I told myself to get it done by today, and holy duckballs, I actually got myself to. I've been pushing this back for way too long.
[Edits made. It's now just a normal middle school.]
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Erratum stared at the mountain of stuff before him.
It was quite a pain to lug everything up three flights of stairs (he didn't trust the elevator), and now that he squished it all through the entrance, he had no idea what to do with the newly-bought 'home essentials'.
Box, after box, after box stacked in front of him. He reached out to the tip of the figurative iceberg and snatched the smallest box out of them all: a desk lamp. Seemed easy enough. According to the manual inside... Gah, who was he kidding, he could barely see shit, let alone fine print on a ten centimetre-long paper.
Most of it was guesswork. Like screwing in a light bulb, or using screws to attach two pieces of wood together. Of course, since he didn't have any tools on hand, Erratum just used his bare hands to smash nails in the proper area, probably terrifying his neighbors in the process, or used his long, bone fingers to screw the rest on. It was effective, really, although it sometimes left traces of dust around the edges, which you couldn't really notice unless you squinted extremely pointedly at one spot out of boredom. Then, you might observe a speck of glimmering Monster dust in the grooves of a screw, or an incredibly fine silver layer around nuts and bolts. Anyway, it wasn't like Erratum was one to invite humans or Monsters alike to his 'humble abode'.
(But then he figured out that it was a lot easier to use his strings and lay back a bit.)
Half a day later, Erratum, Deviate and Nil sat on the olive green couch, embroidered with small white flowers, in the middle of pale, sunny yellow walls and homely ivory carpeting, surrounded by fresh furniture and the smell of drying paint. Several stout oak bookshelves lined the wall, their shelves yet to be filled completely. A tall lamp stood next to them, shedding a golden halo of light across the room, while an olive green a shade lighter than the couch restrained the rays of the setting sun from flowing in. They had bought multiple light gray and black cushions, all of which were piled around them in a snug fort.
Just... Sinking into the fluffy cushions and basking in warmth... A tiny voice in the back of his head chanted how something bad was going to happen (nothing good ever lasts), but... For the children. (Who were fast asleep) Erratum will not move. Like a good fath- guardian.
At least, until the doorbell rings.
Instantly, his eyes snapped open (when had he closed them?) and the now-pinpricks bore a hole through the door, magic manifesting at his fingertips.
He tread slowly towards the door, bare feet clacking against the cold dark wood floor..
Carefully, he twisted the brass doorknob and tugged it open, just a crack. A familiar heart-faced human, dark eyes pitifully darting around-meeting anywhere but the skeleton's mismatched eye sockets, revealed herself at the door, a long violet gift bag and a slip of paper in hand.
Ah. T'was the girl who cried 'kidnapper'.
Erratum raised a bone brow at her. Subtly, he dimmed his glowing blue magic and opened the door wider.
She fidgeted with a strand of her short brown hair before squeaking out a timid, "Hi...". Once that one word was out, she realized that she had underestimated the total awkwardness of the situation for her, and a light blush formed across her cheeks.
She cleared her throat. "I, uh... Would like to apologize for earlier... What I said was totally uncalled for, and I, um, would like to make it up to you with, um, this?... It's chocolate... Not that it will atone for that incident, but, um... Oh, geez, let me start from the top."
The lady breathed in, out, composed herself and restarted her apology/introduction with a timid smile.
"Hi, I am the employee who spoke out of turn, and I would like to turn a new leaf and try to be friends, y'know? After all, we will be living on the same floor from here on out, well, face to face neighbors, to be exact, so it will be nice for us to get to know each other a little..."
"aH... In ThAt CAsE, i'M ErRATuM. ERrAtUM MisCaLCulAtiOn. PlEaSED tO MeEt yOU...?"
She flailed a little, before nervously chuckling and sticking out her hand.
"Emma. Emma Brown."
Erratum stared at the hand. Was this a human custom he had missed out on...?
......
Holy shit was she scared; this monster, this skeleton, looked so imposing, with his posture, like a predator hunting for prey, but looking out for competition at the same time, with the battle scars to go along with the comparison.
At least the hardest part was over. Now, it was just a matter of getting to know them and hopefully receiving their forgiveness at her rashness. With luck, the box of chocolates would suffice.
It was weird that Erratum didn't recognize a handshake greeting, though...
-----
Little did she know, Erratum was having a nice internal panic fest while he graciously let her inside, and if you looked closely, a light sheen of sweat (how does that even work?) on his brow (hmmm... Skeleton logic).
He kept his magic lightly activated, just in case she tried to do anything fishy to his children. If she did, well, let's say that there wouldn't even be a body to bury. But for now, she seemed rather harmless, with her round visage and big dark eyes, paired with a nervous smile.
She... reminded him of what he could've been if he had been spared of the murderer's path. Just a normal civilian, with a shy streak and a curiosity to satiate, along with a strong sense of Justice.
Perhaps that's why he let her in.
Definitely not for the chocolate in her grip.
---
"Are you sure you just moved in?..."
"YeS."
"'Cause this looks like something you would put together in a week, not half a day..."
"I gUesS i'M a FAsT wOrKeR," he shrugged.
It was mainly true. Having strings to manipulate pieces with fluid grace made construction a whole lot easier.
At that point, Emma had given up on prying much common information or conversation topics out of him; everything about the skeleton was contradictory- and she was pretty sure that multiple others before her had thought the same thing.
This among other things totaled to a somewhat awkward and silent setting, but Erratum seemed to be impervious to it, or, at the very least, ignoring the fidgety mannerisms of the human facing him on the dining table, both acquaintances nursing a steaming cup of Golden Flower brand tea. She had already given him the box of deluxe chocolate pralines, which he had readily accepted, hence his invitation for some wonderful tea (having caffeine at night probably wasn't the best idea, but she wasn't exactly preservative of her sleep).
It was also imminent that he was (almost) entirely clueless when it came to modern society and customs. For example, the handshake, the obviously practiced greeting, the lack of knowledge on technology, the literal modern world of today.
A few minutes passed; the tea had gone from scalding to hot, and silence stilled any extra or unnecessary movements she might have made otherwise.
Spotting the kids sleeping peacefully of the couch, she inquired, "So, what are they called? They're so cute..."
Erratum's spine straightened a bit more, his stern, aloof expression softened (or was it a stern expression and an aloof aura, or vice versa?), and an almost motherly look crossed his face.
"The LiTtLe OnE Is DeViaTE. HiS siBLinG'S Nil." He smiled at their sleeping positions, Nil curled up upon himself in a fetal position, head propped up by a soft ivory pillow, and Deviate sprawled over him like butter on a pancake. Minus the melting, of course.
She smiled. Then an awkward silence bled into the warmth.
Seconds ticked by, numbered by the clock on the kitchen wall tiles.
"So, uh... What do you do for a living?"
Erratum froze for the first time that night.
"Uh..." He nervously scratched his nape, or the skeleton equivalent of the human name.
"I dOn'T ExACtly HaVE a joB RiGhT nOw..."
Emma choked on her tea, then stood up in disbelief. Her section of the table was soon doused in the cooling drink.
"Wha- then how are you going to pay for everything?!" she exclaimed.
Erratum seemed to shrink in his chair. "I hAvE enOuGH tO sUppORt uS fOr aT LeAsT a yEAR?..."
The human sighed into her hand. "Then what about after a year?"
He shrugged. "I'lL FigUrE sOMeThiNG oUt."
"Y-you'll figure something out?! That's your master plan?!"
The skeleton flinched (and almost unleashed his magic) at her loud tone and at her brusque movements as she searched through her pockets, finally (violently) taking out a slip of paper and slamming it onto the drier side of the table.
"Here. There was this school's employee handing out flyers for someone who could take up the position as supervisor and a co teacher for the subjects you choose. You only need to know the basics for this."
Story Shift Middle School Academy, it read.
Now hiring!
Open positions:
-Supervisor
-Co teacher
If your schedule permits, you can tackle both jobs at once!
Limited spots: 2 left for supervisor, 1 for co teacher
Apply now!
Call: (xxx)-xxx-xxxx
Email: xxxxx@xxxx.com
Or visit the front desk at xxxx, blv. Roferson, [city name]!
Details will be discussed in person or online.
"It sounds amazing, but what they don't mention on paper is that the academy's students are more on the... wild side." Emma shook her head at this. "Crazy things happen there. They're good kids, really, I volunteered there once in high school, but it takes a while to get through to them."
She sat back down, silently sliding the chair closer to the table, propping her head up with the palm of her hand.
"Most people quit right away... Especially part-timers and supervisors. But I have a feeling that you'll hang on to your job, for at least a year." She looked so hopeful that Erratum could only sigh in resignation, pray that he wouldn't blow this to hell, and accept the position.
"AlRiGhT."
"Great!" she grinned. "I'll write an email right away! Oh, do you have one?"
Erratum let out his deepest sigh yet since entering this unknown world, shook his head in response to the last question, and wondered if he could turn back time and, I don't know, find a better way to kill himself? Because, this was about to go wrong in so many ways.
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How's summer/winter/[season]/i have no effing clue how the earth works anymore going? :D
*vibes to the sounds of le pillow*
Also, I'm not a huge fan of OC-revolving stories either, for all those who disapprove of Emma, but hey, I won't include her too much (hopefully, I can't promise you that).
Btw, does Storyshift Sans have a nickname?
Wear a mask, and stay safe!
(19/06/2020)