Ibis and Jacquel was a small, family-owned funeral home: one of the last truly independent funeral homes in the area, or so Mr. Ibis maintained. “Most fields of human merchandising value nationwide brand identities,” he said. Mr. Ibis spoke in explanations: a gentle, earnest lecturing that put Shadow in mind of a college professor who used to work out at the Muscle Farm and who could not talk, could only discourse, expound, explain. Shadow had figured out within the first few minutes of meeting Mr. Ibis that his expected part in any conversation with the funeral director was to say as little as possible. “This, I believe, is because people like to know what they are getting ahead of time. Thus, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, F. W. Woolworth (of blessed memory): store brands maintained and visible across the entire country. Wherever you go, you will get something that is, with small regional variations, the same.”
“In the field of funeral homes, however, things are, perforce, different. You need to feel that you are getting small-town personal service from someone who has a calling to the profession. You want personal attention to you and your loved one in a time of great loss. You wish to know that your grief is happening on a local level, not on a national one. But in all branches of industry-and death is an industry, my young friend, make no mistake about that-one makes ones money from operating in bulk, from buying in quantity, from centralizing one’s operations. It’s not pretty, but it’s true. Trouble is, no one wants to know that their loved ones are traveling in a cooler-van to some big old converted warehouse where they may have twenty, fifty, a hundred cadavers on the go. No, sir. Folks want to think they’re going to a family concern, somewhere they’ll be treated with respect by someone who’ll tip his hat to them if he sees them in the street.”
Mr. Ibis wore a hat. It was a sober brown hat that matched his sober brown blazer and his sober brown face. Small gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. In Shadow’s memory Mr. Ibis was a short man; whenever he would stand beside him, Shadow would rediscover that Mr. Ibis was well over six feet in height, with a cranelike stoop. Sitting opposite him now, across the shiny red table, Shadow found himself staring into the man’s face.
“So when the big companies come in they buy the name of the company, they pay the funeral directors to stay on, they create the apparency of diversity. But that is merely the tip of the gravestone. In reality, they are as local as Burger King. Now, for our own reasons, we are truly an independent. We do all our own embalming, and it’s the finest embalming in the country, although nobody knows it but us. We don’t do cremations, though. We could make more money if we had our own crematorium, but it goes against what we’re good at. What my business partner says is, if the Lord gives you a talent or a skill, you have an obligation to use it as best you can. Don’t you agree?”
“Sounds good to me,” said Shadow.
“The Lord gave my business partner dominion over the dead, just as he gave me skill with words. Fine things, words. I write books of tales, you know. Nothing literary. Just for my own amusement. Accounts of lives.” He paused. By the time Shadow realized that he should have asked if he might be allowed to read one, the moment had passed. “Anyway, what we give them here is continuity: there’s been an Ibis and Jacquel in business here for almost two hundred years. We weren’t always funeral directors, though. We used to be morticians, and before that, undertakers.”
“And before that?”
“Well,” said Mr. Ibis, smiling just a little smugly, “we go back a very long way…”
Egyptian embalming compound: beeswax and fir resin, myrrh, natron salt, cassia, palm wine, lichen, henna, and camphor.
Lauren –
In the bottle was a bit too busy for me to pick out any specific note (i’m not a very good note picker though). On my skin it was acrid and unpleasant. Did not pick up sweetness in the way others have until it dried down quite a bit and then I only smelled honey. The honey scent had a tinge of…like it had gone bad, if I had to describe it. It did last a few hours. Unfortunately did not play well with my skin chemistry.
c-j-allison –
Like the most beautiful milk chocolate dipped Turkish delight you’ve ever tasted. The honey, osmanthus, tobacco and wine add depth after you’ve worn it a while and the hibiscus brings a sweet thrill of pinkness to the fragrance that has some staying power.
Jessica –
I received this as a free imp on another order.
This scent is very, very juicy at first. Like another reviewer stated, it has a kind of strawberry starburst vibe to it when I first put it on. But as it mellows out some of the other scents begin to come through. The rose is definitely at the forefront, along with other florals playing in the background and a touch of honey. I can’t pick up any of the tobacco on my skin which is unusual because typically tobaccos will linger on me.
After three hours: still a rose presence and that’s mostly what I smell. There may be a hint of the hibiscus in there too. Overall though, I don’t think this is a scent I’ll be wearing often as it’s a bit too foodie for me especially at the beginning. But overall, it’s not a bad fragrance.
pornagranate –
This one straight up smelled like cough syrup upon the first whiff, and I was a bit terrified to put it on, but it was much better on. Still too sweet for me, but the spicy tobacco kick saves it. The rose scent picks up after a bit.
Gloame –
Very strange at first sniff—almost grape and Starbursts? I expected the cassia to come out strong first. It settles into something very sweet and foody and unusual. Very different from other foody blends.
Where I’d wear this: Mumbai, high summer, the markets
Bethany –
This was a frimp and I was super excited to try it out, as I’m a big Hindu mythology nerd. In the bottle I was sorta disappointed– it’s a bit cocoa-y and floral when in bottle –however! on the skin it truly transforms. On me, the florals are the first to fade while the cocoa and tobacco seems to linger longest (over the course of a few hours fyi). The florals in this one are uncommon, so if you’re digging the other notes but not much for flowers, get an imp!
[email protected] –
This is a light and pleasant blend. Almost too sweet (maybe the osmanthus) at first. Eventually, it morphs into its base of dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco and honey with a light floral/fruit touch. I am rating this somewhere between a three and a four because even though I love the base notes, they are very light and have nothing heavier to anchor them. I am keeping the imp though – maybe it will age or layer.