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How to Care for Your Human [Degu x Kekse]

"Some documentary about viking swords," Shade replied, his voice nonchalant. His eyes never left the television; he was too distracted listening to the narrator explaining what humans these days thought humans back then were up to. "Do humans these days really believe their ancestors were less intelligent than they are? This guy is going on and on about how the Ulfberht swords are such a mysterious anomaly because of the quality of the steel. It's called import, sir. The Asians were making crucible steel and the Vikings bought it. Humanity really hasn't changed that much."

The reaper finally looked up, seemingly unfazed by the talking blanket burrito. "I do not drink the addictive brown liquid, but I did purchase some. It's in the cupboard above the refrigerator. I would assume Howl drinks it though, since he's technically just a tainted human." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the kitchen, assuming she would be able to make her own coffee with the instant grounds he had purchased. She certainly didn't want him to attempt to make it... At least, he doubted she would since humans seemed to be quite particular about their bean water.

"He doesn't come over all that often, no. At least not recently. He's a family man, after all. The missus doesn't take well to him disappearing every evening like he did when he was younger. Doesn't like being stuck at home alone with the littles and I cannot say I blame her." Shade grimaced at the thought, picturing his own attempts to watch four young humans. The only upside to the debacle was that Mona never asked him to babysit again. "He usually spends the full moon here, though. No idea how he's managed to keep his curse from her for all these years, but here we are."
 
"Sounds like a lovely relationship, having children and not even telling the woman you knocked up you're a damn wolf. Sounds like a great guy." Now she just disliked the wolf even more, grumbling to herself as she shuffled through the kitchen and towards the aforementioned cupboard. A dusty mug was pulled down and blown off before she felt around for the purchased coffee ground, pulling down the container and staring at it. Instant coffee, that would work, she just needed something low effort that would wake her up and that was perfect.

Water was heated up until it was nearly scalding before she added in the grounds, finding a spoon and mixing up the concoction. It was strong, and bitter without any added sugar or cream, but that was probably better to drink it that way. Small hands wrapped around the steaming mug as she went back into the living room, glancing at the reaper on the couch before she took a seat on the floor several feet away still wrapped in the blanket.

"You don't sleep, or anything? I just have to see you all the time whenever I'm awake?" That was going to be interesting. An owner who didn't eat, sleep, or drink. He just.. Existed. Honestly, what did reapers do with their lives when they weren't working, did they have any fun at all? "And hope neither of us kill each other in the first few days?" If he grew too annoyed with her she would likely be given back to Howl, and that wasn't something she wanted to happen. "Or are you just going to end up reaping my soul anyway?"
 
"As if she'd believe him anyway. He'd just end up with his butt in the asylum." Shade actually chuckled at the thought, wondering how the first full moon would go if his buddy really did get committed to the loony bin. It would be funny for approximately one cycle, he supposed. "You can't tell me that you don't have any secrets of your own. There's not a human alive or dead who doesn't. I bring them to the other side and see them settling up, after all. I would know."

When she joined him in the living room, Shade eyed Eve curiously. She seemed to be a bit more relaxed, finally. At the very least she wasn't pressing herself against the wall like a threatened cat anymore. For some reason that pleased him, though he didn't really know why he even cared in the first place. The program he had been watching ended and the reaper picked up the remote, unsure if he wanted to watch the alien special which was coming up next. "It never ceases to amaze me how many things you humans believe in that aren't real, and don't believe in that ARE real." He chuckled and motioned to the television where a crazy- haired man waved his hands emphatically. "And then there are things that some of you believe in, but believe completely incorrect things about. It's all quite a mess."

He tilted his head at her and rolled his eyes. "I definitely do not require any of those things your mortal body demands. So yes, if you are awake I will be awake. But I suppose if you loathe my presence that much you're welcome to spend the twelve hours that I'm home in your room." Shade shrugged and shifted the couch pillow beneath him to be a little more comfortable. "As for reaping, I cannot do that just for fun. It has to be your time... But every situation and choice you or others around you make can change that timer above your head." He gestured to hers, which still showed many years. "You have plenty of time left. I'm not going to risk my existence by reaping a mortal when it's not their time."
 
"Its not my room, it's a room." Eve shot him a dirty look and then gestured to the mattress on the floor. "You put the bed out here anyway." She could probably drag it into the other bedroom later, but it still felt strange to think that she had anything of her own, let alone a bedroom. "It has nothing to do with loathing and everything to do with not trusting you." She scoffed softly, eyes fixed on the television even as she spoke.

"I'm in your home wearing a collar that shocks me if you use a remote. I'm chipped like nothing more than a common pet, and I'm not going to spend a single day in my life truly free. If you think that a bed and some food is supposed to make me trust you, you're dumber than a bag of rocks when it comes to the 'mortals' that you reap." With a shake of her head she got up and set the mug down carefully on a small table, wandering back into the kitchen in search of food. He really had gotten everything, hadn't he? It was a good thing she'd had to cook for herself before everything or she would have been clueless, although at that current moment there was no energy left for cooking.

"This will work." Bread was easy, bread was filling. Eve didn't bother to do anything more than take two pieces out of the bag before closing it again, shuffling back out to the living room as a living burrito nibbling on dry bread. It lacked any kind of pleasant taste to it but would fill her hungry belly well enough, eyes flickering back to the television as she retook her spot on the floor. "Don't suppose if I asked nicely you'd just take the collar off and let me go?" The sarcasm in her voice was painfully obvious as she finished a piece of bread and picked up the coffee again, staring down into the dark liquid before scoffing. "I'm being an asshole, clearly."
 
Shade shrugged and continued flipping through the channels. "If you don't want the room, that's fine. I can give it back to Howl. Trust me or not, here we are. I'll put the bed in the bedroom when you're done sleeping in it. It will take like two minutes." His eyes flicked from the TV to the human, to her bed, and to the bedroom door. "I mean, I can leave it there in the corner if you'd rather. Doesn't make any difference to me." He clicked a few more channels and nothing seemed interesting, so he sighed and put down the remote.

"I honestly am not doing a single one of these things trying to convince you to trust me. Yes, you're collared and chipped. Yes, you're my pet now, and I'll do my best to keep you comfortable out of respect for my friend. But you can choose to be miserable and afraid if you wish. No skin off my nose." He watched as she set down her mug of coffee and wandered into the kitchen to find something to eat. Her constant griping was starting to get on his nerves, and for a moment he considered shutting himself in his study for the rest of the day.

Yet he stayed on the couch, eyes on her back. It didn't take too long for her to return with her bread sandwich and return to the floor, despite the fact that there was plenty of space for her on the couch. "You're correct. I'm not going to just toss Howl's brand of kindness out the window by kicking you out of the house. Besides, we're so far into the north side of the border that you wouldn't make it to the human side in the south before someone less scrupulous than I came across you. It's not a threat, but a warning." He growled and tossed the remote in her direction, standing and turning for his office. "Watch whatever you want. I'm going to go get some work done."

Shade closed the office door behind him and placed his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes and grumbling. A human. He had to get me a human. Why not a cerberus or hellhound? Or hell, a cat? But no, he had to pick a human who can argue with me. Argue and complain in a language I can understand... He sat down at the computer, unsure exactly what to do to keep himself entertained until 9pm. If Howl had truly thought the human would be a companion to the reaper, he thought wrong. All he had done was further sequester the already hermit-like supernatural being.
 
"I'm quite aware what would happen if someone else found me. I was in that place for a year, I know what happens to pets who run away," She paused, catching the remote with a minor flinch. "If they even make it back." A shrug. "A workaholic, apparently.." Not that it mattered to her, fingers gripping the remote tightly as she watched him retreat to his office. Clearly he was as cranky as she was, and while Eve couldn't fault him for being annoyed with her attitude, she also felt that she had a valid point to feel as she did. For as much as he could say that he was different, that he only intended to keep her alive and comfortable rather than abuse her, she had less than a full day of proof now. With a shake of her head she stood from the floor and curled into the corner of the couch, mug in one hand and the remote in the other.

"What is this shit?" It didn't seem that he had very many channels to choose from on the television, and the last thing she wanted to do was fall asleep to some boring show. There would be plenty of time to try and catch up on sleep when he went to work again in the night, when she was alone and could hopefully sleep with some semblance of peace. A hand touched the collar around her neck as she frowned, finishing her coffee and burrowing into the comforter as she settled on a child's cartoon. It was such a stark contrast to the other channels that she couldn't help but snicker a bit, the remote placed on the cushion beside her as she watched.

There was a periodic look towards the office as she listened to the random bouts of typing, unsure of what she was supposed to do. Watching television for the entire day seemed extremely boring, and after some time of staring at the mindless cartoon she finally took her cocooned form to the office and knocked on the door.

"Do you have books?"
 
The knock at the door managed to startle Shade, who had been mindlessly watching some sort of true crime documentary on BooTube. He looked up from the dripping blade on the screen and took a deep breath despite his lack of a need to actually breathe. I've been around humans too long. I'm starting to pick up their mannerisms...He strained his ears to hear what Eve was saying, and his eyebrows raised. Hadn't he told her about the library earlier? He was one hundred percent sure he had. But they had already come close enough to an argument today that he wasn't willing to start another one.

Instead, he stood and went to the door. He opened it as gently as he could, not wanting to startle her. "Books? Yes. I have an entire library full of them. All kinds of books." Shade slipped past Eve and into the hallway, walking to the door he had indicated earlier and opening it. "I've already read all of them, so feel free to read whatever you want." The room was surprisingly large, and every inch of all four walls was covered in shelves from floor to ceiling. Four more free-standing sets of bookshelves took up the center of the room, again starting on the floor and reaching to the ceiling. Each shelf had a ladder which slid along a track to allow access to the higher shelves and plaques labeling the genre and author names in the span.

He stood rather awkwardly just to the side of the doorway, gesturing for Eve to enter and explore. "The older books are on this wall by the door. Newer titles are on the other side of the room. I just request that you put them back exactly where you found them when you are finished, and for God's sake if you read any of these books here from the first century be careful! They are fragile and obviously not something I can run out and replace." These instructions were followed by a glare, his best attempt to ensure she followed directions.

"I've been collecting these from the time humanity began to write things down. My library contains more books than you can read in a lifetime, but if you do manage to run out of titles that catch your interest, I can always pick up more." The reaper turned and ran his fingers down the spine of a book, a soft smile crossing his face. The life of an immortal being wasn't always easy, but it had gotten easier when he discovered human storytelling. Perhaps his peaceful place could help Eve feel a little better about her own situation.
 
"Oh, right." Eve's face went bright red as she remembered that not only had he told her about the library, but she'd gone in briefly before. The lack of sleep was truly taking its toll on her and she stepped out of the way to let him out before following along. How could she have been so stupid? Her last trip into the room had simply been to slip in, grab something, and leave, and she hadn't taken the time to actually look at the room. Now that she did it was simply astonishing, and she couldn't help but to mentally compare it to a certain children's movie.

"Very.. Beauty and the Beast, huh?" It was beautiful, her eyes moving slowly around the room to take it all in. "I'm not an animal." She didn't so much as turn her head in his direction as she explored the room, fingers tentatively running along different books as she inspected them. "I have no reason to treat a book badly when it holds such beauty in its pages." A soft snort left her mouth as she shook her head, glancing back just in time to see the smile on his face. So the reaper could smile, could he?

"I may take you up on that, if you haven't kicked me out by the time I've read the ones I want to." It may have been one of the most civil comments she had made to him thus far, a book worked out from its place carefully as she opened it to read the synopsis. "And yes, if you could put the bed in the other room that would be nice." Her attention was quickly captivated by the book as she began to flip through pages on the spot, scanning it carefully before deciding that it would work well enough. If she ended up not liking it there were plenty more to choose from, and after a cautious glance his way she was slinking back out to the living room with the book in hand to get comfortable. All in all, things could have been worse.
 
"I suppose it is," Shade replied, a flicker of pleasure in his eyes. The comparison may have been right on the nose..."I may have modeled it after the film." He sat in the window seat on the north wall and smiled as he watched her interact with his massive collection. "There are plenty of humans who have zero respect for books. Many of us still mourn for the Library of Alexandria. And yet humans call us monsters." His voice was soft and sad as his eyes swept over the collection. "This paltry gathering of books is nothing compared to the vast halls and shelves of that amazing structure. One of my few regrets is how little time I spent there."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little when she mentioned being kicked out. "I know you still don't believe me, but I have no intention to kick you out or injure you. I'll go take care of that bed right now." The reaper turned and disappeared through the doorway while Eve finished picking out her book, the smile returning to his face. Perhaps they might be able to find some common ground after all, if she could appreciate literature as well. The song "Breakfast at Tiffany's" popped into his head and he hummed it under his breath while he walked up to the mattress and sized it up. Why he had opened it in the living room instead of in the bedroom was beyond him, but he supposed his mind was just scattered from the oddity that his life had turned into.

Thankfully, pulling the bed into the bedroom wasn't nearly as hard as it first appeared to be. Shade dragged it over to the doorway and attempted to fold it in half and pull it through. When that didn't work, he tipped it up on its side and slid it into the room. The blanket and sheet fell off and the reaper grumbled, dropping the mattress in the corner and returning to the door to fetch the bedding. Once it was assembled to his liking he returned to the living room and flopped down on the couch. He offered Eve a smile and picked up the remote to again flip through the channels.
 
He could reassure her all he wanted, but until she'd been there for more than a day, Eve had no intention of believing him. There had been so many that had claimed to be kind, had claimed they simply wanted to help her so that she would go to a good owner. Every time had been a lie and had left her wary of anything non human, and he was no different. In the end, she was still collared, she was still property until the day that she died, however long that may be. Considering he'd assured her she still had quite some time left in her life, that was going to be an indefinite bout of captivity, even if it was captivity that came with a bed and proper meals.

When he joined her on the couch not long after she'd taken a seat she jumped, squishing herself into the corner with the book and trying to force her attention to it. It was a failed attempt much as she had known it would be, her eyes flickering from the page over to the reaper sitting not far from her. Why had he smiled at her like that? Her expression was one of suspicion as she carefully closed the book, leaning forward to place it on the table before retreating to her corner of the couch.

"Am I just supposed to live here the rest of my life with a collar around my neck?" The big question, and she wanted to get it out of the way. "If you're not going to ever take it off of me, can you at least find a way I can slip something under it?" Her hand raised slowly, tracing the band before she attempted to get a finger under it. Nothing more than just the tip of her finger could wedge under it and she frowned, dropping her hand back to her lap and looking at the television with a conflicted expression. "It's just metal on skin, and it hurts."
 
Shade glanced over as Eve fiddled with the collar on his neck. He frowned and examined the contraption, wondering if there were a way to make it more comfortable without making it ineffective. The human was definitely still too wild to run around without some sort of backup measure, but he definitely didn't like the idea of the shock collar much more than she did. His eyes flicked between her eyes and the metal, strangely empty. At least, it would be strange if he were human...it may have just been normal for a reaper to have soulless eyes. He stared at her in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment before shrugging. "That's up to you, honestly. You aren't the only one who has very little reason to bestow trust, you know."

Another moment of silence passed while the reaper considered. "However, I don't see why we couldn't pad the inside a bit. At least until I'm satisfied that you aren't going to do anything too rash without it." He sighed and turned back to the television, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "I will stop by the craft store tomorrow and see if I can't find something that might work. Though human stores are going to be stupidly busy tomorrow...the ones that are open, anyway. Christmas Eve and all that nonsense." Shade tilted his head back and sighed, closing his eyes and placing his hands over his face. "One of the busiest nights of the year for my kind, believe it or not."

He didn't bother to explain the reasoning behind his statement, figuring that she was a human. She should be able to figure it out herself. After flicking through the channels for a few moments he grew bored again and turned off the device, the slight static sound it produced slowly fading away and leaving the pair in true silence. The reaper stood and returned to the library, returning with a book. He settled into the corner of the couch and cracked the cover, taking in the scent of old book. His eyes closed and face turned up in a satisfied smile of enjoyment for a moment.
 
He had a point, even if she didn't like it. She hadn't been very civil when first arriving, and even if she had every right to be frightened and angry, he wouldn't see it the same way. He wasn't a human, had never been enslaved as she had. The man reaped souls for a living, what would he understand about such a thing? Eve found herself frowning even as he agreed they could search for a way to pad it, although her expression darkened slightly at the mention of the holiday. Of course she had known it was coming up, but the reminder that she was spending it as a pet was none too pleasing.

"Because humans miss other humans that are dead. People handle loss poorly." She understood some of what he was getting at but made no further comment than her initial one, watching him quickly become bored with the television before he was off to the library again. Such a strange creature. Calm, invested in reading, and not quite what she had expected from a literal reaper. Then again, what had she expected?

"I can smell that from here." Her nose twitched at the smell, although there was a certain amount of interest there before she forced her attention back to her own book. "Can nearly smell the damn ink with how old that thing is." He'd clarified already there were several old books within his collection, but being told that and actually smelling or seeing it was different. "What's the book about?"
 
Shade looked up, those dark eyes focusing on his pet. "Oh, this? It's a twelfth century tale of knights and conquest. A staple of your species, it seems. Táin Bó Cúailnge, it's called. The Old Irish version. So much bother about magically fertile bulls...I don't know how much you care to hear about the plot." He ran his fingers down the calfskin and gold leaf cover before turning another yellowed vellum page. "I've read it a few times, but I can never really understand how so much drama can come about by a woman trying to borrow a cow to get even with her husband."

He actually chuckled, a real chuckle with real amusement. "I'm sure you think I'm a nerd already, reading the same ancient epic over and over. Most of your people can't even read Old Irish anymore...even those who live in Ireland. But I've learned hundreds of human languages over the ages to expand the pool of books that I can enjoy. Perhaps if you wished I could teach you a few. Languages, I mean. Once you've learned one or two it gets easier."

The offer lingered in the air for a moment until the silence was broken by an alarm going off in the study. Shade sighed and rose, leaving the book on the table. "Time to get ready for work. I have many more jobs tonight than I did last night, so I will probably leave directly after getting my paperwork lined up. Was there anything else I needed to pick up at the store? I'm sure I missed a few things...since I'm not a human, after all."
 
"That seems silly. A cow, to get even?" Eve snorted softly before her cheeks turned a bit pink, and she averted her eyes for a moment before looking back at the sound of his laugh. "I don't think I'm smart enough to learn languages. They didn't take me for my brain, after all." She scoffed, choosing the sound to cover up the slight interest that his offer had formed in her. The thought of learning another language was appealing in its own way, but seemed impossible for her brain to comprehend.

Jumping at the sound of the alarm she gripped the book she was holding tightly, eyes wide as she realized what it was. Did she need anything else? The question surprised her and she blanked out for a long moment, simply staring at him as she tried to think. Just the fact that she had been given the luxuries she had was surprising enough, so to be put on the spot like that made her anxiety skyrocket for a moment.

"Uh.. Just something for the collar, I guess. I don't know. I didn't think I would be allowed things." Turning her attention back to the book she'd selected to read she muttered under her breath, thoroughly embarrassed with her inability to hold a proper conversation. "Maybe some pencil and paper if you don't have some here. I could sketch or something to keep my sanity, I guess."
 
Shade nodded and dipped into his office to prepare the paperwork. Despite the large number of souls he was to collect that night, none of the situations were too complex and he finished quicker than he expected. Gunshots, sleeping pills, a couple of murders in the main city...pretty cut and dried. None of the waiting around to see if the counter would actually hit zero nonsense. Those are the worst, the ones where he is dispatched for a soul and at the last moment, someone makes a decision that changes the person's counter. Such a pain!

When the last page finished printing, the reaper gathered up the stack and placed them in his black folder. He gave them a cursory glance to ensure that they were in the correct order and exited the office. "Padding, paper, pencil," Shade repeated to Eve while grabbing his hat and cloak from the closet. As an afterthought, he chuckled to himself and pulled out a Santa hat to replace his usual black bowler. "Christmas eve, you know." He winked at Eve and threw the cloak around his shoulders, vanishing through the door with a small tinkling sound coming from the bell tied to the end of the Santa cap.

The entire time Shade was out on the job, he couldn't help but find himself as distracted as he had been the night before. It was a slightly more pleasant distraction, at least; he was no longer too worried that the human would go about destroying his belongings. Surely someone who appreciated books as much as he did wouldn't be so savage as all that. And yet his mind lingered on her. She is just a curiosity, that's all. Soon you will grow accustomed to her presence and everything will go back to the way it was. Albeit a bit more expensive and less quiet than it was, but close enough.

Eventually the reaper handed off the final soul and tucked the signed sheet back into the folder. "That's the night for me, Mark. Merry Christmas to ya." Shade tipped his red-clad head with a laugh at the ferryman, who chuckled and nodded as well. "See you tomorrow. Busiest night of the year and all that." Mark pulled a face and groaned, insisting that the reaper not remind him. Shade snickered and returned to the mortal realm to stash his cloak and hat in the back of the car before driving into the city. For his drive he flipped from radio station to radio station, finally settling on one which alternated between some sort of alternative rock and rock-style Christmas songs.

The city was absolutely packed. Humanity hadn't gotten any better at thinking ahead this year than any other year, as evidenced by the eyes of the people who dashed from store to store with panic in their eyes. Shade sighed and steeled himself as he stood in front of the craft store, nearly being knocked over by an older woman who simply had to have another skein of yarn RIGHT NOW. He growled and forced himself to enter the hectic hive, unsure exactly what he was even looking for. For a moment he considered asking the clerk for suggestions on padding the collar...before smacking his forehead with his palm. You idiot, do you really want to break the Treatise and expose the human pet trade? Moron.

After far, far longer than he ever wanted to be in this insane mess of a place, Shade approached the counter with a yard of fabric, a bag of batting, two different sized notepads, and an assortment of pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils, crayons, paints, and paintbrushes. He didn't really know what type of medium Eve preferred, so he figured he might as well cover most of the bases. As an afterthought, he threw in a roll of wrapping paper and some tape. They were right next to the register anyway (no doubt a plot to convince more humans to purchase the brightly colored nonsense) and he figured Eve might like at least some semblance of normalcy on such an important human holiday.

He again grumbled at the total, handed over his card with a mumbled something about extortion, and headed back to the car to pile the bags in the back seat. There was no real way to know if Eve would be awake when he returned and despite being a reaper, he was not convinced that he could get all the purchases into the house without her seeing them, so he decided to wrap them before he left for home.

The problem? He had not purchased any scissors to cut the paper. Cursing to himself, Shade glanced around his car in search of anything he could use instead. When his eyes fell on the scythe, he sighed. It was absolutely stupid and if any of his colleagues found out he would be mocked for all eternity, but the sharp blade would definitely do the trick. The reaper spent the next half hour meticulously cutting squares of brightly colored wrapping paper and (poorly) wrapping the art supplies. Truly they looked like a five year old had wrapped them, but as Shade examined his handiwork he couldn't help but be pleased with himself. "There. Presents. Damn fine job, Shade." He carefully loaded the wrapped gifts into the plastic bags and headed for home, somehow feeling excited and weary.

With his left arm lined with bags and the bag of batting under his right, Shade slammed the door open as he always did. "One trip," he boomed, kicking the door shut with his foot behind him and dropping the bags on the couch. A couple of the wrapped gifts spilled out onto the cushion because he had filled the bag too much, but he made no move to stuff them back inside.
 
"Yes, don't remind me it's almost the holiday." This wasn't how she had been expecting to spend it; but all in all it could have been worse. At least she had a roof over her head, an actual, comfortable bed, and even modest clothing that didn't leave her feeling like a whore. Eve was still shaking her head even as the reaper walked away from his home, the faint sound of the bell on his hat making her laugh as she returned to reading. The last thing she had been expecting to see on the head of someone who reaped souls was a damn Santa hat.

Now what was she supposed to do for the entire time he was gone, though? For as much as the human enjoyed reading, sitting on the couch doing so the entire night sounded dull, and she was far too antsy to sit still for that long. Food sounded better and better the longer that she sat there trying to read, finding herself distracted by the sounds coming from her stomach.

"Alright, alright." Clearly the hunger wasn't going to go away, and with an irritated sigh she set the book down carefully and got up. Shade had definitely gotten an.. Interesting variety of foods, clearly showing that he wasn't used to feeding anyone since he wasn't required to eat. At least he'd made certain to get coffee, and that in itself was a relief. Bread, meats, some fresh fruits and vegetables; all in all it was a good haul and she had several options for meals. When was the last time she'd had anything both filling and delicious? Even burgers sounded absurdly good, and by the time that Eve managed to find a pan and some basic utensils, she was nearly salivating at the thought.

Before long the smell of meat cooking was in the air and she hummed happily, pushing around the burger as she prepared some of the sides to go with it. It was almost agony waiting for it to finishing cooking, but was well worth the wait by the time she was actually taking her first bite. It was the sound that left her mouth that made her grateful the reaper wasn't there, a content moan as she savored the delicious taste of the burger and eagerly wolfed through her meal before washing off the dishes.

Now all she had to do was kill a little more time and then hopefully get some sleep. The television provided very little entertainment and was shut off before very long, the book good company for a short while before Eve decided that she was tired enough to actually sleep. A pair of shorts and a shirt seemed a good enough outfit for going to bed, especially considering how warm the blanket he'd gotten her was. It was almost unbelievable how quickly she warmed up after getting into the bed, snuggled under the covers as she closed her eyes and drifted off.

"Huh? What?" She tumbled out of bed sometime in the morning, jolting to her feet and staggering out into the living room. "What's wrong? What's going on?" Barely coherent as she rubbed at her eyes, Eve caught sight of Shade and groaned. "You're very loud, you know." She glanced toward the couch and yawned. "What's all this?"
 
"The whole point is you don't know yet." The reaper gestured to the bag of presents and turned toward his office to file the paperwork. "Isn't that the whole reason that humans buy each other things and wrap them in paper and put them in plain sight? To just not know? Figured you might wish to participate, so." He shrugged and disappeared into the office. Once the door had closed, he dropped wearily into his desk chair and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. What a long night it had been...now all that remained was to make sure that all the forms were signed and put away. He started going through the motions of the tasks he had completed innumerable times. Tasks so familiar that his mind didn't even need to waste processing power and could instead dwell on the pet in the other room. Was he spending too much time away from her?

And why did he care if he was? Shade sighed, placed the final sheet of paper in the cabinet, and closed the door. I almost wish I could sleep like humans, just to not have to think for a while. Thanks Howl for making my life far more complicated (not to mention expensive) than it needs to be...he growled and spun around in the chair to face the main area of his office. It was a modest sized room with the desk and computer taking up most of the wall to the left of the door. The wall across from the door held yet another bookshelf loaded with books and small figures of various anime characters. An armchair took up the far corner and another television stood on the wall to the right of the door. It was covered in dust and Shade couldn't remember the last time he actually used it...just like everything else on that side of the room.

The more he thought about it, the more Shade realized that the majority of his home was as unused as this room. It was big, empty, dusty...and lonely. Half the rooms hadn't been disturbed in literal years. Perhaps he really did need a change of pace to get him out of this rut. His red-flecked eyes lifted to the door separating himself from Eve. Was that what Howl was really trying to tell him? It was worth a try. How would he start? Well, by attempting to form some sort of bond with this human, he supposed.

And that started by not hiding in his dusty old office. Shade returned to the living room, going directly to the pile of gifts on the couch. He picked them up and piled them on the table before looking to Eve. "I know I should know more about Christmas, but I never really had any reason to. It has always just been the busiest night of the year for us reapers. At least...since it came into existence, I mean. Do you have any traditions that might make you a little more comfortable here? I know there's something about putting gifts under a tree...we could go get one, if you want?"

Shade felt his navel area tense in an attack of nerves, though he wasn't entirely sure why he was anxious about this situation. Probably because she was going to turn him down vehemently...Almost just to comfort himself and soften the blow he was sure would come, the reaper continued with, "Or we could just stay home and work on the padding for that collar. It's up to you, really. Whatever you want to do."
 
"Wait, you got me--" He was out of the room before she could finish her question, and Eve stared at his retreating back in shock. "..Presents?" He'd gotten her presents, why? She had requested some items for drawing, and for something to pad the collar, but he'd gotten her things and wrapped them up like a normal human would? It was the last thing she would have expected from a non human, let alone from someone who reaped souls for a living. She stared at the presents in stunned silence, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. Was she supposed to.. Open them, or leave them for later? He hadn't specified before going straight into his office, and she stood there with an uncertain expression on her face. This was.. Awkward, at best.

When he finally returned she was still standing by the couch, still staring at the wrapped gifts and stepping out of his way. When he spoke her head tilted slowly, her confusion obvious as she struggled to form words. The entire thing made no sense, why he would go out of his way to make her feel comfortable in any way past what was necessary to live pain free. A tree, he was talking about a tree?

"Uh.. We don't.." She paused, fidgeting with her shirt anxiously. "We don't have to get a tree. It's not like I got you anything. I wasn't expecting you to get me anything just because of what day it was." Her cheeks turned pink as the embarrassment flooded her, feet scuffing along the floor before she peered up at him. "I mean we can if you want to." Although the thought of going around what would likely be several other non humans was a bit terrifying. "But I would like something to go under the collar first, if you don't mind. It rubs pretty bad whenever I shower and the metal gets wet. I mean I can dry it, but," She shrugged helplessly. "Still hurts a bit. I guess I'll just make sure not to get it too wet once the padding was on." What kind of padding had he gotten, anyway?

"You really didn't have to," Eve motioned to the wrapped items. "But.. Uh, thank you. For not being an asshole." Even if she'd acted like one to him. Even though she had every right to be apprehensive and unruly, so far he'd only gone out of his way to get her things she would need to live comfortable. "So. Yeah. We can do whatever you want."
 
He brightened at her favorable response. "I got some fabric and some of the fluffy stuff you humans put in blankets. I figured we'd could make a thin pillow of sorts to just slide under the collar. You could take it off for showering and whatnot." Shade dug through the remaining bag and pulled out the fabric, some thread, and a sewing needle. "Now don't make fun of me for what comes next... And I told you when you got here that just because I'm a reaper doesn't make me an asshole. You simply didn't believe me."

Shade entered one of the doors that had remained shut for many years, waving away the cobwebs which stood on the other side. It turned out to be a sewing room complete with a regular sewing machine and surger, bolt after bolt of black fabric, scissors, thread, and just about anything else you could imagine. "I got tired of never finding a cloak I liked and learned to make my own, okay? It's not a big deal." He placed the much brighter colored fabric on the table and picked up a cloth measuring tape. "I need to measure your neck so this will fit properly. Do not be alarmed."

With the tape in hand he stepped closer to Eve and wrapped it around her neck, noting the measurement by placing the tip of his finger on it and releasing the other end. Before too long he had sliced two long strips from the fabric and a piece of batting the same measurement, laying the right sides of the fabric together with the batting on top. He quickly stitched three of the sides together to form a tube, turned it right side out with a long stick, and folded the raw edge of the fabric in before stitching it closed.

"Now it just needs a fastener. Buttons are too unreliable and would get caught on the collar... Lacing might work, but it's likely to come untied all the time." As he spoke, the reaper dug through a large cabinet with many small drawers. "Aha! Snaps it is. I'm going to put this around your neck to get a precise measurement of where the snaps need to go, but to do that more accurately I'm going to need to remove the collar for a few minutes. Can you promise you'll behave while it's off? Think of it as a trial run of only having to wear it outside."
 
"To be fair, I had no reason to believe you. I don't think anyone would believe someone that owns them." She shrugged, even though she still had somewhat of an embarrassed expression. "Human nature, I guess." After all, she still had a collar around her neck, even if he was treating her far better than she would have imagined an owner would their.. Pet. A word that made her cringe even as she followed after him, covering her nose as he swept the cobwebs out of the way. What she saw inside was the absolute last thing she expected to find in his home, eyes widening as she stared at the room in shock. A sewing room?

"You actually.." She paused, trying to contain the laughter that threatened to bubble up. "Wear a cloak?" So that part was true, apparently, and she tried to imagine the man before her wearing a cloak and toting around a scythe. "what are you--" She stiffened up when he approached with the tape, hands clenching into fists at her sides as she took a deep breath to steady herself. He was just measuring, that was all, and she watched with interest as he cut up the fabric and began to stitch it all together. How very strange.

"You're going to.. What?" Her hand raised to her neck, touching the collar as she gave him an apprehensive look. "You're going to take it off and then make me put it back on?" Of course that would make sense to get the padding set properly, but the thought of finally being free of it, only to be forced back into it made a ball of anxiety form in her gut. "Um. I don't really have a choice," Her hand fell away as her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Yeah. Fine. I won't attack you or try to run out the door when you take it off. Not like I could get anywhere, anyway."
 
"Of course I wear a cloak!" Shade huffed, finding himself far more offended by her questioning than he really had much right to be. He placed the strip of padding on the table and fished around in his pocket for the key to the collar, only to find that he must have left it in the box in the office. "Ugh...I don't feel like wandering across the house to get the key. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." The reaper picked the strip back up and placed it gently around Eve's neck, laying it around the top edge of the collar. His fingers lightly brushed her skin as he did so and he was surprised at the warmth. He never actually touched the humans whose souls he came to reap; it was not his place to interfere.

He pulled his attention back to the task at hand, overlapping the ends of the padding to ensure his measurements had been good. "Yes, I think this will do. Is it too tight?" Shade brushed his hair away from his eyes and loosened it just a hint before nodding and going back to the table. "Don't be too alarmed. I'm going to do a little hammering." His face lit up and he produced a hammer and a small tool for applying the snaps. In the bottom ridge of the tool he placed the bottom piece with the prongs facing up, placed the edge of the fabric next, then the top of the snap in the top ridge of the tool. Once he pressed the top and bottom sections of the tool together enough to push the prongs through the fabric, Shade pulled out the hammer and gave the tool a couple of taps. When the tool released the snap remained in place and the reaper grinned. "Perfect!"

The other bottom snap and two top snaps were installed in the same manner, and when finished Shade snapped and unsnapped them a few times before nodding in approval. "There we go. So just put this around your neck, snap it closed, and slide it under the collar. Let me know if it needs any adjustments." He handed her the fabric ring and stepped away, giving her plenty of space to manipulate it at her own pace. "If you have trouble keeping it in place, I can probably sew some straps to it that wrap around the outside of the collar and either velcro or tie."
 
Well, that was disappointing. She wasn't even going to be given a moment without the collar on, and the disappointment on her face was clear as she simply nodded. Tired eyes followed his movements as he approached and tested out the strip, her chin tilting upward to give him better access and assure that it would come out properly measured. A small noise of surprise left her mouth when his fingers brushed over her skin, her breath catching for a moment before she exhaled and shook her head.

"It's fine." She barely nodded when he mentioned the hammered, not even bothering to focus much on the task he was doing as she simply sighed. She had been so close to having a brief moment of freedom from the collar, and it had been taken away simply by the fact that the key wasn't close enough for him to grab. "That's fine." He seemed rather excited by the task he was set to and she nearly laughed, standing idly by and looking around the room as he finished up with a proud smile.

"I'm sure it's fine." She took it carefully in hand, placing it around her neck and snapping it into place. It was soft, far softer than the metal of the actual collar, and after a moment of adjusting she was able to slide it under the collar. "It fits fine." It made it far more comfortable, even if it did mean having a second thing wrapped around her neck at any given time. "It's fine, thank you." Still upset that she was stuck in the collar without even a temporary break, Eve gave him a half assed smile before slipping from the room and into the kitchen. Coffee, she needed coffee for this.

Moving around the kitchen slowly, silently, Eve went about making a cup of the instant coffee. She couldn't be ungrateful when he'd gone out of his way to not only get her presents--she glanced towards the living room and then back to her coffee--But had taken the care to handmake something to make her collar more comfortable. Still, just the tease of having the collar off temporarily had dulled her mood significantly.
 
The change in Eve's mood wasn't lost on Shade. He sighed and cleaned up the mess he had made in the sewing room, ensuring that all the tools and supplies had been returned to their proper place before dropping to the chair next to the sewing machine. He had really screwed up, hadn't he? Perhaps he really should have taken the collar off...but something in his gut told him it wasn't time yet. Surely he would know when the right time came. He waited a few minutes, just listening to the sound of Eve making coffee in the other room. Should they still go out and look for a Christmas tree?

Yes. He'd already made one promise and broken it. It would not do to break another. When the clanging in the kitchen stopped and he'd given her a few minutes to consume whatever she had made, Shade pulled himself out of the chair and wandered into the other room. "Are you ready to go get a tree? Hopefully we can still find some stuff. It's pretty last-minute. But we'll give it a try." He pulled a regular jacket out of the closet, pulling the hem of his current cloak out at the same time to wave it at her for a moment with an "I told you so" look on his face.

It only took him a few moments to slip on his shoes and jacket and grab the keys from the bowl on the kitchen counter. "I really don't know what all you do for Christmas, so if there's anything other than a tree and baubles to go on it (or any specific baubles) that you see, let me know. Might as well go all-out if we're going to do it at all."
 
"We're actually getting a tree?" Eve had barely finished her coffee when he'd wandered into the room, and she took a moment to wash out the mug before setting it to the side. A dry rack, they clearly needed a dry rack and some more dishes, but the hand towel would do for now to dry the cup. "Okay, we can go." Leaving the kitchen and following after him, her lips twitched in a small smile at the sight of the cloak. "Alright, let me just get dressed." Leaving the room and going into the bedroom that had now been claimed as hers, she took a moment to get dressed in a pair of jeans and a thick sweater. It was surprising that the jeans fit well enough, although for a true fit she would clearly need to be present. Still, it was better than nothing, and when she came back out to put on her shoes she shrugged at him.

"Been on my own awhile. Didn't really get to do much." She definitely hadn't been expecting a tree, and after a moment she pulled on a coat and then glanced down at her shoes. "Can we.. Uh.. I know you got me a coat and clothes, which I really do appreciate," She zipped the coat up, stuffing her hands into her pockets nervously. "Can we get boots, at some point, if you're going to let me out of the house at all? If you're not then I guess it doesn't really matter, the shoes will be fine."
 
"Yes, we're actually getting a tree. Unless every tree in the city has been purchased, in which case I plead that it's not my fault." Shade shook the keys at Eve and unlocked the door, turning the handle and opening it before stepping out of the way to allow her to exit first. Once she stood on the doorstep he closed and locked the door behind them. "Boots? Yes, we can look for some while we are out. Boots, tree, superfluous baubles and shiny things. Got it." The car beeped when he pushed the unlock button and the reaper wandered over to open Eve's door, gesturing for her to get inside. He shivered a little and his breath hung heavy in the air, dissipating slowly as it drifted into the air.

Once she was settled he closed the door and entered the driver's side. The engine roared to life and off to town they went. It was a little awkward having someone else in the car, if Shade was willing to admit it. His hand went automatically to the stereo but paused, unsure if Eve would enjoy or make fun of him for his choice of music. Instead of finding out he pushed the radio button and allowed the sound of Christmas carols to fill the cab. The music settled into the gaps left by their lack of conversation and made the ride far more tolerable than otherwise sitting in silence.

"I think we'll get boots first. Then we can hopefully obtain a tree. I'm not dragging a dirty, sticky, needle-dropping pine into the living room, though. A nice fake tree is what we're after. Just so you know." He figured it would be best to temper her expectations now rather than have her deflate again when they ended up going to Walmart and picking up a boxed plastic-and-metal contraption.
 
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