Compensation for a Job

This is such a cute town! It's just full of waterylifeyness!

I guess this makes a change compared to where you live?

Yeah, where I was living was a murky, mucky, gloomy-woomy place.

Hm, I wouldn't have expected that.

Welp, I guess you can't expect folks to be jolly when their lives are practically over, y'know?

Yeah, I guess I'd be pretty down too if my life was practically...

Over? Wait, what do you mean exactly?

Meeeeeeh, it's too much of a pain to explain!

Would it really be that much of an effort?

Those aren't fun memories for me. The skies were always dark, and so were all the folks. Whenever I talked to them it made me feel kinda gloomy too. Yucky, no thank you! I don't wanna be like one of those gloomy-woomies over there!

I don't see any reason to call those people there "gloomy-woomies." They look like two ordinary senior citizens to me.

No, no, not them! I mean the soulzie!

Soulzie?

He's just been so devoid of energy since coming back.

It's an awful shame what happened. He's still making the trip every day, you know.

I respect that, but isn't it about time he started thinking about moving on?

I guess they can't see that gloomy-looking thing floating around them?

That's what we call a soulzie. It's not gone off to the next world yet.

Looks like it's lost, huh.

When this kind of thing happens there's only one thing for it! Iluluuu to the rescuuue!

You know how to help it out? ...What is it that you do exactly?

Well, I can't show you if it's gonna play hide and seek with us like thiiis!

The Derismo Highroad is down that way. Shall we go after it?

Yes, we shall! Time to get to work!

Wait up, little Soulzie! Where you goin'?

Huh? People who can see me?!

Well of course, silly! Alive people can't see those who aren't!

What about me? I'm alive, the last time I checked.

It might be 'cos you're close to me. I've been told I've got a purgatorial aura, y'see.

Anyhow, relax a sec while I send you off. You'll be reborned, so don't worry!

Oh, wait, no! I've got something I need to do before I go!

But you can't even do anything anymore! It'd be much easier to just head on over to your next life, riiight?

None of that means I have to give up just yet!

Ilulu, can you send a soulz, a soul off even if it's got deep regrets? What would happen?

Hmmm? If there's something really strong keeping her attached to this world... Maybe she'll be reborned as a monster!

No way! I don't want to become a monster!

Meeehhh, why does it matter? It won't really be you, just the soulzy part of you.

That's not fair! I went through so much, and now you're saying I'm going to become a monster!

Will she really become a monster, Ilulu?

I mean, I dunno. That's just what Purrgory told me.

Purr...gory?

...Look, I just really can't go along with the idea of sending a person's soul off against their will, okay?

Exactly! Listen to him, he's sensible!

If we can do something to help get her issues resolved, let's do that.

I prefer to just get it over with. Quick and clean is my motto.

But maaaybe... Maybe it'd help me do a better job if I knew why some soulzies hate moving on.

Guess it's decided then! We're going to help you!

Wait, really?!

Really! AND you can tell us all about your problems with your own mouth!

...I have my body back?

It's easier to talk face-to-face when you actually have a face, right? Me and Al are the only ones that can see you though.

Oh, right. I see...

That's an interesting ability you've got there, Ilulu...

Oh, I have lots of abilities! Usually I don't need to get this personal to send someone off though.

Oh! I can move normally! Yay, I feel so alive! Now there's just one thing left to do... Then I'll have no regrets about dying.

So, what can we do to help?

First, come with me to the Keruri Highroad!

Hey, Ilulu. How come you've never thought about finding out why some souls don't want to move on to their next life? Is it an uncommon thing or something?

Uncommon? On the contraryyy! Almost everyone has some trouble letting go at first.

I suspected as much. So why have you now decided to help this one out?

Well it's just, when you brought it up, I realized that it HAS always confused me. When folks die their soulzie isn't a part of their old self anymore. So why do they go on worrying about things from their old lives?

Oh okay, so now you intend to find out, right? I think most people would intuitively get why a person's soul would feel that way, but I guess you might not.

Well yeah, of course I wouldn't! I never had one of those lifey things myself, so.

Oh right... In that case, I think this will be a good opportunity for you to learn more about the lives of humans. And anyhow, wouldn't you prefer it if souls were actually happy to be reborn?

Eh... Can't say I've ever given it much thought, to be honest.

Maybe it's not my place to ask, but... Are you really satisfied with carrying out your job like that? Wait, no, now's not the time for this. We need to get to the Keruri Highroad.

Oh, thank you for coming! So, what I'd like you to do is...

Wait... We're kind of in the dark here about your situation. First, shouldn't you tell us what it is that's keeping you in this life?

It's my lover. My former lover. I can't forget him... And what he did...

It was unforgivable! You must punish him!

What?!

Revenge! What a twist! ...Buuut what's the point? You life's over, it won't make any difference!

Sure, I get it, I won't live this life again! It's just... I can't accept that he'll be allowed to get away with what he did. He abandoned me while I was on my deathbed!

That must've been really painful... I see why it'd be difficult for you to move on.

It's only fair that I get my revenge on him, isn't it? He must be made to suffer! Yes, above all, he must suffer!

That's...no, we can't do that, right, Ilulu?

Sure we can! Why not?

*sigh* Ilulu...

I don't get it though. Is the desire for revenge so strong that you gotta stay a soulzie? I wanna help out with this revengey thing, so I can understand those feeling things better.

But if we help her out with her revenge ...thing... It'll be at the expense of another person's well-being.

Their well-being? ...Oh, you mean their life! Well it's fine of course, if this guy dies, I'll be on hand to do the honors, and send him on to his next life too!

(No concern for the preservation of human life then, this one...)

So, you'll curse him for me then, right? Make him sick! It would be a fair punishment.

Punishment, eh!

...Oh, I know a good one!

Let's give him some of this poison grass! Not only is it poisonous, but it also tastes horribly yucky too, that's what a soulzie I met the other day told me.

Hold up, if a soul told you that then this must be a deadly poison! And since when were we actually going through with this revenge thing?!

All right, all right... I have a different plan then.

Let's hear it then...

We'll make him sick with magic instead!

You see this rock here? If you think really hard about what you want while clenching it, it'll become a magical wish-granting rock.

Really. This random rock you happened to find on the side of the road?

I heard this myth about the Keruri Highroad a long time ago, and never believed it. But now I know... The legend is true!

Can you back this up, Ilulu?

She definitely might not be wrong. But I'm also not 100% sure she's not completely right.

(...If you're not sure, just say "I'm not sure." I'm not judging...)

One thing is for sure: it's not just sparkly. It's got some kinda...powery stuff, too! You want us to give this to your lovery guy?

I'll pour all my grief into this rock! All of my suffering, my hatred, my anger...

Since you're all floaty and stuff, you'll need us to do it for you. The stone's really little though... It'll probably only give him a cold at worst.

All good! Preferably I'd have him writhing in agony until death, but a cold will do!

P-Pretty determined to hurt someone you loved once, aren't you?

Okay then, heeere comes the grief!

Yay, all done! So, where is he?

I overheard his parents talking... He goes to the Derismo Highroad every day to pick flowers now. He must be planning on wooing another woman! Grrrk, the nerve of him!

Ooh, "grrrk!" That's an angry sound! And angry sounds like that don't usually lead to happy endings!

Usually they end with lots of blood and scary grins...

Well then, uh... ...I think it's time we headed to the Derismo Highroad!

There! That's him!

The sight of him is utterly loathsome to me now. I cannot wait to see the pained look on his face once I've cursed him!

Let's not delay. Give him the rock!

......

Hmm? What's up, Al? You look kinda like you're in pain yourself.

I kind of feel like helping someone get their revenge goes against everything I stand for...

You already said you'd help me! Don't be such a scaredy-cat!

First of all, I never said I'd help you. Second, believe me when I say: I'm no scaredy-cat.

C'mon Al, I wanna see her scary gri, I mean, like...I really wanna learn more about soulzies, you know?

And I can't do that if we back out now. So come on!

Ilulu!

Hello. Is something the matter?

Well, uh...we were acquaintances of your lover. We were saddened to hear of her death.

You were?

Yeah, yeah, that's it! Annnd, we've been wondering this for awhile, but... Why did you abandon her when she was ill? And dying?

I... I wanted to save her. But I failed...

......

You see, while she lay dying, I took part in an expedition to the Northern Whirlseas.

The journey threatened to be deadly, but survivors would be amply compensated.

The money was going to pay for her treatment. She had fallen victim to a hard-to-cure fever, and needed expensive medicine.

The Northern Whirlseas, huh? That must've been rough.

Rougher than the most terrifying nightmares of rough seas. But when I thought of her smile, it felt as though all were calm.

I received my payment, but by the time I returned...it was already too late.

So that's what happened...

That's why I'm here, picking flowers to bring to her grave every day. I failed her...it's the least I can do to atone for that.

Perhaps I'll waste away the rest of my life, but at least I had the honor of loving her.

Thanks for telling us about this. It's honestly a relief to hear that you didn't abandon her.

In that case, I'll be on my way.

......

No blood, and no grinning... We got some wholesome, lovey-dovey stuff instead though! Ain't'cha happy?

Why... This is even worse than I imagined...

I'm giving the wishy stone back to you!

So, still wanna curse him? ...Oh! By the way, I shoulda mentioned before that soulzies taking revengies is against the rulezies!

If we had soulzies making mischief across the world, it'd be ever-so mucky. So we've got rulezies that say soulzies who mess with the living world have gotta vanish forever.

Oh, so she won't be able to be reborn?

If that's so, then how about we call it a day with the revenge thing? Please?

I don't even know... This whole dying business has been just horrible. I don't want to become a monster, or disappear. I just wanted to be happy. And now I've lost everything. Still, I just can't let go of the memories of those days of unbearable pain, thinking he'd left me.

Whoa, what was that?!

I can't just forget and forgive! I can't help but begrudge him! I just can't help it!

This ain't good, Al! The stone is gathering up the grudgey-sludge and making something bad!

What does that mean?!

The stone must've been stuffed up with a bunch of yugly stuff to begin with. Now it's ballooning!

...Resulting in a yucky, ugly monster we've gotta take down?

Okay, let's do this, Ilulu!

There's enough yugliness in the world already! So it's back to nothingness for you!

*sobs* What should I do...

Feelin' a bit less grudgy now?

Yes... I don't know what happened, but there was this horrible, gross feeling welling up inside of me.

And now it's alllll gone! So no more revengies for you, yeah?

Revenge...

Whatever would I want that for? I could never exact revenge on someone I loved so much... So no, not revenge. But there is still one thing left that I do want to do...

You see, I think I was just frustrated at not having been able to see him one last time before I died. And I made that his fault. Going on the Whirlseas expedition was ever so brave of him; he must have cared for me deeply.

Yeah, he clearly did. I'm guessing you want to go and see him?

He'll be in Acteul I bet.

I've chosen these flowers as a representation of my feelings for you. May these blessed waters carry them to you.

He's putting the flowers in the water? What's the point in that? Oh, unless he wants soggy flowers for some reason?

These are the funeral rites practiced in Acteul. We place specially-chosen flowers upon the water, to be carried by Undine's currents to our loved ones on the other side.

Funnyyy, I don't remember seeing any flowers getting delivered 'round where I live...

It's not the functionality of the flowers that matters, Ilulu. It might be only a gesture, but it's not an empty one. People want to at least try and show their love and respect for those who have passed on.

Huh, maybee... You ever considered becoming one of them priest guys, Al? You sure seem to get this kind of stuff.

*sigh* I thought it'd be enough just to see his face one more time. Now though... I've remembered that his happiness means everything to me. It's impossible to move on while he's suffering like this.

Well, here's an idea: how about you use the stone again, but this time put all your nice'n'happy feelings into it? Then it'll become like a lucky charm!

A lucky charm? That's a great idea.

I can make him a lucky charm? If I can do something like that for him... all this suffering will not have been for naught.

Have you come to send off flowers for her as well? I've got plenty spare.

Actually, we have something for you. It's from your dearly beloved.

What's this?

...H-How strange. There's a gentle glow about it that seems so comforting...

Yup. It's lovey-dovey lucky charm, filled with nice'n'happy powers.

Ah, what a wonderful thing it is. My heart feels like it's positively brimming with positive feelings, just by holding it. I'll be sure to thank her when I make my own way to the other side one day.

Oh, darling... I hope we meet again in another life. But for now, thank you for sharing this life with me...I was so happy...

So how about it? Ready to stop moping and get reaping what you've sowed?

I'm ready. Thank you ever so much for everything. Not only did you talk me out of taking revenge on him, you even helped me realize how much he loved me!

Cool beans! Now, off you go! To whateeever awaits in the next life!

And good luck with it!

...Annnd another one gets reborn! Good job, me.

She won't become a monster now, right?

Yeah, should be fine! Purrgory said folk are real yugly-like when they go on to become monsters.

I guess that makes sense. I hope she finds happiness in her next life too...

Ilulu, I bet you knew from the start that she didn't really want revenge. It doesn't make people happy to make others miserable, most of the time. That's why you said you'd help her get revenge, right? So she'd realize all she wanted was to leave feeling truly happy.

Wow, Al! Have you ever thought of becoming a philosopher? I don't know about all this morality stuff myself. Whether soulzies be happy or sad, I'm just out to do my job!

You gave her warnings about becoming a monster and disappearing when you didn't have to. That tells me that deep down, you know revenge isn't right.

Wooooooah, it's like you're trying to peer inside my soulzie! ...If I had one! Anyway, yeah... I guess you've got a point.

Today's events have given me this kind of...warm feeling, you know? I guess this is what human-folk call "warm fuzzies."

Yeah, I know that feeling. Feels great, right? Maybe you could keep it in mind when doing your job in the future?

Well, I really do quite like these warm fuzzies so... Yeah! I'll try get me more of 'em in the future!