A new gift

"So... What would you like for your complementary gift. With embarking on your new life, and all?" 

A new life? I... I get another chance? 

"Yes! You dummy! We've been over this. Listen, there's like a few million people in qeue behind you, wating to head off to a new life as well. Just pick your gift and move on!"

"Wha-!!! You can read my mind?"

She stared at him impatently, the little bunny charm on her phone hopping around her nails as she twiddled the charm between her fingers.

"Uhh, yeah."

Mark flailed, mind racing, he'd thought some pretty pervy stuff in front of this gyaru goddess chick.

"Auuughhhh!!! Tell me. How long have you been doing that?"

Her hand shifted to her hip, hair flicked to the side. This motion and pose had to have been practiced enough that it now came naturally. The judgement in her stance was palpable. Makeup impeckable.

"Like, the whole time."

Defeated, he sank to his knees. A singular tear formed. He'd been here for what felt like hours, as he came to terms with the situation. Awoken in the space, a kind voice had shot out to him like a brilliant light! The most picture perfect gyaru leaned over him. The white around her eyes softly shifting, as she gazed down at him. Her lips shiny and sticky with pink lip gloss that gave off a soft sparkle. Her skin a radient bronze tan. His eyes had wandered, admiring the after school, schoolgirl outfit that adorned her. It didn't take a dead man to realize he was staring at a goddess. He'd wondered if this was heaven. But at this sudden moment. The humiliation was simply too much to bear.

"I'm... Sorry."

Mark Diogenes Murphy. A twenty eight, year old who died in an unfortunate car accident. A large white truck had ran a red light, the driver distracted by his phone. Mark had lived a realatively nominal life. He got through highschool, he'd had a serious girlfriend or two, worked some jobs, gotten a few awards, like: a black belt in tae kwon doe, or the odd job well done warehouse award. He'd always felt he could achevie something, although he'd felt as though he'd waited too long. And no moment had appeared for him to reach what he knew he could do. All he needed, was a new start. That would be the thing he needed.

"Ughf, look. You're fine. I don't care. Enough of you come through here with wandering eyes, whatever. Like, I don't have all of eternity to keep talking to you about this. I'll tell you one more time. By then, have a gift you'd like to take with you into the next life, and be on your way. Okay?"

Mark took heart, head still sunk and singular tear beginnig to fall. A subtle nod.

"Life! What's the meaning of it? Well, sorry even though you've died, I can't spoil it for you. You're just gonna have to figure it out yourself."

She would repeatedly glance at her phone, as if to keep reading off a script. If this was her job you'd at least think she'd care enough to have it memorized.
A shock ran though his body as her eyes snapped and narrowed upon him. it didn't matter his eyes didn't match hers. The judgement  pressed upon his shoulders grew.

"WELL! Lucky for you. You have another shot! You have actually lived many lifetimes. in persuit of this goal. And have finally passed through one of the key testing gates of living on earth. The experiences gained and sufferings felt. Were only to help you find a grander you."

Very profound, especially hearing this at the end of it all, or umm, beginning? Along the path?

"Fear not, for you have lived well enough to be ready for what's next. For those you have left behind, their lives may be changed in unfortold ways. Such is living. But as you now know, they too will have peace here in knowing they can try again. Trust in that promise. And ready yourself for what is next."

Yeah... What is next! My new start!  A small smirk grew on the goddesses face. It was admittedly fun to see how excited people got at the prospect that this wasn't the end. Something about it was super romantic. getting lost in thought she'd blushed and batted her eyes at the concept. So romantic! At least that's how she thought about it.

"Each person upon completing their last run in mortality is faced with the great beyond. It is where your deity and you council about what is needed next, for you to grow into who you can become."

Mark's hand meekly rose, daring to once again look at her in the process.

"Yeah, what? Why are you raising your hand?"

Her tone could be so awful. Rude even, to kick a man when he's down with words so agressively bored, annoyed, and superior to his feebleness. His poor feeble knees, kneeling on the oddly cold ground. Did she even need to say it in a heart wrenching way. She could read his mind right?

"What does it mean by your deity are you a god? Is there a god? What's your role been in being here?"

Her eyes widened and radiated with a bit of playfulness.

"Hey woah, big words Socrates"

"It's Diogenes."

He said flatly, missing the joke entirely. She scrunched her nose in a brief odd snarl at his airhead of a statement.

"Look, it's like really complicated. In simple words, for simple man. Life is a large span, and to help keep things organized and on track. In super simplification that doesn't really catch the whole idea. It takes a few classes to begin to understand how it works and stuff. There are deities and we watch over you till you're ready to be passed on to the next. I watch over you and like, yeah."

Sinking back into her practiced pose, she glanced up at him to check for understanding. She didn't like punks like him. he just wasted time. Despite his odd good question; the perv didn't have enough gumption to use anything he would learn for his betterment. Just profound ideas wasted. She'd been his deity for a few lifetimes now, and he'd picked up maybe one or two good traits in the past five lives lived. But nothing substansial.

"If I prayed, in my life at all. Did I pray to you? Uhh will I pray to you where I'm going next? Is that an important thing to do?"

In bewilderment, although it wasn't that odd at this point. She'd begun texting on her pink phone. Who even do goddesses text?

"Bascially, kinda, yeah. I do a bunch of reporting on it all and stuff."

Her face scrunched as she texted a bit more ferociously. Very audible clacks as her nails attacked her poor phone.
Vvvvvvt Vvvvvvt Vvvvvvt. A small tune with violins started. Hellllo Kitty, Konn ni chi wa!

She answered as fast as her nails would allow.

"Yeah, hello? Yeah, I know, Yeah, YEah!"

Flustered she turned slightly and ran her fingers though her hair, twirling it between her nails. Even though this was presumed to be out of the ordinary, she was flawless in her ability to look good, in whatever it was she was doing. This had to have been practiced, in case of emergency for a time like now. He could see through her facad, it was as thick as her makeup!

"Quiet over there! Your thoughts are so loud!"

Like striking lightning the weight of her judgement slammed him into the ground. He couldn't breathe! His mind buzzed. He could feel pain. How was that fair, are you supposed to feel pain in heaven? Was this heaven? And all from that heavenly gyaru?  The conversation on the phone sounded heated, even so she managed to make an audible sneer at him. As time felt to slow down, the weight of a thousand suns compressing his body into the ground. Gasping for air.

"Okay, thank you! Luv you too! kiss kiss!"

She managed to cordually end the call, and snapped her flip phone shut. her attention now to the crumpled perv on the floor.

"Okayyy, times up! What gift do you want. Boss said I have to let the next client in. I had more presentation to re go over, but honestly you should have been paying attention the first time! Most people do when they die!"

From his mashed state on the floor he eeked up at her. He'd been paying attention when the meantion of free gift, happened earlier. In life, he never passed on free things, he signed up for many free givaways. And actually won a few! His favorite thing he won was a bread mixer.
She had also sounded much cheerier when she had said it earlier.

It can be borderline anything! I'm here to council with you about what might be a good choice! You could pick a really motivational personality trait to carry with you! I'd reccomend that one. Many great heros have aspirational traits.
You could take a magical item! In your case I'd reccomend against taking any item as your gift. As a plot piece it could be pretty begine and not help you much, in the personal growth you desprately need.
You could even bring along a companion! Someone to help you along your journey! With any gift you choose, you and I can decide if you start off with it, or if you find it along the way. Maybe like a childhood friend who you loose touch with but find later on.
Right now at least, your gift cannot make you a god, or give you world ending powers. But you are free to choose!

His time was now or never! Bold moves had to be made! He thought his Mecha idea was pretty rad and would be a huge advantage in wherever he went next. But there was something even better standing in front of him. He couldn't outright become a god, but maybe he could borrow a goddesses power! And maybe even get a cute girlfriend in the process!

"Not a chance kid!"

It was an ice cold blade sunk deep into his chest. Her brutal tone, that rejection. Also what did she mean by kid!? She can't be that old of a goddess, right?

"Take your little mech and be on your way! Off! SHoo!"

The floor beneath him alighted. With wonder it opened and he saw a vast land. Rolling hills, and wonder before him. His hand shot through and suddenly he was falling!!! 

"AHHEHH AHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His screams went with him as he tumbled through the sky, to look like a little ant from the vast view up above. And for at least a little moment, it was peaceful once again in the great beyond.

"Idiot!"

She held her head back so no tears would fall and ruin her makeup.

"Why does he not remeber who he is... The promises he made me..."

She'd wispered those words out loud in frustration. She had to keep her cool and composure. It would be quite uncool of her if she were to be in tears for the next person.
Her eyes were stinging and head hot. The next poor soul who'd finished their run in mortality sooner than hoped was materializing with a flash behind her. She didn't really care though, not right now at least. She had more worrying thoughts on her mind anyway.

Typically people always got another go at a new life. Almost 99.9999% do. It's almost impossible to fail. All that's required to pass is become a more you, learn something about yourself and become a little more the you, you can be. It's such a vague and impossible task to fail at. And even more, you have a hundred lives to live, where you need to make at least 10 improvements in yourself; To keep going and have that 100 life timer reset. You just can't fail at this.Only idiots fail at this. People who not only give up, but actively choose to give up... 

Tears dragged down her face.

She clutched the phone at her side hard. She had to continue on with counciling, and be a professional deity. Ready her notes she had on the next mortal and help them acomplish the unfailable.

Only, when flicking open her phone, Marks stared up at her drowning vision.

Mark Diogenes Murphy
Lives since finding self 93/100
Finding self points 3/10
 Note: He keeps waiting for something great to happen. I hope he realizes how great he is already.