death and all his friends, c

William turned around, and smiled at the slightly smaller lady. Perhaps she was a bit younger than how he'd imagine someone who'd spend their time working here, but who was he to judge?

"Yes." He said, delighted. "Can I work here? At least, for a little while? The practice of the dead is... well... simply uplifting." He smiled again, as if it was some kind of greeting.

@mathilde

Now William had magically lost all his maturity like it was spent up like a burnt out matchstick. His shoulders slumped, frowning, like he was one of the dead himself.

"Awwww..." He whined, sighing. "I can tell you work with the dead though..." He asked in a monotone, as if each breath was a struggle. "Then... can I do business with you?" William's starling green eyes rose to look at the young woman.

"I am in a profession, a position, a pencilition - now, that doesn't make sense - well, I have a lot of death on my hands. And no one to share it with."

Maybe she'd understand what he's getting out, now.

@mathilde

"But I've always wanted to meet someone who worked with the dead!" He argued, head inching closer and shaking. William, with all his experience with people, grimly, knew when someone was hooked.

"You fit the shape in my imagination!" William pointed to nothing in particular. Maybe her face. "And you're pretty. That's strange to me." He nodded, as if that would lock that statement into place.

@mathilde

He looked at her like a man would look at his dog's shit on his least favourite dress of his wife's - disgust, confusion, but with relief.

His smile was more of a grin, then.

"I'm no conglomerate. Partners. Like woody and snoopy. I mean, no, that's not right either..." He frowned deeply, stroking his beard.

"I'm the one who sees them to their resting place, after all, I couldn't defile the poor things with business jargon and inappropriate tax." He felt like he was winning though.

@mathilde

William whooped excitedly - it had been a while since he even tried to make people behave the way he wanted. Sure, there were several sure fire methods, but they were time consuming and kind of unethical.

"Bonnie and Clyde! No, uh, Dr. Jykell and Mr Hyde! Yeah!" He said all of that excitedly, all while his hand was in hers. "You're Mr Hyde though, because I'm the doctor! I'm not joking!" William insisted, giving her hand one last silly shake before cracking his knuckles. He knew very well he was missing the point - Dr. Jykell and Mr Hyde were the same person.

"I'm William! William Hurst, if you must know. I work in the South, tending to the poor and the shady." The blonde nodded, as if proud of this as a life achievement - even if he'd done so much more during the earlier hours of his life.

"I like your thinking, Miss Mathilde! You have such a charming personality, it has been upon utmost pleasure meeting you." He bowed in front of her, offering his hand; which took hers, kissing the back of her hand with a slight press of his lips.

@mathilde

He laughed, then. It was as if he was laughing with all of his might, all of his history spilling from his lips in the genuine sign of amusement.

"A sham? A sham's good money! Tea leaves won't pay for themselves, you know! Isn't this all a sham, what we're doing right now? Do you care what happens to both of us because I sure to Virgin Mary I don't!" He laughed again, and it felt like he was just about to collapse and die right on the spot from being overly joyous.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, and looked at her with an almost serious expression.

"If there's one thing you wanna know about me, dearest, my whole life's been a sham. So it's only right, it's only fitting, it's only right I carry the record on." He nodded, more for himself, with a devious kind of air about him.

William grabbed her hand then with an alien kind of force, fished out a pen from the tub on the table and began to write down the address for his clinic. He then leaned in, brought a finger to her lips.

"My place is not entirely safe and not entirely dangerous. Don't call the cops on me, yeah?" He winked, ducked down in some kind of mocked curtsy and turned to leave the building.

"Do call, do come. I'll be waiting."

With that, he walked out the door.

@mathilde