The Meaning Of Eternity (TMOE #1)

Chapter 19: That's funny

It was early morning when Lucius got back to the Shallow Reapers' headquarters and he rubbed his eyes before walking inside, half limping due to his injured foot. What a night. He still wasn't quite sure how to process all of it but he certainly knew his plans for the next day. Or, later that day he supposed as he looked up at the orange dyed sky.

All he needed was a little rest. A couple of hours and hopefully without disturbing dreams, then he'd be up again. He had some preparations to do and he couldn't completely neglect his reapers either, so he'd need to check in with them at the harbor at some point during the day as well.

He frowned as he closed the door to the house behind him. It felt as though he'd forgotten something concerning his gang. In his defence, there were a whole lot of other things going through his head at the time.

"So let me guess," Telmo's voice called out as he entered the sitting room and Lucius jumped, hand automatically reaching for his knife. "I wager you were either with that Gashcrow floozy or your rich, new best friend of an angler."

Lucius sighed, giving her a tired look of annoyance as he spotted her sitting by the small table, carving something on the already ruined surface. He didn't feel like having yet another conversation from a needlessly offended Reaper.

"Who was my old best friend?" he therefore asked instead, genuinely curious. He didn't have many people he actively called friends.

Telmo let go of the knife and leaned back in the chair, possibly considering it.

"Phil, I suppose," she then replied, and Lucius' eyes narrowed into a scowl.

"Careful, Yanagi."

Telmo's eyes narrowed an equal amount as Lucius' before she folded her strong arms. She'd always taken a 'no sleeves because muscles gets the point across' approach to her clothes. Fashion disagreement aside Lucius could respect that.

"I told you, you can't call me that."

"And I wouldn't if you didn't push me." Lucius leaned against the wall with an unrelenting glare. "Leave my dead friends alone and your family stays safe from your little shady life."

Telmo's lip curled, but she obediently dropped the subject.

"Seriously though, what the Waste have you been up to? I think you even had Lorenzo worried."

"I would have thought all of you have been asleep, but I guess I'd be wrong." Lucius gestured at her. "Why would you—"

"Are you for real now?" Telmo raised her hands in frustration. "You actually don't even remember? Unbelievable. At first we thought something serious had come up and you couldn't make it, because I guess we're dumb like that sometimes, but then we concluded that you'd just ditched us for all these new things you're doing, but you... You just forgot about it?"

It finally dawned on Lucius, and he closed his eyes with yet another sigh.

"Right. Fisherman's..." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I... Yes, I forgot."

"And?" Telmo arched an eyebrow. "Where were you?"

Werewolf fighting and weird baths came to Lucius' mind, and he shook his head.

"You wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Telmo, I'm really trying not to get mad at you."

"So get your act together." Telmo leaned over to rest her elbows on her knees, black hair falling over her shoulder. "I know you don't like him being brought up, but perhaps you shouldn't completely forget what fate awaited Ravi."