You Look Familiar // OxO // CLOSED

(Ok upon further research I’ve found that the cremation process takes much longer than I thought it did, so just fyi some of the details about this are gonna be shifted around)

(Alright lol)

From what Magnolia could make out, they seemed to be talking about the man who died from a stroke and was being cremated. Eventually, Magnolia couldn’t wait any longer and the moment a pause in their conversation occured, she stepped to where Ms. Atkin could see her and cleared her throat.
Ms. Atkin’s gaze shifted from Mr. Khua to her, and Mr. Khua looked over his shoulder. The man was tall and rather lanky, with deep brown skin and dark, silky hair tied at the nape of his neck. A dark, well-trimmed stubble lined his jaw, and he was dressed handsomely in a light grey coat and black turtleneck. A silver monocle rested against the bridge of his long nose.
He turned to properly face Magnolia. “Ah, Lexington, there you are,” he said with his deep, rich voice. “You can wait for me in the room, Mr. Thompson should arrive in a few minutes. I’ll let you handle it, alright?”
He had not seen Atlas because Magnolia had made it to where only she could be seen outside the door from inside the office. Magnolia stuttered for a moment, then said, “Yes, Mr. Khua,” and lead Atlas down another hallway, giving him an apologetic look.

Atlas examined Mr. Khua silently from between Magnolia's legs, making sure that he wouldn't be noticed. He listened closely to the conversation, and he kept very close to Magnolia at all times. He followed her down the hallway when he was led along, clinging to her hand with one of his own tiny ones. "So…" He started once they were out of earshot, "…what exactly are we going to do here today, Miss Magnolia?"

She glanced down at him. “I thought I already told you. Ah well, I’ll try to make things less confusing this time.” Taking a breath, she continued, “Mr. Thompson is the ghost that we’ll be seeing today. He’s coming in to do some paperwork before he decides what to do now that he’s dead. He died not too long ago, so maybe seeing the soul of a cute cat will help him get used to it.” She flashed a small smile.

"Right, yeah… s-sorry, I must've been distracted…" Atlas flushed a bit in embarrassment and held tighter to Magnolia's hand, obviously a bit nervous. "Do you think Mr. Khua would be mad if he saw me or something?" He asked softly. "I-I don't wanna cause problems or anything… what if it goes super wrong and the ghost gets mad or freaks out or something?"

She chuckled. “It’s alright, I get distracted all the time.”
They stopped at a room labeled Necromancer’s Office: Mr. Oliver Khua, and peered inside before entering.
She bit her lip. “Oh no, not at all, Mr. Khua doesn’t anger easily. It just complicates things since you’re, well, a human child in this sort of environment…” then her nose and brow scrunched up. “No, that shouldn’t happen. New ghosts are weak enough that they shouldn’t be able to cause any physical damage, and there are measures we can take if it does happen or if there’s some deep emotional reaction in general.” For a second she sounded as if she was reading straight from a textbook.
She pointed at a chair, saying, “You can sit there while we wait,” and let go of Atlas’ hand and sat at the chair behind the desk.

Atlas still looked very nervous as he followed Magnolia around and listened to her. I don't want to complicate things… but she seems to want me here anyway. I just hope nothing goes wrong… it would be all my fault… He really didn't want to be causing any problems, especially if they could've been avoided by him not being there or not transforming into a human. He tentatively crawled into the chair when instructed and fidgeted with his hands while he waited.

She gave him a reassuring smile. As they waited, she went through her purse and brought out the folder with a small stack of documents inside. She looked through them for a few minutes when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. A faint, whitish form. Looking up, she saw it was the transparent figure of a man looking to be in his late 30s.
Magnolia motioned for Atlas to come beside her. The figure leaned in and said in an echoey voice, ”Mr. Khua asked me to meet with him in his office?”
She smiled graciously at him. “Yes, but I’m afraid he’s busy at the moment. I am the intern, Magnolia Lexington. Are you Mr. Thompson?”
The ghost nodded faintly. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lexington. Yes, I am he.”

(Ok, how do you want things to go wrong?)

(I'm down with anything aha. Maybe the ghost is uncomfy around children or something 🤷)
Atlas slid off the chair when the ghost came into the room, looking very uneasy and nervous. He came up behind Magnolia and peered around her at the translucent man, clinging tightly to her to help himself feel a little better. He swallowed nervously, clearing his throat and trying to find the right words to say. "U-Um… h… h-hello, sir…" He stammered shyly.

(Hhhh ok it’s just that I can only seem to know how this will go right. Also, I did imagine ghost man having a wife and child, so I don’t think that really makes sense)

(I mean it doesn't necessarily have to go wrong lol)

(Alright then haha, I might just go with that it you’re cool with it)

(Sure, do whatever ^^)

(I'm down with anything aha. Maybe the ghost is uncomfy around children or something 🤷)
Atlas slid off the chair when the ghost came into the room, looking very uneasy and nervous. He came up behind Magnolia and peered around her at the translucent man, clinging tightly to her to help himself feel a little better. He swallowed nervously, clearing his throat and trying to find the right words to say. "U-Um… h… h-hello, sir…" He stammered shyly.

Magnolia put her arm around Atlas’ shoulders, still looking at the ghost. The figure’s white, slightly glowing eyes trailed after the small boy. ”Hello there.”
“This is my familiar, Atlas,” Magnolia offered.
Mr. Thompson tilted his head, seeming a little nervous himself. He seemed to relax though, as he studied Atlas. ”I think my Lily would like you,” he said.

Atlas smiled weakly, assuming that Lily must be a person considering that it wouldn't make sense for a flower to like him. "Thank you, sir… how are you feeling?" He asked softly. "Nervous? Relieved? Relaxed, or stressed?" He wasn't sure exactly what to do if the man wasn't feeling well, but he knew he'd figure something out if he needed to.

Mr. Thompson hummed a bit before answering. ”Nervous, I think. But it’s like I’m walking in a dream. How are you feeling?”
As they spoke, Magnolia went back to looking through the documents, wondering if she should message Mr. Khua.

Atlas nodded a bit, seeming to relax as he chatted more with Mr. Thompson. "I'm pretty nervous too… I was a cat up until recently, you see, so this is my first time doing anything as a person." He laughed nervously, running his fingers through his hair. "Everything is going to turn out just fine, though. Miss Magnolia is really good at this stuff."

The ghost’s eyes widened a bit. “A cat? Oh yes, I see now… you have a human body, but your soul…”
He then glanced at Magnolia, who also raised her head at the sound of her name. ”I bet she is. Though, Miss Lexington, you said he was your familiar? What made you change his body?”
Magnolia smiled. “A-ah, thank you. It’s a long story.” She rubbed her neck sheepishly. “How’s being able to see people’s see people’s souls?”
”Still getting used to it,” he admitted. ”Still getting used to a lot of things.”
“Well, I hope our services can make this transition as smooth as we can,” she said.

"I think she was trying to turn me into a dog, but then she turned me into a person instead and I decided I liked it." Atlas shrugged. "It's kinda hard to get used to, though… it's really different than being a cat." He sighed softly and sat cross-legged on the floor. "I'm taller and I see different and I have to do lots of different things. It's weird."

”That sounds a lot like being dead,” Mr. Thompson remarked.
After a moment Mr. Khua entered, seeming a little surprised at the number of people in the room. He shut the door behind him, saying, “Mr. Thompson, Lexington, I see you’re both here.” His gaze drifted to Atlas, but merely acknowledged him with an adjustment to his monocle.
Magnolia quickly rose from her seat and stood to the side, guiding Atlas along with her. “Mr. Khua,” she said, “there you are.”
He offered a polite smile. “I trust you’ve made our client comfortable? Apologies for the lateness, Mrs. Atkin was informing me about goings-on at the crematory.” He walked over to his desk, but didn’t sit down.

"Oh… I guess so. I guess I wouldn't really know, though." Atlas laughed softly as he looked up at the ghost, shifting his weight a little. He jumped a little when Magnolia suddenly started guiding him elsewhere, but he just waved to Mr. Thompson and followed Magnolia. He seemed to grow more nervous now. He'd just gotten comfortable with the ghost, and now he had to talk to more new people.

“It’s no trouble, really,” the ghost said.
Mr. Khua nodded, looking over the folder still on the desk, then flipped under it and pulled out a document. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then he turned to Magnolia and Atlas.
“Lexington, why do you have a child in my office?” He asked, his tone calm but confused.
She blinked. “U-uh, it’s Atlas, sir,” she said awkwardly.
Mr. Khua stared at Atlas, and then, much to Magnolia’s surprise, the corners of his lips curled upward. He actually laughed, seeming to understand exactly what had happened.
“Mr. Khua?” Magnolia bit her lip.
He calmed himself, and with an amused grin still on his face, said, “Good to see you, Atlas. How about we handle your situation later?”

Atlas flushed a bit in embarrassment when Mr. Khua laughed, looking very nervous. He shuffled his feet and fidgeted with his hands, looking away so he wouldn't have to make eye contact. He glanced up at the last thing the man said, flustering a little. "O-Oh, it's fine, really… you don't have to worry about it, sir…" He insisted nervously. "This is much more important, sir. I'm fine like this."

Mr. Khua held out his hand. “Oh, but Lexington has that look on her face again. You have questions, don’t you?”
Magnolia nodded sheepishly, a little embarrassed herself.
“Well, we’ll have them answered soon enough. Now, Mr. Thompson,” it was then that he sat down, turning to the ghost. “You died five days ago, correct? Are you aware of the options you have?”
”Somewhat,” Mr. Thompson replied. His form seemed to shiver with nervous energy. ”I remember something like this when my mother died, and the necromancer said she had decided to pass on.”
Mr. Khua nodded. “Yes, you could pass on as well. You could also reincarnate, or simply stay on this earth as a ghost. Of course, if you do, you could always apply to pass on or reincarnate later.”
The specter’s glowing gaze lowered. ”My Rebecca, my Lily… I still feel tied to them, I still feel tied to my family. I want to see Lily grow up. So… I think I’ll stay. At least for now.”
Mr. Khua nodded again. Magnolia felt a brief flash of deja vú. Most new ghosts chose to stay as they are, and rarely did they pass on or reincarnate immediately.

Atlas kept close to Magnolia while everyone else talked, holding tightly to her hand to help himself relax. He seemed to like physical touch for the most part, but it often made him uncomfortable if he wasn't the one initiating it.
His gaze flickered between Mr. Thompson and Mr. Khua as they spoke, intrigued in the process. He hadn't really paid it much mind when he was a cat since his role was much less intrusive than it was now. It was certainly fascinating to see someone deciding their own fate after they've already died, and it made him wonder if he would get to do the same when he died.

“Alright then.” Mr. Khua tapped the document he had pulled out. “Here is where you sign to officially state that you will remain a spirit until you decide otherwise. But before you do, there’s something you must understand. Lexington, why don’t you explain it to him?”
Magnolia had been spacing out, occasionally squeezing Atlas’ hand in reassurance. Now she snapped back to attention, having to think for a minute before she could reply.
“Ah, yes. There are some consequences to remaining a ghost. If you stay in close proximity to your loved ones, they may feel grief or a sense of loss more often than not. It may be more difficult for them to move on from your death. This is not the case for everyone, but it’s important to know that it could be a possibility.” She paused before continuing. “Additionally, as time passes, you may find yourself able to more physically affect the corporeal world. Examples would be being audible when you talk or walk, able to move objects, or even tampering with electrical currents. These have a habit of frightening the living. Do you understand?”
Mr. Thompson thought for a moment, then nodded. ”I do.”

Atlas held a little tighter to Magnolia's hand, shifting his weight from foot to foot. His gaze wandered across the room, not wanting to stick in any particular place for too long. He was having difficulty making eye contact or focusing, and he was very aware of how his heart was beating in his chest. After the explanation, he glanced back up at Magnolia, still pretty nervous and uneasy.
(Sorry for the short reply, there isn't a ton that he's doing rn adghjl)

(Djjdjkd it’s ok I get it, I’ll try to wrap this up)