The Reaper that loves me

Chapter 16 - Reminiscent

*Him*

It had been a whole ten days since he come into contact with Elise. He was actually starting to get used to Maximillian, which in the beginning was really hard because Max would be really annoying but after a while they helped each other.

Today, they had finished Aydens parchment list so now they were working on Max's list. Each day, Ayden would 'borrow' one or two of Max's targets so that it wouldn't come to deaths attention too much, to what Ayden was doing, and so Max wouldn't get into trouble.

This time they were waiting in the parlour of a rich, old man who was on his deathbed. Ayden felt at ho E in the old guys house because he had wall to wall of books, a marble chess board and an old grammaphone. Ayden flocked through all the vinal discs the old man had stacked under the grammaphone and found a Beethoven one. Ayden put it on and closed his eyes. Symphony no five began to play. Ayden began to emphasize the movements of a conductor along with each thrum of the instruments.

"You know Max, I saw Beethoven once. He came to play in my father's parlour." Max scoffed as he plonked himself down on the plush cushioned chairs at the chess table. He picked up a pawn and began to toss it up and down in the air. "Ayden that would mean your a century older then me."

Now it was Aydens turn to scoff. "Well, you should respect your elders then." The symphony began to wind down, and Ayden bowed as a conductor does at the end of a performance and max began to laugh.

Ayden was halted in his steps as ironically the song Für Elise began to play. He began to laugh and Max gave him a sideways look. "Ok your performance wasn't that funny. So share with the class...what are you laughing at?" Ayden closed his eyes and sighed before he walked towards Max and flopped down opposite max at the chess table. "The song that's playing now....is called Für Elise...." He also picked up a pawn and stared down at Max daring him to say something sarcastic.

Max smiled maniacally instead, stopping his antics with the pawn and placing it back in its space on the chess board. "Want to play a round? You can tell me a bit about the little lady...." Ayden sighed. He knew this was coming as the song finished and another symphony began to play. Ayden spun the board around so that white was on his side. "you'll regret challenging me. Chess was a favourite hobby of mine. Oh and white always goes first." He picked up the pawn that was Infront of his left side bishop and jumped it two spaces forward. He gestured for Max to play his turn.

Max picked up the pawn that was in front of his queen. "So tell me brother...what makes the little lady so special to you?" He placed his pawn also two spaces in front. Ayden the moves his bishop diagonally four spaces he taps it thoughtfully as he speaks. "Elise....she is like...a ray of sunshine. She's always so... positive." He let go of the piece and awaited Max's turn. Max picked up his pawn that was in front of his king and moved it forward two spaces. "She sounds lovely. Does your heart do flip flops when you see her?" He smiled as he leant forwards looking Ayden in the eyes.

Ayden flinched and because of this reaction, Max began to sing 'when a man loves a women'. Ayden threw a lawn at Max's head and stood up in a huff.

"Shut it Max!" Max starts to cackle maniacally. "What? Your in love brother...don't deny it...oh he he....don't make me sing an Elvis song....Ah now there was a man who knew how to sing!"

Ayden had calmed down, now that Max had changed the subject. Ayden stepped out of the nurses way as she brought a tub of warm soapy water and a wash cloth out of the old guys room.

Ayden looked athe clock there was still five minutes left he sighed again. He had been doing that alot lately so he decided to add to Max's conversation. "You know the poor reaper who took Elvis' soul.....he was hated for years after that..." Max laughed. "Hey at least it wasn't me!" Ayden seen that he had a sorrowful look on his face.

"Ayden, did you ever lose someone? Before you became a reaper, I mean?" Ayden turned around to face max. "No, but then again, I was a different man back then. We had lost servants of course to plague but they were never a lose because father would easily replace them."

Max spoke very quietly. "I lost my older brother in the first world war." Ayden mouthed an 'oh' before he tapped max on the shoulder in an awkward but comforting way. "You were lucky that you didn't have to experience the wars Ayden." Ayden chuckled lightly. "Oh I didn't miss them. They were our busiest years sadly. We had to manuever in shifts to collect all the poor souls. Death had fun with his brother war in those days...."

Max looked up at Ayden. "Just how old are you brother? What do you know about the seventies then? I loved that period in time! It was so fun...."

Ayden scoffs. "Tch...yeah it was the busiest in terms of air crashes...and then burning bras ha ha ha..." Max laughed. "Oh man...the women back then we're so fiesty...I had so many ex girlfriends from those years...." The sound of the life support machine beeping to signal the old man's heart had finally stopped had both reapers alerted. "Showtime...." Ayden was the first to move, picking up his scythe and heading towards the old man's best. Max grabbed his scythe and was right behind Ayden, who had already planted his sycthe into the old man's chest to pull out his soul. As the two men worked in unison, neither of them seen the white pawn tip and roll of the table and clatter quietly to the floor.