Rules of One's Soul

Ch11 A Little Offer p1

Such a waste of time. Alnost four hours of walking and talking to that hammerheaded bafoon down the drain. If he would've known it would have ended up in failure then he wouldnt have gone in the first place!...But then again, he DID need an excuse to walk off all those candy calories he forced down into himself, he wouldnt become fat if he couldn't help it. The talk with Malius wasn't exactly splendid either. He insisted on being paid first so he wasn't 'scammed' out of a job and 'actually got paid for his hard work' and a whole other slew of nonsense. Of course he had TRIED to explain that he couldn't pay anything right now because he didn't HAVE anything to pay with right now, but of course the foolish worm paid no attention to his noble status or the fact he could just easily pay him later. Making the whole trip absolutely worthless.

The only good thing about this was that it gave him time to go get more supplies and food. Dark candy and worms. How appetizing. But one thing was for sure, Rouxls Kaard was not one to ask for help when he could easily handle by himself, he didn't need anyones help. So of course it wasn't out of question to see the duke out of formal attire, on hands and knees, digging in the pitch black ground with a small shovel and a couple of glass jars. He didn't really care though. He really didn't have anything else to do right now unless he wanted to go climbing dark candy trees and get more of those too sweet things, which he had to do anyways to restock his shoppe and get more for himself to eat after eating all the ones Seam brought to him earlier. His stomach grumbled just thinking about it, and he still had a week of just living like a hermit.

"Where art thou stupid insects!," he mumbled to himself as he shoveled clump of dirt after dirt to the side. Why couldn't the stupid worms just come out already!? It rained just two days ago, shouldn't they be near the surface by now?! "Dont telleth me thine food supply tis goneth?!" He jabbed the shovel in deeper. "I REFUSETH! NAY WORMS SHANT DEFEAT ROUXLS KAARD?!"

In any other case or if he desperately wasn't afraid of getting a good(ish) food supply before he was forced to just eat candy for a week straight, he would've been chuckling at the thought of him ever doing this, but here he was. Digging in the dirt like a starved rabbick looking for carrots. Hopefully he didn't have any wondering eyes, but at this point he wouldn't have probably cared. His natural survival instinct kicking in and taking over-

"GOD D*MMIT!!" Blue hands shoved themselves into the black earth and started tossing around dirt. The yell was loud enough to catch anyones attention in a couple yard radiace, but luckily noone heard it-......Well almost noone.

To be honest, the scene was more concerning than funny. He certainly wasn't expecting to walk in on the scene of a frantic duke digging like a rabbick tossing dirt around and cussing like a royal guard on a hangover. The duke was more upset then he thought-

"He's gone mad.....Can I have his shiny stuff if his hair falls out?"

He ignored the child and mumbled a "Stay here" before catiously stepping towards the manic worm flailing around like a dying fish. Good lightners. It wasn't a long drive to have the poor guy acting like a desperate animal-....Similar to how Jevil first reacted too being.locked up...He instantly shook those thoughts from his mind. Now wasn't really the appropriate time for a trip down memory lane, especially about something that happened so long ago. He was just one or two yards from the duke who didn't seem to have noticed him at all at the moment. Some dirt bounced near his feet to which he rose a brow at. After a moment he looked back to the worm and cleared his throat-

It was like a cobra swung it's head with how fast the duke's reflexes were. Face dark blue in frustrated annoyance.

"WHAT?!"

Both froze in that moment. Both clearly not expecting the other to react they way the other did. The sudden outburst made the patched cat flinch hard and sorta just stare down at worm, button eye spinning. Rouxls however seemed to register the moment faster, old habit he developed from serving the spade king. One had to develop a fast sense of your surroundings if you didnt want to risk the king's wrath...And blinked.

"Oh.....Tis thou." His body slowly relaxed from the tense pose on his knees and eyeing the cat. ".....What doth thou want?"

Seam blinked and cleared his throat. His fur was bristled and fluffed up from the sudden outburst. "Oh...Well you seemed like you were a little stressed there-" His gaze shifted momentarily to the holes and clumps of dirt, and Rouxls's obviously dirty hands." -...and I thought you could use a cup of tea?"

"..N-No. Thank you. As y-you can clearly seeth-" He turned back around to the holes. "-I amst c-clearly busy w-with restocking mine shelves!"

"And how exactly is digging restocking? Are you selling dirt?"

"WORM! I amst gathering food to prepare mineself for living like a common criminal!" He reached back for the shovel.

" You eat dirt?"

"NAY! Likest I wouldst do anything like that?! Mine standards wouldst never sinkest so loweth!"

" Then what are you trying too-..." He trailed off when the duke groaned and pointed to a few jars next to himself. Inside one of them was a couple small pink things, they wriggled around the glass container. It didn't take too long for the old cat to figure out what exactly what he was looking at. ".....You've been eating worms?"

"Nay. I willeth eat them....sparingly. I needst enough for mineself to last for a few days.,

The thought of those wriggling things coming anywhere near his mouth made Seam gag before asking, "Are you really going to eat nothing but insects?"

"No. That tis ludacris!" The digging slowed down. "There's plenty of that disgustedly sweeteth ..c-candy growing on thine trees. I needs to restock anyways."

"What happened to the whole bag I brought?...Hehe. Don't tell me someone already bought it all."

"What doth thou thinkest I have been consuming for nutrition?"

The old plush paused for a monent, eye spinning. "Are you telling me that you plan on eating nothing but candy and....worms from now on?"

"Blame that floating bafoon for getting mineself sent away from thine castle!"

Seam held up his paws in defense. "Hey now. He was only trying to help."

Rouxls muttered something under his breath but didn't look up at Seam and just continued digging. Seam on the other hand reached up to scratch at the fluffy main of fur around his neck. This wasn't exactly what he was expecting when he first came to speak to the stressed out noble, but he guess he would've acted like this too if he was in the duke's place....Or not. Who knows?

"What art thou doing here anyways?"

The sudden question made him flinch but the worm still didnt look up from his digging."Uh...Well quite simply I came to offer my assistance on the matter. Haha." This time the worm fully turned to the taller cat in question. Making him chuckle at the confused dirt smudged face. "But maybe I came at a bad time. Perhaps I should wait until you're finished?"

"..N-Nay! Rouxls kaard-" he held a hand to his chest "-hast no needst for help! I amst perfectly capable of surviving on mine own! I nay need help from an old commoner!"

"Even if I'm offering to give you a few dark dollars and decent food?"

This caught the worms attention as he instantly snapped out of the annoyed tone and eyed the cat in front of him. Seam gave a patient smile back to the worm on the ground who still hadn't made a move and instead opted to eye the plush with a raised brow. Like how a parent would a child when they knew they were lying. Rouxls pursed his mouth to a thin line and debated the cat's words internally for a moment. Finally settling on-

"Art thou serious? Food and money?"

He shrugged. "Well better food than worms and candy. Haha. But the not without something in return of course."

Rouxls scoffed. " I shouldst' ve knowneth."

Seam gestured a paw to the Hip Shoppe. "Why don't we go inside and discuss it then? You look like you could use a break."

Rouxls contined to look up at the other darkner for a few seconds, frozen in thought, before he slowly kneeled over. For a moment Seam thought he was going to start digging again but instead slowly rose to his feet. Seam could now clearly see the rolled up pants legs and dirt covered blue skin of the worms legs, instantly he got a flash back to how he looked scrubbing the floor. He honestly looked the same way except all the dirt, and something about seeing the normally the orderly and neat freak Rouxls willingly getting dirty and acting like a 'commoner" made him chuckle again. A clicking of glass sounded as the duke gathered the jars in his arms and turning to start towards the shop,Guess he agreed to talking, with Seam silently following. It was only a matter of time before a smaller pair of footsteps came patting along behind them and the small bat hopped up to his side in a moment.

"Wipe thou's feet before comming in," he muttered. It took a few seconds of him shuffling the jars into one arm while reaching to open the door. Once inside, the two plushes went towards the count- "DON'T touch anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

The worm gave him but mostly the small bat a look like he didn't beleive them before rolling his eyes and disappearing into the back room. Seam chuckled as he went and turned his attention to the child who was staring into the clear glass display kit. Their face practically pressed against the clean glass as their eyes widened at the contents inside.

"Hehe. Now what might you be looking at?"

"There's shiny things in there! I want the big one!"

Curious he leaned over them to peer inside the case connected to the counter. And quickly saw what they were looking at. "Oh. Gems." A full display of gem stones adorned the inside of the case. Funny he didn't see them here the last time he visited. Rudinns would go gaga for these things. Something about impressing other female Rudinns depending on how much treasure they had. Good for selling and looking pretty but otherwise useless to the common Darkn- "Hey! You're not aloud up there."

He easily reached a paw other and grabbed the bat from off the top of the counter. "But I want the shiny! The big one!" They continued to paw at the counter as Seam set them down.

"We have to pay for those things-"

"Payest for what?"

The duke had returned. Cleaned up and wearing another suit again. How many of those did he have? He eyed the two before fixing his sights onto where Mak was staring.

"Those art for sale only. If thou wants one then thou willst have to pay for it likest everyone else."

Mak gave off a growl and reached back out for the counter- seam pulled them back again and sighed. "Can we please talk about why Im here?"

"Yes. Please do." the duke had taken his place behind the register and leaned back. "What brings the commoner to mine Shoppe? Art thou one of mine admires wo-" He stopped himself from saying that one common line which made Seam chuckle again and his face went a dark blue.

"I guess that's one way of putting it, but I think Ill save that for a later time. I actually came here to offer to pay you, in return for your services of course."

Rouxls scoffed. "And what part of mine services art thou refering to? ...This won't allow me to-" He shivered. "Be around that flying lunatic?"

"Jevil? Oh no. Just some cleaning."

"Cleaning?"

Seam nodded before explaining. "Why not? You need money don't you? And it seems like a fair trade to have my sheap spruced up."

The worm just stared dumbfounded at the cat......before a snicker came out of his mouth. Before another. And another. And another. Until the worm was lightly laughing at the utterly ridiculous request offered. HIM?! Clean up after an old grown darker that was more than capable of taking care of himself?! Absolutely ludacris!

"T-Thou actually expects mineself t-to cater to thine poor home like a common maid?! Hahaha. Thou's brain tis full of silly cotten if tbou thinkest I wouldst do anything like THAT!"

The cat to his credit didnt drop the patient smile and instead retorted with. "Well you are living like us common folk aren't you?" The worm stopped his chuckling tangent to stare at him. "And digging in the dirt and plucking what candy he can get from the trees for survival. Now aren't you?"

The duke sputtered angrily before slamming a hand down on the counter while pointing the other straight at him. "Now seest here you walking...c-child"s plaything! Rouxls Kaard tis not one to bend to thou's whim just because of mine bad luck! What I do tis nay any business of yours! I shant hereth any more nonsense of soulmates o-or ridiculous offers! And as soon as that Jevil gets thinself back Ill telleth thee what exactly I thinkest of this whole situation! If anything had happened to mine boy whilst I amst away I shall seest to it he gets turned into a jack in thine box!"

Seam hadn't even batted an eye at the rant, as if he had been expecting the entire thing from the start. "Well if I remember right, you're living just like the rest of us. Doesn't matter if you're rich or not Duke. You're still just as helpless as the rest of us-"

SLAM!

"GET OUT!" The worm angrily point a hand behind Seam towards the door in the front. But not before slamming his hands onto the counter. His soul throbbed with anger at the moment and Seam could clearly sense it by the way his eye tilted down towards his chest. Where one's presumed soul would be. "GETTEST THINESELF OUT AND DON'T EVER STEP FOOT NEAR MINESELF AGAIN!!"

Ever smiling, Seam didn't hesitate to obey the angry worn as he headed back towards the door. The little bat stumbling to follow along. The jingling of the bell came as the door opened and the cat stepped out. But not before saying-

"Ill see you tomorrow friend. Hopefully we can arrange a better meet up."