The days following Riley's first encounter with her parents were filled with confusion, frustration, and a hell of a lot of cussing. Not that anyone apart from Death and Riley herself was aware of that. As far as her parents were concerned, she was just being a grumpy toddler. At first, the majority of her time was spent trying to figure out how to act like a 3 year old so as not to draw attention and suspicion upon herself. However, after 2 full days of floundering and bumbling around like an idiot, Death finally deigned to inform her that she was indeed, stupid.
It was on Riley's third night of her new life. After thorough humiliation, proving she could use all the bathroom facilities on her own had been a genius move, she decided. Turning off the faucet and drying her hands, she continued to mentally congratulate herself. While she jumped off the step stool, she thought she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye, but played it off.
"Hello, Riley." Death intoned, startling Riley so badly she nearly slammed face first into the bathroom counter in her haste to steady her landing.
"Fucking shit!" Riley yelped, flinching away from the cabinet handle just centimeters from her nose. Releasing her white knuckled grip on the counter and taking a deep breath to calm herself, she took a step back to peer over the edge of the sink. "What the actual fuck is wrong with you?"
Glaring at the figure that was trying and failing to contain his laughter, Riley waited for a response. She leapt up onto the stool again so she could more comfortably converse with her fucking bathroom mirror. Hands fisted and eyebrows furrowed, she sullenly watched as Death's shoulders continued to shake while he spoke.
"Ah, I forgot how fun scaring mortals could be." He sighed nostalgically.
"What the hell do you want? Finally ready to tell me what the fuck is actually going on?" Riley demanded, fed up with Death's antics.
"What I want," Death spoke, suddenly serious. Any trace of humor vanishing from his features. Posture stiff and annoyance forgotten, Riley intently focused on him, eager for more answers. "Is for you to stop being moronic."
"What?" Gaping in astonishment at his fucking audacity, Riley blinked owlishly at him before pulling herself together.
Placing her palms flat against the counter, she leant forwards menacingly. Glowering at the stoic being and straining with the effort to not punch the glass. 'This fucking piece of shit.' She was dimly aware of the sensation of something simmering just under her skin. A coil of energy radiating from her core and spreading towards her hands. Adrenaline is what her brain wrongly supplied.
"The fuck did you just call me?" She hissed through clenched teeth. Narrowing her eyes dangerously when Death nonchalantly shrugged.
"A moron. You've been acting like a simpleton." He stated, lips twitching in slight amusement. Feeling unsteady all of a sudden, Riley lost her grasp of reality for a moment.
Static buzzed in her ears as her mind brought up memories of people looking down on and underestimating her. Treating her like a dimwit, thinking she doesn't know anything. Like she didn't graduate with honors. Like she doesn't go off on random research binges just because knowing things and fun facts is fun. Assuming her unintelligent based off her lackadaisical attitude and the way she talks like a fucking hoodlum because she can't find even a modicum of motivation to put in the effort for perfect locution and she can't-
Snapping back into focus, Riley inhaled sharply; her anger tasting as bitter as the vitriol on the tip of her tongue. But she hesitates, because she knows. 'I know I've been acting stupid, but what the fuck am I supposed to do? It's not like I have a toddler on speed dial that I can call up for tips. The last one I even interacted with was like, 15 fucking years ago. What does he want from me? I died 3 days ago and he just dropped me off in a random world with little to no information nor allies. I don't even like being around people or talking to them. Why couldn't Death let me move on. I just want to go home. I can't-'
Vaguely, Riley was aware that her thoughts were spiraling. That she was slipping and dangerously close to falling, but she can't stop. The stress and emotions from the past few days were finally catching up to her. She can't do it; whatever it is Death wants her to do. She can't keep living constantly in a state of perpetual anxiety and fear of failing or being caught. She can't handle this. She just- she can't- she can't breathe.
Death watched Riley worriedly as a myriad of emotions flashed across her face before resettling on anger. Observing her gear up, he expected her to clap back with her usual sass and ire, but she wavered, getting lost in thought. He tensed in foreboding when her expression fell. Death swears he could feel the exact second Riley plummeted into full panic.
Seeing her hunch over the sink, skin pale, hyperventilating, and shaking was disturbing. Especially since her body was so young and small. Death was unsure of what to do, he had never dealt with something like this before. Primordial beings aren't exactly prone to panic attacks. Flittering his hands and shifting his feet uneasily he decided to try and calm her down before she passed out.
"Riley." Death called, voice slightly hoarse. Swallowing around the lump of nerves and uncertainty, he cleared his throat and tried again.
"Riley." He repeated a little louder. Riley showed no sign of having heard him. Her magic was beginning to leak out in aggressive little bursts, causing the shower curtain to jerk, objects to fly across the room, and the mirror to form spiderweb cracks.
"Riley!" He yelled, adding a little magic. He definitely received a reaction that time.
Riley was panicking and she couldn't make it stop. Her face was going fuzzy, her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, and her vision was starting to gain black spots. If she didn't calm her breathing soon, she would lose consciousness… Or die. 'I'm not going to die, you fucking idiot. Calm down.' She tried taking deeper breaths hoping it would help, but it just made her feel like she wasn't getting enough oxygen, even though she knew she was, which made her panic more.
Riley was abruptly brought back from her mental prison by Death's shout that was accompanied by a wave of something. It felt commanding and dark, but safe and soothing. She jerked her head up to meet Death's eyes, shuddering at the feel of another wave of calm.
"Riley, breathe. Look at me and hold your breath." Death coaxed. "Now exhale slowly." Staring wide eyed and following the instructions. Riley finally settled her breathing and warring emotions.
"Are you okay now?" He asked gently. Nodding mutely, she relaxed her stance and gazed gratefully at him.
"Yeah, thanks." She quietly responded, embarrassed and tired. Noticing the mess and destruction of the bathroom, Riley questioningly looked around. 'What the actual fuck?'
"You lost control of your magic again." Death sagely nodded, happy that the situation had been resolved.
"Ah, I- I see." She glanced around nervously, hands idly playing with the hem of her shirt. Too tired, wrung out, and feeling a little numb, she attempted to steer the conversation back to the original topic. "What, uh- why are you here? Apart from informing me of my lack of intelligence."
Taking mercy on her and deciding that he had met his emotional quota for the day, he took the opening and pretended like nothing happened. Waving his hand, the bathroom began returning to its previous state. Riley watched passively, silently questioning the validity of the laws of physics and her existence.
"Well, you certainly have been a mess." He smirked. Thankful for the shift of attention, she copied Death and shoved the incident into the recesses of her mind, hoping it wouldn't resurface anytime soon.
"Well, you certainly have been no help." She retorted, a little miffed. "It's not my fault. I don't know how to be a toddler. I keep going to do something, only to remember I'm not an adult anymore."
"Do whatever you want." He casually advised.
"What? But what if I get caught? I can't go to baby jail, bro." Riley whined. Death crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow patronizingly.
"Toddlers are tiny humans." He deadpanned.
"Yeah, and…?" She queried bemusedly, gesturing for him to continue.
"They are tiny humans," Death repeated slowly, gazing pointedly at her like what he was saying should be obvious.
"Right, but what the hell does that mean?" Riley rolled her eyes impatiently.
"Small. Humans. What part are you confused about? You do know what small means, right?" He over enunciated, becoming increasingly annoyed. She threw her hands up in exasperation.
"No fucking shit, dickwad! What else would they fucking be? Hobbits in disguise?" Pinching the bridge of his nose like a loser cliche, Death sighed.
"Riley, children learn by imitation. Anything you do will be seen as you mimicking the actions of those around you. And with your current form, it'll be clumsily done as you rebuild muscle memory. No person, in their right mind, will immediately jump to the conclusion that you are actually an adult." He informed her in a tone that implied he really thought she was a child.
"Oh…" Unashamed by her ignorance of this supposed common knowledge. Riley took a moment to let that information sink in. When it did, she smirked. 'If I'm going to be forced to live in this world and do Death's bidding, then I'm going to live like I always wanted to. With no masks or fake personas this time. She would unapologetically be herself.' With her acknowledgement of understanding, Death succeeded in what he came to do and promptly left without a farewell.
"Fucking Dick." She grumbled, returning to her room and snuggling into bed, thinking of all the things she had always wanted to do or say, but couldn't. Unknowingly, her decision will accomplish exactly what Death intended her to do. Grinning maniacally in anticipation, she nearly cackled.
"I'm going to fuck shit up."