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Lea shivered in the blistering November wind, clutching the wagon filled with tasteful arrangements of chrysanthemums and lilies, its wheels rattling on the cemetery cobblestones, occasionally slipping on the dead leaves still laying around.
She pulled her scarf further up her nose and ears as she neared the funeral venue, which was in a rickety navy blue painted funeral home near the middle of the cemetery.
Walking through the back door, she dropped off the flowers with the people setting the event up, trying to leave quickly so she could curl under her blanket at the flower shop with some hot chocolate, which was seeming more and more enticing as it got colder throughout the day.
Walking briskly down the ramp from the venue, wagon emptied and folded, with her feet light, Lea’s spirits raised a little each step she got further from the funeral home. Even though she’d dropped off flowers here more times than she could count, the place still gave her the creeps. The leafless trees really did not help reassure her, either.
She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn’t notice the shadow following behind her.
Well, that's a lie. She did notice. But humanoid-shaped shadows behind you normally aren’t a problem, considering everyone has one attached to their heels, so you can’t really blame her for not really caring.
At least until said shadow gripped her shoulders, making her fall backwards on the cold stone, staring up at the vaguely person-shaped thing .
“Darn. I was really looking forward to that hot chocolate.” She muttered.
---
Those weren't sunflowers. I wanted SUNFLOWERS!
The wisp looked agitated, still clutching her shoulders in an icy cold grip as she tried to push herself off the ground.
“Hey! That’s not my fault. I’m just the florist. If you care so much, take that up with your son-in-law.” Lea pulled herself up, gripping a nearby tombstone, silently apologizing to whoever's it was.
She wasn’t scared , per se, just a bit rattled. See, wisps, especially freshly dead ones, were very particular about everything- kind of their way of holding on to what was normal when they were alive, so this sort of thing happened a bit, and she ended up getting caught in the crossfire.
It was still a mystery why the wisps harass her and not the one who ordered the wrong flowers, but what can you do.
Kind of strange she didn’t notice the wisp sooner, though. Normally they're pretty easy to notice, especially if they’re angry. Hm.
I wanted sunflowers. Why didn’t you bring me sunflowers!?
“Listen, buddy. I didn’t mean to get you the wrong flowers, but if I got sunflowers, I would be fired. So.” Lea gave an I’m just doing my job sort of shrug, turning to grab her wagon, hoping to get back before she had to deliver another batch of flowers to get a quick mug of hot chocolate.
I want my flowers!
Lea suddenly realized what was wrong with the wisp.
“Shit.”
---
“I can’t believe I forgot my exorcist book at home!” she gasped, scrambling away, trying to grab her wagon as she pried the wisps- no- spirits claws from her shirt, “The one day I forget, I swear-”
Sunflowers? The spirit cries, reaching for her again.
“Nope, nope, nope!” Lea ducked behind a tombstone, breaking out into a run for her motorcycle. Wisps generally wouldn't go far from their casket, but you never knew with spirits, nasty things. Products of deals with demons, those ghouls.
No longer trying to stay on the path, she slid around a particularly large tombstone, some important politician or something. Lucky guy got his whole gargoyle, too.
A gargoyle that was now cracking apart. And spreading its wings.
“What the f-” She flung herself out of the gargoyles wing span as soon as she realized what was happening.
The spirit shrieked, feeling like nails on a chalkboard directly in her ears, as the gargoyle pounced, piercing the fog-flesh with its claws.
“Ew, ew, ew!” Lea shut her eyes as the spirit's wails quieted, followed by the sickening squish of it sinking back into the earth, “Oh that is so gross.”
“Think of how I feel.” a matter of fact voice said, before devolving into a coughing fit.
Lea looked up to see the gargoyle, well, the now mostly human-shaped gargoyle, doubled over on the ground coughing out dust, stone, and other various debris, including a… was that a fountain pen ?.
Lea had a lot of questions. Very smart questions. Including “How did a pen get in your throat?” apparently.
The gargoyle looked over with an unimpressed look on their face, “How. Do you expect me to know that.” Lea shrugged.
“How are you human?” She asked, “I thought you were like, a lion-thing.”
“I don’t know.” the gargoyle (Human? Cursed dragonborn?) frowned at her in a very you are such an idiot way, the sort she associated with her mother, as they meticulously picked blue ‘blood’ from their grey stone claws and fangs “I don’t even know my own name.”
“How-”
“No more stupid questions. Or did that demon break a few brain cells?”
“Nope. I’m fine.” Lea nodded, looking for her wagon, sighing when she found it snapped, “Damn it. That thing was expensive. Can I call you Sebastian?”
“Why?”
Lea shrugged, “I always wanted to name a cat that, but you know, allergies. Besides, you seem more like a Sebastion than a cat would. Or a lot like a cat itself. Anyways, can I call you that or not?”
Sebastion blinked. “I… guess?”
“Good. Because it would be awkward to keep referring to you as ‘the gargoyle’. Now come on. I think we still have time before my next delivery for hot chocolate, if we’re quick.”
“We?” Sebastion looked dubious.
“Of course we, you marble idiot, or is your brain made of rocks too? You don’t have any way to turn back, do you?”
“I’m actually made of limestone, not marble. Besides, I’m not sure I can digest anything…” Sebastion muttered, but still followed her when she looked back at them with a pointed look on her face.
-Fin-