Janitor

Janitors, also known as custodians, are caretakers for a building or area. Their job is to maintain the cleanliness and functionality of the common areas. In residential buildings they also help residents with smaller maintenance tasks like replenishing crystal batteries. They also help to keep a building and the people within safe, keeping an eye on who comes and goes, and deciding which strangers are allowed in. It is their duty to lock the building up at night, and open it up in the morning.

When crisis happens the janitor is often the first to respond. They also assist in interventions, either as a support or neutral witness for the family, or as a liason when expert outsiders are needed. In their role, partway between family and outsider, they can be a grounding presence. Janitors are keepers of not just the building, but all the secrets of the people within.

Domestic Priesthood

As keepers of the building, janitors function as a domestic priesthood of sorts. They often carry out local domestic rites, like writing protective amulets on doorways, maintaining offerings to spirits (like removing burned out incense, or fruit that is going bad).

Janitors are named after Janus, a semi-olympic god of beginnings, transitions, doorways and paths. Many Janitors wear the symbol of Janus, two opposed faces, or two crossed keys. Other religions also associate janitors with custodial spirits.

Jovian historian Vibullius likens janitors to a patriarch of a shared building, fufilling the same duties of care for the inhabitants of the building as a patriarch world for their family. He notes that it is one way a woman can step into the role of patriarch.

To illustrate the similarities, he points to the tradition of inviting one of the young children living in the building to do the first task, such as sweeping the doorway at the beginning of the year. This is also a common rite for the patriciate, who largely live in private houses. This rite is often one of the first semi-public rites that a child takes a major role in. While they have often been part of ceremonies and rites within the family and the private domestic sphere, this is often the first ritual they do outside, where the neighbours can observe.

At the start of every month, and especially at the start of a new year, people will give a gift to the janitor, which also serves as an offering to Janus.

The gift is usually something useful and consumable, such as fruit, baked goods, flowers, or money. Those who want a fresh start will gift salt or chalk. In ancient times it used to be common to give candles.

Janitors who recieve more offerings than they can use will place the surplus in the common areas.

As sanitation workers, janitors can join the Sol Sanitation Union or SSU. Some janitors get special training from the SSU to handle cases of Oortic Poisoning. After getting the sufferer to safety, they track down any Oortite or oort-affected objects in the vicinity. They have proprietary tools that help them detect and find oortic influence.

Like other sanitation workers, janitors often enjoy special privileges. On Mars, they can retire much earlier than most other professions and recieve special discounts for honored professions.

Related Organization

Sol Sanitation Union