As I leave my room, "Are you coming?" The four men follow me out, and down the stairs. From the stairs I go to the right, headed to my home office. The handsome man, was lagging behind everyone, looking and admiring the decor of my home. The floor for the hallway is stained and finished in a Mocha Cappuccino color, with matching wood accents and trim. The walls to the hallway is a two-tone of Glossy 'Translucent' and Flat 'Nude' striped walls. (The cosmetics colors are the most accurate description.) Fine oil paintings and mirrors adorn the walls. The lighting for the hall are three flared champagne glass style wall sconces with a traditional scroll arm and a golden bronze finish.
I open the door to my office, and let them enter. After everyone was inside my office, I closed the door. William noticed the surveillance cameras in each corner of the room. "Are they on a closed circuit system?" I smiled and said, "Of course! I prefer to keep my business as private as possible." He nodded, and said, "I feel the need to apologize to you for my colleagues incompetence. We weren't sent here to collect your soul." I looked at him, over my glasses, "If you weren't sent here to kill me, then what did you come here for?" The handsome man sat in my favorite recliner, as he asked, "May I sit here?" I couldn't help but smile. He obviously has good taste in seating. "Of course. Please, all of you, have a seat. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea or me, I mean juice or water?" The man in my recliner chuckled at my attempt of humor.
William, adjusted his glasses and said, "Water, please." He looked at everyone else in the room and said, "Just water." Indicating, that was all they were allowed to have. The handsome man in my recliner asked, "Do you have Pomegranate, Acai?" I smiled, this is certainly a man after my own heart, "Of course. Is that what you would like?" He laughed and said, "Not really, I just wanted to know if you had any!" I laughed too, I couldn't believe that he just pulled the same line I do, when I'm messing with people who offer me a drink in their home.
I pulled four bottles of water from my personal refrigerator, and handed one to each of them. I turned back to William, "I do believe that I've asked you a question?..." He cleared his throat, and sighed. "Perhaps I should start at the beginning." I sat in my chair behind my desk, leaning back. This is going to take a while. "I'm William T. Spears, these are my colleagues, Grell Sutcliff, Ronald Knox, and you've already met the other. We are Shinigami, we're responsible for the collection and judgment of the souls on the 'To Die List'." He paused to take a drink of water. "We are here to recruit you." I raised my left eyebrow, "You have my attention, what exactly do you mean by recruit?" William looked to his assistant.
Ronald was sitting straddled on the left arm of my office couch, he smiled and chirped, "Our superior wants to make you a Shinigami." I looked at Ronald, my eyes fixed on him. He squirmed, clearly uncomfortable under my predatory gaze. Good, that's exactly how I want him to feel, uncomfortable. "Is that right? What's in it for me? How can I benefit from it? And, what if I don't want to become a Shinigami?" The poor boy was sweating now, I could tell that he was just a rookie at this. He looked at his companions for some help.
The other three men were just watching to see what transpired between us. William sat comfortably on the high back chair, his gaze shifted between the two of us. Grell sat on the right side of the couch, with his left arm stretched out across the back. His eyes fixed on me. If he thinks that he can intimidate me with his stare, he has another thing coming. The one in my recliner had a smile plastered on his face, with his elbows resting on the chairs' arms and his fingers intertwined, thumbs under his chin and the tips of his index fingers touching to make a triangle tip that touched his lips. I still have some questions for him to answer, but that will have to wait until I can get him alone. "Hm. You're still a greenhorn, aren't you? Your colleagues are just sitting by, watching you squirm, like a worm on a fisherman's hook. Waiting for the fish to bite... How do you feel, knowing that you are the bait?" I smirked smugly.
Ronald took a long drink of his water. Then he cleared his throat, ran his hand through his hair and said, "Yes, what I said is right. You're wanted to become a reaper. The benefits to you is that you will become immortal, you will never die from old age. You'll get to travel, collecting and judging souls." I can't help but to laugh at what he said, and so seriously too! I could see that William raised his right eyebrow, I guess I've finally piqued his interest? Grell just gave a low guttural kind of growl. The other just cocked his head slightly to the left. I swear, if he were a dog... I would have rubbed his head and given him a dog biscuit. He is so adorable!
I regained my composure, "You think that I'm afraid of death? My dear, I do not fear dying itself. I fear the pain and suffering part of it. For all I suffer in life, I hope that I deserve to die a peaceful death, unaware that I've passed. After all, death isn't the end of a life, just the completion of it. Our souls don't just disappear. They go to Heaven or Hell. Depending on what we've done in life, or in some instances, what we failed to do. Yes, there are those who are so arrogant, who think they can find their own way there, and wind up roaming the world for eternity too." I sighed, and ask, "Why would I want to live for eternity, when my soul is already tired of living and longing to know peace? In truth, I want to welcome death like an old friend."
At that, my handsome guest spoke, "Yes. I remember how you welcomed me, so long ago. You were so young then, not even six years old. If I recall, you lost your grip on the jungle gym, and fell to what should have been your death. Do you remember what I told you?" My defenses stripped! My eyes wide with surprise. It was him, who told me that I still had a job to do? He smiled, knowing that he had me in check. My head still reeling from the revelation, I nodded to answer his question. William, Grell, and Ronald all sat with their jaws agape.
