"And what do we have here?"
"Mr Knox, please, this is urgent! I need your help!"
"What for, sweetheart?" the reaper drawled, bringing a finger up to his mouth and picking at his teeth as he shifted slightly on his barstool to look at her, the lens of his glasses briefly reflecting light.
Isabel took a step forward and grabbed his sleeve, her fingers curling around the fabric as she bit her lip. "Please…"
"Not interested."
"It's about Grell."
The beer moving to his lips stopped, his fingers moving a bit from the collected moisture on the glass. "It's about senpai, huh? Now I'm listenin'."
The brunette's eyes lit up slightly in hope as she released her grip on his suit jacket. "A tall man with brown hair - a reaper like you - took him away."
Ronald huffed, taking a swig of his beer before setting the drink down onto the counter with a thump loud enough to turn the head of the bartender. "Listen girl, I don't have much power in this particular area. If there's anythin' that needs to be fixed because of Sutcliff-senpai, then I'm not the person you should be goin' to. In fact, the person who took him away… his name was probably William T Spears. He's my boss," he emphasized.
The girl frowned at him, the corners of her lips turning down ever so slightly.
"You know, that's not very ladylike of ya."
Her frown grew as she crossed her arms, moving her legs into position as if she were blocking his path, though he wasn't actually planning on going anywhere. "I asked for your help. I need your help. I implore you!"
Sighing, Ronald took another swig from his alcoholic drink as he leaned forward, putting his weight into his legs. "Tell ya what: I know of a person. Not sure if he will even still be where I last remember hearin' about him, but I do know that if ya give him a good laugh he'll practically do anythin'. Still want to hear?"
She nodded.
"Alright, this guy's name is Undertaker. Well… Technically that's not his real name, but I don't think anyone ever really cares anymore." He shifted in his seat again as if he were uncomfortable, leaning back against the counter and setting his drink onto the oaktop. "Anyhow, he's a deserter. Ya know… he used to work at the same place that Sutcliff-senpai and I work at, but he just up and left one day. They sent out a few reapers to look for him, but he never turned up. After a while we did find out where he was hidin', but we kinda just decided to leave him be." He raised a brow at her expression. "Right, you just need the address."
Isabel let out a small sigh of relief, one of her fingers looping around one of the loose pieces of ribbon that was hanging down her dress. "It's wonderful that you finally understand that, Mr Knox," she huffed out, brushing out a strange bump in the fabric of her dress.
The blond rolled his eyes. "Alright, so I don't have the exact address, but I can give ya the details of where it is. Do ya know London pretty well?"
She nodded again.
"Great. Then to begin, I should probably state that what you're lookin' for is a funeral parlor. Can't really say much on that, but I believe that it might be the only one in town. If ya happen to know someone who died then ya might have even met the guy."
Isabel blinked, bringing a finger up to her chin in thought. "As a matter of fact, I do believe I have… Thank you, Mr Knox!" she shouted as she turned and ran out the door of the bar, bumping into someone on the way out and offering a quick word of apology before making her way down the street.
Ronald blinked, grinning as the man walked into the bar and pulled off his hat. "Yo Ronald, save me a seat?"
"There's always gonna be a seat for you, Eric."
Once again, I apologize for the short chapter, but this time the chapter (at least to me) felt like it had come to a natural end. Don't hate me too much for it, okay? Though I am happy that I got to bring in the great and fabulous grim reaper Eric Slingby. There's a reason he made an appearance anyway. In the story both Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby are going to be alive and kickin'! Sorry if that disappoints some of you (though I bet it really doesn't). The events of The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World do not take place here, and the reapers introduced in the play will have important roles in my plot, though I'm not saying how. ;)