Rules of One's Soul

Ch4 An Old Friend

The forest was lit up by the glowing reddish leaves of the dark candy trees as a soft wind blew through the air. The old trails were pretty silent other than the occasional guard patrolling the night shift, but that was very rarely a real encounter to someone his age. Almost nothing mattered now a days anymore, but it seemed things were getting better somewhat. The old leaves crunched softly under his bare feet making a soft noise among the wind. The light from the lantern softly glowing providing enough light he needed to get back home. It bounced off nicely against the shadows peeking around him.

"When your whole world is going maaaad, just sit back and watch and it won't be so baaaad. Remember the love that ounce you'd known, it helps pass the days and you won't beee alone.~ A shine on the horizon betrays the darkened sky, but I don't dream of power.~ Spending hours beneath lantern liiiight.~"

The echoes of the simple voice echoed throughout the darkness, singing to the trees as his only audience. They answered with the gentle swaying of their limbs through the whispering wind and clattering of leaves. Their way of applauding I guess. He simply hummed along to their wordless encore as he continued walking alongside the rocky cliff next to him. Keeping his one eye open for the entrance to his home. You could miss it easily in the dark if you weren't careful. He carefully scaled the side of said cliff as he continued his ongoing tune

"And why do they fight? Do they even knooooow? Since reason fell from out of season long agooo. Here passes one more abandoned child. And here stay's a crooked man smiling a crooked smiiiile.~ A shine on the horizooon, betrays the darkened skyyy, but I don't dream of power.~ Spending hours beneath lantern liiiiight.~"

The last syllabol echoed softly through the air, mixing in within the howling wind and clattering wings. He hummed and held the lantern up to the sky as he sniffed the air, smelt like water spray. That meant a storm was coming in soon. The cloak around his shoulder flowed along behind, around, and whichever way the howling wind decided to push it and his fur. Perhaps it wasn't a good time to run out and get supplies....He chuckled. If he could even call them that now. Granted, he didn't really believe that there was an abandoned store still full of stock and other things, but after a while of no one coming to his shop and seeing a few guards walking around with things like cans of food and books he sold in his own shop, he had to go back and recount his own stock in case someone had snuck in and took something without him noticing. When he found no one had, he guessed it must've been from that other shop.....Still full of stocked up foods and items. Well, just because it was abandoned that doesn't mean anything was wasted right? He remembered his first few trips to the other store. The place certainly empty, and slightly dusty, like an old closet no one cleaned for a long time. The thought made him cough. Most of what was still on the shelves was gone, most likely taken by the guards and random citizens, but he began making a few trips over himself to take a few things. A couple book copies, maybe a blanket or two, a few foods, not a lot and not too little. What he didn't expect was another person walking in on him, much less the owner. Even if he wasn't the owner, he'd rather not deal with any drama.

The man's sputtering made him chuckle though, he looked almost as tired as himself. But granted, Rouxls was nice enough to not charge him for anything. Guess he wasn't making anymore free trips though. His ear twitched when he heard a strange sound among the wind. Leaning the lantern forward, he spotted something rapidly moving in the darkness up ahead. Slowly coming closer, he recognized it as the cloth door to his 'Seap'. It flapped in the wind wildly as he slowly approached. Hmm. strange. Could've swore he tightened it down before he left, but he guessed the wind must've blown it open.

He hummed to himself as he approached the flap, the light from the lantern lit up the hole behind the flap leading into the side of his cliff and into his sheap. He ducked in without another thought however, finally escaping the wild wind and other outside noises. He hummed to himself as he walked over to the counter near the left wall and set down the lantern and small box onto it. Turning back around to the flap, he stared at it flapping around for a second before walking over and grabbing it. Making sure to tie it down nice and tight this time. No wind was coming in tonight. Satisfied he turned back around to the counter and box. The light illuminated the shop entrance and the shelves containing the goods he'd sell to the random customers that came in, and another curtain behind behind the counter that separated the bedroom and bath area from the actual shop. It wasn't a palace, but it was good enough for him. Humming to himself, he grabbed the small box containing a few things, mostly dark candies and shuffled to the back of the counter to begin putting them away on the shelves. The only sound for a few seconds was the muffled wind outside and the shuffling of him by the shelves. He hummed to himself a little...before he froze. His ear twitched slightly and he took a moment to turn his head slightly....After a few seconds, he turned back to the shelf- He quickly whipped back round fully to the curtains next to him as they slightly moved and then stopped.

He stood there staring at the now unmoving curtains silently as his ears twitched and his button eye spun a few times. Slowly moving his arms, he placed what he was holding back onto the counter before moving his hands to his sides under his cloak.

"Is someone there?" He silently summoned a couple sewing needles within his hands as to have something to defend himself. "I mean no harm, but an uninvited visitor is very rude. Why not show yourself and explain what brings you to my humble home?"

Silence....And then a series of high pitched giggles that made his cotton freeze.

"Ahehehehehe. A stranger, stranger I am in a way, but a friend, friend non the less.~ Why not come, come into the room?"

Completely caught off guard, the cat just stared at the curtain for what seemed like forever before narrowing his eyes in a rare emotion of irritation, his body taking a few giant steps back from the entrance.

"If this is who I think it is, then you come out here where I can see you."

There was another silence before his ears twitched to the sound of jingling bells and shuffling feet, the curtain was pulled back. Revealing the smaller figure on the other side. The small imp looked up at him with a wide smile...but it vanished when he saw the scowl on the cat's face. The imp seemed frozen at the scene but he gave an unsure smile to try and ease the tention.

"Um...Seam, Seam my old friend. You look well, well after all these years-"

"What are you doing here, Jevil?"

Seam's tone made Jevil flinch, but he still kept the smile. ''You will pardon, pardon me for the sudden arrival. But Lancer bless his heart, heart pardoned me from my freedom to come outside if I wished and invited others to also come in to my, my little freedom. But you didn't come-"

"You almost killed someone last time I saw you."

Jevil winced and this time hunkered down, bringing his limbs closer and his smile vanished. "I...I've become better, better-"

"Have you now? Or are the knights lasting effects still upon you?"

Another silence passed at the two stared at each other.

"I-I-I....I will leave if you, you so wish? I wouldn't want t-to be any inconvenience, I-Inconvenience..."

"Now hold on a moment." Seam held up a paw disapating the needles away. Jevil blinked up at the old cat still frozen in anticipation. The cat sighed before reaching up to rub his head. "How did you even find my sheap?"

"Simple, simple. I followed the directions the scared guard gave, gave me. Hehe. They ran, ran away after I asked so nicely..."

The cat gave a dry chuckle before shaking his head. "Still scaring the nightlights out of everyone I see."

Jevil gave an uncertain laugh of his own. "Hehehe. I suppose. Suppose?"

The cat gave a sigh before gesturing back to the room. "Well, invited or not. What host would I be if I didn't offer a cup of tea for your long journey? Go have a seat while I make a fresh pot."

Jevil had gave his old smile back when his old friend didn't immediately boot his out like he was afraid he would, but that didn't mean he still wouldn't if he acted up. He didn't want a repeat of the mistake with Rouxls. Luckily it seemed Rouxls couldn't resist the calling of their souls and had forgiven him, bringing him food no less and even coming inside his lonely freedom. He didn't want to risk messing anything else up. The old cat had summoned a flame and thrown it into the fire place a few moments after he walked in behind Jevil. The newly lit fire illuminated the whole bedroom. Which was made of a bed, small coffee table and couch by the fire place, and an old dresser by the bed. A curtain to the far wall separated the wash room from the rest. The imp had opted on hovering by the couch instead of actually sitting on the old couch and watched silently as Seam boiled the old kettle a top of the fireplace.

The silence seemed to stretch on until the whistle of the kettle sounded out and the cat immediately fished it out from within the fire. With a snap of his paw, two teacups materialized onto the table as he turned back to Jevil.

"So. Tell me. What has driven you to come out after all these years being down there?," the cat asked raising a brow as he poured the sweet smelling liquid into the cups, "Was it your curiousity or just to see an old friend?"

He giggled. "A mixture of both. And something, something else to add to my chaotic delight. Delight! Oh! Many thanks, thanks!"

"Careful. It's hot." Seam handed him the cup of tea before setting the kettle upon the small coffee table. He turned his body and slowly sunk down onto the couch with a sigh. Letting the soft cushions envelope his aching cotton while the warm cup helped with his warmth. "Well, I'm mighty flattered you decided to make such a giant step to see me. Ahahaha. But I'm now more curious, what is this other 'delight' you speak of? The world did not change much if at all in these last hundred years."

The cat was caught a little off guard at the sudden high pitched giggles the imp produced. Instead of the regular high pitched giggles, these sounded more like a love stricken hathy on Soul Matching Day. His entire body shook his delight before he looked back at the cat with what seem could only describe as a lovey dovy expression and light purple blush. He's never seen him like this. Unless-

"Seam, Seam! I must admit my world is, is revolving faster and faster every moment I think of my new, new luck!"

"Oh, really now?"

More giggles. "Yes, yes! For you see! I have met someone, someone that can keep up with my simple numbers games, games!"

Seam gave off a more interested look. Last time he checked, he was the closest one to ever match against the energetic Imp. And even then it wasn't easy. "Really? How interesting."

"Ehehehehe. I thought the same, same. I didn't see the real them, them except a few times. Bwahahahaha." He almost spilt his cup from laughing so hard. "They were fun, fun to tease but then they kept coming back, back to play again and again.~ I had so much fun, fun!~ It was absolute chaos, chaos!" He suddenly made a ballorina like pose in the air before twirling. "Balancing, and performing, and never losing! Such a challenge, challenge! I had fun, fun! Happy, Happy! MY WORLD SPINS OUNCE AGAIN BUT WITH PURPOSE, PURPOSE!!"

Seam couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the jester acting like a little child who got a kiss from their crush. "Well, then. It sounds like you picked a fine playmate for yourself."

Jevil giggled once again before leaning his head far back and just dumping the hot liquid down his throat before snapping up once again to face Seam. "More, more than a playmate my friend, friend!" He held out a clawed hand as if to show the old cat. "Our soul, souls called to one another, another! Do you realize what this means, means?!"

Seam gave off a bigger smile."Ooooh. I see now. A certain jester found his one stage to play for now.~"

"Yes! Yes! Soulmate, soulmate! Bwahaha! Chaos, chaos!!"

Seam smiled wider. So after all this time he found his soulmate huh? Well he won't deny he was absolutely happy for the little jester, it seems he was just as happy from the way he talked about his soulmate, and by the sound of them they could handle Jevil pretty well. He gave off a series of chuckles and raised his teacup to his old friend.

"Well my congratulations to you both. Who's the lucky lady-?"

"He's not a lady.~"

"Oh? Beg pardon. Who's the lucky person you speak so fondly of?"

"The Duke, Duke."

Seam stopped half way through taking a sip and gave the jester a sudden look. "A...Duke you say?"

"Hehe. Yes, yes. A by the bookworm must do, do type!" That same purple blush came back to his face as his hands kneeded at the poofy collar around his neck. "He's able to match, match my chaos with boring, boring harmony play turned fun, fun! The games hadn't even really begun until we made contact, contact month ago! haha" He tilted his head at the funny look Seam was giving him. "You look surprised, surprised?"

"Oh, nothing." he waved a paw. "But by chance did this Duke go by the name of Rouxls Kaard?"

Jevil's giggles answered his question before he even spoke a word. "The very same, same. Why do you ask?"

"Oh. Well, I just met him tonight by his shop?"

"His shop?"

Seam nodded. "Apparently he owns the shop just about half a mile up the trail. Or so that what he's told me." He finally managed to get a sip of the bittle tasting liquid before saying. "Funny man. Looked very tired though. Did you wear him down already?"

Jevil giggled again. "I always think that, but he always revolves back, back to me."

"I see....Well, either way. I'm happy for you old friend. Just don't forget about me when you two make it official."

Jevil giggled again before stretching his mouth wide in a yawn. "Of course, of course. But perhaps I should go back to my freedom."

"You're welcome to stay the night. I have a spare couch that should do you well. And I have spare blankets."

Jevil perked up at the thought. Spending time with Seam and in close distance to Rouxls's shop? How could he say no? It would be nice to have something to sleep on besides cold stone after so long, and it'd save him a long trip back to Card Castle in the middle of the night.

"Seam, Seam. I'm glad to accept this invitation.~"


(Note from author: The song lyrics is from Deltarune the not Musical by Man On The Internet called Lantern Light, and I in no way own the song or it's lyrics/music.)