Work Text:
Walking through the Plaza of Angielle, Avlynn was stuck carrying Miss Karma’s stuff instead of Waltz who was actually busy with putting up his puppet show. They had shortly stopped to look at said puppet show. Ava was marveling at the cute little play Waltz had carefully thought through, while Karma was amused seeing how his little story from the day before had inspired the young boy.
After a while, they had to proceed with their errands and they went their way again. Ava browsed a little bit through the different window displays they passed. She was a bit bored by her mundane task and took a while to notice the sudden direction change as she blindly followed Miss Karma, blinking surprised when realization actually hit her.
“What are we doing here, Miss Karma?” She asked her companion curiously, effectively recognizing the neighborhood.
“I only need to pick up something for Lady Parfait. She apparently knows a young boy who is quite good at his craft around here.” He explained, waving her off with less than mild interest, as contrary as he usually was. “I will be back in an instance.”
Ava watched him leave into a quaint little shop and did a small tour around the neighborhood, looking around for the familiar store she had stumbled upon last time she got lost in this part of the city.
Her face lit up when she recognized the store front. There were actually a few new creations on the Golden Staff’s display. Debating if she should or not enter the store again, Ava didn’t notice someone approaching her from behind.
“Did you find something interesting?” The mysterious person whispered at her ear as if nothing was wrong. Caught completely unaware, Ava did jump up, startled, holding her chest and trying to calm her rapidly-beating heart. Turning around, she sighed in relief. It had only been Miss Karma. "You scared me!"
“You know you shouldn’t wander off alone like that. It would be quite bothersome if you got lost, my dear.” Karma smiled amused at the situation but didn't comment about the fright he had put the young woman through.
“Miss Karma, would you mind making a small stop in this store? They have the loveliest dresses I have ever seen and it’s good quality.” Ava tried to convince her companion and herself to enter the Golden Staff.
Karma looked up at the window display and arched a subtle eyebrow, smoothing it out immediately to make sure it didn't leave a mark on his immaculate face. “Hmm, let’s see if it’s really of such a good quality as you pretend.” After all, Karma knew Ava could be quite gullible and easily ripped off if it didn’t concern music. Ava gulped at Karma’s words and hoped she really wasn’t mistaken about the quality.
Meanwhile, behind the register, Keith was scribbling a report for Sir Myth in between sheets of rough design sketches, but was snapped out of his reverie when the small bell above his door rang at the most subtle movement.
As soon as the ladies entered, Keith took the report papers and stuffed them in the main drawer of his desk, which he discreetly locked away. The movement, however, didn't go amiss to Karma's keen senses who put his natural guard up a bit.
Relieved about having put away the report papers before someone could notice them, Keith finally took real notice of the newcomers. He was immediately stunned for two very different reasons. First, seeing Ava again and second by the beauty that walked in with unearthly grace.
Karma looked utterly regal, as if she had come from another world and made Keith's mind go wild. 'Was she a witch or a fairy? She was too beautiful to be a mere human...Hmm might also be interesting to gather some information…'
With confident, long strides, Keith approached the ladies with a charming smile. “You are a sight to behold Ma'am. Are you perhaps a fairy to uphold such beauty or a witch for bewitching me like you did?”
Something about Keith's stance threw Karma off. It wasn’t the stance of a mere store clerk... Even though his demeanor seemed laid-back, there were no openings… Every movement seemed meticulously calculated…
Keith went up to Miss Karma, with his usual cockiness and an arm outstretched, ready to reach for her hand and grace it with the softness of his lips. However, even before he could reach for the beauty’s hand he was slapped away with a force he couldn’t recon. How could someone so graceful possess this much strength?
Slightly stunned, he shook away the awkwardness and put on a fake smile. "My, I didn't wish to scare you Ma'am."
Karma knew with how much force he had slapped away the young man and grew more and more suspicious, given that such a slap should have sent him against the wall. That man had a pretty good stance and hold of himself.
Keith could feel the suspicious tension in the air. This woman really wasn’t a mere woman... She wasn’t some damsel in distress... there was something more... though he couldn’t really put his finger on it.
Watching everything from the side lines, Ava felt a little pang of jealousy at the curious exchange… but she couldn’t say for and against whom… After all, she admired Miss Karma greatly. She had been completely flabbergasted the first time she had met Karma and even more when she realized he was actually a man posing as a woman because of his curse.
However, she also felt slighted being completely ignored by Keith who had shown her so much attention the first time she had stumbled upon his shop…though she couldn't really hold it against him…Who could resist Miss Karma's charm anyway?
"How may I help you lovely ladies?" Keith went on as if nothing disconcerting had happened. "I fear my humble collection pales in front of such beauty, but you might be able to give them some value if you were to wear them."
If his words were only praise, Karma did hear the confident undertone. The store clerk didn't consider his collection humble but he was simply trying to brush them nicely into buying them at probably a higher price than they were worth it.
Examining the merchandise, Karma noticed the rudimentary, simple designs in contrast to the top notch quality, even though the way it was assembled made his creations look noble and refined. That man had to have quite the knowledge in how to please the clientele without putting much effort in it and therefore couldn't really be considered a proud man of his arts.
Ava was marveling at the new collection and had already taken off a few articles from the rack. "I would like to try out those, please!"
Professional as he was, Keith immediately turned his attention to her and helped her carry the articles, showing her the way to the fitting room. The way Keith moved around Ava was similar to that of a companion who knew her very well. There was no wasted movement, all in accordance to Ava's little habits, namely when she took off her jacket and turned around to see where exactly he was standing.
"How long have you known each other?" Karma asked curiously suspicious.
"Hmm… what do you mean? Ava has become a regular at my shop, though it's only been her second visit here." He commented standoffishly, closing the door to the changing room.
"Ah…" Was Karma's only thoughtful reply.
"Are you perhaps jealous…?" Keith probed how to approach this other costumer he knew nothing about. Keith knew he was playing with fire and he loved the thrill of it. She was a beauty to behold, strong body and soul… She was the best partner he could imagine at his side. If only he could put her around his little finger…
Bold as he usually was in his own private matters and especially concerning the matter of the heart, Keith closed in on Karma taking both of her hands in his in a very small moment of inattention.
This was the last straw. Karma's facial expression didn't pale. No, it darkened to the point where half of his face was difficult to make out. His eyes were squinted dangerously at the young store clerk, who noticed the sudden change in the air, but couldn't hold back the flirting.
However, if Keith had been lucky to catch this tiny opening, he wasn't expecting at all the retaliation that followed...which came in the form of a punch right in the gut. This time around, he wasn't able to stay on his feet and was sent flying right into his desk, making all his sheets fly around him.
Startled about the loud noise, she heard outside, Ava slightly opened the door to the changing room and peeked around it.
“We are leaving IMMEDIATELY” Karma stated as a matter of fact. There was no room for any argument.
Ava looked bewildered from Karma to Keith who was sprawled at his desk and had a bit of difficulties standing up again. Worried, she ran up to him in her new dress and was looking out for any serious wounds.
"Ava, I said we are leaving." Karma repeated dangerously though the venom wasn't directed at her but at Keith.
“But Miss Karma! I’m sure you can understand him as well. With beauty as superior as yours, it’s no wonder that men and women alike can’t hold themselves back.” She tried to reason with the man blessed with beauty even more magnificent than most women.
Outside of the Marchen and the cursed, no one knew Karma was actually a man, because it would indeed cause problems if his female admirers wanted to uncover his male identity not understanding the consequences of the curse.
Keith, who had found the strength to stand up again, was quite dumbfounded by the events. He had noticed she was quite strong even though she had delicate features, but he hadn't imagined her that strong. How was that possible? If he considered having no emotion, his pride still took a pretty damn hit there. The hell, was this witchery? How come he had never felt like this before?
Karma sighed when he noticed the stubborn and also desperate look in Ava's eyes. "I will wait for you outside but don't take too long. The others are waiting for us." Turning around to face Keith, he glared down at him. “A piece of advice. You shouldn’t play with a maiden’s heart or it might bite you back...”
When Karma left the store, Ava let out a long sigh, having held back her breath during this confrontation. She had no idea how she possibly could have gone against Karma's word but somehow she did… However, she did want to avoid Karma's wrath and quickly helped Keith up, offering him some candy as peace offering. "Here, you want some candy? I bought them off a street vendor earlier at a very good price. They are supposedly from a very far off country where they are considered a very special treat. "
Keith blinked a few times at her words and looked at the hand full of simple hard candy she held on. Laughing out loud, he nearly felt better even though he was still dazed by the whole situation.
Ah Ava… you didn't change…Still so gullible…
*********
Months passed, but Karma never went back to the store, which wasn't a really good publicity for it. A store Miss Karma avoided like the pest had to be suspicious…
However, Ava couldn't stay away from Keith. Something compelled her to go back and meet up with him.
Karma knew, of course, that she still met up with the scoundrel and did keep an eye on her, growing more and more worried as time passed by.
"Are you still seeing that tasteless brute from the shop?" He asked her one evening after their common shift at the tavern had ended. Ava flushed at his words, feeling caught like a deer in the headlights.
"I… he is not as bad as you might have had the impression… H-he he is actually really nice and caring…" She was blushing and playing with a strand of her hair… but Karma actually noticed the small twitch of her other hand around her elbow.
What was going?
*********
On a quite uneventful Sunday morning, Adarna had been waiting for Karma to wake up and get down to confront him. “Karma… I worry about Ava…”
Though he was being his usual sparkling self, even if he hadn’t been sleeping well, Karma didn’t put up his usual theatrics, but urged Adarna to keep going on with her train of thoughts.
“She is all the time tired...supposedly looking after Keith’s kid all the time… she looks in love but scared at the same time, emotionally scared… Lately, she has been coming home with a lot of bruises… She told me she fell down the stairs but…”
“I thought it was the cupboard she hit carelessly?” Ray quipped in the conversation.
While Adarna’s expression paled at Ray’s words, Karma’s darkened dangerously. This had been going on long enough. He was going to pay that Keith clerk a little visit.
**********
Arriving at the shop with Adarna one his tail, they trapped Keith in the very act when he was holding on Ava with such brute force that it would surely leave a mark.
"Oh, such beauties in my dainty little shop. To what pleasure do I owe this impromptu visit my dear Miss Karma!" He was overflowing with sweet words like Rumpel's, though his were more calculated and vicious.
Karma didn't even take the time to reply, but drew his sword out from under his dress, closing in on Keith at a deadly speed.
Keith jumped back and landed gracefully on the tip of his feet, ready to take tail and run to the back door to get into a more advantageous setting than the cramped shop of his.
Seems like my cover is blown. Sir Myrthos won’t be happy…
Running through the woods, he tried his best to loose Karma and looked around to ambush him in some cunning way as he liked to operate. Jumping up on the trees, he was taking many turns in hope of disorienting the beauty who wasn’t deterred in her hunt, even though she was wearing a dress.
He was going to leap out on the next branch, ready to fray himself a path through the thick forest, but he ended up slipping on his landing and nearly fell down from the tree, only dandling by holding out on the branch with one single hand.
Twisting his body around to get into a better position, and climb up again, he was momentarily distracted enough to not notice the (wo)man who had silently closed up on him.
It had nearly been too late, but simply because of a flare off killing intent, he was able to narrowly dodge the swing, parrying the next one with his favorite dagger.
Clashing weapons together, he had to admit that she was a very skilled sword fighter. Keith was highly impressed by her skills.
Calculating all the possible ways to get out of this tricky situation, Keith was momentarily distracted when he heard a familiar voice calling out for him.
"Keith!" Though he always told himself he was only using her, her voice and whole present still deterred him during that crucial moment.
Stepping aside to dodge a quite sloppy swing of Keith, Karma didn’t hold back anymore and twisted his body back to the assailant, slashing his sword at him. He was actually surprised when Keith didn’t react in time and simply took the sword slash in the face.
Staggering backwards and slumping against the tree trunk in his back, Keith somehow had difficulties to apprehend his situation. What happened? He didn't know. He only registered that he was bleeding and surprisingly near death's door.
Next to him, slumped and sobbing out all her tears, was Ava, fighting against Adarna's desperate hold on her arm. He smiled at the mournful look on the young woman's face. Would she mourn his death even after all the cruelties he put her through? Would she miss him even though he had ripped her off of their memories together outside of Angielle?
Smirking at her, as he wasn't really able to simply smile given his personality, he poked her on the forehead and whispered. "Happy Valentine my dear… My gift is your freedom…"
Recognition dawned on Ava as everything seemed to crumble around her…. The memories of their time together flooding back in her mind…
Keith’s lifeless body was slumped together against the strong pine tree surrounded by a very significant flower… forget me nots…
I won’t forget you…ever again… Ava sobbed against his bloodied chest the funeral march…