"You know what," Ronald said, bouncing in front of me, breaking my sightless gaze out the window. "You need to go on a group date!"
I unstuck my chin from my hand and rotated my jaw, shifting on the stone seat. My back was soaked with fountain spray; indoor courtyard. This was probably the only imaginative spot in HQ.
Theo had always dragged me here, telling me to focus on him, not the scenery. I'd gotten many cuts because of my shifting focus. It'd worked though, so his methods had some reason.
"What?" I mumbled, looking up at him for his own benefit.
"A group date," he responded, still smiling, leaning on his death scythe. "After we get finished with Mr. stiffer-than-a-wood-plank, you can come with me."
"That's vile," I snorted. "I'll go."
Ronald clapped me on the shoulder. I glared at him, dusting my shoulder off slightly. How was this attitude able to charm the new women's department in management? Low self esteem if you asked me. Of course, I was now associated with them, stationed at the head. It may have been worse than handling men.
"Let's go, Sempai~!" he sang walking down the corridor to the portal room.
So respectful to my face. I wondered what he called me behind my back. Ronald probably had something really creative; and it'd only been a few days since I'd been back. Knox was more of an annoyance than ever. And when had he gotten to the rank he was at?
I'd been gone too long. Pulling the demon's trench coat firmly around my ears, I started down the same hallway, balancing my scythe in my hand.
Which brought me to my investigation during my few days back. Joshua was weak. It broke my heart to say it, but reading his files had proven to me he'd joined the wrong group. Some of us just didn't go on missions; they'd do other important things.
"Blithering idiot," James Button grumbled, shifting through the files. "Here it is. Yea, well, your brother wasn't serious. And on top of that he stole my lady friend!
"He what?" I asked, looking up from the papers at the blond man. "Does that really have anything to do with this?"
He pushed his glasses up his noses, looking about saying quietly, "Whatever." his voice rose then. "look, Andrea, I'm sorry for your loss, but the kid was a useless slacker, and probably couldn't have defended himself no matter the circumstances," he stood at my side, holding his overlarge glasses up with a finger, pointing furiously at the paper. "He got in on those signatures. Yours, I believe…work on your writing, Miss…and that reaper who defected."
"Theo," I whispered, sliding my finger over the name.
"You two obviously had a thing," he quipped.
I slapped the file shut, catching his finger in it. He squeaked, shooting me a horrible glance at me, sticking the finger in his mouth, walking off.
"Andrea!" William snapped from the ground. "you'll get burned if you think up there anymore."
I jumped down, landing between Ronald and William. Ronald continued to run his mouth as we made our way on a path, the burning house behind us crumbling in on itself. Will and I endured, if only barely.
I took the mission that was guaranteed to get me away from the two. Spears glared daggers at my back as I practically ran into the forest.
"And that's why I think girls fart!" was the last thing I heard from Knox.
Undertaker:
He watch Andy run into view, leaning against the tree he was in before pulling out her book. She looked frazzled…and wearing that demon's trench coat. Theo gripped the branch, anger flaring. She'd left him so suddenly, he'd snapped, breaking a few coffins before he'd calmed.
It was the demon's fault, he convinced himself. They'd seemed to be getting along okay, so it seemed to him. Andrea had been a tad cold, that was all.
"Demon," Andy hissed, slamming the book. "He's everywhere. You just can't get away from him."
"Andrea! He's going to drive me insane. Do you mind speeding it up?" a male voice called.
She moved her hand in a way that made him almost blow his cover by giggling, then her mouth, mimicking the man softly. After she was done, she started to move off. If he was going to talk to her, he had to drop out of the tree now. When he dropped down, he meant to land in front of her. Halfway down, he realized he was going to land on her. Andy looked up at that second, barely able to get a squeak out before he landed, knocking the air out of her.
Undertaker pushed off her, hovering above her, letting her catch her breath.
"What're you doing here?" she gasped softly, chest heaving.
"Won't you come back?" he responded with a question.
He'd missed her far too much. Undertaker had been a loner for years before she'd came back to him. It'd only been a few days since she had left. Why couldn't he deal with that? She let her head fall to the side as the same voice called out for her again.
"I still blame you. I still love you. I still want you…so much that it hurts," she look him straight in the eyes. "I'm torn, what do I do? Do I let myself love you; or do I let myself hate you?"
"Love me," he answered immediately, pressing his face into her neck, smelling her perfumed soaps before he whispered into her ear. " Andrea, you must understand; I was jealous and that made me stupid. You didn't see me. You only saw the past."
"We- I need time to cool down," she mumbled even as her arm went around his neck.
"Andrea!" the voice screamed, now closer than ever.
"Spices…not a chance…" another voice rattled off, smaller than the other.
She used her hold to push out from under him, grabbing her scythe out of the leaves. With a slight sad smile in his direction, she bounded off, trench coat still on. Undertaker stayed on hands and knees, still warm around the neck.
Undertaker sighed, standing. That trenchcoat was mocking him.