I watched Nox out of the corner of my eye as we walked. I had no idea what to think of him.
After announcing himself as my Grimm Reaper, he just said, "We had better get a move on. Need to meet up with the others."

"What others?" I asked. He didn't answer.

"I know the whole being dead thing must be kind of a shocker but honestly it's not too bad once you get the hang of it..." He raised his arms to the side and swayed from each side of the road like a little kid.

"I don't think anyone enjoys dying." I crossed my arms.

He brushed his fingers through the grass, "Some people wish for death."

I didn't know what to say after that. Thankfully Nox distracted himself by tripping over a rock. He flailed about for a moment, desperately trying to regain his balance. After a moment he straightened out, his ears and cheeks flushing red.

I studied him discreetly. He was kind of cute, in a skater boy 'I'm-too-cool-for-you' sort of way. His hair was a deep chocolate color, so intense it looked unnatural. Could you dye your hair when you're dead? He had lots of freckles splashed across his entire face, and from what I could see on his wrist, they continued up his arms. His eyes reflected the land around us; dull and gray. But they were full of life and curiosity, something I never expected to find in the afterlife. I figured everyone would just be dead and depressed. Kind of like his outfit.

"Ok, I know you're the Grimm Reaper and everything, but don't you think this cloak is kind of over the top?" I gestured to the flowy tendrils behind him.

He glanced back, "You jealous?"

I snorted, "Ha! That's funny."

He looked wounded, "It's standard issue for Reapers. I thought it looked cool."

"Sure, if you want to walk around constantly looking like a Dementor then yeah, it's great."

He laughed, "Alright you win. What do you want as your prize?"

"Peace and quiet." I said.

"What? But it gets so boring if we just walk and don't say anything." he whined.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Shhh."

"Fine, fine. No more talking from me. I am zipping my lips. Shutting my mouth. Turning off my voice box." Nox drawled.

I put a finger to my lips; the universal sign for 'Shut up'.

He grumbled a bit then fell quiet. But I almost regretted asking him to stop talking once he grew quiet. Left me with too much time to think. I still couldn't get over my little episode. So embarrassing, I thought.

As if he could read my thoughts, Nox said, "Panic attacks suck."

I folded my arms, "We are not talking about this. Actually, we are not talking, period. Shh"

"I used to get them all the time," he kicked at a loose rock, "Before the Ritual, hanging out with the other Reapers, sometimes for no reason. It's the worst."

I stayed silent. He shrugged, stretching his arms outwards, "You don't have to say anything. But there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Thanks for the validation." I said dryly.

"That's not what I'm saying."

I sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. I'm super grumpy right now."

"It's ok. I get it. Death is hard."

"You don't say. There should be some kind of guide book or something when you first get here. Even a leaflet would be better than nothing."

Nox laughed, "You don't need a guide. You've got me! If you have any questions, fire away at your pleasure."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really." he smiled.

I took a deep breath, "Ok, first off, what is this place? How did I get here? What happens when we reach the tree? What exactly are Death's Doors? Why can I only sometimes connect with things and other times I can't? Is there some kind of Ghost Physics or rules I need to know about? What was the grotesque monster that tried to kill us? Wait, can we be killed again? And what happens when-"

"Woah woah woah," Nox waved his arms around, "You're giving me a headache. Slow down, one question at a time."

"Fine. I'll start simple; what is this place and what am I doing here?" I said, cross.

"Those are two questions." Nox smirked, "But don't fret, I'll still answer. This is the Afterlife. You are here because in your world, you died. Your body is still there, in that world, but your spirit is now here to spend the rest of your death in the Tree."

"Ok," I said, "Explain the Tree."

Nox stopped walking, a thoughtful expression on his face, "Huh, ok. I've never really thought about how to explain it before. Essentially, everything you see is Death. No, not the small-d death, I mean Death with a capital-D. She's this living and breathing consciousness that watches over deceased souls. She doesn't have a physical body, but she embodies everything around us, making her the only living thing on this plane."

"That's ironic."

"I know right? Anyway, the Tree is Death's Doors. It leads to the place of inhabitants for deceased souls. My job is to get you there in one piece."

"I guess what makes sense." I said, "Now, ghost logic. Ready set go."

"Ok," Nox scratched his arm, which must have felt like nothing through that thick cloak, "Umm, you asked why you can only make contact with things half the time right? Basically, since ghosts aren't actually physical things, they tend to be transparent and intangible most of the time. But some ghost can muster up enough willpower to touch and interact with things. It can also happen randomly if you have a really large spurt of emotion."

"Oh, that explains a lot actually." I said, looking at Callie, "Ok, one last question or my brain might explode. Will I start aging again? Or am I just immortal now?"

"No aging." Nox confirmed, "You will be this age, and this fit for the rest of your life. Your soul is the same age you are at the time of your death, but in perfect health and condition. Same goes for all deceased organic matter. Animals like Callie are a little different though. She died from old age, but is reborn in the best condition she was in while she was alive."

"Why is it different for them?" I asked.

"No clue. Got to ask Death herself for the answer to that one."

"Can I?" I perked up.

"No!" Nox said exasperatedly, "Death doesn't communicate with anyone except the High Council."

Sensing another round of questions, Nox hurried on, "The High council is made up of all the best ex-reapers. They help run the Afterlife and make sure things are safe for all the inhabitants."

"Huh, so kind of like the Underworld judges?" I questioned.

"Yes and no." Nox said, "It's complicated."

"Like any of this isn't?" I spun around.

"Fair enough."

We started walking again.

"How are you feeling about all of this?" Nox asked.

I didn't look at him, "How am I supposed to feel? It's just all so odd. I don't remember my life, much less my death, so it all feels like I'm missing something constantly."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nox's hand fly up to his face, "Oh Death's Smelly Underpants Irohn is going to kill me."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I forgot to reconcile your memories!" Nox exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" I yelled, "You have my memories?"

"Uhhh... yes. Kind of. Please don't hurt me." Nox said sheepishly.

"No promises." I glowered

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1292 words

I wonder if Riley can still kill Nox if he's already dead?