Happy International Women's Day To Anna, Who Single-handedly Took Down Oscar

Happy International Women's Day to Anna, who single-handedly took down Oscar

Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome - Unknown Oscar

His Soul (Chapter 9)

The Book

Summary: After saving the abducted collectors, you were trusted with Curioso's box. What seems like a dangerous possession slowly turns into an opportunity to learn more about this creature and his curse. Can you earn his trust, and possibly, his affection?

Pairings: Curioso/Reader, Curioso/The Detective

--

You woke up to your alarm on a quiet morning, which would normally calm you, but it felt like your nerves were on fire when you made a realization. You jumped out of bed and rushed out of your room first thing. You found Curioso laying on the couch. The TV was turned off and he instead clutched a large book in his hands, open to a page that looked something like a collage. 

When you got closer, you recognized it as one of your high school yearbooks. When your steps became audible, the jester shut it instantly and sat up in surprise. He sat it down and turned to you with his smile which now appeared sheepish. 

“Detective! Good morning,” His tone was nervous. You blinked at him, still trying to wake yourself up. 

“Were you looking through my yearbooks?” 

He glanced at the large edition sitting beside him and shrugged. “I got bored and then I got curious. You don’t have a lot to do around here.” 

“Mm,” You waved him off and headed towards the bathroom. You could take care of your morning business now that you made sure he was still here. 

While you were brushing your teeth, your eyes were blinded when a flash of light entered the room. You swung around to find the jester teleporting through the door to hold up a picture to you. “-I can’t believe you were in the photography club!” 

“ Curioso !” You scolded, swatting at him and trying to keep some distance. Your bathroom was small and he was nearly 7 feet tall. Surely he knew what ‘personal space’ meant? “You can’t just barge in here!” 

“The door was locked,” He responded simply. 

“For a reason !” You exclaimed, twisting the knob and pushing him out. You slammed it behind him and rinsed out your mouth, grumbling to yourself the entire time. 

“-You were in track & field, too? I didn’t think you were the athletic type,” His voice resumed from the other side of the wood. At least he wasn’t trying to get back in. 

You dried your hands off and sighed. “Those days were long ago. I’m not as fit as I used to be.” 

“Detectives usually aren’t,” He replied. 

You opened the door and found him standing right outside, grinning down at you. You shook your head and swiped the yearbook from his hands, returning it to its proper shelf. You headed to the kitchen and he was on your tail, sitting on the counter again as he watched you make yourself some coffee. 

“What’s for breakfast?” He pried. 

You thought about it. “Eh…A bagel with some cream cheese, I guess. You don’t want anything, do you?”

“I can’t,” He replied sadly. 

You sifted through your drawers. “Well…what did you use to have? Back in those good ol’ days?” 

“Cereal. I remember having a lot of cheerios.” 

That checked out, if his favorite dinner had told you anything about himself. You smiled to yourself as you toasted the bagel and applied some cream cheese. You sat down at your small table and he joined you from the other aside - a replication of what had happened last night. You found yourself appreciating the company…it was always so quiet and boring in the morning before you got to work. 

“I think you mentioned something about setting some ground rules?” He reminded you. 

“Oh. Right.” You swallowed your bite and drummed your fingers on the table. “Uhh…well, rule number one: You can’t invade my privacy, which means not teleporting wherever you want. If my door is locked, then I DON’T want you in there.” 

“I apologize,” He offered with a humble bow of his head.

“Rule number two: No teleporting without telling me. And that includes if you’re about to barge in on me somewhere!” 

His smile was coy.

“Rule number three: No touching any of the knives around here.” 

“What? You think I’m going to try and kill you?” 

His tone was teasing, but it sent shivers down your spine. While you were sure his intent wasn’t to ever KILL any of the collectors, you couldn’t get the imagery out of your mind. With Raymond strapped to that machine as sharp knives hurled at him…and when that poor woman, Julia Hadey, was close to burning alive after Curioso trapped her in a picture. This creature clearly had a sadistic side, and you didn’t want to ever see it again. 

“Rule number four-” You tried to keep your voice steady. “You go back in the box when I tell you to. No fighting me on it.” 

He sighed. “I assume that time is coming soon?” 

“It is.” You stood to put your plate in the sink. “Oh, and…final rule: Don’t go through my things without asking.” 

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad…”

You shook your head in amusement, excusing yourself to get dressed for the day. Curioso finally granted you some privacy and only greeted you when you stepped back in the living room. You motioned for him to follow you down in the office. He obeyed, albeit a little slow and clearly disappointed. 

When you held the paper up that had the code to get him back in, a mechanical hand grabbed it from you. You were about to reprimand him until it flashed and a different order magically appeared on the lines. You narrowed your eyes and looked at him skeptically. 

“I may have lied to you, Detective, and I’m sorry for that,” He handed it back to you and clasped his hands behind his back. “What matters is that I fixed it.” 

You rolled your eyes and grabbed the box, pressing the symbols in the new order that he gave to you. You had a feeling he erased the correct code and was presenting you with a distraction, but the purple mist claimed its prisoner once more, and you were satisfied when he was finally brought back. Patting the top of it with satisfaction, you left to go get your office ready for the day.

----

Despite the pleasant morning you two had, there was still something important on your mind. You had to get this business done while you could - it was imperative that you had better control of this situation, and to understand the predicament you’d gotten yourself into. 

You strode down into the office and threw on your coat, placing your hat on your head as you double-checked your pockets. As you were about to leave, you paused in the doorway. You didn’t need to inform Curioso where you were going, but you felt some sort of inclination to announce your absence, anyway. 

“I’ll be out running an errand,” You raised your voice so he could hear. “I’ll be back soon.”

Without another word, you shut the door behind you. 

---

Your eyes were focused as you drove to Andrew Collins’ house, the large structure looking better since the last time you’d seen it. The gates were clear of any thorns and roses that blocked it before. They easily opened the moment you pulled up. You called the owner an hour prior to ask if you could visit, and he seemed intrigued when you stated your business. 

You paused to admire the clear sky above you as you stepped out of your car. You climbed the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell. It wasn’t long before Andrew answered you, and he smiled politely. He stepped to the side and motioned you in.

“Detective! What a pleasure to see you again. Please, come in.” 

You helped yourself inside and hung your coat and hat on the rack by the door. It wasn’t long before you were looking around, dumbfounded. It was strange to see the place in no disarray at all, everything was lively and bright. The rooms and stairs were completely repaired and there had been no implication of any trouble here before. It looked like an eloquent place. Andrew noticed your admiration as he moved around you. 

“We’ve been working on getting the estate repaired since Curioso’s… game caused such a ruckus.” He finished with a pause. “I’m having it listed on the market tomorrow. I’ve decided to move towns since we last spoke.” 

Your expression grew interested. “Oh? What made you want to move?” 

“As dangerous as it was, the game did enlighten me on a few things.” He led you over to the sitting area and motioned for you to take a seat. You gladly rested in a comfortable chair. “While collecting things was something that kept me financially happy, I realized it was no way to live. I’m going to leave my past behind me and start anew in the countryside, to find a way to help people.”

“That’s good to hear,” Your voice brightened at the news. “I hope things go well for you, Andrew.” 

“As do I.” He cleared his throat. “I…understand you’re here to ask me some questions?”

“Oh, yes,” You replied, sitting forward and taking your gloves off. There was no need for them right now. “I understand you were the one who obtained Curioso’s box…and since you’ve given it to me, I’ve been curious about some things.” 

His grin turned sheepish. “I apologize for giving it to you without asking.. I simply didn’t want it anymore, and seeing as you were the one to put him back, I figured it was you who deserved to have it. But I know it was a dangerous thing to gift someone-” 

You waved a hand at him. “-I’m not here to accuse you of anything. I should actually thank you for the gift, as it made a great momentum of the case. I’ve taken good care of it.”

“I see. What is it you wanted to ask, exactly?” 

“You received the box from a friend of yours, if I remember right. I wanted to ask if you knew about its whereabouts before then?” 

“You mean Willy? He is an old friend of mine who owed me for quite a few… things . I didn’t expect him to give me that box, but I thought it was beautiful and erased all his debt for it. He claimed it was something special, but I hadn’t known what he meant back then.” Andrew paused to think. “-I’ve known Willy to take odd jobs and go different places from time-to-time. His latest employment at the time was at a local circus in his town.” 

“Circus?” You repeated.

“Yes, he was one of the janitors there that cleaned after the performances. I didn’t ask too many questions, wanting to add the box to my collection right away. But I would assume he got it from there…I wish I could give you his number, but he disappeared after giving me that box. I haven’t been able to contact him since.”

You were disappointed, but carried on with the conversation. “-So you think Curioso’s box came from that circus?”

“I would have no better guess. And as for anything before that, I’m afraid I can’t tell you.” 

Your lips thinned into a line as you took this information in. It certainly looked like something that came from a circus - it was colorful and grabbed the attention of onlookers. And seeing as Curioso was a jester…maybe that idea wasn’t far-fetched. You only wished you could’ve asked this ‘Willy’ person yourself to know for sure. 

“When you first got the box, it freed Curioso since your collection woke him up. Had he ever…spoken to you before that? Or was there anything amiss that you could see?”

“I’m afraid I saw nothing wrong at first. I had no idea there was anything even in it. I did try opening the thing, but the box didn’t budge, so I assumed it was a decorative item. I didn’t want to damage it in any way. It wasn’t long before Curioso jumped out of it…I had barely been in my house when he sprang out. It scared the life out of me!”

“What was your guy’s first interaction like?” 

“He wasn’t friendly at all, if that’s what you’re asking. He told me he collected human souls and that I was to help him to obtain people. He threatened me when I refused - and I was too terrified to fight back. When I brought the other collectors, I learned what he was doing…he was collecting the dark secrets and vices of these people. I had no idea what they were like when I met them, but Curioso told me their deepest secrets and wrongdoings.” 

“-He threatened you?” You were still surprised by this part of the story. 

“He made it clear that if I didn’t work with him, my soul would be the next of his that he would cage and never let go. I was afraid to challenge him after seeing his powers. He seemed angry, Detective. I’m not sure if it was towards me , or the situation he was in. I think he holds a grudge against humanity, since his only goal was to expose the darkest secrets of those he was collecting.” 

You drummed your fingers on your knee, trying to theorize for yourself. Curioso emerged from the box angry and determined with his goal…so you had to assume something happened to him to cause this. But why would someone be so vexed if they came from the circus? You knew some had poor treatment of their workers, but…he was just a box, wasn’t he? Why would he despise humanity so badly? 

Andrew noticed your silence and stood from his seat. You were snapped back to reality when he reached over and grabbed something from a nearby table. 

“When you called me about the case, I remembered something that I forgot to tell you about. When Willy gave me the box, he handed me something else. He told me it came with it but he had no clue what it was. I assumed it was some sort of instruction manual or how to clean it - but I never had the opportunity to read it, as Curioso hid it from me after breaking his box. While we were cleaning up the other day, I found it, and thankfully, it’s still intact.” 

He handed you a book. You blinked twice as you took it from him - there was no title on it beyond a strange symbol on the front. You opened it and glanced through the pages, only to see odd diagrams and several pages of text. You’d have to read this later. 

“Do you know what it is?” You asked. 

“I’ve only read a little bit of the book, and most of it is cryptic. It must’ve belonged to some magician or educator, because it gave me a headache. I think it has something to do with the box…but I don’t know what . If Curioso hid it from me, then it must be important.” 

“I see.” 

“I regret that I have little more to tell you. I’ve checked in with the others and we are recovering rather well,” A grateful look washed over his face as he leaned over to shake your hand again. “I don’t know how to thank you for freeing me, Detective. It was mad to be in that monster’s control!” 

A hum escaped your mouth, remembering something else you hadn’t asked about. “How exactly did Curioso know about me, by the way?” 

He gestured to a newspaper sitting on the table. “I grab the paper every day to read during my spare time. Curioso happened to catch your name in one of the articles and demanded that I retrieve you for him. He seemed rather eager about it.” 

That made sense. You completed a case not long before Andrew retrieved you for the missing collectors. You have that print at home among your other things with the cases to remember it by. You recall reading it several times that morning, beaming in your seat at the time, proud to have made it in the town’s publication again. You had a feeling it would bring more publicity your way…but you would’ve never predicted what happened next. 

You grasped the book tightly in your hands, standing and tipping your head. “Thank you for your time, Andrew, and I wish you well.”

“And I hope the best for your business. Just be careful of Curioso. I’m not sure where he’s from and how to control that blasted box…I hope you can figure things out.” 

“I’ll try,” You headed towards the front door and shrugged your coat back on. You couldn’t help smirking. “It looks like you’ve given me a new investigation.” 

He sighed melancholy. “Hopefully it’s an easier one than the first I gave you. Good luck, Detective.” 

----

You sat in your car for an awful long time, the book opened on your lap and your eyes narrowed in confusion. 

Andrew was right - it was extremely cryptic. It was either written in another language or a code you couldn’t understand. Why would Curioso go through the trouble of hiding this thing if no one could read it? You struggled to understand its importance but you knew it held significant weight. Maybe, if you were lucky…the jester himself would tell you. But you had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen so easily. 

You shut it with a defeated sigh and got out of your car. You locked it and headed into your office - unlocking the front door and announcing your presence with a tired groan. Trying to read that thing gave you a massive headache. You should probably lay down for a bit. 

“Why do you have it?” 

You were snapped to attention by Curioso’s voice, which came from his box that you left on your desk. It was glowing a bright purple…you didn’t know what that meant exactly. You approached it and tugged off your gloves casually. How he knew you had the book was beyond you…but you were going to try and tread carefully.

“What are you talking about?” 

“You know what I’m talking about. Tell me. Why do you have it?” 

He sounded upset, so honesty sounded like the best route to you. “Andrew Collins gave it to me.” 

“You visited Andrew?” Curioso’s voice was a mix between confusion and anger. This didn't bode well for you. “Why?” 

“To check on him, of course. He’s not the first client I’ve visited after closing a case.” You moved to hang your coat by the door. “The others are doing fine, by the way. Nancy and everyone else. They’ve been recovering well since your ‘game’.”

The jester either didn’t care or decided not to address that for now. He was still hung up on your new possession. “You need to get rid of it. Do you understand me, Detective?” 

“Woah. Hold on.” You held your hands up as you stepped towards him defensively. “What is it about this thing that you don’t like?”

“You don’t need it, ” He growled. You blinked a couple of times in surprise. That was a new sound.

“Maybe I do. Andrew told me it came with your box, so I should keep the collection together, right?” 

A frustrated noise emerged from it and you were half filled with amusement. The other half was fear…as you’d only heard him this angry when you betrayed him. You much preferred his playful attitude over whatever was currently going on. 

“How about you give it to me and I can hold onto it for you? That way, it never leaves the box!”

You crossed your arms, the word easily leaving your tongue. “No.”

“Ugh! Why are you being so difficult?! Just hand it over to me!” 

“What is it, really?” You leaned on your desk so you were right beside him. “I have the funniest feeling that there’s something you’re not telling me here.” 

“...”

“Andrew said you hid this from him the moment you broke free. You didn’t want him to see it. But..” You furrowed your eyebrows together in confusion. “..He couldn’t even read it. So why bother?” 

“...” 

“What’s in this book and why do you not want anyone reading it?”

“...”

“Curioso, come on. You can tell me.” You waited a minute before adding, “-You can trust me.” 

“ Get rid of it. ” He repeated. You could hear the strain he was putting himself through and decided this would be the most you would get out of him. You decided to approach something else in the meantime. 

“Alright, then…” You leaned against the desk. “Andrew also told me Willy gave you to him from the circus. Is that true?

“I am not telling you anything until you get rid of-”

“Fine, fine, fine.” You snapped, growing impatient with this game. If he wasn’t going to answer your questions right now, then you weren’t going to pry. “Forget that I asked.” 

As you were about to storm out of the room, his voice stopped you. “Detective…that part is true. But I am not willing to indulge you any more until you’ve listened to me.” 

“I’m not going to get rid of this book just because you don’t like it.” You turned around impatiently. “Even if it’s bad, I’ve got to know what it is.” 

He was exasperated at your stubbornness. “Why?” 

“Because…it’s a part of you, and I want to know everything.” Your heart beat nervously as you said these words. “If you like seeing the dark vices of human souls, then I want to see yours .” 

It was a fact you didn’t want him to know…that you were curious about him and his past. Where he could’ve come from and what he is exactly. You were determined to learn about this creature no matter how difficult it would be. And that included whatever was in this book. If it turned out that it had nothing to do with him at all…then you would apologize. But you had the greatest feeling that it was some secret he was trying to hide. 

He grew silent, and you took this opportunity to leave. You’d have to find someone who could help you translate this book.

in my grandpa era (suddenly really into corny low budget point & click/hidden object games)

I made a Story Directory page for His Soul , for anyone who's on desktop! The only downside is my blog's theme doesn't seem to show any italics/bold/etc if you read on there.. :(

I'll make a mobile Directory post when/if the story gets long, it'll definitely come when the fic's finished. Still unsure of the total chapter count, but I do have an idea for the ending..!

As always, you can find the fic on AO3 and Wattpad.