"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 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 eight months to go, but they were too excited to wait." 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, but we have been through a lot together so far…

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

The truth is, I want to like her, but I just don't…not yet, anyway. So do I have the right to call this dating?

The corners of her mouth fell. "Gadalik?"

"W-Well, I… I think you're brave, strong, and pretty," he finally answered, truthfully. "Let's just keep hanging out and see how things go."

"So you're interested in me and want to spend more time together? Yeah–that's called dating."

He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Alright. Then I guess we are dating. But 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 door to see a teenage boy wearing a black hoodie and jeans staring out the window, who slowly turned to face them.

"Hello," he greeted the spirit. "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? Are you here to annihilate me?"

So he's an aware ghost… Now is he a roamer, or a poltergeist? "We are spooks… but 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… "Are you waiting for something?"

The ghost sighed and moved away from it, not answering.

"Or do you want to go outside, but you can't?"

Silence.

"This is going well," Mira said sarcastically.

Her companion gave her a warning glare. "Kris, we can 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. I'm fine here."

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

"No ghost is truly content. It's something that's inherited from their lifetime: the ability to settle into bad situations," Gadalik reminded her. "I understand how you're feeling, Kris… That you'd rather be in pain instead of her. That you don't want to share your pain with her. Am I wrong?"

Kris gave a single-shouldered shrug.

"Why won't you talk to us? You plan on moping here for all eternity?" Mira huffed.

Kris glowered at the ground.

She crossed her arms. "Talking to him is a waste of time, Gadalik. Come on; let's go enjoy our date before it gets too late."

"This isn't a–" the older spook stopped himself. He shook his head. "Alright. Okay, let's get something to eat, then."

The duo left, Gadalik glancing back to see Kris eyeing them curiously at her words.

"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 can we help?"

"We know there's a girl involved in his situation. Judging by his reaction to what you said about us dating, maybe she's his girlfriend. That's more than enough info to get us started on finding her."

They entered the restaurant and took their seats, Mira going over the menu and Gadalik being too distraught about the spirit to focus on it.

"What a cute couple," the waitress chimed as she approached their table. "What can I get for you?"

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Couple? Gadalik thought, confused at first; Mira blushed before ordering.

"And what about you, young man?"

"Huh? Oh–I'll have what she's having," he quickly came to. "Speaking of couples, have you ever seen a particular one dine here before? A teenager named Kris and his girlfriend?"

She fell silent at that.

The spooks exchanged a glance.

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

Brit? That must be the girl… "Any idea where she went?"

"She moved in with her aunt the next town over." She cleared her throat purposefully. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"No–thank you."

"Don't you ever relax?" Mira wondered, tilting her head slightly as the waiter left.

"Huh…?"

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

"We didn't exactly come here to relax, Mira. It may not be a job, but as spooks, we're obligated to help the spirits we encounter." He checked the time then reached into his robe's inner pocket and withdrew a small bottled potion, drinking some and cringing at the taste before pocketing it again.

"What was that?" she asked, curious.

"I haven't recovered yet from Luna's attack on our last outing… An enchantress gave me something to help, though. I'm supposed to drink it every couple hours to help heal and prevent cramps."

"Hm. Well, just because we're on a mission doesn't mean we can't have some downtime," she pointed out.

"True. I'll…work on relaxing."

Mira eyed him doubtfully.

The waitress brought their orders. Gadalik took small bites until the potion kicked in, unable to shake the thought that maybe Kris wouldn't know or talk to them.

"Hey, now. Look around us. Take in the moment. We're safe," the younger teen told him. "It's a nice restaurant, isn't it?"

He did as told, but got distracted by the patrons, particularly a couple that was arguing in hushed voices.

"And the food is great, too."

"Y-yeah…" he agreed halfheartedly.

"You still seem tense… Hey–look at me. I'm here."

He met her gaze, surprised by how genuine her concern was.

"We have plenty of time to help 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. "How do you suppose we find her?"

"Maybe Kris can tell us where her aunt lives," Gadalik suggested.

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

"Sometimes people will open up more if you already have an idea of what they're trying to hide," he explained.

They made their way back to the abandoned house and went inside.

"You again?" Kris greeted them, unamused.

"You're one to talk. You're still here, too," Mira countered.

"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. That's why you haven't seen her."

"Her aunt… Of course. Ria is overprotective of her."

"Ria? Is that her aunt? 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 blinked. "What do you mean? I plan to have her meet you here so you can be free…"

"How can I trust you won't hurt her?"

"Kris, relax," Mira butted in. "Look at us: we're spooks. Our business is with the dead. We made it clear from the start that we want to help you, and that was before we knew about Brit. Our intent hasn't changed."

The ghost looked away, thinking. "...Alright. I've been to her aunt's house a few times. This is where she lives."

Gadalik knocked on the door.

There was a few seconds before 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 froze. "What do you want with Brit?" Without giving them a chance to reply, she glared at Gadalik. "You're after her, aren't you?" she accused him.

"Excuse me?" Gadalik had no idea what she meant.

"You boys are all the same! Be gone!"

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

"No-one, Brit," Ria answered. Rounding back on the older spook, she continued, "I'm going to count to five, and if you're not off my property, I'm going to call the sheriff!"

Brit looked out the window curiously.

"Please, we just want to help her reunite with Kris–aagh," he cried out as his stomach cramped and he doubled over in pain.

"Gadalik!" Mira held him steady by the shoulders.

"Kris?" Brit echoed. "Aunt Ria, help him!"

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

Gadalik coughed out specks of blood and fell against Mira for support.

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

"He missed his dose of medicine," the spook realized; he hadn't taken it in the three hours it took to travel. "It's in his inner pocket–"

Gadalik managed to move as the pain began to subside, and pulled out the potion.

Mira opened it and helped him drink.

Almost instantly his 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 spoke up. "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 come here is to–"

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

"Who's Gant?" the older spook asked, still unsure why he was being targeted. Kris seemed to suspect me too…

"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 as Ria turned to glare at him.

Brit seemed thoughtful at that. "Well, there was this old house that we used to meet up at. We would go there after a bad day and cheer each other up… I always planned to go there 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. "I don't understand–"

"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 there was no denying it.

Ria looked between them with suspicion. "How can we trust you with my niece? You're strangers!"

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

She stared daggers at 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. You'll make sure I'm okay, won't you?" Brit said.

Ria took a deep breath. "...Alright."

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 privacy," 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. "He's gone…"

That morning the spooks saw them off and began heading home, themselves.

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

"Yeah… Me too," Gadalik agreed. "You were right, what you said at the restaurant. I really needed to hear that. And...about us dating. I...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."