Where's Casper?

Arrangements

Gavriel. His name is Gavriel. Not Aric. Gavriel. I tried to remind myself that sentence every second after he told me his real name. I can't do it. I can't let Aric go.

I'm most likely dreaming because the man in front of me pulls out Aric's notebook and starts writing. I sigh, waiting for him to finish. He hands it to me, and I realize just now that his handwriting is sharp and elegant, almost like a lady's.

When you wake up, I'll be beside you. I swear on my heart.

I frown, knowing I probably shouldn't. He isn't there. He never will be. The dead never come back to life.

Trust me, Casper. Open your eyes.

But when I do, it's not him. It's Gavriel. I wish I had an explanation for the place I'm in. Wait. I can.

I grab a shoe that is next to my bed. I don't know whose shoe it is, and I don't care. It's clearly not his. It's purple and small, and I came here in thigh-highs. I do love them, you know?

As soon as the shoe hits him, he starts shivering and eventually wakes up.

"Good morning, Mister Adler. How did you sleep last night, Mister Adler? Thank you for taking me in last night, Mister Adler. Where are my credits?"

So now, I know. I'm in one of the many chambers of the castle. I have a look around. Someone must have horrible taste with the new decorations.

The bed is black, but that's not a problem. The problem is that it's covered in made out of stone lion heads, half-angles-half-boars, decapitated humans, and many other weird things that aren't supposed to be there.

"You know, Miss Healer, my night has been great!" I mock him, and he smiles. "I know you have no idea about how you got here, Miss Healer, but I will give you a clue, at least."

He giggles, unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you -"

"Relax. You took two or three more shots, kept calling me Aric, wouldn't let go of me, and I took you here. Are you even allowed to drink, anyway?"

Just like Aric, he doesn't have any shame when it comes to changing in front of others. At this point, I think they're somehow related. This time, I don't close my eyes. I don't owe him anything.

"So, is this Aric your ex-boyfriend?" He asks, putting a new pair of black pants on. "I see you are or were close to him."

"Aric was a friend."

"A friend whose lookalike you didn't hesitate to kiss."

It's true. I didn't hesitate to kiss Gavriel. Now, I notice some of the differences. As I said, Gavriel has bigger muscles than Aric did. Gavriel doesn't seem to be as nice as Aric was. Gavriel is less lean than Aric was. But they look so alike!

"You're free to stay as much as you want. I may not be around that much, but, as I said, you can stay here until Lord Puppet comes here to pick you up."

Yes. Lord Puppet. My old friend. Is it that hard to remember his actual name?

But then, someone knocks on the door and opens it without hesitation. I can't breathe. No. He has the same exact smirk he had on the night in which I thought I got rid of him, only now he wears an eyepatch where his left eye was supposed to be.

"Ah, Casper! I didn't expect to find you here!" He says and then hugs me like we're old friends. "Gavriel, I see you've already met the girl I told you about!"

Gavriel frowns, and he seems confused. He looks at me and then looks at him. Jacks smiles as wide as possible. He can see it's not real.

"Really? I don't think she's fit for me..."

I wonder what they're talking about, but they are having a conversation over my head, and I have to look up to even lip read.

"Your father hasn't told you yet?" Jacks finally asks me, looking down. "You two are arranged."

__________________

After I lost the hope I had in Dante, I sent a letter to Caspar.

Dear Caspar,

I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's serious. I've already sent five letters to Dante, and he clearly doesn't want to respond. I bet he hasn't read them. If he had, he would've been here.

Jacks is back. I need your help.

Again, sorry for disturbing you,

Casper

He sent his pigeon with the answer almost immediately:

My dear Casper,

Dante says he's sorry and that he has been very busy lately.

Anyway, I delivered your message to him. We're on our way. Stay calm. We will be there soon.

With love,

Caspar