Opening her eyes Eve was immediately confused.

Didn't she die? How can she be opening her eyes if she bled to death in the arms of a bank robber?

"That fuck?" she muttered, lifting her hand to her head in confusion.

Her brain was muddled and she couldn't keep a thought in her mind long enough to process what was going on beyond knowing she shouldn't be alive to think in the first place.

"Ah," a voice drew her attention, and she turned her head sluggishly toward it without rising, "You're awake."

There, sitting with his legs crossed in front of a large, wooden desk was the man she'd let stab her. She blinked several times, her brow furrowed as she tried to process what she was seeing.

"Uh... apparently?" she finally responded, still blinking in confusion, "Which, uh... doesn't make a whole lot of sense, if I'm honest with you."

"Oh? And why is that?" he asked casually, turning in his seat to observe her curiously.

"Um, because you stabbed me and I am supposed to be dead?" she scoffed, moving her hand to her stomach where the wound should be.

There was no pain or discomfort, and while her shirt was torn and crusted - likely with blood, she thought to herself - there was no wound beneath her fingers when they found the skin.

"Oh yes, that," the man said, waving his hand dismissively, "That's been sorted. You dying would have been inconvenient since I decided I wasn't ready for our conversation to end quite yet."

"Oh, of course," she snorted in disbelief, "because that makes sense."

Sitting up, Eve looked around and the crease in her brow deepened.

If she didn't know any better, she'd say she was in a bedroom... A very glamorous, enormous bedroom, like the kind you find in a palace. Or like a suite in one of those fancy hotels no one in their right mind would pay to stay at.

The fuck is going on? She thought as she looked around at the Gothic-styled room.

The deep wine-red silk sheets of the bed she was currently laying in and thick, long curtains hanging nearby married with the dark brown wood furniture and trim on the walls had her wondering if she was in Dracula's castle.

But not the historically accurate kind, she thought passively, the ones in movies that are fancy and over the top like the ones in Germany.

"You seem lost in thought," the man said, his tone amused as he watched her scrutinize his bedroom.

"Just thinking about how nice the digs are in this fever dream I appear to be in," she murmured, standing and stretching carefully to inspect her body for injuries.

Sure enough, she had no pain or tenderness confirming she was, indeed, hallucinating.

"And here I thought I had purchased a one-way ticket to Hell. Looks like I get to go on a little side-quest before I get there," she scoffed, looking up at the man that killed her, adding, "Not that I'm complaining."

"That's good to hear," he chuckled, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Eve tilted her head then, looking into his eyes. She was surprised by a sudden, strange sense of familiarity when she held his gaze.

She'd thought prior to this moment that he as an attractive man. He was still in the same black suit with a deep blue undershirt that matched his cufflinks and pocket square, and his shoes and belt both shone in that way annoyingly rich men liked. He looked sharp and wealthy at a glance, though there was something about him that made it clear he didn't come from boardrooms and business conferences.

His black hair was long enough that if it wasn't styled up the way it was would likely hang around his face, and his light brown skin was deceptively youthful over his sharp features. She could tell, though, he wasn't a young man - though she doubted he was as old as her.

It was his eyes, though... looking into his black eyes was like being sucked into a void, and Eve was having a hard time breaking away from the hold they seemed to have on her.

"Do... I know you?" she asked slowly, studying him in an attempt to place why he seemed so familiar, "from before you stabbed me, I mean."

His eyes twinkled, a smirk growing on his full lips.

"Not that I'm aware of," he said, though his tone hinted at a hidden meaning she couldn't quite decipher.

"Hmm," she hummed, holding his gaze, "So you're one of those men. I suppose it'd be boring if you just came out and said what you mean though."

His laugh was loud and sudden, half shock and half genuine amusement at the way the woman before him spoke to him. The sound of it echoed off the walls and created a unique melody that pried a small smirk from Eve despite her best effort to prevent it.

He was incredibly attractive when he laughed, she thought passively.

"Well, I don't regret my decision to keep you," he chuckled lightly when he gathered himself, "and I look forward to our continued discussion. You'll have to accompany me, though, since I have things to do. I'm afraid I'm incredibly busy, but I imagine your company will help break up the monotony some."

"Uh huh," Eve said slowly, "and, uh, where am I accompanying you to, exactly?"

"Each of the regions need to be managed, of course," he explained with a shrug, "I must check in with each overseer, address any issues that have come up, review reports on performance and head counts - those kinds of things."

"You run a business?" Eve asked curiously, her interest peaked, "Like... A legitimate one? Or are we going to leave this room and walk into a weird mafia underground or something?"

He chuckled again, rising an eyebrow at the human who hadn't put the pieces together quite yet. He was excitedly anticipating her reaction when she did. Though human denial can be impressive... He wondered how long it would take her to come to terms with her situation.

He looked forward to finding out.

He found her fascinating because she didn't react the way he expected in any given situation. He was rarely surprised, especially with regards to humans, and in a life as long as his any source of entertainment should be thoroughly enjoyed for as long as it lasts.

For now, she was entertaining, and as long as she remained that way he had decided to keep her around.

"It's as legitimate as any business could possibly be, and is older and more important than any business you have ever worked for - I assure you," he smirked, studying her for her reaction.

She simply raised an eyebrow - though not in disbelief like he'd expected, but in curiosity.

How interesting.

"Shall we?" he gestured toward the door as he rose to his feet.

"Am I really dressed appropriately?" she asked, looking down at her bloody, torn blouse then to him with amusement.

"I suppose not," he agreed, smiling at her priorities, "There are clothes in the closet there. You'll find any option you select will fit you. Choose whatever suits your preferences."

This time disbelief did flicker across her face, since she found it unlikely he had things in her specific size. Rather than speak her doubt aloud, though, she walked toward the door he'd nodded toward and entered a closet that didn't feel quite real.

Okay, so none of this is real, Eve concluded, shrugging and grabbing an outfit that looked a lot like what she'd have worn when she was running her consulting firm, this is all a fever dream or a weird pre-death brain malfunction. So, at this point, I mise well enjoy the ride and see what my brain comes up with!

Walking out of the closet, she adjusted her dark blue suit jacket and the cream blouse under it that fit her perfectly before holding her hands out and spinning before the man.

"What do we think? Does this outfit say 'I'm dead but I'm still a bad boss bitch' or should I change?"

For the second time since she woke up she watched him throw his head back and laugh, a full bellied laugh that barked through the room. Her own smile grew across her face as she placed a hand on her hip and simply nodded.

"I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled, "Then, let's assume my hair isn't a mess and get to it, shall we?"

"Yes, let's," he laughed lightly, leading the way to the door, "This should prove to be quite interesting."

"I'll do my best," Eve scoffed, following behind him and into a hallway that very much matched the style of the room, "What should I call you, by the way? Boss man feels a little formal."

He smiled at her, amused and thoroughly enjoying their conversation.

"You can call me Thoth," he said simply, "Though I've had many names, that one is the one those most familiar with me call me."

"That's a unique name," Eve said with a nod, "Where's it from?"

"Egyptian in origin, as I recall," he replied thoughtfully, "They were wiser then than many other cultures that had come before, or after. They had a deeper understanding of things like life, death, and knowledge, so I am fond of it."

"Mmhmm," Eve hummed with an indulgent nod, "and the other names you've gone by are from other cultures, then?"

"Indeed," Thoth agreed, eyeing her curiously at her casualness, "I used my Akkadian name for a very long time, but it has long since fallen out of style. I was never a fan of the Greek translation of my Hebrew name since it was mistranslated, so I don't use it - though that's what most everyone who doesn't know me personally calls me these days."

"Well, we can't have you using a name that's out of style or was mistranslated," Eve snorted, shaking her head with a sarcastic smile, "Thoth is a good name. Now that you mention it, I think I recall an ancient Egyptian God with that name, though I can't remember the details. It's a solid name - definitely won't forget it."

His smirk grew and his eyes twinkled at her, but he remained silent - enjoying the game.

"I never caught your name, actually," he mused, tilting his head in sudden awareness, "what should I call you?"

"Eve," she replied casually, looking around the hallway and admiring the statues, paintings, and even the carpentry that ran along the black marble floors.

As they walked along the hallway, the architecture that reminded her of the Mad King's castles was beginning to morph into something she'd never quite seen before. The marble floors began to shift into a stone she couldn't identify, the white veins turning a deep red, and the once maroon painted walls and wooden trims shifting to be that of the same dark stone.

Yep, definitely a fever dream, she confirmed to herself as they walked out of the hallway and into what appeared to be a throne room.

The entire room was made of the strange black marble stone with red veins - the walls, the floor, the pillars that lined the side of the room, and even the thrones themselves seemed to be carved of it as well.

Thrones - plural - because there were three identical thrones side by side sitting just a couple steps up on a risen platform.

If I died and this were Hell, there'd be something like seven thrones, right? Eve mused, trying to remember the demonology studies from the old days when her mother used to preach a religion she never followed, or would there be just the one and all the other fallen angels get regular chairs?

"Well, Eve," Thoth said with a smirk, simply watching her take in her surroundings, "I look forward to hearing your thoughts over the course of our work today."

"You want me to give you my thoughts?" she asked, turning from the thrones and back to face the man in front of her, "Now why would you want that?"

"Didn't you say you were a business consultant?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "Isn't that what you do as a consultant? You share your thoughts on things?"

She snorted then, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the situation she found herself in.

From dealing with a ghost prank and entitled bullies to getting stabbed in a bank robbery because a crazy man thought she was possessed... and now she's in a weird fever dream of a crazy castle with the man of many names seeking business advice?

Sure, why not, she laughed internally, Let's just roll with it. Not like I've got anything better to do.

"Alright," she agreed with a shrug, "I usually spend the first week or so observing, making notes, and getting familiar with the way things work. Then I spend time trying to understand why they work that way before we just go changing shit. Only after those two steps can I give you any thoughts worth anything, like identifying problem areas and opportunities for improving efficiency or quality. But sure, why not? Let's do it."

His smirk grew into a large grin, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of amusement and excitement at her response. No questions? No arguments or discussion of money like most humans - especially those in denial about their situation - would immediately jump into?

Yes, this human was proving to be very entertaining indeed.

"Fantastic," he replied, his voice revealing how truly happy he was with that response, "Then let's get started."