- | username. Stormwarden
| name. Zelophehad "Zel" // Riven
⟶ Zelophehad, meaning "shadow from terror" in Hebrew
⟶ riven, split or torn apart violently
| gender. male
| why they are upset. he's dreadfully late for work — to both jobs
| moodboard. death is not always dangerous
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xx Zel isn't one for the macabre like the DemonHunters or ShadowSlayers or even just wrangling up lost souls for pocket change. No, he's the Reaper's right hand, and it wasn't a combative job like he'd first thought, either. Zel is the indispensable assistant who fills out and files all the paperwork his boss gets from waltzing around and whacking people with that scythe of his.
xx In this profession, all who walk in the darkness take new names to preserve their mortality. Zel uses "Riven," a bit darker than he'd like, but his boss had approved and Zel couldn't bring himself to change it after that.
xx He's not terribly obsequious; he's just naturally attentive and extremely organized. Although, his subservience does rear its head when his boss gets into a mood, but honestly, who wouldn't scramble to obey the commands of the personification of death?
xx Ostensibly, Zel's teaching job is very unremarkable — he just works with high school students — but in actuality, it provides a plausible reason for him to arrive at his workplace with spots of suspiciously dark red on his face or hands and needn't provide any explanation aside from a smile and shy duck of his head.
xx Zel moonlights as a forensics teacher because who else knows how to interpret causes of death better than the right hand of the Reaper? He makes sure to sweep his hair over his right eye, however, as prolonged contact with the incarnation of death has long since darkened his sclera and is slowly turning his violet eyes red.
xx Needless to say, Zel loves both of his jobs. High schoolers can be a pain to deal with, but he's always pleased with the amount of insight and passion his students can show. Working under the Reaper is both a privilege and a punishment; who would've guessed that death could be so mercurial?
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xx One drawback to teaching was grading. Zel had assigned his students a project on researching and presenting serial killers,
and he'd spent nearly the entire night shuffling through their papers. It was so interesting to see their as well as the news outlets' takes on the murderers when Zel had inside information on exactly how and why they killed that he'd practically stayed up until dawn reading.
xx And that was exactly why he'd woken up ten minutes past the alarm that notified him to leave for school. Zel typically woke right before sunrise to check in with the Reaper, do a bit of paperwork, then head over to campus when it was about the time that students started to arrive, but that morning he barely fixed his hair over his eye correctly before scurrying off to report to the Reaper.
xx If he got fired from either of his jobs for being so uncharacteristically and extremely late, well . . . Zel wouldn't know what to do with himself. A frown etched itself deeper and deeper onto his face the nearer he got to the Underworld as he dwelled on losing his jobs.
xx Should I have gone to the school first? Zel debated internally but made no move to turn around. No, he decided with a shudder. I'd rather deal with death than face the principal for being so late.
xx His boss peered at him with half-concealed amusement, taking in Zel's disheveled form and breathlessness.
xx "Take the day off, then, Riven," the Reaper said with what seemed to be humor — or as much humor as a faceless, hulking, black mass in a hooded cloak holding a seven-foot-long scythe with a four-foot-long blade could project. Zel bowed, silently and immensely grateful that he'd caught his boss on one of his good days when he was in a more amicable mood.
xx "Is all well?" the Reaper added as an afterthought as Zel was turning to leave. Zel looked back curiously, unsure what his boss meant. "I could kill someone for you. If need be."
xx It took a moment for Zel to realize that the Reaper was joking, or perhaps only half-serious. "I'm good, I'm fine, thank you" he said hastily, smiling with what he hoped was reassurance. The Reaper made a noise of assent and ghosted away; their conversation was over.
xx Zel scampered off to school before the Reaper could change his mind.
xx His frown returned with a vengeance, evolving into a grimace. What would his fellow teachers think? What would the principal think — what would his students think of him being so dreadfully, horribly late? A thought flashed through his mind: Maybe I should've asked the Reaper to take my soul. 764/1000
