DELILAH WASN'T QUITE SURE what to say. She had been arrogant to assume, even though she hadn't said so out loud. After all, why else was she disappointed? It had just all seemed to add up: the fact that she had no soul, the comparisons he had made, the dreams she had. Most of all, it had seemed like a logical explanation for everything that was happening.
"Where do the dreams come from?" she said.
"Oh, that," he said lazily," that was me. I had to get you interested to help me somehow."
"What?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"Why else would you have said yes?" he shrugged," I needed you to agree and with the close contact you had with the Grim Reaper, I knew anything regarding him would catch your interest. It worked, didn't it? You stayed for the information."
"I would have helped you regardless," she said, truly meaning it.
"Why would you?" he said," out of some obligation to be kind?"
"Not an obligation, simply out of empathy," she said.
"Empathy is overrated," he scoffed," fuck other people, why should I care about them? They're all the same anyway."
"I don't really see it that way," she said, the wind blowing dandelion seeds past," most of the time a single sentence alone can already brighten up someone's day and it costs me zero effort, so why wouldn't I?"
"It's also easy to ruin someone's day with a single sentence," Niccolo interjected," and way more fun, you know."
She stared at him and he shook his head slowly, clicking his tongue.
"We have an eternity ahead," he said," you'll turn to the dark side with me soon, I promise you."
"Aren't there nice gods?" Delilah said.
"No," he said without any hesitation," they all suck, except me." He paused for a moment, before tapping his fingers on his cheek. "Though you know what, I suck as well, so there's that."
"Either way, I do enjoy your company," she smiled.
She meant it. Despite the fact that he was unpredictable and doing whatever he wanted, she did feel at ease with him. Honestly, when he had first told her to kill him, she had expected him to ask her point-blank to strangle him or something the next time they met, but he seemed to be quite laidback in his plans. His expression was a bit curious as he looked at her, before he concealed it again.
"Don't get too attached," he grinned," or you'll end up crying in the end."
"Where do you go after this?" she asked.
There was no need to clarify it any more, something serious flickering briefly in his eyes.
"I wonder," he mused," I hope nowhere at all or..." He seemed to want to say something, but swallowed the words, instead continuing on. "Anyway, if the Reaper even tries to guide me somewhere I will fistfight him, I swear."
"I'm not saying this to be mean," Delilah said as she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly," but you will lose."
She had expected him to be offended, but he laughed, looking ethereal with his smile.
"You're right," he said," that man is surprisingly strong in hand-to-hand combat for someone who doesn't need to fight on the job."
His hand grazed his lips then, as if he was only then realizing how wide his smile was, and he quickly scraped his throat, all amusement gone. He looked at her and it seemed like he was seeing someone else for a moment, voice clear all of a sudden.
"You're difficult to read," he said," I am still trying to figure out who you are."
Seeing grieving ghosts for years who were unable to process their own deaths did teach her how to hide her own emotions well, she supposed, though she paradoxically also had always found herself an open book. A few ghosts wandered by at that moment, one crying and the other seeming empty, like nothing mattered. Niccolo saw them as well, but he looked away again boredly, before his gaze settled on someone else.
"He's going to die in a couple of hours," he said, pointing at the man without shame, before continuing on to himself," wish that was me."
Wow, this man was something else.
"The Soulweaver," Delilah said, unable to shake the confusion," she's gone, right?"
"Yeah," Niccolo said, not seeming surprised at the sudden change of subject," the old one took over now. They do that sometimes, change once every eternity. The Grim Reaper had the chance as well, but he holds his sense of duty dearer than his life."
"But how did she die?" she asked," isn't she life itself?"
"If I knew I wouldn't be sitting here today," Niccolo said, making a motion with his thumb across his neck," because you know, I would have used it."
"And now she's reincarnated," Delilah said, more to herself than him.
"Yes," Niccolo said, a smile curling at his lips," and you know her."
"What?" she said, but he got to his feet, already turning away.
"I've been in one place for too long," he said," my guard is catching up to me and contrary to my believers, Eloise will drag me back by force."
Though it was clear he was evading her question, she didn't pry any further. He had already told her more than she had expected and in the end, it wasn't really her business. So instead she smiled, waving at him.
"Good luck," she said, calling out to him as he walked away," wait, Nico!"
He glanced at her over his shoulder, raising his eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"Can you stop showing me those dreams?" she said," it feels like an invasion of privacy."
He absentmindedly touched the earring dangling from his left ear, the ruby glowing softly.
"No can do," he said," I already set my magic in motion, it's very difficult to stop it."
She parted her lips, but before she could say anything someone started yelling.
"Niccolo! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Adios," Niccolo said, turning around and starting to sprint without any hesitation.
A girl in full-body armor was chasing him, her jet black hair tied in a ponytail and her face not amused at all. Niccolo made a sudden sharp turn towards the trees, practically pushing a couple of people down on his way as he jumped across a bush. She seemed well-versed in Niccolo's games though, not even losing speed as she made the same turn, the both of them disappearing in the forest. Delilah heard Niccolo curses soften as the distance widened, before a loud scream made the birds scatter a couple of minutes later.
"Delilah?"
She glanced up from where she was still sitting at the bench, surprised when she saw the person who was standing in front of her.
"Roshan," she said," I thought you were going to stay home for another day."
"I realized how much work I had to catch up on," he shrugged," so I came back earlier. What are you doing here? Didn't you arrive like an hour ago?"
"Yeah," she said, getting to her feet as she followed him to the dorms," I was daydreaming."
"I wish I was daydreaming," Roshan sighed," I'm not even dreaming at this point, the only thing I think of is my upcoming deadlines." He tugged at his septum nosering so it would appear, the silver matching with his earrings. "James has been making me crazy all weekend too, because every time I complain he keeps telling me about how amazing it is that we have the chance to study quantum physics. I swear to everything holy, this man is convinced we are both studying formulas for fun, I'm genuinely just doing this for the money."
"Surely not only the money," Delilah chuckled.
"No, I'm dead serious," Roshan said, expression completely neutral," if I had to choose between destroying all knowledge of any STEM-related subject or ten million dollars, I'd choose the money."
"You sound like a villain," she said amusedly.
"I'm very close to becoming one," he murmured, glancing at her," how are you though? You've been more absentminded than usual."
A lot was on her mind these days, but there was no hesitation as she shook her head. She had already seen the reaction when she told someone with her mother, she didn't want to worry someone else too.
"I'm fine," she said," a bit busy as well."
He didn't seem to buy that, but Roshan always had known better than to press on. Instead he hooked his arm through hers, his frown back on his face.
"I should've become a stripper when that man in the club told me I was perfect for it," Roshan muttered bitterly under his breath," at least then I'd survive on something other than caffeine and pain."
Delilah waved him goodbye shortly after as she walked into her dorm building, reaching her room quickly. Her mind was crowded with everything Niccolo had told her as she stepped inside and headed towards her bed. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her though she suddenly noticed Theresa sitting on the floor and as she turned around slowly, she made eye contact with the Grim Reaper.
"Look, Delilah!" Theresa beamed," this guy was waiting for you here when I arrived, isn't he cute? Is he your boyfriend?"
"Ma'am," the Reaper said politely," I am right here."
His usual cloak had been exchanged by a formal blouse and pants. With his messy hair and dark eyebags Delilah wasn't surprised Theresa had confused him with a college student, every part of him looking like he was only sleeping three hours a day to study. He nodded at her, voice soft as he said her name.
"Delilah, how have you been?"
"What are you doing here?" she said, because she didn't want to lie to him, didn't want to say she was fine when she was thinking about everything Niccolo had told her about him still.
"We are friends now," he began, eyes sincere as he looked at her," friends visit each other, right?"
Oh no.