<span style="color: #00FF00">Death had spent most of the night riding after his meeting with Zeke. He had a lot on his mind, and he couldn't go back to the kingdom like that. <span style="font-style: italic">Better to be questioned on where I was with a clear mind than be caught off guard</span>, he had reasoned, and so he stayed out far later than his normal patterns. Fast as immortal horses are, by the time Death made it back to the kingdom, the sun had begun rise. Wishing to stretch the last few moments before he would have to pretend again, once he was within the shadow of the walls, he slowed and dismounted. Death walked toward the first gate, his Pale Horse trotting behind him.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00">Mathias had been looking all over the city for Death, after having followed War for a bit to make sure that he didn't forget about summoning a doctor as soon as he walked out of the palace. He had checked all the usual spots where Death could be found, with no luck, even going so far as to patrol the entire length of the wall.  When that didn't work Mathias shrugged, knowing a lost cause when he saw one and made his rounds, listening to rumors circulating among both the upper and lower tiers.<br/><br/>While he was going over the mostly useless information he decided to watch the gates to see who was coming and going.  As he leaned against the wall of an alley, dancing his coin over his fingers he spotted Death come walking through the gate. He put on his best disarming smile and walked out to greet him, stopping at a respectful distance and bowing. “My Lord Death.  Out for an early morning ride?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Death smiled thinly. Respectful as the distance was, they were too close for him to pretend he hadn't seen or heard Mathias. Instead, he let the silence drag on just long enough to become uncomfortable. "More like returning from a late night jaunt," Death said carefully. He knew damn well that Mathias knew Death hadn't returned from his ride when he usually did. He toyed with the glove on his left hand, pulling at the fingertips.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00">“Oh?  I hadn't even realized you were gone.” Mathias lied easily.  “No trouble I assume?  What with the rebels boldness of late we can't be too careful, who knows what they'll try next?”  His face keept the easy, disarming smile, but his eyes couldn't quite pull it off, having that same calculating look that they always have, revealing his ever moving mind, absorbing every detail.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">It was a game of cat and mouse they played, and deep down it amused Death. Sometimes Mathias was so good at it that Death forgot for an instant who the cat really was. "Bold for starving humans, maybe. No, no trouble at all."</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00">“Good, good.  Now you know I hate to pry, but it is part of my job to keep tabs on things, and knowing where rebels are not attacking is almost as good as knowing where they are attacking.  If you've been out all night you must have covered quite a bit of ground with that wondrous horse of yours.  Would you mind letting me know where you've been?”<br/><br/>He raised an eyebrow, doing his best to seem sincere, though he was already considering the distances that could have been traveled and going over watch schedules to figure out who could have seen Death leave to give a possible direction.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Death began teasing the fingertips on the glove of his right hand, a subtle sign that he was already slightly annoyed. He wore the gloves to avoid inadvertently killing those he didn't want to or - loathe as he was to admit it - he wasn't supposed to. Of course, Mathias didn't have much to worry about. A few bruises, especially if they weren't on his face, would be conveniently ignored, but Death couldn't put an end to Mathias. No, short of Death accusing him of treason or snooping in the few places he wasn't allowed to snoop, Mathias was safe, even from Death's darkest rages. <br/><br/>"East." He said it without skipping a beat, then he elaborated. "It's desolate out there. There's no life, no cities. We destroyed all that."<br/><br/>Even the master of deceit knew that the best lies start out with as much truth as possible. Death had, in fact, travelled east and the land was, in fact desolate. He had travelled so far east before he changed his course of direction that it would take any spies at least a week to reach that point, and in all likelihood it would have gone stale. <br/><br/>If it hadn't? They would find an empty city. Death always sent word for the rebels to move on once he had paid them a visit personally.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00">Mathias nodded, making a mental note to verify that as best he could.  He noted Death fiddling with his gloves, and with Conquest's warning still fresh in his mind he decides against antagonizing the youngest Immortal too much.  He bowed again.  “Well I hope you had an enjoyable ride.  I have to say I do envy the four of you.  I may enjoy privileges far above what most humans do these days, but I am still only human.  I am fragile and if I wish to travel any real distance I must plan to be gone for days.”  He smiled then.  “But we must all play the hand we're dealt, and I can't really complain about mine.”<br/><br/>He stepped to the side of the road to indicate the coversation over if Death so wished.  “Is there anything I can do for you M'lord?  After all, of all your siblings, you are my favorite.” He paused just long enough to make it seem he'd forgotten someone before he hastily added “Excepting my Mistress of course.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">It was a rare sight for Death to display any outward indication of any kind of good mood. Contrary to the popular belief of even his siblings, Death was often in a cheery mood, but he rarely displayed it as he did now: Death burst out laughing. He clapped a gloved hand on Mathias' shoulder. "I've decided something!" He declared, almost out of breath.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00">Mathias raised an eyebrow caught somewhat off guard by this change in attitude, trying to think of any other time he had seen the Immortal laugh, and not being able to think of any.  He took it all in stride though, even managing not to flinch when the gloved hand of Death came down on his shoulder, and looked to Death expectantly.  “Oh? And what have you decided?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">For once, there was no malice in his eyes, no sick joke playing on his smile. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice slightly so that not as many people could hear. "Come my time, you will be the last human left on Earth."<br/><br/>He paused, leaning in closer. Few ever had the displeasure of knowing that the breath of a Horseman is not warm, like a human, but ice cold. To passersby, it would look as if he was conferring a secret, favoritism. But Mathias would know, before he even heard Death's words, that he had been personally marked for death. <br/><br/>"I will kill everyone else on this planet. Then, with your assistance, I will herd every last breathing human being in this kingdom to Conquest's palace, and I will massacre them. After, you and you alone, will fashion me a throne out of their corpses. I will sit on that throne and watch War break every useful bone in your body. I will watch him pluck out your eyes, remove your teeth and tongue, and strike you deaf. Only when he has begun to skin you alive will you die, and before I kill you myself, I will impart on your mind the terrible deaths of every human in this world. You will die knowing you betrayed your own race, and all you get in return is more time to anticipate your slow painful death."<br/><br/>Death stepped back, and all at once he thoroughly resembled his older brother War. The smile still fixed on his face remained genuine, but the mirth in his eyes that had made the smile almost warm had turned sick.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00">For the second time in as many days Mathias shivered slightly as he was reminded of the dangerous game his was playing, and the viciousness of those he served.  But he managed to keep outward appearances in case anyone else was watching them as he responded quietly enough that only Death could hear him, still acting as if they were discussing some secret.  “You are you're sister's kin.  I can only hope I live long enough to see if your promise comes to fruition.  I may enjoy certain privileges, however those come at the cost of living a very dangerous life.”<br/><br/>He stood up straight and spoke in a normal voice again. “I will keep that in mind M'lord.  Will there be anything else?”  At that moment Mathias would rather be away from the Immortal, but he knew better then to leave without being dismissed.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">No, I've had my..." Death had meant to dismiss him, but all at once an unusual amount of shouting, screaming, and general noise coming from out of sight in the Lower Ring. <span style="font-style: italic">It's started...now? The noise...Cooper's factory? IDIOTS!</span> The smile slid off Death's face.</span>