The shabby interior seemed to be crumbling and falling apart. The waiting area had two couches and a coffee table. One of the couches was accompanied by a man in a fedora holding a newspaper issue with the first page titled 'The lost child of Ostonia reigns terror'. There was no movement in his body, as if he was an inanimate object. The old style reception was empty with dust collected on the counter, with a board of key hooks behind the counter. The only key hanging was for room 203.
The door jingled as the steps clicked on the creaking wooden floor.
"You guys can wait outside." Hale said as he turned to the two men following him inside the building.
"Are you sure?" One of the bodyguards asked, examining the creepy building.
"Yes." Hale said and the guards, although hesitant, stepped back and left.
Hale walked over to the man sitting on the couch and sighed as he took the fedora off his head and dusted it off, revealing the man to be a dummy made out of hay.
"I hate this." Hale murmured as he put the fedora on and turned to the reception.
He rang the bell in an order of two rings with a pause in between two simultaneously and then two with a pause in between them again.
He forced a huge grin on his lips, his face resembling that of a Cheshire cat as he opened his eyes wide open and said the words, "Hei! hei! Olen klovni Itä-Aasiasta!"
The place started to rumble softly as Hale looked around. The dust sitting on the furniture started to accumulate together behind the counter and formed a figure out of it. A trembling small figure made out of the dust.
"Hyvää huomenta, neiti pak. Olen klovni Itä-Aasiasta. Haluaisin avaimen huoneeseen 203." He said the words and figure moved a little as if observing him.
"Stop talking gibberish, boy. And you look like a fool wearing that" The figure said in a trembling old woman's voice. Hale took off the fedora from his head.
"If I don't follow Juniper's steps he doesn't see me." Hale said looking around trying to not feel like an idiot.
"You're pathetic for being 'Nightmare of wolves' ." The figure turned to the keys and tried to hold the key for room 203. But her hands made of dust just passed through it.
"Ah for fucks sake!" She yelled in a grumpy voice and turned to him.
"Get it yourself." She complained and then faded in thin air.
Hale sighed as he went behind the counter and picked the keys. He then sighed and walked away leaving the fedora on the counter. He walked to a door shabbily hanging onto its one last nail.
He put the key in its key hole and turned it. As the lock made a click sound he opened the door and it opened into a completely white space. He rolled his eyes as he stepped in.
"Juniper!" Hale yelled. "I swear.... stop making me do stupid rituals just to see you!"
"Oh my baboosha!" The wheat skinned lean man stood by a table. His eyes gleamed with green emeralds as he dusted off the bookshelf. He was dressed in an eccentric manner as if he came out of Alice in Wonderland with his purple suit and matching magician hat, bejewelled with zardozi and crystals in golden overall. He had a gray beard falling in a complete mess with his long gray hair, completely messed and curly.
He seemed to be humming something while swaying slowly, dusting the huge room filled with books. The overall ambience of the room came out of a bizarre mix of eras, with the ceiling painted with aphrodite and her cupids, one of the walls had british wallpaper on it with royal family symbol on it while the other wall was painted with erotic graffiti of disney characters, and one was just a huge glass window. There were 4 chairs in the room, none of them complemented each other or even the overall ambience. Everything seemed out of context in the room.
Hale stepped inside and placed the hat on the table taking off his jacket. "Don't baboosha me." He murmured as he put the jacket on one of the chairs and walked to where Juniper was dusting. Hale picked up a duster and started helping him.
"She has started to form the bond? '' Juniper said.
"Yeah." Hale said in a low voice as he took out a book and changed its position on the shelf. "Your shelf is a mess."
"At least my life is not one, unlike certain someone." Juniper taunted as he dusted the weird decoration pieces on the modern mantelpiece. "I told you, man, bringing her closer to you won't help your case."
"If I hadn't done that she would've killed herself. You know I almost killed myself." Hale said and Juniper sigher.
"What happened to the big bad wolf I used to know back in the day?" Juniper said as he walked to one of the chairs and sat down.
"I can't deny it, Juniper, even if it's because of the curse. I do care about her."
"So what do you want me to do?" Juniper said as Hale sat in the chair in front of him.
"Break the bond." Hale said and Juniper started laughing out loud.
"Dude! I'm not a God! The soulmate thing is something that comes from above there and I'm not messing with the matters from above there."
"Then break the curse. You're the one who put it on me." Hale said.
"Witch moral code, brother. No one can do." Juniper said as he leaned back in his seat.
"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do?" Hale said as anger burned in his eyes but he kept his composure calm.
"Just let her die, man." Juniper said as he looked dead serious at him. "You're finally at the point where you can get what you've worked so hard for, the moment she becomes your mate… you'll become supreme."
Hale sighed as he leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling.
"You haven't given up on that dream, have you? Have you forgotten the reason why you did all that?" Juniper said and Hale closed his eyes. "Hale, I'm saying this as a friend, let her go. She dies, you'll find another mate, that's how the system works."
"Mates…" Hale opened his eyes as he looked at Juniper. "Aren't they made based on soul compatibility?"
"Don't even think about it." Juniper warned him.
"It has happened before." Hale suggested.
"Man, you've lost your mind. This girl is even racist, I'm sure she still thinks you're korean." Juniper argued.
"Well, I never corrected her that I'm Chinese. That's not on her." Hale said and Juniper disapprovingly shook his head.
"Okay, let's say we do go through with it. You'll find another mate then and you'll fall in love with that person because of the curse. What will you do then?" Juniper argued.
Hale shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know but I can't let Faye die. If something happens to her I swear I'll kill myself and you know I'm not joking."
Juniper sighed as he put his arms up in surrender. "I give up, baboosha, I'm not helping you in any way. You can leave."
"Very well." Hale got up from his seat. "I'll find some other witch." He said as he grabbed his jacket and stepped towards the door.
"Good. Do that!" Juniper yelled. "And for God's sake tell her you're Chinese!"
Hale closed the door behind in a bang.