Over these past few days, Catheris learned how the Bureau of Paranormal Activity operated on a surface level. Due to the nature of the job, people couldn't speak to outsiders about it. This line of work bled into one's life: the trauma from missions, the experiences, the nonexistent schedule that needed you available every damn hour on the clock. And so what did they do?
Of course, they started a society of their own.
It was an endearing sight. There were podcasts with inside jokes formed over the episodes, plenty of stories, and everyone pitching in with their day job skills to form a sense of community.
Truly, all walks of life made up the Bureau. Ms. Shishiro was an internet celebrity known for her relaxing home life videos. Of course, it was inevitable for people to recognize who she was, so she didn't bother to stay anonymous like some of the others. Some people didn't need a "day job" excuse, simply saying they had a "government position" to those who asked. With Catheris being a new addition, that added ex-young-master and suit freak tailor to the list.
As for the start of his own path at the bureau, Catheris was offered to design uniform revamps. Due to unique specifications, they were custom-made for everyone. But it was nice being welcomed in for his tailor skills – he had already one step in the door. Apparently, people hadn't gotten their updated uniforms after their reassessments – something about how the designer was from a foreign branch.
He could begin designing his own uniform after he figured out what he was best suited for. There were all sorts of new materials he could play with: fabric that regulated body temperature, spatial pockets, etc. And taking into account the enhanced body constitution of those in this field, Catheris was granted much more freedom in design when applying practicality in mind.
Outside of the design stuff, he actually didn't have to do much. Being a test subject was easy compared to the preparations others had to make for him. It was just learning some new terminology and warnings, defining what the Bureau would categorize a case as either national security or civil, ink manipulation classes, the like.
And use a gun. No matter the department, it was required.
"Someone's quick on the uptake~"
It's also why he was stuck in the shooting range with this guy over his shoulder – whom he learned to be the Bureau's stray dog through a multitude of sources. Even his name sounded like it belonged to a dog, Mr Beo. B-i-n-g-o B-i-n-g-o B-i-n-g-o and Bingo was his name-o. In his case, it'd go:
B-e-o B-e-o, Saint~ess where~ did~ you~ find~ this~ wack~o.
Basically, in short, he was told 'yeah uh, he's kind of our most reliable guy for showing newbies around. You can pick another guy later but right now you need a guide. He... has a lot of experience going everywhere.'
A shot barely grazed... the actual target as a whole.
Another air-piercing bullet was fired from the black handgun, the force rippling. It hit the inner part of the third ring.
"Is it stamina training today?" Catheris focused on.
Bang!
It hit the second ring this time. Not too shabby.
"Folklore lessons."
The monsters weren't simply just bound to fiction, after all.
The supernatural varied depending on the region's history. Fortunately Catheris knew most of Virosiad's history in depth. In class, he learned some niche details, and found them peculiar.
Of course, there were universal anomalies amongst all of them. 'Anomalies' in this system were the term for anything from supernatural to paranormal phenomena. Despite its name, the Bureau of Paranormal Activity dealt with both; it was a few decades ago when the supernatural evolved into their scope.
There were anomalies that rotted one's brains everywhere. Those that reflected humanity's greatest fears and humanity's greatest desire. Some plunged into the brain's base code of psychology with uncanny figures and invoked inexplicable feelings, planting themselves in one's subconscious.
So what was the deal with Catheris? Who knew.
–Did he really come off as that much of a neat freak...? Why'd it mess up his house? Particularly his kitchen??? It was ridiculous. The chaos must've come from the demon's own curiosity rather than it actually trying to kill him considering Catheris had a myriad of other things to be mentally exploited by.
Its actions were merely tedious to fix, te - di - ous.
Sigh. He really does suffer just on an oh-so-powerful demon's whim to fuck with his kitchen on a daily basis. So... lame.