The Weight of a Human Soul

Marius's Mission

It seemed like anything Ren did, Anubis tried to ruin. He didn't seem to have a problem with Lavena or Kayden, but he was singling out Marius and giving him the hardest things possible. Things even seasoned officers still have trouble with. Ren grabbed Anubis by his collar and pulled him aside. "Look, I'm not sure what your problem is, but stop being so hard on Marius. He's trying hard, and he's actually doing a great job so far. Even the other two are managing nicely. We may have all three pass training if they keep this up, but not if you continue to bombard them when the hardest things possible." Ren said with a frown. Anubis snorted and nodded. He may hate Marius with everything in him, but he wouldn't go against Ren over it. They only had two more assignments to do anyway. They had to learn how to collect a soul, and then actually collect one in the field. After that they would be out of Anubis's hair for good. Ren was already showing them an empty and a full soul vial. Anubis leaned against a nearby wall and just listened to her explaination. No matter how many recruits he helped teach, one thing he never tired of was hearing Ren explain things. Though it wasn't what she was saying; Anubis loved her voice. It was gentle and soft, like satin. It was like honey to him, and twice as delicious. He felt himself smiling as he stared at the lesson taking place, and let his mind wander. He took in the sight of Ren again. She had her hair up in a bun, held up by a pair of chop sticks, and her glasses were falling down her slender nose. Her full lips were smiling her signature smile as her green eyes glittered. He let his eyes sweep a little lower, to her locket. He looked at her dress shirt and her pencil skirt, always form fitting and snug, accentuating her curves. She was truly beautiful. She looked up and caught him staring, and hit him with an empty soul vial. "Stop staring, and come on. You have to actually teach something." she said with a giggle. Anubis smiled and his eyes drifted up as he pretended to think. "Okay, kids. Throughout all my years in this line of work, I only know one thing for certain; anything this woman says is like gold. Remember it and cherish it. She didn't get to be the top of the whole branch by her looks." Anubis scanned her over again before adding, "Though, that probably helped." he smirked as Ren smacked him again. Everybody laughed with them, except Marius. "I thought we were here to learn something." he muttered under his breath. Anubis's eyes narrowed as he peered over his black frames at Marius, his golden eyes intimidating. His height had always helped him win arguments, but he stood eye to eye with the boy. "Since you think you know everything, I say it's about time we go try the physical exam." Anubis said with a smile. They had a few targets to choose from, and Anubis found the hardest one for Marius. A family was supposed to drive off a bridge because of faulty brakes. Handing Marius a few vials, he snickered and wished him luck. The other recruits got simple assignments; mostly old men. Ren and Anubis had to proctor them, of course, but Anubis didn't mind. He hoped a dose of reality was what Marius needed to scare him off. When it was time for everyone's assignments, Kayden couldn't do it and quit then and there. Lavena barely managed to collect the soul she was assigned. Ren had hugged her and told her that she did a good job for her first time, and that it would get easier. Anubis was practically rubbing his hands together for Marius's mission. Had kids not been in the ledger, he would have. Right on time, the family skidded around the corner, and unable to stop, plunged into the frigid waters below. Marius wasted no time in diving, and had his first soul collected in no time at all. It didn't take much for Anubis to realize that Marius was going to pass with flying colors, and he began to sulk. He didn't stand around to wait for the mission to be completed; he simply told Ren he would be back at HQ and left. Anubis thought about some things too much; one of which being Ren. But on days like today, she's quite possibly the only thing that can lift his spirits to a tolerable level. He remembered that because Kayden couldn't cut it and quit, he would still have to do paperwork tonight. He could blow through it the second he got back, with time to spare until he went home. But the thought of staying up late with Ren to work on it was tempting. Ren and Lavena met Marius on the side of the river with a towel and words of encouragement. She had to show them where they would be sleeping tonight, and then go fill out paperwork. Ren thought of Anubis, and was a little worried. He never acted like that. Shrugging it off, the trio walked back to the train station, Anubis already far ahead, but they all met up at the tracks. Lavena was chatting up Marius, who didn't seem to care. Ren dragged Anubis to the other side of the box car and squeezed his arm lightly. "Are you alright? You've been acting strange ever since you met the rookies." she said with a frown. Anubis just shrugged. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't like Marius. Something just didn't seem right with him. The rest of the ride, Ren tried to get Lavena to talk to her so Marius could get a break, and Anubis just stared at his hands in his lap, playing with the hem of his sleeve as he thought. The ride was thankfully short, and Ren lead Lavena to the dorm for girls, where she would be spending her first century. Anubis had to show Marius the boys dorm, but he didn't say anything. The two just walked in silence, with Anubis gesturing to the door that would be Marius's room. Walking out of the dorm, Anubis allowed himself a small smile. He would probably never see the kids again, and more importantly, he would get to see  Ren while they filled out their paper work on how the training went.