Uriah stalked after the pair, practically fuming. He was so angry he wanted to grab Mavis and drag her away.

What enraged him most was Mavis's smile—real, genuine, radiant. He'd never seen her smile like that at him. And she’d claimed to like him. What a joke. She clearly favored Norton; she grinned at him as if he were dispensing lottery winnings.

Uriah's anger intensified, a pressure cooker building in his head.

Slightly behind, Calliope and Silas trailed Uriah, maintaining a discreet distance, observing the unfolding drama. They were far enough away to not hear the conversation, but Uriah's body language spoke volumes; he looked about to explode.

"Jeez, he's about to pop a gasket," Calliope muttered, shaking her head.

"And Uriah says he doesn't like Mavis? If that's not jealousy, let Valerian eat a Philly cheesesteak upside down," Calliope snorted.

Silas stared at her, his blue eyes dark. "Make it the whole family. They can all have cheesesteaks standing on their heads."

"Exactly," Calliope agreed, then glanced at him, startled. Was she being too crude? She thought of Blythe, all sweetness and light, and considered toning it down. But Silas shrugged. "Say whatever you want. I like you exactly like this."

They kept their eyes on Uriah, moving like amateur spies.

"So, expert opinion—what's Uriah going to do next?" Calliope asked, leaning closer.

"No clue," Silas replied. "If he's thinking straight, maybe he'll back off. But if he loses it, who knows? He might go ballistic right there. Either way, he's not exactly Mr. Stable. If he loses his mind, it'll be ugly. If not, he'll probably just implode."

Calliope smirked. "So, definitely not indifferent, huh?"

"If he didn't care, he'd be chill, or at least pretending to be. Not... whatever this is."

"Good. That means there's still hope." She raised an eyebrow, already plotting. "If we prod him a little more, maybe he'll finally reveal his true feelings."

Silas had no objections. He didn't ask questions, simply waiting for her plan so he could help.

They followed Uriah a while longer, watching him stop at a pet stand.

"Why the heck is he buying rabbits?" Calliope squinted, puzzled, as Uriah purchased a box of fluffy bunnies.

"Does he actually like cute little animals?" she wondered aloud. "I mean, Uriah's basically a part-time mercenary. He's more likely to have a pet wolf than a bunny."

"Maybe he's just going home to… I don't know, vent his anger on them?" Calliope winced. "Ugh, that's dark. But honestly, after today? Who knows what's going on in that guy's head."

"I don't think he's that far gone…" Silas said, clearly uncomfortable.

"You sure?" Calliope looked skeptical, but decided not to dwell on it. They continued following.

Meanwhile, Mavis and Norton headed back to the hotel.