Dear Diary [kris x ralsei]

2 - Under a Not-Spell

The hollow kingdom he had been watching over by himself made Ralsei feel small. And leaving it alone for a while made it worse. This was his home, and it stayed the same his whole life, now it seems massive compared to him, though he's the only one there. He takes it off his mind after he closes the gilded door behind him, entering a different environment.

He rehearsed the questions to himself: "Could I, by any chance, have been put on a spell?" -and he tried to assess how he feels, attempting to put it in words: "they make me nervous, but it's not bad. When they smile or hug me, I feel funny inside. And I start to miss them right after they leave."

Ralsei nervously approached the shop. He begins to have second thoughts, thinking it would be a waste of the mage's time. But he didn't walk all this way for nothing.

He pushed the thick cloth curtains open, greeted by the strong scent of sandalwood. He remembers he's been in here four- no, seven times. Everything inside looks the same, even the old mage himself.

"Welcome back," the shopkeeper greets warmly, not sarcastically, like the last four times. "Anything you need?"

Suddenly met with a question, Ralsei froze. "Uh...I...have a question."

Seam sits up, giving Ralsei his undivided attention. "I have an answer."

The young prince felt his face get hot. "Well, I'm having a strange experience around one of my new friends, the human, Kris, maybe like it was caused by magic. But humans can't make magic. Can they?"

The mage chuckled. "Of course humans can't make magic. Not even with their sticks and stones. But what is this 'strange experience' you're having?"

Ralsei looks away for a second. "They...make me nervous...but it's not a bad kind of nervous. It's stronger when they smile or hug me. And I thought it was a spell because it only happens when I'm around them. And I've never really had these feelings because of someone before. I...just want to know what this is." He turns his head back and faces Seam.

The mage's ears perked up. "I have a theory. But it may be too early to tell."

"What is it?"

"Well, I'll speak from my experience so you know where I'm coming from." He cleared his throat. "In my days of performing, when I had a younger heart and mind, I noticed a certain companion of mine made me feel the same way you described. Only thing that was different was I knew what was happening to me. I wanted to tell my friend about how I felt, but I didn't for a while, afraid he might think I was joking. I did tell him eventually, when I thought it had been long enough. For once, he took me seriously! Then, well, you don't need to know about that."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

"I'm telling you that you may have a unique sort of liking for your friend."

"What does that mean?"

The mage sighed. "It means you may be in love."