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“Jevil, stop squirming and let me see your leg.”
“M-My leg is fine, fine, Seam! See? I c-can walk just fine!”
“That’s not what I asked of you.”
The old shopkeeper finally managed to get a hold of the argumentative imp and sit him down. He rolled up Jevil’s patchwork pants and inspected the little jester’s wounded leg. It seems his personal prediction was correct. Jevil lacked patience and tried to walk while still healing. His leg had healed, yes. But it healed incorrectly, leaving it a bit crooked near the center of the femur.
“...You gave yourself a bum leg, you little hooligan. You couldn’t wait?”
“...It...It’s not like it matters, matters. I'm unab-ble to walk without falling. I am...unable to float for long, long without collapsing...What’s one bum leg to a cripple, anyway?”
Seam looked at his companion with sympathy. “Jevil...You say that about your legs, you’ll end up being carried the rest of your days. And I hate to say it, but I won’t always be able to do that.”
“R-Right...right...” Jevil looked away, his head lowering in what could be presumed to be shame. But Seam knew better. He could see the imp’s pupils flickering between their usual circles and nothingness.
Jevil never could hide how he felt. Even the best liars have a tell.
“Jevil? Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“It’s...It’s silly, silly! Just my thoughts going all willy-nilly.”
Jevil shut his eyes and gave the plush cat his signature grin. An attempt to hide his tell.
The shopkeeper sighed. Seems he wasn’t going to get any information this way from the little jester. “I know you’re hiding something from me, but I’ll drop it for the moment. I’ll let your secrets stay secret for the rest of the day,” he conceded. He lowered the pant leg back down. “As for your leg, there is no fixing it unless I re-break the bone. I don’t think your body can handle that much stress after the week you just had. Let’s hope your soul recovers from all the magic you casted soon, or your leg will have settled like this for too long and be unable to be corrected.”
Jevil’s grin dropped, his head bowing low in true shame. “...I know...”
“So get some rest, and please eat. I know it’s been quite a while since your last proper meal, but if you keep following the schedule I made you, you’ll be stuffing your face in Dark Candies before you know it. Now, I’m going out to get some things for the shop, and I’ll be back. Are you going to be ok on your own until then?”
“I’ll be fine, fine...I shall remain here, and on the soup I shall dine.”
Seam got up and brushed off some dirt off of his robe. He grabbed a bag and slung it over his shoulder. He used a claw to lightly scratch behind one of the imp’s long ears. His reward was light purring from the jester, along with his pupils reshaping into empty hearts and a delicate smile.
Maybe one day, he will look at the old plush with full hearts again. They both had a lot of healing to go through before they could reach that point, though. But for Seam, seeing those hearts in Jevil’s eyes become full once again is the greatest incentive to have patience with the imp.
Seam took his paw back, causing the little imp to whine.
“H-Hey who said you can stop, stop?!” Jevil blurted out loud, trying to stifle his giggles at his little indignant act. He grabbed the soft paw and rubbed his dulled horns against it. “Uee hee heeeeee.”
“Jevil, release my paw. I need to go.” The plush cat snatched his paw away from the mischievous little imp, who was still giggling to himself.
“Alright, alright. I will not put up any more of a fight.”
Seam turned to leave the shop, but something caught his eye. Light from the fireplace reflected against some old, dirt caked glass. His old Magic Lantern. With a smile, he took it down from the shelf it had been resting on and lit it. Satisfied, he left the shop to run his errands.
If you were to ask what Seam could possibly expect from his return from the Scarlet Forest, a sizable bubble of ambient magic in the middle of the Field of Hopes and Dreams was not something he’d list. Jevil must’ve been feeling better. Or, at least, he was starting to feel more like his old self.
Seam put his lantern on the ground and walked toward the bubble. He recalled the little imp’s sleepwalking habits. Jevil used a sort of magic that lies dormant in all Darkners. However, most beings may never be able to access it in their whole lives. You’re either born with the ability to use it, or you spend decades training yourself to be able to do it.
Of course someone as powerful as Jevil would be able to use this dormant magic. And of course someone as silly as Jevil can only use it in his sleep.
Seam brought a paw to the surface of the magic bubble. Normally, Jevil’s magic fields had a barrier that would be too thick to get through on your own, but the plush cat’s paw went through the barrier like it was nothing. Seam frowned, realizing that even Jevil’s dormant magic had taken such a heavy toll from the past century of being alone and riding the Carousel. Guilt struck his soul. Whether it was his fault or not, he had a hand in his old companion’s current state of weakness. He could only hope that the imp would find a way to truly forgive him.
With a deep breath, Seam steeled himself and walked into the field of magic.
The scene changed. He was no longer in a field. He was in an auditorium.
Hundreds of seats stretched out as far as the eye can see. Stairs descended down a far distance to a stage. On the stage was a beautiful white grand piano. There was an elaborate flowering vine design outlined with gold to compliment the ivory it was presented on. There was a spotlight shining down on the piano, but there was no one sitting down to play it. Next to the gorgeous instrument was a tacky sign that read: Sonata quasi una Fantasia Op. 27 No. 2 .
The cat began his descent down to the stage. As he made progress, he began to hear something. The sound of the audience became louder and clearer as he got closer and closer to the piano. They sounded restless and irritated. The show must’ve supposed to have started by now.
He made it to the stage, and the audience was definitely about to walk out if the show didn’t start. He walked past the stage and went backstage to find the man of honor hiding.
Seam picked up a top hat and kneeled beside his sleeping friend.
“Jevil. Come on, they’re waiting just for you.”
The funny little man lifted his head to the plush, eyes still closed. In this dream world, he was wearing what was supposed to be a stunning tuxedo, but the undershirt was stained with various drinks and sweat, and the overcoat was caked in dirt and dust.
“I can’t...” He mumbled.
Seam was taken aback by his blatant confession. He couldn’t recall a single time he had ever heard his Black Counterpart utter the words “I can’t”. It was a sentence that went completely against the jester’s way of life.
“Oh come on. What happened to ‘I can do anything’?”
The little imp twiddled his thumbs and turned his head toward the heavy curtains that blocked him from the disgruntled audience. “They’ll hate...Haven’t played...Too long...”
Despite his friend’s worry, Seam felt himself smile. He placed the top hat over Jevil’s horns and fuzzy mat of hair. He took a gloved hand in one of his paws. “Come on. Don’t worry about the crowd. How about if the two of us sit by the piano and play like there’s no show meant to be played?”
Reluctantly, the imp let himself be guided to the piano. The audience, which was now visible as the usual faceless beings, became silent as the two of them sat down. Jevil’s hands hovered over the keys, poised to weave the notes into something beautiful and moving. But his fingers wouldn’t press the keys down to begin the song. He almost seemed lost.
“How about we start with an old favorite? Don’t worry. I’ll play support,” Seam suggested, placing a paw on the little man’s shoulder.
Jevil took a deep breath, moving one of his hands to a different part of the piano. After sixteen taps of his foot, he pressed the keys down.
DECA-AB G | DECA-AB G | DECA-ABAb | G--
The song began in earnest, both Jokers playing either side of the piano. Seam, true to his word, let Jevil play the main melody as he played the supporting parts. It was a simple part for him. Simple enough that he was able to play it while looking at the audience. Despite being faceless beings, he could tell they were confused and seemed to be unhappy that Ragtime was being played instead of Classical.
Not that he cared. He directed his focus to Jevil, who was smiling in his sleep. He bobbed his head along to the song.
The song ended with a flourish. Seam watched as his friend’s eyes fluttered open. When he looked up at Seam, the field around them started to close in.
“S-Seam? What are you...” He looked around, only just now realizing he wasn’t in the shop anymore. “Oh...So sorry, sorry...”
The cat grinned and patted the little imp’s back. He stood up and moved to the side of the piano. The audience was gone, leaving the two of them alone in the dream auditorium.
“No need to be sorry, old friend. Would you mind playing what you were supposed to be playing for me? It’s only the two of us.”
The little man looked positively terrified at the idea of performing, even if it was only for his best friend. “O-Oh, I...I shouldn’t even try, for the quality won’t fly. I h-haven’t played in so long, so long. P-Perhaps another day, whaddaya say?” He stammered out, hands fiddling with his tail.
Seam knew better. He just played a song perfectly in his sleep. Muscle memory wasn’t something to leave the little jester. The plush would put money on Jevil being able to play the song perfectly fine.
But Seam also knew he shouldn’t press it. It’s been so long since he had to perform in front of an audience. And by his previous sleep talking, he was mostly worried about messing up and leaving his audience disappointed.
Instead, he offered a soft paw to the little man and gave him a reassuring smile. “Oh alright. Another day it is, then.”
The magic field finally closed, leaving the two of them in the middle of the Field of Hopes and Dreams. Seam walked over to his lantern and picked it back up along with his previously forgotten errands. He looked over to Jevil expectantly, but was reminded of the reality of the little man’s situation. His legs were still too weak to keep him standing for long. The old shopkeeper walked back over and lifted his companion up with one arm. Jevil let out a quiet yawn and buried his face in his friend’s fur.
So began the trek back home. Back to the light of the fireplace. Now Seam needed to think of a new solution to keep Jevil from sleepwalking. Making another carousel was not an option, for both of their sakes.
What to do...?