Chapter Text
It all started with Schezo. And as is common knowledge, not many good things come from things starting with Schezo.
…Okay, that’s a little unfair. This whole situation started before that. But to be fair, Arle just wanted a cool opening line, okay? She’ll start from the actual beginning.
Arle was at Primp. It was early afternoon. The sun shined brightly, and the sky was a vibrant blue. It was a great day to relax and have a totally normal time . Arle could make out all sorts of shapes in the clouds. She lay on the cool green grass under some shade. She was in a forest of which she couldn’t quite recall the name, but she had probably been through more dangerous things than just chilling in a forest, so she didn’t particularly care.
She had Carbuncle in tow with her, which wasn’t all too surprising. The two of them were attached at the hip, and she wouldn’t want it any other way. Even if he did steal some of the curry she cooked while she wasn’t looking (she learned to make extra extra batches because of his voracious tendencies anyway).
They were having a sort of makeshift picnic. Arle called it make-shift since it hadn’t felt like a proper picnic - she hadn’t brought a fancy picnic blanket or anything. She just brought Tupperware filled with curry she cooked earlier at home, which was good enough for the two of them. They lay on the grass together, eating the curry. Though in Carbuncle’s case, he was not only eating the curry but the Tupperware as well. A cool breeze went by, and Arle was totally relaxed. Considering how crazy her life could get sometimes, a break like this was highly appreciated.
She began to doze off, her eyes getting heavier…she looked towards Carbuncle, and he seemed to begin getting sleepy too. Makes sense, considering how much food he ate just earlier. Oh well. She wasn’t just going to die easily if she slept here since she survived the last few insane years of her life just fine and mostly uninjured. Physically, that is. Arle closed her eyes…
“Arle.”
…and immediately opened them again, jumping up in surprise. Carbuncle did too, and he jumped onto her shoulder, latching on and peeking at the new person…not. It was a familiar face.
Schezo, the dark mage. He was a little disheveled, appearing as though he had scoured the forest for many hours. Some dirt was on his cloak, and a leaf was stuck in his hair. She probably looked messy too. Oh well. She didn’t particularly care about appearances or anything like that. She suddenly remembered a certain dragon girl that would have taken offense to her thinking that, so it was a good thing that girl wasn’t here.
“I need to talk to you about something.” He had a serious look on his face, but he always had a serious look on his face, so she couldn’t tell the difference. Maybe he came for her…
…power (pause intended),
and would challenge her to a Puyo battle directly after she makes fun of him because of his way of speech. Aw, man. Arle was already tired. But it couldn’t be helped, she guessed. It’s just the usual routine anyways, so it wouldn’t be so hard anyway. Maybe Schezo had been practicing? She could definitely still beat him though!
“What is it, Schezo?” she asked, brushing off a bit of the stray dirt that got caught up in her clothes, and rice that got stuck in her hair from the curry earlier, but she picked it off and ate it instead. Thankfully Schezo hadn’t noticed - if he had, he didn’t point it out. He shifted a bit in place.
“It’s about,” he opened his mouth to reply to Arle’s question, but the words didn't seem to come out. His mouth clamped down instead. He became frozen in place. She waved a hand in front of him, but he didn't notice.
’Huh?’ Arle blinks. ’What’s up with him?’
…
“…Well,” he finally said after a short, yet awkward pause. “Er. How do you talk to Carbuncle even though he speaks in…gu? I have known you for a while yet, however, the answer still eludes me.”
“Oh!” Arle laughed. “You came all the way here just to ask me that? I thought you were going to slip into a monologue about,” she cleared her throat. “Wanting all of you…r magic, Arle!” She said in the best Schezo impression she could muster. “Like that.”
Schezo’s lips pursed for a split second as if he wasn’t quite sure of the answer himself - and he didn’t even have an immediate reaction to her teasing. But he then soon irritatedly shouted, “Just answer the question!”
“Hm,” she said thoughtfully. “I mean…me and Carby have been friends since basically forever, so I can sort of understand what he means even if I don’t know what he’s saying, you know?” she said cheerfully, unfazed by his yelling.
Carbuncle jumped up from her shoulder and onto her head, agreeing with an equally cheerful “Gu-gu-gu!”
“…I see.”
Crap! Schezo was looking at her with another serious face, but this time it was his I-wish-I-could-communicate-with-small-animals-too-but-they-get-scared-for-no-reason face! She wouldn’t have said it was exactly for no reason, though. Schezo had a pretty scary face…and demeanor…and personality. Actually, Schezo was scary in general until you got to know how he really was. Then he just becomes ridiculous and funny. Just like most of her other old friends. See Exhibit A, highly proficient martial artist, Miss “My Darling Dashing Dark Prince” and Exhibit B, literal demon king of Hell, Mister “My Cutie Patooties Arly and Carbunny”
She carelessly let a laugh slip, amused by what she was thinking.
“Are you laughing at me, Arle?!” he demanded, pointing his sword at her threateningly. Well, he has done this many times before, and he just points his sword at everyone, so it wasn’t all that threatening.
“No, no, I’m sorry, pff- ” she said, while still laughing at his expense and the rest of her friends. She tried to stifle her laugh the best she could but to no luck. She couldn’t help but laugh even harder. His face seemed to be getting even more focused on her. Uh-oh. She better change the topic soon.
Schezo opened up his mouth, and Arle was pretty sure he was gonna ask her for a Puyo battle, but he just clamped it shut again.
’He’s acting weirder than usual,’ she thought to herself.
Unless that was just some dark magic ritual she didn’t know about. Like…sucking the magic from the air she breathed in by clamping his mouth? That’s more like eating, but it was still creepy.
“So, uh,” she continued awkwardly. “Is that all you wanted from me?”
“Yes. No. I shall be going…not.” He made the foot motion to turn around and walk away, but he stopped mid-way through the step, and just slowly put his foot back to where it was.
“Well?” Arle asked, tilting her head inquisitively.
Schezo just froze up. Weird. Looking at his expression, he seemed almost…frantic? His eyes were blown open wide, and his mouth was clamped tighter than ever. Why was he nervous at a time like this? And if he was, he would usually have his hand on his sword, but he didn’t. Yeah, seriously weird. And he was like that earlier too. But that couldn’t be right. Schezo never acted like that, even when people were calling him a pervert to his face. She tried to wave her hand again, but no response. She snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“Hello? Earth to Schezo? Earth to Mister Edgy Mage? Creeper? Creepster One Thousand?”
“Gu? Gu gu-gu-gu?”
She then tried clapping in his face. When all else failed, she flicked his forehead. He snapped out of whatever stupor he was in and blinked, not even caring that she flicked his forehead.
“Ah. Yes. I was here.” He takes a moment to recollect himself and seemed to look around absentmindedly.
“What is it, Arle?” he said. He had a strangely calm and blank expression on his face, almost as if his face didn’t have any emotion on it at all. Like a plain white canvas. It was serene, and it didn’t suit Schezo at all. Now she was getting concerned for real.
“Jeez, we were just talking until you spaced out there,” she frowned, brows furrowed in concern. She crossed her arms. She couldn’t read him at all, and he was an open book.
“Is that so,” he said with the same blank look on his face, seemingly staring into nowhere at all. What was he looking at? She had looked around in the same direction and saw nothing of interest there aside from, you know, trees, plants, the usual forest shebang.
“You’re acting weird,” Arle said, uncrossing her arms and trying to scrutinize his expression again. Still the same. She sighed. “Let’s just get back to what we were talking about.”
“Yes.” he nodded slightly.
“…”
“Hey, did you forget about what we were just talking about?!” Arle said in disbelief. She gaped at him. He really spaced out just now, huh?
His expression changed this time, offended, but still carefully guarded. It’s unlike the previous times he got offended, like the various incidents where she called him a creeper, pervert, or some other synonym for those words. Most of the time, he shouted from the top of his lungs while incredibly affronted and red in the face.
“What? No! There was just a small slip in the gaps of my mind, that is all-” he hurried to explain, hands waving frantically. Yet still calm (for Schezo standards, at least), having barely raised his voice at all.
“Yuh-huh? You were getting mad at me for laughing at you?” she reminded him. She looked at him expectantly, eyebrows raised.
“Yes. I was.” His face became a bit more…sorrowful. Schezo rarely ever looked like that (at least, with other people around) if ever. Even if he did, he would probably try to hide it and go, What are you staring at, Arle?! and if she asked why she saw him feel sad, he’d then go Are you under the belief that I, the dark mage Schezo, cannot take care of myself properly? Do not go so far as to look down on me like so, Arle! I- and then blah blah blah, he would launch into a long dramatic speech, Puyo battle, Arle wins, he declares that he will win the next time they cross paths, and so on.
Another weird silence went between the two of them - as though there was an invisible wall keeping the two of them from talking properly. Arle was sick of these pauses. Just what was going on with this perverted (but not really) mage?
“Did you actually have something else you wanted to tell me?” she asked. Partly in an attempt to break the silence, and partly because she was actually curious. She didn’t think he’d come all the way here for Carbuncle unless he was part of some evil plan he was concocting…would he try to steal Carbuncle away from her and hold him hostage? Steal Carbuncle’s power and then use it as bait for her to approach him? Nah, that would be too evil for him, and besides, stealing Carbuncle is Satan’s thing. Minus the “hold him hostage” part because he loved Carbunny too much for that.
Another pause ensues, but it was shorter since Schezo suddenly deflated like a balloon. He looked like a wet cat who just got put into a bath unwillingly. She was seeing so many new Schezo expressions, it was hard to keep track! Usually, he would just default to Tired, Angry, Greedy, as well as the occasional Oh My Gosh It’s A Cute Little Kitten.
“Yes. In truth, I was,” he said.
“Well, what is it?”
Schezo inhaled deeply, and Arle thought they were going to be on a ride yet. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like what was coming up next. Her it’s time to go on an adventure! instincts are going into overdrive here!
“I have reason to believe that there is negative magic permeating around us. And it is deeply dangerous and powerful.” he finally said grimly.
Her mouth gaped in shock.
“Woah…wait, seriously?!” she said.
Despite all the crazy stuff Arle has had happen in her life, she still couldn’t help but say that. She thought it was okay to go with stuff like this now and then, even if her surprise was a little exaggerated. Rulue and Schezo’s dramatics must have been rubbing off on her…
“Yes,” he said with a very serious expression. “It causes the person it affects to have major emotional reactions, causing them to have sudden bouts of sorrowful and regretful thoughts. And that is why I was acting like so earlier.” he nodded gravely.
Okay, Arle wasn’t convinced anymore. She should stop taking her friends so seriously at their word. For one, she didn’t feel any kind of negative magic aside from the magic Schezo was exuding already, and two…
“Are you sure it’s not just your emotions catching up to you after years of repression?” she said. Okay, maybe it was a little blunt, or even insensitive, but you couldn’t beat around the bush with him. He could be pretty dense at times, and that was her being generous.
“I’d appreciate it if you do not take me for a fool, Arle! ” he thundered. “Besides, if I wanted to go and be emotional, I would do it on my own time where nobody could see.”
“What?”
“What.”
Blink. Blink.
“Hmph. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice me acting out of it earlier. I am not the type of man to simply let that slip.” he said, chin raised and a hand on his hip.
“Well, yeah, I did, but like I said. Could just be your emotions catching up to you.” she shrugged.
Schezo flushed in humiliation. “It is not, and I will prove it!” he yelled, his sword out and pointed at her again. Less for intimidation and more for dramatic flair this time. “Come, Arle! Let us search for clues about this mysterious magic, and I shall prove to you that I am indeed being truthful!”
“You mean, you don’t have proof already in the first place?” she said wryly. “That’s even less reason to believe you, you know.”
“Arrgh-! Regardless of that, you will be coming along with me! Who knows what danger this might pose…” he said. “For my nap time, of course.” He continued, saying it as though it was obvious.
“I mean, I guess I can help,” she said. “It’s not like I’m doing so much today anyway.”
Aside from trying to take a break from situations like this.
“And you were acting weird earlier…I mean…” she put her hand on her chin as she tried to think. Arle’s eyes went wide open at her realization. “You haven’t said anything creepy since we first got here! Okay, that’s really wrong.”
“That’s what you’re concerned about?!” Schezo exclaimed in exasperation. He then sighed tiredly. “Fine, I suppose. So be it, if that is what it takes to convince you.”
“Okay then, let’s look into it!” she said brightly.
Maybe she had missed going on adventures like this. And besides, it was a beautiful day. No better time to adventure than at a time like this! Arle meant that literally, of course. Adventuring was a lot harder when there was a storm, or if it was blazing hot because a certain devil decided he wanted a tan and enlarged the sun instead of getting one like a normal person.
“Gu-gu!” Carbuncle agreed, jumping up and down.
She was getting pumped up about all this! If it really was dangerous, then it was worth taking a crack at the very least. If not, well…it would just be a weird day. But then again, what was usually considered “weird” was the norm in the life of Arle Nadja.