First ||| https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1331674161/ Prev ||| https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1331674161/ Next ||| https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1332227121/ “Work. You know, with the gods?” Penn raised an eyebrow like it was simple math. Jessi knew simple math, but it simply didn’t make sense to them. Why would the gods and goddesses of Pietalism want good ol’ mess making Jessi to be working with them as a god? It just didn’t make sense. “No, no, I get it, I’m ‘working with the gods’, but why me and not some other kid?” Jessi looked at Penn for a moment, how his face contorted to something far into recognition. He just huffed and shook his head, deeming it as ‘unimportant’. “I’m just… here now?” He nodded. That was simple. Jessi didn’t like simple, they needed to understand why, and a real reason, not just ‘replacement’. They weren’t even that special, yet now they’re sitting in front of the man that brings the moon like they were just having Sunday brunch with him. Jessi felt a pit in their stomach as he stood up. He towered over them, at least by 6 inches. His gaze released a speck of paternal instinct before opening the door out of his office. The hallway was long, his was at the end of it, the outside of the door was withered, either from carelessness or use, and the carpet was cleaner down this end. It looked almost minimalistic, like someone’s asylum. Penn led Jessi down the hall. “So, you know Pietalism.” “I do.” Jessi replied. They looked at the various doors decorated to the inhabitant’s liking, one had roses on the doorstep, whoever it was had a pleasant surprise coming soon. “I had a mythology book and everything. The stories are nice.” “Indeed. A lot of it is a figment of a human’s imagination, however. You know the things. Ah, I cannot be upset at them though.” He turned his eyes back to Jessi, who’s stomach was flipping violently. It was so simple. It had no strong smell, just the scent of vanilla and lemon, the definition of cleanliness. It was barely even noisy, just a conversation going on in the other room, one of a high-pitched voice, another with a lack of tone, clinical if you will. The high-pitched voice giggled as the clinical tone finished the hushed joke, or what Jessi assumed to be a joke. “Come, make haste.” He started walking. Jessi wasn’t really ready, they were just being thrown face first into it, huh? They watched his silhouette get further away, approaching the noise in the other room. Jessi took a deep breath and made their way after him. “Hey, wait up.” Jessi found themself three feet behind Penn, glancing over his appearance once more, or at least the back of his long, unkempt grey hair. Yikes, someone needs to use a brush. “What’s happening?” “They’re conversing? Like normal people? Do you guys do that still?” Penn said, rather condescendingly, not that he knew the internet was widely accessible, but the fact that he thought everyone feared each other now. Why? Jessi didn’t know, they didn’t know much of anything, but they could see it in the confusion in his expression. They messed up. “Yeah, we still do it. But I mean, why? Don’t you have work?” Jessi glanced over the women who were talking, the satyr and fairy. Odd that they came from different cultures but were still able to come together and laugh. “No one practices Pietalism anymore. At least not the ones who openly pray. Only at night.” Penn waved to the women, realizing he hadn’t made a sound. They did not turn their heads to look at him, and he seemed okay with it. “Hi, Rakhil, Hi, Orchid.” The women now turned their heads, the one with the button nose beamed at him. “Good morning, Pennsylven. She’s awake, it seems?” “They. They’re awake.” Jessi corrected. They fiddled with the bolts on their mechanical hand. Twisting and untwisting it, in and out, it gave an audible click and pinch when it was in the right way. “And yes. I’m awake and well.” The fairy immediately hopped over the couch with a surprising amount of efficiency, she took a couple of glances over Jessi as they moved their mechanical arm and other artificial processes started to take place. She nodded in approval of her work. “It seems that way, yes.” She said from her place on the floor. She turned her head up to Penn, smiling warmly. Penn glanced down at her. “They healed splendidly.” “Thanks!” She chirped, almost a mockery of Penn’s usual tone. She lifted Jessi’s arm, inspecting it. “It was my first time replacing biological parts with mechanical ones…” She then went on a small rant. Jessi zoned out; they couldn’t remember a single thing they said aside from asking Penn a dozen questions. Each were slightly more precise than the last, like a doctor asking a parent about their children’s eating habits.
“I’m glad you had a nice time.” Penn sounded slightly distant, however. Jessi could sense it, almost, that he also wasn’t paying attention and instead thinking about something else. “You did a great job on the repairs.” “Thanks again!” The fairy stood up on two feet once more, she was also taller than Jessi, but only by about two inches. “You! Newbie! How about we show you around? It’s just a short walk.” Well. how is someone supposed to show Jessi around when they don’t even know where they are or how the physics of it work! Where are they?! What kind of place is this? Can it be seen by others? Are they high up? They’re scared of heights. Stop thinking, Jessi. They took a deep breath. “But where am I, exactly?” Jessi whispered, it was as much as a statement as it was audible, which it wasn’t. The fairy took their hand, squeezing it. “Look. It may seem like a lot, but currently, we have no specific placement.” The fairy fiddled with her fingers as she paced and explained, all of it didn’t make sense at first, but started to click into place at Jessi thought about it more. “Okay, we are in a state of limbo, there’s mortal life and immortal death, mortal life resides on Earth or any other planets that contain life. Immortal death is a theory of the living mind proven true. Think Heaven or Hell, where souls are tested to see if they have been good people. That is immortal death. We… how do I say this, Orchid?” The satyr perked up; her ears twitched against her head. She glanced over Jessi, Penn and Rakhil, before just stating it blandly, seeing as there was no other way to put it. “We aren’t dead, nor are we alive. We are a sort of ‘immortal life’ or ‘mortal dead’ as we can be killed, but we come back to this exact spot unless it’s by our own hand or by a stronger being, but there are hardly any stronger beings out there.” “Confidence kills, Orchid.” Penn reminded, crossing his arms against the broad chest. “You cannot be talking confident when Bolt bit it 20 days and—” he pulled out his pocket watch, flicking it open. “—three hours and thirteen minutes ago. “One: Very precise. Two: Why the hell do you have a pocket watch? it’s not 1901 anymore, grandpa.” Jessi laughed at their own jibe, grinning ear to ear. “What, you remember every world war or something? How was it like driving the first tank? How do you feel rolling around in the first car, Henry Ford’s bro—” “Shut up. I do remember each war, yes.” Penn said reluctantly. He pushed his hands in his pockets, suddenly uncomfortable. “Hey, Rakhil! Did you want to show them around like you were trying to do five minutes ago?!” His tone was sharp, Rakhil seemed to get the message and started pushing Jessi away. Penn rubbed his temples, resting next to the satyr. He groaned quietly. “Why must people be so difficult nowadays?” That was the last thing Jessi heard as Rakhil led them through the place. It was much smaller than Jessi anticipated. It only had 6 rooms, the overly decorated door was Cupid, the one with a “do not disturb” sign was Penn, the one with the plant next to it was Orchid, The one with a mirror was Angler’s. Rakhil didn’t have a door, she had a curtain for easy access with a limp body in her hands. At least that’s what she told Jessi. Jessi’s door was blank, and Rakhil said they could decorate it as they please. The kitchen and living room were connected, the way you knew you were in the kitchen or living room is if the flooring had a carpet or not, and the dining room was inside the kitchen. There’s a sliding door on the left of the living room’s couch to enter the balcony. However, there was nothing much to see, as it looked like an endless void outside the ‘living’ space. Of course, there’s the roof, which is flat. It appeared as if this limbo of sorts was meant for creation, as there are a few abandoned projects Jessi found. “That hasn’t happened in forever, though.” Rakhil whispered at the mention of creation. “Simply couldn’t. Penn tried, Orchid tried, Cupid tried, Angler tried, I tried, but nothing really stuck. I dunno why.” Rakhil noticed the time, which was now a useless construct in this stupid made-up place. “C’mon, you’re probably hungry. This took a lot longer than expected.”
