6- Welcome Home.

That day dragged on. Quayleigh could have sworn more than once that time seemed to go in reverse. The reality of Tau's confession weighed on her, but the truth of what he was, caused her to justify his behaviors. He was a reaper; death was his job. He was the one to collect a human's 'essence' in their final, unscheduled moment. But what was the implication of him causing that moment?

With that question on her mind, Quayleigh wished more than anything, that she could have spoken to Death himself. She had tried many times in the past, but to no avail. After all, he had no name and her ritual required one to work. In that, she knew her ritual to be inadequate. Even with Tau, she was uncertain if she could find a way.

Death was a different entity from Tauluthet after all, or so she thought. From her memories, Death was a giant in comparison to Tau. His head alone was the same size as she, when she was just nine, even though it weighed less than a feather. Tau seemed only slightly larger than a human, although she couldn't recall truly seeing him, beyond that of a silhouette.

The coffee Garren had brought down to Quayleigh during the day had managed to keep her awake, and the meals were a welcome comfort. Shortly before three, when Lessia left for the day, her relief arrived. Shane Janda was a well-spoke, polite young man of twenty-two. His family had immigrated to the city when he was just five. He was well-fed, with a pleasantly round face, plump cheeks and an olive complexion that gave him a perfect bronze tan year-round, much to Quayleigh's chagrin. Even when she tried to tan, she would just burn, peel, and return to paper white within a week. As average as his appearance, if anyone took the time to get to know him, they would quickly realize he had a heart of gold. He was one of the few genuinely kind people Quays had ever met, and even though they rarely associated outside of work, she considered him to be one of her closest friends.

"Been here all day?" Shane asked, joining her behind the counter.

"Lessia was here alone for the first couple of hours with the boss. I got in at nine."

"Free of charge, Quays?" He quirked his brow at her.

"I get coffee and food out of the deal. Besides, I've got nothing better going on until later anyways."

"Oh? You have 'plans' later? That's new."

"Not really. An old friend's just come into town and needs a place to crash for a bit. So, I'm going to let him stay with me until he figures a few things out."

"Sounds like trouble."

"Yeah, he probably is."

Shane grimaced. "Not what you should have hanging around with everything that's just happened. I really think you should be more careful."

"It's pretty crazy right? This towns really gone to shit. I swear the only reason half the old people stay is because of you," Quays snickered as she leaned back on her stool and stretched.

"Speaking of which, want to add anything to your list now that you've got company?"

"Shit, right," she sighed as she stood up. "I'll be in the back. Call if you need me," Quayleigh remarked as she retreated to the back office.

Shane had always been great when it came to helping others. For a few extra dollars, he started driving across town to the Dumont Plaza where the closest grocery store now was. Rosemount Downs used to have a grocery store. It had been the lifeline that kept the neighborhood from falling completely into ruin. Five years ago, it closed its doors and moved into the new Dumont Plaza in the wealthier area leaving the Downs, as it was now affectionately called, to starve. For the older community, Garren's convenience was the last place to buy any groceries, but sadly he couldn't lower prices enough or find suppliers willing to deliver smaller amounts of product. It was hard enough to keep what they did on the shelves. Shane, seeing an opportunity, would go to the Plaza once a week to buy groceries for those who had no way to get there themselves. He had become an invaluable member of the community, and thanks to him, Quays managed to keep food in her own cupboards, since it was a six-block hike passed the store just to get to the nearest bus stop.

Writing out a new list and calculating the cost thanks to the convenient website, she gathered the money from her wallet and headed back to the front.

"Here's the list, and I can actually pay you upfront this time," she remarked handing him an envelope. "Thanks for this. It's not much extra, just a few things."

"Sounds good. I'll drop them off tomorrow afternoon like normal."

"Perfect. I'm sorry I have to keep depending on you like this."

"Don't worry about it. You know I don't mind. I'm still delivering to Joe around the corner from you anyways. Besides, this way I get to keep an eye on you. Plus, I might actually get to meet this friend of yours," he said as he pocketed the envelope after glancing over the revised list.

"I wouldn't worry about that. He's meeting me here tonight."

"Oh, well now that is something to look forward too."

Quays and Shane finished out the day without any problems and at 10:30, Tau returned to the store, the familiar chime, drawing Quays' attention.

Her chest tightened as their eyes met, a soft smile shared between them.

"Quays?" Shane poked at her side.

"Sorry, have a good night," she said to the police officer who was at the counter as she handed him the bag she had been holding.

"You too," he replied, taking the groceries and walking away, as Tau made his approach.

"Hey."

"Hey." Tau smiled as Shane came to stand beside Quayleigh.

"Hi. I'm Shane, Quays' friend and coworker," he said wrapping his arm over Quays' shoulder.

"Sorry. Tau, this is Shane. Shane this is my friend, Tau."

"It's nice to meet you," Tau said in a meek tone.

"OK, now with the awkward stuff out of the way," she remarked as she pushed Shane's arm away and stepped out from behind the counter," You wait here, and Shane, be nice."

"When am I not nice?" Shane retorted as Quays walked away.

Gathering several items from the shelves, she listened to the odd conversation going on at the counter.

"So, how long have you known Quays?"

"I think it's been a long time."

"You think?"

"Time is subjective. How long have you known her?"

"Three years. We met when she stared working here. Funny how she never mentioned you before."

"What are you talking about?" Quayleigh remarked as she looked over at Shane, "I've told you about him plenty of times."

"When?" Shane asked as she set her items onto the counter.

"Umm, like, every Sunday when you drop off my groceries."

"Oh. OH! You're that friend!" Shane quickly connected the dots as she joined him behind the counter. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Didn't think it wasn't completely obvious, since I don't have any other friends that live out of town. Anyways, could you ring these up for me? I already closed out my till."

"You going to pay for it?" She scowled as he rang up the items, "2 waters, 2 chocolate bars, a toothbrush, and a pack of mints? You're in for a wild night," Shane commented with a nod towards Tau.

"I'm not sure how that works," Tau replied with a tilt of his head clearly confused.

"He was being sarcastic. And for the record, I'm completely exhausted. Even if I wanted to have a 'wild night', it would have to wait until tomorrow," she replied handing him a ten. "Keep the change to help with your delivers."

"Thanks Quays."

"Yeah, well I owe you." Bagging her own items, she gathered her belongings. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, you two have a good night."

"Thank you," Tau replied as he followed Quays to the front of the store.

"Come on Tau, let's go home."

Quayleigh and Tau left the store and walked back to her apartment. They spoke very little on the way; it had been a sunny day, and Tau told her how he enjoyed being able to feel the warmth of the sun, and how strange everything felt in the realm of the living. Once they arrived, they went inside and Quays locked the door, before taking the groceries to the kitchen.

"Make yourself at home. I know it's not much, but the couch is comfortable, if you don't mind curling up a bit. You're actually pretty tall."

"Is it ok that I'm here with you?"

"Yes. Of course. Look, if we're going to find out what happened to you, this is the best place for you to be. Right here, with me. That is if you're okay with it? I'm sorry, I probably should have asked. I just assumed this would be better than where you've been staying."

"It is. It's perfect. I'm with you."

"Good." She smiled as a strange uneasy tension filtered into the room. Shaking herself out of the moment, she pulled the toothbrush out of the bag and handed it to him. "Given how many chocolate bars you eat, I'm surprised you don't have problems with your teeth yet. Bathrooms over there. Toothpaste is on the counter."

Taking the brush Tau stood there looking down at it.

"Is there a problem?"

He looked up at her not saying a word, confusion dancing in his eyes.

"You don't know what to do with that, do you?"

"No. There were instructions, but most made no sense to me."

"Instructions? What do you mean there were instructions?"

"There were labels and words all over the place where I woke up. I understood some things from the time I've spent in this realm, but others have been… strange. Confusing and nonsensical. It took me time to figure out the important ones. I think, they were the important ones. Some I just never understood," he replied, his shoulders slumping forward, and his voice growing quiet.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here to help. You don't need to worry. Everything's going to get better now. I'll teach you what you need to know. I'm here for you, I promise. Now, let's start with brushing your teeth, and some other basic hygiene, like showering."

Quayleigh tried to keep the instructions simple as she guided him into the bathroom and went over the basic process of brushing one's teeth, using the toilet, and taking a shower. While Tau had some idea on how these things were supposed to work, the instructions he had been given were lacking, leaving gaps in his knowledge that he hadn't yet figured out, like the use of shampoo, conditioner, and soap. When the opportunity to shower had come around, he had always just stood in the water and rinsed off, since his first attempt had left him temporarily blind, having gotten soap in his eyes, and slippery, causing him to fall down, injuring his knees. He found it all very traumatic, another sensation that had been previously foreign to him, and didn't care to risk it again. Quayleigh assured him that this time it would be different, and after instructing him on the proper use of the products and shower, she retrieved a clean towel and washcloth for him telling him to take his time, and to push the clothing out the door before he jumped in the shower.

Leaving him to his own devices and hoping that he could follow her instructions, she returned to the kitchen and filled a kettle and pot with water putting them on the stove to boil. She didn't have much left to make a proper meal with, but a package of pasta and no desire to wait longer than necessary dictated the meal she would be providing for herself and Tau. She wasn't certain of the last time he had eaten anything aside from a chocolate bar and was equally curious as to how he had managed to afford to keep buying them, since it was obvious that he had been living on the streets.

A few minutes went by when the bathroom door opened and a pile of dirty laundry was pushed out by Tau's foot, which then quickly disappeared, the door closing once again.

Retrieving the laundry, which was mildly foul smelling, she carried it over to the washing machine, and piece by piece she tossed in his clothing, making sure to empty the pockets of his hoodie and pants, before starting the wash. Taking the items from his pockets over to the counter, there was $0.73 in loose change, a half dozen empty wrappers, his keys and wallet, and a small, old, tin can that she decided not to open. Tossing the garbage, she turned her attention to his wallet where she found, $207 in cash of varying denominations, 2 credit cards, bank card, driver's license, citizen ID number card, a condom, and a picture of himself and a woman embracing, time stamped to just over a year ago, the name Francesca written on the back.

"Just who the hell were you, Dylan Montgomery Kirkwood," she muttered as she stared at his ID card, the registered address from a condominium building located in the second wealthiest neighborhood of Turnage City, known as the Whale District to those in the Downs; its real name was Wahlborn Grove. You had to know someone or be someone to live in a place like that. The most elite were the only ones who saw that district as too low class to reside in, while people like Quayleigh, couldn't even afford to look in its direction.

Whoever Dylan used to be; he had clearly gotten mixed up in something he didn't understand. Otherwise, there was no explaining how Tau ended up trapped in his body, naked and in her shower; at least as far as she could see it. The only thing she knew for certain though, was that their best hope for answers were located in the condo that Dylan had called home.