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The first thing Craig did in the morning was check the mail. Like he did every day. There was a possibility that something truly extraordinary could be hiding in all his normal mail, though the possibility of that might be slowly dwindling.
He wouldn't give up hope though! Because their next meeting was that day and he would finally be able to ask Octavio why he hadn't replied to all his letters in the past.. week?
He frowned slightly as he leafed through the mail. Nothing from Octavio. Normally he sent at least one letter a week. No matter how much he complained about it being expensive.
Craig sighed heavily. He missed Octavio's letters. They'd always served to brighten up his days.
Maybe he could write another letter..? No, they were meeting in a couple hours. It wouldn't arrive in time.
He could barely wait for their meeting. They always ended up making music together.
Making music with Octavio was magical. They harmonised so well together.
He should start thinking about which instrument he wanted to bring. And maybe what he wanted to wear.
Their meetups surely counted as dates. Seeing as they'd started dating fairly recently, they should.
... Had he done something to upset Octavio the last time they'd met up?
No. Definitely not. Octavio was someone who would tell him about that immediately. He was earnest and confident and just so damn amazing.
Craig sighed softly. Whatever was happening, they'd be able to work it out. They could talk about it and find a solution together.
~~~
Craig sat at the top of their little hill, idly strumming his guitar. He'd opted for arriving a couple minutes ahead of their scheduled meeting time. Octavio valued punctuality.
He also valued seeing Craig in fancy clothing, which was why he'd decided to wear a moderately fancy dress shirt and some nice pants. Fancy shoes wouldn't have mixed well with the slope of the hill so he'd taken some relatively nice looking boots.
With everything in place, he just had to wait for Octavio.
So he waited.
And waited.
It wasn't like Octavio to be late.
Craig placed down his guitar and stood up, pulling out his binoculars to survey the area. Not that he saw a lot, it was slowly getting dark.
Had something happened to Octavio? He couldn't see him anywhere. Just the distant trees of the forest, and the near villages.
He frowned. If Octavio didn't answer to his letters and didn't come to their meetings, did that mean he didn't want to see him, or was he in trouble?
Something bad could have happened, and he'd never know.
He clenched his fists. He would not rest until he found out that Octavio was okay. And if his beloved didn't want to see him anymore, he would respect that. He just had to know that Octavio was okay, and maybe they could talk one last time.
~~~
Craig looked up at the wall encircling the palace. Now or never, he thought, grabbing his Bamboozler. If anything had happened to Octavio, he was more than willing to take on whole armies to save him.
He took a deep breath and inked the wall as stealthily as he could, clambering up.
He stayed in squid form to be less conspicuous and peered over the wall. No one in sight.
He dropped down inside the courtyard. He'd been there a couple times to visit Octavio. He fixed his Bamboozler to his back and slowly moved in the direction of Octavio's bedroom. The chance that he was sleeping yet was low.
And yes, the lights were on. That meant Octavio had to be there. And they could talk this all out.
Craig sighed in relief and quickened his pace. They could fix.. whatever was going on. He knew it.
Climbing up the wall to Octavio's balcony reminded Craig of the first time he'd done that.
It had been years prior. He'd had a bit of a hard time doing it back then, but it seemed so easy now. They'd really grown up.
He slid through the railing with his squid form and stood back up to knock at the window.
His hand paused just before connecting with the pane of glass and making a sound.
Octavio was sat at his desk in the corner of the room, pouring over papers.
There were several other octarians in the room, all of them talking.
Craig took a step to the side, pressing himself against the wall. Octavio didn't like working in his room. He barely ever used that table. And certainly not for paperwork.
He sat down against the wall, his Bamboozler resting in his lap. He would wait until they all left. Then he would talk to Octavio.
~~~
The screen door was thrown open and then there was an octobrush in his face. Craig jumped back, almost falling over, and managed to sight his Bamboozler.
It was Octavio. Glaring at him. With tears in his eyes.
"They were right." He choked out. "You betrayed me. You're as inkling as they come."
Craig stared. He had no clue what the shell Octavio was talking about.
"Octavio, I-"
Octavio took a deep breath. "GUARDS!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Craig's eyes widened. Why the shell would Octavio-
The Bamboozler. Surely Octavio wouldn't think that-
He was whacked upside the head with an octobrush.
"Octavio!" He shouted, leaping a step back. "What's gotten into you?!"
Octavio wiped his sleeve over his eyes and glared at him with more hatred than he'd thought the other capable of. "What's gotten into me?! You're the one here to assassinate me!!"
Craig took a step back, right onto the banister. "Octavio, I don't know what the shell you're talking about!"
"THERE HE IS!!" Came a shout from below. He barely managed to dodge the charger blast.
They meant business. They weren't looking to stun him or otherwise slow him down to capture him. They were aiming to splat.
He'd been at the palace multiple times. Why did they see him as a threat? Why did Octavio see him as a threat?!
He had no other choice than to jump off the balcony and make himself scarce. He didn't understand what was happening. But something was definitely fishy.
~~~
"Octarian King declares war against the Inklings" the newspaper headline read the morning after.
Nothing made sense.