Arkay sighed as he stepped into the shower in his tiny apartment, on the edges of a backwater city. He turned on the taps, waiting for warm water to come through, before deciding not to bother. It wasn’t water anyway, it was a strong acid, a decontaminant. He needed to wash the burning, corrupting blood from his wounds, and acids were always the best way to do that. Arkay didn’t spend long in the shower now, just long enough to clean himself up. Not that he had much time anyway, as something was knocking on his door. He knew exactly who it was.
He didn’t want to take too long, but Arkay didn’t rush too much. He rubbed himself down with a tattered towel, then grabbed the first piece of clothing he could find, a large, baggy hoodie with a fluffy trim. Finally, he opened the door.
“What are you doing here, Kairos?”
“I wanted to take you out for dinner.”
The Thantophor hesitated. Normally, the Whenvern wouldn’t have been that blunt. Then again, they had just dealt with a potentially universe-ending catastrophe. And Kairos always got… weird after that sort of thing.
“Now?”
“Now.”
“Do I have to get changed?”
“Not if you don’t want to. It is more important that we talk, and I would like to do so over a fine meal.”
“Um, alright, give me a second.”
The Whenvern smiled briefly, towering over the Thantophor, his massive wings blocking the exit. Arkay closed the door, then headed back to his bedroom, looking for something nicer to wear. Problem was, most of his Skyavok clothing was dirty, he only really had Ksithan clothing. A pair of black trousers and a t-shirt would have to do. He grabbed a Skyan cloak though, his favourite black one, as well as a small bag, which he threw his keys, a wallet and a small communicator into. He then headed back to the front door, where Kairos was patiently waiting.
“You look cute.”
“Thanks…” Arkay somewhat ignored Kairos’s comment. How could anyone find a death god cute? “Where are we going anyway?”
The elevator doors opposite Arkay’s apartment opened up. Instead of the elevator though, a shimmering silver restaurant appeared. The denizens within were all Thraki, large, wyvern-like beings that held a shape similar to the Dragon God of Time himself. Kairos led Arkay through, taking him to a table at the back of the restaurant, in view of the bar. A small water fountain trickled to itself, providing a distraction from the low murmur of chatting drakes.
“This is one of my favourite places!” Kairos smiled as a silver-scaled Thraki laid out two menus and a jug of water in front of him and Arkay. “Hello, Rathaar, could you bring us the usual while we choose our dishes, please?” Kairos turned to Arkay. “What do you want to drink?”
“Uh, just water please.”
“There is water here already. What actual drink do you want?”
Arkay hesitated, awkwardly flicking through the menu to the drinks section. To his dismay, there was nothing non-alcoholic. “Um… Could I have a vodka and lemonade without the vodka please?”
The waiter glanced at him. Kairos glanced back, then tutted. “Give him what he wants, plus a second drink with the vodka. And bring us some nice champagne. White. Two glasses.”
“Of course, my Lord.”
Rathaar hurried off, only to immediately return with the drinks, plus two plates, some sauces and some bread rolls, before disappearing again. Arkay inspected the bread rolls, awkwardly taking one for himself, cutting it open with a nearby knife but not actually putting anything on it.
“No alcohol?”
“I don’t drink.”
“You drank when Sini held that get-together, when she permanently wiped out a whole family of diseases. You had a lot to drink.”
“That was a one-off. What is this about, Kairos?”
The Whenvern tutted, then poured out two glasses of champagne, sipping one of them gently before placing the other next to Arkay.
“We survived. I want to celebrate.”
“Nearly a thousand mortals died…” Arkay frowned.
“The last catastrophe we faced, five thousand years ago, we lost over a hundred times that. This time around, we not only killed that horrible corruption, but we got rid of the last ties to that awful Kinisis and you got to make some friends. And yes, I already spoke to Epani and Sini. You can keep them and we promise not to mess around with them.”
Arkay’s eyes widened. “I can… have friends?”
“Yes.” Kairos leaned forward, to the point that Arkay could feel the Whenvern’s breath. It was… oddly warm. Almost too warm. “Arkadin… Arkay, you bled for us. I want to thank you for that. You’re our god of death, you never wanted the job, but you do it willingly and gracefully. I admire you for your dedication, and I want to treat you better, to make you feel better.”
A small cough interrupted the two deities.
“Are you ready to order?”
Kairos waved his wing-arm. “No, not yet.”
“Very well.”
Arkay was unsure what to do, so he turned his attention to the menu. He didn’t like how everything was so expensive, and spent a few seconds looking for whatever was cheapest.
“Get whatever you want. It’s on me.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Arkay turned back to the menu. Everything on it was basically meat, meat and more meat. “Uh, I’ll just have whatever you are having.”
Kairos gave Arkay a funny look, then shrugged, calling the waiter back over.
“Are you ready now?”
“Yes. Can you bring us two of your glazed special?”
“Two, my Lord?”
“Yes.”
“Very well, my Lord.”
Rathaar raced off. Somehow, hardly a moment had passed, and two large steaks, the size of Arkay’s head, appeared in front of them. Arkay knew this wasn’t magic though, it was Kairos, fucking around with time, briefly speeding things up. Something they both knew he technically wasn’t supposed to do. However, Arkay was not at all bothered by the vast amount of meat in front of him. He’d eat it. He hadn’t eaten actual food in a while.
“Have a drink, Arkay.”
Kairos nudged the glass of champagne closer to him, before topping up his own glass.
“Well…”
“We need to celebrate. You need to celebrate. Get drunk with me and relax, just this once.”
Arkay took a moment to think, then sighed, taking the glass in his little claws. “Just this once…”