29 Prelude caretaker

Unlike normal students, it would seem that this place was going the extra mile to make her a puppet. Her entire welcome pack was printed with yellow paper and a font suited for her. She has given upper elite student uniforms with permitted electrical key card entry to staff-restricted zones. She has four timetables, which she was free to work through at a given time. She had been given the teacher's calendar year planner, and she was allowed to create a class of her own. Everything made more sense when reading the letter from the British undertaker's authority. To that end, her old clients all have been more than happy to support her. Written between the lines, it was all about keeping the reptiles in control and that her court dealings can continue naturally.

"They made you into one of the elite students?" Samantha asked with her mouth half full of dinner. Night five of no-show Nathan. He showed up for the first night in silence and then nothing since. This was fine, it became a girl's party. Samantha has friends from her previous schools, and they joined in for the evening. If they pitch in a penny or so each week, they are welcome to have Lea's American cooking. Her food is so popular that it's because of a private dinner party, without the intention of being one. Yet then again, it's not just students. She was allowed to use the main kitchen as long as the tutor was the supervisor. He pitched in a little money and sits among them. It was about how she seasoned everything, compared to the bland food served here.

"I have an interesting history that can't be disclosed. If anything, it was all an accident at the time. I didn't know who I was duelling and what price that stake was." She sits down at last with her meal, clearly less dairy in her dish than everyone else. The tutor noted this, and his partner makes a soft approach from across the room. Leery, for sure, "I leave it to the other party to speak as they wish, I don't care how little or how much is made of it all." She puts the spoon into the food, "It is a miracle my soul is back here. Time has no measurement for what I have been through." She clattered her foot under the table with stomping. This backed away all the lizards to hide once more.

"Where is Morpheus or Loki?" Samantha looks around. Lea has a mouth full posed in sensing and then back to ignoring. Finishing the mouth full and closed hands, one gulp, "Sulking or eating. I don't know. Both of them are in the hidden veils, managing my other little things. The food has gotten boring nowadays, Ragnar complaining in his realm."

"You have names for them?" The tutor pondered.

"My favourite ones have pet names. Not real names. You can't summon them." She goes back to eating her food as Samantha explained to her friends about the reptiles.

"Gah." Her mask slips in, staring at the undertaker that finally maned to make it here, "Forgive me." Quick bows and then sits at the table. The food of a small amount is given to the undertaker by his partner. The two have a mental conversation. The girls all suddenly giggle at the story of Morpheus sleeping in strange poses, which have been reported across the school since their arrival. A ghost black cat napping in the most interesting of places. Talk of birds eating birds on the roof, that would be normal if the birds weren't the small types. Birds of prey like hawks tend to eat rabbits on the roof.

"Do you know what has happened to your painting?" The undertaker asked Lea. She stares blankly for a long time at whatever that was meant to be. She almost said something, then closed up again. She does know what they mean. She thinks it through and ponders.

"I may have attempted to seal it and disguise it." Her mask spoke for her while she eats more, "but I can't imagine it doing well. I took it with me for as long as I could and eventually chained it around me. I still hold the chains, but I don't know how it is doing."

"It was recovered as part of the court case. But there is a monster or something sealed within." She snickered both mask and human.

"Monster. Oh boy. I guess that's a good disguise." She mutters, holding her full mouth hidden. She eats while everybody else is chatting about today. This was the last evening before 1st student day.

"Have you considered what sort of class you're going to teach and who will attend it?" The tutor asked.

"I have already submitted curriculum provisions and organised times. It is every other Sunday or free time class between lunches. So it's more of a club. For the first week, it's open registering as I will not teach unless I have an assessment of what allows me to impart how much. On the surface, it's a typical Sigil club. Entry has some requirements." She finished her food and coughed, continuing."As for spirit entry, you will have to consult the reptile or my mask. As that side can work independently of my life, to some extent. I call it the evening classroom. It, too, has the same requirements of entry, and registration is handled with delicate care."

The nod along of the undertaker that is impressed and his partner that doesn't know how she did it. She collected everything and had it all cleaned with the school dishwasher. An industrial wash system that is steamy hot. She makes sure it was all ready for the bowls from the pudding.

"This evening is my first day. I wanted to see how many I will have to kick out or if I need less human interaction." She returns with the tray of pudding. She gives everyone theirs first and then sits with her own. It's less cream for her.

"Do you have a dietary preference?" The tutor asked.

"It's an off-and-on sort of thing. I am lactose intolerant at times. Some days, I can eat my favourite dish of homemade cheesy bacon pasta. Other times I can be in the same room as it is being cooked." She has a fresh spoon and enjoys the bread pudding, "It's on the medical file. But I doubt the school transcript was sent over. So many schools." She enjoys her pudding, and there are some odd looks by everyone else. They never had bread pubbing before.

The basic recipe and it's not hard. Nice bread or anything to the hand of bread nature. Milk (preference is sour milk, but any will do). Eggs. Maybe additives like nuts, fruit, and sugar. A greased or baking paper oven-safe pan. Mix milk with eggs. Lay the bread or tear it into pieces within the greased pan. soak the milk mixture over the bread layer. Some sugar on the top after milk is added or layer fruit between bread before pouring the milk mixture. Into oven until golden on top. It is not too high a temperature and not a short duration. The point is to cook the egg inside. Once cooked all the way through, you have bread pudding. Oddly, a British War recipe became popular in America. In some southern states, add cinnamon, walnuts, and sliced fresh apples.

Clearly, the cleaned pudding bowls indicated that she did well. The topic among them has shifted to what Lea was left off talking about.

"So you're teaching an evening class? Can we all join?"

"Mostly, you can observe. Some things are above your learning level. As I will be using dead speak for most of the duration. Although part of the class is teaching living to talk like them. I will cover why the fundamental issues and caution about using different languages. I will be dedicating how to have living people protect themselves while they are in visiting the other realm and pockets. What to look for to work out how you got into one." The undertaker takes the bowls and tray to the back for them. Sparkling eyes even Samantha was excited, "There is a little test that you can do to join. You have to at least visit some spots on campus, easy for students and visitors to find. It's an observation test or an Easter egg hunt. It can be fun or a chore." She presents everyone with a paper, "Here is a ballpoint list of the locations. I will meet everyone at the last one." They all have a look, "If you don't want to do it in the dark, then you have all of the week ahead to do so. This isn't time limited. I suspect I have more of a pickup of students when they start taking part in more Sigil rank missions. This is to show you the danger and how easy it is to find pocket places. Even an accidental discovery can change the way you cross over." She claps them all to attend but also into paused time, "I am reminding you all." She speaks, and they all peer around confused for a moment. She smiles and claps back, "I am watching you all. I will never let you stray into danger unwittingly. I had permission from these places to let you see the door, but you must not enter. If you do, you do it at your own risk. Your price will have to be paid. Sometimes, this is blood or an item on you. The more nasty ones will be much worse." She stands with posed left hands, "Do not use your real names, not even between yourselves while near these locations. The school already scolds us for demon interaction." The nod of everyone and off they go. The tutor stays with her. She tilts in wonder if he did it while she was scouting these spots. Now she explained the point of her requirement with this test. It made sense to him. I was pondering what she wasn't saying but was still teaching. He looks to see the last location is actually on the page, too.

"I don't have an official classroom yet. But it's fine. They will come to find me and ask why I didn't put it on the paper." He then now smirks. It was part of the test, too. She didn't wait long for newcomers to come in. Or just those here to introduce themselves to her and not so welcome her into the student council. Not a thing was said, paper taken and off they went. They weren't going to bully her with the tutor here.

"Why can a living human see through more veils than a demon, angel, or Undertaker?" She posed asking the two still here, "There isn't a right answer, and it's not a trick question."

"Primal instincts to keep living?" She gently nods, accepting a living human answer.

"The living worlds are thin veils of constantly changing wall boundaries. Thus adapted to see threats that otherwise a non-dweller isn't equipped with dealing." She nods gently to a suitable undertaker's answer. It wasn't the partner but a person who came in that heard the question.

"It could be." She shrugs casually, "But you must realise that there isn't only one answer. It is a combination of all these small things that make answering the question so constantly different." She folds her arms and makes a soft glance. towards who came in. Time reversal had not been kind to these undertakers, she feels partly at fault.

King Shock isn't the same man as she last met, or rather this soul has adapted as things have progressed for the realm attached to this living one. This is the man that wanted her previously fearful of living life dead. That time reversed the likely crime of a spirit murdering the living, that this king ordered. In the last time, they had been face to face, her soul has travelled beyond this realm to the Mage universe and had clawed its way back. Her undertaker door is a testament to how far an undertaker of this universe can go, and the chain attached is the extension her living body gave further from that. The hard eyes of this man are now glimmered with uncertainty. Worry she was revengeful or willing to take his crown for such a crime. She did win that duel, which goes undisputed by spiritual laws.

"Would it be OK for me to attend these evenings?" He has a light tremble in his hand, she can't say happy or sad reasoning. The monotone cadence of undertakers is hard to take sort of thing. His majesty isn't trying to comfort a human little girl to be his pawn. Things have changed. He is facing a seasoned successful huntress that can walk landscapes of monsters that even hell fears. The sort of places that nightmare dream creatures are inspired from, the rare crazy human dreamer stumbles through accidentally while sleep exploring.

"I doubt I have anything to teach you but I am welcome to accept court contracts." She gets up and hovers to the nearest window, looking down at a gathering of students. She knows they aren't interested in her class nor meet the requirements of those that can be entered into her class. Her niece falls short too, so Lea was willing to adjust if the stakes were too high. She doesn't want her club as some excuse for others to skive classes and she understands that her human authority power was under many levels. Even still, she has hope in the hidden few but expectations are that she doesn't allow this evening class for humans until next semester when she can put power behind her. She to new and too uncertain, a stranger to the students. It's not even the first day, she has already foreseen troubles. The elite uniform seems tarnished by her, according to those that haven't even known her personality. Getting her kicked out was on the table for high-status student groups.

"Please excuse me while I sort this situation down there. There seems conflict between an already established club and my recruitment student exam." She gives a soft courtesy and was gone quicker then they can fully comprehend what she meant. To in deep conversation between themselves that she wasn't joining in.