Juno meanders across the endless white plane of Purgatory. Without a clock, a sun, or a shadow, both the realm and the time spent in it feel interminable. Juno inhales the vaguely chemical air, and he occasionally squeezes his palms to counter the slight, stagnant chill. He is alone in what feels like an infinite and empty examining room. And although he is alone, he swears he hears someone singing a Christmas carol.
"I can't do it..." Juno whimpers as he clamps his eyes shut, staving off tears. He piques his ears to the just barely perceptible tune of "Auld Lang Syne," and he hums along. "I'll just go back. I can't find her. They'll understand." Sighing, he opens his droopy eyes to meet Casey's wide set of three.
She tilts her jolly head. "You too?" The lieutenant bellhop sits on the matte ground, patting her massive, crossed legs.
"C- Casey!" Juno yelps.
Casey rises to her feet, towering above the rookie bellhop. "That's me." Her overgrown bangs do not sprawl across her face anymore, allowing her bright, white expression to shine. She gives Juno her hand.
Juno glances at it then back to her. "I'm Juno..." Slightly trembling, he reaches for the sickle on his back before shaking her hand. "Juno Hu, but not like 'you know wh—'"
Casey tugs him into a tender embrace. "I know who you are." She breathes in the top of his misty hair. "The others may have been too overwhelmed to remember you, but I could never forget. I adore you, Juno."
The small man tenses and stirs, unable to feel his electrified fingers as he returns the hug. "Uh, thanks. Can I ask why?" He tries to purse the smile off his face.
Casey giggles and releases Juno, who could hold on forever. "Because, silly, you're going to find her!"
"I'm so sorry, who?" His voice falls to a whisper. "I was looking for you, Casey."
Her third eye widens. "Oh, right! My apologies, you don't know anything yet."
Juno's smile twitches. "Uh, yeah, that's why I was asking..."
"You're still weak."
"Ah..."
"Weak, weak boy."
"Casey, could you please just tell me what the heck you're talking about?"
"Very tiny as well." Casey steps forward until her side presses against Juno's. She then leans in to his ear. "Anyway, to get you up to speed, this story sucks. But you're going to change that, you little baby man."
Juno blinks several times as Casey continues walking. "Wait, what do you mean! Who are you looking for?" He whips around and nearly trips to follow her. "Baby man..."
"Oh, wow." She doesn't look at him as she picks up her pace. "You really don't have a clue."
Juno clenches his jaw until his ears ring. "And you really don't know how to answer a question." He unsheathes his sickle and curves it around Casey's neck. "Maybe you need some guidance."
They stop.
Casey bares her teeth in delight, finally looking at her detainer. "There it is! That's the attitude you'll need, if you really are the guy, that is. I mean, I know you are, but anyone could get confused. Just look at you."
Juno's confusion outweighs his fury. "What?" The sickle wavers away from Casey's neck.
She yanks it back. Her gnarly fingers cage Juno's. "We need to start over, Juno."
A scream locks in his throat. "You think?"
Casey giggles. "No, dummy. I mean, you hate your life, too, right? Er, your death, I mean? You hate everything, basically."
"I... I don't—"
"Oh, shut up. Yes, you do. You hate everything, but you hate yourself the most. I'd hate me too, if I were you. Instead, I just hate all that I was dealt. From being born into a cultish and doomed species, to becoming a useless pawn in the afterlife. Nothing ever gets better. There's only one way to change that."
Juno huffs through his nose. "You're... You're such a meanie..." Peripherally, he notices a tall, white door with black framing only a few steps away. The solid framing makes the door look like a blank comic book panel. He swears it wasn't there before.
"Right through there, Juno." Casey points to the door. "She only needs you. I'm just the pawn, as always."
"H- Hey! Don't say that! You... You're important!"
Casey stops smiling. When she smiles again, her eyes squint and emit a bit of vapor. "I'm so happy. You may be stupid, and weak, and small, and—"
"Please get to the point."
"...and pathetic, but I'm so happy. I'm so happy you'll destroy the universe."
Juno stares and lets the sentence hang. "Uh huh."
Something like a giggle escapes Casey's lips. "But that's all cynical nonsense to you, right? Valid. I'm just a wacky rat that touched Death's Scythe, now suddenly I'm a prophet, aha!"
Seconds pass. The sickle has stopped wavering. Juno wants to rip away but can't. Casey's third eye steals him. "Anything else?" Juno mutters.
Casey reaches one hand around the small man's grip and puts a finger to her bottom lip. "Oh! You're also self-centered."
Juno registers her words and reciprocates her smile. "...Ah." He's done.
There is no Christmas carol. The white plane is still eerily flat and eerily still. With a face as blank as the realm, Juno lets his hand and his blade fall across Casey's neck. Her grin fades and fills the tool. Nothing beside remains, save for the plumes. Juno collapses, allowing his face to rub on the matte surface. The air smells sweeter.
Familiar clacks of heels approach Juno from behind. "Hey, rookie," Hal says.
Juno turns his head against the ground. It makes a squeaking noise. "Hey."
"Floor's pretty tasty, huh."
"A delicious, succulent treat." Juno notices Casey's smile swirl in the sickle. "Hm. You wanna go in with me?" He flips his head to the door. It's gone.
Hal raises his unibrow. "Back to the Hotel, you mean?"
Juno huffs. "Yeah, where else."
Hal turns back around and walks. Juno pushes himself off the ground and follows, then whips back around, having nearly forgotten to bring the sickle. The two men stroll along.
The cyclops inhales. "You did good, Juno. Thank you."
Juno blinks up at his coworker, who hardly glances back. "Yeah, no biggie." He tries to purse the smile off his face.