Chapter Text
Muriel's favorite part about Neutral Alignment meetings was being invited out to dinner afterwards. Eating was nice, but being part of a group of beings sharing an experience still felt like a rare privilege. So she didn't mind waiting while Aziraphale and Crowley ran a couple of errands first. Eric, Lunael, and Tabitha would keep her company.
Wearing her favorite multicolored shawl, Muriel carefully locked the door to the Bookshop behind her, then stepped back to study the window display. Now that it was October, she'd switched to a Halloween theme. Her neighbors on Whickber Street had suggested several appropriate titles for the holiday. Frankenstein and Dracula occupied center position. She also had copies of Bunnicula, Witches Abroad, The Witch Family, and It on display. But as much as Muriel loved books, they didn’t seem decorative enough.
“There’s no such thing as too much orange,” Tabitha said, hand entwined with Lunael’s. Tabitha had joined Lucifer’s rebellion when other angels mocked her for creating the color orange, and she still flaunted the color at every opportunity. Her sweater dress complimented her dark brown skin perfectly.
“What about black cats?” Lunael asked with a grin. Tabitha was a cat demon, after all.
“A definite must,” she agreed.
Checking first to make sure no humans were paying attention, Muriel cast a miracle. Orange streamers created a border around the window. Piles of miniature pumpkins sat in one corner, while in the other, cats cavorted around a cauldron. Better, but not spooky enough yet.
“Any other ideas?” she asked.
Tabitha, Lunael, and Eric shook their heads. Muriel knew better than to ask Aziraphale and Crowley. Aziraphale still managed the Bookshop’s finances but refused to advise her on the day-to-day operations anymore, saying it was up to her to take the Bookshop in a new direction. Even with a couple of years of experience, Muriel felt she had a lot to learn about being a bookseller. Perhaps a human could help her with the display later.
Aziraphale and Crowley strolled out of Maggie’s record shop. Muriel’s boss carried an armful of albums while his husband teased him about his musical tastes. As Aziraphale tucked the records into the Bentley’s boot, Crowley came over to them. “Aziraphale suggested sushi tonight. Any objections?”
Tabitha grinned. “None from me.” She was notorious for her love of salmon. She suddenly wrinkled her nose. “What’s that foul smell?”
Muriel noticed the odor of something rotting, as if one of the humans had left garbage out all summer. The demons who had enhanced senses of smell seemed to find it more offensive. Crowley even held his nose as he mumbled something.
“What’s that, dearest?” Aziraphale asked as he joined the group.
Crowley cast a miracle to eliminate the stench before replying, “I said it smelled familiar, but I couldn’t place it.”
“Do you get bad odors like that around here often?” Lunael asked.
“We don’t.” Eric shook his head. “But it worries me.”
Muriel squeezed her partner’s hand in support. A single Eric had more common sense than an entire legion of other demons. He wouldn’t worry without a reason.
“Maybe we should find out what that smell is,” she suggested.
“Bit hard to do that now with the scent gone.” Tabitha didn’t seem upset about that. “I’d rather not spoil my appetite anyway. Crowley, are we walking, or are you willing to drive us?”
“If that stench returns, I’m not going to risk getting it in the Bentley.”
Aziraphale gestured for the other two couples to precede them. Lunael demurred, allowing Eric and Muriel to go first. As they passed the other shops of Whickber Street, Muriel studied their window displays. Humans had much more creativity than she did. Maybe she could borrow some ideas from them.
***
By now, Muriel well knew the way to Aziraphale’s favorite sushi restaurant. It was hidden on a quiet Soho street, its plain storefront shielding it from tourists. The décor inside was understated, with dark brown tables and paneling. Nonetheless, their food was superb, the saké strong enough to suit demons, and the staff always eager to please. Tonight, the hostess wore a gray silk dress, as if she were a part of the Neutral Alignment herself.
“Aziraphale-San, we are always honored when you, Crowley-San, and your friends join us for dinner.” She bowed to each being in their party, giving Muriel and her partner as much respect as the others. “Your private table is in the back. Please follow me.”
Once their drinks arrived and their order had been placed, Muriel leaned toward Aziraphale and Crowley to ask, “Why do humans celebrate Halloween? How did it get started?” Maybe if she understood the holiday better, she would know what else to add to the Bookshop window.
The two most experienced beings on the planet stared at each other as if her question was too difficult for them.
“It’s a time of changing seasons,” Crowley finally replied. “It gets colder and darker in autumn—”
“Not in the Southern Hemisphere,” Eric pointed out.
“True,” Crowley acknowledged without torturing Eric. “But in this part of the world, it’s harvest season. For most of human history, food wasn’t as easily available as it is now, so a good harvest was worth celebrating. Some of the ancient traditions gave rise to current customs.”
Aziraphale leaned forward. “But humans also thought the spirits of the dead returned to Earth this time of year. Some Halloween customs have to do with contacting them, while others have to do with protecting the living from the dead.”
“Many of the monsters of Halloween have something to do with death,” Tabitha said. “Ghosts, mummies, vampires, zombies…”
“Yes! I need something like that for the Bookshop window!” Muriel exclaimed. “Only…are any of the monsters real?”
Lunael shook their black hair out of their eyes. “Have any of you ever met someone supernatural besides an angel or a demon?”
Aziraphale glanced around, then cast a quick miracle. “Best not to let the humans overhear,” he said.
“Where do we even begin?” Crowley drawled. Sprawled out as usual, with his sunglasses in place, only his voice betrayed his interest in the topic.
“You already know about the Four Horsemen that were supposed to start the Apocalypse,” Aziraphale said. “The oldest of them is Death. We saw him first when he claimed Abel. He’s everywhere, but even we don’t always see him.”
“Humans have always had funny attitudes about death—the concept, not the being,” Crowley added. “Especially in ancient Egypt. I’m not just talking about making dead bodies into mummies. The Egyptians believed there were multiple part to the soul. Some parts stayed on Earth, and other parts traveled to the afterlife.”
“I did enjoy tormenting the Egyptians,” Tabitha said. “They thought I was their cat goddess.”
“They thought a lot of demons were actually gods.” Eric’s bitter tone indicated he hadn’t been one of them.
“The point is,” Aziraphale gestured to regain their attention, “the point is, their beliefs had power. Not enough to make their pharaohs into true gods, of course, but Crowley and I did witness something unusual at King Tutankhamun’s tomb, the very night of his funeral….”
As he continued speaking, his hand reached over to claim Crowley’s. Images appeared in the middle of the white tablecloth, as if Muriel was reliving the experience along with them.