Let's Talk About Death

Cillian honestly couldn’t recall if there was ever a time in his life where he’d been more happy than he was right now. Not that his life had been a slog, but for a man who had spent the last several centuries just going through the motions and flitting haphazardly through his day to day, it was weirdly thrilling to finally open up to his emotions. He had Dela to thank for that. And Vera, too, of course. It was crazy that he’d met so many people throughout his life, even becoming good friends with so many of them, but it wasn’t until he’d met those two ladies that his sense of humanity had started to return. And now here he was, a successful business owner, a member of a guild that was lasting quite a bit longer than any of the others he’d joined in the past, and a committed boyfriend to the most amazing woman he’d ever known.

Speaking of business, Cillian was currently working. While his restaurant, Vera Jayne’s Bistro, wasn’t currently open there was still plenty of work to be done to prepare for the day. It was midmorning, and the delivery company had just finished dropping off a regular supply of ingredients and goods. His staff was busying themselves with putting everything away and doing a sweep of the store for any areas the closing team from the night before may have missed cleaning. Cillian himself was behind the bar, his tall, lanky form bent over the surface as he double checked the inventory slip to make sure nothing was missing. He was dressed in plain clothes rather than his work attire for the moment, a pair of yellow pants with green plaid trim, and a matching jacket. He wore no shirt under the jacket, his almost obnoxiously muscular chest exposed from collar to navel. On his left hip, just above the hem line of his trousers, was the crimson emblem that marked him as a member of Confidence International.

A couple days ago he had heard from Saffron, notifying him that she had pointed someone in his direction. She hadn’t said much, but she’d said enough: a young girl who was interested in meeting with someone who shared her “magical affinity”. It was an innocent enough comment on the surface, but Saffron was part of the small circle that knew he was a necromancer, so even for a dunce like him it hadn’t been too difficult to put together. The girl in question had yet to show up, but Saffron said she had given her directions to his restaurant so he was confident that she would show when she was ready.

In the meantime, he went about his work. Satisfied that nothing had been left out of his shipment, he signed the slip and passed it over to the delivery driver, who was waiting patiently on the other side of the counter. “Looks good. Here ya go, bud.”

“Thank you, sir. And thanks for the goodie bag, too! The guys back at the office always appreciate it.”

Cillian grinned. “You mean you’re actually gonna share, this time?”

“I always share! After I eat my favorite pieces.”

The man grinned back and Cillian chuckled as he waved him off. “Alright, see you next week, man.” As the driver exited through the front door to continue his route, the necromancer got to work wiping down the counter of the bar and restocking it with all the necessary goods they’d need for when the restaurant opened in another hour or so.

He was so focused on his tasks that he almost didn’t even notice the girl when she first walked in. By the time Cillian spotted her, she was only a couple steps away from reaching him at the bar. Before he could speak up to inform her that the restaurant wasn’t quite open yet, having assumed she was a customer, she introduced herself and explained that Saffron had sent her his way for aid. “Oh! Yeah, I was wondering when you were gonna drop by.” The tall man offered her a big, toothy smile that made him look more like a goofball than anything else. “Nice to meet ya. I’m Cillian.”

Finishing with wiping down the counter, he tossed the used rag in a bin behind the bar, he pushed open the swinging door that led to the back kitchen. A moderate cacophony of sound streamed through from the cooks that were getting things ready for the day; the clang of pots and pans, the rattle of silverware and the rhythmic thumping of knives chopping away at this or that ingredient. There was also a strong scent of cooking food that wafted in – food that would probably smell impossibly good to anyone who got a good sniff of it. “Hey Reg, I’ve got something I gotta take care of for a bit. You mind locking the front door? We’ve still got about an hour before open, don’t want anyone wandering in early.”

“You got it, boss!” called a male voice from inside the kitchen.

Cillian let the door close once more, the barrier muffling the noise from beyond while he turned his attention back to his guest. “Sorry about that. Let’s have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? A beer or cider, or something? My treat!” He was already pulling down a couple clean glasses, his friendly smile still in place and clearly not a single thought between his ears as to the fact that the young woman standing before him was obviously too young to be drinking alcohol.

Ultimately, whatever she chose he’d fill up a glass for her and get a drink for himself as well before leading her over to one of the corner tables. Cillian set their glasses down, sliding hers toward her before taking a seat. He took a moment to take a sip of his drink.

“So, Saff tells me you’re looking to talk shop about magic and necromancy? Oh, don’t worry about talking openly here. My staff are all members of the same guild as me. They know about my magic, so no need to keep our voices down or anything; they don’t care and they’re not gonna talk if they overhear anything, promise.” Most people that studied necromancy were used to having to keep their abilities hidden, seeing as how society wasn’t exactly fond of the practice. But he wanted to assure her that his restaurant was a safe space for such talk.

“Anything in particular you’re looking to learn more about?”