Power of Death (Agathario)

Chapter Nine

Agatha woke up in her bed, this time not tangled in the sheets. She'd slept well, free of any dreams.

She got up and instead of finding her old dress she found a new one. It was similar to her old one, but made of better fabric. She slipped it on and smiled.

Rio had had to go collect more souls, and Agatha went to bed, thinking if she wasn't there to keep Rio up, Rio could catch up on some sleep. Even Death needed sleep.

Agatha left her room and peaked into Rio's, wondering if she'd left already. She hadn't, and Agatha took a second to stare at Rio, who was collapsed in her bed. Sleep gave her a peaceful look. She was still just as beautiful, even with her hair tangled and no serious expression on her face.

Agatha found the cupboard had been fully restocked with fresh fruits, bread, and vegetables. She grabbed a piece of bread and an orange and sat down to eat it. Still across the room was the metal stove Rio had brought in from the night before.

The pot that had held the soup still sat out, reminding Agatha it needed cleaning. Great. She would probably be bored anyway, since Rio only wanted her to kill witches every week, not every day. Something about not wanting to kill them off entirely.

So she'd be stuck in the cottage. And at her rate, she only had so many books to read before she knew everything witchcraft had to offer.

She was just starting to eat when Rio's door opened and she stepped out. Her hair was tangled and Agatha motioned for it to comb itself out. Rio jumped as her hair moved, but then calmed immediately.

"Thanks," Rio said. "I have to go."

Agatha tried to ignore the disappointment she felt at Rio's words. For some reason she'd expected something else. Maybe for Rio to offer to take Agatha with her?

Rio quickly gave Agatha a peck on the lips before leaving the cabin. Agatha pressed her lips together, taking a while to just stare at the closed door.

There was no rush.

...

It had been two days. Rio came and went, and, when she was there, Agatha didn't know what to do.

How was she supposed to show her affection? She'd never been in a relationship before and to be honest she didn't think she'd experienced real love before.

Perhaps that was why she didn't exactly feel sorry when her mother lay before her, dead.

That day, Agatha had finished reading all the books and cleaned all there was to clean by the time Rio finally returned in the evening. Agatha was sitting by the fire in the fireplace, reviewing some of the spells in the books when Rio walked in.

Agatha couldn't keep doing this, she just knew it. It had only been days, yet it already felt like an eternity. Every day seemed to be swallowed up by boredom and restlessness.

"How are you?" Rio asked, approaching Agatha and wrapping her arms around Agatha's shoulders from behind, now her daily custom.

Agatha took a moment to savor the movement, then braced herself for what she was going to say. It hurt, but what else could she do?

Agatha put down her book and sighed. "I can't do this."

"Sure you can. The spells—"

"I'm not talking about the spells," Agatha interrupted. "I'm talking about staying here while you go off to do your... job."

Agatha could feel Rio's muscles tense. "So what do you want?"

Agatha was still steeling herself for what she was about to say. She'd given it thought and prepared to say it, but it was harder now that she could feel Rio's body up against hers.