“Hello, Death, how have you been?” Tenuk waved as he was let in by a particularly large Veth. Death didn’t answer at first though, she was too busy playing with a thin piece of gold string, twirling it around her unnecessarily long claws. Tenuk hesitated for a moment, then said hello again. Death looked up, eventually.
“Oh, hello, little Deitic!” The creature, with a mouth full of teeth, only seemed to smile a little. Tenuk picked up on this. Normally Death was much more welcoming to him. Absolutely horrifically cruel to everyone else, but nice to him. It’s because he used to live among mortals and understood what Death was.
There was clearly something bothering Death.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” Death quickly replied, before changing her mind. “Actually, there is. Tenuk, why won’t you go on a date with me?”
Tenuk had to think fast. A wrong answer could mean, well, death. “Um, because you have never asked me out on a date?”
“Ooooooooooh!” Death ummed and hmmed to herself for a bit, considering Tenuk’s answer with much more detail than it needed. “That is a very good point. And there I was, thinking you were rejecting me.”
“That isn’t what’s wrong, is it?” Tenuk asked.
Death spun round in her chair, still making various thinking noises. She did answer Tenuk’s question eventually. “There’s someone else. Someone else I like the look of. I don’t want to seem like I’m cheating on you or anything.”
Tenuk shrugged. He always thought Death invited people to Kinigi all the time, when he wasn’t around. She’d certainly brought a lot of Deitics here, but that was more to erase them from existence than anything else.
“Would I be cheating on you?”
“No. I didn’t know you were that… in love with me.”
Death changed her line of questioning. “What are your thoughts on polygamy?”
A shrug. Tenuk had never really thought about it. “Eh, as long as everyone involved is equal and happy, I don’t see what the problem is. Who is this other person?”
“Oh, just a human…”
Tenuk blinked, feeling somewhat surprised. “A Thrope?”
“I like to call them humans, as they call themselves. I don’t call you a soulless Deitic scumbag now, do I?” Death snapped.
“That’s what you call me when I’m not around?” Tenuk stepped back, intimidated by Death’s random moods.
“Well, not you personally. Just Deitics in general.”
“Deitics have races too. I’m a Kronospast, don’t like being lumped in with other, more chaotic Deitic races…”
Death tutted then snapped her piece of golden thread in two. “Well, this one is a human. Some sort of healing thing. Think they call them doctors, not sure. As much as I dislike healers as they artificially extend the life of others, this one is very, very interesting.”
“How so?” Tenuk asked as he finally managed to sit down. “Is it magic? Technology? What?”
“Ohhhh definitely technology. But what I find cool is the fact this little human has a one-stop cure all sort of device. Just sort of sprays heavy half-gas half-liquids at people and it automatically heals them. Very interesting. Of course you need to be strong enough to not instantly die from a bullet anyway. There’s always a catch…”
Tenuk shrugged. He wasn’t very impressed. Some of the races he had met already had technology like that. “Are you considering bringing him here?”
Death nodded as she pulled some sort of large jug and a glass from nowhere and started pouring herself a drink. It smelled like iced tea, but it could have been anything. After so many meeting, Tenuk knew better.
“Hm. Considering it. This human is cruel and vicious. A killer as well as a healer. Think he’d make a pretty good Veth.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, is becoming a Veth something instilled in you since birth, or what?” Tenuk interrupted, changing the conversation.
Death tapped a claw on her glass. “Depends. Most of the time, it’s from birth. Your little friends would have become Veth even if they’d never gone back in time, although in most universes I think they do anyway. But I pass my gift to other beings if I choose to, like I will with you. Don’t do that often though…”
“Really?” Tenuk replied. “I always thought it was almost random or something. And are you suggesting that-”
“This medic guy deserves it? Totally.” Death gulped down her drink, then poured herself another ones. “You sure you don’t want one?”
“No thank you…” Tenuk replied as he glanced at his wristband. “I have to go.”
“Why do you always have to go?” Death whimpered. “I could talk to you forever and ever. I love having you here, makes me feel less like I’m talking to myself.”
Tenuk sighed. He liked visiting Death as well, it was one of those things only he really did. He struggled to find an answer at first, at least, not one that would piss off Death. “I love talking to you as well, but I’m not timeless. I could die at any moment, and I don’t want to waste what little time I may have…”
“You’re a Deitic.”
“One who lives with god-killers.”
Death smiled. “Very well. You look after yourself.”
“You too, Death. See you soon!” Tenuk smiled awkwardly as he headed off.