A/N: Because of school, chapters will become a bit more scattered in updates. I don't have Latin (Yay! Completed the class over the summer! But it also sucks.) or a study hall so I'm stuck with working in my free time... I have barely any.
Ophelia and Maribel flanked Grell as the three stepped down the cold streets of the reaper realm. It was more of a strut for Grell, but that was usual. Though it was only around four, the sun had begun to set and the street lamps glowed brightly.
"Do you think that Ron will get suspicious if we leave him?" asked Phe. Grell shook his head and said with certainty, "Absolutely not. He wants you to have a good time here even if it's without him. We're just having a little girl's day out." Maribel nodded in agreement. It was the best she could do. Speaking was and still is not her forte.
It seemed logical enough, but there was a secret motive behind all of it.
"Okay, his office is pretty close to mine," said Grell, plotting the route out in the air, "We'll be able to get there without being noticed. Not to mention that most of the reapers aren't working. Christmas is coming up and only volunteers and very low reapers get to deal with that."
"Deal with what?" asked Phe. Maribel answered, "The suicides, car accidents, and other deaths. I volunteer every year to help the others with paperwork. I'm still just a General Affairs girl." "Not this year," said Grell, "I made Will take your name off the volunteer list. You're spending Christmas with us!"
"Who's us?" asked Maribel. "Ronnie, Will, and I!" shouted Grell as if it was an absolutely flawless idea. Maribel shook her head. "What if Quinn wants me to spend Christmas with her?" she asked. "I have to go." "Well, until that happens," said Grell, "You're welcome to stay Christmas with us."
The three arrived at the building. It was just as white and shiny and completely unrecognizable as all the other buildings. If Grell hadn't pointed it out, Ophelia wouldn't have even given it a second look.
After travelling through many hallways and staircases and elevators, they finally reached Ronald's office. The entire floor was desolate and lifeless except for the two reapers and their human companion.
Ophelia opened the door and walked into the boring and completely undecorated office. "Okay, I'm glad we came," she said, "The poor boy must be horrible bored in here." "Yep, Ronnie will be happy to see your little surprise for him," said Grell.
"Okay, boss, I have to make thisperfect."
Ronald and William were both laced with flowers, but not just any. The flowers they carried were bright yellow and fairly small.
"Do explain to me why Ophelia would want these weeds again," said William. Ronald answered, "They grow in that field we visited. It's a memory from her childhood... Aaaaaand the time when I fell into the brook." Will eyed the boy. "I hope you weren't in your work clothes." "I might have been..." A sigh came from William.You just can't change this boy.
The two continued to a certain pub. Ronald refused to drop the flowers and kicked one of the double doors open quite dramatically. William followed him inside.
"Aye, what are you blokes doin' here wit' flowers?" asked Wilson from behind the counter. His white sleeves had been rolled up and he had been washing the counters for once. In fact, he might have been cleaning all day.
The place was desolate as it was only around three in the afternoon. It was much too early to be drinking (normally) and Wilson's food wasn't the best. Unless they like quite a bit of salt piled on their food, reapers don't come to Wilson's bar for much other than booze.
"I need to rent this place tonight for Phe. It's Saturday, but I just need to use that outside table you never use anyway. We just need something private and he wants to make the food." Ronald looked at William. The taller reaper replied, "I was begged. I did not want to."
Wilson crossed his arms and eyed the pair. It usually didn't take much to sway Wilson in Ron's favour (A bottle of spirits always helps.), but this time he seemed like he was actually debating whether he'd help Ronald or not.
"Hmmm... I might be able tah help you," said Wilson slyly. "Oh gosh, what do you want?" asked Ronald. "I don' want anythin' too much. I just wanna name somethin' after ya." He pulled out a glass filled with a familiar poison. "Please no." "Oh yeah. Ron's Hangover! It'll be on tah board for half price all night," the brunette replied with a snicker.
William glared at Ronald. "You will never drink one of those ever again. We nearly had one of the biggest incidents in the history of shinigami," he scolded. "Yeah, I know. I had the bloody worst hangover of my life afterwards," said Ron looking at the floor.
Wilson burst into laughter. "I hope so! That was somethin' even I wouldn't touch!" "Then why the hell did you give it to me?!" shouted Ronald. "I didn't think you'd actually like it!"
Of all the times Ronald has felt stupid, this was one of the absolutely ridiculous times. "Just show us the outdoor table so we can put these flowers out there," grumbled Ronald.
After William helped Ronald and Wilson with setting the flowers up, the three tried to decide what to do next.
"Well, if you want this all done by six, I'll get started on the food," said William, "Before I go, why so early?" "Ophelia and her mum have a tendency to eat extremely early and hang out afterwards," replied Ronald. The black-haired shinigami left.
"Do ya want anythin' from the bar?" asked Wilson. Ronald thought back to Ella's threats. He gulped at the unpleasant memory. "Nope, we're good," he said quickly. "Okay then," replied a confused Wilson, "I'll get the lighter tah set up the lamppost." "Thanks."
Ronald looked at his set up with pride. The flowers looked nice and the outdoor table was clean for the first time in ages. He then called his wonderful helper.
"Thanks for letting me come here," said Ophelia as she looked at the picture frame. She had finally put that picture that Grell had taken of Ronald and her at the creek in a frame. Grell smiled. "No problem, dear," he replied.
A buzz came from his purse. Picking up the phone, he answered, "Hello, Ronnie!" The blonde replied nonchalantly, "Hi Grell. Is she suspicious?" "Nope, she's good," said Grell looking at Ophelia talking to Maribel.
"Thank goodness," said Ronald, "I need you to put her in a dress. I can guarantee she didn't bring one, but I want her to look nice for our date, okay? I'm going to be wearing one of my nicer suits." "One of mi-" "NO." Grell hadn't even finished his suggestion before Ronald had refused. Another thought came to his mind, quickly changing his opinion.
"Wait," said Ronald, "If she wants to wear one of yours, it's fine." "You just want her in one of my more revealing dresses," Grell said with a sigh. "So... Is there a problem with that?" Grell ended the call with a sigh. "Men," he scoffed.
Suddenly Grell turned to Phe and Maribel. "Okay girls, now we're going to have some fun!" He smiled and clapped his hands together.
The two girls exchanged nervous glances.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
Ronald relaxed in his chair. He had finally found the perfect angle to lean back on two legs of the chair, keep his feet on the outdoor table, and manage to stay balanced. It gave him a moment to think.
A human. It's not like a shinigami hasn't been with a human before, but still... It was a long time ago... A simpler time.
Ron fell forward with a thump. William stood with his arm extended, clearly the person who pushed Ron's legs off the table. The older shinigami took a seat in the chair opposite Ronald.
"Are you prepared?" asked Will. Ronald cleared his throat, but only nodded. "In all my years, I've never seen Ronald Knox nervous for a date." Ronald snapped to attention and rebutted with, "Well, Phe's a human! She expects more out of me!"
A hand found its way to Will's forehead. "I hope you realize that Ophelia doesn't care. She wants you to be you, Ronald," he said, annoyed. I can't believe he's thinking like this.
Wilson called Ronald inside for one matter or another, leaving William alone.
"Something's definitely different about this one, and I don't think it's her species."
"Grell, I don't want to. Why in the world do I need to be in this thing?" asked Ophelia. She crossed her arms and pouted like a small child, looking up at Grell.
Grell continued to adjust every little detail of the white dress. He pulled any red hairs that may have shed from Ophelia off of it and kept straightening the crimson fabric which "makes the best" of Ophelia's waist.
"Don't you like dresses?" asked Grell, standing back to gaze over his work.She is so adorable. "Well, I don't mind them, but I'd prefer to not be in one on a casual night," replied Phe matter-of-factly, "What's the big deal? Is there some reason for this?"
"Of course not! I just couldn't help myself. You look cute. Right, Maribel?" said Grell. Maribel relaxed on her chair a little bit more and nodded. She then decided to pull her feet up and under her.
A glance to the clock made Maribel speak up. "Miss Grell." Grell was still trying to convince Ophelia that it was all worth it. "Uh, Miss Grell?" The redhead ignored her still. "Grell Sutcliffe!" Two pairs of eyes turned to the brunette.
"Uh... Clock..." said Maribel quietly. She had a slight squeak to her whisper of a voice, but with the help of her pointing, Grell was able to understand. "Oh! Look at that! Thank you!"
Grell grabbed Ophelia by the wrist and disappeared out the door. Maribel sat in silence. She rotated and let her legs hang over the side of the chair. After a slight sigh, she stretched her arm and picked up that simple book on the table.
She mumbled a few things, but then said something comprehensible by anyone who would have been in the room.
"Bye then..."
A bartender laughed heartily, tending to one of his customers on a stool. There were at least ten who were at the counter and dozens at the different tables. The whole place was deafening and hot.
Ophelia grit her teeth, vowing to beat Grell the second she got a hand on him. He had put her in a dress, rushed her away from Maribel, and now he had left her completely alone outside of this tavern! He had just pranced off into the night like leaving her in a completely different area of the city was perfectly safe and normal!
Phe walked to the counter and called for the man mixing the drinks. "Excuse me! This is kind of important!"
Wilson glanced over to the place where the voice had come from. "Uh... Are ya the Sutcliffe Ronald always talks 'bout?" he asked. He was impressed at how much the man looked just like a woman. No... A girl.
"No," said Phe, "I'm not. That's the wanker who left me here."
Intrigued by the unfamiliar guest, Wilson appeased his customers for just a moment to speak with the girl.
"Then who are ya?" asked Wilson. He leaned on the back counter. "I'm Ophelia," replied Phe, "The git you were talking about is Grell and he stuffed me in a dress and rushed me here. Speaking of here. Where exactly am I?"
"Aren't ya from around here?" asked Wilson. He wasn't clueless. In fact, he was far from it. He knew exactly who the lass was. He just liked humans.
"Yeah," replied Phe. She opened her mouth to explain, but then wondered.Should I really tell him I'm a human? That might not be good... I'll just pretend a little... "I'm from the Dublin district," she said.
Wilson smiled and chuckled. "Dublin, eh? That ain't a Dublin accent, Miss," he replied. "Well, I spend a lot of time with London transfers," said Phe, hoping he would buy it, "Anyway, I just need to find someone I know. Do you know where William Spears or Ronald Knox are?" The brunette shinigami nodded. "Come with me."
Ophelia followed the man out a door to see the outdoor table, complete with a snoozing Ronald. The light from the lamp illuminated everything... Including the string of drool coming from the corner of Ronald's gaping mouth.
Wilson slapped a palm to his forehead. "Ron!" He shouted. Ronald snapped awake. "The zombies!" he shouted, looking around for the imagined foes.
"Aaaaaand he's an idiot. Congratulations, Miss. I'll leave ya two now," said Wilson. He sighed and ambled back into the building.
"I just made an ass of myself, didn't I?" asked Ronald. Ophelia smiled, trying to cover her laughter, but it didn't hold for long. She snorted and chuckled. "A little, but you're my ass," she said, taking the seat opposite of him.
"Is this why Grell kept me away from you all day and stuffed me into one of Maribel's dresses?" Phe asked. Ronald smiled. "You bet." After a short moment of silence, the two burst into laughter.
The pair continued to chat. They didn't even begin to notice that William brought out dinner. They ate without even thinking.
After dinner, Ronald found himself teaching Ophelia how to ballroom dance.
"Now where did you learn this?" asked the redhead. Ronald laughed and looked to the floor, making sure his steps were in fact correct. "While you are but a mere sixteen, I have lived through many decades and this is one of those skills you pick up."
"Wrong," replied Phe with a smile.
The dancing stopped. "What do you mean?" Ronald asked with confusion. Ophelia held up seven fingers. "You said sixteen. I'm seventeen, Ronald," she replied.
"Huh... I could've sworn you were... I missed your birthday." Ronald mentally chided himself for not knowing. Phe couldn't have been better about the subject. "You couldn't have known. I don't like people knowing about my birthday," she said, "Not even Sam and Devon know for sure. I change it every time they ask."
"While that makes me feel a tad better," said Ronald, continuing with the lesson, "I still believe that I should know your birthday."
As the two discussed this and that, their feet moved with grace. Ophelia didn't even have to think about it anymore. It had become a simple movement automatically continuing without notice.
For a mere moment, they paused. The two moved closer with their lips a mere centimetre from meeting.
"Atta boy, Ron!"
Ronald and Ophelia turned to the pub to see Wilson and William gawking from a slim opening in the door.
"Sod off!" shouted the couple simultaneously. They turned back to each other and fell into a fit of laughter.
The night ended when Ronald brought Ophelia to Maribel's apartment for the night.
"I'll see you tomorrow," said Phe. She hugged Ronald tightly in a quick and brief moment. Before he could say goodnight, Ophelia was inside.
Seventeen already. Man, these days pass quickly.
The apartment had one lamp illuminating the main room. A zonked out Maribel laid on the couch. A thick book rested on her face as her chest gently pulsated. Tiny squeaks which Ophelia assumed were snores escaped her partially parted lips.
Phe smiled at the shinigami. She was much older than the redhead, but she was three times as sweet and kind.
Ophelia quietly found her bag and took two simple things. A camera and a large hand bound book.
After snapping a picture of the brunette, she began to write the article about the woman.
Maribel...
A/N: I'm going to try to update every couple of weeks or so, but like I said, school is killing me.