Grell didn't even need to look at the speaker to know that the voice belonged to her beloved friend, Undertaker, but she did anyway. The first thing she noticed was his flashing grin, his white teeth that could easily shine an entire room. His long, silver strands fell over his face and covered his own lime-green eyes. He wore his usual attire, a black cloak with a top hat.
Despite his statement just now, he held a tall mug that was filled with ale.
Witnessing the sudden appearance of Grell’s old friend made her forget about the events that happened just now with Ronald.
Grell's eyes widened. "Undertaker! What are you doing here!?"
"Weeeeeerrrllll…." Undertaker slurred. He may be someone who can usually hold down his drinks well. But Grell could already conclude that he had at least five or six of those ales.
"No new guests came in terrdaaaayyy… I gerrt a bi' bored.. so I thought I came to see yerr… And get a lirrttle blathered of course!" As if it was the most hilarious joke in the universe, Undertaker repeatedly slammed the table with his fist as he cackled loudly. In between his guffaws, he would either wheeze, hiccup, or both.
Grell watched in amusement as Undertaker leaned over until he had completely toppled over from his stool to the hard floor, where his seemingly endless laughter continued. She couldn't help but hold a smile of endearment, ignoring the strange stares from others in the building. This blitzed, giggling mess on the floor was the same man who she had turned to years back. He was the one she had confided in when she noticed she was feeling a certain way about her assigned gender that was frowned upon by her family. And he was the one who encouraged Grell to be the woman that she truly was.
When Undertaker finally calmed down enough, he clumsily pulled himself back onto his stool. When he sat down, he yelped a little when he found himself leaning back, but fortunately, he grabbed onto the table in front of him and balanced himself just in time.
"Soooo…" Undertaker laid his elbow on the table and rested his cheek on his hand. It was at this angle that Grell had a clear sight of the saliva that oozed from the corners of Undertaker's mouth down to his chin.
"What have yer'been up to these days?" He drunkenly asked, leaning forward slightly. "Studies geriing well?"
"All I can say is that you've shown on at a dreadful time." Grell sighed melancholically.
"Ooooh? Well what's been going on!? Do tell me!" In an instant, Grell found herself wide eyed and sitting straight up when Undertaker's face was merely inches away from hers. He was breathing as heavily in her face like a salivating dog awaiting a meat treat. Grell tried not to grimace when she could smell the alcohol in his breath.
Grell opened her mouth to say something, but like a small child with an infinite amount of questions generating at the speed of light, Undertaker went on excitedly with his flashing grin.
"Did somethin' exciting happen!? Any tea you want ter' spill to me!?" He turned to the bartender and said, "Oi! Can we ge' a drink over here!?"
"I believe you've had enough, sir," the bored-looking bartender told Undertaker. He was busy cleaning a glass.
"Not for me! A drink for the lady here." Undertaker made a gentlemanly gesture towards Grell. "What drink would you like, Grelly?"
"I will take a red wine," Grell said. "Whatever you have that is the strongest."
When the bartender turned to go prepare her drink, Undertaker turned to Grell. "Don't worry, this is on me." When Grell smiled in gratitude, Undertaker brought both of his sleeve-covered hands to his face, concealing his mischievous smirk. "But you do owe me stories still." He snickered.
Grell playfully rolled her eyes at him and smiled. Even if Grell were to enter a deep pit of endless despair without a speck of hope, just the mere presence of her silver haired friend could lighten her spirits.
As soon as the wine was set on the table, she immediately began sipping on it. The red substance was potent enough to make her core feel warm at just two sips.
"Just where do I begin…" Grell said.
Undertaker took a long gulp of his ale. "Werrll, perhaps you can tell me about your little boyfriend? How is Ronnie doing?"
"He has turned out to be a womanizing prick. He's been seeing other women behind my back." Grell sighed sadly.
The news instantly wiped the carefree, mischievous grin on his face and replaced it with a concerned frown. Even though his long hair covered most of his face, Grell could vaguely see his eyebrows shoot up.
"Hmm?? Wha-I…" Undertaker paused as he searched for words. He distinctly remembered when Grell and Ronald first got together, and just how happy they were.
"What happened?" Undertaker asked.
"Long story, I'm afraid. But our Romeo and Juliet story came to an end after I caught him making out with another woman last night." Grell looked Undertaker right in the eye. "On. Our. Date!"
"On your date!?" Undertaker wished more than anything that he had his old scythe with him. "Do tell me you're not with him anymore!"
"Oh dear no!" Grell said. "We just parted ways not even an hour ago!" Memories from the night before began to swarm her mind. A dull ache grew in her chest as she thought about her intense encounter with Ronald this morning. She took a gulp of her wine to ease the pain. It worked.
"Damn love rat thought he could keep me just because I was his 'priority'," she continued. "Bloody pig…"
Undertaker reached over and placed a comforting hand on Grell's. He spoke more gently in comparison to his loud, excitable demeanor just now. "Look at it this way, love: This is a perfect opportunity for Ronnie to become one of my guests. But in a way that I would make him…" The mischievous grin returned. "The quite opposite of pretty for his funeral."
With a laugh, Grell said, "Be my guest. In the mean time, I'll make a dull and inflict the most pain to him before his ultimate demise."
"That's the spirit!" Undertaker said before releasing a deafening laugh himself. The extra gulps of ale were already taking effect.
For the next few hours, Undertaker and Grell enjoyed their drinks as they both chatted and caught up with one another. After Grell finally got tired of rambling about all the details from the chain of events leading to the end of her and Ronald's relationship, she got to hear about all of the different guests that appeared in Undertaker's shop. Most people would hurl as Undertaker discussed the details from the goriest corpses he's received and their stories, but not Grell. She leaned forward with an eager smile as her morbid curiosity captured her.
Finally, evening came and Undertaker needed to head back to his home to prepare for tomorrow. By the time he and Grell stumbled out of the bar, Grell had downed at least five glasses of that strong wine. The ground appeared to sway back and forth as she walked alongside Undertaker.
When the duo appeared in front of the dorm, they pulled one another into a tight embrace as they said their farewells for now.
"Thank you for everything, Undertaker…" Grell mumbled, her face buried into the silverhead's shoulder. His arms wrapped around her were like being wrapped in a thick blanket in front of a fireplace on a freezing, winter night. "I'm so very grateful you've come after such a dreadful day, so thank you."
"Ooooh not a problem, Grelly…" Undertaker let out a small giggle. He placed both of his hands on Grell's shoulders and held her at arms length.
"Just remember, you deserve much better than that Ronald. You'll find someone else in no time."
Despite the heartache that lingered, Grell smiled knowing that her friend was right. "We’re having tea next weekend, right?"
Undertaker nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." After one more embrace, they finally parted ways. Grell watched as Undertaker turned and walked away from the door towards the direction of his home. By the way he still didn't quite walk in a straight line, it was obvious that he was still a bit drunk. However, Grell wasn't worried one bit. She had witnessed him fighting and winning full battles with a lot more ale in his system.
Grell finally made it in front of her dorm room. She obtained her key from her pocket and clumsily unlocked the door. When she entered, she could see that the dim room was merely illuminated by William's desk. William was sitting in his desk chair, eyes intently scanning his notes. There was still some time before exams came, but he was determined to review, retain, and have such a deep comprehension of the material until there was truly nothing more to learn from it.
He looked up briefly to witness Grell coming into their room. Without saying a word, she staggered to her bed and collapsed on it. William noticed that Grell hadn't closed the door properly. He sighed and shook his head. He considered waking her and ordering her to shut the door, but he decided that it would be a waste of energy. Instead, he stood and closed the door himself.
Upon taking a seat at his desk again, he glanced at Grell and realized that her quiet snores were filling the room. He sighed again and returned to studying, grateful that despite the return of his roommate, he still had some peace and quiet.