Celebration of Life and Death

Chapter 3: Icy Glare of Death

“Kitsuneeeee! Darling, are you ready?”

Milo called, leaning against a wall in Kitsune’s place of work. It was just at the end of her shift, and they were about to head out to get dinner together. Kitsune walked over from the employees only area, taking her hair out of the ponytail she often wore at work. She smiled softly, looking over at the reaper. “Hey Milo. Yeah, I’m ready!” She responded, walking over to them.

“Honestly, I’m so glad you offered dinner. I’ve been needing some fun after today- I had a really long day.” She sighed, moving her hair out of her face as they exited the diner.

“Oh no- what happened, boo? Unruly customers? Boss being abhorrent? Horrible coworkers? Say the word, and I’ll help you take care of it.” Milo questioned.

“Well, you’re not far off from the first guess. I’ve been hit on at least three times today. Ugh, so uncomfy. The worst part is- they know they can get away with it if my boss isn’t present- he’s a chill guy, but he hates it when people harass his employees. It’s so frustrating!” Kitsune ranted.

Milo frowned a bit, narrowing their eyes. To Kitsune’s surprise, their eyes, the heart on their chest, and even their nails suddenly became a more orange hue. ‘Woah- didn’t know they could do that. Is that like- an emotion-based thing? That’s cool.’ She thought to herself.

The reaper sighed, patting her shoulder. “People are so shameless these days. I’m sorry to hear people have been harassing you, darling.” They stated. “If anyone tries to hit on you when I’m around, I’ll see to it that they immediately shut their mouths.” They said.

Kitsune smiled in response. “Thanks, Milo. You’re the best.” She remarked.

“No trouble at all, darling. What are friends for?” Milo responded. “Anyways, come on. Let's get out of here.” They stated.

—

Not much longer after that, Kitsune sat outside at a restaurant. Milo was picking up their order inside, because they decided to eat outside. It was more quiet, and Kitsune could do well with the fresh air. She sat at the small table, scrolling through Instagram. She quietly chuckled under her breath as she read a post Milo had just made. It read: “Currently picking up dinner with my bestie. Though the line’s taking a while, and good god- the noise.”

She quietly giggled. She knew she was in for quite the story, considering it was Milo that she was with. If the post was any indication, she was half expecting either for them to tell her about a child, or a couple’s argument. Apparently her giggling caught the attention of a man that she hadn’t noticed before, as he was sitting at a table that was a bit further away.

“Whatcha laughin’ about, beautiful?” He suddenly asked, prompting her to look up. He was a caucasian man with short, brown curly hair and mocha colored eyes. He was pretty average looking, if she was honest.His outfit consisted of a navy blue T-shirt, tan khakis, and black tennis shoes.

“Huh- oh, umm…” Kitsune paused, slightly taken aback. “Just something my friend posted. I’m waiting for them to come back, cuz we’re getting dinner together.” She said, putting her phone down. Mostly out of politeness more than anything.

“Oh..” The man mumbled. “Hey, since you’re busy tonight, why don’t you give me your number? Maybe we could get coffee sometime.” He offered, smiling a little.

“Um..” Kitsune glanced away. ‘Just my luck- I’m getting flirted with again. Milo, where are you?’ She thought. “N.. No thank you. I don’t know you very well, and chances are I’m just gonna hang out with my friend. If I’m not at work, I’m with them.” She stated. ‘And right now, I really wish they were here.’ She thought.

“Oh don’t be like that.” The man said, placing a hand on her shoulder- sending chills down her spine. “It’s just coffee. Besides, you’re really cute. I’d love to get to know you more.” He said, before lightly grabbing her halo. “Huh.. No strings or anything. That’s trippy.” He said, trying to pull it to the side, Kitsune hissing a bit.

“Ow, ow! Hey, careful, that kinda hurts!” She fussed.

“Oh, I’m sure it can’t be that bad-”

“And what is going on here?”

Milo’s voice suddenly spoke up, gaining their attention. Their eyes were narrowed, just as they were earlier. And again, their eyes, heart, and nails were the orange color from before. They set the trays of food on the table, standing across from them. “I’m sorry for the scare, but I couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable my friend looks.” They said.

Kitsune sighed in relief, standing up. She was going to walk back over to Milo’s side, but the guy she was talking to gripped onto her shoulder- a bit tightly. “Ow- hey!” She hissed.

“Hey, hey, easy! I’m not doing anything wrong. Just tryna socialize with a cute girl. We’re just fine!” The man stated.

“If you were fine, you would’ve let her walk over to me. Let. her. go.” Milo threatened, their eyes, heart, and nails now becoming a deep violet color. This seemed to scare the man off as he scurried off back to his table.

Milo sighed, turning their attention back to Kitsune. “Sorry about that, darling. Are you-” They were cut off as Kitsune suddenly leaped forward, giving them a hug. The sudden affection caught them off guard, but they hugged back nonetheless.

“Thanks, Milo. I was starting to get really uncomfy, and I was starting to panic when he grabbed my halo.” She said, nuzzling into their chest.

“It’s no trouble at all, darling. I hated seeing you so stressed- and I could tell he was hurting you.” Milo responded, rubbing her back. “I’m very sorry for taking so long.”

“It’s alright! I’m fine now.” Kitsune chirped, sitting down. “Anyways, something tells me you have quite the story to tell.” She said.

“Oh my GOD, you have no idea!” Milo responded, plopping down into a seat. As they started to dig into their respective meals, Milo began recounting their experience from within the store. Something about a child running amok, causing a ruckus. Kitsune smiled as they told the story, finding this much more amusing than her experiences from the day.

Hanging out with her best friend always made everything much better it seemed.