Orientation

Orientation
29 February 2020
Limbo
"Becket, mate, open your eyes."
Not Raleigh's voice.
Yancy's eyes fly open.
"Raleigh?!" he croaks and sits up fast.
A gentle hand on his shoulder prevents him from standing. "Steady, Becket. You need a minute to adapt."
"Where's my brother?!"
"He's back in Alaska. He's alive. I won't lie; He's gonna have it tough, but he's tougher."
Yancy smiles. "Yeah. Yeah, he always is." He takes a deep breath. "Okay. I'm obviously not in the Bay, so where am I and who are you? And why aren't I scared?"
"Well," Yancy's companion runs thin fingers through his red hair, "the short version is you're dead, but you have a chance to be a guardian. So: Wings." The red-head jerks a thumb over his shoulder as he flexes chocolate brown robin's wings.
Yancy cranks his neck around to examine the white owl feathers on his new limbs. "Cool," he murmurs.
"Yea, those take some of the sting out of being dead. So do the warm fuzzies They flood this place with." He smiles mischievously and offers a hand. "Edan Reid."
Yancy gives the hand a firm shake. "Yancy Becket. But you seem to know that already."
"I do. You and me have a few things in common. That's why The Powers That Be sent me to help you get started. They don't like to send family because folks get too worked up."
"Smart."
"You'll meet 'em later, though. There are a few about."
"Maman?"
Edan nods. "She's been watching."
"Now I can help her."
"Yea. Not quite as good as being there, but better than nothing."
"I suppose."
"Yea."
"What'd you do to end up here?"
Yancy lets Edan help him to his feet. "Trespasser dropped a library on me."
"Jesus."
Edan shrugs as they stroll along. "It was quick."
"That what we have in common? Death by Kaiju?"
"For starters." Edan grins again. "Our dads worked together off Norway, too."
"The accent! You're the crazy Scot's son!"
"The one and only." He stops suddenly. "There's one other thing." Edan meets Yancy's eyes and pokes him in the chest.
"What?"
"What've you been hiding there, Becket?"
Yancy flushes scarlet. "Nothing."
"You can't hide around here. There's been a favor from a special someone tucked over your heart for a couple of years now. A feather."
Yancy blinks. "Okay, you're right. It was the only one he left behind when he moved away."
"You love him."
"Yeah." Yancy's fading blush returns to full strength.
"Me, too."
"You ... What?"
"Hermann. He's the reason I was here to meet you."
"When ... When did you know him?"
"During our school days. We were at university together for a while."
"Did you tell him?"
"Took me too long, but, yea, I did. Never totally got over him, either. Didn't find out about the wings 'til after," Edan makes a vague gesture at their surroundings, "but it explains a bunch."
"My brother figured it out and found the feather, but I never said anything to him about either." He examines his bare feet. "I tried to be subtle."
Edan laughs. "Subtle's never worked with Hermann, at least not when it comes to love. You might get a chance later, after you finish your orientation."
"Orientation?"
"You know: Pick up the rulebook, pass the quiz at the end, collect your merit badge. They don't just turn you loose."
"Ugh. Can't They download it to my brain?"
"This is the afterlife, Becket, not the Matrix."
"Except for the wings, I'm not impressed so far," Yancy sighs. "And you can call me 'Yancy.'"
"Then I'm 'Edan.' C'mon, let's get you to the classroom."
"Classroom? What is this? High school?"
"Don't worry. It's more fun than that."
Category:Ficlet
Category:Pages in need of tags
Category:Edan is dead
Category:Yancy is dead
Category:The Matrix (reference)
Category:Afterliving storyline