Roses X Guns

Present: TBS

     The room was properly prepared for their very special guest, but it left Bernard and Maria somewhat skeptical. They were seated on short stools, required to sit up straight, with a small, golden scale placed on the coffee table in front of them. When questioned, Ammit simply stated that it was part of the tradition. It was then that Bernard finally wished to know what their roles were exactly in this task of hers.

     “Ah yes, I apologize for not saying it earlier,” she said, though her statement sounded partly forced. “Long ago, our ancestors would gather humans that are at the end of their lifespan, and judge them based on the weight of their essence, or conscious I should say. Normally this exclusively involved a number of us, but I wanted to see how humans would act in our place. So instead, you will be the judge and prosecutor, and I shall act as the observer of balance and the executor, if needed be.”

     It was obvious that Bernard was perplexed by such a complicated procedure and eager to learn more, but he was given no time. He sighed at the sound of knocking at the door, realizing that he had to go through this after all. This was happening because he agreed to let her stay, so he had to take responsibility for it. Maria didn’t budge an inch, anticipating the event more than anyone.

     Ammit went to the door and brought the visitor inside, gesturing them over to the couch to make themselves comfortable. He was a man with slick, auburn hair, a squared face, and a confident smile that was wide and bright like a mirror reflecting the sun. It was written all over the judges’ faces that they weren’t expecting such a charismatic man to be their first defendant, but they managed to shake away such distracting thoughts as soon as Ammit readied herself at the scale.

     The man broke the ice by letting out a joyful laugh, then said, “Sorry to arrive so unexpectedly! To be honest, I thought I was a dead man today. That’s probably hard to believe, huh? Well it gets weirder. All of a sudden this little kid comes up to me, kinda looking like this girl but all sparkling blue and gold, and the next thing I know I’m here. He told me to go in and admit everything bad I’ve ever done, so that ways he can go take me to heaven.”

     “Heaven?” Bernard repeated, quirking a curious eyebrow while looking over at Ammit. “Are you truly that serious? I demand an explanation.”

     “I second that notion,” Maria stated, also quite skeptical.

     Ammit stared at them dully as she bounced her legs, clearly too used to the procedure to understand their concerns. “He is my sibling, you could say. He brings those to be judged, and if they pass, he escorts them to our world. Since it is, indeed, ‘paradise’ compared to your planet, it can be considered ‘heaven’.”

     Bernard folded his arms with one leg overlapping the other, still not completely won over yet not in the mood to argue either. “Fair enough… for now. I expect a more elaborate explanation at a later time, but let’s get this started.”

     “I would like to begin with the judging as well,” Maria said with a nod.

     The man wound up laughing again while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Boy! You two sure are grave!”

     He went on to introduce himself as Buddy, like the friend. He described himself as a womanizer, and that he wasn’t surprised considering his good looks. Starting with his childhood, he went on to talking about his family, which he even wasn’t sure about. At first he thought his mother was his mother, but that was a lie. He thought his grandfather was his grandfather, but he might have been something else. Either way, he respected him, even if he did get violent on numerous occasions. His grandmother had a ‘big cup’ of medication that she gulped down everyday, and she never seemed to be in the mood to play with him. He assumed she didn’t like him, since the one time he tried to play with her, she screamed and called for help. He never met his father.