Devil's tale

Devil's tale chapter 27

"Avarice, we need to talk!" Jazz sat across from Avarice at the breakfast-table. The minstrel was rubbing his eyes sleepily and yawned back. "Couldn't this wait till after seven-o'clock?" Jazz responded with nothing but a serious glare, he then took out a pouch of coins and plopped it on the table, he said in goblin.

"Know what's in here?"

"Um, the profits from last night's performance?"

"Yeah, and-?"

"And... and pickpocketed money, I'm guessing."

"Whoop dee, doo, exactly! Now go wake Emily up so we can get out of this town before half the populace realises they've been robbed."

"What?"

"I- may have gone a little overboard last night, but we needed the funds!"

"I don't disagree."

"Then go wake Emily."

"Um, could you do that, actually?"

"Why?"

"I mean me, going to her room..."

"Oh suck it up! You've done worse with her."

"Only when I had to!"

"That actually reminds me. You haven't been using your powers much lately. It's not like you to refuse to help light a campfire or brighten a candle. And last night, you could've easily improved your performance by manipulating the light in the room."

"I've resolved to not use my devilish powers unless I have to." Avarice said, looking at his hands.

"Is it because of what happened in Jeddin?" Jazz asked.

"No, it's because I read it in a fortune-cookie. Of course it's because of what happened in Jeddin! Back there, I didn't just have the power to control fire. When my demonic form was fully realised, I had the power to create fire myself and I ended up using it to hurt both you and Emily." Avarice bit his lip and his tail curled around the legs of his chair. "-And wanting to explore my demonic side, giving into my desires for knowledge and wanting to know more about my blood is what landed me here in the first place."

"So you despise your demonic side and only use it when you have no choice, and you blame it for other people's faults, like the fact that it was the king who made you go berserk, not your blood. I never thought I'd say this about you, but now you just sound like an abusive partner." Jazz said with his arms crossed and a matter-of-fact expression, the goblin then sighed.

"Look, you've been smiling a lot more since last night and I don't wanna ruin that, so forget I said anything and just go wake Emily up already." He said.

Avarice nodded and stood up. He ascended the stairs to the room where Emily had stayed the night and knocked, asking. "Are you praying?"

"No, come in." Emily replied.

Avarice straightened his collar and entered. Emily was already wearing her cloak and had her hood up. She asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean, after last night, with the mugger. I know how sensitive you can get so..."

"I'm not that sensitive!" Avarice said, embarrassed.

"It's a compliment, silly!" Emily replied.

Avarice rubbed the back of his head and as he did, his braid, which he had hastily done in his hurry to wake up early, came loose. He grunted in frustration, as it usually took him a good amount of time each morning to cast the correct spells to make his hair fall and twist the way it did. It was especially frustrating since he couldn't directly enchant himself, so he had to use magic in exceedingly roundabout ways to get the effects he desired. As such, he asked Emily.