They climbed into the car, and Atsuki sped off towards Kitcho Arashiyama. Markus sat in the front seat, nervously fidgeting and twirling the signet ring around his finger.
“Calm down, Barton-san. You will do well, I am sure. You look good, and you smell good. This will surely win over any prospective employer! You must merely have confidence in your strengths. I believe in you!” Atsuki claimed.
Markus smiled in spite of himself. Here he was, on the other side of the planet from his Kentucky home, terrified that this “Lucifer” person would wind up not liking him. They certainly went to some trouble to get him there.
“Thank you, Kimura-san. Your words mean a lot to me. I just hope I’m good enough for whatever this ‘Lucifer’ person wants,” he replied.
“You are, my friend. You are.”
The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Markus closed his eyes and attempted to calm his racing heart and nervous butterflies. Atsuki hummed a tune that was unknown, yet oddly soothing, giving Markus an unintended anchor to the real world.
He opened his eyes when he felt the car being put into park. It seemed they had finally arrived. Glancing at the dashboard clock, Markus saw that it was three forty-five. Just right to seem eager, but not desperate. Looking over at his new friend, who was nervously clenching and unclenching the steering wheel with a flourish of his fingers, Markus smiled warmly.
“Thank you, Kimura-san. Whatever happens here, the kindness both you and your brother have shown me will never be forgotten,” he said solemnly.
“You are welcome, Barton-san. Call on me when you are done. I will come,” Atsuki answered, gripping Markus’ heavy hand in his own.
Nodding his thanks, Markus stepped out of the taxi. Atsuki drove away, and he approached the entrance to Kitcho Arashiyama with a confidence and ease he did not truly feel. He was greeted by a silent, smiling woman in a lime green kimono who led him to the door.
The small rocks that lined the pathway crunched softly beneath his heavy, booted feet as she opened the door for him, bowing respectfully. From there, he met with a younger lady in a blue kimono who simply asked “Barton-sama?”
Markus nodded, smiling. “Yes. That is me.”
“You are expected. This way.”
Markus stepped inside and removed his boots in the genkan, donning a pair of slippers that seemed about right. He smiled and inclined his head towards the younger lady in blue. She led him through a short series of hallways to a rather spacious and spartan room, containing a low table with two equally low chairs, a pair of lanterns, and some tasteful (he thought) traditional calligraphy scrolls on the walls.
Occupying the chair opposite him was a strikingly handsome, bespectacled man wearing a stylish gray three-piece suit who smoothly rose from his seat at the table. He had a toned, athletic build, and hands that looked used to manual labor. His youthful smile was seemingly at odds with the depths of wisdom reflected in his bright green eyes and clean-shaven face.
“Thank you. Would you be so kind as to return in approximately three minutes?” he said to the younger lady, who nodded and backed out of the room, sliding the door shut.
“Markus! I am so glad you have decided to answer my call. You’ve no idea how many people have rudely refused without so much as an apologetic letter. My name is Lucifer, and I am most pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said as he thrust out his right hand.
Markus blinked rapidly and took the proffered hand, shaking it firmly, a confused look on his face. “Thank you, Sir. May I ask what you mean by other people?” he asked.
“Please, sit. I’ll explain briefly.” Lucifer said, gesturing to the low chair.
Markus sat and made himself as comfortable as his protesting knees would allow. Lucifer retook his seat with a smile and launched into an explanation.
“Well, I have been looking to recruit a new assistant for…quite some time, let’s say.” The grin he gave Markus resembled that of a cat. “Ninety-five percent of the people I’ve attempted to hire have simply disregarded my letters and attempted to cancel the flights in a bid to reclaim the money. Of the other five percent, maybe two have actually met with me with the other three politely declining.
“Of those two percent, all but three people ultimately refused my offer. Those three ended up leaving my employ after less than six weeks. They were given an extremely generous severance, and wished well in their return to their normal, mundane lives. I do not hold grudges, my friend. Sometimes, the fit just isn’t right.
“Which brings us to you, my dear man. Are you looking to have a new career?” the man asked, his hands steepled in front of him.
As Markus opened his mouth to reply, the door slid open. The young lady in blue backed into the room, carrying a tray of hot tea.
“Many apologies, sirs. The tea is ready. May I serve you?” she asked.
“By all means, ma’am. You have entered at a most opportune moment.” Lucifer replied.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
The young lady set out the tea and served the pair in the dining room. Markus smiled and thanked her, taking small sips of the tea. Lucifer followed suit, but pulled a sour face when he drank his.
“Oh, sir! Is the tea not to your liking?” the woman asked in horror.
“The tea is fine. I simply haven’t had any for an extremely long time, and apparently forgot that I detest the stuff. Would you be so kind as to bring us some warm sake?”he replied.
“I am afraid I must decline the sake. My medication does not permit it. The tea will be fine for me,” Markus stated. The younger woman bowed respectfully and left.
Lucifer looked appraisingly at his dining companion. “Did you seek to impress me with some casual Japanese, my friend?” he asked curiously.
Markus smiled at the younger man across from him. “No, not really. I simply believe in being a respectful and responsible guest slash tourist. I think it would be the absolute height of rudeness to arrive in a foreign land and not speak even a little of the language. No, I buried myself in some language apps on my phone and a lot of anime. I even made a couple of friends already,” he explained.
Lucifer laughed loudly. “I like you! You get an invitation from an unknown person, and immediately set out to make yourself as presentable as possible; not only to the person, but to the country you would be visiting, as well. That is rare, Markus. That is surely a mark in your favor,” he said.
The sake was served a moment later, and Lucifer gratefully sipped his with an appreciative smile. He motioned for the young lady to leave, and set the small porcelain cup down.
“Now. I’m certain you have questions. I will answer them as fully as I can. Go ahead, Markus,” Lucifer said, leaning forward, resting his chin on his steepled hands.
Markus sat in thought and cocked his head to the side. “Your name -your given name- is Lucifer? As in Lucifer the Light-bringer?” he asked.
Lucifer smiled. “More or less, yes.”
With no other forthcoming information, Markus pressed on. “I’m assuming that whatever position or role you have in mind for me will not be easy or simple, correct?”
“You would be correct in that assessment, Markus.”
“I will further assume that you didn’t simply pull my name out of the proverbial hat. You’ve watched and researched me, haven’t you?”
“For several years, Markus.”
Markus swallowed, his instincts screaming for him to flee. He did his best to ignore that impulse. “That sounds a little obsessive, don’t you think?”
“For the role I need filled, no. All my prospectives were similarly investigated. I needed to be sure they could possibly, maybe take on the role I’m offering.”
Markus nodded. It seemed to be clearer, now. “Why have you taken the Earthly form and name of the Christian devil instead of someone I’m more familiar with?”
It was Lucifer’s turn to be surprised. He sat back and cast a new eye on this man before him. “Well, well. It seems you might be more qualified than I thought.” Lucifer grinned broadly, his eyes shining brightly.
Markus swallowed again, studiously ignoring the bead of sweat that was rolling down his temple.
“To answer your question, would you have responded if I’d signed it “Loki” or “Hel”? Or would you have snorted and disposed of the letter, like so many others?” Markus shook his head. “I thought as much. Hence the reason I have signed it as Lucifer. You may not believe in the Christian idea of Hell, but you do believe in an afterlife, yes?” Markus nodded. “As I thought. You might be surprised as to how Reality works, Markus.”
Markus sipped his tea with a trembling hand. This just got a whole lot weirder.
“For example, I could snuff your flame with a thought. It would be frowned upon, but I can. I won’t of course. Even if you refuse my offer. I will take no retaliatory actions against you, regardless of what you decide, so do not worry,” Lucifer said, raising his hands placatingly. Markus relaxed visibly.
“Are you a deity?”
Lucifer laughed softly. “As you would understand the term, yes. As to what role I perform?” Lucifer said as he opened his left hand with a flourish, a glowing pyramid appearing a few inches above his hand. “Think of it like a factory. You have the president/CEO at the top, several managers beneath them, and yet more managers beneath them. I occupy the second rung of the ladder. From the bottom. There are a total of five ‘rungs’ to this ladder. I report to someone, and they report to someone who reports to the CEO. You would report to me and only me. No other ‘manager’ would ever be allowed to attempt to steal your time from me. You would meet them all, sure. New ‘hires’ are exceedingly rare, and greatly celebrated, especially as they accrue tenure. Does that answer your question?” Lucifer asked, smiling innocently as the pyramid slowly faded from view.
Markus nodded, his mind reeling with the implications. Lucifer merely watched him for a moment, then raised his voice to be heard from outside the room.
“You may bring it in, now. We are ready to eat.”
The door slid open, and both of the women Markus had seen backed in, carrying trays of food, appetizers by the look of them. They set the plates in front of the two men, bowed and backed out of the room, gently sliding the door closed.
“Let’s eat, Markus. You cannot make a decision like this on an empty stomach,” Lucifer said, picking up his chopsticks.
Markus sat there, chopsticks in hand, his eyes looking through the food in front of him. Lucifer ignored him and ate with gusto and delight.
After a moment, Markus looked up at his dining companion and his baritone rang softly in the room, “I’ll do it. When do I start?”
Lucifer sputtered. “You haven’t even touched your sashimi. How can you make such a decision so lightly, Markus?”
Markus smiled at the man across from him, picking up a slice of the delicate fish, casually observing it as he spoke. “I had decided that I would take the job if it was real. You have gone to this expense to interview me -and I knew this for what it was immediately- and if I passed your requirements, I decided I would take it. It would definitely be different from what I’ve been doing, and a change would do me some good,” he said, then stuffed the fish in his mouth, chewing appreciatively. Swallowing, he said, “So. Do I make the cut, Sir?”
Lucifer laughed again. “Just when I think a human cannot surprise me, I am proven wrong. Welcome aboard, Markus Barton; to what will hopefully be the last job you’ll ever have.”