"No chance this was a mistake and you'll let me go back to my life?"

"You don't have nearly enough karmic balance for something like that."

She sighs and moves on. This isn't the first time she's died -- at least in her last life. The only difference was she was stuck in purgatory last time.

"Okay. Let's do this. Give me my options."

He leads her into a rather bland office, and provides her with paperwork. There's lists of options - including what she can afford, and what she can't. Leaving the cycle for paradise is too expensive. Several nice reincarnation options - lifelong luck, royalty, a peaceful life, memory of past life - are too expensive. A few potentially useful powers are available. A few credits are available - lifelong bad luck, or a congenital defect or disease, or a genetic predisposition towards cancer, will allow her to purchase more, but not significantly so. Coming back as a non-sapient is ridiculously cheap. Coming back in poverty, or assorted bad circumstances, is relatively cheap. 

She bites her lip. All these options suck a lot. And not in the fun way.

"Are there other types of credit options?"

"Not - "

A phone rings. "Hold on, I need to take this."

He stands, sort of loiters at the back of the room, puts his phone to his ear (it's not clear when it started being in his hand).

"Yes, ma'am - really ma'am - right away, ma'am," he says, with pauses between. The voice on the other end isn't audible at all.

He pockets - or vanishes - his phone once the call ends, and turns to Juliet.

"There may be. One of our other offices is experiencing a critical shortage of souls. You'll get a massive karmic credit for doing this favor for us, enough to put you well in the black - perhaps enough for paradise in a few lifetimes, or a miraculous resurrection from where you died, if you keep a positive karmic balance going forward. You won't be in the same world, and are unlikely to meet any of the souls you've ever known. You won't have options on time period; the soul shortage is for a specific window."

"That's... that sounds good." She could find her way back to her last life, do better. "What sort of world is it?"

"One often at war, in the region they need, though not presently so. The least dead-end career path can be charitably described as 'child soldier.' It has a potential apocalypse, about fifteen years after your scheduled birth - which would, in fact, be a positive karmic attribute to avert. The local magic takes the form of energy that can be channeled into an assortment of powerful techniques; it's one of the more flexible magic systems in terms of sheer breadth."

"Well, I'm no stranger to violence and death. I was a hybrid. And I've been through an apocalypse situation before. Would I have the ability to use the magic myself?"

"Most likely, yes."

"Would I remember this? Remember me? Who I was before?"

Everyone she has ever loved? She doesn't want to forget them. Not ever.

"Past life memories is an option, albeit one usually out of most people's price ranges. You should be able to afford it now, though."

"I want it. What other options are there; can I afford any more?"

"Let me see... Usually you'd have to go down to their office, but they're overwhelmed right now, and have sent me the needed paperwork." He removes a stack from one of the ones on the desk.

"Your options are listed here..."

Among the advantages, which cost credit:

-past life memories (100 points)

--perfect memory of past life (2 points)

-lifelong luck (50 points)

-shinobi start (10 points; Dan clarifies this is the main class of people able to use the magic)

-noble start (25 points)

-large chakra capacity (2 points; Dan clarifies that chakra powers the local magic)

-good chakra control (2 points)

-natural taijutsu skill (3 points; Dan translates 'taijutsu' as 'basically martial arts')

-eidetic memory (1 point)

-natural talent for inventing techniques (2 points)

-quick learner (1 point)

-lifelong companion (1 point)

-clan start, medium (10 points)

-clan start, bloodline (25 points)

-clan start, powerful bloodline (50 points)

--choice of clan or bloodline (10 points)

Among the disadvantages, which give credit:

-persecuted bloodline (-5 points)

-demon host, not useful (-5 points)

-demon host, useful (-2 points)

-small chakra capacity (-1 points)

-weak chakra control (-1 points)

-extreme poverty (-5 points)

-inability to use chakra (-5 points; only available to those with 'shinobi start', cannot be taken with other options mentioning chakra)

-born an orphan (-2 points)

-fate entanglement (-5 points)

--fated enemies (-3 points)

Juliet has 124 points to spend.

Juliet ticks the option for memories of her past life, and perfect memory of that past life. She has a great memory already, but she very much doesn't want to take the chance. She also picks up eidetic memory for the same reason. Lifelong luck is too expensive, even if it would be very useful.

She hovers of the word shinobi and looks up at him

"Ninjas?"

"Yes. There are also samurai, which are rarer and more isolated."

"Interesting." Juliet ticks the shinobi start option and files his information away for later. "This is all really familiar. Though I'm still really fuzzy. Is that normal?"

She continues down and takes natural taijutsu skill, large chakra capacity and quick learner.

"Your abilities will kick in once you reincarnate, if that's what you mean?"

"For the clan options: clans are a sort of extended family unit. Membership in one provides advantages - a support network, money, and for shinobi usually special clan techniques. Bloodlines are special powers belonging only to that clan."

"I think I've had enough with bloodline magic for several lifetimes. I'll pass on that." She ticks clan start, medium though. "But having a clan sounds nice."

...she also picks lifelong companion.

"Alright. Any other selections, or questions?"

She bites her lip and calculates her total.

"I need to pick some disadvantages."

"Hm, yes. Let me know if you need explanations for any."

"Explain... demon host."

"This world has an assortment of things that can be loosely referred to as 'demons,' ranging from minor spirits to some of the most powerful beings in the world. Being a host gives you access to a small fraction of their power, but risks inviting what's essentially corruption and possession. Demon hosts are often emotionally unstable and widely hated."

"Not unlike werewolves..."

Is that really something she wants to repeat? She loved being a werewolf, but that didn't mean it didn't also bring misery and countless enemies.