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Sitting atop a barstool at the kitchen, Lyle Daton calmly leafed through the newspaper, eyeing over the stock movements from the past few days. Grimacing slightly, he gave a soft grunt of discontent, crumpling up the pages and tossing them across the room in the vague direction of the bin, bouncing off the wall and joining the pile of other papers on the floor. Once again, it seemed heâd backed the wrong horse - And although he hadnât actually began buying and moving stocks, it was disappointing to imagine how poorly he wouldâve done for the third week in a row. Slumping back in his seat, he placed his feet up on the counter, sipping his coffee for a moment before sticking out his leg to kick his partner sitting across from him.
âHey, you done on the report? Iâve got places to go Kass, ladies to see. Surely you can remember what happened without me.âKasmir looked up from his paperwork, a click of his tongue denoting that heâd heard Lyle.
âYou know, if you put half the attention into our work that you did with stocks, or women, weâd be a hell of a lot wealthierâŠâ Noting Kasmirâs comment, Lyle simply shrugged, and it said something about their relationship that Kasmir somehow knew he had.
Our latest mission was such a drag... Kasmir thought to himself. He wasnât fond of toppling supermodel empires. Even if the model in question had been delving into the carnality that landed her on Deathâs List. Lyle was a good partner, just a little out there when it came to certain things in life. He and Kasmir had come from almost entirely different worlds, the main thing making them compatible was their desire to be, well⊠successful. Weapons and Meisters could make good money, especially those in E.A.T. class, and Lyle and Kasmir were no exceptions. A majority of their living expenses came out of money their Quests garnered.
âSince neither of us are especially keen on actual day jobs, working for Lord Death is our best source of income. So if you donât mind starving this week, sure I can be done with the report. Otherwise? Iâd prefer it if we finished this thing properly so we can eke out whatever extra funding theyâre willing to throw at us.â It was a talk they had a lot, Lyleâs head was always in the clouds, lost in the riches heâd once known.
âBesides, you were a lot more involved in this mission than me, I need your point of view, or weâre going to miss out on a LOT of the reward for this one.â Kasmir buried his face in his hands, elbows on the table, as he lamented the progress he was making. The report was far from complete, and he asked Lyle yet again,
âOkayâŠ. So, letâs go over this, slowly⊠How did you get into her private penthouse? I literally turned around and you were gone.â Suffice it to say, Lyle had⊠a way with women.
Theyâd arrived at a five-star hotel, where the model was supposedly staying, but getting access to her room seemed to be too much. Kasmir was about to suggest sneaking up to the room from the outside, when Lyle suddenly disappeared.
With another blasé shrug Lyle sunk back towards his seat.
âI couldnât tell you really. Youâd have to ask the ladies what they see in me. Perhaps itâs the good looks, the sweet words or just my aura of charm.â Running a hand through his hair, the weapon looked over to a mirror to confirm he was as fabulous as he thought. He was.
âLike my father said, you see an opportunity, you seize it. I approached her as a fan, complimented her on her⊠âWorkâ, and asked if sheâd like to do business.â Looking out to the window, it seemed Lyle was fond of the scenery. Either that or imagining something else.
âAfter that, she suggested we take the discussion inside. We were going to do it over the table, but it was a bit messy, so she suggested we take it to the bedroom.â Leaning his head into his hand, Lyle looked up to Kass with a lazy eye.
âSo, does that fill you in what we got up to? Unlike you, I wasnât about to waste time.âSomehow, Iâm not surprised⊠Kasmir, relaxed in his chair, stretching out and throwing both hands behind his head in a show of giving up. He was a little tired, the report he was currently filing was about a Quest of almost twenty-four hours of continuous activity, and he wanted to get the report done before retiring for the day.
âTime is money, itâs wasted time if you arenât getting paid for it. Do you think Lord Death would pay us for time in the bedroom? Thereâs gotta be a way to spin it to make it sound like you were hard at work. WaitâŠâ Kasmir thought about it for a moment longer than he wouldâve liked to.
âGross.ââWhat are you thinking Kassy? We talked about my modelling work, experience. With looks this good she wanted to sign me on the spot.â Standing up from his seat, Lyle struck one of his signature poses, resting his arms back to lean on the couch while giving his head the slightest of cocks to show off the shape of his devilish face.
âI know, I know. I continue to amaze and astonish, donât admonish.â Standing back up straight, Lyle strode over to grab his jacket and pull it on.
âIf youâd rather skip the pleasantries, I was trying to get information out of her regarding her activities while buying time for you to make your way in. Keeping her... Distracted. After that, you turned up, shoved me into her, made her scream, and hightailed it out of there one soul richer.â Undoing the latch on the door, Lyle began to open it up.
âSo, now you know my side of things. You can finish the rest from there, right my man?â Not entirely waiting for a reply, Lyle went to close the door and head out, feeling his contribution was done.
âShe was barely human, Lyle. The girl was eating people. Itâs nothing like eating corrupt souls on Deathâs List⊠Some of her victims were kids...â Of course, Lyle was already heading out the door, probably ignoring Kasmirâs words. Not that Kasmir entirely minded, sometimes he just needed to talk, to vent, regardless of if his partner was listening. When theyâd been separated, Kasmir had seen the young actor who wouldâve been the modelâs latest victim. That girl was barely Lyleâs age, and had grown up in a normal world, one that wasnât rife with monsters and demon weapons. Had Lyle and him arrived only a few hours later, sheâd have been eaten. Maybe the last mission weighed on Kasmirâs soul a little heavily.
"Lord Death has requested these specific students to report to him to his room." There it was again, the too cheery voice of whoever theyâd hired to work the P.A.
"Kasmir Rainer, Lyle Daton, Cyrille Dior, Ash McDonnel, Cleo Galreyes and Socie Wilde." Kasmir dropped his pen, it clattered to the floor with a dull finality.
âWell, I think that does it then.â He exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose with a free hand, if it wasnât one thing, it was another. The Meister stood up, sending the chair he had been sitting on soaring into the wall with a forceful kick, where it broke into more than a few pieces.
âOf course! I literally canât even sleep! If Iâm not working a day-job, Iâm in class. If Iâm not in class, Iâm on call by freaking Death himself!â Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation, but Kasmir started to laugh, a little maniacally.
âOf course! Hahaha, of courseâŠ! Lyle⊠Letâs go. Theyâll have to be satisfied with a mostly complete report.â The burst of manic energy had left as soon as it had started, and he definitely was craving a cup of coffee.
Poking his head back through the door, Lyle kicked it open, leaning on the frame.
âWorry less, smile more Kass. Just play it cool, no one really cares so long as the jobâs done anyway.â Appraising his meister, Lyle looked on a little disdainfully.
âSeriously though, you look like a wreck. Maybe try slacking less and youâd get some sleep.â Waving his arm dismissively, Lyle turned to lead the way, heading off towards Deathâs office.
Kasmir followed Lyle, mumbling under his breath.
âHard to get sleep when Iâm the single parent of an eighteen year old halberd.â It was mostly a joke, though Kasmir did envy how carefree Lyle could be. He shoved his hands in his pockets, dallying slightly behind while Lyle led the way. Making their approach, Lyle caught the snippets of conversation, revealing that they were likely the last of the trio to arrive, overhearing a few odd words from Cleo.
â...Actually, she wasnât the monkey, she just accidentally killed it twenty or so timesâŠâ