Cavalcafé is a dead planet. Its once lush grasslands frost over with ash, and the previously turquoise waters are now gray. Blanketing steam clouds float just above the loose dirt and charred ruins.
No one on Cavalcafé or in its eponymous establishment survived. Soul-cleanup ran late into the night, but most souls acquiesced, too dejected to fight the Scythe. Oto and Cheron took turns between who swung the blade and who loaded the body bag.
Even in spite of the Scythe's infinite capacity, Oto and Cheron prefer to haul souls in bags. It's more humane. Once inside the cold, steel prison, a soul bears but a conscience engulfed in darkness. It feels nothing save for the sensation of falling and, by consequence, fear. There is no way to perceive the passage of time or go to sleep. There is no catharsis. Whereas, in a bag, souls are at least gifted complimentary shrimp.
Now, after cleanup, the Hearse soars through space. The drive back to Purgatory is mostly silent. With a frown tugging his brows, Oto pats excess blood from his nose and steals glances at Cheron, whose mascara has smudged all around her heavy eye. She huffs occasionally, trying to parse the path and sometimes failing, what with the windshield, which is just barely patched from the reaping of Madame Muffinpie. It is held together by duct tape and prayer.
Cheron's unasked and unanswered question lingers in the dead air.
Oto inhales. "Why did you choose Cavalcafé?"
The redhead sinks into her shoulders. "It's nice."
"It's not so nice anymore!" The man's clawed hands quiver and tense. "Did you know who was going to be there?"
"I knew we'd meet a lot of clients, and I knew many would die by immolation, but I didn't know that...What was her name?"
"Juby."
"Right. I didn't know that 'Unnamed Client, unofficially dubbed 'Juby,' of Unnamed Planet #4901-JB' was the leader of your hate club, let alone that she planned a... very violent press conference."
Oto sighs and slumps over the glove box. "I just don't understand. I thought we were going to spend time together and talk, maybe."
Cheron swallows. "We talked. We had a moment, but we had a job to do. What's the issue here?"
"We could have sent maids to handle that to-reap list."
"We can't send them to do everything. The rogues got fed up for a reason."
"We don't send them to do everything, Cheron. We do most of the heavy lifting here." Oto pinches the corners of his eyes. "You said you wanted to ask me something, but clearly you don't."
Cheron stares ahead. The dog-eared portal to Purgatory falls over and swallows the Hearse whole. The vehicle coasts. There is no sound at all, save for a small shard of glass that falls onto the dashboard, beside Oto's hand.
"Am I good at my job?" Cheron asks.
Oto turns to her. "Too good, Cherry. Too good." He tilts his head. "I mean, you drive really well. Really, really well. You can't even see the road and you're— Well, driving through Purgatory is a bad showcase of your skill, but, well, you know."
Silence again. The Hotel seems a million miles away.
Cheron stops the Hearse. "Juno still died. God, he still wants to die. I only scarcely reaped Madame Muffinpie, and I was sloppy. Three Janus-faced employees ran away with classified information, and now your reputation is even more at stake. Many more employees are probably plotting against you as I blather and waste your time and oh God I should be driving you, sorry." She starts the Hearse again.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!" Oto reaches for her.
She's not stopping. "So many died. On Cavalcafé. They didn't have to die, did they? I don't know how this works. Were they meant to die? Did they die by fire because I foresaw they would? The list said Juno would die by 'falling.' Was he always supposed to die? Was there no other way? If I had been more careful getting Juby then... Oh, Sven and Toupika were so kind. I thought maybe if I talked to them they could've made it out but—"
"Cheron! None of that is part of your 'job!' You're just a chauffeur, and only sometimes co-Death, but only because I'm an idiot. We are not here to save people or be glamorous... But we are killing it. Poor word choice, sor—" Oto jolts back as a chunk of glass falls before him.
The Hearse bolts across the white plane. The Hotel is nowhere to be seen.
"I thought maybe if I did the mission at Cavalcafé I could redeem myself, but..." Cheron covers her mouth.
"You don't have to do this job. I hired you to make keeping tabs on you easier, but I trust you now. I'm sure the Boss trusts you too, so you can just continue living in the Hotel with me!" Oto stammers, "Ah, but, but only if you want to, of course. I'm sure we can figure something el—"
Cheron frantically scans around. "Where the heck is the Hotel? I... I can't even..." She wipes her eye, smudging her mascara over her temple and onto her white gloves. She stops the Hearse. Her head falls over the wheel. "I'm sorry, Oto. Really, I just wanted to be good for you, but I don't even know what you want."
All is still across the white plane, the only sound being Cheron's gloved hands gripping and rubbing against the leather wheel. Oto smooths his hair back and exhales. He pulls Cheron's chin toward him. Her glossy, black eyes meet his golden ones. Gaze unmoving, Oto retrieves the black handkerchief from his breast pocket to caress Cheron's face.
"You got a little something right there," he says, wiping her mascara.
Cheron flushes like a rising thermometer. "Oh."
"Do you wanna watch a movie later? Of course, after we catch up on paperwork, because you're a freak and you just love doing paperwork."
She giggles. "Well, someone has to report all these new guests."
Oto grins. "That someone is me. I'm gonna beat you at your own game, Cherry. First thing I'm gonna do when we get back home: orange juice. I'm thirsty. Second thing: write the most comprehensive, enthralling stack of reports, ever. The Boss will be begging for more. She'll want a sequel." No, I will not.
Cheron drives. "How about this movie. I'm thinking something classic, like The Phantom Carriage. Or is that more of a New Year's film?"
Oto's smile widens as the Hearse parks before the Hotel's cobblestone steps. "It's perfect."
"Yeah, you would say that."
"Yeah, I would."
The two exchange tender looks before they exit the vehicle and stroll up the steps. Truthfully, Cheron wanted to ask if Oto loves her. She even wrote what I previously dubbed a "stupid haiku" for the occasion. However, in her mind, it was hardly the time.
They stop at the double doors.
"Ah..." Oto clears his throat. "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
Cheron looks up at him. The crescent of light in her eye shines like the moon. "Nothing can bring me down."
They open the doors. Molly, Todd, Juno, Hal, and Madame Muffinpie look sad and sick.
☆☆☆
Ah, at last!
I rewrote this. So. Many. Times. I cut out a whole lot too. My sparse internet and mean writer's/art block haven't helped the process either! In the end though, after such tribulations, I'm pretty happy with this chapter!! :"D
I still have to go back and edit the previous 12. I haven't yet because the task has felt very, very daunting. But now that I'm sorta-kinda officially done with (online) high school, I feel more free to.
Anywho...
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. If you did, please leave a vote and add Thanatology!! to your Reading List! Tune in Saturdays and Wednesdays for new chapters. ;-D
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Until next time!