Tenuk couldn’t help but look as Death paraded down the stairs, completely naked, with not even her fancy shadows covering her. Death bounced up and down towards Tenuk, circling him before disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing behind the Kronoreth, this time with her shadows on.
“Uh…” Tenuk opened and closed his mouth, but nothing came out.
“Did you like what you saw?” Death smirked.
“Uh…” Still no words. Tenuk’s jaw was moving, but what words were about to leave his mouth, he had no idea. After a good minute or so though, Tenuk snapped out of it.
“Tennypoo?”
“What… the… uh… Um…” Tenuk gave up trying to comment on Death and her body, and instead remembered why he was there. “I’m… supposed to be angry with you.”
Death was still smirking, but not as much as before. “Why? OH! I remember! You’re pissed that I killed Arkay.” She put a piece of fabric and a clawed hand on Tenuk’s shoulder and led him to a nearby sofa for them both to sit down.
“You betrayed his trust.”
“Yeah, I did that on purpose.”
“Why?”
Death shrugged. “Eh, my initial plan was to make him a little bit angry. He doesn’t want to be here so he won’t have trouble navigating the mortal plane. But he’s kinda… too angry. I messed it up and now he basically attacks everything. Only just managed to calm him down…”
Tenuk shrugged. “That kinda happens when you promise someone they will live for twenty five more years, then you kill them twenty four years and ten months early… Is Arkay here?”
The shadowy being glanced upstairs. “Yeah. He’s in bed.”
“In bed?”
“Pheromones and sex are the best way to calm a Veth down. Actually, you could do well to remember that, in case a Veth attacks you and I’m not around to stop them. Just lay on your back with your legs open and let them-”
“That’s horrible!” Tenuk leaped up from his seat in disgust. “How can you…”
“Cycles, darling…” Death smiled as she got up. “I’ve told you so many times. Birth, food, sleep, sex, death, those are what I like.”
The Kronoreth sighed, then fell silent. He wasn’t really sure why he was there. But since he was in Kinigi, he had a chance to see Arkay.
“Can I speak to him?”
Death growled. “No.”
“Why not?” Tenuk asked, thinking quickly. “Maybe it will calm him down a bit?”
“Calm him down?”
“He died away from his friends. Maybe if I spoke to him, it would relieve some of his sadness? Get some of that pain off his chest. Perhaps let him send one last message back home?”
The Lady of the Cycle thought to herself. The little Deitic was right, but she was worried that Tenuk might get torn apart. After all, Arkay had torn apart pretty much everything else. But he wouldn’t tear apart a friend, would he?
“Alright, sure. He’s chained to the bed anyway, so as long as you keep your distance, you should be fine. Let me just turn the light on for you…” Death clicked her fingers, and a bright, white light popped on up the stairs. Tenuk nodded a thank you, then got up and slowly ascended.
The bedroom was plain white. White walls, white furniture, white everything. The bed in the middle of the room was white as well, but had a red rug underneath it, as well as red cushions and a silky black blanket. The sheets were all ruffled up, and a chain could be seen bolted to the headboard. Arkay was sleeping somewhat peacefully, occasionally twitching from whatever dream or nightmare he was having.
“You poor kid…” Tenuk whispered.
Immediately, Arkay woke up, looking right at Tenuk. He wasn’t a Rethan any more. Rings of light ran up his body, and that same dealthy black, shadowy mass covered his arms and legs. Some of his old, Rethan armour was still attached to him, but it was filled with cuts, dents and scratches.
“For a moment there, I thought I had woken up from a horrible nightmare…” Arkay sighed as he threw the blanket to one side. “I thought you were going to wake me up after another bad dream, tell me it’s all fine, that Retvik was downstairs making breakfast and Elksia had gone to the shops to buy ice cream…”
“Are you…”
“No.” Arkay tugged at the collar around his neck that kept him fastened to the bed. “I am not alright. I am in a bad way. But… I am happy to see you, Tenuk.”
It had only been a week, yet Arkay had already changed. Despite Death’s warnings, Tenuk walked over and sat on the bed next to Arkay. At this distance, he could see a darkness in Arkay’s eyes. That tell-tale pattern of stars and galaxies, but far dimmer than most Veth.
“How has it been?”
“Horrible. No food, no water, location is horrible. Everyone else said the rooms were lovely but mine is filled with slime and things that pump drugs into me. I’m going to leave a horrible review on Trip Advisor…” Arkay smiled ever so slightly. “Heh… Not bad for someone in the process of being turned into a monster…”
Tenuk smiled back. It was a pretty joke.
“So, not great.”
“That’s an understatement…” Arkay’s smile faded. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you visiting me. I always knew you made these secret trips… I…” The little Veth wanted to cry, but didn’t have the capacity to. “How… is everyone?”
Tenuk shrugged. “They miss you.”
“Their sadness will pass…” Arkay looked up, past Tenuk. Death was standing in the doorway, watching. He knew Death would probably cut this all short.
“Do you want me to give them anything? Messages? Wills? Anything?”
“Just…” Arkay hesitated, then leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Tenuk, hugging him tightly. “Tell everyone I love them. And tell them Death is a lying bitch and they shouldn’t ever make deals with her ever. Actually, don’t make deals with any sixth dimensional being. They’re all dickholes.”
Tenuk hugged Arkay back. His body was warm, warmer than he expected. “She’s going to make you pay for that.”
“I know, but it’s worth it…” Arkay sighed as he let go. “I’m pretty much fucked here anyway. I don’t want all my friends and family knowing that…”
Death was tapping her feet angrily in the doorway.
“You should go, Tenuk.”
“I’ll come visit you.”
“That would be nice. Thank you.”
Tenuk hugged Arkay one last time, then got up to leave.
“Bye, Death, bye Arkay. Look after yourselves, alright?”
“We will,” Arkay smiled weakly as the Kronoreth faded away.