:: Whispering Willow ::

[Jenni Deer]

Inside Tanigakure on the northwest areas rests a home that's been well taken care of for at least seven generations. The family holds businesses for three major things: Funeral, Gardening/Flower Shop, and Apothecary. Entering into the home after removing your sandals or shoes out of respect, you would be able to see three glass doors. Two, you can see through it would be apparent that the left door holds the gardening. The second door on the left is for the apothecary. A black shawl covers the glass door on the right and it's for funerals. Ahead is the hallway and two wooden sliding doors and there, you would step into the home of the Zetsumi family. Off to the right is a corridor that has stairs leading down to the basement and it's used for their embalming work. It also connects to the stairs towards the viewing room but it's usually locked from the outside.

Of the massive 10 acre land, it's mostly dense forest. Before the bridge, to the right, there's a beautiful clearing surrounded by Sakura trees, and in the middle lies a slab. It's used for the cremation of the bodies if the family wishes it. Of course, two acres behind the building to the left side are used for gardening purposes. With three greenhouses for plants that would not do well with the Tanigakure's climate, the rest is being grown with care and delicate touch. On the right, rests the massive cemeteries with shrines and hakaishis. In the middle is a man-made path from all the walking of the family goes towards the forest. Hidden in the forest, rests a garden that became Maemi's favorite and she took over the responsibility of taking care of it.

 

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

Sun hasn't risen over the horizon yet as she was putting on her earrings in front of the mirror. With a deep inhale, she could smell her mother cooking. As much they love to be lavished in being rich, they always were determined to take care of simple things themselves. From cleaning to cooking to dressing. Everything. Once she was done, she headed down the hallway and opened a sliding door to meet her father, who was behind a desk and was barely visibly seen due to the massive amount of papers in front of him. Amused, Maemi rose her eyebrow, "I'm guessing you haven't sent those to our new leader yet?" Hearing an annoyed grunt behind the papers, she just smiled and walked over to the desk, giving her father a kiss on the cheek before heading towards the dining area. Kelt down onto the pillow and before the table, she was joined by her parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Once they were done and got their assigned duties, Maemi was rather excited to take the embalming duty today.

Headed down the stairs, her family, while adoring themselves to the fine fabrics and were, made sure there was nothing that could hinder their job. It's why Maemi's outfit was on point for her. Picked up the folder, she saw that the family wish for the corpse to be cremated. With a sigh, that meant she had to reach out to someone that recently join into their business and has been helping them. Summoning a chakra butterfly, she sent it fluttering out of the window as it went to go find the one person she was to work with. To prepare for him, she went ahead and opened up the second slab by turning on the light above it.

Headed to the sink, she turned on the water and tested it. Waited for the right temperature, she added some natural oils and fragrance to help preserve the body and keeping it smelling. Brought the ceramic bowl over, she gently placed it on the corpse's side. As gentle as one would be if this person was alive, she tenderly folded the sheets and worked her way down as she placed the folded sheet onto the counter. Headed back to the corpse, she started to hum gently as her fingers grasp the deceased's arm and she started to sponge bath it. If anyone was watching her, they would swear that she would be treating them as if they were fragile porcelain dolls, one bad touch, it would shatter everywhere. The fragrance of roses would be filled in the room.

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Shin had been working as an acupuncturist and doctor here in Tanigakure for a year or so,doing his best to take care of the citizens of the small village. Through the unfortunate circumstances of patients not making it, he had gotten to know the family that ran the local apothecary, and kinda ironically the attached funeral home. As an extra way to integrate himself into the community and to keep up his practice with anatomy, Shin had asked to help out there with embalming, which the family agreed to when they noticed his ability to manipulate his bones. He later learned that the family were descendants of a clan of sort of necromancers,and would like his help with swapping corpses for fake piles of bones when people wanted cremation instead of burial. He thought it was kind of weird, but his greed would get the better of him and saw it as an easy way to make extra cash.

His clinic being closed that day, Shin was relaxing in his small apartment when a chakra butterfly floated in through his window, a typical signal from Maemi that his help was either needed or wanted with the days embalming. Getting up and getting dressed in his usual dark clothes and lab coat that he wore when treating patients, he would quickly leave his apartment and head to the mortuary. Walking through the village, he would greet people as he passed, he had to keep up appearances that he was the humble servant of a doctor, after all. As he reached the big building, Shin would kick off his sandals and walk inside, hollering a quick “Morning!” To the rest of the family as he passed into the staircase that lead to the basement embalming room. Once inside, Shin would nod with a short “Morning, Maemi, so what’s the work for today?” He’d see her gently cleaning the corpse on the slab and look it over, “Embalming, prep for viewing, or do you need another set of bones to burn?” He’d say oddly cheerfully given the circumstances, but folks in their lines of work weren’t much effected by death.  

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

With a sudden burst of energy in the home and a shout of "Morning," Maemi's felt her hand twitched slightly. Hearing the footsteps down the stairs, she turned to greet him with a slight bow of her head, "Morning, Shin-sensei." Her voice was soft and gentle, just like each movement she does. "Yes. Embalming and you can help me set up the viewing if you wish. Of course, a set of bones would be perfect. That's why I-" She stopped as she heard fast-paced tiny feet down the stairs "SHHHHIIIN" The little girl shouted as Maemi sighed as she placed the arm back onto the slab as a little girl, seeming to be four, that looks similar to Maemi but with dark almond hues and no freckles wrapped her arms around his leg. "Shin is here! Shin is here!" She squeals as she gasped and stops, "Did you make me a bone animal!?" She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Miyabita. How many times I must tell you about learning how to use your inside voice?" Maemi scolded her little sister as she placed the sponge back into the bowl for the time being. Miyabita has been collecting origami animals along with bone animals, even wooden. Her collection had gotten so massive that her mother would sneak into the room and slowly remove any that's damaged beyond repair. A good whittle of a wooden animal or strong bones would surely last this child through her lifetime. A strong male voice could be heard upstairs, calling for Miyabita as she gasped, held out her hands, "Quick! Gimme!"

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Shin would think over what Maemi said,nodding slightly, “I can help with the embalming, and of course the bones.... the viewing prep is a bit more of an art than a science,I think you’d be better off without my help there.” Shin would chuckle slightly as he heard a small voice shouting that he was there, activating his byakugan he would look up through the ceiling of the embalming room to watch Maemi’s little sister coming running downstairs. Deactivating it as she reached the stairs, Shin would reach up the sleeve of his lab coat and pull out his radius and ulna, twisting and molding them into the rough shape of a puppy with its ears perked up. As the little girl came running into the room and hugged his leg, the young doctor would laugh and kneel down to her level, “of course I got you something... it’s right here up my sleeve!” As he said it, he would pull the bone pup out of the sleeve of his lab coat and present it to the small girl. “Now you better get back up to your dad... and please be quiet, your big sister and I got work to do, okay?” As the girl ran back upstairs, Shin would turn back to Maemi and rub his hands together, “alrighty, so... where to start?”  

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

Maemi watched him activated his eyes and it caused her to flinch softly. She was still learning about the Hyuuga bloodline. Her parents and the older ones, of course, knew some knowledge about the bloodline but herself, cousins her age, were still learning about the vast amount of abilities that existed beyond her family's business. The eyes were basically like x-rays and she always wonders what that would be like. To have such a vision of your areas could come in handy when one has to fight. She sighed as she waited for Miyabita to go back up or, even more so, play hide and seek with their father. Miyabita gasped at the puppy as she squealed, for it was an animal she didn't quite have yet. "THANK YOU!" She shouted once more, hugging him before going up the stairs and disappear from sight. Shin turned back to her and she noticed the eyes were no longer activated. "Hmm. Yes. I meant more with physical help with the viewing. But as you are aware, we'll give you the freedom to what you wish to help with and not to help with, all we require is your help with the bones. Let's do the bones first, if you don't mind Shin-sensei?" She questioned as her hand extended to the empty second slab with the light on above it.

She would leave him to do his work as she stood on the other side of the corpse to stay out of the way so he can do his measurements of the corpse. What comes first was the cleaning so she resumed cleaning the deceased elder lady as she leaves Shin be to do his work in making duplicate bones before they start to embalm the dead.

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Shin would look to where Maemi was gesturing, spotting the second slab of an exam table all set up before turning back to face her, nodding slightly, “Ok, sure...” he’d then start walking around the table to inspect the old woman. “Hmmm... height about... five foot three ish... something like forty percent leg from the looks of it... arms hang to about mid thigh... small skeletal frame, rib cage measurement is probably something like thirty-four inches...” As he talked to himself, the young man would hold the corresponding part of his own body over the old woman, slowly pulling the bone from himself as he gauged the proper lengths and girth’s. “Ok... so femur... about fifteen inches, tibia and fibula about eight... calcanius , tali’s, other tarsals amd foot bones seem about in proportion...neck and skull are about afoot total, so spine from hips to occipital should be roughly thirty-five inches...” he’d mutter as he did the rough math, reaching for his lower back to grab his saecrum and slowly extract a copy of his own spine, with hip girdle and rib cage attached, molded to fit roughly similar proportions to the woman. Doing the same with the arms as he did with the legs a feet, he would slowly build a very similar, if not exact replica skeleton on the secondary metal slab until all that was missing was a skull. Scratching his head lightly, he finally shrugged, “eh, skulls all look more or less the same once they’re stripped of tissue...” he’d say quickly before grabbing the back of his own skull and ripping a copy out of the back of his head as if pulling off an adhesive bandage. Shaking his head quickly with a slight shutter, “Damm... the skull is always the weirdest feeling part of the process...” Laying the skull at the head of the imposter skeleton that would be used to fake cremation, Shin would turn back to Maemi and nod quickly, “There you go, one skeletal stand-in for the family to think their grandma was cremated... only thing is to make sure she doesn’t have any kind of metal or artificial implants from non-chakra based medicine... if the family knows about those, an urn full of ashes without the durable implants would look suspicious....”  

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

While Shin does his own thing, Maemi continued to do her job but she occasionally glances up and watches him. She had so many questions but she tries to not bombard him. Sometimes she'll ask up to three questions whenever they work together and she'll stop there. She was a curious woman but she was also full of patience. Once he was done, she was finished bathing the deceased. The oils, mixed with salts and other items was to help preserve the body. While they do, yes, raise the dead, they aren't huge fans of goopy gooping messes which were why they still embalm the dead. Opened a drawer, she pulled out the blue apron with gloves and handed Shin one. Putting it on herself, she snapped on the gloves as she gets a clean needle. Hooked up to the pump, she inserted the needle into the vein and turned it on. The pump drains out the blood and pumps in different chemicals that were originally created by her family to keep the body from decaying. The strong smell of iron could be covered for a bit before Maemi took care of it by releasing chakra butterflies in the room, the golden wings and hues brighten the room as if there were stars as their aroma was sweet but not sickly sweet.

Walked to stand by Shin, she gets out a paintbrush and dipped it in ink. Leaned forward, towards the bones, "Does it hurt?" She questioned as she started to write some kanji onto the bones. "When you do this I mean." She corrected herself as she pulled away and placed her fingertips on the skull where the Kanji was. The body started to develop. It grew muscles, veins, arteries, eyes, nerves, etc. Finally, the skin was last. She looked exactly like the woman that was on the first slab. Genjutsu at it's finest.

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Shin would watch as Maemi finished up the cleaning and preservation of the skin and hooked up the pump to replace the blood with her family’s embalming fluids. “Yea... I’ve used similar stuff on patients to push antidotes or other medicines into their system, when the amount needed was larger than a syringe could hold... and heard of machines that did the opposite, pump out blood to filter set when the kidneys fail... dialysis they call it, but we medical ninja don’t really have much use for that tech.” He would follow Maemi over to the replica skeleton he’d made and watch as she painted kanji on the bones, which would start to sprout tissues until a total replica of the old woman lie before them. “Hurt?... eh, not really, any bone I remove is replaced instantly... only part that feels kinda weird is the skull, cuz of how it encases the brain and stuff...” he’d pretend to watch the chakra butterflies fluttering around, masking the slight scent of death in the cool room. Out of the edge of his vision, he’d watch her bending over the new body replica, admiring her curves as he would activate his byakugan quietly while turning and walking around to watch the original corpse being pumped full of preservation fluids, watching both the flow of the circulatory system in the old woman, and thanks to the nearly full circle vision his eyes gave him, he also had a clear view of Maemi’s a** bent over the table and her work. “Hmmm, interesting how the preservation fluids your family uses pushes out the cadaver’s blood and saturates the tissue...”  

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

Maemi listened to Shin as he talked about the pump and its properties outside of the shinobi world. "I mean. I could do the same thing by-. Oh. Wow. Thank you Shin-sensei." She said as if there was an idea. "Next time, I'll just transfer the blood over to the fake body. Makes things easier. Mom would love to hear that kind of news." She smiled genuinely towards him. They love new ideas when it makes their work easier and seem more real. As he went to explain that it doesn't hurt, she can't help but turn, with her hand on the slap behind her as she faced him. "So it's just.. like popping a zit? Pulling a splinter? Hmm. More I learn I suppose." She said as she turned around and focused back on the board as he went to the real body. Once she did a thorough work to make sure this body wasn't missing anything, even got down to weird small scars, or perhaps a freckle or even birthmark, she can now focus on the real body.

Walked to the counter, she opened a drawer. She seems to be holding a white shroud as she gently opened it from the foot and carefully pulled it over the fake body as if it was real. Channeled the chakra to her feet, it was sent to outside and to a specific target. The window opened by a branch as it seems to be holding a basket. "Thank you." She said towards the branch, grabbing the basket, as it slithered back out. The basket was full of petals. Placing the basket to the side, she turned to check on the deceased as she nodded softly. "Yes. I mean, most people hate what we do, or don't understand. Dead bodies, is our strength. So we take good care of the dead bodies. What use is a goopy mess?" She questioned him with a smile. Turning off the machine, she handled the scalpel to Shin, for him to start the Y carve on the old lady. Once he takes the scalpel, she would head to a bowl that was on the counter. Mixing and pouring some water along with chemicals and oils, she brought the bowl over onto the tray by the slab. It was to place the organs inside the bowl after they take them out.

"Time to empty the cadaver." Then with a mischievous smile, she placed her hands on the side of the slab, "Besides, what's scarier? A goopy zombie that you cannot recognize or wake up to your dead grandmother lying next to you as if she was alive a few minutes before when she's been dead for months?"

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Watching Maemi finish her work on the replica cadaver, Shin would chuckle at her guess at how it felt pulling out a copy of his skull, “More like.... a weird tickling feeling under my scalp and around my eyes... it’s just a bit annoying and disorientating for a second or two... not really any pain.” Shin would deactivate his byakugan quickly as Maemi walked around the room, gathering up a shroud for the body and calling over a branch with flower petals. As she mentioned that people are scared of what they do, their work with the dead and all that, Shin would smile sympathically and nod, “Yea... death is often a taboo among civilians and the general crowd... people fear what they don’t understand... “ he would hold his arm up and push his sleeve back, making spikes of bone protrude from his forearm and fingertips, “Some people think people from my mother’s clan are monsters, or demons, because of how we can manipulate our skeletons...”His mind would flashback to the fight he overheard between his parents that ended with his father throwing him and his mother out of the house because of what they could do and his eyes watered slightly. Pulling his bones back into their normal shapes, Shin quickly wiped his face on his sleeve before picking up his scalpel,getting ready for the first Y incision as Maemi got the preservation fluid ready for the organs. “When she slapped her hands on the slab and made the joke about the grandma, Shin couldn’t help it but bust out laughing for a couple minutes. “Yea... decaying zombie is creepy... but somebody you know is dead looking as if nothing happened...” he’d shudder slightly before chuckling a bit more. Anyway, let’s get this embalming show on the road, shall we?” Shin would reactivate his byakugan anwatch as the skin split under the scalpel as he cut from either shoulder across to the bottom of the sternum, then straight down to the pubic bone. “Well, thankfully Granny here was in decent shape... or else there’d be a lot more yellow fat to carve through and this would be a bit more complicated... and messy...” he’d joke as he sliced through the layers of abdominal fascia to expose the organs themselves before setting his scalpel aside to grab the rib cage and rip the costal cartilage to expose the heart and lungs. “Ok... which organ do you want out first?”  

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

A weird tickling feeling? That was interesting. Tickling. She hasn't been tickled since she was fine. Miyabita was starting to understand that. There was a time for play and time to learn to control. Be serious. While some members of the family have a really good sense of humor or extremely dry. Maybe even boring. She tried to recollect the memory of being tickled but it wasn't working. At all. Shin seemed to understand the unfortunate taboo behind death. Being raised by this, she didn't have a hard time. From what she understood about her father, he did at first until they mentioned their beliefs and he started to see their point of view. The souls were gone. Moved on. Bodies? Nothing, just... there. And there was profit to be had, to make the Mahofu family stronger.

"Yes. People fear what they don't understand." She was going to say more but then she noticed the tone changed in his voice so she watched him closely. Almost in an observing manner. The eyes watering did not escape her but she said nothing. She knows that to some, especially in her family, showing emotions can be a weakness if you cannot get it under control. This fine man before her has it perfectly under control. "We are seen as monsters too. Some even think monsters are better than us. Even not worthy to live for ... in their colorful words, desecrating the corpses. It's up to them if they want to try to understand or let ignorance consume them. We just do what we can and have their hearts and minds at ease." Though, every single person in this family knew that if someone ratted them out, their business would be attacked by an angry mob in a heartbeat. They wouldn't listen to reason.

Once Maemi made the joke and Shin laughed, she couldn't help but smile and laughed softly herself. "Don't worry, you are a very handsome and respectful monster here." She smiled with a joke, "I don't know if my mother had informed you but if there's someone that died that you care about and you do not wish for us to claim the body, we will respect that decision of yours. No scam behind it." She smiled softly, wanted him to know that he was safe with them. Now she was nervous. Was their secret safe with him? It seemed to be so far. Why did he need money? She needs to think carefully about how to ask more questions without him being insulted or setting off alarms. Once he made the incision and ripped the bones, she glances at the organs, "Yes. Very good shape!" She said with a smile then shudder, "Obese. My worst nightmare," blurted Maemi.

Crap. She revealed one of her nightmares, so she quickly laughed as if it was a joke. "I find working bottom-up seemed to work better, so let's do that please." She requested as he started to hand her the organs one by one. Gently, Maemi would clean it and place some seals on it, and handed it back to him. "I guess being in this so long and having passion, it's my dream to become like my mom. To run this business. Do you have a dream or goal you are aiming for, Shin-sensei?"

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Shin would continue inspecting organs and do passing them back and forth to Maemi as they performed the embalming, when he heard her laugh, he couldn’t help but smile, it sounded sweet to hear her actually let a little emotion through. When she complimented him, Shin chuckled slightly, “ Thanks , I try my best to do some good for the community, whether I’m a monster or not... and I won’t lie, it does help being able to spend some time with a beautiful monster like yourself.” He’d say with a slight smirk “And thanks for letting me know... “ he’d get a slight sense that she was nervous,about something and make a guess at what, “Don’t worry, Maemi, your family’s secret is safe with me, we monsters and demons gotta stick together!” He’d chuckle a little more, cracking up for a few seconds again when she mentioned being scared of getting fat. When she asked if he had a dream, Shin would sort of shrug, “you might think it’s dumb and simple... but I really just want to have a stable life... I grew up fairly poor after my father threw me and mom out, been fighting to survive ever since. If I can manage that while using my abilities to help the people around me, even better...” once they had cleaned and preserved all the organs, Shin would look at Maemi with his usual slight smile, “How should we close her up?” He’d ask cheerfully, setting down his scalpel.  

[Jenni Deer]

¤ Maemi Zetsumei ¤

Tanigakure l Genin l Bloodline l Ninjutsu l Mahofu & Senju Clan
Fuuton l Doton l Suiton l 350/350 Chakra l 250/250 Stamina

Cleaning the orangs carefully, she made sure to put the kanji in the right locations. As she was marking the heart, the last organ, she heard Shin thanking her as she nodded softly. He wasn't a monster, well in her opinion. As she picked up the heart, she handed it to him but then paused when he called her a beautiful monster. It wasn't the monster that caught her off guard, but the world beautiful. With a wider smile, Maemi certainly liked to be complimented. It was as if someone just discovered a tomb with hidden beautiful treasures and being in awe at its wondrous beauty.


As he put the heart back in its place, her eyebrows rose when he randomly said about her family's secret to be safe, and then monsters and demons needed to stick together as she laughed softly. "Yes, we do," laughed Maemi Hearing about his dream, she was honestly, a little bit surprised. He didn't want power. Title. Prestige. He wanted a stable and maybe, a bit simple life. "I would never figure that out looking at you," admitted Maemi. He asked how they should close the body up, she give him a one-moment finger as she leaned down and marked the ribs and the skin. Placing her chakra into the body, the seals were activated and the ink went into, making it look like the organs and skin had this 'tattoo' on it this whole time. "Alright. Let's put her ribs back and healed up if you don't mind." When he does, her hands rest on the corpse's jaw as she pried it open. Using tongs, she moved out of the way as she mark's the deceased roof of the mouth. There was more than one kanjis as well. Maemi looks extremely focused. Getting out a needle and suture string, she presses down on the lower lip and pressed the needle through and upwards, going to the top of the teeth, finding the left nostril, through the septum of the nose, and entering the right nostril and back down into the mouth. As she gently pulled the string, the jaw closed and she made sure it was tight, secured, and the ending knot was knotted properly. Closing the jaw. "I'll put the body up. Do you wish to stay and help set up the viewing? If not, you can go upstairs and find dad at his office. He'll pay you. Thank you for your help, as always, Shin-sensei."

Current Attire: Same as the one in her picture.

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[Valbjorn]

Seeing her reaction to his compliment, Shin smiled to himself as he worked. The big brilliant smile of hers only made her even more gorgeous to him. When she said to go ahead and reattach the ribs, the young doctor nodded, performing a couple handsigns as he pulled the ribs back into place and forced the dead tissue to repair before folding the skin back over the internal cavities and doing it again, leaving the woman looking as if she had never been sliced open. As Shin watched Maemi sew the mouth shut, he would walk over and watch how she did it, “Hmm,some of my medical jutsu could help you do this easier if you ever want me to... a few basic ones thatre generally used to patch up minor injuries and cuts would work well for this kinda thing, without having to worry about how to sew it to hide the thread... though the way you hide the thread is pretty cool too.” He would rub the back of his head a bit and chuckle softly. When he was asked if he wanted to help set up the viewing, Shin thought for a few seconds before shrugging slightly and nodding, “Sure, I’ll help out some more. You’re more fun to hang around than sitting around my apartment by myself. And by the way, you can just call me Shin.” He’d say lightly with a casual smile on his face as he moved to help her put the body up.