To Judge A Soul

Chapter 3

 "Decim, what do you think you're doing?" Nona glared at Decim with unforgiving eyes. Her stern voice sounded throughout the room.

"I was trying to assess my guests in the matter I found most suitable." Decim's stoic composure remained that same as always. He felt guilt, but he still thought his side was just, so he answered honestly and unwaveringly. Nona rested her arms using her suspenders and her eyes dulled as she looked at Decim. She continued and said, "Decim, you broke their souls. That was the reason we don't tell humans they are dead. They slowly regain that information on their own without our interference." Decim nodded, but said, "I understand. However, the way we typically judge one's soul seems unfit and inaccurate. I want my guests to feel as though life was worth living. That is my new goal." Nona looked at Decim in surprise, but that quickly faded. She pondered for a moment, then she finally stood straight and looked at Decim with leveled eyes.

"I want to help you. We cannot continue like this. Things need to change. However, Decim, this is not the way. Continue your judgments as you have done previously, with only subtle changes. I will handle the rest." With that, Nona walked out of the room with a dark expression. Her gaze was set on the events that were sure to come. Decim stood there with those parting words, and then sighed internally. He walked to the bar and made the drink Chiyuki always had enjoyed. He sat it in front of the dummy he created of her. Decim's hobby was creating dummies. The other arbiters thought it queer, but he had another reason for creating them. If he never created these dummies, then who would remember the ones that came before to be judged? Decim respected people who lived full lives. He kept their memories in a physical representation of them. Chiyuki's dummy was the one he cherished the most.

Nona walked into the elevator, and Clavis, the elevator attendant that takes the arbiters to their desired floor, greets her with his ever present smile.

"Hello, Ms. Nona." Clavis smiled kindly and Nona put her arms through her suspenders again.

"You're late, Clavis."

"I apologize." He gave a slight chuckle. This was their usual, casual greeting. Nona's expression returned to that of her previous serious state.

"Nona Ginta, Clavis." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the closing doors.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Nona?"

"Yes, but don't worry, Clavis. It will all be corrected soon enough. It will just take time." They approached the ninetieth floor and Nona looked upon her room. It was a large room that resembled an outdoor house with acres of small hills and clear of any trees or shrubs. In the far distance was a plantation like house that Nona resided in. It was quaint and very large. She often invited Quin, the arbiter who was in charge of the floor Decim is now in charge of. Now, Quin is in charge of sorting memories obtained from the deceased.

As Nona approached the house, a loud voice booms from the deck of the house.

"Noooooonaaaaa! Hiya! Long time no see!" Nona twitched with annoyance. She sighed a loud and exasperated sigh.

"Are you drunk already? Have some class." Nona controlled her anger and looked at Quin disapprovingly.

"Whaaa? That's mean, Nona! I just came to *hiccup* to talk to you!" Quin spoke like a child and pouted because of Nona's scolding.

"Talk to me?" Nona looked at Quin questioningly. Quin nodded happily and then laid back in the chair she was setting in. She sighed and downed the last of the wine that was left in her glass.

"What did you have to tell me?" Nona sighed once more and sat down beside Quin in another chair.

"Well, I heard that O-Oculus is pretty mad at you, Nona. Have you been naughty?" Nona scoffed and looked at Quin with displeasure. She replied in a tight voice, "Don't be absurd. What would I do?" Quin, still capable in her drunken state, recalled the conversation she once had with Nona. It was when Nona confided in her about creating Decim with human emotions.

"The thing is, I believe it is good for there to be more than one method of judging people. But...so many people die each day, and we have to figure out how to judge them all somehow. This is it. We work on autopilot, mechanically, no questions asked. Then, afterwards, what happens? We forget about the people we've judged. Because if we didn't, we couldn't continue being arbiters. We are not human, we are dummies. We never live, and we never die. And yet we're built to look exactly like those we judge. Doesn't it seem strange or kind of unfair? We don't even know the first thing about death or dying, yet we're the ones that judge the dead. Besides all that, I'm curious. I'd like to see an arbiter that has human emotions making human judgments."

For Nona to say such a thing now, Quin became more coherent.

"Nona, what is it really that you are doing? I don't want to step out of my place. I don't want any trouble."

"No trouble will come to you. I'm sure you will carry out your own job adequately. That's why you should leave, Quin."

"But why?" Nona stood and turned away. Her golden earnings jingled when she stood.

"Because like I said before. The way we judge now is inaccurate and unfit. I want that to change." Nona never turned around. She kept walking. Quin sighed and stood up. Instead of following Nona, she left. She thought it better to leave rather than stay and press for answers. Clavis closed the elevator doors for her and they left the ninetieth floor.

Nona walked into her room and picked up a doll. The doll was from a Japanese children's book that was read to Chiyuki as a child. She loved that book and that was a deep memory she carried with her, even after death. That was the picture her memories painted. The doll had somehow found its way into Nona's hands. She picked it up, and the small doll's head was limp, but its stitched smile was ever so bright. The burlap on the doll was a bit rough, but mostly covered by a red fabric winter coat. Nona examined the doll. She mumbled aloud, "Chiyuki, you impressed me. A human could do better than that of those who have been doing this for centuries. Pathetic on our account...or is it?" She sat the doll down on her desk and walked out of the house and up to the elevator. She then went and visited Castra, a woman who oversees the deaths across the world and decides which souls are sent to which arbiter. There, she asked for a specific person to be sent to Decim.

"Why this person?" Asked Castra. The skull she wore rustled a small clattering sound when she titled her head.

"I want to see how he handles it this time. His last judging went horribly wrong. I want to see what he will do this time." Castra took a long glance at Nona, but then sent her the data.

"There you go... Nona, be careful." Nona walked out without uttering a reply.