Phantasmal and Resplendent

Chapter 6

Taako put his hair up as he walked into the kitchen. He dug through a drawer and put on an apron that quite honestly shocked Kravitz. The apron read "I'm the Cool Twin." Why does he have that apron if he doesn't remember Lup?

Angus beat Kravitz to the punch. "Why does your apron say that, Taako, sir?" He asked.

Taako blinked a few times before saying "I've always had this, Ango. Found it in the caravan I used for Sizzlin' It Up with Taako." He shrugged. "I think I bought it when I was blackout drunk to be ironic. There's another one in there that says I'm the Hotter Twin. I've got tons of stuff like that, actually." Kravitz made a mental note to tell this to Lup and Barry—he's sure they'd get a kick out of this. Taako started pulling ingredients out and started whatever he was going to make.

"Mister Kravitz, sir," Angus said, glancing up at him from his book, "Could I ask you some questions?"

Kravitz nodded. "Yes, why not?" He said, sitting down next to Angus. He ignored Taako's snickering.

Angus flipped through the large book, closed his eyes, and concentrated. After a short moment, Kravitz felt the full effects of a very competent Zone of Truth. "Just to make sure you don't lie, Sir," he explained. They both ignored Taako's exasperated sigh.

Kravitz shrugged. He had no intention of lying, anyway. He figured that even if he did try to lie, Angus would see right through it without the spell. "What's your first question?" He asked.

Angus thought for a moment. "Why won't Taako tell anyone about you?"

Kravitz blinked. "I don't think that's a question for me?" he said, looking at Taako, who was pretending to ignore the two of them.

"It's not because you're dangerous, is it?" Angus said, his voice lowering as much as his ten-year-old vocal cords will allow. "Or because you threatened him?"

"No, no! Not at all, I-" Kravitz started, but then he started to doubt himself. Is Taako really dating me because he's afraid I'll take him to the Stockade if he doesn't?   "At least, I hope not?"

"Taako isn't doing anything he doesn't want to," Taako said, putting down whatever he was mixing. He leaned on the counter to face Angus and Kravitz and said "except for having this conversation. Listen, Ango, you'd probably be the first one to know if Kravitz does anything to piss me off. And he doesn't. Except for when he sneaks up behind me with those frozen hands of his." Taako gave Kravitz a pointed look, which Kravitz chuckled at. "Anyway, I didn't tell anyone because it's nobody's business who I'm dating. That's it, kiddo, you don't have to worry about this doofus." Taako lifted himself up and went back to stirring.

Angus hums, pulling a second notebook from underneath the textbook and writing something down. "Alright," he mumbles. "So, my next question, what exactly do you do for the Raven Queen?" He looked up at Kravitz, looking curious.

"Officially I'm a Reaper, but I've been called an emissary or a bounty hunter, which isn't inaccurate. My job is to enforce the Raven Queen's rules, so the majority of my time is usually hunting down necromancers and cleaning up their messes."

"So, why did you go after the reclaimers? Mister Taako is a transmutation specialist, not a necromancy specialist."

"Well, that was a very strange case. I was originally sent by my Queen to stop Lucas Miller from raising his mother along with every soul in the Eternal Stockade. Then I met Taako and the others." Kravitz summoned his book of bounties to show Angus, who gazed at it in wonder. "My Queen gave me this book. It tells me what death crimes have been committed. I recognized the reclaimers' names because they had such high bounties."