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“Goodness, it’s so hot here.”
Carmine sighed a little, plopping down onto the warm stone of the fountain wall.
They tilted their head back a little, humming as they felt the warm sun of the Sunset Savanna shining down on their face.
It was never quite this overbearing back home, but seeing other climates was certainly interesting.
Not where they would want to settle permanently, but it was still nice to look around before they headed back north tomorrow.
Carmine brushed the hair out of their eyes, idly watching people milling around the city centre.
They couldn’t go on like this forever, supporting themselves with just their own meagre savings and whatever rags they could gather from their clothes drawers before leaving, but it was enough that they could pretend it didn’t matter for a while.
Amidst the bustle of people and the city ambience, a sudden noise stood out among it all, catching Carmine’s attention.
“What an interesting laugh.”
Carmine’s head turned in the direction of where the noise came from, shading their eyes from the blaring sun shining over the nearby buildings.
They squinted a little, noticing two figures hunched over on the ground.
It was two beastmen, judging by the fuzzy ears poking out from their heads, which itself wasn’t anything strange. A large percentage of the world’s beastmen hailed from the Sunset Savanna, or at least that’s what the geography professor told them in class.
It was their clothes that were very bizarre, especially in this weather.
The younger beastman was wearing baggy clothes that were a garish yellow, clearly not his size, and the older beastman was wearing a deep blue coat that looked like something you might see in the Fairest City, except that they clashed with the heavily patched trousers he was wearing too.
Carmine stared at them curiously, tilting their head.
“Maybe they’re tourists like me.”
The laugh had obviously come from the older beastman, who looked to be of the fox genus. He was using a stick to draw something in the dirt by their feet, talking in low tones to the smaller beastman beside him.
“A cat beastman… he’s small. Reminds me of that kid back home…”
Every so often, despite his low voice, the fox beastman would let out a rich laugh, attracting dirty looks from passersby.
Carmine’s eyes trailed over the fox beastman’s face finally, a pair of black spectacles obscuring their view of his eyes, but they sat up a little straighter when they spotted the fresh, nasty bruise blooming across his forehead.
Clearly, this poor man had just been in quite the struggle.
Carmine should have paid him no mind.
He was a complete stranger, and they had no obligation to engage with him, but something about the way the smaller beastman was gazing up at him made them pause.
His big, droopy green eyes were shining in admiration, hanging onto his every word.
It was that face that made Carmine look away for a moment, unable to deny the familiarity of such an expression.
“He used to look at me like that sometimes… while I told him stories about school over summertime…”
They let out a soft sigh, and pushed themselves off their spot on the fountain wall, brushing off their trousers and steeling their nerves, before making their way over to the two beastmen.
Carmine felt a little awkward walking up to them while they were still crouched on the ground, but whatever.
The fox beastman didn’t seem to notice their approaching footsteps, but the young cat beastman instantly looked up once their shadow began to eclipse his little spot in the sun he was crouching on.
He didn’t say anything, but his ears folded back, looking up at them apprehensively.
The fox was still droning on, talking about letters or something along those lines, when his small companion reached over to tug at his jacket, making him pause.
“Gidel, I told you to pay attention-”
Suddenly, he must have finally registered the presence of an unknown person next to him, looking up at Carmine with a startled yelp, losing his balance on his haunches and falling backwards onto his ass.
The cat beastman, Gidel presumably, looked over at him with wide eyes, and then he mimicked him, falling backwards with his arms splayed out.
The fox beastman looked up at Carmine with a fierce expression, his ears folded back against his head as he spoke tightly.
“Are you quite right in the head? We were in the middle of something.”
Carmine went bright red, horrified at the intense reaction their presence had caused, and they sputtered out apologies.
“I-I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Let me help you up.”
They reached a hand out towards the older man, wincing a little as he shied away from their hand momentarily.
He scoffed, before reluctantly reaching up to grab Carmine’s hand.
“You didn’t scare me. I was just engrossed in my task, as anyone would be able to see.”
Carmine glanced down at his hand, noticing that the white glove he was wearing had a small hole exposing his pinky finger.
As soon as he was back on his feet, the fox beastman straightened up, suddenly a good bit taller than Carmine.
He brushed off his jacket and adjusted his fancy top hat, crossing his arms and looking down at Carmine with an annoyed expression.
His little friend, “Gidel”, had propped himself up too, hiding a little behind the taller man as he peered at Carmine curiously.
Carmine shuffled a little, highly embarrassed.
“I’m sorry again, I really didn’t mean to cause any upset. I noticed you were quite badly bruised… sir.”
Carmine hesitated, unsure of how they should address the man before them.
The fox beastman sighed, before his demeanour shifted quite drastically.
He let out another one of his infectiously loud laughs, waving his hand dismissively.
“Oh, think nothing of it. Accidents happen, accidents happen.”
His lips curled up into a friendly smile, and Carmine realised too late that they were still loosely grabbing his hand, when the fox beastman lifted their hands up together, pressing a chaste kiss against Carmine’s knuckles.
Their jaw dropped open. “Um.”
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Miss…?” Fellow paused for a moment, squinting at Carmine. “Or, is it Mister?”
Carmine’s eye twitched a little.
“There’s, uh, no need for that, thank you. My name is Carmine, and you are…?”
The fox let go of their hand to place his own against his chest, bowing courteously. “Fellow Honest, at your service. And this…” He looked down at the smaller beastman. “...Is my young apprentice, Gidel. How may we be of service to you?”
The drastic change in attitude left Carmine feeling a little winded, and their hand was still tingling a little.
“Oh, well… nothing really, I just wanted to ask if I could help you., actually.”
Fellow’s smile dropped a little, but he kept up his cheery air. “O-oh? You weren’t looking for any paid services then? We’re quite proficient in all kinds of labour.”
Gidel nodded eagerly at this, and Carmine couldn’t help noticing how the young boy was holding his stomach.
They shook their head, letting out a nervous little laugh. “Oh no, nothing like that. I just noticed your injury and thought I might offer to heal it for you.”
Fellow’s demeanour instantly flipped, quicker than a lightswitch, scowling at Carmine with a suspicious expression. “What were you going to ask for in exchange?”
Carmine shook their head.
“Nothing at all, I just… Well, it’s sort of my specialty. Let’s say the exchange is that I get to practise a little. How’s that?”
Fellow stared at them distrustfully. Gidel shifted a little, hiding something behind his back.
Carmine floundered a little under their sharp stares, looking away. “Well, you can say no, it's just… well, it looks like it’s quite painful.”
“Do it then.”
Carmine looked up, blinking in surprise.
The fox wasn’t looking at them, but he was gingerly touching his forehead with a tired expression.
Carmine bounced a little on their heels, feeling a little surge of energy. “Oh, really? I promise it won’t take more than a few moments.”
Fellow tilted his head forward a little, taking off his top hat and spectacles, and revealing the full extent of the nasty bump. “It’s driving me crazy, to be frank with you.”
Carmine went quiet for a second as they got their first glimpse of Fellow’s face without all of the objects obscuring it, and they realised that he was quite… handsome.
Unnervingly so.
They shook their head, clearing away the invasive thought, and they reached up to gently touch the spot where Fellow was bruised.
When they made contact, Fellow’s ears folded back again, and he winced.
Carmine’s eyes softened, and they took a little breath, murmuring the incantation for their unique magic quietly.
Bright red tendrils of magic grew from their fingertips, absorbing into the spot Carmine was touching. Fellow gave a little start, tensing up, and then relaxing as the pain in his head subsided.
Carmine kept their finger pressed against his head until the bruise had all but faded away, and when they were satisfied, they took their hand away, leaving a sweet scent behind.
Fellow’s nose twitched, and he gave Carmine a cautious look. “That was it?”
They nodded, giving the other man a little smile. “Yep, that’s all. I’m sorry I approached you in such a suspicious way, but it costs me nothing but a little blot to help someone in pain.”
Fellow and Gidel exchanged a small look at this, before the fox beastman placed his hat back on his head, and stowed away his glasses somewhere in his vast coat.
“So they were reading glasses?”
Carmine jolted a little as they suddenly felt a little tugging on their arm, and they looked down in surprise. The small beastman, Gidel, was holding their sleeve, looking up at them imploringly.
Carmine automatically took a knee to be level with him, tilting their head with a warm smile.
“Is something the matter, darling?”
Fellow watched silently as Gidel pointed at the small bow in Carmine’s hair, and they reached up automatically to touch it.
“You wanna see this?”
Gidel nodded eagerly, and Carmine unfastened the bow, a small tuft of their hair falling against their head messily.
It was their favourite hairpiece, a mint coloured bow adorned with cute little strawberries, and they held it out to Gidel for him to look at.
Gidel took the bow and sniffed it a little, looking disappointed. His ears flattened against his head, and Carmine felt a little pang of sadness.
Was he hungry?
Carmine automatically reached their hand up to pet the young boy’s head, but they stalled. Instead, they reached behind them and dug out a small packet of candies from their bag.
Carmine often relied on sugary snacks when they needed a little energy boost, so it was commonplace for them to have a little stash with them wherever they went.
Gidel’s ears perked up again, and his expression shifted in to one of delight as Carmine placed it in his little hands.
“Make sure you share with Fellow, okay? Not the healthiest thing I could give you but-”
“-Beggars can’t be choosers!” Fellow chimed in, stepping behind Gidel and placing a hand on the small boy’s shoulder.
He tilted his head, the charming smile from before back on his face as he regarded Carmine.
“Truly, you’re… too kind.”
Gidel held the little packet up like it was a trophy, jumping up and down.
It was such a cute sight that Carmine couldn’t resist, and they gave his hair a little ruffle. “Oh, it’s nothing. I wish I could help you out more, but I’ll be leaving tomorrow anyhow.”
Fellow frowned, shaking his head sadly.
“Such a shame indeed. Alas, young Gidel and I travel often too, so there’s no need to worry. We look after one another, isn’t that right?”
Gidel looked up at him and nodded jubilantly.
Carmine stood up from where they’d been kneeling in front of Gidel, dusting off their trousers.
They gave the two beastmen a little nod, smiling at them. “Well, I hope you get on okay. It was nice meeting you both.”
Fellow matched their smile, placing a hand on his chest and bowing slightly. “The pleasure was ours, Carmine.”
Something about the way the fox beastman said their name sent a little shiver down Carmine’s spine, but they brushed it off and went on their way, giving the two beastmen a cheery wave as they walked out of sight.
Once around the corner, Carmine let out a small breath they’d been holding.
It was such a strange interaction, and they still couldn’t believe they’d had the gall to just walk up to them like that.
They rubbed the side of their face with their palm, feeling a little warm.
Oh well. Strange occurrences were bound to happen every so often, travelling as Carmine was.
As they walked back to their temporary lodgings, a stall with pretty trinkets caught their eye, and their hand went to their pocket to fish out their wallet.
Nothing there.
Carmine stopped in their tracks, a small panic setting in their chest.
They unshouldered their bag again, and rifled through it, praying that it was somewhere inside, but to no avail.
They ran their hand through their hair, stressed, trying to think back to when they’d last taken it out.
“This can’t be happening… there were some stalls in the city centre I remember looking at, but… last time I used it was maybe ten minutes before I saw…”
Carmine stilled, their eyes widening in realisation.
“Oh.”
“I healed his bruise and he stole my wallet.”
--------------------------------------------------------
Today was the day.
An indescribable feeling welled up inside Carmine as they stared up at the huge entrance looming in front of them.
The fabled park of Playful Land had somehow, overnight, appeared at the pier of a small town in the outskirts of the Queendom.
They’d been keeping an eye on sightings and reports from fans of the park, and all of the hardcore theme park fan-sites had predicted that this place was going to be the next pit stop for the moving amusement park.
There was something ironic about being forced to travel back to the country that they left just over a year ago, but Carmine wasn’t going to pass up this chance.
They’d seen a job ad for the place on a random building’s wall whilst they’d been in the Shaftlands, nearing the end of their sightseeing.
The park was apparently looking to hire an on-site doctor, or something similar, but there was no means of contacting anybody on the ad, or any address to go to.
The idea of working at a travelling theme park appealed greatly to Carmine, who had fast run out of funds to pay for their own travelling.
Carmine’s eyes flickered back and forth between the entrance, where people were filing into the park one after another, and the patio on which potential guests were chatting, checking their bags and calming their children down.
Carmine narrowed their eyes, their gaze settling on a bored looking teenager whose ticket was sticking out of his jacket pocket.
It was almost too easy.
The tickets for this place were hard to come by, and in most cases it seemed that they had to come from the mysterious man who ran the park itself, so Carmine didn’t have a hope of attaining one by any legal means.
Carmine felt guilt pricking at their heart as they breezed past the family, subtly snatching the ticket and pacing casually towards the entrance gate.
”If he could see me now, he’d be so disappointed in me.”
They flashed the ticket at the entrance staff, and it took them a moment to realise that there weren’t even humans working in the booth.
Carmine stared at the lifeless puppet as it jerkily leaned over to stare unblinkingly at their stolen ticket, and it gave some sort of noise of approval and allowed them to slip into the park.
Anticipation began to well up inside them, and they bounced on their heels for a second before walking straight through the gate.
The park was colourful and full to the brim with various attractions, it almost stunned Carmine when they walked through the entrance.
They glanced around the central plaza, their gaze drawn to the statues situated right in the middle of the area.
They depicted a fox and a cat, and Carmine couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity when looking at them.
They turned away, scanning the nearby attractions for staff members, anyone they could talk to about where they could find the park manager.
A small frown played at their lips as they just kept spotting puppets, puppets, puppets.
Were there any actual humans working here?
Carmine strode over to one of the puppets that was manning a food stall. It raised its head, looking through them with lifeless, painted eyes. It looked like it was based on a toy soldier.
It began droning off an automated greeting, but Carmine cut across it, feeling a little impatient.
“Sorry, but do you know where I can find the park manager? I want to discuss something with him.”
The puppet stilled, clearly working through the question.
“The manager is not available. If you would like to see the manager, please see the show at 1 o’clock this afternoon.”
Carmine crossed their arms, a little irritated.
“Um, I don’t want to see the manager performing, I need to speak with him.”
The puppet didn’t respond, and Carmine groaned, stalking away and sitting on a nearby bench.
What was the point of even having a job advertisement if the park was this difficult to find, and the guy in charge was even harder to find?
Carmine sighed, tapping their foot against the ground anxiously.
They didn’t wanna make a big deal out of it by confronting the manager at whatever this “show” the puppet had mentioned was, but where else could they find him?
“I’ll just have to hang around all day, then… with no money…”
Carmine puffed out their cheeks, frustrated.
This was so freaking annoying.
—
Carmine woke up.
Their whole body was aching.
They groaned, stretching out on the bench, suddenly jolting as they realised what had happened.
“Oh my god, did I fall asleep? What time is it?”
They tugged their duffle bag close, frantically rifling through and breathing a sigh of relief as they found everything right where they left it.
No one had stolen from them this time.
Carmine tugged their phone out, cursing softly as they checked the time.
It was already five o’ clock in the evening, they’d missed the afternoon show AND everyone was practically gone already.
They paused, looking up at their surroundings.
It was eerily quiet now, but the park wasn’t due to close for at least another hour. There should still be a few people left milling about, getting their worth out of the ticket.
The sky was darkening, and the previously bright and colourful buildings were glowing orange with the newly lit lamps shining along the streets of the park.
Something felt strange.
They pulled their bag closer to themselves, and hopped off the bench, stretching again.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep here… and nobody tried to wake me up either.”
Carmine walked over to the food stall they had inquired at before, but the puppet who’d been manning it was nowhere to be seen.
Where was everybody?
They froze suddenly, feeling something watching them from behind.
They turned around, seeing a small group of puppets ambling towards them on the street.
Carmine took a step back, feeling apprehensive.
The group didn’t seem friendly, so they took off in the opposite direction, making good headway, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through their head, right behind their eyeball.
Carmine gasped, stopping in their tracks and grasping their face. “What-?!”
They let out an agonised groan as the pain got worse, rendering their vision blurry on the left side of their face.
They fell to their knees, feeling the skin under their fingers warping and shifting.
It felt like something was trying to worm its way out of their face, and they whimpered as they faintly heard the clattering of wood against the pavement behind them.
Carmine stilled as the skin they were grasping at began to harden, and a feeling of pure numbness began to spread across their whole body.
They keeled over onto the ground, unable to move a muscle as the group of puppets circled around them, and all they could do was stare fearfully at them.
Their mouth was spared from the paralysis somehow, and they sputtered out weakly, “W-what the hell is going on? What are you doing?”
The puppets stared at them with empty eyes, but one of them piped up as they began to pick Carmine up from the ground.
“You broke the rules. You’re going to meet the manager now.”
Carmine let out a small breath.
Was all this happening because they’d stolen their ticket into the park?
The puppets lifted them into the air, and Carmine had no choice but to stare despairingly at the path beneath them as they began to move, presumably towards wherever this stupid manager was.
“Is this really necessary? I would have just walked with you all there, you know.”
They blew some hair out of their face, unable to tuck it away.
The puppets didn’t respond, and they let out a frustrated noise. They couldn’t even move their neck to check what building they were being taken to.
Carmin registered the floor changing from pathway to wood, presuming they’d entered a building of some kind.
Their heart was racing, and they could feel the strange stiffness in their face starting to slowly spread further.
“What is happening to me…?
Soon enough, the puppets placed Carmine down on the ground.
They were in a small, dark room, and nobody else was there. One of the puppets propped Carmine up against the wall, and they stared at the door in apprehension.
“Where’s the… where’s the manager?”
One of the puppets slowly turned to look at her, but didn’t say anything.
Carmine felt their blood freeze as they heard a faint clacking sound, footsteps echoing through the hallway outside the door.
Was that him?
The footsteps paused outside the door, and the door opened. The light outside cast a shadow into the room through the doorway, and Carmine blinked as the figure stepped into the room.
It was a familiar looking man, donning a familiar looking coat and carrying a familiar looking cane.
But most conspicuously, he had a familiar pair of ears poking out of the top of his head, and a familiar tail idly swishing behind him.
He didn’t look at Carmine at first, instead regarding the puppets with a cold expression.
“This is the last one, is it?” The puppets all slowly nodded in tandem, and the man clicked his tongue. “Good. Get out of here.”
He gestured with his cane towards the door, and the puppets marched out of the room one by one, like small soldiers.
Carmine stared at the man dumbfounded, and when they found their voice, they spoke up in a hushed tone.
“...Is that you? Fellow?”
The beastman stiffened up as Carmine addressed him directly, and he turned to look at their face, his expression conorting in shock.
“Oh! Well, isn’t this a surprise!”
Carmine stared up at Fellow, unsure of whether they felt comforted by a familiar sight, or more nervous.
Fellow approached them slowly, the heels of his boots clacking softly against the wooden floor. He extended his cane, placing the tip under Carmine’s chin and tilting their head up, letting out a hum.
“It really is you. I didn’t think we would ever cross paths again. Much less like this.”
His voice was as smooth as Carmine remembered.
They swallowed, feeling a little vulnerable as they were forced to stare up at the fox beastman.
“What… What's going on, Fellow? You’re a… theme park manager now?”
Fellow let out a laugh, lowering his cane and allowing Carmine’s head to tip back down. “Indeed, I am. I assume you weren’t at the afternoon show then?”
He tapped the side of his head with a gloved finger, regarding them with a guarded smile. “Poor thing. I suppose you’re already feeling the effects of the curse.”
Carmine felt their heart rate pick up again as the fox spoke, his voice tinged with a faux-sadness.
“Curse? What do you mean? What’s happening to me?”
Fellow sighed heavily, leaning on his cane.
“Well, unfortunately for you, you broke the law whilst on our very property, my dear. Rules are one thing, but straight-up crime is another entirely.”
Carmine scoffed, feeling irritation towards the man in front of them growing steadily. “Aren’t you the same guy who picked my pocket after I healed you?”
Fellow blinked, looking genuinely surprised for a moment. “Oh, you remembered? So sorry about that.”
He didn't sound sorry at all.
Fellow stood up straight again, tapping the end of the cane gently against Carmine’s shoulder.
“Well, anyway, our beautiful park has certain… security measures in place to punish wrongdoers. It’s only fair, after all. You stole a ticket from one of our precious customers.”
Carmine let out a frustrated sound.
“Well, okay, but isn’t this overkill? I just wanted to talk to you personally. I… I didn’t know you were the manager.”
Fellow paused for a moment, his ear flicking slightly. “Mm, well, I apologise for the inconvenience, but whatever you wanted doesn’t matter now. You’ll be a puppet soon.”
Carmine’s blood froze, and they stared up at Fellow with wide eyes, suddenly hyper aware of the continuously spreading stiffness in their body. “Puppet… what? I’m gonna turn into one of… those soldier things?”
Fellow let out a little snort.
“Oh no, those are merely grunts. I’m sure you’ll turn into something prettier… worth more too, hopefully.”
Carmine wanted to run, run far far away, but they couldn’t move a single muscle, and all they could do was swallow the lump forming in their throat.
Their thoughts were racing, eyes flitting back and forth between Fellow and the door in front of them, and then they paused.
Realisation flooded their senses, and they spoke up again, their voice cracking slightly.
“Where’s… where’s the little one?”
They wracked their brain for a second.
“Gidel? He’s not with you?”
Fellow straightened up slightly, his face clouding over with an indescribable emotion.
It was far removed from the charming, sly air he had been emanating up til now, and he turned away from Carmine to look at the door again. “...Does it matter? He’s just…”
Carmine watched his body language carefully, and they noticed his ears folding back a little.
Was he worried?
They spoke up, voice soft, trying to keep a tremble out of it. “Is he alright?”
Fellow looked back at them with a slight scowl. “Why do you care? Don’t you have bigger problems to be worrying about?”
He tapped his face again.
Carmine nibbled on their lip anxiously.
“I mean, I suppose… but… he was a sweet kid. I’d hate for anything bad to have happened to him.”
Whilst they were trying desperately to get out of the situation, there was some truth to Carmine’s words.
Gidel was just a child, and he seemed largely dependent on the man in front of them.
Fellow looked away again, his tail swishing a little faster behind him. He was definitely agitated about something.
“He’s sick. That’s all.”
Carmine felt a surge of hope rise in their chest at this, and they took a deep breath, steadying their nerves.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I, um… I know you were looking to hire a doctor. Did that work out?”
Fellow crossed his arms, side eyeing Carmine with a cold frown. “No. I don’t suppose it’s easy to find this place.”
Carmine inwardly scoffed, but outwardly they managed to keep up the concerned expression.
“W-Well, that’s the whole reason I wanted to get in here. About the job ad, I mean.”
Fellow’s brow furrowed, and he turned back around to face Carmine properly.
“You’re a doctor?”
Carmine laughed nervously.
“N-Not exactly, but I trained under one of the most proficient magical healers in the entire country. I wanted to be a nurse after I left school…”
Their voice trailed off as they noticed Fellow’s sharp gaze darkening the longer they talked.
He tapped his cane against the ground twice.
“What, so that’s what you did to me a year ago?”
Carmine would have nodded if they weren’t totally paralysed, so they just hummed in acknowledgement instead.
“That was, uh, my unique magic. It can heal people, or make them… stronger.. It depends.”
They paused for a second, watching Fellow narrow his eyes at them.
“It can also alleviate symptoms when someone is sick.”
They watched carefully as Fellow let out a small breath, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
“...I see.”
He looked at Carmine with an unreadable expression.
“You want me to undo the curse upon you, so you can look after Gidel, all out of the kindness of your heart, is that it? Even after I’ve just told you I intend to sell you after you finish turning into wood?”
His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Carmine was determined to see this through.
They nodded, their voice quiet and subdued.
“I won’t make any trouble for you, I promise. I came here for the job, and if it’s still available, I’d love to use this as an opportunity to showcase my usefulness.”
They stared at Fellow, meeting his bemused expression with sincere green eyes.
He pulled a face, looking at Carmine as though they were an unpleasant bug he’d found on his coat.
“Have you no regard for your own wellbeing?”
Carmine tried to smile at him, which only seemed to unnerve the beastman further. “I have regard for others' wellbeing, which is what counts the most in this role, I think.”
Fellow rolled his eyes, muttering about the impudence of the educated or something similar.
He took a breath, closing his eyes for a moment, and lifted his cane again, pushing it right up against Carmine’s throat, forcing a small gasp from their mouth.
Fellow’s pupils were slits, and when he opened his mouth to speak, his sharp fangs were on full display.
“If you harm a single hair on that boy’s head, turning into a wooden doll will be the least of your worries, I promise you that.”
He hissed those words, and Carmine could do nothing but nod dumbly, numbly acknowledging the pointed tip pressing against their vulnerable throat.
That was enough for Fellow it seemed, as he took the cane away, his ears folded back against his head as he left the room, presumably to fetch Gidel.
Carmine licked their lips nervously.
They wanted to take a second to relax, but this was their only chance to get out of this insane situation.
Fellow soon returned, opening the door with his foot as he carried a small huddled mass in his arms.
Despite their current predicament, Carmine’s heart ached as the small beastman’s face came into view, panting slightly as his chest rattled.
Fellow was staring down at him with an expression that could only be described as frustrated.
The fear in his eyes was palpable as he knelt down, propping Gidel up against his knee to keep him steady.
Carmine looked over Gidel with a focused eye, but they still couldn’t move, and they gave Fellow an imploring look as the younger beastman started coughing.
The fox looked away, his ears pinned back against his head, and he reluctantly whispered something.
Carmine couldn’t help but gasp as feeling started returning to their limbs, and they automatically reached a hand up to feel the wooden roots that had been inching across their skin receding into nothing.
They breathed a sigh of relief, their shoulders going slack, before turning their attention to the poor Gidel who was shivering in front of them.
Carmine could feel Fellow’s fierce stare digging into them as they pushed themselves closer to the cat, feeling in their legs still not fully recovered.
They placed the back of their hand against Gidel’s forehead, cooing softly as the little boy leaned into the touch. He couldn't speak, but his forehead was scorching, and he was clearly in a lot of distress.
Carmine whispered softly to him, pulling him closer, away from the fox’s knee.
Fellow moved unconsciously, like he wanted to stop them, but he stilled himself.
“There, it’s okay. You’ll feel better soon, darling.”
Carmine placed both their hands against Gidel’s little face, and took a deep breath.
Without a magical pen or wand, they couldn’t use as much magic as they might like, but they could still get the poor boy over the worst of his sickness.
They whispered the same incantation they used a year ago, and the dark room lit up with a soft red glow as the familiar tendrils of magic snaked around Carmine’s hands, sinking into the small beastman’s skin.
They concentrated hard on their task, failing to notice the awestruck expression on Fellow’s face as they carried out their task.
Carmine took a shaky breath as the moment lingered, starting to feel the side effects of their unregulated magic creeping up on them, but they just needed…a little more…
Gidel suddenly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as he registered Carmine in front of him.
He took a deep breath, and Carmine could tell they had managed to dispel his chest infection at the very least.
With a sharp gasp, Carmine pulled their hands away from Gidel, gently pushing him into Fellow’s shellshocked arms, and they leaned away from them both.
They started coughing heavily, their chest heaving, as black spots of ink flecked from their mouth.
They spat out a horrible wad of blot that had started compiling inside them.
Carmine grimaced, wiping their mouth with their sleeve.
With a shaky laugh, they turned to look back at the beastmen. “A-Ah, sorry about that… how unsightly..”
Their words faded as they registered the horrified looks they were getting from both of the beastmen in front of them.
Carmine swallowed, turning back around and slumping against the wall in the same way as when they’d been paralysed. “I don’t have a magical pen anymore, so the blot… is worse.”
Carmine was quiet for a moment, but they started as they felt a little tug on their arm.
They looked up, and they were met with Gidel’s worried face.
He reached his oversized sleeve up and clumsily wiped against Carmine’s mouth, a little black spot staining his clothes.
They reached up to stop him, smiling at him gently. “I’m alright, don’t get your lovely jumper dirty.”
Gidel nodded, and reached up, ruffling Carmine’s hair in a similar way to how they had done to him once.
They giggled softly.
“You already seem better, huh? I guess my magic worked.”
They felt Gidel’s forehead again, and sighed softly. “Yeah, still quite warm, but at least your chest is sounding a lot better.” Gidel nodded in agreement.
Carmine looked over at Fellow, who instantly looked away from them.
Had he been staring?
The fox beastman turned his gaze to Gidel, and while he wasn’t saying anything yet, Carmine could feel the relief riding off of him in waves.
Fellow let out a shaky breath, and coughed slightly, clearing his throat. When he spoke again, it was low, but he managed to regain the smooth and guarded tone he’d carried before.
“That was… quite something. I’m surprised you were willing to push yourself like that for a stranger.”
Fellow glanced away again.
“I don’t know much about what plagues powerful magic users like yourself, but I am vaguely familiar with the… ink.”
Carmine propped themselves up more, laughing weakly. “Yes, well. I dropped out of school, so my magic pen was confiscated from me.”
They didn’t miss the way Fellow’s eyes widened a little at the mention of dropping out, but he didn’t say anything about it.
“However, I can still use a little bit as long as I’m careful, and I was rigorously trained in regular medicinal practises as well, for this precise situation.”
Carmine pulled themselves to their feet, wobbling a little and leaning against the wall for balance, but they kept their gaze determined and trained right at Fellow.
“He’s not fully cured, but I can look after him if you let me stay here.”
Fellow opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, growling a little in response.
Gidel shuffled up to him, looking at him with his big droopy eyes, clearly conveying something to the fox that Carmine couldn’t discern.
Fellow looked between his small companion and Carmine, and he grasped at his hat, pulling it down over his face a little as he groaned in pure frustration.
“Fine. FINE. You can take the job.”
Fellow let go of his hat, and he stalked over to where Carmine was regaining their balance against the wall.
He got right up in their face, and Carmine squeaked in surprise, eyes wide at the close proximity.
“If you dare even think about trying to leave this place, or leaking information to anyone, or- or whatever. I’m shipping you off immediately.”
His voice was threatening, but his ears were pinned back again as he snarled at them.
Fellow was the one who was really scared of what might happen if they let Carmine stay here.
Carmine took a deep breath, nodding. “I understand. I promise you’ll have no such trouble from me.”
“It’s not like I have anything out there to go back to now, so…”
Fellow searched their expression, and finding no malice, he clicked his tongue and stalked back to the doorway.
He grabbed Gidel’s arm and tugged him along with him, not looking back at Carmine as he spoke.
“There’s a medical tent with accomodation for you on the park grounds. The puppet at the exit will take you there.”
Fellow glanced behind at Carmine one last time. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
With that, the fox stalked away with his little friend in tow, and Carmine let out the sharpest breath they’d ever held in their life and leant back, going completely boneless against the wall.
Tears pricked at their eyes from the sheer relief, but they fiercely wiped them away.
Everything was fine.
They’d succeeded.
This was exactly what they had wanted when they walked into this cursed place.
The next part of their foreseeable future was starting tomorrow.
And despite the dark happenings unfolding before them, doubtless there were countless more sinister secrets that they had yet to find out about this place…
…some part deep inside them was fascinated by the beastman duo.
“Fellow… what an intriguing man.”