Grim Tidings Characters

A Grim Reaper in the Department of Hauntings and Spirits, formerly a twenty-seven-year-old mortal who died in 1918. She is lonely, tired of death, and clings to mortal habits like drinking water, eating doughnuts, and smoking; her death magic appears as black smoke in her eyes, and she can heal with her scythe. She keeps a list of things she never did while alive and longs to save a life rather than claim one.

Arc: From a rule-bound, isolated Reaper who avoids connection, she defies the department by healing and adopting Tater Tot, saving Nate, and falling for Gabriel. She confronts Gideon over the debt she owes, briefly pushes Gabriel away to protect him, and is ultimately reinstated as a Reaper and assigned to be with Gabriel, the man from her final vision.

• Gabriel — romantic partner and soulmate; she makes deals with him, kisses him, fights to save him, and is finally assigned to be with him
• Aelia — friend and fellow Reaper who covers for her and helps her
• Brad — Ferryman coworker who flirts with her and later searches for her on Gideon's orders
• Gideon — her Head Reaper and boss who confronts her, suspends her, and later reinstates her
• Frank — florist friend and mentor; she reaped his wife and daughter and later guides him to the afterlife
• Nate — the soul she was assigned to collect and saves from death
• Tater Tot — her adopted undead dog
• Maverick — department intake worker she argues with over Tater Tot
• Casey — mortal bar patron whose palm she reads

A Guardian Angel and bartender, full name Gabriél Alexandros Aetos, who died in 445 BC in Athens. He has tattoos, can summon a sword from his forearm, and has wings and healing magic; he lost two souls to Reapers and bears scars from being carved by his own sword. He is protective, distrustful of Reapers, and drawn to Darcy despite himself.

Arc: He begins by accusing Darcy of being a Reaper and warning her away, then becomes her reluctant ally and lover. After losing his wings and becoming mortal, he realizes Darcy is his soulmate and waits for her; when she returns, he kisses her and learns her final assignment is to be with him.

• Darcy — romantic partner and soulmate; initially enemy, then deal-bound ally, lover, and the person he waits for
• Nate — friend and bar patron or coworker he teases and protects
• Frank — friend and acquaintance he helps in the flower shop and later compels away from the graveyard
• Rafael — old Guardian and former enforcer who punished him, later discharges him and reveals his soulmate marks
• Tater Tot — Darcy's dog, whom he collects and cares for
• Aelia — distrustful Reaper ally who calls him 'bird man'
• Casey — mortal bar patron he compels to forget Darcy
• Jessie — fellow bartender
• Gideon — Guardian and Reaper authority he confronts

The managing head of the Reapers, ancient and unseen in the office for more than two hundred years before he returns. He enforces department rules, demands Darcy bring the man she was assigned, and threatens to collect the soul himself if she does not. He is frustrated, secretive, and later explains that Reapers grant mercy and show love.

Arc: He moves from absent boss to active antagonist when he tracks Darcy and confronts her about breaking Reaper rules. He accepts Frank as a substitute for Nate, suspends Darcy and assigns her to customer service, then reinstates her with the yew berry and sends her on a final assignment to be with Gabriel.

• Darcy — his subordinate Reaper whom he confronts, punishes, suspends, and reinstates
• Brad — Ferryman he orders to find Darcy and gives a watch to signal him
• Nate — the assigned soul he intends to collect
• Frank — accepts Frank's offer to take Nate's place
• Aelia — warns Darcy that Gideon has come and tries to negotiate with him
• Maverick — maintains the ledger system according to Gideon
• Gabriel — Guardian who confronts him at the graveyard

A small Reaper with a scythe bigger than she is, and Darcy's friend and fellow Grim Reaper. She takes Reaper work seriously, distrusts Brad, and insists their work as death's representatives is important. She follows Darcy's magic, confronts her about adopting Tater Tot, and agrees to create distractions to hold off the department.

Arc: She starts as a rule-minded friend who teases Darcy about her all-black clothing and pushes her through the assignment door. She becomes a loyal accomplice, warning Darcy that Gideon has come, helping Gabriel search for her, and trying to negotiate with Gideon to spare her.

• Darcy — friend and fellow Reaper who helps cover for her
• Brad — distrusts him and calls him an idiot
• Gabriel — distrustful ally; she calls him 'bird man' and works with him to find Darcy
• Gideon — tries to get to Darcy before him and negotiates with him
• Maverick — says he does not know about Darcy's dog
• Tater Tot — follows the dog to Darcy

An older bar regular who eats maraschino cherries and owns a flower shop. He loves flowers because his late wife did, and he opened the shop after she passed; he mentors Darcy in flower arranging. He later recognizes Darcy as the Reaper who took his wife and daughter in a car accident almost forty years ago.

Arc: He moves from amused, grumpy regular and florist mentor to grieving accuser when Darcy's magic destroys his shop and he recognizes her. He later offers to take Nate's place so he can reunite with his family, and Darcy guides him through the ledger-room door to his wife and daughter.

• Darcy — friend and flower-arranging mentor; she reaped his wife and daughter, and later guides him to the afterlife
• Gabriel — friend and acquaintance he bickers with and who helps move deliveries
• Nate — bar patron and friend whose place he offers to take
• Gideon — the Reaper who opens the door for him
• Tater Tot — watches him while Darcy leaves

A friendly, flirtatious bar patron and friend of Gabriel; he owns a boat even though he cannot swim. He teases Gabriel about Darcy and is later revealed to be the soul Darcy was assigned to collect. He is saved from the fated SUV accident when Darcy jumps into the street.

Arc: He goes from comic relief and flirt to the mortal target of Darcy's assignment. After Darcy and Frank intervene, he survives, panics during the supernatural confrontation, runs, and later works at the bar with Gabriel.

• Gabriel — friend, bar patron, and later coworker who teases him
• Darcy — friend and the Reaper assigned to collect or save him; he flirts with her and she saves his life
• Frank — the man who offers to take his place
• Gideon — the Reaper who comes to collect his soul

A Ferryman in the Department of Hauntings and Spirits who flirts with Darcy, tries to touch her robes, and wants to become a Reaper. He says he will get his blade soon and asks to accompany Darcy to assignment selection. Later he searches for Darcy on Gideon's orders and hopes for a reward or promotion.

Arc: He begins as a flirtatious coworker Darcy avoids, then becomes Gideon's agent when he finds Darcy at an ice cream shop and signals Gideon with an ornate watch. Gideon dismisses him, but Brad remains a sign of the department closing in on Darcy.

• Darcy — coworker who flirts with her and later searches for her on Gideon's orders
• Aelia — fellow department employee who distrusts him and calls him an idiot
• Gideon — follows his orders and hopes for promotion or reward

An injured German shepherd Darcy finds in an alley, heals with her scythe and Reaper magic, and adopts despite the rules. Aelia calls him a zombie dog; he is protective of Darcy, growls at Gabriel, and eats Tater Tots. He becomes her loyal companion and leads Gabriel and Aelia to her when she is in danger.

Arc: He goes from a wounded, distrustful dog to Darcy's devoted companion. He leads Gabriel and Aelia through alleys to the graveyard, stays with Darcy, and later lives with Gabriel, who searches for Darcy's scent and cares for him.

• Darcy — his adopted owner and companion; he is protective of her and sleeps beside her
• Gabriel — growls at him at first, later Gabriel collects and cares for him
• Frank — stays with him while Darcy goes to the bar
• Aelia — follows him to Darcy

An elder Guardian and former enforcer who once punished Gabriel, also called Rafe. He appears at the bar to warn that Gideon has returned and that the bar reeks of death magic. Later he processes Gabriel's discharge from the Office of Guardians, removes his wings, and reveals that Gabriel's marks are all connected to Darcy.

Arc: He moves from ominous enforcer warning Gabriel to the official who makes Gabriel mortal and reveals his soulmate status. He signs Gabriel's release, tells him he is free to live a mortal life, and leaves him with the question 'Can't you feel it?'

• Gabriel — old fellow Guardian, former enforcer who punished him, and the one who discharges him and reveals his soulmate marks
• Gideon — warns Gabriel that Gideon has reappeared at the department
• Darcy — reveals Gabriel's marks are for Darcy, his soulmate

A department intake worker who insists there is an order to things and operates by appointment only. He is on a ladder when Darcy brings the injured dog to the intake room, refuses to process Tater Tot because he is late for a meeting, and tells her to make an appointment in the ledger. He creates a door in the wall and warns that management dislikes side quests.

Arc: He remains a bureaucratic obstacle, refusing the dog and leaving Darcy to deal with the rules. Later notes mention he maintains the ledger system, but he does not change his strict approach.

• Darcy — addresses her as Ms. Darcy and refuses to process Tater Tot
• Tater Tot — the dog he refuses to admit
• Gideon — maintains the ledger system according to Gideon
• Aelia — she says he does not know about Darcy's dog yet

The other bartender at Gabriel's bar, who acknowledges him, waves him off when he takes a break, and charms naval soldiers into leaving a higher tip. She covers for Gabriel when he leaves the bar.

Arc: She remains a minor supporting presence, helping run the bar and covering for Gabriel during his breaks and drinking with Darcy.

• Gabriel — fellow bartender who covers for him when he takes a break

A mortal bar patron and the son of a mechanic who has just taken over his father's shop on Ridgley Ave. He flirts with Darcy at the bar, talks with her about historical texts and Irish fishing ledgers, and lets her read his palm. Gabriel compels him to return to his friends and forget the conversation.

Arc: He appears briefly as a mortal Darcy charms, then is removed from the scene by Gabriel's compulsion. He does not appear again.

• Darcy — the woman he flirts with and whose palm she reads
• Gabriel — the Guardian who compels him to forget the conversation

A man who returns to his home while Gabriel is packing Darcy's belongings and confronts him. He offers tea and reveals that he is meant to haunt the owner of the Crow's Nest. He says his home has been used as lodgings before.

Arc: He appears briefly, confused and annoyed to find strangers in his home, and provides a minor supernatural-world detail. He does not affect the main plot beyond that encounter.

• Gabriel — finds him in his home
• Darcy — previous guest in his home