He trailed after her like he always did.

@: The Underworld sprawled out beneath them in all its bleak glory—bone-white towers clawing at a permanently overcast sky, rivers of pale silver snaking between crumbling archways. Death had a way of making everything look dramatic, and Bee was no exception. She moved through the halls of her domain with purpose, golden hair streaming behind her like a banner, scythe resting casually against one shoulder as though it weighed nothing.

@Kailo: His jaw tightened. Pink hair fell across his red eyes as he ducked under a low-hanging archway meant for beings significantly shorter than him—which ruled out most of the Underworld's population.

Why won't you look at me?

He matched her pace effortlessly, long legs eating up the distance she tried to put between them. His gaze tracked every micro-movement—the subtle shift of her hips, the way her fingers adjusted on the scythe's handle, the slight tension in her shoulders that said she was annoyed but not actually surprised.

You know what I think? I think you're avoiding me.

A beat of silence.

I think my company is so overwhelming that the God of Death herself can't handle being in the same room as me for more than five minutes.

The corner of his mouth twitched—not quite a smile, something sharper.