Grimm has not been in his usual self lately.
Most of his staff know him; he's usually on top of everything he does, especially at work. He never let a single mistake slip in his hands nor let himself stare blankly in the air for so long. But these past few days, he hasn't been doing well. Everyone wondered if it had something to do with the young man they let into the shop three days ago or if it wasn't his unresolved personal issues that took a significant toll on his work.
No one can say for sure.
"Hey, Kenny..." someone in the hallway called Kenny's attention. It was Sadie, one of the oldest staff members in the funeral shop, who also acted as an assistant to Grimm's administrative work.
"Yes?"
Sadie just recently came from Grimm's office. When she approached Kenny. She had this unusual air that she seemed to carry from the office as if she was holding back something.
Something was going on.
"Is it me? Or is it just you who seemed like there's something bad happening there..." Kenny said it while pointing at Grimm's office with his lips, pouting.
"Yes." Concern can be felt in Sadie's words, "Something's not right. Mr. Grimm hasn't been at his best these past few days."
"How do you know he's not?" Kenny asked, trying to justify and understand Sadie's observation. Sadie, in response, let out a heavy sigh as she spoke in a much lower tone this time, almost like a whisper. "How many years you've been working for him, huh?"
Kenny paused and thought for a moment before he gave his answer. "Two hundred and fifty--no, two hundred and sixty years. Huh, it's been a while since I last counted."
"Two hundred and sixty years. I assume you've seen his best and worst from those years, right?"
Kenny frowned as he tried to picture the image of Grimm losing his charm, his sharpness, his--
"Wait, what?" Kenny stopped thinking and immediately returned to Sadie's, "Are you saying that Grimm is..."
"Yes," Sadie confirmed even before Kenny finished his sentence. "I think he's struggling with something personal, which was unsettling. Imagine if I caught him looking at nothing as if he was at a loss. I don't know what's happening, but it's not good. Look..." Then she showed her the folders she had just got from Grimm's office. "These are all unsigned, and he's not in the mood to sign them." then Sadie emphasized the real problem. "Kenny, these are clearances for those souls at the counter waiting for their schedule to cross over. This is something that mustn't be overlooked!"
"Oh, you mean he's ignoring these?" Kenny's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the unsigned papers, mostly clearances. This is something Grimm wouldn't allow. Those souls at the counter must not be kept waiting; these papers are essential for their peaceful transition to the afterlife, and Grimm handles it without fail.
Sadie nodded, almost teary. How could she explain to those lines of souls waiting at the counter that their transition would be delayed just because their boss was not in the mood to sign papers?
Kenny was decided. This is it! Someone must talk to the boss.
"Alright, I'll go and talk to him." Kenny gave a sharp nod, confident of his decision to butt in into his boss's private space. But he was warned by Sadie as Kenny was about to knock at Grimm's door.
"Hey, just a little piece of advice..." Kenny paused as he let Sadie finish her talking. "Just be gentle, okay? Mr. Grimm was not the type of person who was comfortable to talk about his problems. He's the exact opposite of that. And if you pushed too many questions to him, it might make things worse for him and the entire shop."
Kenny's expression softened as he sensed Sadie's concern for their boss. He appreciated the warning, but Grimm's sudden change and slacking off? That was something that he couldn't allow.
"Don't worry. I'll ensure it doesn't sound like I'm interrogating him. I just wanted to confirm if this is concerning our dying visitor."
"Okay, good luck!"
With a deep breath, Kenny softly knocked on Grimm's office door thrice, then waited for Grimm to let him in.
But there's no answer on the other side of the door. There was no response.
Kenny pushed the door open and peeped to see if Grimm was in the right mood to approach. From there, he saw Grimm, eyes distant at something so far, seemed to be out of focus, and oh--is he slouching right now? Grimm, of all people he knew, will never slouch like that! That wasn't the elegant-looking Grimm he had known for almost three centuries.
Kenny stepped slowly inside the dimly lit office, slightly tensed, but then he began to talk to Grimm.
"Boss?" He stepped into the room and tried to look closer at his boss, "Can we talk?"
Grimm blinked as he sensed Kenny's presence in the room. He shifted his head towards Kenny while pinching the bridge between his eyes.
"Is something the matter?" Grimm asked. He looks tired as if he hasn't slept for the past three days.
Kenny shook his head in disbelief. He went straight to the coffee table and navigated through the utensils. He re-heats the water from the small kettle and prepares a cup of coffee that Grimm always prefers.
"Three cubes?"
Grimm blinked momentarily, trying to absorb the question as he watched Kenny prepare a steaming coffee.
"Just two." Grimm corrected. He likes sweets, but for some reason, he doesn't feel like indulging in sweets now. On the other hand, Kenny never questioned his boss and dropped two sugar cubes in his coffee. After stirring, he gently placed the coffee beside Grimm.
"I thought you like three cubes when you're stressed."
"I'm not." He's talking about stress and not sugar cubes. Clearly, it was not stress that changed Grimm but something else.
Something new and foreign...
Grimm took the cup, letting its aroma fill his nose.
It really relaxes him, at least for a while.
"So," Kenny leaned into Grimm's table and asked, "What exactly happened?"
"Nothing." Grimm was obviously avoidant of the question. It was suspicious, and Kenny could sense it.
"Don't dodge my question, I know what happened--you and Elio?"
Grimm exhaled slowly, releasing all the tension in his chest in one blow. "Is there a need for me to explain myself?"
"Not really, but look at you!" He points at Grimm with an exaggerated gesture, "You look dead--oh, that's not right. Bad metaphor. But what I mean is you're already dead, and yet look at yourself! Are you planning to look like a double-dead meat?"
As usual, when he was trying to avoid, Grimm tends to look uninterested. "You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Kenny didn't mean to push it forward, but Grimm was testing his limits. "After you told him the truth about him, about us and this shop, you started to be distracted."
"I'm not distracted." Grimm insisted. Not entirely directed to Kenny, but almost to himself.
"Really." Kenny crossed his arms, trying to establish an air of authority over Grimm. "Try to look at the counter. A long line of souls is waiting for their clearance, yet you didn't bother to sign their papers because you're not in the mood. The Grimm I know would never do that! That's a no-no!"
Grimm pinched the bridge of his nose again, trying to calm himself down. "I'll do that later."
"Later?!" Kenny exclaimed, this time his voice was in a high pitch to emphasize his disappointment. "You never said "later" to work! You see how serious it is now?!"
Grimm did not answer. He remained silent as Kenny leaned forward, giving him an intense, confrontational look. "Be honest to yourself, just this once! We both know exactly why you are like that. It's Elio, isn't it? You two had a fight, did you?"
Grimm said nothing to refute the fact.
His silence always means yes.
"I knew it!" Kenny proudly slapped the desk while Grimm shot him with a warning stare. "You're sulking over a fight!"
"I'm not."
"Oh, come on, boss!" Kenny shot back, his eyes locked on Grimm's to make his point. "Either you said something to him that bothered you, or he said something that got into you. Which of which?"
Grimm let out a slow breath, along with the heavy feeling he had been holding for a while. "He...doesn't want to talk to me."
"You sure about that?"
Another heavy sigh escaped from Grimm. "He thinks I lied to him about everything."
Kenny became silent after hearing Grimm's thoughts and feelings. He never expected Grimm to be affected so much like this. He had seen him at his worst before, but this? This feeling he had for Elio was something new, something foreign to the point that he was bothered merely because the young man didn't want to talk to him.
"Okay, look, I get it..." Kenny told Grimm, trying to be as compassionate as possible, "He got overwhelmed by the sudden truth about him, this shop, and the dead, but...I don't think he wanted to shut you up for good. I think he's having his time to process everything."
Grimm looked away while his clenching his fist. "I know. He said that, too. But..."
"But...?"
Grimm didn't reply. There was something that he wanted to say, to convey, but he could not seem to find the right words. There were words in his mind like betrayal and protection, but he could not put them into one sentence.
This guy really messed up himself because of another man.
Kenny, watching closely, noticed some tension building up at Grimm. Now, he could say that his boss was not just sulking over a fight; he was conflicted with his emotions.
Then, there's one thing his boss could do in his situation.
"You always said there's always a way to fix things." Grimm did not attempt to talk back or argue. Instead, he listened to what Kenny was about to say. "If you're not good at talking, then maybe you can do something else to convey those feelings."
"What do you mean" was written all over Grimm's face when he stared cluelessly at Kenny. Kenny sighed and gave his boss a little push with some ideas he could do to make amends with Elio.
"Look, words are not your strongest suit. Then, maybe consider showing it to him. Those speak louder than your words."
Grimm remained silent as if he was looking into the suggestion more deeply than Kenny had expected.
"Okay, how about this..." Kenny leaned again at the desk and tapped his fingers to make his point. "What do you think you should do to show your sincerity? Something thoughtful that would show him that you really care?"
Grimm really was thinking about it. His silence was his way of considering every option. But he couldn't give his answer yet. That's when Kenny stepped back and let his boss think about the best solution.
"I'll let you think about it, boss. I know, deep down, you already knew what to do." Kenny gave him an encouraging look before stepping out of the office, letting Grimm dive deeper into his thoughts.
A thoughtful gesture is something that he needs right now.
Then he saw one of the old journals stacked on his desk. Its pages frayed and turned yellow in time. Upon realizing what it was, he grabbed the journal and read it. It belongs to him, a record of his thoughts and memories over the centuries, something that he used to do to remind himself of important events, even the smallest ones. When he flipped the pages, he saw a familiar text, an old soup recipe. He couldn't remember that he wrote something like this in the past, but maybe he did when he could still recall his time as a human.
Then, an idea struck Grimm's mind. He stood from his seat and immediately went to the shop's pantry and navigated through the ingredients available. There isn't much in there since they don't need to eat, but they have a pantry anyway so that they can still feel the sense of being a human, alive.
Then, a memory surfaced.
A blurred image in his mind from his distant past. A woman, sick, looking at him with a smile on her face. He could remember how the woman uttered some words, but he couldn't recall what exactly she said.
But he could remember the image of the steamy hot soup, its creamy smell that was rich and comforting, something that Elio needed. He holds onto that image as he begins making the soup.
Grimm never cooks.
He never cooks for anyone, either.
But for Elio, he was willing to try.
He wasn't sure if this would make any difference in their current situation, if it was enough to properly convey his feelings, or if the young man would accept it...to show that he cared.
Anyhow, it doesn't matter.
But for the first time in a long while...
Grimm hopes.
-----
After the Main Story Scene:
After Grimm finishes cooking, he asks Kenny for assistance in delivering the soup he made for Elio.
"Wait, you actually cooked?"
Kenny was trying his best not to laugh. What he was trying to tell Grimm about him showing that he really cares for Elio was not precisely by cooking, but something that will show how sincere he was, like writing a letter or such, and maybe, just...maybe, something that he could use to convey what he truly feels for the young man.
"I don't know what to say, boss..." Kenny picked up the bowl and added, "This soup sure is screaming. I CARE FOR YOU, thingy."
"Just--" Grimm halted himself not to go further with his rude words. Then, after a while, he continued, "--take that to him before it gets cold."
"Are you sure you don't want to give this personally to him?" Kenny was clearly enjoying the scene where his boss was flushed from his cheeks to his ears.
Grimm did not respond. As Kenny left, a massive part of him hoped he dared to deliver the soup himself...
But for now, he could only hope that Elio would accept it.