Papa Ghede (laughatdeath) wrote in nevermore_logs, @ 2016-09-05 18:05:00 |
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Current mood: | full |
Entry tags: | maman brigitte, papa ghede |
Who: Papa Ghede & Maman Brigitte
What: A day in the life
When: Monday afternoon/evening
Where: Maman Brigitte's funeral parlor, then a crossroads outside the city
Warnings: Probably not a lot
When Papa Ghede had landed in New York, he'd immediately set about trying to find others like him. The only familiar one he'd managed to find was Maman Brigitte, which ended up being fortuitous. She'd given him a job at her funeral home, after they'd spent nearly three days catching up. He'd also found himself a comfortable apartment within walking distance, and they'd quickly fallen into a routine.
It was usual for Papa Ghede to arrive before her, so when Brigitte arrived late Monday morning and the doors were still locked, she frowned. That wasn't like him at all. She unlocked the doors and let herself in, flipping on the lights and looking around. But when a search of both floors revealed no Ghede, her face creased even further. This wouldn't do at all.
She headed to her office, but was brought up short when she found a note fixed to the door. All it said was, 'Gone to check in', with an X drawn below it. Brigitte smiled slightly. They both knew that their duties came first, and sometimes you just had to go. She'd been the one to show him the crossroads, so she already knew where it was. She shut off the lights and locked up behind her, then headed to the outskirts of the city.
There was a patch of woods outside the city where two roads converged, and it was there that she found Papa Ghede, his top hat on his head, smoking and wearing his spectacles with one lens missing. She could feel his magic working around him, and approached softly. "How are things in the worlds?" she asked quietly, slipping into Creole, as they often did when it was just them.
Ghede didn't answer for a little while, but he finally said, "Quiet, mostly. Not giving me too much trouble. Nice to find out there's nothing to worry about." They lapsed back into a comfortable silence for a time, then Ghede's head snapped up, as though he'd heard something that no one else had.
"What is it?" Brigitte asked. "Something to worry about?"
Ghede broke out into a grin. "Naw, cher," he said, straightening his hat. "Just one more soul crossing over." And no sooner had he said that, when the shape of a young woman came walking up the lane. Ghede whistled and waved at her, blowing smoke into a wreath around his head. "This way, cher! Come walk with us for a spell."
The young woman sped up, reaching the two of them and nodding respectfully. "Greetings, Papa, Maman," she said, smiling up at them. "My grandmother told me it'd be you who took me over, Papa," she continued. "Did you remember her? Her name was Marie."
Papa Ghede thought about it for a moment, before snapping his fingers. "Marie, of course!" he said. "Pistol of a woman, less than five feet tall and I thought she'd knock me over with that energy of hers."
The young woman grinned. "That's her alright. I'm looking forward to seeing her again."
Brigitte had looked the young woman over, and not seeing any sign of injury, she asked, "What brought you to us, child?"
She sighed. "Cancer. Aggressive. By the time they found it, it was too late. I said if that were the case, I wanted them to just let me die at home. And I did, mama on one side, daddy on the other." Her face fell slightly. "I hope they'll be alright without me."
"Cry at birth, laugh at death," Papa Ghede told her. "You're with us now, cher! Ain't no one gonna take better care of you than us." He winked and offered her his arm. "Now come on, your grandmother's waiting."
She smiled and slipped her hand through his arm, and the two of them set off down the lane into the trees. Brigitte waved them off, and watched them until they disappeared.