"So where exactly is this ghost?" Mira asked the other spook as she rode her horse alongside his through a small-but-busy town.

  "I'm not too sure, but I'll track it with my ghost sense. We passed through here the other day, and it went off," Gadalik explained. "I couldn't do anything back then because I was with my parents, but now that I helped them set everything up, I finally have some free time."

  "Set what up?"

  "The nursery. I'm going to be a brother."

  The black-haired girl's violet eyes shone. "They're having a baby? I love babies; they're so cute!"

  The older spook laughed. "Yeah. Still have roughly seven months to go, but they were too excited to wait after they found out last week." He slowed his horse as his ghost sense detected something.

  "I'd love to have a kid of my own someday," Mira continued. "I wonder what they'd be like? My parents both have magic, so even though I don't, my kid might. Of course the chance is greater if the dad has magic too–like you." She blushed, then looked toward him.

  "Uh-huh," Gadalik answered absently, distracted by the sense. Then he realized what she said. "Huh? Me?"

  "Well, yeah. We're dating, aren't we?"

  He froze. We've only officially gone out once! And I was clear about needing time to fall for anyone. I feel like it's too soon to put labels on things, he managed to gather his racing thoughts. But then again, we have been through a lot together in the few times we've worked and hung out… He placed a hand over the wound still healing from the chaos she'd saved him from during their last outing. But right now I just don't feel a spark between us–not yet, anyway.

  "...Aren't we?" she repeated, a nervous bead of sweat dripping down her temple.

  The truth is, I want to like her, but I can't control how soon that happens… if it'll happen at all. Should I correct her? Or should I stay quiet and wait it out? I don't want her to get the wrong idea that I'm not interested in her…

  The corners of her mouth fell. "Gadalik?"

  "W-Well, I… I think you're brave, strong, and pretty," he finally answered, truthfully. "But like I told you before, I'm demi. I enjoy hanging out with you, but I don't know if we can call it dating at this moment in time. Let's just keep hanging out and see where it goes."

  "So you're interested in me and want to spend more time together?” she summarized, and he nodded. “Yeah–that's called dating."

  He rubbed the back of his head above his short striped green ponytail, embarrassed. Would it sound bad if I admitted I've never dated before? "Alright,” he conceded, "then I guess we are technically dating. Regardless, we're both too young to be thinking about kids, especially since I'll be helping raise my little sibling." Eager to change to subject, he pointed to a small abandoned house as they rounded the bend. "The ghost is in there."

  Their horses grew antsy as they neared. They tied them outside a safe distance away, then cautiously Gadalik opened the partially-unhinged door to see a teenage boy wearing a black hoodie and jeans staring out the window, who immediately turned to see who it was. At first there seemed to be a hopeful glint in his eyes, his demeanor tense with excitement. But all traces of potential happiness immediately faded when he saw the duo.

  "Hello," Gadalik greeted the spirit with a friendly smile. "My name is Gadalik, and this is Mira."

  The ghost noted their attire: Gadalik's dark green robe, and Mira's short red-violet cloak. "Spooks, huh?” he said with a humorless chuckle. “Heh. Guess it was only a matter of time before someone noticed I was here. I'll bet you want to annihilate me, huh?”

  So he's an aware ghost… And if he's been in this place for a long time, he must be either a poltergeist or a haunter, Gadalik pieced the situation together. "We are spooks… but nobody hired us. And we just want to see if we can help you. What's your name?"

  "Kris…"

  "Nice to meet you, Kris. Can I ask what you're doing in here?"

  "Looking out the window."

  I can see that… "You seemed happy when you heard the door open. Are you waiting for something, or someone?"

  The ghost sighed and moved away from the pane, not answering.

  "Or do you want to go outside, but you can't?" If he is a poltergeist, he won't be able to leave no matter how much he might want to… Which could be tricky to help with.

  Silence.

  "This is going well," Mira said sarcastically.

  Her companion shot her a warning look. "Kris, whatever your unfinished business might be, we can try to help–if you'd let us," he tried again.

  "There's no helping me. I've been stuck here for weeks… She isn't coming," the ghost answered.

  Poltergeist it is… "She?"

  "Tell us who she is and we can find her for you," Mira offered.

  Kris shook his head. "If she doesn't want to come, let's not force her,” he murmured. “I'm fine here."

  "Great, he's content," she groaned to her partner.

  "Looks that way,” Gadalik agreed with a dejected sigh. “That definitely makes things harder on our end. But hard doesn't mean impossible. Despite ‘content’ being the technically correct label, no ghost is truly content being bound to this world; contentment is something that's inherited from their lifetime: the ability to settle into bad situations, likely to cope with their inability to change that situation on their own.”

  Mira raised an eyebrow. “You really overthink labels, don't you?”

  He frowned. “We can talk about that later. Right now, let’s just focus on finding out how we can help.” He turned to the spirit, who had seemed completely uninterested in their talk about him. "I understand how you might be feeling, Kris, about not ‘forcing’ her to come here if she doesn't want to… So I'm guessing you'd rather suffer alone instead of her, if involving her could potentially cause her suffering too. Am I wrong?"

  Kris gave a single-shouldered shrug, not meeting their gaze.

  "Ugh! Why won't you talk to us?” Mira huffed with frustration. “You plan on moping here for all eternity?"

  The spirit again said nothing, but glared at the ground. So he has been listening to what we've said, Gadalik caught on, his optimism restored.

  She crossed her arms. "If he doesn't cooperate, we're wasting time trying to get answers from him. Come on; let's just enjoy our date before it gets too late."

  "This isn't a–" the older spook stopped himself. He sighed. "Alright. Let's get something to eat, then. Maybe we can ask around on the way to get answers from locals instead."

  As the duo left, Gadalik glanced back to see Kris eyeing them apprehensively after they went out of the building. Then the door shut–as much as it could, anyway–between them.

  "You still seem distracted," Mira commented as they mounted their horses and headed for a nearby restaurant.

  "I'm not giving up on Kris that easily," he admitted. "I can tell you care, too, else you wouldn't be mad about his uncooperativeness."

  "Well, yeah. But if he doesn't tell us anything, how are we supposed to help? We have no clue who he's waiting on, so we have no leads to find her."

  "True. But we do know Kris’s name, so if the girl was involved with him–like as a friend or family member–”

  “Or girlfriend?”

  “--that's more than enough info to get us started on finding her." Then he hesitated from her interjection.

  “What? It's a possibility that she's his girlfriend.”

  “Yeah,” he acknowledged her, “I wasn't discounting that. We'd just be here all day if I mentioned all of the ways they could be involved.”

  They entered a diner, and Mira eagerly went over the menu as soon as they were seated. Gadalik looked it over but was too distraught by everything–including his ‘date’ with Mira, and helping Kris–to concentrate on reading. If this really is a date, then I feel like I'm doing everything on it wrong… At least on ‘outings,’ there’s no expectation to be romantic. I just don't know how to communicate that with her.

  "Hi, there," the waitress chimed as she approached their table. "What can I get for you?"

  “Can you tell me more about these two dishes? They look the same, but one is way more expensive,” Mira told her, pointing at their spots on the menu.

  Gadalik fell deeper into his own insecurities as the waitress explained. I don't know what she's expecting from me–from our ‘dates.’ And I don't know if I'll be able to meet those expectations…

  “I'll just take the cheaper one,” Mira decided.

  "Sure thing,” the waitress replied, scribbling it on her notepad. She turned to Gadalik. “And what about you, young man?"

  "Huh? Oh–I'll have what she's having," he quickly answered, grateful he wasn't picky; he had no idea what she just ordered. Then he remembered the reason they'd visited this town in the first place and seized the opportunity to ask about it. “Has a teenager named Kris ever been here with a girl?”

  She fell silent at that, her grip tightening on the pencil.

  The spooks exchanged a glance.

  "I'm sorry. If you're looking for Kris, he died recently," the waitress informed them solemnly. "Brit moved away after the fact."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Brit?

  "Any idea where she went?" Mira asked.

  "She moved in with her aunt the next town over." She cleared her throat purposefully, remembering she was on the job. "Anything else I can help you with?"

  "No–but thank you,” he said with a genuinely appreciative smile that gradually fell as soon as she left.

  "Don't you ever relax?" Mira wondered, tilting her head slightly as she picked up on his expression.

  "Huh…?"

  "Once you see someone in trouble, you tend to get hung up on it," she noticed.

  Huh. I never thought about that. “Sorry if I'm not… giving you the attention you deserve,” he murmured. “Whether or not this is considered a date, I'm not trying to neglect you. I just…”

  “Is this about labels? If it’s that important to you, we don't have to call it date,” she said, uncharacteristically gentle.

  He was caught off guard by her willingness to take his comfort into account. “Thank you… That means a lot–” Gadalik’s sentence ended abruptly when he cringed from a sudden pain and clutched his abdomen.

  “Woah, you alright?!”

  He held up his index finger with his free hand, then reached into the satchel he'd brought with him for this very scenario. He withdrew a small bottled potion and chugged it despite how bitter the herbs infused within it tasted.

  "What was that?" she asked curiously when he caught his breath and tried to carry on as his usual self.

  "I haven't recovered yet from my wound reopening during the last time we hung out… An enchantress gave me those potions to ease my recovery, though. I'm supposed to drink it every couple hours to help with pain and nausea, but I guess I lost track of time," he explained. “I'll be alright in a minute.”

  "Oh.” Her violet eyes stared down at the menu almost guiltily.

  “That wasn't your fault, by the way,” he added, taking her hand to let her know he meant it. “You did everything right given the circumstances. And you saved me–again.”

  Mira jolted slightly from the touch, meeting his gaze with shock. “Really…?” Then she blushed and quickly snapped herself out of it, regaining her usual confidence. “I… I know that!

  He softened, knowing from what she'd told his parents that she had in fact blamed herself for it. But she seemed reassured about it now, and that was all that mattered to him.

  The waitress brought their orders. Gadalik took small bites until the potion kicked in, then refocused his thoughts on the spirit. So we have a name for the girl he's waiting on. We know her general whereabouts, too. This is progress! But getting a hold of her is a new problem. Kris would probably know how to, but would he be willing to tell us? Gadalik absently fidgeted with his fork, his appetite fading despite the potion’s help.

  “You good?” Mira asked after swallowing a mouthful from her plate. “You never finished what you were saying before your injury flared up.”

  “Oh… Yeah. About getting hung up on problems… I'm doing it again now, aren't I?” he realized. “S-Sorry. I'm just trying to figure out how to help Kris.”

  “Ugh, don't apologize. You're not doing anything wrong. I just don't get why you let yourself get so bothered by other people's problems, when there's nothing more we can do about them right now. We can look into Brit after we eat, so why let it ruin our meal?”

  “You’re right… I shouldn't let it. I guess it's just a hard habit to break after all these years–especially since I don't even realize I'm doing it sometimes.”

  “All these years? Since what?”

  He froze. “It's a long story.”

  “I'm listening.”

  He blinked, surprised but also touched by her casual attentiveness. “Alright. Well, you know what happened with the death of my biological parents: I told you back when we first reconnected, that I was just a kid helpless to save them…”

  “Yeah, I remember that.”

  “And I mentioned on our last outing that I had issues with anxiety.”

  “Right.”

  “The two are related.”

  “I see… But how is that related to Kris?”

  “It’s hard for me to put aside my want to save people–or spirits, like Kris. I was told that it's letting my past trauma dictate my life; that I want to save others as some weird way of compensating for my inability to save my parents.” He averted his striped blue eyes. “I've been trying to be better about it lately. Guess it's still a process, though…”

  "Hey, now. Look around us. Take in the moment," the younger teen told him. He hesitantly obliged her. "It's a nice restaurant, isn't it? Everyone here is safe–including us. The food is good, too, don't you think?”

  "Y-Yeah.”

  "You still seem tense… Just relax, alright? Worrying and getting anxious isn't helping yourself or Kris. Right now, just enjoy the moment… with me. Okay?" She smiled reassuringly.

  Gadalik released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She's right… "Okay." He let his guard down and focused solely on their table, food, and Mira. For once, he did manage to relax.

  "The next town over, huh?" Mira recapped as they mounted their horses outside of the restaurant. "Any ideas on how to find her?"

  "I was hoping Kris could tell us where her aunt lives," Gadalik said.

  "What makes you think he'll suddenly cooperate with us after last time?"

  "That's what I was worried about earlier. But after you let me clear my head, I realize that just knowing Brit’s name might be enough for him. Sometimes people will open up more if you already have an idea of what they're trying to hide," he said. “It's worth a shot.”

  They returned the abandoned house and went inside.

  "You again?" Kris greeted them, unamused after once again getting his hopes up.

  Mira crossed her arms and opened her mouth as if to retort. Her companion stopped her before things could escalate.

  "Kris… The girl you're waiting on is Brit, isn't it?" Gadalik cut to the chase.

  The ghost's eyes widened. "You know Brit?"

  "We know she doesn't live in this town anymore… She moved in with her aunt after you died.”

  For once, the spirit outwardly expressed emotion: relief. His eyes welled like a fountain that had just been unclogged. “So that's why I haven't seen her… she moved.” He laughed to himself. “Makes sense. Ria is overprotective of her, too. She wouldn't let Brit come back to this town even if they knew I was still here after I died."

  "Ria? Is that her aunt?”

  Kris hesitated. He faced away from the spooks, suddenly wary of Gadalik in particular. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I can reunite the two of you…” What's gotten into him? You'd think he would jump at the chance to meet her again–not get mad at me for helping with that. “Can you tell us her address?"

  "I know her address, but why should I tell you? I don't know what you plan to do to her."

  Gadalik was completely confused. The fact that Kris was glaring accusingly at him, and not also Mira despite her sharing the same goal, made him feel put on the spot and too pressured to think straight. "What do you mean? I already told you I plan to reunite–”

  "That's what you say,” the ghost growled. “But words don't mean a thing. How can I trust you won't hurt her?"

  "Chill out," Mira butted in. "Look at us: we're spooks. Our business is with the dead–not the living like Brit. We made it clear from the start that we want to help you, and that was before we knew about her. Why would we suddenly want to hurt some random girl?”

  “Not you… Him.” His eyes never left Gadalik's.

  “Pfft! Are you serious? Gadalik is the last person on earth who would intentionally hurt someone.”

  Kris reluctantly considered her words. "...Alright. If you're his girl, I'll trust you to keep him in line.”

  Keep me in line? What is that supposed to mean?

  “I've been to her aunt's house a few times,” the spirit continued. “It’s only a few hours away."

  It took just over a couple of hours to arrive at the address on horseback. It was nearing evening, and the neighborhood seemed quaint and private. The spooks dismounted and Gadalik instinctively moved toward Ria’s door, but then hesitated when he thought back to the scene Kris made about him. I don't know what his gripe is with me, but since he seemed fine with Mira, maybe she should be the one to approach them first.

  Gadalik gestured for his companion to knock instead, opting to stay a few feet behind her just so his presence wouldn't cause any more trouble.

  A few seconds after Mira did, the duo noticed an older woman peeking out through the window. Then the door opened partway, a chain lock keeping it in place. "We didn't hire any spooks. You've got the wrong house," she said sternly.

  "This is Brit's house, right?" Mira asked.

  The woman tensed. "What do you want with Brit?" She immediately glowered at Gadalik.

  He flinched. If looks could cause damage, Kris would have wounded me… but Ria would have me ten feet under.

  “We don't know you. Either of you. Now get off of my property before I call the authorities,” she threatened them.

  "Aunt Ria? Who's at the door?" a girl's voice sounded from behind her.

  "No-one, Brit," Ria answered. “Stay inside.”

  “Look, lady, we're not here for her. We're here to tell you that Kris is a ghost, and he's been stuck in her old town since he died,” Mira explained.

  "Kris?" Brit looked out the window upon hearing that name. At first Gadalik mistook her for a doll that was perfectly painted and sculpted–too perfect to be a real human.

  “Woah… She's gorgeous,” Mira remarked, her cheeks turning rosy at the sight. She impulsively hooked her arm with the other spook’s.

  He looked between them, not knowing what the big deal was. “So?”

  “So?” she echoed, staring at him incredulously. “What do you mean, ‘so?’”

  “Lots of gorgeous people exist. You're gorgeous, too,” he said as a matter of fact.

  Her face could be mistaken for a tomato after that. Then she shook her head and laughed. “You really are demi.”

  What does that have to do with it? He didn't have a chance to ask before there was a sharp pain in his gut and he doubled over.

  “Gadalik!" Mira held him steady by the shoulders. She caught on to what was happening, seeking out the satchel he'd left attached to his horse’s saddle and moving quickly to fetch one of the potions he'd had during lunch from it.

  "Aunt Ria, help him!" Brit cried.

  "What if he's faking it to get to you?" Ria argued.

  Gadalik coughed out specks of blood and fell against Mira for support when she returned with the small bottle. He wasn't steady enough to take a hold of it right away. The suddenness of the pain made it feel less tolerable than when he'd had to endure it as a constant.

  The door's chain unlatched and Brit guided them inside to the couch, much to Ria’s dread. "What's the matter with him?" she asked Mira.

  "He missed his dose of medicine," the younger spook answered.

  Gadalik managed to move as the pain began to subside, then fumbled with the cap on the bottle. Mira opened it and helped him drink. Almost instantly his cramping muscles relaxed. Then he leaned back on the couch, exhausted. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered breathlessly.

  "Wait… You two are spooks, aren't you?" Brit realized. "And you know about Kris?"

  "That's right," Mira said. "His ghost is waiting for you back in his hometown."

  "Why should we believe you?" Ria shot her down. "You're with him!"

  "M-Me?" Gadalik breathed. "What did I do…?"

  "You're a male. The only reason a male would be involved with Brit is to–"

  "Aunt Ria, that's enough," her niece interrupted. "Gant was evil, but not every boy is like him. Kris wasn't."

  "Who's Gant?" the older spook asked, grateful that the reason Ria and Kris seemed to hate him was because of his gender rather than something personal. That begged the question of what evil things males might have done to her in the past–particularly Gant.

  "Gant… is my ex," she answered. "Kris was killed protecting me from him…"

  Mira tensed. "Is Gant still around?"

  "He's in jail for murdering Kris… But Aunt Ria didn't want to take any chances with me being in the same town as him. And with Kris gone, there was no reason for me to stay, either, so I moved in with her to be safe."

  "Is there any reason you can think of why Kris would be waiting for you?" Gadalik asked, flinching again when Ria stared daggers at him.

  Brit seemed thoughtful at that. "Well, there was this old house that we used to meet up at. We would go there to find peace away from everyone… I always planned to visit one last time after he died, but–"

  "How many times do I have to tell you it's not safe to go back there?" Ria shouted. "What if Gant broke out? What if someone else as evil as him tries to hurt you–like him!" she gestured to Gadalik.

  The older spook shrank.

  "Leave him alone! He's not after Brit; he's with me," Mira defended him. "We're dating."

  Gadalik opened his mouth to argue, but then caught on that she had only called it that because someone with their girlfriend wasn't likely to make a move on another girl in front of her. If that's what it takes to give them peace of mind, sobeit.

  Ria looked between them with suspicion. "How can we trust you, girl? You're a stranger!"

  "You… never relax, do you?" Gadalik spoke up.

  She rounded on him. "What did you say?"

  "I… I get it. She's your niece, and you're obligated to protect her. Once you see a potential threat, you get hung up on it, don't you?"

  "Why, I never–"

  "He's right, Aunt Ria," Brit murmured, silencing her aunt.

  "Look around you. Take in the moment. She's here; she's safe," Gadalik assured Ria.

  Mira watched him proudly.

  "You can come with us, Ria,” Brit added. “You'll make sure I'm okay, won't you?"

  Ria took a deep breath. "...Fine. If that's what you want.."

  The four of them stopped outside of the abandoned house. The sun was beginning to set, casting the world into a reddish hue.

  Brit took a step toward the door, but Ria stopped her. "I'll go in first to make sure this isn't some trap," the woman said. She went in and looked around. "Is this a joke? There's nobody here!"

  "He's a ghost, silly," Brit laughed, going past her.

  On cue, the spirit turned visible. "Brit!"

  "Kris!"

  "I thought I'd never see you again!" the couple said at once, then laughed.

  "I'm sorry… I always planned on coming here one last time," Brit explained.

  Her boyfriend shook his head. "All that matters is you're here now." They hugged.

  "Let's… give them some space," Mira said, guiding a shocked Ria outside and shutting the door.

  It was dark by the time Brit came back out, wiping tears from her eyes despite the smile on her face. "He's at peace now…"

  That morning the spooks began heading home, themselves.

  "Even if we came here on an unpaid mission, I still had a good time on this outing," Mira remarked.

  "Yeah… Me too," Gadalik agreed. "You were right–what you said at the restaurant. I really needed to hear that, and I guess Ria did too. I'm sorry I let myself get consumed by every little problem. For your sake, and my own, I'll be more aware of that from now on."