Rules of One's Soul

Ch14 A Little Offer P4

The time it took Seam to get behind the counter and peer into the bedroom, face slightly concerned, Rouxls was already backed up against the wall with a wide eyed look. The worm looked as pale as paper, and he soon discovered why when a very wide smiling floating imp turned in his direction to smile at him. Upon seeing the cat, he released another stream of giggles and sat himself rightside up in a crosslegged position, his expression regarding him with amused curiousity.

"Why hello, hello Seam! What brings me to this little encounter, encounter?" He turned back to Rouxls who flinched.

Seam sighed before reaching a paw up to rub his temples. "Did you really have to spook our guest....again?"

The imp shrugged and turned back to the still frozen worm who visibly gulped and made an attempt at a smile. ....Huh. Funny. He always seemed to do that when he was visibly stressed, reflex maybe? But right now he looked very uncomfortable, even more so now that a love struck Jevil had popped up suddenly beside him. The insolent little pest was staring up at him with clear joy in those pink eyes of his. He uncomfortablely shifted a bit but froze when Jevil let off another stream of high pitched giggles and a clawed hand reached out as if to grab his face, Rouxls"s pupils shrank a little more at the sight of those sharp digits coming towards his face, but at the last moment he rose it a bit higher and moved one of the stray strands of white hair away from his face with a purr.

"Now what has encouraged, encouraged the duke to come all the way out here,here-" He took a moment to trace his eyes up and down studying the duke's less formal outfit covered in dust and dirt alike. Causing Rouxls to grimace at the notion of it. "....And in such dull attire? Have you decided to take up residence, resi-DENCE-"

In one moment the personal bubble popping pest was yanked away by a giant paw and was replaced by the beautiful sight of Seam holding up the little imp with a done look. Luckily a few feet away. He sighed in relief at that, a feeling of calm coming over him. Nevermind the thumping of his soul from the brief touch.
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"...N-nay. NAY!" Both turned to look at the still flustered worm as he cleared his throat and slowly pried himself off the wall and attempted to pull himself together from the earlier scare. He turned his eyes away from the prying gaze of Jevil and instead opted to picking up the things he dropped all over the floor. " I-I amst just here t-to help cleaneth thine home for Measly darke dollars. N-Not to seeth thou or a-anything of the sort."

More giggling. "Really, really? How quaint. ...It's not a part of a game plan, plan would it Seam,Seam?" Jevil turned his gaze to the giant cat holding him with an almost challenging tone, narrowing his eyes.

Seam in turn chuckled. "Now do you think I would do something like that? I merely wanted some help in cleansing my home. Is that so wrong?"

"Hehe. I wonder..."

His attention went back to Rouxls who had walked away from them and inspected a hole in the wall about level with his head. If he wasn't mistaken that was the same secret space Mak made their home in but he could be wrong. He noticed Rouxls was now leaning down to inspect the inside of the fireplace-

"Now what might you be doing, doing this time?"

Rouxls groaned in response. "I amst finishing thine job and then leaving!" His voice echoed a bit within the fireplace, his blue face scrunched up in thought. It seemed he was trying to go about this.

A thought suddenly came to the imp as his face relit with joy. After some wriggling on his part, his body broke free of Seam's hold and his body once again floated up in the air, this time casually floating over to the busied worm as Seam watched amused. It seemed Jevil wanted to move one of his pieces after suspecting his own move. He chuckled at that, game on then. Let's see how this turned out. Rouxls mumbled something to himself as he reached over to his bucket of cleaning tools before picking up a feather duster-

"Would you like to see a trick, trick?"

Rouxls flinched And looked up to the smiling face of Jevil looking upside down at him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, eyeing his form. "....Is this some kind of trickery? "

"Oh. Nothing bad, bad. I promise.~"

His expression became even more reluctant at him, but eventually after a pause he responded with, "What tis is?"

Jevil giggled, quickly snapped back up into a cross legged position, and held up his hand. For a moment Rouxls thought he was going to summon something- Oh good lorde please no heart attacks!- but then a familiar snap of his fingers sounded out. All three of them awaited for.....something? But nothing came.

"...Waseth that supposed to impress mineself?"

"Its coming."

"Pah! Likest i really can be fooled into thine schemes." He turned back to the fireplace raising the duster with an eye roll. "How foolish doth thou thinkest I a-"

The duster stopped about two inches away from the smoke hole. ....What was..that noise? A low rumbling sound had come from the inside of the hole, it sounded like the rumbling pipes within the castle walls but what would water pipes be doing inside a fireplace? The worm blinked and tiled his head further into the fireplace to look up the hole.

"Uh...Rouxls." Seam gave a concerned look. "Perhaps you shouldn't be so close?"

He didnt listen."whonst thee-?"

An explosion went off.

In one split second a cloud of black smoke engulfed the duke and poured into the air like fog. The smell of ashes and smoke filled his airways and the sting his lungs felt was absolutely horried! Tears wepted from his eyes as the sting found them too. Rouxls threw himself from the smoke and stumbled to his feet, stumbling around like a blind man coughing and holding his arms out. Pretty sure he hit a wall or something on the way out but he didnt care. He practically collapsed onto the black ground. Seam and Jevil werent too far behind and stumbled out behind him. Thankfully Seam wasn't covered in too much soot from the explosion, but Jevil and Rouxls on the other hand- It took the old cat a couple minutes of swaying and coughing until it felt like cotten was burning through his skin, before he was finally able to open his good eye and start regular breathing somewhat. He blinked over his shoulder at Jevil who was wiping his face with the cape on his back and groaning. After a couple seconds he looked up to meet Seam and also blinked.

"Well that did not go well,well."

"You think?"

He shrugged. "Where is Rouxls, Rou- "

He was soon answered when something came colliding into him. Seam bunched up from the sudden movement as Jevil crashed to the ground with a loud "OH!!" , where he was floating was replaced by a very angry black worm. Rouxls was covered head to mid leg with black soot and held an equally dirty broom in his hands. He glared daggers at the confused looking imp as Jevil got up with a groan and sorta froze at the sight too.

"YOU INSOLENT INSUFFERABLE LITTLE WORM!!" he bellowed voice cracking. Jevil visibly flinched at the clear change in the duke. Seam stared also, he guessed all the stress the duke was feeling was finally coming out in one big ashy mess. He raised the broom higher in a threatening way. "ART THOU EVER GOING TO LEAVE MINE LIFE?! YOU...YOU..GAH!"

Jevil yelped when the duke charged at him swinging the broom around like a soilder with a sword in battle. He barely managed to leap in the air when the bristled weapon was swung down onto the ground. Rouxls proceeded to start chasing around a floating Jevil whilst continuing to shout curses and screams at him. Seam watched for a little while before groaning and again reaching up to rub his head. Well this was just great. He didn't notice the small child coming up beside him, their armful of stolen diamonds from a familiar worm's shop. They stopped and stared at the sight of the two before blinking back up at the giant cat.

"What are they doing?"

Seam groaned. "Jevil is learning the true meaning of tough love."

They blinked. "Oh.....I put new shinies away."

"Yes. You do that."

He didnt see the child walk past them and into the sheap as he was a little busy trying to figure out what to do about the situation. The two were still doing a round about while Rouxls was still cursing up a storm at Jevil. Just when he was about to step in a scream that wasnt Rouxls came from the sheap. It got the two to stop fighting long enough to turn and see a small angry child open the flap of the sheap.

"WHO STOLE MY SHINIES!?"