Tristan: "What the hell?"

Mary frowned and took a step back.

Mary: "Delphaso Mall.... oh damn! We passed this place a few stops back!"
Tristan: "We're in a mall? The Underworld has a mall?"
Mary: "And this surprises you because...?"
Tristan: "I'm not surprised. I'm just wondering why we're here. I understand you enjoy fashion, but do you really need a new outfit to wear while you trek through the Underworld?"

Mary: "Of course not! Although a new pair of shoes might be helpful."
Tristan: "Sure, your feet that aren't even physically here must be killing you with those heels."
Mary: "As a matter of fact, they are, and let me tell you something Logic Boy: For all you know my actual feet have severe frostbite and since I'm not entirely dead, the incredible pain I'm going through up there has managed to manifest itself down here. In case you've forgotten, I just froze myself to death, so please forgive me if I don't make perfect sense one-hundred-percent of the time."
Tristan: "Sorry."

Mary waved his apology away and looked around. They were standing in the center of the food court, where the four promenades of the mall converged. Fluorescent lighting buzzed and glared from above. There were no outside windows, no natural light; only people and shops.

Tristan: "By the look of things, this place was built in 1978 and hasn't been remodeled since."
Mary: "It is a little oppressive, isn't it? I wonder why the door for tickets lead here?"

Tristan consulted the map in front of them.

Tristan: "I suppose it would be too much to hope to find a Ticketmaster counter here..."
Mary: "No such luck. Let's just start walking."

Mary: "So... apparently black is the new black?"
Tristan: "That or grey."

Tristan: "God I hate the mall. I wish I knew why we're taking this detour through hell."
Mary: "You think this is hell?"
Tristan: "I suppose it's heaven for you."
Mary: "Yes, Tristan. I want nothing more than to surround myself with pretzels on a stick and the retail bliss of mass-produced clothing made by small children in India."
Tristan: "Sorry, it's just the..."

Tristan waved his hand at Mary, gesturing at her outfit. He'd known Mary and Emily for nearly a year now and still occasionally found it difficult to see what they had in common that drew them to one another in the first place.

Mary: "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Tristan: "I don't dislike you..."
Mary: "It's okay. That's what I mean. That's exactly how I feel about this place. Not hell, but not heaven. Pretty much like the real world."
Tristan: "You have to admit it's a little gloomier than the real world."

Mary looked Tristan up and down pointedly.

Mary: "You think so?"
Tristan: "Well, yes."
Mary: "Seems the same to me."

Mary walked to a nearby bench and sat down. Tristan stood in front of her impatiently.

Tristan: "Why are we stopping?"
Mary: "Stopping what? Where are we even going? We're in a fucking mall. Malls give Emily hives, she wouldn't be here. She almost had a nervous breakdown in one on Christmas Eve. She was trying to find a gift for me, though she never would admit to it. It's not like she had anyone else to buy for. So, Mr. Smarty-Pants, what the hell is this and why are we here?"

Tristan sighed and sat down next to Mary. He was having a difficult time making sense of the Underworld so far, and it was beginning to worry him.

Tristan: "I don't know. I don't understand it. This is going to sound weird, but it's almost as if this place moved on without me. Like I was supposed to be here a long time ago, and now I'm extremely late and have no idea what's going on."
Mary: "Like those dreams when you have a final exam, and you realize you haven't been to class since the first day. And you don't even remember how to get there."

Tristan smiled.

Tristan: "And when you finally manage to find the class, it turns out to be 'Pandimensional Physics of Lucky Charms Pancakes'. So it feels that way to you?"

Mary looked up, frowning.

Mary: "No, not really. I just know how you feel. This place may be frustrating, but it doesn't feel... alien. Everything makes a strange sort of sense. Sure, you didn't bring enough money for the bus ride, but you seemed to recognize it for what it was."
Tristan: "Yes..."

Tristan sat thoughtfully for a moment, his face twisted into a deep frown, showing lines that didn't normally exist on his smooth face.

Tristan: "Maybe this is your underworld."
Mary: "Well, duh. I'm the dead one, aren't I? Deader. You're not even supposed to be here."
Tristan: "I know. But what if it goes even further than that? There are so many myths. Many of them are extremely similar, especially when stripped down to their basic elements. But the only myths studied are so old. It's as if they died millennia ago and are now completely unrecognizable. The human race isn't the same as it was thousands of years ago, so why would the underworld remain unchanged?"

Mary shrugged.

Tristan: "Mary, what religion are you?"
Mary: "I don't know... none, I suppose. I think my father's family was Catholic, but we never went to church or anything."
Tristan: "Okay, but what do you believe happens when you die?"

Mary: "Nothing."
Tristan: "What do you mean?"
Mary: "I mean, you die, and you're dead. Nothing happens."

Tristan raised an eyebrow.

Mary: "Irony noted."
Tristan: "Then why on earth are you here?"
Mary: "To find Emily. Just because some doctor says she's dead doesn't make it so."
Tristan: "You saw her."
Mary: "Yes."
Tristan: "You know she's dead. We both do."

Mary held Tristan's gaze for several moments before looking down at the floor. In the time it took him to blink once, her appearance had changed. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could say a word a man had approached them.

Matt: "Hi! I'm Matt, and I work with SHU Research. Today we're offering a twenty-dollar mall gift certificate in exchange for taking our survey."
Mary: "Buzz off, can't you see we're trying to have a conversation?"

Tristan elbowed Mary in the ribs.

Tristan: "Sounds fair. Sign us up."

Mary looked at Tristan incredulously as he grabbed her hand, dragged her to her feet and pulled her along behind Matt.