o death.

“Ah, then perhaps gloves shall remain in my domain. I will have to think of something else.” She reached across the desk to take the glove from him and quickly ducked her head to hide her bashful smile when her bare fingers brushed against his. “Perhaps I shall get her a nice dress coat, then? Something that flows well when one walks.”

“I still find it absurd to worry so long before the holidays arrive--unless you’re simply showering her in gifts with the intent of stealing her away from me.” the reaper teased in good nature, wearing a smile that would have been impossible for him mere decades ago. “Though, in honesty, Grell will be thrilled with any gift that comes from you. You are one of her dearest friends, after all.”

Finally she allowed herself to relax when he switched up the topic for the both of them and she slouched back in her chair with the slightest tinge of relief on her face. “Yes, well, I did get some new gloves the other day. They’re made of just the softest leather. You simply must feel them and let me know if you believe Grell would like a pair. I’m at a loss of what to get her for the holidays.” Quickly, the soft brown gloves were produced and held out for his inspection.

“The holidays?” an eyebrow raised at the phrase, even as he reached out to appraise the gloves in question. “For pity’s sake, Lilli, summer has scarcely ended. It is far too early for talk of holidays.” His own gloves removed that he might feel the leather properly, fingertips smoothed over the material carefully, turning the fingers to examine seams for craftsmanship. “Soft though they are, I have to wonder how they would hold against what Grell might put them through. Wielding her death scythe has ripped the seams of more than one pair of gloves.”

Something at the back of her mind nagged her and for a brief second she had the suspicion that he was talking about her and her kin. She didn’t dare mention it, though. If he was unaware of her state of being, she wanted to keep it that way.

“Yes, well, all that has been created must be destroyed one way or another. Nothing new could be created, otherwise.”

In a quiet, sudden change, as though a switch had been flipped, William’s head dipped and lifted with a hint of a rueful smile. “Forgive me, Lilli, that I would pull you into such heavy conversation so quickly upon your arrival. It seems inevitable at times, when faced with such an existential line of work, yet there must be something moderately more pleasant to discuss.”

She cleared her throat nervously at the mention of mortals becoming immortal. Her state of existence pretty much described it thus. She was mortal with a longevity verging on immortal and she understood what sort of cruel fate he was speaking of. Of course she forgave him for speaking of such an indelicate subject in front of her. He hardly knew what she was, after all.

“Yes, well, it is not your job to judge the souls anyway, yes? Just to harvest them.”

Dual-toned eyes looked steadily upon Lilli’s face for a long moment, an observation without comment. When he shifted once more, it came with a habitual adjustment of his glasses. “The judgement aspect is more or less a formality, yes. The number of souls that could be considered significant enough to warrant a reaper’s intervention in extending their lives are infinitesimal, in the grand scheme of things. And even the greatest of souls run out of time eventually.”

“Would it?” Since he made no other overtures to greet her, she took it upon herself to take his hand in hers and give it a light shake. “Do you have no morals, then, dear William? Does my darling Grell go through her life without a bit of shame?” Realizing that she held on to his hand a bit too long to be appropriate, she reluctantly let it go and buried her hand in the fold of the skirts to hide the fact that she was rubbing her fingers together to help quell the tingling in them.

#lilliofthemountain #jeez William u talk so much #ur picture is next to the word 'verbiage' in the dictionary

In his typical manner of subtlety, William’s brow furrowed, and lips parted as though to speak, though he’d not quite found the words just yet. “Allow me to rephrase. The society of grim reapers, as sentient beings living in masses amongst one another, do indeed abide by a code of morals to maintain order and prevent unneeded harm. However, our moral judgement has no place in the judgement of souls, as a human’s character cannot determine whether or not they deserve to die.”

Still thoughtful, William capped his pen and placed it neatly to the right of his papers to give Lilli his full attention--having hardly regarded the fact that they shook hands at all. “All humans deserve a death, for it is a far crueler fate to deny them this. Any mortal being who became immortal would tell you this.”

“Heavens, William, how strongly you think of the subject.” Lilli bunched up her skirts to step inside and as soon as she did, she began to peel off her gloves. “I was joking, of course. I would never think to lecture you, of all people, on religion.”

“Did I appear to think strongly on the subject?” the notion seemed to almost amuse him, a glimmer of a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. “I meant only to state fact. We are kept entirely separate from matters of religion and morality. For Death to align to a certain moral compass would--complicate things, to say the least.”

“Do you have a minute to spare to hear about your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”