His Soul (Chapter 15)

His Soul (Chapter 15)

Restoration

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

--

The figurines found their way on the edge of your desk, facing you as you tackled your day-to-day work. It made a lovely decoration to your space, adding more color and giving you the proud opportunity to present yourself to your clients. If anyone asked, it was commissioned work you’d gotten from an artist, and if anyone implored about the tall clown next to it, you were willing to shrug it off and say that you found it somewhere online. 

…Sure, you’d be lying, but what else could you say? ‘My magical jester friend made it for me! You should meet him!’ …That was out of the question!

As you sat down and got to business, your eyes kept moving over to your newly-acquired gifts. At first, it was in awe, admiring the presents made for you and appreciating them as much as you did the night you’d gotten them. But after a week of staring at the statuettes, it was clear that Curioso’s small likeness was reminding you of a matter you’d been avoiding. 

It would be best if the both of you confronted it sooner rather than later. 

With a long breath, you stood from your desk and walked upstairs into your apartment, where you knew he would be sorting through folders of your pictures. You were going to arrange them in a better fashion, find any from your previous cases and move them into their proper dossiers. But that was something you were going to worry about later…what was on your mind now was much more important. 

You leaned in the doorway and watched as Curioso’s long fingers flipped through your carefully-laminated photographs. He was observing each of them, lingering on an individual picture before moving to the next. He must’ve been so absorbed in this process that he hadn’t noticed your arrival. You didn’t bother announcing yourself or even clearing your throat - the matter found its way out of your mouth before you could stop it. 

“We need to talk about something.” 

Your friend jumped a good foot in the air, whipping around to you in surprise. A weird feeling of satisfaction momentarily filled you, as you had never startled him like this. He was always the one stumbling upon you, producing himself out of thin air whenever he chose to teleport. He could be talkative when you got going in a conversation, but he was always so quiet about moving around your space. Usually, the tell-tale sign of him would be his bells, if he produced enough movement to stir them.

“About what?” He inquired, gently setting your folder down on the table. 

He sounded nervous. You felt so, too. You hadn’t rehearsed this conversation before having it. You felt worried you were going to say something stupid. How could you tread on such fragile ground without having any practice? 

“About…you.” Your shoulders slumped as you gestured to him. “Your, ah, situation.” At his confusion, you decided to be a bit more detailed. “I’m talking about your clothes. They’re a mess, and I want to change that.” 

He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze never leaving yours, even as you had to angle your head upwards when his taller stature towered over you. 

“And how do you intend on doing that ?” He asked curiously. You knew your cheeks were beet red right now. 

“Well…for starters, maybe I can wash that costume of yours. And, uh, Audrey can help me sew up any holes or…whatever else needs fixed with it.” 

“Why bother? I’m in control of what I look like. If I wanted a hole mended, I would do it myself. Without ever touching any of the fabric, mind you.” He was boasting, and something in you wanted to lower his ego. You couldn’t have him walking around in such a state and feeling fine with it. 

“Then why don’t you do it?” You challenged him. 

“Maybe because I don’t want to?” He cautiously took a step back from you. “Un-Unless you’ve suddenly come up with a strict dress code that I don’t know about..?” 

“No, but that would’ve been smart.” An airy chuckle left your throat. “I just don’t like it. You should be in better clothes; you don’t have to wear those anymore. Why haven’t you changed from them?”

“I-I can’t,” He responded weakly. You took a step forward. 

“Why not? Are they glued to you or something?” 

“No, but - well,” He huffed. He didn’t say anything, appearing to be at a loss for words, so you decided to head in a different direction with this conversation. 

“And those doll prosthetics you have…they’re damaged and dirty. The least I can do is clean them and find a way to patch them up. Nothing is really impossible-”

“Why are you giving me all this attention?” He was flustered and uncomfortable, shifting away from you until he was practically backed against the wall. “I don’t need anything..!” 

“Maybe you don’t. But I want to help you clean up.” 

“I’m sure my appearance doesn’t get in the way of what I do for you-” 

“Curioso, stop arguing and let me help you!” 

“And what if I don’t WANT your help?” 

“Why would you want to live with this damage? Do you really want to look like this for the rest of your days?” 

Your tone was exasperated and you certainly felt like it. This particular comment got the jester to sag on the wall and look away from you. He crossed his arms. 

“I’m nothing,” He reminded you. “Under these clothes are nothing. Do you know what it’s like to be an empty space? It’s not fulfilling. I like to know and feel that I am wearing something. It gives me a good sense of what and where I am. Without that, I…” He seemed to lose his voice for a moment. His mask turned back to you. “...I feel exposed.” 

Your eyes widened. “You don’t have an artificial torso or anything?” When he shook his head ‘no’, your eyes traveled over the rest of his form. “What’s under your pants?” 

“Detective..! You could treat me to dinner before asking such questions-” 

“--You can’t even eat!” 

“What a pity! I guess you’ll never see what’s there, then.”

Was he play-flirting with you right now? You had no time to think about what he meant by that. “That doesn’t answer my question on why you don’t just fix your clothes yourself? If you can manipulate what you look like-” 

“-It’s hard , alright!?” He exclaimed, alarming you with his raised tone. “When I am out of that box, I feel less like I’m in control. It’s incredibly easy to fix myself in there, but out here , I…I can hardly keep my top hat on, sometimes.” His posture deflated as he lowered his mask in defeat. “I don’t know what’s causing it. I used to be much better than this.” 

You moved closer and patted him on the shoulder. You were getting more comfortable with physically comforting him now. “Maybe your magic weakened after how much that enchantress took you out?” 

“That’s not a bad theory…” He seemed to think about it. “When I’m outside, I think of myself ‘as is’ . Because..it’s what I am. I’m broken and my costume is in shambles, no matter how hard I try to fix it.”

He raised his head and met your gaze. He was finally succumbing to your request. “If you helped me, and I had a better ‘as is’ , it might make things…easier…” You gestured for him to go on, and he finished his thought with a grumble. “...So, fine , you can do it if it doesn’t bother you.”

“Why would it bother me?”

“Would having a floating mask and a mouth of sharp teeth unsettle you?” His grin appeared sinister. 

“I mean. It is you .”

“And you wouldn’t be afraid? What if I touched you with no hand? Would you be scared, then?”

“I think anyone would if you did that without their permission!” You recoiled. “I want to give you something nice in return for what you do for me.”

“My kindness is not something to be repaid, but I will be grateful all the same.” 

You smiled at him appreciatively, hoping that this was a step in the right direction, and you could help restore him to how he once was.

Curioso was extremely tense when the time came for his cleaning. But as he stood there, looking so badly damaged and torn apart from head-to-toe, you knew this was the right thing to do. He handed you his top hat first, unclasped the small belt around his waist, and then hesitated when it came to do anything more. Your eyes had been studying the part of his mask that was usually hidden from you. You were snapped back to reality when he shifted on his feet uncomfortably. 

“I - If you don’t want to, uh, undress in front of me, you can…just use the bathroom..” You suggested timidly. 

“Can I stay in there until you’re done?” He implored. You nodded, the concern still finding its way on your face.

“You know, you’re free to be around while I’m doing this…You don’t have to hide away just because you’re not-” 

“-Come, now, Detective, I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to see you walking around your place naked..!” 

He practically sprinted to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. You followed his path and waited outside, trying not to listen to the sounds from within, but recognizing the noises of fabric rustling and bells jingling. You attempted to picture what it looked like behind that door, if he was truly invisible or not, but you quickly shook those thoughts from your mind. You placed a hand over your mouth as you realized how improper that line of imagery had been. 

Sure, he might be invisible, but…that didn’t make it right. Maybe he had a point. He was maintaining his propriety by waiting in there until you were done. 

You knocked a knuckle against the door. “If it helps, you can wash up in there while I work on your clothes. Your arms and legs can wait, if that makes you comfortable.” 

“Great!” The door opened just a smidge and his costume was shoved in your hands. “Have fun!” 

It closed again and you heard the sound of the lock being set in place. You looked at the wood strangely before climbing downstairs and neatly unfolding the fabric in your hands. You’d cleared off your desk completely to make room for what you had to work on. On it was a borrowed sewing machine and a few supplies, needles, thread and the sort. Sitting in a chair was your friend Audrey, who smiled at you when you entered her sight. Her attention moved to what was in your hands and she cringed. 

“Oh, dear. How did they get that bad?”

“I imagine it’s had at least thirty or even forty years of wear,” You sucked in a breath through your teeth as you sat down. “But with a little love, anything is possible.” 

“I’ll say,” She mumbled as she inspected the top hat next. 

You weren’t sure what she thought of the costume, but you were glad she hadn’t made any comments yet. You were thrilled when she agreed to head over and help you with some mending today. She had more experience with repairs like this. Your sewing skills were pretty limited, having only taken a home economics class back in high school. She’d made some alterations to your coats and gloves before, so you had complete faith that she will do justice with Curioso’s ensemble. 

While she was patching the holes in the top hat, and you were practicing your sewing skills on his pants, your friend’s voice startled you and caused you to prick your finger with the end of the needle. Audrey was immediately apologetic - but she made sure to give you a proper scolding. 

“Detective! Do you think the thimbles are here for decoration?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” You rolled your eyes, sucking on the end of your finger to numb the pain. “What did you say?” 

“I was asking if these belonged to your…jester friend. What was his name again?” 

“Curioso.”

“It’s actually a pretty name,” Her eyes were focused on her work rather than you. “It’s so nice of you to want to do this for him. You’ve always been a selfless person. It’s why you do what you do, isn’t it?” 

“Of course. And I’m so happy you wanted to help me with this. I mean it, Audrey, I don’t know how to make it up to you.” 

“Just don’t forget your promise to visit me and tell me all about your cases. I’m afraid Curioso will take you away from me completely..!” 

“Come on, that’s not going to happen. He’s my best friend.” It was the first time you’d said it aloud and your eyes widened at the honesty. You worried it would’ve upset her, but Audrey said nothing to that. She looked to be nearly smiling. 

“You two must get along well if you spend so much time together.” 

“He’s - more like a roommate in that way, really…”

 “If you say so~,” she replied in a singsong way. You glared at her for her teasing, but her lips were stretched to her cheeks, relishing in your embarrassment. You had a feeling her words would be repeating in your mind in the near future. 

You didn’t want to read into anything right now - you had to focus on getting these clothes mended..! 

It took you a couple of hours, but soon, Curioso’s attire was patched and sewn back together. It looked much better than it did, and you felt proud of the work you two had accomplished. He was going to be so happy with it, you just knew it..! And you only had Audrey to thank for it all. You made your gratitude clear as you embraced her by the front door, squeezing your friend in a moment of excitement. 

“Make sure you remember to wash it,” She dutifully reminded you as you pulled back. “And for those other things…I grabbed you some special glue and some wax. Remember to soften the material so you can reshape those areas.” 

You blinked in surprise. “So you’ve done some research on this.”

“Of course. Anything for you.” She patted your arm affectionately. “Good luck.” 

“Get home safely. And save me a doughnut for tomorrow morning, will you? You make the best chocolate twists.” 

She gave you her promise and left your office. You spun around to gather the clothes from the desk and prepare them for washing. Your work wasn’t done yet - you needed these cleaned and dried before Curioso could wear them again. You wouldn’t have him looking at these again until they were pristine. You were determined to make that happen. 

You climbed upstairs and noticed the bathroom door was still closed. You knocked on it to check if Curioso was still in there, and the sound of water slightly sloshing caught your attention. 

“Decided to take a bath, have you?” You grinned coyly. 

“Your advice was good. I’ve cleaned myself up as best as I could.” Some more sounds came - he must be getting out of the tub. “Do you need my limbs now?” 

“If you don’t mind. Your clothes should be ready in an hour or so. Is that alright?” 

A dissatisfied groan met your ear through the wood. “I’d rather not be left like this for so long, but…whatever it takes.” 

“Couldn’t you just go back in the box for a bit? I’m sure your dolls won’t judge you for being naked.” 

“ Hilarious .” Curioso’s annoyed voice made you bite your lip. The door abruptly opened again and four appendages were handed to you. “Here. Try not to break them if you can.”

“You know…” You took them in your arms and held them delicately. It was a little weird, but that was fine. “...You could always just take some new ones off of those puppets you have. I don’t have to fix these up if you’d rather replace them.” 

“They’re my favorite. Not all dolls are made to be so flexible. If you wouldn’t mind…please be careful with them.” 

“Okay…do you want anything? Are you all good?” 

“I want this to be over with. Please hurry up.” 

“Fine, fine.” You waved him off as you trudged away. You’d make this quick, but you weren’t going to force your process. “I’ll be done before you know it.” 

If that meant you’d be wrapping up by dinner time, then you did a good job on being timely. You felt guilty, having cooped your friend up in the bathroom for so long, but at least you were proud of what you did. It wasn’t something quick and sloppy - you took your time and paid attention to every detail, just like he did making that figurine of you. If he took the utmost care of your gifts, then you’d do the same for him.

..Even if his nagging about how long it took was a little annoying. You hoped Curioso knew how much you were willing to do for him. 

He swiped the material from your hands the second the door was open. Then it was shut - and you idled patiently until he emerged from the bathroom. It was a wonderful sight…he looked nearly like he did in that box, except without all the fancy glitter and shimmering from the golden parts of his hat and bells. It wasn’t perfect, it looked much better under his own altering, but it was definitely an improvement from before. 

Your eyes lit up as you drank in the sight of him. “You look incredible!” 

“It’s nice not wearing something that’s been so badly abused,” He twirled on his heel for effect. “You did a great job, Detective. Thank you.” 

Your smile only grew wider as you observed him enjoying his fixed clothes. But when you faced his mask, your lips fell as it dawned on you. The one part you hadn’t fixed was his face. Parts of his mask were still torn and cut. How could you have forgotten the most vital part? Without warning, you stepped forward and reached for it. As your fingers grazed the cheeks of his visage, Curioso made a nose and stumbled backwards. 

You stiffened and automatically reached for him. “I-I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” 

“No, no, it’s..” He looked to be catching a breath that he didn’t really need. “Why were you touching my mask?” 

“It’s still damaged. I forgot to ask for it. I should’ve fixed it, too, I’m sorry-” 

“-Don’t worry about it. Let’s, uh, leave that part alone for now, shall we?” 

You dropped your arm. “Are you sure? The mask is kind of important-” 

“Absolutely!” His tone sounded too stressed for your liking. “You’ve already done so much for me…let’s get some food in your belly and send you off to bed, hmm?” 

“Ah…alright. If you say so.” 

He had a skip to his step as he headed towards your kitchen. You followed after him with a slower pace, rubbing your fingertips together as you recalled the texture of his mask. The feeling it brought to your fingers - they were still buzzing from the contact. You’d never actually touched him there before, and the experience felt a bit more...intense. 

You wanted more of it.

Quotev

His Soul

After saving the abducted collectors, you were trusted with Curioso's box. What seems like a dangerous possession slowly turns into an oppor

You can now find the story on Quotev!

Wattpad

His Soul - Curioso's Box

Read Curioso's Box from the story His Soul by rainbowthefox with 16 reads. whisperedsecretsmorbidobsession, xreader, r...

"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?"

--

If anyone is interested in following the story off this blog, I posted His Soul onto AO3 and Wattpad! I'll keep the story up-to-date on here and these sites as well.

To get around the whole Sam-having-a-voice-recorder plot hole thing, Oscar should've nabbed that and his journal when he was unconscious. So Sam could've woken up to the sight of him flipping through what he wrote and tsking.

"Sam? You seem to have written here that you were going to 'stop me' and see 'who's playing whose game'. How did that work out for you? Care to give any updates on that?"

Pointing pointing omg I also love Phantom of the Opera game i haven't played it in years but I should

I also have played True Fear Forsaken Souls and quite liked it ^-^

!!!! You really should replay it, I'm on a replay right now and it's so great!!

The True Fear games are soooo good! I can't wait for the next game coming out this October. Hope to catch some more horror-themed HOPAs too!

His Soul (Chapter 16)

Morals and Promises

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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“How did you get so good at magic?” 

The words inadvertently blurted out of your mouth while your eyes locked on the fire Curioso lit in your small fireplace. The rain that had been going on for a couple of days has gradually turned into a thunderstorm raging outside. Your town often dealt with this weather, so the harsh wind and hard drops on your roof wasn’t anything alarming - but it meant that your apartment was frigid. You weren’t comfortable running your heat all night, knowing your bill would skyrocket for the month. 

So, when you asked your jester assistant for help with starting a fire, you hadn’t expected one to magically catch on the wood you’d just placed behind the grate with a flick of Curioso’s wrist. 

He was lounging on your recliner with a book propped open in his lap. His attention was fully on you instead of the pages. “It’s the only thing I have to thank the Enchantress for. I used to steal her books and learn all I could from them. I had no clue I even had magic until I kept practicing my tricks for the show, and I learned I just naturally had the powers.” 

You stood from your crouching position and sat over on the couch, leaning over to pop open your bag of chips and throwing a couple in your mouth. The fire was lit seconds ago and it already made the room warm and comfortable. You assumed that was something purposefully done and not just a side effect of the magical embers. 

“You know, you have yet to tell me more about your ‘show’...”

This was when he returned his attention back to literature. “What is there to tell?” 

“I mean, what was it like? Did you have a lot of people there? What kind of tricks did you do?” You munched away on the junk food and pointed at him. “See? I have a lot of questions.” 

He shut the book with impatience and it disappeared into little blue and red particles. You were amazed each time he did something with his magic - it was fun having a magician around your home. Things constantly appeared and disappeared, and while sometimes you found it annoying, most of the time you were impressed and couldn’t help wondering where they went and came from. Having anything conjured up at your request wasn’t something you tried to make a habit of, but you couldn’t reject the convenience of it all. 

“It was a run-down carnival that barely cleaned the stage. The children there were always eating something that was sticky or buttery and some of them ALWAYS insisted on trying to touch me or the props.” You imagined him grimacing at the memory with the way he paused. “-But it was colorful. It was fun. And I made it one of the best side performances anyone could watch.” 

“Oh?” You crossed your legs and leaned forward, trying to imagine the pretty colors and music of a carnival, and Curioso’s voice in the midst of it all. It was a pretty captivating image. “How did your shows go?”

“Like I said, it was a puppet show. But because of me , it was so much more than that.” He mirrored your stance and bent his long legs, leaning forward to close the distance between you two. He sounded excited retelling this to you. “Sometimes, I was the puppeteer narrating the show, moving and bending the puppets to my will. Other times, I was among them - making the marionettes as real and big as the audience itself, with no strings attached..! That one was the most popular, I’ve been told.” 

“And you made them tell your jokes?” 

He spread his arms out theatrically. “I had a whole act full of jokes and tricks for them to see..! It was hard getting little children to sit through long performances, so I made many short ones that made them laugh and gasp in awe. My puppets would do the stunts all the professionals did - but I was able to do anything and everything. I conjured up my own fire, I broke the laws of physics, I did things my audience couldn’t fathom! When I was on stage, I was the life of the party.” 

“I could imagine,” Your smile was genuine, playing this out in your mind. He must’ve entertained many people, and delighted so many kids. If he put his powers to that use, you had no doubts he’d be an excellent performer and entertainer. 

He shrunk back on the cushion and suddenly looked away. “It was all great…except for when it wasn’t. I’d perform all night if I had the audience for it, but if any of my shows did badly, and I was taken in early... well .” 

Your eyes grew wide with worry. “Well… what? ” 

“She used the book, and I would have shackles and chains on me, to sit there and be gawked at by anyone passing by. It deterred my magic, so I couldn’t escape or do anything. It made my reputation hard to maintain, when kids would see me sitting there in time-out..! It was why my show was so good, and why I couldn’t be anything BUT the centerpiece of it all.” 

Your posture fell at this information. “Oh…I’m…I’m so sorry to hear that.” 

“It only happened a few times. I made sure of it.” His voice became determined and he soon shrugged. “Of course, I didn’t get a share of any of the money my shows made. She kept it all. She was always there, watching and making sure everything went well. Her deal with the circus must’ve been good because she had plenty of money after I started performing. Although I think she had a habit of gambling it all away, sometimes.” 

Your eyes lowered to the bag of chips and you gently put them aside. “You said the carnival business wasn’t great and you saw some things…might I ask about that?” 

Flames flashed in his eyes for a brief second. “A lot of the employees fixed their games and would steal from their customers. So many of them smoked and drank liquor, and I would watch them get carried away most nights and do.. deplorable things. Did you know there could be so much sex in a carnival?” 

Heat climbed to your face at the topic. “I - I mean-” 

“Disgusting, really. They never clean the floors and all the animals defecate everywhere…they must’ve gotten so many infections! Anyway,” He grinned at your embarrassment and you cleared your throat to regain your composure. “It wasn’t just her with a gambling problem. Many carnival lackeys did. People were always in debt to each other, and some weren’t as kind or patient with collecting their dues. My Enchantress was never in danger because of me, but I wish she could have been. If I had any choice, I would’ve seen to it that she was short on her payments.” 

“I’m sure you know that would’ve not been the right thing to do.”  

You weren’t defending her, but you knew how bad it would’ve been if that happened. Despite what she did to Curioso, you refused to feed his desires for chaos. The jester regarded you silently and shook his mask. 

“No, but It would’ve been fun to see. As you can imagine, I had a lot of bad things around me to observe. All I wanted was to see these people facing the harm their obsessions caused. I had such a fun view of the carnival when I was a little boy, but that quickly got ruined, and it hasn’t changed since.” 

“Huh, so I guess taking you to one isn’t an option…”

“I don’t want to step foot in another one ever again,” He confirmed. He seemed to think about something before asking, “Have you ever been to a carnival yourself, Detective?” 

“Yeah, when I was a kid. I used to get my face painted like a tiger.” You chuckled at the memory, recalling those colorful and sugary nights with your parents so many years ago. You couldn’t remember ever having a bad time at a carnival…but you could understand why Curioso had. “I mostly went to the fair, though. I was a bigger fan of rides than watching shows.” 

“Oh, what fun..! I’ve only ever been to an amusement park once in my life.” He jumped from the chair and into the seat beside you, getting close and comfortable beside you. “What was your favorite ride?” 

“Bumper cars.” You grinned. 

“A classic..! You can torment so many people in those..!” 

You had to agree with him. That was the point of it all, after all. You couldn’t get much enjoyment if you just rode around doing nothing. Bumping into others, cornering them, and laughing was what made it fun. And it made all the more sense why Curioso liked it as well. 

You realized you were smiling and allowed it to slowly fall. Despite his change of topic, you couldn’t stop thinking about what he just told you. Softly, you asked, “Did you ever like doing it, though? Performing for kids and for people, to see them laugh and smile during your show?”

“You’re asking if their enjoyment was worth the pain and imprisonment for when I failed them?” His tone was flat. You cursed yourself for asking such a stupid question. But then he shifted beside you to look into the fire from afar. “..Honestly, Detective, it was. If I couldn’t be happy as a child, then I had no problem fixing that problem for someone else.” 

The smile returned to your face. Without your permission, your hand landed on his knee, and Curioso’s mask whipped around to face you in surprise. You were only aware of it at the last second, but you didn’t retract your touch, and instead you squeezed it and leaned forward. 

“It’s good that you felt that way,” You affirmed. “I’m sure that happiness was far better than whatever vindication you got from torturing those poor collectors.”

He tsked and waved his finger at you. “Ah, but can’t two things be true at once? I have no reason to favor the fun that I have.” 

You grit your teeth. “You know what I mean.” 

“You’re trying to get me to be good.” 

It wasn’t even a question; he stated it like it was a fact. You withdrew your hand finally and returned it to your lap, looking away with a frown. He figured you out and it must’ve not been hard at all. It wasn’t like you’d been trying to hide it, but…to hear it stated aloud, and so emotionless from him...almost like it was a helpless cause? 

“I’m trying to get you to be better. To want better.” You sighed tiredly. “I wholly believe there’s good in you and you can use your powers for better things, rather than putting people on knife boards and trapping old women in burning photographs.” 

“When one is stripped of their humanity, it makes it easy to favor the madness you used to shy away from.” His tone turned to something wicked and it made your heart still in your chest. “Why would I want to live a boring life when I can have something so much better?” 

You quirked an eyebrow at him. “Then why choose a life where you’re a servant to a detective? My life isn’t that eventful.” 

Curioso sounded offended. “Don’t say that..! We found such delicious things on your last case together-” 

“-Finding dead bodies in a murderer’s home is not the fun I want!” You exclaimed. You tried to grasp words. “It’s part of my duty, to find and try those responsible for it. I don’t like seeing others suffer and I don’t think you do, either, after you suffered yourself. You should break the cycle rather than continuing it!” 

He was sitting back and looking at you like you were a different person. You supposed that outburst wasn’t much like you, and his reaction was sort of warranted. 

“What if I’m unchangeable?” He asked quietly, barely audible to your ears over the cracking of the fire.

“You aren’t. No one is. And I don’t care if you’re not human anymore - a magical jester giving me a figure of myself is still a gift, no matter how you want to look at it. And caring about someone else like that is always a sign of humanity.” 

Things were quiet for a long minute as you sat there dwelling on your thoughts. Then your tall friend huffed and sank in the pillow behind him, crossing his arms and muttering quietly. 

“You’re not very fun when you’re being preachy. Even when you have a point.” 

You smirked and flicked one of his bells, making it chime under your finger. He turned his mask to glare at you for such an action. 

“No matter how inhumane you were treated, you are still a person. You deserve to be respected, to be shown compassion, to be… loved. ” You hesitated with that last word, taking in a breath for far too long before letting it out. “Can you let me show these things to you?” 

He uncrossed his arms and laid there looking at you. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable but it made you squirm under his gaze. But it wasn’t like he was studying you. It felt like he was appreciating you. And that sort of attention made you feel… something . 

“If you are the only person in the world who would want to give me those things, then I suppose I can let you.” He whispered back. 

You were feeling vulnerable right now and decided to snap out of it. You sat up straight and held your chin high, placing a hand over your heart and holding up a flattened palm with the other. The smile couldn’t help finding its way on your lips as you did this. 

“Alright, then, I’m going to make you swear it.” 

He looked at you curiously. “Swear what?”

“That you’re only going to use your powers for good from now on.” 

“Haven’t I already been using them for good? Tell me when I’ve misbehaved, Detective.” 

“Hiding my keys and my wallet the other day when I needed to go to the grocery store wasn’t very kind of you.” 

“Oh, but it was so hilarious..! You were looking for nearly half an hour-”

“-Curioso, stop laughing and swear it! Rest one hand over your hear- your, ah , chest…and hold the other high, like this.”

“You look stupid.”

“Look stupid with me! Come on, then.” 

You had a feeling he’d be rolling his eyes right about now. He copied your stance and held his mechanical hands where you wanted them. You grinned at his compliance. None of this was really necessary, but having his word meant just as much to you as a promise. And you wanted him to take this seriously. 

“Repeat after me. I, Curioso, solemnly swear to use my powers for good and only good.” 

“You didn’t say ‘me’.” 

You lightly smacked his chest and he laughed again. At least he was feeling good. 

“I swear to use my powers for good.”

“...Good! That should, uh, do it, then.” 

“Do I get something for being such a good boy? Your car, perhaps?”

“No, but…” The excitement grew in your chest as you recalled something you’d been meaning to tell him. You must’ve gotten sidetracked with your questions about the carnival. What a turn this conversation had taken. “..I have some good news to tell you.” 

“You’re finally going to get a haircut? That’s wonderful, because I’ve been telling you-” 

“-No, it’s not that.”

You made him wait for a few seconds longer, snorting when he became visibly impatient and tapped the cushion with exaggeration. 

“...We’ve been put on a case.”

Hey my good friend in hidden-object-games love :D you'll always have a special place in my mutual list for reminding me of so many of my favorite hidden object games from my childhood.

So, on the topic of one of my more recent posts: obviously, since I can't program, I can't literally -make- my own original hidden object game, but what I -can- do is draw and write.

So on the side, I think I'm going to work on a fully original horror story via said art and writings. I'm mostly telling you this cause A: I figured you'd like to know, and B: I'd want somebody I think who'd enjoy it to be able to see it, and hopefully have other people of like-minds that follow both of us see it as well.

I can't help but feel a bit silly writing this, cause by making a hidden object game story in this style, I'm basically removing the two key points of the genre, IE 'hidden object' and 'game' XD. But there's no other way I can pull this off so *shrug*. This'll probably take a while to happen also, since as you've probably noticed I've been doing a lot of RP blogging lately, so I'm a tad busy, but now that I'm starting to get back into my hidden-object grove I wanna see if I can cook something up.

Hey!! If it helps, you can call me 'Rainbow'!

YES!! Honestly, horror and creepy-themed HOPAs are my guilty pleasure, and I seek those out the most when I'm trying to find new games. I can't wait to see a fan project like that come to life! I honestly think fan-made-ideas of HOPA games should be a Thing - I know one would never come to full fruition unless it was a full programed "game" with "hidden object" scenes, but the concept alone should be fun to work with, I think!

Would love to see this! Please send me any updates if you can!