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Most of the day had been spent watching tv, but it was getting dark and Tessa was getting bored. Peeling the blanket off of her, she stood and stretched, raising her arms above her head.
”I think I’m gonna go for a walk through the town,” Tessa said through a yawn. “Wanna come?”
Death considered it for a moment. His vessel had lived in California, but was wealthy enough to afford a winter home in upstate New York. They were a long train ride from anywhere exciting, but it was a nice town. Because Death had access to his vessel’s memories, he knew the town pretty well, knew of the places the vessel had enjoyed the most. Slowly, he looked at Tessa and nodded.
”Let me go put on my suit.”
Tessa watched as Death disappeared from the couch, then headed upstairs to her room. She preferred walking to teleporting; walking up and down the stairs kept her butt firm.
She reached the top of the stairs and continued down the hall, past Death’s door. Once inside her room, she closed the door halfway and stripped off her robe. She crossed the room to the closet and opened the door. Sifting through the hangers, Tessa pulled out a short grey skirt and a red sweater, along with her favorite pair of tall, black boots. Laying the ensemble on the bed, she then went to the dresser and located a pair of black woolen stockings and a bra.
Tessa peeled off the sleep pants and tank top she was wearing and pulled on the stockings. They were warm and soft against her skin, and Tessa hummed to herself as she pulled on the skirt. Next was the bra and sweater, which clung to her curves without suffocating her. Sitting on the bed, Tessa pulled on the boots before leaving her room.
As she made her way down the hall, Tessa noticed the door to Death’s bedroom was ajar. Unable to resist her curiosity, she leaned forward, peering through the opening. The light was on and Tessa could see a shadow moving on the floor. Suddenly, Death was in her line of vision, his back to the door. He was standing there in his pants and shoes, holding a black sweater. Tessa found herself staring at Death’s back; he was shockingly fit for someone so thin. Deciding she’d better go before he sensed her and caught her spying, Tessa straightened, backing away from the door and continuing down the hall. She had only just reached the bottom step when Death materialized in front of her, fully dressed. Being a gentleman, he retrieved her coat from the hall closet and held it out for her. Tessa turned and slipped her arms into their respective sleeves, pulling the coat tightly around her before turning back to Death and smiling.
”Shall we?”
Death wordlessly opened the door and allowed Tessa to leave first, locking the door behind him as he followed her out. He pocketed his keys and pulled his coat closer, looking up and down the neighborhood street. He walked in stride with Tessa down the walkway, taking a right at the sidewalk. They walked in silence for several minutes, enjoying the cold night air on their faces and hands. Stars littered the inky sky, and Christmas lights decorated most of the houses. At the end of the block, they crossed the street, heading west.
”I knew you were there, you know,” remarked Death softly as they walked. “I sensed you, out in the hall, just standing there.”
Tessa was suddenly grateful for the cold biting at her cheeks, coloring her skin pink; at least he wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the cold and her blush. “I-I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to spy.”
”It’s alright,” he replied, glancing over at Tessa, a smile playing on his lips. “Liked what you saw?”
”I, uh…” Tessa stammered, not really sure what to say.
”I’m teasing, Tessa,” Death held out his arm, giving the reaper a small smile.
Tessa cautiously extended her hand, linking her arm with his. He gestured to the sidewalk with his cane and they continued on, silence falling over them once again. Tessa felt embarrassed and a little ashamed; what the hell was she thinking, peeking in on her boss? She knew he wasn’t mad, at least, but she felt a bit stupid. Of course he’d known-
”Wait, so if you knew… Did you move in front of the door on purpose?”
”Possibly,” Death offered, his eyes trained on the sidewalk in front of them.
Tessa opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment, she saw a tiny white fleck drift down to her immediate left, followed by another fleck. She looked up to the black sky, the stars and moon reflecting light off millions of tiny specks of snow. She herself was perfectly warm, but the elements still had some effect on her vessel; Tessa exhaled, her breath visibly leaving her lips. She turned her attention back to the sidewalk as the center of town came into view.
The streets were filled with people, Christmas shopping or meeting friends. There were even a few cars with trees tied to the top. Death and Tessa moved silently through the crowd, arms still intertwined, which earned them a few curious glances from the more conservative citizens. Snow had begun to gather on the ground and a light wind was dusting their hair and coats with the soft powder. Lights poured from the store windows on either side of the street, most of which held signs boasting their sales.
”Do you want to go look around in the stores?” Death asked, ignoring the wide-eyed stares from two children being ushered along by their parents.
“No, I’d rather just enjoy the snow,” Tessa replied, her eyes trained on a group of people up the road, all of which were holding thin booklets.
They continued down the road, weaving through the clusters of Christmas shoppers. As they moved along the sidewalk, the group up the road pulled into a tight formation in front of the church and began to sing.
“Damnit,” Death muttered, quickening his pace.
“Oh, come on. They’re actually pretty good,” Tessa objected.
“I hate Christmas songs.”
“Grinch.”
“No, Scrooge.”
Tessa laughed and pulled gently on Death’s arm, steering him away from the carolers and the stores and throngs of people, toward the park. The streets became increasingly more deserted as they moved farther away from the center. The snow continued to fall as they headed southwest down a residential street, the layer on the ground building, bare trees silhouetted in white. Death and Tessa cut across the road, taking the trail through the woods. It was eerily quiet; all the animals were either sleeping or had migrated, and there was little insect noises, even if you were listening hard enough. They made it out of the trees, the trail fanning out in two directions around the edge of a large field. There was playground equipment - swings, slides, monkey bars - to the left, several yards from where they stood. To the right, there were stone tables and benches, as well as a few fire pits. They headed toward the tables, leaving two sets of footprints in the snow.
When they reached the tables, Tessa sat down while Death lit a fire from thin air. Orange and red flames licked at the walls of the pit, a warm glow sparkling off the snow. Death took the seat opposite of Tessa and stared into the fire.
“It’s beautiful out here,” she said softly, her eyes looking up at the sky.
Death followed her gaze; the lights of the town hardly made an impact on the blackness of the sky. The moon hung low over the trees to the right, the stars hidden behind clouds. The snow was still falling, the flecks larger and brighter in direct moonlight. He looked over at Tessa, whose eyes were still trained on the sky; her skin as eerily white against her black hair. Death reached across the table and touched her hand.
”Very beautiful,” he agreed.