." They sighed, "And reliable." She tilts in watching the crowds and sees among was someone trying to come forward from her team to her. She steps and the crowds gave space. She meets half way, a note. She reads, writes and then does. She helps the member carry a heavy box to the back, no complaints.

"Orange." She sighed in her back aching and legs.

"Dark Orange." The team member half pant and sarcastic.They go back to their places. She still holding her back from that. She adjusted standing and waits again.

"Blue!" She heard an was quick to assist the problem. Like anytime it was just a customer who thinks they were in the right and trying to con. She files a complaint report and was quick to sort this out. She blocks the demon from attacking with the matching fan to her mask. She give a glare eye to eye and the demon backed off. Taken by her lack of fear. She stands back too and makes notes. She glares and the demon left empty handed. She asked for check by the other staff, the traffic light code.

She doesn't make it back to her spot when she was shouted for. Another runner request. She was at the candle department, takes a box of candles and to the back for delivery. She noted it was to be shipped to her house but she doesn't have the time to linger about. She returns back to her stand post.

"You doing alright?" The clay mask in charge asked.

"Orange." She meant for her back and feet, "Yellow orange." The mask snickered about her consistency and had a chair brought over. She was allowed to sit between short bursts. She checks her notepad for anything she had to do and the tasks she finished. She finally sort of risks a very small sip of tea, require her mask tipped to the side as she does. She adjusted it neatly and tea away, "Greeny Yellow." She sighed.

"Just like working during the day then?" Small talk.

"Green." She softly spoke, "Like waves of an ocean." The mask nods at that. She stands up from a gestures she seen by the staff. Everyone was giving heads up for time return. She stood ready for it and jolted hearing her watch tick. With other living sounds. She watched her paper unwritten then rewrite itself. She watched her spirit move around a lot but she was consistent in path taking and following instructions. She sits on the stool with her board, sighs as the moment of the last note crossed happened. Now stirs normal people doing normal things. She acts as before and now she joined in the hand gesture. She heard whistle of someone wanting attention and they gestures the time for when time will pause again. She follows at giving the understood gesture, like everyone else.

"Red and Black!" She raised to the command and follows, she gives no greeting inspite of facing them. She posed at ready to write something of a request. Instead the staff gestures in asking if she knew them. She returns the gesture with off work and passed over a esty business card. She further made up her own gestures of miming. They understand now and waved her away. She returns back.

"Wow, you work hard at this." Shade follows her.

"I am at work. You know that." She whispered. He lost her or left her be. Back to the little crowd of helpers. She sighs in how long this shift is.

"You know the undertaker monarch?" The clay leader asked and she gave it a business card. They peer at it a while.

"I didn't expect experimental candle making to turn into a great business. It's more a hobby that earns somw side money." She shurgs, "Maybe it's why I am weird."

"It actually explains a lot." The clay leader pockets the card for now, "Do the company know?"

"I don't buy from here. I source everything myself from other places. It's not my intention to be in the way of a big company giant like this. It's a hobby. I am not going to do big stuff or anything. The candle loose something if not done by hand." She tilts downwards and noted the time, "Back to silence." She sighed.

"Yeah." The gestures of warning and then the repeat of before. She acts frozen until pat on shoulder. She looks around less this time around and back to focus forward at her task. Looking at her notepad, a new few lines of things from the clay mask guy but it wasn't anything that moves her away. Just what to watch out for or gesture if spotted. She quiet hawk eyed in watching products and passing client folks.

"Stock checker!" In a place she notes that this was off the market, she is very cautious at approach and pose at ready to write. She watched the gestures of the team member and she shuffles the vile out. She goes to open it and instantly the team member is released. She helps them up and they walk away in no further gestures. She puts the vile away, it wasn't used but the threaten to use was enough. She helped them to their department and then returned back to her post. She wrote that out as 'team member nearly kidnapped, was safely returned. vile unused but posed in threat of use.' with a cross to indicate she finished the task. She looked up from writing with how someone stares watching for her. She stares squarely back at them in waiting for some sort of word.

"I will be taking that." Her carnival mask taken from her and the shock of the dropped mask on the floor. She simple looks at them strange. A raised brow and posed of wondering what that was about. She doesn't bother picking it up until the demon was gone.

"Neat painting." She shurgs to that and now is able to pick the mask up. She makes check that it's the real one and then puts it on. She still posed her confused in wonder what that was about, "The guy wasn't expecting your mask to be fake and was freaked you by the face paint." She at least straightens for that, "Smart thinking." She shurgs gently, "You must love Halloween. You took all that time to paint even you back white which is impressive." sponge on a stick and dabbing to cake it on. If she was to add anything interesting, someone else had to do it for her.

"I asked about where the toilet was before." She looks at the kid in a undertaker uniform. He is a living human with strange aura about him. He held a sort of cold spark around him. He wasn't alone, a tall long pink haired guy was shadowing close. Clearly partners in sharing the Victorian crossed mafia style. Matching fedoras and skin so silky it was almost cartoon like. Very defensive to jolt as she lifted her board to make notes. She posed wondering in wait, "What time is it in the living hours to you?" She blinks at this and then posed fingers of counting, "11pm?" She wrote that she was 'asked the time and I gestured the answer to a living human'. She posed at looking at the pair and sighs in a deep pit moment, almost yearning for something. She could almost feel like she could say thier nickname or names. But she snapped out of it, the pink guy dragging the lad away.

"She's a living human like me. It's why I asked. She's one the employees. They aren't here by ability but invite by the others." The kid is right but she could have acted out of time at her own will. They argue and her attention was on a attempt theft.

"Blue!" She shouts and approached the being and steps glaring at the mass. It puts money on her board. She hovered watching what is taken and not for the money placed to distract her. A clay member came up and counts the money. Gave the gestures that this was fine. She makes notes and eased back to her spot. She was swiftly asked for another several runner requests and another stock check. This time the stock requested was hard to get information for but she was successful and was able to properly come with the item requested. Even without tainting property of the item. She was able to sit down for this.

She enjoys the little time of watch the crowds. She was in conversation across the room with the team. There was several suspected thieves in some demons that was a ongoing gesture for. She was able to fill the complaints form ahead of it happening, seeing the scam at the ready. This was swiftly sorted by clay folks that had been finding the gesture network helpful. She gave the file to the one in charge of getting the demons out of here. A formal apology was bowed to a few caught up as victims too. She doesn't bow like the clay folks do, she stands square and writing out what she done on her notepad. She makes leave for when she heard someone ask her mask colour. Back to her stand spot. Unpause time, which requires her beside the one that does that for her.

"You should have a break. You have been at this for five hours." She looked at the time and sighed, "You living folks are here until 8am. So four more living hours."

"Not including the duration between pauses." She tilts.

"Not wrong there." The clay mask actually smirks, "You clearly do long shifts anyways." She doesn't have to even sigh or agree for that knowing to be shared. She sits ready for time to freeze up and this time there was a distraction that didn't make her invited to the time freeze. She gladly stays this way until someone realizes or that she has to act like she was invited. She watched everything in silence, peering at the swimming public passing by.

Shade had approached and even taps her shoulder. She looked at her watch in habit and then looks confused what the undertaker was doing. She peers around at how snowed under the store is. She stood and sees that every other living person is still frozen. So this was intentional. She stands and glares in pose to write whatever sort of request there is.

"I had nothing to ask. It just seemed rude to leave you here on your own." They are all to busy to watch her back, so this was the undertaker being kind. She notes this down but said it was 'a pointless question they asked', "You work really hard for being only paid living hour wages." She shurgs at this, "The king wishes to invite you to the other side, maybe not after this working day. You will need a new disguise." She knows this.

"This outfit was for this event. I didn't actually intend to make it normal wear." She tilts in watching the approach of some lesser demon. She turned and it skittered backwards, like it knew she should have been frozen. It skids right out of sight and she noted that as odd behavior from a small demon. She noted that Shade left her to it. She wasn't able to do living runner requests if there isn't anyone living unfrozen. She gladly sits down and just watched the place.

"Excuse me." She tilts a side look of what asked and pose ready to write, they approached close enough for her to hear them, "Oh... well that explains a lot." They posed crossed arms in annoyance of that she isn't frozen to stop, "You should accept this little gift... It do you better." She backed off and blocked being touched with the board. She had fighters stance at using the fan to block the other hand from trying to trick her. She makes a sweep motion and used sin chains to pull the demon away from her. She posed at ready for avoiding more and now writes notes but still glaring down the demon.

"Maybe you don't need it." It sulks with moving away. She goes back to the stool, 'creep tried to touch me. I defend myself from weirdos. Vile not used or even shown.' She stressed in a sigh. A.clay mask returns now and stares at her oddly.

"Orange red." She would even growled.

"And your like not even meant to move."

"Well a undertaker had to ask some personal for comfort questions. Then some smaller demon acted werid. Some other guy approached with some weird deal. Sheesh." She crossed her arms.

"You didn't let them touch you after that undertaker." She adjusted her mask and they looked at her notepad, "Neat Latin." Posed in showing her.

"Not again." She complains, "I had to learn to blind write with getting strange mail. I learned the hard way of ignoring request mail. All because of candles." She sits neat and her notepad returned, "I was to busy glaring at them away from me."

"You are a talent in a million square mile. Even the folks that own this store are not that good at repelling." She sighed at that.

"That's what happens when they teach you things that you shouldn't know." She frowns, "Like never come to my house. Apparently my wards send you to the not nice places if you don't enter it correctly. Or at least the last demon said that when they ordered angel banishing charms." She crossed her arms annoyed of it all.

"You would happen to be trading charms with undertakers?"

"Only received one request for candles. I haven't a clue. They also sent me a joke to test me. I am not sure how that went."

"Candles are powerful." The clay guy sighed and now stuck around for company. She heard time return and she checked her watch. She was even glad that they were sending them home early. Everyone to exhausted or ill. A lot of ill people. She pouts.

"The small demon that approached. I think it was targeting us." She tells the clay mask, "Then when it fail for me, the demon after was surprised that I was moving. Is that why they are ill and I am fine?" She asked and the clay mask posed thinking about it. Thinking of what to tell her, "Maybe I should make them luck charms. It wards away bad things." She sighed.

Leaving was freedom and getting home was a drop off by a person that drives and was well enough to drive. Nothing spoken, not even gestures. Her flat was untouched and she relaxed for the rest of the day. More importantly was that she actually went back to bed for a while to recover.