His Soul

Separated

After the dessert course was finished, you were dragged into a crowd which led you into the recreation room. Everyone around you started games of cards, pool, darts, and pinball. This was the only normal part of your time here, as no one bothered using their magic to push their cue sticks and press buttons on a machine. You assumed there was an unspoken rule here forbidding any sorcery, to prevent anyone from cheating.

With those expectations out of the way, you were not asked to perform any more tricks or show off your 'fire'. Instead, you did your part having conversations with other club members. You tried asking about what was going to happen to you tomorrow morning, but everyone you talked to refused to spill their big secret. You'd even tried learning the source of this club's wealth, but they were incredibly modest about their exorbitant lifestyle.

Curioso was silent during your time there. You knew he was trying not to interrupt or distract you...but it made you feel strange. It seemed like he had talked too much when the two of you started working together, but now it was like something was missing. As if Curioso's commentary was essential to your investigation.

"Are you still there?" you asked your sleeve quietly while the rest of the room was starting their poker game.

"I am," he whispered back.

You relaxed on the stool you were sitting on. It was such a ridiculous thing - he promised not to leave your side, yet here you were thinking he'd be elsewhere with better things to do. You needed to focus.

When their heads were clearly wrapped in their game, you took this opportunity to leave, claiming you were exhausted and wanted to head back to your room. No one questioned you as you quickly exited the room and sped down the hallways. You didn't want to get stopped again and roped into doing something else. For now, you were going to bide your time until the night got late enough and you were positive everybody was asleep. These people had to rest sometime .

You were alone again in your room with Curioso, who sat across from you and presented some new cards you'd never seen before. You figured playing a game or two together would help the time fly by. You had a cup of coffee at your side that you sipped from, to help you stay awake for the long night ahead of you.

You blinked curiously at him as you read the name of the pack in his hands.

" Skip-Bo ? Never played it before," you drummed your fingers on the table as he shuffled the cards.

What a sight that was - it almost looked like each card was moving by itself as he performed a riffle and bridge shuffle. Your eyes were locked on his hands as they did their magic.

"It was the only game my family ever wanted to play with me," he bowed his head as he arranged the cards. "Probably because I wasn't very good at it, so they had an easy win."

"Huh," you eyed your hand of cards that he gave to you. They were different colors and numbers, reminding you of a game more familiar to you. "Most families play Uno . Ever heard of it?"

"The kids at school played that one. I was never...invited into those games," his voice softened as he took off his top hat and faced you, "This is like a solitaire card game. It's a little complicated at first, but you're smart, so you should get the hang of it pretty quickly."

You smiled modestly, and spent the next hour or two learning how to play this new game between you and Curioso. It involved a lot of counting and thinking, so your mind was constantly working. After some point, it was easy to forget that you were supposed to be by your lonesome, as you stopped listening for any footsteps by the door and allowed yourself to be completely engrossed in his company.