A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next installment. Here we'll get a little bit of the whole Blumiere/Dimentio/Timpani backstory!
Pikminfan: Thanks! Omg! True...that definitely requires its own one shot. :D
NictheWerecatqueen: lol, you'll find out in this chapter! ;)
Space Dimentio: :) I feel the same way! Also this gives wiggle room as to what dynamic the new addition will bring to the castle (not gonna lie, I haven't decided what kind of kid they're getting ^^;; ) Haha, you'll see! And yeahhh xD
A week had passed since Blumiere had that strange interaction with Dimentio. He had told his wife about it, only to find that she wasn't surprised in the least.
"Darling, I've never told you this, but I'd met him as well," Timpani said, "The only reason I didn't say anything was that I was afraid it would open up a whole can of sproingoings that we weren't ready to deal with. Now that Dimentio seems willing to discuss it, I think we'll be able to handle this well."
"When did you—"
"Let's let him tell his story first."
Blumiere nodded his head. He was wary of his wife's hesitation, but trusted that he would learn her reasoning soon enough. She was balancing their checkbook, and he left to get her some tea.
~CBOUT~
"Aha ha ha ha, thank you all for joining me on such short notice," Dimentio greeted from his podium. "Please prepare yourselves for the greatest puppet show you'll ever see!"
Mimi watched as her boyfriend summoned a massive puppet theater. He had told her the gist of his backstory an hour prior as he promised. She had known that he was partial to theatrics, but this seemed quite literal. Her eye was drawn to a miffed-looking O'Chunks. The DVR was full, and he was missing the latest installment of Flint Cragley.
The puppet theater had dark red, velvet curtains. It was made of a sturdy wood, and took up a third of the room. Tacky purple-and-yellow paint coated the wood, clashing with the red. It was a headache to look at.
"Was there any reason to turn this into a performance for the entire castle? Lord Blumiere muttered to himself."
Lady Timpani clucked her tongue. "And you had just started kicking that habit…"
Dimentio cleared his throat. "Now pay attention...I do despise repeating myself."
The curtains closed, and the room went dark sans the spotlight over the theater. Dimentio lazily conducted with a finger, and eerie music began to play in the background. Strings appeared out of nowhere, and puppets were sewn in mere seconds. The curtains closed, then opened dramatically.
It was time for the play to begin.
~CBOUT~
Once upon a time, in a faraway place, there lived two neighboring tribes: The Tribe of Ancients, and the Tribe of Darkness. It was your classic light versus dark struggle, respectively of course. The Tribe of Darkness was regarded as traitors, as their ancestors were the ones who stole the Dark Prognosticus away from the Ancients. Conversly, the Tribe of Ancients were thought of as weak souls, who could not use their powers to their full potential.
Our story begins in the Tribe of Darkness. A dying species were those who welded dark magic. Beginning with seven prominent bloodlines, only two strong ones remained. The alpha bloodline had one female heir, and the beta bloodline had two male heirs and one female heir. In the beta bloodline, disease broke out, and only the younger male survived. You can imagine that a marriage was quickly arranged between the alpha female and beta male.
It was a loveless arrangement, and only one son was born successfully. He was called...you guessed it, Blumiere. His name meant 'blue light', and it was because of his striking eyes that he obtained such a name.
Now, Blumiere's mother, was a descendent of the man who had stolen the Dark Prognosticus to begin with. She had sworn off dark magic after witnissing a tragedy too many. His father was one of the most powerful mages in the land. When she couldn't provide more heirs to the throne, he became angry. The other members of the tribe didn't have a good enough genetics. He became violent in words and actions.
One day in the middle of the night, she fled. She went over to the Tribe of the Ancients, where she wandered in disguise. She covered her dark indigo skin in a cloak, and was taken in by a gentleman. When he realized who she was, he was terrified, but she knelt at his feet, crying. She had been beaten, and just needed somehwere to hide for awhile. She swore she would never hurt him. He of course chose to help her, and slowly a bond formed. They fell madly in love, and she became pregnant, despite thinking herself barren. They had committed a grevious taboo, and would pay a terrible price.
Five years of living in hiding passed. Just when she thought she had successfully restarted her life, the Lady's life ended. It was rather ironic. The Lord's men raided the house and murdered the two, and discovered a Lucseminox cowering in a corner. He had both a dark and light protection charm, casted by his parents. None could kill him until it wore off. They kidnapped the boy, who's name at the time was Dimitri, and they changed it to Dimidio...which was based on the name of the taboo the Lady and gentleman had comitted.
"Was that you, Dimentio?" Mr. L asked.
The music came to a screeching halt. "Yes. Now please if you could refrain from interrupting, that would be most appreciated."
Blumiere sighed. "Dimentio, would it not have been easier to have a discussion about this?" His timbre was lowered, and his words were barely above a whisper.
Lights flickered on, and Dimentio stared at his landlord with a deadpan expression. "My dear half-brother, isn't this more entertaining? They don't call me the pleaser of crowds for nothing! Aha ha ha ha."
"Who actually calls you that other than yourself?" Nastasia's voice cut through.
Dimentio snapped his fingers and the lights went out again.
"'EY! I'm missin' me show fir this...make it good!" O'Chunks demanded.
Anyway…
'Dimidio', as he was called, was forced to be a slave. He was dressed in a jester's outfit, and a crude mask was forced upon his face. It was cursed so that he could never remove it. None were to see the abomination underneath. He met his half-brother one day. Dimidio was thirteen at the time. The lord had struck the boy's face with his staff. His offense had been reading books about dark magic in the library.
"You, child are not allowed in here! Your kind is a disgrace. You shouldn't even," he struck the boy, "Exist!"
Blumiere came to the boy's aid. "Father! Why? Why are you doing such a thing to him?"
The lord turned to his son. "Blumiere, this is a matter that does not require your input. Do not interfere with this abomination's punishment." For good measure, he hit the boy across the mask again, striking his eye. The boy writhed in pain. "My son, you'd do well to stay away from this child. Now go...your tutor awaits you."
"Yes, sir."
And for awhile, that was the last time their paths would cross.
Blumiere lowered the brim of his hat. "I remember that."
Dimentio removed his mask and pointed at his bad eye. "I'm unable to forget it."
The tension in the meeting room was almost suffocating. Mr. L twiddled his gloved thumbs. O'Chunks, jaw flapping, looked back and forth between Blumiere and Dimentio. Even Mimi, having already heard the bulk of the story, shifted her weight from right leg to left leg. Nastasia and Timpani locked eyes.
"Dimentio...I think we'll need an intermission...perhaps we can continue this another time," Timpani spoke.
Before the jester could come back with a quip, Nastasia opened her mouth. "Yeah, it's dinner time, 'K?"
~CBOUT~
There was a knock on Dimentio's bedroom door."Hey, Dim." It was Mr. L. Dimentio opened the door.
"Yes?"
"Should I call you Dimitri?" Mr. L asked.
Dimentio's smile flickered. "Dim or Dimentio is just fine...I won't protest to Dimitri." The mechanic nodded. Silver eyes flashed as they were drawn to something within the jester's room.
"What's in that little box over there?"
Dimentio floated to a few inches off the floor. "Ah, that's something I needed for a potion which hopefully will not be carelessly thrown upon my new carpeted floor." He went over to the box and stuck it into a dresser drawer. It was small enough that it would mostly disappear in the jester's hand.
"What?"
The master of dimensions stared at him pointedly.
"Ohh...uh...okay," he cleared his throat. Attempting to change the subject, and to get back to the reason he initially came, Mr. L spoke again. "So, like...I gotta know: why are you turning your past into some kinda sideshow, and why now?"
It was true, they had been living together for nearly two years since The Almost-End. It had taken a lot of adjustment and rebuilding trust...not to mention the castle itself.
"I suppose it was because," he lowered himself so that his feet touched the rug again. "Change is upon us, and I feel that closure is needed before one can move forward. And in order to do so...skeletons must be dug out from their closets."
"What does that—"
"If you could please leave...I have an event that requires my presence."
"O-Okay," Mr. L said before teleporting away.
"He's really improved," Dimentio mused to himself. He sat on his neatly-made bed. Pulling his knees into his chest, he collapsed onto his side. "I just...This is right; deception is a tiring and lonely practice. No more of that."
He hung his mask and hat on a bedpost. Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
