Work Text:
Casiah, a great magician, as some would call her. But truth be told, she is confused.
Why do people seem to act even when the lights are off? Sadness? Happiness? What are "emotions," exactly?
It was a question she always thought about, for she could not understand it.
Until she did, she would discover it herself, a disguise through her shows, making it so no one would notice their so-called "emotions" being quietly consumed by her.
"I hope everyone enjoyed the show!"
She proudly bowed with grace as the curtains fell. Another feast for her understanding, once again…
She continued performing, bringing shows everywhere and to everyone all in pursuit of finding her "self."
Along the way, she met countless magicians, all of whom she mimicked so perfectly: from seasoned escapists to small-time showrunners and their unique tricks. But she had yet to create magic of her own. It was both "frustrating" and "sad", those two "emotions" she found herself "feeling" most.
Then one day, a Keeper from Mythag University appeared out of nowhere during one of her shows. It was a problem, to be sure, students of Mythag are always mentally stable, which makes it considerably harder for her to consume their emotions.
But her eyes could not deceive her. Within the crowd, the student was "curious," and once the show had ended, he approached and requested to speak with her.
And now, ever so often, she would come to his aid. Of course, she was still bound by a contract with the mysterious shopkeeper, but most of her time was spent with the Keeper, Sylvester, which came with all manner of unexplained things.
For example: her fumbling with her hat whenever he was near, or her fixing even the smallest of wrinkles in her clothes before a mission with him. It was as if the Keeper were one of the few people she felt the need to keep appearances up with— and so, by her own choice, she sought out the Mysterious Shopkeeper.
"Madam Narcissus! Madam!" With that characteristic smug flair of hers, she called for the mysterious shopkeeper— or rather, her contractor.
"The hour grows late, Casiah. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
With a puff of smoke, the disembodied voice called out. Step after step echoed through the empty street, violet fog spreading to cover the area, until she appeared fully before Casiah.
"I was wondering… do you have any items that might help me with a problem?"
"Then speak. What is it?"
"You see, it's the Keeper! Whenever I'm with him, I always end up adjusting my hat, my clothes, everything."
Daffodil gave the slightest of smirks in response to Casiah's "problem."
"My, my. That does present something of an inconvenience, doesn't it? An item to remedy it— or would you prefer to address the matter more directly?"
With that, she drew a slow breath from her pipe. Casiah gave an enthusiastic nod. The price for her item was…
"As you know, the price is as expected. That is…"
"She'll be the sole beneficiary of our wedding!" Casiah finished her explanation.
Sylvester, more widely known as the Keeper, sat tied to a chair inside Casiah's dimension, both surprised and visibly worried, judging by his squirming.
Casiah approached and removed the cloth covering his mouth before he could reply.
"W-WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?"
Casiah simply shrugged and turned away, muttering quietly:
"Because I want to practice this one thing called 'love'! It's a win-win for me, either way." She muttered the last part before she lit up once again, her personality back on full display.
"Anyways! You and I now have to keep up the act, or else, the Madam will punish us both!"
The Keeper could only sigh before replying.
"Acting like what?"
"Like lovers!~" she hummed, sitting down beside him. She produced her hat and, with a flourish, pulled them both out of her dimension. With a light bounce, she swept her cape around herself and disappeared with a wink at Sylvester.
"I'll see you soon, dear!~"
She left him in his room— to contemplate, perhaps, the situation he had once again been dragged into.
The days passed quickly, well, not that quickly, but enough for the students and residents of the University to notice the Keeper spending time with the Awakener. Rumors spread and reached the ears of an unsavory guest.
As expected, Mythag University's most tenacious reporter couldn't let such a scoop slip by. Hannah descended like a storm, questions flying left and right, which Sylvester somehow expertly dodged, but he did slip up a couple of times.
"It's almost as though I'm—"
Before he could finish the sentence, he caught himself, slapping a hand over his mouth, but Hannah had caught on quickly enough. Soon, the word was out and it spread like wildfire.
The Keeper, deeply worried for his privacy, managed to lock himself in his room until the news died down.
The same could not be said for the Awakener, however, Casiah sat at the edge of his bed, holding a newspaper with a curious look on her face.
"'Mythag's Keeper Dating an Awakener… Sylvester, the Keeper of Mythag University, a beloved figure within the awakener community, has revealed that he is involved with an Awakener, specifically, the one aptly known as Casiah!'"
With a pleased look, she tossed the newspaper into the air before turning to Sylvester.
"You saw the news, didn't you, dear?" she asked, wearing such a wide smile that Sylvester couldn't help but take a small step back, a bead of sweat on his brow.
"Yeah… people now think we're dating officially…"
"But isn't that wonderful!" Casiah exclaimed with glee, summoning her cloak as it wrapped itself around the Keeper and pulled him into her realm.
"Now that the whole community knows, I'll have even more proof— more reasons to explore these 'feelings' when I'm with you!"
She flashed him another smile, and he couldn't help but sigh at her words.
He took a seat before replying.
"If it's good news to you, that means we're probably inching closer to what Miss Daffodil wants, no?"
"Right on!" She moved swiftly, now standing before the Keeper, her gaze meeting him.
"So? Shall we explore this 'emotion' together now?"
As smug as the request was, Sylvester couldn't bring himself to disagree. He extended his hand, and she shook it as a seal on the deal.
"Deal."
With that settled, a small giggle escaped Casiah and then Sylvester found himself back in his room, Casiah nowhere to be seen.
The next day was sure to keep him busy. His first actual "date" with her, after all.