His Soul (Chapter 13)

His Soul (Chapter 13)

I Would Rather Be Your Prisoner

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

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You woke up that next morning with your mind still buzzing from everything you learned last night. You’d thought about it endlessly, determining how this would change your relationship with Curioso. You had a few questions you wanted answered, so you let the jester out for the morning and told him you were going to have some breakfast. He was happy to watch you move about your apartment, perching himself on your counter like he always did. He didn’t look to be affected at all with what he revealed to you. But how could he be, if this was the reality he had to live with for so long? 

It probably wasn’t as jarring to him as it was for you. 

“Hey,” You spoke up while pouring some orange juice. “I’ve been wondering a few things. You don’t mind me asking some more questions, do you?” 

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” He answered playfully. 

“I mean, you do …I don’t want to overstep anything.” You winced as you replaced the container in the fridge. You hoped that wouldn’t be the case. “Did you ever see your family again? After what happened?”  

You took a seat at the table and started eating, choosing to watch him out of your peripheral vision. You didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by staring at him. Curioso shook his head.

“No. They saw me as a burden and wanted me gone. They were probably glad I went missing. I bet their lives got better when I wasn’t there.” 

You whipped around defensively. “I’m sure that’s not-” 

“-You saw it yourself, Detective. Everything in that memory is what I had to live with every day. My brother and my mother hated me. My father wasn’t in the picture, but if he was, I’m sure he’d despise me, too.” 

“But what if that wasn’t the case? What if your absence made them change and realize who they were missing?” Your mouth moved faster than you could think. “What if we went out to find them again-” 

“Not a chance in Hell! They’re probably old now, anyway.” 

You chewed on your lip in thought. “..What about Emily? Have you ever seen her again?” When he shook his head ‘no’, you pressed some more. “..What about finding her someday?” 

He hesitated. Something in your chest twisted anxiously in fear of his response. “I don’t feel too kindly about her anymore. She revealed my identity that day and ruined my life. It’s because of her I’m trapped in this curse. I don’t love her anymore.” 

Well…you couldn’t blame him for that. Your lips thinned into a line as you decided to stop your line of questioning. You finished your breakfast in silence while he watched you. You washed your plate in the sink and handed it to Curioso, who placed it on your drying rack. You smirked at the sight. At least he was being helpful. 

“I’ve got that appointment to get the book in a bit…you want to watch something to kill some time?” 

He nodded enthusiastically, following after you as you went to check the day’s programs. 

A few hours later, you were sitting in Audrey’s shop, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and reading from your newly-obtained folder spread out on the table. You held a small doughnut in your left hand, which you nibbled on while you read. After some time, you had to set it down to digest what you were reading. Your friend came by to check on you and even poured you a second cup of the treat. You thanked her with a kind smile, which dropped the moment Audrey was out of your sight.

The translator did an excellent job and you saw to it that she was tipped appropriately. Your first impression was that it would be something simple - a list of ways to open and close the box, the patterns one would have to enter for it…but it was much more elaborate than that.

It wasn’t just about the box itself - it was about Curioso’s curse.

Admittedly, that part of the book was one you thoroughly read through, learning everything you could about your friend. The curse itself had an odd name you weren’t sure you could pronounce correctly, but it was where a victim’s soul was magically sealed in a box and acted as a servant to its user. It made the victim immortal, but at the cost of their physical being - they instead existed as a space, who could manipulate and possess objects. It ultimately rewarded them with magical powers - at a cost of their autonomy. 

It answered a lot of your suspicions. Now you were skimming the pages about the box itself…until you stumbled on the passage you were on now, which listed all the possible combinations and outcomes one could enter on the box.

One particular line caught your attention, which claimed that there were two types of ‘freedom’ .. Judging by what you read, Curioso was under what was called a ‘limited’ freedom, which meant that he could only be freed from the box at the owner’s control. A ‘temporary’ freedom, the book informed you, was where he could freely return and emerge from the box on his own accord, whereas his current situation was reliant wholly on who controlled it. 

It got the gears in your head turning. You searched some more through the book and found some material that made you…uncomfortable.

‘Victim’ was the best word you could describe Curioso, or anyone under this curse for that matter. You found a page describing a spell that could trap him forever in the box - and a few more pages listing ‘punishments’ that the user could give, should its servant disobey or rebel against them. Your stomach twisted as you read through a list of instructions on how to make the victim feel ‘pain’. At that point, you promptly snapped the book shut. 

..Is this why he didn’t want you to have the book? Did he think you were going to punish him? Make him feel pain? Just the thought made you feel sick. Why would you ever do that? He was your friend ! Not a… servant…

..But that’s what he was, wasn’t he? His purpose? His curse ? To serve and belong to the owner of whoever held his box? 

You decided to stop reading and paid the bill for your meal, leaving a tip for your friend and receiving the day’s newspaper in exchange. You opened your umbrella once you were outside, using it to shield yourself and your bag that held the book and translated folder. Your trip to the office took only a few minutes. You shook off the excess water as you headed inside. You hung up your coat and took off your gloves, climbing up the stairs quietly into your apartment. 

You’d left Curioso out of the box while you were gone. You trusted him not to do anything bad. But you wanted to get that impression out of your mind - he was your guest and friend now. It wouldn’t be right to keep assuming these things about him. But you couldn’t exactly erase his wrongdoings, either. You weren’t sure how to proceed with things…but you were hoping, with his good track record thus far, that he wouldn’t resort to anything bad again. 

..And besides, now that you learned more about his past and his curse, it was all making sense. That enchantress couldn’t have treated him well, trapping a vulnerable child and forcing him to serve her for decades. It made sense why he’d snap, but he took his anger out on innocent collectors…well, they all had their faults and things to certainly learn from, but he could’ve handled it… better! Agh ! It was too much to think about right now.

You opened your door and took off your shoes. You found the jester sitting on your couch with his hands folded in his lap. The window was open, which made the room a little humid, but you could also hear the sounds of the raindrops and occasional rumbles of thunder. When you stepped forward, his mask turned to you and he bowed his head. 

“Sorry, Detective. I just wanted to listen to the rain.” He confessed. You didn’t bother closing the window, sitting in your chair nearby and gently setting your bag down by your feet. 

“It’s fine. Were you outside?” 

You noticed that his hands were wet. He shook his mask. 

“I…had my hand outside to feel the drops. I apologize if that wasn't allowed.” 

“Well…” You bit your lip. “It might be safe for you to be on the balcony, if my neighbors aren’t home. Is that all you’ve been up to?” 

“Wondering about you , of course.” He turned to face you completely. “Have you finished the book?” 

“...Not exactly. I skimmed and read a bit of it.” You frowned as you leaned down to grab it and set it in your lap. “I need to ask. Have you read it yourself?” 

“Never. I wasn’t allowed to.” 

“..But you know what’s in it? Your reactions-” 

“Here’s the thing about the book , Detective-” He held up a long digit and gestured to it in your hands. “I only ever saw the Enchantress bring that out when it was bad . Awful things happened when she used it. Does that make sense?”

You winced as your eyes fell to the cover. Yes. It did. 

“Look…” Your voice softened. You decided to get up and change seats. You were next to him now. He made a brief flinch and leaned away from you, which you ignored. “Whatever you thought I was going to do with this book, I’m not. I just wanted to learn about you. And now I know about your curse.” 

He sighed. Which was an interesting sound and sight, because he had no lungs to do it, but he made it possible, anyway. “I never read it, but I knew it meant bad things. I didn’t want you to resort to her methods…” 

“I get that. Look…would it make you feel better if I read it to you? I mean, is it possible for you to follow the instructions?” 

“I have no control over the box. Only the owner of my soul does, which is you , now.” 

You leaned forward, intrigued. “Does that mean Willy owned your soul when he got the box? Did Andrew own it when he had it, too?” 

“Neither of them did. You see, Detective, it’s part of the seal to my curse. It’s the only control I have over it. Anyone can own the box, but I am not their servant until they own me. I allowed you full ownership of my soul…and let you trap me.” 

“Wouldn’t you have been trapped, anyway, if they didn’t own your soul? Since no one could take you out?” 

“If being stuck in that box was my alternative to being owned by somebody I didn’t want , then it wasn’t much of a trap to me.” He answered adamantly. “But letting someone own my soul…I wanted that to be my choice , for once.” 

Your mouth fell agape in surprise. “So, you let me own your soul? Why?” 

“I would rather be in your hands than left to be in many others for the rest of my life. On shelves or in garbage somewhere. With you, at least I know I’m safe.” 

Your heart thudded rapidly in your chest, completely mesmerized by this creature sitting beside you. “You trust me that much?”

“You’re the only one that I can ,” He replied softly. 

You stared at him for a minute with moistened eyes before swallowing and moving your sight back to the book. You reached over to grab the translations and opened it before you two. “Okay, even if you can’t do anything, I think you at least have the right to know what I can and can’t do.” 

“Are you sure you want to show me all this?” Despite his hesitancy, he was eagerly reading what you opened to him. “You’d have no control over me..I’d know everything you’re doing.”

“As you should!” You replied firmly. “That Enchantress had no right to hide this book from you and hurt you with it. You deserve to know what your owner’s doing, if they won’t tell you.” 

He looked awestruck with you. You cleared your throat as you moved your attention back to the page, pointing to the lines and reading them out to him. The two of you got to discuss the book openly, and Curioso seemed very appreciative of this. You still couldn’t believe he’d never read it and only saw it when he was getting punished…it was all terrible. You were determined to make things better for him and get to him to understand the situation he was in. 

While you two were reading, something occurred to you and you looked at him. “So, wait. How did this book end up here if it belonged to the Enchantress?” 

He clapped his hands together and sat back in the cushions. “It was a very wicked thing. She wanted to see to it that no one but her could ever own my soul - so I would be trapped in that box for the rest of my existence. She even put a spell on the book so no one else could read it, so that I truly belonged to her.”

“My god…” 

“Willy got a little nosy when he bought the box. He looked around her belongings when she left and grabbed anything he thought was valuable. I saw the whole thing happen. It was a good thing, anyway, so I could keep track of it. 

“So if she encrypted the book, and Andrew couldn’t read it, how did you escape?” 

“I guess it was a bit of a loophole..! Since I grew obsessed with collecting things of my own conjuration, my magical aura got powerful and allowed me to escape. I didn’t know I could break free, but I sure as Hell am glad I did.” 

“But if Andrew didn’t own your soul and couldn’t control the box, then why did you destroy it?” 

“To give me my complete freedom..! If the box was out of the way, I would never have to go back in it. I intended to never return to that thing, but…you beat me in that game for my soul, so here we are.” 

“Well…” You dropped your head to look back at the pages. “I’ll make sure it’s not all that bad. In fact, I think I’m going to give you temporary freedom from now on.” 

Little flames flashed in his sockets. “You will?” 

“Yeah, that way, I don’t have to keep looking around for that combination to let you out. You can just…come and go as you please.” You narrowed your eyes. “That is, if you agree not to cause any trouble and stay in this building. We still need to have an agreement before I do anything.” 

“Oh, of course..!” He sounded excited. “I will work on your terms!” 

“And since you are a servant, I think you should start doing some chores around here.” Your smile was smug. 

“Detective, I am more than happy to do all of these things…I just have one thing I want to ask in return.” 

At this, the smile was wiped from your face and you sat up attentively. “What’s that?” 

“You remember when you brought me on that case with you?” You nodded, still a little on edge remembering how that ended. “Can you… will you…bring me with you on another? I so enjoy watching you do your detective work, and I’d like to help! I can even be your partner..!” 

Your eyes widened. “Really? Even after what I did?” 

“All water under the bridge.” He sounded like he genuinely meant it, which relieved you. “I’ll be a very good boy if you make good on this promise. That's all I really want.” 

“I’m surprised you’re not asking me to just destroy the box and have you be done with it.” 

He slouched in his seat. “It can never be completely destroyed. You were able to reconstruct it for a reason…I’m afraid, I’ll never have my freedom again.” 

You fidgeted with the end of the page shyly. “You’re free with me .” 

“-Under the condition that I stay only here and out of sight...” 

“Alright, I get it. But can you blame me? You scare people. You nearly made Audrey faint when she saw you..!” 

You meant this lightheartedly, but it affected him more than you intended. He looked down as his posture fell. “I know I do. I’m no longer human and I never can be. I understand why it needs to be this way, but it doesn’t mean I’m still not a prisoner.” 

You hesitated before reaching over and patting him on the shoulder. The same sensation as before reached your hand. “I promise to make things better, at least. For one - you’re not my servant. You’re my friend . And two - I care about you and I promise to never hurt you.” 

His teeth moved over to you. But you didn’t even notice them with the way you were determinedly looking into his mask. “That’s a big promise you’re making.”

“And I intend to keep it.” 

He looked away for a moment before turning back to you. “What do you get out of this, exactly? What is your goal in treating me this way?” 

You blinked in surprise. You hadn’t expected such a serious question. “I believe you can be better. You were just mistreated. I can’t blame you for lashing out at the world which had done you wrong, but…I want to show you that it’s good, too. That not everyone is corrupted by their collections or want something out of you.” 

He took you aback by taking your hand and clutching it close to himself. You jumped at the tight grip, but it wasn’t hurting you. You looked up at him in alarm and he simply grinned, moving closer towards your face. 

“You are the only person who has been so kind to me, Detective,” He stopped only when you were inches away. “I will make sure the favor is repaid.” 

You didn’t know what he meant, but you had a feeling it was going to be a good thing.

My pride lately🥹

WHY am i so picky with hidden object games. Like I know I need to play and find more of them but each time I play a free trial of some new HOPA game I'm always looking at it like this

Last place… another injustice Oscar has to endure in his tragic existence

Pan over to Oscar dramatically perched in his seat, shaking his head and tsking

So it's not *technically* a Hidden Object game, but I finished The Big Secret of a Small Town awhile ago. In short, I liked it! But I can see why it has mixed reviews...

I have such beef with "Hint" buttons that only tell you vague ideas on what to do and where to go. None of the cutscenes had subtitles despite being low-volume. (The voice acting was still very good!) The story wasn't anything super intriguing, it uses a type of unreliable narrator, but the game had cool aesthetics + art that I liked. It also had more puzzles than I was expecting, some real challenging, so that's a bit of a turn-off for me.

Honestly, I love point-and-click games a lot! Hidden Object are my favorite, and I don't know why games like this show up in the HOPA Steam tags. This is probably a category I don't mind getting mistagged, as there are more non-relevant/worse games clogging up the Hidden Object tag on Steam... :/

I WROTE MY FIRSTTT BRINK OF CONSCIOUSNESS: DORIAN GRAY SYNDROME FIC!!